Thursday, April 10, 2008        Edition: #3751
Touch Your Screen – This BS Is Still Warm!

BS SHOW BIZ BUZZ:
Oprah Winfrey’s doing it again – her Harpo Productions is developing a new TV talk show featuring her regular guest Dr Mehmet Oz, whom she refers to as ‘America’s Doctor’ (she’s already to blame for “Dr Phil” and “Rachael Ray”) . . . After avoiding hard-time numerous times it seems drug-addled Brit rocker Pete Doherty has used up all his luck, finally being sentenced to 14 weeks in jail for violating probation . . . “Weeds” actress Mary-Louise Parker & her “Supernatural” actor-boyfriend Jeffrey Dean Morgan, who has guest-starred on her show, have reportedly called off their engagement (they only got it on initially after smoking some of the props) . . . The ever-conservative Parents Television Council has lodged an indecency complaint against “America’s Next Top Model” (CW) for showing a wannabe model posing nude on a bed (we thought it sucked too – all the good parts were pixilated) . . . Online gossip maven Perez Hilton (Mario Lavandeira) will soon be dishing it up on radio as well in 3-minute-long “Radio Perez” features served up during morning & afternoon drive beginning MAY 5th (it’s cheaper and more flexible to create your own gossip guru) . . . Disney Co has announced that all future computer-animated features made by it and Pixar Animation will be released in 3-D, beginning with THIS YEAR’s “Bolt” (note to self – invest in that goofy eyewear company) . . . And Lindsay Lohan’s former bodyguard David Kim is suing her for over $55,000, claiming fraud, intentional infliction of emotional distress, and – breach of oral contract (guess she cooled off and changed her mind … for once).

BS MUSIC NOTES:
• Bryan Adams – His new album “11” will be released May 13 exclusively via Wal-Mart and Sam’s Club stores in the US. It was already released internationally LAST MONTH.
• Guns ‘N Roses – Word has it a ‘major music-oriented TV channel’ has pitched an idea for a reality series to Axl Rose. According to sources close to the project, the show would follow him around as he continues his decade-long effort to release the album “Chinese Democracy”.
• Outkast – TONIGHT a new collaboration between Big Boi and the Atlanta Ballet entitled “Big” debuts. It’s said to be a mash-up of hip-hop styling with the graceful traditions of ballet.
• Toni Braxton – The 40-year-old Grammy winner can “Breathe Again” after being hospitalized with chest pains. No cause has been announced but she’s been treated in the past for pericarditis, an inflammation of the heart. She’s expected to return to her ongoing show at the Flamingo Las Vegas by the end of the week.

TODAY’S SHOW BIZ SKED:
• “American Idol” (FOX/CTV) – Another contestant bites the dust in this week’s results show, delayed a day by the “Idol Gives Back” special.
• “Jimmy Kimmel Live” (ABC) – British rock band Switches (“Drama Queen”) performs.
• “Late Night With Conan O’Brien” (NBC) – ‘90s alt-rockers They Might Be Giants are on.
• “Late Show With David Letterman” (CBS) – “American Idol” judge Paula Abdul is a guest.
• Mischa Barton – TODAY the 22-year-old actress is planning to plead no contest to a DUI charge when she’s arraigned in LA court in connection with her DECEMBER bust. If the DA’s office makes the deal, she’ll avoid jail time, a marijuana possession charge will be dismissed, and another for driving with an invalid license will be reduced to an infraction.
• “The Office” (NBC/Global) – In a new post-strike episode, ‘Pam’ & ‘Jim’ get invited to ‘Michael’s house for dinner, causing ‘Dwight’ to become extremely jealous.

COMING ATTRACTIONS:
A BS selection of movies in the making …
• “Attack Of the Killer Tomatoes” – The producer of this horror spoof remake wants George Clooney to reprise his role from the film’s 1988 sequel, “Return Of the Killer Tomatoes!”. It was only his 3rd movie role and it’s hoped he’ll have such fond memories of the B-movie he’ll agree to star in the 30th anniversary remake. (As if. Makes a good publicity stunt though.)
• “The Pig People” – Father & son rap duo Master P & Romeo are teaming up to star in a horror film inspired by “The Blair Witch Project” (1999). The story involves 5 students who take a trip into a haunted forest to shoot a documentary for a school project. (It’s unclear if ‘Shaky’, the “Blair Witch” cameraman, will be involved in the new project.)
• “The Sea Wolf” – Tim Roth & Neve Campbell star in this British-American-German co-production based on a book by Jack London about an over-educated landlubber who takes a job on a ship during a seal-hunting expedition. Filming is scheduled to begin later THIS MONTH in Halifax. (A movie about seal hunting … that’ll be a worldwide hit, won’t it?)
• “The Surrogates” – This sci-fi thriller is based on Robert Venditti’s graphic novel about a future world where humans live in risk-free isolation and only interact through surrogate robots. Bruce Willis plays a cop who’s forced to leave home for the first time in years in order to investigate the murders of other people’s surrogates. Ving Rhames co-stars. (Bruce Willis playing a cop … now that’s original, huh?)
• “W” – Oliver Stone’s bio-film starring Josh Brolin as George W Bush continues to come together. Welsh actor Ioan Gruffud (“Fantastic 4”) is set to play former British Prime Minster Tony Blair; Ellen Burstyn will portray the ‘First Mommy’, Barbara Bush; and Thandie Newton (“Crash”) is reported to be in line to play US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. (Condy as a hottie!)

BS LAW & DISORDER:
• In Germany, cops are looking for thieves who stole … a mile-and-a-half of the metal median from the A-6 highway near Frankfurt. It would have taken hours to dismantle the 4-meter (13-ft) lengths, about 500 of them totaling more than 20 tons, which will likely be sold as scrap. It’s a mystery how the heist occurred without witnesses as a large truck with hydraulic lift would have been needed. (They couldn’t have masqueraded as road workers … that’d require 8 guys standing around watching 2 guys do the work.)
• In Shanghai, China an artist has gotten himself in hot water for hanging … naked mannequins outside of skyscrapers. Liu Jiu dangled 4 mannequins with wings on their backs for a work he calls “Wounded Angels”. Unfortunately, many mistook them for real people and one grandmother had to be hospitalized after the shock of witnessing the ‘work’ led to a heart attack. (Unfortunately for him, charges won’t be ‘suspended’.)
• In Athens GA cops had an easy time tracking a man who robbed a convenience store because right before the stick-up … he filled out a job application to work there. The 28-year-old was located using his real name and uncle’s phone number which he’d helpfully filled in on the form. (It’s amazing this guy can put his own pants on.)
• In Malaysia, a 30-year-old woman is suing her husband for close to a million dollars for … loss of virginity. She claims he convinced her to do the nasty by promising a happy marriage but instead, the guy treats her like crap, his family won’t acknowledge the union, and marriage has brought her nothing but ‘humiliation and mental torture’. (Join the club, honey.)
• In Bakersfield, California a convicted murderer who escaped from prison has been caught after … publicly bragging about being on “America’s Most Wanted” (FOX). He was arrested without incident after a passerby overheard his boast. The 53-year-old, who was already serving a life sentence for beating a man to death with a golf club, has now been charged with unlawful flight.

HERE’S LOOKING AT YOU, KID:
A parent and child will soon be able to face each other while … cycling. A Taiwanese inventor has created a face-to-face tandem bike and is in negotiations to have it mass-produced. Thanks to seats that can be rotated, Chen Yugang’s unique cycle can be ridden face-to-face, conventionally, or even back-to-back. Gears can be set to move the bicycle in either direction. He figures the face-to-face configuration will be favored by dating couples, while the back-to-back mode will give both riders a good view while touring. (We wanna see one of these used for mountain bike racing!)
– Ananova News

SOCIAL STUDIES:
• New findings suggest that a higher intake of vitamin C from foods is associated with a lower risk of having wrinkled skin and age-related skin dryness. Vitamin C’s youthful effect may be due to its antioxidant properties and its role in keeping skin firm with collagen.
– EatingWell.com
• We’ve heard about going green in many ways but … in the bedroom? Yep. It seems it takes 1.25 lbs of chemical pesticides and fertilizers to grow the cotton for just 1 set of queen-size cotton sheets. You can reduce the environmental impact by switching to sheets made from organic cotton.
– “Seattle Times”
• On a diet? Avoid the mall. A new study says people who are trying to exert self-control in some way (like avoiding fatty foods) make more impulse purchases.
– “Cosmopolitan”

HOW TO GET BETTER GAS MILEAGE:
If buck-and-a-half a litre gasoline scares the bejeepers out of you, it’s time to get proactive. Here are a few tips on how to get as much gas mileage as possible …
• Drive Smoothly – By avoiding sudden acceleration and deceleration you can reduce consumption up to 33% on the highway and 5% in-town.
• Drive Slower – For every 10 km/hr you reduce your speed, you can lower the fuel used by 7%.
• Don’t Drive With Your Foot On the Brake – You wear out the brakes and use far more gas.
• Tune It Up – A properly tuned vehicle can improve mileage by 4%.
• Lose the Extra Weight – Lugging around stuff you don’t need in your trunk uses up fuel.
• Inflate Tires Properly – Under-inflation causes a big loss in fuel efficiency.
• Repair Alignment – Poor alignment not only wears your tires out more quickly, but makes your engine work harder.
• Replace Air Filter – Improve mileage immediately by spending a few bucks on a new filter.
• Don’t Idle – If you stop for more than 30 seconds, turn your engine off. Every minute you don’t idle saves gas.
– Gomestic.com

DID YOU KNOW:
White wine gets darker as it ages. Red wine gets lighter. (But how do you get a bottle to last more than 2 hours?)

BS CHRONOMETER 04.10.08

TODAY’S CELEBIRTHDAYS . . .
1936 [72] John Madden, Austin MN, TV football analyst (“NBC Sunday Night NFL Football” since 2006, “ABC Monday Night Football” 2002-05, ex-FOX, ex-CBS)/ex-NFL coach (Oakland Raiders 1969-79)

1951 [57] Steven Seagal, Lansing MI, has-been movie actor (“Under Siege”, “On Deadly Ground”)/black belt in judo, kendo & aikido

1958 [50] Kenneth ‘Babyface’ Edmonds, Indianapolis IN, pop singer (“When Can I See You”)/songwriter (“Take a Bow”, “Waiting to Exhale”)/recording producer (Toni Braxton, Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey, Madonna, Eric Clapton, etc)

1970 [38] Mike Mushok, Ludlow MA, rock guitarist (Staind-“Right Here”, “So Far Away”)

1975 [33] Chris Carrabba, West Hartford CT, alt-rock singer (Dashboard Confessional-“Vindicated”, “Hands Down”)

1980 [28] Sean Avery, Pickering ON, NHL winger (NY Rangers, ex-Detroit Red Wings, ex-LA Kings)/former bf of model Rachel Hunter & actress Elisha Cuthbert

1980 [28] Bryce Soderberg, Victoria BC, rock bassist (Lifehouse-“You & Me”, “Hanging By a Moment”)

1982 [26] Chyler Leigh, Charlotte NC, TV actress (‘Lexie Grey’ on “Grey’s Anatomy” since 2007)

1984 [24] Mandy Moore, Nashua NH, movie actress (“License to Wed”, “Because I Said So”)/pop singer (“I Wanna Be With You”, “Candy”)

1985 [23] Dion Phaneuf, Edmonton AB, NHL defenceman (Calgary Flames)

1988 [20] Haley Joel Osment, LA CA, movie actor (“Secondhand Lions”, “The Sixth Sense”)

BS REASONS TO PARTY . . .
• “Encourage a Young Writer Day”. (Tell them Hallmark is always in the market for talent.)

• “Golfers Day”, honoring everyone who walks a mile chasing the little white ball, on the 92nd anniversary of the first PGA championship in 1916. Why is it that golfers blame fate for most accidents but feel personally responsible when they make a hole-in-one?

• “Masters Golf Tournament” through Sunday in Augusta GA, one of the oldest (since 1934) and most prestigious in America. Besides big-time moolah, the winner gets the famous ‘Green Jacket’ (stylin’!).
NET: http://www.masters.org/en_US/index.html#mce_temp_url#

• “Salvation Army Founders Day”. (Without them, [co-host] wouldn’t have a wardrobe.)

• “Siblings Day”, honoring brothers and sisters who are living, those who aren’t … and perhaps those who shouldn’t be.

THIS DAY IN SHOW BIZ . . .
2007 [01] A judge in the Bahamas rules that the birth father of Anna Nicole Smith’s baby girl Dannielynn is  Larry Birkhead (not Howard K Stern … or anyone else taking credit)

TODAY’S MUSIC EVENT . . .
1970 [38] Paul McCartney announces he’s leaving The Beatles

TODAY’S FIRSTS . . .
1841 [167] City of Halifax NS is incorporated

1937 [71] Founding of Trans-Canada Airlines (now Air Canada)

1849 [159] 1st ‘Safety Pin’ is patented (NYC’s Walter Hunt later sells patent for a paltry $400, perhaps because he didn’t invent the idea … it had been around for hundreds of years!)

1978 [30] Volkswagen becomes the 1st non-American auto manufacturer to build cars in the United States, opening a plant in Westmoreland County PA

1984 [24] 1st ‘Frozen-Embryo Child’ is born (a girl named ‘Zoe’ in Melbourne, Australia)

TODAY’S RECORDS . . .
1993 [15] Pittsburgh Penguins win NHL-record 17th consecutive game

1996 [12] Detroit Red Wings become 2nd NHL team to ever win 60 regular-season games (joining 1976-77 Montréal Canadiens)

AND REMEMBER . . .
[Fri] “Prom Night”; “Smart People”; and “Street Kings” open in movie theaters
[Fri] Thank You School Librarian Day
[Fri] Miss USA Pageant (Las Vegas)
[Sat] “Canadian Idol” auditions (St John’s)
[Sat] Teens Against Zits Day
[Sun] Audubon Day
[Sun] Scrabble Day
[Mon] 2008 CMT Music Awards (Nashville)
[Mon] 2008 Canadian Screenwriting Awards (Toronto)
This Week Is … Guitar Week
This Month Is … Multicultural Communication Month

BULL’S BITS

REJECTED TV REALITY SHOWS:
• “Sequestered With Regis”
• “Is Your Wife Away On Business?”
• “America’s Homeliest Spinster”
• “72 Consecutive Hours, Unedited”
• “Happy Couples Caught on Tape”
• “This Old Mobile House”
• “Wildest Shopping Cart Accidents”
• “Fishing For Tires”
• “The Lowest Common Denominator”
– Condensed from chickenhead.com

BS PHONE STARTER:
Whose music is guaranteed to put you to sleep when you’re suffering insomnia?

MOST DESIRABLE QUALITIES IN A RADIO ANNOUNCER:
5. Interesting comments & opinions.
4. Good personality.
3. Informative.
2. Doesn’t talk too much.
1. Good sense of humor.
– Blair Radio survey

BS RANDOM JOKE:
I breathe … therefore, I shop.

BS WATER COOLER QUESTION:
Today’s Question: On average, we have about $90-worth of THIS in our homes.
Answer to Give Out Next Show: Loose change.

BS DEEP THOUGHT:
The traffic’s always lighter in someone else’s lane.