BS SHOW BIZ BUZZ:
★ Brit music mogul Simon Cowell has to cough up £100 ($150) per cigarette for smoking during tapings of his show “The X Factor”, thanks to a rule stating that anyone smoking in the ITV studios has to pay a fine. Cowell is said to be unable to wait until after the cameras stop rolling to light up, so he puffs away during commercial breaks which are too short to allow him to step outside. People say smoking is a very expensive habit but Simon has clearly taken that to new heights. His bad habit costs him thousands-of-pounds through the course of a full TV season.
– “Daily Mirror”
★ 29-year-old former child star-turned-fashion designer Mary-Kate Olsen is said to have wed her 46-year-old French banker-fiancé Olivier Sarkozy after dating for 3 years. The twosome reportedly tied the knot in an intimate ceremony in Manhattan on the weekend, with the reception being held a private residence. The 50 guests were said to be treated to ‘bowls and bowls of cigarettes’ and cocktails in a rear garden before dining indoors. Sarkozy is the half-brother of former French president Nicholas Sarkozy.
– PageSix.com
★ And 23-year-old Selena Gomez hates dating just as much as anybody. Yep that’s right, the “Good For You” singer struggles with dating too. She says she gets ‘weirded out’ by the idea that a guy has Googled her before they meet. And the fact that she sometimes looks 16 doesn’t help, she says, because she’d love to date older guys. But Selena seems to be taking things in stride with help from bestie Taylor Swift. Quote: “I’ll be like, ‘I think I totally screwed up’, but Taylor says, ‘Actually, you didn’t’ and shows me how to make my mistakes into something great.”
– “InStyle UK”

TODAY’S SHOW BIZ SKED:
• “Conan” (TBS/CTV) – Tom Jones (“Long Lost Suitcase”).
• “Daily Show” (Comedy Central/CTV) – Chris Brown (“Royalty”).
• “Ellen DeGeneres Show” (syndicated/CTV2) – Sia (“This Is Acting”, out January 29th).
• “Jimmy Kimmel Live” (ABC/CityTV) – ‘Shopathon for World AIDS Day’ featuring Bono, The Killers, Snoop Dogg and others.
• “Last Call With Carson Daly” (NBC) – Cat Power (“Sun”). Rerun.
• “Late Late Show With James Corden” (CBS/M3) – The Chainsmokers (“Bouquet”).
• “Late Night With Seth Meyers” (NBC/CTV) – Adam Lambert (“The Original High”). Rerun.
• “Tavis Smiley” (PBS) – Seal (“7”).
• “Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” (NBC/CTV2) –  JoJo (“III”).
• “The Voice” (NBC/CTV2) – The artists face elimination; Sia performs.

BS MUSIC NOTES:
• Adele – After a week of headline-grabbing sales projections, Nielsen Music has confirmed that her new album “25” has sold a historic 3.38 million copies in its first week, the 1st-ever album to surpass 3 million and the largest sales week since Nielsen began tracking this data in 1991.
• Black Keys – Tonight in Minneapolis MN frontman Dan Auerbach begins a tour with his side project, The Arcs. The group has dates booked to December 20th in Nashville TN.
• Chris Brown – His new album “Royalty”, named after his daughter, will be released on December 18th and $1 from the sale of each copy benefits the Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals organization.
• Chris Stapleton – He’s again atop today’s new ‘Billboard Country Albums’ chart with “Traveller”.
• Morrissey – He goes head-to-head with writer Erica Jong’s “Fear of Dying” for today’s ‘Bad Sex Award in Fiction Award’, established 23 years ago by the “Literary Review”. Morrissey’s debut novel “List Of the Lost” is nominated for the dubious prize.
NET: https://literaryreview.co.uk/bad-sex-in-fiction-award
• Paul McCartney – He’s penned a letter to Brit prime minister David Cameron in an effort to get him to support the ‘Meat-Free Mondays’ campaign, a McCartney family project since 2009. The idea is that developed countries can reduce their carbon footprint by 2% if everyone ditches eating meat for just 1 day a week.
• Tyga – The rapper reportedly has all sorts of money problems, so he might be aiming too high with a $10 million-home in the pricy Calabasas area of LA close to Kylie Jenner. The sale keeps stalling before it can be finalized. Each time it gets close to closing, Tyga’s got excuses.

THIS WEEK’S VIDEO RELEASES:
Out today on DVD, Netflix, Google Play and/or other video providers …
• “Amy” ( R-Rated Music Documentary ): Director Asif Kapadia tells the story of late Brit singer Amy Winehouse in her own words, using previously unseen archival footage and unheard tracks. The film strives to get beyond the drink-and-drug-addled public persona that eventually claimed her life. Appearances by Mark Ronson, Russell Brand, Tony Bennett.
• “The Hunting Ground” ( NR Documentary ):  An exposé of rape crimes on US college campuses, their institutional cover-ups, and the devastating toll they take on students and their families. Kirby Dick’s documentary film weaves together verité footage, interviews by Amy Ziering and Amy Herdy, and first person testimonies.
• “Roger Waters The Wall” ( R-Rated Music Documentary): A new feature film written and directed by Pink Floyd founder Roger Waters and Sean Evans. The film unfolds on many levels – as an immersive and undeniably epic concert experience of the classic Pink Floyd album, as a road movie of Waters’ reckoning with the past, and as an anti-war protest film.
• “Some Kind of Beautiful”, formerly “How to Make Love Like an Englishman” ( R-Rated Romantic Comedy ) – Pierce Brosnan plays a university professor who encounters a woman (Salma Hayek) who forces him to reevaluate his life of hedonistic excess after he gets her grad-student stepsister pregnant. Co-stars Jessica Alba, Ben McKenzie, Malcolm McDowell.
• Also released today: “Cooties” (Comedy); “Jerusalem” (Documentary); “Mississippi Grind” (Drama); and “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Revenge!” (Kids TV).

OH SHUSH:
A Cardiff, Wales hairstylist has introduced a ‘quiet chair’ for customers who hate small-talk. After all, not everyone enjoys 60 minutes of awkward chat about what they’re doing on the weekend. So as part of a renovation, Bauhaus Hair Salon is now offering a quiet option for its clientele. The owner, Scott Miller, says he wanted to offer customers some much-needed chill-out time. Quote: “We understand people lead busy lives where they may have been communicating with people all day and want some relief.” (Brilliant idea! Can we have one here please?)
– Wales Online

FANTASY GIFTS:
Highlights from the 2015 Neiman-Marcus “Christmas Book” …
✓ Ultimate Children’s Costumes ($5,000 each) – Chasing Fireflies Ultimate Collection costumes, ie: Ultimate Light-Up Spider-Man, Ultimate Thor, etc, stowed in a personalized MacKenzie-Childs trunk featuring the recipient’s hand-painted initials.
✓ Texas Guitar Trio ($30,000 each) – 3 custom-made guitars built to specifications from famous Texas guitarists: ‘The Steve Miller’, ‘The Lyle Lovett’, and ‘The Billy Gibbons’. Getting one is cool, but how you’ll get it is even cooler … backstage at each musician’s concert.
✓ World View Exploration At the Edge of Space ($90,000/person) – In 2017, you and 7 companions will experience 360˚ views of Earth as a high-altitude balloon lifts your luxury pressurized capsule 100,000 feet above the planet.
✓ Arch Motorcycle & Ride Experience ($150,000) – This limited edition motorcycle comes with an exclusive 2-day ride along the California coast with the company’s founders … Gard Hollinger and actor Keanu Reeves.
✓ Dream Trip to India ($400,000) – For 12 days you and a guest travel in private planes and vintage cars to the finest hotels, restaurants, and experiences (such as a private dance lesson on a Bollywood movie set).
NET: http://tinyurl.com/gua5fpw
– USAToday.com

HIGHBROW EYEBROW:
We’ve had glitter beards and glitter pits … and it now seems glitter eyebrows are a thing. The idea is to make your brows sparkle. If you’re looking to jazz up your look, but don’t feel like rainbows above your eyes are quite you, this is the trend you need to try. You simply cover your eyebrows with low-strength, watery eyelash glue, press on the glitter, and go. It’s not exactly an everyday look but could be great for Christmas parties. You can match your glitter-brows to your hair, go for gold, or contrast with color. (Just smash your face into some sequins. This is what we’re doing now.)
NET: http://tinyurl.com/zgobx8o
– Metro.co.uk

BEST & WORST CROSSOVERS:
Eddie Redmayne plays a transgender woman in the just-released new movie “The Danish Girl”. He’s not the first actor to swap genders onscreen. These actors’ best roles were arguably as women …
• Tony Curtis & Jack Lemmon in “Some Like It Hot” (1959).
• Dustin Hoffman in “Tootsie” (1982).
• Robin Williams in “Mrs Doubtfire” (1993).
• Jude Law in “Rage” (2009).
• Jared Leto in “Dallas Buyers Club” (2013).
And these actors’ worst roles were arguably as women …
• John Travolta in “Hairspray” (2007).
• Eddie Murphy in “Norbit” (2007).
– Sourced from “New York Post”

BS SOCIAL STUDIES:
✓ According to a study from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, physical contact with partners can lead to reduced heart rates. By increasing your hug ratio you also reduce blood pressure, increase healing, and reduce food cravings.
✓ A new study at Michigan State University suggests customer-service workers who fake-smile throughout the day worsen their mood and withdraw from work, affecting productivity. But workers who smile as a result of cultivating positive thoughts improve their mood and withdraw less.

DID YOU KNOW?
• The first item ever sold online was a CD of Sting’s “Ten Summoner’s Tales” album in 1994.
– FastCompany.com
• Johnnie Walker whisky accounts for a quarter of all duty-free booze sales.
– PopBitch.com

BS CHRONOMETER 12.01.15

TODAY’S CELEBIRTHDAYS . . .
1935 [80] Woody Allen (Allen Stewart Konigsberg), Brooklyn NY, film director/writer/actor (“Midnight in Paris”, “Vicky Cristina Barcelona”)/2 Oscars (“Hannah & Her Sisters”, “Annie Hall”)

1945 [70] Bette Midler, Honolulu HI, pop singer (“It’s the Girls!”)/movie actress (“The First Wives Club”)

1970 [45] Sarah Silverman, Bedford NH, comedian/TV personality (“Sarah Silverman Program” 2007-10, “Saturday Night Live” 1993-94)/talk show host Jimmy Kimmel’s ex-girlfriend

1977 [38] Brad Delson, Agoura CA, rock guitarist (Linkin Park-“The Catalyst”, “In The End”)

1985 [30] Janelle Monáe, Kansas City KS, pop/soul singer/songwriter (“Cold War”, fun. f/Janelle Monáe-“We Are Young”)

1988 [27] Zoe Kravitz, LA CA, movie actress (“Insurgent”, “Divergent”)/daughter of Lisa Bonet and Lenny Kravitz

1990 [25] Nico Sereba, Oslo, Norway, pop musician (Nico & Vinz-“In Your Arms”, “Am I Wrong”)

TODAY’S BS REASONS TO PARTY . . .
• “Advent Calendar Day”, the day many kids begin opening one compartment on their seasonal calendar each day through December 24th. Hey, is that chocolate in there?

• “Bifocals At the Monitor Day”, a day of lamentation for all those forced to tip their heads back open-mouthed in order to use a computer, thanks to their need for bifocal lenses. Gradually, more and more of the Boomer generation is suffering ‘presbyopia’ (Greek word for ‘aging eye’).

• “World AIDS Day”, the 27th annual day of AIDS awareness and education, first declared by the UN’s World Health Organization in 1988. The official symbol of “World AIDS Day” is the red ribbon. In some communities, the occasion is observed as “Day Without Art”.
NET: http://www.worldaidsday.org

THIS DAY IN SHOW BIZ . . .
2003 [12] World premiere of the 3rd and final “Lord Of the Rings” movie, “The Return Of the King”, in Wellington NZ (#12 movie of all-time, grossing $1.12 billion worldwide)

2004 [11] Longtime NBC News anchor and managing editor Tom Brokaw says good night for the last time on “NBC Nightly News”

TODAY’S MUSIC EVENT . . .
1950 [65] “Frosty The Snowman” by Gene Autry enters the top 40 chart

TODAY’S FIRST . . .
1990 [25] 132 ft below the English Channel, workers drill an opening the size of a car connecting the 2 ends of The Channel Tunnel or ‘Chunnel’, linking Britain and France

TODAY’S RECORD . . .
1997 [18] In a NYC music store, shlock soprano saxophonist Kenny G sets a Guinness World Record for ‘Longest-Held Note’, by playing an E-flat for 45 minutes and 47 seconds

AND REMEMBER . . .
[Wed] Sinatra 100 – An All-Star Grammy Concert (Las Vegas NV)
[Wed] Mutt Day
[Wed] International Day For the Abolition of Slavery Day
[Wed] Special Education Day
[Wed] Rockefeller Center Tree Lighting (NYC)
[Thurs] “The Wiz Live!” (NBC)
This Week Is … Cookie Cutter Week
This Month Is … AIDS Awareness Month

BULL’S BITS

BS THINGS THAT WILL MAKE YOU FEEL OLD AF:
• “Home Alone” is 25-years-old. Macaulay Culkin is 35.
• Jaden Smith is as old as Will Smith was when DJ Jazzy Jeff first met him.
• *NSYNC is 20-years-old.
• The song “All Star” by Smash Mouth is old enough to get its drivers license this year.
• “Friends” is old enough to buy beer.
• It’s been a decade since Chris Rock last hosted the Oscars.
• Betty White is only 3 years younger than Fifth Harmony’s combined age.
• The last time flip-phones were cool “Gossip Girl” wasn’t even on-the-air yet.
• Sony will stop making PS3 after this year.
• It’s been 15 years since Tom Hanks lost ‘Wilson’ in “Cast Away”.
• Kids starting high school next year were born in 2002 or 03.
• The year 2000 is as far away as 2030.
– Adapted from BuzzFeed.com

BS U-PICK TRIVIA:
According to folklore, why did people begin saying ‘bless you’ whenever you sneeze?
a. It was thought that a sneeze was a sign you’d committed a wicked act.
b. Because those words actually mimic the sound of the sneeze … bless YOU!
c. To prevent the devil from flying down your throat. [CORRECT]

BS PHONE STARTER:
☎ What’s something women say that men misunderstand?

BS RANDOM JOKE:
It used to be only death and taxes were inevitable. Now, of course, there’s shipping and handling as well.

BS WATER COOLER QUESTION:
Question: If you are average you will have spent $1,100 on this during 2015.
Answer: Coffee.

BS DEEP THOUGHT:
Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.