On Today’s Show
When an artist duct taped a banana to a wall and priced it at $120,000 a lot of people were shocked and now the work, by Maurizio Cattelan, has been eaten. On Saturday, it was taken off the wall at the Art Basel Miami Beach and eaten by a performance artist, amid a crowd of stunned onlookers, some of whom posted videos of the incident.
“I really love this installation. It’s very delicious,” David Datuna wrote on Instagram, alongside a video showing the aftermath of his stunt.
Entitled “Comedian,” the artwork comprised a banana bought in a Miami grocery store, and a single piece of duct tape. There were three editions, the gallery said, adding that two had already sold for around $120,000.
It’s unclear whether the banana being eaten will detract from the artwork’s value, or whether Cattelan plans to buy more bananas and start again.
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The Queen isn’t giving up her throne any time soon. There’s been speculation as of late that Queen Elizabeth II plans to retire when she turns 95 in two years. That would effectively pass on the reigning title to her son, Prince Charles. A spokesperson for the office of the Prince of Wales has shot down the rumors in a statement, saying: “There are no plans for any change in arrangements at the age of 95 — or any other age.” Talk of the Queen’s imminent retirement sprung up around the same time that accusations of sexual abuse emerged against Prince Andrew, leading to his stepping away from royal duties.
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ENTERTAINMENT
“Frozen 2” won its third straight weekend with another $34.7 million . . . and “Knives Out” is second with another $14.2 million . . . but there was a steep drop-off after that, and no new movies debuted in the Top 10.
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RENÉ AUBERJONOIS died yesterday after a battle with lung cancer. He was 79. “Star Trek” fans know him as Odo on “Deep Space Nine”.
He also worked with William Shatner as managing partner Paul Lewiston on “Boston Legal”, and was the voice of Chef Louis in the original “Little Mermaid”.
Longtime character actor RON LEIBMAN died of pneumonia on Friday. He was 82. He’s probably best known nowadays for playing Rachel’s dad on “Friends”, but his career goes way back.
His films included “Norma Rae”, “Slaughterhouse Five” and “Garden State”, and he won a Tony for “Angels in America: Millennium Approaches”. He was married to JESSICA WALTER from “Arrested Development”.
“Sesame Street” legend CAROLL SPINNEY died yesterday. He was 85. Spinney was the man behind both Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch. He was with the show when it started in 1969, and only retired last year.
TODAY IS……………….
- “Christmas Card Day”, commemorating the first commercial Christmas card, commissioned by Sir Henry Cole in London, England in 1843, which featured an illustration by John Callcott Horsley. His cheery little card depicting a family with glasses raised in a Christmas toast was widely denounced at the time as promoting drunkenness.
1965 [54] “A Charlie Brown Christmas”, the first animated ‘Peanuts’ TV special, makes its debut
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COUNTRY MUSIC NOTE
Alan Jackson‘s version of Tall, Tall Trees goes No. 1 on the country singles chart.
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RANDOM REPORT
- Before Vegas was known as “Sin City,” that title usually went to . . . Newport, Kentucky. It became a hotspot of corruption, gambling, and prostitution during Prohibition . . . and stayed that way until the 1960s.
- There’s nothing in the official Major League Baseball rules that forces players to wear hats.
- 80% of the population of the United States lives within a two-hour flight of Atlanta.
- During a battle at a park between England and Ireland in 1916, there was a cease fire every day so a park employee could feed the ducks.
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YOU CAN’T MAKE THIS UP………
➢ A Mexican family discovered that their pet cat had been leading a double life. That’s right, he had a second home, a different name and another family just a few blocks away. Whenever Pixi went away for longer than usual, Mary Lore Barra assumed that he was going on feline adventures through the streets of Tamaulipas. What she never imagined was that Pixi was actually spending time with another human family, who in turn thought they were the cat’s sole owners. Pixi’s double life was accidentally revealed when he came home to the Barra residence wearing a new collar around his neck.
➢ Mike Jack of London, UK is celebrating two Guinness World Records for eating one of the hottest chilies on the planet. He earned the world record for the fastest time to eat three ghost peppers when he downed them in 9.75 seconds Jan. 26. On March 2, he broke the record for the most ghost peppers eaten in one minute, consuming 97 grams. Ghost peppers have a rating of more than one million Scoville heat units. A jalapeno ranks between 3,500-8,000. How does his body react when he consumes some of the hottest chilies on the planet? He says: “When I’m done, I just start sweating a lot and it’s just snot and drool coming out of my face.”
GOOD NEWS
A couple in Grand Rapids, Michigan named Andrea Melvin and David Eaton have been fostering a five-year-old kid named Michael for a while. And their adoption finally went through last Thursday.
Now they’re going viral because of the sizable CHEERING SECTION Michael had in court.
He’s really popular at school, and wanted his friends there to see him get adopted. So his kindergarten teacher organized a field trip . . . and his entire class showed up for it.
A few kids even stood up in court and talked about how much they love him. And when the adoption went through, they all cheered.
Andrea and David talked to a reporter about how much joy Michael’s brought to their lives. And Michael couldn’t stop talking about how much he loves them too.
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BIRTHDAYS
[103] Kirk Douglas, actor
[85] (Dame) Judi Dench, actress
[66] John Malkovich, actor
[57] Felicity Huffman, actress (“Desperate Housewives” 2004-12) married to William H. Macy (served 2 weeks in jail in Oct. in connection with the college admissions scandal)
[39] Simon Helberg, actor (‘Howard Wolowitz’ on “The Big Bang Theory” 2007-19)
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HOW FREQUENTLY DO YOU WASH YOUR BEDSHEETS?
An on-going, online poll from YouGov, shows how often respondents say they wash their bedsheets:
35% once a week
29% once every two weeks
10% once every four weeks
7% once every three weeks
4% less frequently than once every six weeks
3% each: more than once a week; once every six weeks; prefer not to say
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There’s Been a Huge Jump in Head and Neck Injuries Because of Cell Phones
If you’ve ever been walking down the street, staring at a text message on your phone, and walked headfirst into a lamp post . . . well, you’re DEFINITELY not the only one.
There’s a new report in a medical journal about a STEEP rise in head and neck injuries in the past 20 years.
And the doctors behind it say it’s a DIRECT result of people tripping, falling, and slamming into things when they were distracted by their phone.
An estimated 76,000 people in the U.S. between January of 1998 and December of 2017 hurt themselves so badly while they were distracted that they had to go to the hospital.
And the rate of those injuries went way up after 2007, when the smartphone revolution really started kicking in.
Most of the injuries are pretty mild, but there have been some people who’ve wound up with traumatic brain injuries. There were also people who had broken noses because they were in bed, looking at their phone, and dropped it on their face.
The doctors say the study is a good reminder to, quote, “Be self-aware. Answer a text message, fine, but you shouldn’t be walking around reading articles on your phone.”
MONDAY DECEMBER 9TH
TODAY’S BIRTHDAYS
[103] Kirk Douglas, actor
[85] (Dame) Judi Dench, actress
[66] John Malkovich, actor
[57] Felicity Huffman, actress (“Desperate Housewives” 2004-12) married to William H. Macy (served 2 weeks in jail in Oct. in connection with the college admissions scandal)
[39] Simon Helberg, actor (‘Howard Wolowitz’ on “The Big Bang Theory” 2007-19)
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- NHL
WPG 3 – ANA 2 FLA 5 – SJS 1 ARI 4 – CHI 3 SO NYR 5 – VGK 0 BUF 3 – EDM 2 OT
- • “The Great Christmas Light Fight”(ABC): A man-made mega tree; a whimsical Germany meets California display; a replica of the Golden Gate Bridge; a display using intricately designed Chinese lanterns; a high-tech light show dedicated to a family’s dog; a snowman built from tires.
• The Voice” (NBC): Live Semi-Final Top 8 Performances
- No winning ticket was sold for the $21 million jackpot in Friday night’s Lotto Max draw.
The jackpot for the next draw on Dec. 10 will be approximately $26 million.
No winning ticket was sold for the $5-million jackpot in Saturday night’s Lotto 649 draw.
However, the guaranteed $1-million prize went to a ticket holder in Ontario.
The jackpot for the next Lotto 649 draw on Dec. 11 will be approximately $7 million.
- Jim Gaffigan talks about how his wife made an appointment for him with a gastroenterologist, or as he calls it, “the doctor who puts a camera up your butt.” (From his 2018 “Noble Ape” special.)
CHATHAM MAROONS
Kyle Fisher scored twice and added an assist as the Chatham Maroons beat the Leamington Flyers 6-4 Sunday night at Memorial Arena.
The Maroons increased their point total to 30 in the GOJHL Western Conference, and are in fifth place.
It was also Teddy Bear and Toys Night at Memorial Arena, during which fans were asked to bring an unwrapped toy to the Chatham Goodfellows’ No Child Without a Christmas program.
The Maroons head to Komoka on Saturday night, while Leamington hosts Strathroy on Thursday.
Jason Aldean’s First Vegas Concert Since the Route 91 Shooting
JASON ALDEAN finally returned to Vegas over the weekend for his first full concert since the Route 91 massacre. He’s been in town for things like awards shows and hospital visits, but this was his chance to “finish what he started.”
Here’s what he told the crowd, quote, “Tonight’s really special. We got a lot of people in the crowd who are family to us, so welcome everyone from Route 91. We’re glad to see you guys out. It’s good to be back here in Las Vegas.
“It’s our first show back and make no mistake about it tonight, we came back to blow it out for you guys tonight. Let’s finish what we started, what y’all think?”
A lot of the fans and first responders who were at the show two years ago wore their Route 91 T-shirts. One of them was a guy in a wheelchair waving an American flag who was lifted high above the crowd. Jason pointed to him and said, “My man.”
He also brought back a special moment by closing out the concert with a cover of Tom Petty’s “I Won’t Back Down”, which is what he sang on “SNL” less than a week after the shooting.
SHANIA TWAIN’s new residency at Planet Hollywood in Vegas kicked-off over the weekend, and ROLLING STONE has five takeaways. She expects you to dance . . . she may bring you on stage . . . she dedicates “Forever And For Always” to Prince . . . she shows off her goofy side with self-deprecating humor . . . and her set list is a jackpot of hits.
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OLD DOMINION TOP CHART THANKS TO SONG’S UNIVERSAL MESSAGE
Old Dominion claims the Number One spot on the Mediabase Country chart this week with “One Man Band,” the second single off their self-titled third studio album. The song holds both a message for the band in their relationship with one another, but as lead singer Matthew Ramsey explains, it can equally be applied to love. [“You can push through all you want and act like you don’t need anyone else until someone comes along and shows you how much you really needed it and you didn’t even know it so I think that’s why this song is working so well because people respond to that, like, ‘I didn’t know I needed someone so badly but I do.'”]
The guys take their Make It Sweet Tour to Las Vegas with shows tonight (Wednesday, Dec. 4th) and Thursday (Dec. 5th) at The Joint inside the Hard Rock Hotel.
They play their last show of the year on Dec. 14th in Youngstown, OH.
FAST FACTS
Old Dominion kicks off their We Are Old Dominion Tour in Hawaii on January 3rd.
They join Luke Bryan at his Crash My Playa sold-out event on Jan. 22nd and 23rd in Cancun, Mexico.
BRAD PAISLEY TO HOST CELEBRITY DODGEBALL FUNDRAISER
Brad Paisley will host his inaugural Celebrity Dodgeball Tournament to support The Store, a new nonprofit free grocery store which Brad and his wife, Kimberly Williams-Paisley, are starting in association with Brad’s alma mater, Belmont University. The eight-team National Dodgeball League (NDL)-officiated tournament will be held on Feb. 20th in Belmont’s Curb Event Center. The evening will feature musical performances from Brad and some of his famous friends. Tickets will go on sale at 10 a.m. this Friday (December 6th).
FAST FACTS
The Store will operate as a free-referral based grocery store, allowing people in need to shop with dignity for their basic needs.
It is scheduled to begin operations in the first quarter of 2020.
