Thursday, August 18, 2011 Edition: #4574
Thanks a Sheetload for Choosing “BS”!
BS SHOW BIZ BUZZ:
TheWrap.com reports that daytime gabfest “The Talk” (CBS) is axing 2 hosts for its 2nd season, with Sara Gilbert, Julie Chen, and Sharon Osbourne staying but Leah Remini and Holly Robinson Peete being shown the door (thereby maintaining its profile as ‘The View – Lite’) . . . An apparently inebriated 62-year-old French film actor Gerard Depardieu caused a Paris-to-Dublin flight to return to the terminal for cleaning after standing up before take-off and peeing on the cabin floor (guess that’s what he learned in “102 Dalmatians”) . . . Actors Ryan Reynolds & Sandra Bullock, along with her baby son Louis Bardo, have been spotted vacationing in Wyoming’s Grand Teton National Park (but they’re just friends, right?) . . . “Star Magazine” claims it has uncovered 25-year-old “Jersey Shore” star Ronnie Ortiz-Magro’s ‘secret past’ that includes numerous arrests on multiple charges before he became famous (is anyone really surprised?) . . . A rep for actress Sarah Jessica Parker tells “Access Hollywood” that the rumor she’s planning on resurrecting “Sex & The City” as a TV show is ‘completely false’ (phew!) . . . 75-year-old actor Burt Reynolds (“Deliverance”, “Smokey & The Bandit”) is facing foreclosure on his longtime southeast Florida home, Merrill Lynch Credit Corp claiming he owes well over $1 million in overdue mortgage payments (when he posed naked on the cover of “Cosmo” in 1972, there was no one hotter in Hollywood) . . . And 38-year-old actress Gwyneth Paltrow tells “OK!” magazine she won’t use Botox nor silicone, but is considering augmentation surgery as ‘a breast correction’ after breast-feeding her 2 children (we say she’s already a big enough boob).
TODAY’S SHOW BIZ SKED:
• “Do Something Awards” (VH1) – The annual honors for celebrities under 25 who’ve made ‘an outstanding contribution to their community’ are handed out in LA. Among the winners: David Beckham (athlete), Justin Bieber (musician), and Olivia Wilde (actor). The event also honors celebs who support charities. The show was pre-recorded on Sunday.
• “Jimmy Kimmel Live” (ABC/CHCH) – Amos Lee (“Mission Bell”).
• “Last Call With Carson Daly” (NBC) – Freddie Gibbs (“Baby-Faced Killa”). Rerun.
• “Late Night With Jimmy Fallon” (NBC/A Channel) – Big Sean (“Finally Famous”). Rerun.
• “Late Show With David Letterman” (CBS/NTV/Omni) – Gomez (“A New Tide”). Rerun.
• “Live With Regis & Kelly” (syndicated/CTV) – Nicole Scherzinger (“Killer Love”).
• “Marilyn Denis Show” (CTV/A Channel) – Donnie Wahlberg (New Kids On the Block).
• “Tonight Show With Jay Leno” (NBC/A Channel) – Ashton Shepherd (“Where Country Grows”). Rerun.
• “The View” (ABC/CTV) – Toni Braxton (“Pulse”). Rerun.
BS MUSIC NOTES:
• Black Sabbath – The original lineup of Ozzy Osbourne, Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler, and Bill Ward have been working on new songs with an eye toward a 2012 album release. They reunited previously in the late ‘90s to tour together, but never completed a planned studio album.
• Lady Antebellum – Their breakout single “Need You Now” has now been certified quintuple-platinum by the RIAA for 5 million digital downloads.
• Lady Gaga – Her newest music video is set to air tonight on MTV at 7:50 pm EST. “You and I” is the 4th single off the album “Born This Way”. The fan site “Gaga Daily” reports that she’ll be making a ‘special announcement’ following the video’s premiere.
• The Sheepdogs – The Saskatoon, Saskatchewan-based rock band is featured on the cover of today’s issue of “Rolling Stone” as winner of the magazine’s “Do You Wanna Be A Rock & Roll Star?” competition.
• Sugarland – Tonight they recommence touring with a show in Albuquerque, New Mexico after taking time off in the wake of last Saturday’s stage collapse tragedy at the Indiana State Fair.
• Taylor Swift – “Journey to Fearless”, a 2-hour DVD featuring performances and behind-the-scenes footage from her first headlining tour will be released on October 11th.
• Vampire Weekend – They’ve settled a dispute with Kirsten Kennis, the former model who graced the cover of their “Contra” album. She sued for $2 million, claiming she never gave permission for her likeness to be used. Seems the photog faked her signature.
COMING ATTRACTIONS:
A BS selection of movies in the making …
• “Dream Brother” – Actor Reeve Carney, who plays ‘Peter Parker’ in the Broadway musical “Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark”, has signed to star in Jake Scott’s film about tragic singer-songwriter Jeff Buckley in a new biopic. The singer drowned in Tennessee in 1997 at the age of 30. Production on the film begins in November.
• “GI Joe 2: Retaliation” – 56-year-old Bruce Willis is in talks to play ‘General Joe Colton’ in this upcoming action sequel. In the ‘80s comic book series, the character is the first soldier to be given the ‘GI Joe’ name and is responsible for creating the strike team. Actors Channing Tatum, Ray Park, and Arnold Vosloo are all reprising their roles from the first film (2009).
• “Hong Kong Phooey” – Eddie Murphy has signed on to voice the all-action cartoon character in a new animated caper. Murphy, who voiced the donkey character in the “Shrek” series, will play a dog who becomes a crime-fighting kung-fu expert after being granted mystical powers. The original Hanna-Barbera cartoon version aired on TV in 1974 … for 16 episodes.
• “Man of Tai Chi” – 46-year-old actor Keanu Reeves is in negotiations to get funding for this Mandarin-and-English-language martial arts film he wrote, will star in, and in which he’ll also make his directorial debut. It also stars Tiger Chen, a member of the kung fu team in Reeves’ “The Matrix” movies. Word has it the script calls for ‘serious fighting scenes’.
• “The Place Beyond the Pines” – “Bridesmaids” actress Rose Byrne has been cast as the wife of Bradley Cooper’s cop-turned-politician character in this crime caper directed by Derek Cianfrance. She joins an impressive cast which also includes Ryan Gosling, Ray Liotta, and Eva Mendes. Shooting is already underway in Schenectady NY.
FELINE VEGANS:
A battle is shaping up over the ethics of forcing pet cats to adopt no-meat diets. Vegans say you can’t justify cruelty to animals you don’t know just to feed an animal that you do know. Animal rights group PETA agrees, claiming cats don’t need meat to thrive and should be fed an all-vegetable diet with artificial supplements mimicking the essential amino acids and minerals.
Veterinarians and biologists disagree, saying cats are natural carnivores that will suffer organ failure and shortened lifespans if deprived of their natural meat diet. A spokesperson for the Humane Society says that if the vegan diet becomes a trend, we’ll be seeing a lot of sick cats. (Now there’s an argument starter!)
– QMI Agency
SOCIAL MEDIA MELTDOWN:
Highlights from a new survey of 18-to-29-year-olds on social media by research firm Gartner …
• 31% say ‘the fun’ of social networking sites, including Facebook and Twitter, is wearing off.
• 25% say they are now downright ‘bored’ with social media.
• 24% admit to using social network sites increasingly less than when they first signed up.
On the other hand, 37% of respondents claim to be using social networks more. So what’s it all mean? Gartner suggests it shows fatigue among the earliest users, meaning social media providers are going to need to innovate and diversify in order to maintain consumer attention.
– “Mail Online”
EVERYDAY FOODS MADE WITH DISGUSTING INGREDIENTS:
• Bread – Many commercial breads include a dough softening agent known as L-Cyesteine, made from … human hair.
• Chewing Gum – In order to soften the gum mix it’s often made with Lanolin, otherwise known as … ‘sheep secretions’.
• Ice Cream – ‘Castoreum’ is an approved food additive commonly found in vanilla & raspberry flavoring. It’s made from anal secretions of beavers mixed with their urine.
• Jell-O – Made from collagen, which is boiled connective tissue found in animals.
• Red/Pink Food Coloring – The red coloring is achieved with ‘carmine’ … crushed and boiled red insects.
• Shredded Cheese – Cellulose, which is basically sawdust, is used to keep the shreds from clumping together.
• Sugar – Bone char, from charred animal bones, is used to filter and decolorize raw sugar.
• Skittles & Jellybeans – They’re coated with ‘shellac’ to give them that special shine. Shellac, in turn, is made from … crushed insect cocoons.
• Wendy’s Chili – Made from day-old hamburgers and silicon dioxide … aka sand.
– Buzzfeed.com
E-BOOKS OR GOOD OLD-FASHIONED TREEWARE?
In a recent University of Washington study, a group of students were given Kindles and their use of the devices was monitored for the entire school year. By the end of the trial, nearly 66% had abandoned the Kindle or were using it only infrequently. In a related study, 500 University of California students were asked to compare printed books with e-books. Most said they still preferred reading from pages rather than screens. Many commented on the difficulty they have concentrating, learning, and retaining info when looking at a screen. (When you think about it, a book is a fairly hi-tech invention … it’s compact, portable, and can be easily ‘bookmarked’.)
– “Dallas Morning News”
HOW TO HARD-BOIL AN EGG PERFECTLY EVERY TIME:
• Place as many eggs as can fit in one layer on the bottom of an empty pot.
• Add water until the eggs are covered with about an inch of it.
• Turn your stove on medium heat and let the water come to a boil.
• When you’ve got a good rolling boil, set your egg timer for 1 minute, and let the eggs cook.
• When the timer goes off, turn off the heat.
• Move the pot to a cold burner and set the egg timer for 15 minutes. The eggs will continue cooking in the hot water without becoming overcooked.
• When the timer beeps, run the eggs under cold water for a minute or so before attempting to peel them. When you do, you should have perfectly cooked hard-boiled eggs.
– LifeHacker.com
MEAN MONEY:
Psst! Want to earn more money? The secret to earning more money in the workplace is … be nasty. That’s right, a new Cornell University study has found that agreeable workers earn significantly less than their meaner counterparts. The researchers examined ‘agreeableness’ using self-reported survey data and found that men who measured below average on agreeableness earned about 18% more annually than nicer guys. Ruder women, meanwhile, earned about 5% more. Study co-author Beth Livingston says the bottom line is … nice guys are getting the shaft. (You might earn 18% more, but you’re also 89% more likely to get stabbed in the employee parking lot.)
– “Wall Street Journal”
DID YOU KNOW?
In the United States, deaf people have safer driving records than people who can hear.
– Halife.com
BS CHRONOMETER 08.18.11
TODAY’S CELEBIRTHDAYS . . .
1933 [78] Roman Polanski, Paris, France, moviemaker (“The Ghost Writer”, 2002 Oscar-“The Pianist”)/teen fan
1936 [75] Robert Redford, Santa Monica CA, movie director (“A River Runs Through It”)/movie actor (“The Horse Whisperer”)/”Sundance Film Festival” founder (1978)
1957 [54] Denis Leary, Worcester MA, TV actor (“Rescue Me” 2004-11)/movie actor (“Ice Age” films, “The Thomas Crown Affair”)
1962 [49] Felipe Calderon, Morelia, Mexico, President of Mexico since 2006
1969 [42] Edward Norton, Columbia MD, movie actor (“The Incredible Hulk”, “The Italian Job”)
1977 [34] Régine Chassagne, St-Lambert, Québec, rock musician (Arcade Fire-“Ready to Start”, “Keep the Car Running”)/married to group co-founder Win Butler
1992 [19] Frances Bean Cobain, LA CA, late Nirvana icon Kurt Cobain’s daughter and heir
TODAY’S BS REASONS TO PARTY . . .
• “Bad Poetry Day”, a day to compose some really rotten rhyme as revenge against all that ‘good poetry’ you were forced to study in school. Some valuable tips, from the online “How to Write Bad Poetry” guide …
1. When it comes to rhyming, near enough is always good enough.
2. Nothing rivals an incongruous bit of gratuitous name-dropping to diminish a poem’s worth.
3. Truly awful poetry can be written at lightning speed. However, sometimes the longer you agonize over it, the more you will cause others to do so, too.
• “Cupcake Day”, honoring the teeny little treat that doesn’t really count as cheating on your diet … too small, right?
• “Long Tan Day” in Australia. Nope, nothing to do with lying about in the sun, it’s named after the Battle of Long Tan during the Vietnam War (aka ‘Australian Vietnam Veterans’ Day’).
THIS DAY IN SHOW BIZ . . .
1922 [89] British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), the first national broadcasting company, is founded in London
TODAY’S FIRSTS . . .
1922 [89] 1st ‘Caesar Salad’ is concocted in Tijuana, Mexico (named for ‘Caesar’s Restaurant’)
1960 [51] 1st ‘Birth Control Pills’ are marketed by the GD Searle Co (after clinical trials since 1954)
COMING UP . . .
[Fri] Canadian National Exhibition begins (Toronto)
[Fri] “Conan the Barbarian”; “Fright Night”; “One Day”; “Spy Kids: All the Time In the World” open in movie theaters
[Fri] Aviation Day
[Fri] Men’s Grooming Day
[Fri] Hug Your Boss Day
[Fri] World Humanitarian Day
[Sat] “Rock On the Range Canada” begins (Winnipeg)
[Sat] “V Festival” opens (Hylands Park & Weston Park UK)
[Sat] International Homeless Animals Day
[Sun] Go Topless Day
This Week Is … Weird Contest Week
This Month Is … Immunization Awareness Month
BULL’S BITS
BS HORRIBLESCOPES:
Use ‘em all at once or one-at-a-time as the zodiac reading of the day …
• Aries – Today someone may approach you with an idea. Stay well clear of it.
• Taurus – Quit worrying about your hair. It’s your breath that makes people look at you like that.
• Gemini – Relationships are a lot like tables. You can never get rid of that irritating wobble.
• Cancer – You are a shopping cart and life is one big supermarket. Now that you’re fully engrossed in that analogy, think of me as the store announcer … “Cleanup in aisle 12!”
• Leo – Regret can hurt you over the long period, so allow it to evolve into anger and retribution.
• Virgo – The future holds much joy and happiness for someone close to you. But not you … you’re screwed.
• Libra – Your mind is filled with thoughts of sexual inadequacy and … hey, maybe you’re right.
• Scorpio – A new love will present itself today. Grab it with both hands, in all possible places.
• Sagittarius – Today you will struggle to get your mind around the fact that the sun doesn’t wear a hat.
• Capricorn – No matter what anyone says, you are NOT a loser. You just … er … un-win.
• Aquarius – Today will be especially trying, so you should take precautions. Wear your “Star Trek” underwear.
• Pisces – Bad things are afoot. Can’t you smell it?
BS PHONE STARTER:
Besides a cellphone, what other gadgets do you own that you would never give up?
BS RANDOM JOKE:
Some people are like Slinkies … not really good for anything, but you can’t help smiling when you see one tumble down the stairs.
BS WATER COOLER QUESTION:
Question: Women who do THIS are 20% happier.
Answer: Get their hair highlighted.
BS DEEP THOUGHT:
The trouble with trouble is that it usually sounds like fun.
