On Today’s Show
A 79-year-old woman named Ida Llanos has been a Delta flight attendant since 1962. And because of annual raises, her salary was around $250,000 a year. She recently got fired though, for allegedly stealing a carton of milk and some cereal from a flight. Now she’s suing, and says management really just wanted her out, because her salary was so high. She says they’d also been accusing her of other things that weren’t true, like drinking on the job.
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It’s that time of the year again, when the night sky lights up with meteors as part of the Geminid meteor shower.
This year, the meteor shower runs from Dec. 4 to Dec. 17, peaking on the night of Dec. 13 to 14, when roughly 150 meteors per hour can be seen from a clear, dark-sky location.
If you’re hoping to catch them on the peak night of Dec. 13 to 14, there’s one slight problem: We have an almost-full moon to contend with.
Turn off your phone and give yourself at least 30 minutes to allow your eyes to adjust to the (relative) darkness and be patient. You can try either earlier in the evening, when the moon is low in the east (it rises around 6 p.m. local time), or you can try in the wee hours of the morning.
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ENTERTAINMENT
After last September’s car crash, which led Kevin Hart to have emergency back surgery, he commented on his recovery during an interview on “The Ellen DeGeneres Show”. When asked about the accident, he replied “I am about 65 to 75 percent back to my physical self.”
However, he has still struggled with recovery, adding “The biggest triumph is when I put my sock on one day… it was the biggest thing in the world. I ran around the house, “I got my socks on! You ain’t have to do it, I did it myself!” He also says that Oprah sent the best flowers.
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Olivia Newton John’s famous jacket from “Grease” sold at an auction for $243,200, all of which goes to the Olivia Newton-John Cancer Wellness and Research Centre. However, the jacket is back in her possession, because the anonymous bidder gave it back, so she can display it at the center. The two shared a sweet moment when he surprised her with the iconic item, saying: “This jacket belongs to you…(and) those who love you and those for whom you are the soundtrack of their lives. It should not sit in a billionaire’s closet for country club bragging rights. For this reason, I humbly and respectfully return it to its rightful owner, which is you.”
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TODAY IS……………….
- “Fresh Breath Day”, if you’re average, you have over 10 billion bacteria in your mouth right now. Some of them churn out truly stinky chemicals such as hydrogen sulphide, the same gas that gives rotten eggs their odor.
- “Poinsettia Day”, honoring Dr Joel Roberts Poinsett (1799-1851), the US diplomat to Mexico who introduced the plant to the U.S. in 1825. Now a favorite decoration for the holiday season, about 60 million are grown in North America each year. Although proper pronunciation of the word DOES include the ‘e’ sound prior to the last syllable (poin-SET-ee-uh), many dictionaries now also accept the more commonly used ‘poin-SETTA’ pronunciation.
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COUNTRY MUSIC NOTE
The Faith Hill hit “Let Me Let Go” went to #1 in 1998.
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FOUR RANDOM FACTS
- Only one disco album ever won a Grammy for Album of the Year: The “Saturday Night Fever”soundtrack. It’s also one of only three movie soundtracks to win that award, with “The Bodyguard” and “O Brother, Where Art Thou?”
- The first cereal that offered kids a prize was Kellogg’s Corn Flakes in 1909. People who bought two boxes could send away for a book called “Funny Jungleland Moving Pictures”.
- There have only been four outdoor games in NBA history. All of them were preseason games, and the Phoenix Suns played in all four of them. The most recent one was in 2010.
- The city that’s made the most bids to host the Olympics without ever getting one is Detroit . . . they’re zero for seven on their bids. Their most recent one was in 1972.
London is the opposite. They’ve made four bids and they’ve gotten the Olympics every time.
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“Survivor” Booted a Contestant for Inappropriate Behavior
“Survivor” has been on for so long that fans have seen just about everything the show has to offer. But last night’s episode was a genuine shocker . . . because a contestant was KICKED OFF THE SHOW for inappropriate behavior. This is the first time that’s ever happened.
Several weeks ago, DAN SPILO . . . who’s a Hollywood talent manager in the real world . . . was cautioned for being a little too handsy with some of the women.
The issue was dealt with onscreen, but the show also said that producers spoke to the cast off-camera, and Dan was given a “formal warning.” Well, it didn’t take.
At the end of last night’s episode, JEFF PROBST visited the contestants to tell them that Dan had been REMOVED from the game. Then the screen went to black with text saying, quote, “Dan was removed from the game after a report of another incident, which happened off-camera and did not involve a player.”
So far, there’s no word what happened. But Jeff did talk to “Entertainment Weekly” yesterday, and he said, quote, “It has been an unprecedented season. We have learned a lot and it will inform our process moving forward.” He added that Dan was “not happy” when he found out they were removing him from the game. But after a long talk, he was, quote, “very respectful” on his way out.
The “Survivor” season finale airs next Wednesday . . . and because of the sensitive nature of the topics they’ll have to tackle, the reunion show will NOT be live. Which is also a first in the show’s 20-year history.
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GOOD NEWS
A couple named Carl Buchanon and Cathy Macaione live in South Bend, Indiana. And they were worried about people getting caught out in cold weather this winter.
So they’ve been taking old coats and gloves they don’t need anymore, and putting them in different spots around town for anyone to use as EMERGENCY winter wear.
They tie them to trees and telephone poles. Then they attach a sign to each one that says, “If you are stuck in the cold, please take this.”
They’re doing it now because the weather hasn’t been too cold yet. But it’s been getting colder.
The first round of coats they put out were gone in a day. Now they’re asking people to donate more so they can keep doing it.
They just did another round of coats this past Saturday. And they’re hoping it starts a trend.
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BIRTHDAYS
[96] Bob Barker, game show host (“The Price Is Right” 1972-2007)
[44] Mayim Bialik, actress (‘Amy Farrah Fowler’ on “Big Bang Theory” 2010-19, “Blossom” 1990-1995)
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Road Rage Incident Ends When One Driver Follows Another to a Police Station
A 25-year-old guy named Derek Gebo from Trumbull, Connecticut was driving drunk in his red pickup truck last Friday when another driver passed him . . . and it sent him into full-on ROAD RAGE.
So he started tailing the other driver . . . and kept following even when that other driver pulled into a police station parking lot.
A cop in the lot told the driver it was a restricted area, but he said he was being followed.
And as he talked to the cop, Derek pulled into the lot . . . got out of his truck . . . and started walking toward the car while he TOOK OFF HIS SHIRT. Ah yes, the universal sign that you’re ready to fight: Popping that shirt off.
The cop stepped in and noticed Derek was slurring his words . . . and he blew a 0.23 on the breathalyzer, which is about three times the legal limit.
So he was charged with DUI and driving in a harassing or intimidating manner.
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There’s Been a Huge Jump in Head and Neck Injuries Because of Cell Phones
If you’ve ever been walking down the street, staring at a text message on your phone, and walked headfirst into a lamp post . . . well, you’re DEFINITELY not the only one.
There’s a new report in a medical journal about a STEEP rise in head and neck injuries in the past 20 years.
And the doctors behind it say it’s a DIRECT result of people tripping, falling, and slamming into things when they were distracted by their phone.
An estimated 76,000 people in the U.S. between January of 1998 and December of 2017 hurt themselves so badly while they were distracted that they had to go to the hospital.
And the rate of those injuries went way up after 2007, when the smartphone revolution really started kicking in.
Most of the injuries are pretty mild, but there have been some people who’ve wound up with traumatic brain injuries. There were also people who had broken noses because they were in bed, looking at their phone, and dropped it on their face.
The doctors say the study is a good reminder to, quote, “Be self-aware. Answer a text message, fine, but you shouldn’t be walking around reading articles on your phone.”
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THURSDAY DECEMBER 12TH
TODAY’S BIRTHDAYS
[96] Bob Barker, game show host (“The Price Is Right” 1972-2007)
[44] Mayim Bialik, actress (‘Amy Farrah Fowler’ on “Big Bang Theory” 2010-19, “Blossom” 1990-1995)
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- NHL
WSH 3 – BOS 2
MTL 3 – OTT 2 OT
COL 3 – PHI 1
- • “The Great American Baking Show: Holiday Edition” (ABC): The bakers tackle sweet and savory cakes — including the surprise ingredient of olive oil — and baking bread.
- “NFL Football” (FOX): New York Jets at Baltimore Ravens
- Think door cams catch porch pirates ripping off your packages? They may capture their image, but not THEM. But that’s about to change, with the new Porch Paralyzer.
- Here are most of the late night hosts joking about “Time” magazine’s pick for Person of the Year, Greta Thunberg. (From Conan, Fallon, Kimmel and Seth Meyers on Wednesday, December 11, 2019)
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LADY ANTEBELLUM FANS REACT TO NEW SINGLE
Lady Antebellum’s current single is all about heartache and relationship struggles. Fans are also telling the band that, to them, it’s about loss. Hillary Scott tells us more: [With]
Lady A’s next concert is December 14 in Naples, Florida.
CARLY PEARCE & MICHAEL RAY TO HONEYMOON IN JAMAICA
When Carly Pearce and Michael Ray got married this fall, they delayed their honeymoon until they were off the road for the year. And that happens this week. So, they’ll soon be headed to Sandals Resort in Jamaica. Carly chose the destination because of the over-the-water bungalows. She explains: [All I’ve ever wanted to do is go in one of those bungalows. They just look amazing to me and they’re, like, private and awesome and sexy, and we finally get to go after we finish for December and I’ll get to experience it. So, check back with me, I’ll let you know about it.]
FAST FACTS
They got married on October 6th.
Carly’s duet with Lee Brice, “I Hope You’re Happy Now,” is approaching the top 30 on the charts.
Carly’s self-titled sophomore album will be out on Valentine’s Day 2020.
LUKE BRYAN NAMED ‘MOST-HEARD ARTIST OF THE DECADE’
Luke Bryan closes out 2019 as the Most-Heard Artist of the Decade, according to Country Aircheck. Supporting facts include 22 Number One hits in the last 10 years, among them “Country Girl Shake It For Me,” which was included in Billboard Magazine’s “100 Songs that Defined a Decade” list released last month. Luke was also named the first-ever recipient of the ACM’s Album of the Decade Award for Crash My Party, and he has performed for nearly 12 million fans in the last 10 years.
Luke wrapped his 2019 Sunset Repeat Tour this fall with his 36th career headline stadium concert at Ford Field in Detroit.
During the show, he was presented with a new music plaque signifying his continued domination in the format with more RIAA certified digital singles than any other country artist with 54 million digital singles, 12.5 million albums and seven billion streams.
