Tuesday, March 28, 2017 – Edition: #5941

100% Grade A Bull!

BS SHOW BIZ BUZZ:
★ Idris Elba would like to star in a boxing movie along the lines of the “Rocky” films. The 44-year-old actor (“Luther”, “The Wire”) spent an entire year training to become a professional K-1 kickboxer for the documentary “Fighter”, and he’s now interested in checking out more fight film roles. Quote: “My agent has been fielding boxing scripts left, right, and center. They’re not imaginative enough, though.”
– Bang Showbiz
★ John Leguizamo is joining Taylor Kitsch in the upcoming TV miniseries “Waco”. It’s based on the 1993 siege of a religious sect’s base in Waco TX which led to a lengthy standoff, a deadly shootout, and a fire which burned down the compound and killed 76 people inside. Kitsch portrays David Koresh, the real-life leader of the Branch Davidians sect; while Leguizamo is cast to play ATF agent ‘Robert Rodriguez’. Production begins in April.
– WENN.com
★ And Millie Bobby Brown says she’s taking time off after working too hard. The 13-year-old “Stranger Things” star cancelled an appearance at Collective Con in Jacksonville FL over the weekend, then apologized to fans by pleading exhaustion due to her demanding schedule. The kid actress was due to sign autographs at the pop culture conference, and take photos with fans for a fee of around $50. The now-shooting 2nd season of the acclaimed series “Stranger Things” debuts on Netflix October 31st.
– ContactMusic.com

TODAY’S SHOW BIZ SKED:
• “Jimmy Kimmel Live” (ABC/CityTV) – Tuxedo (“Man About Town”). Rerun.
• “Last Call With Carson Daly” (NBC) – Froth (“Saccharine Sunshine”).
• “Late Late Show With James Corden” (CBS/CTV) – Little Mix (“Glory Days”).
• “The Real” (syndicated) – Guest co-host Remy Ma (“Seven Winters & Six Summers”). Rerun.
• “The Voice” (NBC/CTV2) – Luke Bryan, Céline Dion, DJ Khaled, and John Legend prepare the artists for the final ‘Battle Round’.

BS MUSIC NOTES:
• Adele – According to “New Zealand Herald”, she told the audience at her recent Auckland concert: “Touring isn’t something I’m good at … I don’t know if I will ever tour again.”
• Drake – His digital-only release of “More Life” is atop the ‘Billboard 200’ chart this week, making it his 7th career #1 album. “More Life” gets a CD release this Friday, and a vinyl LP version is on the way soon as well.
• Ed Sheeran – Tonight he’s set to perform at the Royal Albert Hall in London UK as part of the annual Teenage Cancer Trust charity benefit organized by The Who. Also on the bill: Paul Weller, and the Pet Shop Boys w/Johnny Marr & Olly Murs.
• Fetty Wap – The 25-year-old rapper has been targeted by robbers at an all-night deli in his hometown of Paterson NJ. They made off with his chain and an unspecified amount of cash, the incident leading to a shoot-out. Cops are investigating.
• Gorillaz – They’ve announced their long-awaited new album “Humanz” arrives on April 28th. The eclectic list of collaborators working with Damon Albarn & Jamie Hewlett includes Grace Jones, Mavis Staples, De La Soul, Danny Brown, Pusha T and many others.
• John Legend – He’s performed “Beauty & The Beast” at Disneyland Paris to mark the theme park’s 25th anniversary. Legend and Ariana Grande re-recorded the 1991 movie theme for the new live-action remake starring Emma Watson. Legend is heading out on a 24-date European tour this September.
• Sam Hunt – He’s working on new music and new songs, he says, but a Spring wedding to fiancée Hannah Lee Fowler is still his #1 priority.

THIS WEEK’S VIDEO RELEASES:
Coming out on DVD, Netflix, Google Play and/or other video providers …
• “A Monster Calls” ( PG-13 Fantasy Drama ): A young boy (played by Lewis MacDougall) who struggles at school with bullies and at home with his mother’s terminal illness, seeks the help of a ‘tree monster’ to cope with his troubles. The third film from director JA Bayona co-stars Felicity Jones, Liam Neeson, and Sigourney Weaver.
• “Fantastic Beasts & Where to Find Them” ( PG-13 Fantasy Adventure ): Author JK Rowling’s latest creation follows the adventures of writer ‘Newt Scamander’ in NYC’s secret community of witches and wizards 70 years before ‘Harry Potter’ reads his book in school. Stars Eddie Redmayne, Katherine Waterston, Alison Sudol, Dan Fogler. This is the 1st of a 5-film series.
• “Patriots Day” ( R-Rated Historical Thriller ): The story of the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing and the city-wide manhunt to find the terrorists responsible. On April 15, 2013 Tommy Saunders (played by Mark Wahlberg) is pulling security duty when the Tsarnaev brothers strike with their homemade bombs. Co-stars Michelle Monaghan, JK Simmons.
• “Why Him?” ( R-Rated Comedy ): A family gathering goes off the rails when ‘Ned Fleming’ (played by Bryan Cranston) realizes his daughter’s Silicon Valley billionaire-boyfriend is about to propose. What will transpire before the ‘Flemings’ accept ‘Laird’ (James Franco) as one of the family? Co-stars Cedric the Entertainer, Megan Mullally, Tangie Ambrose, and Zoey Deutch.
• Also being released: “Archer Season 7” (TV); “The Swan Princess: Royally Undercover” (Animation); “Takashi Miike’s Dead or Alive Trilogy” (Compilation); and “The Wishmaster Collection” (4-Film Compilation).

BRILLIANT NEW INVENTIONS:
A few innovations you may not have yet heard of …
• A restaurant table with a sunken space for your phone so you won’t spill anything on it.
• A picnic table with an overhang at one end for wheelchair users.
• An alarm clock that shows the time on 3 sides so you don’t have to keep turning it.
• A cold weather simulator room for testing out Winter clothes before you buy them.
• A pen that tells you roughly how many more pages you’ll be able to write before it runs out.
• A changing room mirror that replicates the light on a night out, in your office, and outside.
• A toaster that has a button for ‘A Bit More’ when your toast is not quite done.
– Condensed from BuzzFeed.com

HOW TO FREEZE FRESH VEGETABLES:
• Before freezing, chop raw vegetables to the size you are likely to use when cooking. Thawed vegetables are more difficult to chop.
• Vegetables tend to lose color, flavor, texture, and even vitamins when they’re frozen, thanks to the activity of enzymes in the veggies. Blanching the vegetables (immersing them in boiling water for a short period of time) before freezing interrupts the activity of the enzymes, and will keep the frozen vegetables fresher longer.
• Blanching times vary from 1½ minutes for peas to 11 minutes for large ears of corn; consult a cookbook for the correct amount of time for the vegetable you want to freeze.
• After blanching, quickly immerse the vegetables in cool water to prevent them from overcooking.
• Leafy greens, tomatoes, and watery vegetables like zucchini and squash can be frozen without blanching. If you’re planning to make zucchini bread, grate the zucchini before you freeze it.
– Neatorama.com

BEING BREAST-FED DOESN’T MAKE YOU SMARTER:
There’s overwhelming consensus that breast-feeding is the optimal way to feed an infant. It has many known health benefits, but there’s still debate about how it may influence kids’ behavior and intelligence. A new study finds that children who are breast-fed for at least 6 months have less hyperactive behavior by age 3 compared with kids who aren’t breast-fed. But the same research also finds that breast-feeding doesn’t necessarily lead to a cognitive boost. The study of 8,000 children in Ireland found that overall, the breast-fed kids score a tad higher, but the difference isn’t large enough to be of any significance. (Hence the putdown “You’re a real boob” is still valid.)
– NPR.org

USEFUL WEBSITES THAT YOU’LL WISH YOU KNEW EARLIER:
✓ Get Human – Helps you get in touch with an actual person when calling customer service.
NET: https://gethuman.com
✓ Noisli – Generates pleasant background noise to help you while you study and work.
NET: https://www.noisli.com
✓ Ocearch – You can track sharks in real time.
NET: http://www.ocearch.org
✓ Pixlr – It’s not Photoshop, but it’s the closest thing to a browser version you’ll find.
NET: https://pixlr.com/editor
✓ Repair Clinic – If you want to do DIY, this is your source.
NET: https://www.repairclinic.com
✓ Random Useful Websites – A website that randomly takes you to a useful website.
NET: http://www.randomusefulwebsites.com
– Sourced from List25.com

DID YOU KNOW?
• Parrots find ‘laughter’ contagious and ‘high-five’ in mid-air. (It would actually be a high-four.)
– “New Scientist”
• Spaniards sleep an hour less per night than other Europeans. (Too many siestas?)
– “The Guardian”
• Minecraft is being used to pitch business ideas to big companies. (Beats the hell out of PowerPoint.)
– Mashable.com

BS CHRONOMETER 03.28.17

TODAY’S CELEBIRTHDAYS . . .
1955 [62] Reba McEntire, McAlester OK, country singer (“Turn On the Radio”; “Consider Me Gone”)/TV actress (“Malibu Country” 2012; “Reba” 2001-07)/movie actress (“Tremors”)

1969 [48] Rodney Atkins, Knoxville TN, country singer (“Take a Back Road”; “These Are My People”)

1970 [47] Vince Vaughn, Minneapolis MN, movie actor (“Wedding Crashers”, “Old School”)

1976 [41] Dave Keuning, Pella IA, rock guitarist (The Killers-“When You Were Young”; “Mr Brightside”)

1981 [36] Julia Stiles, NYC, movie actress (“The Bourne Ultimatum”, “Save the Last Dance”)

1986 [31] Lady Gaga (Stefani Germanotta), NYC, pop singer (“Born This Way”; “Just Dance”)

BS REASONS TO PARTY . . .
• “Children’s Picture Book Day”. And the best one of all-time is? “Hop on Pop”, of course.

• “Hot Tub Day”, time to soak yourself in a steaming hot tub and bust the stress. Human stew!

• “Something On a Stick Day”, celebrating corn dogs, shish kebabs, Popsicles, ice cream bars, and any of the estimated 3 dozen other foods regularly served on a stick.

• “Weed Appreciation Day”, which is not what you’re thinking. It’s a salute to plants that grow wild which, though classified as weeds, have a beauty all their own. Think of them as wildflowers and see if that helps.

THIS DAY IN SHOW BIZ . . .
1995 [22] Oddball singer Lyle Lovett and actress Julia Roberts announce they are separating after 21 months of marriage (right after she gets her new prescription for contacts)

TODAY’S MUSIC EVENTS . . .
2013 [04] Customs officials at Germany’s Munich Airport detain and quarantine Justin Bieber’s pet capuchin monkey, OG Mally, due to a lack of documentation (the Biebs abandons the critter there; it’s later sent to the Serengeti-Park animal refuge in Hodenhagen)

2014 [03] Tickets for Brit singer Kate Bush’s first live shows in 35 years sell out in less than 15 minutes (“Before the Dawn” concerts mark her first stage shows since 1979)

TODAY’S FIRST . . .
1999 [18] Venus Williams beats kid sister Serena to win the Lipton Championship, the 1st all-sister women’s tennis final in 115 years

TODAY’S RECORDS . . .
2012 [05] Mega Millions jackpot in the US reaches a then-world record in lottery history … $500 million

2014 [03] 3rd baseman Miguel Cabrera signs a 10-year contract with the Detroit Tigers for $292 million, exceeding the 10-year contract signed by Alex Rodriguez of the NY Yankees in 2007 for $275 million

AND REMEMBER . . .
[Wed] Whole Grain Sampling Day
[Wed] Manatee Appreciation Day
[Thurs] World Bipolar Day
[Fri] Lollapalooza Argentina begins
[Fri] “Beyoncé: Raising Genius” published
This Week Is … Root Canal Awareness Week
This Month Is … Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Awareness Month

BULL’S BITS

BS REASONS NOT TO BUY A USED SOFA:
✗ There’s a large red tag on it marked ‘Evidence’.
✗ There’s a coin slot on the armrest.
✗ What you thought was powdered sugar from a doughnut appears to be moving.
✗ The present owner appears to be scratching himself rather frequently.
✗ A sticker on the back says ‘Property of Blessed Hope Mission’.
✗ It has its own nickname. More than a dozen people seem to know its nickname.
✗ Someone appears to have constructed a drink-holder on the armrest with a hacksaw, blowtorch, and a glue-gun.
✗ There are mushrooms growing under the cushions.
✗ The stuffing is protruding from all of the bullet holes.
✗ It squeals when you sit on it.

BS RANDOM JOKE:
I don’t understand you. You don’t understand me. What else do we have in common?

BS U-PICK SPORTS TRIVIA:
• Which country’s national soccer (football) team is called the ‘Reggae Boyz’?
a. Jamaica [CORRECT]
b. Barbados
c. Bahamas
d. Cuba

• Which is England’s official national sport?
a. Rugby
b. Cricket [CORRECT]
c. Soccer (Football)
d. Tennis

• Which is the world’s most played sport?
a. Soccer (Football) [CORRECT]
b. Basketball
c. Baseball
d. Tag
– TriviaCrackAnswers.com

BS PHONE STARTER:
☎ What’s your best kitchen hack? Betcha don’t know this one … you can use the fluid from a can of chick peas to make meringue. Just whip it good and add a dab or vanilla and powdered sugar. The next day, any leftovers will return to a liquid, but then you can whip ’em again!

BS WATER COOLER QUESTION:
Question: By age 45, 80% of women have done THIS.
Answer: Given birth.

BS DEEP THOUGHT:
Never share a foxhole with anyone braver than yourself.