Born on this day!! Singer Jerry Butler is 82. Flute player James Galway is 82. Drummer Bobby Elliott of The Hollies is 80. Actor Mary Woronov (“Eating Raoul,” “The Munsters” films) is 78. Actor John Rubinstein (“Family,” ″Crazy Like a Fox”) is 75. Actor Kim Basinger is 68. Guitarist Warren Cuccurullo (Duran Duran, Missing Persons) is 65. Guitarist Phil Collen of Def Leppard is 65. Country singer Marty Raybon (The Raybon Brothers, Shenandoah) is 62. Guitarist Marty Friedman (Megadeth) is 59. Actor Wendell Pierce (“The Wire,” “Treme”) is 58. Actor Teri Hatcher is 57. Actor David Harewood (“Supergirl,” ″Homeland”) is 56. Singer Sinead O’Connor is 55. Actor Matthew Laborteaux (“Little House on the Prairie”) is 55. Guitarist Ryan Newell of Sister Hazel is 49. Actor Dominic Monaghan (“Lost,” ″Lord of the Rings”) is 45. Actor Ian Somerhalder (“The Vampire Diaries,” ″Lost,”) is 43. Singer Ingrid Michaelson is 42. Singer Chrisette Michele is 39. Country singer Sam Hunt is 37. Singer Kate Voegele (“One Tree Hill”) is 35. Drummer Jen Ledger of Skillet is 32. Actor Wallis Currie-Wood (“Madam Secretary”) is 30. Actor AnnaSophia Robb (film’s “Race to Witch Mountain,” TV’s “The Carrie Diaries”) is 28.
THIS DAY IN GENIUS HISTORY
1854 – Pope Pius IX proclaimed the dogma of the Immaculate Conception.
1886 – The American Federation of Labor was founded at a convention of union leaders in Columbus, Ohio.
1941 – Congress declared war on Japan and the U.S. entered World War II.
1949 – Communist attacks forced the Chinese Nationalist government to flee to the island of Formosa (Taiwan).
1978 – Former Israeli prime minister Golda Meir died.
1980 – John Lennon, former member of the Beatles, was shot and killed in New York City by a deranged fan.
1987 – President Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev signed the first treaty to reduce the nuclear arsenals of the two superpowers.
1993 – President Bill Clinton signed The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) into law.
Today Is: AFL-CIO Day, Bodhi Day, National Day of Lard, Pretend To Be A Time Traveler Day, Toilet Paper Appreciation Day
TODAY ON TV!
Primetime TV (All Times Eastern)
CBS – 8:00 – Survivor / 9:00 – Tough As Nails / 10:00 – CSI: Vegas
NBC – 8:00 – Chicago Med / 9:00 – Chicago Fire 10:00 – Chicago PD
ABC – 8:00 – Olaf’s Frozen Adventures / 8:30 – Toy Story That Time Forgot / 9:00 – The Conners / 9:30 – Home Economics / 10:00 – The Chase
FOX – 8:00 – Masked Singer / 9:00 – Alter Ego
CW – 8:00 – Christmas Around The World
TV Talk Shows
Jimmy Kimmel: Rob McElhenney, Ariana DeBose, Sting
James Corden: Mariah Carey
Watch What Happens Live: Kristin Chenoweth, Gina Kirschenheiter
Live with Kelly and Ryan: Cynthia Nixon, Heather Graham, Amy Nofziger
The Real: Porsha Williams, Dr. Vivek Murthy
Drew Barrymore: Ben & Erin Napier, Kristin Chenoweth, Eric Andre
WHAT ARE YOU TALKIN’ ABOUT? Here are today’s PPM-Friendly Topics!
QUESTION: Are the sounds coming up through this frozen lake in Colorado PROOF POSITIVE of a “White Sphere Alien Base??” Experts say “YES!”
QUESTION: Does she realize there will be NO TIP? Gutsy Long Island waitress BOOTS A CUSTOMER after he tries hitting on UNDERAGE GIRLS!!!!!!!!!
QUESTION: Ever hear of NFT’S?? So far, over $30 billion worth have been sold! Now an LA artist is auctioning her EGG!! And she expects you to HATCH IT!!
QUESTION: Is your DOG smarter than your BOSS? Study shows that most dogs understand up to 89 WORDS!!! “Fetch!” “Roll Over!!!” “Make the bed!!!!!!”
QUESTION: Is YOUR favorite holiday film about be CANCELED? The Wokesters say “Love Actually,” “The Holiday” and “Bridget Jones” should be BANNED!
Nick Cannon’s Infant Son Dies
Nick Cannon says his infant son, Zen, has died of brain cancer. He shared the news on Tuesday’s episode of The Nick Cannon Show. Zen, Cannon’s 5-month-old son with Alyssa Scott, died after a battle with a hydrocephalus, a form of cancer that causes the buildup of fluid in the brain. He recalled how Zen had brain surgery and a shunt to drain the fluid. He said his son’s health took a turn for the worse at Thanksgiving and continued to decline. “This weekend I made an effort to spend the most quality time with Zen. We woke up on Sunday and I was like, ‘I just feel like I want to go to the water,'” Cannon said. “It was a beautiful setting.” Cannon and Scott spent the day at the ocean with Zen, where they held their son and prepared to say goodbye. Cannon prepared to leave for New York for his show but turned around while on his way to the airport. Cannon had introduced Zen while sharing new photos with his kids in July. Cannon has six other children, twins Zillion and Zion with Abby De La Rosa, daughter Powerful and son Golden with Brittany Bell, and twins Monroe and Moroccan with Mariah Carey.
Stallone Lands Paramount+ Show
Sylvester Stallone will star in upcoming Paramount+ drama, Kansas City, his first major lead role in a television series. Stallone will portray a mobster from New York City named Sal who will reestablish the mafia in Kansas City. The drama hails from Yellowstone creator Taylor Sheridan and showrunner Terence Winter, who penned The Sopranos and The Wolf of Wall Street. “Looking forward to this project with great anticipation. I look forward to working with the brilliant creator, Taylor Sheridan, and gifted Terrence Winter,” Stallone said on Twitter about Kansas City. Stallone’s last television appearance included a guest role on Season 2 of This Is Us.
*********They’ll have to work in boxing somehow!!
****He’s also developing a comedy show called “Rambozo!!” (Not really, but he should)
*******In episode one, the other characters try to figure out what the hell he’s saying!!
Armorer Had 2 Jobs On The “Rust” Set
Thell Reed, the father of “Rust” armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, spoke out about how he “didn’t like” his daughter performing two jobs, armorer and prop assistant, on the set of the indie Western film. Thell, who is also a longtime movie armorer, told ABC News that Hannah “complained” about performing the two duties. That’s why she wasn’t inside the church when “Rust” cinematographer Halyna Hutchins was shot and killed after a gun held by actor Alec Baldwin discharged, he claims. Baldwin was handed the gun by assistant director Dave Halls who said the gun was “cold” or didn’t contain live rounds, a warrant released by authorities previously revealed. Hannah’s attorney told the outlet that Hannah was outside tending to the props instead of handling the weapon for the scene rehearsal. Thell is convinced that if Hannah were to have been inside “she would have checked the gun” and “found” the live ammunition. “That one time they should have had her on set. She [would have] rechecked that gun and if there was a live round placed there she would have found it,” he said. Thell reiterated that he believes Hannah would have “absolutely” rechecked the gun before handing it to Baldwin. “She knows what to do,” he said. “She does the job as good as I do.”
********Her dad is actually legendary!! Look him up on Wiki. He’s still the West Coast quick-draw champion!!
******We’re just guessing, but her career as an armorer is probably finished!!
********Handling the guns… just seems like the priority.
Rebel Wilson Faced Pressure From Losing Weight
Rebel Wilson started her “Year of Health” journey in 2020 and lost more than 70 pounds, but her change in lifestyle was met with some resistance. She claimed in a new interview with BBC Breakfast that she received “a lot of pushback” from her own management team about changing her appearance. “I got a lot of pushback from my own team, actually, here in Hollywood, when I said, ‘OK, I’m going to do this ‘Year of Health.’ I feel like I’m really going to physically transform and change my life,'” Wilson recalled. “And they were like, ‘Why? Why would you want to do that?’ Because I was earning millions of dollars being the funny fat girl and being that person.” Wilson clarified she was body positive before her weight loss but knew her eating habits weren’t healthy. “I knew deep down inside that some of the emotional eating behaviors I was doing [were] not healthy. I did not need a tub of ice cream every night,” she admitted. “That was me numbing emotions using food, which wasn’t the healthiest thing.” See the interview HERE.
********She was kinder hotter before the weight loss.. but that’s a shallow comment!!
******Every change in a woman’s appearance, whether it’s hair, weight, going makeup-free.. calls for a complete life inventory and hours of discussion.
*******Rene Zellweger made herself completely unrecognizable, and it didn’t kill HER career!! Did it??
You Can Cook Like Julia Child!
Julia Child’s Washington, DC, home where she cooked her famous recipes from her critically acclaimed book “Mastering the Art of French Cooking” is up for sale at $3.5 million. Located in Georgetown, the butter yellow clapboard house was home to Child from 1948 until she moved out over a decade later with her husband Paul Child in 1959. Child had started cooking her famous recipes in the home beginning in 1956 after she fell in love with French cooking thanks to a sojourn to Paris, where her husband was stationed for the US Information Agency. The 19th-century home was built by trailblazing African-American carpenter Edgar Murphy at a time when the neighborhood was predominantly black, according to the Washington Post. Child also taught French cooking in the home to a group of women after remodeling the kitchen and installing a $400 Garland Model 182 — a commercial gas range with a steel griddle. Dishes taught include how to poach eggs and saute chicken.
********Sounds to us like her old man was with the CIA!!!
*******They broke open a wall and found a hoard of frozen dinner packages!!!
Ripping The Tabloids (Throughout the week, we’ll give you the stories from that weeks tabs!)
**Please Credit Publication!
Colin Just Wild About H’Wood!-(National Enquirer)
“SNL” anchorman Colin Jost, 39, is ready to sign off on the New York City-based show and join glam wife Scarlett Johansson, 37, in Hollywood for a crack at an acting career! “Scarlett earns $20 million a picture in Hollywood, while Colin only earns $15,000 a week. That’s why the family is moving west,” snitched a source. “There isn’t anyone on the show who wouldn’t dump New York in a minute to become a film star!”
Gaga’s Poker Face Acting Auditions-(Globe)
Lady Gaga may have won an Oscar for “A Star Is Born,” but she used to really suck at auditioning. “I was terrible at auditioning. I was so bad. I could never get a role. I used to just freeze,” reveals the 35-year-old “House of Gucci” star. In fact, the “Poker Face” singer recalls she even bombed a callback for a TV commercial. “I would stand there and go, ‘Oh my God. Ah! You gotta do this perfect. I’m not making my dad proud.’”
A Christmas Carol-(Star)
Anaheim, Calif., Nov. 18
‘Tis the season! Gwen Stefani greeted fans while shooting The Wonderful World of Disney: Magical Holiday Celebration special at Disneyland. The red-lipped rocker performed several songs from her holiday album You Make It Feel Like Christmas, including classics like “Let It Snow” and “Winter Wonderland.” Gwen’s favorite Christmas tradition? Making memoires with sons Kingston 15, Zuma, 13, and Apollo, 7. “One of the big things we do is a wrapping paper wall,” she said. “So, if you’re good, you get to run through [it] and see all your toys.”
Say What?!-(Life & Style)
“I would love to have eternal life. I want to travel.”-Kumail Nanjiani, who currently stars in Marvel’s Eternals.
“I was a cheerleader for about six years. My favorite thing about the whole thing were the pom-poms.”-Hailee Steinfeld, conceding that it was also “cool” that her brother was on the football team.
“We haven’t ever raised our voice to each other.”-Swizz Beatz, on life with wife Alicia Keys.
Tiffany Haddish & Common: Split-(People)
The rapper-actor, 49, and the Girls Trip star, 42, have broken up after more than a year of dating. “They are never in the same city together, and both of them are just too busy for a serios relationship,” an insider says of the pair.
Winner of the Week-(In Touch)
Kim Kardashian
The billionaire funds a flight to help 130 Afghan refugees-a girls soccer team and their families-flee to the U.K.
STUPID NEWS
Snake Removed From Couch
Police in Florida responded to a condominium community to remove an unusual trespasser — a snake found inside a man’s couch. The Clearwater Police Department said in a Facebook post that officers were called to Marilyn Pines, a condo complex for residents over age 55, when a resident reported finding a 5-foot snake slithering inside his sofa. Police carried the man’s couch outside and extracted the snake, a red-tailed boa constrictor, from underneath the cushions. Officers carried the couch back into the man’s home and the boa was taken to a local pet store for care. See the pics HERE.
*********Did they get ALL the snakes?? That’s what we’d be thinking!!
******”We’ll sit on the floor, if that’s OK!!”
*******If they had a snake in the couch, for SURE they’ve got one in the toilet!!
Police Chase Escaped Camel
Police in Kansas said they spent “the entire day” Sunday chasing an escaped camel that trotted across a golf course, ran down a highway and visited a few neighborhoods. The Bonner Springs Police Department said officers and animal control personnel responded Sunday when a loose camel was spotted running loose in the city. “This morning, officers took to the golf courses in pursuit of the camel (on golf carts no less),” the department said in a Facebook post. “Later, it took a leisurely jaunt down K-7 Highway and into some neighborhoods.” Police said they “spent the entire day” chasing after the camel before it was finally captured with a lasso. “The camel was reunited with its owners and will go back to doing camel things,” the post said. See the photo HERE.
*********Thank God he’s home… because it’s HUMP DAY!!!
********”When capturing an escaped dromedary, the first thing you do: cover up the camel toe!!!” (Animal Control Manual)
********That would be a great name for a sports team: “The Kansas City Kamels!!!”
Christmas Light Record
A New York family who set a Guinness World Record with 601,736 Christmas lights on their property in 2014 said this year’s display tops their own record with a total 687,000 lights. Tim Gay of Lagrangeville, whose family first set the record for most lights on a residential property with 346,283 Christmas lights in 2012 before topping it with their 2014 display, said the latest version of the ERDAJT Holiday Lights Display — named for his children’s initials — features 687,000 lights. Gay said going all-out for Christmas is a tradition he inherited from his mother. “I grew up in a family of eight children and she made the holidays magical for the whole family,” he told the Albany Times-Union. “From Thanksgiving to New Years, it was like Grand Central Station in our house. It was very special to us.” The family’s annual light display serves as a fundraiser for local charities, including the Union Vale Fire Department’s community fund. See the video HERE.
**********For some reason, all the circuit breakers keep tripping in that neighborhood!!
********Who counted all those lights?? “679,000… damn!! I lost count! I’ll to start over!!”
*******The homeowners just got a call from Mars!! “Can you trim those lights?? You’re blinding us!!”
Wrong Number Leads To Unusual Friendship
More than 20 years ago, Gladys Hankerson was trying to reach her sister in Maryland when she misdialed the phone number. A man in Rhode Island answered. The mistake led to a lasting, over-the-phone friendship all these years. “At first, it was just like her saying, ‘Oh I’m sorry!’ and she’s really Southern, very hospitable, polite, very sweet, she’s like, ‘I’m so sorry, child!’ and then she hangs up real quick,” said Mike Moffitt, 46, who lives in South Kingstown, Rhode Island. Hankerson, now 80, continued to dial Moffitt, and he finally asked her who she was and where she was from. That’s when Hankerson, who lives in Delray, Florida, told him she had been trying to reach her sister. “It was at first her misdialing,” Moffitt said. “Then I think she just started calling, not misdialing.” Hankerson said Moffitt felt like family to her. “He’s a very nice person,” she said. “I love him to death.” The two stayed in touch by phone over the years, chatting about their children — Hankerson is the mother of 10, Moffitt, a father of three. Some of Hankerson’s children even remember when the two first began talking, she said. Though the phone calls started as casual conversations, their friendship grew deeper over time.
**********Now she’s pregnant with his child!! (kidding?)
TOPIC: Ever have a phone friendship with someone you’ve never met??
STUFF THAT’S COOL AND VIRAL
VIDEO: AERIAL FOOTAGE OF WWI RUINS!
A LIST FOR WEDNESDAY
8 Budgeting Questions to Keep Your Spending in Check
THE PENNY HOARDER
- How Did My Actual Spending Compare to My Projected Spending?
This is the most obvious question you’ll want to ask yourself as you reflect on your spending from the past several weeks.
Did your actual spending match up with the amount of money you intended to spend in each budget category? Where did you overspend? Where did you spend less than anticipated?
- How Do I Want to Allocate Any Surplus Money From Last Month?
If you ended up spending less than you budgeted for the month, what’s your plan for that extra money?
You have a few options. You can roll that money into the upcoming month’s budget so you’ll have more available. You could put the money into savings — whether that’s to build up your emergency fund, pad your ongoing sinking funds or add to short- or long-term savings goals.
You could invest the money in an IRA or a taxable brokerage account. You could give back by donating to a nonprofit organization. Or you might want to use the money to treat yourself to something nice.
It’s totally up to you.
- What Was the Reason for Any Overspending?
If you spent more money than you anticipated, don’t be hard on yourself, but take a moment to analyze what caused the overspending.
Did you turn to retail therapy to counteract a stressful week? Did an emergency arise that you couldn’t have predicted?
Did you order takeout too much? Did you forget to factor a major expense into your budget? Is your budget so restrictive to begin with that your spending limits are just unrealistic?
Reflect on why you spent more than you planned and what you could do differently next month.
- Do I Need to Adjust Spending Limits for the Month Ahead?
As mentioned earlier, you don’t want to copy and paste your budget from month to month if your spending tends to fluctuate.
There may be some budget categories that remain consistent, like the amount you pay for rent or your monthly cell phone bill.
However, you can expect a higher electric bill during cold months when you’ve got the heat up high or hot months when you’re blasting the A/C. If you’re in a blended family and have your stepkids living with you every other weekend, you’ll need to budget more for groceries when you’ve got a full house.
You’ll need to adjust your budget if you’ve got an upcoming event, special occasion or trip taking place in the month ahead. And if you’ve just paid off a credit card or loan, you’ll want to reallocate the money you were putting toward that debt.
You should also adjust your spending limits if you’re consistently coming in over budget or under budget in a particular budget category — for example, if your default monthly gas budget has been $50 but you’re always spending about $75 to fuel up each month. If you’ve put in the effort to cut costs in that category, it’s likely that your spending limit is unrealistic for your circumstances.
- How Do I Feel About the Purchases I Made?
In addition to reflecting on the dollars and cents of your spending, it’s also important to be mindful about your feelings associated with your spending — particularly when it comes to discretionary spending.
Are you satisfied with the things you bought? Were they useful? Did your purchases bring you happiness? Or do you feel as though you wasted your money or rushed into making a purchase? Do you have regrets?
Keeping tabs on the emotions you feel after spending money can help you identify patterns you might need to correct. For example, if you often regret the impulse buys you make, you can keep a running list of what you want to buy but give yourself a week or more to think it through instead of buying it on the spot.
- How Am I Tracking Toward My Goals?
When you’re closing out one month’s budget and creating the next month’s, it’s a good time to check in on your progress toward your money goals.
Are you on the right track to meet your savings goals? How are you coming along on your debt payoff plan? Did your credit score go up any?
The ultimate purpose of your budget is to make a plan for your money so you’re able to hit your financial priorities. Paying your bills on time and having enough on a day-to-day basis to cover necessities is great — but don’t forget about your big-picture goals as well.
- Where Can I Cut Back on Spending?
As you’re creating your monthly budget, take a look at last month’s spending to see where you can reduce your expenses.
You’ll have more wiggle room if you can eliminate unnecessary spending, like subscriptions you don’t use. Consider what services you pay to have done that you might be able to do yourself, such as styling your hair at home rather than going to a salon.
Don’t just focus on your discretionary spending. Look through your essential purchases and identify one way you can reduce costs. Here’s one: Call your insurance company to ask about available discounts or if they’d match a competitor’s quote. Or try lowering your utility bills by being more conscious about your water and electricity usage.
- How Can I Increase My Income?
No matter how well you are at money management, you can’t budget your way to wealth if you’re not bringing in enough income.
You can increase your income in a number of ways. At work, you could ask to take on more hours, work overtime or negotiate a wage increase. You could supplement your regular job with a side hustle or a stream of passive income. You can also increase your cash flow by selling items around your house.
Looking for a better-paying job is another way to increase your income. Just be careful not to give in to lifestyle inflation. Focus on your personal money goals rather than upgrading your lifestyle to keep up with the Joneses.
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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