BS SHOW BIZ BUZZ:
In a pre-recorded interview with Oprah Winfrey, disgraced cycling champ Lance Armstrong has finally ‘fessed up that he used performance-enhancing drugs to win the Tour de France (interview airs tomorrow & Friday nights on OWN’s “Oprah’s Next Chapter”) . . . Actor Bradley Cooper (38) has laughed off romance rumors with his “Silver Linings Playbook” co-star Jennifer Lawrence (22), saying “I could be her father” (er, only if you had a kid at 16) . . . Celebrity spawn Willow & Jaden Smith have just teamed up to release a new rap track (“Whip My Bro”?) . . . Actors Martin Sheen and Ed Asner are urging Oscar voters to boycott “Zero Dark Thirty” due to its graphic torture, which includes waterboarding and humiliation scenes (we wonder why – it happened) . . . A new Los Angeles County Coroner’s report concludes that bruising on actress Natalie Wood’s body is consistent with injuries from assault (her now 82-year-old widower, actor Robert Wagner, has always maintained she fell overboard and drowned back in 1981) . . . In its 1st week of direct competition with Leno and Letterman, “Jimmy Kimmel Live” has come out on top in the ratings, but Kimmel says it’s just the novelty and expects to ultimately end up as the #3 talk show (at least, that’s what he’s saying in public) . . . Actor Charlie Sheen (“Anger Management”) is about to become a grandfather, as his 28-year-old daughter Cassandra Estevez is expecting (her mom is Sheen’s former high school girlfriend Paula Profit) . . . And famous felon Lindsay Lohan owes her recently fired, long standing criminal defense attorney, Shawn Holley, a whopping $300,000-plus in unpaid legal fees and hasn’t made a payment in over 6 months (hmm, maybe she’ll have to do Charlie Sheen another ‘favor’ – or more like 3).
TODAY’S SHOW BIZ SKED:
• “American Idol” (FOX/CTV) – The 2-hour 12th season debut with new judges Mariah Carey, Nicki Minaj, and Keith Urban. Tonight hopefuls perform for the panel in NYC. Part 2 airs tomorrow night.
• “Conan” (TBS/CTV) – Trampled By Turtles (“Stars & Satellites”).
• “Ellen DeGeneres Show” (syndicated/CTV2) – Phillip Phillips (“The World From the Side Of the Moon”).
• “Jimmy Kimmel Live” (ABC/CityTV) – Phillip Phillips again.
• “Last Call With Carson Daly” (NBC) – Milo Greene (“Milo Greene”). Rerun.
• “Late Night With Jimmy Fallon” (NBC/CTV2) – Jessie Ware (“Devotion”).
• “Late Show With David Letterman” (CBS/NTV/Omni1) – Bluesman Buddy Guy (“Live at Legends”).
• “Tonight Show With Jay Leno” (NBC/CTV2) – JJamz (“Suicide Pact”).
BS MUSIC NOTES:
• The Band Perry – The single “You Lie” from the country trio’s self-titled debut album has now sold more than 1 million copies, achieving Platinum status.
• Black Sabbath – They’ve announced their new album with Ozzy Osbourne will be out in June. Titled “13”, the album will be the first to feature Ozzy since 1978’s “Never Say Die”.
• Britney Spears – RadarOnline.com reports she quit “The X Factor” because her demand for a $3 million pay increase was refused. That would have ballooned her fee to $18 million a season and producers simply decided she wasn’t worth it.
• Ellie Goulding – Tonight in Miami, Florida she begins her “Halcyon Days Tour” of North America. The Brit singer-songwriter (“Lights”) says playing shows is her favorite part of what she does and she can’t wait to get on the road.
• Kenny Chesney – He’s added 28 new dates to his “No Shoes Nation Tour”. The 46-date trek now begins March 16th in Tampa, Florida and ends August 24th in Foxboro, Massachusetts.
TOP TRENDING BABY NAMES OF 2013:
Based on names searched at Parenting.com …
GIRLS:
10. Charlotte
9. Eithne (‘ITH-nee’, Irish for ‘fairy’)
8. Emma
7. Ellie
6. Betty
5. Ella
4. Ann
3. Sookie (also ‘Suki’, ‘Suke’, ‘Sukie’, ‘Sukey’, ‘Suky’)
2. Millie
1. Isabella
BOYS:
10. Gus
9. Ned
8. Bertie
7. Andy
6. Aiden
5. Mo (or ‘Moe’)
4. Ted
3. Liam
2. Max
1. Jacob
– CNN.com
STRINGS ATTACHED:
If you like someone on Facebook, it might be worth a shot in the flesh. A growing body of research suggests that people are roughly the same on- and offline. One study in “Psychological Science” reports that when people rate others’ personalities based only on their Facebook profiles, the assessments tend to be an accurate reflection of reality. But superficial things manipulate our perceptions. For instance, when a man is holding a guitar in his profile photo, women are 3 times more likely to respond positively. (On the other hand, a man hoisting a tuba …)
– PsychologyToday.com
BS BUZZWORDS:
New cutting-edge vocab …
• ‘Craftivism’ – The use of crafts such as knitting to further political, social, or other activist causes. Typically craftivists are anti-sweatshop, against mass production, and very much focused on sustainability and giving new life to old materials.
• ‘Powsurfing’ – Riding a snowboard without bindings, particularly on powder snow. (“Dude, we’re going powsurfing off-trail in backcountry where the snow is 110% virgin and the rescue squad will never find us after the avalanche. Are you in?”)
• ‘Superbowl’ – A handbag that is styled like a bowling bag. You can carry your superbowl with your hand through the handles and the bag resting on your hip like Victoria Beckham, but we reckon that could get uncomfortable.
BEST STUDY METHODS:
Some of the most popular study strategies used by students, including highlighting and re-reading, don’t show much promise for improving learning or grades. A review of 10 common techniques by a team at Kent State University found that 2 strategies – practice testing and distributed practice – do seem to work. Practice testing involves using flash-cards or answering questions at the end of a chapter. Distributed practice involves spreading out studying over time and having students quiz themselves on material before a big test. (‘Distributed practice’, huh? That’s not the same as cramming, is it?)
– PsychCentral.com
FUN FITNESS:
If you’re having trouble keeping your resolution to get in shape, travel book series “Lonely Planet” has come up with a list unusual ways to get fit around-the-world …
✳ ‘Wildfitness’ in Kenya, which includes barefoot running.
✳ Hiking America’s 2,200-mi (3,500-km) Appalachian Trail (Maine to Georgia).
✳ ‘Detox Retreat’ at Bagus Jati in Bali, Indonesia.
✳ ‘Bikini Bootcamp’ in Tulum, Mexico.
✳ ‘Sivananda Yoga Ashram’ in The Bahamas.
✳ ‘Fatpacking’ (backpacking for weight-loss), available at various locations.
✳ Following the Tour de France … on a bicycle.
✳ ‘Surf Camp’ at several locations in Australia.
✳ Triathlon training at the Perla Hotel in Riccione, Italy.
✳ Therapeutic water treatments at Thalmar Biarritz in Biarritz, France.
– MercuryNews.com
WAXING LEADS TO WANING:
Pubic lice, the crab-shaped insects that have dwelled in human groins since the beginning of history, are disappearing. Doctors say bikini waxing may be the reason. Waning infestations of the bloodsuckers have been linked by doctors to pubic depilation, especially a technique popularized in the 1990s by a Manhattan salon run by 7 Brazilian sisters. More than 80% of US college students remove all or some of their pubic hair – part of a trend that’s increasing in Western countries. In Australia, for instance, Sydney’s main sexual health clinic hasn’t seen a woman with pubic lice since 2008 and male cases have fallen 80% from a decade ago. (There goes that useful old punchline: “I’ve run out of seafood but I do have a case of the crabs.”)
– Bloomberg.com
THINGS YOU DON’T KNOW ABOUT YOUR MAN:
• He doesn’t tell his buds much about you, but he still talks about his exes.
• He thinks your bestie is hot. Oh, and also your frenemy. And your best friend’s frenemy.
• He uses your products sometimes. Doesn’t matter if it’s $20-shampoo, he just grabs the first one he sees.
• There’s a lot of guy stuff he doesn’t know how to do. Ever seen him change a tire?
• He’s insecure about his height/weight/muscles. All guys have physical traits that they’re self-conscious about.
• He likes “Love, Actually” or at least the odd rom-com … once in awhile.
– Condensed from Cosmopolitan.com
BS AMAZING FACTS:
• The first journey on London’s Metropolitan subway (the Tube) in 1862 took 2-and-a-half hours to cover what’s now an 18-minute route.
– BBC News
• The National Rifle Association has launched an app for iOS devices that allows users to reenact practicing at a shooting range. The app is recommended for ages 4 and up.
– TheNextWeb.com
BS CHRONOMETER 01.16.13
TODAY’S CELEBIRTHDAYS . . .
1959 [54] Sadé (Helen Folasade Adu), Ibadan, Nigeria, pop-jazz singer (“Soldier of Love”, “Smooth Operator”)
1974 [39] Kate Moss, Addiscomb UK, fashion model who’s appeared on over 300 magazine covers
1981 [32] Nick Valensi, NYC, rock guitarist (The Strokes-“Last Nite”, “Juicebox”)
1985 [28] Joe Flacco, Audubon NJ, NFL quarterback (Baltimore Ravens since 2008)
TODAY’S BS REASONS TO PARTY . . .
• “Appreciate a Dragon Day”, celebrating fictional dragons as memorable characters. (Let’s see, there was … uh …)
• “Hot & Spicy Food International Day”, encouraging us to spice up our lives in order to add some zest to a Winter’s day. What’s the absolute hottest thing you’ve ever put in your mouth?
• “Religious Freedom Day”, when you all have the right to believe the same stuff I do.
THIS DAY IN SHOW BIZ . . .
1988 [25] “Three Men & a Baby” breaks the $100-million mark in ticket sales, the first time for a Disney movie (nowadays the watermark is $1 billion)
TODAY’S MUSIC EVENT . . .
1988 [25] George Harrison’s “Got My Mind Set On You” hits #1 on pop singles chart (“This song only has 6 words, this song only has …”)
TODAY’S FIRST . . .
1957 [56] 1st non-stop, around-the-world commercial airplane flight (some vacation … we’re home again!)
TODAY’S RECORD . . .
2005 [08] Romanian university lecturer and novelist Adriana Iliescu gives birth at 66 to her daughter Eliza, breaking the record for ‘World’s Oldest Birth Mother’
AND REMEMBER . . .
[Thurs] Kid Inventors Day
[Thurs] Winnie the Pooh Day
[Thurs] Sundance Film Festival begins
[Thurs] Thesaurus Day
[Fri] “Fringe” 2-hour series finalé (FOX)
[Fri] International Fetish Day
[Fri] “Broken City”; “Mama”; “The Last Stand” open in movie theaters
This Week Is … International Snowmobile Safety Week
This Month Is … Personal Self-Defense Awareness Month
BULL’S BITS
REAL-LIFE SEA CRUISE THEMES:
• ‘The Elvis Cruise’
• ‘Equestrian Theme Voyage’
• ‘Gothic Cruise & Masquerade Ball’
• ‘Norwegian Costume Cruise’
• ‘Girls Get-A-Way Cruise’
• ‘Bare Necessities Tour & Travel’s Clothing Optional Cruise’
• Geek Cruises’ ‘Chess Moves Cruise’, ‘Mac Mania’, and ‘Shakespeare at Sea’.
• ‘Spotlight Is on … Chocolate’
• ‘Hogs On the High Seas’ (for Harley-Davidson enthusiasts)
(And here’s one you shouldn’t fail to miss: ‘The Carnival People Cruise’.)
– TopTenTopTen.com
BS PHONE STARTER:
☎ What or who do you think deserves a comeback? A sampling from a new listing in “Men’s Health” magazine …
✓ Keanu Reeves
✓ Bralessness.
✓ Demi Moore
✓ Burning leaves in the backyard.
✓ “Chappelle’s Show”
✓ Michael Keaton
✓ Mood Rings.
✓ Jim Carrey
✓ Full-size spare tires.
✓ Shakira
✓ Halter tops.
BS U-PICK TRIVIA:
• Which is the biggest selling restaurant food?
a. Hamburgers.
b. French Fries. [CORRECT, served with 22% of all restaurant meals.]
c. Pizza.
– UPI.com
• For every dollar you spend on produce at the supermarket, how much goes to the farmer who grew it?
a. 60 cents.
b. 34 cents.
c. 5 cents. [CORRECT].
– National Campaign for Sustainable Agriculture
BS RANDOM JOKE:
Marriage changes passion … suddenly you’re in bed with a relative.
BS WATER COOLER QUESTION:
Question: More than a third of women say THIS is their biggest problem.
Answer: Men.
BS DEEP THOUGHT:
Failure is an event, never a person.