BS SHOW BIZ BUZZ:
★ Today props from the hit AMC drama “Mad Men” are going on display at The Smithsonian Institution in Washington DC to mark the end of the long-running TV show. The Emmy Award-winning series wraps its 7-season run this Spring and to mark the occasion, costumes and props are being exhibited in a new display at the museum. Among the artifacts: a suit and fedora hat worn by Jon Hamm as ‘Don Draper’, and the original script from the Season 1 finalé, entitled “The Wheel”. The final 7 episodes of “Mad Men” kick off on April 5th. (Between this and Hamm’s rehab, promotion is really ramping up!)
– WENN.com
★ Zayn Malik is said to be ”at peace” after quitting One Direction. The 22-year-old announced his exodus on Wednesday and has reportedly assured friends there is ”no bad blood” between him and his former bandmates. Meantime, label boss Simon Cowell is reportedly ”really proud” of Malik but also ”really sad” about him leaving. According to Cowell’s ex-girlfriend, singer Sinitta, Zayn was the most reluctant to join the act in the first place. Malik quit just days after leaving the “On the Road Again” world tour due to stress. The group is continuing the tour as a 4-piece. (UK supermarket chain Lidl has found the funny side of the situation, reducing the price of its ‘One Direction Easter Egg’ … by one-fifth.)
– BangShowbiz.com
★ As expected, director Sam Taylor-Johnson has walked away from the “Fifty Shades of Grey” movie franchise after helming just 1 film. Her leaving is attributed to on-set clashes with “50 Shades” author EL James. Taylor-Johnson has previously said of making the movie: “It was difficult, I’m not going to lie.” According to a trade mag, screenwriter Kelly Marcel will also not return for “Fifty Shades Darker”, the next instalment in the series. Despite the troubles, the original film pulled in $558 million in worldwide box office. (Not due to the directing, we’re fairly sure.)
– Variety.com

WEEKEND SHOW BIZ SKED:
• “Ellen DeGeneres Show” (syndicated/CTV2) – Today 5 Seconds of Summer (“5 Seconds of Summer”). Rerun.
• “iHeartRadio Music Awards” (NBC) – Sunday Jamie Foxx (“You Changed Me”) hosts from LA’s Shrine Auditorium. Iggy Azalea and Sam Smith lead nominations with 5 each, ahead of Ariana Grande and Taylor Swift with 4 apiece. Those 4 are up against Luke Bryan for ‘Artist Of the Year’. Justin Timberlake is presented the ‘Innovator Award’. Performances by Florida Georgia Line, Jason Aldean, Jason Derulo, Kelly Clarkson, Madonna, Meghan Trainor, Nate Ruess (fun.), and Rihanna among others.
NET: http://news.iheart.com/features/iheartradio-music-awards-15
• “Katy Perry’s Prismatic World Tour” (EPIX) – Saturday a live concert special with highlights of her “Prismatic World Tour” that began last May makes its TV premiere.
• “Kids Choice Awards” (Nickelodeon) – Saturday Nick Jonas hosts the 28th annual salute to the year’s biggest TV shows, movies, and music acts as selected by online voting by kids. Vying for awards: Ariana Grande, One Direction, Sam Smith, Selena Gomez, Taylor Swift,
and oodles more. Appearances by Echosmith, Fifth Harmony, 5 Seconds of Summer, Iggy Azalea w/Jennifer Hudson, and Meghan Trainor among others. As for who will be getting ‘slimed’ … well, likely everyone.
NET: http://www.nick.com/kids-choice-awards
• “Last Call With Carson Daly” (NBC) – Tonight Holy Wave (“Relax”). Rerun.
• “Late Night With Seth Meyers” (NBC/CTV) – Tonight Smallpools (“Lovetap!”). Rerun.
• Lollapalooza Brasil (São Paulo) – Saturday-Sunday the line-up includes Alt-J, Bastille, Calvin Harris, Foster the People, Jack White, Pharrell Williams, Smashing Pumpkins and more.
NET: http://www.lollapaloozabr.com
• “Meredith Vieira Show” (syndicated) – Today Gene Simmons (KISS).
• “Queen Latifah” (syndicated) – Today Jackie Evancho (“Awakening”). Rerun.
• “Revenge” (ABC) – After recent roles on “Sons Of Anarchy” and “Empire”, Courtney Love continues to expand her TV acting résumé, playing a character named ‘White Gold’ on Sunday’s episode.
• “Saturday Night Live” (NBC/Global) – Host Dwayne Johnson (“Furious 7”, out April 3rd); musical guest George Ezra (“Wanted on Voyage”).
• “Tavis Smiley” (PBS) – Tonight The Winans (“Very Best of”).
• Ultra Music Festival (Miami FL) – This 3-day weekend EDM bash is back at Bayfront Park despite last year’s tragedies: 84 arrests; a 21-year-old found dead in a car; a security guard suffering brain damage after being trampled. The mayor’s motion to cancel the festival failed, but no minors are being allowed in. Headliners are Afrojack, David Guetta, Skrillex, Tiesto.
NET: http://www.ultramusicfestival.com
• “Walking Dead” (AMC) – Sunday the Season 5 finalé. There’s trouble in Alexandria!
• WWE WrestleMania 31 (Santa Clara CA) – Sunday Skylar Grey, Kid Ink, and Travis Barker take the stage at Levi’s Stadium in the San Francisco Bay Area to perform the event’s theme songs, “Rise” by David Guetta and “Money & The Power” by Kid Ink.

BS MUSIC NOTES:
• A$AP Rocky – In a new “GQ” interview, he reveals his new album is titled “At Long Last” and includes appearances from Lykke Li, FKA twigs, and Clams Casino. It’s due out later this year, but an exact release date has not been announced.
• Blur – Their new album “The Magic Whip” (out April 28th) is an apology from Graham Coxon to Damon Albarn. The guitarist worked with producer Stephen Street to transform shelved recordings from 2013 sessions in Japan in order to ”make amends” for a rift in the relationship.
• Britney Spears –She’s profiled in today’s new edition of “People” magazine, discussing her family life and raising her two sons. Her much-anticipated collaboration with Iggy Azalea will be released May 5th.
• Garth Brooks – Tonight his “World Tour” opens the first of 5 dates in Sacramento CA, running through April 1st.
• Kendrick Lamar – He’s debuted at #1 on the new ‘Billboard 200′ all-genre chart with his new album “To Pimp a Butterfly”. “The Empire” soundtrack slips from #1 to #2.
• Lee Brice – He’s received his 2nd RIAA certification in less than 6 months with “Drinking Class” designated Gold as a Digital Single this week. He’s also announced he’s doing a college tour in April and May.
• Meghan Trainor – She’s proving she really is “All About That Bass” by partnering with FullBeauty Brands to work on a variety of campaigns to boost plus-sized fans’ confidence.
• Oak Ridge Boys – The Country Music Association has announced they will be the 2015 inductee in the Modern Era category at the Country Music Hall of Fame. Jim Ed Brown & The Browns will be inducted in the Veteran’s Era category.
• Van Halen – They’ve announced a major Summer tour, with David Lee Roth again fronting the seminal rock band. The tour begins in Seattle WA on July 5th and runs up to October 2nd in Los Angeles CA.

TODAY’S MOVIE OPENINGS:
• “Get Hard” ( R-Rated Comedy ): When millionaire ‘James King’ (Will Ferrell) is nailed for fraud and bound for California’s San Quentin State Prison, he turns to ‘Darnell Lewis’ (Kevin Hart) to prep him to go behind bars. Directed by Etan Cohen (not of the Coen Bros). Co-stars Alison Brie, Craig T Nelson, TI. John Mayer appears as himself.
NET: http://gethardmovie.com
• “Home” ( PG Animated Adventure ): In this Dreamworks production an alien named ‘Oh’ (voiced by “Big Bang Theory’s” Jim Parsons) is on the run from his own people. When he lands on Earth he makes friends with the adventurous ‘Tip’ (voiced by Rihanna), who is on a quest of her own. Voice cast also includes Jennifer Lopez, Steve Martin.
NET: http://www.meettheboov.com
• “Serena” ( Limited Release R-Rated Drama ): Bradley Cooper & Jennifer Lawrence’s latest pairing is a period drama set in Depression-era North Carolina, where the future of a lumber king’s timber empire becomes complicated after he marries a young woman named ‘Serena’. Co-stars Rhys Ifans, Toby Jones.
NET: http://www.magpictures.com/serena
• Also opening in limited release: “Cupcakes” (Musical Comedy); “A Girl Like Her” (Drama); “Man From Reno” (Mystery Thriller); “The Riot Club” (Drama); “The Salt Of the Earth” (Documentary); “While We’re Young” (Dramedy), and “White God” (Drama).

‘MANSPLAINING’ EXPLAINED:
The concept of ‘mansplaining’ – a man interrupting a woman to tell her what’s what – has become a hot-button issue of late. But actually it’s nothing new. A few facts about the phenomenon …
✓ “The Atlantic” has published “A Cultural History of Mansplaining” that traces the concept all the way back to a 1903 issue of its very own magazine. That cited article was titled “Why Women Do Not Wish the Suffrage.” Written by a man.
✓ Before the term was even coined, a study in 1984 discovered that female doctors are up to twice as likely to be cut off in conversations with their patients than male practitioners.
✓ The actual word ‘mansplaining’ is said to have made its first published appearance in a 2008 “Los Angeles Times” excerpt from Rebecca Solnit’s book entitled “Men Explain Things to Me”.
✓ A 2012 study shows that, in workplace environments where decisions are being made, women speak up to 75% less than men.
✓ In the media, men write 80% of tradition opinion pieces, and 67% of them online.
Last year, a Salon.com writer argued that the very term itself is “inflaming online gender wars instead of clarifying them.” This, of course, was written by a man. (So whatcha think? Is the act offensive or not? Is the word offensive or not?)
– Condensed from Upworthy.com

BS AMAZING FACT:
University of Illinois scientists have engineered a yeast that could amp up the health benefits of wine while reducing the toxic byproducts that cause morning-after headaches. (Here here!)
– AARP.org

BS CHRONOMETER 03.27.15

TODAY’S CELEBIRTHDAYS . . .
1963 [52] Quentin Tarantino, Knoxville TN, film producer-writer-director (“Django Unchained”, Oscar-“Pulp Fiction”)

1969 [46] Pauley Perrette, New Orleans LA, TV actress (‘Abby Sciuto’ on “NCIS” since 2003)

1970 [45] Mariah Carey, Huntington NY, pop singer (“Don’t Forget About Us”, “We Belong Together”)/5 Grammy Awards/18 #1 singles/TV personality (“American Idol” 2013)

1971 [44] Nathan Fillion, Edmonton AB, TV actor (‘Richard Castle’ on “Castle” since 2009)

1975 [40] Fergie (Stacy Ferguson), Whittier CA, pop singer (“Clumsy”, “Big Girls Don’t Cry”, Black Eyed Peas-“I Gotta Feeling”, “Where Is The Love?”)

1988 [27] Jessie J (Jessica Cornish), London UK, pop singer (“Bang Bang”, “Price Tag”)/TV personality (“The Voice UK” 2012-13)

1990 [25] Kimbra (Johnson), Hamilton NZ, pop singer-songwriter (w/Gotye-“Someone That I Used to Know”)

SATURDAY –
Country singer Reba McEntire (“Turn On the Radio”) is 60; Country singer Rodney Atkins (“Take a Back Road”) is 46; Movie actor Vince Vaughn (“The Internship”) is 45; Rock guitarist Dave Keuning (The Killers) is 39; Pop singer Lady Gaga (“Born This Way”) is 29.

SUNDAY –
Rock singer/”Lollapalooza” founder Perry Farrell (Jane’s Addiction) is 56; TV correspondent Lara Logan (“60 Minutes”) is 44.

TODAY’S BS REASONS TO PARTY . . .
• “Joe Day”, when people who hate their names are to be given a break and simply called ‘Joe’. Ask listeners for the most horrific given names they’ve come across.
• “World Theatre Day”, celebrated every year on March 27th. It was established in 1961 by the International Theatre Institute.

SATURDAY –
• “Earth Hour”, a global effort to raise awareness of the need to reduce energy consumption, initiated in 2007 when some 2.2 million Australians in Sydney participated. It has since spread to over 4,000 cities worldwide, where millions are expected to show support by turning off their lights for 1 hour at 8.30 pm local time.
NET: http://earthhour.org
• “Hot Tub Day”, time to soak yourself in a steaming hot tub and bust the stress. Human stew!
• “Paella Day”, a food holiday honoring the hearty Spanish dish that’s made using saffron rice topped with seafood, chicken, chorizo sausage, peas. (And anything else you wanna toss in.)
• “Something On a Stick Day”, celebrating corn dogs, shish kebabs, Popsicles, ice cream bars, and any of the estimated 3 dozen other foods regularly served on a stick.
• “Weed Appreciation Day”, a salute to plants that grow wild which, though classified as weeds, have a beauty all their own. Think of them as wildflowers and see if that helps.

SUNDAY –
• “Mom & Pop Business Owners Day”, honoring family-run, small-time business operations. Ask listeners for the most unusual combination of services offered by a single business that they’ve come across, ie: “Al’s Roofing & Dry Cleaning”.

TODAY’S MUSIC EVENT . . .
2006 [09] Victor Willis, the ‘cop’ in 1970s disco group Village People, is arrested for failing to appear at his trial for cocaine & gun possession in San Francisco CA and is sentenced to rehab and 3-years probation (doing community service at the “Y-M-C-A …”)

TODAY’S FIRST . . .
1998 [17] Viagra, the ‘Little Blue Pill’ for men, is approved for retail sale by the FDA (men immediately begin skipping to work in the morning)

TODAY’S RECORD . . .
2013 [02] Miami Heat’s 27-game NBA winning streak comes to an end when they lose to Chicago Bulls 101-97

AND REMEMBER . . .
[Mon] “Comedy Central Roast of Justin Bieber” airs
[Mon] “The Emperor of all Maladies: A Biography of Cancer” begins (PBS)
[Mon] Doctors Day
[Mon] World Bipolar Day
[Tues] Bunsen Burner Day
[Tues] She’s Funny That Way Day
This Week Is … Tsunami Awareness Week
This Month Is … Ethics Awareness Month

BULL’S BITS

REAL BUT REALLY RIDICULOUS TUNES:
Today is the annual “Quirky Country Music Song Titles Day”. How about these, for instance …
– “Thanks To the Cathouse, I’m In the Doghouse With You”
– “I Wish I Were a Woman (So I Could Go Out With a Guy Like Me)”
– “You’re the Ring Around My Bathtub, You’re the Hangnail Of My Life”
– “My Phone Ain’t Been Ringing, So I Guess It Wasn’t You”
– “Are You Drinkin’ With Me, Jesus?”
A listing of hundreds more here (scroll down to ‘The Best Of the Worst Country Song Titles’) …
NET: http://www.downstream.ca

BS PHONE STARTER:
☎ Which movie did you think was actually better than the book? “Fight Club”? “The Godfather”? “The Notebook”?

WHICH TV SHOW LASTED MORE SEASONS?
• “The West Wing” or “Lost”? [7 seasons/6 seasons]
• “The Office” or “Desperate Housewives”? [9/8]
• “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” or “The Sopranos”? [7/6]
• “Sex & The City” or “24”? [6/8]
• “The X Files” or “Friends”? [9/10]
• “30 Rock” or “Breaking Bad”? [7/5]
• “Seinfeld” or “Frasier”? [9/11]
• “Prison Break” or “Veronica Mars”? [4/3]
• “The OC” or “Gossip Girl”? [4/6]
• “Parks & Recreation” or “Friday Night Lights”? [7/5]
– Sourced from IMdB.com / Idea from BuzzFeed.com

BS RANDOM JOKE:
Consultants have credibility because they aren’t dumb enough to work at your company.

BS WATER COOLER QUESTION:
Question: What is the lie that kids are most likely to tell?
Answer: They brushed their teeth.

BS DEEP THOUGHT:
Planning the future saves you from regretting the past.