Sheet For Brains!
BS SHOW BIZ BUZZ:
Brad Pitt & Angelina Jolie are among those invited to an Olympics party on Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen’ super-yacht ‘Gogypus’, which is moored in east London’s Canary Wharf for the duration of the Games (Bill Gates is also expected) . . . There’s a reason actor Matthew McConaughey is suddenly looking scary skinny – he’s prepping to play an AIDs victim in the upcoming movie “The Dallas Buyers Club” (due 2013) . . . “Jersey Shore” star ‘Snooki’ says she plans to film her child’s birth (mom’s every moment is recorded, why not baby’s?) . . . Lifetime has just picked up a TV drama created by actress Renée Zellweger, based on her life (titled “How My Face Got This Way”?) . . . According to “Life & Style” magazine, 49-year-old Demi Moore has been spotted stepping out with 37-year-old New Zealand actor Martin Henderson in Connecticut this week (so there, Ashton!) . . . 30 year-old Paul Raef, the reckless paparazzi that chased Justin Bieber down LA’s 101 freeway last month, will face 4 criminal charges as a result of the incident and could be sentenced to a fine up to $3,500 plus 12 months in jail (hey, what about the kid?) . . . And 28-year-old Bollywood actress Sherlyn Chopra has sparked outrage in her conservative country by becoming the first Indian woman to appear on the cover of “Playboy” (November issue), and she admits she has yet to tell her Muslim mother about the pics but insists she has no regrets (BS translation: “I’m not sari”).
WEEKEND SHOW BIZ SKED:
• “Chelsea Lately” (E!) – Tonight Lionel Richie (Tuskegee”). Rerun.
• “Ellen DeGeneres Show” (syndicated/CTV2) – Today Lionel Richie again. Rerun.
• “George Stroumboulopoulos Tonight” (CBC) – Nickelback (“Here & Now”).
• “Good Morning America” (ABC) – Today No Doubt (“Push & Shove”) performs as part of the ‘Summer Concert Series’ in NYC’s Central Park.
• “Late Night With Jimmy Fallon” (NBC/CTV2) – Tonight Gaslight Anthem (“Handwritten”).
• “Late Show With David Letterman” (CBS/NTV/Omni1) – Tonight Airborne Toxic Event (“All at Once”). Rerun.
• “Live From the Artists Den” (PBS) – Tonight Death Cab for Cutie perform at the Brooklyn Museum.
• Newport Folk Festival (Newport RI) – Tonight Wilco plays the opening gig of the legendary annual 3-day festival, which this year is taking place at Fort Adams State Park.
NET: http://www.newportfolkfest.net
• “Summer Olympics Opening Ceremony” (NBC/CTV) – The 2012 London Games opening includes the Parade of Nations; the lighting of the Olympic Cauldron; and the entertainment spectacular “Isles of Wonder”, created by Oscar-winning director Danny Boyle. Tonight’s outdoor concert in Hyde Park is headlined by Duran Duran, and also features Paolo Nutini, Snow Patrol, and the Stereophonics. Paul McCartney closes the show.
• “The Talk” (CBS) – Today Jermaine, Tito, Marlon & Jackie Jackson. (Fist fight!)
• “Today Show” (NBC) – This morning Train (“California 37”) performs live.
• “Tonight Show With Jay Leno” (NBC/CTV2) – Tonight Joss Stone (“The Soul Sessions, Vol 2”).
BS MUSIC NOTES:
• Bee Gees – Tonight 65-year-old Barry Gibb returns to the stage for the first time since the death of his brother Robin as he debuts his solo act at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville. (WTF?)
• Katy Perry – She’ll be the new face of the Popchips snack, appearing in advertising for the brand this Fall. She’s also investing in the company, joining Ashton Kutcher, David Ortiz (Boston Red Sox), and Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs.
• Matchbox 20 – Frontman Rob Thomas is the latest artist to join “The Voice” (NBC) as a mentor. He’ll assist Cee Lo Green’s team when the show returns for its 3rd season on September 10th.
• Nas – His new release “Life Is Good” has debuted atop the album sales chart, according to Nielsen SoundScan. It’s his sixth #1 album.
• Usher – The funeral of his 11-year-old stepson takes place today at a Baptist church in Atlanta, Georgia. Kile Glover, son of Usher’s ex-wife Tameka Raymond and her former partner, died from heart failure after being left brain dead following a jet ski accident.
TODAY’S MOVIE OPENINGS:
• “Step Up Revolution” ( PG-13 Musical Romance ): The franchise that launched Channing Tatum’s career moves to Miami, where a dance crew’s neighborhood is threatened by a developer’s plans. That upsets his daughter who has aspirations to become a professional dancer. The 4th film in the series stars Kathryn McCormick, Ryan Guzman.
NET: http://www.summit-ent.com
• “The Watch” ( R-Rated Comedy ): The latest ensemble comedy from Ben Stiller follows suburban dads who form a Neighborhood Watch group as a way to get out of their day-to-day family routines. They soon find themselves defending Earth from an alien invasion. Co-stars Vince Vaughn and Jonah Hill.
NET: http://www.foxmovies.com
• Opening in limited release: “Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry”; “Big Boys Gone Bananas!”; “Falling Overnight”; “Killer Joe”; “Klown”; “Ruby Sparks”; “Sacrifice”; and “Searching for Sugar Man”.
BRAZIL LEARNS ENGLISH:
Until recently, Brazilians didn’t need to use English. With a self-sustaining society and a history of military dictatorship that cut the country off from outside contact for 21 years, Portuguese was the only language anyone needed. But now that Brazil has landed 2 major events – the World Cup in 2014 and the Olympics in 2016 – that’s changing. A new government program called ‘Global Child’ requires public schools in major cities to teach English to all students aged 6-to-8. Learning English is becoming crucial as the country takes a bigger role on the world stage. Brazilian business people now want to work for big, international companies; and it’s young people want to study abroad. (In economics, Brazil, Russia, India, and China are referred to as the ‘BRIC’ countries, whose economies will overtake those of the G7 by 2027.)
– GlobalPost.com
POWER OF PERSUASION:
Want to manipulate people to do things for you? First, ask them to tie your shoelaces. Huh? In a series of new experiments, researchers at Poland’s Warsaw School of Social Sciences & Humanities have found that when an initial request is highly unusual or strange, people are more likely to comply with the demand that follows it. It’s a variation on what has been called the ‘door-in-the-face technique’. You start by asking for something outrageous; when that’s turned down, you then ask for something more reasonable. The outrageous request re-frames the real request to make it sound palatable. (“I need an 80% raise. No? Can I borrow 5 bucks?”)
– NPR.org
GETTING SLICED:
We owe sliced bread as we know it to one Otto Rohwedder, who built the first commercial loaf-at-a-time bread-slicing machine. Rohwedder spent 13 years perfecting the technology and struggled to kindle interest in the enterprise. Many bakers rejected the invention, claiming the bread would fall apart and grow stale too fast. And, they contended, consumers didn’t care whether their bread loaves were sliced. Obviously they were wrong. The Chillicothe Baking Company in Chillicothe, Missouri finally put the machine to work in 1928 and it was an instantaneous hit. (What was the best thing BEFORE sliced bread?)
– “The Atlantic”
FOR THE RECORD:
Piano player Ethan Bortnick has headlined a show in Vegas and shared a stage with the likes of Elton John and Beyoncé. The prodigy has just been presented a Guinness World Record as ‘World’s Youngest Solo Musician to Headline His own Tour’. He actually accomplished that 2 years ago at age 9. The 6th grader is now hitting the road again for a 22-city tour titled “It’s All About Music”, which kicks off tonight at the Carnegie Music Hall in Pittsburgh PA.
– Telegraph.co.uk
BS OLYMPICS FACTS:
✓ London is a 3-time Olympic host. It filled in for Rome in 1908 after Mt Vesuvius erupted; then hosted what became known as the ‘Austerity Games’ in 1948. For those first games post-war, no new venues were built and many competitors brought their own food.
✓ The 2012 medals will be the largest ever awarded: 7-mm-thick, 85-mm-wide, and weighing 400 g (almost a pound).
✓ The ratio of female to male athletes in 1908 was 1:53. This year, the ratio is almost at par.
✓ The 2012 Games are the 1st with live 3-D coverage; carbon footprint calculation; and a women’s boxing event.
✓ It’s estimated the Games will generate £10 billion ($15 billion) in revenue for the British economy.
✓ After the Games are over, the Olympic Park will be redeveloped to provide 8,000 homes and 2,800 apartments.
✓ The top-rated Olympic events on TV are track & field, swimming, and gymnastics.
– Condensed from Visual.ly
BS CHRONOMETER 07.27.12
TODAY’S CELEBIRTHDAYS . . .
1972 [40] Maya Rudolph, Gainesville FL, movie actress (“Bridesmaids”, “Away We Go”)/TV comic (“Up All Night” 2011-12, “Saturday Night Live” 2000-07)
1973 [39] Abe Cunningham, Long Beach CA, alt-rock drummer (Deftones-“Diamond Eyes”, “Change”)
1975 [37] Alex Rodriguez (‘A-Rod’), NYC, MLB All-Star 3rd baseman (NY Yankees)/baseball’s highest-paid player (10-year, $275 million contract)/sometime boyfriend of many, including Cameron Diaz, Kate Hudson, Madonna
1977 [35] Jonathan Rhys Meyers (O’Keeffe), Dublin, Ireland, TV actor (‘Henry VIII’ on “The Tudors” 2007-10)/movie actor (“From Paris With Love”, “Bend It Like Beckham”) COMING UP: Plays the lead role in the NBC-TV drama series “Dracula” (2013).
SATURDAY –
Cartoonist Jim Davis (“Garfield”) is 67; Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez is 58; TV anchor Scott Pelley (“CBS Evening News”) is 55; Alt-rock singer Jacoby Shaddix (Papa Roach) is 36; Rapper Soulja Boy Tell ‘Em (“Crank That [Soulja Boy]”) is 22.
SUNDAY –
Rock singer-bassist Geddy Lee (Rush) is 59; TV personality Tim Gunn (“Project Runway”) is 59; Documentary maker Ken Burns (“The Civil War”) is 59; Rock singer Patti Scialfa (Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band) is 59; Country singer Martina McBride (“Broken Wing”) is 46; R&B singer Wanya Morris (Boyz II Men) is 39; Country singer James Otto (“Just Got Started Lovin’ You”) is 39; TV actor Josh Radnor (“How I Met Your Mother”) is 38; Pop musician Danger Mouse (Gnarls Barkley) is 35.
TODAY’S BS REASONS TO PARTY . . .
• “Gilroy Garlic Festival”, the 34th annual salute to the ‘stink rose’ through Sunday in Gilroy CA, celebrating all things garlic. Last year’s festival attracted over 100,000. Events include ‘The Great Garlic Cook-Off’ and the ‘Miss Gilroy Garlic Pageant’.
NET: http://gilroygarlicfestival.com
• “Korean War Veterans Armistice Day”, commemorating the 1953 negotiated cease-fire that ended the war on the Korean peninsula. During the 3 years of fierce struggle, over 600,000 Allied lives were lost.
• “System Administrator Appreciation Day”, a day to honor that special person in the office who maintains the computer network. (And also monitors your email and web surfing.)
• “Take Your Houseplants For a Walk Day”, to help them get to know their real environment.
• “Talk In an Elevator Day”. After all, why is it we normally don’t? This is a day to try it out and see what happens.
• “Walk on Stilts Day”, celebrating the feat most often seen in parades and at the circus. Stilt-walking is an ancient art that only requires a pair of stout sticks and lots of practice. (And maybe some extra butt padding in case you take a tumble.)
• “Lumberjack World Championships” through Sunday in Hayward WI, where lumberjacks and lumberjills from around-the-world, including Australia, Canada, Czech Republic, New Zealand, and the USA, come to compete in events such as ‘Logrolling’, ‘Single Buck’, ‘Speed Climb’, and ‘Underhand Chop’.
NET: http://www.lumberjackworldchampionships.com
SATURDAY –
• “Day Of the Cowboy”, the 8th annual initiative to preserve pioneer and Western heritage.
NET: http://www.nationaldayofthecowboy.com
• “Milk Chocolate Day”, an excuse for chocoholics everywhere to cow down!
• “National Dance Day”, the 3rd annual on the last Saturday of July to encourage both young and old to move. Created by Nigel Lythgoe, executive producer and judge on TV competition “So You Think You Can Dance” (FOX).
• “World Hepatitis Day”, to create awareness that 1-in-12 people worldwide is living with either chronic hepatitis B or C. While this is far higher than the prevalence of HIV or any cancer, awareness is inexplicably low and the majority of those infected are unaware.
NET: http://worldhepatitisalliance.org
SUNDAY –
• “International Lasagna Day” celebrating the famous Italian dish that’s become a worldwide favorite. Almost all recipes for the ‘perfect lasagna’ feature ricotta as the cheese of choice. However, everybody seems to have their own secret ingredient. What’s yours?
• “Rain Day” in Waynesburg, Pennsylvania, an annual event that started over a century ago when a farmer noticed it always seems to rain on July 29th. They now claim it has rained on this date in 113 of the 137 years since. Sunday’s forecast: Oops! Sunny with 0% P.O.P.
NET: http://www.raindayfestival.com
THIS DAY IN SHOW BIZ . . .
2007 [05] “The Simpsons Movie” opens in theaters
TODAY’S MUSIC EVENT . . .
2006 [06] The company behind online file-sharing service Kazaa agrees to pay record labels over $115 million in damages for music piracy
TODAY’S FIRST . . .
2007 [05] 1st known incidence of 2 news helicopters colliding in mid-air as whirlybirds from Phoenix, Arizona TV stations KNXV and KTVK slam into one another while covering a police chase
COMING UP . . .
[Mon] Cheesecake Day
[Mon] Father-In-Law Day
[Mon] Support Public Education Day
[Mon] Paperback Book Day
[Mon] Mutts Day
[Mon] Make Homemade Ice Cream
[Mon] Invite the Neighbors Over Day
This Week Is … World Footbag (Hackeysack) Week
This Month Is … Horseradish Month
BULL’S BITS
BS OLYMPIC EVENTS FOR WHITE-COLLAR ATHLETES:
• Office Kitchen Scrounging
• Marathon Supervisor Avoidance
• Synchronized Merriment
• Freestyle Kitchen Duty Duck-Out
• Staff Meeting Baton Toss
• Individual Continually Busy Appearance
• Heavyweight Passive-Aggressive Note Writing
• 100-Meter Friday Afternoon Dash
– Adapted from DisaboomLive.com
BS PHONE STARTER:
☎ Which is the dumbest Olympic event?
BS RANDOM JOKE:
Shopping for antiques won’t make you gay, but it will make you ‘buy curios’.
BS WATER COOLER QUESTION:
Question: According to “Cosmopolitan”, women are 40% more likely to date someone if they have THIS in common with them.
Answer: Facebook friends.
BS DEEP THOUGHT:
Never play leapfrog with a unicorn.