---

BS SHOW BIZ BUZZ:
A new add-on to the popular Firefox web browser called ‘Shaved Bieber’ automatically scans web pages for text and photos that reference 16-year-old pop star Justin Bieber and either blocks them from loading or blacks them out (finally – useful technology!) . . . “American Idol” is reportedly wooing Madonna to become Simon Cowell’s replacement on the show’s next season (and you thought HE was annoying!) . . . Perhaps surprisingly (certainly for Carrie Underwood), Kelly Clarkson is the top-earning former “American Idol” contestant of the past year, raking in $8 million (not surprisingly, Taylor Hicks didn’t make the list) . . . Philandering hubby Jesse James claims that his estranged actress-wife Sandra Bullock was ‘proud’ of him for going into rehab (dude, she’d be happy to see you go anywhere – just go!) . . . It attracted lots of attention but “The Lost” finalé garnered just 13.5 million viewers, ranking it #55 on the list of most-watched series finalés (even “ALF” beats it!) . . . 27-year-old actress Sophia Bush has revealed she’s secretly been dating her “One Tree Hill” boyfriend off-screen for almost 4 years, and Austin Nichols actually took the job just to be with her (the couple that plays together stays together?) . . . 23-year-old Heather Morris, the actress who plays dumb (but easy) cheerleader ‘Brittany’ on “Glee” was once a backup dancer for Beyoncé (now she’s a backup dancer for ‘Rachel’) . . . And 40-year-old actress/comedian/screenwriter/producer Tina Fey (“30 Rock”, “SNL”) has been named as the next recipient of the “Mark Twain Prize for American Humor” from the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts (her response: “I am truly thrilled to receive this honor. I assume Betty White was disqualified for steroid use.”)

BS SHOW BIZ SKED:
• “Bonnie Hunt Show” (syndicated/CityTV) – Miranda Lambert (“Revolution”).
• “Ellen DeGeneres Show” (syndicated/A Channel) – Chely Wright (“Lifted Off the Ground”).
• “Hollywood Salutes Matt Damon: An American Cinematheque Tribute” (ABC) – The actor receives the 24th ‘American Cinematheque Award’ for his work in motion pictures.
• “The Hour” (CBC) – Massive Attack (“Heligoland”).
• “Jimmy Kimmel Live” (ABC/CityTV) – Stone Temple Pilots (“Stone Temple Pilots”).
• “Last Call With Carson Daly” (NBC) – Damian Marley w/Nas (“Distant Relatives”).
• “Late Late Show With Craig Ferguson” (CBS) – Band Of Horses (“Infinite Arms”).
• “Late Night With Jimmy Fallon” (NBC/A Channel) – Reflection Eternal (“Revolutions Per Minute”).
• “Late Show With David Letterman” (CBS) – OK Go (“Of the Blue Colour Of the Sky”).
• “Lopez Tonight” (TBS) – Janelle Monae (“The ArchAndroid”).
• “So You Think You Can Dance” (FOX/CTV) – Auditions begin as another season gets underway.
• “Tonight Show With Jay Leno” (NBC/A Channel) – Allison Moorer (“Crows”).

BS MUSIC NOTES:
• Christina Aguilera – Her scheduled Summer tour is being delayed to 2011, purportedly due to ‘commitments to the film “Burlesque” and her promotional schedule for her new record “Bionic”.’
New dates will be announced later this year.
• Elvis Presley – Today his personal record collection is up for auction in London. It seems he handed a stack of 26 discs to his guitarist Scotty Moore in 1968 and asked him to transfer them to reel-to-reel tapes but never asked for them back. Now Moore has decided to sell the vinyl collection, which is expected to generate more than $175,000.
NET: http://www.liveauctioneers.com/catalog/21629
• Mindy McCready – The trouble-prone country singer is back at home after briefly being hospitalized. Her publicist confirms the hospital stay, but claims the diagnosis ‘has not been confirmed’.
• Nirvana – Courtney Love  is reportedly considering selling off her remaining stake in Kurt Cobain’s publishing rights to the Nirvana catalogue. She sold off a 25% chunk in 2006 and word has it she’s already been offered $162 million for the remainder. A rep is denying any pending deal.
• Talking Heads – David Byrne has filed a lawsuit against Florida Governor Charlie Crist over usage of the Talking Heads song “Road to Nowhere” without permission. Byrne is seeking $1 million in damages for using the song in a recent ad campaign during a primary election.
• U2– Bono’s rehab from back surgery has now caused the entire North American leg of their “U2360” tour to be postponed a year until sometime in 2011.
• Zac Brown Band – Guitarist/keyboardist Coy Bowles says their next album is roughly 85% complete and a Fall release is likely. It’s tentatively titled “Get What You Give”.

TODAY’S MOVIE OPENING:
“Sex & The City 2” ( R-Rated Romantic Comedy ): Sarah Jessica Parker (‘Carrie Bradshaw’), Kristin Davis (‘Charlotte York’), Cynthia Nixon (‘Miranda Hobbes), Kim Cattrall (‘Samantha Jones’), and Chris Noth (‘Mr Big’) are all back for this sequel set in Morocco, where ‘Samantha’s ex- is filming a movie. Cameos include Liza Minnelli (singing “Single Ladies [Put a Ring On It]”), pop icon Miley Cyrus, actress Penelope Cruz, and fashion guru Tim Gunn (“Project Runway”).
NET: http://www.sexandthecitymovie.com

COMING ATTRACTIONS:
A BS selection of movies in the making …
• “Captain America: The First Avenger” – Filming on this Marvel comic book adaptation begins in June with a target release date of July 22, 2011. The cast includes Chris Evans in the lead role, Samuel L Jackson (‘Nick Fury’); Hugo Weaving (‘The Red Skull’); Sebastian Stan (‘Bucky Barnes’); and Hayley Atwell (‘Peggy Carter’). Dominic Cooper (“Mamma Mia!”) is likely to play ‘Iron Man’s father ‘Howard Stark’, one of the founders of the ‘SHIELD’ team.
• “The Man Who Killed Don Quixote” – Director Terry Gilliam has confirmed Ewan McGregor will take on the role originally slotted for Johnny Depp 10 years ago in a version later shelved. The movie tells the tale of a modern-day advertising executive who’s sent back to 17th-century Spain where he meets the fictional adventurer ‘Quixote’. Robert Duvall has also been cast in the movie, which is due for release in 2011.
• “Quartermain” – 33-year-old “Avatar” star Sam Worthington has the lead in this latest adaptation of the novel “King Solomon’s Mines” by H Rider Haggard. A sci-fi spin will see the hero returning from space for a global adventure in a time when humans have left Earth. The adventure is scheduled to screen in 2012.
• “Surrender Dorothy” – Drew Barrymore is set to direct this sequel to “The Wizard of Oz”, a project she was originally set to star in 8 years ago. The story follows the great, great granddaughter of ‘Dorothy’, who has to learn how to use the power of her ruby red slippers to keep the ‘Wicked Witch Of the West’ from taking control of ‘Oz’.
• “The Three Musketeers” – 33-year-old “Pirates Of the Caribbean” star Orlando Bloom is the latest to sign on for the upcoming 3-D version of the classic Alexandre Dumas novel, taking on the role of the ‘Duke of Buckingham’. He joins Matthew MacFadyen, Ray Stevenson, and Luke Evans as the famous trio ‘Athos, Porthos & Aramis’. Milla Jovovich will play the lead female role of ‘M’lady De Winter’. The movie is due for release next year.

BE THE JOYSTICK:
‘Project Natal’ is the revolutionary new controller-free gaming platform for Microsoft’s Xbox 360.
Rather than having a physical controller in your hand, you become the controller as your movements are captured by a camera in front of or on top of your TV and translated into onscreen action. So if your idea of a good time is dancing around the room like a loon, this could be just the thing. The ‘Natal’ unit itself is a sleek white rectangle that looks like it was created by Apple. But there are still a lot of glitches to be sorted out before it’s launched this Christmas. (So expect it in time for Spring 2012.)
– HecklerSpray.com

HOW TO BE HAPPY AND SMART:
Mycobacterium vaccae bacteria may do more than decrease anxiety. Recent studies on mice suggest the bacteria, commonly found in the soil of your garden, also increases intelligence and the ability to learn. Researchers at the Sage Colleges in Troy NY have built on previous experiments in which dead strains of the bacteria injected into mice spurred increased serotonin production. The immediate effect of all this extra serotonin is decreased anxiety levels, but now it’s also thought the stuff triggers better learning ability. (Meaning some pharmaceutical giant is about to patent … dirt.)
– io9.com

ALL-TIME SEXIEST SWIMSUIT SCENES:
A recent ranking of the best-looking babes to bring a bikini to the bigscreen (plus one who didn’t) …
5. Halle Berry in “Die Another Day” (2002).
4. Farrah Fawcett (“Charlie’s Angels”) in a red one-piece swimsuit for a promo poster (1976).
3. Bo Derek in “10” (1979).
2. Raquel Welch in “One Million Years BC” (1966).
1 Ursula Andress in “Dr No” (1962).
– Jam! Showbiz

POWERFUL PUZZLER:
Completing jigsaw puzzles is a challenging and popular hobby, but now scientists from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Tel Aviv University in Israel have for the first time developed a problem-solving model that allows a computer to do the job quickly and efficiently. Using their system, computer software is able to successfully solve a 400-piece puzzle in only 3 minutes. And here’s the real challenge …  all 400 pieces are perfectly square. (Bet they aren’t blue sky though, huh?)
– PhysOrg.com

IT’S MINE, ALL MINE!
A recent research study shows that, if you’re leaving a parking space and someone is waiting to take that space, you actually take LONGER to vacate the spot – on purpose. Now why would you do that? Scientists say it’s because we’re inherently territorial and subconsciously try to protect our personal space. (Actually it’s because you don’t want anyone to witness you clipping the BMW parked beside you.)
– AP

BS AMAZING FACT:
“MacGruber” opened to $4.1 million at the box office across 2,500 theaters … the worst opening by a major picture since “The Rocker”, starring Rainn Wilson, in August of 2008.
– TPP

BS CHRONOMETER 05.27.10

---

TODAY’S CELEBIRTHDAYS . . .
1945 [65] Bruce Cockburn, Ottawa ON, folk/country/rock singer/songwriter (“Lovers In a Dangerous Time”, “Wondering Where the Lions Are”)

1966 [44] Sean Kinney, Renton WA, rock drummer (Alice in Chains-“Your Decision”, “No Excuses”)

1970 [40] Joseph Fiennes (Joseph Alberic Twisleton-Wykeham-Fiennes), Salisbury UK,
TV actor (‘Mark Benford’ in “FlashForward” since 2009)/movie actor (“Elizabeth”, “Shakespeare in Love”)

1971 [39] Paul Bettany, London UK, movie actor (“Iron Man 2”, “Da Vinci Code”)/married to actress Jennifer Connelly since 2003

1975 [35] André 3000 (Benjamin), Atlanta GA, hip-hop artist (OutKast-“Hey Ya!”, “The Way You Move”)/movie actor (“Semi-Pro”, “Hollywood Homicide”)

1975 [35] Jamie Oliver, Clavering UK, celebrity TV chef (“Jamie at Home”, “Jamie’s Kitchen”, “The Naked Chef”, etc)

1990 [20] Chris Colfer, Fresno CA, TV actor (‘Kurt Hummel‘ on “Glee” since 2009)

BS REASONS TO PARTY . . .
• “Ancestor Honor Day”, a day to reflect on the contributions of those who’ve gone before us.

• “Flower Moon”, the Full Moon of May, so-named because flowers are abundant during this time of year. Other names include the ‘Full Corn Planting Moon’ and the ‘Milk Moon’.

• “Sunscreen Day”, to create awareness of the importance of using protection against harmful UV rays from the Sun. Medical professionals advocate the use of sunscreen with a Skin Protection Factor (SPF) of 15 or more. Some are now saying that the potent new 60 SPF is required. In any event, you should slather on the goo even on overcast days as UV rays can penetrate clouds.

TODAY’S FIRSTS . . .
1930 [80] 1st ‘masking tape’ (the next day the 1st geek uses it to repair his eyeglasses)

1961 [49] 1st ‘black lights’ sold in novelty shop (the kind that make your white shirt glow)

TODAY’S RECORDS . . .
1884 [126] 22-inch-tall ‘General Mite’ marries 19.5-inch Millie Edwards (just lookin’ for a little nookie)

1994 [16] ‘Highest Temperature Ever Produced’ in a lab … 920 million degrees F at Princeton University (almost as hot as a leather car seat on a Summer afternoon)

COMING UP . . .
[Fri] Sierra Club Day
[Fri] “Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time” opens in movie theaters
[Sat] International Day of UN Peacekeepers
[Sat] International Jazz Day
[Sun] Indianapolis 500
[Mon] Memorial Day (USA)
[Mon] Spring Bank Holiday (UK)
This Week Is … International Pickle Week
This Month Is … Better Hearing & Speech Month

BULL’S BITS

---

BS WHYZITS:
• Whyzit we call it a ‘TV set’ when there’s only one?
• Whyzit we don’t ever celebrate a ‘Full Sun’?
• Whyzit we call it ‘chili’ if it’s hot?
• Whyzit we say we know it ‘by heart’ when our brain did all the work?
• Whyzit golfers shout ‘Fore!’? Shouldn’t they yell ‘Get the hell outta the way!’?

BS U-PICK TRIVIA:
Which did Ancient Egyptians do to mourn the deaths of their cats?
a. Shaved their eyebrows. [CORRECT]
b. Shaved their beards.
c. Shaved their armpits.

BS RANDOM JOKE:
Somebody’s got to clean the control room! I mean it! The plants growing in here aren’t even in pots!

BS WEB GOODIE:
The new website ‘Fiverr’ is the place for people to share things they’re willing to do for $5. So what can you get? Recent offerings include: writing an essay; answering questions about video production; drafting a floor plan; writing a 5-page marketing plan; helping practice Spanish on Skype; and designing a business card. What would you do for 5 bucks?
NET: http://www.fiverr.com

BS ‘DOUBLE-O GAME’:
Each word of the 2-word answers to the following begins with the letter ‘O’ …
• It’s the place where Obama works. (Oval Office)
• It’s the only thing that can be ‘extra virgin’. (Olive Oil)
• It’s the organization Irish Protestants belong to who stage marches. (Order of Orangemen)
• It’s the 2 basic functions of a light switch. (On/Off)
• It’s Canada’s capital city. (Ottawa, Ontario)
• It’s a wrinkle cream used by women. (Oil of Olay)

BS PHONE STARTER:
What is this country’s most impressive landmark?

BS WATER COOLER QUESTION:
Today’s Question: On average, we have 3 of THESE every 10 years.
Answer to Give Out Next Show: Bosses.

BS DEEP THOUGHT:
He who loses money, loses much; he who loses a friend, loses more.