THURSDAY, Jan 4 – DAILY PREP TEXT VERSION

MORNING SIDEKICK DAILY PREP TEXT VERSION FOR THURSDAY, January 4, 2024
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COMEDY MP3s POSTED ON OUR PREP SITE FOR TODAY: PROMOS-TO-GO

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.)

NATIONAL SPAGHETTI DAY

POP MUSIC CHART DAY – The first pop music chart was compiled by the American magazine “Billboard” on this day in 1936.

TOM THUMB DAY
Birthday of Charles Sherwood Stratton (January 4, 1838 – July 15, 1883), better known by his stage name “General Tom Thumb.” Stratton was a little person who achieved great fame and wealth as a performer under circus pioneer P.T. Barnum.

TRIVIA DAY

WORLD BRAILLE DAY

WORLD HYPNOTISM DAY

January is:

Adopt a Rescued Bird Month
Be Kind to Food Servers Month
Family Fit Lifestyle Month
Financial Wellness Month
Get Organized Month
National Candy Month
National Clean Up Your Computer Month
National Hobby Month
National Skating Month
National Train Your Dog Month
Walk Your Pet Month

ENTERTAINMENT & CELEBRITIES

BRITNEY SPEARS: NO MORE MUSIC

Britney Spears debunked rumors Wednesday that she is preparing to release a new album, saying she will “never” return to the industry. The New York Post reported a rumor that Britney was working on a new album with with Charli XCX. Spears wrote on an Instagram post, “Just so we’re clear most of the news is trash! They keep saying I’m turning to random people to do a new album … I will never return to the music industry!” She also says, “When I write, I write for fun or I write for other people! For those of you who have read my book, there’s loads that you don’t know about me … I’ve written over 20 songs for other people the past two years! I’m a ghostwriter and I honestly enjoy it that way.”
Some songs that Britney has written – or, actually, co-written:
– “Whiplash” by Selena Gomez. Written by Britney Spears, Greg Kurstin, and Nicole Morier
– “Follow Me” by Jamie Lynn Spears. Written by Britney Spears, Christian Karlsson, Pontus Winnberg and Henrik Jonback
– “Look Who’s Talkin”. Written by Britney Spears, Britney Spears, Henrik Jonback, Pontus Winnberg, Michelle Bell & Bloodshy.
* Well, on behalf of the music industry let me just say, “Phew!”
* She’ll have a new single out by Memorial Day. Wait, no, I’m sorry – it’s nude pictures by Memorial Day, a new single by the 4th of July.

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

THURSDAY, Jan 4

“The Brothers Sun”
Netflix – New Series
Synopsis: When a mysterious enemy targets his family, a Taipei triad member heads to Los Angeles to protect his strong-willed mother and oblivious younger brother.

“Sanctuary: A Witch’s Tale”
AMC+, Sundance Now – New Series
Synopsis: Sarah Fenn is the town of Sanctuary’s resident witch, on whom the residents rely to solve their problems when conventional remedies have failed.

FRIDAY, Jan 5

“Good Grief”
Netflix – New Movie
Synopsis: Dan Levy (“Schitt’s Creek), who also directed, plays Marc, an artist living in London whose life is reshaped when he suddenly loses his husband, Oliver. In the wake of the tragedy, he and his two best friends, Sophie and Thomas, eventually take a trip to Paris to deal with some hard truths.

“Foe”
Prime Video – New Movie
Synopsis: In this sci-fi horror-thriller, a married couple living on a dying Earth are made an offer by a stranger – the husband will live in space for two years while his wife stays with a robotic version of him, causing conflict and testing their relationship.

SUNDAY, Jan 7

“Golden Globes”
CBS – Awards Show
Synopsis: America’s most meaningless and despised awards show.

“Grimsburg”
Fox – New Animated Series
Synopsis: Detective Marvin Flute follows every lead he’s got to redeem himself with the ex-wife he never stopped loving.

Season Premieres:
Fox – “The Great North”
HGTV – “Home Town”

TRAVIS KELCE’S MANAGERS WORRY ABOUT OVER-SATURATION

The New York Times has an article about the masterplan to make Kansas City Chief’s tight end Travis Kelce famous. Travis’ managers, brothers André and Aaron Eanes, said the intention was to make him “as famous as The Rock.” They had the plan in place: so far, he’s won the Super Bowl, hosted Saturday Night Live, starred in a lot of commercials, and sang a Christmas song with his brother, Jason. But then he started dating Taylor Swift, which was not part of the plan. They’re not complaining. But now, the Eanes brothers are worried about over-saturation. (* Geeze, ya think?) To counter that, the 2024 plan for Travis Kelce involves “curation,” which means “fewer deals,” an emphasis on “quality over quantity,” and above all else, “authenticity first.”
* And if you can’t fake authenticity, you shouldn’t be in the business.
* So the plan for 2024 is to do the opposite of Ryan Seacrest.
* Overexposed? This guy’s already the Limu Emu of the football world.
* He’s athletic, he sings, he dances, he acts interested in Taylor Swift – the whole package!
* Hey, as long as he doesn’t do a “duets” album with her.

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. “Martha Stewart, 82, Shares Sexy Lingerie Pic”
2. “Meet Luke Littler, The 16-Year-Old Who Shocked The Darts World”
3. “Australian Man Puts On 10 Pairs Of Underpants In 13.03 Seconds’”
And here’s a spare, in case you don’t like one of those three: “Seals Thrive In The Arctic By Growing Bigger Nostrils”

WHY DOESN’T EVERY COUNTRY HAVE THIS?

Reddit asked, “What’s one product from your home country that you’re surprised hasn’t become more popular worldwide?” Some of the responses:
– “Finland – dish drying cabinet.”
– “From Sweden, the torkskåp. It’s a heated cabinet where you hang your clothes and essentially let them line dry. It goes about as fast as a tumble dryer but it is so much kinder to your clothes.”
– “Heated vending machines from Japan.”
– “Peanut butter is the best thing ever and some folks outside the U.S. not only dislike it but think it’s disgusting.”
– “Tim Tams chocolate covered malt biscuit candy bars.”
– “Ketchup chips.”
– “Toilets with pedals instead of levers so you don’t have to touch anything with your hands.”
– “Cream Cheese. I visited a very nice newer all inclusive in Central America. They had bagels but no cream cheese. I inquired if they had some and everyone in the kitchen had never heard of it.”
– “Robertson screws from Canada – a type of screw with a square-shaped socket instead of a slot or a Phillips head.”
– “American soft pretzels.”
* PHONE TOPIC: Have you seen something in a foreign country and wondered why it wasn’t here?”

THE SEVEN BIGGEST MISTAKES YOU CAN MAKE AFTER SEX

Holly Robinson, who runs online “Surrender With Holly” sex and intimacy classes, has a list of Seven Mistakes You Can Make After Sex:
1. No negativity: talk about what you loved — save the rest for another time. (* Talk?)
2. No more naughty names: once sex has ceased, stop addressing your partner with any potentially derogatory terms.
3. No phones: no checking for any missed messages or e-mails.
4. Don’t mention an ex.
5. Don’t talk about chores.
6. Don’t jump straight out of bed. Cuddle.
7. Don’t get upset if the other person wants to do something different than you. If you want to do yoga and he wants to sleep, that’s fine. Get over it.
* She left off some of the other mistakes you can make after sex:
– Make sure you apologize to everyone around you in the theater.
– Send a good rating to the Real Doll company.
– Don’t run to the bathroom and rinse your privates with hydrogen peroxide growling “Die, germs, die!!!”
– Most importantly, don’t forget to tip.

U.S. NEWS

ROBBER ARRESTED WAITING FOR UBER GETAWAY CAR

In Denver, Colorado last Thursday evening, police received a call about a burglary at Blue Sky Plumbing. Cops arrived to find an Uber waiting outside the plumbing store. The driver told them he was waiting to pick up a man named “Jose at Blue Sky Plumbing.” Soon enough, they spotted a man on the scene holding a bag. He gave them a fake name and attempted to deny the Uber was for him. Cops looked in the bag and found $8,600 worth of stolen tools. They arrested him.
* Which is only fitting. That’s a joke especially for all the plumbers out there.
* This is going to destroy his Uber rating.
* He stole plumbing tools, but now he’s going to learn all about Roto-Rootering in jail.
* Not a lot of blue sky in his future.

PET PIG CAUSES HOUSE FIRE

In Slippery Rock, Pennsylvania, a family is blaming their pet pot-bellied pig for setting their home on fire. Margaret Painter said she gave Albert the pig extra hay because it was going to snow. She thinks he knocked hay into his heat lamp and caught the house on fire early New Year’s Day morning. The Painters and their children escaped. They said they lost two cats, but three survived. Albert, the pot-bellied pig, suffered burns but survived as well. He was taken to a veterinary clinic to be treated, with brown sugar and maybe some chutney.
* But what’s left of the house smells delicious, like bacon.
* Trying to kill the family in their sleep. Obviously, Albert thinks he’s a cat.
* New for 2024: the Self-Roasting Ham.
* Time for yet another warning label on heat lamps.
* Another argument for aquariums.
* Dang! Now I’m really hungry for Denny’s Triple Bacon Slam.

THE BUSIEST DAY IN DATING: THIS SUNDAY

The first Sunday in January is the busiest day of the year for online dating, according to Tinder, who would have no reason to make this stuff up and goose their numbers for investors. This Sunday, Jan. 7, a whopping 519 Tinder bios are expected to be edited with 2,263 photos added every minute. On “Dating Sunday,” Tinder claims the number of messages sent increases by 22%, users respond 19.4 minutes faster than on any other Sunday in the year, and the number of “likes” on the app increases by 18.2%.
* It makes sense. It gives you a week to get over that pantload of a boyfriend you dumped on New Year’s.
* 519 bios edited out of 75 million monthly active users? Tinder’s on FIRE, baby!!!
* 2,263 photos added every minute ’cause lots of people are still doing there own Photoshopping. Once that gets turned over to AI, you’ll see some real numbers.
* This shows you how many people’s New Year’s resolution is simply, “Get laid.”
* And don’t miss January 12th, which is “STD Friday.”

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

CROCODILE LEAPS INTO FISHERMAN’S BOAT

A fisherman in Queensland, Australia, reported that a large crocodile jumped out of the water and into his boat. The man was fishing in his aluminum boat at Jane Creek, near St. Helen’s Beach, when he spotted a crocodile nearby. When the large crocodile began approaching the boat, he moved to the back of the vessel and started the engine. The crocodile swam under the boat, then turned and launched itself up and into the boat with its jaws wide open. The fisherman jumped over the crocodile to haul in his anchor, and the croc fell back into the water as it attempted to turn its body. The fisherman said he had never seen such a large crocodile behaving that way before.
* But that’s exactly how they get to be such large crocodiles.
* Leapin’ lizards!
* Did he accidentally have an Uber sign on his boat?
* Basically, if you live in Australia, you really, really need a lightsaber.
* An aluminum boat’s not going to work. You need steel. All around you. A submarine is what I’m saying.

TRENDING

SELENA GOMEZ: ONE LAST ALBUM

Former Disney Channel star and current “Only Murders in the Building” actress Selena Gomez revealed that she has one more album in her before she plans to take a step back from music to focus on her acting career. Interviewed on the “SmartLess” podcast, she says, “I wanted to be an actress, I never really intended on being a singer full time but apparently that hobby turned into something else. I don’t think I’m the best singer, but I do know how to tell stories and I love being able to make songs. I do feel like I have one more album in me, but I would probably choose acting. I am going to want to chill because I’m tired.”

RASCAL FLATTS’ JOE DON ROONEY EXPLAINS ABSENCE

Rascal Flatts guitarist Joe Don Rooney, 48, took to social media Wednesday to clarify rumors that have been circulating about him and the band. He writes, “First off, I am alive! There have been so many rumors and opinions thrown around about me — but I am finally healthy and ready for the world.” He also wrote, “And NO, I’m not transitioning to be a woman. That thought has never entered my mind. Nothing against the trans community whatsoever but I needed to set the record straight.”
– Rooney also addressed his 2021 drunk driving accident: “My life and career took a major detour at 4a in the early morning hours of Sep 9, 2021 when I ran square into a tree and about killed myself,” he said. “My drinking had been an issue for many years…The pressures of my career and the many mistakes I made in regards to my home life, coupled with a lot of pain and trauma from my childhood and early on in my adult life, had become too much to bear.”
– He went on to cite his drinking problem as a reason that, “I was not a good father – I was not a good husband – and I was not a good band mate to my business partners.” He added: “And btw, going to jail sucks!”
– Rooney expressed gratitude that nobody else was involved in the crash. “I didn’t injure or kill anyone. I could literally be in a Federal Prison for life right now. That is the reality of what my life had become.”
– He also described how the incident led him to seek treatment for alcoholism in a facility in Utah for 4 months, writing, “My life has been changed forever – and I’m grateful for the change.” He said he’s now been sober for “almost 28 months.”
– And: “I have new healthy boundaries for the first time in my life. Only positive, loving, caring & understanding people may enter. It’s an absolute blessing in ways I can barely put into proper words.”

ALMANAC

NOTABLE DATES, UPCOMING U.S. OBSERVANCES

January 15, Monday – Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
January 26, Friday – Int’l Holocaust Remembrance Day (UN)
February 2, Friday – Groundhog Day
February 10, Saturday – Chinese New Year (The Year of the Dragon)
February 12, Monday – Lincoln’s Birthday
February 14, Wednesday – Valentine’s Day
February 19, Monday – Presidents Day / Washington’s Birthday
February 13, Tuesday – Shrove Tuesday/Mardi Gras
March 10, Sunday – Daylight Saving Time Begins
March 17, Sunday – St. Patrick’s Day
March 19, Tuesday – Spring begins, Spring Equinox is 11:06 p.m. EDT
March 20, Wednesday – First full day of Spring

BIRTHDAYS

D’Arcy Carden (actress, “The Good Place”) … 44
Deana Carter (country music artist) … 58
Dave Foley (actor, “Dr. Ken,” “Hot in Cleveland,” “Newsradio,” “Kids In The Hall”) … 61
Michael Stipe (lead singer with REM) … 64
Matt Frewer (actor, “Orphan Black,” “Falling Skies,” “Eureka,” “Max Headroom”) … 66
Patty Loveless (country singer) … 67

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

“I’m just not that fascinating a person.”

(A) Meghan Markle
(B) Kim Kardashian
(C) Michael Stipe

ANSWER: (C) Michael Stipe

THIS DAY IN HISTORY

2010 – Dubai opened the world’s tallest skyscraper, the 2,717-foot gleaming glass-and-metal tower Burj Khalifa.
* I say put in a bungee jump ride.

1887 – Thomas Stevens became the first man to bicycle around the world, from San Francisco to San Francisco.
* He nearly drowned!

1885 – The first successful operation to remove a person’s appendix was carried out in Iowa.
* The doctors went on to successfully remove his wallet.

1863 – 4-wheeled roller skates were patented by James Plimpton of NY.
* Giving us roller-hockey, roller derby, and, for a brief, sad period … roller disco.

1790 – George Washington delivered America’s first State Of The Union Address.
* And everyone agreed it was the best State of the Union Address they’d ever heard.

1493 – Columbus left the New World to return from his first voyage.
* Main reason: no decent hotel rooms.

THIS DAY IN MUSIC HISTORY

2024 – The Rolling Stones’ Hackney Diamonds was named the biggest-selling vinyl album of 2023 by a British act. Released in October 2023, it became the Stones’ 14th No.1 album and enjoyed a second week at the top as 2023’s Official Christmas No. 1 album. The first album of original material by the Rolling Stones since 2005’s A Bigger Bang, Hackney Diamonds reached No.1 in 20 countries and features guest contributions from Elton John, Lady Gaga, Paul McCartney, Stevie Wonder, and former Rolling Stones bassist Bill Wyman.

2020 – Miley Cyrus reached a settlement in the $300 million copyright infringement lawsuit that accused the singer of stealing her 2013 hit “We Can’t Stop.” The lawsuit, filed in 2018, was made by Jamaican songwriter Michael May, who alleged that “We Can’t Stop” replicated his 1988 track “We Run Things.”

2008 – At the height of her cuckoo-period, Britney Spears was carried out of her home on a stretcher and taken into custody after police were called in a dispute involving her children. Police were called to Spears’ home over a family custodial dispute. After nearly three hours, Spears handed over her children, two-year-old Sean Preston and one-year-old Jayden James, to her ex-husband Kevin Federline.

2004 – Britney Spears had her surprise marriage to childhood friend Jason Alexander annulled less than 55 hours after tying the knot at the Little White Wedding Chapel in Las Vegas.

2000 – Spice Girl Melanie “Mel G” Gulzar split with her husband of 15 months. In a statement, the singer said she intended to “remain good friends” with husband Jimmy Gulzar, whom she met on the Spice Girls’ 1998 tour.

1999 – Ol’ Dirty Bastard, the Wu-Tang Clan rapper whose real name was Russell Tyrone Jones, pleaded not guilty at his arraignment on three felony counts of terrorist threats stemming from a Sept. 16 battle with bouncers at the House of Blues in West Hollywood. Jones died on November 13, 2004 of a drug overdose.

1979 – No. 1 Billboard Pop Hit: “Too Much Heaven” by The Bee Gees. The group donated all proceeds from sales of the single to UNICEF, the United Nations agency dedicated to helping the world’s children.

1967 – No. 1 Billboard Pop Hit: “I’m a Believer” by The Monkees. At seven weeks, it became the longest-running No. 1 song since the Beatles’ “I Want to Hold Your Hand.”

1965 – Leo Fender sold the Fender Guitar company for $13 million.

1954 – Elvis Presley recorded a 10-minute demo in Nashville.

1950 – RCA Victor announced they would manufacture LP records.

1936 – The first pop music chart was compiled by the American magazine “Billboard.”

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. In a recent study, people were asked to describe their spouse in one word. “Sweet” came in at #2. THIS came in at #1. What is it?
“Stubborn”

2. When asked, “What’s the last thing your spouse did that made you stop talking to them,” 1 in 5 said THIS. What is it?
Their spouse threw away something of theirs without telling them

3. 3 out of 10 adults say their spouse is guilty of THIS. What is it?
Stealing/hogging the covers/blankets

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