BS SHOW BIZ BUZZ:
✳ FOX-TV has pulled an episode of Seth MacFarlane’s animated show “Family Guy” because an edited clip montage appears to show a bombing at the Boston Marathon. In the cancelled episode, NBC-TV sports reporter Bob Costas interviews father ‘Peter’ about his marathon performance. Elements of an unrelated scene in which he befriends a terrorist planning on blowing up a bridge had been edited in out-of-sequence, causing the network to worry about creating controversy.
– “Los Angeles Times”
✳ Famous show biz faces mixed with royalty and world politicians in London yesterday at the funeral of former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, who died April 8th at age 87. Before the service at St Paul’s Cathedral, her coffin passed through the streets on a carriage. Some 4,000 cops were deployed amid threats of protest over Thatcher’s policies, which continue to divide opinion 23 years after she left office. The demonstrations were mostly peaceful, with dissenters booing and turning their backs on the military procession.
– ContactMusic.com
✳ Ever wondered why 20th Century Fox hasn’t change its name to 21st Century Fox? Well, keep wondering. A report says there are no plans to change the name of either the film studio or its TV counterpart even though Rupert Murdoch’s parent media & entertainment company News Corp has announced that it is re-branding itself as 21st Century Fox. Word has it no one wants to mess with 20th Century Fox studio’s status as a globally recognized brand. Bet you can hum the theme song, can’t you?
– Deadline.com
✳ No wonder he can’t keep a girlfriend! 38-year-old actor Bradley Cooper (“Silver Linings Playbook”) has admitted that he lives with his mommy. The star, who recently split from actress Zoe Saldana, reveals that his mother Gloria moved in with him a couple of years ago after the passing of his father in January 2011. Quote: “She’s a cool chick. We can hang, and she can roll with the punches. If that wasn’t the case, there’s no way.”
– “Details”
✳ And TV actresses Christa Miller (“Cougar Town”), Clare Bowen (“Nashville”), Jennifer Morrison (“House”), and Naya Rivera (“Glee”) have bared all for “Allure” magazine’s special ‘Look Better Naked’ issue. However, unlike her peers, actress Amanda Seyfried is featured on the front cover fully clothed in a flowing lavender top. She says would have been happy to shed her duds as well … but her publicist wouldn’t let her.
– WENN.com

TODAY’S SHOW BIZ SKED:
• “American Idol” (FOX/CTV) – Fantasia performs her new single “Lose to Win”; fellow “Idol” alum Clay Aiken also performs; contestants face elimination.
• CinemaCon (Las Vegas NV) – Tonight actor Morgan Freeman is honored for his career achievements with the ‘2013 Cinema Icon Award’ at Caesar’s Palace. He follows in the footsteps of actress Michelle Pfeiffer, who was the inaugural recipient of the prize last year.
• “Conan” (TBS/CTV) – Alt-J (“An Awesome Wave”).
• “Jimmy Kimmel Live” (ABC/CityTV) – Phoenix (“Bankrupt”, out April 23rd).
• “Last Call With Carson Daly” (NBC) – Angel Haze (“Classick”); Jake Bugg (“Jake Bugg”). Rerun.
• “Late Night With Jimmy Fallon” (NBC/CTV2) – BJ Thomas (“Living Room Sessions”); “Deerhunter (“Monomania”, out May 7th). Rerun.
• “Late Show With David Letterman” (CBS/NTV/Omni1) – Bill Carter & The Blame (“Unknown”). Rerun.
• “Live With Kelly & Michael” (syndicated/CTV) – Jonas Bros (“Jonas Brothers Live Tour”).
• Rock & Roll Hall of Fame 2013 Induction (Los Angeles) – It’s the 28th annual ceremony, this time at the Nokia Theatre. Honorees include Heart (inducted by Chris Cornell); Public Enemy (presented by Spike Lee & Harry Belafonte); Randy Newman (inducted by Don Henley); Rush (honored by Foo Fighters Dave Grohl & Taylor Hawkins). Posthumous inductees include bluesman Albert King and disco queen Donna Summer. Unlike some years, every living artist being inducted is attending the ceremony. A taped version airs on HBO May 18th.
NET: http://rockhall.com/inductees/ceremonies/2013/
• “Tonight Show With Jay Leno” (NBC/CTV2) – Buddy Guy & The Experience Hendrix All-Star Band. Rerun.
• “Tribeca Film Festival” (NYC) – The 12th annual film gala co-founded by Robert De Niro reels through April 28th. World premieres include “Adult World” (Emma Roberts, John Cusack); “Almost Christmas” (Paul Giamatti, Paul Rudd); “Some Velvet Morning” (Evan Rachel Wood, Stanley Tucci); and “Trust Me” (Sam Rockwell, William H Macy).
NET: http://www.tribecafilm.com
• “The View” (ABC/CTV) – Billy Ray Cyrus (memoir “Hillbilly Heart”).

BS MUSIC NOTES:
• Big Boi – Tonight his “Shoes for Running Tour” kicks off in Athens GA and hits 45 cities before wrapping on June 19th in Boston MA. The set list will include tracks from his latest album “Vicious Lies & Dangerous Rumors” as well as classic Outkast jams.
• Black Sabbath – Ozzy Osbourne tells UK’s “The Sun” newspaper: “Sharon’s obsessed with that showbiz lifestyle. But it’s not for me. Leave me out of it. The reality show (2002-05) was all Sharon’s idea. I never wanted to do all that TV stuff.”
• Lady Antebellum – Their new single “Downtown” tops both the “Billboard” and Mediabase country charts this week. It’s the lead single off their upcoming 4th studio album, “Golden” (out May 7th), and marks their 7th #1 hit.

COMING ATTRACTIONS:
A BS selection of movies in the making …
• “Fast & Furious 7” – James Wan is in line to direct the next installment in the street-racing franchise. Wan, best known for directing horror films such as the first “Saw” and “Insidious”, is expected to take over from Justin Lin, who’s directed the previous 3 movies in the series as well as the upcoming “Fast & Furious 6”, out May 24th. Shooting on #7 begins this Summer.
• “Ghosts Of the Pacific” – Filming is underway this week on this WW2 drama based on the true story of an airplane crew that fights for survival on a lifeboat following the crash-landing of their military aircraft at sea. Garret Dillahunt (“Looper”) stars as the pilot, “Harry Potter” actor Tom Felton plays the bombardier, and Jake Abel (“I Am Number Four”) is the radioman.
• “Highwaymen” – Liam Neeson & Woody Harrelson are set to star in this story about the Texas Rangers who hunted down and shot infamous bank robbers Bonnie Parker & Clyde Barrow in the 1930s. The film will focus on lawman Frank Hamer, who was coaxed into the job by a consortium of banks. The project looks to start filming in the first quarter of 2014.
• “Kung Fu Panda 3” – “Bridesmaids” actress Rebel Wilson is joining original cast members Jack Black, Angelina Jolie, and Seth Rogen to voice a character in this upcoming Dreamworks Animation sequel. “Breaking Bad” actor Bryan Cranston and “Casino Royale” bad-guy Mads Mikkelsen are also joining the project. The film’s scheduled to screen for Christmas 2015.
• “Yukikaze” – Tom Cruise has been cast in yet another sci-fi movie, a Hollywood adaptation of a Japanese novel series. The big-budget film will be set 3 decades after alien force ‘JAM’ invades Earth through a wormhole that appears over Antarctica. ‘Yukikaze’ is the name of the hi-tech reconnaissance fighter plane the hero flies during his missions.

TOO STUPID FOR US TO MAKE UP:
✗ A British pub owner who makes his living as a beer taste-tester had been sick for months until he finally figured out the problem … he’s allergic to yeast. Alastair Scott, Britain’s first officially sanctioned ‘beer sommelier’, says he was coughing, tired, and lethargic which compelled him to take a test and discover his career-ending allergy. (World’s best job?)
– NYPost.com
✗ In order to appreciate life more keenly, a Chinese student from Wuhan has staged … her own funeral. The 22-year-old spent a fortune on mourners, flowers, and photographers. And to make her ‘body’ look more convincing, she hired a team of cosmetic artists who specialize in making the dead look lifelike. After lying in state for an hour, she got up to join her own wake. (If you were to deliver your own eulogy, what would you say about you?)
– Orange.co.uk
✗ To keep guests company during their stay, a hotel in Cheshire, England is offering them the chance to … rent a goldfish. The Happy Guest Hotel Lodge in Dutton charges about $7.50 to have ‘Happy’ the fish placed in their room. He can even be pre-booked on the hotel’s website in the same way you reserve breakfast. (King-size bed … check. Extra pillow … check. Fish … check.)
– “Daily Telegraph”

BUSIEST AIRLINE ROUTES:
Travel-tech company Amadeus has found that 300 ‘super routes’ are responsible for more than 20% of global airline traffic. That’s not too surprising, but what might be is that none of the top routes are in North America or Europe. Figures reflect air travel in 2012 …
5. Melbourne-Sydney, Australia (about 7 million passengers per year).
4. Beijing-Shanghai, China (7.2 million).
3. Rio de Janeiro-Sao Paulo, Brazil (7.7 million).
2. Sapporo-Tokyo, Japan (8.2 million).
1. Jeju-Seoul, South Korea (10.1 million).
– Skift.com

COMPARATIVE SATISFACTION:
A University of Colorado sociology study has confirmed the obvious … having sex makes us happy. But that level of happiness can drop considerably if we think (whether true or not) that other people are having more sex. If, for example, a couple is having sex 2 or 3 times a month but thinks their peers are enjoying it once a week, the couple’s level of happiness falls about 14% on average. We also may get a skewed view of sexual frequency from media portrayals. (Adds new meaning to the phrase, “Keeping up with the Joneses”.)
– PopSci.com

BOOKS THAT SHOULD BE BANNED?
The books that generated the most complaints in the past year, as ranked by the American Library Association’s annual list of most frequently challenged titles …
5. “And Tango Makes Three”, by Justin Richardson & Peter Parnell.
4. “Fifty Shades of Grey”, by E L James.
3. “Thirteen Reasons Why”, by Jay Asher.
2. “The Absolutely True Diary Of a Part-Time Indian”, by Sherman Alexie.
1. “Captain Underpants”, by Dav Pilkey (a kids’ book series about a school principal who moonlights as an unlikely superhero).
– TheWrap.com

WHAT WOMEN DO BEFORE A FIRST DATE:
Blind dates may not be all that blind. Whether people are set up by friends or turn to online dating to find someone, they still want to find out more about that person before they meet. Fully 48% of women in a Match.com poll about first dates say they research a date on Facebook before the first meeting. Assuming they pass the Facebook test, 75% of men say they follow up on their dates within 3 days, usually with a phone call. (As long as the get-together went well, that is.)
– TechNewsDaily.com

BS AMAZING FACT:
As of 2011, Armenia made chess a required school subject for all children over age 6.
– “Pacific Standard”

BS CHRONOMETER 04.18.13

TODAY’S CELEBIRTHDAYS . . .
1947 [66] James Woods, Vernal UT, TV actor (“Shark” 2006-08)/movie actor (“The Ghosts of Mississippi”, “Salvador”)

1963 [50] Conan O’Brien, Brookline MA, TV host (“Conan” since 2010”, “Tonight Show With Conan O’Brien” 2009-10, “Late Night With Conan O’Brien” 1993-2009)/comedy writer (“The Simpsons” 1991-93, “Saturday Night Live” 1987-91)

1974 [39] Mark Tremonti, Detroit MI, rock guitarist (Creed-“My Sacrifice”, “With Arms Wide Open”; Alter Bridge-“Isolation”, “Open Your Eyes”)

1979 [34] Kourtney Kardashian, Mill Valley CA, reality TV personality (“Kourtney & Kim Take New York” 2011, “Kourtney & Khloe Take Miami” 2009, “Keeping Up With the Kardashians” since 2007)

1987 [26] Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, Plymouth UK, fashion model/movie actress (“Transformers: Dark Of the Moon”)  COMING UP: “Mad Max: Fury Road” (2014).

1993 [20] Nathan Sykes, Abbeydale UK, pop singer (The Wanted-“Chasing the Sun”, “Glad You Came”)  BS FACTOID: He’s scheduled to undergo surgery today in Los Angeles to repair a hemorrhaging nodule on his vocal cords. He’ll be unable to talk (or sing) for at least a month.

TODAY’S BS REASONS TO PARTY . . .
• “Columnists Day”, sponsored by the National Society of Newspaper Columnists to increase awareness of the importance and contribution made by columnists and journalists worldwide.

• “High Five Day”, celebrated annually on the 3rd Thursday of April, when we’re encouraged to freely exchange high fives without inhibition between all genders, social classes, and heights.

• “Pet Owners Independence Day”, a day when dog and cat owners are encouraged to take the day off and have their pets work in their place, since most are unemployed and sleep all day.
NET: http://www.wellcat.com/pet_owner.htm

• “World Amateur Radio Day”, honoring the worldwide hobby of ‘ham radio’. It’s observed on the anniversary of the 1925 founding of the International Amateur Radio Union.
NET: http://www.iaru.org/news–events.html

THIS DAY IN SHOW BIZ . . .
1938 [75] Jerry Siegel & Joe Shuster see their cartoon creation ‘Superman’ launched in “Action Comics #1”, which is actually cover-dated ‘June’

TODAY’S MUSIC EVENT . . .
2012 [01] TV personality-producer Dick Clark, former host of “American Bandstand” (1957-89) and “New Year’s Rockin’ Eve” (1974-2011), dies of heart attack at age 82 in Santa Monica CA

TODAY’S FIRST . . .
1923 [90] 1st baseball game played at spanking new Yankee Stadium in NYC (John Phillip Souza conducts “Star Spangled Banner” and Babe Ruth hits 1st home run in 1st ‘3-level’ baseball stadium as then-record crowd of 74,000 to watch Yankees beat Boston Red Sox 4-1)

TODAY’S RECORD . . .
1991 [22] Charlie Kovacs of Seymour, Australia sets ‘World Camper Speed Record’ by towing his Roadster camper at a speed of 126.76 mph or 204 km/hr (his wife inside is not pleased)

COMING UP . . .
[Fri] “In the House”, “The Lords of Salem”, “Oblivion” open in movie theaters
[Sat] Stone Music Festival (Sydney NSW)
[Sat] Record Store Day 2013
[Sat] Husband Appreciation Day
[Sat] Pot Smokers Day
This Week Is … Karaoke Week
This Month Is … Defeat Diabetes Month

BULL’S BITS

BS SIGNS YOU MAY BE A WUSS:
● You buy a car for its safety rating.
● You only get to eat steak on special occasions.
● You know your resting heart rate.
● You say “we’re pregnant” instead of “she’s pregnant”.
● You get all religious every time you become seriously ill.
● Only Friday night is ‘whoopee’ night.
● The first thing you think about before going anywhere is the ‘bathroom situation’.

BS RANDOM JOKE:
Only a lawyer can write a 10,000-word document and call it a ‘brief’.

BS PHONE STARTER:
☎ Which was the tackiest fashion trend ever? Hammer pants? Trucker hats? Scrunchies? Mullets? Crocs … with socks?

BS WATER COOLER QUESTION:
Question: Two-thirds of us say we won’t give THIS up, no matter how bad the economy gets.
Answer: Coffee.

BS DEEP THOUGHT:
Nothing is sometimes the best thing to say.