Tuesday, August 19, 2003 Edition: #2604
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BS SHOW BIZ BUZZ:
No Doubt’s Gwen Stefani is launching a series of fashion accessories under her LAMB (Love Angel Music Baby) label THIS FALL, including handbags & a chi-chi ‘concert bag’ (suggestions for what you’d put in it?) . . . Rapper Nelly is turning his hit track “Pimp Juice” into a reality with a new non-carbonated energy drink crammed with vitamins which hits stores NEXT MONTH . . . Tennis babe Anna Kournikova has inked a $150,000 deal to become the tourism ambassador for Thailand’s infamous Pattaya resort area, famous for its seedy sex industry, but looking to go more upmarket (she represents a better class of hooker) . . . Discovery Channel & TSN have become the 1st Canadian specialty channels to air programs in HDTV . . . Shania Twain will kick off her 1st world tour in 3 years SEPTEMBER 25th in Hamilton ON . . . Word has it actress Demi Moore has fitted out her new $4.8 million Hollywood mansion – with cheapo furniture from Swedish chain IKEA . . . And his weirdness has gotten even weirder – reports say Michael Jackson leased an entire Californian supermarket so he could experience the ‘reality of grocery shopping’, then replaced all the checkout staff and customers with family and friends for the day (“I’ll take that in plastic, Tito.”).
TODAY’S VIDEO RELEASES:
• “Chicago” (Musical – DVD/VHS): In this winner of 6 Academy Awards including ‘Best Picture’, Renée Zellweger & Catherine Zeta-Jones play show girls striving for fame at any cost in 1920s Chicago. The film is based on director/choreographer Bob Fosse’s original 1975 stage production, so it’s appropriate his autobiographical 1979 musical “All That Jazz” is also being released in a new DVD version.
• “Bowling for Columbine” (Documentary – DVD): Michael Moore’s Oscar-winning film about guns in America comes with some extras, including an interview in which Moore discusses his controversial Academy Award acceptance speech.
• “The Kid Stays In the Picture” (Documentary – DVD/VHS): The story of famed producer Robert Evans, which he narrates himself, follows his life from Hollywood’s young ‘golden boy’ through failed marriages, a drug bust and a rumored involvement in the notorious murder case surrounding the film “Cotton Club”.
• “The Good Thief” (Crime Drama – DVD): Nick Nolte plays an aging gambler on a losing streak who attempts to rob a casino in the South of France. But someone’s already tipped off the cops before he even makes a move.
WHY OUR STUDIO IS PAINTED LIME:
Color consultant Dewey Sadka claims homeowners should not only surround themselves with colors they like but also some they don’t care for at all, because your least favorite colors can be just as powerful as your faves. According to his ‘Dewey Color System’, painting with shades of mint, olive or emerald can help you feel more nurtured and will help others feel more comfortable. Using teal, sea green, ocean blue or forest green will boost your ability to be empathetic, diplomatic and supportive. (Using partially-burned brown paper bags glued to the walls will get you a job on “Trading Spaces”.)
YOUR BUTT LOOKS BIG IN THAT:
A British company has developed a ‘smart’ changing room that tells clothes shoppers what not to wear. The QinetiQ system uses 3D digital cameras which not only take pictures but also record precise measurements from more than 1,000 points on an object. Installed in a changing room, an array of 6 cameras feeds data to a computer that matches styles to body shape, then provides advice. (“Ohmygawd, I think you should try a camping store! They’ll have 2-man tents in your size!”)
HOW DID HE GET HOME?
Workers at Universal Studios theme park in Orlando FL are trying to help a man find something he lost on a 55 mph roller coaster – his prosthetic leg! Seems it flew off while he was riding the 125-ft-high Dueling Dragons and may have fallen into a pond. So far divers have failed to turn it up. Park officials say it will be replaced if it can’t be found. (I once lost my lunch there, but strangely none of the staff wanted to help look for it.)
DEAD MEN WALKING:
Oxford University genetics professor Bryan Sykes says that men are doomed to extinction, victims of the decaying human Y-chromosome, the only piece of DNA men possess that women don’t. The Y-chromosome cannot repair itself nor stop the steadily accumulating damage it’s suffering, Sykes reports in his book “Adam’s Curse”. He envisages the ‘Sapphic reproduction’ of future women by genetic manipulation. The good news is, by his estimate the male species won’t go belly-up for about – 125,000 years. (We thought men had already been replaced by a couple of D cells.)
FORM A GROUP, DISCUSS:
What is the meaning of life? For a report in the “Journal of Humanistic Psychology”, a trio of academics analyzed over 200 quotations from 195 people, including everyone from philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau to singer Bob Dylan for a clue. The most-often cited reasons we are here …
• Life is to be enjoyed. (17%)
• We are here to love and help others. (13%)
• It is a mystery. (13%)
• There is no cosmic meaning. (11%)
• We are here to serve or worship God. (11%)
• Life is a struggle. (8%)
• We must make a contribution to society. (6%)
• Our mission in life is to seek wisdom/truth, and to become self-actualized. (6%)
• We must create meaning for ourselves. (5%)
• Life is absurd or a joke. (4%)
Source: “Globe & Mail”
FLASH MOBBING NEWS:
‘Flash Mobs’ are a hot new form of amateur performance art in which large groups meet at a predetermined place, perform a specific function, then disperse as quickly as they showed up. A couple of recent flash events –
• A Brazilian flash mob hit the busiest road in Sao Paulo, pointed remote controls at a giant screen as if they were trying to change channels, then after exactly 3 minutes put the controls away and walked off as if nothing had happened.
• An OXFAM charity shop in Birmingham, England was targeted as a flash mob quickly gathered, waved garments above their heads and sang a chorus of the Red Hot Chili
Peppers’ “Give It Away”. They then donated all the used clothing to the thrift store and quickly disappeared.
(Use on-air announcements and your Website to organize a flash mob to help out a local charity. Guaranteed to generate some buzz!)
WANTED: PIERCE BROSNAN’S REPLACEMENT:
Britain’s Secret Intelligence Service has come out of the shadows to advertise on the Internet for spies, but it makes clear that ‘James Bond’-types need not apply – too ‘high profile’. SIS, commonly known as ‘MI6′, has joined its slightly less shadowy counterpart, the counterintelligence agency ‘MI5′, in publicly inviting job applications via the British Foreign Office’s Website. It’s an attempt to fill extra positions created in response to increased threats of terrorism.
NET: http://www.fco.gov.uk/servlet/Front?pagename=OpenMarket/Xcelerate/ShowPage&c=Page&cid=1059736061019
SOME PEOPLE ARE JUST PLAIN CHEAP:
Here’s a theme that will be sure to get your phones flashing – how to save a buck by being innovative. The “Dollar Stretcher Newsletter” reports on the extremes some people go to in order to save a bit of money. Among them –
• Cutting up onion bags to use as pot scrubbers.
• Using soap instead of shaving cream.
• Buying Vaseline instead of lip balm or Chapstick.
• Reading magazines in the library instead of subscribing to them.
• Making café lattes at home with instant hot chocolate, fat-free milk & a teaspoon of coffee.
NET: http://www.stretcher.com
BS AMAZING FACT:
In the 19th century, men who suffered from symptoms caused by an enlarged prostate often carried canes with secretly hollowed-out shafts. That way if a guy felt the urgent need to urinate and couldn’t reach a bathroom in time, the cane doubled as an emergency urinal.
THE BULL SHEET 08.19.2K3
TODAY’S CELEBIRTHDAYS . . .
1946 [57] Bill Clinton, Hope AR, 42nd US President/cigar lover who’s now making a bundle doing speaking engagements worldwide
1966 [37] Lee Ann Womack, Jacksonville TX, 5′-1″ country singer (2001 ACM ‘Single Record of the Year’ and ‘Song of the Year’-“I Hope You Dance”)
1969 [34] Matthew Perry, Williamstown MA [raised in Ottawa ON], $1 million-per-episode TV actor (Chandler Bing-“Friends” since 1994) COMING UP: Co-stars with Bruce Willis in the sequel movie, “The Whole Ten Yards”, opening NEXT YEAR.
1969 [34] Clay Walker, Beaumont TX, country singer (“A Few Questions”, “Rumor Has It”)
BS REASONS TO PARTY . . .
TODAY-Saturday the 66th annual “National Truck Driving Championships” rev up in Columbus OH as over 400 professional truckers vie for the top honor, ‘National Grand Champion’. The championship has 3 components – a written exam, driver safety inspection, and an obstacle course.
TODAY is “Stay Home With Your Kids Day”. (Yeah right, call that excuse in to the boss – and you’ll likely get to stay home with them EVERY day!)
Over the next few days coral reefs around-the-world will be busy – procreating! Coral sex occurs 7 to 10 days following the 1st full moon in August (August 12th this year). Oceanographers still aren’t sure what puts coral in the mood to spawn or why coral spawns at the same time worldwide. Interestingly, coral sex causes nearby fish to also spawn. Perhaps by power of suggestion? (So take note, scuba divers – if the reef is rockin’, don’t come knockin’!)
THIS WEEK is “National Friendship Week”, to celebrate and show appreciation for those who know you well – and are friends with you anyway.
TODAY’S FIRSTS . . .
1888 [115] 1st ‘beauty contest’ (in Spa, Belgium)
1909 [94] 1st use of ‘Indianapolis Speedway’ (as dirt track for testing automobiles)
1951 [52] 1st (and last) midget in MLB used as pinch hitter (3-foot, 7-inch Eddie Gaedel gets a walk for St Louis Browns)
1998 [05] 1st ‘open heart operation’ on the Web (with click-on virtual blood!)
TODAY’S RECORDS . . .
1962 [41] Homer Blancos records the ‘best-ever score in competitive golf’, shooting a 55 (Premier Invitational Tournament, Longview TX)
1979 [24] Craig Wendt sets world ‘water-ski speed’ record (128 mph)
AND REMEMBER . . .
[Wed] National Radio Day
[Thurs] National Spumoni Day
[Fri] Tooth Fairy Day
[Sun] Single Parent Family Day
This Week Is . . . Freedom of Enterprise Week
This Month Is . . . Foot Health Month
BULL’S BITS . . .
ALL-TIME TOP FLICKS:
Here’s an argument starter for ya. What’s the best movie of all-time? According to a poll by the Internet Move Data Base, the all-time top 5 are …
1. “The Godfather” (1972)
2. “The Shawshank Redemption” (1994)
3. “The Godfather: Part II” (1974)
4. “Schindler’s List” (1993)
5. “Casablanca” (1942)
BS PHONE STARTERS:
• “What funny words of wisdom do you have on you fridge?”
• “Would you rather have a fantastic body or be rich?”
• “Do men really care about women’s noses?”
• “What were the greatest ‘make-out’ locations in town when you were a teenager?”
BS WEB GOODIE:
Is he Mr Right? “Cleo” magazine’s ‘Love-o-Meter’ promises to tell you. Just fill in a few details and watch him get slagged.
NET: http://cleo.ninemsn.com.au/cleo/loveandsex/loveometre
BS ODDBALL OUTDOOR CONTESTS:
Doing a remote broadcast or emceeing a summer event? Try some of these goofy games –
• Tortilla Toss (loaded or unloaded)
• Artistic Pie Eating (chewing a pie or pizza into an objet d’art)
• Wet T-Shirt Throwing (furthest wins)
• French Fry Sculpting (with a knife or by stacking)
BS WATER COOLER QUESTION:
Today’s Question: It’s almost unanimous. 96% of women say that when you have to do THIS at work it’s a total waste of time.
Answer to Give Out Tomorrow: Team-building seminars.
BS DEEP THOUGHT:
Pick battles big enough to matter, small enough to win.
