MONDAY, May 5 – DAILY PREP TEXT VERSION

MORNING SIDEKICK DAILY PREP TEXT VERSION FOR MONDAY, May 5, 2025
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COMEDY MP3s POSTED ON OUR PREP SITE FOR TODAY: MOTHER’S DAY EAR GAUGE REPAIR

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.)

CINCO DE MAYO
The Holiday Insights website says this:
“On May 5, 1862, the Mexican army defeated the French army at the Battle of Puebla. This single military battle signified defeat of a European colonial power, and a victory for the Mexican people, and became the roots of Cinco de Mayo. Note: Cinco de Mayo is not the celebration of Mexican Independence which is celebrated on September 16th. Today, this holiday is celebrated by Mexicans, and especially the Hispanic community in the U.S. It is a time of song, dance, partying, and in general a time to be proud to be of Hispanic descent.”

MELANOMA MONDAY (First Monday in May)
The National Today website says this:
“The American Academy of Dermatology established Melanoma Monday to raise awareness of the symptoms, causes, and prevention of the disease. Melanoma, the deadliest type of skin cancer, is developed by 1 out of every 50 Americans at some point in their lifetime. There are many ways to prevent melanoma so, today, take extra time to learn how to reduce your risk.”

NATIONAL HOAGIE DAY

May is:

Chip Your Pet Month / Pet Month
Date Your Mate Month
International Civility Awareness Month
National Barbeque 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

BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN HATES “BOSS” NICKNAME

Bruce Springsteen has never liked his nickname “The Boss.” Speaking on The Hollywood Reporter’s “Awards Chatter” podcast, Springsteen, 75, vented his exasperation with how he has become synonymous with the title. “The Boss, which dogged me my whole life, still does,” he said. “I’ve gotten used to it. I’ve given up and gotten used to it, I suppose.” He said the name came about when he was the boss to members of his band. They’d ask, “’Hey, boss. Are we getting paid this week?’ ‘Sure,’” And then some DJ heard it and started using it on the radio and it, you know, went viral, as they say. And so there it is.”
* Damn DJs.
* Jeeze, it’s been 50 years. Maybe you should have spoken up sooner.
* He never would have had to suffer like this if only he had become, like, a plumber or an accountant.
* He says, from now on, he’s appreciate it if everyone just called him Toots.

THE BUZZ

WEIRD NEW TREND: MEN CUTTING BACK EYELASHES

There’s a weird new social media trend of men trimming down — or even entirely shaving off — their eyelashes in a bid to look “more masculine.” There doesn’t seem to be any one factor for this movement other than the “masculine energy” movement that has been adopted by some young (* idiot) men. Long lashes are seen as too feminine. Should you cut back your eyelashes? Vickie Lee, an oculoplastic surgeon at London’s Imperial College, says, “Eyelashes are vital for both visual experience and eye health. As well as acting as a barrier and a trigger for the protective blink reflex, eyelashes help reduce airflow over the eyes… maintaining moisture, keeping the eyes healthy and comfortable, filtering intense sunlight, reducing glare and improving visual quality.”
* And how else are you going to make a wish if you don’t have a loose eyelash to blow away?
* More masculine? What’s next, Adam’s apple enhancements?
* Has Jason Momoa trimmed his eyelashes? John Cena? Henry Cavill? Then shut up.
* Don’t trim you your eyelashes – it’ll just make more hair come out of your ears!
* These idiots are cutting off their eyelashes. In a few years, they’re gonna be begging for every strand of hair they have.

PEOPLE SPEND MORE TIME SITTING ON THE POTTY THAN EXERCISING

According to a British poll by the by non-profit fitness association UKactive, adults spend twice as much time sitting on the toilet as they spend exercising each week. The survey found adults rack up an average of a little over three hours on the can every week – but spend just an hour and a half being active. More than a quarter said they exercise for just half an hour or less each week.
* Who’s the lucky pollster who got to do THAT study?
* New invention: A bathroom door that doesn’t unlock until you do 30 minutes of calisthenics.
* What about all the exercise you get while ON the toilet? There’s the Cabinet Stretch to reach for a new roll; there’s the Leg Lift, to keep your cat from reaching under the door and clawing your toes; and there’s the Arm Swivel, when you’re fanning the door to air out the bathroom.
* Plus, if you’re blocked up, your abs get a workout from all the squeezing.

U.S. NEWS

HIGH SCHOOL BASEBALL TEAM RESPONDS TO FIRE

The high school baseball team in Miami, Arizona, was about to launch into an afternoon game last Wednesday when all of a sudden they heard a loud boom. Someone noticed that a transformer had blown up on a pole near a house, and there was a lot of smoke. The coach and some of the players ran over to help put out the fire. A few boys knocked on the door and let the homeowner know that a fire had broken out on her property. The woman said she was working, had her headphones on, and had no idea there was a fire, grabbed her dog, and came out of the house. Firemen soon showed up and put out the flames. Afterwards, the homeowner’s partner came to the baseball game to make sure the team was properly thanked, telling the coach, “Make sure you tell those boys that saved my house and give them … give them some recognition.”
* And he and his partner should make sure they stop using so many appliances at the same time.
* Wait – they didn’t even, like, buy the team pizza or something? Seriously?
* It was maybe more of a junior varsity fire rescue than a varsity squad fire rescue, but it was still pretty cool.
* And the pitcher was throwin’ fire that day, too.
* Did anybody mention if the boys just peed on the fire? ‘Cause that’s what we used to do.

DRUNK, PANTSLESS MAN TOLD POLICE HIS NAME WAS “CHARLES DICKENS”

In Pinellas County, Florida, police found an inebriated man walking around a parking lot “wearing only a tee shirt with no pants” early last Wednesday morning. He was carrying two wine bottles and a can of beer. When confronted by police and asked to identify himself, the man said his name was “Charles Dickens.” It was later discovered his name was Vincent Conroy. He was charged with violating an open container law, exposure of sexual organs and providing a false name to law enforcement.
* Oh, look, it’s Charles Dickens. And there’s Tiny Tim!
* Everybody could see Little Dorrit. (That’s a literature joke.)
* He was exposing the Artful Dodger’s todger.
* Drunk and pantsless – he should have gone with ‘Hunter S. Thompson.’
* Anyway, Charles Dickens didn’t walk around carrying booze, wearing no pants. That was H.G. Wells.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

MAN SETS HIS OWN HOUSE ON FIRE TO SEE FIREFIGHTERS IN ACTION

A Northumberland, UK man admitted to setting fire to his own home twice in one night just so he could see firefighters in action. James Brown, 26, has been described as having an obsession and a fascination with firefighters rather than fires. Since he can’t be a firefighter himself, he likes to watch firefighters from a distance and calls the fire department a lot – 80 times in 12 months. When that wasn’t enough anymore, he moved on to setting his own house on fire just to see the firefighters in action. On the evening of September 9, 2023, he set a fire in his house and called firefighters. They extinguished the flames, and left. 90 minutes later, he did it again. He eventually pleaded guilty to two counts of arson. Mr. Brown’s lawyer says he is currently seeking help for his obsession.
* Sounds like a self-correcting problem, eventually.
* Good thing he’s not hooked on building contractors, because, in my experience, they never show up.
* Can they watch “Chicago Fire” in the UK? Maybe that would help.
* When you’re convicted of arson against your own home, do you have to pay yourself restitution?
* Now he can just sit around and keep the home fires burning.

TRENDING

YELLOWSTONE SPINOFF WITH BETH AND RIP COMING THIS FALL

It looks like there will be a Yellowstone spinoff show coming sooner rather than later. The show will focus on the characters of Beth and Rip, and will be called “Dutton Ranch.” There are no new details, although the finale of Yellowstone seems to have set the stage when Beth and Rip bought their own ranch some distance from the Yellowstone cattle ranch they both grew up on. No additional cast has been named for the show.

TWO ARRESTED IN PLOT TO BLOW UP LADY GAGA’S CONCERT

Police in Brazil said on Sunday that two people have been arrested in connection with an alleged plot to detonate a bomb at a free Lady Gaga concert in Rio de Janeiro. The event drew a reported 2 million fans to Copacabana Beach. The attack was allegedly planned by a group that was spreading hate speech against the LGBTQ community. Police said the group sought to recruit teenagers to carry out attacks at the concert using Molotov cocktails and improvised explosives. Police raided the locations of 15 suspects across several states in Brazil, arresting the ringleader on illegal weapons possession charges, and one other suspect, a teenager.

BEYONCÉ IN COPYRIGHT TROUBLE OVER USE OF VEGAS SPHERE

Beyoncé got slapped with a cease-and-desist letter from billionaire James Dolan – owner of the new Las Vegas Sphere concert venue – demanding that she eliminate a video playing during her new concert tour that shows her walking like a giant through the City of Las Vegas, bending over and picking up the Las Vegas Sphere. Dolan says the tour is using imagery of the Sphere without permission, and has given her until Monday (5/5) to remove the video. Beyoncé is scheduled to play Las Vegas, but she’ll be stopping for two performances at Allegiant Stadium, not at the Sphere.

WEEKEND BOX OFFICE (May 2-4)

1. Thunderbolts – $73 million
2. Sinners – $33 million
3. A Minecraft Movie – $13 million
4. The Accountant 2 – $9.8 million
5. Until Dawn – $3.6 million

ALMANAC

NOTABLE DATES, UPCOMING U.S. OBSERVANCES

May 11, Sunday – Mother’s Day
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

Chris Brown (hip-hopper, Rihanna-beater) … 36
Adele (Adele Laurie Blue Adkins, singer) … 37
Henry Cavill (actor, “The Witcher,” Sherlock Holmes in “Enola Holmes” movies, Superman in several DC movies) … 42
Bill Ward (drummer w Black Sabbath) … 77
John Rhys-Davies (actor, Sallah in the Indiana Jones franchise, Gimli in the Lord of the Rings franchise, “Sliders” … 81
Michael Palin (comedian, actor, travel documentary host, “Monty Python”) … 85
Lance Henriksen (actor, “Better Things,” “Millennium,” ″Aliens”) … 85

Today’s Birthdays grade: An amazing lineup of franchise alums – Monty Python, Superman, Lord of the Rings, Alien – plus an Ozzy Osbourne bandmate; the record-holder for the most top 40 hits of any R&B singer in history, the most RIAA gold-certified singles of any male singer in history, and the most RIAA multi-platinum singles of any male singer in history; and Adele! Grade: A.

[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!

“With comedy, very often you don’t need much to get it wrong.”

(A) Adam Sandler
(B) Will Ferrell
(C) Michael Palin

ANSWER: (C) Michael Palin

THIS DAY IN HISTORY

2015 – Scientists announced the discovery of the oldest and most distant galaxy ever found, EGS-zs8-1, over 13 billion light years from Earth.
* Far out! No, seriously – very, very far out there.

1994 – In a famous international incident, Singapore caned American teenager Michael Fay for vandalism, a day after the sentence was reduced from six lashes to four in response to an appeal by President Clinton, who considered the punishment too harsh.
* Too harsh for vandalism? Have you ever tried to scrub off spray-painted graffiti?

1961 – Astronaut Alan B. Shepard Jr. became America’s first space traveler as he made a 15-minute suborbital flight in a capsule launched from Cape Canaveral, FL.
* Also officially launching the 1960s as the decade of getting high.

1925 – John T. Scopes was arrested in Tennessee for teaching Darwin’s theory of evolution.
* Straight to jail – no monkeying around.

THIS DAY IN MUSIC HISTORY

2005 – Justin Timberlake underwent an operation at Los Angeles’ Cedars Sinai Hospital to remove nodules from his throat.

2002 – Kenny Chesney was at No.1 on the U.S. album chart with “No Shoes, No Shirt.”

2000 – Rod Stewart had a one-hour throat operation at Cedar Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles to remove a growth on his thyroid. The growth turned out to be benign.

1995 – Former Guns N’ Roses drummer Steven Adler was arrested on a felony count of possession of heroin, as well as two misdemeanor drug charges.

1979 – Peaches and Herb started a four-week run at No.1 on the U.S. singles chart with “Reunited.”

1968 – Buffalo Springfield split up. Richie Fury formed Poco and Stephen Stills teamed up with David Crosby and Graham Nash in Crosby Stills & Nash.

1963 – On a recommendation by George Harrison, Dick Rowe, Head of A&R at Decca records, (and the man who turned down The Beatles), went to see The Rolling Stones play at the Crawdaddy Club, London. The band was signed to the label within a week.

1956 – Elvis Presley scored his first U.S. No.1 single and album when “Heartbreak Hotel” went to the top of the charts.

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. 8% of workers surveyed said they’ve done THIS during a conference call. What is it?
Shopped online

2. 15% of people surveyed said THIS is the first thing they would do if they became the boss at work. What is it?
Go on vacation

3. 21% of workers surveyed have used THIS as an excuse for calling in sick. What is it?
They needed more sleep

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