BS SHOW BIZ BUZZ:
“X Factor” judge Nicole Scherzinger has signed on as the new face of UK fashion firm London Fog and has already shot her first ad, which has her wearing nothing but a classic London Fog raincoat (a really ‘flashy’ photo) . . . Actor/producer Sylvester Stallone is being sued by screenwriter Marcus Webb, who claims Sly’s 2010 movie “The Expendables” is ‘strikingly similar and in some places identical’ to his script for a project called “The Cordoba Caper” (who’d wanna admit that?) . . . 92-year-old Andy Rooney, the just-retired long-time CBS News commentator on “60 Minutes”, remains hospitalized in ‘stable but serious condition’ after suffering complications from minor surgery (this isn’t sounding good) . . . CBS-TV has picked up “Person of Interest” and “Unforgettable” for a full season, while AMC has renewed “The Walking Dead” (some TV casts can breathe a sigh of relief – but likely not the folks on “Pan Am”) . . . Ashton Kutcher & Demi Moore reportedly looked ‘happy and couple-y’ when she recently visited him on the set of “Two-and-a-Half Men” (it’s all about the PR now) . . . Borrowing a page from the Disney playbook, Warner Bros has announced it plans to remove all “Harry Potter” videos from stores on December 29th and put the entire franchise on an undefined moratorium (so they can someday release ‘Special Anniversary Editions’ at 5 times the price) . . . And FOX News reports that former wrestler Stacy Keibler’s appearance fees have skyrocketed since she began dating movie star George Clooney, one estimate suggesting she’s now getting $25,000 just to show up (most likely because they’re hoping George might tag along – for free).

TODAY’S SHOW BIZ SKED:
• “Chelsea Lately” (E!) – Martina McBride (“Eleven”).
• “Colbert Report” (Comedy Central/CTV) – Toby Keith (“Clancy’s Tavern”).
• “Ellen DeGeneres Show” (syndicated/CTV2) – Coldplay (“Mylo Xyloto”).
• “Jimmy Kimmel Live” (ABC/CHCH) – The Fray (“Scars & Stories”, coming in February).
• “Last Call With Carson Daly” (NBC) – Cee-Lo Green (“The Lady Killer”); Delta Spirit (“History From Below”).
• “Late Night With Jimmy Fallon” (NBC/CTV2) – Gwar (“Bloody Pit of Horror”).
• “Late Show With David Letterman” (CBS/NTV/Omni1) – Foster The People (“Torches”).
• “Tonight Show With Jay Leno” (NBC/CTV2) – Original 7ven (“Condensate”).

BS MUSIC NOTES:
• Aerosmith – This week they were forced to cancel a show in Asuncion, Paraguay after  63-year-old frontman Steven Tyler slipped and injured himself while taking a shower in his hotel room. He reportedly suffered a series of nasty cuts to his forehead and knocked out 2 teeth. He was taken to hospital, where he underwent a CT scan before being discharged 4 hours later.
• Amy Winehouse – The findings of an inquest into her death reveal she had 416 mg of alcohol per 100 ml of blood when she died, more than 5 times the legal limit for driving. The inquest has ruled that she died of ‘misadventure’.
• Black Eyed Peas – They’ve won a long-running legal battle over their 2009 hit “Boom Boom Pow”. Musician Phoenix Phenom claims the tune uses parts of her song “Boom Dynamite”, but a judge has failed to find ‘substantial similarity of ideas and expression’.
• Coldplay – Chris Martin tells MTV News that “Mylo Xyloto” began as an acoustic album, but they soon realized that plan wasn’t going to work.
• Jason Aldean – He’s performing at “The Grammy Nominations Concert Live” on November 30th at LA’s Nokia Theatre. The show will announce nominations in several categories for the latest awards as well as feature performances by past Grammy winners.
• Kelly Clarkson – Tonight she’s performing what’s described as an ‘extremely intimate concert’ in NYC which will air as a VH1 TV special at a later date. She’s also planning a full scale tour in support of her just-released new album “Stronger”, which will begin in January.
• Madonna – She reportedly moved quickly to nail down the Super Bowl half-time gig when she found out Lady Gaga was also being considered. Super Bowl XLVI will be played at Lucas Oil Stadium in Houston TX on February 4th.
• Nicki Minaj – She’s launching a new OPI nail polish line in January. The 6-color collection will be named after tracks on her “Pink Friday” album, ie: “Metal 4 Life”, “Fly”, etc.
• U2 – This week they were named ‘Greatest Act Of the Last 25 Years’ at Britain’s “Q Awards” in London.

COMING ATTRACTIONS:
A BS selection of movies in the making …
• “Avatar 2” – Actor Sam Worthington says James Cameron’s sequel to the all-time highest-grossing movie will be ‘monumental’ and there are rumors the cast, which will again include Zoe Saldana & Sigourney Weaver, may go on a field trip to experience a real rainforest in preparation for the film. It’s not scheduled for release until 2014.
• “Elvis & Nixon” – Eric Bana will play Elvis opposite Danny Huston as the former US president in this directorial debut from actor Cary Elwes (“The Princess Bride”). The indie film is based on true events that occurred in 1970 after ‘The King’ wrote a 6-page letter to the Commander-in-Chief suggesting he be made a ‘Federal Agent-at-Large’.
• “Much Ado About Nothing” – As the first feature from his new production studio, “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” creator Joss Whedon has shot an update of Shakespeare’s comedy … in just 12 days. Amy Acker & Alexis Denisof play leads ‘Beatrice & Benedick’, while Nathan Fillion portrays ‘Dogberry’ in what’s thought to be a modern take on the classic play.
• “Overdrive” – New Zealand’s Karl Urban (“Star Trek”) and Britain’s Ben Barnes (“The Chronicles of Narnia”) will co-star as brothers in Antonio Negret’s upcoming car theft movie to be set in France. Emilia Clarke (“Game of Thrones”) is in negotiations to take on the female lead. Filming is set to begin in Marseilles this Saturday.
• “Sherlock Holmes 3” – Despite the fact the 2nd film in the Guy Ritchie-directed action adventure series is yet to be released, a script for a 3rd installment is already underway. Robert Downey Jr & Jude Law are already committed to return to the roles of ‘Holmes & Watson’. The 2nd chapter, “Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows” opens December 16th.

JOE SPRAY:
Put down that venti soy Americano! No need to reach for a cup of java when you next need a caffeine hit … you can inhale it instead. Behold the AeroShot, an inhale-able caffeine spray invented by David Edwards (who previously invented inhale-able chocolate). Just one shot is equal to a large cup of coffee when it comes to caffeine content. Would you um, snort one?
NET: http://www.aeroshots.com
PHONER: 617.491.6600 (Breathable Foods, Cambridge MA)
– Neatorama.com

HEAVY TRAFFIC:
In recent years typical family cars have become more than a foot wider and almost double the weight as automakers struggle to cope with the world’s obesity. Some recent innovations …
• BMW has recruited 800 volunteers for a study to gauge how obesity affects mobility while driving.
• Honda has widened is seats by up to 2 inches to accommodate larger bottoms, and its new line of vehicles will have larger buttons that allow for so-called ‘sausage fingers’.
• Mercedes-Benz has unveiled plans to strengthen the grab handles above its doors, in part to help heavier passengers support themselves.
• Porsche is installing ‘electrically-powered steering columns’ on top-of-the-line models that automatically rise when the engine is switched off.
– “The Telegraph”

TOP EARNING DEAD CELEBS 2011:
A new ranking of the stiffs that raked in the most moolah in the past year …
5. (tie) John Lennon / Elizabeth Taylor ($12 million)
4. Charles Schulz ($25 million)
3. Marilyn Monroe ($27 million)
2. Elvis Presley ($55 million)
1. Michael Jackson ($170 million)
– Forbes.com

IT’S NOT EASY BEING GREEN:
Eco-Concierge NYC, a year-old business in Manhattan, tries to make it easier for clients to be environmentally conscious. Among the services offered: they will run your errands by bicycle, recommend a spa that gives vegan manicures, and buy organic clothes for you and your dog. They can also help rid your home of toxins, hire sustainable-cuisine chefs, and find organic dry cleaners. They’ll even book you a dream vacation and buy the appropriate carbon offsets.
NET: http://econciergenyc.com/about
PHONER: 347.450.1605 (Eco-Concierge NYC)
– “New York Times”

HOW TO SOUND LIKE YOU KNOW WHAT YOU’RE TALKING ABOUT:
A few tips on ways to sound knowledgeable, even when you aren’t …
• Project Confidence – If you act like you know what you’re talking about, it’s a lot more likely you’ll be perceived as knowing what you’re talking about.
• Know When to Speak – Don’t jump at the chance to be the first to speak. Sit back, think about what you do know on the topic, and wait for a chance to jump in with that.
• Emphasize What You Know – Over-exaggerate what you do know to make it seem more important.
• Listen & Learn – If you can synthesize info as the discussion is going on, you can jump in with points and act like you’ve had them forever, even though you formulated them seconds ago.
• Steer the Discussion to Related Topics – Use the main topic as a jumping off point, ie: if your friends are talking about a sport you don’t know, move on to a sport you do know.
• Get In a Good Last Word – If you simply summarize the valid points made by everyone else, people will remember your contribution more than those who actually came up with the ideas.
– Summarized from Lifehacker.com

ALL EARS:
Ear-cleaning parlors are all the rage in Tokyo. You walk into one of these establishments, lay your head down on the lap of a woman, and let her massage and clean your ears. It’s a meticulous process conducted by professionals who are maintaining what is actually a long and rich Japanese tradition. Beatific salon’s basic ‘Ear Este Service’ takes 70 minutes and costs circa $100. It begins with an ear wash, followed by massage of the ears, neck, and shoulders. Then comes a meticulous ear cleaning, followed by more massage. Other services include facials, shaves, and ‘ear fortune telling’. (“I see that your are likely to grow potatoes …”)
– CNN.com

LOW-TECH TEACHING:
There are now some 160 Waldorf Schools across America that subscribe to a teaching philosophy focused on physical activity and learning through creative, hands-on tasks. The chief teaching tools are anything but high-tech: pens & paper, knitting needles and, occasionally, mud. Not a computer to be found. No screens at all. They are not allowed in the classroom, and these private schools even frown on their use at home. Those who endorse this approach say computers inhibit creative thinking, movement, human interaction, and attention spans. (Interestingly, many students at one California school are the children of some of Silicon Valley’s biggest tech names.)
– NYTimes.com

DID YOU KNOW?
According to a poll of a quarter-million retail outlets in more than 40 countries by the UK’s Centre for Retail Research, the most stolen food item in the world is now … cheese.
– HuffingtonPost.com

BS CHRONOMETER 10.27.11