Born on this day!! Comedian Eric Idle is 79. Composer Vangelis (“Chariots of Fire”) is 79. Singer Bobby Kimball of Toto is 75. Actor Bud Cort (“Harold and Maude”) is 74. Actor Brendan Gleeson (“Harry Potter”) is 67. Actor Marina Sirtis (“Star Trek: The Next Generation”) is 67. Actor Christopher Lambert (“Highlander”) is 65. Singer Perry Farrell of Porno for Pyros and Jane’s Addiction is 63. Comedian Amy Sedaris is 61. Model Elle Macpherson is 59. Actor Annabella Sciorra (“Law and Order: Criminal Intent”) is 58. Director Michel Hazanavicius (“The Artist”) is 55. Singer-harmonica player John Popper of Blues Traveler is 55. Actor Lucy Lawless (“Xena: Warrior Princess”) is 54. Country singer Regina Leigh of Regina Regina is 54. Country singer Brady Seals is 53. Actor Megan Hilty is 41. Keyboardist PJ Morton of Maroon 5 is 41.
THIS DAY IN GENIUS HISTORY
1848 – For the first time in recorded history, Niagara Falls stopped flowing. An ice jam in the Niagara River above the rim of the falls caused the water to stop.
1867 – The North America Act was passed by the British parliament, creating the dominion of Canada.
1951 – Julius and Ethel Rosenberg were found guilty of passing atomic secrets to the Russians and were sentenced to death.
1971 – Lt. William Calley was convicted of murdering 22 Vietnamese civilians in the My Lai massacre.
1973 – The last U.S. troops left South Vietnam.
1999 – The Dow Jones industrial average closed above 10,000 for the first time, at 10,006.78.
2002 – Israel declared Yasir Arafat an enemy.
Today Is: Knights of Columbus Founders Day, National Mom & Pop Business Owner’s Day, National Vietnam War Veterans Day, Niagara Falls Runs Dry Day, Smoke & Mirrors Day, Texas Loves The Children Day, World Piano Day
TODAY ON TV!
Primetime TV (All Times Eastern)
CBS – 8:00 – FBI / 9:00 – FBI International / 10:00 – FBI Most Wanted
NBC – 8:00 – Young Rock / 8:30 – Mr. Mayor / 9:00 – This Is Us / 10:00 – The Thing About Pam
ABC – 8:00 – Judge Steve Harvey / 9:00 – Abbot Elementary / 9:30 – Blackish / 10:00 – To Tell The Truth
FOX – 8:00 – Resident / 9:00 – Name That Tune
CW – 8:00 – Superman and Lois / 9:00 – Naomi
TV Talk Shows
Jimmy Fallon: Jared Leto, Stephen Merchant, Taylor Tomlinson
Seth Meyers: David Letterman, Adam Duritz, Counting Crows, Hayley Brownell (R 2/01/22)
The Daily Show: Pre-empted
Live with Kelly and Ryan: Elle Fanning, Raven-Symoné, Dr. Doris Day
Ellen DeGeneres: Lisa Kudrow, Ronda Rousey, Blue Man Group, Dezi Saenz
The Real: Coco Jones
WHAT ARE YOU TALKIN’ ABOUT? Here are today’s PPM-Friendly Topics!
QUESTION: Did Will Smith and Chris Rock SETTLE THEIR FEUD AFTER THE OSCARS?? DIDDY says “NO!!” They haven’t spoken yet. (Chris didn’t know about alopecia!)
QUESTION: Uh… is anybody having BABIES?? Three-quarters of all U.S. counties recorded more DEATHS than BIRTHS last year!! Do you need an instruction manual??
QUESTION: Did you know you can buy an Amazon “returns pallet??” This couple paid $392, and wound up finding more than $5,200 worth of RETURNED GOODS!!
QUESTION: Does the LENGTH OF YOUR FINGERS determine how sick you’ll get if you catch COVID??? Believe it or not, a New Study suggest it might actually be TRUE!
QUESTION: These Hollywood phonies found out about “The Slap” at the VANITY FAIR party!! (They missed the ceremony) Check their reactions!!! SHOCK!!!!!!!!!
Academy Awards Ratings Up From Year Before
The Academy Awards drew a bigger audience than they did in last year’s least watched Oscar ceremony ever. Sunday’s show, however, is still well below past years as both TV viewing and moviegoing have gone through radical changes recently. ABC’s broadcast of the Oscars drew 15.36 million viewers and a 3.2 rating among adults 18-49, according to time zone adjusted fast national ratings from Nielsen (early, unadjusted figures had the show at 13.73 million viewers and a 2.9 in the key ad demographic). They don’t include out of home viewing or streaming. Live telecasts typically (though not always) see their ratings adjust upward after those elements are factored in. ABC’s telecast generated huge reaction on social media when Will Smith walked on stage and slapped presenter Chris Rock after the comedian made a joke about Smith’s wife, Jada Pinkett Smith. That came about two thirds of the way through the 3 hour, 40 minute ceremony, by which time the audience had been with the show for some 2 1/2 hours.
******How did they figure that? Did they add in the people who showed up in person??
*****Keep the fights going and you can make it pay-per-view!!!
*******In fact, forget the awards.. let’s just bitch-slap each other for four hours!!!
Kim Kardashian Explains “Work” Comments
Kim Kardashian says her controversial comments about work were “taken out of context.” She appeared on Monday’s episode of Good Morning America, where she responded to backlash over her recent advice to women in business. In an interview with Variety earlier this month, Kardashian said the advice she’d give to women is to “Get your [expletive] up and work. It seems like nobody wants to work these days.” She said on GMA that her comments “became a sound bite really with no context.” She explained she made the remarks after being told that “After 20 years of being in the business, you’re famous for being famous.” “My whole tone and attitude changed with the previous question that went into that question about what advice would you give to women,” she said. “The advice that I would give is just that having a social media presence and being on a reality show does not mean overnight success. You have to work really hard to get there, even if it seems like it is easy,” she added. “It wasn’t a blanket statement towards women, or to feel like I don’t respect the work or think that they don’t work hard. I know that they do. That was taken out of context, but I’m really sorry if it was received that way,” she said. See the interview HERE.
********What she meant was: “Get your ass up and make a sex tape!!” THAT’S how you become successful!!
Will Smith Can Still Face Charges
Chris Rock has declined to file a complaint after actor Will Smith slapped him in the face on live TV during the Oscars – but prosecutors could still bring charges. “It was an open hand, there was no injury, so it’s a misdemeanor assault,” said criminal defense attorney Ben Brafman, who represented Michael Jackson against child molestation charges. “It’s a discretionary call, but I don’t think [prosecutors] will do it without a cooperating witness.” The LAPD released a statement Sunday night stating that the agency was aware of the incident, but that Rock, who was not named directly, wasn’t interested in pressing charges. Criminal and civil lawyer Todd Spodek, who represented fake heiress Anna Sorokin, said the most appropriate charge for Smith’s conduct is simple battery, which carries a maximum of six months in jail and a fine of $2,000.
*****It’s L.A.!! He could shoot Chris Rock in the forehead and still get off!!
******We still think “Celebrity Jail” would make a great reality show!!
FACTOID: There used to be a thing called “fighting words,” meaning that if someone goads you, you might be justified in slapping them. Is that still a thing??
WE THINK they were just practicing for “competitive slapping!!”
Will Smith and Chris Rock Feud Started Years Ago
Bad blood between Will Smith and Chris Rock may have been brewing long before the slap heard around the world during the Academy Awards on Sunday night. When Rock hosted the Academy Awards in 2016, he devoted a portion of his monologue to Smith and his wife Jada Pinkett Smith. At the time, Chris Rock poked fun at the actress’ plans to boycott the ceremony due to the lack of diversity among the nominees. “Jada went mad… Jada said she’s not coming,” Rock said during his opening monologue. “Jada boycotting the Oscars is like me boycotting Rihanna’s panties. I wasn’t invited.” He then set his sights on Smith, who missed out on an acting nomination that year for “Concussion.” “It’s not fair that Will was this good and didn’t get nominated,” Rock said. “It’s also not fair that Will was paid $20 million for ‘Wild Wild West.’” At the time, Pinkett Smith seemed to take the jokes in stride.
*******He’s been dogging these two for years.. and making sh*t out of their lives and careers!! He finally went too far!!
*****Will’s been trying to get back in shape!! Maybe he’s having “‘roid rage!!!”
UPDATE: The Oscars have opened a “formal review” of the slap!! Soy milk all the way around!!
MORE: The production crew says the “GI Jane” joke was NOT vetted before broadcast!!
Chris Rock Comments Backstage About The Slap
Chris Rock laughed off Will Smith’s Oscars slap — reportedly joking backstage that he “just got punched in the face by Muhammad Ali and didn’t get a scratch.” He had clearly been shocked when he was struck at Sunday’s show, saying from the stage, “Will Smith just smacked the s— out of me.” After trying to compose himself, he called the smack “the greatest night in the history of television” — then made light of it again backstage, according to the Los Angeles Times. He was overheard making the Ali joke, the paper said, referring to Smith’s starring role as the legendary late boxer in a 2001 biopic. Smith’s role as Ali — for which he said he underwent two years of extensive training in the ring to be able to look like the Greatest — soon became a subject for memes and jokes about Sunday’s shocker. “So disappointing that Will Smith played Muhammad Ali but he couldn’t even knock out Chris Rock,” comedian Michael Ian Black tweeted. British TV presenter Bryn Lucas also suggested that “the biggest question from the Oscars” was “how did Will Smith, an actor who trained as a boxer when he played the role of Muhammad Ali, not knock out Chris Rock with his right hook?!” A popular meme also shared a still from the slap, saying, “Gonna tell my kids this was Muhammad Ali and George Foreman.”
********If he wanted to knock him out… he would have knocked him out!!!
******If someone would’ve slapped Putin, the world wouldn’t be in this mess right now!!
*****The world is shocked by two men doing what men do.. resolving an issue with physical action. We like to watch it in the movies, but in real life? Soy boys are peeing their pants!!!
Ripping The Tabloids (Throughout the week, we’ll give you the stories from that weeks tabs!)
**Please Credit Publication!
Sharon Sharpens Pencil to Shred “Talk” Pals – (National Enquirer)
Revenge-obsessed Sharon Osbourne is plotting to use the latest installment of her memoirs to flame the former co-hosts and execs she believes drove her to leave “The Talk” last March, spies dish! “Sharon is not the type to forgive OR forget,” snitches an insider. “She also has the ammo to make it a fiery read. She’s kept all her texts, emails and phone messages and plans to use them to tell her side of the story.” The tart-tongued talker, 69, left the gab fest in 2021 after an infamous on-air clash with co-host Sheryl Underwood over racial issues Sharon says led to “constant death threats!!” She claims she was “set up” by colleagues and higher-ups who kept the cameras rolling “because they liked the controversy.” “They needed something for the show that was going into the toilet,” she claims, “so they thought, well, she’s got the biggest following. Let’s go for her!” Insiders say Sharon will use the book to bury “Talk” talents Sheryl, Leah Remini, Elaine Welteroth and others – and make a profit in the bargain! “She’s been quiet because what she has to say is worth money,” spills a source. “Sharon is a cunning business woman. You’ve got to buy the book to find out what really happened!”
Hoda’s Change of Heart – (Star)
Hoda Kotb has been in a world of pain since parting ways with fiance Joel Schiffman – so much so, the Today Show anchor, 57, is begging the financier, 63, for a second chance. “Hoda’s an emotional wreck,” admits a source. “She gets teary at everything at the drop of a hat, to the point where people are walking on eggshells trying not to upset her.” The former couple, who share daughters Haley, 4, and Hope, 2, and were together since 2013, called off their engagement in January. As Star previously reported, Joel and Hoda had been butting heads over their nuptials – he wanted a small stateside ceremony whereas she dreamed of a big destination wedding. “Hoda knows she messed up and is making so many promises to Joel,” says the source. “She’d do almost anything to get him back.”
STUPID NEWS
5TH Graders Start Hotline
A fifth-grade class in Indiana is aiming to spread a little happiness with a special hotline titled, “When Life Gives You Lemons, Call a 5th Grader.” Cheryl Can Laeken, who teaches fifth grade at Milford School in Wawasee, said she came up with the idea for the phone line with her class after reading about a similar project by a California kindergarten class. “The world is really chaotic, it’s kind of dark,” Van Laeken told WSBT-TV. “On the news it’s kind of hard to find a good news story to share with kids right now. I teach my kids to be positive and do good things for other people and this just seem like a really easy way to get my kids thinking about others.” The phone line, 574-832-4965 offers five different options in English and Spanish, including jokes, advice and inspirational quotes. There’s also a feature for callers who simply want to get a taste of fifth-grade education. “They read some random facts that fifth-graders should know,” Van Laeken told WNDU-TV.
********Why didn’t we think of this?? Because we’re NOT smarter than a 5th grader!!
******When you get your phone bill, you’ll see the $8-a-minute “courtesy charge!!”
TOPIC: How do YOU spread happiness??
Pink Grasshopper
A man ended up with an unusual pet when he made an unusual discovery among the Texas foliage — a pink grasshopper. Dirk Parker said he initially didn’t realize how rare his discovery was. “Just thought it was a normal grasshopper that we didn’t have in Ohio,” Parker told WJW-TV. “So the first thing I thought of was [that would make great] fishing bait.” Parker snapped photos of the grasshopper and returned it to where he found it, and it wasn’t until later that he did a Google search for pink grasshoppers and discovered the insect has a rare condition called erythrism. Erythrism is caused by a recessive gene, and it is rare to find grasshoppers with the condition because the pink color makes them easy targets for predators. Parker said he returned to the same spot the next day to capture the grasshopper, which he named Pinky. “It took me about 10 minutes or so, but I found that grasshopper again,” Parker told KLTV. Parker said he is now keeping Pinky in a habitat as a pet. “I wanted to share this with the world,” Parker said. “It’s so cool to get to show people.”
*******A pink grasshopper? Now they’ve gone TOO far!!
******What do you feed a grasshopper? Grass??
******We called Mr. Miyagi for advice!!!
Donkey Intimidated By Cop-Stache
A California police officer called out to wrangle an escaped donkey said the animal surrendered due to being intimidated by the officer’s mustache. The Redding Police Department said Officers Brian Berg and Camaron Hooks were summoned to the Quartz Hill Road neighborhood when a “fugitive” donkey named Kevin was spotted running loose in the area. Berg said the 4 1/2-foot-tall donkey didn’t put up much of a fight. “So there I was,” Berg told the Record-Searchlight newspaper. “I get there and he’s looking at me and I’m looking at him. His ears are pinned back and thinking about running. But like most people I deal with, he saw the mustache and he just said, ‘I give up.'” Berg said Kevin turned out to be a “nice donkey.” “We had some great help with some neighbors helping feed Kevin apples,” Berg said. “That helped the situation a lot.”
********When your mustache can intimidate a donkey.. that’s an awesome ‘stache!!
******Now, if you pull your pants and the donkey is STILL intimidated, you’re Pete Davidson!!
Florida Man Tries To Steal Bin Laden Vest
A contractor working at the Navy SEAL Museum in Florida was collared for trying to steal a bulletproof vest worn by a member of the team that killed Osama Bin Laden. Kendall Rust was clocking out on March 21, when a museum employee saw the ballistic vest was missing from the room that Rust had been working in, The Smoking Gun reported. A cop recovered the vest from Rust’s toolbox, according to a police report. Rust told officers that he wanted to take a photo of the vest — valued at $50,000 because of its role in the famous SEAL Team Six raid.
*********He could have tried it out by getting in a shoot-out with the cops!!
STUFF THAT’S COOL AND VIRAL
VIDEO: THE FRESH PRINCE EPISODE ABOUT NOT USING VIOLENCE.
VIDEO: CHARLIE MURPHY ABOUT MEN SLAPPING MEN.
A LIST FOR TUESDAY
How To Spot And Avoid Scammers On Dating Apps
HUFFINGTON POST
- Their story is full of inconsistencies.
When the information someone shared with you on an app doesn’t match what they’ve told you via text or elsewhere, you have reason to be wary. When a person is lying, they may not remember what they’ve said to you before, making it hard to keep their story straight. Or if they’re desperate to keep you engaged, they’ll just tell you whatever they think you want to hear. Maybe they initially told you they don’t watch football, but now they’re telling you they have season tickets to your favorite team. “Scammers will do anything to con their way to your heart, including providing false or misleading information and using your emotions as a weapon to manipulate,” dating expert and matchmaker Jasmine Diaz of the Diaz Dating Group told HuffPost. “It’s important to watch and listen for these inconsistencies; otherwise, you might find yourself on the receiving end of heartbreak.”
- They seem too good to be true.
Be cautious around people who come on too strong. A person who showers you with over-the-top romantic gestures and declarations of their affection very early on in a relationship may be love-bombing you in order to manipulate you. “This may include expensive trips, lavish gifts, or over-the-top displays of affection in an attempt to take you off your guard,” Diaz said.
“Every relationship will go through a newlywed stage, but if you believe your partner is ‘too good to be true,’ they probably are,” she said. Once a love-bomber has lured you in with all of the attention, gifts and compliments, they’ll pull the rug out from under you. “It’s a classic bait-and-switch,” marriage and family therapist Virginia Gilbert previously told HuffPost. “They seem to be doing all the giving until you realize you’re doing all the giving and they have used you for your body, your wallet, your home, your caretaking ability and your empathy.”
- They refuse to video chat or meet up with you IRL.
Scammers may claim the camera on their phone or laptop is broken or tell you they’re working overseas or traveling to places where their internet or cell connection is shoddy. They get cagey when you suggest a video chat or meeting up in person and they’ll offer any excuse to avoid it because they don’t want to blow their cover.
“Technology has advanced at such a pace that refusing to meet over FaceTime, Zoom, or at your local coffee shop, if you live in the same city, is highly questionable,” Diaz said. “There are not enough internet outages or vehicle breakdowns that can explain away not having a virtual or IRL meetup, so any refusal to keep your communication to the telephone or through messenger should be met with extreme caution.”
- They have no digital footprint.
Another red flag? The person doesn’t have much of, if any, online presence: no social media accounts (or ones started very recently), no LinkedIn profile, no mention of them in a local newspaper or on their company’s website. Yes, there are people who tend to be more private online, but if you can’t find any trace of them, that could be cause for concern.
“Some occupations may require a level of privacy for legal or ethical reasons. Therapists, for example, set digital boundaries by limiting access to their personal life, but even those professionals have a digital footprint,” Diaz said. “If the person you met on an app cannot be found online, you might be dealing with a scammer.” There could be rare instances in which you match with someone who is living “off the grid,” Diaz said, “but these people are few and far between and less likely to be on a dating app to begin with.”
- They ask a lot of questions related to your finances.
Be aware of what subjects they tend to bring up, especially in the early stages of the relationship, said Maria Sullivan, vice president of Dating.com. Do they seem overly materialistic? Are they more focused on your money situation than getting to know you as a person? That could be a sign they’re on the hunt for someone to scam.
“If you notice a potential partner is asking questions such as what kind of car you drive, or what your finances are like — anything that feels like they’re digging to find out whether you have money to burn — you might be dealing with a scammer,” Sullivan said.
- They can be evasive about their own life.
That might mean refusing to answer your questions, not incorporating you into their life or limiting the amount of time they spend with you, Diaz said.
“Not all generally evasive people are scammers, but it’s an important thing to consider if the person you’re dating or in a relationship with is never around, has never introduced you to their friends, or avoids discussing their occupation,” she added. “If you know very little about their life, it’s time to question why.”
- They ask you for money.
To some, this might seem like an obvious red flag. But when you feel like you’ve developed an emotional connection with someone, you’re more susceptible to giving in to these requests. We have a human tendency to want to help people, especially ones we care about. Scammers will prey on that kindness.
“While helping someone might seem like the right thing to do, that is exactly what the dating scammer wants,” Sullivan said. “If you find someone you’ve just met online asking for financial assistance, take it as a huge red flag that you’ve encountered a scammer.” Often, fraudsters will concoct a story about an emergency situation they’ve found themselves in that requires you to send them money as quickly as possible. Examples include: “‘My car broke down on the way to work, but I don’t get paid until next week,‘” Diaz said. “Or ‘I lost my credit card, and now I’m stuck in fill-in-the-blank-city,’ or ‘People are after me.’” “Scammers are good at making you believe that the decision to give them money was your idea and will use your empathy as a tool to get what they want,” she added.
What To Do If You Suspect You’re Dealing With A Scammer
Ignore the urge to call them out for being a fraud — a confrontation like this could lead to harassment. Instead, cut off communication immediately and report them to the dating app or site you met them on.
“Notify the platform of your suspicions and let them do the investigating,” Diaz said. (You can also report it to the Federal Trade Commission via their website.) Sullivan also suggested removing them as friend or blocking them on any social media sites so they’re unable to reach you. “The more of your personal information a scammer has access to, the better it is for them,” she said.
How To Protect Yourself Moving Forward
Be cautious about the amount of personal information you share on your dating profiles (and online in general). Keep it to the basics, Diaz said: your first name, age and what you’re looking for in a partner or relationship.
“Scammers can take sensitive information like birthdates, addresses, employer info, and even email addresses to con an unsuspecting single,” she said. “Keep your digital street smarts sharp when navigating online.”
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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