BS SHOW BIZ BUZZ:
First a report in Brit daily “The Telegraph” set the world abuzz, claiming Brad Pitt & Angelina Jolie were wed Christmas Day at designer Donna Karan’s estate in the Turks & Caicos (certainly far more credible than a blurb in “National Enquirer”) . . . But now “Daily Mail” reports the mayor of the village of Correns near their French estate is saying it is ‘more likely’ the wedding will take place next Saturday (January 12th) at their Chateau Miraval home (this is becoming a shell game) . . . Acting couple Bradley Cooper and Zoe Saldana have ended their relationship a 2nd time, apparently due to Cooper’s hectic schedule promoting his Oscar-tipped movie “Silver Linings Playbook” (BS translation: He’s moving up to the A-list) . . . “Vanity Fair” has named Cooper’s “Silver Linings” co-star, 22-year-old Jennifer Lawrence, the ‘World’s Most Desirable Woman’ but she’s not letting it go to her head, saying ‘making movies is stupid’ (thereby biting the proverbial hand that feeds) . . . Director Jon Favreau (“Iron Man”) has signed on to direct one of the final episodes of “The Office” (NBC), and star John Krasinski (‘Jim Halpert’) says he’ll also direct a couple (this show’s long overdue to be euthanized) . . . And online show biz site “Gossip Cop” says actors Katie Holmes and Jake Gyllenhaal are NOT dating, despite recent rumors to the contrary (also not dating: Kathy Griffin and Anderson Cooper; Tim Tebow and Ryan Seacrest; Lindsay Lohan and the Energizer Bunny).

WEEKEND SHOW BIZ SKED:
• “The Biggest Loser” (NBC) – In the 2-hour Season 14 debut on Sunday, 15 adults and 3 teens come to the ranch to lose weight and change their lives.
• “Great Performances” (PBS) – Tonight Paul Simon reunites with his band to celebrate the 25th anniversary of his album “Graceland”.
• “Jimmy Kimmel Live” (ABC/CityTV) – Tonight Jason Aldean (“Night Train”). Rerun.
• “Last Call With Carson Daly” (NBC) – Tonight Chairlift (“Does You Inspire You”). Rerun.
• “Late Late Show With Craig Ferguson” (CBS) – Tonight The Imagineers (“See As I Say”). Rerun.
• “Late Night With Jimmy Fallon” (NBC/CTV2) – Tonight Grace Potter (“The Lion The Beast The Beat”).
• “Saturday Night Live” (NBC/Global) – Host Louis CK (“Louie”); musical guest fun. (“Some Nights”). Rerun.
• “Tonight Show With Jay Leno” (NBC/CTV2) – Tonight Youngblood Hawke (“Youngblood Hawke”).
• “The View” (ABC/CTV) – Today guest co-host Cee-Lo Green (“The Voice”). Rerun.

BS MUSIC NOTES:
• Allman Bros Band – They’ve scheduled a residency at NYC’s Beacon Theater, planning to play a series of 5 back-to-back shows between March 1st and March 16th.
• Bobby Womack – The 68-year-old Rock & Roll Hall of Fame soul singer (2009) has been diagnosed with early signs of Alzheimer’s disease after having trouble remembering song lyrics and the names of his musical collaborators.
• Foo Fighters – Dave Grohl will perform with a group of musicians dubbed Dave Grohl’s Sound City Players at the “Sundance Film Festival” to promote his new “Sound City” documentary. The band will make its debut on January 18th.
• J Cole – “Born Sinner”, the follow-up to his 2011 debut album “Cole World: The Sideline Story”, was set to hit stores January 28th but has now been pushed back in order to allow more time to perfect the project.
• Jake Owen – He says being the dad of a 1-month-old baby (Olive Pearl) limited his New Year’s Eve partying. Quote: “We didn’t have the all-night rager we’ve had before.”
• Lady Gaga – Rumor has it a new song called “Ratchet”, initially believed to be a collaboration between GaGa and Azealia Banks, will become a track on both Gaga’s and Beyoncé’s new albums, with Rihanna and Azealia also featured on the recording. It’s a female supergroup!
• Lil Wayne – His extensive collection of tattoos includes the words ‘Fear’ and ‘God’ on his eyelids and teardrops on his cheeks, and now the word ‘Baked’ is inked on his forehead. It’s apparently an homage to Baker Skateboards as Weezy has become an avid skateboarder.
• Madonna – Her 61-year-old stalker may get away scot-free after telling Manhattan Criminal Court that he doesn’t feel the same way about her as he used to. Being blown off by a stalker … how demeaning is that?
• Pearl Jam – Eddie Vedder says his band is ‘maybe halfway there’ as far as completing their next studio album. In a new interview with “Rolling Stone” the frontman says they’re taking their time and are currently taking a break from recording.
• PSY – He’s hinting that his New Year’s Eve performance of “Gangnam Style” in NYC’s Times Square may have been the last as he’s considering retiring the track. Coincidentally, December 31st was his 35th birthday.

TODAY’S MOVIE OPENINGS:
• “A Dark Truth” ( R-Rated Action Thriller ): A former CIA operative-turned-political talk show host is hired by a corporate whistle-blower to expose her company’s cover-up of a massacre in a South American village. Stars Andy Garcia, Kim Coates, Eva Longoria, Forest Whitaker. Filmed in North Bay and Sudbury, Ontario, and in the Dominican Republic.
NET: http://www.magpictures.com/adarktruth/
• “Texas Chainsaw 3-D” ( R-Rated Horror Thriller ): This pseudo-remake of the 1974 and 2003 horror classics explores what the town of Newt, Texas does in the wake of notorious killing sprees by ‘Leatherface’. The story follows a young woman as she travels to Texas to collect an inheritance. Stars Alexandra Daddario, Tania Raymonde, Scott Eastwood, Trey Songz.
NET: http://www.texaschainsaw3d.com/

TAKING TIME-OUT:
Scientists have shown that the average person blinks 15-to-20 times per minute. That’s up to 1,200 times per hour and a whopping 28,800 times in a day – much more often than we need to keep our eyeballs lubricated. In fact, we spend about 10% of our waking hours with our eyes closed. So why do we blink so much? New research from Japan’s Osaka University has found that blinking may serve as a form of momentary rest for the brain, giving the mind a chance to wander and ‘go offline’. These brief breaks may last just a split second or up to a few seconds. (I’m with you … oops, nap time. I’m with you … oops, nap time. I’m with you … oops …)
– HuffingtonPost.com

EVERYTHING OLD IS NEW AGAIN:
Photography giant Polaroid plans to open at least 10 new retail stores this year focused on getting people to print and edit the photos saved on their smartphones, or uploaded to social networks like Facebook, Instagram, and Picasa. The first ‘Polaroid Fotobar’ store, which is set to open in Florida next month, will allow in-store customers to wirelessly transmit images to a workstation. From there, the photos can be edited, printed on a number of different materials including paper, metal, wood and bamboo, and then framed. (Pictures you can actually hold or hang up … what a concept!)
– TheNextWeb.com

LOOKING FOR A NEW HOME?
The Milky Way contains at least 100 billion planets – enough to have one for each of its stars – and many of them are likely to be capable of supporting conditions favorable to life, according to a new estimate from scientists at the California Institute of Technology. The new analysis corroborates the numbers estimated in earlier studies and may even add to them as one CalTech astronomer suggests there’s still lots of room for these numbers to grow. (Billions upon billions of stars … the late Carl Sagan would be so proud.)
– IdeaLab.com

HE CAN’T GET RID OF THE STUFF:
After giving away $28 billion, Bill Gates is no longer the 3rd-richest man in the world … he’s the 2nd-richest. That’s right, despite his considerable, praiseworthy charity work, the Microsoft co-founder keeps getting wealthier. In 2012, he wound up $7 billion ahead with a net worth of $63.4 billion, according to Bloomberg’s new ‘Billionaires Index’. That’s not to say he isn’t giving a lot of money away. The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is working with a $36.2 billion endowment, most of it from Gates. But lately he’s been earning money faster than he can give it away. (Hey Billy, can we help you out?)
– BusinessInsider.com

5 REASONS TO KEEP YOUR CHIN UP:
Futurist, author, and inventor Ray Kurzweil offers his top reasons for optimism in 2013 …
✓ Greater Life Expectancy – A thousand years ago, you lived to the age of 20. If you live in a country like Japan, you can now expect to live well into your 80s.
✓ We’re Wealthier – We have more and better jobs at the top of the skill ladder that, compared to a century ago, pay 10 times as much in constant dollars.
✓ We Are Better Educated Than Ever – We spend 10 times as much as we did a century ago in constant dollars per capita, per student on K-12.
✓ Technology Is a Brain-Extender – A group of 3 people can now complete work in 2 weeks that used to take 100 people several years to do.
✓ Technology Is More Accessible Than Ever Before – A kid in Africa with a smartphone has access to more intelligence search and knowledge than the US president did 15 years ago.
– BigThink.com

BS AMAZING FACT:
Gypsies arrived in Europe 1,500 years ago.
– “The Guardian”

BS CHRONOMETER 01.04.13

TODAY’S CELEBIRTHDAYS . . .
1960 [53] Michael Stipe, Decatur GA, retired rock singer-songwriter (REM-“Everybody Hurts”, “Losing My Religion”)

1963 [50] Dave Foley, Toronto ON, movie actor (“Cars”, “South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut”)/TV actor (“Newsradio” 1995-99, “Kids In the Hall” 1989-94)

1965 [48] Julia Ormond, Epsom UK, movie actress (“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”, “Legends Of the Fall”)/TV actress (Emmy Award-“Temple Grandin”)

1966 [47] Deana Carter, Nashville TN, country singer (“How Do I Get There”, “Strawberry Wine”)

SATURDAY –
Movie actor Robert Duvall (“Crazy Heart”) is 82; TV personality Charlie Rose (“CBS This Morning”) is 71; Movie actress Diane Keaton (“Annie Hall”) is 67; Dancer-judge Carrie Ann Inaba (“Dancing With the Stars”) is 45; Shock-rock singer Marilyn Manson (“Personal Jesus”) is 44; TV personality Rick Campanelli (“ET Canada”) is 43; Movie actor Bradley Cooper (“Silver Linings Playbook”) is 38; TV actress January Jones (“Mad Men”) is 35.

SUNDAY –
Rock guitarist Malcolm Young (AC/DC) is 60; TV-movie actor Rowan Atkinson (“Mr Bean”) is 58; TV football analyst Howie Long (“FOX NFL Sunday”) is 53; Movie producer-director-screenwriter John Singleton (“2 Fast 2 Furious”) is 45.

TODAY’S BS REASONS TO PARTY . . .
• “Spaghetti Day”, celebrating the Italian pasta dish seemingly everyone loves. Marco Polo brought the recipe for pasta back to Europe with him after his famous trip to China in the 13th century.
• “Trivia Day”, honoring those with ‘doctorates in uselessology’. For a switch, try playing ‘Stump the Chump’, where listeners call in questions for YOU to answer.
• “World Braille Day”, observed on the anniversary of the 1809 birth of Louis Braille of France. In 1829, he published “Method of Writing Words, Music & Plain Song by Means of Dots, for Use By the Blind”. Today, the ‘Braille method’ is used in virtually every language as the standard form of reading and writing by those with vision-loss.
NET: http://www.cnib.ca/en/living/braille/louis-braille
• “World Hypnotism Day”, with the objective of correcting the myths and misconceptions about hypnotism while promoting the  truth and benefits of the process that helps many put aside fears, and change what they believed was unchangeable. (Not to mention bark like a dog.)
NET: http://www.worldhypnotismday.com

SATURDAY –
• “Bird Day”, a salute to our fine feathered friends, one of the greatest wonders of nature.
• “Review Your Wrestling Holds Day”, a day to try to find someone who’ll let you practice all the wrestling holds you learned as a kid: the hammerlock, half-nelson, flying scissors, etc. (Don’t try the sleeper!)
• “Twelfth Night”, the “Eve of Epiphany”. Tomorrow is the “Twelfth Day Of Christmas” when, according to the carol, your true love should give to you ‘12 drummers drumming’.

SUNDAY –
• “Bean Day”, although no one seems to know why. If you’re in a rush today, you could mark the occasion by having some plain but honorable baked beans on toast from your favorite tin. Or, to be more adventurous, you could cook up a French cassoulet, or sample some bean burritos.
• “Carnival Season” begins, which runs from today (“Epiphany”) until “Shrove Tuesday” (February 12th).
• “Cuddle Up Day”, an opportunity to snuggle up to someone or something on a cold Winter’s day.
• “Epiphany” (aka “Three Kings Day”), a Christian celebration and public holiday in Spain, Italy, Sweden, and Puerto Rico. In Ireland it’s known as “Little Christmas”. In Italy, the kindly witch ‘La Befana’ slides down chimneys on her broom to bring toys & goodies for kids. In Mexico, where it’s known as “Dia de los Santos Reyes”, kids put straw out and leave shoes on balconies to be filled with toys by ‘Los Tres Reyes’ (The Three Kings) who bring gifts riding camel-back.
• “Smith Day”, celebrating the most-common surname in the English-speaking world.

TODAY’S MUSIC EVENT . . .
1996 [17] 1st ‘Live Rock Concert On the Internet’ features Deborah Harry, Joan Jett, Joey Ramone, The Lunachicks

TODAY’S FIRST . . .
1999 [14] New European Union currency, the ‘euro’, debutsas a financial unit in corporate and investment markets (goes into circulation January 1, 2002)

TODAY’S RECORD . . .
2010 [03] The Burj Khalifa, ‘World’s Tallest Building’ (828 m or 2,717 ft), is officially opened in Dubai UAE

COMING UP . . .
[Mon] Weigh-In Day
[Mon] I’m Not Going to Take It Anymore Day
[Mon] International Programmers Day
[Mon] Orthodox Christmas
[Mon] Tempura Day
[Mon] Thank God It’s Monday Day
This Week Is … Diet Resolution Week
This Month Is … Child-Centered Divorce Awareness Month

BULL’S BITS

WHAT WOMEN ARE READING THIS MONTH:
• ‘Our Best 75 Weight-Loss Tips’ – “Woman’s Day”
• ‘Dress Cuter For Work With Stuff You Already Own’ – “Glamour”
• ‘The Resolutions Top Doctors Make’ – “Redbook”
• ‘How to Create a Sock Bun’ – “Ladies’ Home Journal”
• ‘What He Really Thinks About Your Lingerie’ – “Cosmopolitan”

WHAT MEN ARE READING THIS MONTH:
• ‘How to Avoid Being Creepy Around Women’ – AskMen.com
• ‘Why Do Fat Guys Live Longer?’ – “Men’s Health”
• ‘The 6 Worst Athlete Tattoos’ – “Maxim”
• ‘5 Foods That’ll Make You Look Younger’ – “Details”
• ‘Reasons Not to Play Beer Pong’ – “Esquire”

BS RANDOM JOKE:
Do it tomorrow … you’ve made enough mistakes for one day.

BS U-PICK TRIVIA:
“Billboard” magazine published the 1st pop music chart on this date in 1936. Which was the #1 song?
a. “Stop, Look and Listen” by Joe Venuti & Orchestra.
b. “Quicker Than You Can Say” by Ozzie Nelson & Orchestra.
c. “The Music Goes Round” by Tommy Dorsey & Orchestra.
[Trick question … all three were #1. The original chart listed the best-sellers of the 3 major recording companies: Brunswick, Columbia, and RCA Victor.]
– HaLife.com

BS PHONE STARTER:
☎ What would you like to be able to control with a remote that you currently can’t?

BS WATER COOLER QUESTION:
Question: According to the “Journal of Consumer Research”, THIS is actually causing us to gain weight.
Answer: Spending time on Facebook.

BS DEEP THOUGHT:
Life not only begins at 40, it begins to show.