THURSDAY, July 11 – DAILY PREP TEXT VERSION

MORNING SIDEKICK DAILY PREP TEXT VERSION FOR THURSDAY, July 11, 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.)

ALL AMERICAN PET PHOTO DAY

CHEER UP THE LONELY DAY

NATIONAL BLUEBERRY MUFFIN DAY

NATIONAL RAINIER CHERRY DAY

SLURPEE DAY
Previously known as “7-Eleven Day,” Slurpee Day is a commercial observance promoted by the convenience store chain on the date 7/11 which coincides with the stores’ name. The 7-Eleven website says the stores will celebrate Slurpee Day by giving every customer one free small Slurpee drink.

WORLD POPULATION DAY
Wikipedia says this:
“World Population Day is an annual event, observed on July 11 every year, which seeks to raise awareness of global population issues. The event was established by the Governing Council of the United Nations Development Program in 1989. It was inspired by the public interest in Five Billion Day on July 11, 1987, approximately the date on which the world’s population reached five billion people.”

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

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, July 11

“2024 Espy Awards”
ABC – Award Show

“How Music Got Free”
Paramount+ – New Docuseries
Synopsis: The untold story of how internet pirates like Napster and LimeWire nearly destroyed the music industry.

“Mastermind: To Think Like a Killer”
Hulu – New Docuseries
Synopsis: The story of Dr. Ann Burgess, the trailblazing psychiatric nurse and professor who developed modern serial-killer profiling, reshaping the FBI in the process.

“Sausage Party: Foodtopia”
Prime Video – New Animated Series
Synopsis: After killing off all of humanity, Food attempts to create their own utopia.

“The Animal Kingdom”
Netflix – The French fantasy film comes to streaming
Synopsis: Follows a man looking for his wife after a wave of unexplained mutations starts turning humans into animal hybrids.

“Tyler Perry’s Divorce in the Black”
Prime Video – New Film
Synopsis: Ava, a young bank professional, is devastated when her husband Dallas abandons a marriage she is determined to fight for until fate intervenes, revealing Dallas’ wicked deeds that have trashed their marriage, and once upon a time sabotaged Ava’s destiny to be loved by her true soulmate.

Season Premieres:
Discovery – “Deadliest Catch”
Netflix – “Vikings: Valhalla”

FRIDAY, July 12

“Presumed Innocent”
Apple TV+ – New Series
Synopsis: A horrific murder upends the Chicago prosecuting attorney’s office when one of its own is suspected of the crime – leaving the accused fighting to keep his family together. Starring Jake Gyllenhaal.

“Descendants: The Rise of Red”
Disney+ – New Film
Synopsis: In the latest installment of the Descendants franchise, former Villain Kid Uma, now headmaster of Auradon Prep, extends an invite to the school to another VK – Red, the rebellious daughter of the Queen of Hearts from Wonderland.

“Exploding Kittens”
Netflix – New Animated Series
Synopsis: It’s the ultimate fight between good and evil when God and his nemesis, the spawn of Satan, are sent to Earth to live with humans — as talking cats.

“Me”
Apple TV+ – New Series
Synopsis: Follows a 12-year-old kid named Ben who is in the throes of middle school as he adjusts to a newly blended family AND the realization that he has super powers.

SATURDAY, July 13

“Faye”
HBO – New Documentary
Synopsis: Spotlights the life of legendary actress Faye Dunaway as she discusses her career, her mental health struggles, and more.

Season Premieres:
Netflix – “Bridgerton, part 2”
Prime Video – “The Boys”
Starz – “The Serpent Queen”

SUNDAY, July 14

“Emperor of Ocean Park”
MGM+ – New Series
Synopsis: Follows Talcott Garland, whose tranquil existence is upended by the death of his father. Mariah Denton, a former journalist and ardent conspiracy theorist, questions the manner of his death and thinks he was the victim of foul play. Starring Forest Whitaker.

“The Big Bakeover”
CW – Baking Reality Show
Synopsis: Bakery expert Nancy Birtwhistle helps a talented cheesecake maker take his delicious tarts to the next level to support his young family and honor his late father and brother.

ELLEN DEGENERES LEAVING SHOW BIZ AFTER COMEDY TOUR

Ellen DeGeneres said during a recent stop on her “Ellen’s Last Stand…Up” tour that she is done with fame once she plays her final shows. During the audience Q&A part of the show, one fan asked if DeGeneres would return to movies after the tour ended or perhaps try her hand at Broadway. DeGeneres answered matter-of-factly. “Um, no. This is the last time you’re going to see me. After my Netflix special, I’m done.” She’s been using the tour to address the misconduct accusations that hit as “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” was coming to an end after a nearly 20-year run. She admits that she “can be demanding and impatient and tough. I am a strong woman. I am many things, but I am not mean.”
* But tough. Real tough. If that feels like mean to you, you’re a big baby.
* They come back. They always come back. Wait until they open the checkbook for “Finding Nemo 3.”
* 20 years of being the nicest person on the planet. But, boy, you have a bad day, kick one little puppy and that’s all they remember.
* It’s not easy to disappear from Hollywood. Only a few have done it successfully. Jack Nicholson. Gene Hackman. Mel Gibson.

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. “Meet The American Who Created Highway Rest Areas”
2. “The Ferrari Of Electric Toothbrushes”
3. “The Most Common Wombat Is Also The Least Understood”
And here’s a spare, in case you don’t like one of those three: “Denis Villeneuve Knows Deadpool & Wolverine’s Popcorn Bucket Can’t Compare to Shai-Hulussy”

DATING TIPS: SWIPING LEFT

Are you having trouble getting hits on dating apps? Maybe it’s your profile. Reddit asked, “What makes you swipe left the fastest in dating apps?” Here are some of the responses:
– “If every photo is them with a bunch of other people. I don’t have time to play where’s Waldo.”
– “Must be able to handle sarcasm”
– “Bad grammar, blurry pics.”
– “References to horoscope.”
– “Every photo is with snapchat filters that obscure half their face.”
– “Any pictures of people flipping the bird in pictures annoys me, especially if they’re older than 20. What is wrong with you?”
– “Photos of a shirtless guy holding a fish he just caught by the mouth.” (Note: “fish pics” was a very common answer.)
– “More than 1 picture of them drinking alcohol.”
– “Septum piercings.”
– “Any guy dressed in camo.”
– “Dog mom.”
– “Entertain me.”
– “Any photos with a toilet in the background.”
– “Pictures of Burning Man festival.”
* PHONE TOPIC: Do you agree with any of these? What makes you swipe left?

U.S. NEWS

WOMEN KILLED RICH MAN, CUT OFF HIS THUMB TO ACCESS ACCOUNTS

Police in Washington, D.C. have arrested and now charged two women, Tiffany Taylor Gray and Audrey Miller, for the April murder of Fasil Teklemariam, a 53-year-old man who was hit over the head, stabbed repeatedly and then had his thumb cut off and allegedly used by his killers to access his accounts. The thumb has not been found. Police say security footage clearly shows the women and other suspects coming in and out of Teklemariam’s apartment after the period in which investigators believe he was murdered. A witness told police one of the women was seen using his thumb to obtain money from his accounts, spending it on Uber ride-shares, marijuana and alcohol.
* It would also be great for hitchhiking.
* So the witness fingered the thumb thieves.
* Of course they were spotted! When you stand around using a chopped off thumb, you … stick out like a sore thumb.
* If you use it to pay for an Uber, is that a thumb-drive?
* Well, what did you think would happen when you started putting fingerprint authentication on everything valuable? Wait until iris-scanning becomes more commonplace. The eyepatch industry will make a killing.

CASINO MUST GIVE AWAY MONEY

The Mirage Casino in Las Vegas will be giving away $1.6 million in prizes in the next seven days before it closes for good on July 17. The giveaway is required by Nevada law. Before it can close, the casino must hand out the big cash prizes in unclaimed progressive jackpots from both slot machines and games. Progressive jackpots are owed to players and gamblers, and under Nevada state law, any remaining balances must be paid out before a casino shuts down. The giveaway began Tuesday, with $200,000 in guaranteed winnings to be doled out on the slots each day through today (Thursday). On Friday and Saturday, the daily payout rises to $250,000, and on July 16, slot prizes will total $100,000. A total of $400,000 will be awarded on table games Friday and Saturday. After the Mirage closes, it will be converted into a new Hard Rock Hotel & Casino.
* By the way, handcuffing yourself to a slot machine or game table is not allowed.
* A casino giving away money. What is this, Backwards Day? What’s next, the buffet contains fresh food?
* The noise of the slot machines is almost drowning out the sound of the managers crying.
* Let’s put this in layman’s terms: You’re still going to walk out with less money than you walked in with.
* And Hard Rock Casino? Way to stay relevant! They should be opening a Korean Boy Band Casino & Mongolian Grill.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

MAYOR OF PARIS TO SWIM IN SEINE TO PROVE IT’S NOT POLLUTED

The mayor of Paris says that she will swim in the city’s River Seine next week, to show its suitability for the Olympics despite concerns that it is badly polluted. Olympic athletes are set to swim in the river during the triathlon and the marathon Olympic swimming event in August. Mayor Anne Hidalgo told France Inter radio that she would “dive in next week” and the water would be “depolluted, that’s for sure.” Tests last week for the first time showed acceptable bacteria levels, according to a statement by the mayor’s office.
* “Acceptable bacteria levels.” Kind of like how our hot dogs are allowed a certain amount of insect parts.
* Isn’t this how The Toxic Avenger started?
* She’s doing it next week, to give all the antibiotics she’s taking this week time to work.
* Still, it’s good she’s been saving up her sick days.
* And, yeah, she’s pretty hot, so there’ll be lots of cameras.

SNAKE BITES MAN, MAN BITES SNAKE

A 35-year-old Indian railway worker was bitten by a cobra while working in a forested area. Local belief is that biting the snake back could neutralize the venom, so the worker, Santosh Lohar, grabbed the snake and bit it multiple times, killing it. Colleagues rushed him to the hospital, where he received antivenom treatment and was discharged the following day. He is said to be recovering well.
* See? Biting the snake saved his life, not the gobs of antivenom he was given immediately thereafter.
* Meanwhile, the snake was thinking, “Oh, so THIS is what it feels like!”
* “Come to India, enjoy a nice train ride through cobra-infested forests.”
* The worst thing is he’s now got an incurable case of snake breath.

JAPAN: YOU MUST LAUGH DAILY

The local government in Japan’s Yamagata prefecture has just passed an ordinance calling on residents to laugh at least once every day. The purpose is to promote better physical and mental health. The ordinance is asking business operators to “develop a workplace environment that is filled with laughter.” The eighth day of every month has also been designated as the day for “residents to promote health through laughter.”
* What a joke.
* And when you laugh, you have to laugh with your hand in front of your mouth, like a Japanese schoolgirl.
* Must it be a full-blown laugh, or can you just giggle, chuckle or snicker?
* And don’t go overboard. No cackling or guffawing.
* I can see them maybe having some trouble with this law at the Hiroshima Memorial Museum.
* Here, from the internet, are some Japanese jokes. Not sure if these are actually from Japan, or some English-speaking person’s idea of a Japanese joke:
– Why couldn’t the sumo wrestler make friends? Because he was always pushing them away.
– What did the sushi say to the bee? “Wasabi!”
– Why did the Japanese chef get arrested? He was caught miso-behaving.

TRENDING

JELLYROLL AND JELLY ROLL SETTLE NAME DISPUTE

Pennsylvania-based wedding band Jellyroll has settled a lawsuit with country star Jelly Roll over their names. The band’s leader, Kurt Titchenell, had dropped a trademark lawsuit against country music star Jelly Roll. The band Jellyroll were famous first. A lawyer for the band said they had reached an “amicable agreement.” They will henceforth be known as Jellyroll Band. Terms of the settlement were not di$clo$ed.

PAT SAJAK DOING SOME MORE “WHEEL” SHOWS

Thought you’d seen the last of Pat Sajak? He retired in June from “Wheel of Fortune” after more than four decades, and had a 12-month sendoff. So is he really gone? No. Sajak will be seen hosting the upcoming season of “Celebrity Wheel of Fortune,” premiering Oct. 7. According to an ABC press release, this is his “final spin” on the franchise. He is not returning for more full-time hosting. It is not clear if these will be new shows recorded in the fall, or if they were taped before he left.

SECOND “HORIZON” FILM ON HOLD

Kevin Costner‘s Western movie Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 2 has been put on hold. It was supposed to be in theaters on Aug. 16, but after the Chapter 1 failed at the box office last month, Costner’s Territory Pictures and distribution partner New Line Cinema made the decision to hold it back in hopes of allowing more time to grow the audience for the first film. A new date has yet to be announced for the sequel, but a theatrical release is still the intention.

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

David Henrie (actor, “How I Met Your Mother”) … 35
Justin Chambers (actor, “Grey’s Anatomy”) … 54
Jeff Corwin (TV wildlife expert, “Wildlife Nation with Jeff Corwin”) … 57
Debbe Dunning (actress, “Home Improvement”) … 58
Suzanne Vega (singer/songwriter) … 65
Richie Sambora (former guitarist with Bon Jovi) … 65
Sela Ward (actress, “FBI”) … 67

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

“Every year, I resolve to take good care of myself and stay in shape.”

(A) Jason Momoa
(B) Dwayne Johnson
(C) Justin Chambers

ANSWER: (C) Justin Chambers

THIS DAY IN HISTORY

1995 – The United States normalized relations with Vietnam.
* We couldn’t defeat them on the battlefield – so we decided to hit them with our snack foods and movies!

1979 – Skylab, the first American space station, fell back to Earth several years earlier than expected, burning up in the atmosphere and showering debris over the Indian Ocean and Australia.
* On the bright side, it gave the crew a chance to practice their Emergency Evacuation.

1962 – The first transatlantic TV transmission via satellite was made.
* Everyone was very enthusiastic about the birth of satellite TV – even though they didn’t even have porn channels!

1903 – The world’s first powerboat race took place in Cork, Ireland.
* It moved pretty slowly, ’til they managed to get off Cork and into the water.

1812 – The U.S. invaded Canada at Detroit.
* We were fighting for cheaper beer and donuts.

1804 – The United State’s first secretary of the treasury, Alexander Hamilton, was killed by Vice President Aaron Burr in a duel.
* And you thought today’s politics were rough.

1798 – The U.S. Marine Corps was formed.
* If they’d been around in 1776 the revolution would’ve been over in a week.

THIS DAY IN MUSIC HISTORY

2019 – Mattel announced a new collectable Barbie doll inspired by David Bowie’s signature Ziggy Stardust fashion. Dubbed “Barbie as Bowie,” the doll is dressed as the late singer’s glam-rock alter ego, complete with a pair of red platform boots and topped with his fiery-red mullet.

2013 – Pearl Jam released their tenth studio album “Lightning Bolt” which went to No.1 on the U.S. album chart.

2009 – The Black Eyes Peas “I Gotta Feeling” started a 14-week run at No.1 on the U.S. singles chart ending the 12-week run of the band’s previous single “Boom Boom Pow.”

2002 – The funeral of The Who’s bass player John Entwistle was held.

2000 – Lars Ulrich of Metallica was the first witness to testify at a U.S. Senate hearing over copyright law issues concerning free sharing of music files on Web sites such as Napster and MP3.com.

1992 – A line of eight ties designed by Jerry Garcia of The Grateful Dead went on sale in the U.S. President Bill Clinton bought a set. The collection grossed a million dollars in the U.S. by the end of the year.

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. 67% of Americans surveyed said they feel safer doing THIS in the summer. What is it?
Driving

2. Americans buy about 96 million of THESE each year, most of them in the summertime. What are they?
Sunglasses

3. In a recent survey, 42% of men and 27% of women said they never use THIS in the summertime. What is it?
Sunscreen

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