FRIDAY, Mar 21 – DAILY PREP TEXT VERSION

MORNING SIDEKICK DAILY PREP TEXT VERSION FOR FRIDAY, March 21, 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. We present only those specially designated days we feel your listeners would find most interesting or significant.)

CALIFORNIA STRAWBERRY DAY

INTERNATIONAL DAY FOR THE ELIMINATION OF RACIAL DISCRIMINATION / INTERNATIONAL RACE RELATIONS DAY
The Wincalendar website says this:
“Seeking to abolish racism and xenophobia, this day serves as a remembrance of the Sharpeville massacre in South Africa in 1960. On this day police opened fire at protestors during a peaceful demonstration against apartheid laws. The result was 69 dead and hundreds injured. International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination was established in 1966 by the U.N General Assembly and is observed in honor of those killed in the Sharpeville massacre.”

NATIONAL COMMON COURTESY DAY
The Days Of The Year website says this:
“Politeness and consideration for others abound on Common Courtesy Day. Say ‘please’ and ‘thank you,’ hold doors open for others, and consider the feelings and perceptions of those around you throughout the day.” (* Even online? Good luck with that.)

NATIONAL CRUNCHY TACO DAY

NATIONAL FLOWER DAY

NATIONAL FRENCH BREAD DAY

SINGLE PARENTS DAY

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 & CELEBRITIES

GWYNETH PALTROW DIDN’T KNOW SHE HAD BEEN IN SEVEN MARVEL MOVIES

Gwyneth Paltrow was being interviewed by Vanity Fair while she watched clips from her most notable roles. After showing her a scene from 2008’s “Iron Man,” where she played Pepper Potts, the interviewer asked her, “Did you ever imagine that when you signed on you would end up in seven films?” Paltrow said, “That can’t be right. I can’t have been in seven. Is that true?” She then mentioned how she completely forgot she appeared in 2017’s “Spider-Man: Homecoming.” She said, “One time I didn’t realize I was in ‘Spider-Man.’ I was like doing a scene with Robert (Downey, Jr.) and Jon Favreau so I thought it was a cameo. And it turned out I was in ‘Spider-Man’ and I didn’t even realize.”
* Just show up, know your lines, and don’t bump into the furniture. Worked for Spencer Tracy.
* Big deal. I’ve had entire JOBS I don’t remember working at.
* If you’re keeping track – because she isn’t, apparently – she was in “Iron Man” (2008), Iron Man 2” (2010), “The Avengers” (2012), “Iron Man 3” (2013), “Avengers: Infinity War” (2018), “Spider-Man: Homecoming” (2017), and “Avengers: Endgame” (2019).
* If only the bags of money from Marvel had the name of the movie on the front.
* I wish I could forget she was in “Mortdecai” with Johnny Depp. Hideous.

THE BUZZ

MISPRONUNCIATIONS

Reddit asked, “What’s a word you’ve been saying wrong your whole life and only realized embarrassingly late?” Some of the responses:
– “I just found out it’s espresso and not expresso.”
– “Hyperbole. I always thought it was hyper bowl.”
– “As a kid, I thought the mayor of Washington D.C. were two people, Mary AND Barry.”
– “I thought it was wheelbarrel instead of wheelbarrow.”
– “Awkward. I always thought it was ackward.”
– “Tabernacle. I thought the emphasis was on the Ber, like ta-barnacle.”
– “I learned I was saying pee-ity instead of piety.”
– “I’m in my 60’s and just learned the word (ennui) was ahn-wee, not en-you-eye.”
– “I thought Quinoa was Quin-oah.”
– “I just learned yesterday that Cary Elwes last name is pronounced El-Wiss. Never could figure it out.”
* PHONE TOPIC: What word have you been mispronouncing all your life?

U.S. NEWS

SOUTHWEST JET ALMOST TOOK OFF FROM TAXIWAY

A Southwest Airlines flight nearly took off from a Florida taxiway on Thursday. The incident happened at Orlando International Airport at 9:30 a.m. as the plane attempted to depart for Albany. Southwest Airlines said its crew “mistook the surface for the nearby runway.” The taxiway runs parallel to the runway. An air traffic controller saw what was happening and canceled the takeoff. The plane was recalled to the gate, and all the Albany-bound travelers were put on another flight, with a new crew.
* …and a map.
* Sadly, they were accidentally put on a flight to Phoenix.
* Premature liftoff. It happens to all pilots at one time or another.
* Just remember – there’s a pilot AND a co-pilot up front, and neither one noticed. The guy in the tower saved the day, and we don’t have enough of them.

AUDIO: PILOT YANKS PASSENGER OUT OF BATHROOM FOR HOGGING IT

A “constipated” New Jersey man flying home from Mexico on United Airlines claims the cabin crew became upset that he was monopolizing the plane’s lavatory, prompting the pilot to break down the bathroom door, and yank him off the toilet with his pants down (* The passenger’s pants, not the pilot), and dress him down in a shocking antisemitic tirade while nearby passengers gawked. Yisroel Liebb, 20, contends he was subjected to physical injuries, extreme emotional distress, and anxiety, and says in his complaint that he feels “sexually violated and embarrassed after having been publicly exposed in the nude.” According to the report, about a half-hour into the flight, Liebb got up from his seat and headed to the restroom in the rear of the aircraft. 20 minutes later, when he hadn’t returned, a flight attendant woke up Liebb’s seatmate, asking him to make sure Liebb was alright. Liebb replied through the door that everything was fine, but that he was “experiencing constipation.” Ten minutes after that, the pilot tried to get him out, pounding on the door and “yelling loudly at Liebb, demanding he leave the bathroom immediately.” He eventually broke down the door and hauled Mr. Liebb out, pants down.
* At least he didn’t beat the crap out of him.
* Aren’t we beyond United dragging passengers around on their planes? I mean, we’re in an enlightened age. It isn’t 2017 anymore. (note: United dragged an innocent passenger off a plane in 2017)
* It was obviously a lie. No one returns from Mexico with constipation.
* The pilot wouldn’t let him deliver his cargo.
* And speaking of back-ups, let’s do a check on traffic.
CLIP: United Airlines Push, Pull & Drag Sale parody spot.
CLIP URL: morningsidekick(dot)com/prep/wp-content/uploads/04-11-UnitedAirlinesPushPullDragSale(dot)mp3

FAA: CHUNK OF ICE THAT FELL THROUGH ROOF DID NOT COME FROM AIRPLANE

The Federal Aviation Administration has concluded that a mysterious chunk of ice that crashed through the roof of a Florida home in February did not come from an airplane. The very large piece of ice — 6-foot-by-3-foot — fell onto a Palm Coast home on Feb. 3 and punched through the metal roof, landing in the living quarters. An FAA spokesperson said they investigated airlines whose aircraft were operating in that area when the incident occurred. Those aircraft had no evidence of water leaks that could have caused ice to form on the outside of the aircraft. No further details were provided by the FAA. The ice chunk’s origins remain a mystery.
* An Eskimo with a catapult?
* A UFI – Unidentified Flying Iceberg?
* A quick, super-localized hailstorm?
* The Goodyear Zamboni?
* On the bright side – free skylight.
* The FAA suggested just putting the ice block in a cooler and tossing in a case of beer. Just like they do in the cockpit.

WHAT THE STRANDED ASTRONAUTS EARNED

As you know, NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams were stuck on the International Space Station for 278 days longer than planned. Did they get paid for it? Yes they did. They received their normal salary — $152,000 a year, according to NASA’s 2024 pay rates — but like other ISS astronauts, they are not paid overtime or hazard pay, but they do get something called “incidental pay.” A NASA spokesperson said that incidental pay worked out to around $5 extra for each day they were in space, or $1,430 for their 286-day stay.
* Or, put even better, 89 cents an hour. (For forty 40-hour weeks.)
* Somebody needs to form a union.
* It’s like special astronaut money: Space Bucks!
* Those Space Bucks come in handy up there when the supply ship with the toilet paper is delayed.
* $1400 worth of Space Bucks, but you can only spend them on the vending machines back up on the space station, which totally sucks.

CHEESECAKE FACTORY DROPPING 13 ITEMS, ADDING 20 MORE

The Cheesecake Factory announced it has eliminated 13 items from its massive menu. The novel-length menu has more than 250 items (* My god, it’s the Starbucks of food!), but once in a while they change things around. As part of this current shakeup, the chain is ditching 13 menu items:
– Everything Flatbread Pizza
– Mushroom Burger
– Seared Ahi Tuna Salad
– White Chicken Chili
– Spicy Cashew Chicken
– Bistro Shrimp Pasta
– Fried Shrimp Platter
– Petite Filet
– Factory Combinations
– Loaded Mashed Potato Omelette
– Taco Dorados and Eggs
– SkinnyLicious Lemon Herb Parmesan Chicken
– SkinnyLicious Spicy Shrimp Pasta
However, The Cheesecake Factory is replacing the ousted items with about 20 new foods and cocktails.
* Well, there go my next 13 trips to the Cheesecake Factory. And I had it all planned out, too.
* Actually, to be honest, it’s going to be a relief not having to say the word “SkinnyLicious” anymore. Always made me cringe.
* Maybe they should call it Food Factory – With Some Cheesecake Items.
* You’re gonna want to build up your biceps and back strength before going in to see what they’ve added to menu.
* There are a few items on that list that somebody ought to be arrested for. Mashed Potato Omelette?

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

FAKE ITALIAN MICKEY MOUSE THREATENS TOURISTS WITH KNIFE IF THEY DON’T PAY

In Naples, Italy, there is a street called Via Toledo, a touristy shopping area, like Times Square, New York. Just like in Times Square, locals dress up in unlicensed costumes of cartoon characters to have their pictures taken with the tourists. After you take a picture, you’re supposed to pay the person in the suit. But lately, local police have received word that a fake Mickey Mouse character has been threatening the tourists: if you don’t pay him, he’ll pull a knife on you. Local town official Francesco Borrelli said: “We cannot allow people like this to damage the image of Naples and create a climate of fear between citizens and visitors.”
* Because that’s the mafia’s job.
* What is this, the Cosa Moustra?
* Imagine going up to Mickey Mouse and hearing (in a Mickey voice, if you can), “Ha ha! Hand over the cheddar, goomba.”
* If only the fake Superman would step in.
* I would skip the life-threatening Mickey and just Photoshop it.
* The same thing happens at the real Disneyland. If you don’t pay, they get your kid to cry until you do. Different weapon, same result.

TRENDING

BOSTON CELTICS SOLD FOR $6 BILLION

Owners of the Boston Celtics announced on Thursday that the team has been sold for $6.1 billion. The buyer is a private equity group. It’s the most ever paid for a North American sports franchise, topping the $6.05 billion the Washington Commanders of the NFL brought in 2023. The previous NBA record was $4 billion, set when the Phoenix Suns sold in 2023.

VANNA WHITE: 8,000 DRESSES

While on Thursday’s “The Drew Barrymore Show,” 68-year-old Vanna White revealed how many dresses she’s worn during her four decades of co-hosting “Wheel of Fortune”: over 8,000 gowns. “Every day a different dress for all of these years. 42 years.” Drew asked if she ever gets to keep the clothes. Vanna said, “I don’t get to keep them, but they do let me borrow them for special events.”

ALMANAC

NOTABLE DATES, UPCOMING U.S. OBSERVANCES

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

Jasmin Savoy Brown (actress, “Yellowjackets,” “For The People”) … 31
Sonequa Martin-Green (actress, “Star Trek: Discovery,” “The Walking Dead”) … 40
Matthew Broderick (actor, “The Producers”) … 63
Rosie O’Donnell (comedian, actress, former talk-show host) … 63
Gary Oldman (actor, “Slow Horses”) … 67
Timothy Dalton (actor, former James Bond) … 79

Today’s Birthdays grade: A James Bond! Genius actor Gary Oldman! A “Producers” co-star! The star of five seasons of “Star Trek: Discovery”! LOTS of first-rate talent today. 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!

“We’re given a code to live our lives by. We don’t always follow it, but it’s still there.”

(A) Bill Cosby
(B) Kevin Spacey
(C) Gary Oldman

ANSWER: (C) Gary Oldman

THIS DAY IN HISTORY

2024 – Elon Musk’s Neuralink company posted a video of their first brain implant patient, Noland Arbaugh, playing chess online hands-free using only the brain implant. The 29-year-old had been paralyzed from the shoulders down due to a water accident at age 22.
* And I have a hard time getting a flu shot.

2013 – The European Space Agency revealed new data indicating that the universe is 13.82 billion years old.
* But it doesn’t look a day over 10.37.

2006 – The social media website Twitter launched with the first tweet by co-founder Jack Dorsey.
* It said “Invest now while you can.”

2000 – A divided Supreme Court ruled the government lacked authority to regulate tobacco as an addictive drug.
* But they CAN regulate nicotine patches. Go figure.

1962 – A bear became the first creature to be ejected from an aircraft at supersonic speeds.
* I think it’s more amazing that a bear was flying a supersonic plane!

1935 – Persia was officially renamed Iran.
* The value of “Persia” memorabilia skyrocketed.

1930 – The first commercial dry cleaners opened in Bethesda, Maryland.
* We have a message for the first customer – your coat should be ready by Friday.

1923 – Scientists made the claim that smoking was good for you, because nicotine killed bacteria.
* By giving it cancer.

1891 – A Hatfield married a McCoy, ending a long feud in West Virginia that started with an accusation of pig-stealing and lasted 20 years.
* Then a brand new feud started over accusations of plagiarism from “Romeo and Juliet.”

THIS DAY IN MUSIC HISTORY

2023 – Every track from Morgan Wallen’s album “One Thing at a Time” – all 36 of them – was in the Billboard Hot 100, breaking Drake’s record of 27 at once set in 2017.

2016 – A rare Beatles record found in the attic of Les Maguire – the keyboardist in fellow Liverpool act Gerry and the Pacemakers – sold for over $100,000 at auction. The 10-inch acetate of “Till There Was You” and “Hello Little Girl” from 1962 was described as “a Holy Grail item.” It was the first Beatles disc to be cut before the band broke into the national charts.

2013 – Pink Floyd’s “The Dark Side of The Moon” was set to seal its place in history at the U.S. Library of Congress as part of its National Recording Registry. The recording that received the highest number of public nominations for the year’s registry was Floyd’s groundbreaking 1973 album.

2006 – Three South African women whose father, Solomon Linda, wrote “The Lion Sleeps Tonight” in 1939, won a six-year court battle that gave them 25 per cent of all past and future royalties from the song. Mr. Linda – who was a cleaner at a Johannesburg record company when he wrote the song – received virtually nothing for his work and died in 1962 with $25 in his bank account. The song had been recorded by Pete Seeger, The Kingston Trio, The Tokens, Karl Denver and R.E.M., and was featured in the Disney film “The Lion King.” It was estimated that the song had earned $15 million for its use in “The Lion King” alone.

2004 – Ozzy Osbourne was named Britain’s favorite ambassador to welcome aliens to planet earth. The poll of internet users was carried out following the discovery of signs of water on Mars.

2001 – Eminem was ordered to pay $476,000 as part of his divorce agreement with his ex-wife Kim. Also as part of the agreement Eminem would keep the “U.S. mansion” and they would share custody of their five-year-old daughter, Hailie Jade.

2001 – Michael Jackson’s interior decorator told The Times newspaper that the singer kept 17 life size dolls, adult and child sizes, all fully dressed, in his bedroom for “company.”

1997 – Snoop Dog was sentenced to three years probation and fined $1,000 for a firearms violation after a handgun was found in his car when he was stopped for a traffic violation.

1996 – John Squire, guitarist with The Stone Roses, quit the band. He broke the news to the other three members over the phone.

1994 – Bruce Springsteen won an Oscar for the song “Streets of Philadelphia.”

1992 – Former nude model Vanessa Williams started a five-week run at No.1 on the U.S. singles chart with “Save The Best To Last.”

1991 – The inventor of The Telecaster and Stratocaster guitars, Leo Fender, died from Parkinson’s disease.

1985 – Boy George said in the British magazine “Women’s World” that he would never marry, settle down, or become a father.

1984 – Strawberry Fields, an area in Central Park bought by Yoko Ono in memory of her late husband John Lennon, was opened.

1976 – David Bowie and Iggy Pop were arrested on suspicion of possessing marijuana. The case was dropped a year later.

1964 – The Beatles set a record record by having five of Billboard’s top ten charted hits at the same time.

1961 – The Beatles first appeared at the Cavern Club.

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. According to a pet care website, roughly half of all pet owners have THIS. What is it?
A picture of their pet in their wallet

2. According to a pet insurance company, THIS is one of the most commonly items surgically removed dogs. What is it?
Socks

3. Only 1 in 5 pet owners has ever done THIS for their pet. What is it?
Brushed their teeth

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