TUESDAY, Mar 4 – DAILY PREP TEXT VERSION
MORNING SIDEKICK DAILY PREP TEXT VERSION FOR TUESDAY, March 4, 2025
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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 – 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.)
MARCH FORTH (AND DO SOMETHING DAY)
The National Today website says this:
“March Forth is an annual unofficial holiday celebrated on March 4 to encourage everyone to work towards achieving their dreams. It aims to provide an opportunity for people to take calculated risks towards achieving their goals and developing themselves. It is a special day to take a stand against procrastination or the faux reasons that tend to creep into our heads and discourage us from even trying. The name was made up as a homophone of the day ‘March Fourth.’ It is also the shortened version of the full name — ‘March Forth and Do Something Day.’”
NATIONAL GRAMMAR DAY
Wikipedia says this:
“National Grammar Day is observed in the United States on March 4. Designated in 2008, the National Grammar Day was established by Martha Brockenbrough, founder of the Society for the Promotion of Good Grammar.”
NATIONAL POUND CAKE DAY
NATIONAL SNACK DAY
NATIONAL SONS DAY
SHROVE TUESDAY / MARDI GRAS
March is:
Adopt a Rescued Guinea Pig Month
American Red Cross Month
Employee Spirit Month
Expanding Girls’ Horizons in Science and Engineering Month
Gender Equality Month
Irish-American Heritage Month
National Craft Month
National Women Inventors Month
National Women’s History Month
Read an E-Book Month
ENTERTAINMENT & CELEBRITY
DOLLY PARTON’S HUSBAND DIES
Carl Dean, Dolly Parton’s husband for more than half a century, has died. He was 82. Parton met Dean outside the Wishy Washy Laundromat the day she moved to Nashville at 18. They married two years later, in 1966. Dolly herself wrote, “Carl and I spent many wonderful years together. Words can’t do justice to the love we shared for over 60 years. Thank you for your prayers and sympathy. Carl, who worked as an asphalt contractor, rarely shared the spotlight with his wife. Photos of the two out in public are rare, although Dolly spoke about him frequently. There was no word on the cause of death, although Carl had been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s Disease in 2019.
[Not sure how you feel about humor in this situation, but if you must…]
* (take a pause and then say…) Asphyxiation?
* Happy?
THE BUZZ
WHERE WOMEN DON’T WANT TO GO ON A FIRST DATE
Come on, guys. On a first date, you want to impress the girl. Compiled from TikTok – so you know it’s official – here are the Top Ten Restaurants Women Do NOT Want To Go To On A First Date:
1. Cheesecake Factory
2. Applebee’s
3. Chili’s
4. Chipotle
5. Olive Garden
6. The Movies
7. Your House
8. Any Fast Food Chain
9. Buffalo Wild Wings
10. Wingstop
* No Buffalo Wild Wings and no Wingstop? Okay, ladies – YOU pick the wings joint.
* So, Red Lobster’s still in the running?
* Criminy, ladies, you’re making it really tough for us. Not every guy can afford Longhorn Steak House.
* Looks like “bowling” is okay. Nice to know.
* Since Kenny Rogers Roaster closed, there’s a real lack of choice out there.
* PHONE TOPIC: Where’s the worst place a date has taken you?
U.S. NEWS
WOMAN STUNG BY SCORPION IN BOSTON AIRPORT BAGGAGE CLAIM
A woman was taken to a hospital Sunday night after she was stung by a scorpion at Boston’s Logan Airport. The 40-year-old woman was retrieving her luggage from the baggage claim area of customs when she was stung. It’s not clear what kind of scorpion stung the woman, or what condition she was in.
* What kind of scorpion? A JERK scorpion, that’s what kind.
* It’s Boston. Are they sure it wasn’t just a tiny, aggressive lobster?
* Scorpions in the baggage claim is happening because DOGE has fired all the meerkats and mongooses from the airports.
* If that wasn’t bad enough, wait’ll she gets stung by the fee for the ambulance ride to the hospital.
* Then the murder hornets attacked.
AUDIO: TODDLER CALLS 911 FOR EMERGENCY DONUTS
A toddler in Moore, Oklahoma, called 911 and asked for “emergency donuts.” The boy, Bennett, got hold of a cell phone and dialed 911 and told the operator of his need for donuts. The dispatcher eventually spoke with the boy’s mother and worked everything out. And the next day, police officers delivered a box of Dunkin’ donuts to his home. Bennett reacted with an enthusiastic “Yes!” as he and his brother each grabbed one.
* Not a lot of crime in Moore, Oklahoma, I guess.
* What’s unusual here is that the police gave up their donuts so readily.
* Is this really the lesson we want to be teaching children – call 911 and cops will bring you treats? Although that might be the solution to a lot of domestic disturbance calls: “Stay away, copper! I’ve got a gun!” “We’ve got donuts!” “I’m comin’ out!”
* And yet when I called 911 for emergency tequila it didn’t go nearly as well.
CLIP: Kid calls 911 for donuts (heavily edited for time and cuteness)
CLIP URL: morningsidekick(dot)com/prep/wp-content/uploads/Toddler911Donuts(dot)mp3
$87,000 FOR A CHEETO
Somebody paid $87,840 for a Cheeto that is shaped like a Charizard, which is a Pokémon dragon character. (* But you probably already knew that.) The Cheetozard, as it has become known, was formed – or malformed, rather – from a slip-up at the Flamin’ Hot Cheeto factory. The item comes in a plastic, foam-lined storage box. The famous 4-inch wide Cheeto was initially discovered and preserved sometime between 2018-2022. It surged in popularity on social media platforms in late 2024 after being featured on memorabilia site Arena Club as well as 1st and Goal Collectibles. It sold Saturday evening on Goldin Auctions.
* Is it worth $87,000? All I know is, the buyer’s dog thought it was delicious.
* I wouldn’t even pay $87 grand in PLAY money for this.
* Maybe if it was packaged in an $87,250 2025 BMW iX?
* Do you ever think the guy on the overnight shift at the Cheeto factory thinks, “Hey, let’s make a bunch of weird-looking reject Cheetos, sell ’em on eBay as collectibles, and make a fortune.”
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
MCDONALD’S HONORS HOCKEY PLAYER MCDAVID
A couple of McDonald’s restaurants in Canada have been rebranded – temporarily, at least – as McDavid’s, in honor of Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid. The publicity stunt started when McDonald’s sent a tweet back in June 2024 telling McDavid that if he brought the 4 Nations hockey title to Canada, they would rename a restaurant in his honor. Two weeks ago, McDavid scored an overtime goal to give Canada a 3-2 victory over the United States in the 4 Nations Face-off title match. Now, there are two McDonald’s restaurants – one in Newmarket, Ontario, the other in Edmonton, Alberta – that have full, official McDonald’s signage all over the building that reads “McDavid’s”.
* It’s appropriate because. as a boy, McDavid and his friends would use a day-old Quarter Pounder as a hockey puck.
* Are they doing good business? Does anyone really want to order an Egg McDavid? Chicken McDavids?
* Could they make the French fries shaped like hockey sticks?
* In America, when you want to honor an athlete you name a sneaker after him and give him 800 million dollars, but I guess having your name on a McDonald’s in Newmarket, Ontario, is nice, too.
TELEPHOBIA
A college in England is offering a seminar designed to help Gen Z students overcome their fear of telephone calls. Apparently, Gen Z – those currently between the ages of 13 and 28 – is suffering from phone anxiety, so Nottingham College is offering courses to teach the lost art of a phone call. Liz Baxter, a career advisor at Nottingham College, notes that Gen Zers “automatically default to texting, voice notes, and anything except actually using a telephone for its original intended purpose, and so they have lost that skill. They associate the ringing phone with fear.” The course involves practicing a series of scenarios where you have to make a phone call, for example, calling the doctor to make an appointment, or calling in sick to work. The seminar course also teaches breathing exercises, similar to what women do during labor, in case an incoming call makes someone feel anxious or overwhelmed.
* For the course final, you have to answer a robocall about your car’s extended warranty and physically hang up on them.
* If the course doesn’t work, you can get your money back, but you have to call to do it.
* Oh, come on, people! A phone call is just like having a Zoom meeting, but without the picture.
* You don’t need a college course. I just searched Youtube and there’s a gazillion telephone tutorials. One, called “The Fear of Making Phone Calls,” has 697 thousand views. I don’t know if that’s good … or sad.
* PHONE TOPIC: Is your kid a phone-a-phobic? Do they ever use the phone for talking?
TRENDING
MIRANDA LAMBERT LEARNING TO GOLF
Country star Miranda Lambert went on Instagram on Sunday to announce that she’s learning how to play golf. “2025 is for tryin’ new things,” she writes in the caption of her post. “I’m out west workin’ on my swaaang!”
ALMANAC
NOTABLE DATES, UPCOMING U.S. OBSERVANCES
TODAY – 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
Audrey Esparza (actress, “Blindspot”) … 39
Patricia Heaton (actress, “Carol’s Second Act,” “The Middle,” “Everybody Loves Raymond”) … 67
Catherine O’Hara (actress, “Schitt’s Creek,” “Home Alone,” “SCTV”) … 71
Today’s Birthdays grade: An epic comic actress from the original “SCTV” cast who reunited with another castmember in the award-winning “Schitt’s Creek,” and another who costarred in an iconic sitcom from the “Seinfeld”-inspired days when every big standup comedian got their own show, then did 9 seasons of another award-nominated sitcom. Good stuff! Grade: B-plus.
[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!
“Girls can be manipulative. They get cliquey and mean to each other.”
(A) Mariah Carey
(B) Nicki Minaj
(C) Patricia Heaton
ANSWER: (C) Patricia Heaton
THIS DAY IN HISTORY
1997 – President Bill Clinton barred spending federal money on human cloning.
* Because the worst kind of clones to have would be government clones.
1999 – A military jury in North Carolina cleared a Marine pilot of charges he was flying recklessly when his jet sliced through a ski gondola cable in the Alps, sending 20 people plunging to their deaths.
* Don’t ask me what they DO consider reckless flying.
1928 – The world’s longest marathon began as 199 people left Los Angeles, CA for Madison Square Garden, NY. 55 runners made the 3,500 mile trip.
* Sponsored by Dr. Scholl’s Foot Pads.
1789 – With 9 senators and 13 representatives present, the 1st Congress declared the American Constitution in effect.
* Clearing the way for them to immediately declare themselves a pay raise.
THIS DAY IN MUSIC HISTORY
2009 – Britney Spears kicked off a world tour in New Orleans, her first concert tour in five years. The 27-year-old dressed as a ringmaster in the show, which featured jugglers, acrobats and martial arts dancers.
1994 – Kurt Cobain was rushed to a hospital after overdosing on alcohol and drugs in a Rome hotel during a Nirvana European tour. Cobain had taken 50-60 pills of Rohypnol mixed with champagne; rumors on the internet claimed that Kurt was dead.
1979 – Randy Jackson of The Jackson Five was seriously injured in a car crash, breaking both legs, and almost died in the emergency room when a nurse inadvertently injected him with methadone.
1977 – CBS released The Clash’s self-titled first album in the UK. CBS in the U.S. refused to release it until 1979. Americans bought over 100,000 imported copies of the record making it one of the biggest-selling import records of all time.
1966 – John Lennon of The Beatles came out with his famous quote: “We’re more popular than Jesus,” which enraged many in America and elsewhere. Lennon himself feared assassination by religious zealots during their American tour. When a cherry bomb exploded at their August 19th concert in Memphis, sounding like a gunshot, that was it for Lennon. After their final tour gig in California 10 days later, the Beatles never toured again.
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. Over 1/4 of Americans can do THIS. What is it?
Speak a second language
2. Almost half of all Americans have worn THESE at least once. What are they?
Mickey Mouse ears
3. Two-thirds of us have never done THIS, but 1 in 4 of us do it once a year. What is it?
Moon someone
(c) 2025
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