Thanks a Sheetload for Choosing “BS”!
BS SHOW BIZ BUZZ:
★ The late Robin Williams has left his estate valued at $50 million to his 3 children, with his wife Susan Schneider to be cared for under the terms of a pre-nup they signed before their 2011 wedding. The will has been filed in Marin County, California 3 months after his death. His adult children are being looked after by the Robin Williams Trust, now being run by a trustee. Last Friday investigators formally ruled the star’s death as suicide as it was revealed he was struggling with a recent diagnosis of Parkinson’s, anxiety, depression, and paranoia.
– @MailOnline
★ Shhh, don’t tell Rosie! ABC-TV is secretly wooing Sherri Shepherd and Joy Behar back to “The View” as ratings for the daytime talk show continue to tumble. Behar recently made an appearance to promote her one-woman stage show and the feedback was tremendous, but Shepherd may be unavailable as she’s just joined the cast of TV Land’s “The Soul Man” for 10 episodes. Word has it that the network has approached the agents for both former co-hosts about the possibility of returning. What they really need is … Barbara Walters.
– PerezHilton.com
★ Newlyweds Donnie Wahlberg & Jenny McCarthy are putting their romance in the spotlight for a new A&E reality TV series. The 45-year-old former boy-band singer and the 42-year-old actress have announced “Donnie Loves Jenny”, a 10-episode docu-series that’s slated to premiere in early 2015 with a 1-hour special capturing their August 31st wedding in Chicago IL. The show biz couple will executive produce the show under their new production company, D&J Productions.
– “People Magazine”
TODAY’S SHOW BIZ SKED:
• “Conan” (TBS/CTV) – Adam Levine (Maroon 5).
• “Ellen DeGeneres Show” (syndicated/CTV2) – Mary J Blige (“The London Sessions”).
• “Jimmy Kimmel Live” (ABC/CityTV) – Retired R&B singer Oran ‘Juice’ Jones.
• “Last Call With Carson Daly” (NBC) – Bleached (“Ride Your Heart”).
• “Live With Kelly & Michael” (syndicated/CTV) – Estelle (“True Romance”).
• “Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” (NBC/CTV2) – Echosmith (“Talking Dreams”).
• “The View” (ABC/CTV) – Vintage Trouble (“The Bomb Shelter Sessions”).
• “You Oughta Know Live in Concert” (VH1) – This 2nd annual event from NYC’s Hammerstein Ballroom features A Great Big World, Aloe Blacc, American Authors, Bleachers, Chvrches, Echosmith, Kongos, Mary Lambert, Sam Smith, Tove Lo, and Vance Joy. The program has a good track record of identifying emerging artists; Lorde was highlighted last year.
BS MUSIC NOTES:
• Band Aid 30 – Bob Geldof has announced that Chris Martin, One Direction, and Paloma Faith are among those who are collaborating on a 4th recording of the charity song “Do They Know It’s Christmas?”. Of the original 1984 line-up, only Bono of U2 appears on the new version. The 30th anniversary edition will help raise money to fight the spread of Ebola in West Africa.
• Blake Shelton – “Neon Light” is his 13th consecutive #1 single, setting a new record for most consecutive number ones on the “Billboard” and Mediabase country charts.
• Led Zeppelin – Robert Plant has dismissed reports suggesting he tore up an $800-million contract from business tycoon Richard Branson to embark on a reunion tour of the supergroup. A rep for the veteran singer says the story is ‘rubbish’, according to TheGuardian.com.
• Taylor Swift – She’s on Barbara Walters’ annual list of “10 Most Fascinating People” this year, alongside Chelsea Handler, Neil Patrick Harris, Oprah Winfrey, and Scarlett Johansson. The special airs on ABC-TV December 14th.
• Usher – A free download of a new track called “Clueless” is available via specially-marked packages of Honey Nut Cheerios breakfast cereal. He appeared in a Cheerios TV ad earlier this year. A release date is no longer scheduled his new album “UR”. Quote: “I’m taking my time with it.”
COMING ATTRACTIONS:
A BS selection of movies in the making …
• “The Danish Girl” – Eddie Redmayne (“Les Miserables”) has met with members of the transgender community to prepare for his role as the 1st man to undergo a sex change operation. He’s playing Danish painter Einar Wegener, who changed his name to Lili and underwent gender reassignment surgery in 1931. Filming begins in January.
• “Mechanic: Resurrection” – Action film actor Jason Statham returns in this follow-up to the 2011 movie “The Mechanic”. Jessica Alba, Michelle Yeoh, and Tommy Lee Jones have also been added to the cast of the sequel. Shooting is just underway in Bangkok, Thailand with a release date set for January 22, 2016.
• “Suicide Squad” – Actor/musician Jared Leto is reportedly in talks to play ‘The Joker’ in this 2016 film. According to TheWrap.com, the 42-year-old 30 Seconds to Mars frontman has yet to decide on his first acting role since his Academy Award-winning performance in “Dallas Buyers Club”, but is seriously considering playing the supervillain in this DC Comics-based feature.
• “The Trap” – Benicio Del Toro and Jamie Foxx star in this upcoming crime thriller from director Harmony Korine (“Spring Breakers”). It focuses on 2 childhood friends who are now in their 30s; one who’s extremely successful, the other who’s spent most of his life in jail and is looking to get revenge on his old pal once released. Filming is slated to begin early next year.
A WASTE OF MONEY?
According to a pharmacy expert at the UK’s Birmingham University, there are many over-the-counter medicines that have little evidence of any effectiveness. Among them …
✗ Antibacterial Soaps & Wipes – It seems logical that antibacterial soap protects us from illness caused by bacteria. However, numerous studies have shown that triclosan, the active ingredient in many antibacterial products, has no advantage over good old-fashioned soap-and-water.
✗ Cough Medicines – There is little, if any proof, that they will help you recover. If your cough is caused by a viral infection, as most commonly are, there is no quick way of getting rid of it. Some costly cough medicines may even be harmful.
✗ Insomnia Remedies – Many over-the-counter sleep-aid pills contain an antihistamine, which is commonly used to quell allergic reactions and has the side-effect of drowsiness. There is no scientific evidence to support its usefulness for treating insomnia.
✗ Whitening Toothpastes – Over 40% of us use these, even though they often cost 3 times more. One dentist claims the chance of the small amount of active ingredient having an effect on teeth is virtually non-existent. You’d need at least 30 times that amount to achieve anything.
– DailyMail.co.uk
RETRO TECH:
Several celebrities, including singer Miley Cyrus and actress Kaley Cuoco (“The Big Bang Theory”), are now embracing old-school Polaroid cameras that offer ‘instant pictures’ … on paper. Taylor Swift chose to use the distinctive photo format on the cover of her new album, “1989”. Sales of Polaroid cameras have risen by 75% in the past year and sales of Polaroid film have doubled in the past 6 months. The CEO of Netherlands-based The Impossible Project, which took over Polaroid in 2008, says sales increases are most notable in the 18-to-25 demographic, with young people turning their backs on digital for something more tangible. The revival follows the infamous iCloud debacle, where celebs experienced online leaks of their private photos and members of the public began demanding more digital privacy. Polaroid cameras were particularly popular in the 1980s. (Better dust of those old cams for your next garage sale!)
– “The Guardian”
OUT OF SYNC:
Researchers at McGill University and University of Montréal have found that some people are totally ‘beat deaf’. The newly identified disorder affects how people synchronize with sounds they hear. The afflicted can’t keep time to music and are unable to adapt to changing rhythms. In experiments, non-beat-deaf people easily adapt to changes in a metronome within a few beats, but beat-deaf individuals seem completely unable to synchronize with a new beat. The syndrome makes it difficult to execute any movement based on rhythm, whether it be dancing, skating with a partner, or simply head-bobbing to a favorite tune. It’s believed people are born with the rare condition. The scientists hope by studying sufferers they can uncover how auditory and motor systems are integrated in neural networks. (Does this explain Dad Dancing?)
– NPR.org
CHRISTMAS COMES EARLIER:
New research has confirmed the common complaint that holiday season hype starts earlier every year. We now start thinking about the festive season in August … August 25th in 2013 to be exact, according to a new study by Britain’s Royal Statistical Society. It’s found that Internet searches for seasonal terms such as ‘Santa Claus’, ‘elf’,and ‘presents’ now increase markedly during the Summer. That means we are now thinking about Christmas almost 3 months earlier than in 2007. Similar searches did not start back then until November 11th. While even that date may seem absurdly early, it reflects only a change in our mindsets to thoughts of Christmas, not the beginning of the full-blown holiday season. (When did you hear the first seasonal music in a store this year?)
– “Irish Examiner”
DID YOU KNOW?
The Internet weighs as much as a strawberry. Physicist Russel Seitz says that if you quantify the electrons that make up all of the information online, it amounts to just 2 ounces … about the same as a fat strawberry. (Mmm, Internet shortcake!)
– DiscoverMagazine.com
BS CHRONOMETER 11.13.14
TODAY’S CELEBIRTHDAYS . . .
1954 [60] Chris Noth, Madison WI, TV actor (‘Peter Florrick’ on “The Good Wife” since 2009, “Sex & The City” 1998-2004, “Law & Order” 1990-95)/movie actor (“Sex & The City” films)
1955 [59] Whoopi Goldberg (Caryn Johnson), NYC, TV personality (“The View” since 2007, “Hollywood Squares” 1998-2002)/movie actress (“Sister Act”, “Ghost”)
1967 [47] Jimmy Kimmel, Brooklyn NY, TV host (“Jimmy Kimmel Live” since 2003, “The Man Show” 1999-2003, “Win Ben Stein’s Money” 1997-2001)
1969 [45] Gerard Butler, Paisley, Scotland, movie actor (“How to Train Your Dragon 2”, “300”)
1978 [36] Nikolai Fraiture, NYC, rock bassist (The Strokes-“Juicebox”, “Hard to Explain”)
TODAY’S BS REASON TO PARTY . . .
“World Kindness Day”. (Sponsored by the ‘Global Society of Eternally Hopeless Optimists’.)
NET: http://www.randomactsofkindness.org
TODAY’S MUSIC EVENT . . .
2005 [09] Astronauts aboard the International Space Station are awakened by Paul McCartney singing “Good Day Sunshine” live from his concert in Anaheim, California
TODAY’S FIRST . . .
2009 [05] NASA announces that water has been discovered on the Moon, thanks to data from the Lunar Crater Observation & Sensing Satellite
TODAY’S RECORD . . .
1995 [19] World’s only known ‘Green Cat’ is confirmed by a veterinary hospital in Copenhagen, Denmark, a condition vets say may be caused by a metabolism defect
COMING UP . . .
[Fri] International Girls Day
[Fri] Spicy Guacamole Day
[Sat] Clean Out Your Refrigerator Day
[Sat] Day of Play
[Sat] Guinness World Record Day
[Sun] World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims
This Week Is … Dear Santa Letter Week
This Month Is … Impotency Month
BULL’S BITS
BS SIGNS YOU’RE IN DESPERATE NEED OF A VACATION:
• There’s nothing darker than the dark circles under your eyes… except perhaps your soul.
• You’ve accumulated more vacation days than all your co-workers combined because you’ve actually never taken a day off.
• You practically live at the office. Eat, drink, sleep. It all happens underneath those bright fluorescent lights.
• You’re considering officially changing your middle name to ‘Burned Out’.
• Your personal life is hanging by a thread.
• Sick? You don’t have time for that. Must. Work. Through. The. Pain.
• You’ve had a recurring dream about yourself on the beach for weeks now.
• You’re going gray … and you’re under 30.
– Adapted from BuzzFeed.com
BS RANDOM JOKE:
I’m not completely useless. At least I can set a bad example.
BS PHONE STARTER:
☎ What’s the most ‘dad thing’ your Dad has ever done?
BS WATER COOLER QUESTION:
Question: We spend about an hour-and-a-half per week doing THIS, more than twice as long as a decade ago.
Answer: Grocery shopping.
BS DEEP THOUGHT:
Indecision is the key to flexibility.