BS SHOW BIZ BUZZ:
Author Terri Donald is suing filmmaker Tyler Perry for allegedly lifting the plot of his 2012 movie “Good Deeds” from her 2007 book “Bad Apples Can Be Good Fruit” (might seem flimsy except – she sent a copy to his production company long before the movie was made) . . . “30 Rock” star Alec Baldwin’s alleged stalker since 2010, Canadian actress Genevieve Sabourin, has been hauled out of NYC court in handcuffs for violating her protection order against the actor and his wife by reaching out to the couple via Twitter (to further prove her loser-hood, her lawyer has dumped her for failing to pay legal fees) . . . 40-year-old former “Melrose Place” star Amy Locane is facing up to 15 years behind bars after being convicted of vehicular homicide in a 2010 auto accident in New Jersey in which a woman was killed (only the beginning – she faces 9 other charges, from DUI to fleeing the scene of an accident) . . . Kim Kardashian tops the just-announced 2012 list of most-searched people on Bing, with Canadian pop star Justin Bieber coming 2nd (coincidentally both are on everyone’s list of most annoying celebs of 2012) . . . Former teen stars Ben Savage & Danielle Fishel have now both signed on to reprise their roles as ‘Cory & Topanga’ in the upcoming Disney Channel “Boy Meets World” sequel series, “Girl Meets World” (the ‘girl’ will be their daughter) . . . And “Breaking Bad” actor Aaron Paul (‘Jesse Pinkman’) has tweeted that he’s just found out how the white-hot series is going to end and says words can not express what he experienced (Quote: “Holy sh[eet]!”).

TODAY’S SHOW BIZ SKED:
• “Chelsea Lately” (E!) – Blake Shelton (“Cheers, It’s Christmas”). He’s just launched ‘25 Days of BS’, during which he’ll post new messages, award special giveaways, etc.
• “Conan” (TBS/CTV) – Nas (“Life Is Good”).
• “Ellen DeGeneres Show” (syndicated/CTV2) – Maroon 5 (“Overexposed”).
• “Jimmy Kimmel Live” (ABC/CityTV) – Ne-Yo (“R.E.D.”). Rerun.
• “Katie” (syndicated) – Rod Stewart (“Merry Christmas, Baby”). Rerun.
• “Last Call With Carson Daly” (NBC) – Ceremony (“Zoo”). Rerun.
• “Late Night With Jimmy Fallon” (NBC/CTV2) – Carrie Underwood (“Blown Away”). Rerun.
• “Late Show With David Letterman” (CBS/NTV/Omni1) – Tony Bennett (“Viva Duets”). Rerun.
• “Tavis Smiley” (PBS) – Bettye LaVette (“Thankful & Thoughtful”).
• “Tonight Show With Jay Leno” (NBC/CTV2) – Grouplove (“Grouplove”).
• “The X Factor” (FOX/CTV2) – Alicia Keys (“Girl On Fire”) performs; 2011 runner-up Josh Krajcik performs; finalists face elimination.

BS MUSIC NOTES:
• Backstreet Boys – AJ McLean is a new dad. His make-up artist-wife Rochelle Deanna Karidis gave birth to their first child this week, a girl they’ve named Ava Jaymes.
• Jane’s Addiction – Perry Farrell says he’s already come up with close to 60 songs that might be considered for a planned new concept album. It’s expected sometime in 2013.
• Lil Wayne – Today he releases the prison memoir “Gone Till November”, a compilation of the diaries he kept during his 8 months in New York’s Rikers Island on gun charges in 2010.
• Rolling Stones – Tonight they play the 2nd of their 50th anniversary concerts, at London’s O2 Arena.
• Shakira – She’s just showed off her giant baby bump on Instagram, with the caption “I could have another 9 months like this.” (Yeah, pregnancy … fun!)

COMING ATTRACTIONS:
A BS selection of movies in the making …
• “The All Nighter” – 60-year-old Liam Neeson is in negotiations to take on the lead role in this upcoming crime thriller, playing an aging hitman who goes up against his former mob employers and is forced to go on the run with his son. The film has been in development for almost a year but is yet to have a director onboard.
• “Cinderella” – Australian actress Cate Blanchett is in negotiations to play the evil stepmother in Disney’s upcoming live-action remake of the fairytale. The project was set up in the wake of the studio’s 2010 success with a live-action adaptation of “Alice in Wonderland” that starred Johnny Depp. Mark Romanek is attached to direct the re-imagining of the classic.
• “Mission: Impossible V” – After Brad Bird confirmed he was bowing out, Christopher McQuarrie (“Valkyrie”) has become the top choice of star Tom Cruise and producer JJ Abrams to direct the 5th film in Cruise’s signature action franchise. Paramount Pictures and Skydance Production will soon hire screenwriters to make the project official.
• “Story Of My Life” – This upcoming thriller is based on a short story by noted sci-fi author Ted Chiang that takes place after aliens land around-the-globe and a linguist is recruited by the US government in a race to decipher their intentions on Earth. Casting is currently underway; the pic is set to begin shooting in 2013.
• “Undying Love” – Joe Carnahan (“The Grey”) is in talks to direct this vampire action film based on the Image Comics miniseries that mashes up traditional vampire lore with Chinese monster myths and the Hong Kong action genre. The story centers on an ex-soldier who falls for a vampire girl. The only way they can be together is if he takes on the vampire who created her.

YOUR SMARTPHONE’S DIRTY SECRET:
The rare earth elements inside microcomputers (special minerals used by the personal electronics industry) may make our lives easier but just how toxic are the guts of your smartphone? One disposal site in Malaysia registered radiation levels 88 times higher than international guidelines. Pregnant women living near the plant miscarried; some gave birth to children who were sickly, mentally disabled, or blind. Other children in the village developed leukemia. In 2010, Mitsubishi finally broke ground on a secure, underground storage area to properly house this waste. The $100-million cleanup is thought to be the largest so far in the rare earth industry. (But have fun playing “Angry Birds” today, ‘k?)
– MotherJones.com

MANOREXIA TO GET WORSE:
Macho features such as a strong jaw, chiseled abs, and squinty eyes have long been touted as evolutionary assets that heterosexual women look for in a potential mate. But new research at the University of Pretoria in South Africa suggests that body weight may be a more powerful driver of attraction. A series of experiments suggest that pudgier men are seen as less appealing by fertile women. Further analysis finds that, rather than facial appearance or specific body features, a man’s overall weight serves as a better indicator of his attractiveness. (This is earthshattering news … women aren’t attracted to fat guys!)
– LiveScience.com

GREATEST GUITARISTS OF ALL-TIME:
At least, according to one new ranking …
5. Django Reinhardt – A 1940s European jazz musician who invented his own unique style, he famously played all guitar solos with just 2 fingers due to a fire accident.
4. Eddie Van Halen – Rock band Van Halen’s master of huge riffs, like the stabbing, grinding opener to “Ain’t Talking ‘Bout Love”.
3. BB King – Now 87, the king of the blues still appears in around 100 shows a year.
2. Keith Richards – In 50 years with the Rolling Stones, this battered-face axeman has penned an astonishing, enduring array of riffs and songs.
1. Jimi Hendrix – Effortlessly creative and cooler than any guitarist you care to mention, he embodied the music he performed.
– Adapted from Telegraph.co.uk

AVATARS ON ICE:
Even though the NHL is more than 2 months into a lockout, the 2012-13 season is being played out inside an Xbox 360 videogame console at the “Montréal Gazette” newspaper offices (where the Canadiens are tied for 1st place). The simulation is generated by EA Sports’ “NHL 13” game, which features an ‘automatic’ setting that plays out games based on embedded information about players’ strengths and tendencies. It’s not the only case of NHL hallucination. Blue Jackets fans in Columbus, Ohio have gathered to watch simulated matches in sports bars, as have Capitals fans in Washington DC. (Better watch out or tight-fisted NHL commissioner Gary Bettman will pick up on this as a cheaper alternative to real games.)
– BusinessWeek.com

3-D BABY:
Lots of expectant couples get ultrasounds of their babies, and even take the grainy black-and-white pics home with them. Now a clinic in Japan is offering models of the fetus, using 3-D printing technology. Fasotec, an engineering company, and Parkside Hiroo Ladies Clinic have teamed up to offer the service which uses Bio-Texture modeling to convert MRI scans into a 3-D image. Then a 3-D printer builds up the 3-dimensional image using resins that produce different colors. The cost is 100,000 yen, about $1,200. (Would you consider this a treasured souvenir … or just plain creepy?)
– Discovery.com

DID YOU KNOW?
✓ People do not get sick from cold weather in Winter; it’s from being indoors more where they encounter germs and viruses.
– MindJunker.com
✓The milk-flavoring malt extract product ‘Ovaltine’ was initially called ‘Ovomaltine’ … until a typo.
– Fark.com

BS CHRONOMETER 11.29.12

TODAY’S CELEBIRTHDAYS . . .
1954 [58] Joel Coen, Minneapolis MN, movie producer-director-screenwriter (“No Country for Old Men”, “Fargo”)/brother of filmmaking partner Ethan Coen/married to actress Frances McDormand since 1984

1955 [57] Howie Mandel, Toronto ON, TV personality (“America’s Got Talent” since 2010, “Deal or No Deal” 2005-09)/TV actor (“St Elsewhere” 1982-88)/stand-up comedian

1961 [51] Kim Delaney, Philadelphia PA, TV actress (“Army Wives” since 2007, “NYPD Blue” 1995-2003)

1961 [51] Tom Sizemore, Detroit MI, movie actor (“The Expendables 2”, “Black Hawk Down”)/drug rehab vet

1964 [48] Don Cheadle, Kansas City MO, movie actor (“Iron Man 2”, “Ocean’s Eleven” movies)

1968 [44] Jonathan Knight, Dorchester MA, pop singer (New Kids On the Block-“Step by Step”, “Hangin’ Tough”)

1970 [42] Frank Delgado, LA CA, rock keyboardist (Deftones-“Minerva”, “Change”)

1972 [40] Brian Baumgartner, Atlanta GA, TV actor (‘Kevin Malone’ on “The Office” since 2005)

1976 [36] Anna Faris, Baltimore MD, movie actress (“Alvin & The Chipmunks” films, “The Dictator”)

1979 [33] Game (Jayceon Taylor), LA CA, rapper (f/Lil Wayne-“My Life”, f/50 Cent-“Hate It or Love It”)

TODAY’S BS REASONS TO PARTY . . .
• “Electronic Greetings Day”, another excuse to junk up other people’s Facebook wall, email, texts, voicemail, etc with useless chaff you’d never think of writing down on a piece of paper.

• “International Day of Solidarity With the Palestinian People”, sponsored by the United Nations.

• “Square Dance Day”, a chance to get out and ‘dosey-doe’ with your partner.

THIS DAY IN SHOW BIZ . . .
2011 [01] Convicted of involuntary manslaughter, Dr Conrad Murray receives a 4-year sentence for Michael Jackson’s 2009 death

TODAY’S MUSIC EVENT . . .
2001 [11] George Harrison of The Beatles dies in LA of cancer at age 58

TODAY’S FIRSTS . . .
1947 [65] Despite strong Arab opposition, the UN votes for the partition of Palestine and the creation of Israel, an independent Jewish state

1972 [40] Atari announces the release of “Pong”, the 1st commercial coin-operated videogame (love those state-of-the-art graphics!)

TODAY’S RECORD . . .
1997 [15] 30,000 members of Rev Sun Myung Moon’s Unification Church are married or renew their vows at RFK Stadium in Washington DC (his followers are known as ‘Moonies’)

COMING UP . . .
[Fri] “Killing Them Softly” opens in movie theaters
[Fri] 2012 Billboard Women in Music Gala (NYC)
[Fri] Computer Security Day
[Fri] Meth Awareness Day
[Fri] Stay Home Because You’re Well Day

BULL’S BITS

MODERN-DAY GREEK GODS:
• Zeus, god of illegal fireworks, blimps, and pun-driven ad campaigns.
• Poseidon, god of inflatable baby pools and Young Adult books for girls who love horses.
• Demeter, goddess of organic vegetables and those plastic vegetables you find in the grocery store exhibit at a children’s museum.
• Hestia, goddess of exposed brick interior walls.
• Apollo, god of people who string up Christmas lights professionally.
• Aphrodite, goddess of speed dating, “America’s Next Top Model” catch-phrases, and laser hair-removal Groupons.
• Hermes, god of places that accept American Express.
• Artemis, goddess of those raccoons living in your crawl-space that you once called 9-1-1 on because you thought you ‘heard footsteps’.
• Dionysus, god of Franzia and body glitter.
• Ares, god of kids who make it past their yellow belts in after-school karate.
• Hades, god of pterodactyls, the old food pyramid, and AOL chat rooms, may they all rest in peace.
– Thanks to Katie Brookoff.

BS PHONE STARTER:
☎ The Rolling Stones: are they really the greatest rock & roll band of all-time?

BS U-PICK TRIVIA:
• In which locale is it illegal to ride a camel on a highway?
a. Saudi Arabia.
b. Nevada. [CORRECT. In 1875, the Nevada legislature prohibited camels on public highways to safeguard horse traffic. This effectively ended the commercial use of camels for transport.]
c Antarctica.
– HaLife.com

• Which will give your copper pots a glow?
a. Strawberry jam.
b. Cherry Jell-O.
c. Tomato sauce. [CORRECT. When soaked in it, the acid makes them shine.]
– “Tightwad Living”.

BS RANDOM JOKE:
Don’t think dogs are man’s best friend? Put a dog and your wife in the trunk of your car for an hour. When you open it, who’s really happy to see you?

BS WATER COOLER QUESTION:
Question: As a general rule the more color THIS has, the better it is for you.
Answer: Your workplace.

BS DEEP THOUGHT:
Education means developing the mind, not stuffing the memory.