The tragedy of the nurse who worked at Kate Middleton’s hospital in London, who committed suicide after allowing a prank call from a radio station in Australia, brings up the subject of “prank calls” made by radio station jocks here in the U.S.

When I did them years ago, they were legal. But when several jocks around the country put people on the air “live”, or after they were recorded, and after finding out they’d been “pranked”, expressly told the jock NOT to put the the call on the air (but were ignored), the FCC changed the rules. They made it mandatory for radio stations to announce exactly who they really were at the beginning of the call. 

Therefore, any “prank calls” you hear today, being made (mostly by FM morning radio shows) are actually scripted pieces with the local radio personality talking with actors on the other end of the phone line. It’s all pre-written and pre-rehearsed. 

There are actually companies that provide both the scripts and the actors. All the jock has to do is fill-in his/her part to make it local. 

So the people who are actually being “Pranked” are the listeners who believe it’s all real.

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Charlie Sheen says that after he gave Lindsay Lohan $100,000 to help pay off her IRS bill, she never even sent a text to thank him. 

- Then again she might have, but they’re probably both too drunk to remember. 

- Lindsay’s rep denies it, saying she’s always dropping friends “a line” to say thanks. 

***** 

In an interview with the Today Show, Barbra Streisand said that she is not a diva.  

- She then begans screaming at Matt Lauer saying, “You Don’t Send Me Flowers Anymore you ungrateful, balding, SOB!” 

- Babs added, “If you don’t believe me…just ask my driver! I mean my husband, James Brolin.”

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A new study claims women can tell if a man is going to be unfaithful just by looking at his face. 

- Especially if his face is checking out your sister.  

- Connie Francis told us the clue is “Lipstick on his collar.”  

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The FCC may begin letting passengers use their cell phones on planes. 

- It’s about time! Pilots have been using their cell phones to order drinks from the flight attendants for years!

- This will help the flight crew pick out possible terrorists by looking for people playing “REALLY Angry Birds”. 

- So now, instead of annoying you by talking to you the whole flight, he can annoy you by spending the whole flight talking on his phone.  

***** 

Some historians are objecting to the amount of profanity in the movie Lincoln. 

- The one that really got them going was when Lincoln started the Gettysburg Address with “Four Scored…and some didn’t.”

- For those who want to hear an Illinois politician swear, just wait for the movie “Blagojevich” to come out.  

***** 

On this date in 1844 the first dental anesthetic was used by Dr. John Riggs for a tooth extraction. 

- Prior to this Dr. Riggs used the old “String and Door Knob” technique. 

*****

Have a great day and I’ll see you back here on Wednesday - 12/12/12!

-Dick

 

 

 

 

 

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