BS SHOW BIZ BUZZ:
✳ According to LucasFilms (now owned by Disney), JJ Abrams is having a great time working on the script for “Star Wars Episode VII” and is looking forward to going into production next year. However, rumors abound that Abrams is on the verge of dropping out as director. Industry sources say one reason might be he didn’t want to shoot the movie in England but was overruled. Or perhaps it’s a matter of JJ jumping Starships? No director for “Star Trek 3” has been found yet, so perhaps Abrams may end up coming back to it after all?
– BadassDigest.com
✳ 35-year-old “Two-and-a-Half Men” actor Ashton Kutcher is close to signing a $10-million deal with computer company Lenovo, which would see him posing with the company’s latest techno-gadgets in a series of ads. One incentive might be that he’s still trying to settle his bitter divorce with Demi Moore. She’s demanding spousal support, legal fees, and an 8-figure settlement due to Ashton’s investment in a venture capital fund worth a reputed $100 million.
– “New York Post”
✳ Director Spike Lee has turned to crowdsourcing website Kickstarter.com in a bid to raise enough money to fund his next movie. He’s looking to reach his target of $1.25 million by August 21st. Although he has shared few details about the film he is offering up a variety of rewards to encourage fans to get involved, everything from a tweet of thanks and project updates to a night on the town in NYC with him, including dinner and a Knicks game.
– WENN.com
✳ 39-year-old movie actress Penelope Cruz gave birth to her 2nd child via actor-husband Javier Bardem (44) on Monday, something that was lost in all the hoopla over Kate, Duchess of Cambridge welcoming Britain’s future king on the same day. The newest Bardem baby was delivered at the Ruber Internacional Hospital in Madrid, Spain. The show biz couple are already parents to a 2-year-old son, Leonardo.
– HelloMagazine.com
✳ Since it was announced at Comic Con International over the weekend that ‘Batman’ will be joining ‘Superman’ (Henry Cavill) in the follow-up to this years “Man of Steel”, the Internet has been abuzz about who the next ‘Batman’ should be. According to oddsmakers, Joseph Gordon-Levitt is the current favorite at 3/1 odds, followed by Chris Pine, Jake Gyllenhaal, and Ryan Gosling at 10/1, Channing Tatum at 11/1, and former ‘Caped Crusader’ Christian Bale at 12/1, even though he recently announced he’s hung up his cowl for good.
– ContactMusic.com

TODAY’S SHOW BIZ SKED:
• “America’s Got Talent” (NBC/CityTV) – Contestants face elimination.
• “Conan” (TBS/CTV) – Bastille (“Bad Blood”).
• “Ellen DeGeneres Show” (syndicated/CTV2) – Emeli Sandé (“Our Version of Events”).
• “Jimmy Kimmel Live” (ABC/CityTV) – Capital Cities (“In a Tidal Wave of Mystery”). Rerun.
• “Last Call With Carson Daly” (NBC) – A Silent Film (“Sand & Snow”). Rerun.
• “Late Night With Jimmy Fallon” (NBC/CTV2) – Buddy Guy (“Rhythm & Blues”).
• “Late Show With David Letterman” (CBS/NTV/Omni1) – Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros (“Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros”).
• “Let It Be” (NYC) – Tonight is opening night for the Beatles musical at the St James Theater on Broadway in NYC, for a limited run through December 29th. The original London production continues its run at the Savoy Theatre.
NET: http://www.letitbebroadway.com
• “Tonight Show With Jay Leno” (NBC/CTV2) – Hiatus Kaiyote (“Tawk Tomahawk”).

BS MUSIC NOTES:
• Daft Punk – They’ve donned their best Saint Laurent suits (as well as their trademark masks) for a photoshoot in the August issue of “Vogue” magazine.
• Kanye West – He’s posted the official video for “Black Skinhead” on his website after an unfinished clip leaked earlier this month. The interactive clip allows fans to adjust the motion speed, the corresponding sound, and also to capture still images from the animated video.
NET: http://www.kanyewest.com
• Queen – Actor Sacha Baron Cohen has reportedly pulled out of playing Freddie Mercury in a film about the late Queen frontman. It’s reported that Cohen wanted to make a grittier film than the band intended, but Brian May & Roger Taylor have script and direction approval.
• Rolling Stones – They’ve released “Hyde Park Live”, an iTunes-only live album compiled from their performances at London’s Hyde Park July 6th and 13th. It’s available for a limited time through August 19th.
• Rush – Due to the recent flooding disaster, tonight’s scheduled gig in Calgary, Alberta has been moved to nearby Red Deer. They’re donating proceeds to the Red Cross Alberta Relief Fund. They’re even paying their own expenses in order to maximize the donation.
• Selena Gomez – While being questioned on Chicago’s WGN Entertainment Network this week, she abruptly ended the interview when asked about Justin Bieber. Seems it’s off again.

LIFE BY THE NUMBERS:
A BS breakdown of who we are and what we do …
• 61% of married couples do not agree on ‘the proper way’ to load the dishwasher.
• 40% of drivers do not know their vehicle’s license plate number.
• 32% of us have lied in order to get out of attending a wedding.
• 29% of adults say their worst memory from school is gym class.
• 21% of us check our horoscope daily.
• 20% of us just can’t seem to stop running late for things.

2013’S BEST PAID STARS UNDER 30:
A new ranking based on estimated total earnings over the past year …
5. Rihanna (25) … $43 million.
4. DJ Calvin Harris (29) … $46 million.
3. Taylor Swift (23) … $55 million.
2. Justin Bieber (19) … $58 million.
1. Lady Gaga (27) … $80 million.
– Forbes.com

SHE’S GOT LEGS, SHE KNOWS HOW TO USE THEM:
Japanese women are being paid to put ads … on their thighs. The PR exec who hatched the idea (a man, of course) claims it’s the perfect ploy to promote products because so many men spend time staring at women’s legs. Movies, music, and soft drinks are all being advertised by stunning models contracted to walk around Tokyo wearing short skirts and high socks for 8 hours a day. The women must be over 18, have at least 20 connections on social networking sites, and be willing to post a snap of the ad online. Among the recent logos on legs: Mark Wahlberg’s comedy film “Ted” and rock group Green Day. (The thigh’s the limit!)
– “Metro”

WEIRD & WACKY FESTIVALS AROUND-THE-WORLD:
• Wife Carrying World Championships (Sonkajärvi, Finland)
• Mud Festival (Boryeong, South Korea)
• World Bodypainting Festival (Poertschach, Austria)
• The Battle of Oranges (Ivrea, Italy)
• Night Of the Radishes (Oaxaca, Mexico)
• Garlic Festival (Gilroy, California)
• World Bog Snorkeling Championship (Llanwrtyd Wells, Wales)
• Eeyore’s Birthday Party (Austin, Texas)
– Condensed from “USA Today”

BIG WHOPPER:
Construction has just begun on the world’s next ‘Tallest Skyscraper’ in China’s 25th biggest city, Changsha. ‘Sky City’, a 220-story, 838-meter (2,749-ft) megatower, is scheduled to be completed by a team of 19,000 workers in just 7 months. When finished, it will relegate Dubai’s Burj Khalifa tower (829 meters or 2,722 ft) to 2nd place in height and will more than triple its floor space. The building is designed to house grocery stores, gyms, hospitals, offices, restaurants, schools, and swimming pools, plus homes of up to 3,000 square feet for 30,000 people. (The elevator’s on 215 and you wanna go to 12 … sounds like hell!)
– Motherboard.com

BS BUZZWORDS:
New terms leaking into our lingo …
• Fizziology – A new Indianapolis-based social media pollster that monitors Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Tumblr, plus the blogosphere to find out who and how many are talking about what, and what they’re saying. (Fizziology was one of the few to predict the absurd cable B-movie “Sharknado” would be a hit.)
• ‘Microlife’ – A unit of measure equal to approximately 30 minutes of life expectancy. Averaged over a lifetime, the following habits are linked to the loss of 1 microlife: Smoking 2 cigarettes, eating a burger, being 11 lbs overweight, chugging a 2nd or 3rd alcoholic beverage, watching 2 hours of TV.
• ‘Pet Flipping’ – A new scam whereby a criminal gets hold of a pet, either by stealing it or claiming it from a ‘pet found’ poster or Craigslist ad, then turns around and sells it for a quick profit.

FOR THE RECORD:
729 nude people in Vera, Spain have set a new Guinness World Record for nude bathing, eclipsing the previous record of 506 set in New Zealand. Sponsored by the Vera City Hall in collaboration with the Spanish Naturism Federation, it’s hoped the ‘World’s Biggest Strip-off’ will help establish El Playazo Beach as a destination for ‘naturism’ (aka going starkers).
– NYDailyNews.com

BS AMAZING FACT:
It’s untrue only lower-income people shop at Walmart. A Pew Research poll has found that over 75% of respondents from households earning $75,000+ think it’s a good place to shop.
– “Washington Post”

BS CHRONOMETER 07.24.13

TODAY’S CELEBIRTHDAYS . . .
1968 [45] Kristin Chenoweth, Broken Arrow OK, 4’-11” TV actress (“The Good Wife” 2012-13, “Pushing Daisies” 2007-09, “The West Wing” 2005-06)/movie actress (“Running With Scissors”, “Four Christmases”)/Broadway actress (“Promises, Promises”, “Wicked”)

1969 [44] Jennifer Lopez, Bronx NY, pop singer (“On the Floor”, “If You Had My Love”)/TV personality (“Q’Viva! The Chosen” 2012, “American Idol” 2011-12)/movie actress (“What to Expect When You’re Expecting”, “Out of Sight”)/Mrs Marc Anthony 2004-12

1975 [38] Eric Szmanda, Milwaukee WI, TV actor (‘Greg Sanders’ on “CSI” since 2000)

1982 [31] Elisabeth Moss, LA CA, TV actress (‘Peggy Olson’ on “Mad Men” since 2007, ‘Zoey Bartlet’ on “The West Wing” 1999-2006)

1982 [31] Anna Paquin, Winnipeg MB [raised Wellington NZ], TV actress (‘Sookie Stackhouse’ on “True Blood” since 2008)/movie actress (“X-Men” films, 1994 Oscar-“The Piano”)

1990 [23] Jay McGuiness, Newark UK, pop singer (The Wanted-“Chasing the Sun”, “Glad You Came”)  BS FACTOID: Their new album, “Word Of Mouth”, is due September 16th in the UK but no international release date has yet been announced.

TODAY’S BS REASONS TO PARTY . . .
• “Cousins Day”, to honor all cousins who are living and pay homage to those who aren’t. (Or, as it’s known in [co-host’s] family, ‘Spouses Day’.)

• “Drive-Thru Day”, honoring all businesses that allow you to shop without leaving your vehicle. There are drive-thru banks, coffee shops, fast-food restaurants, florists, ice cream bars, liquor stores, marriage chapels (Las Vegas), and pharmacies. What’s the weirdest drive-thru business you’ve ever seen?

• “Tell an Old Joke Day”, a good excuse to open up your phone lines and have listeners tell their best joke … but only if they’re under 5-years-old.

• “Tequila Day”, celebrating Mexico’s national booze that’s becoming increasingly popular in other drinks beside margaritas. But we still like it the old fashioned way – a little salt, a slice of lime and … hay carumba!

• “Virtual Love Day”, a day for those who have experienced the ‘excitement, joy, and sorrow’ of an online relationship and especially for those who’ve found true love through the Internet.
NET: http://tinyurl.com/bncvuwm

THIS DAY IN SHOW BIZ . . .
1998 [15] Steven Spielberg’s World War II epic, “Saving Private Ryan”, opens in movie theaters (later wins 5 Oscars)

TODAY’S MUSIC EVENT . . .
1982 [31] Survivor’s “Eye Of the Tiger” from the movie sequel “Rocky III” tops the pop chart and remains 6 weeks

TODAY’S FIRST . . .
1938 [75] Nescafé Instant Coffee is introduced

TODAY’S RECORDS . . .
1991 [22] Joann Osterud sets inverted flight record with an upside-down flight lasting 4 hours, 38 minutes, 10 seconds

2005 [08] US cyclist Lance Armstrong wins a record 7th consecutive Tour de France (all 7 titles later stripped due to doping)

AND REMEMBER . . .
[Thurs] Carousel Day
[Thurs] Chili Dog Day
[Fri] “The To Do List”; “The Wolverine” open in movie theaters
[Fri] Lumberjack Day
[Fri] Talk In an Elevator Day
[Fri] System Administrator Appreciation Day
This Week Is … Make Someone Smile Week
This Month Is … Horseradish Month

BULL’S BITS

WORST BS NAMES FOR A SEAFOOD RESTAURANT:
✗ It Might Be Flounder
✗ The Festering Cod
✗ Botulism Bay
✗ Scurvy’s
✗ The Gagging Deck Hand
✗ Yesterday’s Sushi
✗ The Ol’ Chum Bucket
✗ Green Lobster

BS PHONE STARTER:
☎ Despite 14 post-Napster years of piracy in the mainstream, record companies and movie studios still don’t get it. Is it the method of delivery or the amount being charged that makes you want to continue to pirate?

BS WEB GOODIE:
This is kind of creepy. Find out how many times you will see your parents before they are expected to die, based on World Health Organization life expectancy data …
NET: http://seeyourfolks.com

BS RANDOM JOKE:
I think they should fill auto air-bags with ketchup … you know, just for fun.

BS U-PICK TRIVIA:
Which was a sacred sex symbol to the Ancient Egyptians?
a. Lettuce. [CORRECT]
b. Oysters.
c. Cucumber.
– “Smithsonian Magazine”

BS WATER COOLER QUESTION:
Question: Research from Finland’s University of Tampere suggests that doing THIS boosts your brain power.
Answer: Looking at pictures of naked people.

BS DEEP THOUGHT:
Every successful person has had failure, but failure is no guarantee of success.