BS SHOW BIZ BUZZ:
The widower of actress Brittany Murphy, screenwriter Simon Monjack, has been found dead in the Hollywood Hills CA home they once shared, apparently the victim of cardiac arrest (Murphy died in December of cardiac arrest after suffering pneumonia, complicated by multiple drug intoxication) . . . More theories on why Megan Foz won’t be in “Transformers 3”: E! News suggests she and director Michael Bay just finally got fed up with each other; TheWrap reports she was basically forced to quit because she’d had enough of his ‘verbally abuse’ (either way, her career goes downhill from here on) . . . Movie actor Michael Madsen (“Thelma & Louise”) is back in LA after being hospitalized in Britain due to an alleged 9-day booze binge, his rep claiming reports he was labeled high-risk and placed under suicide watch are ‘ridiculous’ (BS translation: If people believe that he’ll never qualify for movie set insurance again) . . . 24-year-old former “Playmate” & Hugh Hefner girl Kendra Wilkinson’s explicit video, “Kendra Exposed” (showing her with a boyfriend at age 18), has become a hit even before release, with pre-orders outselling Kim Kardashian’s infamous XXX tape (Kendra eventually agreed to drop legal action and take 50% of profits) . . . And 45-year-old Courtney Love has reportedly been dumped by her boyfriend, Andre Balazs, insiders claiming the millionaire hotelier made the move because he’d begun to find her behavior ‘embarrassing’ (and her appearance ‘coyote ugly’).

TODAY’S SHOW BIZ SKED:
• “American Idol” (FOX/CTV) – Final 2 contestants Lee DeWyze & Crystal Bowersox face off in the season’s final performance show. The winner is announced tomorrow night.
• “Dancing With the Stars” (ABC/CTV) – The season’s eliminated couples return to perform new routines; this season’s winner is revealed.
• “Ellen DeGeneres Show” (syndicated/A Channel) – Jack Johnson (“To the Sea”).
• “Glee” (FOX/Global) – Lady Gaga’s music is featured.
• “Jimmy Kimmel Live” (ABC/CityTV) – Peter Frampton (Thank You Mr Churchill”).
• “Last Call With Carson Daly” (NBC) – OK Go (“Of The Blue Colour Of The Sky”).
• “Late Night With Jimmy Fallon” (NBC/A Channel) – Frightened Rabbit (“The Winter of Mixed Drinks”).
• “Late Show With David Letterman” (CBS) – The Black Keys (“Brothers”).
• “Live With Regis & Kelly” (syndicated/CTV) – Jonas Bros (“Lines, Vines & Trying Times”); Jewel (“Sweet &  Wild”).
• “Tavis Smiley” (PBS) – Damian Marley w/Nas (“Distant Relations”).
• “Tonight Show With Jay Leno” (NBC/A Channel) – John Butler Trio (“April Uprising”).
• “The View” (ABC/CTV) – Joe Nichols performs his #1 hit “Gimmie That Girl”.

BS MUSIC NOTES:
• Avril Lavigne – She’s told (make that shown) “Inked Magazine” that her favorite tattoo is the one on her rib cage, the 4-letter F-bomb, which she admits is her favorite word.
• Chris Young – Today the country chart-topper releases a 3-song acoustic EP entitled “Voices” exclusively on iTunes, paying tribute to a few of his country heroes.
• The Cure – Today their 1989 album “Disintergration” is re-issued as part of a 3-CD set that includes a disc of rarities, outtakes, and demos; and an expanded version of the live album “Entreat” (1989).
• Limp Bizkit – Fred Durst has announced their Summer amphitheater tour is being postponed in favor of a Fall arena tour, explaining on Twitter that Limp Bizkit ‘is not an amphitheater band’. (BS translation: 12 fans do not fill an amphitheater.)
• Pitbull – Tonight he kicks of “Mr Worldwide’s Carnival Tour” in Denver CO, a show that includes Brazilian dancers with a live band. He releases a Spanish album, “Armando”, in June.
• Pussycat Dolls – Creator Robin Antin has introduced 4 new members as back-up to Nicole Scherzinger: “Fame” star Kherington Payne, Gwen Stefani’s former dancer Rino Nakasone-Razalan, Vanessa Curry, and Jamie Lee Ruiz. Antin created the Dolls in 1995 as a burlesque dance troupe.
• Rihanna – She tells Britain’s “In Demand” radio show she may adopt a child in the future … because she’s terrified of childbirth.
• Stone Temple Pilots – Today their new self-titled album is released, their first studio release since 2001’s “Shangri-La Dee Da”.

TODAY’S VIDEO RELEASES:
• “Dear John” ( War Drama ): Set in North Carolina a decade ago, Channing Tatum (“Step Up”) and Amanda Seyfried (“Big Love”, “Letters to Juliet”) star in this romantic drama about a soldier who falls for a conservative college student while he’s home on leave.
• “The Road” ( Sci-Fi Thriller ): Viggo Mortensen & Charlize Theron star in this futuristic story about a father and son who walk for months across a ravaged, post-apocalyptic landscape in search of civilization. Co-stars Robert Duvall, Guy Pearce, and 13-year-old Australian actor Kodi Smit-McPhee. Based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning Cormac McCarthy novel.
• Also released today: “Bing Crosby: The Television Specials, Volume 1” (Vintage TV); “Flashpoint: The 2nd Season” (TV); “Leverage: The 2nd Season” (TV); “Royal Pains: Season 1” (TV); “Trinity: The Complete 1st Season” (TV); “True Blood: The Complete 2nd Season” (TV); and “The Virginian: The Complete 1st Season” (Vintage TV).

THE SCARY ‘3RD DATE’:
New York-based psychologist Dr Diana Kirschner says the 3rd date is when new couples are starting to relax; and that comfort can morph into the impulse to reveal embarrassing or scary information in an ‘unconscious wish to be accepted’. This is often when the truth comes out about STDs, personal hygiene habits, family backgrounds and, yes, one’s real age. The so-called ‘3rd-date confession’ has become so legendary some people have come to fear it for what they’ll learn about the up-to-now wonderful person they’ve met. What to do? Kirschner advises holding off on revealing info until things have become exclusive and serious. (And then you admit you’re an ax-murderer?)
– “Social Studies”

ITEMS ONLY SOLD AT WALMART CHINA:
A review of unusual items sold by Walmart in its Chinese stores which you’re unlikely to find anywhere else …
• Antibacterial Bikini Underwear For Men (how refreshing!)
• Assorted Dried Reptiles (in plastic bags)
• Bulk Rice (bag as much as you want)
• Crocodiles (on ice as food)
• Ducks (cleaned and plucked)
• Frogs (sold by weight)
• Mixed Meat (we don’t want to know what this is)
• Orange Juice & Cooking Oil Combo Pack (huh?)
• Pig Faces (OMG … pass the bucket)
• Tiny Turtles (please say they’re pets and not food!)
• Walmart Brand Spirits (they’re in the booze biz?)
– Buzzfeed.com

NEW CHEAPEST CAR?
India’s Tata Motors has milked its Nano mini-car’s ‘most affordable’ status for a ton of press, but it might soon hand the title over to a new challenger. Chinese carmaker has Geely has reportedly got its own ultra-frugal compact in the works. Called the ‘IG’, it’s expected to feature a tiny 1.0-liter, 70 horsepower motor and a minuscule $2,250 price tag. Word has it that Geely aims to surpass the Nano from a quality standpoint. (That’s already been done … by Hot Wheels.)
– Autoblog.com

BY THE NUMBERS:
A BS breakdown of who we are and what we do …
• 81% of vegetarians are female.
• 64% of employers have now banned wearing flip-flops to work.
• 62% of us say the first chore we do when arriving at work is deleting email.
• 55% of new moms admit they’ve ‘played dumb’ when their baby has a dirty diaper.
• 35% of female employees have been reprimanded at work for dressing ‘inappropriately’.
• 25% of men say they’d give up 5 years of their lives in exchange for not going bald.

40 IS THE NEW 30 FOR MOMS:
A recent report on American population trends has found that birth rates are falling in virtually every age group of women in their childbearing years … except for those between 40-and-50. The group aged 40-to-44 has had its largest birth rate since 1967. Benefitting from improvements in reproductive technology, more women 40-and-over are choosing to have kids in later life, particularly after they’ve accomplished career goals. (Witness Mrs John Travolta, Kelly Preston, who’s confirmed to be pregnant at age 47 … no surrogates or any other tricks involved.)
– “Baltimore Sun”

PLEASE DON’T FEED THE ANIMALS, EAT THEM:
Most of the time, the image of a zoo is one of animal protection and education. However, China’s Beijing Zoo has expanded this ‘education’ to include the culinary aspects of some of the more exotic animals housed there. For about $20-to-$200, visitors to the local Bin Feng Tang restaurant can sample hippo, scorpion, peacock, shark fin, kangaroo tail, or deer penis. Of course, the restaurant is not without controversy in the animal-loving world, and both the restaurant and zoo are under fire for the practice. (What’s the proper wine to serve with deer penis?)
– “The Guardian”

FOR THE RECORD:
Omaha NE businessman & philanthropist Terrance Watanabe is likely the ‘World’s Biggest Loser’. In a lawsuit filed against Harrah’s Entertainment, his lawyers acknowledge that he lost the astounding sum of $127 million in its casinos. But a new examination of casino records suggests he’s lost far more – a staggering $204 million … in a single year! A gambling expert says nobody’s ever lost that much in a commercial casino before. (On the upside, he’s also got the record for comp-ed rooms.)
– AOLnews.com

BS AMAZING FACTS:
• Globally, people with university degrees increased to 6.7% of the population this year from 5.9% in 2000.
– “Bloomberg News”
• On average 236 eHarmony members marry every day in the US as a result of online matching, according to a Harris Interactive poll.
– TTP

BS CHRONOMETER 05.25.10