BS SHOW BIZ BUZZ:
★ “Star Wars: Episode VII” will begin filming in May at London’s Pinewood Studios. In an official statement on StarWars.com, it’s also been confirmed the story will take place 30 years after “Return Of the Jedi” and will star a trio of new young leads along with ‘some very familiar faces’. The only confirmed cast member is the robot ‘R2-D2’, but “Girls” actor Adam Driver is rumored to be playing the villain. “Star Wars: Episode VII” will be released December 18, 2015. (By which time, we’ll have been exposed to 49,529 more press releases.)
– QMI
★ Actor Seth Rogen (“Pineapple Express”) is poking fun at “In Touch” magazine’s recent hit list of Lindsay Lohan’s alleged sexual partners by offering up a bizarre listing of celebrities he claims to have … smoked marijuana with. He tells “Watch What Happens Live” his blunt buddies have included actors Jonah Hill and Paul Rudd, rapper Snoop Dogg, and comedian Sarah Silverman. He also says his “Guilt Trip” co-star Barbra Streisand talked about it with him, revealing she once smoked weed with [late actor] Peter Sellers. (Which celeb would be the most fun to share a toke with?)
– WENN.com
★ Even though Kanye West pleaded ‘no contest’ to misdemeanor battery against photographer Daniel Ramos in court this week, he’s not yet done with the incident that occurred last Summer at LAX. He’s been sentenced to serve 250 hours of community service, attend anger management classes, and has been placed on probation for 2 years. He’ll also have to pay restitution that will be set at a July 17 hearing. On top of all that, Ramos still has a pending civil suit against West over the altercation. (Anger is like holding onto a hot coal. You are the one who gets burned.)
– People.com
★ And a troupe of Australian male strippers billed as ‘Thunder From Down Under’ suffered a backstage scare this week in Las Vegas after they found a suspected thief rifling through their belongings following their show at the Excalibur Hotel & Casino. The strippers confronted the perp, who pulled a gun on the group. One of the dancers suffered minor facial injuries when the weapon went off in the subsequent struggle. A suspect was arrested at the scene. (“He’s right there, officer. The one fully clothed.”)
– “Las Vegas Review-Journal”

TODAY’S SHOW BIZ SKED:
• “American Idol” (FOX/CTV) – Jennifer Lopez performs; Royal Teeth performs; contestants face elimination.
• “Arsenio Hall” (syndicated) – Big Sean (“Hall of Fame”); Kanye West (“Yeezus”); Rick Ross (“Mastermind”). Rerun.
• “Ellen DeGeneres Show” (syndicated/CTV2) – Brandy Clark (“12 Stories”).
• “History Of the Eagles” (Showtime) – A documentary exploring the evolution and enduring popularity of The Eagles.
• “Jimmy Kimmel Live” (ABC/CityTV) – Enrique Iglesias (“Sex & Love”, out March 22nd).
• “Late Night With Seth Meyers” (NBC/CTV2) – Band of Skulls (“Himalayan”, out April 1st).
• “Late Show With David Letterman” (CBS/Omni1) – The Fray (“Helios”). Rerun.
• “Live With Kelly & Michael” (syndicated/CTV) – Cher (“Closer To the Truth”).
• “Tavis Smiley” (PBS) – Martina McBride (“Everlasting”, out April 8th).
• “Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” (NBC/CTV2) – Billy Joel (“She’s Got a Way: Love Songs”).

BS MUSIC NOTES:
• Chris Brown – He’s spending another month in jail, thanks to mentioning he’s ‘good at using guns and knives’ while in rehab. His attorney says the extra detention conflicts with Brown’s upcoming trial in Washington DC on a misdemeanor assault charge, scheduled for April 17th.
• Grouplove – Tonight their 2014 North American headlining tour kicks off in Cincinnati OH and runs until May. Opening acts include MS MR, Smallpools, and Alex Winston.
• Hunter Hayes – Tonight his “We’re Not Invisible Tour” opens in Pikeville KY and is slated to run through May 31st in Estero FL. Special guests are Dan + Shay and Danielle Bradbery (“The Voice”).
• Jake Owen – Tonight he launches his 2nd major headline tour, “Jake Owen’s Days of Gold Tour 2014”, starting in Brookings SD. The 55-city-plus trek wraps July 17th in Eau Claire WI. Opening acts include Eli Young Band, Parmalee, Thomas Rhett, and The Cadillac Three.
• Jason Aldean – He’s reportedly dating the “American Idol” alum who broke up his marriage. Brittany Kerr has been photographed at several of his concerts and word has it they’re now officially a couple. Aldean filed for divorce last May.
• Lorde – She’s laughing off a planned protest outside her Kansas City MO concert tomorrow by members of ultra-religious group Westboro Baptist Church, urging her fans to hug the extremists. Their beef? She’s taken the Lord’s name in vain … by adding the letter ‘e’.
• Luke Bryan – Tonight  GAC’s “Headline Country” airs highlights of his recent Spring Break concerts at Spinnaker Beach Club in Panama City Beach FL. More than 230,000 fans came out for his 6th-annual performances.
• Pharrell Williams – With his single “Happy” breaking records worldwide, he’s partnering with the UN for today’s 2nd annual “International Day of Happiness”. In addition to a 24-hour event on YouTube, he’s encouraging people to take action for humanitarian efforts around-the-world.

COMING ATTRACTIONS:
A BS selection of movies in the making …
• “American Sniper” – Director Clint Eastwood’s new Navy Seal biopic stars Bradley Cooper as late Seal sniper, Chris Kyle, who was murdered in Texas last year. The film is based on Kyle’s memoir of the same name, and focuses on both his experiences at home and in the military. British actress Sienna Miller plays Kyle’s wife. Filming is set to begin next month.
• “Cars 3” – Walt Disney Co has announced that its Pixar division plans to produce a 3rd installment of this lucrative franchise. The 1st “Cars” film (2006) made $461 million in worldwide box office; “Cars 2” (2011) earned nearly $560 million, plus millions more from consumer products like toys, apparel, and other merchandise. No release date as yet for the 3rd film.
• “Drunk Mom” – LD Entertainment has acquired rights to this memoir by Jowita Bydlowska, published last year. The story chronicles her return to alcoholism following the birth of her first child, including her binges, blackouts, lies, and humiliations as well as her fight toward recovery. The production-distribution company has not yet attached a director or writer.
• “Section 6” – Director Joe Cornish has been tapped to helm this period spy thriller starring 23-year-old Brit actor Jack O’Connell. The project centers on the origins of the famous UK intelligence agency, MI-6, which was founded during World War I. O’Connell plays a war vet tasked with a secret mission to recover coded assassination orders from Russia in 1919.

STREAM ON:
Amazon is getting closer to launching its video-streaming device. Reports say the device will ship through Amazon’s website and be sold at Best Buy and Staples beginning in early April. The streaming device is rumored to run a version of Android similar to that which powers Amazon’s Kindle Fire tablets. Word has it the device will retain the ‘Fire’ name and will come with a remote control. It’s likely to be used to promote the streaming of Amazon’s original content on its Amazon Prime Instant Video Service. Pricing still remains unknown. (Who would have thought we’d see the day Hollywood will be pitching stories to a shopping site?)
– “Wall Street Journal”

ODD TEAM NAMES IN THE 2014 NCAA TOURNAMENT:
• Cincinnati Bearcats, named for a former football hero by the name of Leonard Baehr.
• Coastal Carolina Chanticleers. A chanticleer is a rooster in Chaucer’s “Canterbury Tales”.
• Delaware Blue Hens, named for the state’s official bird.
• Providence Friars. Nothing scarier than a monk with a basketball … huh?
• Stephen F Austin State Lumberjacks. The women’s team is the Lumberjills.
– BS original

WATCH THIS:
This week Google has jumped into the ‘smartwatch’ market, unveiling a version of its Android operating system to work on wearable devices. The project dubbed Android Wear delivers info notifications such as sports scores, weather, and directions directly to a smartwatch. The OS is designed to sense the context of the world around you, allowing you to interact with just a glance or a spoken word. The first Android Wear devices will launch later this year. Motorola has already shown off its smartwatch running Android Wear, the ‘Moto 360’, which launches this Summer. (This gizmo’s best feature … not as geeky looking as a Google Glass.)
– USAToday.com

BS AMAZING FACT:
Humans make almost identical judgements about other people, whether seeing them or merely hearing them say ‘hello’.
– “New Scientist”

BS CHRONOMETER 03.20.14

TODAY’S CELEBIRTHDAYS . . .
1950 [64] William Hurt, Washington DC, movie actor (“Into the Wild”, Oscar-“Kiss Of the Spiderwoman”)/TV actor (“Too Big to Fail”, “Damages”)

1957 [57] Spike (Shelton) Lee, Atlanta GA, movie director (“Inside Man”, “Malcolm X”)/movie producer (“Kobe Doin’ Work”, “When the Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts”)/movie actor (“Do the Right Thing”)

1958 [56] Holly Hunter, Conyers GA, movie actress (“Thirteen”, Oscar-“The Piano”)/TV actress (“Saving Grace” 2007-10)

1972 [42] Alex Kapranos, Almondsbury UK, indie rock singer-guitarist (Franz Ferdinand-“No You Girls”, “Take Me Out”)

1976 [38] Chester Bennington, Phoenix AZ, rock singer (Linkin Park-“What I’ve Done”, “Numb”)

1982 [32] Nick Wheeler, Stillwater OK, rock guitarist (All-American Rejects-“Gives You Hell”, “Dirty Little Secret”)

BS REASONS TO PARTY . . .
• “Absolutely Incredible Kid Day”, the 18th annual observance on the 3rd Thursday in March encouraging adults to let kids know just how amazing and valuable they are. The idea is to write a note (text?) of support and encouragement to a kid of your choice.

• “Atheist Pride Day”, an unofficial salute to non-believers that many mark by changing their Facebook profile picture to a stylized capital ‘A’. Green is the chosen color for the day, standing for ‘natural’ as opposed to ‘supernatural’.

• “Companies That Care Day”, celebrated on the 3rd Thursday of March to encourage employers to foster a people-supportive work environment and to strengthen their ties to the local community.
NET: http://tinyurl.com/la8qtuw

• “Extraterrestrial Abductions Day”, honoring all wackos who claim they’ve been kidnapped by aliens.

• “First Day of Spring”, as the new season officially arrives in the Northern Hemisphere with the Vernal Equinox this afternoon at 12:57 pm EDT.
SCIENTIFIC REASONS SPRING IS THE MOST DELIGHTFUL SEASON:
• Temperatures are moderate. In many areas over the Winter, they were horrific.
• More daylight. Exposure to sunlight increases serotonin in your brain, making you feel happy.
• Animals and birds that have migrated come back, and they’re having babies everywhere.
• Trees get leaves. Spring leaf growth ensures a cool canopy during the hot Summer.
• Plants turn green. It’s amazing what a little sunlight, moisture and warm soil can do for them.
• Flowers bloom. Science has proven that just looking at buttercups can make you happy.
• Your pets shed their extra-thick fur, making them trimmer and more full of life.
• You can open your windows and allow the breeze to refresh your home.
• You get vitamins naturally. Sunlight triggers your body to produce vitamin D, for instance.
– Adapted from Geico

• “Great American Meat Out”, a grassroots movement encouraging us to try going meatless at least for one day. No meat today, feel better tomorrow! (Or so they say.)
NET: http://www.meatout.org

• “International Day Of the Francophonie”, instigated by the International Organization Of the Francophonie to celebrate French speakers worldwide. It’s also “UN French Language Day”.

• “Nowruz” (“New Day”), the Persian New Year. The date is determined by the solar calendar and begins on the First Day of Spring. The festival lasts 13 days.

• “Proposal Day”, when both men & women are encouraged to pop the big question. Coincidentally it’s also “Kiss Your Fiancée Day”. (Who do you think are the most eligible celebrity singles?)

• “World Storytelling Day”, a global celebration of the art of oral storytelling, celebrated every year on March 20th.

THIS DAY IN SHOW BIZ . . .
2002 [12] Actress Pamela Anderson discloses that she has hepatitis C (doesn’t mention any of the other diseases)

TODAY’S MUSIC EVENT . . .
2003 [11] Bruce Springsteen opens his Melbourne, Australia gig with an acoustic version of “Born In the USA” followed by Edwin Starr’s “War” as the US begins military operations in Iraq, with help from the UK, Australia, and Poland

TODAY’S FIRST . . .
1999 [15] ‘Legoland California’, the only Legoland outside of Europe, opens in Carlsbad CA

TODAY’S RECORD . . .
1999 [15] A hot air balloon piloted by Brian Jones of England & Bertrand Piccard of Switzerland completes a ‘Nonstop Around-the-World Flight’

AND REMEMBER . . .
[Fri] “Divergent”, “Muppets Most Wanted” open in movie theaters
[Fri] World Poetry Day
[Fri] International Day of Forests & The Tree
[Fri] World Down Syndrome Day
[Sat] International Goof-off Day
[Sat] World Day for Water
This Week Is … World Folk Tales & Fables Week
This Month Is … Music In Our Schools Month

BULL’S BITS

FOREIGN TERMS OF ENDEARMENT ENGLISH SHOULD ADOPT:
Want something new to call your sweetie? Wonderful alternatives from other languages …
• ‘Mon chou’ … French, meaning ‘my cabbage’.
• ‘Schnuckiputzi’ … German for ‘cutie pie’.
• ‘Sötnos’ … ‘Sweet nose’ in Swedish.
• ‘Moya Solnishka’ … Russian for ‘my little Sun’.
• ‘Mijn Bolleke’ … ‘My little round thing’ in Flemish.
• ‘Bogárkám’ … Hungarian, meaning ‘my little bug’.
• ‘Mi cielito’ … ‘My little sky’ in Spanish.
• ‘Moosh bekhoradet’ … ‘May a mouse eat you’ in Persian.
• ‘Min guldklump’ … Danish, meaning ‘my gold nugget’.
• ‘Mijn poepie’ … A quirky yet endearing Dutch term meaning ‘my little poop’.
– Adapted from MentalFloss.com

BS PHONE STARTER:
☎ Although you’d be embarrassed if anyone saw you doing it, what food do you still eat like you did when you were a kid? (Suck up spaghetti? Cake by the handful? Slurp your drinking straw?)

BS RANDOM JOKE:
You can’t fix stupid.

BS WATER COOLER QUESTION:
Question: They say a friendship lasts about 4-and-a-half years on average; THIS relationship, however, usually lasts 3 times longer.
Answer: A woman’s relationship with her hairdresser.

BS DEEP THOUGHT:
Things work out best for those who make the best of how things work out.