THURSDAY, Jan 11 – DAILY PREP TEXT VERSION

MORNING SIDEKICK DAILY PREP TEXT VERSION FOR THURSDAY, January 11, 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.)

CIGARETTES ARE HAZARDOUS TO YOUR HEALTH DAY

HOT TODDY DAY
The Punchbowl website says this:
“Today is National Hot Toddy Day! A hot toddy is a delicious drink made with honey, lemon, hot water, and the spirit of your choice (usually whiskey, brandy, or rum). It’s the perfect way to warm up on a cold winter day, and a few sips can also relieve cold or flu symptoms. Hot toddies originated in Scotland sometime during the 18th century. While the exact details are unknown, historians believe that the recipe was developed to make the taste of Scotch whiskey more palatable. (Apparently the women of the day didn’t care for the smoky, peat flavor.) One theory suggests that the word ‘toddy’ evolved from ‘Tod’s well’ (also known as Todian Spring, the water supply for Edinburgh). Today there are many variations on the original hot toddy recipe. Some versions call for tea, coffee, cocoa, apple cider, spices, or even butter. To celebrate National Hot Toddy Day, brew up your favorite type of hot toddy and enjoy!”

INTERNATIONAL THANK-YOU DAY
The AnyDayGuide website says this:
“Every year, people all over the world celebrate International Thank You Day that falls on January 11. This celebration is the perfect opportunity to show your gratitude to the people who make your days what they are. Celebrate this day by showing your appreciation to all the people who make your life better and more beautiful. One single word can make people around you happier, isn’t it great? Unfortunately, we often forget to express our gratitude to others. We only think about ourselves and don’t notice all the things that relatives and friends do for us. Be polite, think of others, and a simple ‘thank you’ will make their day better.”

LEARN YOUR NAME IN MORSE CODE DAY
Google the Morse Code Translator website

MILK DAY
The National Day Calendar website says this:
“The first day that milk was delivered in bottles was on January 11, 1878. Each year, on the anniversary of that day people across the United States observe National Milk Day to celebrate America’s number one beverage.”

NATIONAL STEP IN A PUDDLE AND SPLASH YOUR FRIEND DAY

SECRET PAL DAY

January is:

Adopt a Rescued Bird Month
Be Kind to Food Servers Month
Family Fit Lifestyle Month
Financial Wellness Month
Get Organized Month
National Candy Month
National Clean Up Your Computer Month
National Hobby Month
National Skating Month
National Train Your Dog Month
Walk Your Pet 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, Jan 11

“Champion”
Netflix – New Series
Synopsis: Rapper Bosco is free from prison and ready for a comeback — until his sister Vita steps into the spotlight and puts their family bond to the test.

“ted”
Peacock – New Series
Synopsis: More low-brow “humor” from Seth MacFarlane. In this prequel series to the Ted films, it’s 1993, and Ted the bear’s moment of fame has passed. He’s now living back home in Framingham, Massachusetts with his best friend, 16-year-old John Bennett and family. Ted may be a lousy influence on John, but at the end of the day, he’s a loyal pal who’s always willing to go out on a limb for friendship. Think “Alf” with smuttier dialog.

FRIDAY, Jan 12

“Criminal Record”
Apple TV+ – New Series
Synopsis: An anonymous phone call draws two brilliant detectives into a confrontation over an old murder case; one is a young woman in the early stages of her career, and the other is a well-connected man determined to protect his legacy.

“Lift”
Netflix – New Movie
Synopsis: A professional thief and his expert crew attempt the ultimate heist: stealing $500 million in gold from a vault on a plane — 40,000 feet in the air. With Kevin Hart.

“Self Reliance”
Hulu – New Movie
Synopsis: Follows a man who’s offered a chance to win $1 million if he can survive a deadly reality TV competition. The loophole is that he can only be killed when he’s alone, setting him off on a quest for constant companionship. Written, directed and starring Jake Johnson (“New Girl”).

“Role Play”
Prime Video – New Movie
Synopsis: When Dave (David Oyelowo) agreed to do a little role playing with his wife Emma (Kayley Cuoco) for their wedding anniversary, he had no idea just how much experience she had in pretending to be someone else. In fact, pretending to be someone else is Emma’s job: She is a skilled assassin with multiple identities, and Emma has kept this profession hidden from Dave for years. But that’s no longer possible when she meets a man who instantly recognizes her and the hefty bounty on her head.

Season Premiere:
Peacock – “Traitors”

SATURDAY, Jan 13

“2023 Creative Arts Emmy Awards”
FXX – Awards Show

SUNDAY, Jan 14

“2024 Critics Choice Awards”
The CW – Awards Show

“Monsieur Spade”
AMC – New Limited Series
Synopsis: Twenty years after the events of the novel “The Maltese Falcon,” Sam Spade has retired in the small town of Bozouls in southern France; it’s 1963, the war has ended, and in a very short time, so, too, will Spade’s tranquility.

Season Premiere:
HBO – “True Detective: Night Country”
Synopsis: Jodie Foster and Kali Reis are detectives in Alaska tasked with investigating a mysterious case — the disappearance of eight men who operate an Arctic research station — during the long winter night.

NEXT YEAR IN COLLEGE FOOTBALL: THE IRRELEVANT BOWL

Boxing promoter Roy Englebrecht has announced his intention to put on what he calls the “Irrelevant Bowl” to feature two of the worst teams in college football at the end of the season. Each team will receive a six-figure payout, in addition to travel expenses, lodging, and meals. Englebrecht notes that there are 43 bowl games every year, featuring teams in the middle of the pack. He says, “No polls, no rankings, no controversy, just two winless or near winless teams looking for redemption and one elusive win. It’s time to stop celebrating mediocrity and 6-6 teams winning games against other 6-6 teams.” If the Irrelevant Bowl had taken place this December, it would have featured featured 2-10 Vanderbilt facing 1-11 Akron.
* Sponsored by Polaroid!
* Everybody on the winning team gets a brand new VCR player. Losers all get a set of encyclopedias.
* Charlie Sheen can handle the coin toss, and Macklemore can be the halftime show.
* This’ll be the first time cities compete to NOT be the host city for a bowl game.

DUA LIPA, SETH MEYERS GET MATCHING TATTOOS

Dua Lipa and Seth Meyers on Tuesday night’s Late Night show got matching tattoos on camera together. Each downed a tequila shot – Meyers had two – and Dua Lipa suggested that their matching tattoo should be a star. The singer got hers on her ankle, Meyers put his on the back of his lower leg, admitting: “It’s not so bad.”
* … ’til his wife sees it and asks him about it.
* Like they say, the celebrities that guide us together, get hepatitis together.
* Was this, like, a TikTok challenge just for celebrities?
* We’re now entering the age of Gimmicky Tricks to Make You Watch Talk Shows. Next, Jimmy Kimmel and Ricky Gervais push a knitting needle completely through their cheeks.

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. “Ontario Woman’s Nose Whistle Reaches 44.1 Decibels”
2. “The Difference Between Boiling Water And Microwaving It”
3. “Couple Sets Out On A Journey To Find The Source Of Their Mysterious Hot Tub Rash”
And here’s a spare, in case you don’t like one of those three: “How Often Should You Change Your Underwear? The Answer May Surprise You”

MORE GIZMOS AT THE CONSUMER ELECTRONICS SHOW

Here are some more new products on display at the annual Consumer Electronics Show, happening in Las Vegas this week.
– Chef AI smart air fryer. No need to adjust the setting. Just place the food in the air fryer, press Start, and it uses artificial intelligence to detect what type of food it is cooking. (* Put a shoe in it and watch it go nuts.)
– Bartesian’s cocktail-mixing appliance. Use a small touch screen on the appliance to pick from 60 drinks, drop a cocktail capsule into the machine, and in seconds you have a cocktail over ice. (* Do you have to provide the ice yourself?)
– A 137-inch (* That’s 10 feet) foldable TV from C Seed. Divisions between the different sections of the screen are invisible when in use. Its five sections fold up into a compact metal rectangle.
– The BeamO, which looks like a TV remote, is a four-in-one thermometer, electrocardiogram, oximeter and stethoscope. (* I thought Beemo was how we’re supposed to say the name of BMO Bank?)
– The Proclaim, a plastic thing about the size of a can of beer, with a mouthpiece you stick in your mouth and up to 60 water jets shoot water onto your teeth to clear bacteria, plaque and food in seven seconds. Excess water flows out of the front section of the mouthpiece into the sink. (* Or out your ears and nose, whatever.)
– The Phillips smart door lock with palm recognition. A deadbolt lock that recognizes your unique palm pattern, and can store up to 50 of these palm patterns. (* Ultra-secure, until someone chops off your hand to get into your house.
– The Motion Pillow, an AI-powered pillow made of memory foam, with an interior motion system that identifies snoring sounds and will slowly inflate the offending person’s pillow. This gently turns their head to the side while they sleep, opening their airways to create some peace.
* You do see what’s happening here, right? Every product in the world is going to have an AI version that costs $75 more. And I mean EVERY product.

WEIRDEST THINGS PEOPLE TRIED TO SMUGGLE ON AN AIRPLANE IN 2023

TSA’s Top 10 list of Weirdest Things People Tried To Smuggle Onto An Airplane In 2023:
10. Naruto throwing knives from the popular Japanese manga series. The weapons were discovered in a carry-on at the Boston Logan International Airport.
9. Replica rockets were seized from checked luggage at the Minneapolis–Saint Paul International Airport.
8. A knife inside a hollowed-out loaf of keto bread at the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport.
7. A bag of meth tucked inside a jar of crab boil seasoning in the Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport.
6. A 35mm projectile (like a bazooka missile) discovered in a passenger’s bag at Charlotte Douglas International Airport.
5. A knife inside a prosthetic foot, found at Anchorage International Airport.
4. A loaded firearm with 163 rounds of ammo, at New Orleans Airport.
3. Sacramento International Airport seized an IED (Improvised Explosive Device) CO2 cartridge.
2. A bag of weed smuggled inside a diaper at LaGuardia Airport in New York City.
1. An inert IED found hidden in a Bang energy drink can at the Tulsa International Airport.
* A bomb in a can of Bang. Clever.
* These are all kind of boring. Where are the cattle prods and tarantulas? Where are the chain saws and exotic lizards? We can do better, America!
* Last week, some guy had a bagful of bolts, he kept screaming “They’re for the plug door! They’re for the plug door!”, but they wouldn’t let him on.
* And they stop me for a half-empty bottle of iced tea.
* Now where’s the TSA’s list of “The Best Stuff We Stole Out Of Your Luggage in 2023”?

RAT SNACKS

There’s a trend on TikTok – it’s been around for a bit – called “Rat Snacks.” A “rat snack” takes leftovers or any random foods in your home and creates odd combinations. For example:
– Cauliflower, cheese and chili sauce
– Pickles and cheese
– An almond pressed into string cheese
– A Cheez-It dipped into a tub of cottage cheese
(* Yes, cheese, we get it.)
– Black olives with a handful of pretzel sticks
– A graham cracker dipped into Funfetti frosting.
– Saltines dipped in McDonald’s Sweet ‘N Sour sauce
– Pickle popcorn
* PHONE TOPIC: Do you have a strange Rat Snack combination of food that you like to snack on?

U.S. NEWS

MAN’S HOUSE HIT BY TRUCKS 50 TIMES IN EIGHT YEARS

A semi-truck collided with a home in Franklin, Pennsylvania, on Tuesday. Homeowner Jason Eidem says this is nothing new – it’s happened over 50 times since he bought the house eight years ago. The house is very, very close to the corner of the intersection. The corner of the front porch is about 6 feet from the roadway. When large trucks make the tight turn, many of them don’t swing wide enough and the back of the trailer goes off the road, hitting the home. Despite installing large concrete blocks next to the house, despite officials designating the road a no-truck road, it still happens.
* Did Mr. Eidem ever wonder why he was able to buy the house for 50 bucks?
* Sadly, his homeowners insurance is $25,000 a month.
* 49 hits, it’s a tragedy. 50 hits – now he’s just being an attention whore.
* Why doesn’t he team up with one of those online gambling companies, take bets on when the next hit will be, make some real money and move away from there?
* Hey, Jason: Road + land mines = no more truck hits.

NASA TO DELAY MOON LANDING UNTIL 2026

NASA has announced a delay in their plans to get a man back on the moon. Sorry, a person. Astronaut. Anyhow, the journey had previously been slated for 2025. Now, it’s been pushed back until at least September 2026. The Artemis program is facing some lengthy delays. Elon Musk’s SpaceX company is far behind in developing its lunar lander. (* Go figure.) And, they are still trying to figure out how to give the vehicle enough propellant to travel out to the moon and refuel in space. NASA is also expecting delays in engineering the spacesuits astronauts will wear while on the moon’s surface. Plus, there is also still much work to do on the crew capsule’s life support system; several critical elements have failed during testing.
* Also, they’re having a lot of problems keeping the dang door plug from flyin’ off.
* NASA’s new slogan is “We used to be real good at this, honest.”
* All throughout NASA, engineers are typing into AI chatbots: “How get humans to moon safe?”
* Okay, somebody really needs to do an intervention with Elon Musk and get him off the drugs.
* If we didn’t fake the moon landings before, this might be a good time to start.

TRENDINGSELENA GOMEZ AS LINDA RONSTADT IN BIOPIC

Selena Gomez is attached to star as 11-time Grammy winner Linda Ronstadt in a biopic about the singer-songwriter. A director and additional castmembers have yet to be announced for the project. Ronstadt, 77, is known for her decades-spanning music career that includes the No. 1 hit “You’re No Good.” She was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in April 2014 and was feted with the 2019 Kennedy Center Honors for lifetime achievement. She has been diagnosed with progressive supranuclear palsy, a degenerative disease that has led her to retire from singing.

SCREEN ACTORS GUILD AWARD NOMINEES

Nominees for the Screen Actors Guild Awards were announced Wednesday. It’s pretty much the usual suspects. Here are the major categories:

ENSEMBLE IN A MOTION PICTURE: American Fiction; Barbie; The Color Purple; Killers of the Flower Moon; Oppenheimer

ACTRESS IN A MOVIE:
– Annette Bening, Nyad
– Lily Gladstone, Killers of the Flower Moon
– Carey Mulligan, Maestro
– Margot Robbie, Barbie
– Emma Stone, Poor Things

ACTOR IN A MOVIE:
– Bradley Cooper, Maestro
– Colman Domingo, Rustin
– Paul Giamatti, The Holdovers
– Cillian Murphy, Oppenheimer
– Jeffrey Wright, American Fiction

ENSEMBLE IN A TV DRAMA: “The Crown”; “The Gilded Age”; “The Last of Us”; “The Morning Show”; “Succession”

ACTRESS IN A DRAMA SERIES:
– Jennifer Aniston, The Morning Show
– Elizabeth Debicki, The Crown
– Bella Ramsey, The Last of Us
– Keri Russell, The Diplomat
– Sarah Snook, Succession

ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES
– Brian Cox, Succession
– Billy Crudup, The Morning Show
– Kieran Culkin, Succession
– Matthew MacFadyen, Succession
– Pedro Pascal, The Last of Us

ENSEMBLE IN A TV COMEDY: “The Bear,” “Ted Lasso,” “Only Murders in the Building,” “Abbott Elementary” and “Barry.”

ACTRESS IN COMEDY SERIES:
– Alex Borstein – “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”
– Rachel Brosnahan – “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”
– Quinta Brunson – “Abbott Elementary”
– Ayo Edebiri – “The Bear”
– Hannah Waddingham – “Ted Lasso”

ACTOR IN A COMEDY SERIES:
– Brett Goldstein – “Ted Lasso”
– Bill Hader – “Barry”
– Ebon Moss-Bachrach – “The Bear”
– Jason Sudeikis – “Ted Lasso”
– Jeremy Allen White – “The Bear”

ALMANAC

NOTABLE DATES, UPCOMING U.S. OBSERVANCES

January 15, Monday – Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
January 26, Friday – Int’l Holocaust Remembrance Day (UN)
February 2, Friday – Groundhog Day
February 10, Saturday – Chinese New Year (The Year of the Dragon)
February 12, Monday – Lincoln’s Birthday
February 14, Wednesday – Valentine’s Day
February 19, Monday – Presidents Day / Washington’s Birthday
February 13, Tuesday – Shrove Tuesday/Mardi Gras
March 10, Sunday – Daylight Saving Time Begins
March 17, Sunday – St. Patrick’s Day
March 19, Tuesday – Spring begins, Spring Equinox is 11:06 p.m. EDT
March 20, Wednesday – First full day of Spring

BIRTHDAYS

Aja Naomi King (actress, “How To Get Away With Murder”) … 39
Rockmond Dunbar (actor, “9-1-1”) … 51
Amanda Peet (actress, “Dirty John,” “Togetherness,” “The Good Wife”) … 52
Mary J. Blige (R&B singer) … 53
Vicki Peterson (singer/guitarist with The Bangles) … 66

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

“To relax, I love sitting back and turning my brain off and watching TV.”

(A) Joe Biden
(B) Elon Musk
(C) Aja Naomi King

ANSWER: (C) Aja Naomi King

THIS DAY IN HISTORY

2010 – Mark McGwire admitted to The Associated Press that he’d used steroids and human growth hormone when he broke baseball’s home run record in 1998.
* Then he ripped three phone books in half and went home.

1990 – Bobby Knight became basketball’s Big 10 winningest coach with 229 victories.
* Instead of throwing a party to celebrate, Knight threw a few chairs.

1964 – The Surgeon General released a report saying smoking cigarettes is dangerous to health. Shortly thereafter, cigarette advertising was banned from television in the public interest.
* Unfortunately, they didn’t do the same to “Gilligan’s Island.”

1949 – The first recorded snowfall fell in Los Angeles.
* Half the population tried to shovel it up, and the other half tried to snort it.

1922 – The first successful use of insulin to combat the effects of diabetes was used on a Canadian aristocrat.
* Sweet!

1902 – “Popular Mechanics” magazine was published for the first time.
* As far as I’m concerned, popular mechanics are the ones who fix your car for less than double the estimate.

1878 – Milk was delivered in glass bottles for the first time, in New York City.
* It sure beat the old method of getting a big sponge full of milk.

1569 – The first recorded lottery was drawn in St. Paul’s Cathedral, England.
* The cynics said you had less of chance of winning than you had of being hit by a car – and THEY wouldn’t be invented for another 300 years.

THIS DAY IN MUSIC HISTORY

2003 – Pete Townshend issued a public statement denying being a pedophile after his name was linked with a police Internet porn inquiry. But The Who guitarist did admit studying child pornography for research into a campaign against it.

2002 – Mickey Finn from T Rex died of kidney and liver problems at the age of 55.

2000 – Gary Glitter was released from prison after serving half of a four-month sentence for possessing child pornography downloaded from the internet. Glitter was told he would have to go on the sex offenders’ registry for seven years.

2000 – It was reported that Whitney Houston was under investigation after allegedly trying to smuggle 15.2 grams of marijuana out of Hawaii. A security officer found the drug in the singer’s handbag; Houston then walked away when he tried to detain her.

1999 – *NSYNC won the Favorite Pop/Rock new artist award at the 26th Annual American Music Awards in Los Angeles.

1998 – Rolling Stone magazine readers poll picked “Be Here Now” by Oasis as album of the year.

1992 – Nirvana appeared on NBC-TV’s Saturday Night Live. Also on this day “Nevermind” went to No.1 on the U.S. album chart.

1992 – Prince’s future wife Mayte made her first live appearance with him in Minneapolis.

1985 – A Brazilian rock festival held in Rio claimed to be the biggest ever staged. The festival featured Queen, Rod Stewart, AC/DC, Whitesnake, Yes and Iron Maiden.

1967 – The Jimi Hendrix Experience recorded “Purple Haze.” Jimi also signed to the new record label Track Records on this day.

1964 – “Ring Of Fire” by Johnny Cash became the first Country album to go to No.1 in the U.S.

1963 – The Beatles recorded their first TV show appearance in England, a program called “Thank Your Lucky Stars.” They lip-synched to their new single “Please Please Me” which was released on this day.

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 survey, 10% of people say they have a secret one of THESE and they’ll never reveal it to anyone. What is it?
A chili recipe

2. 2/3 of people surveyed said that if the area they lived in suddenly banned THIS … they would move. What is it?
Cheese

3. 25 percent of people in a recent survey said they have THIS for breakfast. What is it?
A soda / soft drink

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