THURSDAY, May 15 – DAILY PREP TEXT VERSION

MORNING SIDEKICK DAILY PREP EMAIL AND TEXT VERSION FOR THURSDAY, May 15, 2025
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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. We present only those specially designated days we feel your listeners would find most interesting or significant.)

NATIONAL CHOCOLATE CHIP DAY

PEACE OFFICERS MEMORIAL DAY
The Holiday Insights website says this:
“Peace Officer’s Memorial Day honors and remembers police officers who gave their lives while on duty. Police officers protect us 24/7 every day of the year. It’s a sometimes dangerous job. They know they are putting their lives at risk to make and keep us safe. Police officers know the risks, and accept them. Sometimes, they pay the ultimate price.” In 1962, in accordance with congressional authorization, President John F. Kennedy designated May 14, 1962 as Peace Officers Memorial Day in honor of the Federal, State, and municipal officers who have been killed or disabled in the performance of duty.

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

NFL INTERNATIONAL GAMES SCHEDULE

The National Football League today announced the schedule for the 2025 International Games:
– Sunday, Sept. 28, the Pittsburgh Steelers will face the Minnesota Vikings in Dublin, Ireland.
– Sunday, Oct. 5, the Minnesota Vikings against the Cleveland Browns in London.
– Sunday, Oct. 12, the New York Jets will take on the Denver Broncos in London.
– Sunday, Oct. 19, the Jacksonville Jaguars against the Los Angeles Rams in London.
– Sunday, Nov. 9, Indianapolis Colts play the Atlanta Falcons in Berlin, Germany.
– Sunday, Nov. 16, the Miami Dolphins take on the Washington Commanders in Madrid, Spain.
* The games will all begin at 3:30AM Eastern Time.
* I’m still not sure if these European games are punishment or reward.
* Remember, if you’re making a drive down the field in London, you have to do it on the left.

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 15

“Bet”
Netflix – New Series
Synopsis: A transfer student from Japan disrupts a boarding school’s power structure with her gambling skills, challenging the Student Council while pursuing revenge that could overturn the entire system.

“Duster”
Max – New Series
Synopsis: The series is set in the South West in the 1970s and follows the first female black FBI agent and a getaway driver as they try to bring down a huge syndicated crime gang.

“Franklin”
Netflix – New Series from Lebanon
Synopsis: A counterfeit artist, also a single father, is forced to work with his ex-lover to craft the perfect $100 bill — all to save his dying daughter.

“Overcompensating”
Prime Video – New Series
Synopsis: A college-set ensemble comedy about the wild, chaotic journey of Benny, a closeted former football player and homecoming king, as he becomes fast friends with Carmen, a high school outsider on a mission to fit in at all costs.

Season Premieres:
Netflix – “Love, Death & Robots”
Netflix – “Thank You, Next”
Paramount+ – “SkyMed”

FRIDAY, May 16

“Dear Hongrang”
Netflix – New Series from Korea
Synopsis: The eldest son of a great merchant family returns after disappearing 12 years earlier, but family members have differing views on whether he is who he claims, or an imposter.

“Football Parents”
Netflix – New Series from the Netherlands
Synopsis: Hilariously explores the chaotic subculture of overzealous parents involved in their kids’ amateur football teams.

“Murderbot”
Apple TV+ – New Series
Synopsis: A security android – who possesses the rare ability of free thought and is horrified by human emotion yet drawn to its vulnerable clients – must hide its free will and complete a dangerous assignment.

“Rotten Legacy”
Netflix – New Series from Spain
Synopsis: The head of a media empire returns from a long illness to discover his children are destroying everything he built.

Season Premiere:
Paramount+ – “The Chi”

SUNDAY, May 18

Season Premieres:
Discovery Channel – “Naked and Afraid: Last One Standing”

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. “Broadway’s Buzziest New Star Shares Why Playing Betty Boop Is So Meaningful”
2. “11 Words You Shouldn’t Use When Ordering Fish”
3. “Paris Hilton Marks Major Career Milestone: ‘I’m So Proud Of My Latest Fragrance””
And here’s a spare, in case you don’t like one of those three: “Flamingos Create Tiny Underwater Tornadoes”

U.S. NEWS

LOTTERY WINNER THANKS INSTANT KARMA

A man won a $1 million from a scratch-off lottery ticket he bought at a gas station after returning an unclaimed $100 bill. It happened in Phillipsburg, New Jersey. The man was checking out and found a $100 bill on the counter but decided not to keep the money after checking with two other customers to make sure they hadn’t left the cash behind. They told the man to hang on to it – finders keepers. Instead, he asked the clerk to put the money in an envelope in case anyone returned for it. Everyone thought he was nuts. The guy then bought three tickets, the last of which was a million-dollar winner. Lottery officials said the winner believed that instant karma played a role in the big win. He said he plans to buy a modest house and reliable vehicle.
* He thinks he can buy a house and a car for a million dollars these days? He is nuts.
* After he left, everybody in the store said, “Hey – where’s my wallet?!”
* So you’re saying there’s a hundred dollar bill sitting in an envelope at that convenience store waiting for somebody to claim it?

AUDIO: THE RETURN OF THE TOUPEE

The New York Post claims that the toupee, of all things, is coming back into fashion. According to the American Hair Loss Association (* Do they have meetings? What are their annual dues?): “Around 25% of men with male pattern baldness begin losing hair before the age of 21. By the age of 50, approximately 85% of men will have significantly thinning hair.” Emily Cheney, a San Diego-based hairstylist who calls herself the “Toupee Queen” on social media, says her customized hairpieces can cost around $3,800. One female commentor (* who in NO WAY was trying to promote the sale of hairpieces) wrote, “I sincerely wish more straight men did this. I would not care at ALL if a man had a toupee. Not when it gives so much confidence.”
* That’s just a bald-faced lie. A bald head lie. Well, you know what I mean.
* Confidence? You live in fear of being found out. Or, uh, so I’m told.
* PHONE TOPIC: Do you know someone who is wearing a toupee? What are your thoughts?
CLIP: Our classic “Hair Cub For Men” parody spot.

GRAVEDIGGER DIGS UP GRAVE, BECOMES GRAVEROBBER

Police in the town of Fishers, Indiana, arrested a man after he allegedly dug up and a grave and stole from it on Monday evening. Officers were conducting routine patrols near Oaklawn cemetery and saw a suspicious car in the area. Eventually, the car’s owner, 24-year-old Seth Davidson, showed up from the nearby wooded area, covered in dirt from head to toe. Davidson allegedly told officers he worked at the cemetery and had recently buried an urn that had a gold ring in it. He said he couldn’t stop thinking about the ring, so he decided to dig it up to pawn it. He showed officers where he hid the ring, as well as showing them the grave he dug up.
* A literal golddigger.
* His boss should praise him for putting in the extra hours.
* Why was he so dirty? Did he tunnel to it?
* Obviously a grave situation in Fishers, Indiana.
* When you kick the bucket, you don’t expect anyone to dig it back up.

TRENDING

P. DIDDY TRIAL: DAY 3

Cassie Ventura was back on the witness stand Wednesday, peeling back the curtain on her decade with Sean “Diddy” Combs as part of the music mogul’s sex trafficking trial. Here are some of the ‘less unsavory’ things that came out in testimony:
– Ventura testified that Combs regularly coerced her by threatening to release videos of the freak-offs. Cassie once emailed her mom warning her that Sean “Diddy” Combs was threatening to release X-rated videos of her.
– Ventura said she suffered recurring urinary tract infections due to the freak-offs and had to participate even when the pain was “horrible.” Cassie said Ciprofloxacin, a common antibiotic treatment for UTIs, ultimately stopped working for her.
– Cassie described a time when they were driving in an Escalade in Los Angeles and she hit Combs for calling her a name, “slut or bitch or something.” She said Combs’ “eyes went black” and he started “stomping on my face with his foot.” Combs put her up in a hotel for a week, keeping everyone except her stylist from visiting her. Combs told her she couldn’t leave and she was instructed to cover her face.
– A much longer version of the video showing Combs’ brutal assault on Cassie Ventura at a Los Angeles hotel was played for jurors. Cameras capture Combs dragging Ventura down the hallway of the InterContinental Hotel in Century City in 2016 and throwing a flower vase at her as she was backed into a corner. The hotel’s assistant security director, Israel Florez, appeared from an elevator and tried to de-escalate the situation, walking down the hallway with Combs as Ventura remains by the elevators. Florez claimed Combs attempted to offer him a $100 bribe to not tell anyone. He declined the money.
– She testified about the day they broke up in 2018. Casie said they had the closure conversation in a restaurant in Malibu and that Combs “was just being really nice. Playful, laughing, kind of romantic vibes.” But when he dropped her home afterward, he came inside her home and raped her.
– Cassie revealed that she settled with Combs for $20 million in a 2023 civil lawsuit that spurred the current criminal charges.

POPE WELCOMES SINNER TO THE VATICAN

On Wednesday, Pope Leo received a visit and presents from Jannik Sinner, the world’s number-one ranked tennis player, who is currently competing in the Italian Open. There’s not much to the story other than a great excuse to say “The Pope Welcomed A Sinner To The Vatican.” Pope Leo XIV is known to be an avid tennis player. During his Vatican visit, Sinner gifted the religious leader a racket as well as extending an invitation to hit a few balls together. Leo declined Sinner’s invitation to volley, saying with a laugh, “We’ll break something. Best not to.”

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

Alexandra Breckenridge (actress, “Virgin River,” “This Is Us”) … 43
Jamie-Lynn Sigler (actress, “Big Sky,” “Guys With Kids,” “The Sopranos”) … 44
David Krumholtz (actor, “Sausage Party,” “Numb3rs”) … 47
David Charvet (actor, “Melrose Place”) … 53

Today’s Birthdays grade: A “This Is Us” alum who went on to be the female lead in another successful show, a “Sopranos” alum who hasn’t done badly, and two guys named David you just might possibly know. We’re going to be kind because of the ladies’ pedigrees. Grade: C.

[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 think comedy, I’ve learned, is really just about relaxing and trusting yourself and allowing yourself to fail.”

(A) Adam Sandler
(B) Amy Schumer
(C) Jamie-Lynn Sigler

ANSWER: (C) Jamie-Lynn Sigler

THIS DAY IN HISTORY

2001 – A runaway freight train with no one aboard traveled over 70 miles through Ohio before a daring modern-day Casey Jones jumped onto the engine and stopped it.
* No one aboard? Now THAT’S taking employee downsizing a little too far.

1940 – The first successful helicopter flight in the U.S. was made.
* Which helped make police chases much easier to follow on TV.

1940 – The first nylon stockings were sold in the U.S.
* The first stocking-over-the-head bank robbery occurred later that same afternoon.

1930 – The first airline stewardess, Ellen Church, went to work, on a United Airlines flight from San Francisco, California, to Cheyenne, Wyoming.
* Doctors say her forced smile should go away any day now.

1928 – Mickey Mouse made his first appearance. He would become the most recognized cartoon character in the world.
* Well, the most recognized cartoon character that didn’t sell tobacco products.

1905 – Las Vegas, Nevada was founded. It soon became a haven for gamblers and those seeking a quick and easy divorce.
* “Don’t lose your shirt in the settlement – lose it in one of our casinos!”

1851 – The first sorority, Alpha Delta Pi, was formed at Wesleyan College.
* Things were so tame back then, when they held toga parties, they wore the togas over their clothes.

1718 – James Puckle, a London lawyer, patented the world’s first machine gun.
* I’ll bet he didn’t lose many cases after that.

THIS DAY IN MUSIC HISTORY

2019 – Adria Petty and Annakim Violette, daughters of the late Tom Petty, filed suit against his widow, Dana York Petty, in a dispute about the singer-songwriter’s catalogue and estate, seeking at least $5 million in damages. A settlement was reached in December.

2008 – Neil Diamond reached the top of the US Billboard album chart for the first time in his career with “Home Before Dark” the 67-year-old’s 29th studio album.

1994 – Berklee College of Music in Boston awarded Sting an honorary degree.

1988 – Michael Jackson’s autobiography became a worldwide best-seller.

1980 – The Sex Pistols released the film “The Great Rock and Roll Swindle.”

1967 – Paul McCartney met his future wife, photographer Linda Eastman.

1963 – Tony Bennett’s “I Left My Heart in San Francisco” won a Grammy for Record of the Year.

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. 48% of men surveyed say they use THIS to impress a woman. What is it?
Their cooking skills

2. Single guys say that if the woman they’re seeing doesn’t do THIS in the first fifteen dates, it’s probably time to move on. What is it?
Exchange house or apartment keys – average is 12-14 dates

3. 25% of men surveyed say they won’t date a woman if she has THIS. What is it?
A facial piercing

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