FRIDAY, Jan 3 – DAILY PREP TEXT VERSION

MORNING SIDEKICK DAILY PREP TEXT VERSION FOR FRIDAY, January 3, 2025
(Print button is at bottom of post. To print with larger type, cut and paste content into a document, and print that document.)

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.)

FESTIVAL OF SLEEP DAY
The Cute Calendar website says this:
“This sleepy day offers a cozy opportunity to rest after the New Year’s celebrations. Taking part in the Festival of Sleep Day is easy. All one has to do is find oneself a comfortable spot somewhere and fall asleep. Beds are not required. You are absolutely fine with napping on the sofa, your favorite pillow, on your teddy bear or anywhere you want. It is a nice occasion to invite friends for sleepovers, too. But beware of the fact that even on Festival of Sleep Day sleeping at school, at work or behind the steering wheel of a vehicle is not recommended.”

J.R.R. TOLKIEN DAY (The author’s birthday)
The Tolkien Society website says this:
“Each year on 3 January, the Tolkien Society encourages Tolkien fans from across the world to celebrate the Professor’s birthday with a simple toast-drinking ceremony. At 9 pm your local time, simply raise a glass and toast the birthday of this much loved author. The toast is simply: ‘The Professor!’ All you need to do is stand, raise a glass of your choice of drink (not necessarily alcoholic), and say the words ‘The Professor’ before taking a sip (or swig, if that’s more appropriate for your drink). Sit and enjoy the rest of your drink.”

NATIONAL CHOCOLATE COVERED CHERRY DAY

NATIONAL DRINKING STRAW DAY

WOMEN ROCK! DAY
The National Today website says this:
Women Rock! Day is celebrated on January 3 every year. It is a day to specially honor the many brilliant women who contributed to the rock genre and caused giant waves in the world of music. On January 3, 1987, Aretha Franklin, famously called the queen of soul, became the first woman to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Women Rock! Day has been celebrated on every anniversary of this event since then.

January is:

Adopt a Rescued Bird Month
Be Kind to Food Servers Month
Family Fit Lifestyle Month
Financial Wellness Month
Get Organized Month
National Candy Month
National Clean Up Your Computer Month
National Hobby Month
National Skating Month
National Train Your Dog Month
Walk Your Pet Month

THE BUZZWORDS THAT SHOULD BE BANNED IN 2025

Lake Superior State University (* They act SO superior!) has published its list of words and phrases that should be banned from the vocabulary this year. These are words that they feel are misused or overused, or have useless and unnecessary meaning. (* They’re so SUPERIOR!)
– Cringe
– Game Changer
– Era
– Dropped
– IYKYK (If You Know, You Know)
– Sorry Not Sorry
– Skibidi
– 100%
– Utilize
– Period
* It has not been a good year for Skibidi, has it?
* Oh, man – getting rid of Game Changer is gonna be a real game changer!
* Thank god I can still use ‘rizz.’ Now somebody tell me what rizz means.
* Gonna be hard describing the next four years without the word ‘cringe.’
* Well, for 48.4% of Americans, anyway.

WHICH COUNTRY HAS THE BEST FOOD? GREECE

Which country has the best-tasting food in the entire world? TasteAtlas, a world atlas of traditional food, local ingredients, and authentic restaurants, analyzed 477,287 ratings for 15,478 foods in their database. When they averaged everything out, Greece came out on top, with a rating of 4.6 out of five stars. The Top Ten Cuisines In The World:
1. Greek
2. Italian
3. Mexican
4. Spanish
5. Portuguese
6. Turkish
7. Indonesian
8. French
9. Japanese
10. Chinese
American cuisine came in at #13.
* Number 13? Are you sure? Did the judges ever taste Cheetos? Krispy Kremes? Blooming Onions?
* Well, that’s great. See you in Greece. Hope you like lamb and yogurt.
* Greece may have the best food, but America has the best grease.
* Portuguese is Number 5? Quick – name a Portuguese dish! That’s what I thought.
* There may be some bias in this survey. According to Wikipedia, TasteAtlas is headquartered in Zagreb, Croatia. It’s founder is someone named Matija Babic. And he sounds delicious.

STRANGE JOB INTERVIEW QUESTIONS

Reddit asked, “What is the dumbest question you’ve been asked during an interview?” Some of the responses:
– “If someone tried robbing us, how would you protect the cash register?”
– “What’s the most dangerous animal you’d be willing to fight?”
– “I have a uniquely spelled name. They stopped me while answering a question and asked if I spelled my name correctly on my resume. I said yes, they asked if I was sure. I didn’t get the job.”
– “If I were to go into your room right now, would your bed be made?’ This was for a marketing position at a church.”
– “What makes a salad, a salad?”
– “I was asked to name my favorite color and defend that choice. I was applying to be the controller of the accounting department.”
– “Interviewer: ‘Give me one good reason why I should give you this job.’ I replied, ‘Give me one good reason why I should accept it.’ I got the job.”
– “If you needed to eat an elephant, how would you go about it?”
– “‘Do you get along with other women? Because we seem to have a lot of catfights here.’ This was at a DISTRICT ATTORNEY’S OFFICE.”
– “‘What’s your superpower?’ This was one of only two questions in the interview.”
– “If this job offered no money, would you still want to work here?”
* PHONE TOPIC: Did you ever get asked a strange question during a job interview?

INTERNATIONAL NEWS8-YEAR-OLD BOY SURVIVES FIVE DAYS LOST IN SAFARI PARK

An eight-year-old boy has been found alive after surviving five days in a Zimbabwe game park inhabited by lions and elephants. The boy, Tinotenda Pudu, wandered 14 miles from home into the Matusadona Game Park and became lost. He used his knowledge of the wild and survival skills to stay alive. He slept on a rocky perch and ate wild fruits. He also dug small wells into dry riverbeds with a stick to access drinking water – a skill taught in the drought-prone area. On his fifth day in the wild, Tinotenda heard a ranger’s car and ran toward it, narrowly missing it. Luckily, the rangers returned and spotted fresh little human footprints. They searched the area until they found him. The park is home to 40 lions, as well as zebras, elephants, hippos, and antelope.
* And he made friends with a warthog and a meerkat.
* Then he was fined for entering the Game Park without paying.
* Do they have Walmarts in Zimbabwe? ‘Cause you can get a compass there for six bucks.
* An 8-year-old American child couldn’t survive two days at a food court.
* If this is somehow supposed to make me go see that Disney Mufasa Lion King movie, it’s not working.

ROCKET DEBRIS FALLS ON KENYAN VILLAGE

A large metal ring, believed to be from a rocket, fell from the sky and crashed onto a village in Kenya. The metallic ring is around 8 feet in diameter, and weighs about 1,100 pounds. It is believed to be a separation ring, a component used to connect payloads to rockets during launch. It fell onto Mukuku Village on Monday. There are no reported injuries, but the incident raises concern over the growing threat of space debris landing in populated areas. The Kenya Space Agency is investigating the incident.
* First question: Kenya Space Agency?
* The only space I’d be looking for in Kenya is the space between me and a lion.
* Pour a layer of concrete inside and you’ve got a nice above-ground pool.
* If I were Kenya, I’d ship that C.O.D. to Mr Elon Musk, care of the White House.

TRENDING

SIMONE BILES IS PASSING ON 2028 OLYMPICS

Simone Biles, the most decorated gymnast in history, says she’ll probably sit out the next Olympic games. In an interview with Sports Illustrated, in which they named her 2024 Sportsperson of the Year, she said,“Because I’ve accomplished so much, there’s almost nothing left to do, rather than to just be snobby and to try again and for what? I’m at a point in my career where I’m humble enough to know when to be done.” Biles also said that there are different sacrifices she would have to make if she returned for her fourth Olympic games. The Olympian would be 31 years old in 2028. She said she now has to consider her timeline of starting a family with her husband, NFL player Jonathan Owens.

WAYNE OSMOND, DEAD AT 73

We’re down an Osmond. Wayne Osmond, a member of the family music act The Osmonds, has died at 73, his family announced on Thursday. They said he died peacefully on New Year’s Day surrounded by his wife and children. He had recently suffered a stoke. Born and raised in 1951 in Ogden, Utah, Osmond joined forces with his brothers Alan, Merrill and Jay, to form a barbershop quartet. Eventually, younger brother Donny joined the act. They made many appearances on the Andy Williams Show in the 1960’s and 70’s, having been discovered performing at Disneyland. Wayne is survived by his siblings Virl, Tom, Alan, Merrill, Jay, Donny, Marie, and Jimmy.

ALMANAC

NOTABLE DATES, UPCOMING U.S. OBSERVANCES

January 9, Thursday – National Day of Mourning for Jimmy Carter
January 20, Monday – Inauguration Day
January 20, Monday – Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
January 27, Monday – Int’l Holocaust Remembrance Day (UN)
January 29, Wednesday – Chinese New Year (The Year of the Wood Snake)
February 2, Sunday – Groundhog Day
February 12, Wednesday – Lincoln’s Birthday
February 14, Friday – Valentine’s Day
February 17, Monday – Presidents Day / Washington’s Birthday
March 9, 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

BIRTHDAYS

Florence Pugh (actress, “Dune: Part Two,” “Oppenheimer”) … 29
Eli Manning (legendary NFL quarterback) … 44
Mel Gibson (actor/director) … 69
Victoria Principal (actress, author, businesswoman) … 75
John Paul Jones (bass guitarist with Led Zeppelin) … 79
Steven Stills (musician with Crosby Stills Nash) … 80

Today’s Birthdays grade: Classic musicians, a classic actor, actress and quarterback – and Florence Pugh. Grade: B.

[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 got to a very desperate place. Very desperate. Kind of jump-out-of-a-window kind of desperate … when you get to that point where you don’t want to live, and you don’t want to die, it’s a desperate, horrible place to be.”

(A) Tom Hanks
(B) Oprah Winfrey
(C) Mel Gibson

ANSWER: (C) Mel Gibson

THIS DAY IN HISTORY

2022 – Apple became the first U.S. company to be worth $3 trillion in value, after tripling its price in under four years.
* And they asked me to pass along that their next iPhone is gonna be really, really, great and you should get one.

2000 – Charles M. Schulz’s final original “Peanuts” daily comic strip appeared in newspapers.
* RATS!

1984 – A woman died at Disneyland after falling from a ride. She had apparently unfastened her seatbelt while on the Matterhorn bobsled.
* It’s A Cruel World After All.

1957 – The first electric watch was introduced, in Lancaster, PA.
* It was pretty cool, if you didn’t mind dragging the extension cord around.

1947 – Congressional proceedings were televised for the first time.
* It would be the most boring thing on TV until the invention of the PBS pledge break.

1888 – The first wax drinking straw was patented, by Marvin C. Stone in Washington, D.C.
* Followed 10 minutes later by the first spit ball.

1847 – The California town of Yerba Buena was renamed San Francisco.
* Good thing, too. “I Left My Heart In Yerba Buena” just doesn’t cut it.

THIS DAY IN MUSIC HISTORY

2020 – Rod Stewart was charged by police following an alleged altercation at a hotel in Florida on New Year’s Eve. A police document accused Stewart of punching a security guard after he and his companions, including his son Sean, attempted to get into a private party in a children’s area at the Breakers Palm Beach Hotel.

2004 – After hosting the show for over 30 years, Casey Kasem gave up the hosting duties of “American Top 40” to Ryan Seacrest.

2000 – Luciano Pavarotti agreed to pay the Italian authorities $2.72 million after losing an appeal against tax evasion charges. It was reported that the singer was worth $510 million at the time.

1987 – Aretha Franklin became the first woman inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

1981 – David Bowie made his final appearance as the Elephant Man in the Broadway show.

1979 – The band “The Hype” appeared at McGonagils in Dublin. They would later be known as U2.

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 recent survey, the average person does THIS almost 100 times in their life. What is it?
Goes out on a date

2. According to a recent survey, the average person does THIS about 3,000 times during their life. What is it?
Calls their mother

3. The average person will do THIS 7,600 times in their lifetime. What is it?
Take a shower

(c) 2025
MORNING SIDEKICK RADIO SHOW PREP & COMEDY
8062 West Massey Circle
Littleton, CO 80128
USA
morningsidekick(at)gmail(dot)(com)
Tel: 303-727-9111