WEDNESDAY, July 10 – DAILY PREP TEXT VERSION

MORNING SIDEKICK DAILY PREP TEXT VERSION FOR WEDNESDAY, July 10, 2024
(Print button is at bottom of post. To print with larger type, cut and paste content into a document, and print that document.)

COMEDY MP3s POSTED ON OUR PREP SITE FOR TODAY: A & M AUTOLAND – Christmas In July

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 PIÑA COLADA DAY

PICK BLUEBERRIES DAY

TEDDY BEAR PICNIC DAY

July is:

Adopt a Rescued Rabbit Month
Air Conditioning Appreciation Month
Baked Bean Month
Cell Phone Courtesy Month
Family Reunion Month
International Blondie and Deborah Harry Month
National Blueberries Month
National Grilling Month
National Hot Dog Month
National Ice Cream Month
Melon Month

THE BUZZ

THE NAME YOU ALMOST GOT

Reddit asked, “What was the name your parents almost gave you?” Some of the responses:
– “My dad wanted to name me D’Artagnan. My mom wouldn’t let him.”
– “I was gonna be Emily but my Aunt stole the name for my cousin who was born a few months earlier. Now decades later my mom is still salty about it”
– “I’m a guy. Had I’d been born a girl however, I’m told the name “Ocean Leigh” was floated as a possibility. My parents were teenage stoners”
– “Eureka. I was a surprise twin. Thankfully they went with something much more normal.”
– “Daisy, until they realized how many small dogs had the same name.”
– “I was almost named Penelope Candice so my short form name would be Penny Candy. Mom vetoed that name.”
– “Wolfgang, which I think would’ve been cool.”
– “Valda… freaking Valda…. It was my grandmother’s name (she was not a nice lady) and thankfully my mom and her got into a disagreement right before I was born and she named me a very normal nice name instead.”
– “Rhea. My mom almost named me Rhea then thought classmates might call me diarrhea.”
– “Dukie. Yup I was almost a dookie.”
– “Maverick but my mom said no.” (* Here’s a true story you can pass off as your own. Morning Sidekick was once in a Walmart, a little toddler was running wild all over the place, his mother kept calling, “Maverick, come here! Don’t go off by yourself! Come here, Maverick!!!” She completely missed the irony.)
– “If I’d been a boy, I was gonna be Style. Ugh.”
– “Lovey. My Dad said No to my Mom wanting this name.”
– “My brother was actually named Darth as my dad loved Star Wars, but he changed it in his teens.”
– “Nemo. Luckily they didn’t, because then the movie came out about the fish.”
– “My mom wanted to name me Nick. Ended up being the family dog’s name.”
* PHONE TOPIC: What name did your parents almost give you?

U.S. NEWS

CONTESTANT ACCUSED OF CHEATING IN NATHAN’S HOT DOG EATING CONTEST

A contestant in this year’s Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest is accused of cheating. Nick Wehry — husband of women’s division champion Miki Sudo — is being accused of using sleight of hand trickery during the contest in order to inflate his tally of eaten hot dogs. Wehry’s score was 46.75 hot dogs when they called it out at Coney Island, good enough for a fourth-place finish. But that figure magically jumped to 51.75 on the official Major League Eating results website. Eaters’ scores are based on the number of empty plates stacked in front of their spot after time is called. Every plate on the competition table starts out loaded with five hot dogs, so each plate left behind counts for five dogs eaten. Wehry is accused of stealing plates from another competitor’s stack and putting them on his own stack to raise his score above 50. Once you get above 50, you are considered an elite competitive eater. In the videos of the contest, Wehry can be seen hovering around the stage well after the competition was over, appearing to pick up and move items on the table including at least one empty plate.
* How did they miss this? Where’d they get their referees from, major league soccer?
* So he AND his wife are competitive eaters? What’s their grocery bill?
* And what do they do with all the free time they have, since meals only take about 20 seconds?

TEEN LIFEGUARD TRAINEE BITTEN BY SHARK

A shark bit a Florida teen on the leg during a lifeguard training camp on Monday morning. It happened near the Ponce Inlet lifeguard tower. The 14-year-old boy had been practicing water entries when he landed on a shark, identified as a 4- to 5-foot-long blacktip. The teen’s injuries weren’t considered life-threatening, officials said, and he was taken by his parents to get stitches…
* …and a new summer job at McDonald’s.
* Shoulda been working on their water EXITS.
* Heckuva way to kick off Shark Week. (Shark Week started Sunday on Discovery.)
* Maybe add a few spear guns to the training sessions?
* Ponce Inlet? More like POUNCE Inlet.

AUDIO: PET STORE ROBBED, HAMSTERS FOUND IN PANTS

In Columbus, Ohio, police arrested a suspect Tuesday morning whom they believe broke into several businesses, including Roosters restaurant, Famous Footwear and Petland pet store. Officers responding to a burglar alarm found several animals running around in the parking lot. They recovered two dogs, multiple birds, and at least two bunnies. Officers later found the suspect, named Michael Pancake (*!), sleeping behind a nearby Big Lots store. Officers arrested him and discovered four hamsters in his pants.
* These eco-terrorists are getting crazier and crazier.
* “Officers, these are emotional support animals for my groin.”
* Was he doing the Hamster Pants Dance? (see clip blow)
* Did they search for a, uh, a fifth hamster?
* I hope he tried to claim he was holding them for a friend.
* So Michael Pancake didn’t break into IHOP? Weird.
CLIP: A bit of The Hamster Dance song.
CLIP URL: morningsidekick(dot)com/prep/wp-content/uploads/HamsterDance(dot)mp3

POLICE CHIEF FIRED, OFFICE REEKED OF WEED

The New Miami, Ohio, police department fired their new police chief. It was alleged that Chief Harold Webb failed to respond to 911 calls and stole hot dogs from a gas station. He only reported to duty twice over a two-week period starting June 2. When he turned in his timecard, though, he claimed to have worked 48 hours. When town officials went to confront him about this, Webb claimed to have worked those hours but “hid his patrol car in the garage.” The mayor of the town also claimed that, inside Chief Webb’s office, “The smell of marijuana could knock you off your feet.” The village board voted to fire him on June 27.
* Chief of BRO-lice, more like.
* He said he worked 48 hours, but he was just blowing smoke.
* De-bud the police.
* Perhaps the town wasn’t very clear on the job description for Chief of Police.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

LOOSE KANGAROO CAUGHT IN GERMANY

In Germany, a kangaroo that escaped from its owner’s property on New Year’s Eve has been captured more than six months later, about 50 miles from home. The kangaroo, named Skippy (* a good German name!), managed to evade capture for months, despite numerous sightings. Skippy was finally captured late last week by a resident of Lüdersdorf, about 50 miles from his owner’s home. The kangaroo is being temporary housed in his rescuer’s horse pen until his owner can bring him home, police said.
* “Yeah, I’ll get right on that,” said the owner, 50 miles away.
* Then it will be relocated to a local beer garden because they could use the hops.
* Missing six months? They sure didn’t find Skippy … in a JIF.
* They were able to search so long because the owner has … deep pockets.
* It was found miles from its native home, which is, of course, Austria.
* It’s lucky it wasn’t caught and turned into hoppenpfeffer.

ON YOUR NEXT VACATION, GO CLEAN UP COPENHAGEN

The city of Copenhagen, Denmark, is offering some freebies to tourists in exchange for helping to clean up the city. This summer, tourists to the Danish capital will be rewarded with free food and activities if they participate in environmentally friendly tasks while visiting. You can get rewards for activities such as litter-picking, traveling by public transport or biking around the city. Participating companies are offering little freebies – a free meal, snack, glass of wine, kayak rental, admission to a museum – in exchange for your good deed. You don’t even have to prove you did it, just tell the business you did, although some attractions might ask you to show a picture of yourself picking up trash or riding a bike, or using public transportation. The “CopenPay” scheme is designed to offset the “environmental burden” of tourism, according to the Copenhagen tourist board. So far 24 organizations have signed up to the program.
* And be sure to check out their new slogan: “Come to Copenhagen, lie your ass off for freebies.”
* Well, I was planning on going to the Olympics in Paris, but suddenly trash pickup in a foreign city sounds much more appealing.
* Using public transportation? Okay, okay, fine! I WON’T bring my car to Copenhagen.
* Can you get a free Danish in Denmark? Is that a thing there?

TRENDING

QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE JOSH HOMME HAS EMERGENCY SURGERY

Queens of the Stone Age has canceled European tour dates while frontman Josh Homme undergoes emergency surgery, the band said on Tuesday. The rock band was scheduled to play several shows in Europe this month, but Homme “must return to the United States immediately for emergency surgery,” the band said in a Facebook post. “Every effort was made to push through and play for you, but it is no longer an option to continue,” the band said. Additional details about Homme’s surgery or condition were not released.

BEBE REXHA KICKS OUT FAN WHO THREW SOMETHING

Bebe Rexha, who has had multiple objects thrown at her during performances over the past year, fired back at a concertgoer who tossed something. In a video shared on X, Rexha is seen on stage at the Palmesus music festival in Norway, looking out into the crowd saying “Which one? Point to the person I want to see them,” she says. As soon as she verifies the culprit, she has security take them out. “Out! Get the [bleep] out,” she tells them. “That’s it. It’s done for you.” The crowd applauds and waves goodbye as the disruptor is escorted out by security. A year ago, Rexha was struck in the face by a thrown cellphone.

JOE BONSALL OF OAK RIDGE BOYS DIES

Joe Bonsall, member of the legendary singing group The Oak Ridge Boys since the early 1970’s, has died due to a neuromuscular disorder. He was 76. Bonsall died from complications of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), according to his representatives. The degenerative nervous system disease can affect nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord. Bonsall announced on social media about six months ago that he was leaving the group due to the ALS, writing, “I am now to a point that walking is impossible so I have basically retired from the road. It has just gotten too difficult. It has been a great 50 years and I am thankful to all the Oak Ridge Boys band crew and staff for the constant love and support shown to me through it all. I will never forget and for those of you who have been constantly holding me up in prayer I thank you and ask for you to keep on praying.” The country and gospel quartet, originally founded in 1943 out of Tennessee, are known for songs including “Elvira” and “American Made.” Bonsall joined the group in 1973.

ALMANAC

NOTABLE DATES, UPCOMING U.S. OBSERVANCES

Sept. 2, Monday – Labor Day
Sept. 11, Wednesday – Patriot Day
Sept. 23, Sunday – Fall begins (Autumn Equinox is 8:44 a.m. EDT)

BIRTHDAYS

Jessica Simpson (singer, actress, television personality, fashion designer) … 44
Chiwetel Ejiofor (actor, “Dr. Strange” movies, “12 Years a Slave”) … 47
Sofia Vergara (actress, TV personality, “Modern Family”) … 52
Fiona Shaw (actress, “True Detective,” “Andor,” “Killing Eve”) … 66

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

“I can turn around and scream and get angry, but I turn around and I forget about it.”

(A) Pope Francis
(B) The Dalai Lama
(C) Sofia Vergara

ANSWER: (C) Sofia Vergara

THIS DAY IN HISTORY

2018 – The final four members of a boys’ soccer team and their coach were rescued from Tham Luang Nang Non cave in Thailand after being trapped there for 18 days by monsoon flooding.
* And just in time. The coach said if he had to play “I spy with my little eye…” one more time, he was going to go crazy.

1985 – Coca-Cola announced it would resume selling old-formula Coke after the failure of its new-formula Coke.
* I wonder where they buried the guy who thought it up?

1945 – The Louvre museum opened in Paris.
* Also known as “That place with the Mona Lisa.”

1913 – The highest temperature ever recorded in the U.S. was 134 degrees in Death Valley, CA.
* Being Death Valley, the guy who recorded the temperature died.

1892 – The first concrete-paved street was built, in Bellefountaine, Ohio.
* It was supposed to make it easier to clean up manure left by horses, and it did. Except for all the horse manure that got permanently stuck in the concrete before it dried.

1040 – On this day, Lady Godiva made her famous naked horse ride through Coventry for a bet.
* Damn! No cellphone cameras.

THIS DAY IN MUSIC HISTORY

2019 – Taylor Swift named the world’s highest paid entertainer by Forbes, earning $185 million in 2018.

2019 – Bob Dylan super-fan Bill Pagel purchased the house in Hibbing, Minnesota house where Dylan lived from 1948 to 1959. He paid $84,000 to the then-current owners for the 1,600 square foot home.

2011 – A pub in Dundee, Scotland called Lennon’s Bar was forced to change the name of the venue and remove all Beatles memorabilia when former Beatles wife Yoko Ono threatened legal action for copyright infringement.

2008 – The drum skin used on the cover of The Beatles’ Sgt Pepper album sold for $1 million at Christie’s Memorabilia auction in London. Other items sold included John Lennon’s lyrics for “Give Peace a Chance” which sold for $832,257 and a pair of tinted prescription sunglasses belonging to Lennon, which he wore for the cover of the single “Mind Games,” sold for $79,000. A rare 1/4 inch reel to-reel master tape recording of the Jimi Hendrix Experience performing at the Woburn Music Festival in 1968 went for $95,000, a Marshall amplifier used by Hendrix in concert fetched $50,000.

1997 – Chrissie Hynde married sculptor Lucho Brieva. They divorced in 2002.

1989 – David F. Pearsall, age 18, from Manchester, New Jersey was charged with theft after stealing a guitar at a concert in Riverfront Park belonging to Richie Sambora of Bon Jovi.

1985 – Playboy published full frontal nude pictures of Madonna.

1979 – Chuck Berry was sentenced to five months in jail after being found guilty of tax evasion.

1978 – Rolling Stone Bill Wyman was knocked unconscious after falling from the stage during a U.S. concert.

1975 – Cher filed for divorce from Gregg Allman, 10 days after they were married.

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 survey, people named THIS the #1 question to ask before getting married to someone. What is it?
Do you like animals?

2. About a quarter of a million Americans married THIS person. Who is it?
One of their first or second cousins

3. According to research, six out of ten married couples had THIS at their wedding. What is it?
They had an ex as a guest

(c) 2024
MORNING SIDEKICK RADIO SHOW PREP & COMEDY
8062 West Massey Circle
Littleton, CO 80128
USA
morningsidekick(at)gmail(dot)(com)
Tel: 303-727-9111