Monday, February 12, 2007 Edition: #3465
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WEEKEND TABLOID & BLOG BS:
• As if things weren’t confusing enough, now there’s a 4th possible daddy for the baby daughter of the late Anna Nicole Smith … J Howard Marshall, who’s been dead more than 10 years! That’s the claim of Anna’s half-sister Donna Hogan in a manuscript she wrote, aptly titled “Train Wreck”. She alleges her deceased sis’ froze the sperm of her 90-year-old hubby before he died, then used it to become pregnant as a ‘trump card’ to win the ongoing legal battle for the billionaire’s estate. (Even so, DNA experts are still leaning toward the Chicago Bears.)
– TMZ.com
• The “NY Times” is denying reports that movie rights have already been optioned on “Times” reporter John Schwartz’s article about infamous NASA astronaut Lisa Nowak who’s charged with the attempted murder of a perceived rival … while wearing diapers. You know what that means – the story’s still up for sale! Meantime, Lisa Nowak gag gifts have already started appearing on the Internet, including an ‘AstroNut’ diaper bag on eBay. (The only movie that might get made quicker is “The Anna Nicole Smith Story”.)
– “E! Online”
• Movie actress Naomi Watts (“The Ring”) is finally getting her baby. It’s said she broke up with actor Heath Ledger because he wasn’t ready to settle down and have a kid … then he did exactly that with Michelle Williams just a few months later. But now Naomi and her boyfriend of nearly 2 years, actor Liev Schreiber are said to be expecting a child together. An insider says it wasn’t planned, but they’re thrilled. (Have you watched this guy on “CSI”? How could you possibly tell if he was ‘thrilled’?)
– “In Touch Weekly”
• 26-year-old pseudo-star Jessica Simpson has set herself the challenge of learning to speak French fluently – ‘like a natural’, as she says – by the end of MAY. She’s convinced she’ll pick up the language in no time if she puts her mind to it, claiming she works best under pressure. (Apparently there’s no pressure in movie acting … or singing.)
– “Daily Star”
• Troubled actress Lindsay Lohan’s obsession with Marilyn Monroe is getting kinda creepy. After living in LA’s Chateau Marmont hotel for more than a year, she’s now expected to move into the 2-bedroom El Palacio apartment in Los Angeles where Monroe once lived … as soon as she clears rehab, that is. (Lindsay’s likely all PO-ed that Anna Nicole stole her story ending.)
– “The Scoop”
• Michael Jackson’s Neverland Ranch has been sitting vacant since 2005 when Michael moved out after his high-profile trial. Now, according to his brother Jermaine, Michael’s planning to turn the property into a gigantic theater to stage a spectacular show based on Jackson 5 music from the 1970s. (Yeah right. In related news, hell is freezing over …)
– “The Sun”
BS MUSIC NOTES:
• Dierks Bentley – TONIGHT he performs “Prodigal Son’s Prayer” with the Grascals on “Late, Late Show With Craig Ferguson” (CBS).
• The Fray – TONIGHT they sing “How to Save a Life“ on the “Tonight Show With Jay Leno” (NBC/A Channel).
• Gwen Stefani – She’s confirmed that her next project after her upcoming tour (beginning APRIL) is a new studio album with No Doubt.
• James Blunt – He claims he wrote his mega-hit “You’re Beautiful” in just 2-and-a-half minutes. He says it happened when he saw an ex-girlfriend on TV with a new boyfriend and he ‘lived a lifetime’ in those few minutes.
• Kylie Minogue – She’s denying reports that her ex-boyfriend, French actor Olivier Martinez, constantly cheated on her during their 4-year relationship, claiming he was always faithful and there’s a chance they may get back together in the future. You’re dreamin’, girl!
• Matisyahu – TONIGHT the Jewish reggae artist (real name Matthew Miller) guests on “Jimmy Kimmel Live” (ABC).
• Ozzy Osbourne – Details on how the 2007 edition of “Ozzfest” will make money are starting to surface. Tickets will be paid for and distributed free by sponsors, such as Jagermeister and Monster Energy Drink; bands will not be paid to perform; expenses will be covered from sales of food, drinks & merchandise. Fans can print out free tickets from the website or obtain them from sponsors. Could this be the wave of the future?
• The Police – TODAY Sting, drummer Stewart Copeland & guitarist Andy Summers hold a press conference at the Whisky A Go Go nightclub in West Hollywood CA to make a ‘special announcement’, expected to be details of a 30th anniversary world reunion tour.
• Rickie Lee Jones – TONIGHT she performs music from her new album, “The Sermon on Exposition Boulevard“, on “Late Show With David Letterman” (CBS).
MAKING WAVES:
The world’s first consumer submarine, the ‘C-Quester’, which allows novice sailors to explore the ocean’s depths, has gone on sale for about the same price as a high-end sports car. The miniature sub can dive to around 150 feet (50 meters) and cruise underwater for 2-and-a-half hours. At $125,000, the single-seat submarine may become the next must-have for wealthy adventurers. However, buyers must complete a 4-day training course and have an underwater pilot’s license before they can go boating. (The only sub I’m going down on is a Quiznos.)
– “GQ”
HALF HUMAN, HALF MACHINE:
Among the medical inventions we have to look forward to over the next 15 years are brain chips that will enable us to control machines with our thoughts; microchips which will enhance our memory; electro-therapy which will bring paralyzed limbs back into action; shock therapy to eliminate body fat; contact lenses to track blood sugar & blood pressure; and an implant which can both give us a tan and fight skin cancer. (The downside is we’re all gonna need rust-proofing.)
– CentralChronical.com
FUTURE FOOD:
This sounds like the storyline of some really bad sci-fi film, but it isn’t. Construction is set to begin in MARCH on the Svalbard International Seed Vault, nicknamed the ‘Doomsday Vault’, which will house seeds from all known varieties of food crops on Earth. The Norwegian government is paying the $5-million cost of building the vault into a mountainside on a remote island near the North Pole. The idea is to safeguard the world’s agriculture from future catastrophes, such as nuclear war, asteroid strikes and climate change, by housing some 3 million seed samples. It’s scheduled for completion in 2008. (About a month after the final meltdown.)
– BBC News
FROM THE BS POLL VAULT:
• 54% of women & 47% of men pick ‘faithfulness’ as the most important attribute when choosing a mate.
• 53% of women say they’d break up with a guy who didn’t give them a Valentine’s Day card.
• 50% of teens say they don’t worry about pregnancy. The other half are girls.
• 33% of people turn to the right when they kiss.
• 26% of university students have snooped through their roommate’s cellphone.
• 20% of us don’t have any interest in Valentine’s Day whatsoever. Bitter, bitter!
MORE THAN A GETAWAY:
There’s an increasingly popular trend toward what’s called ‘slow travel’, in which you stay in one spot and pretend you live there by participating in the same activities as locals. Slow travelers establish their vacation base in a long-stay hotel, rental unit or via home-swap, then gradually explore the surroundings close-by. (Because visiting 37 landmarks and 13 museums in a week is just no way to relax.)
NET: http://www.slowtrav.com/
– “US News & World Report”
WHAT WOMEN WANT:
Men who are good-looking and have a high-paying job are not as attractive to women as those who are good-looking but have an average type of job, according to research at the UK’s University of Central Lancashire. The scientists collected their data from women with an average age of 23. Researchers say the surprising results may be because women perceive men with both looks and money to be too good to be true. (Or at least too good for you, honey.)
– PA News
REALLY GOOD EATS:
SATURDAY at the Dome Restaurant in Bangkok, Thailand, 15 enormously wealthy gourmets and their 25 invited guests sat down to what was billed as the ‘Epicurean Masters of the World’ banquet. The 10-course meal, prepared by a half-dozen 3-star Michelin chefs who flew in ingredients from 35 different countries, included a creme brulée of foie gras with Tonga beans; a tartare of Kobe beef with imperial beluga caviar & belons oyster; and veal cheeks with perigord truffles. Suitably expensive vintages were served with each course. The tab? $30,000 a seat … tax and service not included. (Some people really do have too much money, no?)
– “The Independent”
THE 2007 CELEBRITY 100:
The most powerful names in fame, based on a combination of earnings and show biz ‘sizzle’, including news coverage, magazine covers, web references, etc. Here are the top 5 …
5. Tiger Woods ($90 million).
4. U2 ($110 million).
3. Oprah Winfrey ($225 million).
2. Rolling Stones ($90 million).
1. Tom Cruise ($67 million). Love him or hate him, he’s still Hollywood’s most bankable star. And when it comes to press coverage … well!
– “Forbes Magazine”
A BUZZ AND A JOLT:
Coffee beer, the newest beer flavor since Belgian raspberry, is now being sold in brew pubs and bottled by micro-breweries. It’s an oddball specialty, but a growing category especially in winter. LAST YEAR, some 28 coffee beers entered the judging at the “Great American Beer Festival” in Denver CO. Why the popularity? Perhaps it’s the perfect beer for breakfast or maybe it’s because it’s basically a 2-for-1 hit of our favorite liquid addictions. The newest coffee beers contain real java, complete with caffeine. (The perfect way to kick off an all-nighter?)
– “Tampa Bay Times”
BS AMAZING FACTS:
• Though TV’s Food Network was originally targeted at women, men now account for half of all its viewers. So who’s doing the cooking at your house these days?
• The average consumer will shell out $119.67 this WEDNESDAY, according to the National Retail Federation’s 2007 ‘Valentine’s Day Consumer Intentions & Actions Survey’.
THE BULL SHEET 02.12.07
TODAY’S CELEBIRTHDAYS . . .
1952 [55] Michael McDonald, St Louis MO, pop singer (“Ain’t No Mountain High Enough”, ex-Doobie Brothers-“What a Fool Believes”)
1970 [37] Jim Creeggan, Toronto ON, rock bassist (Barenaked Ladies-“Easy”, “One Week”)
1980 [27] Christina Ricci, Santa Monica CA, 5-ft movie actress (“Monster”, “Sleepy Hollow”)
BS REASONS TO PARTY . . .
• “Clean Out Your Computer Day”, observed annually on the 2nd Monday of February as a day to scrape the plaque from your information arteries and purge your computer hard-drive that’s clogged with old programs, directories, files, and e-mails. Here are some tips on how to go about it …
NET: http://www.ibt-pep.com/default.asp?ObjectID=78
NET: http://www.onlineorganizing.com/CalendarHoliday.asp?holiday=3
• “Creative Romance Month”, when couples are encouraged to put the sizzle back into their relationships by adding some ‘intrigue’. Get out the ‘Zorro’ masks!
• “Lincoln’s Birthday”, celebrating the birth of the 16th President of the United States (1861-65), ‘Honest Abe’ as he was commonly known, in the wilderness country of Hardin County, Kentucky on February 12, 1809. The “President’s Day” holiday, celebrated on the 3rd Monday of February (a week today), honors Presidents Lincoln & Washington.
• “Lost Penny Day”, set aside to collect all of those wasted pennies stashed in jars and drawers around the house and put them back into circulation. Because a penny saved is – a waste of time. Actually, a penny saved is a government oversight.
THIS DAY IN SHOW BIZ . . .
2000 [07] “Peanuts” comic strip creator Charles Schulz dies in California at age 77
TODAY’S MUSIC EVENTS . . .
1994 [13] Celine Dion’s “The Power Of Love” reaches #1 on pop singles charts
2001 [06] US Court of Appeals orders Napster to stop offering copyrighted music online for free
TODAY’S FIRSTS . . .
1878 [129] 1st-ever ‘Baseball Catcher’s Mask’ (Frederick Thayer of the Harvard University Baseball Club)
1879 [128] 1st ‘Artificial Ice Rink’ in North America (Madison Square Garden-NYC)
1898 [109] 1st ‘Auto Accident Fatality’ (later that day, 1st lawyer contacts dead victim’s family)
TODAY’S RECORD . . .
1949 [58] Canada beats Denmark 47-0 in international hockey (what, no mercy rule?)
AND REMEMBER . . .
[Tues] Get A Different Name Day
[Tues] Read to Your Child Day
[Tues] 27th Genie Awards
[Wed] 2007 Brit Awards
[Wed] Great Energy Efficiency Day
[Thurs] Do a Grouch a Favor Day
[Fri] Second Honeymoon Weekend
THIS WEEK IS . . .
Love Makes the World Go Round But Laughter Keeps Us From Getting Dizzy Week / Freelance Writers Appreciation Week / Jell-O Week / Heart Failure Awareness Week / International Flirting Week / Love a Mench Week / Random Acts of Kindness Week
BULL’S BITS
MOST POPULAR VALENTINE’S GIFTS:
5. Candy (5.8%)
4. Greeting card (10.8%)
3. Jewelry (18.4%)
2. Flowers (20.1%)
1. Evening out (37.3%)
(Least popular Valentine’s gifts include leftover foil-wrapped chocolate Santas with the heads bitten off; flowers ‘found’ at a funeral; and a REAL heart … or any other type of raw organ.)
– National Retail Federation
BS WEB GOODIES:
• Perhaps not a book but it seems you CAN judge an album by it’s cover. Just check out ‘Jim’s Collection of Worst Album Covers of All Time’ …
NET: http://www.jimlawrence.net/LPCOVERS/LPcovers.html
• ‘Club Sportiva’, a luxury car membership company, allows you to drive a Bentley one day, and maybe a Ferrari the next. There are more than 20 different luxury cars to choose from. It’s far cheaper than buying one, but it still ain’t cheap … anywhere from $3,500-to-$11,500 per year.
NET: http://www.clubsportiva.com/
BS RANDOM JOKE:
If at first you don’t succeed … try management.
BS PHONER STARTER:
Which 2 celebs would you pair together to make the oddest possible couple? (In an online poll by Yahoo!, the hypothetical coupling of Michael Jackson with Paris Hilton got the most votes.)
BS WATER COOLER QUESTION:
Today’s Question: When there are 3 of THESE, the one in the middle gets the most use.
Answer to Give Out Next Show: Washroom stalls.
BS DEEP THOUGHT:
You can never ‘find’ time but you can always ‘make’ it.
BS FRESH MEAT:
“The Bull Sheet” salutes Shadoe Davis @ K-Rock 105.7 [CIKR] Kingston ON who’s back for another full year; and we welcome samplers this week that include Nino @ Spectrum FM Mijas Costa, Spain; Rich Ryder @ 1370 AM WBTN Bennington VT; Florida Johnson @ Soft Rock 102.5 [KEZK] St. Louis MO; and Jim Whitmeyer @ 103.7 The Bone [WBNE] Wilmington NC. Remember BSers, we bonus you ONE FREE MONTH for each & every new subscriber you refer.