WEDNESDAY, Jan 31 – DAILY PREP TEXT VERSION

MORNING SIDEKICK DAILY PREP TEXT VERSION FOR WEDNESDAY, January 31, 2024
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COMEDY MP3s POSTED ON OUR PREP SITE FOR TODAY: A & M AUTOLAND – SCAM

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.)

BACKWARD DAY (Not to be confused with “Opposite Day,” Jan. 25)
The Holiday Insights website says this:
“Backward Day is a day to do everything backwards. Use your imagination, and Backward Day can be lots of fun. It’s especially popular with school aged kids. Try writing backwards or reading backwards. Wear your shirt with the back in the front. Eat your meal, starting with dessert. Now that’s what I call fun! Walk backwards, or talk backwards. Play a board game backwards, from the finish line to the start. Are you starting to get the picture!? This day is limited only by your imagination.”

BRANDY ALEXANDER DAY

INSPIRE YOUR HEART WITH ART DAY
The National Day Calendar website says this:
“Always observed on January 31st, Inspire Your Heart With Art Day is a day to ponder how art affects your heart. Art is valued and appreciated for all sorts of reasons. Of the broad spectrum of art created in the world, the pieces that move us to tears or cause us to burst out in joyous laughter remain with us for a lifetime. Whether we are touched through music or see into an artist soul through their work, art has the power to change us, to inspire our hearts. Inspire Your Heart with Art Day encourages us to explore the many genres of art and let it inspire us.”

NATIONAL HOT CHOCOLATE DAY
The National Today website says this:
“Few beverages are as deep-rooted in culture of Americans’ collective childhood quite like hot chocolate. This drink reminds us of raining days, skiing, sledding, or even a quiet day watching the snow fall. It’s thick, silky, toasty, and usually smothered in whipped cream—no other drink brings warmth to our lives and tastebuds quite like hot chocolate. Cozy up with your favorite mug because on January 31, we celebrate National Hot Chocolate Day, a day devoted to our favorite chocolate beverage.”

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

ELMO ASKS HOW WE’RE DOING; RESPONSES ARE A LITTLE FRIGHTENING

The people at Sesame Street sent out a tweet on Monday from their Elmo Muppet. It said: “Elmo is just checking in! How is everybody doing?” The post garnered more than 27,000 responses, with most of them airing grievances about the current state of the world.
– “I gotta be honest elmo, i’m not doing too hot,” one user wrote.
– “I’m going to [bleeping] lose it soon elmo!!”
– “I don’t know how to answer that without traumatizing you Elmo.”
– “Elmo, it’s BLEAK out here bro.”
– “Wife left me. Daughters don’t respect me. My job is a joke. Any more questions, Elmo???”
Some talked about losing their jobs and struggling to make ends meet. Elmo wrote back, “Elmo learned that it is important to ask a friend how they are doing. Elmo will check in again soon, friends! Elmo loves you.” And then, in light of the overwhelming responses, the official account for Sesame Street posted mental health resources, writing, “Thank you, @Elmo, for checking in with a reminder for us to pause and take a mindful moment to focus on how we’re feeling.”
* Sounds like some of Elmo’s fans could use a good tickle.
* Today’s Sesame Street is brought to you by the letters “Uh” and “O”.
* “Come on. Suck it up. Signed, Oscar the Grouch.”
* One word of advice: Never ask people how they’re doing on a Monday.
* 27,000 responses. The Count must be having a wet dream.

THE BUZZ

SUPER BOWL PARTY SURVEY

According to a survey, from Char-Broil, of 2,000 U.S. adults who watch the Super Bowl:
– 40% look forward to attending or hosting a party for the big game
– However, respondents admit an average viewing time of only 29 minutes of game play
– 9% admit they are unlikely to know which teams are playing before they turn it on
– 55% are just watching for the half-time show
– 45% want to see the commercials
– 40% are just there for the drinks
* That’s what 40% of the people at my wedding said – they were just there for the drinks.
* 29 minutes of game play, 163 minutes of snacking.
* If you haven’t heard, this year it’s San Francisco against Taylor Swift.
* Char-Broil, who remind you it’s fun to go out and cook burgers in February. No, really – it is!

U.S. NEWS

TRUCK WITH $30,000 OF ICE CREAM STOLEN

A man faces charges for stealing a truck Monday in West Haven, Connecticut, that carried $30,000 worth of Shahi Kulfi ice cream. The truck was stolen from a parking lot where the ice cream was being delivered. Officers were able to located the stolen truck and were able to safely to stop it on I-95 south. 35-year-old Travis Jones was identified as the suspect who was behind the wheel. He was taken into custody without incident.
* Did police run up to the ice cream truck and yell, “Freeze!”?
* It’s into the cooler for this guy.
* Will he be convicted? That’s a sherbet.
* Prison life’s gonna be a rocky road.
* We don’t all scream for ice cream, but I bet the owner of that truck did when he saw it pull away.
* $30,000 worth of gourmet ice cream these days is, what, about a down half gallons of vanilla?

WOMAN FALLS INTO DUMPSTER, IS COMPRESSED FOUR TIMES IN TRUCK

In Manchester, New Hampshire, a 60-year-old woman was compacted inside a garbage truck at least four times after falling into a dumpster outside her apartment complex. The woman somehow fell into the dumpster of her apartment while trying to throw out a bag of trash, she told firefighters, and they believed her. It is unknown how long she remained there before the garbage truck emptied the dumpster, taking her with it. She was rescued from the truck after the driver noticed her on the internal camera and called 911. Firefighters pulled her from the top of the garbage truck. They said she was standing and talking, but was not alert enough to answer questions. The unidentified woman was hospitalized with critical injuries, but she is expected to survive.
* The ambulance drivers just slipped her under the door.
* When it comes to crazy accidents, she crushed it. And it crushed her.
* Trash truck rescue. Crunch time, the fire departments call it.
* Once she’s stable, they will return the woman flat. Er – return her TO her flat.

GOLF CLUB ALSO OPERATING A POT SHOP

An exclusive California golf club was busted for operating an illegal cannabis business. Investigators arrived at the AOA Private Golf Club in Fresno last Thursday morning and found thousands of dollars’ worth of illegal cannabis, cannabis products and paraphernalia. The club, located near Fresno Yosemite International Airport, had been operating its marijuana business for a “significant amount of time,” according to authorities.
* It’s why a round of golf there usually lasted about 4 days.
* Don’t Bogart that bogey, my friend.
* It’s the only golf course where you can smoke the putting green.
* What tipped them off? Did a little birdie tell them?
* The 9th hole featured a bongwater hazard.

BURN-AWAY CAKES

Another new trend to get – meh – excited about are Burn-Away Cakes. Burn-away cakes have gotten over 174 million views on TikTok. It’s a cake in which the top layer of a cake – usually a picture of something printed with edible ink on edible wafer paper – is set on fire, and it burns away to reveal another picture in the sugar frosting beneath it. While it makes a cool surprise for the kids, the gimmick also lends itself to all kinds of occasions, such as surprise announcements or gender reveals. (Note: it looks like the opening of the old TV show “Bonanza,” where a map of Nevada burns away to reveal the Cartwright family. Not that we’re old enough to have seen it.)
* If only it burned away the calories.
* This is just what your drunken birthday party needs – more fire.
* If it gets out of control, you just throw some fire-extinguishing ice cream on it.
* “A cool surprise for the kids,” which also teaches them how fun it is to play with fire.
* When you light it, make sure you shout out, “This party is lit!”
* 174 million views???? What’s the hidden picture underneath? Porn?

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

THE MICRO PIG CAFE

The latest craze in Japan: The pig café. Like a cat café, visitors can sit on the floor and play and cuddle with the “micro pigs” – miniature pigs, about the size of a corgi dog. The experience costs about $15 for the first 30 minutes. The first one opened in 2019, and now there are currently about ten minipig cafés throughout the country, with more in the works. The pig café is the latest in a series of animal coffee shops that have popped up in Japan, including ones that feature owls, hedgehogs, birds and even snakes.
* Their slogan is “Enjoy your visit, and watch your step.”
* These pigs sound like attention hogs.
* Funny they don’t mention what they serve in the café part of the Pig Café.
* Is a “micro pig” a pig that can fit in the microwave?
* Dang. Now I’m hungry for ribs.

TRENDING

ELTON JOHN & BERNIE TAUPIN TO GET GERSHWIN PRIZE FOR SONGWRITING

Elton John and Bernie Taupin will receive the Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song, the annual award for impact and achievement in popular music. Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden said in a statement that John and Taupin “stand out for the quality and broad appeal of their music and their influence on their fellow artists.” John said in a statement, “I’ve been writing songs with Bernie for 56 years, and we never thought that one day this might be bestowed upon us.” Taupin said, “To be in a house along with the great American songwriters, to even be in the same avenue is humbling, and I am absolutely thrilled to accept.” The duo will be honored at a tribute concert on March 20, with the event broadcast on PBS stations starting on April 8.

ALMANAC

NOTABLE DATES, UPCOMING U.S. OBSERVANCES

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

Tyler Hubbard (singer with Florida Georgia Line) … 37
Marcus Mumford (singer, musician with Mumford And Sons) … 36
Justin Timberlake (singer) … 43
Bobby Moynihan, actor, comedian (“Saturday Night Live”) … 47
Kerry Washington (actress, “Scandal”) … 47
Portia de Rossi (actress, “Arrested Development,” “Scandal,” “Better Off Ted,” “Nip/Tuck,” “Ally McBeal,” famous as Ellen DeGeneres’s wife) … 51
Minnie Driver (actress) … 54
Kelly Lynch (actress) … 65
Johnny Rotten (singer with The Sex Pistols, real name John Joseph Lydon) … 68
Harry Wayne Casey (singer with KC & The Sunshine Band) … 73
Jonathan Banks (actor, Mike Ehrmantraut on “Better Call Saul” and “Breaking Bad,” “Wiseguy”) … 77

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

“I have a very expressive face that I can’t quite control.”

(A) Kristen Stewart
(B) The Burger King King
(C) Portia de Rossi

ANSWER: (C) Portia de Rossi

THIS DAY IN HISTORY

2022 – Online word puzzle Wordle was bought for a “low seven figure sum” by The New York Times.
* Can you spell “ka-ching” with just five letters?

2005 – Keanu Reeves received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
* Or did that happen in a computer simulation?

1990 – McDonalds opened their first branch in Moscow. Thousands of Russians lined up outside for a chance to buy their food.
* They should have lined up inside, but it was force of habit.

1958 – The U.S. launched its first successful satellite, Explorer One.
* It was the first step on a long technological journey that would one day let us watch naked game shows from Europe.

1951 – President Harry Truman announced that he had ordered development of the hydrogen bomb.
* ‘Cause the plain old “atomic bomb” from the 40s just didn’t have enough kick.

1940 – Ida Mae Fuller became the first person to receive Social Security benefits – she had paid $22 into the fund and got back $20,000 over thirty-five years.
* Anybody under 40 listening right now – you can reverse those numbers to see how much you’ll pay in and get out.

1928 – “Scotch” brand tape was first marketed by the 3M Company.
* It was so successful, all three of the M’s came to stand for “money.”

1905 – The first automobile to exceed 100 mph was driven by A.G. MacDonald at Daytona Beach.
* He was just trying to impress chicks on Spring Break.

1867 – Vodka was first officially described by Russian Dmitry Mendeleev as part of his doctoral degree. His thesis in chemistry, “On Joining Spirits and Water,” earned him a full professorship at St. Petersburg University.
* Booze has been an official part of college life ever since.

1851 – Gail Borden announced the invention of evaporated milk.
* But every time he went to show it to someone, it was gone.

THIS DAY IN MUSIC HISTORY

1988 – Janet Jackson started a two-week run at No.1 on the U.S. singles chart with “Together Again.”

1981 – Blondie had their third U.S. No.1 single with “The Tide Is High.”

1970 – Members of The Grateful Dead were busted on LSD charges.

1967 – Taking time out from filming the promotional film for “Strawberry Fields,” John Lennon bought an 1843 circus poster from a British antique shop. The acts featured on the poster provided him with most of the lyrics for the Beatles song “Being For The Benefit Of Mr. Kite.”

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. 15% of drivers are driving around with THIS right now. What is it?
They’re driving around with a cracked windshield.

2. People who do THIS are more likely to get into a traffic accident. What is it?
Drive below the speed limit

3. More men are distracted by THIS while driving than women. What is it?
Billboards

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