December 10, 2013

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Tuesday, December 10, 2013        Edition: #5120


Jingle Bull … Jingle Bull …

BS SHOW BIZ BUZZ:
★ More than 50 world leaders as well as celebs like Annie Lennox, Bono, Oprah Winfrey, Peter Gabriel, and Richard Branson are attending today’s 4-hour memorial service in Johannesburg to honor Nelson Mandela. One of the biggest gatherings of heads of state, religious leaders,  and celebrities the world has ever seen takes place at the 95,000-seat FNB football stadium in the township of Soweto. The government has confirmed that any member of the public is welcome to the stadium without prior accreditation.
– Telegraph.co.uk
★ Sharon Osbourne is writing a children’s book of pirate tales based on the Disney TV program she voices. The “X Factor” judge provides the voice of ‘Captain Hook’s mother on “Jake & The Never Land Pirates”. The book will follow her character ‘Mama Hook’ on adventures with others from the show. It’s due for release next year. Osbourne is partnering with Disney Worldwide Publishing and Parragon Books for the project, titled “Jake & The Never Land Pirates: Mama Hook Knows Best”.
– WENN.com
★”Of Mice and Men”, starring James Franco and Chris O’Dowd, is shaping up to be the hottest Broadway ticket of 2014. Former “Gossip Girl” star Leighton Meester is making her Broadway debut in the revival of John Steinbeck’s classic drama as the wife of ‘Curley’ (Franco), the flirtatious farm beauty who turns the head of ‘Lennie’ (O’Dowd). Previews begin at the Longacre Theatre on March 19th, with opening night set for April 16th. It will have been 40 years since “Of Mice and Men” was last seen on Broadway (1974).
– “Hollywood Reporter”
★ Fashion model Gisele Bundchen & New England Patriots quarterback-hubby Tom Brady have reportedly hired a team of 100 builders to construct their dream home in Brookline, Massachusetts. It’s no small task, however, since they want the entire mansion measuring over 14,000 sq ft completed by next July. The modern 5-bedroom, 4-bathroom house will sit on 5.2 acres. They already have a $14-million apartment in NYC and a massive $20-million LA manse … with a moat.
– TMZ.com
★ And Prince William & the Duchess of Cambridge are being slammed by their neighbors for ‘vulgar’ renovation plans. Wills & Kate have decided to redo their 19th-century Anmer Hall on the Queen’s Sandringham Estate in east England, and among the alterations – horror of horrors! – are red roof tiles. Nearby residents complain that look is not in keeping with the tradition of the building. One snooty critic accuses the royals of turning the estate into a ‘cheap Barratt home’, a derogatory reference to a mass homebuilder in the UK.
– “Daily Mirror”

TODAY’S SHOW BIZ SKED:
• “American Country Awards” (FOX) – Country star Trace Adkins and NASCAR driver Danica Patrick co-host the 4th annual gala, live from Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas. Taylor Swift leads nominations with 8, followed by Blake Shelton and Florida Georgia Line with 7 apiece. Performers include Brad Paisley, Jake Owen, Justin Moore, Lady Antebellum, and Randy Houser among others.
NET: http://theacas.com
• Billboard Women in Music Event (NYC) – P!nk accepts the ‘Woman Of the Year Award’ at the annual event celebrating the most powerful and talented women in the music biz. The distinction caps off a great year for the woman born Alecia Moore, who scored her 4th #1 single earlier in 2013 with “Just Give Me a Reason” from the album “The Truth About Love”.
• “Conan” (TBS/CTV) – Pentatonix (“PTXmas”).
• “Ellen DeGeneres Show” (syndicated/CTV2) – Phoenix (“Bankrupt”).
• “The iHeartradio Album Release Party With Katy Perry” / “The iHeartradio Album Release Party With Lady Gaga” (CW) – In back-to-back reruns, Mario Lopez hosts a celebration of Perry’s album “Prism”; then Gaga performs songs from “ARTPOP” and shows off her famous ‘flying dress’.
• “Jimmy Kimmel Live” (ABC/CityTV) – Childish Gambino (“Because the Internet”).
• “Last Call With Carson Daly” (NBC) – Chvrches (“Bones of What You Believe”).
• “Late Night With Jimmy Fallon” (NBC/CTV2) – Yo Gabba Gabba! (“Music Is Awesome 4”).
• “Late Show With David Letterman” (CBS/NTV/Omni1) – ZZ Ward (“Til the Casket Drops”).
• “The Talk” (CBS) – Aretha Franklin (“Very Best of 1”).
• “Tonight Show With Jay Leno” (NBC/CTV2) – Switchfoot (“Fading West”, out January 14th).
• “Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show 2013” (CBS) – The annual holiday season special in which lingerie ‘angels’ strut their stuff (40 models, 28 pairs of wings, 67 different outfits). Musical performances by A Great Big World, Fall Out Boy, British girl group Neon Jungle, and Taylor Swift. Model Candice Swanepoel shows off the $10-million ‘Fantasy Bra’. Average angel height? 5-foot-10. Recorded in NYC November 13th.
• “The View” (ABC/CTV) – R Kelly (“Black Panties”, out today, featuring collaborations with Jeezy, Kelly Rowland, Ludacris, and 2 Chainz).
• “The Voice” (NBC/CTV) – Christina Aguilera performs; contestants face elimination.
• “Wendy Williams” (syndicated) – The Broadway cast of “A Night with Janis Joplin”.

BS MUSIC NOTES:
• Kanye West – His latest gift for wife-to-be Kim Kardashian is a portrait of her painted by none other than Monica Warhol, cousin of late art icon Andy Warhol.
• Krystal Keith – Today the daughter of country star Toby Keith releases her debut album, “Whiskey & Lace”, on her daddy’s Show Dog-Nashville label.
• “The Music of Nashville, Original Soundtrack Seasons 1, Volume 1” – That’s the cumbersome title of today’s release compiling original music from the TV drama “Nashville”, performed by cast members Chris Carmack, Connie Britton, Hayden Panettiere, Sam Palladio and others.
• Neil Young – Today his ongoing Archive Performance Series gets a new addition with the release of “Live At the Cellar Door”, recorded during a 6-show solo acoustic stand at the tiny Washington DC venue in 1970. The 2-disc set is available on CD and 180-gram vinyl.
• Susan Boyle – She’s revealed to “The Observer” she has Asperger’s syndrome, a form of autism. It’s the first time she’s spoken of it publicly after being diagnosed last year. She says the news was actually a relief, as she grew up believing she had brain damage.
• The Wanted – Siva Kaneswaran has announced he’s engaged to his girlfriend of 6 years, Nareesha McCaffrey, after proposing in front of friends and family … at his own 25th birthday party back on November 16th.
• Zac Brown Band – Today they release “The Grohl Sessions Vol 1“, featuring “Day For the Dead”, the song they performed with Dave Grohl at this year’s CMA Awards. It’s their first collection of songs recorded at their new Southern Ground Studios in Nashville TN.

TODAY’S VIDEO RELEASES:
• “Battle Of the Year 3-D” ( PG-13 Musical Drama ) – After being shut out for the past 15 years, a hand-picked American team tries to reclaim the title at an annual international dance crew tournament. Stars Josh Holloway, Laz Alonso, Chris Brown. Inspired by the actual world championship held yearly in France.
• “Despicable Me 2” ( PG Animated Family Comedy ): In this sequel to the runaway worldwide hit 2010 film, ‘Gru’ is recruited by the Anti-Villain League to help deal with a powerful new super criminal. Voice cast includes Steve Carell, Kristen Wiig, Benjamin Bratt, Miranda Cosgrove. The film’s ‘Minions’ have their own spin-off movie slated for 2014.
• “Fast & Furious 6” ( PG-13 Action Thriller ): In yet another sequel, the crew is reassembled to take down a mastermind who commands an organization of mercenary drivers across 12 countries. Payment? Full pardons for them all. Stars Vin Diesel, Dwayne Johnson, Michelle Rodriguez, and the late Paul Walker.
• Also released today: “Futurama Complete Series” (Animation); “The Game: The 6th Season” (TV); “The Gene Autry Show: The Complete Television Series” (Vintage Western); and “Teen Wolf: Season 3” (TV).

TO MAKE A GROWN MAN CRY:
A new study sponsored by the Volvo car company shows that men’s emotions are far more affected by the sight of an attractive woman or a hot car than, say, a crying baby. Researchers employed brainwave analysis to measure the emotional responses of a large group of men and women. The women responded strongest when shown images of a crying infant, followed by an image of an attractive male, and then a car photo. Men, however, responded most strongly to images of beautiful women, followed closely by the car photo. The baby came in 3rd. (Slightly ahead of their fantasy football team standings.)
– “Daily Mail”

BALLS TO YOU:
The ‘Cotton Ball Diet’ is the latest weight-loss craze. The idea is to substitute cotton puffs for food, so a ‘meal’ might consist of 5 cotton balls dipped in some type of liquid, such as juice or a smoothie. Some adherents  ingest a handful of beverage-soaked balls before eating an entrée in order to feel fuller faster. Along with the health hazards that can result from eating foreign objects – choking, malnutrition, intestinal tract obstruction – there’s an even more troublesome problem with this ‘food fad’ … a lot of the girls following it seem to be tweens and teens. (This isn’t a diet … it’s an eating disorder.)
– ABCNews.com

HOW TO HAVE HAPPIER HOLIDAYS:
Simple ways to give back and bring more meaning to the holiday season …
✓ Volunteer – It’s a great way to get involved in your community and to offer your skills to organizations in need. There are countless opportunities, from shelters and food banks to arts groups, churches, and schools.
✓ Donate to Charities – A joint Harvard-UBC study has found that people are happier when they spend money on others rather than themselves, regardless of their income.
✓ Random Acts of Kindness – Buy coffee for the person behind you in line, offer a meal to a street person, help your neighbor carry in groceries, then take time to savor the feeling of simple kindness.
✓ Give a Charity Gift Card – 79% of people would rather have a donation made in their honor than receive a gift they don’t need or want. Charity gift cards allow the recipient to pick the organization that benefits.
– iVillage.ca

ORIGIN OF FAT GUYS ON THE THRONE:
The first ‘department store Santa Claus’ appeared in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1841. JW Parkinson’s emporium arranged for a ‘Criscringle’ to come down a chimney and astonish the assembled children. The stunt was so successful that Parkinson began to advertise his business as ‘Kriss Kringle’s Headquarters’. Strangely, the highly successful marketing trick had no imitators until 1890. (Nowadays mall Santas are so prevalent, they have their own organization … the Amalgamated Order of Real Bearded Santas.)
NET: http://www.aorbsinc.com/index.html
– “World Encyclopedia of Christmas”

BS AMAZING FACT
You can teach a wolf tricks just like a dog. (“Spit out the neighbor, King! That’s a boy.”)
– “Times of London”

BS CHRONOMETER 12.10.13


TODAY’S CELEBIRTHDAYS . . .
1960 [53] (Sir) Kenneth Branagh, Belfast, Northern Ireland, movie actor (“Harry Potter & The Chamber of Secrets”, “Henry V”)/movie director (“Thor”, “Sleuth”)/screenwriter (“Hamlet”)

1964 [49] Bobby Flay, NYC, TV chef (8 different Food Network programs)

1974 [39] Meg White, Grosse Pointe Farms MI, former rock drummer (White Stripes-“Icky Thump”, “Seven Nation Army”)

1981 [32] Noah Harmon, Tucson AZ, rock bassist-vocalist (Airborne Toxic Event-“Changing”, “Sometime Around Midnight”)

BS REASONS TO PARTY . . .
• “Dewey Decimal Day”, honoring Melville Dewey who was born December 10, 1851 in Adams Center NY. When he was just 21, he invented the ‘Dewey Decimal Classification (DDC) System’ while working as a student assistant in the Amherst College library. For creating this revolutionary new filing system, he’s known as the ‘Father of Modern Librarianship’.

• “International Human Rights Day”, honoring the UN Declaration of Human Rights in 1948.

• “Nobel Prize Awards Day”. The awards were established by the will of Swedish chemist and dynamite inventor Alfred Nobel and have been held on this date since 1901. The current value of each award is over $1 million.

THIS DAY IN SHOW BIZ . . .
2009 [04] James Cameron’s 3-D sci-fi epic “Avatar” has its world premiere in London (goes on to become highest-grossing movie of all-time at $2.8 billion)

TODAY’S MUSIC EVENT . . .
1984 [29] African famine relief song “Do They Know It’s Christmas” by Band Aid is released

TODAY’S FIRST . . .
1998 [15] A team of 6 astronauts becomes 1st to occupy the International Space Station  BS FACTOID: Here’s where you go to answer the question: How many people are in space right now?
NET: http://bit.ly/WLDZRd

COMING UP . . .
[Wed] Nobel Peace Prize Concert (Oslo, Norway)
[Wed] International Mountain Day
[Thurs] Gingerbread House Day
[Thurs] Fresh Breath Day
[Thurs] Poinsettia Day
[Fri] Salespersons Day
This Week Is … Human Rights Week
This Month Is … Worldwide Food Service Safety Month

BULL’S BITS


WORST GIFTS A MAN CAN BUY A WOMAN:
● Any kind of household appliance.
● No-name perfume that costs $5.99.
● Any type of ‘cubic zirconia’ jewelry.
● A gift certificate from Weight Watchers.
● Anti-wrinkle cream.
● Any lingerie made of flannel, such as a pair of ‘feet pajamas’ … with a trap door in back.

BS RANDOM JOKE:
Know how to tell if the teacher is hung over? ‘Movie Day’.

BS WEB GOODIE:
‘Peter the Elephant’ plays a green piano. ‘Nuff said.
NET: http://tinyurl.com/dylbfam

BS PHONE STARTER:
☎ At what age does old age begin?

BS U-PICK TRIVIA:
Which is the actual title of Clement Clarke Moore’s 1822 classic poem that begins “‘Twas the night before Christmas …”?
a. “A Visit From St Nicholas” [CORRECT]
b. “Santa’s Surprise”
c. “A Yule Tale”
d. “There’s a Fat Guy in the Fire Flue”
– Wikipedia.org

BS CAROL CLUES:
Contestant tries to identify the Christmas tune from the clue …
• Sir Lancelot with laryngitis – “Silent (K)Night”
• A parent observed osculating a red-coated unshaven teamster – “I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus”
• Far off in a hay bin – “Away In a Manger”
• Wanted in December, top forward incisors – “All I Want for Christmas is My Two Front Teeth”
• The lad is a diminutive percussionist – “The Little Drummer Boy”
• May the deity bestow an absence of fatigue to mild male humans – “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen”

BS WATER COOLER QUESTION:
Question: A million of THESE will be sold this year, but almost 3-quarters will never be used.
Answer: Exercise videos.

BS DEEP THOUGHT:
The colder the X-ray table, the more of your body is required on it.

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