On Today’s Show
➢ This is quite the fishing achievement. Wildlife officials in Tennessee say a nine-year-old boy was fishing with his family on Old Hickory Lake recently when he reeled in a sturgeon that weighed in at 79.8 pounds. Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency says the fish Coye Price caught dwarfed a 39.8-pound striper his sister caught and a 58-pound blue catfish his other sister caught. The agency says Price released his catch back into the lake, as lake sturgeon can live for an estimated 150 years.
➢ Officials at an aquarium in Australia say some of their fish have been showing signs of depression during the lockdown, possibly because they’re lonely and haven’t been able to watch people through the glass.
➢ Frequent flyers who miss the wonderful delight of the prepackaged snacks served on flights can now have them delivered straight to their doors. JetBlue Airways snack packs are available in the US to Imperfect Foods customers, the same grocery delivery service that sells ugly produce for less than store prices. Those of us who are longing for the inflight experience can order mixed cheeses, crackers and dried cherries from the airline that has seen a steep decline in travelers due to the coronavirus pandemic. And more good news: Although you would have had to pay $9 for the airline’s “EatUp” boxes, through Imperfect Food, you can get the same snack for just $2.99.
➢ There have been rumors about a possible “Pirates of the Caribbean” reboot for a couple years. And now, a Disney “insider” blog claims the movie is in development, and they want a FEMALE lead. They’re supposedly interested in KAREN GILLAN, who plays Nebula in the Marvel movies, and also starred in “Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle”. There’s no word on how they’d be connected to the other “Pirates” movies . . . although the report suggests it could be about REDD the pirate, who’s a popular meet-and-greet character at the Disney parks.
Since it’s a reboot, it doesn’t sound like JOHNNY DEPP would be involved.
➢ Kristen Bell talked to Ellen DeGeneres and said Dax Shepard shattered his hand while doing some off-roading in his Polaris RZR UTV.
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TODAY IS……………….
- “Personal Support Worker Day”, an awareness day to recognize the essential service PSWs provide in sustaining our health-care system and providing high-quality community and home-based care.
2013 [07] Donald Trump declares country singer Trace Adkins winner of “The Celebrity Apprentice” on NBC-TV
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COUNTRY MUSIC NOTE
Randy Travis‘ “Forever And Ever, Amen” went to Number One in 1987.
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The World’s Last Blockbuster Is Holding Strong
The 20-year-old Bend, Oregon, location that became the only Blockbuster left on the planet has managed to keep afloat during the global pandemic.
None of the stores dozen-plus employees have been laid off, and they continue to receive paychecks through the closing and reopening that occurred while management figured out best safety practices for employees and customers.
In the early days of this crisis, everybody would be converging in the same area, everybody wanted to go to the new release section they weren’t able to keep people apart, so after closing for a few days to regroup, the store reopened with curbside pick-up.
Customers called Blockbuster to request and pay for a film, and showed up at the store to receive a sanitized DVD in a Ziplock bag. Harding then felt comfortable enough with their safety measures to open the doors to 10 people at a time. The Manager joked they had a customer come in and she said, I am so grateful that you reopened, because I couldn’t flip through Netflix one more time, she said.
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FOUR RANDOM FACTS
- Ikea uses 1% of all the wood in the world to make furniture. Yes, even particleboard still needs some real wood, and they use a giant amount of it.
- There are 12 countries that have a weapon on their flag:
- Weird Al’ssong “Eat It” hit number one in Australia in 1984. It’s a parody of Michael Jackson’s “Beat It” . . . which only made it to number three in Australia.
- The famous British “Keep Calm and Carry On” posters that have now been parodied a million times were never distributed. They made the posters in 1939 but decided not to distribute them because they thought it might cause a panic.
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GOOD NEWS
Here’s a way to cheer your neighbors up if you’re a Monty Python fan: People have been setting up signs in their front yards, declaring them “Silly Walk Zones.” So when you walk by, you have to do a silly walk.
A middle school teacher in Georgia named Bill McAllister has been running six to eight miles a day. And he plans each route so he can stop by as many of his students’ homes as possible, just to say hi.
Two dozen people near Detroit have been holding weekly parades through their town while wearing inflatable costumes. They say it’s easy to social distance from each other, because a lot of the costumes have long tails. And people love it . . . not just kids . . . because it’s something totally different to break up the day.
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BIRTHDAYS
Michael Che (comedian, Saturday Night Live) (37)
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MAY 16TH MIRACLE
It will take volunteers several more hours of work to sort through the thousands of bags of food that were collected across virtually every corner of Chatham-Kent this weekend.
On Saturday, residents and businesses collectively participated in the May 16th Miracle by leaving non-perishable food items on their doorstep to go towards feeding those in need during the COVID-19 emergency.
Moréna McDonald, owner of 519 Events & Promotions and project manager for the May 16th Miracle, said the event exceeded the expectations of everyone involved.
Volunteers drove across the municipality around the noon-hour, collecting the items that were left on porches. There were also several drop-off locations set up for those living in rural areas.
McDonald said the majority of Chatham-Kent residents got involved.
Although there are no exact totals yet, McDonald said the amount of food that was collected throughout the day was a sight to behold.
“What I can say is it’s mind-blowing. Walking into some of those drop-off locations and just seeing the amount of boxes and bags of food, it was like being in a disorganized grocery store,” she said. “It was insane.”
Planning for the event started just three weeks ago. According to McDonald, the idea was thought up by Chatham-Kent residents Wes Thompson and James Rasmussen. From there, it snowballed into an 11-person leadership team and kept growing and growing.
“We had 2,000 at least register [to] formally on our website,” she said. “Then we had a bunch of people jump in at the last minute, families coming together to help volunteer. All I can say is probably at least 3,000 volunteers total. Then, of course, the majority of Chatham-Kent putting something on their doors step or apartment lobby or driving to a rural drop-off location. It took thousands of people to pull this off and we’re so incredibly grateful.”
Now, McDonald said volunteers have a lot of work ahead of them with sorting the items and distributing them to local food banks. Whichever community the food was collected in is where the donations will stay.
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STUDY: EXCESS COFFEE CONSUMPTION A CULPRIT FOR POOR HEALTH
It turns out you can have too much coffee. University of South Australia researchers looked at data from over 300,000 people and examined connections between habitual coffee consumption caused by genetics and several diseases.
They found that drinking too much coffee was linked increased risk of osteoarthritis, arthropathy (joint disease), and obesity. The scientists found six cups of coffee per day was considered the upper limit of safe consumption.
Researcher, Professor Elina Hyppönen says, “For people with a family history of osteoarthritis or arthritis, or for those who are worried about developing these conditions, these results should act as a cautionary message.
The body generally sends powerful messages with respect to coffee consumption, so it’s imperative that individuals listen to these when consuming coffee. […] The message we should always remember is consume coffee in moderation.”
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YouTube’s New Reality Show Turns Sleeping into a Competition
YouTube is launching a new reality show next week called “Sleeping with Friends”. But it’s not what it sounds like.
It’s a three-part series where people with sleep issues compete to see who can get the most restful night’s sleep.
Producers filmed people in bed, and strapped gadgets to their foreheads to track their brain waves. Then each day, they’d look at things like how much REM sleep they got, and give them tips for improving their sleep the next night.
Apparently the person who improves their sleep the most wins. And it’s supposed to educate viewers on how to rest up. It hits YouTube next Wednesday, because it’s Mental Health Awareness Week in the U.K.
TUESDAY MAY 19TH
TODAY’S BIRTHDAYS
Michael Che (comedian, Saturday Night Live) (37)
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- Yesterday we lost a TV legend: KEN OSMOND, who played Wally’s annoying friend Eddie Haskell on “Leave It to Beaver”. There’s no word on the cause of death. He was 76.
He was with the show for its full run, from 1957 to 1963 . . . and came back when the show was revived in the ’80s as “The New Leave It to Beaver”.
In between, Ken spent 18 years with the LAPD. He actually had to bulk up to meet the minimum weight requirement to be a cop. But he had to hang it up in 1980, after he was shot three times by a suspected car thief.
- Here’s a reminder that you can have the virus without having symptoms. A nurse in Montreal was starting a job at a new nursing home, and told them she’d been around COVID-19 patients. But she couldn’t get a test unless she had symptoms. So she lied to get the test, and then tested positive.
- Jim Gaffigan jokes about whales
- Graceland is reopening, some restaurants in Italy reopening, positive results for a vaccine, and dogs may have a puberty stage. (From Jimmy Fallon and Seth Meyers on Monday, May 18, 2020)
BLAKE SHELTON ON JAY LENO’S GARAGE
Blake Shelton gets a big surprise on tomorrow’s episode of “Jay Leno’s Garage”. Jay has him drive a 1967 GMC pickup truck, and then springs it on him that it was once owned by Elvis Presley. There’s also a moment when Jay tells Blake to run a red light, so he does. (Here’s a preview clip. The red light comes at 1:31.)
REBA McENTIRE RELEASES NEW VIDEO FOR ‘RELEVANT’ 1997 SONG
Reba McEntire has released a new music video for a song she originally released in 1997 called “What If.” According to Reba, she felt compelled to re-release the song with an updated video as an encouraging message of hope and positivity.
Reba said, “This song is as relevant today as it was 23 years ago. Reba tells us that she hopes to inspire people by re-releasing “What If.” [“Now more than ever, the song ‘What If’ hits close to home. Well, even though it may feel like we’re living in a world gone mad, you know we can still fond ways to make a difference and hopefully change things.”] SOUNDCUE (:13 OC: . . . hopefully change things.)
“What If” is available for the first time on all digital platforms.
KIP MOORE IS KIND OF ENJOYING BEING QUARANTINED
Kip Moore has been sheltering in place at a lodge that he owns with some friends in Kentucky. He’s spent the past nine weeks going rock climbing, working out and hanging around a campfire with a few buddies that are quarantining with him.
While the coronavirus has certainly changed the world for everyone, Kip tells us he really doesn’t mind the situation. [“I spend a lot of time isolated when I’m off the road, and I’ve always been somewhat of an introvert and I’m forced to be an extrovert everyday of my life for the most part so I’m aware of how heavy this situation’s been for a lot of people, and I’ve definitely had my own moments, but for the most part I’ve been completely fine during this time. I realize that my situation might be a lot different than a lot of people, but, yes, I’m okay with being dropped off in the middle of nowhere just by myself. I’m okay with it (laughs).”]
Kip will release his fourth studio album, called Wild World, on May 29th.
CHRIS STAPLETON POSTPONES TOUR UNTIL NEXT YEAR
Like most entertainers these days, Chris Stapleton has decided to delay his All-American Road Show Tour to next year. He posted a message on social media writing in part, “We’ve made this decision with the healthy and safety of our fans, touring family, and the communities we travel through as our number one priority.”
All previously purchased tickets will be honored for the rescheduled dates. Those unable to attend a rescheduled date will have 30 days to obtain a refund that will be made available at your point of purchase.
