Born on this day!! Actor-director Woody Allen is 86. Singer Dianne Lennon of the Lennon Sisters is 82. Bassist Casey Van Beek of The Tractors is 79. Singer-guitarist Eric Bloom of Blue Oyster Cult is 77. Drummer John Densmore of The Doors is 77. Actor-singer Bette Midler is 76. Singer Gilbert O’Sullivan is 75. Actor Treat Williams is 70. Country singer Kim Richey is 65. Actor Charlene Tilton is 63. Model-actor Carol Alt is 61. Actor Jeremy Northam (“The Tudors,” ″Happy, Texas”) is 60. Actor Katherine LaNasa (“Longmire,” “Deception”) is 55. Actor Nestor Carbonell (“Lost,” ″Suddenly Susan”) is 54. Actor Golden Brooks (“Girlfriends”) is 51. Comedian Sarah Silverman is 51. Singer Bart Millard of MercyMe is 49. Actor David Hornsby (“It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia”) is 46. Guitarist Brad Delson of Linkin Park is 44. Actor Nate Torrence (“Hello Ladies”) is 44. Singer Mat Kearney is 43. Drummer Mika Fineo of Filter is 40. Actor Riz Ahmed (“Rogie One: A Star Wars Story”) is 39. Actor Ilfenesh Hadera (“Godfather of Harlem,” “She’s Gotta Have It”) is 36. Singer-actor Janelle Monae is 36. Actor Ashley Monique Clark (“The Hughleys”) is 33. Singer Tyler Joseph of Twenty One Pilots is 33. Actor Zoe Kravitz (“Insurgent,” ″Divergent”) is 33. Singer Nico Sereba of Nico and Vinz is 31.
THIS DAY IN GENIUS HISTORY
1824 – The presidential election between John Q. Adams, Andrew Jackson, William Crawford, and Henry Clay was turned over to the House of Representatives due to the lack of an electoral-vote majority.
1887 – Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes appeared for the first time in print in the story “A Study in Scarlet.”
1955 – Rosa Parks was arrested for refusing to give up her front-section bus seat to a white man in Montgomery, Ala.
1959 – Twelve nations, including the United States, signed a treaty setting aside Antarctica as a scientific preserve free from military activity.
1997 – Representatives from more than 150 countries gathered at a global warming summit in Kyoto, Japan, and over the course of ten days forged an agreement to control the emission of greenhouse gases. President Bush pulled the U.S. out of the Kyoto Protocol in 2001.
1998 – Exxon and Mobil agreed to merge, creating the world’s largest corporation.
Today Is: Antarctica Day, Basketball Day, Bifocals at the Monitor Liberation Day, Civil Air Patrol Day, Clark Kent’s Birthday (Superman), Data Innovation Day, Day With(out) Art Day, National Package Protection Day, Playboy Day, Rockerfeller Christmas Tree Lighting, Rosa Parks Day, Special Kids Day, World Aids Day
TODAY ON TV!
Primetime TV (All Times Eastern)
CBS – 8:00 – Survivor / 9:00 – Tough As Nails / 10:00 – CSI: Vegas
NBC – 8:00 – Christmas In Rockefeller Center / 10:00 – Kelly Clarkson Presents
ABC – 8:00 – The Goldbergs / 8:30 – The Wonder Years / 9:00 – The Conners / 9:30 – Home Economics / 10:00 – A Million Little Things
FOX – 8:00 – Masked Singer / 9:00 – Alter Ego
CW – 8:00 – Beebo Saves Christmas / 9:00 – Funniest Animals
TV Talk Shows
Jimmy Kimmel: Ken Jeong, Maya Erskine, Anna Konkle
Jimmy Fallon: Seth Rogen, Nicholas Braun, Macklemore featuring Windser
Stephen Colbert: Cate Blanchett, Gangs of Youth
Seth Meyers: Taylor Swift, Aisling Bea, Elmo Lovano (R 11/11/21)
James Corden: Octavia Spencer, Max Greenfield, Travis
Watch What Happens Live: Heather Dubrow, Annaleigh Ashford
The Talk: Bradley Whitford
Live with Kelly and Ryan: Rita Moreno, Nicholas Braun, Jake Cohen
Ellen DeGeneres: Wanda Sykes
The Real: Andy Cohen, Kirk Franklin
Kelly Clarkson: Diego Boneta, Benny Blanco, Matty Matheson, Jeffrey Bowyer-Chapman, Kristin Chenoweth, guest host Jay Leno
Drew Barrymore: Dionne Warwick, Sutton Foster, Vanessa Lachey
WHAT ARE YOU TALKIN’ ABOUT? Here are today’s PPM-Friendly Topics!
QUESTION: What does DR. OZ have that Matthew Mcconaughey DOESN’T?? The guts to run for office!! He’s running for SENATE from PA.!!
QUESTION: What could go wrong? Scientists create self-replicating BIO-ROBOTS that can be injected into your bloodstream!!! Uh.. you go first!!
QUESTION: What do you do when you’ve missed your plane?? RUN OUT ON THE TARMAC to stop it!! And then? You GET ARRESTED!!!!!!!!!
QUESTION: Is THIS the story you’ve been waiting for? Spielberg’s version of “West Side Story” is getting ecstatic reviews!! “Phenomenal!!!!!”
QUESTION: Do you want an ELECTRIC CAR?? How about a FLYING ELECTRIC CAR?? And the scary part?? It’s a RENAULT!! From France!!!!
Adele Las Vegas Residency
Adele is getting her own Las Vegas residency. She shared plans Tuesday for Weekends with Adele, a residency show at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. She will launch the show Jan. 21, 2022, and perform two shows each weekend through April 16. Presale tickets will be available through Ticketmaster Verified Fan registration, which begins Tuesday. “See you at Caesars in :,” she wrote on Instagram. News of the show follows the release of 30, Adele’s fourth studio album and her first new album in six years.
*******Britney got a Vegas residency, too!! She won’t be singing… she’ll just be a resident!!
********Adele is doing so well, Lady Gaga is thinking of taking out a hit on her!!
****We thought “30” would have 30 songs on it.. but no such luck!!!
Jennifer Aniston Joining Live Special
Jennifer Aniston and Kathryn Hahn have joined the cast of an upcoming ABC special. Jimmy Kimmel announced Monday on Jimmy Kimmel Live! that Aniston, Hahn, Gabrielle Union and Allison Tolman will play Facts of Life characters in the new special Live in Front of a Studio Audience. The special will feature characters from Facts of Life and Diff’rent Strokes. Aniston will play Blair (originally played by Lisa Whelchel), with Union as Tootie (Kim Fields), Hahn as Jo (Nancy McKeon) and Tolman as Natalie (Mindy Cohn). Ann Dowd was previously announced as Mrs. Garrett (Charlotte Rae). John Lithgow will play the Diff’rent Strokes character Mr. Drummond (Conrad Bain), with Kevin Hart as Arnold (Gary Coleman) and Damon Wayans as Willis (Todd Bridges). The special will air Dec. 7 at 8 p.m. EST on ABC and stream on Hulu the next day.
*******We were hoping for David Schwimmer as Arnold!!
Family Of Travis Scott Concert Victim Denies Funeral Expenses
The family of 9-year-old Ezra Blount, who died after suffering injuries during Travis Scott’s deadly Astroworld Festival performance, has rejected the performer’s offer to pay for his funeral expenses. Blount died on Nov. 14 after being placed in a medically induced coma due to severe damage to his vital organs suffered after he was reportedly trampled during a crowd surge at the Nov. 5 show. He is the youngest of the ten victims who have died as a result of the concert. In a letter obtained by Fox News Digital from the Blount family’s attorney Robert Hilliard that was addressed to Scott’s lawyer, Daniel Petrocelli, it is made clear that Scott’s offer to cover the funeral expenses is being “declined.” “I have no doubt Mr. Scott feels remorse. His journey ahead will be painful,” the letter reads. “He must face and hopefully see that he bears some of the responsibility for this tragedy. There may be, and I hope there is, redemption and growth for him on the other side of what this painful process will be”. Although Petrocelli stated that accepting the funeral money would not impact any legal proceedings, the Blount family still opted to decline the offer, asking instead for Scott to “respect” that his “devastation” over the tragedy does not compare to the loss of the family’s 9-year-old son.
*********When they say the journey will be “painful,” they mean “expensive!!
*******Travis Scott is now the Alec Baldwin of rap.
Britney Spears Says She’s On New Medication
Britney Spears revealed that she’s on new medication and loving the way she feels now that her conservatorship has ended. Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Brenda Penny announced earlier this month that the star’s controversial conservatorship, which her father presided over for a majority of its 13-year run, be terminated. In the wake of that decision, Spears took to her Instagram on Monday where she let her followers know that she is now more in control of her medications and celebrated the freedom she feels because of it. “That beautiful … nice … and warm f—ing fuzzy feeling when you’ve been waiting patiently for 13 years to be able to live your life however you choose and it’s finally here !!!! Lighting my candles sure is a joy folks!!!” she wrote over a cozy image of her fireplace decorated for the holidays. And you might be surprised cause my prayers are pretty damn powerful ESPECIALLY when you’re on the right medication just a month ago!!!!” She went on to note that she’s feeling very positive and euphoric just existing without the restraints that her conservatorship put on her, which included a doctor to monitor her health and mental wellbeing. “Damn I can actually pray …. it feels so good to just BE HERE !!!! I’M HERE … thanks to no doctor or conservatorship people … good God my friends … it’s good to BE HERE and be PRESENT!!!!”
*******So, it’s been a week now. Is she broke yet???
Rihanna Is The New Royalty
Rihanna was honored by her home country of Barbados on Monday night when she was named a national hero. She received the honor from Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley during a ceremony marking the Caribbean nation’s split from the United Kingdom to become its own republic. “On behalf of a grateful nation, but an even prouder people, we therefore present to you, the designee, for national hero of Barbados, Ambassador Robyn Rihanna Fenty,” Mottley said at the event, which Prince Charles attended. “May you continue to shine like a diamond and continue to bring honor to your nation by your words, by your actions, and to do credit wherever you shall go,” the politician added. All eyes were on her — even Charles, who sat front row — as she stunned in a one-shouldered, orange Bottega Veneta gown with strappy beige heels and a black protective face mask. Rihanna is among an exclusive group of just 11 Barbadians who have been named national heroes — and she is only the second woman to receive the honor.
*******Sure, Queen Elizabeth is cool. But does she have her own line of “buttless pajamas??”
*******Prince Charles commented: “Her ass is bigger than Camilla’s!! Nice umbrella!!!”
*******The Queen is bummed.. now they don’t own anything in the Caribbean!!!
Ripping The Tabloids (Throughout the week, we’ll give you the stories from that weeks tabs!)
**Please Credit Publication!
Angie Finally Breaks Brad!-(National Enquirer)
Beat-up Brad Pitt looked skeletal and washed out during a rare night on the town-and friends confirmed the battle for his kids is ruining his health. The Hollywood heartthrob, 57, is suffering the fallout of his hostile five-year custody battle with ex-wife Angelina Jolie-whom he shares kids Maddox, 20, Pax, 17, Zahara, 16, Shiloh, 15, and 13-year-old tins Vivienne and Knox-and sources snitched the battle is taking a major toll on his health. “Brad has been pushing himself so hard and he’s really not taking good care of himself these days,” spiled an insider. “His clothes are hanging off him, he’s washed out and exhausted the whole time and looks like a ghost. It’s like this ordeal with Angelina is killing him.”
Bizarre But True-(Globe)
Instead of using computer-generated images on “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory,” movie director Tim Burton insisted on 40 live squirrels for the nut-cracking scenes.
Loose Talk-(Us Weekly)
“I almost had to be unfaithful to my dentist. Like, ‘If you can’t take me today I’ll go somewhere else.’”-On recently chipping her front tooth, which she says looked “incredibly janky”, Kristen Stewart,
“In my 20s, when I was being judged, it’d hurt my feelings. But now I feel compassion, and think that they must be in pain.”-On how aging has changed her response to criticism, Gwyneth Paltrow.
“The good Lord gave me a voice. I intend to use it until I’ve run out of air.”-Confirming that he has no plans to retire, Rod Stewart.
Paul McCartney: Setting the Record Straight-(Star)
For years, it as believed Paul was the one who left the Beatles in 1970, when the group-which has sold more 600 million albums worldwide and is universally regarded as one of the greatest bands of all time-were still very much at the top of their game. But he’s now revealing it was John who pulled the plug. “I didn’t instigate the split. That was our Johnny,” he says. “John walked into a room one day and said ‘I am leaving the Beatles.’ And he said, ‘It’s quite thrilling, it’s rather like a divorce.’ And then we were left to pick up the pieces.” Paul calls John’s betrayal and the break up “the most difficult period” of his life. “This as my band, this was my job, this was my life” he says. “I wanted it to continue. I thought we were doing some pretty good stuff-Abbey Road, Let It Be, not bad-and I thought we could continue.”
Bella’s Secret Rehab Stay-(Life & Style)
Putting on a brave face! Bella Hadid opened up about her mental health battle on Instagram, posting a series of photos of herself crying. “This is pretty much my everyday, every night for a few years now,” the supermodel, 25, said of her struggle with severe anxiety and depression. But according to a source, Bella’s issues are even worse than she’s been letting on. “She sought in-patient treatment at a facility in January,” reveals the source. “She felt like she’d hit her breaking point and had to step back.”
Chatter-(People)
“I went to a restaurant once by myself, and so I’m sitting there with my book and the waiter comes up to me and says, ‘Excuse me, ma’am, your book is upside down.’”-Gayle King, on pretending to read at a restaurant while hoping to meet someone to date.
“For Christmas I bought him a pop-up fridge from Harrods……he gave me a Rembrandt painting! I’ve never felt so stingy.”-Rod Stewart, on his expensive present to Elton John being upstaged.
“I went full radio-contest winner. I was so excited and nervous.”-Jennifer Lawrence, on meeting Ariana Grande, at a Los Angeles screening of Don’t Look Up.
Grinch of the Week-(In Touch)
Seth Rogan
“If you bring your young kid near me, I will tell them there’s no Santa Claus.”
-on his shock that kids actually believe in St. Nick.
STUPID NEWS
Man Builds Miniature Taj Mahal
An India man paid tribute to his wife of 27 years by building her a house in the shape of a miniature replica of the iconic Taj Mahal. Anand Prakash Chouksey said it took three years to complete construction on the Madhya Pradesh home he had built as a gift for his wife, Manjusha. “It was a gift for my wife but also for the town and its people,” Chouksey told the BBC. He said the design of the home, which cost about $260,000 to construct, was based on the Taj Mahal, a 17th century mausoleum in Agra that has become a world-famous landmark. Chouksey said he originally wanted his replica of the Taj Mahal to tower 80 feet high, but he ran afoul of local authorities and scaled back his plans to keep the house 29 feet tall. Chouksey said the exterior of the house was based on 3D models of the Taj Mahal, but the interior features more modern influences. See the video HERE.
*******Thanks, pal!!! Now every wife is gonna want one!!!
******”Taj Mahal” means “Touch My Ball” in Hundu!!
******It’s beautiful, but it’s a bugger to dust!!!
Bear Raids Frozen Meats
A Colorado woman said she will never forget to close her garage door again after a bear raided $600 worth of frozen meats from her freezer. Amy Franklin of Breckenridge said she found a mess in her garage the morning after forgetting to close the door and security camera footage revealed she had been visited by a hungry bear. “Based on the videos, the bear was here for about an hour and a half, he took everything out of the freezer, including over $600 in frozen meats,” Franklin told KDVR-TV. She said the bear also feasted on a large amount of frozen hot chocolate. Franklin said in a Facebook post that she will not forget to close her garage door again. See the videos HERE.
********It makes you wonder how the bear knew where the food was!!
*****We think the raccoons told him!!!
******”Let’s see, there are lots of bears around here. Should I shut the garage door? Nahhh…”
Cost Of 12 Days Of Christmas Rises
This year, seven swans will still cost over $13,000, the most expensive gift in the song The 12 Days of Christmas as almost every other gets pricier, according to PNC’s Christmas Price Index released Monday. The annual index has been around since 1984 and measures the current cost of obtaining all items in a full verse of the iconic carol. The index is meant to be a reflection of the broader U.S. economy and “parallels inflationary growth.” After plummeting last year, the index is up 5.7 percent this season, the largest jump since 2013. It would cost about $41,206 to obtain the requisite items from each of the 12 verses. That figure is up from $16,168 last year and $38,994 in 2019. The all-encompassing figure doesn’t necessarily tell the whole story. In a more nuanced look, two turtle doves would cost around $450, 50 percent higher than last year. At the same time, the price of seven swans held steady at $13,125. However, because there has been no increase to the federal minimum wage, the price of eight maids-a-milking also didn’t budge and will again cost an affordable $58. It’s also by far the cheapest gift on the 12-item list. “Inflation this year has certainly been surprising to the upside. This very specialty gift basket is largely mirroring what we’re seeing in the larger economy,” said PNC Chief Investment Officer Amanda Agati.
********It’s the thought that counts. So we’re gonna think about buying all this stuff. But we’re not gonna do it!!
*******We want all cost-of-living raises indexed to the 12 Days of Christmas!!
Ikea Offering “Tiny Home”
Swedish furniture company Ikea is offering a “Tiny Home” apartment in Tokyo for the price of less than $1 a month for one year. Ikea said the 107-square-foot apartment in Shinjuku district will be rented out on a one-year lease for a price of $0.86 per month, not including utilities. The company is accepting applications from prospective tenants, who must be at least 20 years old, until Dec. 3. The apartment is being furnished with Ikea products. “One of the keys is to make good use of the vertical space,” the company said on its website. “By capturing the room three-dimensionally, new possibilities open up in a limited space.” Ikea is promoting the Tiny Home with a series of videos featuring a person in a shark costume portraying a real estate agent. The videos feature the shark, named Blahaj, decorating the apartment with help from an Ikea interior design specialist.
********In Japanese, “Ikea” means “The neighbors can hear you fart!!”
****There’s one catch: the apartment is a flat pack, and you have to assemble it!!
STUFF THAT’S COOL AND VIRAL
VIDEO: FLORIDA MAN MAKES BEER RUN WITH ALLIGATOR.
VIDEO: 2 GIANT BEARS FIGHT IN FINLAND.
A LIST FOR WEDNESDAY
9 Gifts That Will Be Ridiculously Hard to Find This Year
THE PENNY HOARDER
- Gaming Consoles
The 2021 holiday season is shaping up to be a disappointing one for gamers. The PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X remain hard to find nearly a year after their initial release. Now, Nintendo just announced it’s cutting production of its Nintendo Switch by 20% for its 2021 fiscal year.
The global chip shortage is just one factor. Demand for gaming devices has surged since the beginning of the pandemic, as people sought ways to entertain themselves at home. Adding to the frustration is the fact that humans are increasingly competing with bots to buy in-demand consoles. Then the bot-purchased gaming systems pop up at unofficial retailers at an exorbitant markup.
Unfortunately, consoles will still be hard to find after the holidays. Shortages are expected to continue into fall 2022 or even 2023.
PRO TIP
If you’re able to add a console to your online shopping cart, don’t wait to complete additional shopping. Check out immediately, as bots have a way of being faster than humans.
- Bicycles
COVID-19 shuttered gyms last year and caused most people to shun public transportation. As a result, millions of non-cyclists rushed to buy new bicycles both for recreation and bike commuting. As demand has surged, the bicycle industry has struggled with factory closures in Asia, where most bicycles are produced, and shipping logjams.
MarketWatch reported in October that it now takes more than 70 days from the time a manufacturing order is placed until the bicycle arrives at a warehouse. Pre-pandemic, it took just 45 days. Many in the bicycle industry expect shortages to persist into 2022.
- iPhone 13
Apple has fared better with supply-chain shortages than many of its rivals because of its huge buying power and long-term agreements with suppliers. But even the world’s most valuable company is feeling the pinch of the global chip shortage.
Apple is now expected to ship 10 million fewer of its new iPhone 13 than originally projected through the end of 2021. New iPads, MacBook Pros and the Apple Watch Series 7 are also expected to be in short supply.
As of this writing in early November, Apple’s website listed estimated delivery dates of less than a week for its cheaper standard iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 mini. But for its pricier iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 ProMax, expected delivery dates extend into mid-December.
- Engagement Rings
COVID-19 brought diamond mining, trading and cutting to a halt in spring 2020. Yet demand for jewelry stayed surprisingly high. Demand will likely keep surging as a sense of normalcy returns and couples can safely plan vacations (where proposals often happen) and weddings again. Investors are also increasingly seeking out diamonds, putting more pressure on demand.
Retailers are now having a difficult time obtaining diamonds and precious metals. If you’re planning to pop the question during the holidays or you want to present someone with a stunning piece of jewelry, be sure to budget extra time and money. The New York Times reports that colored stones, like emeralds and rubies, could be especially expensive and difficult to find this season due to production issues at mines throughout the globe.
- Cars
Car company commercials would have you think that it’s totally normal to wake up to the gift of a shiny new set of wheels on Christmas morning. We’re guessing that this is pretty rare, though. Which is good news because the 2021 holiday season will be an awful time to buy a car.
The global chip shortage and shipping woes have hit the auto industry hard. Meanwhile, the pandemic fueled demand for vehicles as people avoided public transportation.
As a result, the average price of a new car topped $45,000 in September for the first time in history, a 7.7% year-over-year increase, according to Kelley Blue Book. Even prices for traditionally affordable brands like Hyundai, Kia (up 15.4% year over year) and Mitsubishi (up 23.8% year over year) are surging. Meanwhile, the latest Consumer Price Index survey showed that used car prices rose 26.4% in the past 12 months.
Dealerships have razor-thin inventories right now. Available vehicles are often less popular models, yet they’re selling well above the sticker price. If someone you love is hoping to find a new set of car keys in their stocking, now is a great time to remind them that there’s always next year.
- Toys
Demand for toys has been consistently high throughout the pandemic as parents sought to keep bored kids entertained from home. But for several months, manufacturers have been warning that toys could be hard to find this season. Materials like plastic and resin that are used to produce many toys are in short supply. Exorbitant shipping prices and a lack of warehouse space and truck drivers could add to shortages.
Retail forecasters are mixed on how bad the toy shortage will be. It will probably be tougher than usual to find 2021’s most popular toys. But as long as you’re not set on buying the season’s hottest toys, you should have ample options.
- Sneakers
Expect your choices to be limited if you’re buying someone a new pair of kicks this holiday season. Rubber and plastic are key materials for sneakers, and both are in short supply right now.
The footwear industry is also dealing with the same issues virtually every manufacturer is grappling with, like port congestion, worker shortages and Asia factory closures. In fact, Nike’s chief financial officer said on a Sept. 23 earnings call that the company lost 10 weeks of production since mid-July in Vietnam, where much of its production takes place.
You probably won’t have trouble finding shoes this season, but the inventory you find may be older and less popular designs. Also be prepared to shell out more. According to Footwear News, shoe prices were up 6.5% in September compared to one year ago.
PRO TIP
Shipping costs are expected to peak Dec. 20-Dec. 21, according to Adobe Analytics. Last-minute gift buying will cost shoppers an average of $15 per order.
- Surprise Bestsellers
We started reading more during the pandemic. Mostly, we devoured books on dead tree instead of downloading titles on our iPads and Kindles.
As demand for print books has soared, the raw materials used to make books have been in short supply. Wood pulp, a key ingredient for paper making, and ink are both scarce. Many printing presses in the U.S. have also shuttered over the years as the publishing industry predicted the demise of print books and the rise of ebooks.
You don’t need to worry about empty shelves at your local bookstore. If the book you’re planning to gift is a widely anticipated bestseller, you should have no trouble finding it. It’s the surprise hits that are causing booksellers anxiety, because they may not be able to get new copies in time for the holidays to accommodate demand.
- Wine
Wine will be in short supply this holiday season, but COVID-19 doesn’t get all of the blame. Droughts in California and other Western states have lowered the grape yield at many vineyards. But much of the vino winemakers do have is sitting around in oak barrels. That’s because glass bottles are in short supply thanks to the pandemic.
It’s unlikely that stores will run dry on wine this season. But if you have your heart set on buying a specific bottle as a gift or for your own celebrations, have some alternatives planned. Also, alcohol tends to be popular as a last-minute gift, so shopping early could help you avoid shortages.
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.
© 2021 – Radio Genius Show Prep