THURSDAY, Dec 1 – DAILY PREP TEXT VERSION

MORNING SIDEKICK DAILY PREP TEXT VERSION FOR THURSDAY, December 1, 2022
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COMEDY MP3s POSTED ON OUR PREP SITE FOR TODAY: PROMOS-TO-GO

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.)

CIVIL AIR PATROL BIRTHDAY
The Edwards Air Force Base website says this:
“In the late 1930’s Gill Robb Wilson, legendary New Jersey aviation advocate, visualized general aviation as a potential supplement for United States military operations. With the help of New York mayor Fiorello La Guardia, on Dec. 1, 1941, the Civil Air Patrol was formed just six days before the United States entered Wold War II. Today CAP is an auxiliary of the U.S. Air Force, and is currently known for its three main missions: aerospace education, cadet programs, and emergency services.”

EAT A RED APPLE DAY
The Holiday Insights website says this:
“Eat a Red Apple Day is today. We hope you eat an apple today, and every day. Apples are delicious. Apples are nutritious. That’s a great combination. It is really easy to participate in this special day. There are thousands of varieties of apples grown all over the planet. Your mission today, is to pick an apple among all of these varieties, and eat it. A little apple trivia: The science of growing apples is called pomology. Celebrate this special day and have a happy Eat a Red Apple Day.”

NATIONAL PIE DAY

WORLD AIDS AWARENESS DAY
The Holiday Insights website says this:
“World Aids Awareness Day is today, created in 1988 by the United Nations World Health Organization. This day is noted around the world, by fundraisers, educational programs, and events. HIV/AIDS is one of the worlds biggest medical crises. It is estimated that approximately 40 million people in the world currently have aids. One million of them are in the United States. Each year, over 40,000 new cases are reported in the U.S. On this day, there are a number of things you can do. They include: Learn more about HIV/AIDs; Promote education about this disease, and protection against it; help people with AIDS; donate to the fight to end this disease.”

December is:

Exotic/Tropical Fruits Month
National Egg Nog Month
National Fruit Cake Month
National Stress-Free Family Holiday Month
National Write a Business Plan Month
Safe Toys and Gifts Month
Tomato Month
Winter Squash Month

ENTERTAINMENT & CELEBRITIES

WHAT TO WATCH – New and Returning Shows and Movies
Premiering Thursday through Sunday

THURSDAY, Dec 1

“Branson”
HBO – New Docuseries
Synopsis: Profiles highflying tycoon Richard Branson, who built an empire around the Virgin brand.

“The Territory”
Nat Geo – New Documentary
Synopsis: Provides an immersive look at the tireless fight of the Amazon’s indigenous Uru-eu-wau-wau people against the encroaching deforestation brought by farmers and illegal settlers.

“Bosé”
Paramount+ – New Series
Synopsis: A biopic of the famed Spanish singer-songwriter Miguel Bosé.

Season Premieres:
HBO Max – “Gossip Girl;” “Sort Of”

FRIDAY, Dec 2

“Riches”
Amazon Prime Video – New Series
Synopsis: Amazon Prime’s version of “Succession.” An exorbitantly wealthy family spins out into chaos after the sudden death of their patriarch. His body isn’t even cold before his cutthroat adult children plot ways to tear each other apart as they scramble for control of his cosmetics empire.

“Lady Chatterly’s Lover”
Netflix – New Movie
Synopsis: Unhappily married aristocrat Lady Chatterley begins a torrid affair — and falls deeply in love — with the gamekeeper on her husband’s country estate.

“Scrooge: A Christmas Carol”
Netflix – Animated Kids’ Musical
Synopsis: On a cold Christmas Eve, selfish miser Ebenezer Scrooge has one night left to face his past — and change the future — before time runs out.

“Sr.”
Netflix – New Documentary
Synopsis: Robert Downey Jr. pays tribute to his late father in this documentary chronicling the life and eclectic career of pioneering filmmaker Robert Downey Sr.

“Bros”
Peacock – New Movie
Synopsis: Two gay men in Manhattan who avoid commitment are drawn to each other.

Season Premieres:
Apple TV+ – “Slow Horses”
Netflix – “Firefly Lane;” “My Unorthodox Life”

SUNDAY, Dec 4

“George & Tammy”
Showtime – New Series
Synopsis: A chronicle of the country music power couple, Tammy Wynette and George Jones, whose complicated-but-enduring relationship inspired some of the most iconic music of all time.

Season Premiere:
HGTV – “Home Town”

“GOOD MORNING AMERICA” HOSTS HAVING LONG-TERM AFFAIR

It turns out two hosts of Good Morning America have been having an affair. The New York Post – who else? – made the revelation Wednesday that co-anchors T.J. Holmes and Amy Robach, hosts of GMA 3, the lunchtime hour of the program, have left their respective partners after a months-long affair. A source tells the Post their romance began in March around the time they were training together for the New York City half marathon. The pair were spotted “canoodling” in bars near ABC News back in May, the source claims. The two left their spouses in August and went to extreme lengths to hide their affair.
* I guess a raging affair would definitely help you have more good mornings.
* I realize that I should know who these people are, but… hey – WORKIN’ HERE!
* For a moment I was afraid it was going to be George Stephanopoulos and Michael Strahan.
* Maybe their exes could score a slot on one of “The Bachelor” shows.

WHAT BUGS YOU ABOUT MOVIES THESE DAYS?

Reddit asked, What bugs you the most about movies these days? Just some of the hundreds of responses:
– “Comedies. Ever since the Anchorman era, they just let a comedian riff for 20 minutes, take the best take and move on to next funny situation.”
– “The MCU. It’s ‘serious thing happens’ then jokejokejokejoke.”
– “A character saying ‘Well… that just happened’ or ‘Well… that’s a thing.’ Or, ‘They fly now?’ ‘They fly now.'”
– “The obligatory ‘that character has a funny name!’ joke.”
– “The disparity in volume – explosions are so loud that they hurt and conversations are whispers. Everything but the dialogue is too loud.” (* OK, Boomer!)
– “When characters refuse to talk blatantly just to extend conflict, that’s insufferable.”
– “How dark they are. Like literally dark. It’s difficult to see what’s going on.”
– “Hoardes of bad guys are all just ‘non-playable characters’ dressed in black. There’s an ‘army’ of bad guys that all look the same and are just there to be wiped away with ease. You see it in Avengers, Suicide Squad and loads of others.”
– “Trailers. They’re always about 4 minutes long, give away the entire plot, show all the best scenes and jokes and basically ruin the movie before you’ve even watched it.”
– “Reboots. “Wednesday’ isn’t a bad show it just feels like I’ve already watched it eighty times.”
– “The classic Netflix color filter to show a foreign country. Every film set in Mexico has that beige tone to it.”
* I’m going with the obligatory “dancing in the kitchen scene.”
* How about the perfect two hour movie that’s been stretched into a 10-part miniseries? Episode 1: two characters have sex in a public place within the first three minutes. Episode 3: New characters are introduced before you are clear on the main characters. Episode 4: The flashback, featuring new actors as the younger characters. Episode 6: Suddenly, you’re in a foreign country with subtitles for 10 minutes. Episode 9: The unnecessary cliffhanger. Episode 10: You’re supposed to remember something that happened on episode 1.
* This is in almost every movie: When the star has to go on a mission/solve a problem/take a trip, they inevitably end up meeting and working with someone of the opposite sex who 1) Is good-looking; 2) Is just the right age; 3) Is single. (* For example, the Jack Reacher character in the Amazon series ends up in a small town where the cop he works with is cute, his age, and single, and they quickly end up in the shower together. Because why would a cop ever be 58 years old, twice divorced, with three grandkids?)
* But here’s the biggest, stupidest thing in the movies: When you go online and see the headline, “What you need to know before you see Doctor Strange/Avatar 2/Babylon/Spider-Man 14/Puss In Boots…” I thought high school was the end of homework.
* PHONE TOPIC: What bugs you about movies these days?

THE BUZZ

THREE 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. “Scientists Discover Why Fish Look Down When They Swim”
2. “I Text Myself All Day Every Day — And You Should, Too”
3. “What If A Hamburger Had Feelings?”
And here’s a spare, in case you don’t like one of those three: “Holiday Carbface Is Real”

THE MOST UNDERRATED CHRISTMAS GIFT

Reddit recently asked: “What is the most underrated Christmas gift you ever gave or received?” Some of the answers:
– “Doing a White Elephant thing at work, I got a 124-pack of toilet paper. Everybody laughed and thought it was funny, but I’ve never even come close to receiving a gift as amazing as that.”
– “Extra phone chargers and wire organizers. It’s something I’d probably not think about until it happens, and then, I’m scrambling to find a charger before my phone dies.”
– “Restaurant gift cards, especially for local, non-chain restaurants.”
– “Nice sheets or towels. Everybody enjoys them, but no one I know can ever justify spending good money on sheets or towels.”
– “”Nice, comfy pajamas — I never buy them for myself.”
– “Flashlights, little kids love them and adults don’t know they need them.”
– “A bidet, better than sliced bread.” (* Uhh, I think you’re using it wrong.)
– “One year, when I didn’t have much money but a lot of wrapping paper, I bought random groceries and wrapped them. No one complained.”
– “My grandma would give me gas cards. Boss move”
– “Socks. Socks and chap-stick.”
– “A corn scraper for my feet.”
– “I tell my grandkids, “If I have to find a place to put it, I don’t want it.”
* Then, weed it is, grandma!
* Uh – how can you tell if someone you know needs a corn scraper?
* It’s true: Little things mean a lot.
* Or the secret is to lower your expectations.

U.S. NEWS

THE DISAPPEARING MOTEL BATHTUB

Hotel bathtubs are rapidly disappearing from hotel rooms. Kellie Sirna, of the hospitality design firm Studio 11 Design, says hotels are increasingly removing their tub and shower combinations and replacing them with more modern shower-only setups. According to Sirna, guests are increasingly interested in more space, more sustainable hotel options and, maybe more than anything, cleanliness, when they travel. With many hotels still so short of housekeeping and other staff, shower-only bathrooms could potentially cut down on cleaning times, giving housekeeping staff more time to properly sanitize rooms.
* I know what you’re thinking: “Now where will I chill my victims to harvest their kidneys for sale on the black market???”
* First the mint on the pillow goes, and now this.
* I suppose Motel 6 is going to give up the bath towel animal sculptures on the pillow, too?
* Meh. Those bathtubs never could fit anyone bigger than a six-year-old.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

BUDDHIST MONKS TEST POSITIVE FOR METH

A Buddhist temple in central Thailand has been left without monks after all of its holy men failed drug tests and were defrocked. Four monks at a temple in Bung Sam Phan district tested positive for methamphetamine on Monday. The monks have been sent to a health clinic to undergo drug rehabilitation. The temple is now empty of monks and nearby villagers are concerned they cannot practice their religious obligations, which largely involves donating food to the monks as a good deed. A local official said more monks will be sent to the temple to allow villagers to feed them.
* If it’s yummy Thai food, they could ship it right here.
* Sounds like someone was taking a faster path to enlightenment.
* You know, I’m wondering if food was all the villagers were donating to them.
* “C’mon, c’mon, gimme the food! I’ve got Four Noble Truths to get through, I haven’t got all day.”
* It’s weird to go on that “Faces of Meth” website and find a bunch of guys in orange robes.

ANOTHER AUSTRALIAN THING THAT WILL KILL YOU: COCKATOOS

The City Council of Melbourne, Australia has issued a public warning after a cockatoo was filmed picking up potted plants on an apartment balcony and then dropping them onto the sidewalk four stories below. The video filmed on Monday shows the sulphur-crested cockatoo on apartment building, happily dropping the plants as bystanders watched. A man riding past on a mobility scooter was among those almost hit. The city council was made aware of the footage and has urged residents to remove potted plants and other sources of food from apartment balconies to stop attracting birds. Cockatoos have become a pest in many urban areas.
* Just another tool in the Australian arsenal.
* Ukraine is wondering if Australia could ship a few thousand of those birds to Russia.
* This is not the first thing that comes to mind when you think ‘bird droppings.’
* Why can’t they drop good stuff – like apartment renters wallets?
* They should start messing with the cockatoos – superglue the pots to the balcony.

TRENDING

SPOTIFY’S TOP STREAMS FOR 2022

Spotify has announced its top artists, songs and albums of 2022.
– Bad Bunny was the most-streamed artist globally on Spotify for the third consecutive year, with more than 18.5 billion streams in 2022. Taylor Swift was the second most-streamed artist, followed by Drake, The Weekend and K-pop group BTS.
– Bad Bunny also had the most-streamed album globally in 2022 with Un Verano Sin Ti.
– Harry Styles’ song “As It Was” was the most-streamed song of 2022, with more than 1.6 billion streams globally.

CHRISTINE MCVIE DIES AT 79

Singer-songwriter-keyboardist Christine McVie, longtime member of Fleetwood Mac even before the group’s multi-platinum success of the late ‘70s, died Wednesday after a short illness. She was 79. Her family released a statement, saying she passed away peacefully at a hospital in the company of her family. She had initial chart success in 1969 performing under the name Christine Perfect as a member of the British blues-rock combo Chicken Shack. She played with an early lineup of Fleetwood Mac starting in 1968, later marrying John McVie and permanently joining Fleetwood Mac in 1971. After Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks joined the band in 1974 and became a pop music juggernaut, McVie took an important role in its multi-platinum efforts. Her most popular songs from that era were “Over My Head,” “Say You Love Me,” “Don’t Stop,” “You Make Loving Fun,” “Think About Me,” “Hold Me,” and “Little Lies.”

ALMANAC

NOTABLE DATES, UPCOMING U.S. OBSERVANCES

Dec. 21, Wednesday – Winter begins, winter solstice occurs at 4:48 p.m. EST
Dec. 25, Sunday – Christmas
Dec. 31, Saturday – New Year’s Eve
Jan. 1, Sunday – New Year’s Day

BIRTHDAYS

Zoë Kravitz (actress, “The Batman,” “Fantastic Beasts” movies) … 34
Brad Delson (guitarist with Linkin Park) … 45
Sarah Silverman (comedian, actress) … 52
Gilbert O’Sullivan (Singer/songwriter, “Alone Again Naturally”) … 76
Bette Midler (singer, actress) … 77
Woody Allen (director, actor) … 87

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

“Life is divided up into the horrible and the miserable.”

(A) Dr. Phil
(B) The Dalai Lama
(C) Woody Allen

ANSWER: (C) Woody Allen

THIS DAY IN HISTORY

COVID-19 in History:
2019 – The earliest traceable person who developed symptoms of Covid-19, a 55-year-old man, was identified in Wuhan, China.

2004 – Tom Brokaw signed off for the last time as anchor of the “NBC Nightly News.”
* When they started expecting him to report on Lindsay Lohan, he figured it was time to go (Tom famously spoke with a lazy “L”).

1967 – Wilt Chamberlain set an NBA record by missing 22 free throws.
* However, after the game he made 22 successful passes at a singles bar.

1959 – The first color photograph of the Earth was taken from outer space.
* NASA decided to go with one 8X10, two 5X7’s and ten wallet sizes.

1913 – The first drive-up gasoline station opened, in Pittsburgh, PA.
* It would be another 10 years before a man would stop and ask for directions.

1891 – James Naismith invented the game of basketball.
* The game hasn’t changed an awful lot, but the players may soon have to start wearing suits of armor.

1878 – The first White House telephone was installed.
* Future presidents would use it to negotiate treaties, congratulate national heroes and talk dirty to interns.

THIS DAY IN MUSIC HISTORY

2020 – Spotify’s most streamed artist of 2020 was Bad Bunny, its most streamed song “Binding Lights” by The Weekend.

2016 – Drake was named Spotify’s most-streamed artist of 2016, with his single ‘One Dance’ the site’s biggest song of the year. The Canadian had 4.7 billion streams in this year, more than half of which were for his album Views. ‘One Dance’ alone was streamed 960 million times. Played consecutively, that would take more than 5,200 years.

2012 – Shakira was being sued for $100m by a former boyfriend who acted as her business manager for six years. Antonio de la Rua claimed he was the “principal architect” of a business plan that turned the singer into a global superstar. He was seeking to “recover his share of past and future partnership profits,” according to papers filed in New York. The suit was dismissed.

2002 – Shania Twain started a five-week run at No.1 on the U.S. album chart with “Up!”.

1998 – The first night of a U.S. tour with *NSYNC, Britney Spears and B*Witched opened in Columbus, Ohio.

1995 – An auction of Frank Sinatra’s possessions earned him $2,072,000.

1990 – C.C. Deville, guitar player with Poison, spent six hours in jail in Louisville, after being arrested for public drunkenness and criminal mischief after a concert in the town that night.

1990 – Whitney Houston went to No.1 on the U.S. singles chart with “I’m Your Baby Tonight,” her 8th U.S. No.1 and the first for writers and producers Reid and Babyface.

1989 – Sly Stone was sentenced to 55 days after pleading guilty to a charge of driving under the influence of cocaine, (two weeks later he also pleaded guilty to possession of cocaine and was sentenced to spend 9-14 months in rehab).

1987 – A Kentucky teacher lost her appeal in the U.S. Supreme Court over her firing after showing Pink Floyd’s film “The Wall” to her class. The court decided that the film was not suitable for minors with its bad language and sexual content.

1982 – Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” album was released. It became the biggest selling pop album up to that time, with sales over 51 million.

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. 43% of women say they would rather go see their dentist than go see THIS person. Who is it?
Their mother-in-law

2. A recent survey shows that 7% of women admit they’ve done THIS during their lunch break. What is it?
Changed their clothes

3. Today, about 20% of women don’t have THESE. In 1970, it was 10%. What are they?
Children

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