THURSDAY, Dec 8 – DAILY PREP TEXT VERSION

MORNING SIDEKICK DAILY PREP TEXT VERSION FOR THURSDAY, December 8, 2022
(Print button is at bottom of post. To print with larger type, cut and paste content into a document, and print that document.)

COMEDY MP3s POSTED ON OUR PREP SITE FOR TODAY: SONG – PERVY SANTA AT THE MALL; HARD-TO-STORE CHRISTMAS DECORATIONS STORE; 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 CHOCOLATE BROWNIE DAY
The Holiday Insights website says this:
“National Brownie Day celebrates chocolatey, chewy brownies. Brownie lovers, love chocolate. Conversely, chocolate lovers, love brownies. Therefore, it’s only natural that we have a special day to celebrate brownies. It’s fun and easy to enjoy this special day. First, select your favorite brownie recipe, and bake a batch of brownies. You can add nuts, if you prefer. Topping the brownies with chocolate frosting is a good thing, too. Finally, eat them! You can have them for breakfast, lunch, dinner, or as a snack. PS – Don’t forget the glass of milk! Happy National Brownie Day.”

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 8

“Harry & Meghan”
Netflix – New Docuseries
Synopsis: Explores the span of their relationship, from the early days of the couple’s courtship to the challenges and controversies that prompted them to step back from the royal family.

Season Premieres:
Bravo – “Million Dollar Listing Los Angeles”
HBO Max – “Doom Patrol;” “South Side”
Peacock – “The Real Housewives of Miami”

FRIDAY, Dec 9

“America’s Test Kitchen: The Next Generation”
Amazon Freevee – Yet Another Cooking Competition Show
Synopsis: Contestants present their dishes throughout a series of challenges that test their culinary abilities and on-camera personality for the chance to become the newest face of America’s Test Kitchen, the opportunity to write their own cookbook, and a $100,000 prize.

“It’s a Wonderful Binge”
Hulu – New Movie
Synopsis: A holiday-themed sequel to Hulu’s 2020 The Purge parody “The Binge,” set in a parallel America where drugs and alcohol are illegal except for one night of the year — and this year, it’s Christmas Eve.

“Guillermo Del Toro’s Pinocchio”
Netflix – New Movie
Synopsis: A stop-motion adaptation of the timeless tale of the puppet who wants to be a real boy, set in Fascist 1930s Italy and making Pinocchio much less cute than the Disney version.

“Ticket to Paradise”
Peacock – New Movie
Synopsis: A man and his ex-wife race to Bali, Indonesia – yes, the place that just made sex outside of marriage ILLEGAL – to stop their teenage daughter from getting married. With George Clooney and Julia Roberts.

Season Premieres:
HBO – “Random Acts of Flyness: The Parable of the Pirate and the King”
Netflix – “Dream Home Makeover”

SUNDAY, Dec 11

Season Premiere:
Discovery – “Dirty Jobs”

CHIP AND JOANNA GAINES SUED OVER BOOK DEAL

HGTV “Fixer Upper” stars Joanna and Chip Gaines are being sued by their former literary agent who claims the couple tried to back out of paying him for a book deal. According to the legal documents, Joanna and Chip were repped by Vigliano Associates when they signed a 5-book, $12.5 million deal back in 2017. Vigliano was to get a 7.5% cut of any payments. The first 2 books worked out fine, but Vigliano says the couple then backed out of payments for the last 3 books by trying to change the deal by eliminating one of the books and then making Chip the “author” of one of the two remaining books. Vigliano claims the original deal only applied to Joanna-authored books, and changing it means much less pay for Vigliano. And then – HERE COMES THE REVEAL! – what’s more, Joanna signed with a different agent and the money made from her new book, “The Stories We Tell,” is going there instead of Vigliano.
* They hammered out a deal, but Joanna threw a wrench into the works, and now someone’s screwed. You know the drill – they’re just a couple of chiselers.
* Sounds like they demolished their original contract and replaced it with an inferior remodel.
* This could be in their next book, “The BAD Stories We Tell.”
* I’ll bet my mortgage that these two have never been near a word processor to write a book.
* Being on TV, they need to take this case to Judge Judy.

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. “Four Millennials Taste And Rate Each Other’s Mashed Potatoes”
2. “Bats Growl Like Death Metal Singers”
3. “I’m A Farmer Drag Queen Who Sleeps With My 11 Pigs”
And here’s a spare, in case you don’t like one of those three: “How Sleep Experts Get Through The Day When They’re Sleep-Deprived”

U.S. NEWS

FLORIDA MAN STEALS TOOTHBRUSHES

A Florida man was arrested Monday after deputies said he stole $1,375 in toothbrushes from a Walgreens. (* So, how many is that, 8?) Employees and other witnesses saw Tracy Jay Mofield, 37, of walk out of the Marathon, Florida, store with six ELECTRIC toothbrushes (* Oh – so just 6.) without paying for them. He was then seen driving off in a white Lexus. Deputies found Mofield’s Lexus, but he sped away. Deputies did not pursue him at that time due to safety concerns. But Mofield and his Lexus were spotted again later on, and he was stopped. Mofield told authorities he stole the toothbrushes and threw them off the Long Key Bridge.
* “If I can’t be cavity-free, then no one can!”
* Another one of those crazy anti-dentites.
* The missing toothbrushes left a cavity on the Walgreens shelf.
* I’m sure he’ll get a plaque for his efforts.
* Arresting officers referred his case to a higher jurisdiction: the Tooth Fairy.

OLIVE GARDEN MANAGER SENDS WARNING TO SLACKERS

The manager of an Olive Garden in Overland Park, Kansas, sent out a mean message to employees about calling in sick in these times when businesses are having a tough time finding and retaining workers. She wrote:
“Our call-offs are occurring at a staggering rate. From now on, if you call off, you might as well go out and look for another job. We are no longer tolerating ANY excuse for calling off. If you’re sick, you need to come prove it to us. If your dog died, you need to bring him in and prove it to us. If its a “family emergency” and you can’t say, too bad. Go work somewhere else. If you only want morning shifts, too bad go work at a bank. If anyone from here on out calls out more than ONCE in the next 30 days you will not have a job. Do you know in my 11.5 years at Darden how many days I called off? Zero. I came in sick. I got in a wreck literally on my way to work one time, airbags went off and my car was totaled, but you know what, I made it to work, ON TIME! (* BROWN-NOSER!!!) There are no more excuses. Us, collectively as a management team, have had enough. If you don’t want to work here, don’t. It’s as simple as that. If you’re here and want to work, then work. No more complaining about not being cut or not being able to leave early. You’re in the restaurant business. Do you think I want to be here until midnight on Friday and Saturday? No. I’d much rather be at home with my husband and dog, going to the movies or seeing family. But I don’t, I’m dedicated to being here. As should you. No more excuses or complaints. I hope you choose to continue to work here and I think we (management) make it as easy as we can on ya’ll. Thank you for your time and thank you to those who come in every day on time and work hard. I wish there were more like you.”
When the Darden organization, which owns Olive Garden, got wind of the memo, they fired the manager.
* And she was immediately hired as a warehouse supervisor at Amazon.
* Yeah, but what is she going to do with all those dead dogs?
* “I don’t care how sick you are. Come in and prepare food for the customers!”
* You don’t think all those servers at Chili’s and Applebee’s aren’t just waiting to swoop in and take your jobs?
* Being dedicated to your job is, like, so two years ago.
* Cut her a break. Eleven and a half years at Olive Garden will put anybody on edge.

BILLIONAIRE PAYS FOR 10,000 EMPLOYEES TO GO TO DISNEY WORLD

Billionaire Ken Griffin, founder of hedge fund and trading businesses Citadel and Citadel Securities, last weekend paid out of his own pocket for about 10,000 staff and their families to converge on Walt Disney World in Florida for three days of fun in the theme parks. Griffin picked up the tab for airfares from New York, Houston, Paris, Zurich and other cities and paid for hotels, park tickets and meals. He also brought in Coldplay, singer Carly Rae Jepsen and DJ Diplo to entertain.This was a good year for Citadel. The hedge fund firm, which manages $59 billion in assets, told investors its flagship Wellington fund returned roughly 32% through the end of November, a dramatic contrast to much of Wall Street and the economy at large. Griffin’s personal net worth is estimated at $32 billion.
* So this is how you afford to go to Disney in the 2020’s.
* See, Jeff Bezos? THIS is how it’s done.
* It’s an unfair world after all.
* You can’t spell plutocracy without Pluto. (plutocracy: an elite or ruling class of people whose power derives from their wealth.)
* Meanwhile, all those crypto investors can’t even afford to ride the mechanical horsey at the supermarket.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

ZULU MAN KILLED BY REINCARNATED ANCESTRAL BEES

A South African man was stung to death after trying to talk to a swam of bees he believed were reincarnations of his ancestors. Nkosentsha Njimbana, 58, died at his home in Zalara on November 5 after speaking to the bees during a traditional ceremony. In some African cultures, it is believed that ancestors visit their living relatives in the form of bees, often to warn the family to perform the correct traditional rituals. After consulting a traditional healer among the Zulu peoples, Nkosentsha returned to perform the ritual known as the Dispersing of the Bees to try and interpret their message. His family said failing to decode the ancestors’ message may have caused the bees to turn on him. The spirits of ancestors can also be reincarnated into water monitor lizards.
* The More You Know, huh?
* It was like Kayce Dutton’s spirit journey on “Yellowstone,” but you die at the end.
* Maybe his ancestors were telling him to buzz off.
* Just like the Andy Griffith Show: everybody has an Aunt Bee.
* The lesson here is, never wear floral-scented aftershave when performing the Dispersing of the Bees.

CHINESE DRIVER STUCK IN CAR THAT WOULDN’T STOP

A Chinese driver was allegedly trapped on the highway for hours after the cruise control in his Chinese-built Haval H6 refused to turn off. The problem started on a highway outside the city of Zhuzhou. The driver, a “Mr. Luo,” claims that the brakes did not work, and the vehicle refused to slow from his set speed of a little over 100 kph (around 62 mph). He kept going at this speed for hundreds of miles until his car ran out of gas. Mr. Luo was stuck in the car for 500 kilometers (roughly 320 miles). During the drive, he called the authorities to alert them of his predicament. The police provided an escort to ensure the driver didn’t hit anybody, but even after engineers from Haval were patched in, nothing could be done until the car’s fuel tank finally ran dry.
* It’s just like that movie “Speed.” Although, at 62 miles per hour, it should be called “Speed Limit.”
* Did he try rebooting?
* If China is anything like America, when he called for help he got somebody in India.
* For tarnishing the image of a Chinese-built car, he was taken away in the middle of the night and no one’s seen him since.

TRENDING

THE MOST AMERICAN-MADE CAR

Every year, American University’s Kogod School of Business releases a list of vehicles built with the largest percentage of American-sourced parts. Last year, the manual Ford Mustang GT took the top spot with a total score of 88.5. But this year, it’s no longer even in the top 20, because Ford now uses a Mexican-sourced manual transmission. This year’s Most American Cars are both Fords, the Lincoln Corsair and the Corsair plug-in hybrid. Both earned a total score of 86, beating the second-place Tesla Model 3 Long Range’s score of 82.5.

REBA SPECIAL TONIGHT ON ABC

Reba McEntire and her highly successful career in country music, television and more will be showcased on a new edition of ABC News’ Superstar series tonight (Thursday, Dec. 8). The one-hour special is set to document McEntire’s journey from her start in her home state of Oklahoma through her record-breaking career of 45 years, with all the “experiences, triumphs and losses” in between. Fans can expect never-before-seen childhood photos and behind-the-scenes footage during the special. Plus appearances by many country artists praising Reba.

BLAKE SHELTON QUITTING EVERYTHING

Blake Shelton announced earlier this fall that he will be leaving “The Voice” next year. He says he wants to do nothing. Shelton — who has been the only coach to appear in all 22 seasons of “The Voice” since NBC’s singing-competition juggernaut began in 2011 — will finally vacate his big red chair next spring. “It’s time to push some of this [work] stuff out and let more family and personal life in,” he said. “If I walked away from my career at this time, the only thing that I run the risk of is having regrets that I’m missing out on some more important things in life. For now, that’s our kids,” he said. “This isn’t about me anymore and never will be again … I’ve made plenty of money, but you can’t buy time back.”

THE MOST-GOOGLED SEARCHES OF 2022

Google has revealed its Most-Searched For terms for 2022:
– The Most-Searched For term, in the United States and globally, was “Wordle.” It beat “India vs. England” and “Queen Elizabeth” and “Ukraine” globally.
– The Most-Searched For People were: Johnny Depp, Will Smith, Amber Heard, Vladimir Putin and Chris Rock
– The Most-Searched For Movies were: Thor: Love and Thunder; Black Adam; Top Gun: Maverick; The Batman; Encanto
– The Most-Searched For TV Shows: Euphoria; House of the Dragon; Moon Knight; The Watcher; Inventing Anna
– The Most-Searched For Passings: Queen Elizabeth; Betty White; Anne Heche; Bob Saget; Aaron Carter

THE MOST FUN CITIES OF 2022

Looking for fun? WalletHub compared more than 180 U.S. cities based on 65 key metrics, ranging from fitness centers per capita to movie costs to average open hours of breweries. Here are WalletHub’s Top 20 Most Fun Cities of 2022:
1. Las Vegas
2. Orlando
3. Miami
4. Atlanta
5. New Orleans
6. San Francisco
7. Austin
8. Honolulu
9. New York City
10. Chicago
11 thru 20: Cincinnati, Tampa, Fort Lauderdale, Portland (Oregon), Denver, San Diego, Washington, D.C., Houston, St. Louis, Los Angeles.
The Least Fun Cities: Santa Rosa, CA; Moreno Valley, CA; Oxnard, CA; South Burlington, VT; Pearl City, HI

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

Sam Hunt (country singer) … 38
Nicki Minaj (rapper, singer) … 40
Ian Somerhalder (actor, “The Vampire Diaries”) … 44
Sinead O’Connor (singer) … 56
Teri Hatcher (actress, “Jane by Design,” “Desperate Housewives”) … 58
Phil Collen (guitarist w/ Def Leppard) … 66
Kim Basinger (actress) … 69

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

“I can’t see myself without pink lipstick. I can go without it for a couple days, but if there was no more pink lipstick in the world, I’d be useless. Seriously.”

(A) RuPaul
(B) Meghan Markle
(C) Nicki Minaj

ANSWER: (C) Nicki Minaj

THIS DAY IN HISTORY

COVID-19 in History:
2020 – The UK began vaccinating for COVID-19 using the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine.

1998 – The FBI released its files on Frank Sinatra to the public. The file contained over 1,300 pages.
* It also contained 4 CDs, a booklet and autographed picture.

1909 – The bird banding society was founded.
* The hardest part about making bird bands is finding the teeny tiny instruments.

1863 – Abraham Lincoln announced plans for the Reconstruction of the South.
* He suggested something light and airy, with a lot of windows for a feeling of space.

1792 – The first cremation in the U.S. took place.
* The embalmers were burned up about it.

THIS DAY IN MUSIC HISTORY

2016 – Sir Mick Jagger became a father again at the age of 73, after his 29-year-old girlfriend, American ballerina Melanie Hamrick, gave birth to a boy in New York City. The singer already had seven children, whose ages range from 17 to 45 and he became a great-grandfather in 2014.

2013 – Metallica played a gig inside a dome at the Argentine Antarctic Base Carlini, thus becoming the first band ever to play on all seven continents.

2013 – The electric guitar played by Bob Dylan at the 1965 Newport Folk Festival was sold at auction in New York for a record $965,000. The Fender Stratocaster had been in the possession of a New Jersey family for 48 years after he left it on a plane. The festival in Newport, Rhode Island, is often cited as the performance where Dylan “went electric.”

2000 – A plaque to commemorate the 20th anniversary of John Lennon’s death was unveiled outside his childhood home in Liverpool.

2000 – Sting’s star was unveiled on the Walk Of Fame in Hollywood.

1995 – Courtney Love, appearing on the ABC TV show “10 Most Fascinating People” told Barbara Walters she wished she had done “eight thousand million things differently” to have prevented the death of her husband Kurt Cobain.

1984 – Former Coasters manager Patrick Cavanaugh was convicted of first degree murder of group member Buster Wilson, whose dismembered body was discovered in Modesto, California, in 1980.

1984 – Vince Neil from Motley Crue was involved in a car accident in Redondo Beach, Ca, which killed Nick Dingley from Hanoi Rocks and injured two other passengers. Neil was jailed for 20 days and paid $2.6 million in compensation.

1980 – John Lennon was shot five times by 25-year-old Mark Chapman outside the Dakota building in New York City where John and Yoko lived. Chapman had been stalking Lennon for days outside the Dakota apartments and asked for an autograph as Lennon walked through the courtyard. As he signed a piece of paper Chapman fired. Lennon was pronounced dead from a massive loss of blood at 11:30 pm.

1969 – Mick Jagger was quoted saying “I don’t really like singing very much, I enjoy playing the guitar more than I enjoy singing and I can’t play the guitar either.”

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. About 37% of Americans will never do THIS. What is it?
Live outside their hometown

2. The average adult lives about 15 minutes away from THIS. What is it?
Their mom

3. According to one study, you’re never more than 10 feet away from one of THESE. What is it?
A spider

(c) 2022
MORNING SIDEKICK RADIO SHOW PREP & COMEDY
8062 West Massey Circle
Littleton, CO 80128
USA
morningsidekick(at)gmail(dot)(com)
Tel: 303-727-9111