Friday, April 14, 2006 Edition: #3261
We’ve Gone Bullistic!
BS SHOW BIZ BUZZ:
“One Tree Hill” star Chad Michael Murray claims his castmate & new fiancée Kenzie Dalton is ‘definitely not pregnant’, contrary to several media reports (yeah, seems this time it’s true love – for a week or so) . . . Word has it Michael Jackson has maneuvered himself out of bankruptcy by refinancing loans worth hundreds-of-millions and by handing over half his remaining shares in the coveted Beatles back catalogue to Sony Corp, leaving him with just a 25% stake (this cat’s got 9 financial lives) . . . D12 rapper (& Eminem best man) Proof fired the first shot in the CCC club altercation that cost him his life, perhaps at the hand of Mario Etheridge, a bouncer who’s turned himself in to Detroit Police . . . Not happy to live in just another Hollywood star mansion in Beverly Hills, movie actor Nicolas Cage is searching for a small castle near the German town of Goerlitz, on the border with the Czech Republic (where else would a “Lord of War” live?) . . . Now that “The West Wing” is winding down, star Martin Sheen plans to take a break from acting and enroll at Ireland’s Galway University, where he’ll study literature, theology, oceanography & philosophy beginning THIS FALL . . . “Finding Nemo” is the latest Disney animated film to be transformed into a musical, with an all-new production opening at Orlando’s Walt Disney World later THIS YEAR . . . And just days after winning one lawsuit in British court, “Da Vinci Code” author Dan Brown is facing another claim of plagiarism, this time from Russian art historian Mikhail Anikin, who’s threatening to sue if Brown fails to hand over HALF the money he made from his bestseller within the NEXT MONTH (well, that certainly seems like a reasonable request, doesn’t it?).
BS MUSIC NOTES:
• Daniel Powter – TODAY he appears on both NBC-TV’s “Today” and “Late Night With Conan O’ Brien”. The Canadian singer/songwriter recorded his self-titled debut album in his Vancouver apartment for less than $6,000. He taped the vocals in his bathroom.
• Feist – TONIGHT the Canadian indie rocker visits “Last Call With Carson Daly” on NBC-TV.
• LL Cool J – THIS AFTERNOON he’s on ABC-TV’s daytime talk show “The View”. He’s planning to soon publish his own fitness manual entitled “Platinum Body”.
• Madonna – Her upcoming “Confessions” tour is on-track to be her biggest ever, with 29 dates already sold-out. Her 2004 “Re-Invention” tour drew nearly a million fans and grossed $125 million.
• Mary J Blige – TONIGHT the “Be Without You” chart-topper is on “Late Show With David Letterman”.
• Pearl Jam – TOMORROW they’re the musical guest on NBC-TV’s “Saturday Night Live”.
• Pink – TODAY the “Stupid Girls” singer guests on the “Ellen DeGeneres Show”. She’s launched a global petition against ‘KFC cruelty’ as part of the ‘Kick the Bucket’ campaign on her official Website …
NET: http://pinkspage.com
• White Stripes – Despite recent promises of a new album, Jack White has now confirmed he’s taking a break from bandmate & ex-wife Meg White in order to focus his attention on new band The Raconteurs.
TODAY’S MOVIE OPENINGS:
• “Scary Movie 4″ ( PG-13 Comedy ): In this 4th installment of the Hollywood-lampooning series, Earth is in danger of a ‘Tr-Ipod’ attack. Along the way, merciless potshots are taken at recent hit films such as “Brokeback Mountain”, “The Grudge”, “Hitch”, and others. Cast includes Anna Faris, Carmen Electra, Leslie Nielsen, Dr Phil, and Shaquille O’Neal. Rumor has it “Scary Movie 5″ is already in the works.
NET: http://www.scarymovie.com
• “The Wild” ( G-Rated Animated Adventure ): Disney’s latest family adventure follows a teenage lion who’s accidentally shipped from the NYC Zoo to Africa. Now running free, his zoo pals – a lion, giraffe, anaconda, koala, and squirrel — must put aside their differences to help bring him back. If this sounds familiar, it’s a very similar storyline to Dreamworks’ 2005 pic “Madagascar”. Features the voices of Kiefer Sutherland (“24″), James Belushi (“According to Jim”) & Eddie Izzard (“Ocean’s Twelve”).
NET: http://adisney.go.com/disneypictures/thewild/index.html
• Also out TODAY in Limited Release: Gretchen Mol in “The Notorious Bettie Page”; the UK drag-queen comedy “Kinky Boots”; and the provocative drama “Hard Candy”, about a 32-year-old man & the underage girl he meets online.
IDENTITY THEFT BY THE NUMBERS:
• Credit card misuse is the most common consequence of identity theft, accounting for about half of all cases.
• 18-24-year-olds are most likely to experience identity theft.
• 5% of households earning more than $75,000 per year are victims of identity theft.
• Households in urban and suburban areas are more likely to be affected.
• Two-thirds of victims of identity theft lose money.
• The average loss from identity theft crimes is $1,290.
– IDG News Service
SHE SAID IT:
“I’m not going to lie. I’ve never kissed a girl before … but she was maybe one of the best kissers.”
– Actress Mandy Moore on her onscreen kiss with Sarah Chalke during a guest appearance on her boyfriend Zach Braff’s TV show, “Scrubs”.
HE SAID IT:
“The 12-to-34-year-old audience. That’s the sweet spot of frequent moviegoers.”
– Paramount Picture’s Worldwide Marketing president Gerry Rich in the “LA Times”, inadvertently explaining why many of today’s movies are geared so young. Or is this a case of chicken-and-egg?
THE NO HANGOVER PARTY:
Scientists at the UK’s Bristol University have found a way to make the perfect cocktail – a drink that makes you merry without turning you into a drunken embarrassment, heading for a horrific hangover. The key is to use compounds called Partial Agonists (PAs), which mimic the good effects of alcohol, but none of the bad. It’s hoped the discovery could someday help avoid mental and health problems as well as save lives.
– Reuters
EASTER FACTS:
• The custom of giving eggs at Easter time has been traced back to Egyptians, Persians, Gauls, Greeks and Romans, to whom the egg was a symbol of life.
• The traditional art of Easter Egg painting is Ukrainian; it’s called ‘Pysanka’.
• In medieval times, a festival of egg-throwing was held in church, during which the priest would throw a hard-boiled egg to one of the choir boys. It was then tossed from one to the next and whoever held the egg when the clock struck 12 was declared the winner and got to keep the egg.
• Easter Bonnets are a throwback to the days when people denied themselves the pleasure of wearing finery for the duration of Lent.
• The first Easter Baskets were made to look like bird nests, thus explaining today’s use of fake ‘Easter grass’.
CHOCOLATE & LABS:
The worst a little chocolate can do to you is add inches to your hips. But even in relatively small amounts, it can make a dog or cat sick because for them, chocolate is poison. That’s due to the caffeine and theobromine found in chocolate, stimulants that affect the central nervous system and heart muscle, as well as increasing the frequency of urination. The amount of chocolate it takes to poison your pet depends on the type of chocolate & your pet’s weight. White chocolate has the least amount of stimulants; baking chocolate or cocoa beans the highest. A 10-pound cat would need to ingest a half-pound of milk chocolate for it to be toxic. Just to be safe, put your bunnies on the top shelf, kids.
– PetPlace.com
THE BULL SHEET 04.14.2K6
TODAY’S CELEBIRTHDAYS . . .
1935 [71] Loretta Lynn (Webb), Butcher Hollow KY, country legend (“Van Lear Rose”, “Coal Miner’s Daughter”)/1st female winner of CMA ‘Entertainer of the Year’ award/Country Music Hall of Fame (1988)
1960 [46] Brad Garrett (Gerstenfeld), Woodland Hills CA, TV actor (2 Emmy Awards-“Everybody Loves Raymond” 1996-2005)
1973 [33] Adrien Brody, NYC, movie actor (“King Kong”, Oscar-“The Pianist”)
1973 [33] David Miller, San Diego CA, pop singer (Il Divo-“Unchained Melody”, All By Myself”)
1977 [29] Sarah Michelle Gellar, NYC, movie actress (“The Grudge”, “Scooby-Doo”)/ex-TV actress (“Buffy the Vampire Slayer” 1997-2003)/Mrs Freddie Prinze Jr since 2002
SATURDAY –
Movie actress Emma Thompson (“Nanny McPhee”) is 47; Rock guitarist Ed O’Brien (Radiohead) is 38; TV actor Danny Pino (“Cold Case”) is 32; Movie actress Emma Watson (“Harry Potter” movies) is 16.
EASTER SUNDAY –
Pope Benedict XVI is 79; Movie actress Ellen Barkin (“Ocean’s Thirteen”) is 52; Movie actor Martin Lawrence (“Bad Boys”) is 41; TV actor Jon Cryer (“Two & A Half Men”) is 41.
TODAY’S BS REASONS TO PARTY . . .
• “Ex-Spouse’s Day”, a day of recognition of your ex- as someone who, at least at one point in your life, was a very important person.
• “Good Friday”, observed since about 100 AD. There are few explanations as to why it’s known as ‘Good’ Friday since it commemorates a sorrowful time in Christianity. It’s a legal national holiday in Canada, the UK, and Australia, but not in the USA where it varies state-by-state.
• “Moment of Laughter Day”, a day to take the time to experience the power of laughter.
• “Pan-American Day”, commemorating the first “International Conference of American States” in 1890.
• “Titanic Disaster Anniversary”. Shortly before midnight on April 14, 1912 the ship collided with an iceberg causing it to sink at 2:20 am on April 15th.
SATURDAY –
• “Canadian Law Day”, an annual event recognizing the anniversary of the proclamation of the Canadian Charter of Rights & Freedoms 24 years ago in 1982.
• “Fast Food Day”, observed on the anniversary of the 1955 opening of the 1st McDonald’s franchise in Des Plaines IL. At that time, hamburgers sold for a measly 15 cents.
• “Gripers’ Day”, a day to air your beefs about life’s little annoyances.
• “Leonardo Da Vinci Day”, marking the 554th anniversary (1452) of the birth of the Italian painter (“Mona Lisa”) and scientist credited with envisioning numerous inventions like the helicopter, optical lenses and, if you believe author Dan Brown, secret codes.
• “Rubber Eraser Day”, honoring English chemist Joseph Priestley’s 1770 discovery that a small cube of latex could be used to correct screw-ups. He coined the word ‘eraser’.
• “World Cow Chip Throwing Championship”, the the 37th annual in Beaver, Oklahoma. About 150 competitors toss ‘a piece of dried bovine dung’ for distance. Contestants can choose from some 230 official cow chips which are ‘grown locally’. The distance record has stood since 1979 when the mighty Leland Searcy slung his stool an awesome 182-ft, 3-ins.
SUNDAY –
• “Easter Sunday”, the most joyous occasion in Christianity. The date varies each year but always falls between March 22nd and April 25th on the Sunday following the Full Moon on or after the vernal equinox. (Unless there’s a thunderstorm or a 7 in the year’s number …)
• “Eggs Benedict Day”, a day to enjoy heart-attack-on-a-plate: poached eggs topped with back bacon, served on toasted English muffins and slathered in Hollandaise sauce.
• “Stress Awareness Day”, focusing on one of the world’s leading health problems and a highlight of “Stress Awareness Month”.
TODAY’S FIRST . . .
1983 [23] 1st ‘Cordless Telephone’, capable of operating up to 600 ft from its base, introduced by Fidelity
TODAY’S RECORDS . . .
1924 [82] ‘World Record Snowfall’ in 24 hours of 6-ft, 4-ins falls in Silver Lake CO
1996 [10] Detroit Red Wings complete winningest NHL season with 62 victories
AND REMEMBER . . .
[Mon] Easter Monday
[Mon] Canadian Equality Day
[Mon] US Income Tax deadline
[Mon] Blah Blah Blah Day
[Mon] International Ford Mustang Day
[Mon] 110th Boston Marathon
[Tues] International Jugglers Day
This Week Is . . . Garden Week
This Month Is . . . Mathematics Education Month
BULL’S BITS
BS LAST MINUTE INTERVIEW:
Keep this on file for last minute guests that you haven’t had time to research …
• Describe yourself in 3 words.
• What talent do you wish you had?
• What would you never do again?
• Who would you most like to pat on the back and why?
• What do you always have in your pockets?
• Whose posters did you have on your wall when you were growing up?
• What was your best subject at school?
• What do you most like in a sandwich?
• If pets look like their owners, what would you have?
• What are your 3 most precious possessions?
BS U-PICK TRIVIA:
• How long does the average shower last?
a. 4 minutes. [CORRECT, even though most people guess about 10 minutes, and teen girls figure they take at least 15.]
b. 10 minutes.
c. 15 minutes.
• Besides the first ceremonial season-opening pitch (96 years ago TODAY), what other baseball tradition did US President William Howard Taft begin in the 1910 season?
a. Eating a hot dog.
b. Drinking beer from a cup.
c. The 7th inning stretch. [CORRECT. In the middle of the 7th inning of a game in Pittsburgh, the 300-lb Taft was getting uncomfortable and stood up to stretch. The crowd thought he was leaving and also stood out of respect. Then the big guy sat down and so did the fans. Thus was born the 7th-inning stretch.]
BS PHONE STARTERS:
• What’s the dumbest thing you and your partner have ever argued about?
• What’s the weirdest thing you’ve had stolen from your home, work or car?
BS BLATANT JOKES:
[After flub] Yes sir, on this show we always hit the nail right on the thumb.
BS WATER COOLER QUESTION:
Today’s Question: The first of THESE appeared in a workplace in 1968, now there are millions worldwide.
Answer to Give Out Next Show: Office cubicles.
BS DEEP THOUGHT:
The only time a woman really succeeds in changing a man, is when he’s a baby.