Tuesday, January 17, 2017 – Edition: #5891

Another Sheetload of Bull!

BS SHOW BIZ BUZZ:
★ Billionaire Jeff Bezos has bought a former museum to remodel into a huge Washington DC (part-time) home. The Amazon founder is the anonymous buyer who paid $23 million for the former Textile Museum in October last year. He plans to turn it into the city’s largest private home. The 27,000-square-foot property in the exclusive Kalorama neighborhood includes 2 historic mansions and was occupied by the museum for almost 90 years. Bezos’ neighbors will include the Obamas and the (junior) Trumps.
– “Washington Post”
★ 22-year-old Hollywood actress Dakota Fanning is taking a break from her movie career to star in her first major TV series, TNT’s upcoming “The Alienist”. It’s an adaptation of Caleb Carr’s crime novel of the same name. The title refers to an individual who studies mental pathologies. Set in 1896 NYC, Fanning plays a smart secretary who’s part of police commissioner (and future prez) Theodore Roosevelt’s staff. Her ultimate ambition is to become NYC’s 1st female police detective.
– WENN.com
★ The makers of “Star Wars” have put a quick end to rumors that while Carrie Fisher has died, her ‘Princess Leia’ may live on. Lucasfilm says there are no plans to digitally recreate Fisher to appear in future episodes of the movie saga. Fisher had finished shooting “Star Wars: Episode VIII” (out December 15, 2017) when she died December 27, 2016 of cardiac arrest at age 60. She’d also been slated to appear in “Episode IX”, scheduled for release in 2019. That film is still being scripted, and the writers are still deciding how to handle her death.
– Newser.com
★ And Kylie Jenner has found it important to inform us that she always eats turkey sausages and egg-fried rice for breakfast. Speaking on her website, the 19-year-old “Keeping Up With the Kardashians” star claims she is ”pretty domestic” and ”seriously loves” cooking. This is apparently why she rustles up a morning feast every day. She also inflicts the odd breakfast on her 27-year-old rapper-boyfriend Tyga. The recipe: Jennie-O turkey breakfast sausage patties, eggs, pre-cooked rice.
– Bang Showbiz

TODAY’S SHOW BIZ SKED:
• “Conan” (TBS/CTV) – Johnnyswim (“Georgica Pond”).
• “Jimmy Kimmel Live” (ABC/CityTV) – Migos (“Culture”, out January 27th).
• “Last Call With Carson Daly” (NBC) – Holy Ghost! (“Dynamics”). Rerun.
• “Late Late Show With James Corden” (CBS/CTV) – My Morning Jacket’s Jim James (“Eternally Even”).
• “Late Show With Stephen Colbert” (CBS/Global) – Ex-Spice Girl Mel B.
• “Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” (NBC/CTV2) – The xx (“I See You”).
• “Wendy Williams” (syndicated) – Luke James (“Junk In the Trunk”).

BS MUSIC NOTES:
• DNCE – Tonight they hit the road on a North American tour beginning in San Diego CA and running up to February 9th in Wallingford CT.
• Keith Urban – He stays atop today’s new ‘Billboard Hot Country Songs’ chart with “Blue Ain’t Your Color”. Chris Stapleton has regained top spot on today’s new ‘Billboard Country Albums’ chart with “Traveller”.
• The Lumineers – A new run of dates in support of their album “Cleopatra” begins tonight in Omaha NE, with shows announced up to March 31st in Edmonton AB. Andrew Bird and Kaleo open select dates.
• Metallica – They’re set to perform at the 59th Grammy Awards along with Adele and Beyoncé. Kirk Hammett & crew are taking to the stage at LA’s Staples Center for what’s being touted as a ”unique and special” performance. The Grammys are telecast live on CBS-TV February 12th.
• Taylor Swift – She’s been granted permission to preserve the historic Hollywood estate that once belonged to movie mogul Samuel Goldwyn (as in MGM). She bought the Beverly Hills property in 2015 for $25 million and it’s now been granted ‘landmark’ status by the Beverly Hills Cultural Heritage Commission. Taylor has hired architects to restore the 11,000-square-foot house to its original 1934 condition.

THIS WEEK’S VIDEO RELEASES:
Coming out on DVD, Netflix, Google Play and/or other video providers …
• “The Girl On the Train” ( R-Rated Mystery ): Brit actress Emily Blunt stars in the movie adaptation of Paula Hawkin’s best-selling novel about an unemployed alcoholic who spends her days riding the same commuter train, concocting a perfect life for a couple she always comes across during her travels. Co-stars Justin Theroux.
• “Keeping Up With the Joneses” ( PG-13 Action Comedy ): A suburban couple becomes embroiled in an international espionage plot when they discover that their seemingly perfect new neighbors are government spies. Stars Zach Galifianakis, Isla Fisher, Jon Hamm, and Gal Gadot.
• “Ouija: Origin of Evil” ( PG-13 Horror Thriller ): In 1965 Los Angeles, a widowed mother and her 2 daughters add a new stunt to bolster their seance scam business and unwittingly invite authentic evil into their home when the youngest daughter is overtaken by a merciless spirit. Stars Elizabeth Reaser, Lulu Wilson, and Annalise Basso.
• Also being released: “Rizzoli & Isles: The Complete 7th and Final Season” (TV); and “Zero Days” (Documentary).

YOU CAN BORROW A CADDY:
It’s kind of like Netflix, but with Cadillacs instead of movies. The car company is experimenting with a modern twist on car ownership: don’t own at all and instead try out a new vehicle every month or so. GM is launching a month-to-month ‘subscription’ car service called ‘BOOK’. Those who participate can drive a new Cadillac model for up to 60 days before turning it in, and they can max out at 18 different cars a year. It’s not cheap, however, at $1,500 a month. ‘BOOK’ is said to be aimed squarely at Gen X and Y customers who want the experience of a luxury vehicle without the hassles of traditional ownership. It debuts February 1st in the NYC metro area. (Um … wouldn’t leasing costs a lot less?)
– Vocativ.com

BUN IN THE OVEN ODDS:
The names of the women most likely to fall pregnant in 2017, based on the average age at which women are having babies and working backward to discover what given names were most popular in the year they were born. So get ready to celebrate if your name is …
1. Jessica
2. Amy
3. Jade
4. Rebecca
5. Charlotte
6. Hannah
7. Lauren
8. Sophie
9. Emily
10. Sarah
– Closer Online

TECH JUNK:
The gadget boom has seen e-waste in Asia spike 63% in the past 5 years, according to United Nations University. E-waste, short for electronic waste, refers to discarded electrical or electronic devices. When not recycled or disposed of properly, these are often burned or washed in acid to extract the copper and other metals inside. This can pollute water and air, and lead to cancers and infertility in workers exposed to the fumes. More and more gadgets and toys are coming with either a plug or a battery, and it’s all substantially contributing to an increase in e-waste. While Asia generates the highest volume of e-waste as a continent, Europe and the Americas generate about 4 times as much per capita. A large amount of e-waste from the Western world is exported to poorer countries. (Instead of tossing e-waste, why not reuse, sell or give away?)
– “New Scientist”

THESE 8 MEN HAVE AS MUCH MONEY AS HALF THE WORLD:
A new Oxfam report finds today’s income inequality is benefitting a few billionaires who already have enormous fortunes. These are the 8 richest men in the world: Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, Berkshire Hathaway CEO Warren Buffett, Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison, former NYC mayor Michael Bloomberg, Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, Mexican tycoon Carlos Slim, and Spanish retail mogul Amancio Ortega. Together their net wealth (assets minus debts) amounts to $426 billion. That’s about the same amount of wealth as the bottom half of the world’s population … more than 3.6 billion people. (The 1% still rules.)
– HuffingtonPost.com

BS AMAZING FACTS:
• White rhinos return to the same communal spot to poop, allowing them to pick up information about each other from the dung.
– “National Geographic”
• Donald Trump could become the first US president in 150 years not to have a pet in the White House.
– GlobalNews.ca

BS CHRONOMETER 01.17.17

TODAY’S CELEBIRTHDAYS . . .
1922 [95] Betty White, Oak Park IL, TV actress (“Betty White’s Off Their Rockers”, “Hot in Cleveland” 2010-15, “The Golden Girls” 1985-92)/movie actress (“The Proposal”)

1957 [60] Steve Harvey, Atlanta GA, TV personality (“Steve Harvey” 2012, “Family Feud” since 2010)/movie actor (“Johnson Family Vacation”, “Madea Goes to Jail”)/standup comedian

1962 [55] Jim Carrey, Newmarket ON, movie actor (“Dumb & Dumber”, “Bruce Almighty”)

1964 [53] Michelle Obama, Chicago IL, US First Lady 2009-17/wife of 44th US president Barack Obama/fashion icon/poverty awareness and healthy eating advocate

1971 [46] Kid Rock (Robert James Ritchie), Romeo MI, country-rock singer (“All Summer Long”, “Picture”)

1980 [37] Zooey Deschanel, LA CA, TV actress (‘Jessica Day’ on “New Girl” since 2011)/movie actress (“500 Days of Summer”)/pop singer (She & Him-“In the Sun”/”I Can Hear Music”)

1984 [33] Calvin Harris, Dumfries, Scotland, DJ/singer-songwriter/producer (f/Rihanna-“This Is What You Came For”, f/Ne-Yo-“Let’s Go”)

1986 [31] Jeremiah Fraites, Ramsey NJ, folk-rock drummer (The Lumineers-“Stubborn Love”, “Ho Hey”)

TODAY’S BS REASONS TO PARTY . . .
• “Bootleggers Day”, honoring the makers of ‘hooch’ throughout history. Why today? January 17 is the birthday of famed bootlegger Al Capone and also Templeton Rye Whiskey, which came up with this lame excuse for free promotion.

• “Customer Service Day”, an annual reminder of just how important it is for any business.

• “Ditch New Years Resolutions Day”. Face it, some have already been broken and the rest you were never going to do anyway, right?.

• “Hot-Buttered Rum Day”, celebrating the warm alcoholic beverage flavored with butter, salt, cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, and cloves. These ingredients form a batter that is then mixed with rich, dark rum.

• “International Mentoring Day”, the 3rd annual recognizing the important role mentors make in furthering other peoples’ lives.

• “Kid Inventors Day”, to acknowledge past & present accomplishments of kid inventors and encourage the creativity of future kid inventors. It’s estimated a half-million children and teens invent things each year. Among them – waterskis, earmuffs, and the Popsicle.
NET: http://www.kidinventorsday.com

• “Rid the World of Fad Diets & Gimmicks Day”, the 28th annual as part of “Healthy Weight Week” as declared by the ‘National Council Against Health Fraud’, which debunks unrealistic claims made by weight-loss companies.

THIS DAY IN SHOW BIZ . . .
2007 [10] Humorist, journalist, and author Art Buchwald dies at age 74, and has his video obituary posted in which he declares, “Hi. I’m Art Buchwald, and I just died.”

TODAY’S MUSIC EVENTS . . .
2006 [11] Kristen Hall announces she is leaving country band Sugarland so she can “stay home and write songs” (the band continues with only Jennifer Nettles and Kristian Bush)

2015 [02] Police are called to the Cromwell Hotel in Las Vegas where a fight involving The Weeknd is raging (he’s arrested after allegedly punching a cop who tries to intervene)

2016 [01] David Bowie reaches #1 on North American album charts for the first time with “Blackstar”, released 2 days before his January 10th death

TODAY’S FIRST . . .
1995 [22] NFL’s Los Angeles Rams announce their move to St Louis (the USA’s #2 market goes without a pro football team for 20 years, but in the 2017-18 season will have two – the returned Rams and the former San Diego Chargers)

COMING UP . . .
[Wed] “People’s Choice Awards” (CBS/Global)
[Wed] Winnie the Pooh Day
[Thurs] World Day of Migrants & Refugees
[Fri] “Split” ; “xXx: Return of Xander Cage” open in movie theaters
This Week Is … Hunt For Happiness Week
This Month Is … Personal Self-Defense Awareness Month

BULL’S BITS

WHAT WOMEN ARE READING:
• ”’Why Don’t I Look Like Her?”: How Instagram Is Ruining Our Self Esteem’ – “Cosmopolitan”
• ‘Let This Mom Explain Why She Chooses to Breastfeed Her 5-Year-Old Triplets’ – “Glamour”
• ‘Her Heart Will Dijon: Céline Dion’s Ties to Montréal Smoked Meat’ – “Chatelaine”
• ‘Men Reveal What They Really Think About Women Not Shaving’ – “Redbook”
• ‘People are Freaking Out Over Whether Nutella Causes Cancer’ – “Woman’s Day”

WHAT MEN ARE READING:
• ‘Why Every Man Should Be Putting Coconut Oil On His Beard’ – AskMen.com
• ‘Big Arms Now!’ – “Muscle & Fitness”
• ’13 Women Reveal the One Thing That Instantly Turns Them On’ – “Men’s Health”
• ‘Joining the Mile High Club is Actually Easier Than You Think’ – “Maxim”
• ‘Eat Your Way to Supersize!’ – “Flex”

BS PHONE STARTER:
☎ What is the worst movie that you’ve seen?

BS U-PICK COLOR TRIVIA:
• In Europe what is the color representing the ‘bunny hill’, the easy ski slope for skiers?
a. Green [CORRECT]
b. Yellow
c. White

• What is the color of the ‘black box’ in airplanes?
a. Red
b. Orange [CORRECT]
c. Black, stupid.
– “Trivia Crack”

BS RANDOM JOKE:
I’ve changed my mind a dozen times. It seems to work better now.

BS WATER COOLER QUESTION:
Question: A poll of managers finds the worst office behavior is ‘sloppy work’, followed by THIS.
ANSWER: Gossiping or engaging in office politics.

BS DEEP THOUGHT:
Two can live as cheaply as one, for half as long.