Born on this day!! Actor Tommy Lee Jones is 76. Movie director Oliver Stone is 76. Drummer Kelly Keagy of Night Ranger is 70. Actor Barry Shabaka Henley (“Bob Hearts Abishola”) is 68. Drummer Mitch Dorge of Crash Test Dummies is 62. Actor Danny Nucci (“The Fosters”) is 54. DJ Kay Gee (Naughty by Nature) is 53. Actor Josh Charles (“The Good Wife,” ″Sports Night”) is 51. Actor Tom Hardy (“The Dark Knight Rises”) is 45. Actor Marisa Ramirez (“Blue Bloods”) is 45. Guitarist Zach Filkins of OneRepublic is 44. Actor Dave Annable (“Brothers and Sisters”) is 43. Actor Amy Davidson (“8 Simple Rules”) is 43. TV personality Heidi Montag (“The Hills”) is 36. Actor Kate Mansi (“Days of Our Lives”) is 35.
THIS DAY IN GENIUS HISTORY
1821 – Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, and El Salvador gained independence.
1789 – The U.S. Department of Foreign Affairs changed its name to the Department of State.
1835 – Charles Darwin and the HMS Beagle reached the Galapagos Islands.
1917 – Alexander Kerensky proclaimed Russia a republic.
1935 – The Nuremberg Laws deprived Jews of their citizenship and made the Swastika the official emblem of Nazi Germany.
1963 – A church bombing in Birmingham, Alabama, killed four young black girls.
1989 – Pulitzer Prize-winning author Robert Penn Warren, the first poet laureate of the United States, died.
2004 – The National Hockey League lockout began. The 2004-2005 season would ultimately be canceled.
Today Is: Felt Hat Day, Google.com Day, Greenpeace Day, International Day of Democracy, International Day of Listening, International Dot Day, LGBT Center Awareness Day, National 8-Track Tape Day, National Cheese Toast Day, National NeoNatal Nurses Day, National On-line Learning Day, National PawPaw Day, National Teach Ag Day, Tackle Kids Cancer Day, World Lymphoma Awareness Day
TODAY ON TV!
Primetime TV (All Times Eastern)
CBS – 8:00 – Young Sheldon / 8:30 – Ghosts / 9:00 – Big Brother / 10:00 – CSI Las Vegas
NBC – 8:00 – Law and Order / 9:00 – Law and Order SVU / 10:00 – Law and Order Organized Crime
ABC – 8:00 – Press Your Luck / 9:00 – Generation Gap / 10:00 – The Con
FOX – 8:00 – Major League Baseball
CW – 8:00 – Bump / 8:30 – Whose Line Is It Anyway / 9:00 – Great Chocolate Showdown
TV Talk Shows
Jimmy Kimmel: Sam Rockwell, Beto O’Rourke, Death Cab for Cutie
Jimmy Fallon: Fred Armisen, Letitia Wright, David Blaine
Stephen Colbert: Queen Latifah, Nina Totenberg
Seth Meyers: Hillary Clinton, Chelsea Clinton, Beth Ditto, Rick Smith
The View: Viola Davis, Thuso Mbedu, Lashana Lynch, Sheila Atim
The Talk: Dr. Phil McGraw
Live with Kelly and Ryan: Topher Grace, Jimmy Chin
Kelly Clarkson: Lin-Manuel Miranda, Ozuna, Angie Martinez
Tamron Hall: Michelle Branch, Angela Simmons
Drew Barrymore: Hillary Rodham Clinton, Chelsea Clinton, Chris Appleton
WHAT ARE YOU TALKIN’ ABOUT? Here are today’s PPM-Friendly Topics!
QUESTION: Have you noticed all the kids walking around on classic rock band t-shirts?? Have you asked them to name one of the band’s songs?? Because they CAN’T!!!!
QUESTION: Were the good old days REALLY that good? Look what happened when they crashed a ’59 Bel Air into an ’09 Malibu!!!! Can you guess who won??????
QUESTION: Should Disney be WORRIED?? Even though they’re making record profits, the fans say Disney World is a MESS! Dirty, nasty, and the rides are broken!!!!!!!!!!
QUESTION: Have we found the first official royal product of the reign of KING CHARLES III??? A New Zealand butcher has created “King Charles Sausage Fingers!!”
QUESTION: Ready for the most TEAR-JERKING MESSAGE left for the Queen? 8-year-old girl writes: “If you see a lady with short curly hair, it’s my great grandma, Dede!!”
The Crown Resumes Filming
“The Crown” has resumed filming after the Netflix series paused production on Thursday, the day Queen Elizabeth II died at 96 at Balmoral Castle in Scotland. Elizabeth Debicki, the actress who portrays Princess Diana, was seen on a set in a small town near Barcelona, Spain, dressed as the late princess. The scene is set during Diana’s trip to Bosnia, in 1997, where she met with children and landmine victims. Debicki was seen in a pink button down, with black slacks and gold studded earrings, a spitting image of the late princess. In 1997, Diana flew to an area of Sarajevo, where she met with landmine victims, which was an aftereffect of the Bosnian War. According to the U.S. Department of State’s website, between 1992 and 1998 there were 125 deaths attributed to landmines. Peter Morgan, the writer of the Emmy-winning drama, confirmed the show’s pause in production on Friday. “‘The Crown’ is a love letter to her, and I’ve nothing to add for now, just silence and respect,” he said. “I expect we will stop filming out of respect too.” A spokesperson for the series said production was paused on Friday “as a mark of respect” and will also be suspended on the day of the queen’s funeral. The temporary pause in production will not impact the release of season five of the series, which is scheduled for November. The show is currently in production for its sixth season.
*****All we can say is: “How DARE you?”
*******They’re now filming the part where Princess Di is murdered.. so the Queen died just in time!!!
*****They’re already planning the series about Charles III. It’s called “The Clown!!”
Low Emmy Ratings
The Emmy Awards hit a new low in viewership on Monday night, with its estimated audience of 5.9 million people even smaller than the COVID-19-disrupted ceremony two years ago. The Nielsen company said the ceremony down from the 7.4 million people who watched in 2021. Usually shown on a Sunday night, the Emmys were shifted to Monday to make way for NBC’s first “Sunday Night Football” game the night before. It couldn’t escape football, however, since it competed against a tight “Monday Night Football” game. The Emmys were hosted by Kenan Thompson of “Saturday Night Live.” The previous low point for the Emmys, with 6.1 million people, came with a drastically downsized show because of the pandemic in 2020. The last time the Emmys exceeded 10 million viewers was 2018, when it reached an audience of 10.2 million. The Emmys had 21.8 million viewers in 2000, a level it will probably never reach again.
********People are starting to realize: “They don’t care whether we watch or not!! It’s all about THEM!!”
*******Find a list of the highest-rated TV shows. Now compare it to a list of the Emmy nominees!! It’s two different lists. ‘Nuff said.
Harry and Meghan’s PDA Draws Criticism
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s decision to hold hands while leaving Westminster Hall on Wednesday has divided royal fans. While the couple arrived separately for Queen Elizabeth II’s procession – with Markle riding in a car and Harry walking beside brother Prince William – they stood side by side during the service. On their walk out, the pair were the only duo holding hands, unlike King Charles III, Queen Consort Camilla, William and Kate Middleton. Many Twitter users celebrated the public display of affection as Harry mourned his late grandmother. “Meghan & harry have such a special & amazing bond that no one can ever take away from them,” one person gushed. Another called her a “supportive wife” amid her husband’s grief. “Meghan and Harry love each other,” a third added. “There is no reason why they should ever have to hide it!” Notably, royal family members are strongly discouraged from showing PDA, leading many social media users to find fault with the hand-holding “breach.” “They’re part of the procession,” read one gripe. “Is it too much to expect them to walk in their line? even the horse could stay in their position for 20+ minutes walk. yet meghan [and] harry couldn’t keep the formation at least until they reach the door?”
********Harry is now an American barbarian!!!
****Meghan has to keep hold of her property!!!
*******We didn’t mind the hand-holding.. but they were making out during the ceremony!! Tacky!!
Blake Shelton Still Has Gwen As “My Girlfriend”
They’ve been together for seven years and married for one, but Blake Shelton and Gwen Stefani are still in the “nervous phase.” In fact, he admitted in a new interview that his wife is “still in [his] phone, literally, as ‘My Girlfriend.’” Shelton attempted to explain himself, telling Hoda Kotb on the “Today” show Monday, “I guess when you’re our age — and we’ve been together for seven years — it still seems like it’s pretty new to me. The nervous phase is still there.” It turns out the “Happy Anywhere” collaborators are fine with each other’s quirks, though. Shelton joked elsewhere in the interview that Stefani is a big fan of the ’80s-inspired mullet that he rocked in his latest music video, “No Body.” “To Gwen, that’s like an exotic, weird thing. … She was never around people who had mullets,” he explained. “To her, it’s cool, and she probably wishes that I had one [in real life].”
*********Uh… no she doesn’t.
*****Is it just us, or is Gwen now a dead ringer for Cardi B?? Bad docs??
Zendaya’s Mom Had To “Name Drop” To Get Past Security
Zendaya’s mom said that she had to “name drop” her daughter in order to get past security and reach the actor’s table at the Emmys on Monday. On Monday, Zendaya won her second Emmy for her lead role in the hit HBO series “Euphoria,” becoming the youngest actress to win two Emmys, and the first Black woman to win the Emmy for lead actress in a drama series twice. On Tuesday, Zendaya’s mother, Claire Stoermer, revealed she was at the event and hugged her daughter before the announcement of her win. Sharing a photo of them hugging on her Instagram story, Stoermer went on to explain how she was nearly stopped from approaching her daughter’s table. “Made my way to Z before they awarded her the Emmy and gave her the biggest hug and said… breathe!!!” she wrote. “The man who tried to stop me said ‘where are your credentials?’ I said ‘I’m Zendaya’s mom’ and kept walking!! hahaha! I never name drop like that but I have to do it!”
*********The struggle is real!!!
King Charles III To Lay Off Many Staff Members
Dozens of household staff who served King Charles III while he was heir to Britain’s throne have been told they could lose their jobs, according to one of the United Kingdom’s leading labor unions, which called the move “heartless.” Charles, who succeeded his mother on her death last Thursday, and Camilla, the queen consort, will be moving to the monarch’s main official residence, Buckingham Palace. That means the royal couple will be leaving Clarence House, Charles’ London home and office for decades. As a result, the Public and Commercial Services Union said in a statement, up to 100 employees “including some who have worked there for decades, received notification that they could lose their jobs following his accession to the throne.” “We believe the decision to announce redundancies in the Royal Household during the period of national mourning is nothing short of heartless,” the statement said. “This is a significant majority of the household and many of these staff will be the same people who have so diligently supported the new king during this period of mourning, working extremely hard over recent days only to be given redundancy notices as thanks,” it added. Mark Serwotka, the union’s general secretary, said in a statement that the “scale and speed at which this has been announced is callous in the extreme.”
***********The only he’s keeping is the woman who irons his shoelaces!!!
******The Queen just sent a message: “Do you miss me yet??”
*******Camilla told Charles: “Just have them beheaded!!!”
Ripping The Tabloids (Throughout the week, we’ll give you the stories from that weeks tabs!)
**Please Credit Publication!
Grinch of the Week: Mariah’s Holiday Showdown!-(In Touch)
There’s just one thing Mariah Carey wants for Christmas: To own it! The Santa-loving diva, 53, filed to trademark “Queen of Christmas” in early August, but she should have checked her list twice: Fellow singers Darlene Love and Elizabeth Chan aren’t about to put down their jingle bells. “David Letterman officially declared me the Queen of Christmas 29 years ago, a year before she released ‘All I Want for Christmas Is You,’ and at 81 I’m NOT changing anything,” responded Darlene, who sang her 1963 hit “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)” on the late-night host’s shows every December from 1986 to 2014. “If Mariah has a problem, call David or my lawyer!” Elizabeth, who exclusively records yuletide carols, already had her attorney file to stop Mariah, saying, “Christmas is for everyone.”
STUPID NEWS
Longest Mobility Scooter
A British inventor is seeking Guinness World Records recognition for a 22-foot-long mobility scooter he believes to be the world’s longest. Kevin Nicks, who previously earned Guinness World Records for creating the world’s fastest motorized shed and the world’s fastest wheelbarrow, said he decided to take on the title of world’s longest mobility scooter after discovering the current record stands at 10 feet, 4 inches. Nicks, of Chipping Norton, England, said Guinness rules stipulate that his creation must be a standard mobility scooter with no wheels in the middle to support the extra weight. Nicks said he will have to demonstrate the scooter can travel at least 328 feet under its own power to qualify for the title. See the video HERE.
********We’re gonna need a bigger Walmart!!!!
********Aunt Fanny still holds the title for the heaviest person ever to ride a mobility scooter!!!
******Too bad the Queen died. This scooter could have been “Mobility for Nobility!!!”
Escaped Boa Constrictor
Authorities in Pennsylvania are warning members of the public to be on the lookout for a 6-foot boa constrictor who escaped from his owner’s home. Police and animal rescuers in Mercer said the snake, named Steve Irwin, escaped from his owner’s home through an open front door in the North Pitt Street area of Mercer. “We just wanted to let everyone know this thing is out there, and if you see it, you probably shouldn’t play with it,” Paul Tobin of the Mercer County Humane Society told The Herald newspaper. Tobin said the snake was recently fed and will likely not be on the hunt for food. “But these snakes are opportunists,” he said. “So if the opportunity arose, it would probably eat.” The boa’s owner said in a Facebook post that a $200 reward is being offered for Steve’s safe return.
**********Don’t pet it… even if it starts “hugging you!!!”
*****In a related story, quite a few cats have gone missing!!!
Florida Man Mistakes Cops For Mexican Cartel
A Florida man told police he shot at them because he thought they were members of a Mexican drug cartel, according to an arrest affidavit. He is now facing premeditated murder charges. Lukas Alves is facing a slew of charges, including attempted first-degree premeditated murder of a law enforcement officer after he allegedly shot an officer in the chest at a Melbourne hotel Friday, FOX 35 Orlando reports. While being questioned by officers after the shooting, Alves said that he believed the officers were members of the Mexican Cartel who showed up outside his room to steal his belongings. “Alves and his roommate were staying at the Suburban Lodge Extended Stay when hotel management was alerted about a 911 hang-up call. When management knocked on Alves’ door they overheard the man yell, ‘There are a bunch of armed gunmen, and I’m going to die,’ an arrest affidavit states,” FOX 35 states.
*********What do they call this in Florida?? Wednesday.
Woman Brings Raccoon To A Bar
A woman walked into a North Dakota bar carrying a raccoon, leading health officials to warn those who had contact with the animal about possible rabies exposure. Bartender Cindy Smith said she was serving drinks at the Maddock Bar last week when a local resident brought in the animal during happy hour. There were about 10 people in the saloon at the time, she said. Smith said she immediately asked the woman to leave but instead she took the raccoon around the bar to show another customer. The woman eventually departed with the animal after about five minutes. “We finally got her out with it, and that’s all that happened,” Smith told The Bismarck Tribune. “It never left her arms one time, and there was absolutely no biting.” Rabies is a viral infection that affects mammals, including humans. In an alert issued Tuesday, North Dakota’s Health and Human Services Department is asking anyone who may have been bitten or had contact with the raccoon’s saliva to seek medical care. “Because rabies is such a serious disease with a nearly 100% fatality rate, we are making this information available to the public as a precautionary measure,” epidemiologist Amanda Bakken said in a statement.
**********Meanwhile, the raccoon is thinking: “I didn’t catch anything from those humans, did I??”
****Raccoons don’t bite unless you smell like a trashcan!!!
STUFF THAT’S COOL AND VIRAL
VIDEO: CUTTING UP A 500 POUND BLUEFIN TUNA.
VIDEO: LIVE FEED FROM WESTMINSTER HALL.
A LIST FOR THURSDAY
Here’s How 825,000 Americans Became Millionaires — and You Can Too
THE PENNY HOARDER
It’s Not Flashy, But It Works
Welcome to the least glamorous way to become a millionaire. It’s also the most realistic way to become a millionaire. Feed your retirement fund. Keep feeding it. Don’t ever stop. As of mid-2022, more than 406,000 Americans have become millionaires through their employer-sponsored 401(k) plans. Nearly that many Americans — 346,800 — have become millionaires through their IRAs, individual retirement accounts.
And that’s just with Fidelity Investments, the nation’s largest provider of workplace retirement plans. Those numbers come from Fidelity’s quarterly retirement analysis. Not only that, but more than 72,200 people have become millionaires investing in the Thrift Savings Plan, the federal government’s version of a 401(k), according to the Federal Retirement Thrift Investment Board.
“Many current millionaires are government workers, civil servants, educators, military service members (or retired military), managers or co-workers clocking in just like you, leaving at the end of a shift to run and pick up their kids from school,” this Washington Post financial columnist wrote. “Many never earned six-figure salaries.” “They’ve been investing for nearly three decades, taking every dollar offered by their employers in matching retirement plan contributions. They also don’t cash out their retirement savings when they change jobs.”
How to Make Your 401(k) Work for You
To max out your 401(k) plan, you need to be contributing enough money to get the full company match. It’s common for employers to offer a match. Whatever you contribute, they’ll throw in the same amount, up to a set percentage of your paycheck. How much will they kick in? There’s no hard rule, but the most common 401(k) match is 50 cents on the dollar up to the first 6% you contribute — or 3%. In that situation, you’d want to be contributing at least 6% of your paycheck to your retirement account. Otherwise, you’re passing up free money.
To make contributions, allot a certain amount of your paycheck to go straight into your 401(k). You can do this pre- or post-tax. It’s up to you how much you want to put in, though the contribution limit for 2022 is $20,500 of your own money per year. That’s up slightly from the 2021 limit of $19,500.
Your 401(k) contributions get invested in stocks and bonds. Then, thanks to the sweet magic of compound interest, your money steadily grows over time.
Don’t Have a 401(k)? Open an IRA
If you’re a full-time employee in America, you probably have a 401(k) plan. About two-thirds of all private sector employees in the U.S. have a retirement plan at work, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. That still leaves one-third of all full-time employees high and dry, without an employer-sponsored retirement plan. Plus part-time employees. Not to mention the self-employed.
If you don’t have a 401(k) plan, what should you do? Open an individual retirement account, or IRA, pronto. Unlike a 401(k), an IRA is not affiliated with your employer. It’s a retirement savings and investment account that you open on your own, all by yourself. Luckily, it’s super easy to do this online with any number of reputable financial giants — or even through a robo investing app.
With a traditional IRA, you put your money into the account before taxes are taken out. That money grows tax-deferred until retirement. You pay taxes on it when you withdraw the money at retirement age. If you withdraw money before you turn 59 ½, you pay a 10% penalty.
With a Roth IRA, you pay taxes up front, and when you reach age 59 ½, you can withdraw your earnings tax-free.
Procrastinating Will Cost You Money
The important thing is not to dawdle. Start investing in your 401(k) or IRA as early in life as you can. The longer your investments have to grow and compound, the more money you’ll have when you retire.
And you’ve got to consistently feed that thing. Don’t skimp on it. Don’t cash out your retirement savings when you switch jobs. Don’t submit to the temptation! Stay on track. That’s what those 825,000 Americans who became 401(k) and IRA millionaires did. They took the long view.
The preceding material was compiled and edited by Brandon Castillo. The Editor-In-Chief is Gary Bryan. The Radio Genius Show Prep Service is licensed for use on-air only by subscribing radio stations. Other means of redistribution is forbidden.
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