WEDNESDAY, Dec 21 – DAILY PREP TEXT VERSION

MORNING SIDEKICK DAILY PREP TEXT VERSION FOR WEDNESDAY, December 21, 2022
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COMEDY MP3s POSTED ON OUR PREP SITE FOR TODAY: A & M AUTOLAND – Week Before Christmas; SONG: IT’S THE WORST TRAVELING TIME OF THE YEAR; THE ONLY MORNING SHOW IN TOWN

TODAY IS …
(All days repeat annually on today’s date unless otherwise noted; days may or may not be called “National”/”International”/”World” depending on source; sources listed often have additional info. We generally do not list special days which were created by commercial companies for the purpose of marketing, or the hundreds of disease awareness listings which occur each year.)

FOREFATHER’S DAY
The Holiday Insights website says this:
“Forefather’s Day commemorates the Pilgrims landing at Plymouth Rock in 1620. They left for the New World, to escape religious persecution. After a late fall start, the Mayflower set sail from England and landed at Plymouth Rock, Massachusetts just before Christmas. This holiday is celebrated largely in New England. If you are not from New England, chances are this is the first you have heard of Forefather’s Day. The Pilgrims originally set sail from England in two ships, the Speedwell and the Mayflower. The Speedwell leaked so badly that they were forced to return to England. Ultimately, they all crammed into the Mayflower, and set sail from Plymouth, England. It was much later than they had planned. Strong fall west winds also delayed their arrival in the New World. Finally, on December 21, 1620 they landed.”

NATIONAL FLASHLIGHT DAY
The Holiday Insights website says this:
“Don’t be left in the dark on National Flashlight Day. The basic requirement for this day, is a flashlight and good batteries. Flick the switch, and you can put anything into your spotlight. We’d like to shed a little light on this special day. National Flashlight Day arrives on Winter Solstice, which is the shortest day … and longest night … of the year. There’s lots and lots of darkness. With all of those dark hours, your flashlight is apt to get a good workout. You never know when you will need a flashlight. National Flashlight Day is a good day to make sure you and your family know where the flashlights are. Test each flashlight, to be sure the batteries are good. When in doubt, replace the batteries with new ones. It is also a good idea to put a flashlight in your car. The flashlight was invented in 1898 by Joshua Lionel Cowen. However, this wasn’t his greatest invention. He also invented the Lionel train.”

WINTER SOLSTICE – Winter begins, winter solstice occurs at 4:48 p.m. EST

December is:

Exotic/Tropical Fruits Month
National Egg Nog Month
National Fruit Cake Month
National Stress-Free Family Holiday Month
National Write a Business Plan Month
Safe Toys and Gifts Month
Tomato Month
Winter Squash Month

ENTERTAINMENT & CELEBRITIES

FIIIIIIIIVE GOOOOOLDEN RINGNECKEDPHEASANTS!

Some crazy person is now claiming that, in the song “The 12 Days of Christmas,” the “five golden rings” are not what you think. According to Canadian scientist Dr. Anna Hughes, who has a Ph.D. in astrophysics, the term “5 golden rings” actually refers to the common ring-necked pheasant. This makes the first seven gifts of the song all about birds – ♪♫ “7 swans a-swimming / 6 geese a-laying / 5 ring-necked pheasants / 4 calling birds / 3 French hens / two turtle doves / and a you-know-what in a you-know-where.” ♫ If you sing the song with the same meter all the way through – don’t change the melody for “five golden rings” – it works rhythmically. Dr. Hughes tweeted this bit of information, though, without any explanation or citation, so who knows if it’s true. The exact origin of the iconic Christmas song itself also is unknown; however, it reportedly first appeared in a 1780 children’s book.
* I’m gonna say the song was written by someone who sold birds.
* A Ph.D. in astrophysics? Any training in birdwatching?
* This is very interesting, and I still hate the song.
* The name of the book is “Songs Your Children Will Drive You Crazy With.” It’s the same 1780 book the Baby Shark song came from.
* Four days before Christmas you come out with this. That’s not enough time to change everything.
* This actually makes a lot of sense. Those golden rings come out of nowhere. It was probably product placement from an 18th century version of Zales. Ye Olde Zales.
* By the way, the actual title of the Mariah Carey Song is “All I Want For Christmas Is Booze.”

BOB DYLAN, BOXER

Bob Dylan, promoting his new book The Philosophy Of Modern Song, where he rambles on about his favorite songs, did a rare interview by answering some questions from The Wall Street Journal.
– Asked what he’s been watching lately, Dylan replied: “Coronation Street, Father Brown, and some early Twilight Zones. I know they’re old-fashioned, but they make me feel at home. I’m no fan of packaged programs or news shows. I never watch anything foul-smelling or evil. Nothing disgusting, nothing dog ass.”
* So, none of those veterinarian shows on Animal Planet? ‘Cause there’s a lot of dog ass on Dr. Pol.
* And Downton Abbey! The opening credits of every single episode begin with the camera following right behind Lord Grantham’s dog’s butt.
– Dylan says that he stays fit by boxing and sparring: “It’s functional and detached from trends. It’s a limitless playground, and you don’t need an app.”
* Plus, he says, he comes up with his best lyrics after being repeatedly punched in the head.
– He says that he keeps touring because “it is a perfect way to stay anonymous and still be a member of the social order. You’re the master of your fate. But it’s not an easy path to take, not fun and games.”
* Again, with the getting-punched-in-the-head thing.
– Which artists does he like? “The Oasis Brothers, I like them both, Julian Casablanca, the Klaxons, Grace Potter. I’ve seen Metallica twice. I’ve made special efforts to see Jack White and Alex Turner. Zac Deputy. I’m a fan of Royal Blood, Celeste, Rag and Bone Man, Wu-Tang, Eminem, Nick Cave, Leonard Cohen, anybody with a feeling for words and language, anybody whose vision parallels mine.”
* No K-POP? Son, I am disappointed.
* That’s right, name a bunch of people no one’s ever heard of. What a hipster!
* Well, who wouldn’t like the Oasis Brothers?

THE BUZZ

FAMILY TOLERANCE DURING THE HOLIDAYS: 4 HOURS

A Motel 6 survey of 2,000 Americans who are traveling to visit family for the holidays found respondents can spend an average of three hours and 54 minutes with their family before needing to get away from them.
– 1 in 4 has hidden in a relative’s house to take a moment alone.
– A third of respondents have made an excuse to leave the house altogether.
– The average respondent is staying with family for 3 1/2 days this holiday season.
– The biggest annoyances: lack of privacy; family getting on your nerves; drama between family members; feeling like they’re imposing on you; and having the house be too loud or busy.
* So, just like when you were growing up.
* Motel 6 wouldn’t happen to have any kind of, oh, solution to this problem, would they?
* Three hours and 54 minutes? So, just enough time to sneak off and see Avatar 2.
* Maybe families should do the holidays via Zoom or FaceTime, in, like, ten-minute bursts.
* Just remember: alcohol not only makes things worse, but also makes it all better.

WHAT TOY WOULD YOU BUY YOUR WORST ENEMY’S CHILD?

Somebody on Reddit asked: “What’s a toy you would get for your worst enemy’s child?” Here, from Reddit and also various internet sites, are some of the toys that parents hate hate hate:
– Drum set
– Glitter and glue
– Off brand permanent markers that have the word “permanent” in really small font
– Furby
– VTech Chomp and Count Dinosaur
– Singing Elmo
– Slime
– Bop It
– Chuckle Ball
– Ikiki Squeaky Shoes
– Baby Alive Baby Doll
– Fisher-Price Corn Popper Push Toy
– Fisher Price Kids Xylophone
– Polly Pockets
– WWE John Cena Crushers Toy – there’s no off switch
– Star Wars Scream Saber Lightsaber
– Slingshot Flying Screaming Monkey
* I think Slingshot Flying Screaming Monkey wins, just on the name alone.
* Hey – a family with two kids could have one on drums and one on xylophone, with Elmo on vocals.
* Don’t forget toys that rely on you to continually buy accessories.
* Of course, depending on your kid’s imagination, this list could get a lot longer.
* PHONE TOPIC: What toy of your child’s do you hate?

U.S. NEWS

FLOCKED TREE COVERED IN PRAYING MANTISES

Someone named @angelarouege posted a TikTok video showing how they ordered a red-flocked Christmas tree, but after they opened it and set it up, they discovered if was full of praying mantises. The video shows tiny white eggs in the red flocking, and dozens of baby mantises jumping from branch to branch and onto the walls and ceiling, as a woman in the room frantically screams. The video received 2.1 million views on TikTok. Some helpful viewer pointed out that a mantis egg sac can hold 50-200 babies.
* They deserve it. Who orders a red-flocked Christmas tree?
* I wouldn’t want to be a spider in that house.
* I hope Santa brings them a blowtorch.
* “Release the hungry lizards!”

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

AIRLINE SENDS DOG TO SAUDI ARABIA INSTEAD OF NASHVILLE

A British couple, Jim and Madison Miller – who recently moved from the United Kingdom to the United States – were trying to fly their black lab Bluebell to Nashville, Tennessee. British Airways ended up loading Bluebell on an airplane headed to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Once the mistake was discovered, and because there are no direct flights between Riyadh and Nashville, Bluebell had to fly back to London, then take a third international flight to Tennessee. Including time spent waiting for flights, the journey took more than 60 hours. The Millers say Bluebell is an emotional wreck. While the airline said Bluebell “received refreshments frequently and had regular walks to stretch her legs,” the MIllers believe Bluebell only received a 20-minute walk during her 27 hours in Riyadh, and while she had regular access to water, she could only be fed twice during the multi-day journey, since animals are not allowed to have food in their crates while in transit. The Millers are asking British Airways for about $10,000 to cover behavioral therapy for Bluebell, anxiety medication, and costs related to objects the dog has destroyed in their new Nashville home. So far, Madison said they have only been offered frequent flier miles.
* Plus, the dog now only eats hummus and baba ghanoush.
* I don’t usually say “bullocks” like the Brits, but frequent flier miles? Bullocks!
* Maybe it’s not stress from the flight. Maybe the dog hates country music.
* Also, during the entire trip, Bluebell couldn’t figure out why she was not allowed to hang her head out the window.

TRENDING

EMMYS CHANGE VOTING RULES TO STOP AWARD HOGS

The Emmy Award nominating process is being changed to keep shows from hogging all the nominating slots. The old rule, established in 2017, allowed voters to vote for as many entries in a category as they think are worthy of a nomination. This would allow a handful of programs to grab an inordinate number of nominations to swamp the category. With the new rule, the number of selections each voting member is allowed to make per category will now be capped at the number of nominations specified for that category. So, if there are going to be six finalists in a category, you can only vote for six candidates. This should keep categories such as “Best Supporting Actress” from being swamped with three or four nominees from the same show.

ALMANAC

NOTABLE DATES, UPCOMING U.S. OBSERVANCES

TODAY – Winter begins, winter solstice occurs at 4:48 p.m. EST
Dec. 25, Sunday – Christmas
Dec. 31, Saturday – New Year’s Eve
Jan. 1, Sunday – New Year’s Day

BIRTHDAYS

Kiefer Sutherland (actor, “Designated Survivor”, “24”) … 56
Andy Dick (actor-comedian, frequent substance-abuse meltdowner) … 57
Ray Romano (actor-comedian, “Vinyl”, “Parenthood”, “Men Of A Certain Age”, “Everybody Loves Raymond”) … 65
Jane Kaczmarek (actress, “Playing House”, “Malcolm in the Middle”) … 67
Samuel L. Jackson (actor) … 74
Jane Fonda (actress) … 85
Phil Donahue (former talk show host) … 87

BIRTHDAY QUOTE QUIZ – Ask your listeners “Who said it?” HINT: Today’s their birthday!

“If my father had hugged me even once, I’d be an accountant right now.”

(A) Vladimir Putin
(B) Kim Jong-Un
(C) Ray Romano

ANSWER: (C) Ray Romano

THIS DAY IN HISTORY

COVID-19 in History:
2020 – The US began vaccinating for COVID-19 using the Moderna vaccine.
– US President-elect Joe Biden received the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine live on TV
– Governor of California Gavin Newson said there are no intensive care beds left in Southern California or the San Joaquin valley

1970 – Elvis Presley met with President Richard M. Nixon in the Oval Office to discuss fighting drugs.
* It didn’t work.

1946 – The classic Christmas movie “It’s A Wonderful Life” had its premiere, a movie about how one man can touch so many others around him.
* I guess that would make it Harvey Weinstein’s favorite movie.

1914 – Charlie Chaplin appeared in the first feature-length silent film comedy.
* If only Adam Sandler’s movies were silent.

1913 – The first crossword puzzle was published, in the New York World.
* Somebody missed a great business opportunity when they decided to give away the answers for free.

1909 – The University of Copenhagen rejected Frederick Cook’s claim that he beat Robert Peary and was the first person to reach the North Pole.
* Hello? Santa’s been living there for hundreds of years! Duh!

1898 – Scientists Pierre and Marie Curie discovered the radioactive element radium.
* They glowed with pride!

1891 – 18 students play the first basketball game at Springfield College.
* They were suspended for recruiting violations the following day.

1620 – Pilgrims aboard the Mayflower went ashore for the first time at present-day Plymouth, MA.
* They would have kissed the soil, but, being uptight Pilgrims, that would have been considered immoral.

THIS DAY IN MUSIC HISTORY

2019 – Mariah Carey topped the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 with “All I Want for Christmas Is You” for the first time, 25 years after its original release, thereby breaking several records, including the longest trip to number one. With estimated sales of over 16 million copies worldwide, “All I Want for Christmas Is You” is the best-selling holiday song by a female artist, and one of the best-selling physical singles in music history.

2014 – Sir Elton John and his partner David Furnish formally converted their civil partnership to a marriage, hosting a ceremony at their Windsor estate in Berkshire. David and Victoria Beckham, Ed Sheeran, Lulu and actor David Walliams were among the guests.

2012 – “Gangnam Style” by South Korean musician Psy became the first YouTube video to reach a billion views. By the end of 2012, the song had topped the music charts of more than 30 countries.

2012 – Rolling Stones guitarist, 65-year-old Ronnie Wood married his fiancee Sally Humphreys during a private ceremony in London. Keith Richards, Rod Stewart and Paul McCartney all attended the wedding.

2005 – Sir Elton John and his partner David Furnish became the first gay celebrities to register their relationship as a civil partnership. The 20-minute ceremony took place at The Guild Hall, Windsor, England, and guests included Ringo Starr, Victoria Beckham, Joss Stone, Sting, Elvis Costello, Jamie Cullum, George Michael and The Osbournes – Ozzy, Sharon, Jack and Kelly.

2003 – Eminem’s ex-wife Kimberley Mathers pleaded guilty to drug and driving offences. Mathers had been pulled over traffic police in June and was charged with possession of cocaine, driving with a suspended license, and maintaining a drug house in which police discovered marijuana and Ecstasy were dropped.

2003 – American Idol winner Ruben Studdard was at No.1 on the U.S. album chart with “Soulful.”

2001 – Police launched an investigation into why Olivia Harrison listed a non-existent Beverly Hills address as the place of George Harrison’s death.

1999 – Readers of Guitar magazine voted Noel Gallagher of Oasis the most overrated guitarist of the millennium. Jimi Hendrix was voted guitarist of the millennium with Nirvana’s “Nevermind” winning best album.

1985 – Heart went to No.1 on the U.S. album chart with their self-titled album.

1985 – Lionel Richie started a four-week run at No.1 on the U.S. singles chart with “Say You, Say Me.”

1976 – Barry Manilow appeared on the first night of a two-week gig at The Uris Theatre On Broadway, New York. Tickets were $20.

1969 – The Supremes made their last TV appearance together with Diana Ross on “The Ed Sullivan Show” singing their last No.1, “Someday We’ll Be Together.”

1968 – Glen Campbell went to No.1 on the U.S. album chart with “Wichita Lineman.”

X-TREME TRIVIA CHALLENGE

Every installment of X-Treme Trivia Challenge includes three mystery factoids. Create your own “Impossible Question” contest – great for listener giveaways and phone interaction starters! Also a perfect sponsorship opportunity!

1. 25% of us can’t remember THIS from last year. What is it?
What Christmas gifts we received

2. According to a recent survey, 20 percent of Americans who celebrate Christmas, say they don’t do THIS. What is it?
Put up a Christmas tree

3. According to a recent survey, 70 percent of us do THIS every year at Christmas. What is it?
Buy a gift for our pet

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