BS SHOW BIZ BUZZ:
★ Filmmaker James Cameron has scored another legal victory after a 3rd copyright infringement lawsuit linked to his sci-fi blockbuster “Avatar” has been thrown out of court. Screenwriter Bryant Moore filed the suit, alleging Cameron based the hugely-successful film on two of his own scripts from 2003, projects called “Aquatica” and “Descendants: The Pollination”. Claiming “Avatar” shared key plot details with his screenplays, Moore was demanding damages in excess of – whoa! – $2.5 billion. You can’t say he doesn’t think big.
– Canoe.ca
★ A contestant on the most recent season of TV talent show “La Voz Mexico” (local version of “The Voice”) has been killed. 22-year-old Gibran Martiz was kidnapped from his home in Veracruz earlier in the month; his body was subsequently found over the weekend following a police shootout in the town of Huatusco. The business student was a big hit on the talent show’s 3rd season. Kind of makes “American Idol” seem tame by comparison.
– WENN.com
★ It might not be the most beautiful music, but what musicians at Cocolab studio in Mexico City are trying to achieve arguably is. They’ve used weapons confiscated from Mexican drug cartels to create an orchestra of instruments, including a xylophone made from gun barrels, a flute made from a rifle, and a guitar made from bullet magazines. Pedro Reyes, the artist behind the project, hopes that by transforming weapons that kill into something that makes music and brings joy, he can dissuade people from using guns to inflict pain and suffering.
NET: http://tinyurl.com/pyok34v
– Telegraph.co.uk
★ And 80-year-old mouthpiece Joan Rivers has had to deal with her fair share of hecklers over the span of her 55-year stand-up career. But one of the more obnoxious annoyances during her recent show at LA’s Saban Theater turned out to be … her E! TV “Fashion Police” co-host Kelly Osbourne. The apparently off-the-wagon 29-year-old offspring of Ozzy Osbourne is said to have been ‘unashamedly boozing it up’ and was causing quite the ruckus. Just last August, she admitted she’d been to rehab … 7 times. Like father, like daughter.
– RadarOnline.com

TODAY’S SHOW BIZ SKED:
• “American Idol” (FOX/CTV2) – The 3rd round of auditions, this time in Detroit MI.
• “Conan” (TBS/CTV) – Trombone Shorty (“Say That to Say This”).
• “Jimmy Kimmel Live” (ABC/CityTV) – Danny Brown (“Old”).
• “National Television Awards” (ITV) – Britain’s annual telly honors are handed out at London’s O2 Arena. “Downton Abbey” is among the most nominated, including a ‘Best Drama Performance’ nod for Maggie Smith. “Sherlock’s” Benedict Cumberbatch battles “Luther’s” Idris Elba for ‘Top TV Detective’, alongside “Broadchurch” stars David Tennant & Olivia Colman.
NET: http://www.nationaltvawards.com
• “Tonight Show With Jay Leno” (NBC/CTV2) – Neon Trees (“Picture Show”).
• “Wahlburgers” (A&E) – Premiere of a new reality show in which show biz bros Mark & Donnie Wahlberg serve up a behind-the-scenes look at daily operations of their Wahlburgers fast-food restaurant in the Boston suburb of Hingham MA. Their sibling Paul has run the family-owned diner since 2011. A 2nd location is set to open soon in Toronto ON.

BS MUSIC NOTES:
• Adele – After a hiatus being a full-time mom to 15-month-old son Angelo, the 25-year-old is reportedly planning a 2015 tour that will take in the UK and North America at least, and could evolve into a world tour. She’s also been recording recently, but only ‘at her own pace’.
• Bon Jovi – 54-year-old Richie Sambora will play Bon Jovi songs that he co-wrote when he tours across Australia in the ‘Soundwave Festival’ in February and March. He’s recruited Australian guitarist Orianthi to join him. Samboro left the band midway through their “Because We Can” tour last year citing ‘personal issues’.
• Drake – He’s revealed that in his pre-music days he showed up to audition for TV show “Degrassi: The Next Generation” while high on marijuana. Though he got the gig, he says the scary experience has prompted him to keep his partying separate from his work-life ever since.
• The Game – Will he be Khloé Kardashian’s Valentine this year? For the 2nd time in as many weeks, the newly-single reality star has been spotted out with the rapper, this time at his ‘Robin Hood Charity Bowling Night’ in Studio City CA.
• Justin Bieber – Like any good Canadian boy can, he reportedly ‘wrote’ his initials in the snow while on a snowboarding trip in Aspen CO. TMZ says his motorcade pulled over on a private road while he jumped out to relieve himself … while surrounded by bodyguards of course.
• Kelly Clarkson – She’s revealed via Twitter that her & hubby Brandon Blackstock’s expected baby is confirmed to be a girl. And she advises fellow pregnant women who are also ‘sick as a dog’ with morning sickness that they just might be able to keep down baked potatoes.
• Pearl Jam – A fan invited into a pickup basketball game with bassist Jeff Ament and Arcade Fire’s Win Butler has ended up with a broken nose. The musicians were on break from the “Big Day Out” festival in Auckland, so the injured fan was rewarded (bought off?) with free tickets.
• Robin Thicke – 29-year-old Brit playwright Nick Payne has created a play entitled “Blurred Lines”, which takes its inspiration from last Summer’s mega-hit. The stage production, which deals with the subject of gender inequality, is set to open soon at London’s The Shed Theatre.

MAMA SAID STOP OR YOU’LL GO BLIND:
‘NoFap’ is a growing online movement among young men who pledge to give up the guilty pleasure of online porn in hope of improving their lives (‘Fapping’ is Internet slang for masturbation). When it started 2 years ago, it was a lighthearted experiment to test whether giving up porn for a week could make one more productive. Today, ‘NoFap’ has grown to more than 80,000 members, many of whom pledge to swear off porn entirely, saying it contributed to low self-esteem, problems with women, and lack of career ambition. Recent forum discussions include a debate on the best software to block Internet porn pop-ups, and on the effectiveness of male chastity belts. (Yes, they exist.)
NET: http://www.nofap.org
– Macleans.ca

WORST PASSWORD?
Though one might think that ‘password’ would be the most common password around, it has now fallen to #2 after the numerical string ‘23456’, according to the latest list of worst passwords from tech firm SplashData. The password management provider compiles its annual list by analyzing the millions of stolen passwords that are posted online during the previous year. Rounding out the top 5 in the latest ranking of the worst: ‘12345678’, ‘qwerty’, and ‘abc123’. Check out the full list here …
NET: http://splashdata.com/press/worstpasswords2013.htm
– QMI

LIFE BY THE NUMBERS:
A BS breakdown of who we are and what we do …
• 66% of us have never mooned someone, but 1-in-4 admit to doing it about once a year.
• 33% of us believe in astrology, but only a third of those who do will tell anyone about it.
• 27% of women say they feel the most confident when they put on red lipstick.
• 22% of us let our pets sleep in bed with us.
• 20% of married men admit they’ve forgotten their anniversary; so do 10% of women.
• 14% of men admit they’ve never installed a new roll of bathroom tissue on the holder … ever.

SMELLY PHONE:
We have all sorts of ways to communicate with one another: Texts, emails, chats, and yes, even phone calls. But there’s one thing that’s been notoriously missing from communication … smell. The new ‘oPhone’ solves this with the ‘oChip’, a little cartridge about the size of a fingernail that retains olfactive data which can produce hundreds – and soon thousands – of odor signals. In conjunction with an app called ‘oTracks’, scents can be transmitted with the push of a button. A prototype of the gizmo is set to be unveiled later this year. (How useful: “Honey, take a whiff of this … does this mayo seem ‘off’?”; “Mom, has my T-shirt been laundered or does it smell like it’s been worn?”)
– Wired.com

BS CUTTING-EDGE VOCAB:
New terms leaking into our lingo …
• ‘Geriaction Film’ – A newly-named action-movie subgenre that features aging actors in the lead roles. (For example, the Sylvester Stallone series “The Expendables”.)
• ‘Life Radius’ – The distance within which a person performs all or most of their day-to-day activities … home, work, shopping, recreation, etc. (How big is yours?)
• ‘Parcel Mullet’ – A new real estate term for a yard that is mown and well-maintained in front of a house, but overgrown and wild in back. Thus the owner ensures ‘curb appeal’ for drive-by viewers without having to expend money and energy maintaining an entire property.

HOW TO STOP SAWING LOGS:
UK choir director Alise Ojay claims that a series of routine vocalizations, performed 20 minutes-a-day for a month, can reduce snoring significantly. Her “Singing for Snorers” CD of guided vocal gymnastics was developed though clinical trials and extensive research that identified particular sounds (such as ‘ung’ and ‘gah’) that strengthen parts of the throat most implicated in snoring. One user who bought the CD on Amazon.com (circa $70) claims it also helped bring his sleep apnea, a more serious sleep disorder involving sudden interrupted breathing, under control. (The good news: Your hubby’s no longer snoring at night. The bad news: He’s frickin’ singing opera a half-hour every day)
– @SmithsonianMag

ANOTHER BLOODY DIET:
The diet book “Eat Right For Your Type” by naturopath Peter D’Adamo has sold more than 5 million copies in 50 languages worldwide since it was first published in 1996. Now a new University of Toronto study has found no added health benefit in following the diet tailored to blood type. According to D’Adamo, different foods react chemically with individual blood types. But after reviewing hundreds of cases, the researchers are confident in saying that the blood type diet hypothesis is totally false. Disappointed fans may include celebs like Demi Moore, Elizabeth Hurley, and  Miranda Kerr, who are said to be followers. (Makes about as much sense as eating foods that match your initials.)
– CTV News

DID YOU KNOW?
• Some 55% of middle names in the UK are chosen to commemorate relatives.
– “Times of London”
• The most popular US college degree earned by millionaires is engineering.
– TIME.com
• There are more lakes in Canada than the rest of the world combined.
– OMG-Facts.com

BS CHRONOMETER 01.22.14

TODAY’S CELEBIRTHDAYS . . .
1949 [65] Steve Perry, Hanford CA, classic rock singer (“Oh Sherry”, Journey-“Open Arms”)

1952 [62] Teddy Gentry, Ft Payne AL, semi-retired country singer (Alabama-“Reckless”, “Jukebox in My Mind”)/a record 21 consecutive #1 country hits

1965 [49] Diane Lane, NYC, movie actress (“Under the Tuscan Sun”, “Unfaithful”)/wed to actor Josh Brolin 2004-13

1985 [29] Orianthi (Panagaris), Adelaide, Australia, pop-rock singer-songwriter/guitarist (“According to You”)

TODAY’S BS REASONS TO PARTY . . .
• “Answer Your Cat’s Questions Day”, a day to concentrate on your feline and answer the questions you think it’s asking. People often consider cats unaffectionate, not true companions. But the truth is, they only talk to humans. Studies show they rarely ‘meow’ at other cats. (See Bull’s Bits below.)

• “Celebration of Life Day”, a day to honor the gift of children and grandchildren.

• “St Vincent of Saragossa Day”, honoring the patron saint of wine growers. Tradition says: ‘Sunshine on St Vincent’s Day means the year’s wine will be more plentiful than water’. Let’s drink to that!

THIS DAY IN SHOW BIZ . . .
2008 [06] Australian actor Heath Ledger (Oscar-“The Dark Knight”) dies in NYC of pharmaceutical overdose at age 29

2010 [04] Conan O’Brien hosts his final “Tonight Show” on NBC-TV

TODAY’S FIRST . . .
1992 [22] Canada’s 1st female astronaut, Roberta Bondar, lifts off in space shuttle ‘Discovery’

TODAY’S RECORDS . . .
1943 [71] Temperature rises by 49 degrees F (30 C) in 2 minutes in Spearfish, South Dakota

1964 [50] World’s ‘Largest Cheese’ (34,590 lbs/15,723 kg) is produced in Wisconsin

2006 [08] LA Lakers superstar Kobe Bryant scores 81 points against the Toronto Raptors at Staples Center, 2nd-most points in a single NBA game in history behind Wilt Chamberlain’s 100 in 1962

AND REMEMBER . . .
[Thurs] “Rake” debuts (FOX)
[Thurs] Women’s Healthy Weight Day
[Fri] Talk Like a Grizzled Prospector Day
[Sat] Directors Guild of America Awards (Los Angeles)
[Sat] Robbie Burns Day
[Sun] “Grammy Awards” (CBS)
This Week Is … Sugar Awareness Week
This Month Is … Volunteer Blood Donor Month

BULL’S BITS

WHAT IS A CAT?
• They’re totally unpredictable.
• They whine when they’re not happy.
• When you want to play, they want to be alone.
• When you want to be alone, they want to play.
• They leave hair everywhere.
Conclusion: They’re tiny women in little fur coats.
WHAT IS A DOG?
• They can look dumb and lovable all at the same time.
• They growl when they are not happy.
• When you want to play, they want to play.
• When you want to be alone, they want to play.
• They leave their toys everywhere.
Conclusion: They’re tiny men in little fur coats.

BS PHONE STARTER:
☎ What’s the strangest nickname you’ve ever heard for someone’s ‘special parts’?

BS U-PICK TRIVIA:
• Where did ancient Greeks and Mesopotamians believe your soul was located?
a. In your heart.
b. In your brain.
c. In your liver. [CORRECT, which makes the myth of Prometheus, whose punishment was to have his liver perpetually torn out by an eagle, more understandable.]
– “Philosophical Dictionary”

• What is a ‘bellwether’?
a. A guidance instrument on a ship.
b. A barometer used by meteorologists.
c. A castrated sheep. [CORRECT. A ‘wether’ leads the flock and wears a bell around its neck.]
– “Wordwizard”

BS RANDOM JOKE:
I was very unassuming as a child. In fact, I was the next door kid’s imaginary friend.

BS WATER COOLER QUESTION:
Question: Married women surveyed say THIS is the toughest thing to get their husbands to do.
Answer: Go to the doctor.

BS DEEP THOUGHT:
Idealism increases in proportion to the distance from the problem.