Friday, September 17, 2010        Edition: #4345
Ah, the Sweet Smell of BS!

BS SHOW BIZ BUZZ:
This weekend at a “Dirty Dancing” fan festival, Oscar-winning songwriter Franke Previte is auctioning off the  lyrics & original demos of the movie’s anthem, “Time of My Life”, to raise money for late star Patrick Swayze’s cancer charity (people still go to fan fests for a film made in 1987?) . . . According to music blog Consequence of Sound, rock & roll pioneer Jerry Lee Lewis will be the subject of a new bio-pic with Brad Pitt in the leading role and Natalie Portman rumored to be playing his young bride/cousin (Dennis Quaid played Lewis in the 1989 movie “The Killer”, opposite Winona Ryder) . . . There’s early buzz that the upcoming movie “The Social Network” (aka the Facebook movie), opening October 1st, might actually win Justin Timberlake an Oscar nomination (words you thought you’d never utter) . . . “Glee” actress Jane Lynch (‘Cheerios’ coach ‘Sue Sylvester’) credits Ellen DeGeneres with helping her come out by announcing she was gay on the cover of “Time” magazine way back in 1997, making Ellen TV’s first openly gay star (many forget her sitcom was cancelled shortly afterward) . . . A year-and-a-half after the death of wife Natasha Richardson, 56-year-old Liam Neeson is cautiously entering the dating pool, seeing UK-based PR exec Freya St Johnston who, like the actor, is the parent of 2 children (there’s a lot of Liam-loving ladies that would gladly help him hug it out) . . . And “The Legend of Ron Burgundy” lives: This week a Slovenian TV news anchor (now immortalized on YouTube) has accidentally revealed a trade secret when he rolled his chair back from the news desk at the end of his show while still on-camera – boxers, but no pants! (because this is radio, this morning we’re able to take that stunt one step further …).

WEEKEND SHOW BIZ SKED:
• “Fantasia For Real” (VH1) – Sunday is the 2nd season premiere of singer Fantasia Barrino’s reality show, following an unusual off-season ‘promo’ campaign that included hospitalization for an overdose.
• “Last Call With Carson Daly” (NBC) – Tonight La Roux (“La Roux”).
• “Late Show With David Letterman” (CBS/Omni) – Tonight VV Brown (“Traveling Like the Light”).
• “Tavis Smiley” (PBS) – Tonight Norah Jones (“The Fall”).
• “Valemont” (MTV) – Sunday is the premiere of this big-budget supernatural mystery series
set at ‘Valemont University’, an East Coast college with a dangerous vampiric secret.

BS MUSIC NOTES:
• Carrie Underwood – She tells “Women’s Health” that she shed 15 lbs ‘instantly’ after becoming a vegetarian, and her favorite ways to exercise include boxing.
• Jay Z – He’s owned a piece of the NBA’s New Jersey Nets and is now hinting he’s looking to buy into the Arsenal football club in North London, a member of England’s Premier League. He says he’d want to oversee all decision-making because he’s not a ‘back-seat investor’.
• Lady Gaga – She’s signed a deal with Coty Inc to create and promote fragrances. The first Gaga perfume will be released in 2012. Think she’ll still be a big deal by then?
• No Doubt – They’ve confirmed they’ve written 9 new songs for a comeback studio album, due in 2011. In the meantime, they’ll release “Icon”, a new best-of set later this year with the same tracklist as 2003’s “Singles Collection” but with new artwork and a lower price. Fulfilling a contract commitment?
• Taylor Swift – A premium version of her new album, “Speak Now” (out October 25), that includes 3 extra tracks, remixed tracks, and video content will be available exclusively through Target stores. An even more extravagant $99 limited edition also includes a bracelet featuring the “Speak Now” logo and framed artwork that’s hand-signed.

TODAY’S MOVIE OPENINGS:
• “Alpha & Omega” ( PG 3-D Animated Adventure ): After being relocated to Idaho by park rangers, a female and a male wolf face a dangerous trip across unfamiliar territory in their attempt to find their way home to Canada. Voice cast includes Christina Ricci, Hayden Panettiere, Justin Long, and – in one his final roles – the late Dennis Hopper.
NET: http://www.alphaandomega3d.com/
• “Devil” ( PG-13 Thriller ): The latest from M Night Shyamalan (in writer/producer mode this time) concerns a group of people trapped in an elevator who begin to realize that the Devil is among them. Stars Chris Messina (“Julie & Julia”) and Montréal actress Caroline Dhavernas (“Passchendaele”). Shot in Toronto.
NET: http://www.thenightchronicles.com/devil/
• “Easy A” ( PG-13 Romantic Comedy ): Emma Stone stars as a clean-cut high school student who relies on her school’s rumor mill to advance her social and financial standing, an idea she gets from studying “The Scarlet Letter”. Co-stars Amanda Bynes (who announced her short-lived ‘retirement’ afterward), Penn Badgley (“Gossip Girl”), and Lisa Kudrow (ex-“Friends”).
NET: http://www.letsnotandsaywedid.com
• “The Town” ( R-Rated Crime Thriller ): Directed by Ben Affleck, who also anchors an ensemble cast that includes Jon Hamm (“Mad Men”), Blake Lively (“Gossip Girl”), Rebecca Hall (“Frost/Nixon”) and Jeremy Renner (“The Hurt Locker”). Affleck plays a career criminal who falls for the bank teller he recently victimized.
NET: http://thetownmovie.warnerbros.com

THE SMART STOPLIGHT:
A trio of researchers in Germany, Switzerland, and the USA has come up with a plan to allow smart traffic lights to work together by figuring out how changes at each individual intersection would affect the entire system. Instead of being stymied by natural fluctuations in traffic, the ‘self-organizing system’ takes advantage of them, using random gaps to help improve traffic flow. Traffic lights could request ‘red time’ only when there is a definite demand. This approach could eliminate the annoying problem of sitting at a stoplight while there’s absolutely no cross traffic. (Unfortunately, so far it’s just a concept.)
– PopSci.com

AIMING AT APPLE:
Google is circulating a proposal to the major record labels that combines a digital music store and streaming songs. The proposed ‘Google Music’ would charge users $25 a year for storing music in an online ‘locker’, which would be accessible anywhere online to download or stream. A web-based music player, a social networking element, and a mobile application would all be built in. Google is asking for an initial 3-year licensing agreement from the labels. So far no proposed date for the service to launch has been announced. (Storing your music online is a great idea … but would you pay for it?)
– Billboard.biz

WHAT TYPE ARE YOU?
We’ve all heard about the ‘Type A’ personality (outgoing, driven, compulsive), but did you know that there are also Type B, C, and D personalities? A quick rundown on the traits of each …
• Type B – More laid back, easy-going types, patient and relaxed. Type As become impatient with Type Bs; Type Bs try to stay away from Type As.
• Type C – Thorough, detail-oriented perfectionists. They have difficulty expressing their emotions, often seeming unaware of having any. Think accountants and engineers.
• Type D – Described as anxious, irritable, and pessimistic, these are the grumps and the grouches of the world. Negativity is an overwhelming feature of their personalities.
– Inventorspot.com

FOR THE RECORD:
• To celebrate the company’s 10th anniversary, Armenia’s Grand Candy Co has produced a 10-inch-thick (25-cm) chocolate bar weighing in at 9,720 lbs (4,400 kg) and measuring a colossal 18.4 ft-by-9 ft (5.6 m-by-2.7 m), setting a new Guinness World Record. But don’t start salivating yet … the public won’t be able to get a taste of it for another month while it remains on display.
– Neatorama.com
• The ‘World’s Largest Graffiti’ has been unveiled in Foz do Iguaçu, Brazil. The 37,000 sq ft (3,500 sq m) work along a highway’s sound-barrier walls focuses on the rights of children and teenagers. It’s intended to highlight graffiti as street art as opposed to vandalism and to turn the local throughway into a tourist attraction.
– Oddee.com

BS AMAZING FACTS:
• It’s estimated that 73 million sharks are killed yearly by ‘finning’, a gruesome practice in which fishermen cut off fins for shark fin soup and then dump the fish back in the water to die.
– “The Guardian”
• In select supermarkets in France, customers can now fill up wine bottles with gas station-style pumps. You bring your own container (or buy one), select your grade (red, white, or rosé), then pump and print your receipt.
– Drvino.com

BS CHRONOMETER 09.17.10

TODAY’S CELEBIRTHDAYS . . .
1960 [50] Kevin Clash, Baltimore MD, TV show ‘Muppet captain’ (‘Elmo’ on “Sesame Street” since 1985)/author (“My Life As a Furry Red Monster”)

1962 [48] Baz Luhrmann, Sydney, Australia, movie director/writer/producer (“Australia”, Moulin Rouge”)

1979 [31] Chuck Comeau, Montréal QC, punk-pop drummer (Simple Plan-“Untitled [How Could This Happen to Me?]”, “Welcome to My Life”)

1979 [31] Flo Rida (Tramar Dillard), Coral City FL, rapper (f/Ke$ha-“Right Round”, f/T-Pain-“Low”)  NOTE: While a few sources list his birthday as December 16th, today’s date seems likeliest.

1985 [25] Alexander Ovechkin, Moscow, Russia, NHL hockey superstar (Washington Capitals) with largest contract in NHL history ($124 million over 13 years)

1985 [25] Jon Walker, Chicago IL, rock musician (Panic At the Disco-“Nine In the Afternoon”, “I Write Sins Not Tragedies”)

SATURDAY –
Actor James Gandolfini (“The Sopranos”) 49; Actress Jada Pinkett Smith (“Madagascar”) is 39;
Retired cycling champ Lance Armstrong (7X Tour de France champ) is 39; Movie actor James Marsden (“27 Dresses”) is 37; Comedian Jason Sudeikis (“Saturday Night Live”) is 35.

SUNDAY –
TV interviewer James Lipton (“Inside the Actor’s Studio”) is 84; Movie actor Jeremy Irons (“Reversal of Fortune”) is 62; Music producer Daniel Lanois (U2) is 59; TV actress Carolyn McCormick (“Law & Order: SVU”) is 51; Country singer Trisha Yearwood (“I Would’ve Loved You Anyway”) is 46; TV host Jimmy Fallon (“Late Night With Jimmy Fallon”) is 36.

BS REASON TO PARTY . . .
• “American Citizenship Day” (aka “Constitution Day” and “I Am An American Day”) focusing on the rights & responsibilities of American citizens. The choice of September 17th for this observance commemorates the date in 1787 when the US Constitution was signed in Philadelphia PA and celebrates the oldest working constitution in the world.
• “International Shellfish Festival” through Sunday in Charlottetown PEI. Events include a chowder cook-off, oyster-shucking & eating contests, and the yummy ‘Chef’s Challenge’. Known as the ‘Biggest Kitchen Party in Atlantic Canada’.
NET: http://www.peishellfish.com
• “Oktoberfest”, through October 4th in Munich, Germany. The 200th edition focuses on the event’s origin and history with nostalgic merry-go-rounds, horse races, animal shows, exhibits on historical customs, and – of course – billions of barrels of beer!
NET: http://www.oktoberfest.de/en/
• “POW/MIA Recognition Day”, a day of remembrance and hope for the safe return of Prisoners of War and those Missing in Action, observed annually on the 3rd Friday of September.
• “Yom Kippur” or “Day of Atonement” begins at sundown, the Jewish ‘high holiday’ that focuses on self-examination and commitment to become a better person.
NET: http://www.answers.com/topic/yom-kippur

SATURDAY –
• “Cheeseburger Day”, celebrating the best way to get 2 kinds of cattle fat into your system simultaneously. According to the book “Hamburger Heaven: The Illustrated History Of the Hamburger”, the first person to ever slap cheese on a burg’ was grill chef Lionel Sternberger at the Rite Spot restaurant in Pasadena CA 84 years ago in 1926.
• “International Eat an Apple Day”. Apples are the world’s most varied food, with some 7,500 varieties. On average, Canadians eat 86 apples each per year, according to Agriculture Canada.
• “International Coastal Cleanup Day”, begun by the advocacy group Ocean Conservancy in 1986, it now involves the efforts of volunteers in some 127 countries on the 3rd Saturday in September in cleaning up trash in and around the world’s oceans. (What’s the rudest thing you ever found on a beach?)
NET: http://www.oceanconservancy.org
• “Responsible Dog Ownership Day”, encouraging owners to exercise their pooches, feed them healthy foods, and train them in social skills so they don’t annoy other people. (By yap, yap, yapping in the backyard ALL DAY LONG DRIVING THE NEIGHBOR INSANE! Oh … sorry.)
• “US Air Force Birthday”, commemorating its creation by the National Security Act of 1947. The USAF was previously known as the Army Air Corps, a division of the US Army.
• “World Water Monitoring Day”, an international effort to encourage involvement in protecting water resources around-the-world by encouraging the public to conduct basic monitoring of their local bodies of water. So, how’s the pond scum looking today?
NET: http://www.worldwatermonitoringday.org

SUNDAY –
• “Prostate Cancer Awareness Week” begins. An estimated 1-in-8 men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer.
NET: http://bit.ly/9NMJFb
• “San Gennaro Day”, a day of festivities for Italian-Americans. Feasts and processions will be featured in ‘Little Italy’ neighborhoods everywhere.
• “Talk Like a Pirate Day”. OK here goes … Har’ Billy, up your yardarm with a jib! Avast ya scurvy scum, hoist that bilge! Swab the deck, ya lily-livered landlubber! Fun, huh?
NET: http://www.talklikeapirate.com
• “Wife Appreciation Day”. Don’t hesitate. Don’t question why. Just buy flowers. Do it! (Maybe try combining it with the above event?)
• “Women’s Friendship Day”, observed annually on the 3rd Sunday of September, to encourage more interaction and communication between females in the hope of developing lasting friendships.
NET: http://bit.ly/aqP6SK

THIS DAY IN SHOW BIZ . . .
1983 [27] ‘Miss New York’, Vanessa Williams, becomes the 1st black woman to be crowned ‘Miss America’ in the 62-year history of the pageant but quickly has to relinquish the title when her nude pics are published in “Penthouse” magazine (now plays ‘Renée Perry’ on ABC-TV’s “Desperate Housewives”)

TODAY’S MUSIC EVENT . . .
1955 [55] Shortest song ever released is a Les Paul single called “Magic Melody, Part 2” which consists of just 2 notes, the last part of the musical phrase “Shave and a Haircut, Two Bits”

1999 [11] Celine Dion receives a star on ‘Canada’s Walk of Fame’ in Toronto

TODAY’S FIRSTS . . .
1920 [90] The NFL is organized in Canton OH as 12 teams pay a fee of $100 each to obtain franchises (by contrast, the Houston Texans expansion franchise cost $700 million in 2002)

1974 [36] 4 women swear oaths of allegiance to RCMP to become 1st female ‘Mounties’

1975 [35] 1st-ever ‘Playing President’ of a sports franchise (Gordie Howe with the Houston Aeros of the World Hockey Association)

COMING UP . . .
[Mon] “Dancing With the Stars” season debut (ABC/CTV)
[Mon] “Hawaii Five-O” series debut (CBS/Global)
[Mon] “House” season debut (FOX/Global)
[Tues] International Day of Peace
[Tues] World Alzheimers Day
[Tues] “Glee” season debut (FOX/Global)
This Week Is … Adult Daycare Center Week
This Month Is … Pleasure Your Mate Month

BULL’S BITS

YOU KNOW YOU’RE NOT A HANDYMAN WHEN …
• You’ve actually constructed something using more nails than wood.
• You still can’t lift your arms from your side because of that Super Glue accident back in ’99.
• You have at least 3 left-handed hammers but you can never find one when you need one.
• There’s nothing in your toolbox but a hardened bologna sandwich and a pack of condoms.
• When you attempted to build a shed the only thing that got hammered was you.
• Thanks to the upside-down blueprint, you’re stuck with a toilet on your ceiling.
• Most of the nails you’ve ever managed to hit with a hammer are on your left hand.
• You drink Elmer’s glue like it was root beer.

BS PHONE STARTER:
Is there such a thing as a ‘soul-mate’ or do some people just work harder on their relationships?

BS RANDOM JOKE:
My cousin just died. He got stung by a bee … the natural enemy of a tightrope walker.

BS WATER COOLER QUESTION:
Today’s Question: More proof we’re too distracted when we drive: 1-in-3 drivers reports THIS has happened to them behind the wheel.
Answer to Give Out Next Show: Hanky panky. A survey of drivers in 6 countries has found that 29% have kissed while behind the wheel … and 15% have done more than that. (MSN.com)

DEEP THOUGHT:
The best way to win an argument is to start by being right.