BS SHOW BIZ BUZZ:
★ “Star Wars” actor John Boyega is in talks to tackle a theater role in London’s West End in between work on the sci-fi franchise. The Brit actor became a household name following the release of “Star Wars: The Force Awakens”. Production on the next installment is beginning this month. John has revealed he has been taking meetings about potential stage roles but is struggling to make a commitment to a project because his future “Star Wars” filming dates are yet to be firmed up.
– WENN.com
★ Cate Blanchett is poised to make her long-awaited Broadway debut in the acclaimed drama “The Present”. Following a sold-out run in Australia, the play adapted by Blanchett’s playwright husband Andrew Upton from Anton Chekhov’s first play, “Platonov”, will have a limited engagement on the Great White Way later this year. Blanchett originated her performance at the Sydney Theatre Company, where Upton serves as Artistic Director. The award-winning play is set in the mid-1990s at a country house, where friends gather to celebrate the birthday of a widow.
– Broadway.com
★ “House of Cards” has been renewed for a 5th season on Netflix but the show will be undergoing a major change. Series creator Beau Willimon has announced his departure from the series which began in 2013, saying it’s time to move on to other endeavours. “House of Cards”‘Season 4 hits Netflix on March 4th and will focus on the re-election campaign of president Frank Underwood (Kevin Spacey). The series is now moving into uncharted territory as the BBC-TV show it’s adapted from lasted just 3 seasons. Both are based on a 1989 novel written by Michael Dobbs.
– “Entertainment Weekly”

TODAY’S SHOW BIZ SKED:
• “American Idol” (FOX) – The contestants are put to the test as Hollywood rounds continue.
• “Conan” (TBS/CTV) – Cage the Elephant (“Tell Me I’m Pretty”).
• “Jimmy Kimmel Live” (ABC/CityTV) – Kopecky (“Blood”).
• “Last Call With Carson Daly” (NBC) – Ratatat (“Magnifique”). Rerun.
• “Late Show With Stephen Colbert” (CBS/Global) – Anderson Paak & The Free Nationals (“Malibu”).
• “Live With Kelly & Michael” (syndicated/CTV) – LA Reid (“Sing to Me: My Story of Making Music, Finding Magic, and Searching for Who’s Next”).
• “Madoff” (ABC) – Richard Dreyfuss & Blythe Danner star in the 1st night of a 2-night miniseries based on the book “The Madoff Chronicles” by Brian Ross of ABC News. It’s about the former stockbroker who operated a Ponzi scheme considered to be the largest fraud in US history. In 2009, Madoff was sentenced to 150 years in prison.
• “Marilyn Denis Show” (CTV/CTV2) – Alan Frew (Glass Tiger).
• “Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” (NBC/CTV2) – The Chainsmokers (“Bouquet”).

BS MUSIC NOTES:
• Adele – “25” has returned to #1 on the ‘Billboard 200’ chart in its 10th week of release. It’s expected to cross the 8 million-copy sales threshold sometime this week. Meantime, a rep for Adele has distanced her from Donald Trump, saying the presidential hopeful does not have permission to play her songs at political rallies.
• Jana Kramer – She’s having herself a week. She became a mother on Sunday to baby girl Jolie Rae Caussin, and then became an Academy of Country Music Awards nominee on Monday for ‘Best Female Vocalist’.
• Red Hot Chili Peppers – Frontman Anthony Kiedis says they’re in the home stretch of finishing a new album. The group has been working with producer Danger Mouse and will return to the studio later in February. They are slated to play a number of festival dates this year.
• Rihanna – Her new album “Anti” gets a physical release this Friday with standard and deluxe CD versions on the way. There are 3 bonus tracks on the deluxe edition. Additionally, “Anti” is now available on Pandora.
• Rolling Stones – Tonight they embark on the “Latina Olé” stadium tour that marks the band’s first visit to Latin America in a decade. The tour begins in Santiago, Chile and runs through March 14th in Mexico City with a dozen shows in 9 cities.
• Will Smith – He’s confirmed he’s returning to music and plans to tour with former partner Jazzy Jeff this Summer. It’s been nearly 30 years since DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince (aka Smith) starting making music together. Smith has revealed he has more than 30 newly recorded songs …. hopefully better than “Boom! Shake the Room”.

WHOSE LIGHTBULB IDEA WAS THIS?
General Electric is making a pre-Valentines Day split, announcing: “GE is breaking up with Compact Fluorescent Lamps”. It will phase out CFLs this year and start moving toward now-more-affordable Light-Emitting Diodes, or LEDs. CFLs, which replaced the original incandescent bulbs in the 1980s, do last longer but consumers don’t like how long they take to warm up, the harsh light they emit, or the fact that they’re made using mercury. Energy-efficient LEDs boast warmer, more appealing light, and last even longer. GE claims a single LED bulb can light a child’s lamp from birth through college graduation. LED bulbs were super-expensive until recently but more people are starting to use them thanks to cost reductions. (Now … what to do with the 97 mercury-filled CFLs in your house?)
– Bloomberg News

BS CUTTING-EDGE VOCAB:
New terms entering the lingo …
• ‘Escalefter’ – A person who stands on the left side of a busy escalator, thus blocking those who wish to walk up or down to save time.
• ‘Saunification’ – The transformation of an area into a sauna-like environment. The rapid saunification of the atmosphere was one of 2015’s important climate stories.
• ‘Switch & Swipe Generation’ – The younger generation who, it’s claimed, have more partners, move house more often, and will have twice as many jobs as their parents.

KILLING DRONES:
Eagles are being trained to grab drones from the sky. It’s just one of the ideas being tested by the Dutch National Police in their quest to counter the increasing use of illegal drones. The cops  worked with the company Guard From Above to train the eagles. The expert hunters are taught to treat drones as if they are a potential meal. Obviously there’s a chance that an eagle could get hurt by a drone’s blades so police are apparently looking into some sort of protective clothing for the birds (?!?!). Drones are becoming increasingly common and there have been a number of near-misses involving airplanes. A report last month also warns that drones could be used by terrorists. (Or even worse … Amazon.)
– “Newsbeat”

LIFE BY THE NUMBERS:
A BS breakdown of who we are and what we do …
• 78% of women get annoyed when their man screams for his favorite sports team.
• 53% of men and 33% of women travel with their own pillow.
• 44% of kindergartners have kissed another kindergartner.
• 32% of women have had regrets after cutting their hair short.
• 25% of women say they enjoy watching the Super Bowl, while most admit they ‘endure’ it.
• 12% of us have been stood up on a first date.

FANCY PANTS:
A new Guess line of high-tech denim promises to make you feel as good as you look. The $128 JeanCare jeggings claim to slim your hips, butt, and other problem areas with the brand’s signature Slimtex technology while also hydrating and nourishing your skin with nutrient-enriched materials. The fabric is woven with ginkgo extract to increase blood flow, sea kelp to fight cellulite deposits, as well as epidermis-loving vitamin E to nourish skin. The pants are also treated with fragrant lavender and chamomile scents that are released with each wear to relieve stress. Beware though … a Guess rep warns against ‘heavy washing’ or else you’ll rinse away all the special effects. (Talk about jean therapy.)
– “New York Daily News”

LINGERIE … FOR GUYS:
If you’re looking to spice things up this Valentines Day, we’ve found some fabulous lingerie that’ll definitely get things going in the bedroom. Sorry ladies, it’s not for you. Because guys need lingerie options too. But are real men going to be interested in wearing something a little on the frilly side? Or go the whole hog with a matching two-piece? The answer is yes, of course, if it leads to ‘results’. So you might consider doing a bit of online shopping for your guy at sites like bodyaware.com or candyman.com, whether it’s for a ‘Paris Lace Cami’ or a thong that’s said to really ‘accentuate’ the rear. (Perfect for this weekend’s Super Bowl party?)
NET: http://tinyurl.com/gmmxr7n
– Metro.co.uk

DID YOU KNOW?
In Richard Dawkins’ book “The Selfish Gene”, he coined the term meme (‘meem’). Today it has specific digital connotations, describing ideas, images, or videos that go viral online. But the original Dawkins idea applied to all ideas that are transmitted from one person to another via non-genetic means. And when did he come up with this word? 1976.
– MentalFloss.com

BS CHRONOMETER 02.03.16

TODAY’S CELEBIRTHDAYS . . .
1956 [60] Nathan Lane, Jersey City NJ, Broadway actor (“The Producers”, “Guys & Dolls”)/movie actor (“Swing Vote”, “The Birdcage”)

1965 [51] Maura Tierney, Boston MA, TV actress (‘Helen Solloway’ on “The Affair” since 2014, “The Good Wife” 2012-13)/movie actress (“Baby Mama”, “Semi-Pro”)

1976 [40] Isla [‘EYE-luh’] Fisher, Muscat, Oman, movie actress (“Rise Of the Guardians”, “Wedding Crashers”)/wed to comedian-actor Sacha Baron Cohen since 2010

1990 [26] Sean Kingston (Kisean Anderson), Miami FL, reggae-pop singer/rapper (“Fire Burning”, “Beautiful Girls”)

TODAY’S BS REASONS TO PARTY . . .
• “Artist Appreciation Day”, an annual salute to those who choose to create as a way of life.

• “Carrot Cake Day”, an idea that first hatched in the Middle Ages. At that time, sugar and other sweeteners were rare and very expensive, so people used sweet vegetables for flavor.
NET: http://www.punchbowl.com/holidays/national-carrot-cake-day

• “Girls & Women in Sports Day”, the 30th celebration of women who ‘Stay Strong, Play On’.

• “Halfway Point of Winter” as 45.5 days of the season have passed by mid-day and the equivalent remain before the beginning of Spring in the Northern Hemisphere.

• “Setsubun”, the day before the traditional beginning of Spring in Japan. It’s accompanied by a special ritual to cleanse away evil. It’s called mamemaki, literally ‘bean throwing’.

THIS DAY IN SHOW BIZ . . .
2015 [01] It’s announced that author Harper Lee will release her 2nd novel, “Go Set a Watchman”, after 55 years (she actually wrote this novel first, but in 1960 editors convinced her to release “To Kill a Mockingbird” instead)

TODAY’S MUSIC EVENTS . . .
2003 [13] Legendary music producer Phil Spector is arrested for murdering actress Lana Clarkson in his Alhambra, California home (later sentenced to 19 years-to-life in prison, meaning he’ll be 88-years-old before becoming eligible for parole)

2008 [08] Adele’s debut album “19” hits #1 on the UK album chart (worldwide sales are now estimated at 10 million copies)

TODAY’S FIRST . . .
2013 [03] A power outage occurs during Super Bowl 47 at the Superdome in New Orleans LA (Baltimore Ravens come out of the dark to defeat San Francisco 49ers 34-31)

TODAY’S RECORDS . . .
2007 [09] Daughtry hits #1 on the ‘Billboard 200’ chart with their self-titled debut, making it the fastest selling debut rock album of all-time (lead singer Chris Daughtry had been the 4th-place finalist on the 5th season of “American Idol”)

2014 [02] Denver Broncos QB Peyton Manning wins a record 5th NFL MVP Award from AP

AND REMEMBER . . .
[Thurs] Facebook Day
[Fri] “Hail, Caesar!”; “Pride and Prejudice and Zombies” open in movie theaters
[Fri] 47th NAACP Image Awards
[Fri] Shower With a Friend Day
[Sat] Canadian Maple Syrup Day
[Sun] “Super Bowl 50” (CBS/CTV)
[Sun] Man Day
[Sun] Dump Your Significant Jerk Day
This Week Is … Women’s Heart Week
This Month Is … Care About Your Indoor Air Month

BULL’S BITS

SLIGHTLY IRRITATING BS THINGS THAT MAKE EVERYONE LOSE THEIR MINDS:
✗ When the water pressure in the shower just isn’t strong enough to rinse out your shampoo.
✗ When you push a door that you should have pulled. And vice versa.
✗ Attempting to put a USB into a port the right way. 5 times.
✗ Not being able to read a security ‘captcha’ online. Is that ‘Rag687’ or ‘Rug667’?
✗ Having to use rough paper towels to blow your nose because you’ve run out of tissues.
✗ When the strings on your hoodie are uneven and one keeps slipping back inside.
✗ Whenever you try to cut food with plastic cutlery. Snap.
✗ When you squeeze the ketchup/mustard and all you get is condiment snot on your plate.
✗ That constant feeling of peeling skin on the roof of your mouth after you burn it with food.
✗ Trying to find the end of the Scotch tape roll.
(And what’s eating you these days?)
– Adapted from BuzzFeed.com

BS U-PICK TRIVIA:
• Which of the following is nicknamed ‘Methuselah’?
a. The oldest star in Hollywood.
b. The oldest star yet spotted in the universe. [CORRECT. It’s estimated to be 13.8 billion years old.]
c. The oldest star in the NBA.

• Which of the following mates for life?
a. The Gorilla.
b. The Puffin. [CORRECT. They lay only 1 egg per year and both mom & dad puffin help raise the chick.]
c. Ben Affleck.
– List25.com

BS PHONE STARTER:
☎ What does your name mean? Were you named after someone unusual?

BS WEB GOODIE:
There is now a US government website that spells out how much money pharmaceutical companies have spent on specific doctors, ie: taking them to lunch, sending them on travel junkets, and other perks intended to entice get them to recommend a medication. (Is this not drug pushing?)
NET: https://openpaymentsdata.cms.gov/

BS RANDOM JOKE:
Drive defensively … buy an army tank.

BS WATER COOLER QUESTION:
Question: Sales of THESE are said to triple the week before the Super Bowl.
Answer: La-Z-Boy Recliners.

BS DEEP THOUGHT:
A key ring is a handy little gadget that allows you to lose all of your keys at once.