On Today’s Show

➢ Emmy and Tony-winning actress CICELY TYSON died yesterday.  She was 96.  Her credits include “Roots”, “The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman”, and “A Woman Called Moses”.  Her memoir just came out on Tuesday.

Oscar nomination for the 1972 film “Sounder”.  In 1974 she became the first African American to win a lead actress Emmy for “The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman”.

In 2013, she won a Tony for “A Trip to Bountiful”. . . and she received an honorary Oscar in 2018. She also starred as Coretta Scott King in the 1978 miniseries “King”. . . Harriet Tubman in the 1978 series “A Woman Called Moses”. . . Kunta Kinte’s mother in “Roots”. . . and Rosa Parks’ mother in a 2002 CBS movie.

➢ A geologist named Mike Bowers from California recently found a volcanic rock in Soledade, Brazil.  And when he opened it up, he immediately noticed that the pattern inside looked EXACTLY like Cookie Monster.

The quartz crystals are a deep blue color, and the rock has a hole just where the mouth would be . . . and two white circles on top with holes that look just like eyes.  I mean, this thing is a perfect match for Cookie Monster. The geologist says he’s gotten offers of at least $10,000 for the rock so far.  (Here’s a picture and here’s a video Mike posted on his Facebook page.)

➢ A Toronto-area company called Candy Funhouse is hiring “candyologists” to taste-test candy and chocolate from home – and they’re paying $30 an hour! An online ad says “Candidates should have enthusiasm and eagerness to try confectionery products. We are looking for honest and objective opinions on the products that will be taste-tested.” The successful candidates will be responsible for taste-testing and reviewing 3,000 products, including some that have never before been available, as part of the selection process for the “first-ever” Candy Funhouse-branded candy line.” There are both full and part-time positions available. LINK: https://candyfunhouse.ca/pages/careers

➢ A company that usually sells books for backgrounds in movies and TV shows has seen a huge jump in demand from people who want books for their Zoom backgrounds.

TODAY IS……………….

• “Puzzle Day”, celebrating one of our all-time favorite pastimes.

1936 [85] The first members of the Baseball Hall of Fame are announced in Cooperstown NY: Ty Cobb, Babe Ruth, Honus Wagner, Christy Matthewson, and Walter Johnson

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COUNTRY MUSIC NOTE

1969   The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour premiered on CBS, for what would be a three-year run.

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FUNNIEST TWEETS OF THE WEEK FROM PARENTS:
⇒ I couldn’t decide if I wanted bangs or not so I cut bangs for my daughter and she looks awful. Dodged a bullet there. – Mom Jeans

⇒ nothing more horrifying as a parent to see a child that has fallen asleep at five pm – That Mom Tho

⇒ My youngest has mastered telling the dog to sit. Now, he’s working on his older brother. – A Bearer of Dad News

⇒ My son is on guitar, my daughters are on drums and harmonica, and I’m on my second ibuprofen. – Laura Marie

…AND A FEW FROM CONCERNED CITIZENS:
⇒ I’d like to teach y’all a Southern phrase that will help you get off a phone/Zoom/Facetime call or you don’t want to be on anymore but don’t have an excuse to leave. Let me introduce you to the power of “Well, let me let you go” – Sara Cannon

⇒ you can tell we’re living in a normal and functioning society when you get to read statements like “Hallmark believes in the peaceful transition of power” – Emma Berquist

FOUR RANDOM FACTS

1. Most of Steve Jobs’wealth came from Disney, not Apple.  When Disney acquired Pixar from him in 2006, he got 7.4% of Disney . . . worth about $4.4 billion.  He “only” had about $2.1 billion from Apple.

2. The country of Liechtenstein has won 10 Olympic medals, and all of them are in alpine skiing.

3. The day that Michael Jacksoncaught on fire while he was filming a Pepsi commercial was literally the halfway point of his life.  It happened 9,282 days after he was born . . . and he died 9,281 days after it happened.

4. An old wives’ tale says a pregnant woman with heartburn is more likely to have a hairy baby.  A study in 2006 tried to disprove it . . . but actually proved it TRUE.  Heartburn and hairy babies are both linked to a woman’s estrogen levels.

GOOD NEWS

After the “Bernie Sanders in a Chair” meme took off last week, a woman in Texas named Tobey King made a crochet doll of it that went viral online.  So she decided to auction it off for charity this week, and it sold for just over 20 GRAND.  After that, eBay matched it.  So she ended up raising over $40,000.  All the money is going to Meals on Wheels.  

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BIRTHDAYS

[76] Tom Selleck, Detroit MI,

[67] Oprah Winfrey

[46] Sara Gilbert

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DOORBELL-CAMPAIGN:
A Calgary, AB man is warning people who have doorbell cams that they may be the ones who are being watched. After getting a doorbell security cam for his house, Bill Douros says he was curious to see if anyone else could see his feed because he often has kids playing outside his home.

Doorbell cams can be programmed to send their footage to owners’ computers and mobile devices. He easily found a site with listings of popular webcams and realized that there are more than a dozen in Calgary. On the website, he found that live feeds of people’s front steps, workspaces and private homes are open to the public.

People with security cams are advised to reset the default password on their camera, and because these cameras stream over WiFi, their internet should also be password protected. What’s the danger? If a person’s location becomes known, their behavior can be monitored, including when the house is usually left unoccupied.

FRIDAY JANUARY 29^TH  

1. Emmy and Tony-winning actress CICELY TYSON died yesterday.  She was 96.  Her credits include “Roots”, “The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman”, and “A Woman Called Moses”.  Her memoir just came out on Tuesday.

Oscar nomination for the 1972 film “Sounder”.  In 1974 she became the first African American to win a lead actress Emmy for “The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman”.

In 2013, she won a Tony for “A Trip to Bountiful”. . . and she received an honorary Oscar in 2018.

She also starred as Coretta Scott King in the 1978 miniseries “King”. . . Harriet Tubman in the 1978 series “A Woman Called Moses”. . . Kunta Kinte’s mother in “Roots”. . . and Rosa Parks’ mother in a 2002 CBS movie.

2. BOS 4 – PIT 1 NYR 3 – BUF 2 OT             PHI 3 – NJD 1               WSH 6 – NYI 3

CAR 1 – TBL 0 OT         CBJ 3 – FLA 2 SO                       MTL 4 – CGY 2                 MIN 5 – LAK 3

DAL 7 – DET 3                 COL 3 – SJS 0                            ARI 3 – ANA 2                   TOR 4 – EDM 3

VAN 4 – OTT 1

3. A group of amateur investors saw an opportunity to make a lot of money if they all invested in Gamestop, at the expense of a hedge fund that was betting Gamestop’s stock would go down . . . and now, billions of dollars later, hedge funds are crying to Congress to change the laws so they keep their power on Wall Street.  (Here’s a bleeped clip of billionaire hedge fund manager Leon Cooperman saying it was an attack on wealthy people.)

4. A comedian named Veronica Kwiatkowski posted a “dating horror story” video.  The first red flag was that the guy asked her out after seeing her standup.

Then they went back to his apartment and she noticed a photo on his nightstand of a sexy girl in a bikini.  And he told her it’s his SISTER, and that she’s ALSO named Veronica.

Darius Rucker Paid for Everyone’s Meal at an IHOP

DARIUS RUCKER picked up the tab for everyone eating at an IHOP in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina on Sunday morning.  He also left a “very generous” tip for the servers.

He was eating there too . . . and when he was done he told the manager that he wanted to pay for everyone’s meal.

The manager told WMBF-TV, quote, “It caused a lot of excitement.  We know him because he does come in quite often and we consider him a regular.”

The place was packed, but the manager wouldn’t reveal how much Darius shelled out.

TIM McGRAW SAYS NEW SINGLE IS THE ‘BOMB’ THE WORLD NEEDS RIGHT NOW

Tim McGraw just released a new album last year, so he wasn’t looking for new music to record and release immediately until his latest single, “Undivided” came knocking at his door. FGL‘s Tyler Hubbard co-wrote the song, and he says once Tyler sent him the song and he heard its message, he decided it was just too important to wait.

Tim tells us: [“The reason I got excited about this song, you know, we have an album out and music out and everything but when a song like this comes along and somebody like Tyler, who’s a good friend of mine and who I think is a really good person, sends over a song that’s so timely and feels like sort of a bomb that we sort of need on our world right now, it’s pretty much a no-brainer just to step in and raise your hand and say, ‘Yeah, I’ll do it.'”] 

Of course, Tyler joins him on “Undivided”, which the two performed during last week’s inauguration day primetime special, Celebrating America.

“Undivided” will be included on the Deluxe version of Tim’s latest album, Here On Earth, which will be released sometime this spring.

Brett Young and His Wife Are Having Another Kid, and He Loves How the Ryman Is Doing Live Shows

BRETT YOUNG and his wife Taylor announced they’re expecting their second child this summer.  Their daughter Presley will be around two years old by then, and that’s exactly how they planned it.

In a different interview Brett talked about how much he loved performing at the Ryman in Nashville late last year.  It was limited seating but still a “blast.”  Quote, “Just the fact that we had audience members there for a live show.

“10% occupancy at the Ryman, I thought, ‘there’s no way you’re gonna feel nervous about this, Brett.’  [And] then I walked in and saw live faces and I got super nervous, which was a good experience because it had been a while.”

Mostly, he wants other venues to follow their lead.  Quote, “[It’s] nice to see things like that happening and for music to continue to find a way.  It felt really good, and hopefully there are more things like that on the horizon.”

Eric Church Almost Said No to Singing the National Anthem at the Super Bowl

ERIC CHURCH used to say that he’d never sing the National Anthem, unless it was at the Super Bowl.  He also “assumed” they’d never ask.  And then, surprise, the invite came this year.  So he jumped at the chance, right?

Not exactly.  All of a sudden he had mixed feelings.  He didn’t think he was good enough because he considers himself a “stylist, not a vocalist.”

Fortunately, he came to his senses, and what put him over the top was when they told him he’d be performing it with R&B singer Jazmine Sullivan.

Quote, “And then I heard her . . . and thought, ‘I’m not missing a chance to sing with her.’  That was it.  Once I heard her voice I was in.”

Categorised in: Mornings

This post was written by Dave Palmer