Born on this day!! Jazz pianist Ahmad Jamal is 91. Actor Robert Ito (“Quincy”) is 90. Actor Polly Holliday (“Alice”) is 84. Writer-director Larry David (“Curb Your Enthusiasm,” ″Seinfeld”) is 74. Keyboardist Roy Bittan of the E Street Band is 72. Actor Wendy Schaal (“American Dad,” ″It’s a Living”) is 67. Model-actor Jerry Hall is 65. Actor Jimmy McNichol is 60. Bassist Dave Parsons of Bush is 56. Actor Yancy Butler (“Witchblade”) is 51. Violinist Melodee DeVevo of Casting Crowns is 45. Actor Owain Yeoman (“The Mentalist”) is 43. Singer Michelle Branch is 38. Actor Vanessa Lee Chester (“The Lost World: Jurassic Park”) is 37. Actor Nelson Franklin (“The Millers”) is 36. Actor Ashley Tisdale (“Hellcats,” ″High School Musical”) is 36. Actor Lindsay Lohan is 35. Actor Margot Robbie is 31.
THIS DAY IN GENIUS HISTORY
1566 – French astrologer, physician, and prophet Nostradamus died.
1881 – President James Garfield was shot by Charles Guiteau; he died on Sept. 19.
1890 – Congress passed the Sherman Antitrust Act.
1937 – Amelia Earhart and her co-pilot Fred Noonan disappeared over the Pacific Ocean while attempting to fly around the world.
1964 – President Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act of 1964 into law.
1976 – In Gregg v. Georgia, the Supreme Court ruled that the death penalty was not inherently cruel or unusual.
1997 – Actor James Stewart died in Beverly Hills, Calif.
2002 – Steve Fossett became the first to circumnavigate the globe solo in a balloon.
Today Is: I Forgot Day, Made In The USA Day, Second Half of The Year Day, World UFO Day
TODAY ON TV!
Primetime TV (All Times Eastern)
CBS – 8:00 – Magnum PI / 9:00 – Blue Bloods / 10:00 – Blue Bloods
NBC – 8:00 – Stanley Cup Finals
ABC – 8:00 – Emergency Call / 9:00 – 2020
FOX – 8:00 – Friday Night Smackdown
CW – 8:00 – Charmed / 9:00 – Dynasty
TV Talk Shows
Jimmy Kimmel: Quentin Tarantino, Iliza Shlesinger, Lukas Nelson & Promise of the Real (R 6/22/21)
Seth Meyers: Ewan McGregor, Casey Wilson (R 5/24/21)
James Corden: Emily Blunt, Elle King (R 5/27/21)
Lilly Singh: Teddy Swims (R 4/21/21)
The View: John Stamos, Dorothy A. Brown (R 5/19/21)
The Talk: Mike Colter, Antonia Lofaso, guest co-hosts Deborah Norville & Akbar Gbajabiamila
Live with Kelly and Ryan: Mila Kunis, David Oyelowo, Dr. Wendy Troxel
Ellen DeGeneres: Jay Pharoah, Jon M. Chu, guest host Stephen “tWitch” Boss
Wendy Williams: Hot Talk panel
The Real: Erica Mena (R 1/15/21)
Tamron Hall: Maurice “The Crochet Boss” Green (R 2/5/21)
Drew Barrymore: Danny Seo, Neil deGrasse Tyson, Nicky Hilton (R 4/22/21)
WHAT ARE YOU TALKIN’ ABOUT? Here are today’s PPM-Friendly Topics!
QUESTION: Ready for a CLIMATE CHANGE UPDATE?? In 1995, the NY Times predicted that all east coast beaches would be gone in 25 years!! That would have been.. last year.
QUESTION: So… they WEREN’T married already?? Gwen Stefani and Blake Shelton just got a MARRIAGE LICENSE!! Looks like it’s ON for the holiday weekend!! Congrats!!
QUESTION: Who’s got the BIGGEST ROCKET?? Richard Branson says he’s blasting off to space on JULY 11th, beating Jeff Bezos by nine days!!!!! This is WAR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
QUESTION: Running out of things to WORRY ABOUT?? Check out this depiction of what you’ll look like if you keep working from home for the next five years!!! Yikes!!!!
QUESTION: What the hell happened HERE?? LAPD tries to blow up a cache of illegal fireworks, and BLOW THEIR TRUCK UP!! Happy Fourth of July!!!!!!!!!!!!
Princess Diana Statue Debut
Princes William and Harry, who have been somewhat estranged, reunited at their childhood home on Thursday to unveil a statue of Princess Diana on what would have been her 60th birthday. The statue of Diana, Princess of Wales, is located in the Sunken Garden at Kensington Palace in London. It depicts Diana and two children. “Every day, we wish she were still here with us, and our hope is that this statue will be seen forever as a symbol of her life and legacy,” the brothers said in a joint statement. The Sunken Garden was “one of the princess’s favorite locations,” Kensington Palace said, according to BBC News. Diana first moved into Kensington Palace in 1981. She continued to live there after her divorce from Prince Charles and until her death in a car accident in Paris in 1997. Prince William was 15 at the time and Prince Harry was 12. The brothers have had a strained relationship since Harry and wife Meghan Markle decided to relinquish their royal duties and move to the United States. Thursday was the first time they were seen together since Prince Philip’s funeral in April. See the video HERE.
******She looks like she’s in pain!!!
******Harry and Wills start wrestling at the end of the clip!!!
*****If you go around the back of the statue, you’ll see one of Camilla’s kitchen knives in her back!!!
Martha Stewart Recovering From Surgery
Martha Stewart is recovering after undergoing surgery for a ruptured Achilles tendon. She gave an update Wednesday on Instagram after her surgery. Stewart shared a photo of her lower leg and foot, which were wrapped in bandages. “Not the prettiest photo nor the happiest back story. Bad timing all around,” Stewart captioned the post. “Ruptured my Achilles’ tendon a while ago. Tried to get it to heal on its own to no avail. The great @drjohnkennedy @nyulangone performed a three hour operation yesterday to repair the damage.” “Recuperating at home I have been ordered to lay still with leg elevated for two weeks. After that another two to four weeks of crutches. Then maybe some more normal activity,” she said. Stewart said she injured herself after accidentally stepping into a hole on the street. “Most such ruptures occur when dancing or playing sports. Mine was caused by a surprise step into a hole in the dark getting out of the car,” she said. “Thank you NYU for attempting to make me whole again.”
*******Snoop Dogg sent over some “medicine” to help her out!!
*******It’s kind of “schlumpy” look, but she pulls it off!!
*******We just hope that doctor didn’t remove the “sexy” from her legs!!!
Meghan McCain Leaving The View
is Meghan McCain leaving “The View.” The conservative co-host is ending her four-season run at the end of July, she announced on Thursday morning’s show. “So I am just going to rip the Band-Aid off. I am here to tell all of you, my wonderful co-hosts and the viewers at home, that this is going to be my last season here at ‘The View,’” McCain said at the top of the episode. She said that she plans to make Washington, DC, her family’s home base after she, her husband Ben Domenech, and their baby girl Liberty had been living there during much of the pandemic. “The View” is based in New York. “We have this incredible life here … and I think, as any new mom knows, when I think about where I want Liberty to have her first steps, her first words, I just have this really wonderful life here that ultimately I didn’t want to leave,” she said. The news comes shortly after Page Six revealed that ABC had pleaded with McCain to stay on the show — and even offered her a different gig at the network. “ABC begged for her to stay [and] she said, ‘No — I’m done! I’m not staying anymore,’” a source says.
*********Geez…. what’s the problem???
******Joy Behar was seen dancing in the halls!!!
******Who’s going to be the next sacrificial conservative?????
William Shatner Gets New Show On Russian TV
William Shatner will now host a new show called “I Don’t Understand” — on a Russian state-run TV network. He will host the new show later this month on RT America, whose parent network RT — formerly known as Russia Today — was in 2017 described by US intelligence agencies as part of “Russia’s state-run propaganda machine.” Since then, it has been registered as a “foreign agent” in the US. RT announced the show on Tuesday with a promo that said Shatner will seek to “answer fascinating and timely questions that pique the natural interest of everyone, but that the establishment media all too often hesitates to tackle.” “I have often pondered the questions we should be asking, but perhaps aren’t,” Shatner said in the press release. “Just how much stuff is in space? When I really think about it, I realize that I don’t understand anything. So, I’m going to ask questions no one else is on TV, and we’ll see if we can take a journey to enlightenment together.”
*********Beam us up!!!
*******It might be a Russian propaganda operation!! The first question is, “How bad does the U.S. suck???”
******Here’s our question: If you’re driving through the universe at the speed of light and you turn on your headlights, does anything happen??
Springsteen To Open Up Central Park
New York City’s August star-studded “homecoming concert” in Central Park will be headlined by Bruce Springsteen, Queens native and “American legend” Paul Simon and award-winning singer and former “American Idol” Jennifer Hudson, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced Thursday. “It’s going to be one of the greatest Central Park concerts in history. This is something you do not want to miss,” de Blasio said during a virtual press briefing. “This is something for the ages.” “He is beloved in New York City, in an extraordinary way, even though he happens to come from [New] Jersey. No ones’ perfect,” de Blasio joked. “He is amazing.” Details on the date and time of the end of summer event, as well as the other artists who will perform at it will be announced “soon,” the mayor said. The capacity for the event will be 60,000 people, a city official said. “This is meant to be an event for a large crowd,” said the mayor.
********We can’t wait to get back to the normal muggings and public urination!!
Ripping The Tabloids (Throughout the week, we’ll give you the stories from that weeks tabs!)
**Please Credit Publication!
Matthew Dumps $21.6M Bat Cave!-(National Enquirer)
Holy Bat Cave! Muddled Matthew Perry has unloaded his Batman-themed luxury L.A. penthouse for a bargain price of $21.6 million-and the new owner will get a 9,300-square-foot space stuffed with the “Friends” alum’s prized superhero memorabilia! The train wreck star’s sprawling West Century Drive “mansion in the sky” takes up the entire 40th floor of the exclusive Century Building and boasts four bedrooms, eight bathrooms, four terraces, a screening room-and a Bat Cave that houses Perry’s obsessive Dark Knight collection! Perry, 51, bought the posh pad in 2017 for $20 million and put it on the market in 2019 for an astonishing $35 million. The hapless star-who has admitted to a long history of addiction and rehab stints-has been under the microscope for his unsteady appearance in the recent “Friends” reunion special.
New Beau-(Globe)
“Girls” star Lena Dunham, 35, has a new Peruvian English beau, Luis Felber, 32. Professionally, the singer goes by his middle name, Attawalpa, a tribute to the last Incan emperor, who died in 1533.
Kourtney & Travis: Headed to the Altar?-(Us Weekly)
An engagement seems imminent for Kourtney Kardashian, 42, and Travis Barker, 45! The duo, who have been dating since January, are ready to take the next step, a source says. “It could be right around the corner. And it would be very over-the-top, since Travis loves impressing her,” the source says, noting, “I wouldn’t be surprised if it took place at their favorite pace in the world, Disneyland, in front of their kids and family.”
Not a Good Morning?-(Star)
Once BFFs, Reese Witherspoon and Jennifer Aniston are chilly on the season 2 set of The Morning Show. They’re both America’s Sweethearts, but maybe they’ve soured on each other. Just as the season 2 trailer for The Morning Show dropped, photos surfaced of Jennifer Aniston and Reese Witherspoon looking miserable between takes on set. Now a source reports there has been tension between the Apple TV + costars. “There was some friction, with some eyerolling and whispering going on,” says the source. “They used to hang out when the cameras weren’t rolling, but not now.”
Hollywood’s Next To Wed! Gwen & Blake-(Life & Style)
“It’s not like the queen and king are getting married or something,” Gwen Stefani, 51, says of the low-key wedding she has on tap with Blake Shelton, 45, at his ranch in Oklahoma. But while she insists that the entertainment will consist of a “playlist” rather than a live band and that the tiny guest list will be just “family,” the “Sweet Escape” singer is making exception when it comes to her attire. “Gwen had a few designer dresses made. “She’s narrowed it down to two,” a source shares of the summer bride, who recently posted a glamorous selfie from her June bridal shower. “She’s keeping her final gown choice a secret until she walks down the aisle!” Blake’s already spilling the beans about their first song, though. “It’ll be ‘If You Leave’ from Pretty in Pink soundtrack,” the groom claimed. “We both love the song, we’re both fans of the ‘80s. Why not.”
Divorcing : Carmelo Anthony & La La Anthony-(People)
On June 17 the Power star, 42, filed for divorce from the NBA player, 37, after 11 years of marriage. The couple-who share 14-year-old son Kiyan-first split in April 2017 and reunited briefly in 2018.
Last Laughs-(In Touch)
“Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez made out at a steamy, PDA-packed dinner. This so exciting. It’s like Gigli if people had wanted to see it.”-Stephen Colbert.
“The world’s tallest roller coaster opened at Six Flags’ Great Adventure in New Jersey, while the world’s longest roller-coaster is still Bennifer.”-Seth Meyers.
“You can make out with your newish boyfriend in front of your kids early in the relationship if your boyfriend is motherf—ing BATMAN!”-Jackie Fabulous.
STUPID NEWS
Walmart Worker Tackles Deer
A deer wandered into a Walmart store in Wisconsin and was subsequently tackled and ejected from the business by an employee. A video captured by a witness at the Walmart store in Baraboo shows an employee pinning the deer to the floor after tackling the wild animal inside the store. Witnesses said other employees opened the back doors of the store and were able to guide the deer back outside. The animal did not appear to be injured and was last seen running away from the store. See the video HERE.
********All we can say is this woman should be playing for the NFL!!!
*******The deer filed a sexual assault charge!!!
******This is the ONE thing we’d never seen in Walmart!!!
Oldest Living Man
Guinness World Records announced a new record holder for the world’s oldest living man: 112-year-old Emilio Flores Marquez of Puerto Rico. The record-keeping organization said Marquez, of Trujillo Alto, was issued a certificate as the world’s oldest living man at age 112 years, 326 days. Marquez was born Aug. 8, 1908, in Carolina, Puerto Rico. He was the second of 11 children born to his parents. “My dad raised me with love and taught me to love everyone. He always told me and my brothers and sisters to do good, to share everything with others,” Marquez said. Marquez was married to Andrea Perez De Flores for over 75 years prior to her death in 2010. The couple had four children, two of whom are still living. The record for oldest living man was previously held by Dumitru Comanescu, who died June 27, 2020, at age 111 years, 219 days. He had only held the record for under a month prior to his death.
********Yeah, nobody holds this record for long, so enjoy it while you can!!
********Forget the senior discount!!! He should get everything FREE!!!
******We finally found someone old enough to date the Queen!!!
Pigeons Close Exit Ramp
Authorities in Florida said a highway exit ramp was closed for about 3 hours after a flock of dozens of pigeons fell from the back of a vehicle and scattered across the roadway. The Volusia County Sheriff’s Office said in a Facebook post that calls began coming in about 11 p.m. Tuesday reporting that dozens of “white doves” were flying at cars on Interstate 95 near the International Speedway Boulevard exit. Deputies responded to the scene alongside Volusia County Animal Services, the Florida Highway Patrol and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and discovered the reported birds were actually a flock of homing pigeons. “It is believed a crate carrying upwards of 100 homing pigeons fell off a truck, bursting open on the road,” the sheriff’s office said. “Because birds roost at night, the pigeons stayed on the road, until bright lights from vehicles startled the birds, causing them to fly into the air and create a hazard for drivers.” The exit ramp was closed for about 3 hours while authorities worked to round up the birds.
*******Why???? Because…. FLORIDA!!!!!
Flying Car Makes Long Flight
A Slovakian company took its prototype flying car for a test flight between two cities, spending a total 35 minutes in the air. Klein Vision announced its AirCar Prototype 1 spent 35 minutes flying between the cities of Nita and Bratislava on Monday, marking the first successful intercity flight for the company. The company said the AirCar reached a maximum cruising speed of 118 mph and the trip was about half as long as a typical drive between the two cities. “AirCar is no longer just a proof of concept,” Klein Vision co-founder Anton Zajac said in a news release. “It has turned science fiction into a reality.” The AirCar, which contains a 160 horsepower BMW engine, is designed to convert into a sports car in a button-operated process that takes about 3 minutes to complete. The company said it is now working on the AirCar Prototype 2, which will feature a 300 horsepower engine and is expected to cruise at up to 186 mph with a range of 621 miles.
*********It’s all good, until there are thousands of air cars up there!!!
PREDICTION: These flying cars will have to be self-driving, computer-controlled before they’re rolled out!!!
******We’re waiting for the PSA: “Don’t text and fly!!!”
STUFF THAT’S COOL AND VIRAL
VIDEO: ESCAPING A FOREST FIRE!
A LIST FOR FRIDAY
7 Tips For Finding Flight Deals Now That Everything Is So Expensive
Huffington Post
Prioritize cost over date and destination.
“To book cheap flights, you must make cheap flights a priority,” said Darci Valiente, a senior member operations specialist at Scott’s Cheap Flights.
“All too often when people think about booking a vacation, they first sit down and think about where and when they want to go,” she explained. “Imagine you and some friends are planning to take a trip together and it is decided, ‘Let’s go to Greece for the last two weeks of August.’ As a result, when you go to book your flight, you’ll likely end up paying $1,200 round-trip for one ticket to Athens for your dates.”
It’s common to prioritize destination and dates over cost, particularly for families limited by school holiday schedules. But if you’re able to take another approach, Valiente advises beginning your search by asking, for example, “Where are there cheap flights to out of our airport?” and “Are there any destinations that are cheap in August?”
“In [this] scenario, you might find that there are $480 roundtrip fares to Rome available for the first two weeks of August,” she said. “You and your friends book these tickets instead, have a great time in Italy, and save $720 per person on airfare.”
Use flight search engines.
“If you’re looking to find affordable flights, you should always use a source that aggregates flights from numerous airlines so you can compare the rates,” Trifari said.
This can be useful for search purposes even if you intend to book through the official carrier ― though you may change your mind.
“You may find certain websites can shave a bit off from the bottom price, scoring you an even better deal than had you booked directly through an airline’s own website,” Trifari said. He advised checking out websites like Skyscanner, Expedia, Google Flights and CheapOair to score good deals. Brian Kelly, CEO and founder of The Points Guy, told HuffPost he recommends Orbitz, Travelocity, Hotwire and CheapTickets as well. In addition to comparison-based search engines, there are other tools aimed at helping travelers find affordable options.
If you’re willing to give up “some of the comforts of travel such as taking direct flights, you can use booking tools like Skiplagged to discover connecting flights that have layovers to secure a better deal,” Trifari suggested. “The trade-off is that it will take you longer to arrive at your destination, since you may have to stop at one or two other airports along the way.”
Set up alerts.
Not everyone has the time to check different websites for flight deals every day, and even if you do, sometimes limited offers appear and disappear quickly. That’s why it’s helpful to set up alerts with your platform of choice, so you receive an email or push notification when prices fall. “Setting up price alerts will ensure you’re the first to know as prices drop with any additional discounts or added supply,” said Mark Crossey, U.S. travel expert for Skyscanner. “You can mark a flight you’re interested in, and Skyscanner will email you whenever the price goes up or down.” Valiente similarly plugged Scott’s Cheap Flights as a way to get email alerts when bargains pop up. Google Flights, Kayak and other travel websites also offer fare-change notification features.
Be flexible with airlines.
“If you are trying to find a good deal, be flexible with alternative dates, airports, and airlines,” Kelly said. “Consider flying out and in on different dates, in and out of different airports, and flying on a different airline that you might not typically fly.” Flexibility can involve booking with airlines you don’t usually fly, or even combining carriers within the same trip.
“It’s not just a summer fashion trend. Mix-and-matching the airlines you choose to fly with can seriously cut costs,” Crossey said. “Fares don’t have to be booked as returns. Look at flying out with one airline and back with another to save money.” He noted that Skyscanner has tools that calculate the cheapest month to travel to certain destinations, and lets users search within a given month to find and identify the most affordable dates.
“Flight prices are all based on supply and demand. Because some dates are more popular than others, prices will vary,” he said. “Consider traveling a day before or a day after your original departure dates. Flying on less popular days of the week is always cheaper.” If carrier flexibility isn’t giving you great options, it may be time to dip into the miles you’ve accumulated from previous airline loyalty. You might also have vouchers from flights you had to cancel due to the pandemic, or even credit card reward points.
“If you’re not still finding any deals, consider using a travel voucher or see the what the flight would cost in points vs. cash,” Kelly said. “Remember ― never pay more in points than you would in cash!”
Don’t ignore less popular places.
Of course, many destinations are popular ― and therefore expensive ― for a reason: They’re wonderful to visit. But that doesn’t mean they’re the only places where you can have a great vacation. Ask the seasoned travelers in your life to share their favorite under-the-radar destinations. Search for lists predicting future hot spots, follow travel bloggers’ recommendations or even spin a globe and see where your finger lands.
“Generally speaking, the best deals out there are to places where travel is now open, but consumer demand doesn’t match the number of unfilled airplane seats,” Valiente said. “Inversely, places that are open but have high demand means fewer unfilled seats on planes and higher fares.” If international travel options are looking too pricey or risky, consider the many amazing destinations within the U.S.
“The year 2020 saw new destinations rise in popularity as corridors shone a light on some surprising gems,” Crossey said. “Swapping your usual break in Cancun for Florida or California could be an unexpected delight.”
Be mindful of your fare options.
Try to be thorough when exploring your options and making comparisons. Sometimes the deals that seem the most affordable involve hidden fees or an inflexibility that may end up costing more in the long run.
“Booking basic economy fares or ultra low cost airlines might be more expensive than a regular fare when you factor in fees, and also that basic economy tickets no longer get free changes,” Kelly said. “Cheap can be expensive!”
Similarly, you might find a rare opportunity to fly business class without having to splurge. A couple of months ago, Valiente was able to snag business class tickets to Athens this summer for the same price an economy ticket is now going for. “While we have seen economy fares stabilize in the last couple of months, business and first class fares remain much lower than normal,” Valiente said. “This is largely due to the lack of company-paid trips and in-person business meetings. If you are looking to splurge or normally upgrade to regular economy, be sure to check the cost of non-economy fares as well. The price may be closer to the economy than you might think.” Crossey emphasized the importance of flexibility with change policies, especially since we’re still living through a pandemic.
“In the past, being flexible with travel might have meant flying at anti-social times to get a good price. But now with a constantly changing travel landscape, it’s important to know what the change policies are on flight tickets and accommodation,” he explained. “Choosing these flexible options can sometimes be much cheaper than package deals and, of course, allows for a personally tailored trip.”
Pay attention to when you’re booking.
“For domestic flights, it is usually best to book one to three months in advance,” Trifari said. “For international trips, I find three to eight months is best.”
He also recommended avoiding Friday or Sunday flights if possible, since weekends are the busiest days for airlines, and prices tend to rise with the demand. If you know you’ll be traveling during a period of high demand (like Christmas and New Year’s), start searching sooner. The key is to be ready to pounce, because good deals often don’t last. “Airfare is highly volatile and can change minute to minute. The price today is not necessarily the price tomorrow,” Valiente said. “To get the best deals, start by looking at tickets several months out and monitor what the average fare to your destination tends to be. From there, decide a number you are comfortable paying and book once that number pops up. Could the price drop even lower? It could ― but it could also go much, much higher.”
She noted that most airlines offer full refunds for cancellations within 24 hours of booking through their websites, so you should be able to snag those tickets and then use that day to research if you can make the trip work.
Valiente also suggested “beating the rush” by booking a trip to an in-demand location that hasn’t yet announced its intention to reopen to travelers. Many airlines are still waiving change fees on economy tickets, so you can always delay your trip if the destination is still mostly closed as your travel dates approach.“If the destination you want to visit is already opened, look to see if there are any last-minute deals,” she said. “In normal times, last-minute travel is quite inflated. However, without business travelers in the air (with companies who will pay whatever the cost is), there have been more last-minute deals than usual this past year. We don’t expect this trend to last.”Additionally, there’s some debate about whether searching for flights on booking websites indicates higher demand, and thus pushes up prices (or if those sites might specifically show you a higher price due to your perceived purchasing intent). If you’re concerned about this, consider using incognito mode as you browse, or borrowing someone else’s device.
The preceding material was compiled and edited by Brandon Castillo. The Editor-In-Chief is Gary Bryan. The Radio Genius Show Prep Service is licensed for use on-air only by subscribing radio stations. Other means of redistribution is forbidden.
© 2020 – Radio Genius Show Prep