BS SHOW BIZ BUZZ:
★ Actress/singer Kristin Chenoweth has assured fans the mystery illness which has left her hospitalized this week is down to her chronic neck injury. Tests at an LA hospital have revealed that to be the cause of ‘numbness and tingling’ in her arm and her ‘inability to move’. She’s been battling health problems since 2012 when she was hit by a falling piece of lighting equipment on the set of TV drama “The Good Wife”. She spent months undergoing physical therapy as part of her recovery. (Could a lawsuit be pending?)
– ContactMusic.com
★ Courteney Cox is getting married in Ireland. The “Cougar Town” actress is set on tying the knot with her Snow Patrol boyfriend Johnny McDaid at Ashford Castle in Galway later this year, after falling in love with the place during a recent visit. The couple will reportedly host a star-studded reception in Malibu CA sometime afterward. The 38-year-old rocker proposed to the 50-year-old actress in June after just 6 months of dating. Cox has a 10-year-old daughter, Coco, with her ex-husband David Arquette. (If things go true to form, he’ll announce his pending wedding will happen first.)
– TheSun.co.uk
★ And British actor/comedian James Corden is replacing Craig Ferguson as host of CBS-TV’s “Late Late Show”, filling the vacancy announced earlier this year. Like outgoing host Craig Ferguson when he began, Corden is a relative unknown in the US, though in Britain he’s quite recognizable due to his popular Sky One sports panel show “A League of Their Own” and his 5-time stint as host of “The Brit Awards”. In the UK he already has 4 million followers on Twitter, satisfying the emerging need for TV personalities who can engage with their audience via modern technologies. (Still though … James who?)
– TheWrap.com

TODAY’S SHOW BIZ SKED:
• “Ellen DeGeneres Show” (syndicated/CTV2) – Jimmy Buffett (“Songs from St Somewhere”).
• “Jimmy Kimmel Live” (ABC/CityTV) – Banks (“Goddess”, out September 8th).
• “Last Call With Carson Daly” (NBC) – Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins showcases his side project, The Birds of Satan. Rerun.
• “Last Comic Standing” (NBC) – The final 4 comics perform.
• “Late Night With Seth Meyers” (NBC/CTV2) – Big Data (f/Joywave-“Dangerous”). Rerun.
• “Late Show With David Letterman” (CBS/Omni1) – Capital Cities (“In a Tidal Wave Of Mystery”). Rerun.
• “Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” (NBC/CTV2) – T.I. (“Trouble Man: Heavy Is The Head”).
• “The View” (ABC/CTV) – Nico & Vinz (“The Magic Soup & The Bittersweet Faces”).

BS MUSIC NOTES:
• Counting Crows – They’re being sued by Direct Management Group, which claims it’s due a cut of the band’s earnings since 2013. The agency only rep-ed the band from 1992-2001, but contends a contract guarantees them a percentage of the group’s earnings in perpetuity.
• Eminem – Tonight he and Rihanna kick off “The Monster Tour” with the first of 2 back-to-back shows in Los Angeles. The brief tour also hits Detroit (August 16-17), and NYC (August 22-23).
• Haim – They’ve added 3 new headline shows to their current sold-out North American tour, including a pair in Los Angeles tonight and tomorrow, and a show in Seattle WA August 15th.
• Mariah Carey – She has parted ways with her longtime collaborator and producer Jermaine Dupri, whom she first teamed up with in 2005. The split was his idea, not hers. Dupri tells “Billboard”: “When I’m not allowed to do what I do, then I know it’s time for me to move on.”
• Rihanna – The 26-year-old is said to be ‘really serious’ about setting up a sports academy in her native Barbados and then becoming owner of a soccer club in England. She’s reportedly spoken to her friend Didier Drogba, who plays for Chelsea FC, about the prospect.
• Paramore – They’re hoping to play Albuquerque, New Mexico as scheduled tonight as part of their “Momentour” with Fall Out Boy. Two shows in Texas were cancelled this week in order to allow frontwoman Hayley Williams time to recover from a chest infection and exhaustion.

COMING ATTRACTIONS:
A BS sampling of movies in the making …
• Katharine Hepburn Biopic – Independent film producers are developing a new film about the iconic actress (1907-2003) based on author William J Mann’s book, “Kate: The Woman Who Was Hepburn”. The story focuses on her early years in movies and how she went from an outsider to becoming one of the most beloved stars during Hollywood’s ‘Golden Age’.
• “King Kong” – The latest ‘Kong’ film is to be based on the character’s home, ‘Skull Island’. While previous movies have touched on the island, this one will stay and explore the mysterious and dangerous place. The last time “King Kong” appeared on the screen was 2005, in a film by Peter Jackson. The new imagining of the story is due in theaters in November 2016.
• “Lost in Austen” – “Portlandia” comic Carrie Brownstein has been recruited to complete this unfinished screenplay by late filmmaker Nora Ephron, who passed away in 2012. The story follows a present-day Brooklyn NY woman who suddenly gets transported into Jane Austen’s fictional world of “Pride & Prejudice”. It’s Brownstein’s first feature-film writing assignment.
• Untitled Marvel Superhero Movie – Sony Pictures is reportedly working on bringing a female superhero from the “Spider-Man” comic universe to life on the bigscreen in a new spinoff movie. It is not yet clear whether the film will focus on ‘Black Cat’, ‘Silver Sable’, ‘Spider-Woman’ or another female crime-fighting character, but a screenwriter is already hired to pen the script.

PICNIC-TO-GO:
Gourmet picnic delivery services are becoming trendy in several big cities. Forget peanut butter or bologna, in Paris, London, and New York, picnickers are dining on caviar, meats, cheeses, smoked fish, salads, pastries, breads, and desserts as picnic preparers cater to the well-heeled and time-crunched who are willing to fork over hundreds-of-dollars for gourmet baskets. Paris Picnic delivers picnic hampers to popular parks in the city. London-based Picnic2u is distinctly British, with picnic hampers like the Ascot Box, Lord’s Hamper, and the Wimbledon Picnic. And in NYC, Perfect Picnic offers a range of hampers from $14 up to $1,000 for the ultimate picnic experience, where plastic cutlery is replaced with real silverware, dinnerware, fresh flowers, and linens. Once the sun has set and the last drop of wine finished, picnickers can leave everything as is and let the company clean up. (If you want more authenticity, ants are extra.)
– AFP

IT’S GOOD FOR ME, MOM … HONEST:
Playing videogames may actually be beneficial for kids. According to a new study by researchers at Oxford University, a little gaming for up to an hour per day may help children and teens aged 10-to-15 to feel well-adjusted. A poll shows that kids who play games in moderation are most likely to express satisfaction with their lives; have the highest levels of sociability; and fewer friendship, emotional, or hyperactivity issues. However, there appears to be a tipping point. When children play games for 3 hours or more a day, they are usually less well adjusted. Whether good or bad, the research suggests that the impact of videogames is very small when compared with more important factors such as family life. (In other words … be a parent first and don’t sweat the games.)
– RelaxNews.com

WOMEN OBSESSED WITH HAIR:
Highlights of a recent poll on personal hairstyling habits …
• The average woman surveyed fusses with her hair at home for 33 minutes a day.
• 65% of women admit to fixing their hair in the rearview mirror while driving.
• 41% wish they had someone else’s hair.
• 40% say they’ve changed their hairstyle to please their partner.
• 20% of women polled would give up ‘great sex’ or ‘personal wealth’ if some genie would grant them eternally perfect hair.
– PA News

BETTER BATTERY:
What’s being called the ‘Holy Grail of batteries’ has been discovered. Scientists have developed pure lithium cells that could lead to consumer electronics with a longer battery life and electric cars with far greater ranges. The breakthrough, by engineers from Stanford University in California, could revolutionize technology. Currently, owners of gadgets using lithium ion batteries face the constant frustration of having to frequently recharge devices to make sure they do not run out of juice in a matter of hours. This is because, while small, the batteries are power-hungry. But after years of research, it’s thought that these new batteries of the same size can be made to last at least 4 times longer. (Thereby eliminating your excuse for ignoring calls.)
– @MailOnline

DID YOU KNOW?
Space weather can cause trans-polar flights from Europe to North America to be diverted.
– “The Economist”

BS CHRONOMETER 08.07.14

TODAY’S CELEBIRTHDAYS . . .
1942 [72] Garrison Keillor, Anoka MN, public radio host (“A Prairie Home Companion” since 1974)/author (“Radio Days”, “Lake Wobegon Days”)/Radio Hall of Fame (1994)

1960 [54] David Duchovny, NYC, TV actor (“Californication” 2007-14, “The X Files” 1993-2002)/movie actor (“X-Files: I Want to Believe”, “Zoolander”)

1966 [48] Jimmy Wales, Huntsville AL, Internet entrepreneur (co-founder and promoter of the non-profit online encyclopedia Wikipedia)

1975 [39] Charlize Theron, Benoni, South Africa, movie actress (“Snow White & The Huntsman”, 2003 Academy Award-“Monster”)

1976 [38] Barry Kerch, Jacksonville FL, rock drummer (Shinedown-“Second Chance”, “The Crow & The Butterfly”)

1987 [27] Sydney Crosby, Cole Harbour NS, NHL superstar center (youngest captain in NHL history to win the Stanley Cup, with Pittsburgh Penguins 2009-10)

TODAY’S BS REASONS TO PARTY . . .
• “Beach Party Day”. If you live near a beach, pause today to appreciate how fortunate you are to be able to party on the beach anytime you want.

• “Lighthouse Day”, an annual observance when lighthouse grounds, where feasible, are open to the public. No more lonely lighthouse keepers these days … they’re all automated.

• “National Hobo Convention”, the 112th annual through Sunday in Britt, Iowa. Some 30,000 professional and part-time hobos are expected to hop trains from all over North America to take in the parade, the ‘King & Queen Of the Hobos’ coronation, ‘Hobo Jungle’, and ‘Hobo Museum’.
NET: http://www.brittiowa.com/hobo/index.htm

• “Particularly Preposterous Packaging Day”, an annual observance to draw attention to the environmentally unfriendly over-packaging of consumer goods. Which do you think are the most over-packaged products?

• “Professional Speakers Day”, an annual salute to those who move us and inform us through the magic of their oratory talents. As orator Ben Johnson once said, “To speak and to speak well are two different things.”

THIS DAY IN SHOW BIZ . . .
2005 [09] Peter Jennings, anchor & senior editor of ABC News, dies of cancer at his NYC home at age 67

2009 [05] “Julie & Julia” opens in movie theaters, with Meryl Streep playing master chef Julia Child

TODAY’S MUSIC EVENT . . .
1997 [17] Garth Brooks plays to a crowd estimated at 750,000 in NYC’s Central Park, ranked the 3rd-largest concert audience of all-time (over 15 million watch on HBO)

TODAY’S FIRST . . .
1997 [17] Police in Lille, France warn that the ‘Garden Gnomes Liberation Front’ has made off with a dozen lawn ornaments in the previous week (the night-time commandos vow to liberate all gnomes from lawns and flower beds)

TODAY’S RECORD . . .
2007 [07] Barry Bonds of the San Francisco Giants breaks baseball great Hank Aaron’s MLB career record by hitting his 756th home run (finishes career with a total of 762, a stat that will always carry an asterisk due to his alleged use of steroids)

AND REMEMBER . . .
[Fri] “The Hundred-Foot Journey”; “Into the Storm”; “Step Up All In”; “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” open in movie theaters
[Fri] Outside Lands Festival begins (San Francisco CA)
[Sat] Garage Sale Day
[Sun] “Teen Choice Awards” (FOX)
[Sun] “Shark Week” begins (Discovery Channel)
This Week Is … Smile Week
This Month Is … What Will Be Your Legacy Month

BULL’S BITS

MORE LEAST POPULAR BARS:
Heading for Happy Hour this aft? Best to avoid …
✗ The Hideous Rictus
✗ Karaokefenokee
✗ The Petrie Dish
✗ Decibel’s
✗ The Meat Locker
✗ Secondhand Smoke
✗ Queasy Street
✗ Jitters Lounge
✗ Scared Straight Tavern
✗ Quitter’s
– Thanks to Stuart Wade

BS U-PICK TRIVIA:
• What do men notice first about a woman’s looks?
a. Figure. [CORRECT]
b. Face.
c. Hair.
– “Glamour”

• How long does the average person spend in the bathroom each day?
a. 1 hour. [CORRECT. Works out to 14 days per year.]
b. An hour-and-a-half.
c. 2 hours.
– National Association for Continence

MORE BS QUESTIONS PLAGUING HUMANITY:
• Why in a country of free speech are there phone bills?
• What is an ‘occasional table’ the rest of the time?
• Should animal shampoo be tested on humans?
• If someone who can’t count finds a 4-leaf clover, are they still lucky?
• Shouldn’t a ‘tourist information center’ tell you all about the tourists who have visited?

BS RANDOM JOKE:
My girlfriend thinks that I’m a stalker. Well, she’s not exactly my girlfriend yet.

BS PHONE STARTER:
☎ Did you have a cruel nickname as a kid? Names a few celebrities were called as kids …
• Cameron Diaz skinniness led to her being called ‘Skeleton’.
• Leonardo DiCaprio was nicknamed ‘Leonardo Retardo’ because of his habit of cheating off classmates’ papers.
• Nicole Kidman was ‘Storky’ because of her height.

BS WATER COOLER QUESTION:
Question: During a 1-week vacation, the average person does THIS about 10 times.
Answer: Posts something on Facebook.

BS DEEP THOUGHT:
The future is that time when you’ll wish you’d done what you aren’t doing now.