February 14, 2014

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Friday, February 14, 2014        Edition: #5160

Happy Valentines Day, For Sheet’s Sake!

BS SHOW BIZ BUZZ:
★ Word has it acting couple Sean Penn & Charlize Theron have moved in together and are now talking about getting married. They have only been dating a few months, made their first public appearance together just 3 weeks ago, but a source says Sean is head over heels in love with Charlize, and her son Jackson. He is apparently a totally different person around Charlize as she brings out the gentle and fun side of him that not many have seen. And the actor, who has 2 grown children with ex Robin Wright, is even talking about adopting Charlize’s son if they marry.
– RadarOnline.com
★ Actor Johnny Depp reportedly wants his friend Keith Richards and the Rolling Stones to perform at his wedding to Amber Heard. The 50-year-old actor recently proposed to his 27-year-old girlfriend Amber Heard, whom he met on the set of the 2011 film “The Rum Diary”. though they haven’t set a date for their nuptials yet, he has reportedly asked friend and “Pirates Of the Caribbean” co-star Richards if he and his band will provide some music. Word is he might even ask to join them on a tune or two.
– “Now Magazine”

TODAY’S SHOW BIZ SKED:
• BAFTA Awards (BBC 1/BBC America) – Sunday the annual movie awards from the British Academy of Film & Television Arts are handed out at London’s Royal Opera House. Space drama “Gravity” leads the way with 11 nominations, followed by “American Hustle” and “12 Years a Slave” with 10 apiece. Helen Mirren wins the prestigious ‘BAFTA Academy Fellowship 2014’ in recognition of her exceptional contribution to film industry.
NET: http://www.bafta.org
• “Ellen DeGeneres Show” (syndicated/CTV2) – Today Band of Horses (“Acoustic At the Ryman”).
• “House of Cards” (Netflix) – Today the 2nd season of this web-only show starring Kevin Spacey as a diabolical US congressman becomes available. Will you watch it one-episode-at-a-time or the entire season in a marathon like the screen glutton you are?
• “Late Show With David Letterman” (CBS/NTV/Omni1) – Jennifer Nettles (“That Girl”). Rerun.
• “NBA All-Star Game” (TNT/TSN) – Sunday LeBron James and the Eastern All-Stars battle Kevin Durant and the Western All-Stars in the 63rd annual, in New Orleans LA. Pharrell Williams performs a pre-game show; halftime entertainment is a mash-up of Earth, Wind & Fire, Janelle Monaé, Dr John, Gary Clark Jr, and Trombone Shorty.
NET: http://www.nba.com/allstar/
• “Winter Olympics” (CBC/NBC) – Today: Figure Skating: Men’s Free Skate; Men’s Hockey. Saturday: Women’s Curling, Men’s Curling. Sunday: Figure Skating: Ice Dance Short Program; Women’s Hockey Quarter-Finals; Men’s Hockey.

BS MUSIC NOTES:
• Eminem – Sunday he performs his 1st-ever show in New Zealand, in Auckland. Opening acts are J Cole and Kendrick Lamar. His tour Down Under also includes 3 dates in Australia – Melbourne, Brisbane, and Sydney – before the end of the month.
• Miley Cyrus – Tonight her “Bangerz Tour” kicks off in Vancouver BC and will hit 38 cities before wrapping on April 24th in Uniondale NY. Miley says she wants the show ‘to transport people to an alternate universe’. Icona Pop and Sky Ferreira are the opening acts.
• Rolling Stones – Their 50th anniversary celebration continues with a 14-date trek to the Far East and Australia. The “14 on Fire” tour begins tonight in Abu Dhabi UAE. Guitarist Mick Taylor, a band member from 1969-74 is a guest on the tour.

TODAY’S MOVIE OPENINGS:
• “About Last Night” ( R-Rated Romantic Comedy ): The story of 2 couples who journey from the bar to the bedroom, then later have to put their new love to the test in the real world. Stars Kevin Hart, Regina Hall, Michael Ealy, Joy Bryant.
NET: http://www.sonypictures.com/movies/aboutlastnight
• “Endless Love” ( PG-13 Romantic Drama ): The story of a privileged girl and a charismatic boy whose intense love affair is made only more reckless by their parents trying to keep them apart. Stars Alex Pettyfer & Gabriella Wilde. A remake of the 1981 film starring Brooke Shields.
NET: http://www.endlesslovemovie.com
• “Winter’s Tale” ( PG-13 Fantasy Mystery ): A burglar (Colin Farrell) falls for an heiress (Jessica Brown Findlay) as she dies in his arms. When he learns that he has the gift of reincarnation, he sets out to save her. Co-stars Will Smith, Russell Crowe, William Hurt, Jennifer Connelly.
NET: http://www.winterstalemovie.com

CAN’T SHOP, CHATTING:
Social media may be terrific for the global community, but they’re not doing much to drive online shopping. A study that has analysed 700 million online shopping sessions has found that those which started through a social-media link accounted for less than 1%. The number dips even lower for brands in the ‘affordable luxury’ category (Calvin Klein, Ralph Lauren, et al) when it comes to finding new customers. Over the past 4 years, less than 0.25% of them have been acquired through Facebook, and less than 0.01% on Twitter. (BS translation: Your ad on Facebook … waste of time.)
– Fashionista.com

MORE FACTS ABOUT SLEEP YOU PROBABLY DIDN’T KNOW:
✓ Dreams may not serve any purpose at all but merely be a meaningless byproduct of our transition to sleep from consciousness.
✓ Humans sleep on average around three hours less than other primates like chimps, rhesus monkeys, squirrel monkeys and baboons, all of whom sleep for 10 hours.
✓ As a group, 18-to-24 year-olds deprived of sleep suffer more from impaired performance than older adults.
✓ After 5 nights of partial sleep deprivation, 3 drinks will have the same effect on your body as 6 would when you’ve slept enough.
✓ Scientists have not been able to explain a 1998 study showing a bright light shone on the backs of human knees can reset the brain’s sleep-wake clock.
– ABC.net.au

VIRTUAL GRIEVING:
What becomes of a person’s social media life after he or she dies? Family and friends of the deceased are left with a silent Facebook page that they may use as a memorial, but some feel uncomfortable writing on a late friend’s wall. Sanctri, a new Facebook app, is kind of like a virtual cemetery and online guest book where people can mourn and commemorate a someone’s life. On Sanctri, users can create social memorials and make charitable donations in the person’s memory. They also have control over who can see the entry. After all, the creators say, grief doesn’t mix very well with photos from last night’s party. (Will there be virtual gravestone rubbing?)
– “NY Daily News”

SLEEP TO SLIM:
A new study indicates that women who wake up and go to bed at the same time every day may experience regular weight-loss. after some 300 women aged 17-to-26 were fitted with a tracker to record their movements during the day and sleep patterns at night, Otterbein University researchers found that getting less than 6.5 hours or more than 8.5 hours of sleep per night can be linked to the accumulation of body fat. It’s thought that ignoring the internal body clock and not allowing it to get into a pattern can have an impact on our physique. (Early to bed and early to rise could end up taking inches off your thighs.)
– “The Telegraph”

YOU SMELL SICK:
Notice that your partner’s breath smells funny? Or that their body is giving off an unusually unpleasant odor? A new Swedish study suggests that our sense of smell may be able to detect whether someone is sick. It seems the human nose can pick out toxins even at the early stage of illness. The research stems from anecdotal evidence of certain diseases carrying specific smells. People with diabetes, for instance, can have breath that smells like rotten apples or acetone. (As opposed to people suffering from a hangover, who smell like a rotting corpse.)
– AFP

DID YOU KNOW?
Only about 60% of North Americans celebrate Valentines Day, making just about every other holiday except St Patrick’s Day more popular. (Two cheers for Valentines Day.)
– “South Florida Sun-Sentinel”

BS CHRONOMETER 02.14.14


TODAY’S CELEBIRTHDAYS . . .
1942 [72] Michael Bloomberg, Boston MA, media mogul (Bloomberg News)/estimated net worth of $31 billion (as of 2013)/NYC mayor 2002-13

1948 [66] (Raymond) Teller, Philadelphia PA, Las Vegas magician who has legally reduced his name to one word (the shorter, less obnoxious half of Penn & Teller)

1970 [44] Simon Pegg (Beckingham), Brockworth UK, movie actor (“Mission: Impossible: Ghost Protocol”, “Hot Fuzz”)

1972 [42] Rob Thomas, Landstuhl Military Base, Germany, pop singer (“Lonely No More”, 3 Grammy Awards w/Santana-“Smooth”, Matchbox 20-“Push”, “3 AM”)

SATURDAY –
Cartoonist Matt Groening (“The Simpsons”) is 60; Rock singer Brandon Boyd (Incubus) is 38; Rock drummer Ronnie Vannucci (The Killers) is 38; TV actress Amber Riley (“Glee”) is 28.

SUNDAY –
TV actor Ice T (“Law & Order: Special Victims Unit”) is 56; Classic rock guitarist Andy Taylor (Duran Duran) is 53; Metal drummer Dave Lombardo (Slayer) is 49; Rock bassist-vocalist Brad Walst (Three Days Grace) is 37.

TODAY’S BS REASONS TO PARTY . . .
• “Call In Single Day”, when those not celebrating Valentines are encouraged to take a day off work and set aside some time for themselves. After all, nobody can love you like you. Similarly, it’s “International Quirky Alone Day”, a reminder to value yourself, develop your individuality, and celebrate the possibilities available to single people today.
NET: http://www.quirkyalone.net/qa/iqd.php
• “Donor Day”, the 17th annual observance encouraging us to fill out an organ & tissue donation card and also to donate blood. You could save a life! How appropriate that it’s on the day when we give hearts.
• “Ferris Wheel Day”, celebrating the 1859 birth of George Washington Gale Ferris, the Galesburg IL engineer who invented the ‘Ferris wheel’ for the 1893 “Chicago World’s Exposition”. The original wheel measured 250 feet in diameter and could hold 1,440 people.
• “Have-A-Heart Day”, when vegetarians encourage you to quit eating animals. (So go kill a carrot today!)
• “Pet Theft Awareness Day”, promoting awareness of the need for pet protection in public places. (Go ahead … just try and steal my pitbull!)
NET: http://bit.ly/eGmgAE
• “Snow Moon”, the Full Moon of February, so-named by native tribes of the north and east because the heaviest snow usually falls during this month. It was also referred to as the ‘Hunger Moon’, since harsh weather made hunting difficult.
• “Valentines Day”, the most widely celebrated unofficial holiday. A few interesting facts …
– The Catholic Church recognizes at least 3 different saints named Valentine, all of whom were martyred, one for performing secret weddings for young lovers.
– Pope Gelasius declared February 14th “St Valentine’s Day” around 498 AD, in part to replace the ancient Roman fertility festival “Lupercalia”.
– About 1 billion Valentine cards are exchanged, making it the 3rd largest card-sending occasion after Christmas and Fathers Day. It’s also the 4th-biggest flower-selling occasion.
– Teachers receive the most Valentines Day cards, followed by school children, mothers, wives, and then … sweethearts.

SATURDAY –
• “Gumdrop Day”, honoring the popular, gelatin-based candy which has been a favorite for decades. Nowadays, ‘Gummi’ candies are the most popular incarnation of the gumdrop.
• “National Flag of Canada Day”, the 19th annual official celebration of Canada’s maple leaf flag. It was first unveiled on Parliament Hill in 1965, replacing the ‘Red Ensign’.
• “Singles Awareness Day”, observed on the day after “Valentines Day” as a day for singles to give each other gifts and to celebrate and enjoy the fact that they’re unattached.
• “World Whale Day”, one of Hawaii’s most popular events, this all-day celebration honors the humpback whales that come to Maui each Winter.

SUNDAY –
• “Almond Day”, an annual salute to the little tree fruit that’s touted as good for your heart, good for your waistline, and good for your skin.
NET: http://www.nationalalmondday.com
• “American International Toy Fair”, the 111th edition of the largest toy trade show in the Western Hemisphere through Wednesday in NYC. More than 1,500 toy-makers display the new stuff we’ll be scrambling for this coming holiday season.
NET: http://www.toyfairny.com
• “Do a Grouch a Favor Day”, a day to perform an unexpected good deed to cheer up someone who’s sulky.

THIS DAY IN SHOW BIZ . . .
2011 [03] TV game show “Jeopardy!” begins a series pitting human players Brad Rutter and Ken Jennings against an IBM computer named ‘Watson’, which eventually wins over 3 times as much money

TODAY’S MUSIC EVENT . . .
2006 [08] Willie Nelson releases the song “Cowboys are Secretly, Frequently (Fond of Each Other)” on Valentines Day

TODAY’S FIRST . . .
2000 [14] After keeping his remains in a cardboard box for years, Blessed John Duns Scotus Church in Glasgow, Scotland puts the bones of St Valentine on display (other European churches also claim to have Valentine relics … they should get together and build a complete saint!)

TODAY’S RECORD . . .
1415 [599] ‘Oldest Known Valentine’ is sent by the Duke of Orleans to his French wife while he’s imprisoned in the Tower of London (still on display at the British Museum)

COMING UP . . .
[Mon] “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” debuts (NBC)
[Mon] Presidents Day (USA)
[Mon] Family Day (AB/ON/SK)/Louis Riel Day (MB)
[Mon] PTA Founders Day
[Tues] Battery Day
[Wed] 2014 Brit Awards (London)
[Wed] Chocolate Mint Day
[Wed] Single Tasking Day
This Week Is … Celebration of Love Week
This Month Is … Cat Health Month

BULL’S BITS


BS REAL WINTER GAMES:
• Endurance – Standing at a bus stop while getting repeatedly slushed by passing traffic.
• Quickness – Jumping off your snowmobile before it goes through the hole in the ice.
• Strength – Scraping an ice-covered windshield using only a credit card.
• Dexterity – Driving while looking out a 6-inch square of an ice-covered windshield because your credit card broke.
• Swiftness — Taking the garbage out to the garage wearing a bathrobe and no coat.
• Innovation – Opening a frozen car door lock using only your breath.
• Balance – Walking across a frozen pond without falling on your ass.
• Speed – Shoveling two tracks down a driveway just big enough to back a vehicle through.

BS RANDOM JOKE:
The last thing I want to do is hurt you. But it’s still on the list.

BS PHONE STARTER:
☎ What’s the biggest lie you’ve used on your résumé in order to try and land a job?

BS U-PICK TRIVIA:
• Which pagan fertility festival did  Valentines Day  replace?
a. Lupercalia [CORRECT, the ancient Roman fertility festival.]
b. Saturnalia
c. Paraphernalia
d. I-wanna-nalia

• Which herb was an early symbol of St Valentine’s Day?
a. Parsley
b. Bay Leaves [CORRECT. A bouquet is really cheap!]
c. Tarragon
d. Cannabis

BS WATER COOLER QUESTION:
Question: Hard to believe, but it turns out February is the safest month to do THIS.
Answer: Drive.

BS DEEP THOUGHT:
If you want your dreams to come true, don’t oversleep.

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