Beware the Ides of Bull!
WEEKEND TABLOID & BLOG BS:
• Actor Johnny Depp’s plans to join British rockers Babybird onstage tonight to kick off their UK tour have been scrapped over security fears. Depp’s a big fan and funded the recording of their latest album, even showing up in the studio to play on one of the tracks. He’s currently in Europe to film the new movie “The Tourist” with Angelina Jolie and wanted to join the band on their tour but frontman Stephen Jones says the idea’s been scrapped because ‘it would have been too dangerous’. (BS translation: Johnny’s busy chillin’ in Venice.)
– ContactMusic.com
• “Sex & the City” star Cynthia Nixon was honored at the “GLAAD Media Awards” in NYC Saturday night for her work promoting gay rights. The actress, who ‘came out’ as a lesbian after splitting from long-time partner Danny Mozes in 2003, was presented with the ‘Vito Russo Award’ at the ceremony organized by the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation.
– ContactMusic.com
• Seems not even the grave can keep the ‘hardest working man in show business’ down. James Brown’s daughter LaRhonda Pettit claims the late soul singer’s body has been stolen. She’d kept it in a crypt at her South Carolina home since his December 25, 2006 death while a mausoleum was being constructed. But now it’s disappeared, she says, likely to prevent an autopsy from being conducted. She contends drugs caused Brown’s death and his ‘enablers’ fear they might be liable. (Shades of the Michael Jackson fiasco.)
– Mirror.co.uk
• 19-year-old “Harry Potter” actress Emma Watson is reportedly single again after splitting from her longtime boyfriend. She’d been dating 28-year-old financier Jay Barrymore since 2008 but is now said to have ended the relationship just months after moving to the US to study at Brown University in Rhode Island. (We’re guessing she won’t have to wait long to find an interested substitute.)
– “Mail on Sunday”
• The alleged ringleader of the gang known as the ‘Hollywood Burglar Bunch’ drew up a list of possible targets, according to documents obtained by the LAPD. Nick Prugo has pleaded not guilty to felony first degree residential burglary in connection with a string of break-ins at the homes of stars including Lindsay Lohan and Orlando Bloom. But now an affidavit reveals a list of stars the gang was allegedly planning to target, including Zac Efron & his girlfriend Vanessa Hudgens, Miley Cyrus, Hilary Duff, Channing Tatum, and Ashley Tisdale. (Seems the gang somehow got hold of a copy of the ‘B List’.)
– TMZ.com
• Martin Scorsese (“Shutter Island”) tops a new poll asking ‘Who is the Best Living Movie Director?’ Also making the top 10: Steven Spielberg (“Indiana Jones & The Kingdom Of the Crystal Skull”), Joel & Ethan Coen (“A Serious Man”), Steven Soderbergh (“The Informant!”), and Quentin Tarantino (“Inglourious Basterds”).
– “Paste Magazine”
• And late actor Corey Haim will be buried this week in Toronto as scheduled. The “Lost Boys” star died of a suspected drug overdose in Los Angeles last Wednesday and his family members have since revealed they were struggling to gather enough money to fly his body home. But now Startifacts, the company helping to sell his belongings online, has offered a $20,000-advance to help cover costs. (A thoughtful gesture that’s not coincidentally great PR.)
– USMagazine.com
TODAY’S SHOW BIZ SKED:
• “Ellen DeGeneres Show” (syndicated/A Channel) – Michael Bublé (“Crazy Love”).
• “Jimmy Kimmel Live” (ABC/CityTV) – Galactic (“Ya-Ka-May”).
• “Last Call With Carson Daly” (NBC) – Phoenix (“Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix”).
• “Late Night With Jimmy Fallon” (NBC/A Channel) – Freeway (“Stimulus Package”).
• “Live With Regis & Kelly” (syndicated/CTV) – The Script (“The Script”).
• “Lopez Tonight” (TBS) – Jason Derulo (“Jason Derulo”).
• “Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction” (Fuse) – The 25th annual Induction Ceremony at NYC’s Waldorf Astoria honors ABBA (presented by The Bee Gees’ Barry & Robin Gibb), Genesis (honored by Phish’s Trey Anastasio), The Hollies (introduced by Steven Van Zandt), Jimmy Cliff (inducted by Wyclef Jean), and The Stooges (presented by Green Day’s Billie Joe Armstrong). Performers include Chris Isaak, Eric Burdon, Faith Hill, Fefe Dobson, Maroon 5’s Adam Levine & Jesse Carmichael, Peter Wolf, Ronnie Spector, and Train’s Pat Monahan.
NET: http://www.rockhall.com
• “Tonight Show With Jay Leno” (NBC/A Channel) – Ziggy Marley (“Family Time”).
• “20/20” (ABC) – A ‘special’ 2-hour edition entitled “Inside The Bachelor: The Stories Behind The Rose” features never-before-seen footage from the reality show, including casting sessions, audition tapes, and interviews with former contestants.
BS MUSIC NOTES:
• Amy Winehouse – She’s collaborated with designer Fred Perry on her own 17-piece apparel & accessories collection, due to hit stores in October. The colors are predominantly black & pink.
• Dierks Bentley – Today he begins hosting his own radio gig, “The Thread”, on AM 650 WSM Nashville TN. Dierks gets to pick his favorite tunes for the show that airs Monday afternoons.
• Green Day – Harmonix has announced the “Green Day: Rock Band” videogame will launch worldwide June 8th in multiple game system versions.
• Jonas Bros – 17-year-old actress/singer Demi Lovato has confirmed to “Access Hollywood” the longstanding rumor that she’s dating 20-year-old Joe Jonas. The twosome apparently grew progressively closer after appearing in the movie-musical “Camp Rock” in 2008.
• Kid Rock – He’s been ordered to pay out $35,000 to 3 ‘fans’ he fought with outside a Los Angeles hotel in 2006. The men filed suit last year, initially demanding $15 million.
• Linkin Park – They’ve filed a multi-million-dollar lawsuit against an insurance company for failing to compensate the band after a series of gigs had to be cancelled in 2008 due to Chester Bennington’s health issues. He suffered a back injury … while putting together a toy for his son.
• The Runaways – Kristen Stewart & Dakota Fannings’ new “The Runaways” biopic (opening wide April 9th) has brought the real-life characters they play back together. Former bandmates Joan Jett & Cherie Currie collaborated on the soundtrack and are now planning new material.
• Snow Patrol – Gary Lightbody reveals in “Daily Record” that he’s been singing with a dislocated jaw for 8 years. He suffered the injury when falling down a staircase during a night out in Glasgow in 2002. He hasn’t had it repaired due to his ‘mistrust of Western medicine’.
POWER SUIT:
Researchers at Cornell University in Ithaca NY have developed cotton threads that can conduct electricity as efficiently as a metal wire, yet remain light and flexible enough to wear. The technology might some day allow your T-shirt to analyze your perspiration, or your jacket to monitor your heart rate. Imagine your pillow case recording your brain waves, or your dress having the capability to recharge your iPod. (Or maybe air conditioned underwear … ahhh!)
– UPI
TWITTER TWASH:
A selection of the past week’s music-related tweets on Twitter.com …
• Erykah Badu: “I secretly make albums to impress my brother.”
• Justin Bieber: “I like escalators cuz when they brake they just become stairs.”
• Kanye West: “Nothing in life is promised except death.”
• Lady Antebellum: “Flight to NYC: $400. Lunch at Carnegie Deli: $25. Meeting the creator of ‘Jersey Shore’ … PRICELESS!!!!”
• Michelle Branch: “Voice-over auditions today. I’m nervous, I’ve never done this before! Positive note … I don’t have to worry about how I look.”
• Rob Thomas: “Writing a screenplay about an overweight inner-city avatar who sings country music while her mother fights for her to realize her potential.”
– Excerpted from Billboard.com
CALCIUM CONQUERS:
New research suggests getting a bit more calcium in your diet could help you live longer. Swedish researchers have found that men who consume the most calcium in food have a 25% lower risk of dying from any cause over the ensuing decade than those who do not. The findings are in line with previous studies linking higher calcium intake with lower mortality in both men and women. None of the study participants took calcium supplements; their main sources of calcium were milk, milk products, and cereal products. (So now milk is good for you … again.)
– Reuters.com
DID YOU KNOW?
• Daylight Saving Time was instituted during WWI to conserve fuel. It has nothing to do with farmers as is commonly believed. Experts say about 20% of us notice significant changes in mood as seasons change, accentuated by the switch to and from Daylight Saving Time. (As many have lost an hour’s sleep with the clock change, there may be a lot of dozy folks out there today.)
– ClimateProgress.org
• ‘Hurt Locker’ is a phrase that’s been used by the military since at least 1966. The “Oxford English Dictionary” first noted its appearance in a Texas newspaper which read “If an army marches on its stomach, Old Charlie is in the hurt locker.” (‘Old Charlie’ referred to the Viet Cong.)
– BBC News
BS CHRONOMETER 03.15.10
TODAY’S CELEBIRTHDAYS . . .
1943 [67] David Cronenberg, Toronto ON, filmmaker (“A History of Violence”, “The Fly”)/Cannes Film Festival Lifetime Achievement Award (2006)/Order of Canada (2002)/Canada’s Walk of Fame (1999)
1963 [47] Bret Michaels (Sychak), Butler PA, classic rock singer (w/Miley Cyrus-“Nothing to Lose”, Poison-“Every Rose Has Its Thorn”)/reality TV personality (“Celebrity Apprentice” 2010, “Rock of Love With Bret Michaels” 2007-09)
1968 [42] Mark McGrath, Hartford CT, pop singer (w/Shania Twain-“Party for Two”, Sugar Ray-“Fly”)/former TV anchor (“Extra!” 2004-08) COMING UP: The syndicated TV game show “Don’t Forget the Lyrics!” this Fall.
1972 [38] Mark Hoppus, Ridgecrest CA, rock musician (Blink 182-“I Miss You”, +44-“When Your Heart Stops Beating”)
1975 [35] Eva Longoria Parker, Corpus Christi TX, TV actress (‘Gabrielle Solis’ on “Desperate Housewives” since 2004)/wed to NBA player Tony Parker (2007)
1975 [35] Will.i.am (William Adams Jr), LA CA, rapper/hip-hop musician (Black Eyed Peas-“Imma Be”, “I Gotta Feeling”)
1977 [33] Joe Hahn, Glendale CA, nu metal DJ (Linkin Park-“Numb/Encore”, “In the End”)
1982 [28] Jordan Hastings, Hamilton ON, indie rock drummer (Alexisonfire-“No Rest”, “Young Cardinals”)
TODAY‘S BS REASONS TO PARTY . . .
• “Ides of March”, when Julius Caesar was assassinated in 44 BC. It’s also the tongue-in-cheek observance “National Brutus Day”, recognizing the fact that no matter where you work, there’s as much backstabbing, plotting, and intrigue as there was back in ancient Rome. The word ‘ides’ simply means ‘middle’, so we can have the Ides of May, the Ides of July, or even the Ides of a movie. There’s nothing unlucky about it … unless your name happens to be Caesar.
• “True Confessions Day”, a good day to open up the ‘Morning Crew Confessional’ where anonymous callers shed their guilt by admitting their outrageous actions. You can even assign penance!
• “Workplace Napping Day”, observed annually since 1999 on the Monday after we lose an hour of sleep to Daylight Saving Time in North America. It seems setting the clock ahead an entire hour messes with our brains, causing fatigue and general airheadedness. In fact, a UBC study of traffic accidents on the day following the ‘Spring Forward’ found there was an 8% increase.
NET: http://www.mahalo.com/Napping_Day
• “World Consumer Rights Day”, initiated by Consumers International to promote the basic rights of all consumers, for demanding that those rights are respected and protected, and for protesting market abuses and social injustices which undermine them.
NET: http://www.consumersinternational.org
THIS DAY IN SHOW BIZ . . .
1982 [28] “The Great White North” album by Bob & Doug McKenzie (SCTV) is certified Gold
TODAY’S FIRSTS . . .
1869 [141] Cincinnati Red Stockings become 1st ‘Pro Baseball Team’
1892 [118] 1st ‘Escalator’, the ‘Reno Inclined Elevator’ (next day, 1st user is strangled by long scarf)
1999 [11] 1st time Dow Jones Average tops 10,000-point threshold
TODAY’S RECORD . . .
1952 [58] ‘Greatest Precipitation in 24 Hours’ is set with 1869.9 mm (73.62 inches) falling at Cilaos, La Reunion Island in the Indian Ocean
AND REMEMBER . . .
[Tues] Freedom of Information Day
[Tues] Lips Appreciation Day
[Wed] St Patrick’s Day
[Thurs] Absolutely Incredible Kid Day
[Thurs] Awkward Moments Day
[Thurs] Companies That Care Day
[Thurs] Forgive Mom & Dad Day
[Thurs] Biodiesel Day
THIS WEEK IS . . .
Act Happy Week / Agriculture Week / Animal Poison Prevention Week / Inhalant & Poisons Awareness Week / Wildlife Week
BULL’S BITS
BEST OF BS:
A highlight bit culled from 16 years of “Bull Sheet” back issues …
BS DOG’S BREAKFAST:
Here’s a fun bit courtesy of Graham Mack @ Century FM Manchester UK – once a week (Friday morning?) bring in your pet dog to make predictions. The pooch gets a choice of 3 marked bowls of food. Whichever it eats from first is his official ‘prediction’. Predict sports (by marking the bowls ‘win’, ‘lose’, ‘tie’), weather (‘cloudy’, ‘sunny’, ‘rainy’), or maybe predict who’ll be voted off TV reality shows. Keep track of Fido’s forecasts vs the ‘experts’.
BS TERRIBLY TOUGH TRIVIA:
This week is “National Sports Trivia Week”, so here are a few BS classics …
• There’s one sport in which neither the spectators nor the participants know the score or the leader until the contest ends. What is it? [Boxing.]
• Where the heck are the ‘lakes’ that are referred to in the NBA team name ‘Los Angeles Lakers’? [In Minnesota. The team was originally the Minneapolis Lakers, and kept the name when it moved west.]
• There are several ways a baseball player can legally reach 1st base without getting a hit. Taking a base on balls, or a ‘walk’, is one way. Name the others. [Batter hit by a pitch, passed ball, catcher interference, catcher drops 3rd strike, fielder’s choice, being designated as a pinch runner, a balk, and reaching base due to an error.]
NET: http://www.FreeRadioPrep.com
BS RANDOM JOKE:
How does a blind parachutist know when he’s about to land? His dog leash goes slack.
BS ‘5-IN-10’ GAME:
Contestant has 10 seconds to name 5 items in each category …
• 5 sure signs Spring is just around the corner.
• 5 English-speaking countries.
• 5 things you’d put in a salad.
• 5 items you keep hidden.
• 5 animals you might keep as pets.
BS PHONE STARTER:
What’s the worst abuse of an expense account you’ve ever heard of?
BS WATER COOLER QUESTION:
Today’s Question: More than half of all women and at least 10% of men keep THIS hidden.
Answer to Give Out Next Show: Their natural hair color.
BS DEEP THOUGHT:
Don’t cut what you can untie.
