Born on this day!! Actor George Takei (“Star Trek”) is 84. Singer Johnny Tillotson is 83. Actor Ryan O’Neal is 80. Bluegrass musician Doyle Lawson of Doyle Lawson and Quicksilver is 76. Keyboardist Craig Frost of Grand Funk Railroad is 73. Actor Gregory Itzin (“24″) is 73. Actor Veronica Cartwright (TV’s “24: Legacy, film’s “Aliens”) is 72. Actor Jessica Lange is 72. Actor Clint Howard is 62. Actor Crispin Glover is 57. Actor Andy Serkis (“Lord of the Rings”) is 57. Country singer Wade Hayes is 52. Actor Shemar Moore (“Criminal Minds”) is 51. Actor Carmen Electra is 49. Actor Joey Lawrence (“Blossom,” ″Brotherly Love”) is 45. Multi-instrumentalist Clay Cook of the Zac Brown Band is 43. Actor Clayne Crawford (TV’s “Lethal Weapon”) is 43. Actor Tim Jo (“The Neighbors”) is 37. Actor Carlos Valdes (TV’s “The Flash) is 32.
THIS DAY IN GENIUS HISTORY
1841 – The first detective story, Edgar Allen Poe’s Murders in the Rue Morgue was published.
1769 – Ottawa Indian chief Pontiac murdered.
1902 – Marie and Pierre Curie isolated radium.
1912 – The Boston Red Sox played their first game at Fenway Park. They beat the N.Y. Highlanders (who in 1913 would become known as the Yankees) 7-6.
1971 – The U.S. Supreme Court upheld the practice of busing for racial desegregation.
1999 – 14 students (including killers) and 1 teacher killed, 23 others wounded at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colo., in the nation’s deadliest school shooting.
2008 – Danica Patrick won the Indy Japan 300, becoming the first woman to win an IndyCar race.
2010 – An explosion on a BP oil drilling rig off the coast of Louisiana kills 11 people and injures 17. Experts estimate that 13,000 gallons of crude oil per hour are pouring into the Gulf of Mexico.
Today Is: Chinese Language Day, International Cli-Fi Day, National Cheddar Fries Day, National Pot Smokers Day or National Weed Day
TODAY ON TV!
Primetime TV (All Times Eastern)
CBS – 8:00 – NCIS / 9:00 – FBI / 10:00 – FBI: Most Wanted
NBC – 8:00 – Young Rock / 8:30 – Kenan / 9:00 – This Is Us / 10:00 – New Amsterdam
ABC – 8:00 – Pooch Perfect / 9:00 – Blackish – Mixedish / 10:00 – Big Sky
FOX – 8:00 – The Resident / 9:00 – Prodigal Son
CW – 8:00 – Flash / 9:00 – Supergirl
TV Talk Shows
Jimmy Kimmel: Ellen DeGeneres, Billie Joe Armstrong, Jimmie Allen, Brad Paisley
Jimmy Fallon: Jane Fonda, Robin Thede
Stephen Colbert: Cher, Bradley Whitford
Seth Meyers: Hank Azaria, Brandi Carlile, Dulcé Sloan, Emmanuelle Caplette
James Corden: Angela Bassett, KSI featuring Yungblud & Polo G
Lilly Singh: Abdullah Saeed
Daily Show: Miguel (R 4/12/21)
Conan: Kevin James (R 2/25/21)
Watch What Happens Live: Chrissy Teigen
The View: Maria Bakalova
The Talk: Thomas Lennon
Live with Kelly and Ryan: Andra Day, DJ L.L.A.M.A with Ne-Yo & Carmen DeLeon, Monica Mangin
Ellen DeGeneres: Ed Helms, Barbara Corcoran
Wendy Williams: Andy Cohen
The Real: Desus & Mero
Kelly Clarkson: Alex Morgan, Erin Andrews, Chiney Ogwumike, Jessica Mendoza
Drew Barrymore: Jenny McCarthy, Terence J, Latrice McArthur
WHAT ARE YOU TALKIN’ ABOUT? Here are today’s PPM-Friendly Topics!
QUESTION: Did Congresswoman Maxine Waters just give Derek Chauvin a way to get his case OVERTURNED if he’s convicted?? That’s what the judge says!! Oops!
QUESTION: Could she be HARRY’S second wife??? Newly single Kim Kardashian is fielding offers from “the cream of the crop,” as eligible bachelors take their shot!!!!!
QUESTION: Do these common behaviors make Americans BARBARIC?? The Brits think so!! Take a look at the list of things we do “wrong,” like chatting with strangers!
QUESTION: Wanna look HUGE without the time, expense and effort of WORKING OUT AT A GYM??? Then these new “muscly bodysuits” may be just right for YOU!!!!!!!!
QUESTION: Is this the DUMBEST FEUD OF THE YEAR? Demi Lovato apologizes to a FROYO STAND for being offended by their DIET YOGURT CHOICES? Huh???
Wahlberg Mother Passes Away
Alma Wahlberg, TV personality and the mother of entertainers Mark and Donnie Wahlberg, has died at the age of 78. Her sons announced the sad news Sunday. No cause of death was given, but Alma, the mother of 12 and co-star of the reality TV series Wahlburgers, had been battling dementia. Wahlburgers ran 10 seasons 2014-19 and chronicled the family business, a popular chain of casual dining restaurants. “My angel. Rest in peace,” Mark captioned a Twitter photo of his mother. Donnie posted a longer message about Alma on Instagram. “I’m so blessed to have been brought into this world by, raised by, taught by and set on my life’s path by, such an amazing woman,” Donnie wrote. “My mom Alma’s joy for life, love and people — combined with a pride in her humble beginnings and refusal to forget where she came from — undoubtedly shaped me into the man that I am. I’ve often said, if you like anything about me, I got it from Alma. I say that, because it’s true. She was, without a doubt, the most loving human being I’ve ever known.I never heard her say, or do, anything disrespectful to anyone. She was, as anybody who ever came across her knows, true blue. Like so many moms who struggled, overcame odds, made something from nothing and pulled off the impossible for their children, she never complained. She did what needed to be done, most often, with a smile. She made the best of times in the worst of times.”
********The mother of…. TWELVE?? This woman deserves a halo!!!!
Taylor Swift Stalker Arrested
A man who had been stalking Taylor Swift was arrested on Monday, police said. He was apprehended trying to break into her Manhattan apartment and charged with trespassing. The stalker claimed Swift was communicating with him on social media. Hanks Johnson, 52, was arrested at 8:30 p.m. Saturday after a 911 caller reported he was inside Swift’s Tribeca building without permission, a police spokesperson said. Johnson was charged with criminal trespass and released on his own recognizance after an arraignment Sunday night. It wasn’t clear if he had an attorney who could comment. The Daily News reports that outside the courthouse, Johnson made a show of sending direct messages to Swift’s Instagram account and claimed the predictive text suggestions on his phone were replies from the star. He also showed off a restraining order barring him from contacting models Bella and Gigi Hadid, who are friends of Swift’s, the newspaper said.
*******She wants to date a ROCKER… not a STALKER!!
******Rule of thumb: If you don’t have a restraining order against you, you’re not much of a fan!!!
******We’re concerned… so we’re gonna park outside her building tonight just to keep an eye on things!!!!
******She wrote a new song for this guy: “We Were Never Ever Gonna Get Together!!!”
Prince Philip Hired Secret Photographer For Funeral
Prince Philip personally arranged for a photographer to hide inside a fake church pillar to get up-close shots of his funeral. Arthur Edwards, who has covered the royal family for more than 40 years, recalled the amazing vantage point that let him capture “the family’s pain up close” at Saturday’s send-off. “The Duke, who planned every moment of [his] moving funeral service, had arranged for me as a photographer to hide inside a fake pillar at the top of the stairs leading to St George’s Chapel,” he wrote in the Sun. “With a letter box-shaped slit, it was just like the bird-watching hides where Prince Philip spent hours during his retirement at Sandringham, his Norfolk estate,” he said. It left him “just two yards away from the raw emotion of the Royal Family as they said farewell to the Duke of Edinburgh,” he wrote. “From the most unusual vantage point of my 44 years of photographing the royals, I was close enough to see Prince Charles — the man I have known for more than half his life — look broken,” he said. “Close to tears, I could see he realized the weight of the task ahead to look after his mother and the monarchy,” he said. Edwards saw that feuding brothers Prince Harry and Prince William “never glanced at each other” as they followed the coffin and entered the chapel.
********Prince Phillip told him to hide in a pillar?? Sure he did…. pervert!!!
******Meanwhile, Phillip is heaven, laughing his ass off!! “Elvis!!! Come look at this!!!”
******What are the chances that we’ll ever see those pictures?? Probably slim and none!!
*****Makes you wonder what other little hiding places Phillip had around the palaces and chapels!!!
Prince Harry May Stay For Queen’s Birthday
Prince Harry was expected to jet back to his pregnant wife, Meghan Markle, on Monday after attending his grandfather’s funeral in London — but he may delay his return for Queen Elizabeth II’s birthday, according to reports. Markle, who is expecting their daughter in early summer, was banned from accompanying her hubby on doctor’s orders. The Duchess of Sussex reportedly instead penned a handwritten note to Prince Philip to be left alongside a floral wreath presented in honor of the Royal Marines. Harry, who reportedly held two hours of peace talks with his brother, Prince William, and their father, Prince Charles, after the funeral, is said to have booked an open flight to the US, according to UK newspaper Metro. “If all goes well, he could stay for the Queen’s birthday,” a source told the Sun, which also reported that Harry has said he would join William for the unveiling of Princess Diana’s memorial statue at Kensington Palace on July 1. Royal insiders hope the ceremony could also help ease tensions between the estranged brothers as they stand together on what would have been their mom’s 60th birthday, according to the Sun.
*****They resolved their conflict in brotherly fashion: they swapped licks for two hours until someone said, “Uncle!!!”
****Harry said, “Meghan made me do it!!!!”
*****They both should be b*tch-slapping their old man for dumping Diana!!!
McDonald’s Teams Up With BTS
As part of their ongoing celebrity collaborations, McDonald’s will be teaming up with K-Pop sensation BTS for a delicious new meal deal this spring. “Coming this May: The BTS Meal,” announced the Golden Arches in a Monday tweet with almost 300,000 likes. The South Korean group’s special includes 10-piece Chicken McNuggets, medium fries, a medium Coke and Sweet Chili and Cajun dip sauces inspired by recipes from Mickey Dees outlets in their motherland. “The band has great memories with McDonald’s,” said Big Hit Music, BTS’ record label, in a statement. “We’re excited about this collaboration and can’t wait to share the BTS Meal with the world.” The BTS deal is slated to launch May 26 in the US and 11 other countries, and will be available in nearly 50 nations by June. The meal will only further increase US visibility of BTS, which recently garnered a Grammy nod for their song “Dynamite,” becoming the first ever K-pop group to be nominated for the award.
******How about the “McBTS??” It’s a vegan burger made of beets!!!!!
******K Pop is so big, this gigantic mass of chicken-like substance should be a big seller!!
Joe Exotic Actor Cast For Series
The Joe Exotic series that’s in the works at NBCUniversal has found its title character. John Cameron Mitchell, best known for his roles on The Good Fight (Felix Staples) and Hedwig and the Angry Inch, will play the role of Joe “Exotic” Schreibvogel, the Oklahoma zoo owner made infamous in the Netflix docuseries Tiger King. “I’m thrilled to take on the role of this modern folk antihero,” said Mitchell in a statement. “Joe and I are the same age, and like him, I grew up queer in Texas, Oklahoma, and Kansas, so I feel like I know a little bit about this guy and his desperate attempt to conquer an inhospitable world.” Mitchell currently appears on Hulu’s comedy series Shrill and will be seen in Netflix’s Sandman. He has a musical podcast series called “Anthem: Homunculus” that features Glenn Close, Patti LuPone, and Cynthia Erivo. As previously announced, the limited series will also star Kate McKinnon as Carole Baskin, the self-described conservationist who discovered how Joe Exotic was breeding big cats and using them for profit. The limited series will air across NBCU’s scripted platforms — NBC, Peacock, and USA.
*********If we get to watch Kate McKinnon put someone into a meat grinder… we’re in!!!
******Joe’s OK with someone playing him, as long as they’re pretty enough!!
******They’ve got the people.. but casting the tigers will take a bit longer!!
Ripping The Tabloids (Throughout the week, we’ll give you the stories from that weeks tabs!)
**Please Credit Publication!
Britney Craps Out In Vegas Turf War-(National Enquirer)
Britney Spears is “Toxic” in Las Vegas! The troubled pop tart canceled her Sin City residency in 2019 just before Vegas canceled her, according to insiders. “The dirty truth is Britney’s last Las Vegas show wasn’t selling well. When she pulled the plug, her shows were less than half-full and thousands of tickets were still available,” a snitch dished. “By comparison Lady Gaga’s shows at the same venue were completely sold out. If Britney ever returns to Vegas, it will be in much smaller rooms.” Another source added: “Vegas is a numbers town. If you sell tickets and make money, you are invited back. No one wants to take a gamble on Britney anymore.”
Luke’s Fishy Fluke Fiasco-(Globe)
Nothing fishy about country crooner Luke Bryan’s latest cringeworthy injury-the 44-year-old American Idol judge got a fishing hook deeply imbedded in his hand! Ouch. “Dammit,” posted the “One Margarita” singer, along with snaps of prongs painfully piercing his thumb. “Well, this is gonna leave a mark,” he quips in a gruesome clip, zooming in on his hurt hand and adding, “Pretty sure that’s in my bone.” Luke left for a medical center, where he shared video of the extraction, then returned to his fishing adventure like nothing happened, exclaiming: “Got the hook out! We’re back!” Brave-or downright dumb?
Packing On the PDA-(Us Weekly)
Pucker up! Vanessa Lachey doesn’t have a problem showing husband Nick affection in front of their kids. “We’ve always done it, so they’ve always known it,” the Love Is Blind host, 40, says, adding that their little ones-Camden, 8, Brooklyn, 6, and Phoenix, 4-don’t get grossed out because they keep it PG. “We need to remind ourselves that physical touch is good!”
Miley: Partying Nonstop!-(Star)
Back in December, Miley Cyrus opened up about her sobriety, telling Rolling Stone she hadn’t done drugs in years,” but admitting she “fell off” by drinking while stuck at home during the pandemic. “I don’t have a problem with drinking,” she told the mag, adding, “I have a problem with decisions I make [while drinking].” Now sources say the 28-year-old, who wowed the crowd at the April 3 NCAA March Madness Final Four, is back to her old ways. “Everyone is worried about her because she’s staying up all night partying,” says the source. “She’ll stumble into bed and sleep until noon.” (As Miley said herself, “I’m not a moderation person.”) Indeed, in late March, she was spotted downing what looked like tequila shots while hanging with 23-year-old singer Yungblood at the Rainbow Bar & Grill in West Hollywood. “I don’t know the exact number of shots,” says the eyewitness. “But she wasn’t holding back!”
Throwback! Dolly Parton-(Life & Style)
Over the course of her career, the country singer has become just as famous for her sky-high hairdos as her chart-topping hits. “As soon as I could buy those hairpieces and wigs, I wanted them,” says Dolly. “For one thing, they were so handy. Plus, my hair would never do what I wanted it to do.”
Chatter-(People)
“With age, you figure out that life is too short to waste time thinking about what other people think about you.”-Christina Aguilera, on turning 40.
Surprise of the Week-(In Touch)
Angelina and………Diplo?
Angelina Jolie seems to be turning into quite the social butterfly! Just weeks after the actress’ casual dinner with Ellen Pompeo, DJ Diplo posted an Instagram video from a barbecue with a woman who looks an awful lot like the Oscar-winning U.N. Special Envoy. Does this mean Angie, 45, has found another unlikely romance? (She was wed to Billy Bob Thornton.) And last year, Diplo, 42, even shared a photo of her ex-husband, Brad Pitt, captioned, “me, if I’d never left Florida.” Maybe Angie sees it, too!
STUPID NEWS
Clam Shells Seized
The Philippine Coast Guard seized more than 200 tons of fossilized clam shells worth nearly $25 million this wTeek in a joint law enforcement operation. A Facebook post from the agency said four suspects were arrested Friday in the Palawan province and accused of violating the Philippine Wildlife Resources Conservation and Protection Act. The act prohibits exploiting wildlife resources and their habitats, including trading the wildlife for the purposes of collection. The PCG said this was the biggest illegal giant clam shell haul in the region’s history to date. The suspects are Rey Cuyos, 54; Rodolfo Rabesa, 48; Julius Molejoa, 47; and Erwin Miagao, 40. According to the PCG, they have been brought before the Palawan Council for Sustainable Development for proceedings.
********Clam shells are valuable?? Who knew?? We’ve got a fortune in our junk drawer!!
******If you catch the rare “bearded clam,” you can make even more!!
******Their wives were nagging them: “What are you gonna do with these 200 tons of clam shells?? They’re cluttering the house!!!”
Soccer Ball Takes Long Journey
A Welsh family found a soccer ball washed up on the beach near their home and used Facebook to find the owner, who lost the ball in Ireland. Luke Rickard of Tywyn said he was walking on the beach with his daughter, Summer, when the girl found a soccer ball that had washed up in the sand. The ball bore an address that friend Jayne Burden determined was in Drogheda, Ireland. Burden spread photos of the ball on Facebook, including to the local Love Tywyn page, and soon received a message from someone who said the boy who lost the ball was a neighbor. Burden said she was also surprised by the swift response. “I could not believe that within six hours from the initial post and over 500 shares we had found the owner,” she said. “The power of Facebook is brilliant.”
********Yeah… but now the CIA knows who owns that soccer ball!! Open your eyes, man!!!!
*******Now the kid who lost it is having a ball!!!
******We found a soccer ball… but no one answered to the name “Wilson!!”
Iguana Turns Out To Be Croissant!
Animal rescuers in Poland said they were called out to help a suspected iguana spotted in a tree outside of a residential building and arrived to find the mystery animal was actually a discarded croissant. The Krakow Society for the Protection of Animals, or KTOZ, said in a Facebook post that a woman recently called the organization to report a mystery creature that she suspected to be an iguana was lurking in a tree outside a building. “People aren’t opening their windows because they’re afraid it will go into their house,” KTOZ quoted the woman as saying. The group’s animal welfare officers responded to the scene and searched the area for the mystery animal, suspecting it might be a pet that had escaped or been abandoned by its owner. The officers said they were surprised to find the creature that sparked the call wasn’t a creature at all — it was a croissant roll.
*******An iguana turned into a croissant?? Damn those shape-shifters!!
*******Before you start making Polish jokes, these kinds of things happen in other countries, too!!!!
*****The biggest question is, how did a croissant climb that tree??
Dog Rescues Another Drowning Dog
A South African couple’s home security camera captured the moment one of their dogs rescued their smaller dog from drowning in the backyard pool. Byron and Melissa Thanarayen said they returned to their home in Boksburg, east of Johannesburg, to find Chucky, their toy pomeranian, was mysteriously wet. The couple said they checked their security camera footage for clues and discovered 13-year-old Chucky had fallen into their backyard pool while walking next to it. The video shows Jessie, the couple’s 7-year-old Staffordshire bull terrier, circle the pool, watching Chucky struggle in the water. Jessie was eventually able to lift Chucky out of the water with her mouth.
********Then they rolled the tape back further and saw Jessie push him in!!
******He had just eaten a meal, and didn’t wait before he jumped in the pool!!
*******He was almost a “dogfish!!”
STUFF THAT’S COOL AND VIRAL
VIDEO: FIRST HELICOPTER FLIGHT ON MARS!
VIDEO: GREENLAND TSUNAMI!
VIDEO: SELF-LOADING CAT LAUNCHER!
A LIST FOR TUESDAY
6 Money Mistakes People Make in Their 20s (And How to Avoid Them)
The Penny Hoarder
Blunder No. 1: Not Getting Free Gift Cards When You Shop
What do you usually do with your receipts? You check out, they hand you a mile-long piece of paper, and you frantically stuff it to the bottom of a grocery bag. Pretty worthless.
But a free app called Fetch Rewards will turn them into gift cards. It partners with tons of brands to give you points for every grocery receipt you share. Then you can exchange them for gift cards to places like Amazon, Walmart, Chipotle and dozens of other retailers.
And it’s perfect for those of us who don’t want to put a ton of work into this. All you have to do is send Fetch a photo of your receipt, and it does everything for you. No scanning barcodes or searching for offers — and you can use it with any grocery receipt.
When you download the app, use the code PENNY to automatically earn 2,000 points when you scan your first receipt. Then start snapping photos of your recent receipts to see how many points you can earn without a single trip to the store!
Not so bad for a useless receipt, right?
Blunder No. 2: Not Earning Anything On Your Savings
You’ve probably heard the best way to grow your money is to stick it in a savings account and leave it there for, well, ever. That’s bad advice.
But maybe you’re just looking for a place to safely stash it away — but still earn money. Under your mattress or in a safe will get you nothing. And a typical savings account won’t do you much better. (Ahem, 0.05% is nothing these days.)
But a debit card called Aspiration lets you earn up to 5% cash back and up to 20 times the average interest on the money in your account.
Not too shabby!
Enter your email address here to get a free Aspiration Spend and Save account. After you confirm your email, securely link your bank account so they can start helping you get extra cash. Your money is FDIC insured and they use a military-grade encryption which is nerd talk for “this is totally safe.”
Blunder No. 3: Paying Too Much Interest To Credit Card Companies
If you have credit card debt, you know. The anxiety, the interest rates, the fear you’re never going to escape…
And the truth is, your credit card company doesn’t really care. It’s just getting rich by ripping you off with high interest rates. But a website called AmOne wants to help.
If you owe your credit card companies $50,000 or less, AmOne will match you with a low-interest loan you can use to pay off every single one of your balances.
The benefit? You’ll be left with one bill to pay each month. And because personal loans have lower interest rates (AmOne rates start at 3.49% APR), you’ll get out of debt that much faster. Plus: No credit card payment this month.
AmOne keeps your information confidential and secure, which is probably why after 20 years in business, it still has an A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau.
It takes two minutes to see if you qualify for up to $50,000 online. You do need to give AmOne a real phone number in order to qualify, but don’t worry — they won’t spam you with phone calls.
Blunder No. 4: Paying Too Much For Car Insurance
When’s the last time you checked car insurance prices?
You should shop your options every six months or so — it could save you some serious money. Let’s be real, though. It’s probably not the first thing you think about when you wake up. But it doesn’t have to be.
A website called Insure.com makes it super easy to compare car insurance prices. All you have to do is enter your ZIP code and your age, and it’ll show you your options.
Using Insure.com, people have saved an average of $489 a year.
Yup. That could be $500 back in your pocket just for taking a few minutes to look at your options.
Blunder No. 5: Thinking You Don’t Have Enough Money To Invest
Take a look at the Forbes Richest People list, and you’ll notice almost all the billionaires have one thing in common — they own another company.
But if you work for a living and don’t happen to have millions of dollars lying around, that can sound totally out of reach.
But with an app called Stash, it doesn’t have to be. It lets you be a part of something that’s normally exclusive to the richest of the rich — on Stash you can buy pieces of other companies for as little as $1.
That’s right — you can invest in pieces of well-known companies, such as Amazon, Google, Apple and more for as little as $1. The best part? If these companies profit, so can you. Some companies even send you a check every quarter for your share of the profits, called dividends.1
It takes two minutes to sign up, and it’s totally secure. With Stash, all your investments are protected by the Securities Investor Protection Corporation (SIPC) — that’s industry talk for, “Your money’s safe.”2
Plus, when you use the link above, Stash will give you a $5 sign-up bonus once you deposit $5 into your account.*
Blunder No. 6: Assuming Life Insurance Is Expensive And Time Consuming
Have you thought about how your family would manage without your income after you’re gone? How they’ll pay the bills? Send the kids through school? Now’s a good time to start planning for the future by looking into a term life insurance policy.
You’re probably thinking: I don’t have the time or money for that. But your application can take minutes — and you could leave your family up to $1 million with a company called Bestow.
Rates start at just $16 a month. The peace of mind knowing your family is taken care of is priceless.
If you’re under the age of 54 and want to get a fast life insurance quote without a medical exam or even getting up from the couch, get a free quote from Bestow.
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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