BS SHOW BIZ BUZZ:
★ In the new ABC-TV adaptation of “Uncle Buck”, 45-year-old Mike Epps takes on the role made famous by John Candy in the 1989 movie. “Uncle Buck” is a family show, and Epps admits it will be one of the first projects he has starred in that he can share with his family as he’s been doing R-rated movies his whole career. Epps can also be seen in new movie “Meet the Blacks” (see below).
– WENN.com
★ Late comedian Garry Shandling is posthumously becoming a Buddhist monk. Shandling, who died March 24th, was a devout Buddhist and before his death from a heart attack made arrangements to be buried according to a Buddhist ritual that includes his ordination as a monk by an existing Buddhist spiritual leader. He will reportedly have his head shaved, as many Buddhist monks do, during the ceremony.
– TMZ.com
★ Anderson Cooper has been left shocked by his socialite mother’s confession of a lesbian affair as a teenager. The openly gay CNN anchor sat down with his 91-year-old mother, Gloria Vanderbilt, for a video interview with “People” magazine during which she admitted to a relationship with a girl in school. Anderson admits it’s all news to him even though he and his mom have been working on a book and TV documentary about her life.
– “Fox News”
★ Actress-turned-TV host Whoopi Goldberg is launching a medical marijuana company aimed at women. She’s teaming with Maya Elisabeth to release a line of marijuana products called ‘Whoopi & Maya’ to help women suffering from menstrual problems. Quote: “This is a product specifically just to get rid of discomfort.” The products go on sale in California next month.
– “Vanity Fair”

WEEKEND SHOW BIZ SKED:
• “ACM Awards” (CBS) – Sunday Dierks Bentley &  Luke Bryan co-host the 51st Academy of Country Music Awards live from MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas NV. Eric Church and Chris Stapleton lead nominations with 5 each. Performers include Cam, Carrie Underwood, Florida Georgia Line, Keith Urban, Kelsea Ballerini, Kenny Chesney, and Sam Hunt. Dolly Parton, being honored with the ‘Tex Ritter Award’, duets with Katy Perry.
NET: http://www.acmawards.com
• Black Girls Rock! Awards (Newark NJ) – Tonight Rihanna receives the ‘Rock Star Award’ during the annual awards show taping at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center. The event acknowledges the achievements of black women who have broken barriers in the areas of art, music, philanthropy, and community service. An edited version airs Tuesday on BET.
• “Dead 7” (SyFy) – Tonight Backstreet Boys’ Nick Carter stars in a new straight-to-TV zombie film that he wrote. Other former boy-band members from Backstreet Boys, 98 Degrees, *NSYNC, and O-Town are featured.
• “Ellen DeGeneres Show” (syndicated/CTV2) – Today Charles Kelley (“The Driver”). Rerun.
• GLAAD Media Awards (LA CA) – Saturday the 27th annual honors for honest portrayal of LGBT characters are handed out. Oscar nominees “Carol” and “The Danish Girl” look set to dominate movie categories; Caitlyn Jenner is nominated for ‘Outstanding Reality Program’ for the TV series “I Am Cait”. A NYC version of the awards goes May 14th.
• “iHeartRadio Music Awards” (TBS/TNT) – Sunday Jason Derulo hosts the 3rd annual gala from the Forum in LA. Taylor Swift leads nominations with 8, followed by The Weeknd with 7. Other artists with multiple nominations include Adele (who already accepted one during a concert Wednesday), Drake, Ed Sheeran, Justin Bieber, Luke Bryan, and Sam Smith. U2 is being honored with the ‘Innovator Award’.
• “Jimmy Kimmel Live” (ABC/CityTV) – Tonight Cam (“Untamed”). Rerun.
• “Juno Awards” (CTV) – Sunday the 45th annual salute to the best in Canadian music takes place in Calgary AB. The Weeknd leads nominations with 6, followed by Drake and Justin Bieber at 5 apiece. Performers include Alessia Cara and Shawn Mendes. Arcade Fire is honored with a ‘Humanitarian Award’ at a Saturday ceremony.
NET: http://junoawards.ca
• “Last Call With Carson Daly” (NBC) – Tonight Griz (“What the Funk”). Rerun.
• The Music of David Bowie (NYC) – Tonight Part 2 of the SRO concerts takes place at Radio City Music Hall. Performers include Bette Midler, Blondie, Mumford & Sons, and the Pixies. The event is being streamed on Skype.
• NCAA March Madness Festival (Houston TX)  – Tonight through Sunday the music program accompanying the men’s college basketball Final Four tournament includes Fall Out Boy, Flo Rida, Jason Derulo, Maroon 5, Panic! At the Disco, and Pitbull. The championship game is Monday night.
• Party For a Cause Festival (Las Vegas NV) – This weekend the 4th annual fest that coincides with the ACM Awards is being staged at the Las Vegas Festival Grounds. Headliners are Carrie Underwood (tonight), Dierks Bentley (Saturday), and Kenny Chesney (Sunday). The event benefits ‘ACM Lifting Lives’.
NET: http://www.acmcountry.com/pfac-welcome
• “Saturday Night Live” (NBC/Global) – Host Peter Dinklage (“Game of Thrones”); musical guest Gwen Stefani (“This Is What the Truth Feels Like”).
• “The Talk” (CBS) – Today guest co-host Jennifer Nettles (Sugarland).
• “Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” (NBC/CTV2) – Tonight Wendy Melvoin (“Wendy & Lisa”).
• “WrestleMania” (WWE Network) – Sunday live from AT&T Stadium in Arlington TX. Fifth Harmony performs. The girl group has a new album coming out in May.

BS MUSIC NOTES:
• Arctic Monkeys – Today their side project The Last Shadow Puppets offers up a new album, “Everything You’ve Come to Expect”. It’s the follow-up to their 2008 debut, “The Age Of the Understatement”.
• Halestorm – Tonight they begin a Spring tour in Reading PA that wraps up at the end of the month with a pair of radio festivals (WJRR and WYBB). The band will open 2 shows for Rob Zombie in May as well.
• Iggy Pop – He’s scored his first-ever #1 solo album with “Post Pop Depression”, which the punk icon recorded with Josh Homme of Queens Of the Stone Age. The former Stooges’ frontman’s 17th studio album debuts atop the ‘Billboard Rock Albums’ chart.
• Iron Maiden – Model manufacturer Revell has produced a scale model of their touring plane ‘Ed Force One’. Fans can now craft a mini-replica, using a tube of glue. But it’s a bit of a blast from the past as it’s based on the plane Bruce Dickinson piloted during their 2008 world tour.
• Mumford & Sons – Sunday their “An Arrow Through the Heartland” tour gets underway in Houston TX. After the US West and Midwest trek, the band heads to Europe for much of May.
• Rihanna – With “Work” spending 6 weeks atop pop charts, she now has a career total of 57 weeks at #1. That means she’s just a couple weeks shy of tying The Beatles for 2nd-most weeks atop the chart. Mariah Carey leads the way with 79 cumulative weeks.
• Sia – Today she reissues her breakthrough 3rd album, “Colour the Small One”, on white-colored vinyl as well as in a deluxe digital package. Remastered versions of the album’s original 12 tracks are included as well as 4 bonus tracks.

TODAY’S MOVIE OPENINGS . . .
• “Everybody Wants Some!!” ( R-Rated Comedy ): In “Dazed & Confused” director Richard Linklater’s latest coming-of-age comedy, a group of college baseball players navigates through the freedoms and responsibilities of unsupervised adulthood during the 1980s. Stars Blake Jenner, Tyler Hoechlin, Ryan Guzman, Zoey Deutch.
NET: http://www.everybodywantssomemovie.com
• “Meet the Blacks” ( R-Rated Comedy ): After ‘Carl Black’ (Mike Epps) comes into some unexpected money, the ‘Black’ family decides to get out of Chicago IL in hope of finding a better life. They pack up and move to Beverly Hills CA, just around the time of the annual purge, when all crime is legal for 12 hours. Co-stars Zulay Henao, Mike Tyson, George Lopez.
NET: http://meettheblacksmovie.com
• “Miles Ahead” ( R-Rated Musical Biography ): Don Cheadle directs and stars in this exploration of the life and music of jazz immortal Miles Davis. Co-stars Emayatzy Corinealdi, Ewan McGregor, Michael Stuhlbarg. The movie takes place in New York City but has actually been filmed entirely in Cincinnati OH.
NET: https://www.milesdavis.com/miles-ahead
• Opening in limited release: “The Dark Horse” (Drama); “The Girl In the Photographs” (Horror Thriller); “Kill Your Friends” (Crime Comedy);  “Natural Born Pranksters” (Comedy); “Standing Tall” (Drama).

GROSSEST BALL PARK FOOD:
With MLB opening day just around the corner (Sunday), here’s a review of some of the worst (and worst-for-you) concoctions to be found in stadium stands …
✗ ‘Burgerpizza’ (Atlanta Braves) – 20 ounces of beef covered in cheddar, and carefully placed between a pair of pepperoni pizza pies.
✗ ‘Cheetos Hot Dog’ (Texas Rangers) – Nacho sauce infused with Cheetos and sprinkled on top of a hot dog.
✗ ‘Cheeseburger Dog’ (Arizona Diamondbacks) – Char-grilled hamburgers, in the shape of a hot dog, on a roll with bacon. To make it healthier, it comes with lettuce and tomato.
✗ ‘Chicken & Donut Skewer’ (Texas Rangers) – This 12-inch skewer alternates chicken and doughnuts, and is covered in buffalo honey sauce.
✗ ‘Cracker Jack & Mac Dog’ (Pittsburgh Pirates) – A hot dog topped with caramel sauce, jalapeños, Cracker Jack, and macaroni & cheese.
✗ ‘The Everything Dog’ (Atlanta Braves) – A footlong in a pretzel bun, covered in french fries, nacho chips, chili, beer cheese, jalapeños, popcorn, and Coca-Cola-infused BBQ sauce.
✗ ‘Flying Pig’ (Cincinnati Reds) – A humble hot dog wrapped in bacon and topped with honey mustard.
✗ ‘Punisher'(Atlanta Braves) – Served on a Braves-branded bun, this is fried rib meat, loaded up with a BBQ sauce with undertones of Monster energy drink, and topped off with bacon.
✗ ‘Wicked Pig’ (Texas Rangers) – This double-decker sandwich includes 5 types of pork: pulled pork, bacon, sausage, prosciuto, and ham. The cost? $27.
– Condensed from “New York Daily News”

RETIRED RICH:
A new ranking of highest-paid retired sports stars, based on income from all sources over the past year …
1. Michael Jordan (basketball) … $110 million.
2. David Beckham (soccer) … $65 million.
3. Arnold Palmer (golf) … $40 million.
4. Junior Bridgeman (basketball) … $32 million.
5. Jerry Richardson (football) … $30 million.
The annual list of 14 former players also features NBA players Shaquille O’Neal and Magic Johnson, NFLer-turned-TV host Michael Strahan, and former Brazilian soccer star Pélé. The only woman to make the list is Chinese tennis player Lia Na with $14 million.
– Forbes.com

BS AMAZING FACT:
Cyclists who ride slowly are more likely to be involved in accidents.
– “Evening Standard”

BS CHRONOMETER 04.01.16

TODAY’S CELEBIRTHDAYS . . .
1961 [55] Susan Boyle, Blackburn, Scotland, pop singer (“Wild Horses”)/TV talent show contestant (“Britain’s Got Talent” 2009)

1973 [43] Rachel Maddow, Castro Valley CA, TV host/political commentator (“The Rachel Maddow Show” on MSNBC)

1986 [30] Hillary Scott, Nashville TN, country singer (Lady Antebellum-“Need You Now”)

SATURDAY . . .
TV actress Linda Hunt (“NCIS: Los Angeles”) is 71; Country singer Emmylou Harris (“Blue Kentucky Girl”) is 69; Movie actor Michael Fassbender (“Steve Jobs”) is 39; Pop keyboardist Jesse Carmichael (Maroon 5) is 37.

SUNDAY . . .
Movie actor Alec Baldwin (“Concussion”) is 58; Comedian-movie actor Eddie Murphy (“Shrek”) is 55; TV actor Matthew Goode (“The Good Wife”) is 38; Movie actress Cobie Smulders (“The Avengers”) is 34; Pop singer Leona Lewis (“Bleeding Love”) is 31; TV actress Hayley Kiyoko (“CSI: Cyber”) is 25.

TODAY’S BS REASONS TO PARTY . . .
• “April Fool’s Day”. Many say the custom of playing practical jokes on this day originated with the reform of the calendar when “New Year’s Day” was moved from April 1 to January 1. Those who clung to the old “New Year’s Day” were scoffed at as ‘fools’ and sent fake party invitations and prank gifts. That tradition began in France around 1564, where an ‘April Fool’ is called a ‘poisson d’avril’ (April fish).
• “Don’t Go to Work Unless It’s Fun Day”, an annual observance encouraging us to lighten up at the office and actually enjoy work, not just endure it. (Party in the conference room!)
• “Hospital Admitting Clerks Day”, an annual observance on the 1st Friday of April saluting those always smiling, always helpful frontline personnel at your local medical facility. Snort.
• “International Tatting Day”, celebrating the technique of handcrafting lace by using a series of knots and loops. (You can never have too many doilies, right?)
• “St Stupid’s Day”, an annual celebration on April 1st in San Francisco CA since 1980, when a wacky parade is held. The occasion’s dim-witted activities include the ‘high four’ handshake (hand up, palm towards partner, fold thumb across palm, slap high four, say “Ouch!”).
NET: http://saintstupid.com/menu.html
• “Walk to Work Day”, observed annually on the 1st Friday of April. Whether or not it’s to work, the goal is to walk 30 minutes a day to ease stress and improve fitness. Created in 2004 by “Prevention” magazine.

SATURDAY . . .
• “Ferret Day”, celebrating those cute & cuddly little pets that are the domesticated form of the European polecat, a mammal belonging to the weasel genus. (Don’t you just love it when they crawl up your pant leg?)
• “International Children’s Book Day”, celebrated on the birthday of one of the most famous children’s authors, Hans Christian Andersen, born in Denmark on this day in 1805. He penned 168 fairytales in all, including “The Emperor’s New Clothes” and “The Little Mermaid”.
• “International Pillow Fight Day”, when massive pillow fights are scheduled in cities worldwide from Amsterdam to Zurich. A listing of cities hosting events here …
NET: http://www.pillowfightday.com
• “Love Your Produce Manager Day”, a day to appreciate the person who orders and stocks fresh fruits and vegetables at groceries and supermarkets. So go ahead … squeeze his melons.
• “Peanut Butter & Jelly Day”, celebrating what may be the world’s most popular sandwich. But what else have you sandwiched with peanut butter? We like PB & tuna. Nummers!
• “Reconciliation Day”, a day to write a letter or make a phone call in order to mend a broken relationship. (“Dear Boss: Sorry about that April Fool’s Day whoopee cushion …”)
• “World Autism Day”, a UN observance since 2007 to raise awareness that this disorder of neural development that’s estimated to affect 1-in-150 children worldwide.

SUNDAY . . .
• “Armenian Appreciation Day”, honoring the country bordering the Black Sea which re-gained its independence in 1991. Famous folks of Armenian heritage (aside from Kardashians) here …
NET: http://tinyurl.com/ytrtsd

THIS DAY IN SHOW BIZ . . .
1979 [37] Cartoon character ‘Bart Simpson’ is born (according to several sources), but he’s perennially aged 10 according to “The Simpsons” creator Matt Groening

TODAY’S MUSIC EVENT . . .
2012 [04] Taylor Swift wins her 2nd consecutive ‘Entertainer Of the Year’ award at the 47th Academy of Country Music Awards in Las Vegas NV

TODAY’S FIRSTS . . .
2001 [15] Same-sex marriage becomes legal in The Netherlands, the 1st country to allow it

2004 [12] Google introduces ‘gmail’ to the public (at the time, many think it an April Fools joke)

AND REMEMBER . . .
[Mon] Passover (Jewish)
[Mon] World Rat Day
[Tues] Equal Pay Day
[Tues] Deep Dish Pizza Day
[Tues] Read a Road Map Day
This Week is … Medication Safety Week
This Month Is … Facial Protection Month

BULL’S BITS

BS THROWBACK:
In honor of “The Bull Sheet’s 23rd birthday, here’s a bit from Edition #1 on April 1, 1993 …
TRADITIONAL BASEBALL SLANG:
• Cuban Forkball … a spitball.
• Bang-Bang Play … a very close play.
• The Ducks are On the Pond … the bases are loaded.
• Room Service Throw … a perfect throw to a base or home plate.
• Baseball Annie … a female who hangs around ball players; a groupie.
• Nubber … a cheap or accidental hit.
• Ball Hawk … a fielder who catches everything.
• Dial 8 … to hit a home run, because you dial 8 on hotel phones for long distance.
• Pickle … a run down, as in a player caught ‘in a pickle’.

BS PHONE STARTER:
☎ What April Fools joke have you attempted that failed miserably?

BS WATER COOLER QUESTION:
Question: 1-in-10 men keep THIS for over 10 years.
Answer: Underwear.

BS DEEP THOUGHT:
Don’t give up what you want most for what you want now.