Thursday, March 14, 2019 – Edition: #6413

Sheet Happens!

BS SHOW BIZ BUZZ:
★ Batman is coming back to the big screen — and to the biggest of screens. All three of Christopher Nolan’s “Batman” films starring Christian Bale, a.k.a. “The Dark Knight” trilogy, are returning to IMAX screens on 70mm film for a five-city, special engagement.  The first stop will take place on March 30 in Hollywood. Warner Bros. will screen 2005’s “Batman Begins,” 2008’s “The Dark Knight” and 2012’s “The Dark Knight Rises”. Between the second and third films, Nolan will join the audience for a moderated Q&A discussion on the movies. From there, fans in New York, San Francisco, Toronto, and Indianapolis will have a chance to view the films on the big, BIG screen, including footage of Nolan’s Los Angeles Q&A. Batman turns 80 this month.
-TheWrap
★ Former “Desperate Housewives” star Felicity Huffman and “Full House” actress Lori Loughlin are among 46 people who have been arrested in a nationwide college admissions cheating scam case, federal prosecutors announced Tuesday. They were arrested on charges that they paid bribes of up to $6 million to get their children into top universities like Yale, Stanford, Georgetown and USC, according to documents.
(And I thought I had a lot of college debt!)
-TheWrap
★ Thanks to Kim Kardashian West, one of the first inmates released after federal sentencing reforms won’t have to worry about rent for five years. Matthew Charles said last week that he couldn’t find permanent housing since his Jan. 3 release, in part due to his criminal history. But on Sunday, he announced that Kardashian West, an advocate for criminal justice reform, will be helping him out. He said she’s not doing it to get attention, but he just had to share it.
-MSN
★ “Storage Wars” star Darrell Sheets has been hospitalized after suffering a heart attack. He made the announcement on Instagram, writing that he has been “very sick” for upwards of three months and suffered a “mild heart attack” several nights ago. He is currently in the hospital and has since been diagnosed with congestive heart failure and a “severe issue” with his lung. He was scheduled to undergo surgery this week.
-Popculture
★Alvin and the Chipmunks will be honored with the 2,657th star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame today.
-WalkofFame

TODAY’S SHOW BIZ SKED:
• “Jimmy Kimmel Live” (ABC/Global): Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Angela Bassett, half•alive
• “The Tonight Show starring Jimmy Fallon” (NBC/CTV): Oscar Isaac, Lilly Singh, Jimmy Carr
• “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” (CBS/Global): Christine Baranski, Donnie Wahlberg, Rep. Adam Kinzinger
• “Late Night with Seth Meyers” (NBC/CTV): Sharon Horgan, Rob Delaney, Stephanie Schriock, Allison Miller
• “The Late Late Show with James Corden” (CBS/CTV): Kate Beckinsale, Milo Ventimiglia, Better Oblivion Community Center
• “Conan” (TBS): Moses Storm
• “Watch What Happens Live” (Bravo): Karlie Kloss, Christian Siriano
• “The View” (ABC/CTV): Aidy Bryant
• “The Talk” (CBS): Billy Baldwin
• “Live with Kelly and Ryan” (ABC/CTV): Kate Beckinsale, Aidy Bryant
• “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” (NBC/CTV): Ben Affleck, Tara Westover, Ben Platt
• “2019 iHeartRadio Music Awards” (FOX): A star-studded event celebrating the most-played artists and songs on iHeartRadio stations and the iHeartRadio app. Hosted by T-Pain.
• “Project Runway” (BRAVO): Model Karlie Kloss hosts the long-running fashion competition, while former contestant Christian Siriano is the new mentor.

BS MUSIC NOTES:
• Portugal. The Man — have accused Jonas Brothers of copying their hit ‘Feel It Still’ for their comeback song ‘Sucker’. Portugal. The Man took to Twitter to address the similarity. They later denied that they were angry at Jonas Brothers, writing: “Not mad at all. Actually, dig a lot of their music and Nick’s solo records.”
• Britney Spears — A new stage production set to her music will open in Chicago later this year. ‘The show – which will feature 23 of her songs, will begin previews in Chicago on October 29.
• Yes — drummer Alan White says he is hopeful that unfinished recordings featuring late bandmate Chris Squire and Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page will be released, and it would be “quite amazing” if Robert Plant could be persuaded to sing on them. The short-lived project, titled XYZ for “Ex Yes and Led Zeppelin,” was abandoned in 1981. 
• Arkells – have been added to the final performers list for this year’s Juno Awards on Sunday.  Also performing: Bahamas, NAV, and host Sarah McLaughlin with Whitehorse.  Previously confirmed performers include Corey Hart, bülow, Cœur de Pirate and Loud.
• Phil Spector — The hilltop Los Angeles-area mansion where the music producer killed actress Lana Clarkson in 2003 is for sale at $5.5 million. Jurors in the case were taken to the castle to inspect the scene of the crime before he was sentenced to 19 years to life.
• Tim Hicks – is among the artists announced in the full line-up for the 2019 of Boots & Hearts Music Festival near Barrie, ON Aug 8-11.  Also on the bill: Chase Rice, Michael Ray, Carly Pearce, Mitchell Tenpenny, LANCO, Ashley McBryde and Morgan Wallen.  The previously announced headliners are Jason Aldean, Miranda Lambert, Maren Morris, Cole Swindell, Kane Brown and Kip Moore.
• Miranda Lambert – She and George Strait have been added as performers at the 2019 ACM Awards. They join artists including Maren Morris, Brothers Osborne, Kane Brown, Little Big Town, Thomas Rhett and Chris Stapleton. Reba McEntire, who is hosting the live broadcast on April 7, will also perform, as will Jason Aldean, who has been announced as the recipient of the 2019 Artist of the Decade Award.

MIXED EMOJIS:
Get your scrolling finger ready, because there are 230 more emoji coming…and you’ll never guess who we have to thank:  Tinder.  The Unicode Consortium, which controls officially supported emoji, will add a variety of new “people holding hands” emoji in the next version (12.0).  Right now, there are only three versions of the handholding emoji, but the new version will include a variety of skin colors along with a genderless version.  The addition follows Tinder’s #representlove campaign last year.  The Tinder petition garnered 50,000 signatures of support.  Some of the other upcoming emoji include people with disabilities. While all 230 have been approved and some have been released for preview, individual companies must decide for themselves whether to add them.
(At what point will we reach “peak emoji”?)
(Apparently the plural of ‘emoji’ is ‘emoji’.  Who knew?)
-MobileSyrup/AP

BASEBALL AND APPLE COMPUTERS:
Beginning next month, robot umpires will be calling the balls and strikes in the independent Atlantic Baseball League.  In the trial run, plate umpires will wear earpieces and will be told by “computer umpires” whether a pitch is a strike or a ball.  The living, breathing guy behind the plate will have the ability to override the computer.  The “TrackMan” system is unable to evaluate some other aspects of an at-bat, such as a check swing. It’s one of a series of changes being tried out by the league in cooperation with MLB.  Other adjustments include extending the distance from home plate to the pitcher’s mound by 24 inches, and not allowing players or coaches to visit the mound except in the cases of pitching changes or injury.
(And the computer ump will rarely be forced to leave the game after being hit in the nether-regions!)
(How are robots at dusting off the plate?)
(The umpires won’t be calling balls and strikes, but I’m pretty sure they’ll be calling the union…)
-AP

DAILY HABITS THAT COULD IMPROVE YOUR LIFE:
☞ Eat the same thing for breakfast every day:  You make about 35,000 decisions per day.  The best way to avoid decision fatigue (where you make poor or no decisions) is to “routinize” parts of your day.
☞ Schedule some standing time: Research has found that sitting on your butt for eight hours or more a day causes a number of medical problems.  Walk for 2 minutes every hour and schedule “walking” meetings.  (How am I supposed to eat pizza if I’m walking?)
☞ Take a meditation break:  A study found that people who meditate had lower levels of anxiety, depression, and insomnia than people who didn’t.  (Can I schedule a “walking” meditation break?)
☞ Keep a gratitude or laughter journal:  Write down three good things that happen to you each day. It could be as fleeting as enjoying a great sandwich for lunch or as momentous as the birth of a child. The same can be done with a laughter journal.  These have been shown to stave off depression and contribute to long-term happiness. (My diary would be my laughter journal…if it wasn’t about me!)
☞ Turn off all screens 30 minutes before bed:  Avoid the blue light from your devices before bed.  It’s all about getting a good night’s sleep, which reduces stress and boosts daytime productivity and overall health.  (I can’t even seem to turn the TV off before SLEEP, let alone before I go to bed!)
-Curiosity

DID YOU KNOW?
Heinz is set to introduce two new condiment combos: “Mayocue” (BBQ sauce & mayo) and “Mayomust” (mayo & mustard).
-Today

BS CHRONOMETER 03.14.19

TODAY’S CELEBIRTHDAYS . . .
1933 [86] (Sir) Michael Caine (Maurice Micklewhite), London UK, movie actor (“Kingsman: The Secret Service”, “The Dark Knight Rises”)

1933 [86] Quincy Jones, Chicago IL, music producer (Michael Jackson’s ‘Thriller’ and ‘Bad’)/Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, 2013)

1948 [71] Billy Crystal, Long Beach NY, movie actor (“When Harry Met Sally,”, “City Slickers”)/9-time Academy Awards host/stand-up comedian

1951 [68] Rigdon “Rick” Dees, Jacksonville, FL, radio disc jockey (“The Rick Dees Weekly Top 40 Countdown”)/voice artist/actor/recording artist (‘Disco Duck’)

1958 [61] Prince Albert II of Monaco (Albert Alexandre Louis Pierre de Matignon-Grimaldi), Monte Carlo, Monaco, Monaco’s 32nd ruler

1970 [49] Kristian Bush, Knoxville TN, country singer-guitarist-mandolin player (Sugarland-‘Stuck Like Glue’, ‘It Happens’)

1986 [33] Jamie Bell, Billingham UK, TV actor (“TURN: Washington’s Spies” 2014-2017)/movie actor (“Fantastic Four”, “Billy Elliot”)

1988 [31] Steph (Stephen) Curry, Akron OH, pro basketball player (Golden State Warriors – 2-time MVP, 3-time champion, 6-time all-star, NBA scoring champ – 2016, AP Athlete of the year – 2015)

1986 [33] Este Haim, LA CA, rock bassist-guitarist (Haim-‘If I Could Change Your Mind’, ‘The Wire’)

1994 [25] Ansel Elgort, NYC, movie actor (“Baby Driver”, “The Fault in Our Stars”) COMING UP…“The Goldfinch”, 2019

BS REASONS TO PARTY . . .
• “International Ask a Question Day”, an annual observance with the goal of improving our knowledge and lives by asking more and better questions. Such as …
– If electricity comes from electrons, does morality come from morons?
– If an ambulance is on its way to save someone and it runs over someone else, does it stop to help?
– What do you say when someone says you’re in denial, but you’re not?
– How do you handcuff a one-armed man?
• “Potato Chip Day”, honoring North America’s favorite snack food. It was invented by chef George Crum on this day in 1853 at a resort in Saratoga Springs NY after an uppity diner complained the potato slices were too thick. (What’s the best flavored potato chip? Worst?)

• “Save a Spider Day”, a day to appreciate arachnids and the webs they weave.

• “World Pi Day”, as in March 14 or 3/14 or 3.14 … get it? It honors the magic number for circles that expresses the ratio between radius and circumference.

• “Genius Day”, celebrated annually on the anniversary of the 1879 birth of Albert Einstein. It was Einstein who said, “The difference between genius and stupidity is that genius has its limits.”

• “Popcorn Lover’s Day”, a day to celebrate the healthy (until you load it with salt & butter) and addictive treat.

COMING UP . . .
[Fri] Dumbstruck Day
[Fri] Everything You Think is Wrong Day
[Sat] National Corndog Day
[Sat] Maple Syrup Saturday

ON THIS DAY . . .
2018 [01] Physicist Stephen Hawking (“A Brief History of Time”) dies at 76

TODAY’S MUSIC EVENTS . . .
2011 [08] Neil Diamond is finally inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame along with Alice Cooper, Tom Waits, Dr John, Darlene Love, and Leon Russell

2016 [03] Sony pays $750 million to the Michael Jackson estate for the King of Pop’s half of Sony/ATV Music, the publishing company that owns rights to some 4,000 songs, including 250 Lennon-McCartney tunes

TODAY’S SPORTING EVENT . . .
1997 [22] 68-year-old Gordie Howe signs AHL contract with Syracuse Crunch

TODAY’S FIRST . . .
2017 [02] World’s oldest golf club, Scotland’s “Muirfield” votes to admit women as members for 1st time in 273 years

TODAY’S RECORD . . .
2006 [13] U2 tops “Rolling Stone” magazine’s annual list of the year’s biggest money earners with $154.2 million, ahead of the Rolling Stones’ $92.5 million

BULL’S BITS

BS WACK FACTS:
✓ Humans have the same number of hair follicles as chimpanzees.
✓ Drivers in NYC spend an average of 107 hours per year searching for parking.
✓ The average English-speaker has about 50,000 words in their mind and finds the right one in 600 milliseconds.
✓ Women have more taste buds than men.
✓ On average, men lie 6 times a day, twice as often as women.
✓ From birth to toilet training, a baby goes through an average of 8000 diaper changes.
-FactSlides

BS CHEAP WINE NAMES:
• MerLOW on Cash
• Off-White Zinfandel
• Mommy Juice Box
• Maybe You’re Worth it, Maybe You’re Not
• Two-Buck Upchuck
• 10W30
• Nasty Spumante
• Freesling
• Red Dye and Water
• Cup-a-Wine
-Twitter

Best of BS . . .
BS CHANGE TWO LETTERS, RUIN A MOVIE:
• Bland Panther
• The Shindig (The Shining)
• Ding Dong (King Kong)
• Ferris Bueller’s Day Job
• Lord of the Bling
• Chill Bill
• The Texas Chainsaw Massage
• The Last Yeti
• Snacks on a Plane
• Farts and Furious
-Twitter, first published in ‘BS’ in 2018

BS PHONE STARTER:
What is the most surprising thing that you have ever overheard about yourself?

BS RANDOM JOKE:
I had a recurring dream once…

BS WATER COOLER QUESTION:
Question:  Almost 80% of people will tell you they’re very good at THIS, but studies show it’s actually about half that number…
Answer:  Spelling

BS DEEP THOUGHT:
The best way to have a good idea is to have lots of ideas.