Born on this day!! Sports announcer-actor Bob Uecker is 86. Actor Scott Glenn is 82. Singer Jean Knight is 78. Actor Richard Portnow (“Trumbo,” ″The Sopranos”) is 74. Drummer Corky Laing of Mountain is 73. Actor David Strathairn is 72. Musician Lucinda Williams is 68. Percussionist Norman Hassan of UB40 is 63. Comedian Ellen DeGeneres is 63. Keyboardist Charlie Gillingham of Counting Crowes is 62. Guitarist Andrew Ridgeley (Wham!) is 58. Singer Jazzie B. of Soul II Soul is 58. Actor Paul Johansson (“One Tree Hill”) is 57. Actor Bryan Callen (“The Goldbergs”) is 54. Gospel singer Kirk Franklin is 51. Actor Nate Mooney (“American Odyssey,” ″It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia”) is 49. Actor Jennifer Crystal (“House,” “Once and Again”) is 48. Drummer Chris Hesse of Hoobastank is 47. Actor Gilles Marini (“Sex and the City”) is 45. Actor Sara Rue (“Mom,” ″Less Than Perfect”) is 43. Actor Colin O’Donoghue (“Once Upon a Time”) is 40. Guitarist Michael Martin of Marshall Dyllon is 38.

THIS DAY IN GENIUS HISTORY

1950 – India, three years after gaining its independence from the United Kingdom, formally became a republic.
1788 – The first European settlers landed in Sydney, Australia.
1802 – Congress passed an act calling for establishment of a library within the US Capitol.
1837 – Michigan became the 26th state in the United States.
1979 – Former Vice President Nelson Rockefeller died in New York at age 70.
1988 – Andrew Lloyd Webber’s The Phantom of the Opera opened on Broadway. It would go on to become the longest-running Broadway show.
1993 – Vaclav Havel was elected president of the new Czech Republic.
2001 – A magnitude 7.7 earthquake rocked the Indian state of Gujarat, killing more than 20,000 people.
2004 – President Hamid Karzai signed the new constitution of Afghanistan.

Today Is: Dental Drill Appreciation Day, Lotus 1-2-3 Day, National Green Juice Day, National Peanut Brittle Day, National Plan For A Vacation Day, Toad Hollow Day of Encouragement

TODAY ON TV!
Primetime TV (All Times Eastern)

CBS – 8:00 – NCIS   /  9:00 – FBI  /  10:00 – FBI: Most Wanted
NBC – 8:00  – Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist  /  9:00 – This Is Us  /  10:00 – Nurses
ABC – 8:00 –  To Tell The Truth  /  9:00 – Blackish  /  9:30 – Mixedish  /  10:00 – Big Sky
FOX – 8:00 – The Resident  /  9:00 – Prodigal Son
CW – 8:00 –  Two Sentence Horror Stories  /  8:30 – Two Sentence Horror Stories  /  9:00 – Trickster

TV Talk Shows

Jimmy Fallon: Susan Sarandon, JJ Watt, Thad Cockrell
Stephen Colbert: Colin Firth, Stanley Tucci, Adrianne Lenker
Seth Meyers: Ted Danson, Brooks Wheelan, Ann Patchett
James Corden: Jared Leto, Jacob Collier
Lilly Singh: Marsai Martin
Conan: Jason Segel
Live with Kelly and Ryan: Tika Sumpter, Jean Chatzky
Ellen DeGeneres: Dax Shepard
The Real: Kym Whitley
Kelly Clarkson: Adam Lambert, Venus Williams

WHAT ARE YOU TALKIN’ ABOUT? Here are today’s PPM-Friendly Topics!

QUESTION: Think you might need a HIDE-OUT?? You’re in luck!! A Cold War NUCLEAR BUNKER in the UK just went on the market for a mere $50,000!! Privacy!!!!

 

QUESTION: Think the Super Bowl is tough?? Tom Brady reveals his parents were in a LIFE AND DEATH struggle with COVID at the beginning of the season!!!

 

QUESTION: When will this be OVER??? Now, Fauci says you should think about wearing TWO MASKS!! How about shoving one in his mouth?? Just askin’!!!!

 

QUESTION: Did the COVID vaccine KILL HANK AARON?? He got it, and two weeks later, he died. Officials are saying, “We don’t think it was a factor!!” Yep.

 

QUESTION: If you’re marketing your new line of BIKINIS, don’t you want to WEAR THE TOP?? Looks like Liz Hurley forgot something in this photo shoot!!!!!!!!

Joe Exotic Now Wants Biden To Pardon Him

“Tiger King” star Joe Exotic didn’t get a pardon from former President Donald Trump before Inauguration Day, so now he wants one from President Joe Biden.  In emails obtained by TMZ, Exotic — whose real name is Joseph Maldonado-Passage — says he has confidence in the Biden-Harris administration to help reform the criminal justice system.  He added how he believes Vice President Harris can “help clean up the corruption in the DOJ and other agencies.”  Exotic admitted that he believed in Trump, but his feelings changed on January 6 when the U.S. Capitol riot occurred.  On January 20, former President Donald Trump issued more than 73 pardons and 70 commutations before his departure from the White House.  Recipients included former White House adviser Steve Bannon, former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick, and rappers Lil Wayne and Kodak Black.  Exotic’s legal team at the time thought he would be included on the list.
******Tip: Tell Biden he’s Chinese!!! He’ll do it right away!!
******Trump didn’t pardon him… which is another good reason to impeach him!!!
****Forget Joe Exotic.. will Biden pardon his son????
*******Instead, he should up his sentence to “death by meat grinder!!!”

Snoop Dogg Competing In Virtual Pro Bowl

Rapper Snoop Dogg, Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson and Tennessee Titans running back Derrick Henry will be among the competitors in this year’s virtual Pro Bowl, which will be played Sunday on the Madden NFL 21 video game.  The NFL and Electronic Arts announced the virtual participants Monday. The game will stream at 5 p.m. EST Sunday on the NFL’s YouTube, Twitter and Facebook accounts. It also will air on the EA Madden NFL Twitch account.  The All-Star game, which is held annually between the AFC and NFC conferences, had to be canceled in its typical in-person format due to COVID-19.  Snoop Dogg, Watson, Henry and former NFL wide receiver Keyshawn Johnson will compete for the AFC in the virtual showdown.  The NFL announced full Pro Bowl rosters in December.
*******Also included: a fat guy from Cleveland… he’s been playing Madden all season!!!
******Snoop’s helmet has a special vent for pot smoke!!
*******Let’s hope nobody goes down with a broken thumb!!!

Singer Arrested At Championship Game

Singer Trey Songz was arrested during a Kansas City Chiefs game at Arrowhead Stadium following an altercation with police.  His attorney John P. O’Connor confirmed the arrest to the Kansas City Star.  Songz, real name Tremaine Aldon Neverson, was taken into custody and arrested Sunday for trespassing, resisting arrest and assaulting a police officer.  Songz and a officer get into a physical altercation in the middle of the football game with nearby fans yelling at the officer, in a video released by TMZ.  A witness told TMZ that the officer approached Songz after the music star told fans sitting a few rows behind to stop heckling him.  Songz announced in October that he tested positive for COVID-19.
*******Sounds like a good guy!!
*****With an attitude like that, he could be a player!!

Budweiser Skipping Super Bowl Commercial

Budweiser is the latest corporation to back out of advertising during this year’s Super Bowl broadcast, choosing instead to join a public awareness campaign for the COVID-19 vaccine.  For the first time in 37 years, the company won’t air its game-stealing commercials, Anheuser-Busch, which owns Budweiser, announced Monday.  “Like everyone else, we are eager to get people back together, reopen restaurants and bars, and be able to gather to cheers with friends and family,” said Monica Rustgi, vice president of marketing at Budweiser. “To do this, and to bring consumers back into neighborhood bars and restaurants that were hit exceptionally hard by the pandemic, we’re stepping in to support critical awareness of the COVID-19 vaccine.”  Thirty-second ad spots for the Super Bowl reportedly go for about $55 million a piece. Budweiser will instead route some of that money to the Ad Council’s efforts to raise public awareness about the vaccine, as well as a 90-second COVID-themed “film” called “Bigger Picture” narrated by actress Rashida Jones. It will air digitally leading up to the Super Bowl, which airs on Feb. 7, 2021 on CBS.  Other Super Bowl commercial giants such as Pepsi, Coke and Hyundai will also take a step back from this year’s game, reallocating their funds in light of the pandemic. Pepsi, for instance, will focus primarily on its halftime show, headlined by The Weeknd.  “Instead of buying a traditional 30-second in-game Super Bowl ad, we decided to double down on the 12 minutes Pepsi already has in the middle of the game — the Pepsi Super Bowl Halftime Show,” vice president of marketing Todd Kaplan said in a statement.
********The network will be reduced from making insane profits.. to merely making obscene profits!!
*******If Rashida Jones is giving the shots, we’re in!!!!
******The Budweiser Clydesdales are sitting in the barn, going: “When do we start filming???” Bummer!!!

The Kardashians Have Another Victim

Travis Barker and Kourtney Kardashian are dating. They shared similar photos from Kris Jenner’s Palm Springs, Calif., vacation home over the weekend, alerting eagle-eyed fans to the fact that they were hanging out.  Barker shares two children with ex-wife Shanna Moakler, 17-year-old son Landon and 15-year-old daughter Alabama. The Blink-182 drummer was also married to Melissa Kennedy, though they had no children together.  Kardashian shares three children with ex Scott Disick: 11-year-old son Mason, 8-year-old daughter Penelope and 6-year-old son Reign.  Prior to making things official with Barker, the “Keeping Up With the Kardashians” reality star dated Younes Bendjima from 2016 to 2018 and briefly sparked reconciliation rumors in 2019. Barker and Kardashian have been rumored to be dating for years, but the now-duo has always denied the hearsay.
*******Hasn’t he been through enough??? He was in a horrible plane crash.
*******Now he’s in a train wreck!!!!
*******Although… maybe he’s already used all his bad luck!!!!

Miley Cyrus Performing For Super Bowl Pregame

Miley Cyrus is putting her hands up and playing her songs for health-care heroes at the TikTok Tailgate pregame party ahead of Super Bowl LV.   Kicking off the big show before the Kansas City Chiefs and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers kick off, Cyrus, 28, will rock the mike for 7,500 COVID-19 vaccinated front-line workers.   “I’ll be there for TIKTOK TAILGATE! I can’t wait to put on a show for the NFL’s honored guests before the game… Health care workers from Tampa and around the country!” the “Party in the U.S.A.” songstress announced on Instagram Sunday.    Medical staffers who have received the coronavirus vaccine were gifted free admissions passes to enjoy the championship game live at the Raymond James Stadium in Florida on Feb. 7, courtesy of the NFL. Cyrus’ special Super Bowl Sunday showcase will precede Eric Church and Jazmine Sullivan’s performance of the National Anthem, and H.E.R.’s recital of “America the Beautiful.” The Weeknd will headline the high-anticipated Pepsi Super Bowl Halftime Show.  Miley’s TikTok Tailgate turn-up will air Feb. 7 at 2:30 p.m. EST on TikTok and CBS.
*******Of course, on TikTok, “CBS” stands for “Chinese Broadcasting System!!!”
******Have the healthcare workers been inoculated against the “Miley Virus??”

 

Ripping The Tabloids (Throughout the week, we’ll give you the stories from that weeks tabs!)
**Please Credit Publication!

Ariana Grands Playing House with Realtor Dalton Gomez-(National Enquirer)

“Thank U Next” songbird Ariana Grande has found her “next”-she’s engaged to real estate agent Dalton Gomez.  The 27-year-old singer shared a close-up shot of her pearl and diamond engagement ring from Dalton, 25.  The two began dating last January.

Stones’ Jumping Jack News Flash-(Globe)

Mick Jagger’s twinkle toes girlfriend, 33-year-old retired ballet dancer Melanie Hamrick, can twirl up a storm in her new $1.9 million Florida mansion-thanks to the 77-year-old Rolling Stones frontman, dad to their four-year-old son, Deveraux……Meanwhile, Sir Mick’s bandmate Keith Richards ain’t bugged about a rather unusual 77^th birthday gift!  The Children’s Museum in West Hartford, Conn., named a Madagascar hissing cockroach in the rocker’s honor.  “It is said the only two things to survive a nuclear war would be cockroaches and Keith Richards,” kids the kid-friendly attraction.  “Chances are the real Keith will outlive the newly named, oval-shaped invertebrate whose life span is two to five years.”  So, time is on his side!

Keeping Up-(Us Weekly)

That was fast!  Two months after ending her seven-year engagement to Jason Sudelkis, Olivia Wilde has moved on with Harry Styles, who is starring in her upcoming flick, Don’t Worry Darling.  “They had chemistry almost instantaneously on set,” a source says of the pair, who’ve been secretly dating for weeks.  “It was only a matter of time before they got together.”

Madonna Wannabes!-(Star)

Material girls!  It’s the role of a lifetime and actresses are lining up to play Madonna in the biopic the 62-year-old is writing with Diablo Cody.  Sources say the current frontrunners are British-born Florence Pugh, 24, an Oscar nominee for Little Women, and 26-year-old Julia Garner, whose turn in Ozark earned her an Emmy.  “The bosses at CAA, the agency helping put the movie together, want Florence and promised to take her to the next level,” reveals an insider.  “On the other hand, fans and the press want Julia because she’s such a dead-ringer for early-career Madonna.”  With her history of movie flops (Shanghai Surprise, anyone?), the stakes are high for Madge, notes the insider, “It’s her story and she’s directing.”

This Is 42!-(Life & Style)

St. Bart’s, Dec. 28

Sliding into the new year like…..John Legend celebrated his birthday with family aboard a private yacht.  Aside from putting the craft’s waterslide to good use, the singer rode a personal watercraft-two activities he prepared for back in 2019 by taking swimming lessons.  “I can’t really swim,” he admitted at the time.  “My dad learned in his 60s, so…..I’m ahead of schedule.”

Zoe Kravitz:  Divorcing After 1 Year-(People)

Zoe Kravitz had a wedding to remember-tying the knot at the Paris mansion of her dad, Lenny Kravitz, in June 2019-but apparently not a marriage built to last.  According to court records, the Big Little Lies actress filed for divorce from husband Karl Glusman in New York City on Dec. 23.  (A source denied rumors she’s dating Channing Tatum, maintaining that they’re simply working together.)  Kravitz and actor Glusman, both 32, started dating in 2016 and wed in front of A-list friends and family, including her mom, Lisa Bonet, and stepdad Jason Momoa.  All seemed well last summer, when he posted on their anniversary, “Not the year we expected, but I feel like if we can make it through this, we can take on anything.”  But that was not to be.

Last Laughs-(In Touch)

“Kanye earned $170 million in 2020.  More than half of his money came from his wife.  Every night, Kim pays him $2 million to stop yelling and go to bed.”-Jimmy Fallon.

“According to a new study, your dog doesn’t really know what you’re talking about.  You can see all the details in the prestigious New England Journal of That’s What We Assumed.”-Stephen Colbert.

 

STUPID NEWS

Popcorn Record

A pair of Idaho men broke a Guinness World Record when one used both hands to throw popcorn that the other caught in his mouth.  David Rush, who has broken more than 150 Guinness records to promote STEM education, teamed up with neighbor Jonathan Hannon to break the record for most popcorn thrown and then caught with the mouth in one minute (team of two).  Hannon, who is ambidextrous, threw popcorn with both hands and Rush caught the flying snacks in his mouth.  The men managed 54 catches in one minute, beating the previous record of 37, which was set in 2016 by Ashrita Furman and Bipin Larkin.  See the video HERE.
********He now has the record for the most useless records!!!
******When you throw the most bricks at each other, call us!!!! That we’d like to see!!!
******At least they didn’t put butter on it.. it would have slid right off!!

Skier Chased By A Bear

A man riding the chairlift at a Romanian skiing resort captured video of the tense moment a fellow skier was chased by a bear.  David Creta posted a video to YouTube showing the bear chasing a skier on a slope at the Predeal ski resort on Saturday.  Chairlift riders alerted the skier to the pursuit, and the skier threw his backpack on the ground, which succeeded in distracting the bear for long enough to allow the man to escape.  Police spokesman Ion Zaharia said the skier did the right thing by distracting the bear. He said three emergency calls came in about the bear being spotted in various locations at the resort Saturday.  Zaharia said the bear fled into the woods when police arrived in all-terrain vehicles, but authorities are considering having the bear relocated to avoid future confrontations on the slopes.  See the video HERE.
*********Why not just feed the bear?? Sounds like he’s hungry!!
*******Being chased by a bear?? That’s motivation!!
TOPIC: Your confrontation with a wild animal!!

Airbag Jeans!

A designer of safety equipment for motorcyclists unveiled his latest invention: jeans fitted with airbags to prevent leg injuries in crashes.  Moses Shahrivar, who has been designing motorcycle safety jeans since partnering with Harley-Davidson Sweden 16 years ago, said his latest invention uses similar technology to airbag-equipped vests that are currently on the market for protecting a rider’s chest, back and neck in a crash.  The jeans, which Shahrivar demonstrated in a YouTube video posted to the official account of his Mo’Cycle brand, are tethered to the rider’s motorcycle, and when the tether is pulled airbags deploy up and down the wearer’s legs to cushion an impact.  Only one prototype of the Airbag Inside Sweden AB jeans currently exists, but Shahrivar is in the process of getting the jeans certified to European Union health and safety standards and hopes to bring them to market in 2022.  See the video HERE.
********Is that an airbag in your jeans??? Or are you just glad to see me????

 

STUFF THAT’S COOL AND VIRAL

VIDEO: RAVEN ANNOYS OWL.

VIDEO: CRAZY GOLF CART!

 

A LIST FOR TUESDAY

How To Decode 10 Of The Most Common Job Listing Phrases

Huffington Post

 

1. “Fast-paced environment”

Job search strategist Melanie L. Denny said this can be code for a heavy workload. “It typically means there’s a lot of work to do and things are always busy, so be ready to work quickly because almost everything is time-sensitive,” she said. “You’ll have to learn fast and work fast and your job may be in jeopardy if you can’t keep up.”

If this sounds like the worst job environment ever, think twice before applying.

 

2. “Self-starter”

A request for a self-starter could mean that you’ll be given little training and have to come up with ideas on your own, Denny said. She said it’s a popular listing in startups since leaders are likely still working out the specifics of business operations and procedures.

“This could be considered a red flag for someone who is relatively new to the field and still [needs] training. But it’s ideal for a leader who has similar experience under his/her belt and is ready to execute his ideas with little to no direction,” Denny said.

Job search coach Ashley Watkins said if a company asks you to be a self-starter, you need to go beyond just self-identifying as one in your job application. Back it up by sharing times you initiated a process or took the lead when your supervisor wasn’t there, Watkins said.

 

3. “Be flexible” or “agile”

Both flexibility and agility are subjective requirements and you may need to ask for clarity. “Sometimes they’ll say they want you to be flexible, but it’s more about compromise than it is about being flexible,” Watkins said. “And when I say compromise, I mean you’re always on the losing end of that compromise, meaning that you’re going to do whatever they ask, because you’re flexible.”

One way to get at what their version of flexibility really means is to ask, “How was the person that I’m replacing expected to be flexible?” Watkins said.

Tejal Wagadia, a senior talent acquisition specialist at MST Solutions, said if a job listing wants an agile candidate, that means “you need to be OK with dropping something mid-project, mid-assignment, whatever it is, and going to something else. It also means you can’t be stubborn. They want somebody that will be like, ‘OK, let’s move on.’“

 

4. “Unlimited paid time off”

Unlimited vacation time is a popular policy pioneered by companies like Netflix. The thinking goes that since you’re a working adult who doesn’t need to be micromanaged, you get to decide how much time off you take. But with the lack of clear structure, workers end up taking less time off.

“From an employee’s perspective, you feel bad about taking vacation,” Wagadia said. “Most people thrive in knowing what they have, and how much they have, and how they can utilize it.” There could also be a cultural expectation that you don’t take long vacations. An employee taking a month off at a time in their first year could be considered a red flag by managers, she noted.

Former recruiter and career coach Diana YK Chan said if you want to get a better understanding of what a company’s vacation policy really means, talk to someone in the know and ask them, “Typically, how many days do people take time off and what percent of people are using that?”

 

5. “Competitive salary”

When you see “competitive salary” in a job listing, this doesn’t mean you can’t negotiate your pay, Chan said. “I have a lot of clients and they look at the research and think, ’OK this is the only band I could get in terms of range,′ but if you’re considered at the higher range of salary, meaning you have more negotiation power, you should really stand strong on your value and ask for more,” she said.

To get clarity on what exactly they mean by a competitive salary, ask what the range is during the interview process, Chan said.

 

6. “Wears many hats”/“And other duties as assigned”

Denny said if you read “wears many hats,” you will likely be asked to do things that are outside of your job duties. That interpretation may be reinforced by the phrase “and other duties as assigned” appearing elsewhere in the posting.

“This could be considered a red flag for a candidate who appreciates the structure of a predetermined set of responsibilities and doesn’t want to be pulled in many directions,” she said. “For another candidate, they may enjoy switching up his/her daily tasks.”

Chan said if you find a job listing that expects you to take on multiple responsibilities and handle it all, ask a clarifying question in the interview process such as, “‘How much time, in terms of percentage, do you envision me doing this part of the work?’” she said. “That helps as a job seeker to see, ‘Do I actually want to spend that much time on that?’”

 

7. “Works well under pressure”

“You are going to be put under lots of projects and deadlines that will not be realistic, and management knows that’s the case,” is what this phrase could mean, Wagadia said. “Most people will leave in one to two years; most people won’t thrive on that for long-term.”

To succeed in this environment, you need to accept imperfection, because “you are going to need to produce mediocre-level stuff and be OK with it,” Wagadia said.

 

8. “Be passionate”

Being passionate does not mean you have to be genuinely enthusiastic about the industry, but you do need to come to an interview prepared to showcase your expertise in the subject, Wagadia said. “Even if you’re not passionate, do enough research that show you have interest in them,” she said.

 

9. “Be a problem-solver”

If you get this in a listing, you are likely to hear interview questions like “Tell me about a time you had to pivot your strategy,” or any other question that asks you to share how you troubleshoot, Chan said.

Chan said if you see this kind of standard request, you should anticipate what are the challenging problems facing this role and be prepared to explain how you would actually tackle them.

 

10. “Ninjas,” “rockstars,” “jedis,” “gurus,” “unicorns,” and other superstar titles

With these fancy titles, “there’s a certain level of expertise and expectation that you will know what you’re doing, that you know how to do it. But often these expectations are unrealistic,” Wagadia said.

If these phrases make you less likely to apply, you’re not alone. Research has found that phrases like “ninja,” which suggest an aggressive expert in their field, can be a major turnoff to female job seekers.

These vague superstar titles can also be an indication that the company does not know what they want. “Most jobs, if you can’t define in easy-to-understand 5-7 sentences, you don’t know what you’re looking for,” Wagadia said.

 

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.
© 2020 – Radio Genius Show Prep