On Today’s Show

➢ REGIS PHILBIN passed away on Saturday.  He was 88.  Regis had an incredible 60-year career, beginning in 1961 when he hosted his first talk show, “The Regis Philbin Show”, on local TV in San Diego. He became host of “Live! With Regis and Kathie Lee” in 1988.

In 2001, the franchise became “Live! with Regis and Kelly”, co-starring Kelly Ripa. Philbin left in 2011 after 23 years. He also served as the original host of “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?” from 1999 to 2002.

David Letterman said, quote, “Regis is in the same category as [Johnny] Carson. Superlative. He was on our show a million times, always the best guest we ever had, charming, lovable and could take a punch.  When he retired, I lost interest in television.  I love him.”

Regis was Letterman’s guest 150 times, and he guest-hosted “The Late Show” in 2000, while Letterman was recovering from a quintuple-bypass surgery.

➢ Some guy robbed a restaurant in Alabama, taking cash and booze.  But, he left most of the loot behind.  The owner thinks he drank so much he was too drunk to carry most of it.

➢ There’s one old saying you can throw out the window. Money CAN buy you happiness, according to a new study. It found that financial success has been increasingly linked to happiness over the past few decades. The researchers concluded that the “happiness is more strongly related to income now than it was in the 1970s and 1980s”, so yes, “Money buys more happiness now than in the past.”

➢ Rumor has it that Jude Law is heading to Neverland to take on the Lost Boys. He’s currently in talks to play ‘Captain Hook’ in Disney’s live-action remake of Peter Pan. “Peter Pan & Wendy” will be based on Disney’s 1953 animated movie, which follows a group of siblings as they team up with a magical boy, who brings them to Neverland. The film has inspired adaptations and sequels for the big screen several times—including “Hook” in 1991 and “Pan” in 2015. However, this is the first time that Disney is putting a live-action twist on the story.

➢ “Dirty Dancing” fans, prepare to have the time of your life all over again. For years, visitors to the Mountain Lake Lodge in Pembroke, VA, where the 1980s classic was filmed, were greeted with a dry bed where Mountain Lake used to be. That’s the body of water where Patrick Swayze’s ‘Johnny Castle’ character hoisted his new dance partner ‘Baby’ (played by Jennifer Grey) in the air as they prepared to wow the crowd at the talent show at the film’s fictional Catskills resort. Twelve years after the water receded, Mountain Lake is suddenly filled again. Researchers say the lake exists on a natural cycle of rising and receding waters thanks to a one-of-a-kind system of small holes that routinely drain it.

TODAY IS……………….

• “Chicken Finger Day”, first made and named in 1976 by the owners/operators of Spanky’s in Savannah, Georgia. One of the original owners continues to operate Spanky’s today and it is known as the Home of the Original Chicken Finger.

1940 [80] Bugs Bunny, voiced by Mel Blanc, makes his debut in “A Wild Hare”

2012 [08] Queen Elizabeth II opens the 30th Olympics in London, UK

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COUNTRY MUSIC NOTE

 Garth Brooks was at #1 on the US Country charts with, The Dance. The song, written by Brooks’ friend, Tony Arata, was a key track on his self-titled debut album Garth Brooks and is considered by many to be Brooks’ signature song. 

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NBA Player Has to Quarantine . . . After Going to a Strip Club

Well, that “bubble” the NBA was hoping to stay in has another hole.  L.A. Clippers player LOU WILLIAMS will quarantine for 10 days after leaving Orlando to go to a funeral . . . and hitting a STRIP CLUB afterward.

Lou was in Atlanta last Thursday after the father of a close friend passed away.  And after the service, he stopped off at a gentlemen’s club called Magic City.

He was outed by a rapper named Jack Harlow, who posted a photo of them together.  He deleted it and tried to claim it was an old photo, but Lou had a new NBA mask on, so it couldn’t have been old.  Lou eventually admitted he went to the strip club, but claims he only stopped in to get food.

If he’d just gone to the funeral, he would have had to quarantine for four days.  But a strip club is higher risk.  So now it’s 10, and he’ll miss at least two games.  Meaning he’ll also forfeit about $150,000 of his salary.

(In other news, the NBA is dealing with fans a little differently than baseball.  When the season re-starts this Thursday, 300 fans will get to attend each game virtually, kind of like a huge Zoom meeting.)

(The NBA will livestream their faces on giant, courtside video screens, so the players will see them.  They’ll also have a screen behind each basket.)

FOUR RANDOM FACTS

1. You’d weigh about 1% less at the equator than on the North or South Pole because of the difference in the gravitational pull.

2. No matter HOW scrambled a Rubik’s Cube is, there’s a way to solve it within 20 moves.

3. The best-selling fiction book in history is believed to be “Don Quixote”with approximately 500 million copies sold.

4. Denver was originally awarded the 1976 Winter Olympics, but in 1972, the people of Colorado overwhelmingly voted not to spend tax dollars to have the Games there. The 1976 Winter Olympics ended up in Innsbruck, Austria instead.

GOOD NEWS

The NFL has about 1,700 players.  Did you know one of them is also a MEDICAL DOCTOR?  LAURENT DUVERNAY-TARDIF is an offensive lineman for the Kansas City Chiefs, and he’s the only active NFL player with an M.D.

He graduated from McGill University med school in 2018, and he’s been treating COVID-19 patients in the offseason.  And now he’s become the first NFL player to OPT OUT of the upcoming season.

Over the weekend, he announced he won’t be playing in 2020, and said it wasn’t an easy decision to make.  But he’s been working as an orderly at a care facility in Canada the last few months, and it’s had a major effect on him.

He said, quote, “Being at the frontline during this offseason has given me a different perspective on this pandemic and the stress it puts on individuals, and our healthcare system.  I cannot allow myself to potentially transmit the virus to our communities simply to play the sport that I love.”

He says he thinks the Chiefs’ medical team has a good plan in place to minimize risks, but that they can’t eliminate them.  And if he’s going to take any risks at all, he’d rather do it caring for patients. Sitting out means his finances will take a big hit.  Instead of his $2.8 million base salary, he’ll make $150,000 from the NFL this year.

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BIRTHDAYS

[48] Maya Rudolph, actress (“The Angry Birds Movie”, “Bridesmaids”)

[45] Alex Rodriguez, NYC, former MLB baseball player (NY Yankees/Seattle/Texas))/14-time All-Star/5-time HR leader/3-time AL MVP

[36] Taylor Schilling, actress (‘Piper Chapman’ on “Orange Is the New Black” 2013-19)

TRYING TO BRING A BEAR HOME

RYAN REYNOLDS is offering a $5,000 reward for the return of a stolen TEDDY BEAR.  But this isn’t just a cute thing he’s doing for a little kid who’s misplaced their toy.

A 28-year-old woman in Vancouver, British Columbia, named Mara Soriano lost the bear when a bag it was packed in with other valuables was stolen from outside of her U-haul.

The bear is IRREPLACEABLE, because it contains a voice recording that her mother made for her before she died of cancer.

Mara said, quote, “She had a recording on it that was specifically just for me that said she loved me, she was proud of me, and she’ll always be with me.  I hugged it every time I missed her.”

The teddy bear is wearing a red and white dress . . . plus black frame glasses just like her mom did.  She knows it was stolen, because there is security footage, where someone is seen grabbing the bag and walking away.

Ryan Tweeted, quote, “$5,000 to anyone who returns this bear to Mara. Zero questions asked.  I think we all need this bear to come home.”

The reward has been matched by George Stroumboulopoulos

She wants whoever took the backpack to know Mama Bear is the only thing she wants back.

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Twitter Users Are Nostalgic For The MySpace Days

Twitter users have grown nostalgic for the days of MySpace.

A recent tweet from Jack D. Murphy even got Tom Anderson, the site’s founder, to tweet for the first time since April 2019.

He wrote, “Remember how he just sold his $500m share in myspace and retired so he could have a nice life? He never sold our data, never tried to influence elections, never lobbied against privacy legislations… what a man. Myspace was just too pure for this world.”

Anderson replied with three emojis: two smiley faces with hearts and a shaka hand sign.

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MONDAY JULY 27^TH  

1. Regis Philbin passed awaythis weekend.  He was 88.  In a post on Instagram, Kathie Lee Gifford said, quote, “There are no words to fully express the love I have for my precious friend, Regis . . . there has never been anyone like him. And there never will be.”  (Here’s a quick montage of some of his work.)

2. Four Miami Marlins players have tested positive including pitcher Jose Urena, who was supposed to start their game yesterday (July 26th), ESPN reported. Because of concerns about players’ family members, the Marlins delayed the MLB team’s return home from Philadelphia, where they played their season-opening series, until today, before their home opener tonight. Several players may remain behind, with manager Don Mattinglysaying, “The guys that tested positive are quarantined here in Philly.” Meanwhile, the Cincinnati Reds were without second baseman Mike Moustakas and center fielder Nick Senzel yesterday after both felt sick one day after teammate Matt Davidson tested positive.

Houston Astros pitcher Justin Verlander, the reigning American League Cy Young Award winner, will be out for at least two weeks with a forearm strain, manager Dusty Baker announced yesterday (July 26th). But Verlander denied that the injury will end the shortened 60-game season for him.

3. Hate when cars are parked in front of your house?  Some people in a California beach community called La Jolla Shores had a great and illegal way to keep cars away.  Paint the curbs redso people think you can’t park there!  This isn’t the first time it’s happened in this coastal community.

4. Here’s Jim Gaffigan on why he doesn’t like SUVs.

No winning ticket was sold for the huge $60 million jackpot in Friday night’s Lotto Max draw.

There were also eight Maxmillions prizes of $1 million each up for grabs, but only one was claimed — by a ticket holder in Quebec.

The jackpot for the next Lotto Max draw tomorrow will be approximately $65 million and there will be 10 Maxmillions prizes in play.

The $5 million jackpot in Saturday night’s Lotto 649 draw was won by a lottery player from the Prairies. And the draw’s guaranteed $1 million prize went to an Ontario ticket holder.

The jackpot for the next Lotto 649 draw Wednesday will again be $5 million.

LUKE COMBS DIDN’T TAKE TO THE VEGAN LIFESTYLE

Earlier this year, Luke Combs underwent a major lifestyle change after being on the losing end of a football bet with one of his bandmembers. Luke, a huge Carolina Panthers fan, and his keyboard player, an Atlanta Falcons fan, bet on the first game of the year and much to his suprise and chagrin, Luke’s loss meant he had to follow a vegan diet for 90 days.

We caught up with Luke about how that went. [“Am I still a vegan? No, I’m not still a vegan. Did I honor the bet for the whole 90 days? No, I did not. I made it just over a month and I just was like, “Man, I don’t really want to do this anymore.” So I made the bet with my keys player anyways, and I really debated on just firing him if I had to do the whole 90 days. So no, he was cool with me giving up.”]

Luke sits inside the Top 15 and climbing on the country charts with “Lovin’ On You.”

He recently announced the dates for his rescheduled 2021 What You See Is What You Get Tour.

JUSTIN MOORE SLOWLY WORKING TOWARDS NEXT ALBUM

Justin Moore has another hit on his hands with “Why We Drink,” the latest single from his 2019 album Late Nights And Longnecks, but he’s slowly working toward the next project. He explains: [“I mean, working on a new album in the sense that I’m writing songs, yes, I’m working on a new album, but I’m not in any hurry to put one out. You know, we wrote a lot of songs for the last album, and so I’m really excited about a lot of the songs that we wrote that didn’t make it on the last album, that will make it on this next one, but we still have a lot of writing to do to add to that nucleus that will make up the next album.  I’m confident in what we have and if we can match that or up the ante a little bit to add to that, I’m thrilled with it.”]

CHRIS JANSON VOWS TO INCLUDE FAMILY IN ALL HIS VIDEOS

The video for Chris Janson‘s latest hit single, “Done,” is a family affair, particularly centered around the leading lady in his life, his wife, Kelly. Chris tells us that putting his family on camera whenever possible was a decision he made a long time, and it made perfect sense in this case because he wrote “Done” about Kelly. [“I also said one time that I wouldn’t do videos without my family if I was gonna be really involved in them and I’m sticking true to that. I can’t imagine doing them without . . . I mean, ‘Done’ is about Kelly. You gotta have the video with Kelly. It’s funny, I always say, ‘Oh, it was the easiest video shoot I ever did,’ but ‘Done’ was really the easiest one that I’ve ever done, no pun intended, because it was just really low-key.)

“Done” is the second single from his 2019 album, Real Friends.

Categorised in: Mornings

This post was written by Dave Palmer