FRIDAY, Feb 28 – DAILY PREP TEXT VERSION

MORNING SIDEKICK DAILY PREP TEXT VERSION FOR FRIDAY, February 28, 2025
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COMEDY MP3s POSTED ON OUR PREP SITE FOR TODAY: THE FRIDAY CLUSTERFLICKS

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.)

INTERNATIONAL PANCAKE DAY

INTERNATIONAL STAND UP TO BULLYING DAY (Last Friday in February)

NATIONAL CHOCOLATE SOUFFLE DAY

NATIONAL PUBLIC SLEEPING DAY
The Any Day Guide website says this:
“National Public Sleeping Day is observed annually on February 28. Its main goal is to raise awareness of the importance of sleep in our life and to encourage people to take naps wherever and whenever they can to prevent sleep deprivation.”

NATIONAL TOOTH FAIRY 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

CEILING FALLS ON MOVIEGOERS DURING “CAPTAIN AMERICA”

A couple had the theater to themselves Tuesday night for a screening of Captain America: Brave New World. They were watching the film at the Liberty Cinema in downtown Wenatchee, Washington. Partway through the film, they heard some pops and cracking. The man walked up toward the screen, looked up, and shouted, “Run!” His girlfriend didn’t have time to react before the ceiling fell. While she was hit with some debris, she was sitting one row behind where the biggest pile of wood and insulation landed. The Liberty Cinema is an old one; it was built in 1919 and last remodeled in the 1970s. The Liberty’s owner, Sun Basin Theatres, said it’s working with officials to figure out the cause of the collapse.
* Well, OBVIOUSLY, it was shouting the word “run” that did it.
* Hulk smash.
* “Wow, these CGI effects are so realistic!”
* The lesson here is, never install a drop ceiling in a movie theater.

OSCAR SWAG BAGS

For the 23rd year, Distinctive Assets, a Los Angeles-based entertainment marketing company will deliver its “Everyone Wins” Nominee Gift Bags, worth over $200,000 each, to 25 top acting and directing nominees. Here are just some of the freebies given to rich, wealthy people already leading pampered lives:
– A four-night luxury resort stay in the Maldives
– A five-night luxury wellness retreat in the serene Sri Lankan hills
– Cotton House Hotel five-star Barcelona hotel stay (* Because you’ll need a place to stay now that your house burned up in the fires.)
– Miage ultra-luxury transformative skincare products
– Parisian-inspired Cosmetics and Hair Care products from L’Oréal Paris
– An exclusive jewelry bar experience from OMGIGI
– ArtLipo body contouring procedures with Dr. Thomas Su (* Please, celebrities, no crowding! There’s time for everyone.)
– A 20-piece luxury gift box of lip products from Petty Pout
– Skincare from the Swiss professional brand INSTYTUTUM
– A $950 coffee table book entitled “A Journey of Iceland—From Darkness to Light” (* Selling just one of these $950 books covers all of Iceland’s heating bills for a year.)
– TruFru chocolate-covered freeze-dried raspberries (* Finally something that will get you over the pain of not winning.)
– Beboe luxury cannabis products
– Cate Brown Studio sustainable luxury dog wear and toss pillows
Plus, some really good stuff:
– A gift card from the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema. (* Come see the movie you just made — if you dare!!)
– An AncestryDNA kit
– Posh Pretzels handcrafted artisanal chocolate covered pretzels (* Pretzels. In a Hollywood gift bag.)
* I’ll be thinking of these gifts as I’m watching the Oscars with a bag of Chex Mix and a can of Modelo.

THE BUZZ

MINIMUM DATING REQUIREMENTS

Reddit asked, “What’s your most shallow dating requirement?” Some of the responses:
– “I had to reject a girl because she had the same name as my sister.”
– “We must be musically compatible.”
– “Good grammar and spelling.”
– “Too much exposed gums.”
– “Can’t have one of those weirdly spelled names like Ashleigh.”
– “I once dated a guy with a weird walk and it completely put me off.”
– “I won’t be with someone who has an outtie belly button.”
– “Good shoes.”
– “I see a lot of guys my age trying to look European by wearing a scarf and/or fedora. Just no.”
– “I broke up with a lovely woman who suffered from chronic up-speak.” (* Going up at the end of sentences.)
– “I love a big forehead. Many movie stars and actors/actresses have them. It’s an attractive feature.”
– “Have to be able to use chopsticks.”
– “I like big noses. If you have a small nose and extremely attractive I still won’t date you. ”
– “I never thought this was a requirement, but long ago I went on a date with a guy and he didn’t swing his arms at all. At first I couldn’t figure out what was throwing me off. When I realized what it was I just could not get over it.”
– “No Disney adults.”
– “His name can’t be Dave. I’ve just had my share of Bad Daves.”
* PHONE TOPIC: What minimal requirement do you have for dating?

U.S. NEWS

FLORIDA EX-GIRLFRIEND VANDALIZES WRONG CAR

In Deltona, Florida, police arrested 18-year-old Evelina Fabianski for vandalism Tuesday night. Fabianski was angry at her ex-boyfriend over a $700 debt he owed her. So, she egged and spray painted his car, covering it all over with words like “Jason” and “Devil” and other graffiti. The one problem: it wasn’t her ex-boyfriend’s car – she targeted the wrong car. The Infinity suffered an estimated $5000 in damage. A sheriff’s deputy told Fabianski as he was arresting her, “You really need to try harder to try to be sneaky, because you are God awful,” adding, “And you spray painted the wrong damn car.”
* ‘Cause spray painting the RIGHT car would have been okay?
* She egged it? So she’s rich.
* Was the $700 he owed her for the spray paint?
* Worst of all, after she vandalized the car she felt better, but now she’s mad all over again. AND she feels stupid.

TOOTH FAIRY MONEY DROPS FOR SECOND YEAR

(Note: Today is National Tooth Fairy Day) According to an annual Delta Dental survey, for the second year in a row, the tooth fairy is paying less for lost teeth than the year before. The average value of a single lost tooth declined by 14% from $5.84 to $5.01, according to the survey of 1,000 parents of children ages 6 to 12. In 2023, the value of a single lost tooth reached a record high when it was $6.23.
* So – the 83 cents parents are saving on every tooth – what are they splurging on?
* $5.01. Kids wake up, see the five-dollar bill, and smile … then they see the extra penny, roll their eyes and say “Seriously?”
* I guess with all these states removing fluoride form the water system, the quality of teeth has gone down.
* To be fair, the tooth fairy has seen a 45% reduction in its fairy workforce, thanks to DOGE.
* Kids, if you want more money, you gotta give up more teeth. Start eating more sugar.

A PILL TO EXTEND YOUR DOG’S LIFE

A daily pill that could extend your dog’s lifespan could soon be on the market. An anti-aging pill created by biotech startup Loyal has been certified by the Food and Drug Administration as having a “reasonable expectation of effectiveness.” The pill is designed for dogs 10 years or older that weigh at least 14 pounds. Loyal believes it could be available for veterinarians to prescribe by the end of this year.
* Your dog walker will have to walk your dog in a dog walker.
* Imagine if dogs lived longer. They’d all be taking pottery classes and going on dog cruises. They’d run around the house turning off lights. And wait until they figure out how to turn up the thermostat.
* Great. Now we’re gonna be saturated with DOG pharmaceutical commercials.
* So if it’s a prescription, the vet won’t know if you’re sneaking the pills for yourself. Interesting.
* They’d make a pill for cats, except everyone knows you can’t give a cat a pill.

PLANETARY ALIGNMENT

Stargazers will have a chance to see an extraordinary celestial event tonight (Friday night) as all of the planets in our solar system will appear in the evening sky. This phenomenon is known as a “planet parade.” It will feature Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune all visible at the same time along a line or arc in the sky. Don’t look for Pluto. Pluto will be below the horizon during the parade, and besides it’s not even a planet anymore. Here’s how to see the planet parade:
– Look for them about half an hour after sunset. There will be a short window to see four planets – Mercury, Venus, Mars and Jupiter – as darkness falls. Mercury, Venus and Saturn will be located to the west, while Jupiter and Mars will be high overhead alongside Uranus and Neptune.
– Saturn will be difficult to see because it will be very close to the horizon.
– Mercury, Venus, Mars and Jupiter will be visible to the naked eye.
– Uranus and Neptune will require a telescope to be seen after it gets dark.
* It’s too bad you won’t be able to see Earth.
* All across America, people are saying “Where the heck are the binoculars? I thought they were on the shelf in the closet?”
* Here’s an idea: have a contest with your kids. Take them all outside to look for the planets, and bet on who’ll be the first to say, “This is dumb.”
* This MIGHT be fun if you could turn it into a drinking game. A tequila shooter for every confirmed planet?
* Your conversation will sound something like this: “That one?” “No, next to that one.” “Which one?” “THAT one next to the other one.” “THAT one??” “Let’s go inside and watch streaming.”
* Last night in February. Would it kill the planets to do this in, maybe, June?

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

BELGIUM BANS PRACTICE OF DRINKING LIVE FISH

The government of Belgium has banned an ancient tradition which involves drinking from a goblet of wine containing live fish, and citizens are furious. For over 600 years – since 1413! – the town of Geraardsbergen has celebrated the arrival of spring with the Krakelingen festival. The centerpiece of the festival involves local druids throwing bread crackers off the top of historic Oudenberg Hill. But just before they start cracker tossing, the druids drink wine from a goblet containing live fish swimming around. The live fish has now been banned by the government under a new animal welfare law. The ban has sparked fury among traditionalists, who took to the streets last weekend with signs reading “I want fish.” The fish used in the ceremony are small aquarium fish.
* Which makes sense. Have you ever tried to swallow a complete flounder?
* They call it Gulping the Guppy. Guzzling the Grunion. Sipping the Sardine. Swallowing the Swordtail. Slurping the Snapper. Imbibing the Bluegill. Swigging the Smelt.
* If this all sounds weird to you, remember, we just finished with Groundhog Day.
* The saying is, you’re supposed to drink LIKE a fish, not drink a LIVE fish. Must have got lost in translation.
* I believe Mrs. Paul’s has offered to replace the live fish with a nice filet of breaded pollock.
* And besides this, they also throw bread crackers off the top of a hill. Man, those Belgians know how to PARTY!

TRENDING

KATY PERRY, GAYLE KING ARE RIDIN’ THE SPACE ROCKET

Space company Blue Origin – the one owned by Jeff Bezos and Amazon – is sending up another rocket this spring. This one will be loaded with women, including Katy Perry and Oprah’s friend Gayle King. The rest of the all-female crew will be entrepreneur and former rocket scientist Aisha Bowe, Nobel Peace Prize nominee Amanda Nguyen, filmmaker Kerianne Flynn and helicopter pilot and journalist Lauren Sanchez. Gayle King, 70, said on CBS Mornings Thursday that she sought out the opinions of both her children and her best friend, Oprah Winfrey, before signing on. Oprah told her, “‘I think if you don’t do it, when they all come back and you had the opportunity to do it, you will be kicking yourself.’ She’s right.” The crew will journey to the Karman line, which is the height where Earth’s atmosphere meets space.

ALMANAC

NOTABLE DATES, UPCOMING U.S. OBSERVANCES

March 4, Tuesday – Shrove Tuesday/Mardi Gras
March 9, Sunday – Daylight Saving Time Begins
March 17, Monday – St. Patrick’s Day
March 20, Thursday – Spring begins, Spring Equinox is 5:01 a.m. EDT
April 1, Tuesday – April Fools Day
April 15, Tuesday – U.S. Tax Day
May 11, Sunday – Mother’s Day
May 26, Monday – Memorial Day

BIRTHDAYS

Geoffrey Arend (actor, “Madam Secretary”) … 47
Jason Aldean (country singer) … 48
Ali Larter (actress, “The Rookie”) … 49
Cindy Wilson (singer with the B’52’s) … 68
John Tuturro (actor, “Severance”) … 68
Bernadette Peters (stage, movie actress, singer) … 77

Today’s Birthdays grade:

Today’s Birthdays grade: Multi-platinum sometimes controversial Jason Aldean is still going strong after 20 years; veteran actor John Tuturro (“Barton Fink”) is having fun on the hit show “Severance,” plus a few others from yesterday and today. Not too bad after a “blah” week. Grade: C-plus..

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

“I don’t think I really have any wisdom. Stay out of trouble. Good luck. Stay away from women because they will burn you, haha.”

(A) Leonardo DiCaptrio
(B) John Mayer
(C) Jason Aldean

ANSWER: (C) Jason Aldean

THIS DAY IN HISTORY

2023 – FBI Director Christopher Wray confirms the bureau believes COVID-19 pandemic likely originated from a lab accident in Wuhan, China.
* There – that wasn’t so hard, was it?

2013 – Benedict XVI resigned as pope. He was the first pope to resign since Gregory XII in 1415 and the first to resign voluntarily since Celestine V in 1294.
* It’s the giant hat. It’s murder on your neck.

1997 – New U.S. regulations required smokers to prove they’re over 18 to purchase cigarettes.
* Like, by saying “Honest, I’m really 18.”

1970 – Bicycles were permitted to cross the Golden Gate Bridge after 40 years.
* A lot of the bicyclists were so tired of standing there for that long, they couldn’t bike across.

1912 – The first ever parachute jump was made over America.
* Well, the first one where the guy lived to tell about it, anyway.

1883 – The first vaudeville theater opened.
* In vaudeville, you could hear smutty jokes and see nudity – it was the cable TV of its day.

1860 – The first electric tabulating machine was invented by Herman Hollerith.
* Early prototypes failed because something didn’t add up.

1759 – Pope Clement XIII allowed the Bible to be translated into various languages.
* He also made a fortune selling the movie rights.

THIS DAY IN MUSIC HISTORY

2016 – Adele was at No.1 on the U.S. and UK album charts with her third studio album “25.” The album was a massive commercial success, debuting at No.1 in more than 25 markets, and also won the 2017 Grammy Awards for Album of the Year and Best Pop Vocal Album.

2008 – Boy George pleaded not guilty to falsely imprisoning a male escort by chaining him to a wall.

1998 – Celine Dion started a two-week run at No.1 on the U.S. singles chart with “My Heart Will Go On.”

1986 – George Michael formally announced that “Wham” would split up in the summer.

1984 – Michael Jackson won a record seven Grammy awards including: Album of the year for “Thriller,” Record of the year and Best rock vocal performance for “Beat It,” Best pop vocal performance, Best R&B performance and Best R&B song for “Billie Jean,” and Best Recording For Children for “E.T The Extra Terrestrial.”

1977 – While appearing live on stage Ray Charles was attacked by a member of the audience who tried to strangle him with a rope.

1970 – In an interview, Fleetwood Mac’s Peter Green talked about his plans to give all his money away. The following year Green confronted his accountant with a gun after he was sent an unwanted royalty check. The guitarist went to jail briefly before being transferred to an asylum and was committed to a mental hospital in 1973. He re-launched his career in the 90’s.

1970 – Led Zeppelin played a gig in Copenhagen as The Nobs after Eva Von Zeppelin, a relative of the airship designer, threatened to sue if the family name was used in Denmark.

1970 – Simon and Garfunkel started a six-week run at the top of the U.S. singles chart with “Bridge Over Troubled Water.”

1959 – The music industry phrase “with a bullet” originated on this day when Cash Box magazine first used a small red dot, or bullet, next to songs moving rapidly up the record charts.

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. Roughly 25% of Americans say they just won’t eat THIS, no matter what. What is it?
Mushrooms

2. There’s a 15% chance you’re going to eat THIS for dinner tonight. What is it?
Beef

3. According to a recent study, half of THESE are consumed on the East Coast. What are they?
Ice cream sandwiches

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