BS SHOW BIZ BUZZ:
★ A writer is attempting to stall Friday’s release of the “Barbershop” movie sequel after accusing producers of stealing his idea. Playwright JD Lawrence claims all 3 “Barbershop” films, and a spin-off TV series, feature similarities to scenes from “Scissors”, a play he wrote and toured with in the late 1990s. His play was set in a barbershop in a black neighborhood, and Lawrence lists similarities in characters and plot-lines. He is suing Warner Bros and Showtime and wants to stall the release of “Barbershop: The Next Cut” until the case is resolved. The film stars Ice Cube, Cedric the Entertainer, Eve, Common, and Nicki Minaj.
– TMZ.com
★ Original “Gilmore Girls” producer Gavin Polone has hit Warner Bros Television with a breach of contract lawsuit over the upcoming Netflix revival. The Hollywood agent-turned-producer worked with series creator Amy Sherman-Palladino to develop the show, and was credited as an executive producer for all 7 seasons during its original run on The WB and CW. Polone is seeking at least $195,000 in damages for not being included in the reboot project.
– WENN.com
★ Drew Barrymore recently confirmed her marriage to art consultant-husband Will Kopelman is over after 3 years, and less than 2 weeks later, it’s announced she’ll be working with his sister Jill Kargman on a TV show. Drew will make a rare return to TV to play a neighbor in the TV series “Odd Mom Out”. The show centers on ‘Jill’, a fictionalized version of Kargman, and her partner ‘Andy’. Veteran actress Blythe Danner (Gwyneth Paltrow’s mom) will also appear in the NYC-based comedy.
– E! Online
★ And 30-year-old Australian model-actress Ruby Rose, who made her Hollywood breakthrough on “Orange is the New Black”, is now landing numerous coveted roles including a huge part in the upcoming action sequel “xXx: The Return of Xander Cage”. Rose has also amassed millions of followers on social media accounts in just a few months. But as her star rises rapidly, Rose finds she’s increasingly uncomfortable about her newfound fame. In a new interview she says: “The funny thing about being called an ‘It girl’ is, well, it’s the kiss of death. Anything that’s ‘in fashion’ ultimately goes out of fashion.”
– “Galore Magazine”

TODAY’S SHOW BIZ SKED:
• “Jimmy Kimmel Live” (ABC/CityTV) – Mayer Hawthorne (“Man About Town”).
• “Last Call With Carson Daly” (NBC) – The Bots (“Pink Palms”). Rerun.
• “Late Night With Seth Meyers” (NBC/CTV) – Rooney (“Eureka”). Rerun.
• “Late Show With Stephen Colbert” (CBS/Global) –  Esperanza Spalding (“Emily’s D+Evolution”). Rerun.
• “The Real” (syndicated) – Lizzo (“Lizzobangers”).
• “The Talk” (CBS) – Charlie Puth (“Nine Track Mind”).
• “The Voice” (NBC/CTV2) – Viewer voting determines the top 2 performers from each team who will advance to the live shows.

BS MUSIC NOTES:
• Cheap Trick – New Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee Robin Zander has offered to front AC/DC if Axl Rose’s foot injury rules him out of performing shows. He says he’d jump at the chance as long as he got an OK from the band’s ailing frontman Brian Johnson.
• Iggy Azalea – In an interview on Tampa FL’s Wild 94.1 [WLLD], she’s threatened to cut off NBA player-fiancé Nick Young’s private parts if he cheats on her … again.
• Led Zeppelin – They’re accused of stealing the opening chords for their 1971 classic “Stairway to Heaven” from the instrumental “Taurus” by Spirit. A judge has now ruled there are enough similarities between the 2 tracks to let a jury decide. The case goes to trial May 10th.
• Notorious BIG – A hologram of the late rapper is set to head out on tour. ARHT Media has secured the rights to Biggie’s likeness, and are working with ByStorm Entertainment, the company that handles the late rapper’s estate, to develop a traveling ‘HumaGram’ to be used at arena performances and as part of media campaigns.
• Paul McCartney – His new “One On One” arena tour of North America begins tonight in Fresno CA, with shows announced up to May 2nd in Sioux Falls SD.
• Rihanna – She’s now scored her 59th career week at #1. Her 14th ‘Billboard Hot 100’ chart-topper, “Work”, has been #1 for 8 weeks.

SKILLS THAT CAN MAKE YOU MORE EMPLOYABLE:
Expertise that can help you buff up your CV for potential employers …
✓ Foreign Language Fluency – Whether you’re looking for a posting abroad or just boasting about being able to communicate in our multi-cultural society.
✓ Social Media Prowess – A less-than-slick social media presence can actively ruin your job search.
✓ Programming Know-How – Computer programming is one of the hottest skills on the job market right now, and the median annual salary for a programmer is more than $77,000.
✓ Data Analysis – Knowing how to crunch numbers, interpret statistics, and visualize the results is a highly marketable skill.
✓ Photo Editing – Be the first person on hand when your boss wants her portrait on the company website to have whiter teeth.
✓ Problem Solving – Every employer wants to hire someone who doesn’t need their hand held on a difficult project and who can come up with new solutions to challenges.
✓ Public Speaking – Not only will it help you nail an interview; being a confident, engaging speaker will also help you effectively pitch your ideas after you’ve been hired.
✓ Writing Expertise – You’d be hard-pressed to find a job that doesn’t involve writing in some capacity, even if it’s just emails to clients.
✓ Diving – Huh? It may seem like a random skill to learn, but commercial scuba diving is one of the fastest-growing occupations.
– “Mental Floss”

HIPSTER SFX:
Some people listen to a white noise machine to get relaxed or focus, while others prefer the hustle and bustle of a nice café on a Sunday morning. A website called ‘Hipster Sound’ offers looped and customizable audio clips of coffee shop settings designed to appeal to the stereotypical hipster. There are fireplaces, a rainy terrace, and of course the ever-present chorus of indistinct chatter. On top of options like ‘Busy Café’ and ‘Quiet Resto’, the website allows the blending of features to create the perfect personal mix. (You might physically be at a local drip joint, but sonically you could be in a corner café in Paris.)
NET: http://hipstersound.com
– Gizmodo.com

FROM THE BS POLL VAULT:
A statistical look at who we are and the things we do …
• 70% of adults still have a high school yearbook tucked away somewhere.
• 66% of parents say 13 is the age when it’s OK to start leaving a kid home alone.
• 29% of men have worn sunglasses at night because they think it makes them look cool.
• 27% of teens have gone to a concert without their parents knowing about it.
• 15% of people who were ‘tweens or teens in the 1980s wore headgear with braces.
• 2% of guys know how to properly fold a dinner napkin.

SCREEN DUDS:
Vox has crunched numbers out of Hollywood to rank the actors and actresses who most consistently appear in awful movies. To make the list, the stars had to have appeared in at least 10 films, at least 1 of which was a big money-maker. The names were then cross-referenced with reviews on Metacritic. On the guys’ side, it’s no huge surprise to learn that Rob Schneider, Adam Sandler, and Ashton Kutcher are in the top spots. Here are the top 5 among women …
1. Jennifer Love Hewitt
2. Jessica Alba
3. Katherine Heigl
4. Denise Richards
5. Alicia Silverstone
(Jennifer Aniston can’t be far behind.)
– Vox.com

BS BUZZWORDS:
Cutting-edge vocab …
• ‘Bunny Market’ – A stock market with no discernible trend; one that ‘hops’ around.
• ‘Megaboard’ – A massive billboard.
• ‘Snarkenfreude’ – Snide pleasure derived from the misfortune of others.
• ‘Vulgarati’ – Members of the elite who are crude, lacking good breeding and/or taste.

UBER-ETTE:
There’s a new Uber-style ride-sharing service for women … driven by women. Starting April 19th in Boston MA, women can hail a ride that may make them feel safer. In response to reported sexual assaults during Uber, Lyft, and taxi rides, former Uber driver Michael Pelletz has launched ‘Chariot for Women’, providing ride-sharing just for women, transgender women, and kids of any gender under 13. The service promises a tight private background check for female drivers, as well as a state check used by schools and daycares. For further security, the service’s app issues a ‘safe word’ to the driver and customer. So far more than 1,000 women have signed up. But there are legal issues that could put the brakes on the service: specifically, gender-discrimination lawsuits. (This service needs a better name. Ideas, anyone?)
– “Boston Globe”

LITTLE WAYS YOUR PET BRIGHTENS YOUR DAYS:
✓ They show you the true meaning behind unconditional love.
✓ They don’t care what you’re doing, as long as you get to do it together.
✓ They teach you that loves comes in all shapes and sizes.
✓ They’re always up for any kind of adventure.
✓ They let you know that everyone can be a little awkward once in a while.
✓ They show you the meaning behind true friendship.
✓ You know you’ll have happy little face to come home to every day.
– Adapted from BuzzFeed Animals

BS AMAZING RUNNING FACTS:
• In 2008, the UK’s Susie Hewer knitted a scarf while running a marathon. It was 5′-2″ long.
• “New York Times” illustrator Christoph Niemann once doodled 46 sketches – in color – while running the New York City Marathon.
– List25.com

BS CHRONOMETER 04.13.16

TODAY’S CELEBIRTHDAYS . . .
1950 [66] Ron Perlman, NYC, TV actor (“Sons of Anarchy” 2008-14)/movie actor (“Hellboy” movies, “Beauty & The Beast”)

1951 [65] Max Weinberg, South Orange NJ, rock drummer (Bruce Springsteen’s E Street Band)/TV bandleader (“Late Night With Conan O’Brien” 1993-2009)

1972 [44] Aaron Lewis, Rutland VT, rock singer (Staind-“Believe”, “Right Here”)

1988 [28] Allison Williams, New Canaan CT, TV actress (‘Marnie Michaels’ on “Girls” since 2012)/daughter of former “NBC Nightly News” anchor Brian Williams

TODAY’S BS REASONS TO PARTY . . .
• “International Plant Appreciation Day”, encouraging us to take the time to actually look at the various plants around us instead of allowing them to blend into the background.

• “Look Up At the Sky Day”, a fun day to look upward and check out what’s there. You never know what might be going on: Clouds forming in interesting patterns, a flock of birds … duck!

• “Scrabble Day”, honoring one of the world’s most popular games on the anniversary of the 1899 birth date of its inventor, Alfred Butts, a jobless architect who came up with the idea during the Great Depression of the 1930s. A few facts …
– Among the proposed names for early versions of ‘Scrabble’ were ‘Lexiko’ and ‘Criss Cross Words’.
– After ‘Scrabble’ was trademarked in 1948, the game was manufactured by friends and family, who painstakingly stamped letters on wooden tiles one at a time. The rate of production: 12 games an hour.
– The game was just a fad with Butts’ friends until a Macy’s executive saw it being played at a resort in 1952 and the then-world’s largest department store soon began carrying it.

TODAY’S MUSIC EVENTS . . .
2000 [16] Metallica files a copyright infringement suit against online music-sharing service Napster, initiating a music industry backlash against free downloads

2009 [07] Late Beatle George Harrison’s widow Olivia and son Dhani are on hand to unveil his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame (Paul McCartney also makes a surprise appearance)

2015 [01] The UK’s first weekly ‘Vinyl Chart’ is launched by the Official Charts Company as sales of vinyl albums and singles continue to soar

TODAY’S FIRST . . .
1997 [19] At age 21, Tiger Woods wins his 1st Master golf tournament, becoming the youngest player to do so (also sets a record by finishing at 18-under-par)

TODAY’S RECORD . . .
2006 [10] In Lincoln NE, Kevin Holder is arrested – again – for the 226th time (this one, for burglary, is added to his 43-page rap sheet)

AND REMEMBER . . .
[Thurs] Teen Literature Day
[Thurs] Dolphin Day
[Fri] “Barbershop: The Next Cut”; “The Jungle Book” open in movie theaters
[Sat] “Confirmation” debuts (HBO)
[Sat] Southern Ground Music & Food Festival (Charleston SC)
This Week Is … 9-1-1 Operators Week
This Month Is … Landscape Architecture Month

BULL’S BITS

KAMA SUTRA POSITION OR IRISH PUB MENU ITEM?
• Afternoon Delight [Kama Sutra]
• Brownie Bottom Pie [Menu Item]
• The Landslide [Kama Sutra]
• The Big Irish [Menu Item]
• Lucky Lemonade [Menu Item]
• Sugar Rush [Kama Sutra]
• Down Under [Kama Sutra]
• Double Decker [Kama Sutra]
• Turkey O’Toole [Menu Item]
• Irish Mule [Menu Item]
• The Works [Kama Sutra]
– Thanks to JP Levens

A QUESTION OF LOGIC:
• If there are 3 apples and you take away 2, how many do you have?
[You have the 2 that you took.]

• If you have only 1 match and you enter a room where there are a kerosene lamp, oil burner, and a wood-burning stove, which should you light first?
[The match.]

• The maker doesn’t want it, the buyer doesn’t use it, and the user doesn’t see it. What is it?
[A coffin.]

BS PHONE STARTER:
☎ What’s the best thing to buy at Costco? (300 lbs of licorice? A lifetime supply of Jamaican Pie Patties? 15 dozen pencils?)

BS RANDOM JOKE:
Whenever I feel like exercise, I lie down until the feeling passes.

BS WATER COOLER QUESTION:
Question: The average household has 6 of THESE, according to a recent poll.
Answer: Refrigerator magnets.

BS DEEP THOUGHT:
If you don’t have time to do it right, you’ll need to have time to do it over.