WEDNESDAY, July 24 – DAILY PREP TEXT VERSION

MORNING SIDEKICK DAILY PREP TEXT VERSION FOR WEDNESDAY, July 24, 2024
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COMEDY MP3s POSTED ON OUR PREP SITE FOR TODAY: A & M AUTOLAND – Crazy Mike

HEY!
Be sure to check out our series of funny Paris Olympic Updates in the MP3 Comedy column on the Morning Sidekick website Main Page. We’ve posted all of them Wednesday morning so you can preview them. They are designed to run one per weekday, starting this Friday, while the Olympics are taking place. Pick and choose, or use them all! Run them anytime on your station, slap ’em onto your social media! Your listeners will love them!

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.)

AMELIA EARHART DAY
The Holiday Insights website says this:
“Amelia Earhart Day honors the famous aviation pioneer (she was born on this date in 1897). Amelia Earhart broke many early aviation records. Legend and mystery surrounds the final flight and disappearance of Amelia Earhart and her navigator, Fred Noonan. They were on a record-setting attempt to fly around the world, when they became lost in the Pacific Ocean. On July 2, 1937, they headed on a difficult leg of the journey towards Howell Island in the Pacific. Weather conditions were less than ideal. While still in radio communication, ships on the ground confirmed that Earhart was having difficulty finding the island. Ultimately, radio communications faded and died. The plane was never heard from again. The U.S. navy searched over 250,000 miles of ocean to no avail.”

COUSINS DAY

NATIONAL DRIVE-THRU DAY

NATIONAL TEQUILA DAY

July is:

Adopt a Rescued Rabbit Month
Air Conditioning Appreciation Month
Baked Bean Month
Cell Phone Courtesy Month
Family Reunion Month
International Blondie and Deborah Harry Month
National Blueberries Month
National Grilling Month
National Hot Dog Month
National Ice Cream Month
Melon Month

ENTERTAINMENT & CELEBRITIES

DEADPOOL & WOLVERINE: 116 F-BOMBS

Fans were worried that the upcoming Deadpool & Wolverine movie would be tamed down, being as it is produced by Disney. But the New York Post reports that the film, out this Friday, includes 116 f-bombs — which is the most of any “Deadpool” film so far. The second entry, released in 2018, featured only 90.
* Now Warner Brothers is racing to edit more f-bombs into the new Joker sequel.
* Stan Lee is spinning in his grave shouting “This isn’t what I f-ing had in mind!”
* Relax. That’s still over 450 fewer f-bombs than “Wolf of Wall Street.”
* Disney has decided to loosen the language in some of their other endeavors:
– Disneyland is encouraging riders to flip off at the other drivers on the Autopia ride.
– The Pain-in the Asstro Orbiter ride.
– They changed the name to “It’s a Damn Small World After All.”
– And they finally went and officially changed the name of the bear to Winnie-the-Poop.

THE BUZZ

MY EXPENSIVE HOBBY

Reddit asked, “What is your most money-consuming hobby?” Some of the answers:
– “Legos. If my house ever burns down, the toxic plastic smoke is going to kill everyone in town. My husband’s collection is absolutely crazy.”
– “Mountain Biking.”
– “Magic: The gathering. Collection closing in on $100k. If not already above.”
– “Project cars, especially ones you take to the track. The build is never finished because there’s always something to upgrade and you’re always breaking stuff.”
– “Horses. I’ve had my horse for 17 years. He recently passed away and although my heart is broken, I am incredibly aware of how much money I am saving now that I do not own a horse anymore.”
– “Making my own coffee at home.”
– “Calligraphy. And it adds up – paper, hand-made paper, inks, pen holders, steel nibs. But I love it.”
– Cheese. I spend way too much on cheese from a fancy store. It’s not even for a gathering, for people to share. It’s just for me. And I absolutely do not regret a single second or dollar spent on these cheeses.”
– “Guitars. I play bass in 2 bands and have 9 instruments at home, plus a guitar, keyboards, and a harmonica. And the feeling that I’m not done yet.”
– “Goats.”
– “Skiing. After season passes, gear, travel, and lodging in ski towns, the $14 beer starts to sound reasonable.”
– “Fishing, laying down about 80% of my earnings on it.”
– “Stanning a K-pop group.”
* PHONE TOPIC: Do you agree with any of these? Have you got a hobby that is draining your bank account?

IS ALEXA FARTING AT YOU?

There have been reports these past couple of years that the Alexa smart speaker is making unwanted fart noises. Users describe an inability to stop Alexa from farting. There are even Alexa Farts chatrooms:
– “I paid well over $300 for an Echo Studio for superior sounding audio but right now all I’m getting are superior sounding farts.”
– “My Alexa started farting after me asking her to set an alarm for 10 am. And when I said ‘Alexa, stop’ she farted a bit more.”
– “It farts and waits for me to respond but then instead of replying to my question it farts.”
If this is happening to you, there’s a good chance someone is playing tricks on you. Here’s how to check:
– Launch the Alexa app on your iPhone or Android device and take a look under “Activity History” to see what sort of instructions Alexa has received lately. You’ll find voice requests under the “Voice” section. If someone’s asking for farts, there’s your answer.
– If you’re encountering this issue in the middle of the night, someone may have set up a routine. You can find your routines under “Routines” in the “Home” tab of the Alexa app. You can tap the “play” button next to a routine to preview it. Find the problem routine and delete it.
– If you suspect someone is logged into your Amazon account and using the Alexa app to play tricks on you, you should sign out of everywhere. Sign in to Amazon, then click Account & Lists > Account > Login & Security. Click “Start” next to “Compromised account?” then use the “Sign-out everything” button.
* Alexa – so easy to use!
* People sure are making a big stink about it.
* But this is the first I’ve gotten wind of it.
* Why not just turn on Alexa’s Silent But Deadly fart feature?
* Maybe you’ve been feeding Alexa a diet of rough language and cheesy jokes?
* PHONE TOPIC: Have you had this problem?

U.S. NEWS

DENTAL PATIENT SUBJECT TO CONSPIRACY THEORIES DURING CLEANING

A woman has received an official apology from her dental clinic after her hygienist started reeling off several bizarre political conspiracy theories while cleaning her teeth on Monday morning. Jo Danvers, 27, from Oregon, shared her experience in a post online: “While she was cleaning my teeth (i.e. I was in a vulnerable position with her using tools in my mouth) she began to explain political conspiracies as fact,” including that President Biden had died in 2020, and soon there will be a 7-10 day broadcast exposing the government, and during this time the public won’t have access to the internet.
She had some other conspiracies as well:
– John F. Kennedy Jr is alive and the true vice president.
– Princess Diana was alive in a witness protection program.
– John Lennon, Tupac, Elvis and Marilyn Monroe are alive and appear in a beer commercial at the age they’d be today.
– Everyone in the U.S. Congress wears a mask.
Ms Danvers said that after she emailed the dentist about her experience, she received a call from her dentist who apologized for the hygienist’s actions and said the staffer was a “temporary” replacement until their permanent hygienist was back at work.
* But that’s just the cover story.
* The hygienist said not to expect the permanent employee to come back anytime soon – she was abducted by a UFO.
* Hmmm…nothing about the fluoride taking control of children’s minds, eh?
* Where’s the hygienist getting her info from? Instagram? X? Private broadcasts only she can hear?
* I have a strict rule about never arguing with anybody who has a sharp metal pick in my mouth.

BOEING STARLINER CAPSULE STUCK AT ISS IS AT END OF PLANNED BATTERY LIFE

Boeing and NASA’s Starliner mission has exceeded the 45-day battery window while being stuck – er, docked at the International Space Station. The problem-plagued capsule was initially approved to stay at the ISS for up to 45 days but since no date has been set for the two astronauts’ return, the stay has been extended indefinitely. Despite the deadline, NASA and Boeing have said the batteries are performing and the capsule is safe to stay past that window at the ISS. Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams are the two astronauts onboard and they expressed confidence in early July that, despite the delay, they will get home safely, saying, “I feel confident that if we had to, if there was a problem with the International Space Station, we could get in our spacecraft, and we could undock, talk to our team, and figure out the best way to come home.”
* In space, no one can hear nervous laughter.
* Meanwhile, they’ve been sneaking video lessons from Tom Cruise on how to do a HALO freefall skydive back to Earth, like in the Mission Impossible movie.
* Not good, but better than if a door had blown off during the flight.
* NASA is trying to figure out how to send 50,000 double-A’s up there.
* Any word yet on who’s going to replace Boeing for the next capsule?

TRENDINGSNOOP DOGG TO CARRY OLYMPIC TORCH

Hip-hop icon and merchandising brand Snoop Dogg will carry the Olympic flame on Friday through the streets of Saint-Denis, the final stop for the flame before arriving at the Eiffel Tower. Snoop will mark the 67th leg of the flame’s journey. He will be joined by French actress Laetitia Casta and French rapper MC Solaar, among others. On Instagram, the rapper posted screenshots of the news, with the caption “U gots to do it!!”
(* Note: NBC televising the games and hiring Snoop to provide goofy filmed featurettes couldn’t have ANYTHING to do with this, could it?)

CELINE DION TO SING AT THE PARIS OLYMPICS

Celine Dion is going to make her return to the stage at the Olympic Games, and it’s rumored to be during the opening ceremony on Friday. It will mark the pop legend’s first performance since halting her touring schedule and stepping away from the spotlight after being diagnosed with Stiff Person Syndrome in December 2022. Dion arrived in Paris on Monday at the Royal Monceau hotel near the Champs-Élysées, where Lady Gaga, another potential opening ceremony headliner, is also staying. Specific details about Dion’s performance are being kept under wraps.

ALMANAC

NOTABLE DATES, UPCOMING U.S. OBSERVANCES

Sept. 2, Monday – Labor Day
Sept. 11, Wednesday – Patriot Day
Sept. 23, Sunday – Fall begins (Autumn Equinox is 8:44 a.m. EDT)

BIRTHDAYS

Elisabeth Moss (actress, “The Veil,” “The Handmaid’s Tale,” “Shinning Girls,” “Mad Men”) … 42
Jennifer Lopez (singer, actress) … 55
Barry Bonds (former NBA star) … 60
Karl “The Mailman” Malone (former basketball player) … 61
Lynda Carter (actress, “Supergirl”, “Wonder Woman”) … 73
Michael Richards (comic actor, “Kramer” on “Seinfeld) … 75

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

“I don’t want to know what I’m doing tomorrow. It’s much too overwhelming. So I just go day by day, without knowing.”

(A) William Shatner
(B) Elon Musk
(C) Jennifer Lopez

ANSWER: (C) Jennifer Lopez

THIS DAY IN HISTORY

2019 – Facebook agreed to pay a record $5 billion fine, the largest ever for violating consumer privacy, to the U.S. Federal Trade Commission.
* Shouldn’t every American have gotten an equal share? Where’s my $15? ($5,000,000,000 divided by U.S. population of 328,000,000.)

2005 – American Lance Armstrong won his seventh consecutive Tour de France victory. He would eventually be stripped of all titles due to career-long use of performance-enhancing drugs.
* The only thing that could catch up with him was his cheating.

1946 – Inventor Sir James Martin successfully tested the first aircraft ejection seat.
* The success is largely credited on his decision to move the tests OUTSIDE the hanger.

1824 – A public opinion poll was published for the first time in an American newspaper, as the Harrisburg Pennsylvanian reported a clear lead for presidential hopeful Andrew Jackson.
* The next day, the second ever public opinion poll showed a clear lead for boxers over briefs.

1938 – Instant coffee was invented.
* Just like that!

1929 – President Herbert Hoover proclaimed the Kellogg-Briand Pact, which renounced war as an instrument of foreign policy.
* Neat idea. We should try it some time.

1925 – John Scopes was found guilty of teaching evolution in a Tennessee high school.
* Those were not the days to monkey around with a Tennessee school board.

THIS DAY IN MUSIC HISTORY

2022 – Joni Mitchell surprised the crowd at Newport Folk Festival, Rhode Island when she joined Brandi Carlile on stage for two songs. It was her first public performance in 19 years.

2019 – Queen’s iconic “Bohemian Rhapsody” video reached one billion views on YouTube, a new record for one of the band’s videos; it was also the first pre-1990s video to reach one billion views. “Bohemian Rhapsody” was also named as the most Googled song of 2018.

2014 – Duran Duran took legal action against Illinois-based WorldWide Fan Clubs, claiming they were owed $40,000. The company had been charged with managing subscriptions and fan records for Duran Duran, with 75% of profits supposedly going to the musicians.

2008 – Rapper 50 Cent sued Taco Bell for using his name and image without permission in an advertising campaign which urged him to change his name to 79 Cent, 89 Cent or 99 Cent to promote their items which cost less than a dollar. 50 Cent won the suit.

2007 – Beyonce tripped down twelve stairs while performing “Ring the Alarm” on tour in Orlando, Florida. Within hours, video of her stepping on her trench coat and then tumbling head-first appeared on YouTube.

1998 – Tanya Tucker filed a $300,000 lawsuit against Capitol Records, charging that the label had willfully neglected her career.

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. A recent survey found that 2-in-5 men think THIS is the first thing you notice about them. What is it?
Their cell phone

2. 66% of men still have THIS from their childhood. What is it?
A baseball glove

3. In a recent survey, 40% of men said they can’t go a week without THIS. What is it?
Pizza

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