BS SHOW BIZ BUZZ:
★ Zane Lowe, the BBC Radio 1 personality who’s credited with helping discover Adele and Ed Sheeran and recently earned a Grammy nomination for his production work on Sam Smith’s debut album, is leaving the network after 11 years for a gig with Apple’s new iTunes radio service. The 41-year-old New Zealander, who has a knack for promoting emerging talent, will host his final BBC show March 5th. He’ll then cross the pond to take up his position at Apple. An industry insider says Apple’s new service will incorporate Beats Music, the streaming service set up by Dr Dre, which the company bought last year for $3 billion.
– Telegraph.co.uk
★ Simon Cowell has revealed he’s considering having a second baby because he’s loved every minute of fatherhood so far. The 55-year-old music mogul has 12-month-old son Eric with his partner Lauren Silverman and Simon admits fatherhood has been such a joyful experience he’s considering giving Eric a young sibling. The “Britain’s Got Talent” producer/judge, who celebrated Eric’s 1st birthday on Valentines Day, recently admitted that parenthood had so far been a lot easier than he’d imagined. Quote: ”The last year has been kind of unexpected but good, I’m enjoying it.”
– “Heat Magazine”
★ Movie director Sam Taylor-Johnson is said to want out of the “Fifty Shades of Grey” sequels after a number of bust-ups with author EL James. The 47-year-old filmmaker recently confirmed she’d also signed on for the 2nd and 3rd movies in the trilogy, but is now looking for an out because she and James are constantly feuding. An insider says all the biggest arguments are about sex scenes. The author wants the movie to be loyal to the book and extremely explicit, while the director wants the movies to be more than just an S&M display. What may hamper her exit … both she and James signed £3-million ($4.6-million) deals to complete the films.
– “The Sun”
★ And it seems Tracy Morgan wasn’t mentally or emotionally ready to be a part of “Saturday Night Live’s 40th Anniversary Special” on Sunday night. The 46-year-old actor-comedian hasn’t made a public appearance since being seriously injured in a car accident last June. Morgan was a regular cast member on “Saturday Night Live” from 1996-to-2003, and while producers really wanted him on the milestone anniversary program and offered him an invitation, he decided he wasn’t feeling fit enough to appear. Instead, his former “30 Rock” cast-mates Alec Baldwin and Tina Fey paid tribute to Tracy during the show.
– PageSix.com

TODAY’S SHOW BIZ SKED:
• “American Idol” (FOX) – After a performance at the House of Blues, some of the contestants learn their fate.
• “Conan” (TBS/CTV) – Kristian Bush (Sugarland).
• “Jimmy Kimmel Live” (ABC/CityTV) – Rascal Flatts (“Rewind”).
• “Late Night With Seth Meyers” (NBC/CTV) – The Mavericks (“Mono”).
• “Late Show With David Letterman” (CBS/Omni1) – Grizfolk (“From the Spark”).
• “Live With Kelly & Michael” (syndicated/CTV) – Mary J Blige (“The London Sessions”).
• NME Awards (UK) – The annual music honors as voted by readers of “New Musical Express” are handed out at London’s Brixton Academy. Kasabian leads nominations with 8, followed by Jamie T and Royal Blood with 7 apiece. Former Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page is being honored with a one-off Rock’N’Roll Soul Award … whatever that may be.
NET: http://www.nme.com/awards
• “Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” (NBC/CTV2) – Ella Henderson (“Chapter One”).
• “The View” (ABC/CTV) – Estelle (“All of Me”).

BS MUSIC NOTES:
• Billy Idol – He’s working on a stage musical based on his memoir, “Dancing With Myself”, which was released last year. He tells “Sydney Morning Herald” the idea is still in the planning phase and he’s unsure whether he’ll pull it off. But that’s how he felt about the book as well.
• Jack White – He’s written an open letter to the press in which he explains his ‘diva-ish’ dressing room demands that recently came to light. His request for no bananas is because ‘someone on the tour might have an allergy’. His demand for a specific guacamole recipe, he claims, is an ‘inside joke’ by his tour manager.
• Jethro Tull – Frontman Ian Anderson is developing a stage show about the 1960s-70s band’s namesake which will feature their music. “Jethro Tull: The Rock Opera” revolves around the 17th century British agricultural pioneer, but is set in the ‘near future’. Sounds like a real winner.
• Lady Gaga – She’s confirmed reports of her engagement to actor Taylor Kinney after he proposed on Valentines Day. The pop singer has been dating the “Chicago Fire” actor since 2011. They first met when he played her onscreen love interest in her “You and I” video.
• Nicki Minaj – She only split with her boyfriend of 14 years, Safaree Samuels, earlier this year but many reports are suggesting the 32-year-old has already moved on with Philadelphia PA rapper Meek Mill. She does admit, “When we hang out, we have fun.”
• One Direction – The problem with being rich & famous is you can’t go out without attracting attention, so Harry Styles is solving that by building his own pub in his north London home. Already dubbed Harry’s Bar by his pals, it’s said to be planned as ‘the ultimate boys’ den’.
• Sam Smith – The 22-year-old singer recently revealed his mega-hit album “In the Lonely Hour” was inspired by a man he fell in love with who didn’t feel the same way. The mystery man is believed to be Elvin Smith, one of Smith’s 3 managers and a married music executive.

TOO STUPID FOR US TO MAKE UP:
• A mother whose daughter was killed in a car crash a year ago has had her child’s ashes mixed with ink and … tattooed on her wrist. The 41-year-old from South Wales says the inking means she can carry her beloved girl with her ‘always’. Her daughter, who was just 20-years-old, was killed in a collision in February last year.
– DailyMail.co.uk
• A Florida teenager has undergone the 1st-ever … penis reduction. The 17-year-old from Miami opted for the procedure because – according to him – his size was restricting his ability to have intercourse and also making it uncomfortable to play sports. He also purportedly had difficulty just wearing his pants. The teen spent just 2 days in hospital and is reportedly happy with the results.
– 4E
• Lancaster University scientists are planning to turn sheep into … wi-fi hotspots. The woolies are being fitted out with special collars primarily to track their movements and other data. But as the electronic devices will be able to transmit up to 5 km (3 mi), the researchers say they could have an important alternative use in remote areas, providing emergency hotspots for lost hikers.
– “Metro”
• And firefighters in London are bracing for what they refer to as … ‘The Fifty Shades Effect’. The brigade has noted a dramatic increase in incidents of people stuck in compromising situations since EL James’ erotic novel was first published in 2011. There were 472 cases reported in 2013-14, 28 involving handcuffs alone. So now that the movie is in theaters, EMS workers are fearing the worst.
– “Orange News”

LIFE BY THE NUMBERS:
A BS breakdown of who we are and what we do …
• 52% of us wish the coffee we get at work was better quality.
• 40% of us lie about how much chocolate we eat.
• 35% of us have fallen in love with someone we didn’t initially find attractive.
• 30% of women would like to change their partners’ table manners.
• 25% of women have said ‘No’ to a marriage proposal at least once.
• 19% of men say they find a woman’s belly button the most attractive part of her body.

BS CUTTING-EDGE VOCAB:
New terms leaking into our lingo …
• ‘Cyber-Loafing’ – Wasting time at work by engaging in online activities, particularly social media.
• ‘Gesture Tech’ – Technology that recognizes and performs tasks based on gestures such as hand and arm movements.
• ‘IoT’ – Shorthand reference to the ‘Internet of Things’, the increasing collection of devices that are connected to the Internet and are capable of transmitting and receiving data.

TOP PERKS ON PLANES:
Fully reclining seats have become the norm for Business Class passengers on the world’s most opulent airlines, but that’s just the beginning. Some of the other luxuries on offer …
• Qatar Airways now features meals & snacks prepared by Michelin-starred chefs. The onboard lounge has a curved central bar adorned with fresh flowers and chandeliers finished in gold.
• Emirates offers a lie-flat bed, access to laptop power, a side table for work, and a personal mini-bar for each passenger.
• Etihad Airways allows individual adjustment to seat firmness, in-seat massage, and a personal 18-inch touchscreen TV with noise-canceling headphones.
• Cathay Pacific Business Class passengers are served meals on designer white porcelain alongside stemless wine glasses, to allow their wine to breathe.
• Singapore Airlines offers pre-selection of meals (ie: lobster thermidor) served on tableware from Givenchy, along with special occasion cakes that the crew presents onboard.
• Air New Zealand’s ‘Business Premier’ cabins boast sumptuous leather armchairs that convert to fully lie-flat beds with memory foam mattresses.
(We just want 1½ more inches so the idiot in front quits bruising the ol’ knees.)
– Condensed from @MailOnline

BS AMAZING FACTS:
• “Let us turn ours into a country of mushrooms by making mushroom cultivation scientific, intensive and industrialised!” is an official slogan of North Korea.
– BBC News
• The Dalai Lama is said to carry around ‘little treasures’ in a bag, but what they are in fact are Werther’s Originals.
– “The Times”

BS CHRONOMETER 02.18.15

TODAY’S CELEBIRTHDAYS . . .
1954 [61] John Travolta, Englewood NJ, movie actor (“The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3”, “Pulp Fiction”)

1957 [58] Vanna White (Rosich), North Myrtle Beach SC, TV mannequin (“Wheel of Fortune”)  who’s been a ‘letter turner’ since 1982

1964 [51] Matt Dillon, New Rochelle NY, movie actor (“Crash”, “There’s Something About Mary”)

1965 [50] Dr Dre (Andre Young), Compton CA, headphone mogul who sold Beats by Dre to Apple (net worth now $650 million)/producer (Eminem, Kendrick Lamar, Snoop Dogg, etc)

1970 [45] Raine Maida, Toronto ON, rock singer-songwriter (Our Lady Peace-“Heavyweight”)

1977 [38] Ike Barinholtz, Chicago IL, TV actor (‘Morgan Tookers’ on “The Mindy Project” since 2012)

1988 [27] Zac Cockrell, Athens AL, blues-rock bassist (Alabama Shakes-“Hold On”)

BS REASONS TO PARTY . . .
• “Ash Wednesday”, the beginning of Lent. Lent, of course, is supposed to be a time of spiritual preparation for Easter that generally involves fasting and penance. Catholic tradition dictates that the 40 days before Easter be a time of restrictions. So what are you giving up?

• “Battery Day”, observed on the birth date of Count Alessandro Volta (1745-1827), the Italian physicist credited with developing the first electric cell in 1800. His vital invention is now used everywhere from smoke alarms to phones and comes in all sorts of shapes, sizes, and power capacities … but is rarely included with any consumer product needing them.

• “Drink Wine Day”, set aside to embrace the positive benefits of wine such as new friends, reduced risk of heart disease, and the enhancement of food and life.

• “Thumb Appreciation Day”, a day devoted to the digit that helps make us human … the opposable thumb. Of course, that means a few other animals can celebrate as well, including koalas, opossums, and pandas; as well as chimps, gorillas, and orangutans, which have opposable thumbs … on all 4 limbs. Wow, we’ve got thumb envy!

THIS DAY IN SHOW BIZ . . .
2001 [14] 7-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champ Dale Earnhardt dies in an accident during the Daytona 500

TODAY’S MUSIC EVENT . . .
2012 [03] Whitney Houston is memorialized at a funeral in her hometown of Newark NJ (she died a week earlier at age 48)

TODAY’S FIRST . . .
1929 [86] Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences announces winners of the 1st “Academy Awards” (‘Best Picture’ honor goes to the William Wellman WWI drama “Wings”)

TODAY’S RECORD . . .
1979 [36] Snow falls in the Sahara Desert of southern Algeria for the first recorded time

AND REMEMBER . . .
[Thurs] Chinese New Year
[Thurs] “Two-And-a-Half Men” series finalé (CBS)
[Fri] “The DUFF”; “Hot Tub Time Machine 2”; “McFarland, USA” open in movie theaters
[Sat] 35th Golden Raspberry Awards (Los Angeles)
[Sun] “87th Academy Awards” (ABC)
[Sun] Daytona 500
This Week is … Brotherhood-Sisterhood Week
This Month Is … Youth Leadership Month

BULL’S BITS

BS HORRIBLESCOPES:
Use ’em all at once or one-at-a-time as the zodiac reading of the day …
• Aries – Giving birth is a life-altering experience but, despite the pain and wave of emotions, that’s not what you did in the bathroom an hour or so ago.
• Taurus – You will take the first hellish step down a dark path from which there can be no return when you agree to receive automatic updates on Carnival Cruise specials.
• Gemini – The rest of the year will seem to fly right by, along with a few thousand others, after you’re frozen in a giant block of ice.
• Cancer – Everyone has their price, but since yours is so much lower than anyone else’s, you have saved a lot of people from finding out what theirs is.
• Leo – It’s sad to think that when they tell the story of your life, you’ll only be remembered as one of two guys whose most notable achievement was to walk into a bar.
• Virgo – After your 17th time around as an underpaid office worker in the early 21st century, you’re really starting to become disenchanted with the whole reincarnation thing.
• Libra – You firmly believe that everything has a soul, which explains why you think your tape dispenser is a bad person.
• Scorpio – You’ll have yet another disastrous first date when you get something stuck between your front teeth … and a crosstown bus.
• Sagittarius – Don’t worry, there is nothing wrong with you that emergency brain surgery and a quadruple bypass within the next 90 minutes won’t solve.
• Capricorn – Your lips are red and chapped because you keep licking them. To balance this out, lick yourself raw everywhere else.
• Aquarius – You’ll be doing a lot of traveling in the near future due to your inability to dribble a basketball effectively.
• Pisces – It’s probably best if you just put your head down and keep sharpening pencils for the next few years.

BS RANDOM JOKE:
Ever wake up and wonder what time it is … and then the boss tells you?

BS PHONE STARTER:
☎ If you could live in any movie’s vision of the future, which would you choose?

BS WATER COOLER QUESTION:
Question: 1-out-of-every-5 of THESE gets stolen.
Answer: Hotel towels.

BS DEEP THOUGHT:
The secret of staying young is to live honestly, eat slowly, and lie about your age.