Can You Believe This Sheet?
BS SHOW BIZ BUZZ:
★ Hip hop music video director Benny Boom has been tapped to replace John Singleton as the director of the upcoming Tupac Shakur bio-pic. The “Boyz ‘n the Hood” filmmaker departed the project in April, claiming the producers are not being respectful of the legacy of Tupac. Boom has only previously directed 2 feature films, the 2009 action comedy “Next Day Air” and the made-for-video “SWAT: Firefight”, but he has an extensive résumé behind the camera for some of hip hop’s most memorable music videos, working with the likes of Nicki Minaj, Lil’ Wayne, Robin Thicke, 50 Cent, and Busta Rhymes among others.
– ContactMusic.com
★ Full-figured Rebel Wilson tells “Cosmopolitan UK” she has no plans to lose weight because she’s convinced her body type is what sets her apart from other actresses in Hollywood. The “Pitch Perfect” star has no desire to look like anyone else in the business and believes being unique and different is a really good thing. Wilson goes on to admit she has become more health conscious since moving to Los Angeles in 2010 but she still ‘eats her emotions’ and tries not to stress about her diet. Quote: “I don’t do drugs; I don’t really drink … so eating is my one vice.”
– WENN,com
★ And a multi-million dollar lawsuit over Martin Scorsese’s movie “The Wolf of Wall Street” is heading to court after a judge has given a former stockbroker permission to sue over his depiction in the film. Leonardo DiCaprio starred as corrupt trader ‘Jordan Belfort’ in the 2013 drama, which was based on Belfort’s 2007 memoir of the same name. But Andrew Greene, a former employee of Belfort’s firm, claims the film’s character ‘Rugrat Koskoff’ is based on him and he has been defamed due to his portrayal as a scoundrel in the movie. So money is likely to change hands … buy only lawyers’ hands.
– “New York Daily News”
TODAY’S SHOW BIZ SKED:
• “CMT Artists Of the Year” (CMT) – Blake Shelton is on a career high as one of the honorees. He joins first-timers Little Big Town and Sam Hunt; along with Luke Bryan and Florida Georgia Line, who also made the 2014 list. The annual TV special takes place at the Schermerhorn Symphony Center in Nashville TN.
• “Christmas in Rockefeller Center” (NBC) – The 83rd annual tree-lighting ceremony in NYC, co-hosted by Matt Lauer. Performers include Andrea Bocelli, The Band Perry, James Taylor, Mary J Blige, and Sting.
• “Jimmy Kimmel Live” (ABC/CityTV) – G-Eazy (“When It’s Dark Out”).
• “Josh Groban: Stages Live” (PBS) – Groban pays tribute to musical theater by performing classic numbers from Broadway shows.
• “Late Late Show With James Corden” (CBS/M3) – James Bay (“Chaos & The Calm”).
• “Late Night With Seth Meyers” (NBC/CTV) – Sara Bareilles (“What’s Inside: Songs from Waitress”). Rerun.
• “Live With Kelly & Michael” (syndicated/CTV) – Mary J Blige (“A Mary Christmas”).
• “Rev Runs Around the World” (Travel) – Debut of new reality series in which the Rev (ex-Run DMC) and his family travel to see exotic locations and explore cultures across-the-globe.
• Sinatra 100 – An All-Star Grammy Concert (Las Vegas NV) – An all-star Grammy concert salutes Old Blue Eyes’ 100th birth anniversary at the Wynn Las Vegas. Tributes from Adam Levine, Alicia Keys, Carrie Underwood, Celine Dion, Harry Connick Jr, John Legend, Lady Gaga, Tony Bennett, and Zac Brown. A recorded highlight special airs Sunday on CBS-TV.
• “Saturday Night Live” (NBC/Global) – A seasonal special featuring a compilation of the all-time funniest holiday sketches.
TODAY’S MUSIC NOTES:
• Ariana Grande – She was due to take her “Honeymoon Tour” to Abu Dhabi UAE this week and to Japan next week, but all shows have now been scrapped without explanation. That means the tour, which began in February, effectively finished October 25 in Sao Paulo, Brazil.
• Ed Sheeran – He’s signed his 2nd act to his Gingerbread Man Records label. Singer-songwriter Foy Vance, who has toured as support to Sheeran, is now aboard. His debut album is coming early next year. Sheeran’s first signing was singer-songwriter Jamie Lawson.
• Florida Georgia Line – Thomas Rhett has revealed that when he last toured with his FGL buddies they managed to write a few killer tunes together. Unfortunately they were written after he’d completed his latest album, “Tangled Up”, but some of them may make it onto FGL’s upcoming project.
• Garth Brooks – He’s announced his “World Tour” will head to Las Vegas NV next July, playing the Las Vegas Arena. Brooks started his mammoth tour in Chicago IL in September 2014.
• Kacey Musgraves – She’s expanding her “Country & Western Rhinestone Revue” tour in support of her album “Pageant Material”. The new schedule includes Dallas TX and Oklahoma City OK in January; plus Boston MA, Pittsburgh PA, Milwaukee WI, and Kansas City MO in February and March.
• Tupac Shakur – Tupac’s fellow band members reportedly mixed his ashes with weed and smoked them.
• U2 – For a Red campaign fundraiser that began yesterday on World AIDS Day he’s offering to accompany a draw winner on a bike ride through NYC’s Central Park, where he injured his arm so badly that it required surgery this time last year. The contest can be entered by donating at least $10 through the Omaze website.
HOLIDAY SHOPPING BY THE NUMBERS:
■ 31% of men & 15% of women wait until the final 3 weeks to begin their gift buying.
■ The average woman will buy 16 presents, the average man 13.
■ 60% of holiday shoppers are likely to buy toys.
■ The average family gift-wraps about 30 presents per household.
■ 70% of all gift wrap is sold in December; women purchase 90% of it.
■ Nearly half of all Scotch tape is purchased during the holiday season.
– Sourced from “US News & World Report”
BS BUZZWORDS:
Cutting-edge vocab …
• ‘Ambient Computing’ – A computing environment that is always available and easy to access by, for example, voice commands. Observers say Apple’s ‘Siri’ is paving the way to a future in which robotic assistants are always on hand to answer questions and take orders.
• ‘Climatarian’ – Choosing to eat a diet that has minimal impact on the climate, ie: one that excludes food transported a long way or meat whose production gives rise to CO2 emissions.
• ‘Decopunk’ – Books, films, or games that apply sci-fi fantasy elements to historical settings of the Art Deco era. Basically, ‘steam punk’ only 75 years or so later.
TOP 10 MOVIE STARS OF 2015:
As determined by total page views in 2015 …
1. Tom Hardy
2. Emilia Clarke
3. Margot Robbie
4. Alexandra Daddario
5. Dakota Johnson
6. Shailene Woodley
7. Rebecca Ferguson
8. Bryce Dallas Howard
9. Rosamund Pike
10. Lily James
– IMDb.com
FROM THE BS POLL VAULT:
A statistical look at who we are and the things we do …
• 80% of us think we’re good at spelling … but probably aren’t.
• 70% of polled women say a guy should be able to change a tire if he’s a ‘real man’.
• 50% of women surveyed say shaving their legs is a regular thing in Spring, Summer, and Fall …. but not so much in Winter.
• 46% of people polled say ‘lotion’ is the most un-thoughtful holiday gift someone can give.
• 21% of us have stolen toilet paper from a restaurant.
• 18% of us have a favorite pen.
BS AMAZING HEALTH FACTS:
• Loneliness may suppress the immune system.
– “Daily Mail”
• Children with pet dogs are less anxious than children without.
– “The Daily Beast”
BS CHRONOMETER 12.02.15
TODAY’S CELEBIRTHDAYS . . .
1963 [52] Brendan Coyle, Corby UK, TV actor (‘Mr Bates’ on “Downton Abbey” since 2010)
1968 [47] Lucy Liu, Queens NY, TV actress (‘Joan Watson’ on “Elementary” since 2012, “Dirty Sexy Money” 2008-09, “Allie McBeal” 1998-2002)/movie actress (“Kung Fu Panda”, “Kill Bill”)
1968 [47] Nate Mendel, Richmond WA, rock bassist (Foo Fighters-“The Pretender”, “Best of You”)
1978 [37] Nelly Furtado, Victoria BC, pop singer (“Say It Right”, “Promiscuous”)
1978 [37] Chris Wolstenholme, Rotherham UK, rock bassist-vocalist (Muse-“Madness”, “Uprising”)
1981 [34] Britney Spears, Kentwood LA, pop singer (“Baby, One More Time”)/Las Vegas entertainer
1983 [32] Aaron Rodgers, Chico CA, NFL quarterback (Green Bay Packers)/2011 Super Bowl
1983 [32] Daniela Ruah, Boston MA, TV actress (‘Kensi Blye’ on “NCIS: Los Angeles” since 2009)
TODAY’S BS REASONS TO PARTY . . .
• “Fritters Day”, honoring the yummy treat made by frying up small cakes of dough in butter or oil. (Yum! Really good for you, too!)
• “International Day For the Abolition of Slavery”, a United Nations observance begun in 1949.
• “Mutt Day”, saluting all dogs that are cross-breeds, no-breeds, or all-breeds.
• “Special Education Day”, initiated in 1975 to promote access to education for all children, including those with disabilities.
NET: http://specialeducationday.com
• “United Arab Emirates National Day”, celebrating the 44th anniversary of independence of the federation of 7 Persian Gulf states from Britain (1971).
THIS DAY IN SHOW BIZ . . .
2004 [11] Brian Williams becomes anchor of “NBC Nightly News”, succeeding Tom Brokaw
2009 [06] After a flurry of reports about his extramarital relationships, golf super-star Tiger Woods issues an apology for what he calls ‘transgressions’
2012 [03] Blues legend Buddy Guy, actor Dustin Hoffman, TV host David Letterman, and the surviving members of Led Zeppelin receive Kennedy Center Honors for contributions to culture
TODAY’S MUSIC EVENT . . .
1949 [66] Gene Autry’s “Rudolph, The Red-Nosed Reindeer” debuts (Montgomery Ward department store ad man Robert L May came up with a “Red-Nosed Reindeer” promotion; the name ‘Rudolph’ was chosen later)
TODAY’S RECORD . . .
1985 [30] Highest-rated “ABC Monday Night Football” telecast ever as Miami Dolphins beat Chicago Bears 38-24, snapping the Bears’ 12-game winning streak (Chicago’s only loss of the season, including the Super Bowl)
AND REMEMBER . . .
[Thurs] “The Wiz Live!” (NBC)
[Thurs] National Christmas Tree Lighting (Washington DC)
[Fri] “Chi-Raq”; “Krampus” open in movie theaters
[Fri] “A Very Murray Christmas” debuts (Netflix)
[Fri] Faux Fur Friday
[Fri] Salesperson Day
This Week Is … Cookie Cutter Week
This Month Is … Write a Business Plan Month
BULL’S BITS
BS HORRIBLESCOPES:
Use ’em all at once or one-at-a-time as the zodiac reading of the day …
• Aries – This week try wearing less make-up when you leave the house, even if it means angering the other members of KISS.
• Taurus – Remember, it’s all a matter of perspective. So why not see how your crippling debts look from atop that hill over there?
• Gemini – Success is often difficult to define, though for you, it pretty much boils down to filling that cup with clean urine.
• Cancer – Sure a spoonful of sugar may make the medicine go down, but if it’s suppositories you’re struggling with the spoon isn’t going to help.
• Leo – You knew eating those hamburgers would come back to haunt you but it’s still a bit of a surprise when all the floating cows show up.
• Virgo – Be sure to watch your temper, as it’s about to do some pretty amazing things in the days to come.
• Libra – Money will soon change your life in ways you couldn’t possibly imagine … especially the $5,000 or so you owe to local loan sharks.
• Scorpio – Remember, people like you for who you are … an incredibly insecure person willing to do almost anything to gain acceptance.
• Sagittarius – It seems your own cat isn’t one of those cats that dials 9-1-1 when its owner sets fire to the apartment while trying to figure out how to deep-fry Snickers bars.
• Capricorn – Your life will continue in an uneventful and unremarkable fashion for most of the next week but before it’s over you’ll have had at least one really good sandwich. Yee-haw!
• Aquarius – While being a good friend means telling the truth, you’ll soon realize that being a true friend means keeping your mouth shut.
• Pisces – In an attempt to simplify your life you will discard all of your footwear. Later you will regret this but will be too proud to admit it. Also unable to, thanks to lockjaw acquired from stepping on a nail.
– Adapted from TheOnion.com
BS U-PICK TRIVIA:
How many species of animals sleep on their backs?
a. 5.
b. 3.
c. 1. [CORRECT. Only human beings sleep on their backs … especially male prisoners.]
– “Fascinating Facts”
MORE BS QUESTIONS PLAGUING HUMANKIND:
• What is a ‘free gift’? Aren’t all gifts free?
• If someone has a mid-life crisis while playing hide & seek, does she automatically lose because she can’t find herself?
• Why is it that writers write, but fingers don’t fing, grocers don’t groce, and hammers don’t ham?
• Do illiterate people get the full effect of alphabet soup?
• If white wine goes with fish, do white grapes go with sushi?
BS PHONE STARTER:
☎ What’s different about your morning routine compared to everyone else’s?
BS RANDOM JOKE:
Oops, sorry about that … if screw-ups were dollars, I’d be a billionaire!
BS WATER COOLER QUESTION:
Question: After decades of decline, sales of pencils skyrocketed in the mid 2000s due to THIS.
Answer: Sudoku.
BS DEEP THOUGHT:
A hangover is the wrath of grapes.