Tuesday, February 28, 2012           Edition: #4694

Thanks For Being On Our Sheet List!

BS SHOW BIZ BUZZ:
Former “Xena: Warrior Princess” star Lucy Lawless was among Greenpeace campaigners arrested yesterday for staging a 4-day protest over Arctic drilling aboard an oil ship docked in Taranaki, New Zealand (they’re scheduled to face burglary charges in court Thursday) . . . UK’s “The Sun” reports Angelina Jolie & Brad Pitt have drafted plans for an eco-friendly underground playground at their chateau in the south of France, which will allow their 6 kids access to slides, tunnels, boat rides, a pirate island with a castle, a go-kart track, and even an old-fashioned carousel (as they recently found out at Britain’s Legoland, they can’t visit a real theme park due to security probs) . . . They’re also allegedly building a chapel on their French estate (hmm, what could that mean?!?) . . . Meantime, Brangelina may co-star in a new movie together, but Jolie insists it will not be a romantic comedy (they met on the set of “Mr & Mrs Smith” in 2005) . . . Miley Cyrus has laughed off reports that she’s a stoner in the past, but now she’s been photographed at a medical marijuana dispensary (oops!) . . . Movie actress Emma Stone (“The Help”) says she’s planning to hit “Comic-Con 2012” in San Diego CA, the world’s biggest comic book convention, in some sort of sc-fi disguise so she can move about at will (this year’s event runs July 12th-15th) . . . “America’s Next Top Model” creator-host Tyra Banks has just graduated from Harvard Business School, completing the ‘Owner/President Management Program’ in a bid to better her brand (clearly the beauty also has brains) . . . And “Daily Mirror” is reporting that actress Jennifer Aniston has told friends she’s extremely happy in her relationship and expects to be married ‘by the end of the year’ (now the pressure’s on boyfriend Justin Theroux to pop the question!).

TODAY’S SHOW BIZ SKED:
• “American Idol” (FOX/CTV) – The male semifinalists perform.
• “Conan” (TBS/CTV) – Young Jeezy f/Ne-Yo (“TM 103 Hustlerz Ambition”).
• “Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo” (Reliant Stadium, Houston TX) – One of the biggest annual venues for country music opens tonight with Alabama on stage. Also on tap through March 18th: Blake Shelton, Brad Paisley, Chris Young, Jason Aldean, Lady Antebellum, Luke Bryan, Miranda Lambert, Reba McEntire, and the Zac Brown Band.
• “Jimmy Kimmel Live” (ABC/CHCH) – Mat Kearney (“Young Love”).
• “Last Call With Carson Daly” (NBC) – Fun (“Aim & Ignite”).
• “Late Night With Jimmy Fallon” (NBC/CTV2) – Kenny Chesney (“Hemingway’s Whiskey”).
• “Late Show With David Letterman” (CBS/NTV/Omni1) – Estelle (“All of Me”, out today).
• “Tavis Smiley” (PBS) – Sinead O’Connor (“How About I Be Me And You Be You?”).
• “Tonight Show With Jay Leno” (NBC/CTV2) – Mona (“Mona”).
• “The View” (ABC/CTV) – Guest co-host Mary J Blige (“My Life II: The Journey Continues, Act 1”).

BS MUSIC NOTES:
• Avril Lavigne – Her name’s being bandied about as a potential contender to fill one of the vacant judging spots on FOX-TV’s “The X Factor”. So far Simon Cowell has not confirmed any replacements for judges Nicole Scherzinger and Paula Abdul, nor for host Steve Jones.
• Britney Spears – Her ex, Kevin Federline, says he wants their sons Sean Preston and Jayden James to get part-time jobs when they reach 16 to help them learn about the real world. Quote: “I worked at a car wash, I worked at a pizza place. Things like that made me.” (Uh … made you what?)
• Craig Morgan – Today the “Bonfire” country singer releases his 6th studio album, “This Ole Boy”, his first new music in nearly 3 years.
• The Kooks – Tonight they begin a headlining tour of North America in Las Vegas. This run will be succeeded by a series of dates opening for Foster the People in May and June.
• Whitney Houston – Her YouTube & Vevo plays are up by 4,523% since she died. (Sometimes dying is the best marketing ploy.)

TODAY’S VIDEO RELEASES:
• “Hugo” ( PG 3D Family Adventure ): In a radical departure, director Martin Scorsese (“The Departed”) embraces kid-friendly entertainment for the first time. Asa Butterfield stars as an orphaned boy in 1930s Paris who discovers an automaton in a train station. Winner of 5 Oscars. A bigscreen adaptation of the children’s book “The Invention of Hugo Cabret”.
• “Johnny English Reborn” ( PG Action Comedy ): Rowan Atkinson returns to the role of the improbable secret agent who knows no fear in this long-after-the-2003-original spy-thriller spoof. In this adventure, he must stop a group of international assassins before they eliminate a world leader. Co-stars Gillian Anderson, Dominic West.
• Also released today: “Enemies Of the People” (Documentary); “Here Come the Brides: The Complete 2nd Season” (Classic TV); “Law & Order: The 9th Year” (TV); “The Sky Turns” (Documentary); “Todd & The Book of Pure Evil: The Complete 1st Season” (TV); and “Top Gear 17” (Sports TV).

HOW TO PROPOSE TO YOUR MAN THIS LEAP YEAR:
It’s a Leap Year, when according to tradition women can get down on bended knee and ask their dithering partner to take their hand in marriage. A few tips from experts on dos and don’ts for success on February 29th …
• Do sound him out first, perhaps make a joke about popping the question and gauge his response so you know if he is likely to say yes.
• Do suggest you re-visit the restaurant where you had your first meal to rekindle the feeling of new love but don’t get drunk … you might not remember if he says ‘yes’.
• Do dress to impress to put him in the mood for romance.
• Do flatter him and pander to his ego.
• Do let him know your feelings before you pop the question.
• Don’t be with friends; just the two of you is best.
• Don’t propose with a ring. Just ask the question and get the response; you can buy a ring later.
• Don’t propose in the height of passion; you may not get a truthful reply.
• Don’t propose if you have known him less than 6 months; you’re still looking through rose-colored glasses.
• Don’t tell friends you are going to ask him beforehand.
– FemaleFirst.co.uk

BEST PLACES IN THE WORLD TO PROPOSE:
A new listing by travel pros of perfect places to pop the question …
✓ Taj Mahal, India.
✓ Lewa Downs, Kenya.
✓ Antarctica.
✓ Rialto Bridge, Venice.
✓ Iguazu Falls, Argentina.
✓ Sahara Desert, Morocco.
✓ The Pitons, St Lucia.
✓ Great Barrier Reef, Australia.
– eTurboNews.com

THE SKY IS FALLING:
Over the last 10 years the height of clouds has been shrinking, according to new research at New Zealand’s University of Auckland. Scientists think it could have an important effect on global climate change as lower clouds in the atmosphere would allow Earth to cool more efficiently, potentially offsetting some of the warming caused by greenhouse gases. So why is the ceiling seemingly getting lower? Researchers admit they just don’t know. (No BS answer … how refreshing!)
– TheGlobeandMail.com

BIGGEST HEARTBREAK HITS:
A new ranking of the greatest all-time weepers in pop music …
10. “I Will Always Love You”, Whitney Houston.
9. “I Heard It Through the Grapevine”, Marvin Gaye.
8. “The Sign”, Ace Of Base.
7. “Apologize”, Timbaland f/OneRepublic.
6. “Rolling In the Deep”, Adele.
5. “End Of the Road”, Boyz II Men.
4. “Every Breath You Take”, The Police.
3. “Foolish Games”, Jewel.
2. “Un-Break My Heart”, Toni Braxton.
1. “We Belong Together”, Mariah Carey.
– Billboard.com

IN AMERICA, NAME-CHANGERS RULE:
A new study shows that Midwestern college women have become more conservative about family and gender roles since 1990. That includes attitudes about women taking their husbands’ name at marriage. Young Midwesterners are now 3 times more likely to say that women who don’t take their husbands’ names are less committed to their relationships than in 1990. No national stats are kept but previous research suggests at least 90%, and possibly up to 98%, of American women change their names upon marriage. (Whatever happened to 3rd-wave feminism?)
– MNN.com

SINCERELY SORRY:
What’s the perfect apology? Experts have their own multi-faceted definitions, but they share these common elements …
✓ Genuine repentance.
✓ Timing. The person making the apology needs to wait long enough to determine exactly what the apology is for, but no longer.
✓ Expression of regret. The wording is most effective when it matches the language and feelings of the victim.
✓ Making amends. If the perpetrator shows the victim he or she will do better next time, forgiveness is easier.
✓ Taking responsibility.
✓ Emotional connection. Recognizing that the pain you’ve caused also causes you pain helps both victim and perpetrator connect.
✓ Willingness to listen to the victim.
– LiveScience.com

DID YOU KNOW?
In 1951, under Mao Tse Tung, Chinese workers would break to do daily group exercises led by a broadcast on Chinese radio. These radio sessions discontinued in 2007 to prepare for broadcasting the Beijing Olympics in 2008. They have since be reimplemented.
– TTP

BS CHRONOMETER 02.28.12