MONDAY, Apr 8 – DAILY PREP TEXT VERSION

MORNING SIDEKICK DAILY PREP TEXT VERSION FOR MONDAY, April 8, 2024
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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.)

BUDDHA DAY
The History website says this:
“On this day, Buddhists celebrate the commemoration of the birth of Gautama Buddha, the founder of Buddhism, thought to have lived in India from 563 B.C. to 483 B.C. Actually, the Buddhist tradition that celebrates his birthday on April 8 originally placed his birth in the 11th century B.C., and it was not until the modern era that scholars determined that he was more likely born in the sixth century B.C., and possibly in May rather than April.”

INTERNATIONAL ROMANI DAY

NATIONAL EMPANADA DAY

TOTAL SOLAR ECLIPSE

TRADING CARDS FOR GROWN-UPS DAY

ZOO LOVERS DAY

April is:

Adopt a Greyhound Month
Car Care Month
Celebrate Diversity Month
D.E.A.R Drop Everything and Read Month
International Guitar Month
Jazz Appreciation Month
Keep America Beautiful Month
National Card and Letter Writing Month
National Garden Month
National Humor Month
National Poetry Month

ENTERTAINMENT & CELEBRITIES

WHAT TO WATCH – New and Returning Shows and Movies
Premiering Monday through Wednesday
Listings sourced from the TV Guide and EW websites

MONDAY, Apr 8

“30 for 30: 26.2 to Life”
ESPN – New Documentary
Synopsis: Tells the story of incarcerated men who are members of the 1000 Mile Club, the prison’s long-distance running club that train all year for the 26.2 mile San Quentin Prison Marathon.

“NCISVerse: The First 1,000”
CBS – Special
Synopsis: A tribute to the iconic “NCIS” franchise, marking its journey to its 1,000th episode.

TUESDAY, Apr 9

“Brandy Hellville & The Cult of Fast Fashion”
HBO – New Documentary
Synopsis: A searing look at the toxic culture of teen brand Brandy Melville and the global ramifications of fast fashion.

“Neal Brennan: Crazy Good”
Netflix – Comedy Special
Synopsis: The comic riffs on crypto, social media flexes, sex compliments, and the link between greatness and mental health.

WEDNESDAY, Apr 10

“Hapless”
Peacock – UK Comedy Series
Synopsis: Follows the misadventures of Paul Green, a single, freelance journalist working for the fourth largest Jewish publication in the UK, and his constant ability to end up in the most awkward situations.

“Unlocked: A Jail Experiment”
Netflix – New Docuseries
Synopsis: Follows an experiment by Arkansas sheriff Eric Higgins to transform incarceration at a Little Rock detention facility via a social experiment that would give inmates greater autonomy, free to come and go from their cells and decide for themselves how certain things in the unit should run.

Season Premieres:
Paramount+ – “The Challenge: All Stars”
Syfy – “Chucky”

PAT SAJAK HAS TAPED HIS FINAL “WHEEL OF FORTUNE”

Pat Sajak taped his final episode of “Wheel of Fortune” last Friday, April 5. That episode will air on Friday, June 7, the show’s Season 41 finale. Ryan Seacrest takes over from Sajak for Season 42 when “Wheel of Fortune” returns this fall, with Vanna White back as the show’s iconic letter-turner.
* When asked how he felt, Sajak said he just didn’t have the words.
* Yep – his mind went blank.
* And his head was spinning.
* But he did thank his fans for all the wonderful letters over the years.
* I wonder what year it was that Pat got to the point where he never again had to use spell-check?

MADONNA FILES TO TOSS LAWSUIT OVER LATE CONCERT START

Madonna’s attorneys last Thursday filed a motion to dismiss a lawsuit for starting a concert two hours late. Plaintiffs Michael Fellows and Jonathan Hadden filed the lawsuit earlier this year after attending a Madonna show at Barcklays Center in Brooklyn in December, alleging they were “misled” by the 8:30 p.m. advertised start time. The plaintiffs argued they wouldn’t have purchased tickets if they’d known the concert was going to start at 10:30 p.m. They also claimed the show’s end time of about 1 a.m. inconvenienced or injured concertgoers as a result of limited transportation options and being forced to stay up later than planned. Madonna’s lawyers argued that concerts rarely start on time, and that hers in particular are well known for their late starts. They also pointed out that Hadden posted on Facebook that he had “never missed a Madonna Tour” and praised the show, calling it “[i]ncredible, as always!” Also, he had publicly announced that he had “been to every Madonna tour since 1985,” making it clear the late start time couldn’t have come as a surprise. Madonna’s lawyers also alleged there was no proof the late start time injured any concertgoers, including the plaintiffs, who stayed to watch the whole show instead of leaving early. “Fans got just what they paid for: a full-length, high-quality show by the Queen of Pop,” Madonna’s lawyers said.
* See? The great ones keep despising their audience, even into the twilight years.
* The plaintiffs also said the 1 a.m. end time caused anxiety, because being out after midnight is scary.
* It’s not enough to inconvenience your fans just for the concert, you have to inconvenience them getting home after public transport shuts down, and the next morning when they show up for work late and exhausted.
* Madonna would have filed to drop this lawsuit back in January when it was filed but, you know, chronic tardiness.
* She shouldn’t say her concerts have a “start time.” She should call it a “start waiting time.”

THE BUZZ

IRRATIONAL CHILDHOOD FEARS

Reddit asked, “What was your irrational fear as a child?” Some of the responses:
– “My siblings convinced me that Medusa lived in our attic.”
– “I know I’m not alone here, but I thought quicksand was going to be a more widespread problem. I even had plans to throw rocks down to check for safety on questionable ground that I thought might swallow me whole.”
– “I was afraid to look in the mirror. I was sure if I looked my reflection would start doing stuff that I wasn’t doing.”
– “Getting one of my shoelaces stuck in an escalator.”
– “I was afraid that when I was in the bath, a whale would suddenly appear out of thin air and eat me. This was shortly after seeing Pinocchio. I never told my parents about this because, even as a small child, I knew it was bananas.”
– “After watching Jaws I was terrified of my water bed.”
– “I really hated it when I went shopping with my mother at the supermarket and she would leave me at the register line to go back for something and as the line moved up I was afraid I would have to pay for all the food myself”
* PHONE TOPIC: What was your irrational fear as a child?

U.S. NEWS

MAN WAS GETTING VASECTOMY WHEN JERSEY EARTHQUAKE STRUCK

A Pennsylvania man says he was getting a vasectomy when the earthquake struck on Friday morning. Justin Allen, of Horsham, reported that his surgeon set down his scalpel as the room started to shake. The doctor said, “I think this is an earthquake.” The 4.8-magnitude quake began shaking the hospital room right as Allen was going under the knife — fully lucid with local anesthesia. Mr. Allen said, “We talked about how we’d never forget where we were at that moment.”
* He added that they were all left pretty shaken.
* Talk about getting caught with your pants down.
* Then the aftershock hit and, well, Mr. Allen is suing.
* Coulda been worse. He coulda been getting Lasik surgery. Wait – would that be worse?
* Did they continue the operation? You’d have to be half nuts to get a vasectomy during an earthquake. And if you’re not, you will be. Half nuts.

GUESTS ATTACKED BY RACCOON AT HERSHEYPARK

In Pennsylvania last week, two people were taken to the hospital after being attacked by a raccoon at Hersheypark. The two guests were standing in line for the SooperdooperLooper roller coaster on March 29. The raccoon was spotted running around as guests waited in line for the ride. The little trash panda bit a little girl on the shoe, then ran off. Two guests were taken to a local hospital for observation, the park said. Park officials said, “This is the first incident that we can recall of what appeared to be a frightened raccoon acting in this manner at Hersheypark.”
* I’d think if raccoon had attacked the guests before, somebody would have remembered.
* Hospitalized for a bite on the shoe? Does the hospital have a shoe repair shop downstairs?
* So, if you’re in line for the SuperdooperLooper, look out for the RabidRiderBiter.
* Raccoons are attracted to food. What could there possibly be in Hershey, Pennsylvania, that would attract raccoons?

MAN STEALS MONEY FROM SWEAR JAR

Last Wednesday, police in Lancaster, Pennsylvania arrested a man who they say stole several items from Clipper Magazine Stadium – home of the Lancaster Stormers AAA baseball team – way back in 2021, including $200 from the Stormers’ swear jar. Kilyle Goode, 34, was arrested in DeWitt, New York, after officers got a tip about his whereabouts. Mr. Goode, a Stormers employee at the time, broke into the stadium and took a digital projector, several electronic items, the team credit card and the proceeds from the team’s swear jar. Police had security camera video footage of Goode taking the items, but it took this long to track him down.
* Bet he refilled his own little swear jar after they nabbed him.
* “Curses! Foiled again!”
* Do you really need a swear jar in the heart of Amish country?
* It says here what the stadium employee said when he saw the swear jar money was gone, but I can’t repeat it on the radio.

ACCOUNTANT SHORTAGE

Can you add? Tough question, I know. America is experiencing a shortage of accountants. The shortage has caused 70 companies to delay releasing key annual reports this year. Where did all the accountants go? According to the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, 75% of certified accountants were ready to retire in 2020. Demand over the next decade will be high, with an estimated 126,500 job openings for accountants and auditors. However, the job requires long hours and generally unfulfilling work. Plus, accountants need a fifth year of college, and carrying another year’s worth of student debt doesn’t add up against an accountant’s starting salary of about about $62,000 a year.
* “Doesn’t add up.” See what they did there?
* Yes, but, as an accountant, look at the babes you’ll get.
* All the nerds who might have become accountants now go into movie special effects.
* Any accountant influencers out there on social media? The industry awaits your magnificent drawing power.
* Isn’t this what AI is for, to do the job that nobody wants? And it’s all numbers – AI loves this stuff!
* Now here’s Bruno Mars with “Count on Me.”

WEBSITE THAT REVIEWS STICKS

Yes, there is a website that reviews sticks. Two friends out of Utah, Boone Hogg and Logan Jugler, run the now-popular Instagram account Official Stick Reviews. It started when they were hiking with friends, and they kept happening upon good sticks – you know one when you see it. They found themselves joking about how good they were. They filmed their first stick review, and posted it online. Then they did more. The world started catching on, and since launching last August, more 43,000 followers have joined the online community they call “Stick Nation,” submitting their own stick-pics and stick reviews.
– Sticks are rated on a 1-10 scale. Qualities include overall appearance, wood grain, curvature, even smell.
– Jugler says there are a number of tests that you can do when you find a stick. The McMurry Bend test. The Tennyson Curve Scale. The Williams Whacker Meter, which deals with how good it is for whacking things.
– There’s a Stick of the Month tournament.
– There are those who support “mods” — sticks that have been carved or otherwise modified — versus those who favor “natties” — sticks that are all natural.
* So – the fans are splintered.
* What’s their slogan – “Log on today”?
* 43,000 followers, 42,000 of them are dogs.
* I’m sure there are perverts out there that sign on to the site while they are whittling.
* I tried to watch some of their Stick Reviews … but I couldn’t stick with it.

TRENDING

CMT AWARD WINNERS

Here are the winners from Sunday night’s CMT Music Awards, the most important Country awards ceremony of the entire weeend:
– Video fo the Year – Jelly Roll – “Need a Favor”
– Female Video fo the Year – Lainey Wilson – “Watermelon Moonshine”
– Male Video of the Year – Jelly Roll – “Need a Favor”
– Duo/Group Video – Dan + Shay – “Save Me the Trouble”
– Collaborative Video – Chris Stapleton, Carly Pearce, “We Don’t Fight Anymore”
– Breakthrough Female Video: Ashley Cooke – “Your Place”
– Breakthrough Male Video: Warren Zeiders – “Pretty Little Poison”
– CMT Performance of the Year – Jelly Roll – “Need a Favor” (from 2023 CMT Music Awards) –
– CMT Digital Performance of the Year – Scotty McCreery – “It Matters to Her” (from CMT Stages)

DWAYNE JOHNSON INDUCTED GRANDMOTHER INTO WRESTLING HALL OF FAME

Dwayne Johnson inducted his grandmother into the WWE Hall of Fame on Friday. Grandma Lia Maivia, who died in 2008, was “one of the first female promoters in professional wrestling,” Johnson said. “She was a trail blazer. She was a protector of our family. She was the real Final Boss.” Johnson’s grandma took over Polynesian Pro Wrestling after her husband died in 1982. The WWE describes Maivia and her husband as “the two key figures in the rich wrestling history of Hawaii.” Johnson has said in the past that his “sweet Samoan grandmother” operated the business with an iron fist and “some violence when she felt it was necessary.”

COLT FORD SUFFERS HEART ATTACK AFTER SHOW

Country-rap music star Colt Ford suffered a heart attack after his concert in Arizona Thursday night. Ford, 53, had just wrapped up his set at Dierks Bentley’s Whiskey Row restaurant and night club in Gilbert, Arizona, when he experienced a medical emergency. The singer was transported to Banner Desert Medical Center in Mesa where he is in the Intensive Care Unit. Ford was listed in stable but critical condition. Ford is prominent on the country-rap music scene and has been featured on several tracks with other country music stars, includiong including Jake Owen, Chase Rice, Walker Hayes, Toby Keith, Lady A and Willie Nelson. In 2022, Ford was diagnosed with Myasthenia Gravis, a chronic neuromuscular autoimmune disease that causes weakness in the voluntary muscles.

WEEKEND BOX OFFICE (April 5-7)

1. Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire – $30 million
2. Monkey Man – $10.5 million
3. Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire – $9 million
4. The First Omen – $8 million
5. Kung Fu Panda 4 – $8 million

ALMANACNOTABLE DATES, UPCOMING U.S. OBSERVANCES

TODAY – Total Solar Eclipse
April 15, Monday – U.S. Tax Day
May 12, Sunday – Mother’s Day
May 27, Monday – Memorial Day
June 14, Friday – Flag Day
June 16, Sunday – Father’s Day
June 20, Thursday – Summer begins (The June solstice occurs at 4:50 P.M. EST)

BIRTHDAYS

Sadie Calvano (actress, “Mom”) … 27
Katee Sackhoff (actress, Bo-Katan Kryze on “The Mandalorian,” “Another Life,” “Longmire,” “Battlestar Gallactica”) … 44
Patricia Arquette (actress) … 56
Robin Wright (actress, “Wonder Woman,” “Blade Runner 2049,” “House of Cards”) … 58
Julian Lennon (singer/musician, son of John) … 61
Izzy Stradlin (guitarist with Guns ‘n’ Roses) … 62
John Schneider (actor, “Smallville,” “The Dukes Of Hazzard”) … 64
Steve Howe (guitarist with Yes and Asia) … 77

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

“I grew up in a hippie commune so I have a real hippie part of me.”

(A) Bernie Sanders
(B) Pope Francis
(C) Patricia Arquette

ANSWER: (C) Patricia Arquette

THIS DAY IN HISTORY

2011 – Major construction began on the Shanghai Disney Resort, the first Disney resort in mainland China. The resort opened to the public on June 16, 2016.
* It’s Disney – Resistance Is Futile.

2002 – Ed McMahon filed a $20 million lawsuit against his insurance company, two insurance adjusters, and several environmental cleanup contractors. The suit alleged breach of contract, negligence and intentional infliction of emotional distress concerning a toxic mold that had spread through McMahon’s Beverly Hills home.
* “Heeeerrrrrrre’s your subpoena!”

1894 – The US Supreme Court ruled that income taxes were unconstitutional – Congress later changed the law.
* AGH! We came THIS CLOSE to getting off! THIS CLOSE!

1766 – An invention was patented which used a wicker basket lowered by a pulley – the first fire escape.
* And to make the wicker basket even safer in a fire, they soaked it in kerosene.

1513 – Explorer Juan Ponce de Leon claimed Florida for Spain.
* His settlement would later be overrun by American retirees.

THIS DAY IN MUSIC HISTORY

2022 – Pink Floyd – David Gilmour and Nick Mason alongside long-time Floyd bassist Guy Pratt and Nitin Sawhney on keyboards – reunited to record their first new material in 28 years, a protest song against the Ukraine war.

2006 – The Rolling Stones performed for the first time in mainland China, at Shanghai’s Grand Stage Theatre. The Stones were banned from performing three songs: Brown Sugar, Honky Tonk Woman, and Rough Justice.

1998 – Rolling Stones guitarist Ron Wood was rescued, along with 11 other passengers, in the nick of time, from a boat when an engine caught fire. They were exploring the islands near Angra Dos Reis, south of Rio De Janeiro, Brazil, when one of the boat’s engines caught fire. Passengers were rescued by nearby journalists, just before the boat exploded.

1994 – “Nirvana” singer and guitarist Kurt Cobain was found dead of an apparent suicide in Seattle at the age of 27.

1994 – The RIAA announced that Pink Floyd’s 1973 album “Dark Side of the Moon” had become the fourth biggest-selling album in U.S. history, passing the 13 million mark in sales.

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. 60% of adults in a recent survey said they’ve had a vacation ruined by THIS. What is it?
A call from their boss

2. According to a recent survey, about 40% of people do THIS at least once a week at work. What is it?
Arrive late

3. 74% of people in a recent survey said THIS is not appropriate in the workplace. What is it?
Crying

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