BS SHOW BIZ BUZZ:
✳ Baz Luhrmann’s “The Great Gatsby” (opening Friday), the 4th cinematic adaptation of the work, was supposed to be the biggest film of the Summer. But if the early reviews are anything to go by, this is going to be one almighty flop. TheWrap.com says, “Baz Luhrmann sucks the life out of F Scott Fitzgerald’s immortal novel.” Hitfix.com is equally unimpressed, saying “DiCaprio is a total misfire as Gatsby” and the film is “okay and nothing more.” (Saw this coming months ago when Leo was partying his way around Australia during production.)
– ContactMusic.com
✳ Beyoncé ‘definitely’ wants more children. The 31-year-old, who already has 16-month-old daughter Blue Ivy with husband Jay-Z, is eager to extend her family as she now feels motherhood is her ‘biggest priority’, despite initially struggling to balance it and her music career. Quote: “Motherhood has changed everything. You see things a bit differently after you give birth and my biggest job now is to protect my child.” (By padding her with money.)
– “Daily Mirror”
✳ You’ve heard that Lindsay Lohan’s shell-game selection of a rehab clinic is finally over after she checked into the Betty Ford Center on Friday. Word has it the clinic was anxious to get her back because they wanted a 2nd chance after failing badly the first time around. What you likely haven’t heard is that Lohan visited Morningside Rehab in Newport Beach, California last Thursday, but she walked out on that facility because … it didn’t follow through with a $30,000 honorarium that was promised. (You can SELL your rehab? Our respect for Li-Lo just went up!)
– ShowBiz411.com
✳ And tens-of-thousands of fans of “The Office” joined more than a dozen cast members to give a rousing send-off to the TV comedy (ends May 16th) in Scranton, Pennsylvania where it was set and whose image it changed forever. ‘The Office Wrap Party’, which included a parade through town (pop 76,000) and a cast party at a local baseball stadium, was organized in part by the local mayor, who says “The Office” ‘helped make Scranton cool’. (Well … sorta.)
– Reuters.com

TODAY’S SHOW BIZ SKED:
• “America’s Next Top Model” (CW) – Alicia Keys asks the models to participate in a fashion show to raise money for her charity. Rerun.
• “Chelsea Lately” (E!) – Michael Bublé (“To Be Loved”).
• “Conan” (TBS/CTV) – Iron & Wine (“Ghost on Ghost”).
• “Dancing With the Stars” (ABC) – Emeli Sandé (“Our Version of Events”) performs; Jason Derulo (“Future History”) performs; the couples face elimination.
• “Ellen DeGeneres Show” (syndicated/CTV2) – Lady Antebellum (“Golden”, out today, which the trio describes as ‘a good road-trip record’).
• “Jimmy Kimmel Live” (ABC/CityTV) – Goo Goo Dolls (“Magnetic”, out June 11th).
• “Late Late Show With Craig Ferguson” (CBS) – The Neighbourhood (“I Love You”).
• “Late Night With Jimmy Fallon” (NBC/CTV2) – The Breeders (“Fate to Fatal”).
• “Late Show With David Letterman” (CBS/NTV/Omni1) – Pistol Annies (“Annie Up”, their sophomore album, out today); classic rocker Todd Rundgren; Zooey Deschanel (She & Him-“Volume 3”, released today).
• “Live With Kelly & Michael” (syndicated/CTV) – Zooey Deschanel again.
• “Tonight Show With Jay Leno” (NBC/CTV2) – Patty Griffin (“Children Running Through”).
• “The View” (ABC/CTV) – 1990s boy-band 98 Degrees (“2.0”).
• “The Voice” (NBC/CTV2) – Contestants perform in the “Live Playoffs, Part 2”.

TODAY’S TV SEASON FINALÉS:
• “Hart of Dixie” (CW): On the way to NYC, ‘Zoe’ is faced with a medical emergency on a plane.
• “Splash” (ABC): The final 3 contestants compete; the studio audience selects the winner.

BS MUSIC NOTES:
• Craig Campbell – “Never Regret”, his followup album to “Bigger Picture”, is released today. The 12-song project features the lead single “Outta My Head”.
• Depeche Mode – Tonight  in Tel Aviv, Israel they embark on their 2013 world tour. The run of arena & stadium dates is primarily in Europe, but a North American leg is slated for later in the year.
• Kendrick Lamar – He’s the featured artist tonight as the “Yahoo! On the Road” tour hits Cincinnati OH. As usual, the performance is being streamed live. The concert series continues through May 31st.
NET: http://music.yahoo.com/on-the-road/
• “Music From Baz Luhrmann’s Film: The Great Gatsby” – The movie’s out Friday; the soundtrack’s out today. It features Beyoncé w/Andre 3000 covering Amy Winehouse’s “Back To Black”, plus brand new songs from Florence + The Machine, Lana Del Rey, and Will.i.am.
• One Direction – Harry Styles has tasted a slice of his old life by returning to the Cheshire UK bakery where he used to work to shoot scenes for 1D’s new 3-D movie (out August 30th). Styles, now worth an estimated $24 million, strapped on an apron to help behind the counter.
• Tim McGraw – He’s awarding one military veteran’s family a newly-renovated, mortgage-free home at each of the 31 stops on his “Two Lanes of Freedom Tour” which next hits West Palm Beach, Florida this Friday. The giveaway is in collaboration with the HomeFront Foundation.

TODAY’S VIDEO RELEASES:
• “Barrymore” ( NR Drama ): In 1997, William Luce’s play about acclaimed US actor John Barrymore premiered on Broadway in a celebrated production starring Christopher Plummer, who won a Tony Award for ‘Best Actor’. For this film, Plummer recreated his performance using multiple hi-def cameras filming over 7 days on location and onstage at Toronto’s Elgin Theatre.
• “Jack Reacher” ( PG-13 Thriller): Tom Cruise stars as the ex-military investigator made famous in author Lee Child’s novels. Here he’s pitted against an unexpected enemy with a skill for violence, a secret to keep, and a target on Reacher’s back. Co-stars Rosamund Pike, Robert Duvall, Werner Herzog.
• “Mama” ( PG-13 Horror ): In this new spin on the haunted-kid horror genre, a couple faces the challenge of raising two young nieces who were left alone in the forest for 5 years. But just how alone were they? Stars Jessica Chastain (“Zero Dark Thirty”), and child actresses Megan Charpentier and Isabelle Nélisse. Shot in Toronto and Hamilton, Ontario.
• “Safe Haven” ( PG-13 Mystery Romance ): Julianne Hough plays a young woman with a mysterious past who lands in Southport, North Carolina where her bond with a widower forces her to confront the dark secret that haunts her. Co-stars Josh Duhamel, Cobie Smulders, David Lyons. Based on the Nicholas Sparks novel.
• Also released today: “Citizen Hearst” (Documentary); “The Exorcist In the 21st Century”  (Documentary); “Felicity: Seasons 3 & 4” (Vintage TV); “Flashpoint: The 5th Season” (TV); “Fringe: The Complete Series” (TV); “Gunsmoke: The 8th Season” (Classic TV Western); “Have Gun, Will Travel: The Final Season” (Classic TV Western); “K9: The Complete Series” (Animation); “Marley Africa Road Trip” (Documentary); “Private Practice: The Complete 6th Season” (TV); “Rookie Blue: The Complete 3rd Season” (TV); “Sesame Street: Elmo the Musical” (Family); “Witness” (Documentary); and “WW2 From Space” (Documentary).

NO HEAD PAINT NEEDED:
Researchers are working on a true anti-greying cream that could make people produce their own youthful hair color again. So far, it’s worked for just a few people who have lost pigment in their hair and skin not from age, but from a condition called vitiligo. Because the cause of vitiligo pigment-loss is related to a possible cause of greying in old age, however, the prototype cream just might be a step toward a legitimate anti-greying treatment. (But what would we do without all those Just For Men commercials?)
– PopSci.com

PIGGY POWER:
In Florida, the wild pig population is nearing 1 million; in Berlin, feral pigs are running (hog) wild in the streets; and pigs are prevalent on the West Bank after Israeli settlers, some say, released boars to destroy Palestinian cropland. There are even thousands of radioactive wild pigs wandering in Europe, thanks to tainted feeding grounds near Chernobyl. This explosion of wild pigs is destroying ecosystems, spreading disease, and causing an estimated billion dollars in agricultural damage. (So … when’s “Planet Of the Pigs” coming to theaters?)
– ModernFarmer.com

MATERNAL POLLS:
● 57% of mothers in a nationwide poll say the best “Mother’s Day” present they could receive is a day alone with their family without any other obligations.
● A “Redbook” poll finds the ultimate “Mother’s Day” gifts would be: Sleeping in late, having ALL meals prepared, flowers for every room, and having the house cleaned top to bottom.
● In spite of all the stories about beleaguered mothers today, moms overwhelmingly say in a poll from the Pew Research Center that they are happy with their lives and with their partners.
● And in yet another survey, 95% of mothers say they are happy with life in general. Their greatest source of joy? The people they care about.

WATCHING TUBE ON YOUTUBE:
YouTube could reportedly launch its paid subscription service for some of its specialist video channels as early as this week. The à la carte service, which could involve as many as 50 video channels, would offer single channel subscriptions for as little as $1.99-a-month. A paid content platform would give the Google-owned video site another revenue stream while allowing channel operators to finance different content production, such as TV shows and movies. (The way we watch TV is about to totally change.)
– CNET.com

HOW TO EAT SUSHI:
A review of good manners when it comes to dining out on the increasingly popular cuisine …
✓ Eat the sushi as soon as it’s placed in front of you.
✓ Eat it with one hand or with chopsticks; either is no problem.
✓ It’s important to eat the sushi in one mouthful. If you think the sushi might be too big, then ask for it to be cut or molded into a smaller portion.
✓ When dipping sushi into soy sauce, do it so the sauce only touches the neta (the fish topping) and not the rice.
✓ Gunkan sushi might spill and fall apart if tipped, so a bit of sneaky sauce on the rice is forgiven here, as long as you aim mostly for a seaweed dip.
– JapanToday.com

DID YOU KNOW?
Playing-cards were known in Persia and India as far back as the 12th century. A pack then consisted of 48 cards instead of 52.
– “Fun Facts

BS CHRONOMETER 05.07.13

TODAY’S CELEBIRTHDAYS . . .
1961 [52] Phil ‘Wizzo’ Campbell, Pontypridd, Wales, heavy metal guitarist-songwriter (Motörhead-“Motörizer”, “Kiss of Death”)

1986 [27] Matt Helders, Sheffield UK, indie rock drummer (Arctic Monkeys-“Fluorescent Adolescent”, “I Bet You Look Good On the Dancefloor”)

1992 [21] Alexander Ludwig, Vancouver BC, movie actor (“The Hunger Games”, “Race to Witch Mountain”)

TODAY’S BS REASONS TO PARTY . . .
• “Beaufort Scale Day”, honoring the 1774 birth of British naval officer Sir Francis Beaufort who, as any sailor knows, invented the scale that measures wind speed from 0 (calm) to 12 (hurricane), adopted as an international standard in 1874.

• “Childhood Depression Awareness Day”, first designated by the National Mental Health Association in 1997. Also known as “Green Ribbon Day”, we’re encouraged to wear one to create awareness of the malady.

• “Teacher Appreciation Day”, traditionally observed on the Tuesday of the first full week of May to show our teachers appreciation. It encourages us to compliment present and/or past teachers. (There are several similar celebrations at various times of the year.)

• “World Asthma Day”, observed each year on the 1st Tuesday in May. Organized by the Global Initiative for Asthma (GINA), the aim is to raise awareness of asthma and improve asthma care throughout the world.

THIS DAY IN SHOW BIZ . . .
2010 [03] The sequel film “Iron Man 2” opens in movie theaters (unlike most film series, the ‘threequel’ is proving to be an even bigger hit in 2013)

TODAY’S MUSIC EVENTS . . .
2002 [11] London authorities wrap a 4-month investigation of The Who guitarist Pete Townshend, who’s charged with downloading child porn (he’s not jailed but is placed on the National Sex Offenders’ Registry)

2009 [04] Dolly Parton is awarded an honorary Doctorate of Music from the University of Tennessee at Knoxville

TODAY’S FIRSTS . . .
2000 [13] Vladimir Putin is inaugurated president of Russia (the 1st time)

2003 [10] 1st felon ever busted on ‘Kiss Cam’ as authorities spot a 24-year-old wanted drug dealer smooching his girlfriend on the Jumbotron screen at a Cincinnati Reds baseball game

TODAY’S RECORDS . . .
1983 [30] August Hoffman performs a record 29,051 consecutive sit-ups (“That’s 18 thousand, 7 hundred and forty-two …”)

2000 [13] Skydiver Mike Hennessy of West Springfield, Massachusetts celebrates his 50th birthday by jumping out of an airplane … 50 times

20 YEARS AGO . . .
1993 “New Product News” makes these predictions about new food products: Blue will be the hot new color for novelty foods; tuna burgers will soon be available at fast food outlets; more foods-on-a-stick will be available for eating on-the-run; alcoholic fruit beers will be developed.

AND REMEMBER . . .
[Wed] Third Shift Workers Day
[Wed] No Socks Day
[Wed] Receptionists Day
[Thurs] School Nurse Day
[Fri] Military Spouse Appreciation Day
[Sun] Mothers Day
This Week Is … Goodwill Industries Week
This Month Is … Haitian Heritage Month

BULL’S BITS

LEAST POPULAR BASEBALL ANTHEMS 2013:
“Take Me Out to the Corporate-Sponsored Megaplex”
“Scratch My Groin For the Cameras”
“Buy Me Some Expensive Counterfeit Sports Memorabilia”
“My Ass Looks Slimmer in Pinstripes”
“Sex Is Fun At the Ballpark, When You’re Buck Naked In the Stands”
“Trade Me Off to Toronto”
“Let’s Root, Root, Root For The Cubbies, If They Lose It’s No Big Surprise”
“For It’s 1, 2, 3 Strikes You’re Out, ‘Cause the Ump Is Drunk!”

BS PHONE STARTER:
☎ Would you get a tattoo to get a raise? (A NYC realty company is offering 15% raises to employees who get the company’s logo tattooed on. So far, some 40 staffers have inked up.)

BS U-PICK TRIVIA:
Julia Ward Howe, women’s suffrage leader and composer of “The Battle Hymn Of the Republic”, was first to promote which innovation?
a. Equal pay for equal work.
b. Mothers Day. [CORRECT. She first suggested it in 1872.]
c. Synchronized swimming.
– “Totally Trivial”

BS RANDOM JOKE:
Never marry for money. You’ll have to earn every penny.

BS WATER COOLER QUESTION:
Question: Close to 40% of people polled say THIS has triggered an argument in the car.
Answer: The GPS.

BS DEEP THOUGHT:
Money can’t buy friends, but you can get a better class of enemy.