Tuesday, June 21, 2016 – Edition: #5757

We’ve Got Our Sheet Together!

BS SHOW BIZ BUZZ:
★ Iconic TV sitcom “Cheers” is set to return as a stage show later this year. “Cheers” first aired in 1982 and ran for 11 seasons. It was one of the most popular TV shows throughout much of the 1980s. Characters from the show, set in a Boston MA bar managed by ‘Sam Malone’, are reuniting this Fall in a new theatrical version titled “Cheers Live on Stage”, based on the TV show’s 1st season. The stage production’s initial run is scheduled for September 9th-to-18th in Boston before going on tour. Casting announcements are yet to be made.
– Associated Press
★ 57-year-old British actor Rupert Everett (“Shrek” films) says he wanted to be female when he was younger, but is thankful he wasn’t encouraged to change gender. Everett admits he dressed exclusively as a girl from age 6 until he was 14. But after 15, he never wanted to be a woman again. The openly gay star believes parents who take medical steps to help children change gender may be acting too hastily as many may be going through phases just like he did.
– “Sunday Times Magazine”
★ And 27-year-old Anton Yelchin, a rising actor best known for playing ‘Chekov’ in the new “Star Trek” films, has been killed by his own car as it rolled down his driveway early Sunday, police have confirmed. The car pinned him between a brick mailbox pillar and a security fence at his home in Los Angeles. He’d apparently gotten out of the vehicle momentarily, but it’s inconclusive as to why he was behind it when it started rolling. He’d already finished filming “Star Trek Beyond”, the 3rd film in the rebooted series, which comes out in July.
– Canoe.com

TODAY’S SHOW BIZ SKED:
• “America’s Got Talent” (NBC/CityTV) – More hopefuls perform for the judges.
• “Conan” (TBS/CTV) – Goo Goo Dolls (“Boxes”).
• “Ellen DeGeneres Show” (syndicated/CTV2) – Jake Owen (“American Love”, out July 29th). Rerun.
• “Greenleaf” (OWN) – This new drama features Oprah Winfrey in her first recurring scripted TV role in 2 decades. The series is set against the backdrop of a massive Memphis TN church and focuses on the family that runs it.
• “Jimmy Kimmel Live” (ABC/CityTV) – The Head & The Heart (“Signs of Light”, due in September).
• “Last Call With Carson Daly” (NBC) – Elliphant (“Living Life Golden”). Rerun.
• “Late Night With Seth Meyers” (NBC/CTV) – KoRn drummer Ray Luzier.
• “Live With Kelly” (syndicated/CTV) – Guest co-host Josh Groban (“Stages”).
• “Person of Interest” (CBS/CTV) – Series finalé after 5 seasons.
• “Pretty Little Liars” (Freeform/Bravo) – Season 7 debut.
• “Tavis Smiley” (PBS) – Tom Morello (Prophets of Rage).
• “Today Show” (NBC) – Meghan Trainor (“Thank You”).

BS MUSIC NOTES:
• Drake – His album “Views” has scored a 7th consecutive week atop the ‘Billboard 200’ chart.
He’s the first male artist to achieve that benchmark since Eminem with “The Marshall Mathers LP” in 2000.
• Iggy Azalea – She has confirmed her relationship with basketball player Nick Young is over, just over a year after they announced their engagement. The couple have had a rocky few months of late, ever since Young was accused of cheating on her.
• Nirvana – Kurt Cobain’s art is going to be featured in a touring exhibit. The traveling show also includes some of his personal possessions. His canvasses were first revealed to the public in the 2015 documentary film “Cobain: Montage of Heck”.
• Prince – His longtime lawyer and his manager, who’ve been appointed to handle his entertainment assets, say they are hoping to incorporate his large vault of unreleased tracks into a Broadway project or a Cirque du Soleil show.
• Sting / Peter Gabriel – Tonight they begin the co-headlining “Rock Paper Scissors Tour”. The 21-date North American schedule begins in Columbus OH and runs through July 24th in Edmonton AB.

THIS WEEK’S VIDEO RELEASES:
Coming out on DVD, Netflix, Google Play and/or other video providers …
• “The Brothers Grimsby” ( R-Rated Comedy ): A dimwitted English football hooligan sets off to reunite with his only brother, unaware that he’s MI6’s deadliest assassin who has just uncovered plans for an imminent global terrorist attack. Stars Sacha Baron Cohen, Mark Strong, Rebel Wilson, Isla Fisher, Penelope Cruz.
• “Knight of Cups” ( R-Rated Romantic Drama ): In filmmaker Terrence Malick’s latest creation, a writer indulging in all that Los Angeles and Las Vegas has to offer undertakes a search for love and self via a series of adventures with 6 different women. Stars Christian Bale, Cate Blanchett, Natalie Portman.
• “Midnight Special” ( PG-13 Sci-Fi Adventure ): A father and son go on the run, pursued by the government and a cult drawn to the child’s mysterious special powers. What starts as a race from religious extremists and local law enforcement quickly escalates to a nationwide manhunt. Stars Michael Shannon, Joel Edgerton, Kirsten Dunst.
• “My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2” ( PG-13 Romantic Comedy ): In this sequel to the surprise 2002 hit comedy, a ‘Portokalos’ family secret brings the beloved characters back together for an even bigger and Greeker wedding. Written by and starring Nia Vardalos. Co-stars John Corbett, Michael Constantine, Lainie Kazan.
• Also being released: “The Black Jacket” (Documentary); “Janet King, Series 1: The Enemy Within” (Brit TV); “Tom & Jerry: Back to Oz” (Animation); and “Transformers Rescue Bots: Heroes of Tech” (Kids).

SWISS ARMY SHIRT:
Sportswear brand Columbia is converting its once-useless clothing labels into useful survival tools. Aimed at hikers, campers, and fishing enthusiasts, the new tags are replacing the old laundering and care instructions on select Columbia clothing. The new stainless steel tags will be convertible into useful tools such as miniature sewing kits, fishing hooks, handsaws, sextants, sun dials, and water purifiers. Each tag is accompanied by an online video tutorial, explaining how to build and use each device. If all goes as planned, the tags will soon be coming to stores worldwide. (Just add water to one and … bam, meatloaf!)
– Gizmodo.com

WORKING TITLES:
You can thank publishers and editors for saving us from these original titles for classic books …
• “The Great Gatsby” … originally called “Trimalchio in West Egg”.
• “War & Peace” … “All’s Well That Ends Well”.
• “Dracula” … “The Dead Un-Dead”.
• “Catch-22” … “Catch-11”.
• “To Kill a Mockingbird” … “Atticus”
• “Gone With the Wind” … “Tomorrow is Another Day”.
• “1984” … “The Last Man in Europe”.
• “Valley Of the Dolls” … “They Don’t Build Statues to Businessmen?”.
• “Of Mice and Men” … “Something That Happened”.
• “James & The Giant Peach” … “James & The Giant Cherry”.
– Jonkers.co.uk

GREEN ACCESS:
A Netherlands startup called TreeWiFi wants to motivate the citizens of Amsterdam to go green by giving them free wi-fi. The company has created a high-tech birdhouse that measures air pollution and doles out free Internet access when pollution levels are reduced. It’s hoped that the boxes, which glow neon green when the air nearby is clean, will inspire Amsterdam residents to adopt environmentally friendly behaviors, like biking to work instead of driving. Each TreeWiFi box also records local pollution data, showing researchers how much air quality changes from street-to-street. (The problem with this system is your wif-fi goes out every time a diesel truck drives by.)
– “Popular Science”

DID YOU KNOW?
5 million tweets relating to Donald Trump have recently been analyzed and 5% of them are from Americans who threaten to emigrate to another country if he becomes US president. Two of the most popular ‘countries’ cited are … Alaska and Hawaii.
– PopBitch.com

BS CHRONOMETER 06.21.16

TODAY’S CELEBIRTHDAYS . . .
1950 [66] Joey Kramer, NYC, classic rock drummer (Aerosmith-“I Don’t Wanna Miss a Thing”, “Dream On”)/Rock & Roll Hall of Fame (2001)

1951 [65] Nils Lofgren, Chicago IL, classic rock guitarist (Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band-“Born In the USA”, “Born to Run”)

1976 [40] Mike Einziger, LA CA, alt-rock guitarist (Incubus-“Anna-Molly”, “Drive”)

1979 [37] Chris Pratt, Virginia MN, movie actor (“Jurassic World”, “Guardians Of the Galaxy” films)/TV actor (“Parks & Recreation” 2009-15)

1981 [35] Brandon Flowers, Henderson NV, pop/rock singer-keyboardist (The Killers-“Human”, “When You Were Young”)

1982 [34] Prince William (William Arthur Philip Louis Windsor), London UK, Duke of Cambridge/eldest son of Prince Charles & the late Princess Diana/married to Kate Middleton (Duchess of Cambridge) 2011/2nd-in-line to the British throne after his dad

1983 [33] Jussie Smollett, Santa Rosa CA, TV actor (‘Jamal Lyon’ on “Empire” since 2015)

1985 [31] Lana Del Rey (Elizabeth Grant), NYC, pop singer-songwriter (“Summertime Sadness”, “Born to Die”)

BS REASONS TO PARTY . . .
• “Aboriginal Day” in Canada, established in 1996 as a special day to celebrate the unique heritage, cultures, and contributions of First Nations, Inuit, and Métis people in Canada.

• “Atheists Solidarity Day”, a day of awareness when atheists everywhere are encouraged to be open about their lack of belief in god and not fear harmful consequences.
NET: http://www.atheistnexus.org/group/atheistsolidarity

• “Go Skateboarding Day”, an unofficial annual holiday conceived by the International Association of Skateboard Companies to promote boarding.

• “International Day of Yoga”, first declared by the UN in 2015 to recognize the importance of yoga as a physical, mental, and/or spiritual practice.

• “Midnight Sun Baseball Classic”, the 111th annual in Fairbanks, Alaska which begins at 10:30 pm without artificial lights, because these days Alaskans enjoy 22 hours of direct sunlight daily.
NET: http://bit.ly/9yMpar

• “Peaches & Cream Day”, not the complexion nor the corn variety but the real deal. You won’t find a better Summer treat than fresh-sliced peaches covered with real cream.

• “Selfie Day”, encouraging the world to take selfie pics and post them online. (Like this is a necessary incentive.)
NET: http://www.nationalselfieday.net

• “Tall Girl Appreciation Day”, honoring above-average females on the longest day of the year.

• “World Handshake Day” … but only after you use your hand sanitizer, OK?

• “World Humanist Day”, a day for spreading awareness of Humanism as a means to affect change. Humanism is a philosophy that promotes human reason, ethics, and justice.

• “World Music Day”, an annual musical celebration on the days of the solstice, which originated in France and has since been adopted in 120 countries.

THIS DAY IN SHOW BIZ . . .
2003 [13] “Harry Potter & The Order Of the Phoenix” (book 5) is released in bookstores and grosses more in 1 day than the heavily-hyped movie opening of “Hulk”, an unprecedented feat in publishing

TODAY’S MUSIC EVENTS . . .
2011 [05] Maroon 5 releases “Moves Like Jagger”, f/Christina Aguilera (eventually hits #1)

2015 [01] Apple Music reverses its payment policy, agreeing to pay artists for music streamed during trial periods, a day after Taylor Swift threatens to ban her latest album “1989” from the service

TODAY’S FIRST . . .
2004 [12] ‘SpaceShipOne’ rocket punches through Earth’s atmosphere, then returns to glide to a landing on California’s Mojave Desert in the 1st privately-financed manned spaceflight

TODAY’S RECORDS . . .
2000 [16] ‘World’s Longest Bench’ is unveiled at a flower show in Japan, measuring 1,832 feet and seating 900 people (world’s largest collection of chewing gum wads is stuck underneath)

2015 [01] Golfer Jordan Spieth wins the US Open golf championship at age 21, making him the youngest to win since Bobby Jones over 90 years previously

COMING UP . . .
[Wed] Glastonbury Festival begins (Pilton UK)
[Wed] Stupid Guy Thing Day
[Thurs] International Widows Day
[Thurs] Public Service Day
[Fri] “Free State of Jones”; “Independence Day: Resurgence”; “The Shallows” open in movie theaters
This Week Is … Camping Week
This Month Is … Audio Book Appreciation Month

BULL’S BITS

BS SAFETY RULES FOR SUMMER:
• Do not dive in a wading pool.
• Do not bury yourself up to the neck in sand … at low tide.
• On the beach, always hide your keys and wallet by placing them inside your shoes. No thief has ever worked this out.
• No matter how important you consider styling on the beach, do not have your eyeballs pierced.
• Do not attempt to repair motorboat propellers while the engine is engaged.
• Do not pee in the pool. Even if it’s yours. Especially if it’s yours.
• Take everything you own to a picnic. If you don’t make 3 trips back to the vehicle, you’re just not trying.
• When getting into the car and the steering wheel is too hot to hold, do not attempt to steer.
• Always ask out a Summer date who is not only attractive to you, but also to mosquitoes.
• Always use SPF 10,000.

BS PHONE STARTER:
☎ Who is the most famous person from your hometown?

BS U-PICK TRIVIA:
Which sustains two-thirds of the world’s population?
a. Wheat
b. Rice [CORRECT. It’s been cultivated for more than 5,000 years.]
c. Kraft Dinner

BS RANDOM JOKE:
As we used to say when I worked in retail, “This wouldn’t be a bad job if it weren’t for the customers.”

BS WATER COOLER QUESTION:
Question: Experts say we should do THIS every day, but only 30% of us actually do.
Answer: Compliment ourselves.

BS DEEP THOUGHT:
Love is the triumph of imagination over intelligence.