THURSDAY, Apr 4 – DAILY PREP TEXT VERSION

MORNING SIDEKICK DAILY PREP TEXT VERSION FOR THURSDAY, April 4, 2024
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COMEDY MP3s POSTED ON OUR PREP SITE FOR TODAY: NEVER PAY NO TAXES AGAIN SEMINAR; 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, or the hundreds of disease awareness listings which occur each year.)

NATIONAL BURRITO DAY – See story below

NATIONAL CORDON BLEU DAY
The Foodimentary website says this:
“Five Food Finds about Cordon Bleu
The phrase Cordon Bleu means Blue Ribbon when referring to the dish.
Another use of the phrase Cordon Bleu comes from a distinguished order of sixteenth-century French knights, who apparently wore blue sashes and were therefore popularly referred to as the Cordon-bleus.
Cordon Bleu is a thinly pounded piece of meat (most often chicken, but also veal or pork) stuffed with ham and cheese, then breaded and fried.
Chicken Cordon Bleu is a relatively recent American creation, first found mentioned in writing in 1967.
Common variations on this recipe include baking instead of frying, skipping the breading, and switching the order of the meats.”

SCHOOL LIBRARIAN DAY
The Holiday Insights website says this:
“School Librarian Day honors those who serve our young students so well in the local school libraries. The education of young minds needs to be nurtured and fed. Feeding those minds with good quality, yet challenging reading material and reference materials is what school librarians excel at. Take a minute today to appreciate all the hard work that a school librarian does daily, and the patience the librarian displays, as he or she aids our youth. You may choose to show your appreciation to School Librarians in a variety of ways, including:
Give the librarian a big smile and a big ‘Thank You!’
Tell you librarian that she is doing a wonderful job.
Send an Ecard.
Buy an age appropriate book or reference material, and donate it to the library.”

VITAMIN C DAY
Vitamin C was first isolated by C.C. King at the University of Pittsburgh on April 4, 1932.

WORLD RAT DAY
The Days Of The Year website says this:
“Get two things straight right away – rats aren’t dirty, and James Cagney never said it! These are just two of the myths and misconceptions that World Rat Day hopes to dispel as it celebrates the joys of fancy rats. Anyone who keeps rats as pets or companions is already in on the secret: these animals are friendly, loyal, intelligent, and very endearing. Unfortunately they’ve had a bit of bad press over the years, what with the Black Death, Bubonic Plague and a thousand Pacific islands which have had their native wildlife chewed down to ground level and beyond. But what’s a few environmental and social catastrophes between friends? Once you get to know rats on a one-to-one basis, then all of their finer qualities will come to the fore. Why not drop in to your local World Rat Day event and discover just how adorably lovable they really are?”

April is:

Adopt a Greyhound Month
Car Care Month
Celebrate Diversity Month
D.E.A.R Drop Everything and Read Month
International Guitar Month
Jazz Appreciation Month
Keep America Beautiful Month
National Card and Letter Writing Month
National Garden Month
National Humor Month
National Poetry Month

ENTERTAINMENT & CELEBRITIES

WHAT TO WATCH – New and Returning Shows and Movies
Premiering Thursday through Sunday
Listings sourced from the TV Guide and EW websites

THURSDAY, Apr 4

“Hop”
Max – New Preschoolers Animated Series
Synopsis: Features a cast of characters who all have some type of disability, whose comedic adventures are intended to teach preschoolers to embrace differences in themselves and others.

“Ripley”
Netflix – New Series
Synopsis: In this adaptation of The Talented Mr. Ripley, Ripley travels from New York to Italy to help convince a wealthy man’s layabout son to return from an extended vacation.

Season Premieres:
Food Network – “Spring Baking Championship”
Paramount+ – “Star Trek: Discovery”

FRIDAY, Apr 5

“Dinosaur”
Hulu – New UK Comedy Series
Synopsis: Nina, a 30-something woman with autism, has her entire world shaken up when her sister Evie, also her best friend, hastily decides to get engaged, threatening to upend the dynamics of their close relationship.

“Girls State”
Apple TV+ – New Documentary
Synopsis: A follow-up to Boys State, follows high school girls in a summer leadership program that culminates in a convention where a mock government is set up, complete with candidates creating political parties and running for office.

“How to Date Billy Walsh”
Prime Video – New Movie
Synopsis: UK Teenagers Amelia and Archie have been best friends since childhood. Just when Archie builds up the courage to declare his feelings, Amelia falls head over heels for Billy Walsh, the new American transfer student. Heartbroken Archie goes to great lengths to try and keep Amelia and Billy away from each other but ends up pushing them closer together and risks losing his best friend in the process.

“Mary & George”
Starz – New Series
Synopsis: A desperate countess, terrified of losing her fortune and social standing, transforms her son into the ideal lover for King James I. Together, mother and son scheme, deceive, and murder their way to power.

“Parasyte: The Grey”
Netflix – New Series
Synopsis: Korean sci-fi about parasitic aliens from outer space that use humans as hosts and then commit murder using their bodies.

“Scoop”
Netflix – New Movie
Synopsis: An insider account of how the women of “Newsnight” secured Prince Andrew’s infamous 2019 interview about his friendship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

“Sugar”
Apple TV+ – New Series
Synopsis: Colin Farrell stars in and executive produces this series about a detective tracking the mysterious disappearance of the beloved granddaughter of a legendary Hollywood producer.

“The Antisocial Network: Memes to Mayhem”
Netflix – New Documentary
Synopsis: From the rise of QAnon to the January 6th riots, explains how a group of bored teenagers built an online community out of their shared loneliness but accidentally shattered consensus reality in the process.

“The Zone of Interest”
Max – Movie
Synopsis: The Best Picture nominee comes to streaming. Looks at the Holocaust from the viewpoint of Rudolf Höss, the commandant of Auschwitz, and his family as they live next door to the death they order but go about their lives with striking mundanity.

Season Premieres:
Disney+ – “Monsters at Work”
Fox – “Alert: Missing Persons,” “The Cleaning Lady”

SATURDAY, Apr 6

“Alex Edelman: Just for Us”
HBO – Comedy Special
Synopsis: In the wake of online anti-Semitic threats, Edelman covertly attends a meeting of white nationalists and comes face-to-face with the people behind the keyboards.

“Two for One”
TCM – New Series
Synopsis: A selection of famous directors each choose two movies to show, and are interviewed by host Ben Mankiewicz about their choices.

Season Premieres:
Fox – “Animal Control,” “The Masked Singer”
Hulu – “Extraordinary”

SUNDAY, Apr 7

“2024 CMT Music Awards”
CBS – Awards Show

“Space Shuttle Columbia: The Final Flight”
CNN – New Docuseries
Synopsis: Rehashes the 2003 Space Shuttle disaster.

Season Premiere:
MGM+ – “Beacon 23”

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. “Can Tiny Pineapples Solve Big Problems?”
2. “I’m A Psychologist – Here’s What Your Favorite Doughnut Says About You”
3. “Beyoncé’s Assless Chaps Send a Deeper Message Than You Might Think”
And here’s a spare, in case you don’t like one of those three: “Is the World Ready for Plant-Based Octopus?”

SCIENCE EXPERIMENT: WEAR RED & GREEN DURING THE ECLIPSE

Here’s a little science experiment you can do during the solar eclipse this coming Monday. If you wear read and green you can experience the Purkinje Effect. During a solar eclipse’s intermediate phase, which is about four to five minutes before totality, you’ll be in twilight. During this phase, things will appear less colorful. Greens will actually appear brighter and reds will get darker. If you want to know why this happens: Light passes through what are called rods and cones in your eyes. Rods are responsible for vision in low light and cones are responsible for vision in brighter light. Cones aren’t sensitive enough to pick up dim light, so those colors fade. But the rods pick up blue-green colors under low light.
* Finally, an experiment lamer than a baking soda volcano.
* Red and green? We need to move the eclipse to Christmas.
* ♫♪ “When the light level dips in a solar eclipse / That’s Purkinje!” ♪♪
* ♪♫ “When the red that you’ve seen is less brighter than green / That’s Purkinje…” ♫♫
* Purkinje is delicious lightly breaded and fried with onions.

TO RETIRE, YOU NEED $1.46 MILLION

According to a survey of 4,588 adults conducted by Northwestern Mutual, the average amount of money Americans feel they would need to retire comfortably is $1.46 million, an increase of 15% over last year’s $1.27 million. On the other hand, those same people surveyed by Northwestern Mutual have saved an average of $88,400 for retirement.
– Meanwhile, Northwest Mutual recommends that, for retirement, you save 10 times your salary by age 67. So if you pull in $80,000 a year, that would mean having $800,000 saved.
* I really love these wacky news stories, don’t you?
* $1.46 million. This is a shame, because cat food doesn’t taste nearly as good as you might think.
* A 15% increase over last year? Thanks, Biden.
* It’s $1.46 million to be comfortable. What if you just want to retire loose-fitting?

U.S. NEWS

FREEBIES! IT’S NATIONAL BURRITO DAY!

Today, April 4th, is National Burrito Day. Many burrito restaurants are giving away freebies; here is how you can score a free burrito today. Pay attention, there are a lot of rules:
– Taco Bell: buy one burrito through the Taco Bell app, you can get a second one of equal or lesser value for 50% off (1 per user).
– Also through the Taco Bell app: Order through Grubhub and get a free burrito with an order of $22 or more. Order through Taco Bell Uber Eats: Buy one Beefy 5-Layer Burrito and get one of equal or lesser value free.
– Baja Fresh: Buy one get, one free burrito, but you have to be a member of the Club Baja Rewards loyalty program. Order online at bajafresh.com using the code BURRITO2024 to get this limited-time offer.
– Bubbakoo’s Burritos: buy-one-get-one-free burrito. You must be a member of the restaurant’s Green Room loyalty program.
– Dog Haus: Buy one, get one free if you order through the Haus Rewards app. Must be a registered user to get the BOGO coupon in the app.
– El Pollo Loco: Members of its Loco Rewards loyalty program will get a buy-one-get-one free burrito offer. Good one time only.
– Fuzzy’s Taco Shop: For members of its Fuzzy’s Rewards loyalty program. Buy a burrito on April 4 and you’ll get a reward for a free burrito April 5-30 with any $5 purchase (good for dine-in, to go and online ordering, but not valid on third-party delivery orders).
– Moe’s Southwest Grill: Buy one, get one free burrito or bowl when ordering online, in-store, or on the Moe’s Rewards App.
– Pancheros Mexican Grill: They will post a unique code on its accounts on Facebook, Instagram and X. The first 10,000 fans to enter the code into the Pancheros app will a code for a free burrito. You have to download the app and create a Burritos with Benefits account ahead of the giveaway to receive the reward.
– Qdoba: Get a free burrito with the purchase of an entrée and drink if you are a member of the Qdoba Rewards loyalty program.
* By my reckoning, with the buy-ones and the get-ones-free, that’s a total of 12 burritos. Now I gotta find someone to buy the beer.
* Don’t miss these free burrito offers, ’cause they’ll be gone by tamale.
* To paraphrase Star Wars Day May 4th: May the farts be with you.
* Still waiting for someone to announce National Filet Mignon Day.
* There’s everything you need to know about free burritos. So that’s a wrap.

AUDIO: WHEEL OF FLORIDA MAN: MAN HITS WALGREENS CLERK IN FACE WITH A _________

Time to play Wheel of Florida Man! Have listeners guess the missing word in the headline.
Headline: A Florida Man hit a Walgreens clerk in the face with a ________.
Answer: A Bible!
Police say Peter Owens, 35, went to a Walgreens store in Clearwater, Florida on Easter Sunday to buy a pair of headphones. Owens got into a verbal altercation with an employee over the headphones. When the store manager approached Owens and asked him to leave, Mr. Owens took the brown Bible in his hand and struck the her in the face once before leaving the store. Police later located Owens and took him into custody. Owens reportedly admitted to striking the woman in the face with his Bible because “she was being rude to him.”
* Florida is full of Bible bangers, I hear.
* Did the store manager “turn the other cheek” for another whack?
* It’s right there in the Bible, Book of Earbuds Chapter 16, verse 9 – “And ye shall smite your enemies, along with those selling you headphones with great difficulty.”
* At least it wasn’t a Gutenberg bible. Those things weigh about 60 pounds!
CLIP: “Wheel of Florida Man” sounder.
CLIP URL: morningsidekick(dot)com/prep/wp-content/uploads/WheelOfFloridaMan-Intro(dot)mp3

LOUISIANA GOVERNOR WANTS TO PUNISH ATHLETES WHO ARE NOT ON THE COURT FOR THE NATIONAL ANTHEM

Louisiana’s governor Jeff Landry has now called for punishing student athletes who aren’t on the court when the national anthem is played. During Monday night’s LSU game against Iowa, LSU was not on the court when the anthem was played. LSU coach Kim Mulkey said it wasn’t intentional, it was just the team’s pregame routine. Mulket said, “We kind of have a routine when they’re on the floor (pregame) and they come off at the 12-minute mark” and go back into the locker room. Governor Landry posted on X that he feels changes are needed. College boards, including LSU’s regents, Landry said, should “put a policy in place that student-athletes be present for the national anthem or risk their athletic scholarship! This is a matter of respect that all collegiate coaches should instill.”
* You will respect the authoritah!
* Plus, any player that can’t hit the high note of the Start Spangled banner has to sit out ten minutes of the game.
* Student athletes who miss no playings of the National Anthem will receive official America Loyalty Cards and USA forehead tattoos.
* Not sitting through the national anthem is just another perk of being a college athlete.
* Lucky for Louisiana, they have no problems the governor should be focusing on.
* PHONE TOPIC: Should players be required to be on the court during the National Anthem?

TRENDING

TAYLOR SWIFT IS A BILLIONAIRE

Taylor Swift is now a billionaire, according to Forbes magazine’s yearly billionaires rankings. Forbes reported Tuesday that Swift has a personal fortune of an estimated $1.1 billion. That figure put her at No. 2,545 in the billionaire rankings. In total, 2,781 people have a net worth of at least 10 figures, according to the magazine.

KRISTEN WIIG BRINGS TARGET LADY CHARACTER TO TARGET COMMERCIAL

Kristen Wiig has reprised her fan-favorite “Saturday Night Live” role as the over-enthusiastic Target lady in a series of real commercials for the real Target. In the ads, Wiig can be seen wearing her bowl-cut wig an red Target vest as she wanders through the aisles rattling off random benefits of joining Target Circle.

HOW REBEL WILSON LOST HER VIRGINITY AT 35. AND WHY.

Do you want to hear how and why Rebel Wilson lost her virginity? Sure you do. Wilson writes hat she was motivated to lose her virginity after her discovering her mother had breast cancer. She writes, “Life IS short. I didn’t want to live my life without experiencing sex. Experiencing love. I Just put it out into the universe that I was finally ready. I was going to feel the fear and just do it” with the next guy that came along. And that lucky guy was actor and comedian Mickey Gooch Jr. Wilson was set up on a date with Gooch, and she instantly found him “sexy.” It was a month after they started dating that Wilson felt ready to sleep with him, and invited him to come to NYC to stay with her. Afterwards, she wanted to be with him “all the time”. The relationship ended around six months later, although the pair have remained good friends. As for waiting so long, Wilson says, I think that could be a positive message. You obviously don’t have to wait until you’re in your thirties like me, but you shouldn’t feel pressure as a young person.”
Meanwhile… the book, Rebel Rising has seemingly been pulled from shelves in Australia. It was scheduled for release Wednesday, April 3, however numerous retailers have removed the book from their websites. Amazon made the memoir unavailable to order, and noted to customers: “We don’t know when or if this item will be back in stock.” On Booktopia.com the book is currently listed as “Unavailable” with no date listed as to when the memoir will be back on-sale. It might have something to do with her accusations of abusive conduct of Sacha Baron Cohen, with who she worked on his movie “The Brothers Grimsby,” which he vehemently denies.

ALMANAC

NOTABLE DATES, UPCOMING U.S. OBSERVANCES

April 8, Monday – Total Solar Eclipse
April 15, Monday – U.S. Tax Day
May 12, Sunday – Mother’s Day
May 27, Monday – Memorial Day
June 14, Friday – Flag Day
June 16, Sunday – Father’s Day
June 20, Thursday – Summer begins (The June solstice occurs at 4:50 P.M. EST)

BIRTHDAYS

Jamie Lynn Spears (actress, singer, “Zoey 101,” sister of Britney) … 33
Natasha Lyonne (actress, writer/producer, “Poker Face,” “Russian Doll,” “Orange Is The New Black”) … 45
David Blaine (magician, illusionist, endurance artist) … 51
Robert Downey, Jr. (actor) … 59
David Cross (actor, comedian, “Arrested Development,” the “Alvin and the Chipmunks” movies, “Mr. Show”) … 60
David E. Kelley (writer/producer, “Big Little Lies,” Ally McBeal,” “The Practice,” “Boston Legal”) … 68
Steve Gatlin (singer, Gatlin Brothers) … 73
Craig T. Nelson (actor, “Grace and Frankie,” “Parenthood,” “Poltergeist”) … 80

BIRTHDAY QUOTE QUIZ – Ask your listeners “Who said it?” HINT: Today’s their birthday!

“I know very little about acting. I’m just an incredibly gifted faker.”

(A) Arnold Schwarzenegger
(B) Sylvester Stallone
(C) Robert Downey, Jr.

ANSWER: (C) Robert Downey, Jr.

THIS DAY IN HISTORY

2017 – Alibaba became the world’s largest retailer according to US Securities and Exchange Commission.
* Sorry, Walmart.

1958 – The first protest march against nuclear weapons was held.
* Basically, nuclear weapons stopped being cool once other countries got them.

1932 – Vitamin C was first isolated at the University of Pittsburgh.
* Although it would be some 60 years before she had a hit record.

1818 – Congress decided the U.S. flag would consist of 13 red and white stripes and 20 stars, with a new star to be added for every new state.
* It beat out Benjamin Franklin’s idea that each state should be represented by a delicious chocolate cake.

1581 – Frances Drake completed the circumnavigation of the world.
* “And All I Got was This Lousy T-Shirt!”

THIS DAY IN MUSIC HISTORY

2008 – Procol Harum singer Gary Brooker won back full royalty rights to the band’s worldwide hit, “A Whiter Shade of Pale,” at London’s Court of Appeal. The decision overturned a 2006 ruling that organist Matthew Fisher was entitled to a 40% portion of royalties on the 1967 hit after he argued he had written the song’s organ melody. The court ruled there was an “excessive delay” in the claim being made – nearly 40 years after the song was recorded.

2008 – Beyonce Knowles married Jay-Z at his New York apartment. Coldplay frontman Chris Martin and wife Gwyneth Paltrow and Beyonce’s former bandmates in Destiny’s Child, Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams all attended the private ceremony.

2004 – Usher was at No.1 on the U.S. album chart with “Confessions,” the singer’s second U.S. No.1.

2003 – 50 Cent’s latest album “Get Rich or Die Tryin'” sold more than four million copies in two months.

1998 – K-Ci & Jojo started a three-week run at No.1 on the U.S. singles chart with “All My Life.”

1992 – The film soundtrack from “Wayne’s World” started a two-week run at No.1 on the U.S. album chart.

1987 – Starship started a two-week run at No.1 on the U.S. singles chart with “Nothin’s Gonna Stop Us,” taken from the film “Mannequin.”

1981 – Styx went to No.1 on the U.S. album chart with “Paradise Theater.”

1970 – Crosby Stills Nash & Young went to No.1 on the U.S. album chart with “Deja Vu.”

1964 – The Beatles held the top five places in the U.S. singles chart, at No. 5 “Please Please Me,” No.4 “I Want To Hold Your Hand,” No.3, “Roll Over Beethoven,” No.2 “Love Me Do” and at No.1 “Can’t Buy Me Love.”

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. Nearly 40% of women surveyed said they have tried to cut back on THIS. What is it?
Gossiping

2. 25% of women say they don’t like THIS about their friends. What is it?
Their engagement ring

3. Nine out of ten women surveyed said they feel bad when they do THIS. What is it?
Look in the mirror

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