BS SHOW BIZ BUZZ:
★ Actor Shia LaBeouf has another ‘performance art’ piece underway. He’s set up a call center in Liverpool UK’s Fact art gallery, alongside artists Nastja Säde Rönkkö and Luke Turner. The trio is inviting members of the public to call them up and ‘touch their souls’ over the 4-day event that runs through Sunday. Like LaBeouf’s last (less than thrilling) stunt, when he watched all of his movies back-to-back, the installation is being live-streamed. The event is part of the group exhibition “Follow”, which runs at the Fact gallery until February.
NET: http://touchmysoul.net
– WENN.com
★ Mariah Carey’s ex-husband Nick Cannon tells “Ellen DeGeneres” he is celibate because he’s not yet ready for a new relationship. The “America’s Got Talent” TV host split from the singer in 2014 after 6 years of marriage; they finalized their divorce in April. Although Nick has been spotted out and about with several women over the last few months, he says he is nowhere near prepared to date again. Despite their break-up, Nick & Mariah have managed to keep things amicable for the sake of their 4-year-old twins, Monroe and Moroccan.
– ContactMusic.com
★ And Brit actor Eddie Redmayne could scoop the Golden Globe for ‘Best Actor – Drama’ for a 2nd consecutive year. Last year he won for “The Theory of Everything” and he’s just been nominated for “The Danish Girl”. He’s up against Bryan Cranston (“Trumbo”), Leonardo DiCaprio (“The Revenant”), Michael Fassbender (“Steve Jobs”), and Will Smith (“Concussion”). Redmayne’s co-star Alicia Vikander is nominated for ‘Best Actress – Drama’, alongside Cate Blanchett/Rooney Mara (“Carol”), Saoirse Ronan (“Brooklyn”), and Brie Larson (“Room”). The 73rd Golden Globe Awards are hosted by Ricky Gervais on January 10th.
– CNN.com

WEEKEND SHOW BIZ SKED:
• BET Experience Africa (Johannesburg SA) – BET has created a new lifestyle festival to celebrate the continent’s most successful performers, and they’ve signed up the likes of Mary J Blige, Maxwell, Method Man, and Redman to join them. The inaugural event takes place Saturday at the Ticketpro Dome.
• Billboard Women In Music Celebration (NYC) – Tonight the annual gala honoring women in the music biz. 83-year-old country music icon Loretta Lynn receives the 1st-ever ‘Legend Award’; Missy Elliott receives the inaugural ‘Innovator Award’; Lady Gaga is presented with the ‘Woman Of the Year’ honor. Others being saluted: Brittany Howard (Alabama Shakes), Demi Lovato, Fifth Harmony, Kelsea Ballerini, Lana Del Rey, Selena Gomez, and Tori Kelly. The recorded ceremony will air on Lifetime channel on December 18th.
• “Hollywood Christmas Parade” (CW) – Tonight the 84th annual features character balloons, celebrity-filled cars, and live musical performances.
NET: http://thehollywoodchristmasparade.org
• “A Jann Arden Christmas at The Social” (CTV) – Sunday the Juno Award-winning singer performs tunes from her first-ever holiday album, “A Jann Arden Christmas”.
• “Jimmy Kimmel Live” (ABC/CityTV) – Tonight a rerun of a ‘Monday Mashup’ with Fall Out Boyz II Men.
• “Last Call With Carson Daly” (NBC) – Tonight Handsome Ghost (“Steps”). Rerun.
• “Late Late Show With James Corden” (CBS/M3) – Tonight The Maccabees (“Marks to Prove It”). Rerun.
• “Late Show With Stephen Colbert” (CBS/Global) – Tonight Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings (“It’s A Holiday Soul Party”).
• Nobel Peace Prize Concert (Oslo, Norway) – Tonight the 22nd annual post-awards concert is hosted by Jay Leno. Performers include Norwegian artists a-ha and Aurora, as well as Jason Derulo. The concert is being streamed live on YouTube for the first time.
NET: http://www.nobelpeaceprizeconcert.org
• “The Real” (syndicated) – Today Rick Ross (“Black Market”).
• “The Talk” (CBS) – Today Josh Groban (“Stages”).
• “Tavis Smiley” (PBS) – Tonight Tom Jones (“Long Lost Suitcase”). Rerun.
• “Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” (NBC/CTV2) – Tonight Scottish DJ Calvin Harris (“Motion”).

BS MUSIC NOTES:
• Carrie Underwood – From her appearance at the Grand Ole Opry this week, she seems to have chopped off what looks like 12 inches of her blond hair. Her new ‘do is a wispy shoulder-length bob with a deep side part.
• The Game – He’s pleaded not guilty for allegedly punching another player during a pick-up basketball game in March. The player turned out to be an off-duty cop, whom The Game thought had a firearm in his sports bag. One charge of making criminal threats has been dropped at a preliminary hearing this week; he still faces assault & battery charges and is due back in court later this month.
• Lady Antebellum – Charles Kelley, who just launched a tour in support of his side-project solo career, has abruptly postponed most of the dates without explanation. The tour is in support of his debut solo album “The Driver”. On his website he reveals that many of his upcoming gigs are moving to early 2016.
• NWA – Thanks to the recent bio-pic, “Straight Outta Compton”, their same-named 1988 album has finally reached Triple Platinum status. Ice Cube and Dr Dre’s groundbreaking rap group experienced renewed popularity after the film screened in theaters this Summer.
• Nicki Minaj – She’s once again hinted she’s engaged by posting a pic on Instagram of her hand adorned with a gigantic diamond ring. The 33-year-old began dating fellow musician Meek Mill at the beginning of 2015 and the couple often flaunt their romance on social media.
• R Kelly – Today he releases his 13th studio album, “The Buffet”, which includes the Summer jam “Backyard Party” in addition to a smorgasbord of sounds including R&B, pop, blues, even country. Guest appearances by Jeremih, Juicy J, Lil Wayne, and Ty Dolla $ign among others.
• Taylor Swift – She’s been named “Billboard” magazine’s ‘Top Artist Of 2015’, due to her many hit singles this year, her mega-successful tour, and her “1989” album which also earned the ‘Album Of the Year’ title. She was previously named top artist in 2009.
• Thomas Rhett – “Billboard” has announced he’s atop the new ‘Hot Country Songs’ chart for next week with “Die a Happy Man”, while Carrie Underwood is #1 on the albums chart with “Storyteller”.
• 2 Chainz – He’s being sued for failing to perform at the Rawhide Festival in Oklahoma on September 12th (his birthday). Levelland Productions claims he dropped out at the last minute. His excuse … confusion about the date of the show. The promoter is seeking $75,000 in damages for the deposit he was paid, plus promotion costs, and lawyer fees.
• The Weeknd – Brit film music publishing company Cutting Edge Music has filed documents in California federal court claiming he and his producers knowingly sampled a track from an obscure 2013 movie called “The Machine” on the #1 hit single “The Hills” without permission. The plaintiffs seeking unspecified damages and a permanent injunction.

TODAY’S MOVIE OPENINGS:
• “In the Heart Of the Sea” ( PG-13 Action Adventure ): Based on a real-life 1820 event, a whaling ship is preyed upon by a giant whale, stranding its crew at sea for 90 days, thousands of miles from home. Directed by Ron Howard. Stars Chris Hemsworth, Cillian Murphy. The original tale of the sinking of a whaling ship inspired Herman Melville’s novel “Moby Dick”
NET: http://www.intheheartoftheseamovie.com
• “Legend” ( R-Rated Crime Biography opens wide ): The film tells the story of the identical twin gangsters Reggie & Ronnie Kray, two of the most notorious criminals in British history, and their organized crime empire in the East End of London during the 1960s. Stars Tom Hardy (as both of the twins), Emily Browning, Taron Egerton, Colin Morgan.
NET: http://www.legendthemovie.com
• Opening in limited release: “The Big Short” (Drama); “Bleeding Heart” (Drama); “The Boy and the World” (Family Animation); “Don Verdean” (Comedy); and “The Lady In the Van” (Biographical Drama).

BS THINGS WE DID IN 2015 THAT’LL LOOK WEIRD IN 10 YEARS:
• Moms posting pictures of inspirational “Minions” quotes on their Facebook page.
• Teens trying to make their lips looks like Kylie Jenner’s.
• Netflix and chilling
• Men walking around with glitter in their beards.
• Putting kale into smoothies, because clearly we hate ourselves.
• People saying “same” or “it me” to basically everything that happens.
• Listening to Iggy Azalea.
• Following Kardashians.
• Man buns.
– “BuzzFeed Life”

BEST INVENTION EVER:
Now you can buy chocolate that comes in slices like cheese! This magical innovation in chocolate technology has been made by Japanese candy company Bourbon. The slices are said to taste like normal chocolate, but when you heat them up they have a really strong chocolate smell. What do you do with them? You can put them in crêpes. Cut them up and wrap them around stuff. Put them on pancakes. Or just slap one on a piece of bread and it melts into it just like a Kraft Singles cheese slice. Unfortunately, they’re currently sold out, but 60-slice bags were being sold online for 3,240 yen (around $25).
NET: http://tinyurl.com/jaj2fr9
– BoredPanda.com

DID YOU KNOW?
Iceland is the most peaceful country in the world.
– “The Independent”

BS CHRONOMETER 12.11.15

TODAY’S CELEBIRTHDAYS . . .
1958 [57] Nikki Sixx (Frank Ferranno), San Jose CA, rock bassist (Motley Crue-“If I Die Tomorrow”, “Girls Girls Girls”)

1981 [34] Zacky Vengeance (Baker), Olympia WA, metal rock guitarist-vocalist (Avenged Sevenfold-“So Far Away”, “Buried Alive”)

1984 [31] Xosha Roquemore, LA CA, TV actress (‘Tamra’ on “The Mindy Project” since 2013)/movie actress (“The Butler”, “Precious”)

1986 [29] Karla Souza, Mexico City, Mexico, TV actress (‘Laurel Castillo’ on “How to Get Away With Murder” since 2014)

1996 [19] Hailee Steinfeld, LA CA, movie actress (“Pitch Perfect 2”, “True Grit”)

SATURDAY –
Movie actor Bill Nighy (“Love Actually”) is 66; Movie actress Jennifer Connelly (“A Beautiful Mind”) is 45; Movie actress Regina Hall (“Think Like a Man”) is 45; TV actress Mayim Bialik (“Big Bang Theory”) is 40.

SUNDAY –
Movie actor Steve Buscemi (“Fargo”) is 58; Movie actor Jamie Foxx (“Django Unchained”) is 48; Indie rock guitarist Nick McCarthy (Franz Ferdinand) is 41; Rock singer Tom Delonge (Blink-182) is 40; Rock singer Amy Lee (Evanescence) is 34; Pop singer Taylor Swift (“Blank Space”) is 26; TV actress Maisy Stella (“Nashville”) is 12.

TODAY’S BS REASONS TO PARTY . . .
• “International Mountain Day”, first declared by the UN in 2002 to draw attention to the important role that mountainous regions play in our water and food supply.
• “Knitters Day”, honoring those who have a passion for needlework. Right about now knitters are working to finish up a special gift for a lucky loved one. (Homemade longjohns … wow!)
• “Lost & Found Day”, the 4th annual on the 2nd Friday of December that encourages us to give one last effort to find whatever it is we have lost. (Our minds?)
• “Scaling Festival” (“Fête de l’Escalade”) weekend in Geneva, Switzerland, an annual celebration for 400+ years. Stores sell pot-shaped chocolate candies to represent the soup pots used in medieval days to pour scalding water on invaders attempting to ‘scale’ city walls.
• “Tango Day” in Argentina, particularly in Buenos Aires, where the classic dance was invented in the 19th century. (Everybody now! Dum, dum dum, dum, da-dadda dum dum, dum dum …)
• “UNICEF Anniversary”, commemorating the 1946 establishment of the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund.

SATURDAY –
• “Day Of the Horse”, the 11th annual observed on the 2nd Saturday of December.
• “Day of Our Lady of Guadalupe”, one of Mexico’s major celebrations, observed since 1746 to honor the country’s patron saint, the ‘Dark Virgin of Guadalupe’ (also patron saint of Corona-with-lime).
• “Gingerbread House Day”, time to get at it if you want one in time for the holidays.
• “Poinsettia Day”, honoring Dr Joel Roberts Poinsett (1799-1851), the US diplomat who popularized the Central American plant named for him in 1828. Now a favorite decoration for the holiday season, about 60 million are now grown in North America each year.

SUNDAY –
• “Hot Cocoa Day”, because there’s nothing like a steaming mug of the stuff on a bitter cold December day. (Ouch! Burned my freakin’ tongue!)
• “St Lucy’s Day”, honoring her 304 AD birth. Legend has it that, in order to follow a life of religious devotion, she cut out her eyes and sent them on a plate to a persistent lover who was haunted by them (especially afterward!).
• “Worldwide Candle Lighting Day”, the 19th annual when we’re encouraged to light candles at 7 pm local time to honor children worldwide who have died at any age from any cause.
NET: http://bit.ly/529dgT
• “World Choral Day”, celebrated on the 2nd Sunday in December for the past 24 years, when thousands of choirs join in the celebration at concerts, festivals, sing-alongs, and other events.

THIS DAY IN SHOW BIZ . . .
2014 [01] The number of Instagram subscribers overtakes Twitter, 300 million+ monthly users to 284 million

TODAY’S FIRST . . .
2000 [15] 1st ‘Player-Owner’ in NHL history as Pittsburgh Penquins co-owner Mario Lemeiux announces he’s coming out of 3-plus-years of retirement to play hockey again

TODAY’S RECORDS . . .
2000 [15] MLB shortstop Alex Rodriguez agreed to a $252 million-deal with the Texas Rangers, then most lucrative contract with any sports team

2014 [01] Detroit, Michigan emerges from the largest municipal bankruptcy in US history

AND REMEMBER . . .
[Mon] “Adele Live in New York City” (NBC)
[Mon] Green Monday
[Mon] Monkey Day
[Tues] Bill of Rights Day
[Tues] Cat Herders Day
This Week Is … Recipe Greetings For the Holidays Week
This Month Is … Stress-Free Family Holidays Month

BULL’S BITS

BS HOLIDAY CARDS FOR THE SARCASTIC:
• “Merry who cares … and when does it end?”
• “No Christmas gifts for anyone who has sent a Candy Crush request.”
• “Good friends, cosy fire, delicious treats, heartburn, bankruptcy, extreme bursts of anger.”
• “I hope you enjoy this present more than I did when I received it.”
• “What the hell is a sugar plum anyway?”
• “For you from Satan. Whoops! Auto-correct was off. That should be Santa …”
• “Yum, egg nog! … said no one ever.”
• “I hope your holiday breakdown is filled with joy.”
• “Twas the night before Christmas and all through the house … everyone was on their phone.”
• “Fa la la la frickin’ la.”
– Adapted from BuzzFeed.com

BS PHONE STARTER:
☎ Which fictional couple are you and your partner most like?

BS RANDOM JOKE:
She enjoys long romantic scrolls on her phone.

BS WATER COOLER QUESTION:
Question: It’s not a good idea, but fully half of us do THIS at every meal.
Answer: Sprinkle salt on food before tasting it.

BS DEEP THOUGHT:
There’s no one so wise as the person who says nothing at the right time.