Monday, April 3, 2017  —   Edition: #5945

Brand New Sheets!

BS SHOW BIZ BUZZ:
★ ‘American Idol’ will not be coming back in 2018, despite the fact that both NBC and FOX made offers to put it back on the air, because a tug of war between co-owners of the show torpedoed the deals.  The networks made dueling offers to bring the show back as early as summer, 2018. NBC wanted to rotate ‘Idol’ with 2 other shows — ‘America’s Got Talent’ and ‘The Voice.’ Sources say the owners of ‘Idol’  never anted up a counter offer to either network.
-TMZ.com
★ Sylvester Stallone will apparently not be returning for a fourth installment of  “The Expendables.”  He and producer Avi Lerner could not come to terms on certain aspects of the movie and he has left the film series over concerns about direction of the fourth installment of the film franchise. Sources say Stallone was concerned about the potential underwhelming results of the upcoming film.  Stallone has been a part of an all-star cast since the film series’ inception. He has starred alongside the likes of Jason Statham, Jet Li, Dolph Lundgren, Randy Couture, Antonio Banderas, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Bruce Willis to name a few. (potentially underwhelming results? I guess we don’t have to worry about a ‘Judge Dredd’ sequel either…)
– Deadline
★ Scarlett Johansson says she would consider running for office in the future.  The 32-year-old  has always been outspoken when it comes to her political views, and was an ardent supporter of Hillary Clinton during the 2016 U.S. presidential election.  The ‘Ghost in the Shell’ star has now revealed she may turn her attention to a political career once her time in the Hollywood spotlight comes to an end, and her two-year-old daughter Rose is grown up.  Other big names who have been similarly ‘inspired’ by Donald Trump’s election victory include Kanye West and Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson.
-WENN.com
★After shedding more than 300 pounds, Mama June has revealed her svelte new figure.  The reality show star officially revealed her impressive weight-loss transformation on Friday night’s episode of  “Mama June: From Not To Hot.”  On the show, Mama June, formerly a size 24, looked buxom and confident in what is claimed to be a size 4 dress.  The 37-year-old had to undergo what she terms a “boob job,” a tummy tuck and multiple surgeries to remove excess skin.  June had been working all season to get rid of the pounds in hopes of fitting into a fire engine-red dress just in time to attend the wedding of Sugar Bear, her ex-husband.
-Pagesix.com

TODAY’S SHOW BIZ SKED:
• “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” (NBC, CTV): Vin Diesel, Shaquille O’Neal, Pitbull ft. Stephen Marley
• “Late Night With Seth Meyers” (NBC, CTV):  Chelsea Handler
• “Jimmy Kimmel Live” (ABC, Global)  Chris Evans, Amanda Peet
• “Conan” (TBS):  Jake Gyllenhaal, Ronda Rousey
• “Ellen DeGeneres” (NBC, CTV) Chris Evans
• “Late Late Show With James Corden” (CBS,CTV): Steph Curry, Chris Paul, Steve Nash
• “Dancing With the Stars” (ABC, CTV) The couples dance to iconic songs from hit Las Vegas shows; one couple will be eliminated.
• “The Voice”  (NBC, CTV)  After being paired against teammates, contestants select songs to perform for coaches.

BS MUSIC NOTES:
• Thomas Rhett – says his new single “Craving You,” with Maren Morris has an 80s groove.  He says of the lead track from his upcoming third studio album: “I’m so incredibly proud of ‘Craving You.’ It transports me right back to the 80s.” (Right back to the 80s?  Rhett was born in 1990…)
• Mariah Carey – paid tribute to the late George Michael during her appearance at this year’s Dubai Jazz Festival, where she performed a cover of his 1988 hit ballad “One More Try.” While the show took place in late February, Carey just shared a video from her set as a #FBF (flashback Friday) post on Facebook. Carey — who recorded the track for 2014’s Me. I Am Mariah… The Elusive Chanteuse album — posted: “I always loved it, I always loved him. He was a really great person.”
• Elton John – says that with Ed Sheeran signed to his management company, even Elton was sick of Sheeran seemingly being everywhere.  John says that he told Sheeran to disappear for awhile before working on his latest ‘÷’ album.  Elton says Sheeran went on vacation with his girlfriend and gained ‘lot of weight’ but got back into shape in time for the album’s release.
• Rap mogul Suge Knight has endorsed a new Tupac Shakur death documentary, revealing the filmmakers have nailed the truth about the hip-hop legend’s murder.  The incarcerated former Death Row Records CEO was with Tupac the night he was killed in a drive-by shooting in Las Vegas, and he has now confirmed details of the 1996 incident alleged in ‘Tupac Assassination: Battle for Compton’ are true.
• Google –  is now planning to acquire Spotify in a deal valued at roughly $41.1 billion.  The acquisition  creates a clear frontrunner in the music subscription space.  It would also give Google a massive edge over competitors like Apple Music.

EAT, DRINK AND BREATHE YOUR WAY TO SUCCESS:

How to boost creativity and reduce fatigue at the office:
1.  Fuel Right –  Fruit, Veggies, grains, lean proteins and healthy fats provide energy throughout the day.
2. Don’t Ignore Hunger – When you do finally eat, you’ll make poor choices.  Snack on healthy foods when hunger hits.
3. Take Your Lunch Break – Disconnecting from work mid-day gives you an energy boost and makes your afternoon go more smoothly.
4. Stay Hydrated – Even minor dehydration can cause headaches and make you tired and irritable.  Best way to tell: your urine should be clear or very light yellow.
5. Move Often – If you have a desk job, get up and move at least every hour.  Walk to someone else’s desk rather than email them. Or do a few simple stretches.
6. Breathe – Deep breathing is your body’s built-in energizer.  It is also calming.  Focus on your breathing for a few minutes.  (Breathing not only feels good, it’s mandatory!)
7.  Don’t Multi-Task – Everyone thinks they are good at it, but very few are.  Studies show that it wastes more time than it saves, and it reduces your brain function over time.  (So the next time your boss wants an answer RIGHT NOW…tell him that wouldn’t be a wise choice.  He’ll understand)
-Washington Post

USE YOUR WORDS:
New words added to dictionary.com:
-cheat day:  a day in which a person goes off a dietary regimen
-clicktivism: use of the internet to organize and promote political causes and movements, usually through social media postings, email campaigns and online petitions.
-dabbing:  performing a dance move involving posing with one’s nose in the crook of a bent elbow at chest level while extending the other arm to the side in a celebratory gesture (words don’t do it justice.  No, actually they do).
-dad bod – a man’s physique that is slightly overweight or flabby but still possibly attractive.  (like my neighbour, Cheryl.)
-hangry – feeling irritable or irrationally angry as a result of being hungry.  (I call that ‘morning’.)
-lightsaber – the type of ‘sword’ used in the ‘Star Wars’ universe. (and in the the fantasies of fanboys since 1977.)
-sext – a sexually explicit digital image, text message, etc., sent to someone usually via cell phone (to everyone except me, apparently…)
-420 – if you don’t know, you weren’t there, man.
-EW

EAT YOUR HEART OUT, DRONES!
Pizza delivery customers in Germany and the Netherlands could have their dinner (or drunken midnight snack) delivered via robot this summer.  Domino’s will be giving the automated, gas-barbecue sized ‘pizza-bots’ a test run as they deliver their piping hot cargo within a one-mile radius of their local store.  The robots will travel on sidewalks at 4mph.  Customers will have to specifically ask for this novel new way to deliver pizza, and can unlock the cargo hold with a code that is sent to their smartphone.  No word if there is a way to tip them.  Literally or figuratively.  (at 4mph, is it still 30 minutes or free?)
-Bloomberg.com

THE TAR WHAT, NOW?

With the NCAA Final Four wrapping up tonight, the old question has resurfaced:  What the heck is a North Carolina ‘Tar Heel’?  As you may know, North Carolina is known as the ‘tar heel’ state.  But why?  UNC says there are 2 possible origins:  One story hails back to the Revolutionary War. After crossing a shallow river in eastern North Carolina, the British troops discovered their feet covered with tar, a product of North Carolina’s abundant pine trees. Some say the clever North Carolinians dumped it in the river to slow down the invading army. The British were said to have observed that if you waded in North Carolina rivers, you would get tar on your heels.
Another story comes from the Civil War. A group of North Carolina soldiers scolded their comrades for leaving the battlefield when things got tough. The soldiers threatened to stick tar on the heels of the retreating soldiers to help them stay in the battle. General Robert E. Lee is said to have commented “God bless the Tar Heel boys!”
(North Carolinians may have a different blessing for the Tar Heel boys depending on the results tonight!)

DID YOU KNOW?
There is an actual minor league baseball team named after the Springfield Isotopes of The Simpsons episode “Hungry, Hungry Homer.” They are the Albuquerque Isotopes.

BS CHRONOMETER 04.03.17

TODAY’S CELEBIRTHDAYS . . .
1958 [59] Alec Baldwin, Massapequa NY, Movie/TV actor (“30 Rock” 2006-13)/‘President Trump’ on “Saturday Night Live”

1961 [56] Eddie Murphy, Brooklyn NY, movie actor (“Shrek”)/former TV comedian (“Saturday Night Live” 1980-84)

1982 [35] Cobie (Jacoba) Smulders, Vancouver BC, TV actress (“How I Met Your Mother” 2005-14)/movie actress (“The Avengers”)

1985 [32] Leona Lewis, London UK, pop singer (“Bleeding Love”)/”X Factor UK” winner (2006)

1986 [31] Amanda Bynes, Thousand Oaks CA, troubled movie actress (“Easy A”)/now listed on Wiki as ‘former’ actress.

TODAY’S BS REASONS TO PARTY . . .

• “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!)

• “Armenian Appreciation Day”, honoring the country bordering the Black Sea which re-gained its independence in 1991.

•“National Chocolate Mousse Day”,  recognizes the decadent dessert that gained popularity in France in the 1800s.

•“Find a Rainbow Day”, although I’m sure you would rather find the pot o’ gold at the ends!

•“Sweet Potato Day”, celebrating the root vegetable that is only distantly related to the traditional potato.  The roots are most frequently boiled, fried, or baked. Industrial uses include the production of starch and industrial alcohol. Sweet potato fries, anyone?

THIS DAY IN SHOW BIZ . . .
2009 [08] “Fast & Furious”, the 4th film in the franchise, has a record-breaking $72.5 million opening weekend (the 8th film in the series, ‘The Fate of the Furious’ opens April 15)

TODAY’S MUSIC EVENTS . . .
2007 [10] Rolling Stones’ Keith Richards denies to MTV his own earlier claim that he once snorted the ashes of his late father (maybe smoked them?)

2008 [09] Mariah Carey’s “Touch My Body” goes to #1, beating Elvis Presley’s old record of 17 chart-topping singles (only The Beatles have more with 20)

2009 [08] A Malawian court rejects Madonna’s attempt to adopt a 2nd child from the African nation after local rights groups protested her adoption of David Banda 2 years earlier (but she did manage to adopt a girl that year and twin girls earlier this year)

TODAY’S FIRST . . .
2010 [07] Apple releases its multi-touch tablet computer called the ‘iPad’ (3 million devices are sold within the first 80 days of its release)

TODAY’S RECORDS . . .
2003 [14] An Oklahoma couple (aged 95 & 94) finally gets married after 77 years of living together (“Gummy, I’ve decided I wanna make you an honest woman …”)

2007 [10] A French TGV train sets an official new ‘Conventional-Train World Speed Record’ … 574.8 km/h (357.2 mph)

BULL’S BITS

BS SIGNS YOU’RE ABOUT TO GRADUATE FROM BUSINESS SCHOOL:
• You decide to ‘re-org’ your family into a ‘team-based organization’.
• You refer to dating as ‘test marketing’.
• You can spell ‘paradigm’.
• You write ‘executive summaries’ on your love letters.
• You believe you never have problems in your life, just ‘improvement opportunities’.
• You ask the waiter what the restaurant’s ‘core competencies’ are.
• You refer to your significant other as ‘my co-CEO’.
• You use the term ‘value-added’ without falling down laughing.
• You can explain the difference between ‘re-engineering’, ‘downsizing’, ‘right-sizing’, and ‘firing people’s asses’.
– First published in “BS” 2012

BS PHONE STARTER:
☎What’s the most extravagant lie you’ve ever told?

BS RANDOM JOKE:
Knock knock. Who’s there? The pilot.

BS WATER COOLER QUESTION:
Question: 47% of married men say this is their least favorite thing to do. What is it?

Answer: Watching chick-flicks

BS DEEP THOUGHT:
Where there’s a will, there’s a lawyer!

BS SUBSCRIBER NOTE:
This edition marks the first edition of the Bull Sheet from Dave, your new purveyor of BS.
My aim is to continue the great legacy of The Bull Sheet as one of the best and best-known radio show prep services.  With that in mind, please feel free to contact me with any suggestions you have.  Although we are still getting up to speed in the new BS office, we look forward to continuing the great relationship between The Bull Sheet and our loyal subscribers.  Here’s to lots more Bull!
TheBullSheet@cogeco.ca