On Today’s Show
➢ Canada’s leading air carrier is temporarily suspending service to the United States.
Air Canada has announced it will ground all flights to the U.S. after the daily schedule concludes on Sunday evening. Flights to the U.S. are tentatively scheduled to resume on May 22.
The carrier has been operating with 90 per cent fewer flights scheduled since March 16, with travel concentrated on three hubs, in Toronto, Montreal, and Calgary. No Air Canada flights are currently being scheduled at either the Windsor or London airports.
➢ A Price Is Right contestant named Andrew jumped for joy on an episode that aired last week, perhaps thinking he’d won the prize of a lifetime ― a $12,000 trip for four to Game 4 of the 2020 Stanley Cup Finals. But this seasons NHL championship is in serious jeopardy of not happening at all after the league suspended operations amid the coronavirus pandemic. According to the Price Is Right website, the episode was taped on Feb. 24. The league’s announcement came on March 12 as sport after sport was shutting down. HuffPost reached out to the game show to ask if and how Andrew will be compensated if this year’s final is never played. But for now, viewers feel Andrews pain.
➢ This could easily become one of the most sought-after All In Challenges of them all: The cast of “Friends” is offering YOU a chance to attend the taping of their HBO Max reunion special.
The winner and FIVE friends get airfare and a one-night hotel stay. They’ll also have coffee with the cast and, quote, “get the whole ‘Friends’ VIP experience on the Warner Brothers Studio Tour.” There’s no word WHEN this is happening. The show was supposed to tape earlier this year, but it was put off due to the pandemic.
And if they end up doing the show without a live audience, they promise to offer the winner SOME kind of in-person experience with the cast.
To enter, hit up Fanatics.com and donate to the COVID-19 relief effort. The more you give, the more chances you have to win.
➢ The Faroe Islands are halfway between Norway and Iceland. And their department of tourism is getting creative. They’re having locals strap cameras on their heads, and letting people explore by controlling their movements online, like a video game character. Here’s part of the video they posted about it.
➢ Even in the midst of his fight against stage 4 pancreatic cancer, Alex Trebek is finding ways to spread a message of hope. He announced that he’s written a memoir called “The Answer Is…: Reflections on My Life”, which will be released on July 21. Trebek has been resisting requests that he write a memoir for decades. But after he announced his diagnosis in March 2019, he was so moved by the letters and words of support he received that he decided to share his story.
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TODAY IS……………….
- “Earth Day”, the 50th anniversary of the international celebration of the planet we all call home. Begun in 1970, it’s now the largest environmental event worldwide – and this year it’s all digital.
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COUNTRY MUSIC NOTE
John Michael Montgomery‘s “I Can Love You Like That” began a three-week stay at #1 in 1995
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THE LAST DANCE
ESPN aired the first two episodes of its MICHAEL JORDAN documentary “The Last Dance” on Sunday night, and people are getting a kick out of the way former presidents
BILL CLINTON and BARACK OBAMA are identified on the show.
When Obama appears, it doesn’t say former PRESIDENT. It says “Former Chicago Resident” . . . and when Clinton is onscreen, he’s identified as the “Former Arkansas Governor”.
It’s funny, but it also makes sense.
Clinton appears in the doc to talk about SCOTTIE PIPPEN’s days at the University of Central Arkansas.
And Obama gives insight into what Chicago was like when Jordan joined the Bulls.
On a related note, check out a clip of Michael describing how shocked he was as a rookie, when he walked in on his teammates partying.
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FOUR RANDOM FACTS
- When Montenegro became independent from Yugoslavia, its Internet domain name went from .yu to .me.
- 38% of the chocolate in the world comes from cocoa beans from the Ivory Coast in Africa.
- Approximately 34% of the roads in the United States are unpaved.
- “Wall Street”is the only movie that has ever won an Oscar and a Razzie. Michael Douglas won the Oscar for Best Actor . . . and Daryl Hannah won the Razzie for Worst Supporting Actress.
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GOOD NEWS
Toys for Tots won’t wait for Christmas this year. They want to lift kids’ spirits, so they’re sending out TWO MILLION toys to underprivileged kids all over the country. Hasbro, Lego, Disney, and Build-A-Bear are all helping with donations.
A family in Ohio bought 5,000 Subway sandwiches, and handed them out to healthcare workers.
The last Blockbuster on Earth is in Bend, Oregon, and the owners refuse to let the coronavirus take it down. They’re offering curbside pickup and say there are still people out there who rent movies the old fashioned way.
A guy in Long Island has raised thousands of dollars for a hospital after they saved his life twice. Once as a baby, and now again after a battle with COVID-19
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BIRTHDAYS
[83] Jack Nicholson, actor/3-time Oscar winner (“As Good As It Gets”, “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest”, “Terms of Endearment”)
[54] Jeffrey Dean Morgan, actor (Negan on “The Walking Dead” since 2016)
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54% of Us Are Cooking More Right Now, and Snacking Is at an All-Time High
Have you been cooking more than usual because of the outbreak? Over HALF of Americans have been, according to a new poll. Here are seven stats on how the crisis has changed our cooking and eating habits . . .
- 54% are cooking more right now, and 46% are doing more baking.
- The most sought-after recipes are for simple, practical meals. 61% of us have searched for those. And 60% have looked for ways to use up specific ingredients.
- 57% of people say they’re wasting less food because of the lockdown.
- Half of people who’ve spent more time in the kitchen say it’s made them more confident in their cooking skills. And 35% are enjoying it more than they used to.
- Are we eating any healthier because of all this? Yes and no. 39% of people said their diet has improved . . . but 40% said they’ve leaned on more COMFORT foods to get through quarantine.
- Snacking throughout the day is at an all-time high, especially for parents. 50% of people with kids said they’re eating more snacks than they were before the crisis hit.
- And finally, 51% of people who’ve been cooking more said they’ll keep it up when the lockdown ends. Our top reasons are it’s cheaper, it’s healthier, it’s relaxing, and we like trying new foods.
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AUSTRALIAN FAMILY RECREATES 15-HOUR VACATION FLIGHT IN LIVING ROOM
Usually people don’t enjoy being on long flights, but whatever. A family in Australia staged a full recreation of a 15-hour flight from Sydney to Munich in their living room while in lockdown.
Kristy Russell said her husband, Nathan, came up with the idea, complete with security checks, flight attendants and custom-printed boarding passes, after the novel coronavirus disrupted a family vacation they had been planning for five years.
Russell told Guardian Australia, “It started as a joke but it has actually been quite fun. We thought the kids would not be into it at all. But they have embraced it.”
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DAD FINDS WHOLE CAR BURIED UNDER LAWN WHILE GARDENING DURING LOCKDOWN
This might make you think of a plot line from a ‘90s TV show.
Recently John Brayshaw was doing some gardening in his U.K. backyard and was shocked to find a car.
He continued and found almost a full car complete with the engine, and doors.
Brayshaw thinks the car is a 1955/56 Ford Popular 103e.
He adds the only part of the car missing were the wheels, and that the previous owners of the home, who lived there for 50 years, never did anything with the backyard and likely had no idea the car was there.
There is no registration plate on the car, and no record of the car that he can find.
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WEDNESDAY APRIL 22ND
TODAY’S BIRTHDAYS
[83] Jack Nicholson, actor/3-time Oscar winner (“As Good As It Gets”, “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest”, “Terms of Endearment”)
[54] Jeffrey Dean Morgan, actor (Negan on “The Walking Dead” since 2016)
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- Today is Earth Day. And with the way your routine has changed over the past month . . . has it made you appreciate nature more than before?
According to a new survey, 38% of people say yes, the quarantine has made them more appreciative of nature. 6% of people say it’s made them appreciate nature LESS. The rest say they don’t appreciate nature any more or less . . . or they’re not sure if they do.
And this year marks the 50th anniversary. Here’s Walter Cronkite reporting on the first Earth Day on April 22nd, 1970.
- Texas Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick is so adamant about opening up Texas that he’s willing to lose some lives in the process. On Monday, he told Fox News that “There are most important things than living.”
- Nate Barzgate says he doesn’t know much about global warming, but looked up how to help . . . and it said to talk to friends and family. But he doubts his family will be of any use helping the earth. (From his 2019 Netflix special “The Tennessee Kid”.)
- World Series of Poker postponed, Comic-Con canceled, and the Bill Gates coronavirus conspiracy theory. (From Conan O’Brien, Jimmy Fallon, and Jimmy Kimmel on Tuesday, April 21, 2020)
PEOPLE STOCKPILE FROZEN PIZZA, CAUSING POTENTIAL SHORTAGE AMID PANDEMIC
First it was toilet paper and paper towels, and now it’s apparently frozen pizza. The coronavirus pandemic has caused shortages of various products as people stock up on supplies as they shelter in place in their homes, and the latest food item to get this treatment is frozen pizza. Adweek reports that during the month of March, Americans bought $275 million worth of frozen pizza, which is an increase of 92 percent from the same time period the previous year (and some brands have reported increased sales as much as 190 percent.) The possibility of a frozen pizza shortage caused a stir on social media.
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LUKE BRYAN TO PERFORM DURING NFL DRAFT
Luke Bryan will appear during this year’s 2020 NFL Draft performing “Play It Again” as part of Verizon’s #PayItForwardLIVE Series. Luke’s performance will air during the Draft broadcast at 12 p.m. ET this Saturday (April 25th).
He said, “I was honored to be included in the partnership with Verizon #PayItForwardLIVE supporting small businesses. They are such a vital part of our communities and it is important we continue to raise awareness for them so they can sustain themselves and keep their doors open. My boys and I look forward to watching the NFL Draft ALL weekend.”
The 2020 NFL Draft will be fully virtual and will be held remotely with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, league personnel and club staff working from their individual locations due to COVID-19. ESPN, NFL Network and ABC are joining forces to present the Draft across their broadcast networks. It will also be live streamed on the ESPN app and NFL app as well as streaming on Sling TV and YouTube TV
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The Story Behind the Homeless Guy in Old Dominion’s “Some People Do” Video
OLD DOMINION released a mini-documentary about the star of their “Some People Do” video. His name is Jason Schneidman and he’s a former drug addict who turned his life around, and now he cuts hair for celebrities.
In the documentary he says, quote, “I was hooked on crack cocaine [and] then I went to a program that taught me I have to be of service in order to stay sober. It dawned on me that I could do what I love doing, cutting hair and helping people in need.”
That led to him creating The Men’s Groomer Foundation, which funds addiction treatment centers, and gives scholarships to help people get off the street. His motto is “I believe a haircut can change someone’s life.”
When singer MATTHEW RAMSEY read Jason’s Instagram stories, he knew it was a match. Quote, “I thought, ‘Here’s this song we have that’s about the line, ‘Most people don’t change, but some people do.’ It’s a hard thing to want to change but that’s what the song is about.”
- Lady Antebellum – appear on tonight’s third night of “Canada Together: In Concert”, along with Meghan Patrick, The Reklaws, and Dean Brody. The 5-night series of at-home concerts on ET Canada support Covid-19 relief efforts by Food Banks Canada and Unison Benevolent Fund. Still coming this week: Jess Moskaluke, Gord Bamford and James Barker Band.