Monday, January 8, 2018           Edition: #6030

More From the Sheethouse!

BS SHOW BIZ BUZZ:
★ Ryan Reynolds has invited a Deadpool fan to join him at the sequel’s upcoming premiere after spotting a funny video he had posted on Twitter.  James D. Eversole, Jr. shared footage of himself high on painkillers after having his wisdom teeth removed, and during his car ride home, he repeatedly expressed fears that he and his wife had missed the chance to see ‘Deadpool 2′ – even though it doesn’t come out until spring. The video went viral, and Reynolds has since retweeted it, and rewarded James with a pair of tickets to attend Deadpool 2’s big launch.
-Canoe
★ ‘Game of Thrones’ star Kit Harington was into a different kind of game Friday night … pool — but he was so drunk and uncontrollable he was thrown out of the bar. Harington was at Barfly in NYC when he bellied up to the pool table for a game. Problem is, according to reports, he started banging on the table, grabbing at pool cues, and getting in peoples’ faces. An eyewitness said that he was asked to leave and did, but came back and finally had to be physically removed.
(“First lesson: stick ’em with the pointy end.”)
-TMZ
★ Brad Pitt offered to pay $120,000 to watch an episode of “Game of Thrones” with star Emilia Clarke — but he was outbid. Pitt made the bid to watch the show with Clarke, who plays the character Daenerys Targaryen, during a silent auction at Sean Penn’s annual gala for Haiti on Satuday night.  In the end, he was outbid by a gala-goer who ended the auction at $160,000.
(Money-ball…literally!)
-MSN
★ Matt Lauer is still making headlines, even though he was fired as lead anchor of the Today Show a month ago. The disgraced former anchor is apparently sending notes to producers with his unsolicited feedback and staff isn’t taking it well.  Lauer played Today Show critic by sending an email to a producer saying that he thought they used the wrong music to kick off a segment just weeks after NBC quickly fired him due to accusations of sexual misconduct in the workplace.
-CelebrityInsider
★ Comedian Jerry Van Dyke has passed away at the age of 86. The younger brother of legendary entertainer Dick Van Dyke was with his wife Shirley when he died at his Arkansas ranch on Friday.  He made his television acting debut on ‘The Dick Van Dyke Show’ with several guest appearances as Rob Petrie’s brother, Stacey. Later in his career, he received four Emmy nominations for his role as Luther Van Dam on the sitcom ‘Coach’.  More recently, he made a few appearances as Frankie’s father on ‘The Middle’, including one episode alongside his real-life brother.  According to reports, brother Dick, who is 92, visited Jerry around Christmastime.
-DailyMail
★ Starbucks’ Christmas offerings may be over for another year, but that doesn’t mean that you should go without delicious, sugary treats in the form of frappuccinos and warm brews for the rest of 2018. We’re all aware of the Starbucks secret menu for ordering fun drinks such as the Mermaid frap – but did you know that you can get ‘Harry Potter’ themed creations, too? Ask for the ‘Butterbeer latte’ or the ‘Butterbeer fraps’.
(You had me at butter.  And beer…)
-Cosmopolitan

TODAY’S SHOW BIZ SKED:
• “Jimmy Kimmel Live” (ABC/Global): Meryl Streep, Jason Ritter, Blake Shelton
• “The Tonight Show starring Jimmy Fallon” (NBC/CTV): Taraji Henson, Michael Che, Sofi Tukker
• “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” (CBS/Global): Liam Neeson, Michael Wolff, Andra Day & Common
• “Late Night with Seth Meyers” (NBC/CTV): Rebel Wilson, Doug Jones ( R )
• ” The Late Late Show with James Corden” (CBS/CTV): Connie Britton, Bradley Whitford, Jamie Bell, Cirque du Soleil LUZIA
• “Conan” (TBS/Comedy): Kristen Bell, Frank Grillo, Beth Stelling ( R )
• “Watch What Happens Live” (Bravo): S.E. Cupp, Scheana Marie
• “The View” (ABC/CTV): Sen. Lindsey Graham, Guest co-host Ana Navarro
• “The Talk” (CBS): Colin Hanks, Kevin Frazier
• “Live with Kelly and Ryan” (ABC/CTV): Liam Neeson, Molly Shannon, Melissa Hartwig
• “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” (NBC/CTV): Debra Messing
• “The Bachelor” (ABC): Arie’s search for love gets off to a fast start with back-to-back one-on-one dates with Becca K. and Krystal.
• “David Bowie: The Last Five Years” (HBO: A profile of David Bowie focusing on the output from his final years, including the albums “The Next Day” (2013) and “Blackstar ” (2016), and the musical “Lazarus” (2015)

BS MUSIC NOTES:
• Justin Timberlake – A day after announcing his new album ‘Man of the Woods’ will drop on Feb. 2, he revealed his collaborators for the disc.  Alicia Keys, Pharrell Williams, Timbaland, and Chris Stapleton all make appearances.
• Pink – was banned from her school reunion.  She dropped out of high school, so she was “uninvited” from a 10-year celebration, and was even turned away when she tried to pay a visit after signing her first record deal.  According to Pink, people at her old school “hated me”.
• KISS – Gene Simmons has revealed the full 166-song track list for his new ‘Vault Experience’ box set.  On Saturday in Los Angeles, he personally gave out copies and spent one-on-one time with purchasers. He’ll make similar appearances around the world through July.
• Tom Jones – says he will still sing ‘Sex Bomb’ when he’s 80. The 77-year-old – who recently underwent a hip replacement operation – says his advancing years doesn’t mean he should tone down his performances and he plans to keep the song in his concerts for years to come.  (Fine.  Just don’t sing ‘What’s New Pussycat’!)
• Eagles – have added 12 new dates across North America with the promise that more will be coming soon.  At this point, the tour will keep the band on the road from March through August.  Joe Walsh indicates they will be playing 40-50 dates total.
• Rascal Flatts – singer Gary LeVox escaped injury when his bus caught fire on Saturday morning.  He posted video to Instagram, showing thick white smoke billowing from inside the bus, with the caption:  “My bus caught on fire this mornin on my way to a hunting trip.  My brother Kevin and I got out. It happened so quick and could have been a different story if the ammunition would have caught fire. What a way to start 2018. Thank you lord for your covering this mornin!” (Who goes hunting on a bus??)
• Thomas Rhett – he and Selena Gomez are among the most polite celebs of the past year, according to the National League of Junior Cotillions.  They made the list of “Best Mannered People of 2017″ alongside Meghan Markle, Joanna Gaines of ‘Fixer Upper’ and Sadie Robertson of ‘Duck Dynasty’.

THAT’S WHY THEY’RE CALLED ‘MAN’S BEST FRIEND’:
Two new studies are showing that we humans seem to like dogs more than we like other people.
A UK medical research charity staged two phony donation campaigns — one for a dog and the other featuring a man. Of course, the pooch drew more contributions.  Then in a Northeastern University study, students were shown fake newspaper clippings about a baseball-bat attack on a puppy, an adult dog, a year-old infant and a 30-year-old adult. They were asked questions to gauge their empathy.  Respondents were significantly less distressed when adult humans were victimized, in comparison with human babies, puppies and adult dogs.  Only a baby human received a higher score for empathy than the adult dog.
(You’ll understand this kind of thinking if you are the kind of person who doesn’t care who dies in a movie, as long as the dog lives!)
(That’s because I’ve never seen a dog, a puppy, or a baby who was a jerk.  A 30-year old, however…)
(It isn’t a phrase I like to use often because it sounds awful, but DUH!!!!)
-NYPost

IT’S ABOUT TIME, MARK!
Mark Zuckerberg says his New Year’s resolution is to fix Facebook.  Actually, he calls it his ‘personal challenge’ for the year.  The Facebook CEO has declared a goal each year since 2009.  Last year’s was to visit each U.S. state that he hadn’t been to yet.  This year, he says he wants to protect Facebook users from abuse, defend against interference by nation-states and to “make sure that time spent on Facebook is time well spent”.  Facebook has more than 2 billion users.
(Does that include all those fake profiles that keep sending me friend requests!)
(I’d just be happy if he can figure out a way for me to stop seeing underwear ads!)
(If he’s fixing Facebook, could he start by cancelling the accounts of everyone who sends me a ‘game’ request?)
(Facebook and time well-spent.  A new oxymoron!)
-AP

CES 2018:
Highlights from the biggest tech trade show of the year, the Consumer Electronics Show, officially underway tomorrow in Las Vegas …
➢ VR will fade into the background, and AR will rise to the forefront: Augmented Reality is the next big thing, thanks to the rise of computer vision on smartphones that decorate our selfies with all manners of silly virtual objects.  While the phones in our pockets handle the low-end of AR, expect the products at CES to showcase what the high-end, experimental realm of this tech has to offer.
➢ Electric car concepts galore: Many companies will be showing off autonomous shuttles, self-driving technologies, electric scooters, and other futuristic transportation ideas.  Plus free autonomous vehicle rides from Lyft!
➢ PC gaming will be more important than ever before: All manner of PC gaming accessories, prototype towers, and new and experimental VR hardware. Expect some exciting advancements in GPU enclosure technology, which makes it easier for lower-end laptops and desktops to game without high-end graphics card, and cloud gaming hardware and software, to stream games over the internet and do away with hardware requirements entirely.
➢ TVs will adopt more HDR (high dynamic range) video formats: A big showcase of 4K HDR TVs.  Many of the new TVs support both Dolby Vision and HDR10.  Advanced HDR is seen as coming to broadcast TV, and HDR10+ might also begin to see wider adoption beyond just Samsung now that there’s Amazon content to stream.
➢ Wearables get serious about health: The trend that seems to be emerging in wearables is health: legitimate medical devices plus not-yet-approved ones.  Expect to see more things like connected blood pressure monitors, medical alert devices designed for seniors, gluten sensors, fertility monitors, and sleep trackers — lots of sleep trackers.
➢ Google Assistant attempts to take on Alexa: Companies continue to expand the smart home’s reach to new types of devices.  You may already have a connected light bulb, but there are tons of other places to put lights around your house.  Expect to see more devices that offer support for multiple platforms. Where there’s Alexa, there’s likely to be Google Assistant in the mix.
➢ Beauty gadgets find their niche: Tech companies have partnered with big-name brands to create devices that offer advice on what skin products or makeup to use.  These will initially only be available for use by salons.
(It’s great to know what I’ll be buying in 5 years when the prices come down!)
-Condensed from TheVerge

BS CHRONOMETER 01.08.18

TODAY’S CELEBIRTHDAYS . . .
1942 [76] Stephen Hawking, Oxford England, theoretical physicist, cosmologist, author and Director of Research at the Centre for Theoretical Cosmology at the University of Cambridge.  Communicates through a speech generating device due to ALS )

1946 [72] Robby Krieger, Los Angeles, CA, rock guitarist (The Doors- ‘Hello, I Love You’, ‘Light My Fire’)

1955 [63] Mike Reno (Joseph Michael Rynoski), New Westminster, BC, rock singer (Loverboy- ‘Turn Me Loose’, ‘Working For the Weekend’)

1967 [51] R (Robert) Kelly, Chicago IL, R&B singer (‘I Believe I Can Fly’)

1973 [45] Sean Paul (Henriques), Kingston, Jamaica, pop-dancehall-reggae singer (‘Get Busy’, with Beyonce: ‘Baby Boy’)

1976 [42] Josh Meyers, Bedford NH, TV actor (“That 70’s Show” 2005-2006, “Red Oaks” 2014-2017)

1979 [39] Sarah Polley, Toronto ON, movie director (“Away From Her”)/TV actress (“John Adams”)/Canada’s Walk of Fame (2010)

2000 [18] Noah Cyrus, Nashville TN, TV actress (TV actress (“Hannah Montana” 2006 to 2010)/ singer (feat. Labrinth: ‘Make Me (Cry)’ )/younger sister of Miley Cyrus

TODAY’S BS REASONS TO PARTY . . .
• “Bubble Bath Day”, a day to take the time to luxuriate in a super-foamy tubful of bubbles.

• “English Toffee Day”, celebrating the ooey-gooey treat that rips the fillings right out of your teeth.

• “Show & Tell Day at Work”, when adults can partake in the kindergarten ritual with co-workers. (***A good day to have your crew each bring in something that makes a unique sound.***)

• “Argyle Day”, the most obvious method of celebrating Argyle day would be for us to tell you to wear argyle patterned clothing. You could go for a more traditional argyle sweater or a pair of argyle socks.

• “Clean Off Your Desk Day”, an unofficial annual observance on the 2nd Monday of January encouraging you to organize your office desk or cubicle. Why bother?  It’s said that a clean and organized workspace can ‘inspire a sense of serenity’.  (Plus, it’s good to actually see your desk at least once per year…)

• “Joygerm Day”, a day to remind people that by being positive and treating people with kindness, they can influence those around them and pass that positive attitude on to others. When we share good moods, we impact the lives of people around us and those people become infected with that same positive joy and spread it to others.

COMING UP . . .
[Tues] Poetry at Work Day
[Tues] Choreographers Day
[Wed] Houseplant Appreciation Day
[Wed] Bittersweet Chocolate Day
This Week Is…National Pizza Week
This Month Is…National Bath Safety Month

TODAY’S MUSIC EVENTS . . .
1993 [25] On what would have been Elvis Presley’s 58th birthday, a 29-cent stamp with his image is officially dedicated at a Graceland ceremony. The design was chosen in a vote between an older Elvis from the ’70s and a younger version from the ’50s, which was the winner. In anticipation of what is arguably the most famous stamp in US history, the USPS prints a half billion stamps

2010 [08] Jimmy Page helps launch a new set of UK postage stamps featuring classic album covers, including ‘Led Zeppelin IV’, Coldplay’s ‘A Rush Of Blood To the Head’, Pink Floyd’s ‘The Division Bell’; and David Bowie’s ‘The Rise & Fall Of Ziggy Stardust’

2016 [02] David Bowie’s ‘Blackstar’ album is released on his 69th birthday.  Bowie dies two days later, and it becomes clear that the album’s ruminations on mortality are his parting words

TODAY’S FIRST . . .
2004 [14] Donald Trump-hosted reality TV series “The Apprentice” makes its debut on NBC

TODAY’S SPORTING EVENT . . .
1993 [25] 1993 Chicago Bull Michael Jordan scores his 20,000th career point

BULL’S BITS

BS WACK FACTS:
✓ The average horse will only produce 0.7 horsepower.
✓ Nutella uses 25% of the world’s supply of hazelnuts.
✓ Honeybees can recognize and tell the difference between human faces.
✓ People who are exposed to bright light early in the morning tend to be more alert throughout the day.
✓ Snow is a mineral, just like diamonds and salt.
✓ People pace while talking on the phone because they don’t have visual feedback so the body reacts by moving.
✓ YouTube was conceived in part when the founders couldn’t find a video of Janet Jackson’s breast popping out during her Super Bowl performance.

BS TOP THINGS A CAT THINKS ABOUT:
• I could have sworn I heard the can opener.
• Is there something I’m not getting when humans make noise with their mouths?
• Why doesn’t the government do something about dogs?
• Did that cat on the commercial really like that stuff, or did he have ulterior motives?
• Hmmm … If dogs serve humans, and humans serve cats, why can’t we cats ever get these stupid dogs to do anything for us?
• This looks like a good spot for a nap.
• Hey — no kidding, I’m sure that’s the can opener.
• Would humans have built a vast and complex civilization of their own if we cats hadn’t given them a reason to invent sofas and can openers in the first place?
• If there’s a God, how can He allow neutering?
• If that really was the can opener, I’ll play finicky just to let them know who’s boss!
-Jokerz

BRUTALLY HONEST 30TH BIRTHDAY CARDS:
Send one of these to anyone you know who’s approaching the big 3-0. We’re sure they’ll thank you for it …
• “Being single at 30 isn’t as bad as it used to be.”
• “OK, so you’re the same age as the guy who invented Snapchat and he’s worth $3 billion. But is he happy?”
• “There is nothing you can do at 25 that you can’t do at 30 … except perhaps getting out of a chair without making a noise.”
• “Have a great 30th birthday. Sorry we couldn’t make it. We couldn’t get a babysitter. Love, literally all your friends.”
• “You’re 30. From now on if you get pregnant people will assume you did it on purpose.”
• “There’s nothing wrong with turning 30. Unless you’re single, hate your job, and haven’t even begun to think about saving money.”
• “Bad news: You’re 30. Good news: The clothes you wore as a teen are now considered ‘vintage’.”
• “Happy ‘your younger colleagues will no longer understand any cultural references you make’ day.”
– Adapted from BuzzFeed.com

BS RANDOM JOKE:
I won a million dollars in the lottery and decided to donate a quarter of it to charity.  Now I only have $999,999.75.

BS PHONE STARTER:
☎ What movie can you watch over and over without getting sick of it?

BS U-PICK TRIVIA:
What country has the most horses per person?
a. Australia.
b. Cuba.
c. Mongolia. [CORRECT.  Almost one per adult.]
–Perissodactyla

What country pays the most for a gallon of gasoline on average, as of Jan 1, 2018?
a. Hong Kong [CORRECT. $7.65 US per gallon]
b. Netherlands
c. Germany
-GlobalPetrolPrices

BS WATER COOLER QUESTION:
Question:  25% of people say this is the one of their biggest fears.  What?
Answer: Their cell phone battery dying.

BS DEEP THOUGHT:
If Cinderella’s shoe fit perfectly, then why did it fall off?