On Today’s Show
THURSDAY JANUARY 3RD – WHAT’S HAPPENING
Some bundles of joy are just a bit bigger than others. Jennifer and Eric Medlock of Arlington, Texas recently welcomed their second child to the world, a baby boy named Ali.
Ali was born weighing 14 pounds, 13 ounces—about twice the weight of the average newborn, and representing a new size record for the hospital.
The Medlocks said the pregnancy was healthy, but Ali had to spend a week in the NICU due to low blood sugar and platelets. Guinness World Records lists the heaviest newborn on record as weighing 22 pounds.
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Bird Box is breaking records already. The Sandra Bullock-starring horror-thriller, released on December 21st, has become Netflix’s most-watched film.
The film has unwittingly launched a meme that has gone viral (and is resulting in injuries).
Copying Bullock and other characters that are forced to carry out their activities blindfolded to avoid seeing the mysterious forces that are causing others to commit suicide, people are blindfolding themselves while riding scooters, climbing escalators and ordering drive-thru.
On Wednesday, Netflix responded to the sensation, tweeting: “Can’t believe I have to say this, but: PLEASE DO NOT HURT YOURSELVES WITH THIS BIRD BOX CHALLENGE. We don’t know how this started, and we appreciate the love.”
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ENTERTAINMENT
Pro wrestling interviewer Eugene “Mean Gene” Okerlund, an iconic WWE fixture who also provided ringside commentary and hosted shows, died yesterday (January 2nd) at a Florida hospital. He was 76. His son said his father, who’d had three kidney transplants, fell a few weeks ago and his condition deteriorated after that. Okerlund joined World Wrestling Entertainment in 1984, where he interviewed all the biggest WWE superstars and he was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2006.
Comedy writer and actor Bob Einstein has died at the age of 76.
Einstein’s career spanned 50 years, starting with the portrayal of character “Officer Judy” on the “Smothers Brothers”. He went on to create and play fictional daredevil Super Dave Osborne. Einstein most recently portrayed Marty Funkhouser on HBO’s Curb Your Enthusiasm starting in 2004 until 2017
Daryl Dragon, “The Captain” of singing duo Captain and Tennille, died early Wednesday morning. Daryl’s publicist says the musician died of renal failure in Arizona, and was in hospice care at the time.
Daryl and Toni Tennille were famous for cranking out huge hits in the ’70s, and the duo was actually a couple — they married in 1975. They landed their own TV variety show the next year.
Although they divorced in 2014, they remained friends … and Toni was by his side when he died. Daryl was 76.
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TODAY IS……………….
Drinking Straw Day”, celebrating its invention on this date in 1888. Drinking straws were hand-rolled until 1905.
Festival of Sleep Day”. Thanks to a combination of late hours, alcohol, rich foods, exposure to unfamiliar surroundings, and artificial light deep into the night over the holiday season, experts say most of us build up ‘sleep debt’, a condition which can affect how well we sleep for weeks afterward.
1992 [26] Bernard Moeller of Pennsylvania gets his 14,000th tattoo, leading to a listing in the “Guinness Book of World Records” as ‘Person With the Most Individual Tattoo Designs’
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COUNTRY MUSIC NOTE
JANUARY 3rd, 1976
C. W. McCall was at #1 on the country album chart with Black Bear Road, which included the #1 hit novelty song, “Convoy”. The song itself was largely responsible for starting a nationwide citizens’ band radio craze. The song “Black Bear Road” in turn popularized the now-infamous road itself, along with its “You don’t HAVE to be crazy to drive this road – but it helps” sign.
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RANDOM REPORT
- Based on the way our bodies are built, we SHOULD faint every time we stand up . . . and scientists are just now figuring out why we don’t. They believe it has to do with some special neurons that keep it from happening.
- The famous painting of dogs playing poker is actually called “A Friend in Need”. It was painted by a guy named Cash Coolidge, who also created those big cardboard cutouts you stick your head through in tourist spots.
- Matt Groeningis the creator of “The Simpsons”, and has a son named Homer. He goes by “Will,” and had the name before the cartoon character.
- The equals sign was invented by a mathematician in Wales in 1557. Before that, people would actually write out “is equal to” in their equations.
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TODAY’S GOOD NEWS
A North Carolina dad’s road trip took a huge turn when his kids asked to use the bathroom.
Travis Porch was on his way to look at the oceanfront light in Virginia Beach when his kids needed a bathroom break.
Porch stopped at a 7-Eleven, where he decided to buy a pair of Cash Money scratch-off tickets.
The first ticket won Porch $15, while the second turned out to be a $150,000 jackpot winner. Porch said he plans to pay off some of his mortgage and put the rest of the money into savings.
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BIRTHDAYS
(80) Bobby Hull (Hockey Hall-Of-Famer)
[63] Mel Gibson, actor/movie producer/director
[50] Michael Schumacher, retired Formula One racing driver (7-time champion who continues to receive private rehab after a December 2013 traumatic brain injury suffered in a skiing accident)
[44] Danica McKeller, TV actress (“The Wonder Years” 1988-1993)
COMING UP…”The Matchmaker Mysteries” 2019
[38] Eli Manning, NFL quarterback (2X Super Bowl Champ and MVP-NY Giants)
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14 Years Later, Friends Cast Making $20M Each Per Year
Ross, Rachel, Chandler, Monica, Joey, and Phoebe haven’t been up to new adventures since 2004, but their older ones are still making a ton of money for the cast.
In an interesting look at the show’s moneymaking prowess, Marketplace reports that each cast member makes $20 million per year thanks to syndication.
That’s good news for David Schwimmer, Jennifer Aniston, Matthew Perry, Courteney Cox, Matt LeBlanc, and Lisa Kudrow, who formed what Marketplace calls a “mini-union” after the second season and insisted they all be paid the same. T
hey might even make more in the near future, now that the show will remain on Netflix through 2019, notes Business Insider.
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WEB FIND OF THE DAY……………
Keira Knightley Uses Her Teeth as a Musical Instrument
Keira Knightly is a woman of many talents and if you needed any proof, look no further than her recent appearance on The Graham Norton Show.
The two-time Oscar-nominated actress appeared on Norton’s New Year’s Eve episode, where she participated in the shows annual party pieces tradition, during which guests are encouraged to show off their hidden party tricks.
After fellow guests Catherine Tate and Guy Pearce each showed off their own skills, Knightley took to the mic and spilled the beans about what she’d be doing: playing a song on her teeth.
I can play my teeth! I can play anything you want, she said before breaking into a rendition of Hal David and Burt Bacharach’s 1969 Oscar-winning song, Raindrops Keep Fallin on My Head, by flicking her fingernails to the back of her teeth.
Knightley’s rendition left the audience cheering and her fellow guests surprised at the musical talents of the actress.
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Here Are the Top 10 New Year’s Resolutions We’re Making for Next Year
The rest of 2018 is a wash . . . you’re not going to be able to make a significant life change in the next two-and-a-half weeks. But come 2019? That’s when it ALL comes together. Obviously.
A new survey asked people what New Year’s resolutions they’re planning to make for next year. And here are the top 10 answers . . .
- Exercise more, 59%.
- Eat healthier, 54%.
- Save money, 51%.
- Lose weight, 48%.
- Reduce stress, 38%.
- Stick to a budget, 35%.
- Get more sleep, 31%.
- Spend more time with family, 30%.
- Learn a new skill, 27%.
- Travel more, 24%.
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THURSDAY JANUARY 3RD
TODAY’S BIRTHDAYS
(80) Bobby Hull (Hockey Hall-Of-Famer)
[63] Mel Gibson
[50] Michael Schumacher, retired Formula One racing driver and 7-time champion.
[44] Danica McKeller, TV actress (“The Wonder Years” 1988-1993)
[38] Eli Manning, NFL quarterback (2X Super Bowl MVP-NY Giants)
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- WORLD JUNIOR HOCKEY
Finland 2 Canada 1
For the first time in history, Team Canada failed to medal in a World Junior Championship on home soil. Canada will now finish sixth after being knocked out by Finland in the quarterfinal for the second time in four years
Kazakhstan 4 Denmark 3
Switzerland 3 Sweden 0
USA 3 Czech Republic 1
Russia 8 Slovakia 3
NHL
Calgary 5 Detroit 3
Vancouver 4 Ottawa 3
Edmonton 3 Arizona 1
- • “The Titan Games” (NBC): Season premiere. Six contenders test their strength and fortitude as they compete to dethrone a reigning Titan.
• “The Blacklist” (NBC): Season 6 premiere,
- “Gotham” (FOX): Season 5 premiere
- The fourth most Googled health-related question in the U.S. in 2018 was “How long does weed stay in your urine?”
4. A guy from Long Island was blowing up an air mattress last week, and decided to use a can of “Fix-a-Flat” spray that’s only supposed to be used with car tires. It’s highly flammable, and a candle in his home caused a massive explosion that almost killed him. He ended up in the hospital with a collapsed lung. Here’s a police spokesman and one of his neighbors.
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BROTHERS OSBORNE MEMBER FINDS MISSING DOG AFTER NEW YEAR’S EVE ESCAPE –
Brothers Osborne member John Osborne is breathing a big sigh of relief after his missing dog was found in the wee hours of New Year’s day (Tuesday, January 1st). John and his wife, Lucie Silvas‘, dog Barley bolted from their Nashville home while the couple was out of the country. John and Lucie took to social media to ask for the public’s help in finding her and followed up with good news to reveal she had walked quite a distance to her Uncle TJ Osborne‘s house, much to everyone’s relief and surprise. John wrote, “She freaked because of fireworks then left my (John’s) house and walked 5 miles/6 hrs to TJ’s. Haha. Unbelievable.”
Once the goldendoodle arrived at her destination, she “barked outside to make herself known,” according to Lucie’s post.
Brothers Osborne will play their first show of 2018 on January 10th in Chicago.
BLAKE SHELTON SURPRISES FAN PLAYING HIS SLOT MACHINE IN VEGAS
One Blake Shelton fan in Las Vegas got the surprise of her life while taking her chances on the superstar’s new slot machine earlier this week.
The Blake-themed machine is brand new at Planet Hollywood so naturally Blake wanted to check it out while hanging with his girlfriend, Gwen Stefani, who was there to perform her as part of her Just A Girl residency. Blake casually walked up and stood next to the woman playing the slot machine. You can’t hear their conversation in the video Gwen posted to social media, but you can definitely see the woman do a fast double take and then cover her mouth with her hand in shock.
She quickly stood up and shook hands with Blake, and that’s where the clip ends.
