THURSDAY, Aug 1 – DAILY PREP TEXT VERSION

MORNING SIDEKICK DAILY PREP TEXT VERSION FOR THURSDAY, August 1, 2024
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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, or the hundreds of disease awareness listings which occur each year.)

AIR FORCE DAY
The Military website says this:
“Air Force Day was established on August 1, 1947, by President Truman ‘in recognition of the personnel of the victorious Army Air Forces and all those who have developed and maintained our nation’s air strength.’ August 1 was chosen to mark the 40th anniversary of the establishment, in 1907, of the Aeronautical Division in the Office of the Chief Signal Officer of the Army.”

HOMEMADE PIE DAY

NATIONAL GIRLFRIEND’S DAY

NATIONAL RASPBERRY CREAM PIE DAY

RESPECT FOR PARENTS DAY

SPIDER-MAN DAY
Spider-Man entered the comic book universe in August, 1962.

August is:

Black Business Month
Family Fun Month
International Peace Month
National Back to School Month
National Catfish Month
National Crayon Collection Month
National Goat Cheese Month
National Golf Month
National Panini Month
National Peach Month
National Sandwich 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, August 1

“A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder”
Netflix – New Series
Synopsis: Five years after the murder of a 17-year-old girl in a sleepy English town, one student is determined to uncover the truth and find the real killer.

“Batman: Caped Crusader: Season 1”
Prime Video – New Animated Series
Synopsis: Yet another “reimagining” of the Batman mythology.

“Influenced”
Prime Video – New Talk Show
Synopsis: Top content creators Achieng Agutu, Eyal Booker, Tefi Pessoa, Taryn Delanie Smith, and Cyrus Veyssi dive into some of the buzziest topics on social media. They’ll try out some of the hottest trends, share their best life hacks, and talk to celebrities.

“Love Is Blind: Mexico”
Netflix – New Reality Dating Show
Synopsis: Following the format of the original American show, 30 singles begin the 10-episode show by dating each other from behind a wall so participants won’t be distracted by looks and will focus instead on what matters in a romantic relationship. Participants pair up, then propose to their chosen person, and only after that do they get to meet each other face-to-face. The new Love Is Blind couples will then head back to the real world, where they will plan their weddings.

“Miss Teen USA”
The CW – Special Event

Season Premiere:
Netflix – “Unstable”

FRIDAY, August 2

“Cowboy Cartel”
Apple TV+ – New Docuseries
Synopsis: When a rookie FBI agent uncovers a massive money laundering operation in American horse racing, he risks his life to take down the culprits: Mexico’s deadliest cartel.

“Modern Masters: SS Rajamouli”
Netflix – New Documentary
Synopsis: Studies the Indian filmmaker’s creative universe, showcasing his profound influence on Indian and international cinema, his enduring legacy, and his innovative contributions to filmmaking.

“Saving Bikini Bottom: The Sandy Cheeks Movie”
Netflix – New Animated Movie
Synopsis: When Bikini Bottom is scooped out of the ocean and held hostage at a Texas laboratory, it’s up to intrepid squirrel/marine biologist Sandy Cheeks and happy-go-lucky sea sponge SpongeBob SquarePants to find their way to Galveston to rescue their pals and return Bikini Bottom to its rightful place under the sea.

SATURDAY, August 3

“30 for 30: Dude Perfect: A Very Long Shot”
ESPN – New Documentary
Synopsis: Traces the meteoric rise of a group of friends from College Station, Texas, whose backyard antics evolved into a global sports-comedy phenomenon.

“Elizabeth Taylor: The Lost Tapes”
Max – New Documentary
Synopsis: Newly discovered interviews with Elizabeth Taylor and unprecedented access to the star’s personal archive reveal the complex inner life and vulnerability of the groundbreaking icon.

SUNDAY, August 4

“73rd Miss USA Pageant”
The CW – Special Event

OLYMPIC NOTES: THURSDAY, AUGUST 1

(Note: Just to remind you that we have daily funny Olympic Updates in the MP3 column on the Main Prep Page. If you have trouble getting to it, contact us and we’ll help you.)

– Olympic Bonuses: For some Olympic medalists around the world, winners get more than a medal:
– Hong Kong gives gold medalists $768,000; silver medalists $385,000, and bronzers get $190,000.
– Both Serbia and Malaysia offer lifetime pensions to its medalists, with Malaysia’s ranging from $400 to $1,100 per month.
– Lithuania pays the rent for athletes once they retire.
– Poland offers $82,000 for a gold medal, vacation vouchers, an investment-grade diamond, apartments, and a painting by a renowned Polish artist.
– Japanese winners get free bags of rice .
– Indonesian gold medalist badminton players Apriyani Rahayu and Greysia Polii get five cows, a meatball restaurant, and a new house.
– South Koreans earn an exemption from mandatory military service.
– Italy offers medalists a guaranteed job in the military or police service.
– Hungary’s medalists earn a free university education.
– United States gold medalists get a $37,500, $22,000 for silver and $15,000 for bronze.
* Plus US athletes can get their picture taken with Simone Biles, for 20 bucks.

– The Chocolate Muffin Athlete: Norwegian swimmer Henrik Christiansen, who hasn’t medaled, has swept the Internet with his love of France’s chocolate muffins. Christiansen has posted at least 11 TikTok videos in the last five days extolling the “choccy muffins” served in the Olympic Village cafeteria. He calls them “the single greatest thing about the Olympic Village so far.”
* Once again, that’s Norwegian NON-MEDALIST Henrik Christiansen.

– Triathlete Vomits After Swimming In Seine: Canadian triathlete Tyler Mislawchuk barfed at the finish line of the men’s triathlon event Wednesday after swimming in the Seine River, which was criticized for its questionable cleanliness and safeness to compete amid reports of high levels of E. coli and other bacteria. It’s not known whether it was the river water which caused the upchuck or the exhaustion of the physically demanding sport.

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. “Man Breaks His Own World Record For Typing With His Nose”
2. “How Cattle Feed Led To The Creation Of Cheese Puffs”
3. “How Can I Get People To Stop Flushing The Toilet When I’m Talking On The Phone In A Public Bathroom”
And here’s a spare, in case you don’t like one of those three: “I Can’t Stop Looking at the Majestic Horse Pilot on This Star Wars Book Cover”

TALES OF THE ULTRA-RICH

Reddit asked, “What are some things that ultra-rich people do that the average person doesn’t even consider?” Some of the responses:
– “I dated a girl from a super rich family for a couple of years, and every spring, her entire family would go through their closets and donate 90% of their wardrobe and then go out and drop $20k+ on entirely new clothes for the year.”
– “Hiring a stylist to curate new designer furniture for their house when it needs a refresh.”
– “Buying a home for their college-age child. Then, they sell the house when their kid graduates. Sometimes, this sale pays for college.”
– “They call boutique stores ahead of time to say they are coming in on a specific date. The boutique high-end store pulls every super expensive item, complete with accessories, on a rolling rack to have ready. I worked in a high-end store back in the day. If it was on sale, they pulled the sale tag off and literally tried to get rid of all the expensive items.”
– “I know a family that had a vacation home on a beach in Mexico. They owned the small house across the street where they let the caretaker and his family live. The caretaker’s job was to keep the place ready for the family to fly in with three hours notice. The family could call from the US airport at noon. By the time they arrived at 3:00, clean sheets would be on the beds, fresh produce, dairy, and meat in the refrigerator, AC at the right temperature, or a fire burning in the fireplace.”
– “Having separate sets of clothing in each house so they don’t have to take more than carry-on luggage when traveling.”
– “They pay for kidnap insurance.”
* PHONE TOPIC: Do you a tale from the world of the ultra-rich?

U.S. NEWS

LITTLE EGG HARBOR, NEW JERSEY, STINKS FROM FISHKILL

Residents of Osborn Island in Little Egg Harbor, New Jersey, have been forced to remain inside their homes due to the overwhelming smell of rotting fish. Thousands of dead fish have floating up into a lagoon in the area, so many that you can’t see the water for all the carcasses. Officials blame overly-warm water, which leads to lower oxygen levels. They believe most of the dead fish will be naturally removed with the tides.
* A spokesman for the dead fish said, “Yeah, well we’re not so happy with the smell of New Jersey, so there.”
* The stench had people in Little Egg Harbor scrambling to get inside.
* It’s the Circle of Life. The Big, Stinky, Circle of Life.
* I wouldn’t order sushi in town for awhile.
* Bodies clogging the lagoon used to happen all the time back in the 60’s, with Jersey mob victims.
* The fishes are now sleeping with the fishes.

DARK CHOCOLATE IS FULL OF HEAVY METALS, OR MAYBE NOT

A new study finds that dark chocolate products may contain excessive amounts of heavy metals. The research, led by scientists at George Washington University, examined over 70 dark chocolate products from retailers such as Whole Foods Market, Amazon (which owns Whole Foods) and GNC. The products were tested to see whether the heavy metals lead, cadmium or arsenic were in them. They found that 43% of the products studied exceeded acceptable levels of lead and 35% exceeded cadmium levels. According to California guidelines for heavy metals in food, the limit should be 0.5 micrograms a day. The researchers found that their chocolate samples had levels of cadmium, a carcinogen at high levels, ranging from 0.29 to 14.12 micrograms. Surprisingly, organic products were found to contain higher levels of lead and cadmium compared to nonorganic items. On the bright side, none of the dark chocolate products exceeded the maximum level for arsenic. The takeaway from the study: “Don’t have large amounts of dark chocolate every single day.”
* “You got arsenic in my cadmium!” “You got cadmium in my arsenic!”
* The good news: No mercury.
* Organic chocolate products have more lead and cadmium, but the lead and cadmium have no pesticides.
* That’s it, I’m switching to donuts.

TRENDING

CARRIE UNDERWOOD RETURNING TO “AMERICAN IDOL” AS A JUDGE

Carrie Underwood is heading back to “American Idol,” as a judge. The Grammy-winning singer, 41, is expected to be named a new judge of the singing competition show that made her famous. Underwood won season four of the series in 2005, and then went on to become the show’s most successful winner. She will join judges Lionel Richie, 75, and Luke Bryan, 48, while replacing Katy Perry, 39, who announced earlier this year that she would be leaving the show. Perry served as a judge for all seven seasons that aired on ABC.

SQUID GAME SEASON 2 COMING DECEMBER 26

Netflix has finally confirmed a premiere date for the second season of its highly successful South Korean import series Squid Game: December 26, 2024. In addition to the premiere date, Netflix also announced that Squid Game is now confirmed to be a three-season show. That third installment will arrive in 2025.

MAYA RUDOLPH TO PLAY KAMALA HARRIS FOR SNL

No surprise here – comic actress Maya Rudolph will be playing Vice President Kamala Harris on Saturday Night Live in the run-up to the presidential election. Rudolph has already portrayed Harris in several sketches in the past.

COLIN JOST TO HOST “POP CULTURE JEOPARDY”

SNL’s Colin Jost and his infected foot have been hired to host a new version of Jeopardy, “Pop Culture Jeopardy!” coming to Prime video. In this version of Jeopardy, contestants will be tested in categories from TV, movies, plays and social media. Contestants will play in teams of three in the tournament-style event.

PETE DAVIDSON CHECKS INTO MENTAL HEALTH CLINIC

Comedian Pete Davidson, 30, reportedly checked himself into a wellness facility, a source told PEOPLE on Wednesday. Davidson has sought treatment for mental health issues before, most recently in June of 2023 when he entered a facility to help with issues related to his PTSD and borderline personality diagnoses. He has often shared about his experience with sobriety, borderline personality disorder, and severe post traumatic stress disorder. A source has said in the past, “Anyone who knows Pete knows that he will always step up and get help when he knows he needs it.”

JELLY ROLL BECOMES HONORARY DEPUTY

Country music star Jelly Roll was sworn in as a deputy with the Flint, Michigan, Community Cares Task Force. On an Instagram account of the moment Jelly Roll was handed his badge, Jelly can be heard saying, “From convict to deputy.” Flint Sheriff Christopher Swanson Swanson is also heard saying, “This is the real deal. You walk into any facility now, you can tell them you’re a Deputy Sheriff from Genesee County.” Jelly Roll had helped the sheriff start the I.G.N.I.T.E. Program at the Genesee County Jail, which helps inmates earn their GED while behind bars. The country music star was arrested when he was 16 and charged as an adult with aggravated robbery and possession with intent to sell. He served over a year in prison and seven years of probation, during which he cleaned up his act, took it on the road and became a big country star.

ALMANAC

NOTABLE DATES, UPCOMING U.S. OBSERVANCES

Sept. 2, Monday – Labor Day
Sept. 11, Wednesday – Patriot Day
Sept. 20, Friday – National POW/MIA Recognition Day (The third Friday of September)
Sept. 23, Sunday – Fall begins (Autumn Equinox is 8:44 a.m. EDT)
Oct. 14, Monday – Columbus Day
Oct. 16, Wednesday – National Boss’s Day
Oct. 31, Thursday – Halloween

BIRTHDAYS

Jason Momoa (actor) … 45
Sam Mendes (producer/director, “Penny Dreadful,” “Spectre,” “Skyfall”) … 59
Adam Duritz (singer, Counting Crows) … 60
Joe Elliott (vocalist with Def Leppard) … 65

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

“I got called ‘pretty boy’ my whole life.”

(A) Mark Zuckerberg
(B) Post Malone
(C) Jason Momoa

ANSWER: (C) Jason Momoa

THIS DAY IN HISTORY

2020 – Egypt told Elon Musk its pyramids were not built by aliens, after Musk tweeted in support of a conspiracy theory that they did.
* And Musk responded “That’s just what I would expect extraterrestrial lizard people to say.”

1988 – Conservative commentator Rush Limbaugh began broadcasting his nationally syndicated radio program.
* And quickly fixed all our problems!

1958 – The first trip under the North Pole was made by the U.S. atomic sub USS Nautilus.
* They were conducting surveillance to see if Santa had completed his naughty & nice list.

1957 – America’s first commercial building heated by solar power opened.
* Three months later, the owners got a utility bill from God.

1873 – San Francisco’s cable cars began regular service.
* I heard they’re upgrading to satellite dish.

1819 – The first coast-to-coast automobile trip was completed, from San Francisco to New York.
* Followed by the first stealing of a car to strip it down and sell it for parts.

THIS DAY IN MUSIC HISTORY

2007 – John Lennon’s “granny” sunglasses were snapped up by a British collector at an auction. The sunglasses, from one of the last Beatles concerts in 1966, were expected to fetch around £1m, but auction bosses refused to say what the actual figure was. Lennon gave the gold-rimmed glasses to his Japanese interpreter in Tokyo in 1966, and the translator removed the lenses when Lennon died.

2007 – Eminem’s publishing company was seeking more than $75,000 for copyright infringement and unfair competition against computer firm Apple for allegedly selling his music on iTunes without permission. Apple was paying Eminem’s record label for each download – but Eight Mile Style argued it had not approved the deal. The suit was settled out of court with no details revealed.

2007 – Prince kicked off a series of 21 sold out UK shows at London’s O2 arena. Tickets for the events cost £31.21 – the same figure used by the singer to name his album, website and perfume. After completing the 21 nights the Jehovah’s Witness was planning to take time out to study the Bible.

2002 – A new book “Show the Girl the Door,” written by a former tour manager, disclosed some strange demands by female acts. It revealed that Shania Twain would travel with a sniffer dog in case of bombs. Jennifer Lopez liked her dressing room to be all white, including carpets flowers and furniture. Cher would have high security rooms for her wigs. Janet Jackson would have a full medical team on standby including a nurse and throat specialist, and Britney Spears would demand her favorite Gummie Bear candies.

1994 – Michael Jackson and Lisa Marie Presley announced that they were married 11 weeks earlier in a private ceremony in the Dominican Republic. Rumors of the marriage between the pop superstar and the only child of Elvis Presley had circulated after a Dominican official said he had been paid $50 to perform the ceremony.

1986 – The Grateful Dead’s Jerry Garcia was released from the hospital after coming out of a three-week coma caused by diabetes.

1981 – MTV premiered at 12:01 AM.

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 study, men think they are better at doing THIS than they really are. What is it?
Math

2. In a recent survey, men named THIS as their least favorite outdoor chore. What is it?
Cleaning the gutters

3. In an average year, almost 4,000 men are injured doing THIS. What is it?
Vacuuming

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