BS SHOW BIZ BUZZ:
★ Emilia Clarke has been voted #1 on AskMen.com’s annual ‘Most Desirable Women’ list. The  English actress is best known for her role as ‘Daenerys Targaryen’ on the HBO series “Game of Thrones”. Also in the top 5: Emily Ratajkowski (the model/actress from Robin Thicke’s “Blurred Lines” video), TV actress Alison Brie (“Community”, “Mad Men), followed by movie stars Jennifer Lawrence and Emma Watson.
– WENN.com
★ Now that 54-year-old music mogul Simon Cowell has shown off his new son Eric via Twitter, we get the back story on the birth. Dad Cowell had to make a mad TransAtlantic dash from London to NYC when girlfriend Lauren Silverman went into labor on Friday so he could be in the Big Apple when she gave birth. In the tweeted pics of the newborn we get a glimpse of the little man actually showing more chest than his pop.
– TMZ.com
★ Actor Jesse Eisenberg (“The Social Network”) has inked a publishing deal to release a collection of short stories. “Bream Gives Me Hiccups: And Other Stories” will hit stores next year and will include articles written for “The New Yorker”, the website “McSweeney’s”, as well as never-before-published pieces. In addition to his book deal, Eisenberg has been tapped to play ‘Lex Luthor’ in the upcoming “Man of Steel” movie sequel.
– Canoe.ca
★ And according to an insider, superstar singer Taylor Swift had been ‘saving herself for marriage’ but was so smitten with movie actor Jake Gyllenhaal 3 years back that after 3 months of dating he convinced her to go all the way. Then after she lost her virginity to her former boyfriend, she was left heartbroken when he bailed on her 21st birthday party. The snitch claims Swift was so devastated she locked herself in a bathroom and cried the entire night. The breakup inspired virtually every word of Swift’s album “RED”, the source claims.
– RadarOnline.com

TODAY’S SHOW BIZ SKED:
• “American Idol” (FOX/CTV) – 15 female singers perform; Randy Jackson returns as in-house mentor.
• “Ellen DeGeneres Show” (syndicated/CTV2) – Harry Connick Jr (“American Idol”).
• “Jimmy Kimmel Live” (ABC/CityTV) – Phantogram (“Voices”).
• “Late Night With Jimmy Fallon” (NBC/CTV2) – Lady Gaga (“ArtPop”).
• “Late Show With David Letterman” (CBS/Omni1) – Cole Swindell (“Cole Swindell”).
• “Live With Kelly & Michael” (ABC/CTV) – John Legend (“Love In the Future”).
• “Tavis Smiley” (PBS) – Earl Klugh (“The Spice of Life”).
• “Winter Olympics” (CBC/NBC) – Men’s Hockey; Alpine Skiing: Women’s Giant Slalom; Freestyle Skiing; Bobsled; Short Track.

BS MUSIC NOTES:
• Backstreet Boys – Following tours through North American and Japan, they continue promoting their latest album “In A World Like This” with European tour dates beginning tonight in Lisbon, Portugal. The Euro trek runs through April 5th in Manchester UK.
• Chris  Brown – A pick-up basketball buddy is claiming Brown and 3 of his goons beat him up during a game at a gym. A lawyer for the ‘victim’ suggests he’d rather have $250,000 in compensation than file charges. Brown’s lawyer claims that’s extortion and is threatening a lawsuit. One thing for certain … wherever Brown goes, mayhem seems to follow.
• Christina Aguilera – The 32-year-old has become engaged to boyfriend Matthew Rutler. Her divorce from 1st husband, Jordan Bratman, was finalized in 2011. Their son Max is 6.
• Cole Swindell – He’s ridden high on the country charts with “Chillin’ It” and today he releases his self-titled debut album. The single sold more than a half-million copies.
• Kanye West – He’s praised fiancée Kim Kardashian’s ‘skills’ on a new remix of Beyoncé’s “Drunk in Love” in which he claims he first fell in love with KK after ‘impregnating her mouth’. Charming.
• Lauryn Hill – Journalists who want to write about them are being advised of one very important detail. Don’t call her Lauren Hill. Seriously. It has to be Ms Lauryn Hill. And only Ms Lauryn Hill.
• Lorde – The New Zealand pop star tells “V Magazine” she wants to pull her hit single “Royals” off radio over fears fans will tire of her too quickly. Quote: “I’d like to give people a little bit of breathing room before I unleash something different.”
• Rush – Ironically, the quintessentially Canadian band’s 1974 song “Working Man” has been used in a new Walmart TV campaign unveiled during the Daytona 500 auto race. The ad touts the retail chain’s $250-billion commitment to … products made in America. Oops.

TODAY’S VIDEO RELEASES:
No major movie releases on Netflix and/or other video providers, just these  …
“Battlestar Galactica: The Complete Epic Series” (Sci-Fi TV); “Game of Thrones: The Complete 3rd Season” (Fantasy TV); “Gentle Ben: Season 2” (Vintage TV); “Nurse Jackie: Season 5” (Comedy TV); “Pompeii: The Doomed City” (Documentary); “The Six Million Dollar Man: Season 5” (Vintage TV); and “Strawberry Shortcake: Berry Big Help” (Family Animation).

A SHORT HISTORY OF KISSING:
● The kiss as we know it today was invented by medieval knights for the purpose of determining whether their wives had been tapping the ‘mead barrel’ (drinking booze) while they were away on crusades.
● During the Victorian era, social kissing was considered unacceptable behavior.
● In Poland, a kiss on the hand was a sign of rebellion during the 40 years of Communist rule.
– “A Kiss is Just a Kiss”

MAKING CENTS:
If you haven’t taught your kids how to handle money properly by the time they reach Grade 2 you might as well forget it. By the time children reach 7, most are capable of realizing the value of money and understanding the concept of exchanging currency for goods or services, according to Cambridge University researchers. The study concludes that the ‘habits of mind’ which influence the ways children approach complex problems and decisions are largely determined in the first few years of life. (Best to start them on a Bitcoin bank early.)
– Yahoo! News

MORE WORDS FROM OTHER LANGUAGES WE DON’T HAVE IN ENGLISH:
✓ Pochemuchka (Russian) – A person who asks too many questions.
✓ Vybafnout (Czech) – To jump out and say ‘boo!’.
✓ Faamiti (Samoan) – That kiss-y sound to attract the attention of a dog or a baby.
✓ Iktsuarpok (Inuit) – Continuously checking your front door to see if your guests have arrived.
✓ Seigneur-terraces (French) – People who sit at cafés all the time without buying anything.
✓ Hygge (Danish) – Sitting around a fire with close friends in Winter.
✓ Kaelling (Danish) – A woman who never stops yelling, especially in public places.
✓ Kummerspeck (German) – The weight you gain from emotional over-eating.
– List25.com

DOWNSIDE OF DAYDREAMS:
A recently-published study in the “Journal of Experimental Social Psychology” suggests that the more clearly you visualize success, the less motivated you are to actually try to achieve it. The finding supports past research that’s found that people who spontaneously dream about a rosy future tend to have lower achievements. These conclusions certainly fly in the face of the popular concept of ‘visualizing success’. They’re also depressing for those among us who hope our fantasies will someday come true. (Bottom line: There are dreamers and there are doers.)
– TheGlobeandMail.com

WHY WOMEN CHEAT:
• You stopped giving her attention.
• Lack of intimacy.
• You changed drastically in the relationship.
• Someone’s giving her more attention.
• She’s just a rotten person.
• You started it … you cheated on her!
– AskMen.com

FLUSHED AWAY:
Carelessness in flushing improper things down toilets has increasingly been causing clogs. That’s why Orange County, California began a public-awareness campaign called “What 2 Flush” that advises the average toilet is designed only for the 3 Ps (toilet paper is the 3rd; use your imagination on the first 2). A 2011 study found that 42% of all sewer-pipe clogs are due to paper products, primarily paper towels, followed by baby wipes, hygiene products, and supposedly ‘flushable’ body wipes. And then there’s the other stuff some people try to swirl away: Condoms, dental floss, and cat litter. (Cocaine when the front door is busted down …)
– Salon.com

BS AMAZING ANIMAL FACTS:
• Great white sharks can live to be 70.
– BBC
• Penguins huddle like traffic jams, using a stop-go series of movements to keep the group warm.
– “Daily Mail”
• The vampire spider is attracted to the smell of human feet.
– “Quite Interesting”

BS CHRONOMETER 02.18.14

TODAY’S CELEBIRTHDAYS . . .
1933 [81] Yoko Ono, Tokyo, Japan, bad artist/bad singer/John Lennon’s really, really rich widow

1954 [60] John Travolta, Englewood NJ, movie actor (“The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3”, “Pulp Fiction”)

1957 [57] Vanna White (Rosich), North Myrtle Beach SC, TV mannequin (“Wheel of Fortune”)  who’s been a ‘letter turner’ since 1982

1964 [50] Matt Dillon, New Rochelle NY, movie actor (“Crash”, “There’s Something About Mary”)

1965 [49] Dr Dre (Andre Young), Compton CA, rapper/recording producer (Snoop Dogg, Eminem)/sometime movie actor (“Training Day”, “Set It Off”)/headphone mogul (Beats by Dre)

1970 [44] Raine Maida, Toronto ON, alt-rock singer/songwriter (Our Lady Peace-“Somewhere Out There”, “Clumsy”)/married to singer Chantal Kreviazuk since 1999

BS REASONS TO PARTY . . .
• “Battery Day”, observed on the birth date of Count Alessandro Volta (1745-1827), the Italian physicist credited with the development of the first electric cell in 1800. It’s an opportunity to celebrate his vital invention that is used everywhere, from smoke alarms to automobiles. They come in all sorts of shapes, sizes, and power capacity, to fit a wide array of needs … but are rarely included with any consumer product needing them.

• “Open a Can of Beans Day”, in celebration of “Canned Food Month”, when we’re encouraged to chow down on beans during at least one meal. (Tomorrow is ‘Evacuate the Studio Day!’)

• “Single Tasking Day”, an annual observance on the 3rd Tuesday of February. Research shows that multitasking is really inefficient as it dilutes focus, introduces delays, and makes things take longer to complete. Prove the theory yourself today by trying to focus on one task at a time.

• “Thumb Appreciation Day”, a day devoted to the digit that helps make us human … the opposable thumb. Of course that means a few other animals can celebrate as well, including koalas, opossums, and pandas; as well as chimps, gorillas, and orangutans, which have opposable thumbs … on all 4 limbs. (Oh wow, we’ve got thumb envy!)

THIS DAY IN SHOW BIZ . . .
1989 [25] On-going “Wayne’s World” skit with Mike Myers (‘Wayne Campbell’) & Dana Carvey (‘Garth Algar’) debuts on NBC-TV’s “Saturday Night Live” (“Party time! Excellent!”)

1999 [15] George Clooney makes his final appearance as ‘Dr Doug Ross’ on “ER”, then moves on to making movies full-time

TODAY’S MUSIC EVENT . . .
1998 [16] “Titanic” movie soundtrack is certified 6-times Platinum for sales of 6 million copies

TODAY’S FIRST . . .
1929 [85] The Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences announces winners of the 1st “Academy Awards” (‘Best Picture’ honors goes to the William Wellman WWI drama “Wings”)

TODAY’S RECORD . . .
1979 [35] Snow falls in the Sahara Desert of southern Algeria for the first recorded time

AND REMEMBER . . .
[Wed] 2014 Brit Awards (London)
[Wed] Chocolate Mint Day
[Wed] Single Tasking Day
[Thurs] Introduce A Girl to Engineering Day
[Thurs] Northern Hemisphere Hoodie Hoo Day
[Fri] “Pompeii”; “3 Days to Kill” open in movie theaters
This Week is … Brotherhood-Sisterhood Week
This Month Is … Youth Leadership Month

BULL’S BITS

HOW YOU STASH YOUR CASH REVEALS YOUR PERSONALITY:
• Close to the Body – Those who hide money in a belt or shoulder holster are people who hoard everything in their lives. They hoard personal assets and are jealous of others’ relationships.
• Loose in a Pocket or Purse – These people have more important things to do than worry about money. They are happiest when being independent.
• Fastened in a Money Clip – Money clippers think of money as easy to earn and when they decide they need more, they’ll work overtime, take a second job, or cash in on investments.
• Paper Money & Change Mixed Together – These people are very social. They like variety in their lives and would rather chat with friends than balance their bank account.
• Paper Money in Several Places, Different Pockets And/or Purse – These people plan ahead for problems and always have contingency plans. On the other hand, they are not very spontaneous.
• One Hidden Large Denomination Bill – These people want to be self-sufficient at all costs. They resist advice, spend time alone, and they are under no obligation to anyone.
• Neatly Arranged in a Wallet Arranged by Denominations – People who keep their money filed are intellectual hard workers. They find it difficult to understand people who do not set goals.
• In a Wallet in No Order – These people rely on their intuition more than others and tend to be compassionate.

BS OLYMPIC CHALLENGE:
• The Bronze Medal Question – What does the Olympic motto ‘Citius, Altius, Fortius’ mean?
[It’s Latin for ‘Swifter, Higher, Stronger’.]
• The Silver Medal Question – What colors are the 5 Olympic rings?
[Blue, black, green, red, and yellow; representing Africa, the Americas, Asia, Australia, and Europe. At least 1 of the 5 colors can be found in the flag of every country in the world.]
• The Gold Medal Question – When the modern Olympics began in 1896, what was awarded to 1st place winners?
[Silver medals. At the time, gold was considered an inferior metal to silver. In 1904, gold medals replaced silver as the top prize.]

BS RANDOM JOKE:
When in doubt, mumble.

BS PHONE STARTER:
☎ What’s the one big misconception people have about your profession?

BS WATER COOLER QUESTION:
Question: 40% of teenage boys do THIS about twice a day.
Answer: Put on deodorant or cologne.

BS DEEP THOUGHT:
If all the worlds a stage, we need to hire better actors.