Ahhhh, It’s Your Daily Constitutional Sheet!
BS SHOW BIZ BUZZ:
★ In her new memoir, “There Was a Little Girl: The Real Story of My Mother and Me”, model-turned-actress Brooke Shields has revealed that she lost her virginity to … ‘Superman’.
“The Blue Lagoon” star began dating eventual TV actor Dean Cain (“Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman”) while they were classmates at Princeton University in the 1980s. Her romance with Cain was brief and Shields went on to later wed tennis ace Andre Agassi and then Chris Henchy, her current husband.
– WENN.com
★ “American Idol” is losing one of its last originals. Longtime judge Randy Jackson, who moved to a mentoring role last season, will not be back for Season 14 in January. Jackson was one of the show’s 3 original judges, joining Simon Cowell and Paula Abdul when the FOX-TV reality competition premiered in 2002. The longtime musician, whose frequent use of the term ‘Dawg’ has become his signature, says he’s moving on to “what’s next”. With his departure, host Ryan Seacrest is the only on-camera talent remaining from the show’s beginning.
– Deadline.com
★ Country singers Justin Moore and Brantley Gilbert have become the latest artists to pull their music from streaming service Spotify. Taylor Swift hit headlines when she removed her entire back catalogue from the online portal earlier this month; and on Monday, Jason Aldean followed suit and pulled his new album “Old Boots, New Dirt”. Swift’s people are saying there’s a big discrepancy over the amount of money the service pays out. Spotify claims Swift’s received $6 million in royalties, her people say less than $500,000 over the past year is more like it.
– Canoe.ca / Mashable.com
WEEKEND SHOW BIZ SKED:
• “Ellen DeGeneres Show” (syndicated/CTV2) – Today the New Basement Tapes Project (“Lost On the River”).
• “Hollywood Film Awards” (CBS/Global) – Tonight Queen Latifah hosts the TV debut of the 18th HFA gala from Dick Clark Productions, a combination career-achievement show and nod to this year’s buzz films. Guests include Channing Tatum, Gerard Butler, Reese Witherspoon.
NET: http://www.hollywoodawards.com
• “Jimmy Kimmel Live” (ABC/CityTV) – Tonight Florida Georgia Line (“Anything Goes”). Rerun.
• “Last Call With Carson Daly” (NBC) – Tonight Meatbodies (“Meatbodies”).
• “Late Show With David Letterman” (CBS/Omni1) – Tonight Chris Young (“AM”).
• “Saturday Night Live” (NBC/Global) – Host Woody Harrelson (“The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1”, out November 21st); musical guest Kendrick Lamar (“Coast 2 Coast”).
• “Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” (NBC/CTV2) – Tonight R&B veterans Kool & The Gang.
• “The View” (ABC/CTV) – Today’s guest co-host is country singer Kellie Pickler.
BS MUSIC NOTES:
• The Cranberries – Dolores O’Riordan is struggling with the breakdown of her 20-year marriage, according to her mother. That’s apparently the reason behind the 43-year-old’s odd behavior aboard a flight this week. She was detained by police after claims she was violent onboard, and subsequently taken to a local hospital for assessment.
• Garth Brooks – He’s announced another stop on his “World Tour”, 3 shows in Boston MA January 22nd-24th. As usual wife Trisha Yearwood is also on the bill. Brooks just released his 1st studio album in 13 years on Tuesday, “Man Against Machine”.
• Jason Aldean – He has the best-seller on the new ‘Country Albums’ chart with “Old Boots, New Dirt”, according to Nielsen SoundScan.
• New Kids On the Block – 44-year-old Jordan Knight is taking shots at the new crop of boy-bands out there … including One Direction. His main issue? They have two left feet. Quote: “To put on a really good show there has to be some kind of cool choreography.”
• Taylor Swift – She now has the two best album-sales weeks of 2014 as “1989” remains atop the all-genre album sales chart for a 2nd week.
• U2 – This week Bono was involved in a mid-air drama on a flight from Dublin, Ireland to Berlin, Germany when the rear door of a private jet he was a passenger on fell off. Bono and 4 friends were uninjured, but the U2 leader lost all his luggage when the tailgate became detached.
TODAY’S MOVIE OPENINGS:
• “Beyond the Lights” ( PG-13 Drama ): The pressures of fame have superstar singer ‘Noni’ on edge until she meets ‘Kaz’, a young cop who helps her find her own voice and break free to become the artist she was meant to be. Stars Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Nate Parker, Minnie Driver. Written & directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood (“The Secret Life of Bees”).
NET: https://www.facebook.com/BeyondTheLightsMovie
• “Dumb & Dumber To” ( PG-13 Comedy ): Jim Carrey & Jeff Daniels return for this 2nd sequel to the Farrelly brothers’ 1994 film “Dumb & Dumber” (none of them were involved in 2003’s “Dumb & Dumberer: When Harry Met Lloyd”). 20 years since their first adventure, ‘Harry’ finds out he has a daughter who was adopted, and ‘Lloyd’ and ‘Harry’ set out to find her.
NET: http://www.dumblr.com
• “Foxcatcher” ( R-Rated Biographical Drama ): Wrestler Mark Schultz (Channing Tatum) forms a relationship with his new sponsor, millionaire John du Pont (Steve Carell), as they train for the 1988 games in Seoul. Based on a true story. Co-stars Mark Ruffalo, Vanessa Redgrave. The movie was met with raves when it premiered at the Cannes Film Festival back in May.
NET: http://sonyclassics.com/foxcatcher
• Opening in limited release: “Bad Turn Worse” (Crime Thriller); “The Homesman” (Western); Jon Stewart’s directorial debut “Rosewater” (Biographical Drama); “Saving Christmas” (Comedy); “The Toy Soldiers” (Drama).
DROPPING THE NUMBERS:
Could this tool cure you of Facebook addiction? A new browser plug-in called ‘Demetricator’ prevents you from analyzing how popular you are on the social network. It removes all numbers, or metrics, from across the social network. This means the little red notification icons and numbers that litter the social network – friends, likes, shares, message count, events, and comments – simply don’t appear. It’s the brainchild of a researcher from the University of Illinois, who’s discovered that Facebook metrics make users more competitive and anxious. Removing these metrics makes users focus more on the quality of comments and posts, and boosts their overall enjoyment of the site. So far, the Facebook Demetricator plug-in can be installed to Chrome, Firefox, and Safari browsers. (Do you really care about ‘likes’? Why?)
NET: http://tinyurl.com/9qs7uuj
– iDigitalTimes.com
HOW TO PICK THE RIGHT MOVIE:
Deciding what to watch can be the most difficult part of movie night. A few tips …
• If you’re stressed, check out a comedy. A study shows that laughing while watching a comedic film causes your blood vessels to dilate by 22%, counteracting the effects of stress hormones.
• Horror movies, on the other hand, increase your cortisol levels even though you aren’t in any real danger. The increased heart rate and spike in adrenaline are what make them so thrilling.
• If you’re struggling with problems, avoid news documentaries. Just 15 minutes of watching negative news causes people to feel more ‘catastrophic’ about concerns in their own lives.
• If you’re feeling lucky, you could leave it all up to chance with ‘Netflix Roulette’, a website which spits out a single option with each click of a button after you enter some basic criteria.
NET: http://netflixroulette.net
• Or visit ‘Suggest Me Movie’, because it does exactly that. Tell the site the time-frame, genre, and any keywords you’re interested in and it will give you a suggestion, complete with trailer.
NET: http://www.suggestmemovie.com
• A 3rd option is ‘A Good Movie to Watch’, a website that’s ideal if you’re seeking something a tad more obscure. It only picks critical hits as opposed to big box office hits.
NET: http://agoodmovietowatch.com
• If you want some family-friendly entertainment, ‘Kids Pick Flicks’ features reviews written by and for children, with their ages listed.
NET: http://kidspickflicks.com
– Condensed from MentalFloss.com
PRIVACY, WHEREFORE ART THOU?
A new poll by the Pew Research Center’s Internet Project focuses on our perceptions of privacy and online behavior. Some highlights …
• 91% of respondents agree that consumers have lost control of their personal information.
• 80% think we should be concerned about government monitoring of our communications.
• 61% say it isn’t worth sharing info about personal habits so companies can serve us more efficiently.
• However, 55% are happy to share at least some info about themselves in order to use online services for free.
• 32% of young adults 18-to-29 have asked to have online info about them corrected or removed, as compared to just 17% of people aged 30-to-49.
• Telephone land lines are perceived as ‘most secure’ by poll respondents (16%), followed by cellphones (9%); texting (7%); email (5%); chat (4%); and social media (2%).
– USAToday.com
GWR DAY 2014:
Yesterday in London, England the world’s tallest & shortest men met for the very first time to commemorate the 10th annual Guinness World Records Day and the 60th anniversary of the “Guinness Book of World Records”. Both Sultan Kösen of Turkey (8 ft-3 in) and Chandra Dangi of Nepal (21.5 in) literally traveled across the globe to join the celebration. In addition to the meet-up of the height record-holders, other events included attempts at …
• ‘Longest Backwards Basketball Shot’ (Harlem Globetrotter’s Thunder Law in Phoenix AZ).
• ‘Most Spears Caught from a Spear Gun Underwater in 1 Minute’ (record is 7).
• ‘Most People Eating Breakfast in Bed’ (China’s Shangri La Hotel).
• ‘Largest Gathering of People Dressed as Penguins’ (at London’s Tower Bridge).
– GuinnessWorldRecords.com
BS AMAZING FACT:
The world’s best single malt whisky is now from Japan, not Scotland, according to a top expert.
– “Daily Mail”
BS CHRONOMETER 11.14.14
TODAY’S CELEBIRTHDAYS . . .
1948 [66] Prince Charles (Philip Arthur George of Wales), London UK, heir to the British throne/married Camilla Parker Bowles since 2005/married to Lady Diana Spencer 1981-96)/father of princes William & Harry/grandfather to Prince George
1968 [46] Brian Yale, Woodbridge CT, alt-rock bassist (Matchbox Twenty–”Unwell”, “Bent”)
1972 [42] Josh Duhamel [‘due-MEL’], Minot ND, movie actor (“Transformers” films)/TV actor (“Las Vegas” 2003-08)/wed to Black Eyed Peas singer Fergie since 2009
1974 [40] Joe Principe, Chicago IL, punk rock bassist (Rise Against-“Satellite”, “Help Is On the Way”)
1975 [39] Travis Barker, Fontana CA, rock drummer (Blink 182-“Up All Night”, “I Miss You”)
1977 [37] Brian Dietzen, Barrington IL, TV actor (‘Jimmy Palmer’ on “NCIS” since 2004)
1979 [35] Tobin Esperance, Vacaville CA, rock bassist (Papa Roach-“Where Did the Angels Go?”, “Lifeline”)
SATURDAY –
Country singer Jack Ingram (“Barefoot & Crazy”) is 44; Pop-rock singer Chad Kroeger (Nickelback) is 40; Rock drummer Jesse Sandoval (The Shins) is 40; TV actor Sean Murray (“NCIS”) is 37; Rapper-songwriter BoB (“Airplanes”) is 26; Movie actress Shailene Woodley (“The Fault in Our Stars”) is 23.
SUNDAY –
TV actress Marg Helgenberger (“Intelligence”) is 56; Jazz singer Diana Krall (“Quiet Nights”) is 50; Indie-rock bassist Eric Judy (Modest Mouse) is 40; Movie actress Maggie Gyllenhaal (“Crazy Heart”) is 37; Pop singer Siva Kaneswaran (The Wanted) is 26.
BS REASONS TO PARTY . . .
• “International Girls Day”, instigated by Kappa Delta Sorority to celebrate all kinds of girls with all kinds of interests and abilities. It’s an opportunity to build confidence in girls and help them realize their potential.
NET: http://www.confidencecoalition.org/nationalgirlsday
• “Loosen Up, Lighten Up Day”, encouraging us to take things a little slower, take a mental step back and find some balance.
• “Operating Room Nurse Day”, initiated in 1989 to honor those who provide TLC in the OR.
• “Pickle Appreciation Day”, a day to gear up for some tangy, spicy and yummy fun.
• “Spicy Guacamole Day”, a day to show your true green colors by adding some jalapeño to your avocado dip.
• “World Diabetes Day”, recognizing what’s becoming an epidemic. Since 2000, the number of people worldwide with diabetes has more than doubled.
NET: http://www.idf.org/worlddiabetesday/news/diabetes-awareness-month-begins
• “Walk to Work Day”, the 16th annual initiative in Australia to encourage regular walking as part of one’s lifestyle. What’s good for Aussies is good for us all, no?
SATURDAY –
• “Clean Out Your Refrigerator Day”. At least once a year you should remove everything from your fridge, throw out all the expired products, and clean the shelves.
NET: http://www.families.com/blog/happy-national-clean-out-your-refrigerator-day
• “George Spelvin Day” (female variation ‘Georgette’), commemorating the 1886 invention of the fictitious name used on Broadway for actors who have a 2nd role in a play. The name has appeared in over 10,000 Broadway programs. ‘Walter Plinge’ is similarly used in the UK..
• “Philanthropy Day”, begun in 1986 by the Association of Fundraising Professionals, it recognizes the contribution made by individuals and groups who support worthy causes.
• “Record Your Cat Purring Day”, so you can play the recording every year on her birthday … after she’s gone. (What kind of masochist thought this one up?)
SUNDAY –
• “Elephant Round-Up” in Surin, the ‘Elephant Capital’ of Thailand, through Sunday. Events include a mock battle with over 100 elephants & costumed warlords; and special elephant competitions in strength, skill, and obedience. There’s also a 60-ton buffet … for the elephants.
NET: http://www.aandftour.com/elephant-roundup.htm
• “Fast Food Day”, a day when we’re encouraged to celebrate by going out to our favorite fast food joint. (Like we need an excuse.)
• “International Day for Tolerance”, an annual observance first declared by UNESCO in 1995 to generate public awareness of the dangers of intolerance. (The world’s biggest problem?)
• “World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims”, an annual international observance on the 3rd Sunday of November.
THIS DAY IN SHOW BIZ . . .
2002 [12] ‘Kermit the Frog’ receives a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
TODAY’S MUSIC EVENT . . .
1991 [23] Michael Jackson’s “Black or White” video premieres on FOX-TV following “The Simpsons”, featuring Jackson going crazy and wrecking a car (after critics blast the violence and crotch-grabbing, Jackson later issues an apology and a cleaned-up version of the video)
TODAY’S RECORD . . .
1993 [21] Miami Dolphins’ Don Shula becomes ‘Winningest Coach in NFL History’ by beating Philadelphia Eagles for his 325th victory (finishes career in 1995 with 347 wins and is elected to Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1997)
AND REMEMBER . . .
[Mon] Homemade Bread Day
[Mon] Unfriend Day
[Mon] World Prematurity Awareness Day
[Tues] Married To a Scorpio Support Day
[Tues] Entrepreneurship Day
This Week Is … Geography Awareness Week
This Month Is … Pomegranate Month
BULL’S BITS
HELPFUL HACKS FOR YOUR NEXT BIG ROAD TRIP:
✓ Read exit signs the correct way. If the exit number on the sign is lined up with the left edge of the sign, the exit is on the left. If it’s justified right, the exit is on the right.
✓ Traveling with man’s best friend? Bring an extra suitcase and wedge a pillow inside to serve as a cozy dog bed in the car or hotel.
✓ To make sure headlights are shining as brightly as they should, polish them up with toothpaste. Just rub the paste (not gel) on with a rag, then rub it off with a clean rag.
✓ Leaky radiator? Locate the leak, then crack an egg or two over it. The egg will cook in the hot water and plug the hole … if the leak is in the radiator and not the hoses, that is.
✓ Don’t drive down the middle of country roads. Driving slightly off the beaten path, even by just a few inches, can make for a smoother ride and put less strain on your engine.
✓ If you need to pull over at a rest stop and take a 20-minute nap to keep going, do it in privacy. Get fabric screens that adhere to windows with suction cups or double-sided tape.
– Condensed from “Mental Floss Magazine”
BS PHONE STARTER:
☎ What are some of the best children’s books written this century? “The Pigeon Wants a Puppy”? “The Day the Crayons Quit”? Nominate your favorites!
BS RANDOM JOKE:
Never catch snowflakes with your tongue until all the birds have gone south for the Winter.
BS WATER COOLER QUESTION:
Question: Almost everybody has one of THESE; the average woman has had hers for 13 years.
Answer: A favorite article of clothing.
BS DEEP THOUGHT:
Never knock on Death’s door. Ring the bell and run, he hates that.