BS SHOW BIZ BUZZ:
Reality TV starlet Kim Kardashian (“Keeping Up With the Kardashians”) is preparing to put her relationship with New Orleans Saints running back Reggie Bush to the test – they’re reportedly set to move in together (seems he’s made it past ‘1st down’) . . . Michael Jackson’s kids and mother get an allowance from his estate and now father Joe Jackson has filed court documents asking for an unspecified amount from his son’s estate to help cover his expenses which exceed $15,000-a-month (what’s he personally spending 180-grand-a-year on?)  . . . Mel Gibson‘s baby mama, Oksana Grigorieva, says the 53-year-old actor is an ‘incredible hands-on’ father to their baby Lucia Anne, born October 30th (he ought to be good at it – he’s done it 8 times now!) . . . If the $40-million-plus Broadway production “Spider-Man Turn Off the Dark” gets off the ground, the role of ‘Peter Parker’ will be played by Reeve Carney, an actor-singer who has an indie rock band called Carney (opening is vaguely targeted for next year, sometime) . . . Singer/actress Ashlee Simpson-Wentz has bounced back after being axed from “Melrose Place” (CW), lining up her Broadway debut as ‘Roxie Hart’ in “Chicago” starting in December (on Broadway, stunt-casting’s the thing nowadays) . . . And the manager of famous person Paris Hilton is threatening legal action against New Zealand company Media5 for plastering Hilton’s face across a billboard with the word ‘VACANT’ stamped across it to advertise outdoor advertising space in Wellington (they should win an award!).

TODAY’S SHOW BIZ SKED:
• “Dancing With the Stars” (ABC/CTV) – Michael Bublé performs; British talent show sensation Susan Boyle performs; another couple is eliminated.
• “Good Morning America” (ABC) – Brad Paisley & Carrie Underwood play a free concert in downtown Nashville to promote tomorrow’s “CMA Awards”, which they’ll co-host.
• “Jimmy Kimmel Live” (ABC/CityTV) – Amerie (“In Love & War”).
• “Late Night With Jimmy Fallon” (NBC/A Channel) – Wale (“Attention Deficit”).
• “Late Show With David Letterman” (CBS) – Shakira (“She Wolf”).
• “Spotlight With Robin Roberts: Bright Lights. Big Stars. All Access Nashville” (ABC) – This 1-hour special to hype tomorrow’s “CMA Awards” includes profiles of Carrie Underwood, Martina McBride and Tim McGraw, among others. Barack Obama, Rascal Flatts, and Taylor Swift will take part in a segment about all-time favorite country songs.
• “Tonight Show With Conan O’Brien” (NBC/A Channel) – John Fogerty (“The Blue Ridge Rangers Rides Again”).

BS MUSIC NOTES:
• Bon Jovi – Today they release their 11th studio album, “The Circle”. President Barack Obama’s chief adviser David Axelrod has hung inspirational lyrics from the album in his White House office. (Guess he got an advance copy.)
• The Doors – Today a new box set is released which documents Jim Morrison’s last performance in NYC before his death. The 6-disc collection contains all 4 concerts at the Felt Forum in 1970.
• Guns ‘N Roses – Today Baby Rock Records releases “Lullaby Renditions Of Guns ‘N Roses”, quieter versions of GNR’s metal classics to gently rock that sweet child o’ yours to sleep. (Welcome to the nursery, baby. It’s paradise city!)
• Jackson 5 – Motown is celebrating the 40th anniversary of their first single by releasing “I Want You Back! Unreleased Masters”, a new collection of vault recordings that includes previously unreleased tracks and alternate versions.
• Robbie Williams – The UK’s one-time top pop artist releases his comeback attempt, the album “Reality Killed the Video Star”. (This may be an indication of how good it is – he’s already decided to sell his British estate and move back to LA.)
• Snow Patrol – Today they release the compilation album, “Up To Now”. (12 versions of “Chasing Cars”?).
• Tori Amos – Today she releases an album of holiday music, entitled “Midwinter Graces”, a mix of standards and original compositions.
• Velvet Revolver – Today former frontman Scott Weiland’s ex-wife Mary Forsberg Weiland publishes “Fall To Pieces: A Memoir of Drugs, Rock ‘n Roll, and Mental Illness”, outlining her life with the wildman rocker and  her experiences with bipolar disorder.

TODAY’S VIDEO RELEASES:
• “The Accidental Husband” ( Romantic Comedy) – Uma Thurman plays a talk radio host who advises one of her listeners to break up with her boyfriend, causing the jilted ex- to seek revenge. Co-stars Colin Firth, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, and Sam Shepard. Never released in North American theaters.
• “The Ugly Truth” ( Romantic Comedy ): Gerard Butler & Katherine Heigl star as a macho morning TV show correspondent & his love-challenged producer who make a bet. If his tips on how to land a boyfriend don’t work, he’ll quit the business. Surprise! Guess who falls for each other? Soundtrack includes Flo Rida, Katy Perry, and Natasha Bedingfield.
• “Up” ( Animated Adventure ): This Disney/Pixar film follows the story of a 78-year-old man (Ed Asner) who sets out to fulfill his lifelong dream of seeing the wilds of South America by tying thousands of balloons to his home. He soon discovers an 8-year-old has inadvertently become a stowaway on the trip. Voice cast also includes Christopher Plummer & John Ratzenberger. Comes in a ‘Limited Edition Luxo Jr Premium Combo Pack’ & a ‘2-Disc Deluxe Edition + Digital Copy’.
• Also released today: “GI Joe: A Real American Hero – The Complete Series” (animation); “Hogan’s Heroes: The Komplete Series – Kommandant’s Kollection” (vintage TV); “JAG: The 9th Season” (TV); “Keeping Up With the Kardashians: The Complete 2nd Season” (TV); “Kings Of Leon: Live At the O2 London, England” (concert); “Mamma Mia! – The Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! More Gift Set” (musical); “Sesame Street: 40 Years of Sunny Days” (TV); and “The Three Stooges Collection, Vol 7: 1952-54” (comedy).

HOTTEST FOODIES ON TV:
A new ranking of TV hotties who cook up a storm …
5. Ingrid Hoffman … “Simply Delicioso”.
4. Katie Lee … Ex-Mrs Billy Joel / ex-host of “Top Chef”
3. Nigella Lawson … “Nigella Bites”.
2. Giada De Laurentiis … “Everyday Italian”.
1. Aida Mollenkamp … “Ask Aida”.
– Condensed from FoxNews.com.

WHY WE BUY:
Researchers at the University of Munster in Germany say female shoppers lose the ability to think straight when shopping. When they measured the electrical activity in the part of the brain which deals with common sense and rational thought, they discovered the area governing emotions and pleasant feelings was in overdrive. The scientists also found men experience a similar loss of control when offered the chance to buy electrical gadgets, fast cars, or computer games. (Not to mention lapdances.)
– Reuters

LIFE BY THE NUMBERS:
A BS breakdown of who we are and what we do …
• 97% of women say a date can be going great but the moment they see a guy’s bathroom is dirty, it’s a deal breaker.
• 71% of lottery winners share their winnings.
• 68% of shoplifted clothing is stolen by women.
• 49% of women believe their car is more reliable than most men they know.
• 45% of singles say they’d have to be dating someone at least 3 months before they’d consider taking them to their holiday party.
• 35% of men aged 18-to-49 have a nap on a daily basis.

BABEL GLASSES:
High-tech firm NEC is developing eyeglasses that provide subtitles.  It’s hoped ‘Tele Scouter’ eyewear will eventually be used as a translation aid. Here’s how it would work: A microphone on the headset would pick up a conversation in different languages, pipe it through translation software and a voice-to-text system, then send the translation back to the headset. At the same time as a user hears a translation, they’d also get text subtitles beamed onto their retina. (She blinded me with Spanish.)
– BBC News

ARE THESE ACTIONS AX-WORTHY?
A poll of corporate executives asks which office goofs & gaffs are ‘forgivable’ and which are ‘fireable’. See if you agree …
• Taking frequent sick days. [Fireable]
• Frequent long lunches. [Fireable]
• Gossiping. [Forgivable]
• Frequently late for work. [Fireable]
• Surfing the Internet. [Forgivable]
• Frequent personal phone calls. [Fireable]
• Sending jokes via email. [Forgivable]
• Dating a co-worker. [Forgivable]
• Drinking too much at a company event. [Forgivable]
– “Glamour Magazine”

HOW TO CRY IN FRENCH:
German researchers say babies begin to pick up the nuances of their parents’ accents while still in the womb. The team studied the cries of 60 healthy babies born to families speaking French and German. The French newborns cried with a rising ‘accent’ while the German babies’ cries had a falling inflection. It’s thought the babies are trying to form a bond with their mothers by imitating them. The findings suggest that unborn babies are influenced by the sound of the first language that penetrates the womb. (A French baby laughs like this: ho ho HO!)
– NPR.org

DID YOU KNOW?
• Journalists visiting “Sesame Street” are banned from asking ‘Bert’ and ‘Ernie’ if they are gay.
• Britain’s BBC initially rejected “Sesame Street” in 1971 because it was ‘too authoritarian’.
• Elmo’s favorite food is wasabi .
– Magazine Monitor

BS CHRONOMETER 11.10.09

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TODAY’S CELEBIRTHDAYS . . .
1944 [65] (Sir) Tim Rice, Amersham UK, lyricist who’s worked with Andrew Lloyd Webber (“Jesus Christ Superstar”, “Evita”) and Elton John (“The Lion King”, “Aida”)

1968 [41] Tracy Morgan, NYC, TV actor (‘Tracy Jordan’ on “30 Rock” since 2006, “Saturday Night Live” 1996-2006)

1968 [41] Chris Cagle, DeRidder LA, country singer (“What Kinda Gone”, “I Breathe In, I Breathe Out”)

1969 [40] Ellen Pompeo, Everett MA, TV actress (‘Dr Meredith Grey’ on “Grey’s Anatomy” since 2005)

1975 [34] Jim Adkins, Mesa AZ, rock singer/guitarist (Jimmy Eat World-“Pain”, “The Middle”)

1977 [32] Brittany (Sharon) Murphy, Atlanta GA, movie actress (“Sin City”, “8 Mile”)

1978 [31] Eve (Jihan Jeffers), Philadelphia PA, rapper (w/Gwen Stefani-“Rich Girl”, w/Gwen Stefani-“Let Me Blow Ya Mind”)/TV actress (“Eve” 2003-06)/movie actress (“Barbershop”)

1983 [26] Miranda Lambert, Lindale TX, country singer (“White Liar”, “Gunpowder & Lead”)

BS REASONS TO PARTY . . .
• “Forget-Me-Not Day”, a day for remembering those whose lives have touched us in some way. You’re encouraged to think of people who had an impact on your life and the way in which they changed it. (Then go see a lawyer and file charges.)

• “National Young Readers Day” to encourage kids to hit the books and enjoy the magic of reading.
BS CHILDREN’S BOOKS YOU’LL NEVER SEE:
– “Clifford the Big Red Dog is Put to Sleep”
– “Valuable Protein & Other Nutritional Benefits of Things From Your Nose”
– “The Hardy Boys, the Bobsey Twins, and The Vice Squad”
– “Babar Becomes a Piano”
– “Controlling The Playground: Respect Through Fear”

THIS DAY IN SHOW BIZ . . .
1969 [40] Landmark children’s television show “Sesame Street” debuts (PBS)

1999 [10] ”Pokemon: The First Movie” opens in theaters (apparently the last as well)

TODAY’S FIRSTS . . .
1932 [77] 1st “Hockey Night in Canada” broadcast airs on CBC Radio, with Foster Hewitt doing the play-by-play (Toronto & Boston tie 1-1)

1983 [26] Microsoft unveils the 1st ‘Windows’ operating system (and the 1st ‘general protection fault’ and ‘illegal operation’ error messages)

COMING UP . . .
[Wed] Remembrance Day
[Fri] Guinness World Record Day
[Fri] Friday the 13th
[Sat] World Diabetes Day
[Sat] World Rock-Paper-Scissors Championships (Toronto)
This Week Is … Eating Disorders Week
This Month Is … Inspirational Role Models Month

BULL’S BITS

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BS WAYS “SESAME STREET” HAS STAYED CURRENT:
• Addition of new goth character ‘Sarcophagus’.
• ‘Bert’ has dumped ‘Ernie’ for a massage therapist named ‘Rico’.
• ‘The Count’ does regular guest shots on ‘The Vampire Diaries’.
• ‘Oscar the Grouch’ is now joined in the garbage can by the body of ‘Carlos the Drug Mule’.
• Warren Buffett does a guest shot, teaching the kids the number 50 billion.
• Latest music compilation is entitled “Elmo Does Emo”.

BS “SESAME STREET” POP CULTURE QUIZ:
Who do you remember from ‘the neighborhood’? Let’s find out …
• Who was “Sesame Street’s” happy game show host? (‘Guy Smiley’)
• Who’s ‘Big Bird’s’ friend who always travels with a trunk? (‘Snuffleupagus’)
• What is ‘Mr Snuffleupagus’s’ first name? (‘Aloyisius’)
• Who sang “It’s Not Easy Being Green”? (‘Kermit the Frog’)
• Who’s the late, great owner of the corner store? (‘Mr Hooper’)
• What is the ‘Count’s’ full name? (‘Count Von Count’)

BS RANDOM JOKE:
Vegetarian: Native word for ‘lousy hunter’.

BS U-PICK TRIVIA:
Who invented the 1st motorcycle?
a. Harley Davidson
b. Gottlieb Daimler (DIME-ler) [CORRECT, 124 years ago TODAY.]
c. Antonio Vespa

BS PHONE STARTER:
Which “Sesame Street” character are you most like?

BS WATER COOLER QUESTION:
Today’s Question: Stats show that men are 42% more likely to have their car stolen, while women are 78% more likely to have THIS happen.
Answer to Give Out Next Show:  Lost car keys.

BS DEEP THOUGHT:
35 is when you finally get your head  together and your body starts falling apart.