BS SHOW BIZ BUZZ:
✳ Today a long-lost watch worn by actor Sean Connery in the 1965 ‘James Bond’ movie “Thunderball” goes under the hammer at Christie’s auction house in London. The luxury Breitling timepiece, purchased for just $39 at the time of filming, is expected to sell for as much as $90,000. In the film, the wristwatch doubled as a Geiger counter, helping agent ‘007’ trace missing nuclear bombs. It was discovered at a flea market in the UK. (Some ‘Market Warrior’ had a real find!)
– MSN.com
✳ Production on rapper Common’s TV Western “Hell on Wheels” (AMC) has been shut down after record rainfall and severe flooding in Calgary and other parts of southern Alberta, where the show is shot, left the set underwater. Common and co-star Anson Mount were shooting scenes for Season 3 of the series late last week when rivers overflowed and production was shut down. (It’s been announced the world famous Calgary Stampede will go ahead ‘come hell or high water’ July 5th. Underwater rodeo?)
– WENN.com
✳ She may currently seem to be having a more successful career than her actor-husband Orlando Bloom, but model Miranda Kerr tells “The Edit” she prefers to take a backseat during home life with her hubby. The 30-year-old Australian says she has “very traditional values” when it comes to marriage and thinks it’s important to sometimes let Orlando be the dominant one in the relationship. Quote: “Men feel important when you ask for their help.” (BS translation: Once in a while I let out the leash a little.)
– MailOnline
✳ Model-turned-TV personality Heidi Klum is said to be having an abstract-looking tattoo on her right inner arm removed, which was a commemoration of her marriage with Seal. A source says she’s in the process of getting the tat erased, having been through a few treatments. Her tattooed stars with her children’s initials will stay intact, however. Since the split, Klum has moved on to a relationship with her bodyguard Kirsten Martin. (But there’s nothing in ink yet.)
– AceShowbiz.com
✳ And “Mad Men” ended its 6th season on a high note. According to AMC, Sunday’s final episode titled “In Care Of” delivered 2.7 million viewers, beating out the Season 5 finalé which garnered 2.6 million. It marks the highest-rated finalé in the series’ history. Overall, the show averaged 2.5 million viewers in its 6th season, including 1.3 million in the coveted adults 25-54 demo. (That number will get a lot bigger as people begin downloading the torrent this week.)
– EW.com

TODAY’S SHOW BIZ SKED:
• Americanarama Festival – Tonight Bob Dylan, My Morning Jacket, and Wilco launch this 26-date North American Summer tour in West Palm Beach, Florida, with dates slotted through August 4th in Mountain View, California.
• “Big Brother” (CBS/Global) – The contestants move into the house in the 15th season debut.
• “Conan” (TBS/CTV) – Ryan Bingham (“Tomorrowland”).
• “Ellen DeGeneres Show” (syndicated/CTV2) – Alicia Keys (“Girl On Fire”). Rerun.
• “Jimmy Kimmel Live” (ABC/CityTV) – Pharrell Williams (“Blurred Lines”, “Get Lucky”).
• “Last Call With Carson Daly” (NBC) – Foals (“Holy Fire”). Rerun.
• “Late Night With Jimmy Fallon” (NBC/CTV2) – Broken Social Scene f/Feist (“Forgiveness Rock Record”). Rerun.
• “Late Show With David Letterman” (CBS/NTV/Omni1) – Wale (“Ambition”).
• “Live With Kelly & Michael” (ABC/CTV) – Backstreet Boys (“In a World Like This”, out July 30th); Miley Cyrus (“We Can’t Stop”).
• Summerfest (Milwaukee WI) – Billed as the ‘World’s Largest Music Festival’, this 11-day event gets underway today with performances on 11 different stages in Henry Maier Festival Park. On the festival’s diversified bill: Billy Idol, The Eagles, Florida Georgia Line, fun., Imagine Dragons, Jason Aldean, John Mayer, Luke Bryan, NKOTB, Pitbull, Rush, Silversun Pickups, Tim McGraw, and Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers.
NET: http://summerfest.com
• “Tonight Show With Jay Leno” (NBC/CTV2) – John Fogerty (“Wrote a Song For Everyone”).

BS MUSIC NOTES:
• Amy Winehouse – Although the official cause for her death in 2011 at age 27 was alcohol poisoning, her brother Alex Winehouse says he now believes it was rooted in the eating disorder bulimia. He says it left her so weak that drug & alcohol abuse easily killed her.
• Bruce Springsteen – He tells “Rolling Stone” he has ‘a lot of material’ for a potential new album. The last one, 2012’s “Wrecking Ball”, went to #1 in 16 counties. Still on tour promoting it, Springsteen says he’s been recording while on the road for the first time ever.
• Chris Brown – After initially building anticipation for his upcoming 6th studio album “X” by promising a collaboration with on-and-off girlfriend Rihanna, the duet “Put It Up” is no longer included on the album’s track list. The release date is July 16th.
• Foo Fighters – Drummer Taylor Hawkins tells “Billboard” that the band is just getting started on the follow-up album to 2011’s “Wasting Light”. He says Dave Grohl already has a lot of great ideas, both musically and conceptually.
• Justin Bieber – The monkey business continues for the 19-year-old pop star. He reportedly kept his private plane waiting for 8 hours in Miami, Florida last week while he searched for his (new?) pet monkey in West Palm Beach. It’s not clear whether or not the critter joined him when the plane finally took off. (Somebody ought to take his pet licence away.)
• Madonna – When asked how her son Rocco has changed since appearing in footage from her new concert film, “Madonna: The MDNA Tour”, she says: “He’s a foot taller, he’s getting facial hair, and he’s looking at girls’ butts. It’s terrible!”
• Mariah Carey – She originally planned to release her next studio album, “The Art of Letting Go”, on July 23rd but now she’s tweeted that the release date is being postponed. Quote: “While making this album, I got so immersed in the creative process that I just don’t feel I would be doing it justice to release it on 7/23.” (BS translation: The thing’s a total mess.)
• Mumford & Sons – They have confirmed they will make their live performance return following bassist Ted Dwane’s recent brain surgery at this weekend’s Glastonbury Festival in England.

HAVING SWAY:
An hourglass figure has long been perceived as ideal for women. But New York University researchers have found that to truly be attractive, a woman also needs to move in what’s perceived as a feminine way … by swaying her hips. Similarly, men are thought to be more attractive if they move with a ‘shoulder swagger’. So it’s not just the body’s shape that promotes sexuality, but its motion as well. The study concludes that the combination of the two is what affects perceived attractiveness. (Great, guys are all gonna start walking like weightlifters.)
– BBC News

LIFE BY THE NUMBERS:
A BS breakdown of who we are and what we do …
• 69% of adults are still in touch with at least one childhood friend.
• 45% of us dislike limited color choices when buying a car.
• 40% of us say we would avoid someone who unfriended us on Facebook.
• 35% of baseball fans admit they have cried when their team lost.
• 20% of us say the temperature at work makes it harder to do our jobs.
• 10% of us have not gone out to eat in the past month.

ARE YOU GETTING ENOUGH?
Sleeping on the job is tolerated in Japanese work culture. It’s called ‘inemuri’, which literally means ‘to be asleep while present’. But strict rules apply to the practice. These include who is allowed to do it – only those high up or low down in a company. And how you do it – you must remain upright to show you are still socially engaged in some way. Inemuri is viewed as exhaustion from working hard and sacrificing sleep at night. Many people actually fake it so they appear committed to their job. (Napping to show dedication … you gotta love it!)
– “News Magazine”

BS CUTTING-EDGE VOCAB:
✓ ‘Catfishing’ – The practice of lying about yourself in an online environment in order to impress others, especially to lure someone into a relationship. (“Yeah, I’m a 22-year-old male model …”)
✓ ‘Extreme-Weather Architect’ – A new profession that deals with building structures that will withstand storms, floods, and other environmental hazards. (Treehouses?)
✓ ‘Superdiversity’ – Extreme diversity, particularly with respect to the ethnic and racial mix of a population. (The UK’s population is now superdiverse as 1-in-8 people was born overseas.)

MARRIAGE SECRET:
The key to a happy relationship could be accepting that some miserable times are unavoidable, researchers say. Therapists from California State University and Virginia Tech blame cultural fairytales and modern love stories for perpetuating the myth that enjoying a perfect relationship is possible. Accepting that there will be problems is better than striving for perfection, they say. In fact, the pursuit of ‘relationship nirvana’ can be potentially damaging as it’s an unrealistic goal and striving to achieve it can lead couples to feel they’ve failed. (Misery, the key to happiness.)
– BBC.co.uk

TOP READS:
A newly-announced ranking of the best books of 2013 so far …
5. “And the Mountains Echoed” by Khaled Hosseini.
4. “The Interestings” by Meg Wolitzer.
3. “Frozen in Time” by Mitchell Zuckoff.
2. “The Son” by Philipp Meyer.
1. “Life After Life” by Kate Atkinson.
– Amazon.com

TURNS OUT ‘EXPERTS’ AREN’T:
Unpretentious philistines everywhere rejoice! A recent study suggests that it is too hard for even experts to differentiate the taste between wines. A respected wine collector ran a scientific test on the illustrious judges at the recent California State Fair wine competition and found that only 10% of the experts could tell that they were sampling … the exact same wine over and over again. Market studies suggest that most people inherently differentiate a bottle of wine’s quality by its bottle and its cost. (Today’s lesson: Always store your box wine in a crystal carafe.)
– Policymic.com

DID YOU KNOW?
Having a husband creates an extra 7 hours a week of housework for women, according to a University of Michigan study. Meantime, having a wife saves men from about an hour of housework per week.
– RD.com

BS CHRONOMETER 06.26.13

TODAY’S CELEBIRTHDAYS . . .
1969 [44] Colin Greenwood, Oxford UK, alt-rock bassist (Radiohead-“There There”, “Creep”)

1970 [43] Chris O’Donnell, Winnetka IL, TV actor (“NCIS: Los Angeles” since 2009)/movie actor (“Max Payne”, “Batman & Robin”)

1970 [43] Nick Offerman, Minooka IL, TV actor (‘Ron Swanson’ on “Parks & Recreation” since 2009)

1973 [40] Gretchen Wilson, Pocahontas IL, country singer (“Homewrecker”, “Redneck Woman”)

1974 [39] Derek Jeter, Pequannock NJ, MLB baseball shortstop (NY Yankees)/13-time All-Star/5-time World Series champ/girlfriends have included Jessica Alba, Jessica Biel, Mariah Carey, Minka Kelly, Scarlett Johansson, Vanessa Minillo

1979 [34] Nathan Followill, Oklahoma City OK, alt-rock drummer-vocalist (Kings of Leon–“Use Somebody”, “Sex on Fire”)

1979 [34] Ryan Tedder, Tulsa OK, pop-rock singer (OneRepublic-“Good Life”, “Apologize”)/songwriter-producer (Adele, Beyoncé, Carrie Underwood, Chris Cornell, Jennifer Lopez, Natasha Bedingfield, etc)

1980 [33] Michael Vick, Newport News VA, NFL football quarterback (Philadelphia Eagles)/all-time most over-rated player?

1984 [29] Aubrey Plaza, Wilmington DE, TV actress (‘April Ludgate’ on “Parks & Recreation” since 2009)

TODAY’S BS REASONS TO PARTY . . .
• “Beautician’s Day”, your chance to show your appreciation to those who make you look beautiful and stunning. That includes your hairstylist, manicurist, esthetician … and the makers of Adobe Photoshop.

• “Chocolate Pudding Day”, celebrating the ooey-gooey dessert treat every toddler likes to eat … with their fingers.

• “International Day Against Drug Abuse & Illicit Trafficking”, a UN observance established in 1987 with the goal of achieving an international society free of drug abuse. Let’s see, has it worked yet?

• “International Day in Support of Torture Victims”, created by the UN General Assembly to demonstrate solidarity with all those whose mind, body, or spirit have been impacted by torture. (A holiday at Guantanamo Bay?)

• “National Canoe Day” in Canada. The canoe has been chosen as one of the ‘Seven Wonders of Canada’. (Author Pierre Berton was once quoted as saying a Canadian is somebody who knows how to make love in a canoe.)
NET: http://www.nationalcanoeday.net

THIS DAY IN SHOW BIZ . . .
2012 [01] Academy Award-nominated filmmaker Nora Ephron (“Silkwood,” “When Harry Met Sally”, “You’ve Got Mail”) dies of leukemia at age 71 in NYC

TODAY’S MUSIC EVENT . . .
1973 [40] Model/singer Marsha Hunt, inspiration for the Rolling Stones song “Brown Sugar”, names Mick Jagger in a paternity suit, claiming he fathered her 2-year-old daughter

TODAY’S FIRST . . .
1985 [28] 1st ‘Organist Ejected from a Baseball Game’ (Wilbur Snapp gets tossed for playing “Three Blind Mice” following a call by umpire Keith O’Connor in a Class A game in Clearwater, Florida)

TODAY’S RECORD . . .
1981 [32] ‘Most Coupons Used In a Single Purchase’ as Virginia Campbell of Mountain Home, Idaho buys $24,460 worth of groceries in a supermarket and uses clipped coupons and rebates to cover all but 67 cents of the bill (wow, someone even cheaper than the boss!)

AND REMEMBER . . .
[Thurs] Decide to Be Married Day
[Thurs] Industrial Workers Of the World Day
[Fri] “The Heat”; “White House Down” open in movie theaters
[Sat] “American Idol Live!” tour begins (St Louis MO)
[Sat] Tour de France begins
[Sun] “Dexter” season debut (Showtime/TMN)
This Week Is … Mosquito Control Awareness Week
This Month Is … Potty Training Awareness Month

BULL’S BITS

MORE BS LAWS OF GOLF:
● Hazards attract; fairways repel.
● If there’s a storm rolling in, you’ll be having the game of your life.
● It takes at least 5 holes to notice that a club is missing.
● The ball always lands where the pin was yesterday.
● You can hit a 2-acre fairway 10% of the time but a 2-inch branch 90% of the time.
● Your straightest iron shot of the day will be exactly one club short.
● Golf carts always die at the point on the course that’s farthest from the clubhouse.

BS PHONE STARTER:
☎ People have started celebrating their birthdays by inviting friends out to dinner, typically at a fancy restaurant, then splitting the tab and paying for the guest of honor. Good idea or bad?

BS RANDOM JOKE:
Comedy, like Medicine, was never meant to be practiced by the general public.

BS WATER COOLER QUESTION:
Question: The odds of doing THIS are 228-to-1.
Answer: Writing a “New York Times” bestseller.

BS DEEP THOUGHT:
No one tests the depth of a river with both feet.