WEEKEND TABLOID & BLOG BS:
• Now that filmmaker George Lucas has sold off his “Star Wars” franchise to Disney he’s had a chance to re-focus energy on his long-time partner Mellody Hobson, so much so that the pair are now engaged to be married. But it’s not necessarily the ‘big score’ for her financially that you might imagine. Hobson is currently CEO of DreamWorks Animation as well as Ariel Mutual Funds. (She may love the little gray-bearded guy but clearly doesn’t need his moola.)
– HollywoodReporter.com
• Now-67-year-old Priscilla Presley says she fought against advice to sell off Graceland and its contents when her ex, Elvis Presley, passed away in 1977. In fact, she claims, she felt his voice ‘guiding’ her to preserve his Memphis, Tennessee home as a shrine in his honor. It’s now of course a huge tourist attraction, but Priscilla says she had to ‘put her foot down’ to maintain Elvis’ properties and artefacts. (So she and daughter Lisa Marie would never, ever, ever have to work again.)
– “Hello! Magazine”
• Movie actress Anna Faris (“Scary Movie”) has the lead role in a new sitcom called “Mom” from writer/producer Chuck Lorre (“Big Bang Theory”, “Two-And-a-Half- Men”), joining a growing list of movie stars seeking small-screen success. In the upcoming CBS-TV pilot, Faris plays a newly-sober mom trying to pull her life together. The show’s set in Napa Valley, California … famous for its wine production. (An alcoholic surrounded by wineries … hijinks ensue.)
– TheWrap.com
• London’s Olympic Stadium is set to reopen this July with a series of rock concerts. The plan is to have several events that are traditionally staged at Hyde Park in central London relocated to the city’s East End stadium. The London Legacy Development Corporation confirms that the Olympic site will be used for major music concerts and festivals, including an anniversary weekend July 27-28. (Let’s hope it develops a more positive legacy than Montréal’s ‘Big Owe’ stadium from the 1976 Summer Games.)
– FMQB.com
• And Brazilian researcher Andre Nemesio of the Universidade Federal de Uberlandia has named a new species of orchid bee ‘Euglossa Bazinga’ after the catchphrase used by ‘Sheldon Cooper’ on the TV comedy “The Big Bang Theory”. Jim Parsons’ character’s favorite comic word ‘bazinga’, used when tricking somebody, was chosen because the previously unidentified bee has tricked scientists for some time due to its similarity to another species. (In related news, science is using [co-host’s] name to tag a newly found slug.)
– SmithsonianMag.com
TODAY’S SHOW BIZ SKED:
• “BCS National Championship Game” (ESPN) – Notre Dame Fighting Irish and Alabama Crimson Tide play for the NCAA football title at Sun Life Stadium in Miami FL. The Irish will be gunning for their 1st title since 1988, while the Tide are trying to tuck away their 3rd in the last 4 seasons. Zac Brown Band performs the pre-game anthem.
• “The Bachelor” (ABC) – In the 17th season premiere, bachelor Sean Lowe meets the women and offers one the first rose.
• “Jimmy Kimmel Live” (ABC) – “Goodbye to Midnight”, a look back at the past 10 years of the show. Starting tomorrow (Tuesday) “Jimmy Kimmel Live” moves to 11:35 pm to directly compete with Leno and Letterman.
• “Last Call With Carson Daly” (NBC) – Estelle (“All of Me”).
• “Late Night With Jimmy Fallon” (NBC) – Sky Ferreira (“Ghost”).
• “Late Show With David Letterman” (CBS) – Conor Maynard (“Contrast”).
• “Tonight Show With Jay Leno” (NBC) – Miguel (“Kaleidoscope Dream”).
BS MUSIC NOTES:
• Britney Spears – According to “Entertainment Weekly” she’s working with ‘new inspiring producers’ on her next album, which is still in the planning stages. They are said to include Hit-Boy and will.i.am.
• Gotye – “Somebody That I Used to Know” has been named 2012’s top-selling digital song with 6.8 million downloads, ahead of Carly Rae Jepsen’s “Call Me Maybe” and fun.’s “We Are Young”.
• Jack White – His “Blunderbuss” was 2012’s top-selling vinyl album with 34,000 copies, followed by The Beatles’ “Abbey Road” with 30,000.
• Maroon 5 – Frontman and “The Voice” coach Adam Levine has been recruited to host “Saturday Night Live” (NBC) on January 26th. He’s previously appeared as musical guest and has appeared in several digital shorts, but this will mark his first time playing host.
• One Direction – Today they release their new video for “Kiss You”, which is being touted as a ‘one-epic adventure’. Meantime, Harry Styles is kicking off the New Year with a romantic vacation alongside GF Taylor Swift in the British Virgin Islands.
• Rolling Stones – Mick Jagger tells “Rolling Stone” that the band is NOT confirmed for an appearance at April’s “Coachella Festival” as rumored and haven’t even been approached to play there. Quote: “We’ll announce (any future appearances) when we’ve figured it all out.”
• Taylor Swift – Country acts had 5 of the top 10 selling albums of 2012, a record share for the genre. Swift’s “Red” sold 3.11 million units, 2nd overall only to Adele’s “21” at 4.41 million units.
• Trey Songz – After making the movie “Texas Chainsaw 3D”, which opened on the weekend, he tells Reuters that his goal is to keep his acting career going by landing a couple of films a year.
INTEL IN TV:
Word has it computer chip-maker Intel will launch its new virtual cable box at a news conference in Las Vegas today, on the eve of tomorrow’s official opening of the 2013 Consumer Electronics Show. Intel is the latest company planning to get a jump on Apple’s long-rumored ‘Apple TV’ by unveiling a set-top box that will combine a number of broadcast and cable channels as well as streaming video-on-demand services at a price well below what cable operators typically charge. The new boxes will reportedly include technology that allows subscribers to view any program on any channel up to 1 month after it originally airs – no DVR necessary. (The way we watch TV is about to change bigtime.)
– TechCrunch.com
BEST-SELLING NAME-BRAND PRODUCTS OF ALL-TIME:
Based on their profits and impact on culture …
5. “Mario” videogame franchise (Nintendo) … 262 million units.
4. Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” album (Epic Records) … 110 million units.
3. “Harry Potter” book series (Bloomsbury/Scholastic) … 450 million units.
2. iPhone smartphone (Apple) … 250+ million units.
1. Rubik’s Cube puzzle game (Seven Towns) … 350 million units.
(iPad currently ranks 6th but will no doubt be moving up.)
– MacDailyNews.com
ROAD TO THE FUTURE:
Dutch design lab Studio Roosegaarde invents weird things, such as clothing that becomes transparent when the wearer is getting, ahem, intimate; and a room that contracts and expands based on how hard you dance in it. Now it’s developed solar-powered glow-in-the-dark roads that charge during the day to illuminate your evening drive; use dynamic asphalt paint that transforms in response to road conditions like ice and sleet; and have lanes that double as electric car chargers by using magnetic fields under the asphalt. These ideas might seem far out, but they’ve already been implemented in Holland. If the pilot program goes well, they could become common across Europe. (How about an automatic trapdoor for aggressive drivers?)
– Salon.com
TOP CONCERT TOURS 2012:
According to just-released data from trade publication “Pollstar” ….
5. Lady Gaga … $161.4 million
4. Coldplay … $171.3 million
3. Roger Waters … $186.4 million
2. Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band … $210.2 million
1. Madonna … $296.1 million
The Rolling Stones’ 5-show November-December concerts grossed $35.5 million, with an eye-popping $529.51 average ticket price.
– Reuters.com
STALKER’S DREAM:
As if Instagram wasn’t already an amazing way to snoop on what people are doing, a new website called ‘The Beat’ lets you see exactly where the photographs were taken. Put together by the Rutgers University Social Media Information Lab, the site ties together Instagram’s geotagged pics to their physical location captured in Google’s Street View. The site lets you filter images by hashtag, so you can be as pervy as you want, then shows you a constant stream of Instagramed pics as well as the Street View location at which they were taken. (Your privacy takes another punch to the gut.)
NET: http://tinyurl.com/bbplet4
– Gizmodo.com
FOR THE RECORD:
More’s Department Store in Kawasaki, Japan is home to what’s likely the world’s shortest escalator, measuring less than 3-feet-tall (1 m). Ironically, after stepping off the mini-escalator, users must negotiate a short set of stairs. (By contrast, Central–Midlevels escalator in Hong Kong is the world’s longest outdoor escalator system at a total length of 2,600 feet/790 m.)
– LaughingSquid.com
DID YOU KNOW?
✓ Women get more stressed than men when they hear or read bad news stories.
– BBC News
✓ Men’s brains are designed to shut down after sex.
– “Sunday Times”
BS CHRONOMETER 01.07.13
TODAY’S CELEBIRTHDAYS . . .
1946 [67] Jann Wenner, NYC, magazine publisher (“Rolling Stone”, “Us Weekly”)
1956 [57] David Caruso, Forest Hills NY, TV actor (“CSI: Miami” 2002-12, “NYPD Blue” 1993-94)
1957 [56] Katie Couric, Arlington VA, TV talk show host (“Katie” 2012-13)/former TV news anchor (“CBS Evening News” 2007-11, NBC-TV’s “Today Show” 1991-2007)
1964 [49] Nicolas Cage (Coppola), Long Beach CA, movie actor (“Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance”, “Leaving Las Vegas”)/ex-husband of Patricia Arquette & Lisa Marie Presley/movie director Francis Ford Coppola’s nephew
1965 [48] John Ondrasik, LA CA, pop singer (Five For Fighting-“The Riddle”, “100 Years”)
1971 [42] Jeremy Renner, Modesto CA, movie actor (“The Bourne Legacy”, “The Hurt Locker”)
1974 [39] John Rich, Amarillo TX, country singer (“Shuttin’ Detroit Down”, Big & Rich-“Lost In this Moment”, ex-Lonestar-“Amazed”)
1982 [31] Lauren Cohen, Philadelphia PA, TV actress (‘Maggie Greene’ on “The Walking Dead” since 2011, “The Vampire Diaries” 2010-12)
1985 [28] Lewis Hamilton, Stevenage UK, racing driver (youngest-ever Formula One World Champion)/onetime boyfriend of Nicole Scherzinger (Pussycat Dolls)
TODAY’S BS REASONS TO PARTY . . .
• “I’m Not Going to Take It Anymore Day”, a day to stand up for your rights.
• “International Programmers Day”, honoring the geeks behind many of today’s technological conveniences, pastimes, and work tools.
• “Orthodox Christmas” in many countries worldwide. Why? Both Eastern Orthodox Churches and Oriental Orthodox Churches use the old Julian calendar.
• “Tempura Day”, celebrating the Japanese cooking tradition of dipping seafood or vegetables in a thin batter of flour and water, then frying them in oil.
NET: http://tinyurl.com/bfsagap
• “Thank God It’s Monday Day”, celebrating all the great things that happen on Mondays. Things like new jobs; new promotions; new weeks; new resolutions; birthdays; and all those other things that give you reason to celebrate.
THIS DAY IN SHOW BIZ . . .
2005 [08] Actor Brad Pitt and actress Jennifer Aniston announce they are separating after 4 years of marriage
TODAY’S MUSIC EVENT . . .
1993 [20] Whitney Houston’s “I Will Always Love You” is #1 on pop music charts
TODAY’S FIRST . . .
1992 [21] 1st ‘video-telephone’ goes on sale at $1,499 (nowadays you can use web-based Skype or Gmail phone … for free!)
TODAY’S RECORD . . .
1964 [49] Pro bowler Dick Weber rolls the highest-ever bowling score … aboard an airliner
COMING UP . . .
[Tues] “Betty White’s Off Their Rockers” season debut (NBC)
[Tues] Argyle Day
[Tues] Bubble Bath Day
[Tues] English Toffee Day
[Tues] Midwives Day
[Tues] Show & Tell Day at Work
[Wed] “People’s Choice Awards” (CBS)
THIS WEEK IS . . .
Bowling Week / Home Office Safety & Security Week / Lose Weight, Feel Great Week / Universal Letter Writing Week
BULL’S BITS
BEST OF BS:
A highlight bit culled from 19 years of “Bull Sheet” back issues …
JANUARY DIET EXCUSES:
● If you eat something, but no one else sees you eat it, it has no calories.
● Movie-related foods do not have additional calories because they are part of the entire entertainment package.
● Foods that have the same color have the same number of calories. (Spinach and pistachio ice cream, cauliflower and whipped cream.)
● Things licked off knives and spoons have no calories if you are in the process of cooking.
● Chocolate is a universal substitute, and may be used for any other food.
● If you drink a diet soft drink with a candy bar, the calories in the chocolate bar are canceled out by the diet beverage.
● Cookie pieces have no calories. The breaking of the cookies causes the calories to leak out.
● Food used for medicinal purposes never counts, such as hot chocolate, brandy, toast … Sara Lee cheesecake.
– First published in “BS” 1998.
NET: http://www.FreeRadioPrep.com
BS PHONE STARTER:
☎ What’s something you should never say to your boss?
BS RANDOM JOKE:
All I ask for is an opportunity to prove that money doesn’t buy happiness.
BS U-PICK TRIVIA:
Which 3 letters replaced ‘CQD’?
a. SOS [CORRECT]
b. KGB
c. FYI
– PaulsQuiz.com
BS WATER COOLER QUESTION:
Question: On average, one of THESE will travel 30,000 miles (48,000 k) during its lifetime.
Answer: Grocery cart.
BS DEEP THOUGHT:
Maybe you can’t be first, but you could be next.
BS FRESH MEAT:
“BS” salutes new subscribers Deongello @ Power 98.3 [KKFR] Phoenix AZ; Scott Clements @ The Wave [CHWV]/Country 94 [CHSJ] Saint John NB; Big Michael Kaufman @ KKIX [KIX 104] Fayetteville AR; and we welcome samplers this week who include Jim McKeacheran @ Star FM 100.5 [CKGO] Hope BC; Rob Harder @ Kool 107.1 [KPKL] Spokane WA; Shane Loughran @ Q101 [CKMQ] Merritt BC; Stephen Truempy @ Valley Free Radio [WXOJ-LP] Amherst MA; Kyle MacGowan @ 95.1 The Peak FM [CKCB] Collingwood ON; Natasha van der Merwe @ 2 Oceans Vibe FM, Johannesburg SA; Matt Fox @ WTNT/Talk Radio Network, Washington DC; David Cannon @ 98.7 FM [CKPM] Port Moody BC; Dan Goodwin @ Life FM, Auckland NZ; Donald Miller @ The Hit Zone Radio, Tunkhannock PA; and Dylan @ Dylan Chenier Radio, Kingston ON.