BS SHOW BIZ BUZZ:
★ Today a “Game of Thrones” restaurant, where fans of the HBO show can dine on food themed around a meeting of the ‘Small Council’, is opening in London UK. The pop-up eatery in the Andaz Hotel is open for just 3 days, through Sunday. The stunt is to mark the release of “Game of Thrones” Season 4 on DVD and Blu-Ray next week. Dishes on the menu include poached veal tongue with beetroot, horseradish and old-town mustard. A spokesperson for the project says “hopefully there’ll be no poisonings or suspicious deaths”. “Game of Thrones” Season 5 begins on HBO on April 13th.
– TheVerge.com
★ The 3rd season of “House of Cards” is scheduled for release on Netflix on February 27th, but this week it was ‘accidentally posted’ in its entirety on the streaming website before it was taken down almost immediately. A spokesman for Netflix called it a technical error. In a tongue-in-cheek tweet, the “House of Cards” Twitter handle characterized the upload as a ‘leak’ … perhaps ironically something Kevin Spacey’s devious ‘Francis Underwood’ character wouldn’t have any qualms in creating.
– Variety.com
★ And former Olympian-turned reality TV star Bruce Jenner will apparently unveil his new ‘female name’ in his upcoming interview with Diane Sawyer, which will air in May. The name is not publicly known – though it has previously been claimed he will use either ‘Brigitte’ or ‘Belinda’ – but a source does reveal he referred to her in the third person during the pre-taped interview. The insider also says the 65-year-old ”did not wear feminine make-up” for the sit-down.
– “Us Weekly”

BS WEEKEND SHOW BIZ SKED:
• “Jimmy Kimmel Live” (ABC/CityTV) – Tonight Ne-Yo (“Non-Fiction”). Rerun.
• “Last Call With Carson Daly” (NBC) – Tonight Alt-J (“This Is All Yours”). Rerun.
• “Late Night With Seth Meyers” (NBC/CTV) – Tonight Jennifer Lopez (“American Idol”); Lupe Fiasco (“Tetsuo & Youth”). Rerun.
• “Late Show With David Letterman” (CBS/Omni1) – Tonight Americana musician Shakey Graves (“And The War Came”).
• “NASCAR Racing” (FOX) – Saturday a 75-lap non-points race kicks off the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series racing season.
• “NBA All-Star Game” (TBS/TNT/TSN) – Sunday Ariana Grande performs at halftime of the 2015 event in NYC’s Madison Square Garden. Nico & Vinz perform during the official All-Star Game practice session on Saturday.
• “Saturday Night Live” (NBC/Global) – Sunday a 3-hour 40th anniversary primetime special features previous cast members Amy Poehler, Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Eddie Murphy, Jim Carrey, Steve Martin, and Tina Fey. Musical performers include Justin Timberlake, Kanye West, Paul McCartney, Paul Simon, and Taylor Swift.
• “Tavis Smiley” (PBS) – Tonight veteran musician John Oates (Hall & Oates).
• “Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” (NBC/CTV2) – Tonight Jessie J (“Sweet Talker”).
• “Wendy Williams” (syndicated) – Today Ricky Martin (“A Quien Quiera Escuchar”).
• Writers Guild Awards (NYC/LA) – Saturday the annual honors for outstanding writing in film, TV, new media, videogames, news, radio, promotion and graphic animation are presented at simultaneous ceremonies on each coast. “The Nightly Show’s” Larry Wilmore hosts the WGA East gala in NYC. (Is there a ‘News Fiction Award’? Brian Williams would be a lock.)

BS MUSIC NOTES:
• Kanye West / Taylor Swift – Hard to believe, but it appears that they’re working in the recording studio together on at least one track. Seems all is forgiven since he interrupted her onstage at the Grammys a couple of years back, causing great embarrassment.
• Nickelback – Sunday their 10th world tour gets underway in Allentown PA in support of their latest album, “No Fixed Address”. The 60-city North American leg is scheduled to wind down in Atlanta GA on August 29th. The Pretty Reckless are special guests on select dates.
• Rick Ross – He’s filed documents alleging Redfoo is delaying a settlement to the copyright infringement suit he filed against LMFAO in 2014. It claims they derived the “Party Rock Anthem” lyrics “Everyday I’m shufflin'” from “Everyday I’m hustlin'” in his debut single.
• Spice Girls – 4 previously unreleased Spice Girls tunes have been leaked online. They all come from studio sessions for the girl group’s final album, “Forever”. They do not feature Geri Halliwell, who’d quit the band before recording started.
• Taylor Swift – The video for her next single, “Style”, is out today. She’s notched her 11th week at #1 on the new ‘Billboard 200’ album chart, as “1989” ties “Fearless” as her longest-running #1 album.

TODAY’S MOVIE OPENINGS:
• “Fifty Shades of Grey” ( R-Rated Erotic Thriller ): Finally, after all the hype, the bigscreen version of EL James’ BDSM-filled novel opens. Sam Taylor-Johnson directed Dakota Johnson as ‘Anastasia Steele’ and Jamie Dornan (who replaced original choice Charlie Hunnam after he bailed) as the sadomasochistic anti-hero ‘Christian Grey’. Two sequels are in the works.
NET: http://www.fiftyshadesofgreymovie.com
• “Kingsman: The Secret Service” ( R-Rated Action Adventure ): In this espionage thriller, a spy organization recruits an unrefined, but promising street kid into the agency’s ultra-competitive training program just as a global threat emerges from a twisted tech genius. Stars Colin Firth, Taron Egerton, Samuel L Jackson, Michael Caine.
NET: http://www.kingsmanmovie.com
• Opening in limited release: “The Last Five Years” (Musical Dramedy); “Old Fashioned” (Romantic Drama); and “What We Do In the Shadows” (Horror Comedy).

BEING BLUNT ABOUT IT:
A new dating app called ‘High There’ is being touted as ‘Tinder for pot smokers’. It currently only operates in the 23 US states where marijuana is legalized in some form. The goal is to make it easier for weed smokers to be upfront about their usage without fear of judgement. Users fill out the usual kind of profile info, including details of their frequency of marijuana usage and their preferred method(s). Can you imagine sparking up a jay and scrolling through profiles late at night? If nothing else, likely good for a giggle. (And people say stoners are lazy! Some stoner came up with this app.)
– TheFrisky.com

DRONE DELIVERY A DONE DEAL:
China’s biggest Internet retailer says it has successfully tested out drone-based deliveries to hundreds of customers during a 3-day trial. Alibaba tested out its small quadcopter drones to deliver 450 orders of ginger tea, each package weighing 340 grams (12oz) or less. The cargo was locked between the legs of the drones. The trial was limited to areas within a 1-hour flight of its distribution centers in Beijing, Guangzhou, and Shanghai. Amazon, Google, and parcel service UPS are among other companies carrying out more private trials of similar craft. Which company will actually roll out a fully functioning drone-based delivery service remains to be seen. Observers suggest it’s still a long way off. (Gee, what could possibly go wrong?)
– BBC Techonology

FOR THE RECORD:
Today a man wearing only a tight Speedo is scheduled to plunge into unimaginably cold water infested by killer whales and giant penguins. 45-year-old endurance swimmer Lewis Pugh is set to perform the 1st of 5 swims over the next couple of weeks in the sub-zero waters of the Antarctic, breaking the record for the most southerly swim ever undertaken. Each of the 1-km swims is expected to last around 20 minutes. Pugh, a keen conservationist, aims to raise awareness of the Ross Sea and to campaign for it to become a Marine Protected Area. (Dude, have you considered the word ‘shrivel’?)
– Stuff.co.nz

SOME OF THE MOST ROMANTIC FACTS OF ALL-TIME:
• Despite their messy divorce following a 2-year marriage, former NY Yankee great Joe DiMaggio sent flowers to movie star Marilyn Monroe’s grave twice a week … for 20 years.
• Pedro Martin Ureta of Argentina (now 70) landscaped a gigantic memorial in the shape of a guitar out of an entire forest of 7,000 Cyprus and Eucalyptus trees after his wife died in 1977.
• Thanks to legalized same-sex marriage, Vivian Boyack & Alice Dubes (aged 91 & 90 respectively) were finally able to wed last year in Iowa … after 72 years together.
– Sourced from BuzzFeed.com

BS CHRONOMETER 02.13.14

TODAY’S CELEBIRTHDAYS . . .
1950 [65] Peter Gabriel, Woking UK, classic rock singer (“Sledgehammer”, “Big Time”)

1972 [43] Todd Harrell, Escatawpa MS, rock musician (3 Doors Down-“Here Without You”, “When I’m Gone”)

1974 [41] Robbie Williams, Stoke-on-Trent UK, pop singer (“Candy”, “Angels”)/former member of pop group Take That

1976 [39] (Leslie) Feist, Amherst NS, pop singer (“1234”, “Mushaboom”)

1979 [36] Mena Suvari, Newport RI, movie actress (“American Beauty”, “American Pie” movies)

1997 [18] Prince Michael Jackson Jr, Beverly Hills CA, Michael Jackson’s #1 son with ex-wife/baby carrier Debbie Rowe

SATURDAY –
Billionaire former NYC mayor Michael Bloomberg is 73; Magician Teller (Penn & Teller) is 67;
Movie actor Simon Pegg (“Star Trek”) is 45; Pop singer Rob Thomas (Matchbox Twenty) is 43.

SUNDAY –
Cartoonist Matt Groening (“The Simpsons”) is 61; Rock singer Brandon Boyd (Incubus) is 39;
Rock drummer Ronnie Vannucci (The Killers) is 39; Guitarist Gary Clark Jr (“Blak & Blu”) is 31; TV actress Amber Riley (“Glee”) is 29.

TODAY’S BS REASONS TO PARTY . . .
• “Blame Someone Else Day”, celebrated on the first occurrence of a Friday the 13th each year.
• “Friday The 13th”, considered by many to be a day of bad luck. There is always at least one per year, never more than 3. Fear of Friday the 13th is known as paraskavedekatriaphobia.
Origins of Superstitions …
– Fear of the number 13 dates back to Nordic mythology. A later superstition said that if 13 people sat at a table, one would die before the year was out, based on the Last Supper.
– Walking under a ladder is considered bad luck because a ladder leaning against a wall forms a triangle, and Egyptians believed strongly in the power of pyramids and triangles. To break the triangle was considered very dangerous.
– Fear of black cats also goes back to ancient Egypt where the Goddess Bast was a black female cat.
– Knocking on wood was to keep the evil spirits that lived in it from coming out.
– Saying ‘bless you’ when someone sneezes dates from the 6th century, when it was believed sneezes expelled evil from the body.
Other Bad Luck Things …
– Hitchhiking with the wrong finger.
– Mooning a werewolf.
• “Galentine’s Day”, an observance invented by Amy Poehler’s ‘Leslie Knope’ character on NBC-TV’s “Parks & Recreation” as a chance to get your best gals together (friends, mom, coworkers, etc) and celebrate being female.
Reasons to Celebrate Galentines Day …
– Valentines Day makes a lot of people feel miserable.
– Romantic relationships are fleeting and messy.
– Your BFF is there for you, regardless of what time it is or where they are.
– Friends never take the last pizza/waffle/glass of wine away from you.
– You can be a hot mess in front of each other, and zero judgment will be passed.
• “Get a Different Name Day”, set aside to give us opportunity to pick one we’d really like. Find listeners with really odd names and ask them what nickname they’d like to be called.
• “World Radio Day”, a UN observation adopted on November 3, 2011 by UNESCO’s 36th General Conference. It was originally proposed by Spain. (Shouldn’t we get the day off?)

SATURDAY –
• “American International Toy Fair”, the 112th edition of the largest toy trade show in the Western Hemisphere through Tuesday in NYC. This is the exhibition where many of today’s most popular toys were 1st introduced over the years.
NET: http://www.toyfairny.com
• “#AntiSelfieDay”, an invention of dating app Loveflutter because, in its opinion, the popularity of selfies is creating ‘worrying trends’, not to mention making us totally narcissistic.
NET: http://tinyurl.com/mmfrxam
• “Donor Day”, the 18th annual observance encouraging us to fill out an organ & tissue donation card and also to donate blood. How appropriate that it’s on the day when we give hearts.
• “Pet Theft Awareness Day”, promoting awareness of the need for pet protection in public places.
NET: http://bit.ly/eGmgAE
• “Quirky Alone Day”, a reminder to value yourself, develop your individuality, and celebrate the possibilities available to single people today.
NET: http://quirkyalone.net
• “Valentines Day”, the most widely celebrated unofficial holiday. A few interesting facts …
– The Catholic Church recognizes at least 3 different saints named Valentine, all of whom were martyred, one for performing secret weddings for young lovers.
– Pope Gelasius declared February 14th “St Valentine’s Day” around 498 AD, in part to replace the ancient Roman fertility festival “Lupercalia”.
– About 1 billion Valentine cards are exchanged, making it the 3rd largest card-sending occasion after Christmas and Fathers Day. It’s also the 4th-biggest flower-selling occasion.

SUNDAY –
• “Hippo Day”, an annual celebration of the 2nd-largest animal on land (after the elephant). Hunted for their teeth and meat, hippos are now in danger of extinction. Bet you didn’t know that ‘Hippopotamus’ loosely translates to ‘River Horse’ in ancient Greek.
• “National Flag of Canada Day”, the 20th annual official celebration of Canada’s maple leaf flag. It was first unveiled on Parliament Hill in 1965, replacing the ‘Red Ensign’.
• “Singles Awareness Day”, observed on the day after “Valentines Day” as a day for singles to give each other gifts and to celebrate and enjoy the fact that they’re unattached.

THIS DAY IN SHOW BIZ . . .
2000 [15] The last original “Peanuts” comic strip appears in newspapers a day after cartoonist Charles M Schulz dies at age 77

2014 [01] TV actor Ralph Waite, best known for his long-running role as ‘Pa’ on “The Waltons” (1971-81), dies at age 85 in Palm Desert CA

TODAY’S FIRST . . .
1915 [100] American Society of Composers, Authors & Publishers (ASCAP) is founded, which assures that music creators are fairly compensated for public performance of their works

TODAY’S MUSIC EVENT . . .
2005 [10] At the 47th Grammy Awards, late music legend Ray Charles wins 5 awards, including ‘Album Of The Year’ for his duets album “Genius Loves Company”

TODAY’S RECORD . . .
2003 [12] Dan Price completes a 4,000-mile across-the-USA ride from Joseph OR to Key West FL … on a tricycle (averages 50-to-60 miles a day)

AND REMEMBER . . .
[Mon] “Songs In The Key Of Life – An All-Star Grammy Salute (CBS)
[Mon] Almond Day
[Mon] Family Day (parts of Canada)
[Mon] Presidents Day (USA)
[Tues] Pancake Day/Mardi Gras
[Wed] Drink Wine Day
This Week Is … Jell-O Week
This Month Is … Bake for Family Fun Month

BULL’S BITS

In celebration of the opening of “50 Shades”, here are a few …
ACTUAL FETISHES YOU MAY NOT HAVE HEARD OF:
• Agalmatophilia … A fixation on statues, dolls, mannequins, or any human-like object.
• Chremastistophilia … Excitement at being robbed or held up.
• Dendrophilia … Sexual attraction to trees and plants.
• Emetophilia … Being aroused by being puked on or by puking on others.
• Eproctophilia … No BS, this is sexual arousal from farting.
• Furry Fandom … Most ‘furries’ just like to dress up in animal costumes and hang out.
• Hybristophiliac … Being sexually attracted to violent individuals, ie: imprisoned criminals.
• Melophilia … The erotic worship of music.
• Pogonophilia … A fascination with bearded men.
– Sourced from PsychologyToday.com

BS RANDOM JOKE:
How am I? If I were any better, I’d be twins.

BS WATER COOLER QUESTION:
Question: Most of us do THIS once a week, but 28% do it 2-or-3 times a week and 9% claim they do it every single day.
Answer: Vacuum.

BS PHONE STARTER:
☎ ‘Sweetheart’ will likely be the most-used affectionate term in Valentine cards again this year, but what’s the oddest term of endearment you’ve ever been called? (‘Toojy-buttons’?)

BS DEEP THOUGHT:
No problem is so formidable that you can’t walk away from it.