Wednesday, May 25, 2011        Edition: #4513
Bully For You!

BS SHOW BIZ BUZZ:
While movie star Willem Dafoe (“Spider-Man”) is on a movie set, his home in Rome, Italy has been burgled in a co-ordinated raid in which thieves apparently used sophisticated mountain climbing gear to break into the penthouse apartment (if he has security camera footage, he’s halfway to making a new thriller!) . . . 2 crew members have been taken to hospital ‘as a precaution’ after an explosion in a workshop at Stone Street Studios in Wellington NZ, where “The Hobbit” is in production (filming on the $500-million, 2-film prequel to “Lord Of the Rings” continues uninterrupted) . . . Meantime, 3 crew members setting up a camera platform on a NYC rooftop for the next “Spider-Man” film were left dangling 6 stories above the street when a crane broke down this week and had to be rescued by firefighters in a cherry-picker (and it’s actors who make the big money why?) . . . Actress/model Estella Warren (“Planet Of the Apes”) has been arrested in LA on charges of DUI, hit & run, assault, and felony escape after allegedly slamming into 3 cars, kicking a cop, and then running away from a police station afterward (the pride of Peterborough ON!) . . . Actress/singer Queen Latifah is designing her own line for the Home Shopping Network, ‘The Queen Collection’, which will include clothes & accessories for women ‘of all sizes’ whether 2 or 24 (what about those starving zeroes we keep hearing about?) . . . And UK reality TV show “Celebrity Big Brother” is currently attempting to recruit its next cast and has been talking to businessman Mohamed Al-Fayed (Harrod’s department store); rapper Snoop Dogg; and madcap actor Charlie Sheen (well, he could certainly use a gig).

TODAY’S SHOW BIZ SKED:
• “Colbert Report” (Comedy Central/CTV) – Lupe Fiasco (“Lasers”).
• “Conan” (TBS/CTV) – Ben Harper (“Give Till It’s Gone”).
• “Ellen DeGeneres Show” (syndicated/A Channel) – Justin Bieber (“Never Say Never: The Remixes”); James Blunt (“Some Kind Of Trouble”).
• “Jimmy Kimmel Live” (ABC/CHCH) – Maybach Music Group featuring Rick Ross.
• “Late Late Show With Craig Ferguson” (CBS) – Oh Land (“Oh Land”).
• “Late Night With Jimmy Fallon” (NBC/A Channel) – Classic rockers David Crosby & Graham Nash.
• “Late Show With David Letterman” (CBS/NTV/Omni) – Augustana (“Augustana”).
• “Oprah Winfrey Show” (syndicated/CTV) – After 25 years as ‘Queen of Daytime TV’, it’s 57-year-old Oprah’s very last show (stock up on your Kleenex). Actors Will Smith & Jada Pinckett-Smith guest.
• “Tonight Show With Jay Leno” (NBC/A Channel) – Foster the People (“Torches”).
• “The View” (ABC/CTV) – Brad Paisley (“This Is Country Music”).

TONIGHT’S TV SEASON FINALÉS:
• “American Idol” (FOX) – In the 2-hour final, either Lauren Alaina or Scotty McCreery is named winner. Performers include Aerosmith, Lady Gaga, Stevie Nicks, and eliminated contestant Casey Abrams w/Jack Black.
• “Cougar Town” (ABC)
• “Criminal Minds: Suspect Behavior” (CBS)
• “The Middle” (ABC)
• “Modern Family” (ABC)
• “Tori & Dean: sTORIbook Weddings” (Oxygen)

BS MUSIC NOTES:
• Allman Bros Band – Frontman Gregg Allman is set to publish his memoir in Spring 2012, which will explain how ‘a year or two off’ after high school to play clubs turned into a 40-plus-year career.
• Black Eyed Peas – Fergie tells “Hollyscoop” she wants to work on obtaining a new lady lump … a baby bump. She’s confirmed that she & hubby Josh Duhamel are ready to start a family, but ‘not right this second’.
• Blake Shelton/Reba McEntire – Tonight & tomorrow they’re playing a “Tornado Relief Concert” at the Choctaw Casino Resort in Durant, Oklahoma.
• 50 Cent – He’s inked a deal to play the role of blind DJ ‘Shamus Cocobolo’ in “Odd Thomas”, the upcoming movie adaptation of Dean Koontz’s best-selling novel.
• Justin Bieber – He & Selena Gomez have been spotted walking to the beach in Maui this week, while apparently taking time off for some R&R in Hawaii.
• Kenny Chesney – Proceeds from his concert tonight in Tuscaloosa, Alabama goes to a charity helping those affected by the deadly local tornado on April 27th.
• Muse – Frontman Matt Bellamy says he & actress Kate Hudson are planning to welcome their expected baby in Los Angeles, so the child can easily obtain dual US and UK citizenship.
• Ray LaMontagne & The Pariah Dogs – Tonight they kick off a Summer tour in support of the album “God Willin’ & The Creek Don’t Rise” in Waterbury, Connecticut.

NO BUBBLE GUM INCLUDED:
Trading cards are getting a makeover for the 21st century as the first video-enabled cards are about to hit the market. A limited edition series coming in June features 4 NBA basketball players: Kobe Bryant (LA Lakers), Blake Griffin (LA Clippers), John Wall (Washington Wizards), and Kevin Durant (Oklahoma City Thunder). The cards will be slightly larger than normal and several times thicker, although they’re still made from a cardboard backing. An electronic display fills two-thirds of one side, playing clips of on-court action along with music and commentary. A pack of 5 will cost $20. (Get ready for Junior to ask for a raise in his allowance!)
NET: http://bit.ly/iYfMbI
– GeekWithLaptop.com

BS BUZZWORDS:
New cutting-edge vocab …
• ‘Baggage Malaria’ – Malaria contracted from the bite of a mosquito inadvertently transported from a malarial region in a someone’s baggage. (“I spent 6 months in Africa … no prob. Then I come home and unpack and – zap – baggage malaria!”)
• ‘Parental Alienation Syndrome’ (PAS) – The American Psychiatric Association is considering officially recognizing this as a new mental malady. It’s caused by a parent feeling alienated from a child who sides with the other parent during and/or after a high-conflict divorce.
• ‘Writeprint’ – The set of writing style characteristics that uniquely identify the author of a text. (“I could tell it was Anderson in accounting that posted the complaint. His writeprint includes spelling ‘they’re’ as ‘there’ and inserting loads of commas in, totally, inappropriate, places.”)

FRIENDING YOUR CAR:
Toyota Motor Corp is setting up a social networking service so that users can interact with … their cars. ‘Toyota Friend’ will be a private social network for Toyota owners that works similarly to Twitter. If your vehicle needs servicing or your hybrid needs charging, the system will inform you via smartphone message. The service can even automatically link to a dealer to set up an appointment. It will be available in Japan next year and later worldwide, initially with electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids. (Soon, in addition to your spouse, you’ll be arguing with your car.)
– HuffingtonPost.com

BROKEN BOOMERS:
Baby Boomer bones and joints are taking a pounding, spawning a boom in operations to fix them. Knee-replacement surgeries have doubled over the last decade and more than tripled in the 45-to-64 age group. Hips are trending that way, too. And here’s a surprise: It’s not all due to obesity. Ironically, trying to stay fit and avoid extra pounds is taking a toll on a generation that expects bad joints can be swapped out like old tires on a car. (Jogging is bad for you? Good!)
– AP

CRYING ‘WOLF’ AGAIN:
Harold Camping, the “Family Radio” host who predicted the world would end on Saturday, now says ‘the rapture’ DID happen, but not in a visible way because it was spiritual not physical. But it won’t be spiritual on October 21st, he claims, because that’s the real end date of the world. He does promise his organization won’t pass out more tracts or put up more billboards. The world has been warned, he says, and is under judgment. (We’re more inclined to believe that ‘the rapture’ happened and we were ALL ‘left behind’.)
– Gawker.com

HYDROPONIC CAR:
In Japan, an innovative new car has been unveiled that runs on nothing but … water. Genepax says its eco-friendly car requires no gasoline, no battery recharging, and causes no emissions. It uses an energy generator that extracts hydrogen from water that is poured into the tank. The generator then releases electrons that produce electric power to run the vehicle. The car can run for an hour at 50 mph on just 1 liter of water. And any water-based liquid can be used … tea, juice, beer, etc. (Spit?)
– Presscore.ca

DID YOU KNOW?
• There are only 2 beret factories left in France. (Mon dieu, where are the old men playing boules going to get their ‘uniforms’?)
– Magazine Monitor
• Buick became the first automaker to incorporate a turn signal in 1938. It was advertised as a new safety feature called the ‘Flash-Way Directional Signal’. (Hey, you in front of me … your FWDS has been blinking for the last 32 miles!)
– TTP
• In just a decade the world will, for the first time in history, change from being mostly poor to being mostly middle class. (Since the recession, a lot of rich people are now middle class.)
– “Christian Science Monitor”

BS CHRONOMETER 05.25.11

TODAY’S CELEBIRTHDAYS . . .
1939 [72] (Sir) Ian McKellen, Burnley UK, movie actor (“The Da Vinci Code”, “Lord Of the Rings” trilogy, “X-Men” series)  COMING UP: Returns as ‘Gandalf the Grey’ in “The Hobbit I” (2012).

1944 [67] Frank Oz, Hereford UK, movie director (“The Stepford Wives”, “Death At a Funeral”)/Muppeteer (‘Miss Piggy’, ‘Fozzie Bear’, ‘Bert’, ‘Grover’, ‘Cookie Monster’)/voice actor (‘Yoda’-“Star Wars” series)

1963 [48] Mike Myers, Toronto ON, movie actor (“Shrek” series, “Austin Powers” series)/Canadian Walk of Fame (2003)

1970 [41] Jamie Kennedy, Upper Darby PA, comedian/TV actor (“Ghost Whisperer”)/movie actor (“Scream” movies)/ex-boyfriend of actress Jennifer Love Hewitt

1975 [36] Lauryn Hill, South Orange NJ, pop/R&B singer (“Doo Wop [That Thing]”, The Fugees-“Killing Me Softly”)

1976 [35] Cillian Murphy, Douglas, Ireland, movie actor (“The Dark Knight”, “28 Days Later”)

1980 [31] Joe King, Denver CO, rock guitarist/singer (The Fray-“You Found Me”, “How to Save a Life”)

TODAY’S BS REASONS TO PARTY . . .
• “African Liberation Day”, when many African countries celebrate the hard-fought achievement of their freedom from European colonial powers.

• “Flitting Day” in Scotland, where many houses are rented by the year, and today families have to decide whether to ‘sit’ or to ‘flit’.

• “Geek Pride Day”, a day for sci-fi fans and techno-nerds to stand tall. The date coincides with the release of the first “Star Wars” movie. What is a geek? The Geek Pride Organization says ‘you know one when you see one’.

• “International Missing Children’s Day”, promoting awareness of the problem and safety tips for kids and parents. We’re encouraged to turn on porch lights in observance as a way to show hope and support for missing kids and their families.

• “Senior Health & Fitness Day”, the 18th annual observance on the last Wednesday of May, promoting the importance of regular physical activity for seniors, and showcasing what local organizations are doing to improve the health & fitness of older adults in their communities.

• “Tap Dance Day”, honoring the birthday of Bill ‘Bojangles’ Robinson, ‘King of Tap Dancers’, in 1878. (You can do an on-air tap dance using 2 pencils on the microphone … gently.)

• “World MS Day”, to create awareness that Multiple Sclerosis is a neurological disease that affects people differently. Many with MS are able to work for years after diagnosis. But many have to give up work, when greater understanding of the disease would enable them to stay.
NET: http://worldmsday.org

THIS DAY IN SHOW BIZ . . .
1977 [34] The original “Star Wars” movie is released and eventually earns $775 million worldwide (6 years later, “Star Wars: Return Of the Jedi” opens on this date)

1992 [19] Jay Leno debuts as host of NBC-TV’s “The Tonight Show” as Johnny Carson retires after 30 years

2007 [04] “Pirates Of the Carribean: At Worlds End” opens in movie theaters (eventually racks up $961 million worldwide)

TODAY’S FIRST . . .
1989 [22] 1st (and only) NHL Stanley Cup won by Calgary Flames (vs Montréal Canadiens)

TODAY’S RECORD . . .
1981 [30] Daredevil Daniel Goodwin, wearing a ‘Spider-Man’ costume, scales the outside of Chicago’s Sears Tower in just over 7 hours

1990 [21] Gary Stewart of Los Angeles sets a Guinness  World Record by hopping 177,737 times on his pogo stick

AND REMEMBER . . .
[Thurs] “The Hangover Part II”; “Kung Fu Panda 2” open in movie theaters
[Fri] Cellophane Tape Day
[Sat] International Jazz Day
[Sat] Sierra Club Day
[Sun] Indianapolis 500
[Sun] International Day of UN Peacekeepers
[Sun] Rural Life Sunday
[Mon] Memorial Day (USA)
This Week Is … Safe Boating Week
This Month Is … Clean Air Month

BULL’S BITS

BS ALTERNATE NAMES FOR ‘OFFICE CUBICLE’:
I don’t work in a cubicle, I work in a …
• ‘Fortress of Servitude’
• ‘Tomb Of the Unknown Bureaucrat’
• ‘Peon Palazzo’
• ‘Yuppie Terrarium’
• ‘English Major Job-Entry Base’
• ‘Soul-Sucking Pod o’ Death’

PHONE STARTER:
Should the voting age be lowered? (16-year-olds are voting in a state election in Germany for the first time. The voting age was lowered to try to interest younger people in politics, even though they can’t drive a car or sign a cellphone contract until age 18.)

BS RANDOM JOKE:
When I die I’m going to leave my body to science fiction.

BS WATER COOLER QUESTION:
Today’s Question: Studies show that women are much more accurate than men when it comes to THIS skill.
Answer to Give Out Next Show: Hammering a nail (even blindfolded).

BS DEEP THOUGHT:
You can always find what you are not looking for.