Thursday, January 6, 2011        Edition: #4419
Sweet Sheet!

BS SHOW BIZ BUZZ:
2002 movie “Bend It Like Beckham” has just made history by becoming the first ever Western film shown on North Korean TV, although 8 minutes were edited from the original (a big deal in a country where hundreds have been imprisoned for sneaking a peak at South Korean TV) . . . “The View” co-host Sherri Shepherd is set to marry boyfriend Lamar Sally later this year after he first asked & received permission from her 5-year-old son Jeffrey from a previous marriage (we’re guessing Jeff also negotiated a Wii in his future) . . . Sorta actress Pamela Anderson has been named ‘PETA’s Person Of the Year 2010’ by People For the Ethical Treatment of Animals and she’s thanked them by saying “I’ve never met a vegetable I didn’t like!” (is that any way to talk about Tommy Lee?) . . . Former NY Jets massage therapists Christina Scavo & Shannon O’Toole have filed sexual harassment lawsuits against retiring NFL quarterback Brett Favre, just days after the league completed its investigation into explicit text messages & pics he allegedly sent to TV reporter Jenn Sterger (a sad, sad way for a legend to end a 20-year career) . . . “Gossip Girl” actress Blake Lively (appeared in Ben Affleck’s “The Town”) has become the new face of Chanel and will appear in the ad campaign for its new ‘Mademoiselle’ handbag line (for which she gets both a purse and something to stuff it with) . . . And “Little Fockers”, “Sex & The City 2”, and “Twilight Saga: Eclipse” are among those nominated for “Golden Raspberry Awards”, the January 24th salute to the worst movies of the year (gee, tough to pick ain’t it?).

TODAY’S SHOW BIZ SKED:
• “Chelsea Lately” (E!) – Tim McGraw (the movie “Country Strong”, opening wide tomorrow).
• “Conan” (TBS/CTV) – Jimmy Eat World (“Invented”).
• “Ellen DeGeneres Show” (syndicated/A Channel) – Bruno Mars (“Doo-Wops & Hooligans”).
• “Jersey Shore” (MTV) – Season 3 premiere, promising more partying, more creeping & more sleeping around.
• “Jimmy Kimmel Live” (ABC/CityTV) – Jazmine Sullivan (“Love Me Back”).
• “Last Call With Carson Daly” (NBC) – Matt & Kim (“Grand”).
• “Late Night With Jimmy Fallon” (NBC/A Channel) – Iron & Wine (“Around the Well”).
• “Late Show With David Letterman” (CBS/Omni) – The Walkmen (Lisbon”).
• “Lopez Tonight” (TBS) – Orianthi (“Believe”).
• “Tonight Show With Jay Leno” (NBC/A Channel) – Los Lobos (“Tin Can Trust”).

BS MUSIC NOTES:
• Foo Fighters – They’ve announced via Twitter that they’ve completed their as-yet-untitled new album and are currently mastering it in NYC for release sometime in the Spring.
• Johnny Cash – For the first time, 8 of his classic songs (including “Folsom Prison Blues” and “I Walk the Line”) have been released for download and play in “Rock Band 3” this week.
• Kellie Pickler – No one noticed, so her label has had to announce she wed songwriter Kyle Jacobs on New Year’s Day on a private island in the Caribbean.
• Michael Jackson – His onetime manager Frank DiLeo (1984-89) has decided to write a memoir about his time with the King of Pop in order to ‘set the record straight’.
• No Doubt – They’ve confirmed they’re back in the studio, recording tracks for their long-awaited comeback album.
• Taylor Swift – She & actor Jake Gyllenhaal have reportedly parted ways. An insider tells “People” magazine it ended last month. They were last seen publicly together December 9th in Los Angeles. The reason for the split is not yet known.

COMING ATTRACTIONS:
A BS selection of movies in the making …
• “Get Happy: The Life of Judy Garland” – Production on this upcoming bio-pic about the late singer/actress (“The Wizard of Oz”) has been pushed back to allow producers and star Anne Hathaway extra time to research the ‘sensitive project’ and make sure the film correctly portrays Garland’s life story (lawsuit threatened?). It’s now thought production may start in late 2012.
• “Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters” – Former ‘Bond girl’ Gemma Arterton has signed up to star alongside Jeremy Renner (“The Hurt Locker”) in this dark action movie that tells the story of the fairytale siblings 10 years after their traumatic childhood incident has turned them into bounty hunters. The project is scheduled to begin shooting in Berlin, Germany March 7th.
• “Ouija” – Director McG (“Terminator Salvation”) will helm this upcoming bigscreen treatment of the classic truth-seeking board game. The film is described as a supernatural adventure centered around a family’s attempts to conjure up dead spirits. “Ouija” is currently set for release on November 9, 2012. Universal is planning to turn it into a franchise if it’s well received.
• “The 13 Women of Nanjing” – Christian Bale (“Dark Knight”) has signed on for this period epic about the 1937 ‘Nanjing Massacre’ in China, playing an American priest who helps Chinese escape death as invading Japanese troops kill thousands. The $90-million movie will be shot in both English and Mandarin. Oscar-nominated director Yimou Zhang begins shooting next week.

ALL-TIME DUMBEST TECH PREDICTIONS:
• “This ‘telephone’ has too many shortcomings to be seriously considered as a means of communication.” – Western Union internal memo (1876).
• “I think there is a world market for maybe 5 computers.” – IBM chairman Thomas Watson (1943).
• “Computers of the future may have only 1,000 vacuum tubes and perhaps weigh 1-and-a-half tons.” – “Popular Mechanics” (1949).
• “Television won’t be able to hold on to any market it captures after the first 6 months. People will soon get tired of staring at a plywood box every night.” – Darryl Zanuck, 20th Century Fox (1946).
• “The wireless music box (radio) has no imaginable commercial value. Who would pay for a message sent to no one in particular?” – Associates of David Sarnoff responding to his call for investment in the radio (1921).
– Excerpted from MarketWatch.com

INGESTING INVADERS:
There’s a new food movement that advocates curbing the growth of invasive species by … eating them. ‘Invasivores’ prey upon species that are taking over established habitats of other animals. Virginia-based Jackson Landers is one adherent, teaching urbanites how to hunt and butcher overpopulated deer. He’s also hunted and eaten feral pigs, iguana, armadillos, starlings, pigeons, and Canada geese. Landers says his activities will be chronicled in a new book entitled “Eating Aliens”, and he’s hoping for a TV show as well. (Has he been sampling Redwing Blackbirds in Arkansas by any chance?)
NET: http://rule-303.blogspot.com
– NYTimes.com

TOO STUPID FOR US TO MAKE UP:
• Brazil – The weekend inauguration of new president Dilma Rousseff is being overshadowed by front page media coverage of vice-president Michel Temer’s wife, former beauty pageant contestant Marcela Temer. That’s because she’s a 27-year-old law school graduate hottie and he’s a creaky old politician of 70! Even creepier … they met 7 years ago.
– Reuters.com
• Cambodia – Nearly 1,000 people have flocked to a wedding … between 2 snakes. The bride, a 16-ft (5-m) python weighing 200 lb (90 kg), is said to be far larger than her new hubby. Buddhist monks blessed the pair and villagers showered them with flowers during the 2-hour ceremony that’s believed to bring good luck and prosperity to those attending.
– PA News
• Sweden – A group of medical students preparing to perform an autopsy on a medical cadaver were appalled to discover the body was … a popular former professor. One student called the experience ‘very emotional’; course co-ordinators at the Karolinska Institute called it ‘extremely unfortunate’.
– HuffingtonPost.com

ELDERS CARE MOST:
Our ability to empathize with others peaks during our 60s, according to a new psychology study at the University of California at Berkeley. That’s likely because older generations have greater ‘emotional intelligence’ (aka life experience) and they’re better at seeing the positive side of stressful situations. The scientists say it makes sense that seniors develop an enhanced caring side, as it appears that finding meaning in later life centers on social and caring relationships. (That’s why grandma is … Grandma.)
– Telegraph.co.uk

WAYS TO STOP OVEREATING:
• Eat Every 3-to-4 Hours – Spreading caloric intake through the day keeps blood sugar stable.
• Balance Your Plate – Aim for 3 or 4 food groups with each meal and 2 with each snack.
• Don’t Ban Treats – It’s okay to indulge cravings, just don’t overdo it.
• Shrink the Portions – You can stick with eating what you want if you downsize the serving.
• Eat with Awareness – Curb mindless grazing while web surfing or watching TV.
• Keep a Food Diary – Write down everything you eat, highlighting ‘trouble zones’.
• Identify Triggers – Figure out which foods you can’t resist and don’t stock them at home.
• Make Nutritious Eating Easy – Keep healthy options at the front of your fridge, ready to go.
– Condensed from “Best Health”

FOR THE RECORD:
Two 50-something Chinese men have set a new Guinness World Record by standing encased in ice for 2 hours. Chen Kecai & Jin Songhao stripped down to swimsuits and stepped into transparent boxes that were then filled with ice up to their necks. Chen lasted 118 minutes, Jin a full 120 minutes. They’ve had experience with cold as they hail from an area where temps can drop to -40C (also -40F) in Winter. They both beat the previous record of 115 minutes set earlier this week by a 51-year-old Dutchman in Hong Kong. (“Freeze a jolly good fellow …”)
– Orange News

ODDBALL JOB INTERVIEW QUESTIONS OF 2010:
Culled from tens-of-thousands shared online by job-seekers worldwide …
• “If you were shrunk to the size of a pencil and put in a blender, how would you get out?” – Goldman Sachs.
• “How many ridges are there around a quarter?” – Deloitte.
• “What is the philosophy of martial arts?” – Aflac
• “Explain what has happened in this country during the last 10 years.” – Boston Consulting.
• “Rate yourself on a scale of 1-to-10 as to how weird you are.” – Capital One.
• “How many basketballs can you fit in this room” – Google.
(Part 2 in tomorrow’s edition of “BS”.)
– Glassdoor.com

DID YOU KNOW?
• 45% of wives say their husbands snore but only 5% of husbands will admit to it.
– “USA Today”
• Australian researchers have found that headbangers keeping time to a song with 146 beats per minute can injure their brains if they move their heads and necks more than 75 degrees.
– NYPost.com
• Sometime this year, the world’s population will pass the 7 billion mark. By 2045, that figure is expected to reach 9 billion.
– “National Geographic”

BS CHRONOMETER 01.06.11

TODAY’S CELEBIRTHDAYS . . .
1953 [58] Malcolm Young, Glasgow, Scotland, rock guitarist (AC/DC-“Thunderstruck”, “Hard As a Rock”)/Rock & Roll Hall of Fame (2003)

1955 [56] Rowan Atkinson, Consett UK, movie actor (“Bean”, “Four Weddings & a Funeral”)/former TV comic (“Mr Bean”, “Blackadder”)

1960 [51] Howie Long, Charlestown MA, TV football analyst (“FOX NFL Sunday”)/former NFL DE (Raiders 1981-93)/Pro Football Hall of Fame (2000)

1968 [43] John Singleton, LA CA, movie producer/director/screenwriter (“Four Brothers”, “2 Fast 2 Furious”)

TODAY’S BS REASONS TO PARTY . . .
• “Armenian Christmas”. (What a deal … they get to shop for gifts during January sales!)

• “Cuddle Up Day”, an opportunity to snuggle up to someone or something on a cold Winter’s day.

• “Epiphany” (aka “Three Kings Day”), a Christian celebration and public holiday in Spain, Italy, Sweden, and Puerto Rico. In Ireland it’s known as “Little Christmas”. In Italy, the kindly witch ‘La Befana’ slides down chimneys on her broom to bring toys & goodies for kids. In Mexico, where it’s known as “Dia de los Santos Reyes”, kids put straw out and leave shoes on balconies to be filled with toys by ‘Los Tres Reyes’ (The Three Kings) who bring gifts riding camel-back.

• “Maroon Festival” in Jamaica, a tradition since 1738 that pays tribute to the ancestors of the Maroons, descendants of slaves who were freed by the Spanish and fled to Jamaica’s untouched South Coast in pursuit of freedom, and who live there to this day.

• “Smith Day”, celebrating the most-common surname in the English-speaking world.

THIS DAY IN SHOW BIZ . . .
1974 [37] Canada’s new ‘Global Television Network’ debuts

1975 [36] Chuck Woolery hosts & Susan Stafford turns over the letters on the debut of the new TV game show “Wheel Of Fortune” (most-watched game show of all-time)

TODAY’S MUSIC EVENTS . . .
1964 [47] The Rolling Stones headline their first tour (to put this into perspective, the opening act is … the Ronettes)

1993 [18] Bill Wyman announces his retirement from the Rolling Stones

TODAY’S FIRSTS . . .
1936 [75] 1st-ever ‘Female Mayor’ in Canada (Barbara Hanley in Webbwood ON)

1952 [59] “Peanuts” by Charles Schulz debuts in newspapers (most successful syndicated comic strip in history)

TODAY’S RECORD . . .
1980 [31] Philadelphia Flyers set NHL record of 35 consecutive games without a defeat

AND REMEMBER . . .
[Fri] “Season Of the Witch” opens in movie theaters
[Fri] International Programmers Day
[Fri] Show & Tell Day at Work
[Sat] Fruitcake Toss Day
[Sat] Learn to Ski Day
This Week Is … Lose Weight/Feel Great Week
This Month Is … Bread Machine Baking Month

BULL’S BITS

THINGS YOU DON’T YOUR PARENTS DO:
• Sing along with that catchy Bruno Mars tune as they leave the arena parking lot after dropping you off.
• Flush the toilet on purpose to get you out of the shower.
• Hit on your teacher to insure you get an ‘A’.
• Leave just enough gas in the car so you have to fill it up.
• Spy on you saying goodnight to your dates on the front porch.
• Plot the untimely death of the family pet that only you love.
• Order oldies DVDs from those PBS fund-raising music specials.
• Gamble with your college fund in Vegas.
• Go ‘parking’ and slip each other some tongue.

BS RANDOM JOKE:
I will defend to your death my right to my opinion.

BS PHONE STARTER:
What’s the first thing you think of when you wake up in the morning? (In a recent survey, ‘coffee’ beats ‘sex’ as most people’s first thought of the day. The results show that 62% of men and 80% of women think of coffee first.)

BS WATER COOLER QUESTION:
Today’s Question: The average adult uses 85 of THESE per day.
Answer to Give Out Next Show: Swear words. (“Psychology Today”)

BS DEEP THOUGHT:
All people smile in the same language.