THURSDAY, Oct 19 – DAILY PREP TEXT VERSION

MORNING SIDEKICK DAILY PREP TEXT VERSION FOR THURSDAY, October 19, 2023
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COMEDY MP3s POSTED ON OUR PREP SITE FOR TODAY: BROUGHT TO YOU BY

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.)

EVALUATE YOUR LIFE DAY
The Holiday Insights website says this:
“Evaluate Your Life Day is a bit scary. It sounds just a little bit too serious for my liking. And, what if I evaluate my life, and find out that I don’t like it? Well, for starters, you can then make positive changes. Evaluate Your Life Day gives us the opportunity to pause and reflect upon our life, where it’s been, and where its going. C’mon, be honest with yourself. Are things going well? What is bothering you? What do you need, or want, to change? How’s your appearance? Are you gaining too much weight? With a self evaluation, you can then make big changes to improve the quality of your life, as necessary. Or, if things are going well, just tinker with small adjustments. We believe that Evaluate Your Life Day is the beginning of a happier and healthier you!”

NATIONAL SEAFOOD BISQUE DAY

SPIRIT DAY
Wikipedia says this:
Spirit Day is an annual LGBTQ awareness day observed on the third Thursday in October. Started in 2010 by Canadian teenager Brittany McMillan, it was initially created in response to a rash of widely publicized bullying-related suicides of gay school students in 2010. Promoted by GLAAD, observers wear the color purple as a visible sign of support for LGBTQ youth and against bullying during National Bullying Prevention Month, as well as to honor LGBTQ persons who committed suicide.

October is:

Adopt a Shelter Dog Month
American Cheese Month
Car Care Month
Child Health Month
Consumer Information Month
Cookbook Month
Country Music Month
Fire Prevention Month
National Pizza Month
National Popcorn Month
National Service Dog Month
Vegetarian Awareness Month

ENTERTAINMENT & CELEBRITIES

WHAT TO WATCH – New and Returning Shows and Movies
Premiering Thursday through Sunday
Listings sourced from the TV Guide and EW websites.

THURSDAY, Oct 19

“Bodies”
Netflix – New Limited Series
Synopsis: Four detectives in four different time periods of London find themselves investigating the same murder.

“Everyone Else Burns”
The CW – New Series
Synopsis: Follows a hyper-religious community asking “How does an idiosyncratic family navigating modern life nowadays protect themselves from eternal hell fire?”

“Neon”
Netflix – New Series
Synopsis: Follows three friends who move from a small town in Florida to Miami with the hopes of making it big in the world of reggaeton, chronicling their larger-than-life dreams and the harsh comic realities of navigating the music industry.

“Run the Burbs”
The CW – The Canadian comedy comes to streaming
Synopsis: A young, bold Canadian family takes a different approach to living life to the fullest in the suburbs.

“Son of a Critch”
The CW – The Canadian series comes to streaming
Synopsis: An 11-year-old uses comedy and self-deprecation to win friends and connect with the small collection of people in his limited junior high world.

“The Burning Girls”
Paramount+ – New Series
Synopsis: A mother and daughter looking for a fresh start in a small insular British village called Chapel Croft. But the strange community has secrets of its own and uncovering the truth about its bloody past proves to be pretty deadly.

Season Premiere:
Peacock – “Wolf Like Me”

FRIDAY, Oct 20

“Old Dads”
Netflix – New Movie
Synopsis: A cranky middle-aged dad and his two best friends find themselves out of step in a changing world of millennial CEOs and powerful preschool principals. Starring:Bill Burr, Bobby Cannavale, and Bokeem Woodbine.

“The Pigeon Tunnel”
Apple TV+ – New Documentary
Synopsis: Covers the storied life and career of former British spy David Cornwell – better known as spy thriller author John le Carré.

Season Premieres:
Freevee – “Bosch: Legacy”
Netflix – “Big Mouth”
Prime Video – “Upload”

SUNDAY, Oct 22

“AKA Mr. Chow”
HBO – New Documentary
Synopsis: Profiles Michael Chow, who single-handedly built a restaurant empire which transformed the way we consume food by merging East and West and turning his dinner spots into dazzling theaters of cultural energy.

Season Premiere:
AMC – “Fear the Walking Dead”

PAT SAJAK ALLOWS MISTAKE TO GO THROUGH

Pat Sajak is taking heat from fans over Tuesday’s Wheel of Fortune episode where he missed a contestant’s mistake and awarded her the game. The puzzle was a Wheel of Fortune crossword with “butter” being the clue – all four words were associated with the word “butter.” The four words were “Fly, Fingers, Bean, Nut.” The contestant, Nadine Cedro, guessed “Fly, Fingers, Bean, Nuts,” pluralizing the word “Nut.” Normally not a big deal. But over the past few years, the show has nailed previous contestants for even more minor infractions – you have to read the puzzle exactly as it appears – no slurs, no added letters, no extra words. Pat jumped in a little early and didn’t catch her saying the letter ‘s’. And fans are outraged. OUTRAGED.
* You really hate to see the protocols, developed over the past 48 years, diminished on such a distinguished and highly regarded show such as Wheel of Moron— I mean, Wheel of Fortune.
* If only the show was recorded instead of live, so they could back and do it over with a different puzzle.
* Having a bad day, Buttercup?
* Pat’s leaving in a year. Do you really think he cares anymore?
* As punishment, they tie Pat to the wheel and spin him until he’s silly.

THE BUZZ

DUMB HEADLINES

Time for another episode of Three Dumb Headlines. These are actual, word-for-word headlines of stories found on the internet. There’s no story, no context, just the actual headline. Discuss them amongst yourselves. Then, encourage listeners to vote for the Dumbest Headline on your station’s social media page. Maybe ask them to leave a comment. Reveal the results in the next break.
Today’s Dumb Headlines:
1. “What’s A Menopause Party?”
2. “Why Aren’t There More Fight Clubs For Women?”
3. “A Freezing Comet Volcano Sprouted Horns After a Violent Eruption – Here’s Why”
And here’s a spare, in case you don’t like one of those three: “How To Stop Inhaling Your Food The Minute It’s Ready”

GOOGLE’S TOP COSTUME SEARCHES FOR HALLOWEEN

Google has released their analysis of annual searches for Halloween costumes. This year’s top Halloween costume searches are Barbie, Princess, Spider-Man, Witch, Fairy, Wednesday Addams, Dinosaur, Cowboy, Ninja and Bunny.
– The top couple’s costumes searches are Barbie and Ken, Mario and Luigi, Bonnie and Clyde, Cosmo and Wanda and Lilo and Stitch.
– The top picks for family costumes are Addams Family, Toy Story, Mario, Flintstones and Monsters Inc.
– Baby costume top searches are Slinky dog, Pebbles and Bam Bam, Chucky, Barbie and Theodore Chipmunk.
– The top dog costumes searched on Google this year are Chucky, Spider, Cow, Scooby Doo and Stitch.
* Barbie? What are the odds?
* Bunny? Like, Bad Bunny?
* Theodore Chipmunk. ‘Cause he’s the cool one. R-i-i-i-ght.
* I’m going as Ken. Ken Jennings, from Jeopardy.
* More proof that Google’s tracking everything you do.

WHAT WITCHES EAT FOR HALLOWEEN

The Huffington Post asked several practicing witches to share their Halloween food traditions. For those in the witch industry, Halloween is an ideal time to “celebrate and honor deceased loved ones,” often with rituals involving food. Here are some of the traditional witch foods:
– Sabbat cakes, a cross between a biscuit and a scone, using seasonal spices such as cinnamon or nutmeg and clove, paired with wine, ale, or fresh cider. Sabbat cakes are made to honor “ancestors and spirits who have crossed over.” A portion of them are set outside for the gods and spirits.
– Pomegranites are sacred. Pomegranates represent the myth of Persephone, the goddess of the harvest who was forced to take on the role of queen of the underworld after eating pomegranate seeds.
– Dee Norman, who practices traditional Italian folk magic and witchcraft, makes cookies called “ossi dei morti,” or “bones of the dead.” The cookies are flavored with almond and lemon and shaped into bones. They are meant to commemorate the ancestors’ passing.
– A witch named Sophia Rose makes pumpkin bread. “Pumpkin symbolizes wisdom and insight, perfect for honoring our ancestors and the turning wheel of the year,” Rose explained. As she bakes, Rose chants an incantation to “imbue the bread with protective energy.”
* You know, a ziplock bag works just as well.
* And, of course, the witches all eat small children for dessert.
* Do witches wash everything down with an Abra CaDaiquiri?
* I don’t know from pomegranates, but cheesecake has ME under its spell.
* The nice thing about modern witch cooking is, the iron cauldron heats up super fast on an induction stove.

U.S. NEWS

KIDNAPPERS GET WRONG GUY

Two Florida brothers and another man are facing federal charges following a bungled kidnapping. The three men kidnapped a man at gunpoint outside his apartment in Plantation, Florida. They drove him to a home, and took him inside. That’s where they learned they had the wrong person – his coworker was the intended target. The men threatened the victim, put an electric drill to his skin and pointed a gun at him, before dousing him with water in a simulated waterboarding. After awhile, the kidnappers did some brainstorming (* hard to believe) and learned their intended victim was still at a business in Pompano Beach, Florida. They drove the victim there and asked him to go in and get the coworker to come outside. Instead, the man phoned in a bomb threat in an effort to get a rapid police response to the building. The three suspects were arrested.
* I think I see where their plan started to fall apart.
* The bomb threat is fine, but why don’t you just tell the cops you’ve been kidnapped?
* And why torture the guy when you know he’s the wrong guy? Practice? They hate to see a bucket of water go to waste?
* If only there was some way to confirm a person’s identity, such as, I don’t know, some sort of state-issued license of some kind that included a name and a photo.
* I’m seeing this as a wacky comedy starring Jack Black, Jonah Hill, and Zach Galifianakis.

MIXER THIEF GOING TO PRISON

A Michigan man is going to jail after pleading guilty to repeatedly stealing and reselling KitchenAid mixers. Brian Roussey, 31, of Farmington Hills, was sentenced to 128 days and two years’ probation, and he was also ordered to pay restitution to Target. Roussey began stealing KitchenAid mixers in late 2020 and continued through late 2022, entering various Target locations throughout the metro Detroit area and walking out with a mixer without making a purchase. He’d then sell the stolen appliances on online forums such as Facebook Marketplace. The mixers retail for as much as $500 per unit and losses to Target total in excess of $20,000.
* Folded together. Y’know – combined.
* He would grab the mixers and whisk them out of there.
* Who knows why a guy steals mixers. Maybe he kneaded the bread.
* Only mixers? Why didn’t he mix it up?
* In prison, a guy like that will blend right in.
* 128 days? His head will be spinning.

MAN ATTEMPTS TO PLAY 500 GOLF COURSES IN ONE YEAR

A Seattle man named Patrick Koenig is attempting to golf at 500 different golf courses in one year for a record. Koenig drives to the various courses in an RV. He is aiming to set the new record at 500 courses by the end of his one-year period. This week, on the 287th day of his attempt, he played his 450th round of golf at Omni Interlocken in Broomfield, Colorado. It’s estimated he’s taken 4.3 million steps and walked around 2,000 miles on the green.
* Luckily, the golf courses are all within driving range. DRIVING RANGE!!
* I hope he has an independent observer recording his games. That’s the fair way. FAIRWAY!!
* He says he’s gotten pretty good on the windmill holes, but the loop-de-loops still give him trouble.
* Yet he’s still carrying that golfer’s paunch. So much for 10,000 steps a day keeping you slim.
* And ladies, he’s single, I bet.
* And quite a swinger.

PIG NAMED KEVIN BACON ON THE LOOSE

A pig named Kevin Bacon is on the lam in south Pennsylvania, near Gettysburg. Kevin was brought home by his new family on Oct. 13, who adopted him after his previous owners couldn’t afford to feed him. Kevin broke out the next morning, on Oct. 14. He’s been spotted twice, and some helpful citizens have came close to catching Kevin, but to no avail. A Facebook page, Bring Kevin Bacon Home, has also already started gaining traction at over 200 followers.
* He’s footloose!
* I think we’re all familiar with the challenges of Bringing Home the Bacon.
* The town has gone whole hog looking for him.
* How long does he have to be in the wild before he officially becomes a feral hog?
* If they catch him, it’s gonna be 350 degrees of Kevin Bacon, basted and slow roasted.

CUSTOMS OFFICERS SEIZE GOAT VISCERA

Earlier this month, U.S. Customs and Border Protection Agricultural Specialists at Chicago’s O’Hare Airport seized a bunch of goat innards from two passengers arriving from the Democratic Republic of Congo. A package inspection revealed 15 pounds of raw goat viscera, including the trachea, heart, lungs, liver, kidneys, and entire digestive system. The innards were seized and destroyed in order to keep livestock diseases and plant pests out of the United States.
* Goat guts? That’s offal!
* Decorations for a front lawn Halloween display?
* Anybody else picturing what goes into a hot dog?
* Are they sure they brought it from the Congo, or were they just bringing their unfinished lunch from the flight?
* Maybe the Congolese visitors were afraid they wouldn’t be able to find a gutted goat store here in America.

TRENDING

BRIAN MAY, AGAIN WITH THE ASTROPHYSICS

Queen guitarist Brian May, who is also a licensed and bonded astrophysicist, has been working on the most recent NASA project, a study of the near-Earth asteroid, Bennu. This was the asteroid where they landed on it, collected a sample, flew it back to Earth and dropped it int he desert back on Oct. 11. Now, Brian has collaborated with amateur astro-stereographer Claudia Manzoni to create images of the asteroid sample using stereoscopy, which essentially makes flat images appear in 3D. Why he’s doing this isn’t entirely clear, but it doesn’t have to be. It’s Brian freakin’ May.

GWYNETH PALTROW: SELL GOOP AND DISAPPEAR

In a new interview with Bustle, Gwyneth Paltrow said that while she is “not ready to sell” her expanding empire, she has thought about her future plans. Paltrow says, “I will literally disappear from public life. No one will ever see me again.” But she does not think she would sell Goop for “a few more years.” The 51-year-old said she has never derived personal pleasure from her fame. She said money has never been her motivator. “I could never get attracted to the really rich guy. And I don’t make choices to build value in the wrong way,” she shared. Paltrow is currently married to television writer and director Brad Falchuk. Her first marriage was with Coldplay frontman Chris Martin. She has had several high-profile relationships with actors including Brad Pitt and Ben Affleck.

ALMANAC

NOTABLE DATES, UPCOMING U.S. OBSERVANCES

Oct. 31, Tuesday – Halloween
Nov. 5, Sunday – Daylight Saving Time Ends, turn clocks back 1 hour
Nov. 11, Saturday – Veterans Day
Nov. 23, Thursday – Thanksgiving
Dec. 21, Thursday – Winter begins, winter solstice occurs at 10:27 P.M. EST
Dec. 25, Monday – Christmas
Dec. 31, Sunday – New Year’s Eve
Jan. 1, Monday – New Year’s Day 2024

BIRTHDAYS

Rebecca Ferguson (actress, “Dune,” “Mission Impossible” movies) … 40
Gillian Jacobs (actress, “Love”, “Community”) … 41
Trey Parker (co-creator of South Park) … 54
Jon Favreau (director, actor, creator of “The Mandalorian”) … 57
Evander Holyfield (boxer, ear bitten by Mike Tyson) … 61
Patrick Simmons (singer with The Doobie Brothers) … 75
John Lithgow (actor, “The Old Man,” “The Crown,” “3rd Rock from the Sun”) … 78
Peter Max (1960s psychedelic artist, born Peter Max Finkelstein) … 86

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

“I gave up shame a long time ago.”

(A) Kim Kardashian
(B) Kanye West
(C) John Lithgow

ANSWER: (C) John Lithgow

THIS DAY IN HISTORY

2015 – U.S. scientists from University of California found evidence life on earth may have begun 4.1 billion years ago, 300 million earlier than previously thought.
* No wonder I’m so tired.

1998 – Former heavyweight champion Mike Tyson got his boxing license back after he had lost it for biting Evander Holyfield’s ear during a fight.
* Happy Birthday, Evander!

1998 – It was revealed that American nuclear missiles operated on the same frequency as baby monitors, meaning that it was possible for a baby crying to set off World War Three.
* For a lot of new parents, World War Three would be a piece of cake.

1987 – The stock market had a huge drop on “Black Monday.”
* As if Mondays weren’t bad enough.

1951 – U.S. President Truman singed an act officially ending the state of war with Germany.
* The fighting then moved to the car factories.

1914 – The U.S. Post Office used an automobile to deliver the mail for the first time.
* Enabling them to deliver the mail to the wrong people faster.

1872 – The largest gold-bearing nugget ever mined was dug up. The Holterman nugget weighed 630 lbs.
* Then in the 1970s, it was made into a medallion for Mr. T.

1860 – The first company to make internal combustion engines was started up in Florence, Italy.
* Although it didn’t start up on the first try.

1781 – Lord Cornwallis surrendered to General Washington at Yorktown, Virginia, marking the end of the American War of Independence.
* We bravely threw off the shackles of British taxation, to make room for our own.

THIS DAY IN MUSIC HISTORY

2011 – Coldplay released their fifth studio album, “Mylo Xyloto,” which charted at No.1 in thirty-four countries.

2011 – At the involuntary manslaughter trial of Dr. Conrad Murray, Dr. Steven Shafer testified that it would have been impossible for Michael Jackson to have self-administered a lethal dose of the sedative propofol. He later said of Dr. Murray’s delay in calling 911: “I almost don’t know what to say. That is so completely and utterly inexcusable.”

2009 – A clump of hair believed to have been trimmed from Elvis Presley’s head when he joined the U.S. Army in 1958 sold for $15,000 at an auction in Chicago. Other items sold belonging to Presley included a shirt which sold for $52,000, a set of concert-used handkerchiefs, $732, and photos from the reception of Presley’s 1967 wedding to Priscilla sold for nearly $6,000.

1998 – Mark Nieto filed a lawsuit against Aerosmith for alleged hearing loss after he attended an Aerosmith concert.

1995 – Nirvana was at No.1 on the U.S. album chart with “The Muddy Banks Of The Wishkah.”

1985 – A-Ha went to No.1 on the U.S. singles chart with “Take On Me,” making them the first Norwegian group to score a U.S. No.1.

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. According to research, the average one of THESE will last 91 hours. What is it?
A diet

2. THIS is the most common food that Americans consume directly from its container. What is it?
Ice cream

3. According to a survey of families, THIS is the number one food found in pantries. What is it?
Macaroni and cheese

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