THURSDAY, Dec 12 – DAILY PREP TEXT VERSION

MORNING SIDEKICK DAILY PREP TEXT VERSION FOR THURSDAY, December 12, 2024
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COMEDY MP3s POSTED ON OUR PREP SITE FOR TODAY: BROUGHT TO YOU BY

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 – including “holidays” created by the National Day Calendar and Wellcat websites to drive traffic to their websites – or the hundreds of disease awareness listings which occur each year.)

GINGERBREAD HOUSE DAY / GINGERBREAD DECORATING DAY

NATIONAL AMBROSIA DAY
The Checkiday Website says this:
“Ambrosia is a fruit salad usually made up of pineapple, oranges, miniature marshmallows, and coconut. Various other fruits can be used to make it, as well as crushed pecans, and creams such as whipped cream, sour cream, or yogurt. After being made it is chilled in a refrigerator before being served. It is an American dish that is thought to have originated in the late nineteenth century, although it was not first found in print until 1932. It is most popular in the South.”

NATIONAL COCOA DAY

NATIONAL DING-A-LING DAY
The National Day Calendar website says this:
“National Ding-a-Ling Day on December 12th encourages us to reconnect with people we once talked to often. It may be an old classmate, co-worker, or neighbor from years ago. Call someone you haven’t heard from in a long time and use #DingALingDay to post on social media.”

POINSETTIA DAY
The Holiday Insights website says this:
“These beautiful flowers are a well-recognized symbol of Christmas. Poinsettia Day was officially declared by an Act of Congress. It is in honor of Joel Roberts Poinsett, the first Ambassador to Mexico, who died on December 12, 1851. Poinsett brought this colorful plant back to the U.S., grew them in his Greenville, S.C plantation, and gave them out as gifts to friends.”

December is:

Exotic/Tropical Fruits Month
National Egg Nog Month
National Fruit Cake Month
National Stress-Free Family Holiday Month
National Write a Business Plan Month
Safe Toys and Gifts Month
Tomato Month
Winter Squash Month

ENTERTAINMENT & CELEBRITIES

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

THURSDAY, December 12

“No Good Deed”
Netflix – New Series
Synopsis: Three families are vying for the same property: a beautiful 1920s Spanish-style villa in Los Angeles. But edging out the competition may just be the least of their worries. That’s because Lydia (Lisa Kudrow) and Paul (Ray Romano), the owners of the home, are hiding secrets within it that even they haven’t yet faced.

“Paris & Nicole: The Encore”
Peacock – Three-Part Special
Synopsis: Documents Hilton and Richie’s reunion as they try to produce an operatic performance based on their self-coined phrase, “Sanasa.”

Season Premiere:
Max – “Bookie”

FRIDAY, December 13

“30 for 30: The New York Sack Exchange”
ESPN – Documentary
Synopsis: Narrated by acclaimed award-winning musician, actor, and lifelong Jets fan Method Man, the film takes a nostalgic look back at the sensational defensive line of the 1980s New York Jets.

“Carry-On”
Netflix – New Movie
Synopsis: Follows young TSA agent Ethan (Taron Egerton) as he fights to outsmart a mysterious traveler who blackmails him into letting a dangerous package slip onto a Christmas Eve flight.

“Dexter: Original Sin”
Paramount+ With Showtime – New Series
Synopsis: Set in 1991, the prequel series shows us how Dexter Morgan (Patrick Gibson) became a murderer and introduces Dexter to other familiar faces from the Showtime series. Christian Slater plays Dexter’s dad Harry, and Patrick Dempsey and Sarah Michelle Gellar also star. Note: The series airs on Showtime two days after its streaming debut.

“Joe Mande: Chill”
Hulu – Comedy Special
Synopsis: Joe Mande hilariously (and calmly) shares his thoughts on the topics of love, basketball, gun control, mayonnaise, and the size of animal genitalia. Keepin’ it classy, Netflix!

SATURDAY, December 14

“92nd Annual Hollywood Christmas Parade”
The CW – Special

SUNDAY, December 15

“An Evening With Dua Lipa”
CBS – Special
Synopsis: Filmed at Royal Albert Hall, the special features Dua Lipa’s reimagined hit songs, accompanied by the 53-piece Heritage Orchestra, a 14-person choir and her seven-piece band, interspersed with intimate interviews, in which the global pop powerhouse reflects on the pivotal moments that have shaped her life and illustrious career.

ELON MUSK FIRST TO REACH $400 BILLION, YAY!

Elon Musk’s net worth has reached $400 billion, according to Bloomberg, making him the first person ever to cross that mark. Since the aftermath of the 2024 US presidential election, Musk has enjoyed a huge surge in his personal wealth. He has recently had a $20 billion jump in wealth due to a new valuation of his rocket company SpaceX. His artificial intelligence startup, xAI, also more than doubled in value in November. Tesla shares jumped to a record high on Wednesday. As of December 10, before his wealth skyrocketed to $400 billion, he was already $140 billion richer than the second-richest man on Earth, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos.
* We couldn’t be happier for you, Elon.
* What this is saying is, he can afford to eat at Chipotle, instead of Taco Bell, if he wants.
* That’s basically $1,000 for every American, but I’m not holding my breath.
* Y’know, he could bring a lot of stability to the Middle East if he bought Syria right now.
* See? All it takes is an idea and a little bit of elbow grease to make it in America.

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. “Your Heart Has A Hidden Brain”
2. “The Turbulent History Of Peanuts Is The Story Of America”
3. “Blowing Your Nose Incorrectly Can Make You Sicker”
And here’s a spare, in case you don’t like one of those three: “Some Of The Most Popular Brisket In Texas Comes From A Gas Station”

THE WORLD’S UNLUCKIEST TRAVELERS AWARDS

A company called Travel Guard collect stories for the World’s Unluckiest Traveler Awards. Here are some of the tales of the worst trips ever:
– Anna F. and her family traveled to southern Italy in 2001. During a mountain hike, her 11-year-old son was “having a little problem in his private area.” They were swelling up, and not in the normal way. When they did finally get him to a hospital, she noticed that the doctor was smoking a cigarette as she was speaking to him. Ultimately, the boy was alright, and doctors thought it was a bacterial infection brought on by dog poop on a beach.
– Jennifer, a Wisconsin woman battling kidney failure, wanted to travel as much as possible before she went on dialysis in 2022. During a rough flight to Mexico, she had to hear about the bowel issues of the woman next to her. When she got to her beachfront hotel, she was informed that the beach was closed all week, she could only use the pool. When she got to her room she found it infested with mold, bedbugs, a broken safe, a filthy air conditioner that wouldn’t shut off and no running water. The she found out the pool was closed for maintenance. She couldn’t get a flight home until the following day, so she slept in the bathtub and somehow still woke up with bedbug bites. After arriving home, there was a three-hour wait for her luggage until she found out her luggage had been lost. She drove home in a blizzard, and later, feeling sick, went to urgent care and was diagnosed with Covid. At her doctor’s office, she noticed that her wallet and sunglasses had been stolen at the resort. When canceling her credit card, she noticed that the resort had charged her for a week rather than the one day she was promised upon complaining. The hotel refused to refund her, but offered her a free spa upgrade if she went back.
– But the winner of the World’s Unluckiest Traveler was Julie who, during a trip with some friends to Phoenix for skydiving, went to a nightclub in Scottsdale. Her friend began not feeling well after a few drinks so they left. Unable to carry their friend, they loaded her into a shopping cart and rolled her back to their Airbnb. The next day, thinking the drink was spiked, they called 911. A firetruck, ambulance, and police car pulled up to take the friend to a local hospital. Because the entrance to the Airbnb was so narrow, a stretcher wouldn’t fit in the room, so the paramedics carried the friend out in a body bag.
* PHONE TOPIC: Do you have a story to top this? Can you keep it short?

U.S. NEWS

WHO GETS THE $60,000 REWARD FOR TURNING IN THE CEO SHOOTER?

The New York Police Department and FBI offered a joint $60,000 reward during the manhunt for UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson’s killer. Who gets it? A McDonald’s worker in Altoona, Pennsylvania, first spotted him eating at the fast food restaurant and called 911. But now it comes out that, according to FBI rules, a tipster can’t nominate themselves to collect the reward – meaning the employee would have to be put forward by an investigating agency – in other words, the police. The recipient would then have to cut through a bunch of red tape in order to make a claim. And then, the rewards are often only paid out if the arrest leads to a conviction.
* Isn’t is just like an insurance company to back out of paying?
* Said Luigi Mangione, “Can’t you see you’re proving my point!!!!”
* At least your insurance policy hides the details in fine print. A reward poster? Nothin’!
* I’m sure the McDonald’s worker was allowed to have a Quarter Pounder at the employee discount for spotting the guy.
* The takeaway here: If you’ve got a tip for law enforcement, ask for the cash up front before you sing.

SNOWBOARDER COLLIDES WITH BEAR

A snowboarder collided with a bear at Heavenly Ski Resort in California. It happened last Sunday. Boarder Ekalak Lakshana saw the bear coming, and thought, “Today is not the day – you’re not catching me” and he zoomed past. Then he turned around, just in time to see his friend Hunter Martinez collide with the bear. The bear took off running almost immediately, and Lakshana stopped to see if his friend was OK. “He gave me a fist bump before cruising down the slope, so all ended well,” he said.
* Not for the bear, jagoff.
* At least Hunter wasn’t an actual hunter.
* Well, that was a banger, as they say in snowboard lingo.
* Where does a bear get the admission price to a ski resort?
* Someone should have stopped and explained hibernation to the bear.

AUDIO: GRANDMA KILLED BY SLEEP NUMBER BED

Rosalind Walker, an 80-year-old grandmother from Godfrey, Illinois, was killed by her Sleep Number bed. Walker died after she was pinned against a wall for two days by her bed back on March 1, 2023 after it “lowered itself without warning.” She was found two days later and emergency responders managed to free free her and take her to a hospital. Even with medical care and rehab, she passed away on April 3, 2023. Walker’s daughter is suing the company seeking compensation for Walker’s suffering and injuries as well as medical bills in excess of $25,000. The lawsuit claims the bed “did not have an adequate audible warning alerting Mrs. Walker it was declining,” and “did not have an appropriate release mechanism which would have allowed Mrs. Walker to free herself.”
* Somnambulicide!
* Other than that, how’d she like the Sleep Number technology?
* I bet there was something in the literature warning customers not to get between the bed and the wall. I believe they call that the “kill zone.”
* When it comes to sleep numbers, unfortunately, her number was up.
* CLIP: You’re gonna want to be careful if you have one of these, too: our “Sleep At Your Desk Number” parody spot.
* CLIP URL: morningsidekick(dot)(com)/prep/wp-content/uploads/10-02-SleepAtYourDeskNumber(dot)mp3

THE TWO SIDED-FRIDGE: THE NEIGHBORATOR

Natural Light Beer has a contest where they are giving away a two-sided refrigerator so you can share it with your neighbor. They call it the Neighborator, a double-sided fridge built right into your fence. The point is to share cold drinks and good times with the neighbors. For contest information go to NaturalLight.com/Neighborator.
* I hesitate to call it a “glory fridge,” but that’s basically what it is.
* So you can steal his beer and still not have to look at him on the other side of the fence. Great idea, Natural Lite!
* A fridge built into your fence. So how is this gonna work burglar-wise? Padlocks? Combination locks? Motion-detector alarms? Have they thought this through at all?
* We have the same concept here in our break room – a refrigerator where you can just take anything you want out of it.
* Who pays the electric bill when your idiot neighbor leave the door on his side open?

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

SHARKS LEARNING THAT SCUBA DIVERS = FOOD

Scuba divers in the Cayman Islands have noticed a disturbing trend in sharks. The sharks are learning that scuba divers will feed them. Some less-reputable scuba diving companies will feed sharks to attract them for their paying customers. In one case, a scuba diver who carried a fishing spear and empty bucket was approached by a shark. When the diver lifted the spear for self-defense, the shark opened its mouth. The diver used the spear to poke the shark inside the mouth and the shark calmly turned away. The diver poked the shark again on the side of the body and the shark left the area. The encounter shows “learned behavior” and indicates sharks have linked divers to free food and spears to utensils.
* And legs to after-dinner mints.
* And they won’t even do tricks for treats, like “sit” and “roll over.”
* Some scuba diving companies feed sharks to attract them for their paying customers? Wouldn’t they want their customers to live longer and go on more scuba dives?
* You simply say, “Sorry, Mr. Shark, this fish on the end of my spear is for me.” It’s the Code of the Sea, and they understand that.
* If only there was, I don’t know, maybe a movie, that pointed out that sharks go where the food is.

TRENDING

THE AMAZING KRESKIN DIES AT 89

We should have seen this coming: The Amazing Kreskin, the renowned mentalist, died Tuesday. He was 89. Kreskin, whose real name was George Joseph Kreske, Jr., had his own TV program, did dozens of appearances on talk shows in the 1970’s and ’80’s, and performed hundreds of live shows a year. People believed that he billed himself as a psychic, but he rejected that. He was very, very good at reading human behavior. He would say, “I am not a psychic, an occultist or fortune teller. I am not a mind reader, medium or hypnotist. I am a scientist, a researcher in the field of suggestion and ‘extrasensory’ perceptions. I perform what I discover.” He would combine his power of suggestion with basic magic tricks into a very entertaining act. One staple of his stage act was finding his paycheck, which had been hidden by members of the audience, by basically playing a game of Hot or Cold with them. If he couldn’t locate the check, he said, he wouldn’t get paid, and that happened about a dozen times during his long career.

ALMANAC

NOTABLE DATES, UPCOMING U.S. OBSERVANCES

Dec. 21, Saturday – Winter begins, winter solstice occurs at 4:21 a.m. (EST)
Dec. 25, Wednesday – Christmas
Dec. 31, Tuesday – New Year’s Eve
Jan. 1, Wednesday – New Year’s Day

BIRTHDAYS

Lucas Hedges (actor, “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri,” “Boy Erased”) … 28
Mayim Bialik (actress, former part-time Jeopardy! host, neuroscientist, “The Big Bang Theory”) … 49
Jennifer Connelly (actress, “Snowpiercer,” “Top Gun: Maverick”) … 54
Dionne Warwick (singer) … 84
Connie Francis (singer) … 87

Today’s Birthdays grade: An Oscar-winning actress, a “Big Bang” cast-member, two top singers of their eras, and Lucas Hedges. Today gets a B-minus.

[Want to try something different with the daily birthdays? Try grading them! Some days have “good” celebs, some have “great” celebs, some have “lousy” celebs. For fun, give the group an arbitrary grade: A-plus through F-minus. Sidekick will give you our take on it; you can to take the concept and run with it.]

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

“I try to stay focused on my life and do try not to be brought into the Hollywood fantasy.”

(A) Shia LaBeouf
(B) Lindsay Lohan
(C) Jennifer Connelly

ANSWER: (C) Jennifer Connelly

THIS DAY IN HISTORY

2003 – Keiko, the killer whale made famous by the “Free Willy” movies, died in a Norwegian fjord.
* Be careful what you wish for!

2000 – A divided U.S. Supreme Court halted the presidential recount in Florida, effectively making Republican George W. Bush the winner.
* Democrats were angry. Angry that more of them didn’t vote.

1997 – The Japanese builders of the Maglev train claimed a world speed record at 332 mph.
* It gets you there quicker, but then it takes you almost an hour to unpeel yourself from the seats.

1955 – Sir Christopher Cockerell patented the Hovercraft.
* Witnesses proclaimed “Wow! That invention blows!”

1931 – Germany’s Adolf Hitler told the British and American press that he was a democrat.
* Just like Genghis Khan and Julius Caesar.

1925 – The first motel debuted when Arthur Heinman coined the term “motel” and opened the first one in San Luis Obispo, California.
* Motels would lead to a huge increase in extended traveling by car, and a huge increase in crappy wall paintings.

1913 – The Mona Lisa, which had been stolen 2 years previously, was recovered from its hiding place in a small hotel in Florence.
* And the Louvre hung it back up and took down the poker-playing dogs.

1899 – The golf tee was patented by George Grant of Boston.
* And yes, he made some great production and distribution contacts on the golf course.

1800 – Washington, DC was established as the capital of the United States.
* It started out as a swamp and it’s still one today.

THIS DAY IN MUSIC HISTORY

2012 – The Rolling Stones, The Who, Michael Stipe, Chris Martin, Bruce Springsteen and Roger Waters played at Madison Square Garden and raised over $30m at a benefit gig in New York for those affected by superstorm Sandy which had caused the deaths of 120 people when it hit the Caribbean and U.S. in October. The surviving members of Nirvana, Dave Grohl and Krist Novoselic, also joined Sir Paul McCartney on stage to perform.

2003 – Mick Jagger became a Sir after being knighted by Prince Charles at Buckingham Palace. Jagger’s 92-year-old father was at the Palace to see his son receive the award.

1998 – A seven-inch single by the Quarry Men featuring John Lennon, Paul McCartney and George Harrison was named as the rarest record of all time, only 50 copies were made with each copy being valued at approx. $20,000.

1996 – Country star Clint Black got a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

1992 – Whitney Houston started a twenty-week run at No. 1 on the U.S. album chart with “The Bodyguard.”

1987 – George Michael started a four-week run at No. 1 on the U.S. singles chart with “Faith.”

1985 – Dionne Warwick received a star on the Hollywood Walk Of Fame.

1985 – The Rolling Stone’s keyboard player Ian Stewart died of a heart attack in his doctor’s waiting room.

1970 – The Doors played what would be their last ever live show with Jim Morrison when they played in New Orleans.

1957 – Al Priddy, a DJ on radio station KEX in Portland, was fired after playing Elvis Presley’s version of “White Christmas.” The station management said, “It’s not in the spirit we associate with Christmas.”

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. 13% of people never change THIS about their routine. What is it?
They never change their radio station

2. 29% of people have lied to get out of doing THIS. What is it?
Going to a wedding

3. Most of us learned to do THIS in school, but now 89% can’t do it at all. What is it?
Read Roman numerals

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