December 12, 2013

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Thursday, December 12, 2013        Edition: #5122


Here’s More Bull Roar!

BS SHOW BIZ BUZZ:
★ Director Peter Jackson may have just finished filming the “Hobbit” trilogy, but he’s already set his sights on another series … “Doctor Who”. Jackson has confirmed that speculative rumors suggesting he’d helm at least one episode of the sci-fi show are fairly close to the truth, saying talks between him and “Dr Who” broadcaster, the BBC, are getting ‘pretty serious’. One of his ideas is to shoot an episode in his native New Zealand. The beloved Brit TV program just celebrated its 50th anniversary in November.
– DigitalSpy.ca
★ 42-year-old actress Denise Richards has been cleared of abusing former hubby Charlie Sheen’s sons. Richards was investigated by the LA County Department of Children & Family Services after the actor’s other ex-wife, Brooke Mueller, claimed Richards physically abused and neglected the 4-year-old twin boys as well as her own children. An inside source says child welfare officers quickly established that there was no merit to Mueller’s claims and decided no follow-up investigation would be necessary.
– RadarOnline.com
★ One of the key award ceremonies ahead of the Oscars, the “Screen Actors Guild Awards” (SAG), is shaping up to be a 3-way race with “12 Years a Slave”, “Lee Daniels’ The Butler”, and “August: Osage County” each receiving multiple nominations, including one in the ‘Outstanding Performance By a Cast in a Motion Picture’ category, alongside “American Hustle” and “Dallas Buyers Club”. “Breaking Bad” is the most-nominated TV series, with 4 nods. The winners will be announced January 18th.
– People.com
★ And in a new interview, 45-year-old movie star Jennifer Aniston gives us all a lesson on how to throw a Christmas party. She recently crammed her estate with friends and A-list stars (Chelsea Handler, Courtney Cox, Chris Martin & Gwyneth Paltrow, Jason Bateman, Robert Downey Jr, Tobey Maguire, Will Arnett, etc, etc) for a tree-trimming event. Jen says her tried-and-tested tips for making a festive bash a success include ‘good food and good music’. Specifically, 3 types of chili (beef, turkey, and vegetarian), Rice Krispies treats with hot chocolate, and … the “Charlie Brown Christmas” album.
– “Parade Magazine”

TODAY’S SHOW BIZ SKED:
• “Arsenio Hall” (syndicated) – BoB (“Underground Luxury”, due 2014).
• “Conan” (TBS/CTV) – Adam Levine (Maroon 5).
• “Ellen DeGeneres Show” (syndicated/CTV2) – Lea Michele (“Glee”).
• “Last Call With Carson Daly” (NBC) – Robbie Fulks (“Gone Away Backward”).
• “Late Night With Jimmy Fallon” (NBC/CTV2) – Kelly Clarkson (“Wrapped in Red”).
• “Late Show With David Letterman” (CBS/NTV/Omni1) – Glen Hansard (“Once: A New Musical”).
• “Live With Kelly & Michael” (ABC/CTV) – Ylvis (“What Does The Fox Say?).  BS FACTOID: The tune has been named YouTube’s ‘Top Trending Video of 2013′.
• “The Sing-Off” (NBC) – 8 a capella groups each perform their favorite hit.
• “Superstars of ‘70s Soul Live” (PBS) – Patti LaBelle hosts a gathering of Motown, R&B, soul, and disco artists.
• “Tonight Show With Jay Leno” (NBC/CTV2) – Chris Young (“A.M.”).
• “The View” (ABC/CTV) – Backstreet Boys (“In a World Like This”).
• “The X Factor” (FOX/CTV2) – Performances by  Enrique Iglesias, Jennifer Nettles (Sugarland); contestants face elimination.

BS MUSIC NOTES:
• Foo Fighters – This week they surprised a crowd of 200 at Redballs Rock & Roll Pizza in Moorpark CA with a tuneup gig for their Mexico City concerts this weekend. Patrons thought drummer Taylor Hawkins had been booked to perform with his side-project, Chevy Metal.
• Lady Gaga – She’s being credited with saving a fan from suicide by reaching out to the youngster online. Seems Gaga got in touch with the girl through her web community Littlemonsters.com after seeing a post which suggested she was close to taking her own life.
• Mariah Carey – Is there money in a Christmas song? You betcha! In Britain alone, she’s earned £327,615 ($536,911) in royalties this year for her 1994 recording “All I Want For Christmas Is You”.
• Metallica – “Rolling Stone” notes that, after their concert in Antarctica over the weekend, they’re now the only band in history to play all 7 continents.
• The Wanted – They’ve cancelled all their European tour dates for next year. The news comes just a few days after Max George’s abrupt departure from their North American tour to deal with an ‘urgent family matter’. The boy-band has promised to finish the current trek as ‘a 4-piece’.

COMING ATTRACTIONS:
A BS selection of movies in the making …
• Freddy Mercury Film – After the departure of Sacha Baron Cohen from the upcoming biopic on the late Queen frontman, a new star has been chosen. It’s Brit actor Ben Whishaw, best known for playing ‘Q’ in the ‘James Bond’ movie “Skyfall”. Director Dexter Fletcher has been meeting with the surviving members of Queen with an eye toward starting production next year.
• “Indiana Jones 5″ – First Disney nabbed “Star Wars”, now the Mouse House has a deal to take over the “Indiana Jones” franchise (1981-2008), paving the way for further movies. Series star Harrison Ford has been open about the fact that he’d be ready to return to the series “in a New York minute”. However, Disney may instead look at reboots and prequels with new actors.
• “Jack Reacher 2″ – A sequel to Tom Cruise’s 2012 film is in the works, according to Deadline.com. He’s expected to reprise his role as a former military officer who investigates dangerous crimes in the new movie, which will be based on author Lee Child’s 18th book in the Reacher series, “Never Go Back”. Details surrounding production are currently under wraps.
• “Jupiter Ascending” – The writing/directing Wachowski siblings, best known for their work on the “Matrix” trilogy, are teaming up for another sci-fi epic. This one stars Mila Kunis as a human being, the lowest on the hierarchical scale in a dystopian future. When the ‘Queen Of the Universe’ puts a hit out on Kunis’ character, heroes played by Channing Tatum and Sean Bean come to the rescue. The film’s due next July.

CRAZY BODY CONNECTIONS:
Your body parts are joined in ways you never imagined. For example …
• What your voice says about your height: A sound produced in the lower airway of the lungs gets progressively lower as height increases. So if you walk tall, odds are you talk deep.
• What your skin says about your blood pressure: Researchers have found that those with the fewest wrinkles tend to have lower blood pressure and lower heart disease risk.
• What your sleep says about your eyes: People who suffer from sleep apnea are almost twice as likely to develop glaucoma – an eye disease that can lead to blindness – within 5 years.
• What your lips say about your memory: If you’re one of the millions who get cold sores, that pesky outbreak could indicate you have an increased risk for Alzheimer’s and dementia.
• What your hand says about your penis: Men whose index fingers are shorter than their ring fingers tend to have larger penises. It has to do with testosterone levels.
(Guess how many guys just checked out their right hand? All of ‘em.)
– MensHealth.com

MEAL TICKET:
If you’re resolving to eat healthy in the new year, get ready to pay for it. New research shows that adopting a healthier eating regimen will likely cost the average person $1.50-a-day more than a junk-food diet. A team from the Harvard School of Public Health recently discovered that in most of the world’s high-income countries, diets rich in fruits, vegetables, fish, and nuts cost significantly more than unhealthy diets. Why? Unhealthy food is cheaper because the emphasis is on producing high quantities at minimal cost. (We’re pretty sure it all comes out of the same spigot.)
– TheGlobeandMail.com

STATUS UPDATE REASONS:
Facebook has compiled a check-in category for what it calls ‘life events’. The most popular reasons we felt the compunction to post a message in 2013 …
10. Quit a habit.
9. Got a piercing.
8. Lost a loved one.
7. Got a pet.
6. Added a family member, expecting a baby, or had a baby.
5. First met a friend.
4. Ended a relationship.
3. Moved.
2. Traveled.
1. Added a relationship, got engaged, or got married.
– NDTV

BEING IN THE MOMENT:
Photographing all the events of our lives may impair our ability to remember them later, a new  Fairfeld University study finds. When participants in experiments relied on their cameras to ‘remember’ for them in a museum, they couldn’t recall their experience as well as when they simply observed. The subjects experienced what’s called the ‘photo-taking impairment effect’, trouble remembering objects that they had photographed. Seems we so often whip out our camera-phones to mindlessly capture a moment, we’re missing what’s happening right in front of our eyes. (One more reason to keep your smartphone in your pants.)
– RelaxNews.com

NEXT YEAR’S HOT FOODS:
According to trend-spotters at communications firm Sterling-Rice Group, 2014 will continue to see demand for healthy food options, and fringe foods will enter the mainstream dining scene. A few of their predictions about foods on the rise …
• Alternative Proteins – Meats like goat, rabbit, and pigeon (the meat known as squab) will land on restaurant dishes as interest in small-scale, local producers continues.
• Near East Flavors – Not familiar with sumac or za’atar? Odds are you will be in 2014, as Middle Eastern seasonings become increasingly popular on restaurant menus.
• Poaching & Steaming – Instead of using plain old water, chefs will be amping up the flavor of dishes by poaching and steaming with more exotic things like wine, coffee, beer, and smoke.
• Seaweed – It’s not just for sushi anymore. It’s likely to become increasingly popular as a snack food and an umami-rich seasoning. Think wakame salads and kombu broth.
• Tea Leaves – Look out for them to be used in more than just hot beverages, as chefs use the aromatic flavors of black, green, and other leafy teas to spice up savory and sweet dishes.
– AFP

FOR THE RECORD:
A reading of 135.8 F degrees below zero (-93.22 C) has been measured on a desolate ice plateau in East Antarctica using remote sensing from a NASA satellite. That’s so cold that scientists say it hurts to breathe. But the reading won’t make the official record book because the World Meteorological Organization recognizes only readings taken by thermometer on location, not remotely by satellite. The official record, as measured by a thermometer, remains -128.6 F (-89.22 C), set in Vostok, Antarctica on July 21, 1983.
– USAToday.com

BS AMAZING FACTS:
A children’s TV show in Sweden has characters dressed as ‘poo-poo’ and ‘wee-wee’.
– BBC.co uk

BS CHRONOMETER 12.12.13


TODAY’S CELEBIRTHDAYS . . .
1949 [64] Bill Nighy, Caterham, England (“Pirates Of the Caribbean” films, “Love Actually”)

1970 [43] Jennifer Connelly, Round Top NY, movie actress (“He’s Just Not That Into You”, “A Beautiful Mind”)/wed to actor Paul Bettany since 2003  COMING UP: “Noah”, 2014.

1975 [38] Mayim Bialik, San Diego CA, TV actress (‘Amy Farrah Fowler’ on “Big Bang Theory” since 2010, “Curb Your Enthusiasm” 2005-07, “Blossom” 1990-95)

1977 [36] Bridget Hall, Springdale AR, fashion model (“Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show”) who’s appeared on more than 200 fashion magazine covers

TODAY’S BS REASONS TO PARTY . . .
• “Day of Our Lady of Guadalupe”, one of Mexico’s major celebrations. The holiday has been observed since 1746 to honor the country’s patron saint, the ‘Dark Virgin of Guadalupe’ (also patron saint of Corona-with-lime). An estimated 10 million visit her basilica in Mexico City annually.

• “Gingerbread House Day”, time to get at it if you want one in time for the holidays. Also known as “Eat Yourself Out of House and Home Day”.

• “Poinsettia Day”, honoring Dr Joel Roberts Poinsett (1799-1851), the American diplomat who introduced us to the Central American plant named for him in 1828. It’s now a favorite decoration during the holiday season. In fact, close to 60 million poinsettias are now grown in North America each year.

ONE YEAR AGO . . .
2012 [01] Just after midnight it was 12:12:12 on 12-12-12

THIS DAY IN SHOW BIZ . . .
1913 [100] Two years after being stolen from the Louvre in Paris, Leonardo da Vinci’s masterpiece “The Mona Lisa” is recovered inside an Italian waiter’s hotel room in Florence (before the theft, the painting wasn’t all that famous)

TODAY’S MUSIC EVENT . . .
2003 [10] Rolling Stones’ frontman Mick Jagger is knighted at Buckingham Palace  BS FACTOID: According to the biography “Mick: The Wild Life & Mad Genius of Jagger”, her nibs ERII had son Prince Charles do the job as she did not think ‘Sir’ Mick suitable for the honor.

TODAY’S RECORD . . .
1963 [50] A vinyl LP called “John Fitzgerald Kennedy: A Memorial Album” sets a record for album sales with a total of 4 million copies sold in its first 6 days of release

AND REMEMBER . . .
[Fri] Friday the 13th
[Fri] Salespersons Day
[Fri] “The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug”; “A Madea Christmas” open in movie theaters
[Sat] Day Of the Horse
[Sat] International Shareware Day
This Week Is … Human Rights Week
This Month Is … Worldwide Food Service Safety Month

BULL’S BITS


BS LIFEHACKS TO SOLVE ANNOYING PROBLEMS:
• We don’t have time to discuss physics but apparently placing a wooden spoon across a boiling pot of water will keep it from boiling over
• The tab on your soft drink can is actually intended for more than just opening it. There’s a hole in the tab meant to hold a straw.
• If you’re at a hotel and you run out of USB charging locations, check the TV. It usually has one or two.
• If you ever need to ask for directions, skip the gas stations and go straight to the pizza delivery places.
• To check if your batteries are still good, drop them from a height of about 6 inches. If they only bounce once, they’re still full. If they bounce more than once, time for replacements.
• To adjust your eyes more quickly to changing light conditions try closing one eye.
– List25.com

BS RANDOM JOKE:
Earn cash in your spare time … blackmail friends.

WORDS FROM OTHER LANGUAGES WE DON’T HAVE IN ENGLISH:
✓ Packesel (German) – Literally ‘burro’, this is the guy that has to carry everybody else’s bags.
✓ Slampadato (Italian) – Someone who is addicted to tanning.
✓ Pana Po’o (Hawaiian) – The act of scratching your head to remember something you forgot.
✓ Palegg (Norwegian) – The catch-all term for anything you might put in a sandwich.
✓ Lagom (Swedish) – Not too much, not too little … just the right amount.
✓ Shemomedjamo (Georgian) – I accidentally ate the whole thing.
✓ Backpfeifengesicht (German) – A face in need of a fist.
✓ Zhaghzhagh (Persian) – The sound of chattering teeth from someone that is really cold.
– Buzzfeed.com

BS PHONE STARTER:
☎ If you found an extra $100 in your pocket, how would you spend it? (In a poll on the topic, the top answers were shopping, dining out, filling the car with gas.)

BS WATER COOLER QUESTION:
Question: The frequency of THIS activity in the home has decreased by 80% since 1960.
Answer: Taking a bath.

BS DEEP THOUGHT:
Don’t stop to stomp on ants when the elephants are stampeding.

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