WEDNESDAY, Mar 23 – DAILY PREP TEXT VERSION

MORNING SIDEKICK DAILY PREP TEXT VERSION FOR WEDNESDAY, March 23, 2022
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COMEDY MP3s POSTED ON OUR PREP SITE FOR TODAY: A & M AUTOLAND – Anniversary; THE ONLY MORNING SHOW IN TOWN

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 CHIP AND DIP DAY
The Holiday Insights website says this:
“National Chip and Dip Day celebrates America’s favorite snack duet. If you’re holding a party, it is almost certain that chips and dips are on the snack list. The only possible exception would be for an Ice Cream party. Important Note: National Potato Chip Day is on March 14th. For today’s celebration, the ‘chip’ is more generic. It could be corn chips, or tortilla chips. And, the dip is any kind that goes well with the chip of choice. Today is best celebrated in the evening with a bag of chips and your favorite dip.”

NATIONAL MELBA TOAST DAY

NEAR MISS DAY
The Holiday Insights website says this:
“Near Miss Day commemorates the day a huge asteroid nearly hit the earth. On March 23, 1989, an asteroid the size of a mountain came within 500,000 miles of a collision with Earth. In interstellar terms, it was a near miss. Had it collided with the Earth, it would have left a devastating crater the size of Washington, D.C. Its affect on the planet would have been catastrophic. Since then, there have been other near misses. Whew!! Near misses with large, potentially life threatening objects happen on an infrequent basis. It is believed a large asteroid collided with the earth and caused the extinction of dinosaurs. Scientists believe it is only a matter of time before another catastrophic collision with Earth. But, don’t worry. The odds are it will not happen for a long, long time.”

OK DAY (No, it’s not short for “okay” … the two initials came first!)
The History website says this:
“On this day in 1839, the initials ‘O.K.’ were first published – in The Boston Morning Post. Meant as an abbreviation for ‘oll correct,’ a popular slang misspelling of “all correct” at the time, OK steadily made its way into the everyday speech of Americans. ‘OK’ has become one of the most ubiquitous terms in the world, and certainly one of America’s greatest lingual exports.”

March is:

Adopt a Rescued Guinea Pig Month
American Red Cross Month
Employee Spirit Month
Expanding Girls’ Horizons in Science and Engineering Month
Gender Equality Month
Irish-American Heritage Month
National Craft Month
National Frozen Food Month
National Professional Social Worker’s Month
National Women Inventors Month
National Women’s History Month
Read an E-Book Month

ENTERTAINMENT & CELEBRITIES

DISNEY WORKERS WALK OUT

LGBTQ workers and employee allies at The Walt Disney Company staged a walkout in protest of Florida’s Parental Rights in Education bill, dubbed the “Don’t Say Gay” bill by opponents. Some employees have been walking out each day since Tuesday, March 15, from 3 to 3:15 p.m. But yesterday – Tuesday, March 22 – protesters threatened a full-length walkout from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. While the actual walkouts were not massive, there were scattered reports:
– About a hundred workers walked out from the Company’s headquarters in Burbank, California, and there were people gathered outside of the Disney Animation building.
– Some workers walked out of the Disney-owned ABC7 Newsroom in Los Angeles.
Disney released a statement that read, in part, that the company “will not stand for discrimination in any form. We oppose any legislation that infringes on basic human rights, and stand in solidarity and support our LGBTQIA+ Cast, Crew, and Imagineers and fans who make their voices heard today and every day.”
* “And yeah, we’ll probably have to dock your paychecks for the hours you were gone.”
* There was a period of about two hours where a few of the Magic Kingdom gift shops were closed, and Disney can’t have that.
* All the Democrat presidents walked out of the Hall of Presidents.
* Peter Pan, Tinkerbell and Dumbo staged a fly-out.
* Tragically, because of the lack of workers, there’s a family of four from Indiana who can’t get off “It’s a Small World.”

NCAA BALLS ARE ORANGIER

The basketballs used during this year’s NCAA men’s and women’s basketball tournaments are noticeably more orange than in the past. This is because of a new deal with Wilson to use the brand’s Evo NXT balls. The browner balls we are all used to are made by Nike and what most schools use, but the NCAA signed a contract with Wilson to “provide the basketballs for the tournament,” and the “bright orange color is on purpose.”
* Haven’t seen orange that bright since Trump left Washington.
* There aren’t enough double entendres in the world to do justice to this story.
* I thought it was because all the players have been eating Cheetos.
* I haven’t seen this many orange balls than that locker room scene on “The Simpsons.”

THE STORY OF THE MAKING OF “JAWS” IS BECOMING A MUSICAL

There is a stage musical in the works about the making of the film “Jaws.” Not the actual movie – the MAKING of the movie. The musical is called “Bruce,” and will premiere at Seattle Rep, with previews beginning May 27 and an opening night set for June 8. The show is named after the nickname given to the 25-foot mechanical shark in the movie. The musical centers on a young Spielberg facing poor weather, dangerous water, hostile locals, an exploding budget, endless delays and a highly dysfunctional Bruce to make “Jaws.” The show will star Jarrod Spector as a singing Steven Spielberg. Spector’s Broadway credits include “Beautiful: The Carole King Musical” and “The Cher Show.” He says the musical is “about the group of brilliant artists who stared down every obstacle imaginable to somehow emerge with this genre-defying masterpiece.”
* The highlight is when the shark dances and does “jazz fins.”
* Poor little Alex Kintner. First he’s eaten by the shark; now he’s going to be devoured by the critics.
* I’m surprised they didn’t call it “Jesus Christ Supershark.”
* Or, better yet, “Orcahoma!”
* And in two years, a movie version of the musical about the making of the movie.

THE BUZZ

SURVEY: SECRET SNACKING PLACES

In a survey of 2,000 adults in the United Kingdom, by a jerky company called Peperami (They make beef jerky, they’re not actual jerks. Or maybe they are.) Anyway, the survey asked the strangest places people like to snack in private.
– More than 20 percent say they eat while taking a bath.
– 18 percent of the poll confess to snacking while on the toilet.
– 20 percent admit to picking a piece of food out of the trash which still looked “perfectly fine.”
Places Where People Snack In Secret:
– In bed
– While driving
– In the bathtub
– The garage
– A public stairwell
– In the bathroom
– In a public bathroom
– In an elevator
– In a storage room at work
– During exercise
– In a swimming pool
– A public changing room
– Inside a freezer room at work
* People are pretty disgusting, you know that?
* How did they miss “at church services.”
* So in general, the answer is “I eat wherever I have food.”
* We ARE still talking about food, right?
* I mean, the actual survey question from the Peperami jerky company was, “Where are you jerking it?”

U.S. NEWS

MISSING WOMAN WHO WAS FOUND LAST MONTH GOES MISSING AGAIN

A Nevada woman who vanished on Valentine’s Day and was then found clinging to a tree and hypothermic on a steep cliff has gone missing again. Gayle Stewart, 64, was found last month on a steep slope in a hiking area in her hometown of Reno. It made big news at the time. But Stewart is now missing for the second time in consecutive months, this time in the southern part of the state. She was last seen on March 14, in a parking area near Hoover Dam. Officials say she had traveled to the area to take photographs and did not return to her vehicle.
* Hide and Seek addict?
* Obviously the first place to look is “clinging to the edge of the dam.”
* She must like the attention.
* How can we look at you if you’re never there?
* Folks, if you’re going to take up hiking, it’s good to start slow, like on a treadmill, until you’ve figured out the basics.

THREE FIREMEN AT THE SAME STATION BECOME FATHERS ON THE SAME DAY

Three firefighters with Fort Belvoir Fire and Emergency Services at Fort Belvoir Army Base in Virginia became dads at the same hospital within 24 hours. The dads – Kyle Dean, Kyle Frederick and Michael Irvine – said they had joked in the weeks before the births about what it would be like if the three babies ended up sharing a birthday. The men said they were pleasantly surprised to discover their wives were all in labor at the same time.
* It’s alarming.
* I’d be curious to know if all three had the same day off nine months ago.
* Nice hose work, men.
* Just triple-check those ID bracelets before you take the babies home.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

BRAZILIAN SINGER HOSPITALIZED OVER UNSPENT FARTS

Brazilian singer Viviane de Queiroz Pereira claimed that she had to be hospitalized after her reluctance to break wind in front of her boyfriend, which resulted in a dangerous gas buildup. She detailed her gastro fiasco in an Instagram story for her 15.7 million followers (* although the posting has since disappeared from her feed, so believe this story or don’t). But Pereira, known by her stage name Pocah, wrote: “I woke up at 5:30 a.m. with severe stomach pains and ended up in the hospital.” She claimed that she wasn’t on “farting terms” with her boyfriend and started having stomach pains which eventually resulted in her having to report to the doctor with an “accumulation of trapped farts.” Doctors were able to relieve Pereira. “Girls, don’t be ashamed to fart in front of your guy, because what’s really embarrassing is not letting your guy sleep because you’re in discomfort, going to hospital with your guy, and the diagnosis being ‘trapped farts.’ From now on, I’m letting them rip, guys.”
* Reportedly, she’s now having trouble finding a limo driver, for some reason.
* These kids need a balcony.
* This story sounds like a lot of hot air.
* This story is a lot like the Ukraine invasion. It’s all about pootin’.
* Be sure to look for Pocah’s new single, a Spanish language version of “Let It Go” from Frozen.
* If this is the kind of stuff I’m missing on Instagram, sign me up!
* DJ: “Does anyone else have a comment on this story they’d like to share?” Your partner: “I’ll pass.”

TRENDING

“THE REAL LOVE BOAT” TV SERIES

(Note: they are making two versions of this show – one for the U.S. and one for Australia!)
CBS (and Australia’s Network 10) is bringing “The Love Boat” to life with a twist. It will be a reality dating series called “The Real Love Boat.” The show will bring together singles to cruise the Mediterranean on a luxury Princess cruise ship while looking for love. Destination dates, challenges and surprise singles will test the couples’ compatibility and chemistry. The show’s “captain” and “cruise director” will play pivotal roles in the matchmaking. After a month at sea, only one winning couple will make it to the final port and take home a cash prize plus a once-in-a-lifetime Princess Cruise, and maybe also the COVID.

NICOLAS CAGE HAS BABY NAMES ALL PICKED OUT

Nicolas Cage says he has names picked out for his upcoming baby. In a profile published Tuesday, Cage told GQ he plans to name his future bundle of joy Akira Francesco if it’s a boy, or Lennon Augie if it’s a girl. “Augie was my father’s nickname,” he told the magazine. “And my uncle, director Francis Ford Coppola, has decided to change his name to Francesco.” The baby-to-be will be his first with Shibata, whom Cage married last year. He has two sons from prior relationships, Weston, 31, and Kal-El, 16.

RACHEL ZEGLER NOW ASKED TO PRESENT AT THE OSCARS

“West Side Story” actress Rachel Zegler has finally been invited to the Oscars. Zegler revealed in a Saturday Instagram post that she wouldn’t be attending this Sunday’s ceremony because she wasn’t invited, despite “West Side Story” being nominated for seven awards, including Best Picture. (* Note: it’s fantastic. See it.) Zegler played Maria. One unnamed source came up with an explanation: that Zegler is currently in London filming a new version of “Snow White,” and Disney had made sure she would not receive an invitation because they would have to shut down production if she came back from the ceremonies sick. But, due to public outcry, the Oscars have now not only invited Zegler, but asked her to present an award.

ALMANAC

NOTABLE DATES, UPCOMING U.S. OBSERVANCES

April 1, Friday – April Fools Day
April 17, Sunday – Easter
April 15, Friday – U.S. Tax Day
May 8, Sunday – Mother’s Day
May 30, Monday – Memorial Day

BIRTHDAYS

Brett Eldredge (country singer) … 36
Steven Strait (actor, star of “The Expanse”) … 36
Brett Young (country singer) … 41
Perez Hilton (gossip blogger, TV personality, real name Mario Armando Lavandeira, Jr.) … 44
Keri Russell (actress, “The Americans”) … 46
Marin Hinkle (actress, “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel,” “Madam Secretary,” “Two And A Half Men”) … 56
Amanda Plummer (actress) … 65

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

“I like being on my own. I do. I tend to be a loner, so I’m okay. I’m not okay when I have to be around everyone all the time.”

(A) Ryan Seacrest
(B) Steve Harvey
(C) Keri Russell

ANSWER: (C) Keri Russell

THIS DAY IN HISTORY

COVID-19 in History:
2021 – Brazil’s daily COVID-19 death toll passed 3,000 (3,251) for the first time, with 298,676 total deaths reported.
2020 – The World Health Organization announced the COVID-19 pandemic was accelerating: The 1st 100,000 cases took 67 days, the 2nd 100,000 cases took 11 days, and the 3rd 100,000 cases took 4 days.
2020 – New York was confirmed as a new center of the COVID-19 pandemic in the US with 20,875 cases (5,707 in the previous day) and 157 deaths.

2010 – President Barack Obama signed into law the Affordable Care Act, the most sweeping piece of federal legislation since Medicare was passed in 1965.
* And a lot of people wanted to sweep it … into the trash.

2001 – Russia’s orbiting Mir space station ended its 15-year odyssey with a fiery plunge into the South Pacific.
* And Russia kept insisting: “We WANTED it to do that!”

1929 – The first telephone was installed in the White House.
* The president thought it was too undignified going down to the 7-11 on the corner to use the pay phone.

1903 – The Wright brothers received a patent for their airplane.
* At which point things really took off.

1794 – The first U.S. patent ever was issued to Joseph G. Pierson for a riveting machine.
* Wait – didn’t somebody patent rivets first?

1775 – American revolutionary Patrick Henry proclaimed “Give me liberty or give me death.”
* Wow! That would have made a great bumper sticker!

1743 – The standing ovation was introduced by England’s George II. He rose to his feet during a performance of Handel’s “Messiah” and was followed by the rest of the audience.
* Actually he only stood because a really large man was trying to squeeze past him into his seat.

1699 – John Batram was born, “The father of American botany.”
* Wouldn’t he be proud to know that botany is now so popular, many Americans are growing tall green plants under artificial lights in their basements?

THIS DAY IN MUSIC HISTORY

2011 – The Who’s Pete Townshend told Uncut magazine that he regretted ever forming the band. “What would I have done differently? I would never have joined a band. Even though I am quite a good gang member and a good trooper on the road, I am bad at creative collaboration.”

1999 – Pope John Paul II’s “Abba Pater” was released. It featured 11 tracks of chanting and praying with musical accompaniment.

1997 – U2 were at No.1 on the U.S. album chart with “Pop,” the band’s fifth U.S. No.1 album.

1996 – Celine Dion went to No.1 on the U.S. singles chart with “Because You Loved Me,” her second U.S. No.1. The song was taken from the film “Up Close And Personal” starring Robert Redford and Michelle Pfeiffer.

1992 – Janet Jackson signed with Virgin Records for $16,000,000.

1985 – Former Creedence Clearwater Revival front man John Fogerty went to No.1 on the U.S. album chart with “Centerfield.”

1974 – Cher went to No.1 on the U.S. singles chart with “Dark Lady,” the singer’s third solo No.1.

1973 – John Lennon was ordered to leave the U.S. within 60 days by immigration authorities who decided not to renew his visa because of a drug conviction. He began a long fight to win his ‘Green Card’ which he was given on July 27th, 1976.

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. The average American does THIS 13.2 times a year. What is it?
Washes their car

2. If you’re an average American adult, you’ll do THIS five times this year. What is it?
Go to a movie

3. A recent survey extrapolated that for an entire year, 76 million Americans didn’t do THIS even once. What is it?
Read a book

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