BS SHOW BIZ BUZZ:
★ Entrepreneur Richard Branson has announced on the Virgin Galactic website that refunds for $250,000-tickets for commercial spaceflights are available following Friday’s tragic explosion of the Virgin SpaceShipTwo during testing in California’s Mojave Desert. That being said, many of the 700 ticket-holders have come forward to say they still want to experience space travel. Among celebs scheduled to go aloft: Angelina Jolie, Brad Pitt, Justin Bieber, Katy Perry, Lady Gaga, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Tom Hanks.
– DailyMail.co.uk
★ “Arrested Development’s” nonlinear Season 4 timeline is about to get more sequential. Show creator Mitchell Hurwitz says he’s now re-editing the last season of the show, which debuted on Netflix in 2013, in chronological order. Each of the 15 episodes were originally told out of order, from a particular character’s point-of-view. He hasn’t revealed whether this new version will be streamed on Netflix or just available on DVD/Blu-ray.
– Variety.com
★ She speaks! The first trailer for Lifetime’s upcoming “Grumpy Cat” movie reveals the feline’s voice for the very first time. “Grumpy Cat’s Worst Christmas Ever” stars “Parks & Recreation” actress Aubrey Plaza as the voice of the Internet meme-turned-movie character. The film follows a 12-year-old girl who asks for a dependable friend for Christmas. Her wish comes true in the form of ‘Grumpy Cat’. The TV movie premieres on November 29th.
NET: http://tinyurl.com/ntf75sf
– Canoe.ca

TODAY’S SHOW BIZ SKED:
• “Countdown To the CMA Awards: 15 Songs That Changed Country Music With Robin Roberts” (ABC) – The title says it all.
• “Dancing With the Stars” (ABC/CTV2) – The couples perform during dynamic duo night; then face elimination.
• “Last Call With Carson Daly” (NBC) – Alt-J (“This Is All Yours”).
• “Late Show With David Letterman” (CBS/Omni1) – Father John Misty (“Fear Fun”).
• “Meredith Vieira Show” (syndicated) – Jennifer Lopez (“AKA”).
• “Tavis Smiley” (PBS) – Jon Secada (“I’m Never Too Far Away”).
• “Today” (NBC) – Meghan Trainor performs “All About That Bass” and “Lips Are Movin'”.
• “Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” (NBC/CTV2) – Stevie Nicks (“24 Karat Gold – Songs From the Vault”).
• “The Voice” (NBC/CTV2) – Key adviser Taylor Swift helps the coaches and their teams as the knockout rounds continue.

BS MUSIC NOTES:
• Avril Lavigne – A new report from E! News claims it is just a matter of time before the split between her and hubby Chad Kroeger (Nickelback) becomes permanent. The couple said ‘I do’ in July 2013 at a private ceremony in the South of France.
• Blake Shelton – Sunday night he was featured on CBS-TV’s “60 Minutes”. Quote: “When I go home I hunt, I fish, and I plant corn, and I drive back roads. I literally do the things that I sing about.”
• Ed Sheeran – In Britain his album “X” is the biggest seller so far in 2014. It has already sold more than 2013’s biggest selling album by One Direction.
• Iggy Azalea – She has been added to the lineup of the 2014 American Music Awards. She’s also the most-nominated artist for this year’s AMAs, with 6 nods. The hardware is handed out on ABC-TV November 23rd.
• Jason Aldean – “Burnin’ It Down” has been #1 on the ‘Billboard Hot Country Songs’ chart since August 9th.
• K Michelle – Tonight her new reality show “K Michelle: My Life” premieres on VH1. Perfect timing as she releases her sophomore album, “Anybody Wanna Buy A Heart”, December 9th.
• Metallica – They’re releasing deluxe, remastered versions of their first 2 albums, “Kill ‘Em All” and “Ride the Lightning”, in 2015. They’re currently seeking photos, video, audio, and other memorabilia of their early years to include in the reissues.
• Robin Thicke – The legal battle over “Blurred Lines” continues as a judge has determined the estate of Marvin Gaye has made ‘a sufficient showing’ that parts of the song are similar to protected elements of Gaye’s 1977 hit “Got to Give It Up”. A trial is scheduled for February.

REALLY BIG BOAT:
Yesterday the world’s 1st ‘smart ship’, Royal Caribbean International’s 1,142-foot ‘Quantum Of the Seas’, set sail on its maiden voyage from Southampton UK to NYC. Among the big boat’s hi-tech features …
✓ 18 decks that can host up to 4,180 guests.
✓ Wristbands that serve as room keys.
✓ A jewel-shaped glass pod that extends 300 feet over the ocean for spectacular views.
✓ The largest indoor active space at sea, with flying trapeze, basketball court, bumper cars, roller skating, and a food truck.
✓ A skydiving simulator, a surf simulator, and a rock climbing wall.
✓ Robot bartenders, the first of their kind anywhere.
✓ Virtual balconies in windowless rooms, giving the appearance of a sea view.
After its inaugural voyage ends tomorrow, the world’s 3rd-largest cruise ship will sail to-and-from the Caribbean for the 2014-15 season before relocating to Shanghai, China.
– TheStar.com

TOWARD MORE COLORFUL KIDS:
According to a new survey of more than 800 parents of children under age 3, most are now happy to dress their children in non gender-specific colors. 82% say they like blue clothing on girls; and 47% say they don’t mind pink clothing on boys. Gender-neutral colors such as red, yellow, and grey are becoming more popular. In fact, when polled parents were given a choice of 12 colors, pink comes up as one of the least popular, ahead of only brown. The most popular color for kidswear? White, with 95% of parents selecting it as a favorite. Previous studies have shown that adults treat children differently when they are dressed in gender-stereotyped clothing. (Interestingly, pink was originally ‘male’ as it was thought to be a ‘stronger’ color.)
– @MailOnline

CATCHIEST TUNES:
According to a new experiment, these are the all-time catchiest tunes; the length of time it takes the average person to recognize the song, measured in seconds; and (the moment when people are most likely to sing along) …
1. Spice Girls – “Wannabe” … 2.29 seconds (0:45)
2. Lou Bega – “Mambo No. 5” … 2.48 seconds (0:50)
3. Survivor – “Eye Of the Tiger” … 2.62 seconds (2:04)
4. Lady Gaga – “Just Dance” … 2.66 seconds (1:39)
5. ABBA – “SOS” … 2.73 seconds (2:25)
– Telegraph.co.uk

PICKY PASSENGERS:
No one wants to be sitting next to an oddball for an 11-hour flight. Now there’s an app to prevent that. ‘Quicket’, a travel app for smartphones and tablets which facilitates ticket booking, flight tracking, and provides detailed airport maps, has released an updated version that also … checks out your fellow passengers. The ‘social check-in’ option allows passengers to view others who have chosen seats on the plane by just clicking on their avatar linked to their social profiles. That means fliers can effectively Facebook-stalk their seat neighbor before boarding the plane. Only users who approve the social feature will be seen. (What’s the worst seatmate you’ve ever been stuck with?)
NET: http://quicket.to
– PA News

DID YOU KNOW?
• Identity theft is occurring at up to twice the rate previously believed. (That’s a fact you should be worried about … Ronald K Lipscomb of 22nd Avenue.)
– AARP.org
• More than a third of parents pass down their love of a car brand to their children. (“Ah, the Lada …”)
– Futurity.org

BS CHRONOMETER 11.03.14

TODAY’S CELEBIRTHDAYS . . .
1953 [61] Dennis Miller, Pittsburgh PA, comedian/TV personality (“Saturday Night Live” 1985-91)/occasional movie actor (“What Happens in Vegas”, “Joe Dirt”)

1955 [59] Phil Simms, Lebanon KY, NFL analyst (CBS-TV)/former NFL quarterback (2 Super Bowls with NY Giants 1979-93)

1957 [57] Dolph Lundgren, Stockholm, Sweden, movie actor (“The Expendables” films, “Rocky IV”)/martial artist

1978 [36] Tim McIlrath, Indianapolis IN, rock vocalist/guitarist (Rise Against-“Re-Education [Through Labor]”, “The Good Left Undone”)

1987 [27] Colin Kaepernick, Milwaukee WI, NFL QB (San Francisco 49ers)

1987 [27] Gemma Ward, Perth, Australia, fashion model (“Vogue”)/movie actress (“Pirates Of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides”

1995 [19] Kendall Jenner, LA CA, TV personality (“Keeping Up With the Kardashians”)/fashion designer (Kendall & Kylie)/fashion model

TODAY’S BS REASONS TO PARTY . . .
• “Cliché Day”. It’s amazing how they infiltrate our daily conversations. Try to make it through an entire show without anyone uttering a cliché. Hit the buzzer every time one pops up!

• “Fill Our Staplers Day”, observed semi-annually on the day following the Standard Time change. Because every function we perform in day-to-day life needs its own day, right?

• “Job Action Day”, the 7th annual focusing on how job-seekers worldwide can build and enhance their reputations, their careers, and their personal brands. (We mean you, Jian.)

• “Sandwich Day”, celebrating the 1718 birth of John Montagu, 4th Earl of Sandwich. A compulsive gambler, he wanted something that could be eaten at gaming tables and earned immortality when he began eating beef between slices of toast in 1792. Odd sandwiches …
NET: http://bit.ly/sCip1r

• “Traffic Directors Day”, honoring radio & TV traffic departments, the ‘artisans of the inventory’, who schedule programs and advertising. (Yeah, thanks for all the commercials, guys.)

THIS DAY IN SHOW BIZ . . .
1969 [45] PBS (Public Broadcasting Service) is founded in America (in 2012 hundreds of supporters, many dressed as ‘Big Bird’, march in Washington DC)

TODAY’S MUSIC EVENT . . .
2004 [10] Eric Clapton is made a CBE (Commander Of the Order Of the British Empire) by Princess Anne at Buckingham Palace in London

TODAY’S FIRST . . .
1914 [100] Caresse Crosby (née Mary Phelps Jacob) is issued the 1st patent for a ‘brassiere’

TODAY’S RECORD . . .
2004 [10] “Jeopardy!” contestant Ken Jennings shatters the record for game show earnings by accumulating $2,197,000 and surpassing the previous record of $2,180,000 set by Kevin Olmstead on “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?” (2001)

AND REMEMBER . . .
[Tues] Use Your Common Sense Day
[Tues] Mid-Term Election Day (USA)
[Wed] “48th Annual CMA Awards” (ABC)
[Wed] Take Our Kids to Work (Canada)
[Thurs] Full ‘Beaver’ Moon
[Thurs] Men Make Dinner Day
[Thurs] Saxophone Day

THIS WEEK IS . . .
Animal Shelter Appreciation Week / Drowsy Driving Prevention Week / Fig Week / Patient Accessibility Week / Radiologic Technology Week / World Communication Week

BULL’S BITS

BEST OF BS:
Highlight bits culled from 21 years of “Bull Sheet” back issues …
BS REJECTED NAMES FOR ‘MOVEMBER’:
It’s the month when guys grow a ‘stache to raise awareness of men’s health issues. ‘Movember’ may not be the catchiest name for it, but it beats the heck out of these …
• ‘Occupy Top Lip’
• ‘Fuzzy Chops Month’
• ‘Nose-hair Extension Month’
• ‘Lip Landscaping Month’
• ‘Face Fur Fantasy’
• ‘Almost-as-Bushy-as-Grandma Month’
• ‘Shaggy Labium Month’
• ‘Miracle-Grovember’
• ‘The Only Part of My Cranium Where I Can Grow Hair Month’
– First published in “BS” 2011.

BS WEIRD & WONDERFUL FACTS:
● You blink every 2-to-10 seconds, so you have your eyes shut about 30 minutes every waking day. (More if you’re a civil servant.)
● In NYC, people bite other people more often than rats bite people. (At least rats don’t insult you first!)
● The average person walks 65,000 miles in a lifetime. (Most of it to the refrigerator.)
● According to a Swedish study, earthworms feel pain. (Keep that in mind, fishing sadists!)
– First published in “BS” 1993.
NET: http://www.FreeRadioPrep.com

BS PHONE STARTER:
☎ What’s the top destination on your “I want to go to there” list?

BS RANDOM JOKE:
People with dogs are too cowardly to bite for themselves.

BS WATER COOLER QUESTION:
Question: THIS is the most common word sent via text message between married people.
Answer: “OK”.

BS DEEP THOUGHT:
On the keyboard of life always keep one finger on the escape key.

NOW ON OUR SHEET LIST:
Mary Ann McQueen @ GabFestRadio.com, Los Angeles CA; Mike Rogers @ K95-5 [KTNT] Eufaula OK; Robert Legroulx @ Sonic X, Calgary AB; Mbachi Nkhata @ Rock FM Lusaka, Zambia; Chris @ 88.3 CJIQ Conestoga College, Kitchener ON; Bill Hoebee @ WAIL 99-5 Key West FL; Todd Brabender @ Spread The News, Lawrence KS; Scott August @ MoJo 92.5 [KBXI] Billings MT; Selina Povey @ 96five FM Brisbane, Australia; and Jane E Morgan @ Mix 94.5 [KKEZ] Fort Dodge IA.