BS SHOW  BIZ BUZZ:
★ Simon Cowell has cancelled auditions for the new season of his hit Brit show “The X Factor” following the death of his mother. The TV/music mogul and his new panel of judges were set to start auditions in Manchester on Monday, but try-outs have been postponed indefinitely while Cowell mourns the loss of his 89-year-old mom, Julie Cowell, who reportedly died after suffering a stroke. The former ballet dancer was a mother of four and step-mom to two more.
– ContactMusic.com
★ Gwyneth Paltrow has reportedly been dumped by “Glee” co-creator Brad Falchuk after a year-long relationship … via text message. A source says the 42-year-old actress has been left ”blindsided and angry” because he didn’t break the news face-to-face. The source adds: “Her bossing him around was too emasculating.” Falchuk was Paltrow’s first serious relationship following her split from Coldplay frontman Chris Martin in March 2014 after 9 years of marriage.
– “OK! Magazine”
★ 44-year-old “Empire” actress Taraji P Henson (‘Cookie Lyon’) admits she’s looking for love and wants a man who isn’t all that interested in her Hollywood career. Alongside her success on the hit TV show, she’s appeared in several movies (ie: “Hustle & Flow”) but she’s hoping to find a guy who’ll take her mind off the pressures of show biz. Quote: “I need safety, somewhere to go where I don’t have to be Hollywood. I can take my wig off and you’re going to love me and say, ‘Baby you are beautiful’.”
– “Entertainment Tonight”
★ And according to a new report, the audience for the opening week of “Magic Mike XXL” has been almost exclusively women. The sequel film about male strippers, starring Channing Tatum, Matt Bomer, and Joe Manganiello, has made almost $27 million domestically ($33 million worldwide), and stats show that fully 96% of the audience is female this time around, compared to 73% for the first film in 2012. Seems there’s a whole lot of ‘hen parties’ going on.
– “Hollywood Reporter”

TODAY’S SHOW BIZ SKED:
• “America’s Got Talent” (NBC/CityTV) – The judges make decisions as the audition round wraps up.
• “Hollywood Game Night” (NBC/CTV) – Jane Lynch hosts the 3rd-season debut. Among the celebs who’ll play party games with contestants this season are Chrissy Teigen, Debra Messing, John Legend, Weird Al Yankovic, Will Arnett, and Zachary Quinto.
• “Inside Amy Schumer” (Comedy Central) – 3rd-season finalé, entitled “3 Buttholes”.
• “Jimmy Kimmel Live” (ABC/CityTV) – Sheila E (“Icon”). Rerun.
• “Last Call With Carson Daly” (NBC) – White Fence (“Like That”). Rerun.
• “Late Night With Seth Meyers” (NBC/CTV) – Belle & Sebastian (“Girls in Peacetime Want to Dance”). Rerun.
• “The Real” (syndicated) – Jazmine Sullivan (“Reality Show”).
• “Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” (NBC/CTV2) – A$AP Rocky (“At Long Last A$Ap”). Rerun.
• “The View” (ABC/CTV) – MKTO (“Bad Girls”).

BS MUSIC NOTES:
• Blur – Frontman Damon Albarn played a marathon 5-hour set at Denmark’s Roskilde Festival on the weekend and was eventually carried off stage by security after refusing to stop performing. The Africa Express was his backup during the show.
• Demi Lovato – She’s promoting her new song “Cool For the Summer” by performing the track live at a number of fan pool parties. The party tour began last week on the roof of NYC’s Gansevoort Park Avenue hotel. A 2nd bash was staged Sunday by KIIS-FM in LA.
• Grateful Dead – The jam band ended a 50-year career by playing 3 SRO concerts at Soldier Field in Chicago IL and it’s now emerged they set a new attendance record for the venue on Friday. The 70,764 turn-out has broken the previous record of 67,936 set by U2 in 2009.
• OneRepublic – Frontman Ryan Tedder has purchased an $11-million property in NYC’s Tribeca neighborhood. According to “New York Post”, he’s combining 2 units to construct his new 6-bedroom home, which he hopes will be completed by next year.
• Smashing Pumpkins / Marilyn Manson – They’re joining forces to co-headline “The End Times Tour”, kicking off tonight in Concord CA and wrapping up August 8th in Cincinnati OH. The tour spans 23 dates in support of Manson’s “The Pale Emperor” and The Smashing Pumpkins’ “Monuments To an Elegy”.

THIS WEEK’S VIDEO RELEASES:
Out today on DVD, Netflix, Google Play and/or other video providers …
• “Kill Me Three Times” ( R-Rated Action Thriller ) – When an eccentric assassin is hired by a wealthy man to kill his beautiful wife, he discovers he’s not the only one aiming for her murder. Soon, he finds himself at the center of a tangle of several plots for murder, mayhem, blackmail, and revenge. Stars Simon Pegg, Teresa Palmer, Alice Braga, Bryan Brown.
• “Maggie” ( PG-13 Sci-Fi Drama ): As the world recovers from a near apocalyptic virus, an infected teenage girl must find the strength to face her fleeting mortality as her father struggles helplessly to protect her and keep the family together. Stars Abigail Breslin, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Joely Richardson.
• “Woman in Gold” ( PG-13 Drama ): Oscar-winning actress Helen Mirren stars in the true life story of Maria Altmann, an octogenarian Jewish refugee who takes on several governments to recover artwork she believes rightfully belongs to her family. Co-stars Ryan Reynolds, Daniel Brühl, Katie Holmes.
• Also released today: “Joe Dirt” (2001 Re-issue); “Merchants of Doubt” (Documentary).

BEST-EVER SUMMER BLOCKBUSTER MOVIES:
A few fan favorites ranked by their worldwide box office …
1. “Marvel’s The Avengers” (2012) $1.5 billion
2. “The Dark Knight Rises” (2012) $1.08 billion
3. “The Dark Knight” (2008) $1 billion
4. “Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace” (1999) $1.03 billion
5. “Independence Day” (1996) $817 million
6. “ET” (1982) $793 million
7. “Star Wars” (1977) $775 million
8. “Forrest Gump” (1994) $678 million
9. “Jaws” (1975) $471 million
10. “Ghostbusters” (1984) $295 million
– Sourced from BoxOfficeMojo.com

SELFIE SECURITY:
MasterCard is testing a smartphone app that uses facial recognition to verify online purchases. Users simply hold their phone up as though taking a selfie to approve transactions. Some security experts are dubious about the idea, noting that Google tried facial recognition on Android phones and there were problems when people realized you could take a photo of someone else and present it as verification. MasterCard’s app asks users to blink to prove they are human, but even this has been defeated using animated GIFs. MasterCard researchers suggest the ideal solution may be facial recognition used in conjunction with a PIN. Both systems have flaws, but are tough to circumvent when combined. (Why not smell recognition?)
– CNN.com

SECRET SIGNS A GUY IS A FREAK IN THE SHEETS:
✓ He tips well. Generous people are generous everywhere.
✓ He asks your opinion and really listens. It shows he genuinely cares about how you feel.
✓ He’s an experimental eater. That’s a sure sign he has a voracious and adventurous appetite.
✓ He touches a lot. If he’s tentative about holding hands, he’s not likely to love your body down.
✓ He can dance. If he’s got rhythm at da club, he’s probably got rhythm elsewhere.
✓ He doesn’t brag. Dudes who tell tall tales outside the bedroom usually have shortcomings.
✓ He looks at you. Like, all the time.
✓ He’s flexible. Not physically (though that doesn’t hurt), but he’s not too set in his ways.
✓ He likes to work out. That means more stamina.
✓ He’s had some adversity in his life, so he knows what it’s like to work for something.
– Adapted from “Cosmopolitan”

FOODIES ARE FITTEST:
Adventurous eaters weigh less, according to a new study. We think of those who love fine food and try new dishes as being indulgent and even gluttonous, but in fact they might be the healthiest among us. Cornell University researchers have found that those who eat comparatively unusual foods such as beef tongue, kimchi, and rabbit, also tend to describe themselves as more concerned with healthfulness than those who stick to more traditional fare. The so-called ‘foodies’ also tend to be more active, both physically and socially … being much more likely to have friends over for dinner. What’s more, they’re more likely to prepare meals that corresponded to their heritage. The researchers advise those worrying about weight to ditch the boring salad and try noshing on something new. (Eat your haggis, Billy.)
– RelaxNews.com

BS AMAZING FACT:
Indians – most of them Sikhs – currently make up about 60% of Italy’s Parmesan-producing workforce.
– BBC News Magazine

BS CHRONOMETER 07.07.15

TODAY’S CELEBIRTHDAYS . . .
1940 [75] Ringo Starr (Richard Starkey), Liverpool UK, rock drummer (Ringo Starr & His All-Starr Band)/bad singer (“Photograph”, The Beatles-“Act Naturally”)  BS FACTOID: He’s celebrating his 75th in front of LA’s famous Capitol Records Tower, where The Beatles recorded a handful of famous sessions.

1968 [47] Jorja Fox, NYC, TV actress (‘Sara Sidle’ on “CSI” 2000-07, since 2009)

1968 [47] Amy Carlson, Glen Ellyn IL, TV actress (‘Linda Reagan’ on “Blue Bloods” since 2010)

1981 [34] Synyster Gates (Brian Elwin Haner Jr), Huntington Beach CA, metal rock guitarist-vocalist (Avenged Sevenfold-“This Means War”, “Hail To the King”)

1994 [21] Ashton Irwin, Sydney, Australia, pop drummer (5 Seconds to Summer-“Don’t Stop”, “She Looks So Perfect”)

TODAY’S BS REASONS TO PARTY . . .
• “Chocolate Day”, started by the National Confectioners Association to promote what is almost every woman’s (and many a man’s) weakness. Some say chocolate from the New World (mostly Mexico) was introduced to Europe on this date in 1550.

• “Father-Daughter Take a Walk Together Day”. If she’s a teenager, good luck! Like are you tryin’ to embarrass her or what?

• “Global Forgiveness Day”, begun in 1994 as an excuse for us to get in touch with our need to forgive and be forgiven. A good day to knock that chip off your shoulder and make peace.

• “Macaroni Day”, saluting one of the more popular forms of Italian pasta. How would the average student survive college without mac & cheese?

• “Running Of the Bulls” begins in Pamplona, Spain, an annual event during the “Fiesta San Fermin”. Starting today we’ll likely get the usual listing of ‘cornadas’ (wounds from goring).

• “Tell the Truth Day”, challenging each of us to go an entire day without telling a lie or saying anything misleading or dishonest. Is this possible?

THIS DAY IN SHOW BIZ . . .
2011 [03] “Harry Potter & The Deathly Hallows: Part 2”, the final film based on the wizard fantasy books, debuts in London on its way to becoming the year’s top-grossing movie

TODAY’S MUSIC EVENTS . . .
2007 [08] “Live Earth: Concerts For a Climate In Crisis” take place in 11 locations on all 7 continents, featuring performances by over 150 musical acts (which emit about 7 trillion tons of carbon into the atmosphere)

2009 [06] Hundreds-of-thousands converge on LA’s Staples Center at a public memorial for Michael Jackson (millions more watch on TV and the Internet)

TODAY’S FIRSTS . . .
2005 [10] A series of 4 explosions occurs on London’s transport system killing 56 people, including 4 suicide bombers, and injuring over 700 others (known in UK as “7/7”)

2007 [08] The ‘New Seven Wonders Of the World’ are unveiled (Great Wall of China, Brazil’s Christ the Redeemer statue, Peru’s Machu Picchu, Mexico’s Mayan ruins at Chichen Itza, the Colosseum in Rome, India’s Taj Mahal, and Petra in Jordan)

2013 [02] Andy Murray defeats Novak Djokovic in straight sets to become the 1st Brit to win men’s singles at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships since Fred Perry in 1936

TODAY’S RECORD . . .
1985 [30] At age 17, Boris Becker becomes youngest player to win men’s singles at Wimbledon

COMING UP . . .
[Wed] Ice Cream Sundae Day
[Wed] Be a Kid Day
[Thurs] “Dates” debuts (CW)
[Fri] “Minions” opens in movie theaters
[Fri] Collector Car Appreciation Day
[Fri] Piña Colada Day
This Week Is … Farriers Week
This Month Is … Hot Dog Month

BULL’S BITS

BS REASONS YOU’RE STILL SINGLE:
There’s nothing wrong with being single. But let’s stop lying to ourselves about why we’re alone. Here are some cold, hard truths. You’re single because …
✗ You haven’t changed your bedsheets in over 2 months.
✗ You’ve already slept with all of your friends.
✗ You use the word ‘chillax’ a lot.
✗ Your orgasm face gives people nightmares.
✗ That baby voice you use makes everyone want to vomit.
✗ You’re always busy taking pictures of your own face.
✗ You only ever talk about yourself.
✗ You wear socks in bed.
✗ That rash you still haven’t been to see your doctor about.
✗ You’re still hopelessly in love with your ex.
– Adapted from Metro.co.uk

BS RANDOM JOKE:
This isn’t an office. It’s hell with fluorescent lighting.

BS U-PICK TRIVIA:
The shortest in the world lasts just 47 seconds. Shortest what?
a. Oil change.
b. Scheduled flight. [CORRECT. It covers just over 1 mile on Scotland’s Orkney Islands.]
c. Mani/pedi.
– “Mental Floss”

BS PHONE STARTER:
☎ Seems like every couple has ‘our song’, the one that reminds them of their first date or a special moment in their relationship. Ask listeners for the strangest ‘our song’.

BS WEB GOODIE:
Women are obsessed with their hair, right? So hair care brand Aussie has teamed with Internet star Graydon Sheppard, co-creator of the video series “Sh– Girls Say”, to do “Sh– Girls Say About Hair”. While it’s posted on YouTube, it also works well as an audio piece.
NET: http://tinyurl.com/p9fdzmr

BS WATER COOLER QUESTION:
Question: Almost 1-in-3 of us haven’t done THIS for at least 5 years.
Answer: Worn a bathing suit.

BS DEEP THOUGHT:
If you’re rich, it’s ‘eccentric’; but when you’re poor, it’s just ‘weird’.