THURSDAY, Nov 21 – DAILY PREP TEXT VERSION

MORNING SIDEKICK DAILY PREP TEXT VERSION FOR THURSDAY, November 21, 2024
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COMEDY MP3s POSTED ON OUR PREP SITE FOR TODAY: MAIL EARLY; 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.)

(THE) GREAT AMERICAN SMOKEOUT (Third Thursday of November)
The Win Calendar website says this:
“The Great American Smokeout seeks to encourage smokers to quit or plan to quit smoking, which has been shown to cause a variety of cancers, most notably lung and mouth cancer. Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in the United States and the most preventable type of cancer worldwide.”

NATIONAL GINGERBREAD COOKIE DAY

NATIONAL STUFFING DAY

WORLD HELLO DAY
The Holiday Calendar website says this:
“This annual event was established in 1973 as a way to promote peace, understanding, and communication among different nations and cultures around the world. The idea is simple – greet 10 people that day with a friendly “hello” or wave. It’s an easy way to make someone’s day brighter, while also helping to increase global unity. So go ahead and have some fun with this special holiday, and don’t forget to say hello!”

WORLD TELEVISION DAY
In 1996, the United Nations General Assembly proclaimed November 21 as World Television Day, “in recognition of the increasing impact television has on decision-making by alerting world attention to conflicts and threats to peace and security and its potential role in sharpening the focus on other major issues, including economic and social issues.”

November is:

Adopt a Senior Pet Month
Great American Smoke Out Month
National Adoption Month
National Military Family Month
National Native American Heritage Month
Raisin Bread Month
Stamp Collecting Month
Vegan Month

ENTERTAINMENT & CELEBRITIES

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

THURSDAY, November 21

“A Man on the Inside”
Netflix – new Series
Synopsis: Follows an older man (Ted Danson) who is hired by a private detective to be a mole in a nursing home.

“Cruel Intentions”
Prime Video – New Series
Synopsis: At Manchester College, step-siblings Caroline and Lucien work to stay on top of the social ladder. After a hazing scandal, they plot to seduce Annie Grover, the daughter of the Vice President of the United States, to maintain power.

“Human vs. Hamster”
Max – New Competition Show
Synopsis: A light and irreverent competition show where groups of people go head-to-head with hamsters in scaled games of strength, smarts and agility.

Season Premieres:
Max – “The Sex Lives of College Girls”
Peacock – “Based on a True Story”

FRIDAY, November 22

“Bread & Roses”
Apple TV+ – New Documentary
Synopsis: In the wake of the Taliban’s return to power, a group of Kabul women lead a revolutionary fight for their rights—and their lives.

“I Am Ready, Warden”
Paramount+ – New Documentary Short
Synopsis: John Henry Ramirez is convicted of murder and sentenced to death in the state of Texas. During his incarceration, Ramirez tries to reach out to his victim’s son while also preparing to say goodbye to his family.

“Jim Gaffigan: The Skinny”
Hulu – Comedy Special
Synopsis: Jim Gaffigan provides the skinny on everything from appetite suppressants to raising teenagers.

“The Piano Lesson”
Netflix – New Movie
Synopsis: About one family’s unraveling because of an heirloom piano. Willie Charles wants to sell the prized possession, but his sister Berniece doesn’t.

Season Premiere:
Starz – “Outlander”

MARK ZUCKERBERG DOING HIS PART FOR POLLUTION

Super billionaire Mark Zuckerberg has apparently been spending a lot of time in his $68 million Gulfstream private jet. According to a tracker monitoring Zuckerberg’s jet, the 40-year-old has made multiple trips between California and his under-construction house in Hawaii. The tracker calculates that, in just two days, Zuckerberg’s plane flew from Monterey, California, to Lihue, Hawaii, consuming 2,328 gallons of fuel and emitting 25 tons of CO2. Hours later, it made a return trip to California before heading back to Lihue after another five-hour flight. The tracker has calculated that the jet’s back-to-back journeys emitted nearly 70 tons of CO2 in total, which is equivalent to 15 years of driving for a single car.
* Or .15 years of driving for 100 cars, which is probably how many he has.
* And that number’s completely different if you’re talking about the exhaust from MY car.
* 70 tons of pollution? Come on let’s be fair. I bet it’s barely half that.
* That’s what happens when you fly to Hawaii and then realize you left your phone charger back home in California.

POLICE SAY GUY FIERI/SAMMY HAGAR TEQUILA HEIST NEVER HAPPENED

Laredo police are now debunking reports that two trucks carrying cases of Guy Fieri’s and Sammy Hagar’s tequila brand were hijacked. The story, which originated in People magazine, was that on November 12, multiple people pulled a heist and hijacked two trucks carrying 24,240 bottles of tequila. By Tuesday evening, the police had reversed course and said it “never happened.” Laredo police say it isn’t a case of hijacked trucks, but misrouted trucks. They believe that the trucks were re-routed to California due to a shipping error. Police noted that even though initial reports were that the tequila was worth over $1 million, the cargo was actually worth only $385,000. However, the 24,240 bottles of tequila’s whereabouts are still unknown.
* Well, 24,238 bottles of tequila. The drivers probably hijacked a couple bottles on the trip.
* If only there was some kind of mobile communication device you could carry in your pocket, so people could get in touch with you when you’re driving a truck to the wrong place.
* It’s “actually worth only $385,000” ’cause that’s how much it cost to make. The celebrity markup to the retail stores takes it to $1 million.
* So, if everybody could please return all that free publicity for Guy Fieri’s tequila, that would be great, thanks.
* Here’s maybe an idea: the next time you think you have a news story, make a phone call. Ask a couple of questions. Then write the story, and then put it out on the internet.

MOVIES FOR GROWNUPS ANNOUNCES NOMINATIONS

Yes, grandad, there is a thing called the Movies for Grownups Awards. The awards celebrate all cinema that isn’t, you know, popular. If nothing else, it’s a chance to hear about movies you might want to watch instead of “Spider-Man 13: Another Reboot.” Here are the main categories for 2024:
Best Picture/Best Movie for Grownups:
– A Complete Unknown (a Bob Dylan biopic coming out in December)
– Conclave (The one about electing a new pope)
– Emilia Pérez (Drug cartel leader fakes her own death to transition into a man)
– Gladiator II
– September 5 (about the 1972 Munich Olympic hostage crisis, coming in December)

Best TV Series or Limited Series:
– The Crown
– Hacks
– Palm Royale
– Shogun
– Slow Horses

Best Intergenerational Film:
– Didi
– Here
– His Three Daughters
– The Piano Lesson
– Thelma
* Movies for Grownups. Or as they used to be called, Movies.
* 15 movies and TV shows, and not one has a plot about saving the universe. How boring.
* The sad thing about Movies for Grownups? No action figures.

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. “Why Isn’t Your Agent Calling You Back? He’s Playing Pickleball”
2. “The Zombie Apocalypse Isn’t As Fun As They Said It Would Be”
3. “Why Does Texas Have Its Own Toast?”
And here’s a spare, in case you don’t like one of those three: “At Last We Can Build A Space Elevator – Sort Of”

THE WORD OF THE YEAR: MANIFEST

The Cambridge Dictionary has named their Word of the Year for 2024: manifest. (* Yeah. It just kinda lies there. Manifest.) Publishing manager Wendalyn Nichols said there were 130,000 searches for ‘manifest’ on the Cambridge Dictionary website this year. She says the word “increased notably in lookups,” adding: “Its use widened greatly across all types of media due to events in 2024. The word gained traction with Gen Z on TikTok and other social media platforms, and was used by pop star Dua Lipa and gymnast Simone Biles when discussing their own success.”
* That is so manifest.
* Use it in a sentence: “Manny Pacquiao, Manny Ramirez, and Manny Machado will all be guest speakers at the MannyFest this year.”
* They pick ‘manifest’ when ‘skibidi’ was sitting right there the whole time.
* The new meaning is … using visualization and affirmation to coax the universe into making something you want to happen, happen. But it doesn’t work. I tried to manifest a really good word of the year.
* I wouldn’t put too much stock in the Cambridge Dictionary’s word of the year. Not a lot of thought goes into it. Last year, their word was “grape.”

U.S. NEWS

SCHOOL BUS DRIVER HAS A MELTDOWN MID-ROUTE

If you’re going to have a job meltdown, the time to do it is NOT in the middle of your school bus route. Students at Clear Sky Elementary School in Castle Rock, Colorado, were left abandoned by their bus driver on their way home Monday. Students said their substitute driver first wouldn’t leave the parking lot until the kids stopped talking. They finally left, and he was skipping stops. He told the kids that that he was an Army veteran and that he was “bigger, stronger, tougher, braver than all the children. If they didn’t be quiet then there would be consequences.” He drove to an intersection in front of a cemetery, about two miles away from the school and told the 40 kids, “Everybody get off my bus.” It was around 5 p.m. that evening, getting dark and cold. Some kids left their jackets and backpacks on the bus. Some kids called their parents, some kids got rides home from strangers. The school, and the police, are investigating the driver.
* And he only missed Veteran’s Day by a week. Would have been a great lesson about PTSD.
* See? Even hardened military vets are no match for a busload of elementary kids. They’re brutal.
* They were on the bus, but they still got schooled.
* ♩ ♫ ♪ “The children on the bus get off, off, off … off, off, off … off, off, off …” ♬♩ ♫
* Not supporting what the driver did, but if kids don’t know how to walk two miles in their own neighborhood to their homes, there’s a bigger problem.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

SARDINIA, ITALY, STILL OFFERING HOUSES FOR $1

Another small town with a falling population is making very enticing offers for people to move there. This one is targeting Americans who are unhappy with the outcome of the election. The village of Ollolai, on the Italian island of Sardinia, has suffered decades of depopulation. Now, following the American election, it’s launched a website aimed at would-be American expats, offering up more cheap homes in the hope that those upset by the result will rush to snap up one of its empty properties. The website says, “Are you worn out by global politics? Looking to embrace a more balanced lifestyle while securing new opportunities? It’s time to start building your European escape in the stunning paradise of Sardinia.” The real lure is the price: the town is selling dilapidated houses for as little as one euro – just over a dollar. Mayor Francesco Columbu says, “We just really want, and will focus on, Americans above all. We can’t of course ban people from other countries to apply, but Americans will have a fast-track procedure.” The town has set up a special team to guide interested buyers through every step of the purchase, from organizing private tours of available dwellings to finding contractors, builders and navigating required paperwork. The town has been making the offer since 2018; so far, only 10 homes have been sold for one euro and renovated, but, says the mayor, there are at least 100 more available.
* Picturesque Mediterranean island… beautiful blue water… sandy beaches… all that Italian food… it sounds hideous.
* They want to get the word out to Americans upset by the election? Have they thought about inviting The View to broadcast there for a week?
* They’ve even got a pair of handsome twin brothers to help you fix up your house: The Property Fratellis.
* You’d have to learn a little Italian, so make sure your hands are in shape.
* The only reason I wouldn’t do this is because I’d be surrounded by other Americans like me.

TRENDING

CMA AWARD WINNERS

The CMA Awards were held Wednesday night. Here are the winners:
– Single of the Year: “White Horse” – Chris Stapleton
– Album of the Year: Leather – Cody Johnson
– Song of the Year: “White Horse,” Chris Stapleton
– Male Vocalist: Chris Stapleton
– Female Vocalist: Lainey Wilson
– Vocal Group: Old Dominion
– Vocal Duo: Brooks & Dunn
– New Artist: Megan Moroney

 

ELTON JOHN MUSICAL “TAMMY FAYE” ANNOUNCES CLOSING AFTER FIVE PERFORMANCES

Elton John’s new multimillion-dollar Broadway musical “Tammy Faye” based on the life of – guess who? – has announced it is to close, just five days after opening night. The show opened on November 14,and received negative reviews. As of Sunday, November 17th, it drew a gross of $374,371 with an overall attendance of 5,732 (63 percent of capacity). Tammy Faye featured music by Elton John, lyrics by Jake Shears of the Scissor Sisters and a book by Dear England playwright James Graham. The production previously ran in London from October to December 2022. The show reportedly was capitalized at $25 million and will lose it all.

COLIN JOST TO HOST “POP CULTURE JEOPARDY”

An updated version of Jeopardy! will soon premiere on Prime Video. Pop Culture Jeopardy! will be hosted by Saturday Night Live comedian Colin Jost. The format will have contestants playing in teams of three, answering questions in categories from Alternative Rock to The Avengers; Broadway to MMA; Gen Z to Zendaya. They will compete in a tournament-style event for the grand prize of $300,000. Prime Video will release three new episodes a week, beginning Dec. 4.

ELLEN & PORTIA HAVE MOVED TO ENGLAND

It looks like Ellen DeGeneres was true to her word when she said she was quitting show business. Ellen and wife Portia de Rossi have moved to rural England, put their Montecito, California, estate on the market and plan to never return to the United States, telling friends the election of Donald Trump was their primary motivation, according to TheWrap. DeGeneres has reportedly already moved to the Cotswolds, a rural area in south-central England.

COACHELLA 2025 LINEUP ANNOUNCED

The Coachella Music Festival has just announced its 2025 lineup. Headliners at this year’s festival are Lady Gaga on Friday nights, Green Day on Saturdays, and Post Malone on Sundays. Other artists include Missy Elliott, FKA Twigs, Charli XCX, Megan Thee Stallion, Zedd and many, many more. As always, Coachella will run over two weeks in April next year, with largely the same lineups appearing on each weekend of the festival.

ALMANAC

NOTABLE DATES, UPCOMING U.S. OBSERVANCES

Nov. 28, Thursday – Thanksgiving
Dec. 21, Saturday – Winter begins, winter solstice occurs at 4:21 a.m. (EST)
Dec. 25, Wednesday – Christmas
Dec. 31, Tuesday – New Year’s Eve
Jan. 1, Wednesday – New Year’s Day

BIRTHDAYS

Carly Rae Jepsen (singer) … 39
Jimmi Simpson (actor, “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia,” “Westworld”) … 49
Michael Strahan (football player-turned-TV host) … 53
Troy Aikman (former NFL quarterback, color commentator for Monday Night Football) … 58
Bjork (singer/songwriter) … 59
Nicollette Sheridan (actress, “Dynasty,” “Desperate Housewives”) … 61
Goldie Hawn (actress) … 79
Marlo Thomas (actress, social activist) … 87
Today’s Birthday Grade: Troy Aikman won three Super Bowls, A+; Michael Strahan helped the Giants win the Super Bowl in 2007, A. Carly Rae Jepsen will always be tops for “Call Me Maybe,” A, but countering her musically is Bjork (?) with a D. So today evens out at B+.
[Want to try something different with the daily birthdays? Try grading them! Some days have “good” celebs, some have “great” celebs, some have “lousy” celebs. For fun, give the group an arbitrary grade: A-plus through F-minus. Sidekick will give you our take on it; you can to take the concept and run with it.]

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

“I’ve always viewed myself as an achiever. I need to achieve for myself.”

(A) Lindsay Lohan
(B) Kim Kardashian
(C) Troy Aikman

ANSWER: (C) Troy Aikman

THIS DAY IN HISTORY

2019 – During an on-stage promotion hosted by Elon Musk for his new Tesla electric Cybertruck, a test of its “shatterproof windows” resulted in the windows shattering when hit by a small metal ball.
“Sorry, folks, that was supposed to be a NERF ball.”

2007 – Officials announced the recall of more than a half-million pieces of Chinese-made children’s jewelry contaminated with lead.
* On the bright side, they were made into excellent pencils.

1946 – Harry Truman became the 1st U.S. President to travel in a submerged sub.
* It wouldn’t be until Bill Clinton that a U.S. president would sink to the bottom.

1902 – The 1st night football game was played, as the Philadelphia Athletics beat Kanaweola AC, 39-0.
* Philadelphia fans became the first group to flip over a car in celebration.

1877 – Thomas A. Edison announced he had invented the phonograph.
* Pretty good, but if he had been REALLY smart, he would have followed that with the invention of the mail-order record club.

1871 – The cigarette lighter was patented.
* It changed the way people light tobacco products, the way they light fires, and the way they listen to ballads at rock concerts. Well, until cellphones.

1843 – Vulcanized rubber was patented. That’s the harder, tougher rubber that’s often used to make tires.
* And movie theater licorice.

1783 – Two Frenchmen became the first humans to fly. They did it in a balloon.
* They flew around Paris for 25 minutes, landed, and then rode to Berlin to pick up their luggage.

THIS DAY IN MUSIC HISTORY

2007 – The Red Hot Chili Peppers filed suit against Showtime Network over the name of its TV show, “Californication,” saying the title was “immediately associated in the mind of the consumer” with the band’s 1999 album and single release. The case was settled out of court.

2003 – Record producer Phil Spector appeared before a California court and was formally charged with murder. B-movie actress Lana Clarkson had been found at his mansion with a fatal gunshot wound to her face.

1991 – The rock group Aerosmith made a guest appearance on an episode of the Fox TV animated comedy series “The Simpsons.”

1980 – Don Henley was arrested after paramedics treated a nude sixteen year-old girl suffering from drug intoxication at his home in Los Angeles, CA. Henley was charged with unlawful possession of marijuana, cocaine and Quaaludes, and contributing to the delinquency of a minor.

1975 – Elton John received a star on Hollywood’s Walk of Fame.

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 USA Today survey, 36% of people said THIS brings them the greatest joy at the end of the day. What is it?
A clean house

2. 55% of people say it’s not important to have one of THESE in their home anymore. What is it?
A dining room

3. 25% of us do THIS before we buy a house. What is it?
We meet the neighbors

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