WEDNESDAY, Feb 21 – DAILY PREP TEXT VERSION

MORNING SIDEKICK DAILY PREP TEXT VERSION FOR WEDNESDAY, February 21, 2024
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COMEDY MP3s POSTED ON OUR PREP SITE FOR TODAY: A & M AUTOLAND – EZLease

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.)

CARD READING DAY
The Cute Calendar website says this:
“Card Reading Day is celebrated on February 21, 2017. The day is a chance for sentimental people to get their saved cards out for reading them.”

NATIONAL STICKY BUN DAY

February is:

Adopt a Rescued Rabbit Month
African American History Month
Celebration of Chocolate Month
International Boost Self Esteem Month
International Friendship Month
National Bird Feeding Month
National Snack Food Month
National Sweet Potato Month
Spunky Old Broads Month
Teen Dating Violence Awareness and Prevention Month

ENTERTAINMENT & CELEBRITIES

JOHN, PAUL, GEORGE AND RINGO TO EACH GET A FEATURE FILM

Well, they’ve really milked this Beatles thing pretty much dry, haven’t they. Oh, wait – the cow has just returned to the barn! John, Paul, George and Ringo will each be the subject of a different upcoming feature film. Director Sam Mendes (“American Beauty,” “Skyfall,” “1917”) plans to make four separate movies, one from each Beatles member’s point of view. They will intersect to tell “the astonishing story of the greatest band in history,” leading up to their 1970 breakup. All four Beatles have granted full life story and music rights for the scripted films.
* You Never Give Me Your Money my Aunt Fanny.
* Before I spend my money on this, will there be a Lego version?
* This’ll be great ’cause it’s so hard to find any information about the Beatles’ lives.
* Do we really need two hours on Ringo?
* Do Pete Best and Stu Sutcliffe each get a short feature?
* Meanwhile, George Martin’s in heaven thinking, “They do realize I made the whole thing work, right?”

FORMER DISNEY CHILD STAR BRIDGET MENDLER NOW LEADS SPACE COMPANY

Think all child stars grow up to have tragic lives? Bridget Mendler rose to fame as a teen with her role on Disney Channel’s “Good Luck Charlie” and “Lemonade Mouth.” She has since grown up, graduated with multiple degrees from the University of Southern California, Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard Law School, and got married. Bridget started a space-oriented company – Northwood Space in El Segundo, California – with her husband and a friend, both veterans of Lockheed Martin. Their goal is to build a data highway between earth and space. They say that, currently, the actual process of sending data to and from space is difficult, and she wants to make it easier.
* And this is all very difficult to do, because the Battle of the Bands is Friday night and the school science fair projects are due!
* It’s difficult sending data to and from space, except for every space mission and robot probe we’ve ever launched.
* I mean – they do know we’ve been getting videos of the robot helicopter we’re flying around Mars, right?
* See? Not all Disney child stars end up in rehab or on OnlyFans. And god knows I’ve looked.
* Are they hiring? Can they maybe find a place for some other Disney veterans like Britney Spears or Shia LaBoeuf? Keep them out of trouble?

THE BUZZ

GUY & GAL DECIDE TO SPLIT CHORES; HE HIRES A MAID TO DO HIS

On the Reddit site Am I The A-hole, one guy shared the story of how his girlfriend moved in with him. He works, she’s a student, so he pays 75% of the rent, and they agreed to split the household chores 50/50. He agreed to handle the cleaning. He apparently wasn’t as thorough as she liked, so, he says, “Since she wasn’t happy about my cleaning and it was a constant problem, I decided to hire a professional cleaner to come once a week and do all of the cleaning chores that were assigned to me.” His girlfriend went along with the agreement for five months before she complained that it isn’t fair because instead of doing his chores he just plays computer games. Most of the comments were in the guy’s favor, although some pointed out that the problem here runs deeper than just him paying for a maid. Said one commenter: “Basically you are saying ‘I make more money than you so I don’t have to clean, but you do.’ I don’t think this going to lead to a happy relationship going forward.”
* But it will help the girlfriend get a more realistic grasp of how the world works.
* “Oh, boo-hoo! My boyfriend makes more money than me, so he can spend it on making our life better! Boo-hoo!”
* She doesn’t like his cleaning, she doesn’t like his response to her not liking his cleaning, but she sure doesn’t mind him paying three-quarters of the rent.
* This sounds like it could have been an episode of a sit-com, and I bet you that within two months, it will be.
* PHONE TOPIC: What are your thoughts on this situation?

AUDIO: THE MOST MISPRONOUNCED WINES

According to Crave magazine, here are the most commonly mispronounced wines, and how to say them correctly:
1. Pinot Noir (PEE-noh nwar)
2. Sauvignon Blanc (soh-VIN-yohn blan)
3. Cabernet Sauvignon (kab-er-nay soh-VIN-yohn)
4. Pinot Grigio (PEE-no-GREE-jo)
5. Champagne (sham-peyn) (see clip below)
6. Bordeaux (baw-DOH)
7. Chianti (KEE-ahn-tee)
8. Riesling (rees-ling)
9. Merlot (mer-loh)
10. Prosecco (proh-SEHK-koh)
11. Rioja (REE-oh-hah)
12. Burgundy (BUR-guhn-dee) (*Really? How do you mispronounce ‘burgundy’?)
13. Sangiovese (SAN-joe-veh-see)
14. Tempranillo (tem-pruh-NEE-yo)
15. Gewurztraminer (ga-VERTZ-trah-mee-ner)
* Gesundheit.
* Never had a problem pronouncing “Thunderbird.”
* And you can’t mess up “Bud” and “Corona” and “Coors” …
* My rule is, you can’t drink it if you can’t pronounce it. That’s why I go with Two-Buck Chuck.
CLIP: Christopher Walken pronounces “champagne” on a classic SNL sketch.
CLIP URL: morningsidekick(dot)com/prep/wp-content/uploads/Walken-Champagne(dot)mp3

U.S. NEWS

DON’T STICK YOUR WET IPHONE IN RICE

Saving a wet iPhone by putting it in a bowl or bag of uncooked rice has been a popular go-to rescue method for years. The thinking is that the rice absorbs the excess water from the phone. However, Apple now states that putting wet devices in a bag of rice could “allow small particles of rice to damage your iPhone,” so don’t do that. Apple provides users with an alternative solution. Apple recommends the following:
– Unplug the cables from your iPhone.
– Tap your iPhone gently against your hand with the connector facing down to remove excess liquid. Leave your iPhone in a dry area with some airflow.
– After at least 30 minutes, try charging with a Lightning or USB-C cable or connecting an accessory.
– Leave your iPhone in a dry area with some airflow for up to a day. It might take up to 24 hours to fully dry.
– If your phone has dried out but still isn’t charging, unplug the cable from the adapter and unplug the adapter from the wall, and then connect them again.
* It’s only been, what, 20 years that people have been doing this rice thing? Now they tell us?
* We’re talking about our phones here. Stay away from them for 24 hours? What have you been smoking?
* Rice growers of the world are screaming, “Don’t listen to Apple! Use rice! Use lots of rice!”
* I prefer my wet iPhone with a nice tabouli.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

8-YEAR-OLD BEATS CHESS GRANDMASTER

An 8-year-old kid beat a chess grandmaster in a tournament over the weekend. Ashwath Kaushik, born in India but living in Singapore, beat Poland’s Jacek Stopa, 37, in round four of the Burgdorfer Stadthaus Open in Switzerland. He ended up finishing 12th in the tournament. In an interview with Chess.com, Ashwath’s father said neither he or his wife have a history of playing chess and it was a surprise to see his son, who he says practices around seven hours a day, become such a talented player.
* Oh yeah? Well, America has two high school kids that just got scholarships to play college-level cornhole. (True. See story from Monday’s prep.)
* Dammit! This completely throws off my brackets.
* If it helps the loser, an AI chess player could beat that little brat in one round.
* You know, I used to let my kid win at Candyland. Just sayin’, no reason.

TRENDING

WHERE GEN-Z IS EATING THESE DAYS

What are the favorite restaurants of the kids today? Here are the restaurants preferred by Gen-Z, defined as people born between 1997 to the early 2010s. These are people in their 20’s:
Full-service chains:
1. Seasons 52
2. First Watch
3. Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse
4. Cracker Barrel
5. Chuy’s Tex Mex
6. Carraba’s Italian Grill
7. Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen
8. Chili’s Grill and Bar
9. The Brass Tap
Quick-service restaurants:
1. Dutch Bros Coffee
2. Tropical Smoothie Cafe
3. Torchy’s Tacos
4. Newk’s Eatery
5. Smoothie King
6. Cold Stone Creamery
7. Jamba
8. Rubio’s Coastal Grill
9. Jason’s Deli

ALMANAC

NOTABLE DATES, UPCOMING U.S. OBSERVANCES

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

Sophie Turner (actress, Sansa Stark on “Game of Thrones,” Mrs. Joe Jonas) … 28
Elliot Page (actor, “The Umbrella Academy,” “Inception,” “Juno”) … 37
Jordan Peele (filmmaker, actor, comedian) … 45
Jennifer Love Hewitt (actress, “Criminal Minds”) … 45
Tituss Burgess (actor, Titus Andromedon on “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt”) … 45
William Baldwin (actor) … 61
Kelsey Grammer (actor) … 69
William Petersen (actor, “C.S.I.”) … 71
Tyne Daley (actress, “Judging Amy,” “Cagney and Lacey”) … 78
David Geffen (entertainment mogul) … 81

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

“If we took just five minutes to recognize each other’s beauty instead of attacking each other for our differences – that’s not hard, it’s really an easier and better way to live.”

(A) Stephen Colbert
(B) Jimmy Kimmel
(C) Elliot Page

ANSWER: (C) Elliot Page

THIS DAY IN HISTORY

1995 – American Steve Fossett became the first solo pilot to cross the Pacific Ocean via balloon.
* Okay – he manages to cross the ocean slower, less comfortably, with a worse view, and less control, than anybody else. And this is good because why?

1968 – An agreement between baseball players and club owners increased the minimum salary for major-league players to $10,000 a year.
* Which today wouldn’t even pay a ballplayer’s dry cleaning bill.

1947 – Edwin Land demonstrated the Polaroid Land Camera to the Optical Society of America. It was the first camera to take, develop and print a picture on photo paper all in 60 seconds.
* The biggest advance for the naughty picture business until the Internet.

1902 – Dr. Harvey Cushing, America’s first brain surgeon, performed the first brain operation.
* The rest of the medical community thought we needed brain operations like we needed a hole in the head.

1878 – The first telephone book was issued. It was for New Harbor, Connecticut, and contained 50 names.
* And tomorrow is the anniversary of the first telemarketing call, made precisely at dinner time in New Harbor, Connecticut.

1855 – The Washington Monument was officially dedicated in Washington, D.C. The monument, however, was not completed for another 33 years.
* They couldn’t decide if it was phallic enough.

1842 – John J. Greenough patented the sewing machine.
* And immediately made himself a simply DARLING pantsuit.

THIS DAY IN MUSIC HISTORY

2014 – A statue of a weeping Kurt Cobain was unveiled in Aberdeen, Washington – the hometown of the late Nirvana frontman. The statue, which portrays Cobain crying a single tear, is situated in the Aberdeen Museum of History.

2012 – Five members of the Russian feminist punk rock group Pussy Riot staged a performance on the soleas of Moscow’s Cathedral of Christ the Savior where their actions were stopped by church security officials. By that evening, they had turned the performance into a music video entitled “Punk Prayer – Mother of God, Chase Putin Away!” The women said their protest was directed at the Orthodox Church leader’s support for Putin during his election campaign. The following month, three of the group members were arrested and charged with hooliganism and were were held in custody until their trial began in late July when the three members were convicted of “hooliganism motivated by religious hatred,” and each was sentenced to two years imprisonment.

2009 – Rihanna issued a statement thanking fans for their support after an alleged assault by her R&B singer boyfriend Chris Brown, but the singer declined to comment on a leaked photograph which appeared to show her with facial injuries. The Los Angeles Police Department launched an internal investigation and asked for the public’s help in finding the person who leaked the photograph.

2008 – A computer expert was jailed for two years for electronically stalking Linkin Park singer Chester Bennington. Devon Townsend worked at a U.S. national security laboratory in New Mexico, where she used a computer to track Bennington, she admitted to obtaining family photos, accessing e-mail and voicemail, and threatening his wife Talinda.

2008 – Britney Spears failed in a court bid to regain visitation rights to her two children. Spears was banned from monitored visits in January of this year after refusing to hand the children back, resulting in a stand-off with police at her house. The singer’s ex-husband Kevin Federline was awarded primary custody of two-year-old Sean Preston and Jayden James, aged one, in October.

2002 – Elton John accused the music industry of exploiting young singers and dumping talented artists for manufactured groups. He said: “There are too many average and mediocre acts; it damages real talent getting airplay. It’s just fodder.”

1982 – Radio DJ “Murry the K” died. Murray is thought to be the first person to play a Beatles record on radio in the U.S.

1981 – Dolly Parton started a two-week run at No.1 on the U.S. charts with “9 to 5,” the singer’s first No.1.

1981 – REO Speedwagon went to No.1 on the U.S. album chart with “Hi Infidelity.” The album spent a total of 15 weeks at No.1.

1977 – Fleetwood Mac released their album “Rumors.” It sold more than 15 million copies world-wide and spent 31 weeks at No.1 on the U.S. chart.

1964 – New York band The Echoes recruited a new young unknown piano player, named Billy Joel.

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. Over 71% of homes now have at least one of THESE. What is it?
A compact fluorescent lightbulb

2. The average person has about 12 of THESE in their home and never buys new ones. What are they?
Pens

3. 1 in 4 people surveyed said they’d put THIS in their dream home. What is it?
A library

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