THURSDAY, May 22 – DAILY PREP TEXT VERSION

MORNING SIDEKICK DAILY PREP TEXT VERSION FOR THURSDAY, May 22, 2025
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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 – 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.)

NATIONAL MARITIME DAY
A United States holiday created to recognize the maritime industry. It is observed on May 22, the date in 1819 that the American steamship Savannah set sail from Savannah, Georgia on the first ever transoceanic voyage under steam power.

NATIONAL SOLITAIRE DAY
On this day in 1990, Microsoft included the classic card game Solitaire in Windows 3.0. Microsoft Solitaire successfully helped teach computer users how to use a mouse and, in the process, ended up becoming one of the most played video games in history. In 2012, Microsoft evolved Solitaire into the free Microsoft Solitaire Collection, which features five of the top Solitaire games in one app. Since then, the game has become so popular that each year 33 billion games are played with over 3.2 trillion cards dealt.

NATIONAL VANILLA PUDDING DAY

SHERLOCK HOLMES DAY
The creator of the character, Scottish author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, was born on this day in 1859.

WORLD GOTH DAY

May is:

Chip Your Pet Month / Pet Month
Date Your Mate Month
International Civility Awareness Month
National Barbecue Month
National Bike Month
National Egg Month
National Hamburger Month
National Military Appreciation Month
National Salad Month
National Salsa Month
Older Americans 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, May 22

“Earnhardt”
Prime Video – New Docuseries
Synopsis: Explores the legendary racing career and complex family dynamics of NASCAR superstar, Dale Earnhardt.

“She the People”
Netflix – New Series
Synopsis: Following a successful campaign, Lieutenant Governor candidate Antoinette Dunkerson finds herself having to serve under a sexist and condescending governor whilst her family must adjust to being in the public eye. From Tyler Perry.

“Sirens”
Netflix – New Series
Synopsis: Meghann Fahy stars as a woman concerned about her sister’s unusual relationship with her boss (Julianne Moore), and things come to a head during a weekend at their lavish estate on the beach. With Kevin Bacon and Glenn Howerton.

FRIDAY, May 23

“Air Force Elite: Thunderbirds”
Netflix – New Documentary
Synopsis: An inside look at the Air Force’s premier aerial demonstration team.

“Fear Street: Prom Queen”
Netflix – New Movie
Synopsis: With Senior Prom just two days away the race for prom queen is already heating up, but when somebody starts slaughtering the prom queen candidates, all hell is set to break loose.

“Forget You Not”
Netflix – New Series from Taiwan
Synopsis: An aspiring stand-up comedian turns her struggles into heartfelt humor as she balances work and relationships while caring for her aging father.

“Fountain of Youth”
Apple TV+ – New Movie
Synopsis: Two estranged siblings embark on a global treasure hunt to find the Fountain of Youth. With John Krasinski and Natalie Portman.

“Off Track 2”
Netflix – New Movie
Synopsis: Siblings Lisa and Daniel gear up for the Vätternrundan cycling race, where unexpected detours, old flames and marriage problems test their resolve.

“Pee-wee as Himself”
HBO – New Docuseries
Synopsis: Determined to tell the factual story of his life, Paul Reubens, the man behind the iconic character Pee-wee Herman, discusses his influences, origins in the circus and avant-garde performance theater, iconic career, and decision to sever his beloved alter ego from his authentic self.

Season Premiere:
Netflix – “Big Mouth”

SATURDAY, May 24

“Jerrod Carmichael: Don’t Be Gay”
HBO – New Comedy Special
Synopsis: Not much has been revealed about the content of the upcoming special, but HBO calls it a powerful continuation of Carmichael’s evolving storytelling.

“Our Unwritten Seoul”
Netflix – New Series from South Korea
Synopsis: Twin sisters, whose similarities end with their looks, swap identities amid personal struggles — embarking on a journey to rediscover love and life.

SUNDAY, May 25

“The Librarians: The Next Chapter”
TNT – New Series
Synopsis: Follows a time traveling librarian from the past that unfortunately finds himself trapped in the present. Now he will be given a team of new librarians to clean up the mess he made, releasing magic across the continent.

Season Premiere:
Adult Swim – “Rick and Morty”

THE NFL TUSH PUSH IS HERE TO STAY

A proposal to ban the controversial “tush push” play narrowly failed to pass at the NFL’s spring league meetings. The play involves the offense lining up players behind and around the quarterback who then push him forward into the defense. It is almost a guaranteed first down or touchdown on plays of a yard or less. The ban — proposed by the Green Bay Packers because it was used against them in a loss against the Philadelphia Eagles — needed the votes of 24 team owners to pass. The final vote was 22-10, with the Eagles, who came up with the play, among the 10 teams voting against a ban.
* Just as long as the Tush Push isn’t accompanied by the gas pass.
* This is a slippery slope that could lead to just picking up the quarterback and heaving him over the defending players.
* In England they call it the Bum’s Rush.
* New Yorkers use this move to get their friends onto jammed subway cars.
* This means pro golf can finally allow the Butt Putt.

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. “Armored Fish That Lived 465 Million Years Ago May Be The Reason We Have Sensitive Teeth”
2. “Do Wet Fingers Always Wrinkle Exactly The Same Way?”
3. “Best Gift Ideas for People Who Love Eating Baked Beans”
And here’s a spare, in case you don’t like one of those three: “TikTokker Shares How He Makes His Bed While Still Under The Sheets”

U.S. NEWS

LIZARD ALERTS SLEEPING OWNER OF FIRE

In Tacoma, Washington, a bearded dragon lizard named Spike is being called a hero after saving his owner from a fire. The fire department says that Spike jumped on the face of his owner, Donald, insisting he wake up. When Donald opened his eyes, he saw that his bathroom was on fire. Donald had slept through the sound of the smoke alarms – but not having a lizard on his face. The fire department said Donald quickly extinguished the flames before they spread to the rest of the home.
* “Iguana you to get me the hell out of here!”
* Good work, Spike – extra cockroaches for YOU tonight!
* Spike probably just wanted to eat Donald’s eyebrows, but still – happy ending.
* Lucky guy. If he’d had a cat, it would have thought “Oh, screw this!” and run out the cat door.
* A guy who just goes by Donald, a fire in a bathroom, and a big lizard. Nothing suspicious going on at THAT house.

HAM TRUCK OVERTURNS

Today’s food truck spill story comes from Windsor, Virginia. Tuesday night, there was a crash between a tractor-trailer carrying over 20 tons of ham, a sheriff’s vehicle, and a truck traveling without headlights. The sheriff’s deputy struck the truck driving without its headlights. The tractor-trailer attempted to avoid that crash and ran off the road into a ditch, landing on its side. Troopers said the 44,000 pounds of meat would need to be unloaded from the tractor-trailer. The three drivers were transported to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries…
* …where the semi driver, like his load of ham, was cured.
* And it happened in a No Porking Zone.
* Hmm … something about this story isn’t kosher.
* Someone was a road hog, and it wasn’t the ham truck.
* 20 tons? That’s more ham than a William Shatner film festival.

MAN SUES COLORADO ROCKIES FOR NOT BEING INTERESTING ENOUGH TO WATCH

A man is suing the Colorado Rockies for negligence after he was struck in the face with a foul ball while sitting in a luxury box at Coors Field stadium. Timothy Roeckel was hit in the face and right eye by a foul ball during a game back on July 16, 2023. He was a guest of the box owner and did not pay for a ticket. Mr. Roeckel has two arguments in his lawsuit. First, he couldn’t see the ball coming because the ceiling of the luxury box and the overhang of the stadium’s bleacher seats blocked the view. But his second argument is better: he claims the Rockies are so bad on the field, no one watches the game anymore, they just come to party in the luxury suites. In other words, the Rockies management gives fans no reason to look to the field and watch out for foul balls. In 2023, the Rockies were 59 Wins-103 Loss. This year, so far, the Rockies are 8-40.
* Well, it’s not like any of the players are watching the game, either.
* No reason to expect foul balls? What else would you expect – they’re going to hit homers out of the park?
* Keep your eye on the ball. With the Rockies, it must be keep the ball on your eye.
* Not interesting enough to watch? That sounds like 85% of shows on streaming. Can I sue them?
* It wasn’t the black eye that was the problem – it was the heart attack he had when he realized the Rockies batter made contact with the ball.
* Is this a police issue? ‘Cause there definitely was … foul play.

AUDIO: MORNING NEWS ANCHOR GOES INTO LABOR, CONTINUES DOING SHOW

On the local CBS-6 morning show in Schenectady, New York on Wednesday, anchor Olivia Jaquith went into labor just before the newscast and still competed the show. Olivia’s water broke around 4:15 in the morning (* breaking news!), yet she remained determined to continue delivering the news for the full morning broadcast, until 9 AM. Jaquith was two days past her due date when she went into labor with, what is going to be, her son.
* Better have the custodial staff order up a new anchor chair.
* She couldn’t have timed it better – May Sweeps end today (Thursday 5/22) and everyone will be tuning in to see how it all came out.
* That baby needs to work on his backtiming.
* Top that, Lester Holt!
CLIP: Olivia announces that she’s in labor during live newscast. And then throws it to weather!
CLIP URL: morningsidekick(dot)com/prep/wp-content/uploads/NewsAnchorInLabor(dot)mp3

WIENERMOBILES TO RACE IN THE WIENIE 500

Oscar Mayer has put together the first-ever “Wienie 500,” a competition that will see all of the brand’s iconic Wienermobiles racing on the historic Indianapolis Motor Speedway. (* The Indianap-phallus 500, more like.) The event marks the first competitive race for the entire Wienermobile fleet and the first time all six vehicles have gathered in over a decade. The drivers will be dressed in custom Hotdogger racing suits and there will be a finish-line celebration in the “Wiener’s Circle” (* har har!) featuring a condiment spray and a hot dog for the champion. The race is set for tomorrow, Friday, May 23 at 2 p.m. ET, and will be streamed live on the FOX Sports app.
* Kind of stretching the definition of “Sports” there, aren’t they?
* Do you really want to be known as the wiener who finishes first?
* And, at the start of the race, do you want to be the fastest one to pull out?
* Those drivers aren’t really going to race for 500 miles are they? Their buns will get tired.
* Speaking from experience, it always comes down to the final stretch.
* I dare them to park them all in a circle.

TRENDINGZACH BRAFF RETURNING TO A “SCRUBS” REBOOT

Zach Braff has signed on for the Scrubs update that’s in development at ABC. Braff will reprise his role from the 2001-10 series as Dr. John Dorian, the narrator and central character for most of the show’s run. The show’s creator Bill Lawrence said during a Scrubs reunion panel at the ATX TV Festival back in 2022, “We’re gonna do it. If you ever have an excuse to work with people you want to spend time with anyway, run to it.”

P. DIDDY TRIAL: WEDNESDAY, MAY 21

Here are some details from Sean “Diddy” Combs’ sex-and-drug trafficking trial on Wednesday:
– George Kaplan, a former executive assistant to Combs, invoked his Fifth Amendment right to not testify on the grounds of self incrimination, but the judge issued an immunity order that would allow Kaplan to testify without penalty. Kaplan said he communicated with Combs daily, acting on requests for things Combs needed. He said Combs threatened his job almost monthly.
– Kaplan said his role was protecting Combs’ image. Combs would have guests or a female partner join him in the hotel rooms, and afterwards Kaplan would pack up Combs’ belongings and tidy the place up. Typically there’d be sports drink bottles, liquor bottles and baby oil strewn around the hotel room after Combs left.
– Kaplan testified he picked up drugs for Combs, once in Miami and once in Los Angeles. One time, he picked up MDMA, and the other time he didn’t know what substance it was, he testified.

ALMANAC

NOTABLE DATES, UPCOMING U.S. OBSERVANCES

May 26, Monday – Memorial Day
June 14, Saturday – Flag Day
June 15, Sunday – Father’s Day
June 20, Friday – Summer begins (The June solstice occurs at 10:42 P.M. EDT)

BIRTHDAYS

Molly Ephraim (actress, “Last Man Standing”) … 39
Sean Gunn (actor, played Kragin in “Guardians of the Galaxy” movies and was the motion-capture actor for Rocket) … 51
Naomi Campbell (supermodel … 55
(Steven) Morrissey (singer, ex of The Smiths) … 66
Bernie Taupin (longtime lyricist with Elton John) … 75

Today’s Birthdays grade: Today we have the lyricist who helped Elton John deluge American radio in the 70s, a famously melancholy Brit singer-songwriter, a “Guardians of the Galaxy” castmember … kind of a niche collection for various demographics without any giant superstars. But better than our average ho-hum lineups. Grade: 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’m capable of looking on the bright side. I just don’t do it very often.”

(A) Larry David
(B) Tim Burton
(C) Morrissey

ANSWER: (C) Morrissey

THIS DAY IN HISTORY

2015 – Ireland became the first country in the world to legalize same-sex marriage by popular vote.
* They used to just be famous for same-sex drinking and fighting.

1992 – Johnny Carson hosted NBC’s “Tonight Show” for the last time after nearly 30 years.
* Forcing Ed McMahon to go get a real job.

1955 – The oldest man ever to finish a Formula One Grand Prix raced at age 55, and finished 6th.
* He confused the other drivers by leaving his turn signal on.

1933 – Scotsman John Mackay reported the first sighting of the “Loch Ness Monster.”
* It turned out “The Loch Ness Monster” was just how he referred to MRS. Mackay.

1931 – Canned rattlesnake meat went on sale for the first time in Florida.
* They say it tastes just like canned chicken.

1906 – The Wright Brothers patented an airplane.
* That’s when things really started to take off.

1892 – Dr. Sheffield, a British dentist, invented the toothpaste tube.
* A big improvement over selling toothpaste by the pocketful.

1891 – Thomas Edison allowed a few members of the public into his workshop to see his latest invention, the motion picture projector. Edison showed a short movie of a polite man bowing, smiling, waving and putting on a hat.
* Meanwhile, it cost a buck to see the GOOD movies down in the basement.

1868 – The Great Train Robbery took place near Marshfield, Indiana, as seven members of the Reno gang made off with $96,000 in cash, gold and bonds.
* $96,000? Today we’d call that The Piddley-Squat Train Robbery.

1841 – Henry Kennedy received a patent for the first reclining chair.
* And then he just rested on his laurels.

1761 – The U.S.’s first life insurance policy was issued in Philadelphia.
* Good idea – the revolution was just around the corner.

THIS DAY IN MUSIC HISTORY

2016 – A guitar that Elvis Presley was given by his father sold for $334,000 at an auction in New York.

2003 – The final manuscript of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony, which was annotated by the composer, sold at an auction for $3.47 million.

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 survey, one in four of THESE is overweight or obese. What are they?
Pets

2. According to researchers, you are 30% to 40% less likely to die of cardiovascular disease if you have one of THESE in your home. What is it?
A cat

3. The average dog costs its owner $717 a year. $35 a year is what it costs to own THIS. What is it?
Fish

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