BS SUBSCRIBER NOTE:
“The Bull Sheet” is closed down for the holidays December 25th-January 4th inclusive. All subscribers are receiving account credits for missed service days. The next edition of “BS” is January 5, 2015. Thanks for another successful year!

BS SHOW BIZ BUZZ:
★ Though “The Interview” will not hit movie theaters on Christmas Day as scheduled, NYC’s Treehouse Theater has announced it will present a live reading of the movie’s script just 2 days later. The free event is being staged Saturday at the theater in midtown Manhattan. Last week, Sony decided to pull the release of the James Franco-Seth Rogen comedy following threats from hackers on movie theaters that screen it. The live read will be followed by a comedy show benefitting Human Rights Watch entitled … “F– You Kim Jong-un!”
– Variety.com
★ Kanye West & Kim Kardashian are the new faces of fashion house Balmain. The 37-year-old rapper and his 34-year-old reality-TV star wife – who are close friends of the Parisian brand’s creative director Olivier Rousteing – will appear together in the label’s Spring/Summer 2015 men’s campaign, entitled “Army of Lovers”. In an official announcement Rousteing says: “Together, they represent love, beauty, and diversity … they are the new modernity.”
– BangShowbiz.com
★ And veteran pop singers Donny & Marie Osmond are set to extend their Las Vegas residency until the end of next year. The singing siblings originally entered a 6-week contract to perform at the Flamingo Hotel & Casino. That was back in 2008. Since then, the response to their shows has been so positive that they have extended the residency to 6 years. Now Caesars Entertainment Corporation has announced the duo has signed on to perform in every month of 2015 except March, July, August, and December.
– WENN.com

TODAY’S SHOW BIZ SKED:
• “Ellen DeGeneres Show” (syndicated/CTV2) – Rerun of the Season 12 premiere with “The Voice” coaches Adam Levine, Blake Shelton, Gwen Stefani, Pharrell Williams; Maroon 5 (“V”) performs.
• “Jimmy Kimmel Live” (ABC/CityTV) – Smashing Pumpkins (“Monuments To an Elegy”). Rerun.
• “Live With Kelly & Michael” (syndicated/CTV) – Earth, Wind & Fire (“Holiday”).
• “The Talk” (CBS) – The Band Perry (“Pioneer”). Rerun.
• “Tavis Smiley” (PBS) – Dave Koz (“Dave Koz & Friends: The 25th of December”).

BS MUSIC NOTES:
• Creed – Florida police officials have closed their investigation into troubled rocker Scott Stapp’s financial problems, because they cannot reach the former Creed frontman to get more information regarding his allegations that his bank account has been compromised.
• Lady Gaga & Tony Bennett – They’re set to celebrate New Year’s Eve in Las Vegas at The Cosmopolitan casino, singing jazz standards from their album “Cheek to Cheek”.
• Meghan Trainor – She first became involved in music as a songwriter for Rascal Flatts and then co-wrote the single “Sledgehammer” for Fifth Harmony. She wrote her #1 smash hit “All About That Bass” after deciding she was tired of not performing her own songs.
• Sam Smith – He tells Britain’s “Daily Mirror” that he’s traveling to Australia as soon as Christmas is over … to avoid arguing with his family. He says his family has gotten into a big brouhaha every year for the past decade, so he’s going on vacation.
• Sugarland – Promoter Live Nation and 16 others have settled a lawsuit through mediation for $39 million. The suit resulted from the 2011 collapse of a stage at the Indiana State Fair that killed 7 and injured nearly 100. High winds knocked over stage rigging and caused the stage roof to collapse onto fans waiting for the start of a Sugarland show.
• Yeah Yeah Yeahs – The indie rockers are taking “a bit of a hiatus”, according to frontwoman Karen O. She says they’ll take a break from each other until they feel inspired to get back to work.

MOVIE OPENINGS ON CHRISTMAS DAY:
• “Big Eyes” ( PG-13 Biographical Drama ): A drama about the awakening of painter Margaret Keane, her phenomenal success in the 1950s, and the subsequent legal difficulties she had with her husband, who claimed credit for her works in the 1960s. Directed by Tim Burton. Stars Amy Adams, Christoph Waltz, Krysten Ritter, Jason Schwartzman.
NET: http://bigeyesfilm.com
• “The Gambler” ( R-Rated Crime Thriller ): A literature professor who’s also a hopelessly addicted gambler has to borrow money from his mother and a loan shark. Further complicating his situation is his relationship with one of his students. Stars Mark Wahlberg, Jessica Lange, John Goodman, Brie Larson. A remake of the 1974 film of the same name, which starred James Caan.
NET: http://www.thegamblermovie.com
• “Into the Woods” ( PG Musical Fantasy ): In this adaptation of Stephen Sondheim’s hit stage musical, a witch tasks a childless baker and his wife with procuring magical items from classic fairytales to reverse the curse put on their family tree. Directed by Rob Marshall. Stars Anna Kendrick, Meryl Streep, Chris Pine, Emily Blunt.
NET: http://movies.disney.com/into-the-woods
• “Selma” ( PG-13 Historical Drama ): A dramatic portrayal of civil rights advocate Martin Luther King Jr and the marches of Selma, Alabama that changed the United States for ever. Stars David Oyelowo, Carmen Ejogo, Tim Roth, Lorraine Toussaint. Directed by Ava DuVernay. Produced by Oprah Winfrey.
NET: http://www.selmamovie.com
• “Unbroken” ( PG-13 Biographical Drama ): Based on Laura Hillenbrand’s biography, the story of Olympian Louis Zamperini, who, after a near-fatal plane crash during WW2, spends a harrowing 47 days in a raft with 2 fellow crewmen before being caught by the Japanese navy and sent to a prisoner-of-war camp. Directed by Angelina Jolie. Stars Jack O’Connell.
NET: http://www.unbrokenfilm.com
• Opening in limited release: “American Sniper” (War Drama); “Beloved Sisters” (historical Drama); and “Two Days, One Night” (Drama).

COMING ATTRACTIONS:
A BS selection of movies in the making …
• “By the Sea” – Just as her film “Unbroken” opens, the ever-busy Angelina Jolie has just finished this drama which she wrote and directed. It’s about a couple (Brangelina) who go on vacation in the Mediterranean in a last ditch attempt to save their marriage. The film is due to open in 2015.
• “Fire & Ice” – 46-year-old filmmaker Robert Rodriguez (“Sin City: A Dame to Kill For”) will direct a new live-action remake of an 1983 animated film which was a flop, grossing only $1 million. The story centers on an ‘Ice Lord’ who destroys a village with a glacier, leaving the sole survivor determined to get revenge.
• “The Jungle Book” – Actor Bill Murray is playing loveable bear ‘Baloo’ in director Jon Favreau’s upcoming live-action remake of the Disney classic, and he will sing the character’s philosophical tune, “The Bare Necessities”. While the remake is not a musical, Favreau says he wants to preserve memorable moments from the original 1967 animated film.
• “Star Trek 3” – “Fast & Furious” franchise director Justin Lin has signed on to helm the 3rd movie in the latest series, replacing Roberto Orci who quit the project earlier this month. JJ Abrams directed the first 2 movies starring Chris Pine as ‘Captain James Kirk’ but pulled out of the latest to do the new “Star Wars” film. The as-yet-untitled new “Star Trek” is coming in 2016.
• Untitled Car Movie – Demián Bichir (“The Bridge”) stars in this film set in the East LA world of lowrider cars. The story centers on a teen caught between his father and his estranged brother, who both are competing in the annual lowrider ‘Supershow’. Also in the cast: Eva Longoria (“Desperate Housewives”); Nicola Peltz (“Transformers”); and Theo Rossi (“Sons of Anarchy”).

FROM THE BS POLL VAULT:
A statistical look at who we are and the things we do …
• 84% of people who have tried to become a vegetarian have failed.
• 43% of us eat ice cream straight out of the container because we don’t want to dirty a dish.
• 38% of men choose a significantly younger 2nd spouse, while only 11% of women go much younger.
• 25% of us wipe down the silverware when dining out in a restaurant.
• 13% of employees got a gift card from their employer for Christmas this year.

BS BUZZWORDS:
New cutting-edge vocab …
• ‘Digital Pickpocketing’ – The theft of data from a mobile device, particularly one that contains a radio frequency identification (RFID) chip for transmitting information wirelessly.
• ‘Silent Traveler’ – A traveler who has no direct interaction with a destination’s tourism industry, preferring instead to navigate, make arrangements, and find information using a mobile device.
• ‘Tweleb’ – A Twitter celebrity; more specifically, someone who has more than 1,000 followers on Twitter.com.

WHAT ICONIC CHRISTMAS MOVIES ARE KNOWN AS IN OTHER LANGUAGES:
A few seasonal films’ foreign titles translated back to English literally …
• “Frozen” … is known in Russian as “Cold Heart”.
• “Jingle All the Way” … in Danish it’s called “Mission: Christmas Present”.
• “A Christmas Carol” … in Argentina it is titled “The Ghosts of Scrooge”.
• “It’s a Wonderful Life” … in German the tile is “Is This Life Not Wonderful?”.
• “Home Alone” … in Italy, it’s called “Mom, I Missed the Plane!”.
• “Elf” … in Brazil it’s titled “A Goblin in New York”.
• “Love Actually” … in Turkish it’s “Ask Everywhere”.
• “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” … in Greek it’s “The Trickster in Christmas”.
• “Die Hard” … in Spanish the title is “The Glass Jungle”.
• “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation” … in France, it’s “The Tree Has the Balls”.
– From an idea on BuzzFeed.com

IS YOUR iPAD RUINING YOUR SLEEP?
New research from Brigham & Women’s Hospital in Boston MA warns that reading ebooks at bedtime can ruin our body clocks. In the first study to compare ebook users to readers of regular paper books, it’s been found that tablet readers take longer to fall asleep and also spend less time in the high-quality REM sleep that we all need. The research suggests the light from e-readers, tablets, and iPads can disrupt sleep patterns. So what to do?  The researchers recommend we go back to ‘treeware’. (An added bonus … a regular book never runs out of power mid-page.)
– DailyMail.co.uk

CHRISTMAS BY THE NUMBERS:
● Forget dreaming about a “White Christmas.” A “Money” magazine poll shows that 66% of us would prefer a sunny, warm Christmas.
● Approximately 3 billion Christmas cards are exchanged worldwide each year.
● A poll on holiday traditions finds 71% of us open presents Christmas Day, while 29% will do it tonight, Christmas Eve.

DID YOU KNOW?
Pilfering patients are the reason there’s nothing interesting to read in your doctor’s waiting room.
– AARP.org

BS CHRONOMETER 12.24.14

TODAY’S CELEBIRTHDAYS . . .
1971 [43] Ricky Martin, San Juan, Puerto Rico, pop singer (“La Vida Loca”, “She Bangs”)

1973 [41] Stephenie Meyer (Morgan), Hartford CT, novelist (“Twilight Saga”, which sold over 100 million copies worldwide in 37 languages and spawned the uber-successful movie series)

1974 [40] Ryan Seacrest, Dunwoody GA, TV host (“American Idol” since 2002)/TV producer (“Keeping Up With the Kardashians”)/radio personality (KIIS-FM LA, “American Top 40”)
NEW YEAR’S ROCKIN EVE WITH RYAN SEACREST 2014:
Performing at this year’s bashes on ABC-TV …
✓ In NYC: Elton John, Florida Georgia Line, Idina Menzel, Magic!, Taylor Swift.
✓ In LA: Bastille, Charli XCX, Fergie, Iggy Azalea, Jason Derulo, Meghan Trainor, Nick Jonas, Nico & Vinz, One Direction, Train.
✓ In Nashville: Brantley Gilbert, Gavin DeGraw, Lady Antebellum.

1991 [23] Louis Tomlinson, Doncaster UK, pop singer (One Direction-“Story of My Life”, “What Makes You Beautiful”)

CHRISTMAS DAY –
Pop singer Jimmy Buffett (“Margarittaville”) is 68; Movie actress Sissy Spacek (“Coal Miner’s Daughter”) is 65; Pop singer Annie Lennox (“No More I Love Yous”) is 60; Pop singer Dido (“White Flag”) is 43.

TODAY’S BS REASONS TO PARTY . . .
• “Christmas Eve”, a family gift-giving occasion in many countries.

• “Egg Nog Day”, celebrating the seasonal rum or brandy drink that has nothing good for you in it but sure tastes good. A coffee spiked with egg nog and brandy is called a ‘tom-tom’.

THIS DAY IN SHOW BIZ . . .
2009 [05] A private funeral is held at Forest Lawn Cemetery in the Hollywood Hills for 32-year-old actress Brittany Murphy, who’d passed away 4 days earlier from cardiac arrest

TODAY’S MUSIC EVENT . . .
1974 [40] Carly Simon, Joni Mitchell, Linda Ronstadt, and James Taylor spontaneously decide to go caroling door-to-door in the suburbs of Los Angeles

AND REMEMBER . . .
[Fri] Boxing Day (Australia, Canada, New Zealand, UK)
[Fri] Candy Cane Day
[Fri] Thank-You Note Day
[Fri] Whiners Day
[Sat] Visit the Zoo Day
[Sun] Endangered Species Day
This Week Is … Halcyon Days
This Month Is … Worldwide Food Service Safety Month

BULL’S BITS

MOST FREQUENTLY RETURNED GIFTS:
● The “Sunbeam Six-Slice Shower Toaster.”
● “Hickory Farms Smoked Gristle Assortment.”
● “The Black & Decker Forehead Sander.”
● “The Craftmatic Adjustable Groin-Puller.”
● “Super-Itchy Slipper Socks” from Super-Itchy Technologies.
● “Lick Me – The Board Game.”
● “Isotoner Diapers.”
● “Bag o’ Live Weasels.”

BS RANDOM JOKE:
I wish I had a dollar for every one I’ve spent.

BS U-PICK TRIVIA:
• According to a survey, what was the #1 reason we fought with siblings when we were kids?
a. Over which toy belonged to whom.
b. Over who got to ‘ride shotgun’ and sit in the front seat of the car. [CORRECT]
c. Over who got to stay up later before bedtime.

• The Canary Islands are named after which animal?
a. Bird.
b. Lizard.
c. Dog. [CORRECT. The Latin name was Insularia Canaria or ‘Island of the Dogs’.]

BS PHONE STARTER:
☎ What do you intend to be doing at the stroke of midnight on New Year’s Eve? (According to a “Redbook” poll, fully 50% of us expect to be … making love.)

BS WATER COOLER QUESTION:
Question: THIS is our #1 favorite thing about the holiday season, according to a new poll.
Answer: Christmas music.

BS DEEP THOUGHT:
Into every life some rain must fall. Usually when your car windows are down.