BS SHOW BIZ BUZZ:
★ Simon Cowell has apparently splashed out $10 million-plus on a NYC condo. The music mogul and girlfriend Lauren Silverman, who have 4-month-old son Eric together, have closed a deal on a luxury 3-bedroom on East 78th Street, close to the Upper East Side neighborhood where Silverman’s other son Adam (7) lives with his father Andrew Silverman. It’s unclear exactly which apartment the couple bought, but one unit was recently listed at $10.8 million.
– “Page Six”
★ TV actress Poppy Montgomery is been sued by United Talent Agency, which claims the former “Without a Trace” actress entered into an oral agreement 4 years ago to hand over 10% of earnings just before the agency negotiated a lucrative contract for her to star on CBS-TV’s “Unforgettable”. She’s believed to earn $90,000-to-$100,000 per episode on the show, currently in its 3rd season. In a lawsuit filed in LA Superior Court this week, it’s claimed she’s not paid any commissions since 2011 and UTA would like circa $250,000 … plus legal costs.
– WENN.com
★ Motown legend Diana Ross is reportedly giving her son Evan a very personal wedding gift by performing when he weds onetime pop star Ashlee Simpson. The couple is thought to be tying the knot in August, and Simpson’s soon-to-be mother-in-law will take on the role of wedding singer. The 70-year-old former Supremes icon will reportedly be joined onstage by her daughter Rhonda Ross Kendrick. Simpson was previously married to Fall Out Boy’s Pete Wentz (2008-11), with whom she has a 6-year-old son, Bronx Mowgli.
– E! News
★ And Harrison Ford’s injury may delay the release of “Star Wars: Episode VII”. The 71-year-old was airlifted to hospital last week after having a leg crushed by a hydraulic door during filming in England. Now it’s rumored the severity of the injury is forcing a discussion on pushing back production. A meeting on the topic is said to have taken place at Pinewood Studios on Monday, but no announcement has yet been made regarding a change to the film’s planned December 2015 release date.
– JediNews.co.uk

TODAY’S SHOW BIZ SKED:
• “America’s Got Talent” (NBC/CityTV) – Auditions continue.
• American Idol Summer Tour – The 13 finalists from the FOX-TV show’s latest season hit the road in Binghamton NY. It’s just been announced that Harry Connick Jr, Jennifer Lopez, and Keith Urban are all set to return for the upcoming 14th season of “American Idol”.
• “Ellen DeGeneres Show” (syndicated/CTV2) – Lorde (“Pure Heroine”). Rerun.
• Glastonbury Festival of Contemporary Performing Arts (Pilton, Somerset) – The UK’s biggest annual music event on the 1,200-acre Worthy Farm has expanded to 5 days for 2014. Over 80 acts are performing Friday-through-Sunday including Arcade Fire, Black Keys, Dolly Parton (!?!), Ed Sheeran, Jack White, Kasabian, Lana Del Rey, Lily Allen, Metallica, and Skrillex. This year, festival-goers can use 4G wi-fi hotspots, housed in … a herd of life-size fibreglass cows.
NET: http://www.glastonburyfestivals.co.uk
• “Jimmy Kimmel Live” (ABC/CityTV) – Bleachers (“Strange Desire”).
• “Late Night With Seth Meyers” (NBC/CTV2) – Demi Lovato (“Demi”).
• “Late Show With David Letterman” (CBS/Omni1) – Hurray For the Riff Raff (“Small Town Heroes”).
• “Live With Kelly & Michael” (syndicated/CTV) – Susan Boyle (“Standing Ovation: The Greatest Songs From the Stage”).
• “So You Think You Can Dance” (FOX/CTV2) – Hopefuls perform; special guests Adam Shankman, Stephen ‘tWitch’ Boss, Tara Lipinski, and Irina Dvorovenko.
• Summerfest (Milwaukee WI) – On the bill for the 11-day event (today-Sunday, July 1-6) dubbed ‘World’s Largest Music Festival’: Brad Paisley w/Darius Rucker, Bruno Mars w/Aloe Blacc, Dave Matthews Band, Fall Out Boy w/Paramore, Kip Moore, Lady Gaga, Motley Crue w/Alice Cooper, Outkast w/Gary Clark Jr, Rise Against, Usher, Zac Brown Band and more.
NET: http://www.summerfest.com
• “Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” (NBC/CTV2) – Conor Oberst (“Conor Oberst”). Rerun.
• “The View” (ABC/CTV) – 1980s group New Edition.

BS MUSIC NOTES:
• Beyoncé / Jay Z – Tonight the Carters kick off their 16-stadium “On the Run Tour” in Miami FL. It wraps in San Francisco CA on August 5th. Reports suggest they’ve hired on the biggest-ever security team, some 500-strong, to protect them and daughter Blue Ivy during the tour.
• Chris Brown – He’s scheduled to be in Washington DC today for a court hearing to do with his trial on an assault charge that was put on hold. He & bodyguard Christopher Hollosy were arrested in October after being accused of punching a man outside the W hotel.
• Foo Fighters – Dave Grohl has announced via Twitter that they’ll be performing in South Africa for the first time in their 20-year career, playing both Cape Town and Johannesburg this December. The band’s 8th album, “Lanterns”, is due later this year.
• Gerry Rafferty – Today guitars from the late Scottish rocker’s personal collection go up for sale at Bonhams Auction House in London. The lots include a white Fender Esquire, believed to have once belonged to George Harrison. Rafferty passed away in 2011 of liver failure.
• Lana Del Rey – She tells French radio network France Inter that she finds inspiration in performers who have ‘strong female characters’, such as Courtney Love, Joni Mitchell, and Stevie Nicks.
• Madonna – Best proof that time never stops flying: 17-year-old daughter Lourdes (who goes by the nickname ‘Lola’) is graduating from NYC’s LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts today.
• One Direction – After releasing a fragrance and a jewelry line last year, they’re expanding their global brand by launching a cosmetics collection. Niall Horan unveiled 1D Makeup by posting a pic of his nails varnished and his hands scribbled with eyeliner, eyeshadow, and lipstick.

VIRTUAL SOMMELIER:
There’s a new app that provides real-time wine label recognition. Called ‘Delectable’, it allows users to simply hold their smartphone up to a bottle to get a wine’s description, reviews, and tasting notes. Here’s how it works: Users take a photo of the wine label and get instant identification – averaging 2.6 seconds – of the wine’s name, maker, grapes, and region. Ratings and reviews are available from both professionals and others in the ‘Delectable’ community. While several other wine apps exist (Vivino, Wine-searcher, Cor.kz), this one is touted for identifying labels 100% accurately. (Also contains 64% more snobbery.)
– AFP

BS BUZZWORDS:
New terms leaking into our lingo …
• ‘Attention Minute’ – One minute of a person’s attention, used as a measure of engagement with a website or other content. Quantifying ‘attention minutes’ tells websites whether people are truly paying attention to specific content or whether they’ve moved on to the next thing.
• ‘Friendvertising’ – The creation of heart-warming or funny videos and other web content that social media users will want to share with friends. While the material may have entertainment value to create buzz, it’s in reality just a covert brand endorsement.
• ‘Neknomination’ – An online game whereby someone videos themselves ‘necking’ a large quantity of alcohol in a dangerous setting, then dares a friend to match or top the feat. Critics say the online craze is likely to lead to increased cases of accidental alcohol poisoning.

WORLD’S DUMBEST IDEA:
General Motors’ latest dashboard tech is designed to allow drivers to text other vehicles via their license plate numbers. ‘DiDi Plate’, an Android app for GM’s infotainment system, will first be rolled out in China, according to the company’s Research & Development Director for the region. Should it prove popular, the app may be exported elsewhere. The idea is to allow motorists to help each other out (ie: “Your taillight is out”) or to allow for a meet & greet during traffic jams. (We’re guessing instead they’ll curse each other out and send dirty messages.)
– Maxim.com

FROM THE BS POLL VAULT:
A statistical look at who we are and the things we do …
• 74% of us only clean the oven once a year.
• 65% of fathers refuse to allow their children to touch the thermostat at home.
• 48% of women wish their partners brushed their teeth more often.
• 33% of divorce filings now contain the word ‘Facebook’.
• 27% of men admit they sometimes break something when they’re having a bad day.
• 11% of us went to a yard sale over the weekend.

ULTIMATE WORKOUT PLAYLIST:
Hip hop (44%) out-muscles rock (28%) and Electronic Dance Music (16%) as the preferred musical genre for working out, according to a new survey by Spotify. The music streaming service’s annual list of most popular exercise songs …
10. Kanye West – “Stronger”
9. Jay Z f/Linkin Park – “Numb/Encore”
8. Kanye West – “Power”
7. Macklemore & Ryan Lewis – “Can’t Hold Us”
6. Eminem – “Lose Yourself”
5. Avicii – “Wake Me Up”
4. Skrillex – “Bangarang”
3. Fort Minor – “Remember the Name”
2. Avicii – “Levels”
1. Eminem – “‘Till I Collapse” (How appropriate.)
– TIME.com

NEW FASHION TREND?
Miuccia Prada thinks womenswear and menswear should be shown together. The designer strayed from the industry norm at Men’s Fashion Week in Milan, Italy on Sunday by alternating her 1970s-inspired menswear collection with several looks from her 2015 womenswear resort line during her show. The 65-year-old Italian tastemaker believes mixing the two is the future of fashion and says separating the sexes on the runway is an outdated practice. Quote: ”I think the combination is more real. It is more today. Otherwise it looks like we are in classes.” (How come no one thought of this before? Seems a no-brainer.)
– “Telegraph Luxury”

FOR THE RECORD:
After 9 months of construction, Six Flags amusement park in Gurnee IL has unveiled ‘Goliath’, a 1,203-foot-long track that is now the fastest, tallest, and steepest wooden roller coaster on Earth. Riders plunge 180 feet at a near-85-degree angle during the initial drop, and travel into various twists and turns at 72 mph. The coaster is the new crown jewel in Six Flags’ world-beating coaster collection.
– TheSource.com

DID YOU KNOW?
• Tough to keep track of every death on the latest season of HBO’s “Game of Thrones”? That’s because there were 169 of them.
– Mental Floss
• The combined wealth of all the people in the world is over $241 trillion.
– Credit Suisse Global Wealth Report

BS CHRONOMETER 06.25.14

TODAY’S CELEBIRTHDAYS . . .
1956 [58] Anthony Bourdain, NYC, TV host/chef (“Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations”, “The Layover”, “Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown”)/author (“Kitchen Confidential: Adventures In the Culinary Underbelly”)

1961 [53] Ricky Gervais, Reading UK, triple Golden Globe-, double Emmy-winning TV writer-producer (“Derek”, “The Office” creator)/movie actor (“The Muppets”, “Night At the Museum”)

1963 [51] George Michael (Yorgos Kyriatou Panayioutou), Radlett UK, oldies singer (“Faith”, Wham-“Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go”)

1972 [42] Mike Kroeger, Hanna AB, rock bassist (Nickelback-“Photograph”, “How You Remind Me”)/half-brother of frontman Chad Kroeger

1979 [35] (Elizabeth) Busy Philipps, Oak Park IL, TV actress (‘Laurie Keller’ on “Cougar Town” since 2009)

TODAY’S BS REASONS TO PARTY . . .
• “Catfish Day”, first initiated in 1987 to celebrate the value of farm-raised catfish. (They sure are hard to herd!)

• “Day Of the Seafarer”, the 4th annual initiated by the International Maritime Organization to salute those in the shipping industry who bring us food, clothing, gifts, gadgets, and other basic needs. (Such as 8 billion cheap trinkets from China.)
NET: http://tinyurl.com/mm8235k

• “Global Beatles Day”, an annual observance celebrating the phenomenon of The Beatles and for their gifts to the world including the promotion of peace and love, truth and youth, and the expansion of human consciousness.
NET: http://globalbeatlesday.com

• “Leon Day” (‘Noel’ spelled backwards), observed exactly 6 months from Christmas, meaning we’re as far away from all that holiday rush and stress as we can be.

THIS DAY IN SHOW BIZ . . .
2009 [05] Michael Jackson dies of acute Propofol intoxication at age 50

TODAY’S MUSIC EVENT . . .
1984 [30] Bruce Springsteen takes on new backup singer Patti Scialfa, who will eventually become his 2nd wife after their affair leads to the breakup of his marriage to Julianne Phillips

TODAY’S FIRST . . .
1993 [21] Kim Campbell becomes Canada’s 1st female Prime Minister (for 4 brief months)

TODAY’S RECORD . . .
1977 [37] Roy Sullivan of Virginia is struck by lightening for the 7th time, and lives (dude, when you hear rumbling … head indoors!)

AND REMEMBER . . .
[Thurs] Canoe Day
[Fri] “Transformers: Age of Extinction” opens in movie theaters
[Sat] Glamour Date Night
[Sat] Backyard Campout Night
[Sat] International Body Piercing Day
[Sat] Ramadan begins (Muslim)
This Week Is … Lightning Safety Awareness Week
This Month Is … Fireworks Safety Month

BULL’S BITS

FIND THE BS FAKES:
Some of the following are single-named Brazilian players in the 2014 World Cup, some are not. Which are which?
• Jefferson [real player]
• Oscar [real player]
• Elmo [fake]
• Cheese [fake]
• Hulk [real player]
• Rocket [fake]
• Jo [real player]
• Dumbo [fake]
• Sissy [fake]
• Fred [real player]

BS RANDOM JOKE:
I’m as confused as a mosquito in a mannequin factory.

BS U-PICK TRIVIA:
Which causes the Eiffel Tower in Paris, France to lean by as much as 7 inches (18 cm)?
a. Overcrowding.
b. The sun. [CORRECT. The top leans away from the sun as the metal heats up and expands.]
c. Sinkholes.
– Sourced from BuzzFeed.com

BS PHONE STARTER:
☎ What’s the oldest thing you own and still use?

BS WATER COOLER QUESTION:
Question: The average man does this at 44; the average woman at 38.
Answer: Gains weight.

BS DEEP THOUGHT:
If at first you don’t succeed … you’re doing about average.