October 5, 2012

Friday, October 5, 2012        Edition: #4845


Sheet Happens!

BS SUBSCRIBER NOTE:
“The Bull Sheet” is on vacation next week so there’ll be no deliveries October 8-12 inclusive. All accounts will be credited for missed service. Next “BS” issue is for Monday, October 15th.

BS SHOW BIZ BUZZ:
Today marks the 50th anniversary of the release of “Dr No” (1962), the first ‘James Bond’ film, and is being celebrated as ‘Global James Bond Day’ (at least, by the folks at MGM Studios) . . . Today in NYC magician David Blaine climbs atop a 20-foot-high platform where he’ll attempt to stand for 72 hours amid an artificial lightning storm crackling between million-volt Tesla coils – while wearing a stainless steel chain-mail suit (maybe this guy’s suicidal but also incredibly inept?) . . . The Robert Pattinson-Kristen Stewart split-up drama seems to be doing nothing but help the “Twilight” franchise as pre-sale tickets for “Breaking Dawn: Part 2” are outpacing all 4 previous films (we’d say it was staged, but they aren’t that good at acting) . . . Creator-star Lena Dunham says the next season of “Girls” (HBO) will be less lily white (but probably still whiny) . . . Actress Gwyneth Paltrow says she wants to produce a musical based on 1980s girl band The Go-Go’s (a 3-and-half minute musical?) . . . Mariah Carey’s husband Nick Cannon has accused “American Idol” of leaking footage of his wife and Nicki Minaj’s cat fight during an audition on Tuesday in order to boost interest (well, duh!) . . . And 31-year-old Puerto Rican featherweight boxing champ Orlando Cruz has become the first openly gay professional fighter, issuing a statement yesterday, a week before “National Coming Out Day” on October 11th (he wanted to beat the rush of announcements by about 27 sweaty, nearly-naked UFC fighters).

WEEKEND SHOW BIZ SKED:
• “Jimmy Kimmel Live” (ABC/CHCH) – Tonight The Killers (“Battle Born”).
• Johnny Cash Music Festival (Jonesboro AR) – Tonight this 2nd annual salute to ‘The Man in Black’ features performances by The Civil Wars, Dierks Bentley, Rosanne Cash, and Willie Nelson.
• “Last Call With Carson Daly” (NBC) – Tonight Regina Spektor (“What We Saw From The Cheap Seats”). Rerun.
• “Late Show With David Letterman” (CBS/NTV/Omni1) – Tonight The Wallflowers (“Glad All Over”).
• “Marilyn Denis Show” (CTV/CTV2) – Today Kenny Rogers (memoir “Luck or Something Like It”.
• “Saturday Night Live” (NBC/Global) – Host Daniel Craig (“Skyfall”, out November 9th); musical guest Muse (“The 2nd Law”).
• “Tonight Show With Jay Leno” (NBC/CTV2) – Tonight The Hives (“Lex Hives”).
• Virgin Mobile FreeFest (Columbia MD) – This year’s event at Merriweather Post Pavilion includes Alabama Shakes, Ben Folds Five, Jack White, M83, Skrillex, and ZZ Top. There’s also a ‘Dance Forest’ for electronic artists.

BS MUSIC NOTES:
• ABBA – A museum devoted to Sweden’s 1980s pop supergroup will open next year in Stockholm with the goal of attracting hundreds-of-thousands of visitors annually. (Most over 55.)
• The Black Keys – Drummer Patrick Carney says they’re going to have a new album done by the end of Spring or earlier, then they’ll hopefully take a few months off to ‘do normal things’.
• Britney Spears – Her 4-year-old niece just dressed up like a “Baby … One More Time”-era Britney for ‘Celebrity Day’ at her school. (That was inappropriate back when Brit-Brit did it.).
• Katy Perry – Sunday she’s among those performing at the Barack Obama fundraising event “30 Days to Victory” at LA’s Nokia Theater. A dinner with the prez at a nearby restaurant follows the concert, priced at $25,000 a plate. (Even more with food on it!)
• Mumford & Sons – Their sophomore album “Babel” has nabbed the best-selling album sales week of 2012, selling some 600,000 copies. According to Nielsen SoundScan, that’s the best opening sales week for a rock record since AC/DC’s “Black Ice” in 2008. (M&S are ‘rock’?)
• Nas – This week the New York rapper told fans at a London show that he’s texted former wife Kelis asking her to ‘make love one last time’. (Looking for a “Milkshake” to go?)
• Rihanna – It seems that making out in a NYC club with Chris Brown earlier this week was only part 1 of the story. Now reports have surfaced that they actually hooked up in a club washroom, then were both spotted at the same hotel.

TODAY’S MOVIE RELEASES:
• “Frankenweenie” ( PG Animation ): Filmmaker Tim Burton expands his 1984 stop-action animation short into a full feature. The story revolves around young anti-hero ‘Victor’ who re-animates his dead dog ‘Sparky’ with unintended results. Voice cast includes Winona Ryder, Catherine O’Hara, Martin Short.
NET: http://disney.go.com/frankenweenie/
• “Taken 2” ( PG-13 Action Thriller ): Liam Neeson returns as retired CIA operative ‘Bryan Mills’ who, alongside his wife, is taken hostage in Istanbul by the father of the kidnapper he killed while rescuing his daughter in the original film. Co-stars Famke Janssen, Maggie Grace. Shot entirely in Turkey. According to screenwriter Luc Besson, this will be the only sequel.
NET: http://www.takenmovie.com
• Opening in limited release: “Butter” (Comedy); “The House I Live In” (Documentary); “The Oranges” (Romantic Comedy”); “The Paperboy” (Thriller); “V/H/S” (Horror); “Winnie” (Drama); and “Wuthering Heights” (Drama).

A SLICE OF BOOZE:
If you order the new pizza at Salvatore’s you’ll have to show ID because the Boston eatery is now serving a pie that’s cooked with … vodka. It originated when chef Victor Paone simmered dried Italian cherries in raspberry vodka to soften them up. The result was ‘Vignola Cherry Pizza’, which is also topped with fresh mozzarella, Gorgonzola, prosciuto, and orange blossom honey. Two more ‘21-plus’ pies are being added mid-October: ‘The Drunken Pig’ comes with Kahlua-marinated braised pork, ricotta cheese, caramelized Granny Smith apples, mozzarella cheese, and spicy hot honey. ‘Calabria Peach’ is topped with rum-infused fresh peaches, mascarpone, soppressata picante, fresh mozzarella, and basil. (This ain’t pizza, it’s dessert!)
– BostonHerald.com

BRIDE-NAPPING:
In Romania and some other former Soviet countries, mock abductions of brides have become the tongue-in-cheek custom at weddings. Guests lock up the bride or have her hide in a back room during celebrations, demanding the bridegroom deliver a ‘ransom’, like singing a song, dancing, or sometimes paying real money. Every Saturday night brides from Bucharest and beyond are dragged away in a ‘bride-napping’ by friends and driven to a top tourist spot where they are ‘held hostage’, all the while pouting and striking provocative poses for cameras. The kidnappers negotiate by phone, working out the details of the payoff. It’s all harmless theatrics meant to add a whiff of risqué fun to the nuptials. (Shotgun weddings, Romanian-style.)
– WindsorStar.com

ADVENTURE TRAVEL:
A new ebook now available for iPhone and iPad is taking interaction to a new level … readers have to travel to specific locations to unlock portions of the story. “The Silent History” takes place between 2011 and 2043, chronicling a future in which many children – dubbed ‘silents’ – are born without the ability to speak, though they possess strange powers that aren’t fully understood. Part of the book is devoted to ‘Field Reports’, which can only be read after journeying to an exact location. Call it gimmick marketing or innovative storytelling, but one thing is for certain – some early readers are already addicted to the chase. (The new GEO-caching?)
– TheWeek.com

BS AMAZING FACT:
Half the world’s population has seen at least one ‘James Bond’ movie.
– “Fascinating Facts”

BS CHRONOMETER 10.05.12


TODAY’S CELEBIRTHDAYS . . .
1943 [69] Steve Miller, Milwaukee WI, classic rock singer-guitarist (“Rock’n Me”, “The Joker”)

1947 [65] Brian Johnson, Newcastle UK, rock singer (AC/DC-“Rock ‘n Roll Train”, “Thunderstruck”)/Rock & Roll Hall of Fame (2003)

1951 [61] (Sir) Bob Geldof, Dublin, Ireland, social activist (“Live 8”, “Live Aid”, Band Aid-“Do They Know It’s Christmas”)/former rock singer (Boomtown Rats-“I Don’t Like Mondays”)

1954 [58] David Bryson, San Francisco CA, pop/rock guitarist (Counting Crows-“Big Yellow Taxi”, “Mr Jones”)

1967 [45] Guy Pearce, Ely UK [raised Geelong, Australia], movie actor (“Prometheus”, “The King’s Speech”)  UP NEXT: “Iron Man 3” (2013).

1975 [37] Kate Winslet, Reading UK, movie actress (2009 Oscar-“The Reader”, “Titanic”)

1978 [34] James Valentine, Lincoln NE, pop musician (Maroon 5-“Moves Like Jagger”, “Makes Me Wonder”)

1983 [29] Jesse Eisenberg, Queens NY, movie actor (“The Social Network”, “Zombieland”)  COMING UP: The thriller “Now You See Me” (2013).

SATURDAY –
NFL analyst Tony Dungy (“Football Night in America”) is 57; Movie actress Elisabeth Shue (“Leaving Las Vegas”) is 49; Rock bassist Tommy Stinson (Guns ‘N Roses) is 46; Movie actor Ioan Gruffudd (“Fantastic Four”) is 39; Rock musician Will Butler  (Arcade Fire) is 30.

SUNDAY –
TV personality Joy Behar (“The View”) is 70; Rock singer John Mellencamp (“Hurts So Good”) is 61; Rock drummer Tico Torres (Bon Jovi) is 59; Media mogul Simon Cowell (“The X Factor”) is 53; Rock singer Thom Yorke (Radiohead) is 44; Rock singer-guitarist Damian Kulash (OK Go) is 37.

TODAY’S BS REASONS TO PARTY . . .
• “Apple Betty Day”, honoring the dessert aka “Apple Brown Betty”, “Apple Crisp”, “Apple Crumble” or “Apple Cobbler”. Whatever you call it … nummers!
NET: http://www.punchbowl.com/holidays/national-apple-betty-day
• “Diversity Day”, the 7th annual celebrating who we are, no matter what race, religion, gender, age, nationality, or disability. The official motto is, ‘Embrace diversity, embrace our world’.
NET: http://www.nationaldiversityday.com
• “Kitchener-Waterloo Oktoberfest”, the 45th celebration of the world’s 2nd-largest Oktoberfest (after Munich), expected to draw over 750,000 to suck back suds and sausages through October 13th. It also features a “Thanksgiving Day Parade” (CTV).
NET: http://www.oktoberfest.ca
• “Noisy Munching Day”, a day to annoy others by chewing ice cubes, pickles, chips … anything that’s crunchy and loud.
• “World Smile Day”, observed annually on the 1st Friday in October, when we’re encouraged to do an act of kindness; help one person smile.
NET: http://www.worldsmileday.com
• “World Teachers Day”, begun by UNESCO in 1994 as recognition for the vital contribution teachers make to education & development. Over 100 countries now observe the day.
NET: http://www.5oct.org/index.php/en/index

SATURDAY –
• “Cephalopod Awareness Day”. What’s a cephalopod? Any mollusk having tentacles attached to the head, including cuttlefish, squid, and octopus. See … now you’re aware!
• “International Frugal Fun Day”, a day to find ways to have a good time without spending a lot of money. What can you do for free that’s a real blast?
• “Physician Assistant Day”, honoring all those nice people who order you to take off all your clothes and put the gown on. And make sure the opening’s at the back!
• “World Card Making Day”, celebrated on the 1st Saturday in October to highlight the art of making your own greeting cards. (Just like your 5-year-old does in kindergarten.)

SUNDAY –
• “Change a Light Day”, a day to do your bit for the environment by upgrading your old lightbulbs to modern energy-saving bulbs. (The ones we still don’t know how to dispose of.)
NET: http://www.daysoftheyear.com/days/change-a-light-day/

MONDAY –
• Thanksgiving Day in Canada, observed annually since 1879. Originally the date was changed year-to-year. In 1957, parliament decided it would be observed on the 2nd Monday in October.

THIS DAY IN SHOW BIZ . . .
2011 [01] Steve Jobs, the visionary co-founder of Apple Inc, which revolutionized the computer, music, and mobile communications industries, dies at age 56 of complications from pancreatic cancer

TODAY’S MUSIC EVENTS . . .
1962 [50] The Beatles first hit, “Love Me Do”, is released in the UK

2007 [05] A US federal jury finds a Minnesota woman guilty of music file sharing through online service KaZaa and fines her $220,000

TODAY’S FIRST . . .
1974 [38] American David Kunst becomes 1st person to walk around-the-world, completing the 14,450-mile trek after 4 years … and 21 pairs of shoes

AND REMEMBER . . .
[Mon] World Zombie Day
[Mon] Columbus Day (USA)
[Mon] “90210” debut (CW)
[Mon] Kick Butt Day
[Mon] Pirogi Day
[Tues] Face Your Fears Day
This Week Is … Customer Service Week
This Month Is … Cut Out Dissection Month

BULL’S BITS


WHAT YOUR FAVORITE CLASSIC VIDEOGAME SAYS ABOUT YOU:
• ‘Blades of Steel’: At least once, you have given a hamster a mohawk.
• ‘Duck Tales’: You have spelled out the word ‘B-O-O-B-S’ using Alpha-Bits.
• ‘Goonies II’: You used to wear Spider-Man Underoos … over your Batman Underoos.
• Kung Fu: You still own a Duran Duran ‘Trapper Keeper’.
• ‘Pro Wrestling’: You have spilled an entire Cup O’ Noodles onto a beanbag chair.
• ‘Rygar’: You have chewed 3 or more pieces of Black Cherry Hubba Bubba at one time.
• ‘Super Mario Bros’: You have hit a wiffle ball with a skateboard deck.
• ‘Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles’: You have used Cheez Whiz in self-defense.
• ‘Tetris’: You have used a protractor as an eating utensil.
• ‘Top Gun’: You have filled a water balloon with grape soda.
– Thanks to John Peck.

BS RANDOM JOKE:
A husband is proof that a wife can take a joke.

BS U-PICK TRIVIA:
Which was actress Kate Winslet’s nickname in high school?
a. Monster.
b. Blubber. [CORRECT. She weighed 180 lbs before dropping 50 at Weight Watchers.]
c. Katycakes.
– Halife.com

BS PHONE STARTER:
☎ What’s the all-time best Beatles song? Yoko Ono picks “All You Need Is Love” (1967); Muse frontman Matt Bellamy says “Twist & Shout” (1964). And the worst-ever Beatles song? (“Ob-La-Di Ob-La-Da”? “Revolution 9”? “Yellow Submarine”?)

BS WATER COOLER QUESTION:
Question: Close to 60% of us will make THIS part of our Thanksgiving celebration.
Answer: Taking a nap.

BS DEEP THOUGHT:
Idleness is the holiday of fools.

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