Thursday, December 8, 2011 Edition: #4647
Deja Moo!
BS SHOW BIZ BUZZ:
“Star Magazine” reports that Marc Anthony is refusing to shoot his Latin reality TV show “Q’Viva: The Chosen” with soon-to-be ex-wife Jennifer Lopez because of her new relationship with her 24-year-old backup dancer Casper Smart (dude, wait 5 minutes and she’ll have moved on) . . . Actor Alec Baldwin is lambasting American Airlines on Twitter after being booted off a flight at LAX for refusing to turn off his cellphone while playing the game ‘Words with Friends’ (hey Mr Special, the rules for takeoff are the same for everyone) . . . Actress Kristen Wiig (“Bridesmaids”) has been spotted ‘all over’ The Strokes drummer Fabrizio Moretti at a NYC party they attended (seems Drew Barrymore’s ex has moved on) . . . 26-year-old Formula 1 driver Lewis Hamilton has reportedly been bombarding 33-year-old ex-girlfriend Nicole Scherzinger (“The X Factor”) with love notes, flowers, and gifts in a bid to win her back, but an insider says she’s unsure about any reconciliation (although maybe a Lamborghini would help) . . . TorrentFreak’s list of ‘Most Pirated Movies Of the Week’ includes “Cowboys & Aliens”, which was released in July and flopped; and “Conan the Barbarian”, which briefly played theaters in October before closing (these are the movies we all steal – the ones so bad we wouldn’t wanna pay for them) . . . FirstPost.com reports that an Indian PR firm was so worried that fans wouldn’t turn out for Tom Cruise’s arrival in Mumbai for the weekend premiere of “Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol” that it provided a free buffet lunch and paid some 200 people $3 each to show up and scream (gives new meaning to ‘Hollywood extras’) . . . 25-year-old “Jersey Shore” star Jenni ‘JWoww’ Farley says she’s fulfilled her lifelong goal by appearing on the cover of men’s magazine “Maxim” (January), calling it her ‘highest accomplishment’ (how to be a role model, girl) . . . Meantime, the trailer for the upcoming season 5 of “Jersey Shore” has been released and it’s loaded with blood, booze, and brawls (who woulda thunk?) . . . And the baby-bump watch is back on for Brit royal Kate Middleton, the Duchess reigniting the pregnancy rumors by using her purse to cover her belly while arriving at a concert this week (for Pete’s sake, people – she was holding a teensy little clutch!).
TODAY’S SHOW BIZ SKED:
• “Conan” (TBS/CTV) – Blink-182 (“Neighborhoods”).
• “Jimmy Kimmel Live” (ABC/CHCH) – Chevelle (“Hats Off To the Bull”).
• “Last Call With Carson Daly” (NBC) – Ziggy Marley (“Wild & Free”).
• “Late Night With Jimmy Fallon” (NBC/CTV2) – Gym Class Heroes perform “Ass Back Home” (“The Papercut Chronicles II”).
• “Late Show With David Letterman” (CBS/NTV/Omni1) – Blitzen Trapper (“American Goldwing”).
• “Live With Kelly” (syndicated/CTV) – Guest co-host Josh Groban (“Illuminations”).
• “Tonight Show With Jay Leno” (NBC/CTV2) – Matisyahu (“Miracle”).
• “The X Factor” (FOX/CTV) – Contestants face elimination; performances by Mary J Blige (“My Life II: The Journey Continues, Act 1”) and Lenny Kravitz (“Black & White America”).
BS MUSIC NOTES:
• Beyoncé – Her attorneys have lost a bid to have a lawsuit against her dismissed. Videogame company Gate Five is claiming she put its 70 employees out of work after ‘abruptly abandoning’ a new game to be called “Starpower: Beyoncé”.
• Black Eyed Peas – Fergie’s 39-year-old actor-husband Josh Duhamel (“New Year’s Eve”) tells UK “Glamour” magazine that he ‘can’t wait’ to have children. (Well, the band IS on hiatus right now …)
• Chris Young – “The Black Dress Song” singer admits on Twitter that his planned ‘No Alcohol December’ only lasted … 1 day.
• Coldplay – This week they returned to the 500-capacity Dingwalls nightclub in London, where they played one of their earliest gigs in 1998, to stage a free concert for fans. They finished off the show with the seasonal tune “Christmas Lights”.
• David Guetta – He’s become the 1st artist to be handprinted at the legendary Grauman’s Chinese Theatre in Hollywood in its new musicians-only series ‘Handprints Homage’. The honor celebrates his status as the world’s best-selling DJ of all time.
• Guns ‘N Roses – Will the original band reunite for their Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction on April 14th? Axl Rose tells “Rolling Stone”: ‘I don’t know what they would ask of me. It’s up in the air.’
• Gwen Stefani – The 42-year-old reveals in “InStyle” magazine she sometimes locks herself in her closet when she gets stressed-out with work and family, in order to take time out for meditation.
• Michael Bublé – The 36-year-old Canadian crooner tells “Hello!” magazine he doesn’t understand entertainers who ask for everything under the sun in their tour riders. His requests are quite simple: water, white towels …. and a hockey puck from the local team, if there is one.
• Radiohead – Frontman Thom Yorke has played a private concert in London in support of the ongoing ‘Occupy’ protest. Yorke, along with Brit band Massive Attack, played for an audience of around 100 people in the protest’s new HQ, an empty bank building in the Hackney area.
• Sinead O’Connor – Word has it the Irish pop singer (“Nothing Compares 2 U”) is getting married today, her 45th birthday. She’s set to tie the knot with her Dublin boyfriend Barry Herridge in a private ceremony rumored to be in Las Vegas.
• Soulja Boy – He’s filed a lawsuit against former manager Philip Ransom, alleging he was coerced into signing ‘unconscionable, oppressive, and unjust’ contracts that gave his handler 5% of his income and his record label 50% his music copyrights. (You need more than 1 hit for it to matter much.)
COMING ATTRACTIONS:
A BS selection of movies in the making …
• “The Bling Ring” – Director Sofia Coppola (“Lost in Translation”) is planning to make a movie about the young burglars known as the ‘Hollywood Bling Ring’, who raided the upscale homes of Lindsay Lohan, Orlando Bloom, Paris Hilton and many others in 2008-09. TMZ reports Nick Prugo, the alleged ringleader, has been approached to serve as a consultant on the film.
• “The Master” – Philip Seymour Hoffman & Joaquin Phoenix will star in this 1950s-set drama about a charismatic intellectual whose faith-based organization begins to catch on and the young drifter who becomes his right-hand man. The 2013 film is being directed by Paul Thomas Anderson (“There Will Be Blood”) and scored by Radiohead guitarist Jonny Greenwood.
• “Prometheus” – Shooting has just wrapped on director Ridley Scott’s upcoming prequel to the “Alien” sci-fi series. It stars Michael Fassbender (“X-Men: First Class”), Charlize Theron, and Swedish actress Noomi Rapace (the original “Girl With the Dragon Tattoo”) as a team of explorers who discover a clue to the origins of mankind on Earth. It’s due in theaters next June.
• “Thor 2” – Filmmaker Patty Jenkins (“Monster”) has dropped out of directing this Marvel Studios sequel due to ‘creative differences’. Even so, Chris Hemsworth will return as the titular hero while Natalie Portman will once again play his love interest ‘Jane Foster’, with Anthony Hopkins as his father ‘Odin’. The sequel will hit screens in late 2013.
• “Transformers 4” – Michael Bay is in talks to return to direct the 4th instalment of the franchise, despite previously saying he wouldn’t. The $1 billion-plus box office for the 3rd film, “Transformers: Dark Of the Moon” may have changed his mind. Jason Statham is being considered for the lead role, with active discussions underway between him and the studio.
ARTFUL DODGING:
A Swedish nonprofit group called Planka.nu (rough translation: free ride now) is devoted to helping commuters dodge the cost of using Stockholm’s mass transit system. It has posted YouTube videos showing how to sneak through the system’s new ‘unhoppable’ glass-panel gates that have replaced turnstiles. The simplest method – follow closely behind a paying customer. And if you want to ride the subway without dropping $115 on a monthly pass, Planka.nu offers an insurance policy that will pay the $175-fine if you get caught. (Clever!)
– “New York Times Magazine”
TWEET SEATS:
Some theaters are introducing dedicated seating for people who want to use their mobile devices to tweet during live performances. The so-called ‘tweet seats’ are areas where audience members are encouraged to discuss the show over social media. As the light emitted by users’ screens could be a distraction to others, theaters like Connecticut’s Goodspeed Opera House are putting their tweet seats in the back row. Most reviews of the idea seem positive, with theater companies it offers increased appeal to younger theater-goers, and many tweet-seaters say they experience a higher level of engagement with the performance. (Is the past tense of tweet ‘twit’?)
– “USA Today”
ANOTHER BENDY GADGET:
With bendable smartphones already on tap for next year, Samsung’s next big thing may be a flexible, transparent tablet. This week the company has been showing off the ‘Flexible AMOLED’ concept device which looks to be a smartphone-tablet hybrid that can be rolled up like a newspaper or expanded for different tasks. Though it’s far from being an actual product yet, the flexible new device is projected to be used as an e-reader, camera, video chat system, and interpreter. The company also imagines the tablet showing 3-D images through use of an augmented-reality system. (You’re already worried about losing your super-expensive tablet and now they’re gonna make them transparent?)
– CNET News
WE’RE ON THE MOVE:
According to a recent study by the Organization for Economic Co-operation & Development (OECD), we’re increasingly becoming a planet of wanderers with professional people in particular relocating from one country to another in a quest for better opportunities and/or environment. This cross-border migration of highly-educated people from upper-middle income countries has risen by 44% over 6 years, a level unimaginable even a decade back. Cross-border movement has also jumped significantly in low-income countries, by 28%. (It’s a small world … the idea of national pride is quickly becoming an archaic relic of the 20th century.)
– Adapted from BBC News
DID YOU KNOW?
• Each time you walk or run a mile you save society 24 cents in medical and other costs.
– “Vitality Magazine”
• The average student now uses Facebook 106 minutes a day, or nearly 2 hours.
– NextWeb.com
BS CHRONOMETER 12.08.11
TODAY’S CELEBIRTHDAYS . . .
1947 [64] Gregg Allman, Nashville TN, rock & blues singer/songwriter/guitarist/keyboardist (Allman Bros Band-“Good Clean Fun”, “Ramblin’ Man”)/Rock & Roll Hall of Fame (1995)
1957 [54] Phil Collen, Hackney UK, rock guitarist (Def Leppard-“Let’s Get Rocked”, “Pour Some Suger on Me”)
1964 [47] Teri Hatcher, Sunnyvale CA, TV actress (‘Susan Mayer’ on “Desperate Housewives” since 2004)
1974 [37] Nick Zinner, Sharon MA, indie rock guitarist (Yeah Yeah Yeahs-“Heads Will Roll”, “Gold Lion”)
1976 [35] Dominic Monaghan, Berlin, Germany, TV actor (“FlashForward” 2009-10, “Lost” 2004-10)/movie actor (“X-Men Origins: Wolverine”, “Lord Of the Rings” trilogy)
1978 [33] Ian Somerhalder, Covington LA, TV actor (‘Damon Salvatore’ on “The Vampire Diaries” since 2009, “Lost” 2004-10)
1981 [30] Philip Rivers, Athens AL, NFL QB (San Diego Chargers since 2004)
1984 [27] Nicki Minaj, NYC, hip-hop artist (“Super Bass”, w/David Guetta-“Where Them Girls At”)
TODAY’S BS REASONS TO PARTY . . .
• “Bodhi Day”, the Buddhist holiday commemorating ‘Buddha’s Enlightenment’.
• “Brownie Day”, celebrating the chewy chocolate in a pan that you can’t quit eating.
• “Inane Voicemail Message Day”. What’s yours say? Time to spice it up?
• “Take It In the Ear Day”, a day to learn how to accept criticism graciously.
THIS DAY IN SHOW BIZ . . .
1959 [52] For the first time, a movie features ‘Aromarama’, in which smells are piped in through ceiling vents to accompany the on-screen action of “Behind the Great Wall”
2011 MOVIES YOU WOULDN’T WANT TO EXPERIENCE IN AROMARAMA:
• “Rise Of the Planet Of the Apes”
• “Puss in Boots”
• “Zookeeper”
• “Mr Popper’s Penguins”
• “Friends With Benefits”
TODAY’S MUSIC EVENTS . . .
1980 [31] John Lennon is shot & killed by Mark David Chapman on the sidewalk outside his NYC home at 11:23 pm
2003 [08] Rocker Ozzy Osbourne suffers several fractures in his upper body in an ATV accident
TODAY’S FIRST . . .
1996 [15] 1st time a 2nd-year expansion team makes the NFL playoffs as Carolina Panthers beat San Francisco 30-24 (Jacksonville later becomes 2nd team to accomplish this feat)
TODAY’S RECORDS . . .
1940 [71] Record ‘Lopsided Professional Football Game’ as Chicago Bears slaughter NY Giants 73-0 in NFL championship game.
1990 [21] ‘World’s Largest Pizza’ measures 122 feet, 8 inches in diameter, a total of 11,816 square feet (Hypermarket in Norwood, South Africa).
COMING UP . . .
[Fri] International Anti-Corruption Day
[Fri] Salesperson Day
[Sat] Full ‘Cold’ Moon
[Sat] Day Of the Horse
[Sat] Dewey Decimal System Day
[Sat] Nobel Prize Day
[Sun] Angry Birds Day
This Week Is … Handwashing Awareness Week
This Month Is … Drunk & Drugged Driving Prevention Month
BULL’S BITS
BS SIGNS YOU’VE BEEN IN THE CORPORATE WORLD TOO LONG:
• You celebrate your wedding anniversary by conducting a performance review.
• You decide to re-org your family into a ‘team-based organization’.
• You write executive summaries on your love letters.
• You talk to the waiter about process flow when dinner arrives late.
• You regularly use the term ‘value-added’ without falling down laughing.
• Your Christmas cards have bullet points.
BS PHONE STARTER:
The CEO at multinational IT corporation Atos says nothing can replace the spoken word, so he’s just banned all inter-office email. Good idea or bad?
BS U-PICK TRIVIA:
In the 19th century, what were the first ‘artificial Christmas trees’ made from?
a. Wax.
b. Feathers. [CORRECT. Dyed goose & turkey feathers were attached to wire branches.]
c. Wood.
– Xmas_Traditions.asp
BS RANDOM JOKE:
You know what they say … never lick a gift horse in the mouth.
BS WATER COOLER QUESTION:
Question: By December 31st, North Americans will have given up a combined 226 million of THESE in 2011.
Answer: Vacation days.
BS DEEP THOUGHT:
Age is a question of mind over matter. If you don’t mind, it doesn’t matter.
