BS SHOW BIZ BUZZ:
★ Motley Crue rocker Tommy Lee is engaged to marry his longtime girlfriend, singer Sofia Toufa. The drummer announced his engagement in a post on Twitter this week. The marriage will mark Lee’s 4th trip down the aisle; he was previously wed to Elaine Starchuk, actress Heather Locklear, and actress Pamela Anderson, the mother of his 2 teenage sons. He famously married Anderson just 4 days after they first met in 1995. (And made a memorable video together while cruising Lake Mead near Las Vegas.)
– ContactMusic.com
★ Is the world ready for another Charlie Sheen spawn? Word has it Sheen’s porn star fiancée Brett Rossi is eager to begin a family with the actor and is hoping to get pregnant ASAP. Sheen is already a father of 6 but in the midst of the custody drama surrounding his twins with ex-wife Brooke Mueller, an insider says he isn’t willing to rush things when it comes to becoming a dad again. It’s said to be the one thing they can’t seem to agree on. (Who cares about them? Spare another poor child from his parenting, please!)
– RadarOnline.com
★ And “Downton Abbey” executive producer Gareth Neame has assured fans Maggie Smith will keep her place in the cast after rumors suggested the veteran actress will make an exit during the show’s 5th season. The 79-year-old plays the ‘Dowager Countess of Grantham’ in the popular period drama, and recent reports suggested she’d grown tired of the grueling work schedule and had decided to retire. Neame maintains that’s simply not the case. (She’s the only reason to watch, we say.)
– HollywoodReporter.com

TODAY’S SHOW BIZ SKED:
• “American Idol” (FOX/CTV) – The singers face elimination; Candice Glover performs; Jake Bugg performs.
• “Conan” (TBS/CTV) – Haden Triplets f/Ry Cooder (“The Haden Triplets”).
• “Jimmy Kimmel Live” (ABC/CityTV) – Juicy J f/Wiz Khalifa (“Stay Trippy”).
• “Last Call With Carson Daly” (NBC) – Heidecker & Wood (“Some Things Never Stay The Same”).
• “Late Late Show With Craig Ferguson” (CBS) – Roddy Hart & The Lonesome Fire (“Roddy Hart & The Lonesome Fire”).
• “Late Night With Seth Meyers” (NBC/CTV2) – John Mayer Trio (“Paradise Valley”).
• “Late Show With David Letterman” (CBS/Omni1) – Young the Giant (“Mind Over Matter”).
• “Portlandia” (IFC) – Tonight the sketch comedy series returns for its 4th season, which will include guest appearances by a raft of music artists including TV On the Radio’s Tunde Adebimpe, Queens Of the Stone Age’s Josh Homme, Wilco’s Jeff Tweedy, former Guns N’ Roses bassist Duff McKagan, and St Vincent’s Annie Clark.
• “Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon” (NBC/CTV2) – Sara Bareilles (“The Blessed Unrest”).
• “The View” (ABC/CTV) – Dierks Bentley (“Riser”).

BS MUSIC NOTES:
• Akon – An Aussie tech entrepreneur living in Malaysia is suing, claiming he booked Akon for a private birthday bash in Kuala Lumpur last April and paid $125K in advance for the performance. But he says the artist canceled just 2 days beforehand … and kept the money.
• Coldplay – The surprise release of the new song “Midnight” is presumably taken from their upcoming 6th studio album. However, at this juncture there is no word on whether this is the official 1st single off the album, which does not even have a confirmed release date.
• Drake – He performed in Paris, France this week. Rihanna is also in town … and they can’t stay away from each other. They’ve reportedly been hanging out since the weekend, grabbing dinner at a fancy-schmancy restaurant, hitting up a nightclub, then crashing at the Hyatt where Drizzy has a room. Guess that means it’s on again?
• Justin Bieber – His video for “Baby” has delivered more than 1 billion views across Vevo, making it the most watched clip ever on the website. He’s the youngest artist to reach the  milestone 10X Certified, as his 20th birthday approaches on Saturday.
• Miley Cyrus – She’s apparently suffering for her art. She recently posted a photo of her legs covered in bruises caused by her antics during “Bangerz” tour concerts along with the tweeted caption: #bangerztour sure knows how to make a bitch look really shady #werkin #fo #dat $.
• Neil Young – He’s set to publish a 2nd memoir after his 1st book, “Waging Heavy Peace”, was a best-seller in 2012. The new memoir reportedly will focus on his passion for cars, while also featuring stories about his life in music. It’s scheduled for a Fall release.
• Pharrell Williams – Mediabase reports that his track “Happy” is crossing over to multiple formats. It’s currently charting at Top 40, Rhythm, AC, Hot AC, Urban, Urban AC, and also at Triple A.

COMING ATTRACTIONS:
A BS selection of movies in the making …
• “Drumline: A New Beat” – Nick Cannon is set to produce and star in this sequel to his 2002 film, “Drumline”, about competitive college drum corps. The new film centers on a Louisiana university co-ed who hopes to become the 1st-ever female section leader at the college. The made-for-TV movie will air on VH1 this Fall.
• “High Rise” – Tom Hiddleston has the lead role in this futuristic story about a new residential tower designed as a luxurious solution to the problems of a big city, but residents increasingly find themselves isolated and at odds with one another. The bigscreen version of JG Ballard’s novel is finally getting made after being in the works for decades.
• “Labor of Love” – Director-screenwriter M Night Shyamalan is looking to re-team with Bruce Willis (“The Sixth Sense”) on one of the 1st scripts he ever wrote, a 1993 project that never got made. Willis would play a bookstore owner who loses the love of his life in a car accident. Since she once asked him if he would walk across the country for her, he decides to do just that.
• Richard Jewell biopic – “Wolf of Wall Street” stars Leonardo DiCaprio & Jonah Hill are collaborating once more on the strange and intriguing story of the man who both foiled the bomb plot at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta GA, then became the prime suspect. This time around Hill will play the lead, with DiCaprio in the supporting role as Jewell’s lawyer.

MULTI-LINGUISTS STAY SHARP:
Speaking more than one language may help delay dementia because it seems to stimulate your brain, University of Edinburgh research says. Studies show that dementia develops an average of 5 years later in bilingual people than in people who speak just one language. The effect has been seen even in illiterate people, meaning that formal education is not the explanation for the phenomenon. Instead, it seems there’s something special about the mental activity of switching from one language to another. The exact reason is not yet completely clear nor is whether learning a 2nd language late in life will help. (We’ve got English and Ig-pay Atin-lay.)
– USAToday.com

PRODUCT PLACEMENT, ROYAL STYLE:
Companies that supply Britain’s royal family bear a coat of arms and a caption along the lines of  ‘By Appointment to the Queen’. This is known as a royal warrant. To get one, a company must have been doing business with the royal household for at least 5 years. Suppliers to the sovereign have been given recognition since the Middle Ages. There are currently about 850 warrant holders. Among them …
✓ Department store Fortnum & Mason.
✓ The Ritz London hotel.
✓ Waxed Country Jackets.
✓ Wellington Boots.
✓ Gin-maker Tanqueray Gordon & Co.
✓ Paragon Fine China.
There are also silversmiths and jewelers, champagne houses and wine merchants, gun-makers, glove-makers, tailors, and kilt-makers … all the kind of luxury brands befitting a head of state who resides in palaces and castles. (Just a sneaky way to get freebies?)
– “BBC News Magazine”

LIGHTS OUT, EVERYONE:
Your mother was right: You’ll never get a proper night’s rest dozing in front of the TV or falling asleep with a light on. A recent study has revealed that even low light interferes with ‘good sleep’ by inducing less deep sleep. In experiments, South Korean researchers monitored subjects over 2 nights, the first when no artificial light was allowed in the room; the second when a fluorescent lamp was left on near the subjects’ heads. With the light on, sleepers spent far more time in stage 1 sleep and less time in stage 3 and 4 sleep. (The problem with total darkness is nightly stubbed toes whenever nature calls.)
– Reuters.com

CRAZY PUBLIC APPEARANCE FEES:
• Mariah Carey once earned a cool million for singing just 4 songs at a bash.
• Christina Aguilera reportedly got $1 million for an hour-long performance at a private Halloween party in San Diego CA. That’s roughly $16,666 per minute!
• Dream on if you think you can hire Aerosmith for less than $1.5-to-2 million, according to Celebrity Talent International.
• Elton John’s reported minimum fee of $1.5-to-$2 million will certainly buy him a lot of funky glasses.
• Is Jay Z your holy grail of party hosts? CTI says his minimum fee hovers between $1-to-$1.5 million. That’s how much he got for a New Year’s bash at the Cosmopolitan Resort in Vegas.
• And his wife Beyoncé once charged $2 million to perform at a private New Year’s Eve party, according to reports.
(And in case you’re wondering, we’ll show up at any event in exchange for a free buffet.)
– Adapted from RadarOnline.com

CANINE COOKING:
Forget the dry stuff: Pampered pooches are increasingly enjoying gourmet meals prepared by – and shared with – their owners. There’s even a cookbook for it, called “Dog-Gone Good Cuisine” by Gayle Pruitt. It’s packed with recipes like ‘Salmon Florentine’ and ‘Tomato-Carrot Soup’. Pruitt began making meals that humans and dogs could eat together after rescuing 2 extremely malnourished pups a few years ago. She researched canine nutrition, and found that with a few exceptions, dogs can eat many of the same types of food as humans. Pruitt says her strays did so well on the new diet, they became really healthy and beautiful. (Seems man’s best friend has now also become his dinner date.)
– “New York Daily News”

SHEER FASHIONS: ARE YOU IN?
Halfway through the highly anticipated Marc Jacobs Fall 2014 fashion show last week, 18-year-old Kendall Jenner walked out wearing a V-neck shirt so sheer that her nipples were showing. Indeed, sheer clothing had a major moment on the runways this year, but translating those shock-worthy moments into real-world outfits requires a few styling lessons. So how does a real woman get away with it? Follow these tips …
✓ Pair sheer with a non-sheer layer underneath.
✓ Don’t use sheer in the crucial chest area.
✓ Save sheer for evenings and weekends. (Unless your mother-in-law is visiting.)
– “Redbook Magazine”

DID YOU KNOW?
• Architects practicing in Texas have to be fingerprinted. (“That new office tower has Butterfield’s fingerprints all over it.”)
– “The Guardian”
• There is only one floating cat sanctuary in the world … in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. (Well that’s one way of keeping strays off the streets.)
– “Vice”

BS CHRONOMETER 02.27.14

TODAY’S CELEBIRTHDAYS . . .
1954 [60] Neal Schon, Tinker Air Force Base OK, oldies guitarist (Journey-“Open Arms”, “Don’t Stop Believin'”)

1960 [54] Johnny Van Zant, Jacksonville FL, country-rock singer (Van Zant-“Help Somebody”, Lynyrd Skynyrd-“Sweet Home Alabama”)

1971 [43] Rozonda ‘Chilli’ Thomas, Atlanta GA, pop singer (TLC-“Unpretty”, “No Scrubs”)

1981 [33] Josh Groban, LA CA, pop singer/operatic baritone (“Brave”, “You Raise Me Up”)

1983 [31] Jared Champion, Bowling Green KY, rock drummer (Cage The Elephant-“Shake Me Down”, “Back Against the Wall”)

1983 [31] Kate Mara, Bedford NY, TV actress (“House of Cards”, ”American Horror Story”)

TODAY’S BS REASONS TO PARTY . . .
• “Chili Day”, observed annually on the last Thursday of February. It’s a great excuse to put together a perfect pot of spicy chili. What’s your secret ingredient?

• “Glory in Simple Artistic Achievements Day”, by posting your kid’s ‘fridge art’ perhaps?

• “International Polar Bear Day”, declared by non-profit conservation group Polar Bears International to heighten awareness of the declining population of the big white guys of the Far North.

• “No Brainer Day”, when we’re encouraged to slack off. Any activity attempted should be something done without serious thought … a ‘no brainer’ activity. Like this show, for instance.

THIS DAY IN SHOW BIZ . . .
2003 [11] Fred Rogers, better known as children’s entertainer “Mr Rogers”, dies of stomach cancer in Pittsburgh PA at age 74

2005 [09] Oscar-winner Halle Berry accepts a Razzie Award for the terrible pic “Catwoman”

TODAY’S MUSIC EVENT . . .
1980 [34] “I Will Survive” by Gloria Gaynor wins the first – and last – Grammy ever awarded for ‘Best Disco Recording’

TODAY’S FIRST . . .
1827 [187] 1st ‘Mardi Gras’ celebration in New Orleans LA (and 1st co-ed flashes to get a cheap string of beads)

TODAY’S RECORD . . .
1988 [26] ‘Longest Tandem Bicycle’ is unveiled in New Zealand, measuring 72.96 ft and weighing 340 lbs

AND REMEMBER . . .
[Fri] “Non-Stop”; “Son of God”; “Welcome to Yesterday” open in movie theaters
[Fri] Floral Design Day
[Fri] Tooth Fairy Day
[Fri] Rare Disease Day
[Fri] Snowshoe Day
[Sun] “Academy Awards” (ABC)
This Week Is  … Telecommuter Appreciation Week
This Month Is … Bird Feeding Month

BULL’S BITS

MORE STRANGE FOOD ETIQUETTE RULES WORLDWIDE:
• When in China, you should burp at the dinner table if you enjoyed the food
• When in France, the bread is typically placed directly on the table rather than on a plate.
• When in Italy, you should never ask for extra cheese on something unless it’s offered.
• When in Korea, drinks from elders should be accepted with both hands.
• When in Japan, finishing everything on your plate signals the meal was good and you are finished.
• When in Portugal, don’t ask for salt & pepper if they aren’t on the table. It will offend the chef.
• When in England, bananas should be eaten with a fork and knife.
– List25.com

BS RANDOM JOKE:
Never get into fights with ugly people, they have nothing to lose.

BS PHONE STARTER:
☎ Best TV finalé of all-time? (A few that are oft mentioned in polls: “Breaking Bad”, “Buffy: The Vampire Slayer”, “Six Feet Under”, “The Sopranos”, “The West Wing”, “The Wire”.)

BS WATER COOLER QUESTION:
Question: More women than men do THIS during their daily commute to work.
Answer: Drive on ’empty’.

BS DEEP THOUGHT:
It’s a small world. So you gotta use your elbows a lot.