BS SHOW BIZ BUZZ:
A 10-minute preview of Part 1 of director Peter Jackson’s upcoming movie adaptation of JRR Tolkien’s “The Hobbit” screened at CinemaCon in Las Vegas has received lukewarm reviews, one suggesting it looks more like a straight-to-TV pic than a big-budget, bigscreen blockbuster (ouch, there’s an estimated $250 million going into it!) . . . Singer-actress Demi Lovato says that back in her pre-rehab days, club promoters used to ply her with free drugs & booze (humble-brag?) . . . Desperate-for-attention Miley Cyrus has been tweeting pictures of herself in her underpants over the past week (just like old times) . . . Actress Scarlett Johansson (“The Avengers”) has been flashing around her new body art, a wrist tattoo designed to look like a charm bracelet (get the real thing, girl – easier to take off!) . . . “The Office” regulars Rainn Wilson & Mindy Kaling are both rumored to be getting their own TV series, but castmate Jenna Fischer says the entire cast is looking forward to another season of their show (can they put in for overtime?) . . . Get used to hearing whiny, nasal voices for years to come because “Keeping Up With the Kardashians” has been renewed by E! for another 3 seasons (Ryan Seacrest, this is all your fault!) . . . Unemployed Rosie O’Donnell has felt it necessary to spout off about Lindsay Lohan on “Today”, labeling her a ‘talentless failure’ (are you the pot or the kettle, dear?) . . . The Pitt-Jolie crew is enjoying another exotic getaway, this time in the Galapagos Islands, where Brad took his family out for a boat ride 600 miles off the Ecuadorian coast (any way we can get adopted?) . . . And cheating-hook-up website AshleyMadison.com is offering a cool $1 million to any woman who can prove she’s slept with NY Jets quarterback Tim Tebow, who has vowed to stay a virgin until his wedding night (is there ‘over/under’ betting on this?).

TODAY’S SHOW BIZ SKED:
• “American Idol” (FOX/CTV) – Contestants face elimination; Katy Perry performs; The Queen Extravaganza performs.
• “Colbert Report” (Comedy Central/CTV) – Jack White (“Blunderbuss”).
• “Conan” (TBS/CTV) – Ingrid Michaelson (“Girls & Boys”).
• Hot Docs Festival (Toronto ON) – The 2012 edition of the annual showcase for international film documentaries reels at various venues through May 6th.
NET: http://www.hotdocs.ca
• “Last Call With Carson Daly” (NBC) – We Are Augustines (“Rise Ye Sunken Ships”).
• “Late Show With David Letterman” (CBS/NTV/Omni1) – Moby (“Destroyed”).
• Sundance Film Festival (London UK) – 74-year-old actor/festival-founder Robert Redford opens a 4-day version of his indie film exhibition in England. Screenings, music performances, and discussions are scheduled through Sunday.
• “Tonight Show With Jay Leno” (NBC/CTV2) – Adam Lambert (“Trespassing”).

BS MUSIC NOTES:
• Beyoncé – She’s been named “People” magazine’s ‘Most Beautiful Woman In the World’ for 2012. The special ‘Beautiful People’ issue is on stands tomorrow.
• Brad Paisley – He made 2 appearances as his animated self on last night’s episode of “South Park” (Comedy Central), singing the anthem before a basketball game and dueting with ‘Cartman’.
• Britney Spears – She’s just sold off her Beverly Hills CA mansion, raking in a little over $4-and-a-quarter million.
• Chris Brown – The release of his new album “Fortune” has been delayed from May 8th to July 3rd with no reason given. A deluxe version is also being planned, including additional tracks and a ‘collectable’ cover.
• Justin Bieber – Fans have reportedly made more than 2,000 phone calls to the London hotel where he’s been staying during his visit to Britain.
• Lady Gaga – She’s been forewarned to avoid provocative costumes during her June visit to Indonesia. Islamic leaders in the world’s biggest Muslim nation say her risqué outfits will not be tolerated. Her 110-date world tour begins tomorrow in Seoul, South Korea.
• Rihanna – This week Chris Brown’s new GF, Karrueche Tran, has rubbed their romance in his ex’s face by tweeting a photo of her & Brown swapping spit in front of an Australian sunset.
• Thirty Seconds To Mars – They’re currently working on their 4th studio album, the follow-up to 2009’s “This Is War”. Jared Leto says they won’t be touring in 2012 in order to focus on recording.

COMING ATTRACTIONS:
A BS selection of movies in the making …
• “Defiant” – This upcoming drama is based on the true story of a double honor killing in India in which 2 Muslim women took their own daughters’ lives because they eloped with Hindu men. Dev Patel (“Slumdog Millionaire”) plays a young man trying to escape vengeful parents with his girlfriend; Toni Collette (“Little Miss Sunshine”) plays a journalist covering the story.
• “The Good Dinosaur” – This new Pixar film is described by the studio as a ‘hilarious, heartfelt and original tale’ that will present an alternate reality in which the asteroid that killed off all the dinosaurs misses Earth completely. Voice-casting has yet to be announced but the movie is expected to hit cinemas in May 2014.
• “Liz & Dick” – Lifetime Television has now confirmed the rumor that Lindsay Lohan is set to play iconic screen legend Elizabeth Taylor in a new TV movie based on the true story of her volatile romance with actor Richard Burton, whom she married and divorced twice. Lohan has already posted a picture of herself dressed as Taylor as her Twitter profile.
• “The Lone Ranger” – Johnny Depp has revealed his Native American look for the role of ‘Tonto’ is inspired by the Kirby Sattler painting “I Am Crow”. The artist licensed the work to the film as a template. Depp says he pursued the role so he could change the movie stereotype of the American Indian. Armie Hammer will star as the ‘masked man’ in the 2013 film.
• “Machete Kills” – 56-year-old actor Mel Gibson is in negotiations to star in a supporting role in director Robert Rodriguez’s followup to his 2010 action movie “Machete”. Danny Trejo will reprise his role as blade-wielding Mexican Federale ‘Machete Cortez’. “My Week With Marilyn” actress Michelle Williams has also been linked to the project.

YOUR BEST SIDE:
Next time you pose for a pic, position yourself so your left cheek is closest to the camera. Why? A new Wake Forest University study suggests images of the left side of the face are perceived as more pleasant than pictures of the right side. Researchers believe the findings may be due to the fact that we present a greater intensity of emotion on the left side, and human emotions are often judged from facial expressions. Seemingly proving the point, it’s interesting to note that artists’ portraits predominantly present their subjects’ left profile. (That girl named ‘Mona’, for instance.)
– PsychCentral.com

NO TIPPING REQUIRED:
Black Star Co-op in Austin, Texas is the first co-operatively owned microbrewery-restaurant in America. It pays employees at least $16-an-hour and also provides health insurance and bonuses. What’s more, after a year-long apprenticeship, every worker also has the duties of a manager – they can hire and fire, get access to the books, and make financial decisions. And they’ve banned tipping on principle. Service workers elsewhere can make more money on a busy night, but their wages are beholden to the whims of strangers. Black Star servers know what they’re going to make ahead of time. (Paying a living wage … what a concept!)
– Good.is

WHY CO-WORKERS DON’T LIKE YOU:
To avoid negative judgments from your co-workers, experts advise avoiding the following behaviors …
✗ Sucking up to the boss at the expense of co-workers. It always incites negative reactions.
✗ Not fitting in to office culture. That can include how you dress, and what you say.
✗ Messiness, particularly in communal areas and shared workspaces. It breeds contempt.
✗ Poor cubicle etiquette. Consideration regarding odors and noise is important.
✗ Negativity. The occasional bit of gossip can relieve stress. Too much can make you look bad.
– Condensed from “Wall Street Journal”

MAXI-PADS:
According to Forrester Research, tablets are rapidly becoming the primary electronic device of choice for millions of people around-the-world. Sales of tablet computers in 2016 are predicted to hit 375 million, and 760 million tablets could be in use worldwide by then. Compared to the 56 million tablets purchased in 2011, that’s a compound annual-growth rate of 46%. It’s predicted Apple’s iPad will represent one-third of all tablet purchases by 2016. (Considering the number of Boomers hitting 60+, shouldn’t they be developing a bigscreen iPad?)
– VB.net

THE PLEASURE CENTER:
Dartmouth University researchers have discovered that a region buried deep in the brain called the ‘nucleus accumbens’ is linked to both pleasure and addiction. In experiments, young women who experienced strong reactions in that region to pictures of food proved more likely to gain weight within the next 6 months. Similarly, when the region responded strongly to sexual imagery, participants proved more likely to be sexually active within 6 months. But it’s not automatic … researchers say a person can override those responses through willpower. (To control his nucleus accumbens, Tim Tebow wears a chastity helmet.)
– LiveScience.com

BS AMAZING FACTS:
• Most libraries today spend more on non-print media than on books and magazines.
– “The Futurist”
• The president of Turkmenistan (who managed to win re-election with 97% of the vote) has somehow also won his country’s 1st-ever car race after a last-minute decision to enter.
– PopBitch.com
• An Australian artist is incorporating the scent of a brand-new, just-unwrapped Apple MacBook in an upcoming Melbourne exhibit called ‘Greatest Hits’.
– NYPost.com

BS CHRONOMETER 04.26.12

TODAY’S CELEBIRTHDAYS . . .
1963 [49] Jet Li, Beijing, China, movie actor (“The Expendables”, “Cradle 2 the Grave”)

1964 [48] Jimmy Stafford, Morris IL, pop guitarist (Train-“Hey, Soul Sister”, “Drops of Jupiter”)

1965 [47] Kevin James, Stony Brook NY, movie actor (“Paul Blart: Mall Cop”, “I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry”)/TV sitcom actor (“The King of Queens” 1998-2007)

1971 [41] Jay DeMarcus, Columbus OH, country musician (Rascal Flatts-“Why Wait”, “What Hurts the Most”)

1976 [36] Jose Pasillas, Calabasas CA, alt-rock drummer (Incubus-“Love Hurts”, “Anna Molly”)

1980 [32] Channing Tatum, Cullman AL, movie actor (“21 Jump Street”, “GI Joe: The Rise of Cobra”)

TODAY’S BS REASONS TO PARTY . . .
• “Confederate Memorial Day” in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, and Mississippi.

• “Hug an Australian Day”, to show our appreciation for all the friendliness and support Aussies have given us over the years.

• “Kids & Pets Day”, an annual celebration of the magical connection between children and animals.
BS HABITS OF PET OWNERS:
✓ 80% brag about their pets.
✓ 79% allow pets to sleep with them.
✓ 50% talk baby-talk to pets.
✓ 37% carry around pet photos.
✓ 31% take time off work to be with sick pets.
– “USA Today”
NET: http://www.kidsandpetsday.com

• “Pretzel Day”, honoring the world’s oldest snack food. Pretzels were made as early as 610 AD by monks in France and Italy using scraps of dough formed into strips to represent a child’s arms folded in prayer.

• “Take Our Daughters & Sons to Work Day”, observed annually on the 4th Thursday of April in America, when parents are encouraged to bring 8-to-18 year-old offspring to the workplace to gain firsthand experience of life in the work world.
NET: http://www.daughtersandsonstowork.org

• “World Intellectual Property Day”, established by WIPO in 2000 to celebrate creativity and the contribution made by creators and innovators, and to raise awareness of how patents, copyright, trademarks, and designs impact our daily lives.

THIS DAY IN SHOW BIZ . . .
1986 [26] CBS-TV journalist Maria Shriver marries (lying & cheating) action-movie actor Arnold Schwarzenegger

1993 [19] Conan O’Brien is named successor to David Letterman as host of NBC-TV’s “Late Night” program (he remains until 2009, when he briefly takes over the “Tonight Show”)

TODAY’S MUSIC EVENTS . . .
1982 [30] While shopping on LA’s Hollywood Boulevard in the middle of the day, Rod Stewart is robbed at gunpoint of, among other things, his $50,000 Porsche

2003 [09] Morgan Creek Bridge in Chapel Hill, NC is renamed James Taylor Bridge in honor of the city’s native son

TODAY’S FIRSTS . . .
1921 [91] 1st ‘Weather Reports’ on radio (WEW, St Louis, Missouri)

1941 [71] Chicago Cubs use 1st organ in a baseball park (duh duh duh duh da duh … charge!)

TODAY’S RECORD . . .
1986 [26] ‘Worst Nuclear Power Plant Accident in History’ as an explosion and fire at Ukraine’s Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant releases radioactive contamination into the atmosphere (only ‘level 7’ event recorded until last year’s Fukushima I nuclear incident in Japan)

AND REMEMBER . . .
[Fri] Disc Jockey Day
[Fri] Stagecoach Country Music Festival begins (Indio CA)
[Fri] 2012 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival begins
[Fri] Hairball Awareness Day
[Sat] Save the Frogs Day
[Sat] Sense of Smell Day
This Week Is … Safe Kids Week
This Month Is … Landscape Architecture Month

BULL’S BITS

BS REASONS DRIVING A COMPANY CAR IS BETTER THAN DRIVING YOUR OWN:
• You don’t have to make up excuses about why you would be seen in a car like that.
• Fuel consumption is unimportant.
• You can drive 100,000 miles (km) without ever changing the oil.
• You can take speed bumps 50 mph (k’s) faster than other cars.
• You can recreate chase scenes from your favorite movies.

BS PHONE STARTER:
☎ Is the Internet making us less lonely or more lonely?

BS RANDOM JOKE:
I’m writing an unauthorized autobiography.

BS U-PICK TRIVIA:
Today is “Richter Scale Day”, saluting the earthquake scale invented by US seismologist Charles Richter, born 112 years ago (1900). So what’s the highest reading on the scale?
a. 10.
b. 100.
c. There isn’t one, stupid. [CORRECT. It’s open-ended. Technically an earthquake could be a ‘10’, though none has ever been measured.]

BS WATER COOLER QUESTION:
Question: It seems they’ve been around forever, but people didn’t start eating these until 1937.
Answer: Chocolate chip cookies.

BS DEEP THOUGHT:
The longer you keep your temper the better it will get.