Thursday, August 18, 2016 – Edition: #5799
Thanks a Sheetload for Choosing “BS”!
BS SHOW BIZ BUZZ:
★ A classic Tom Clancy character is getting his own show on Amazon. Amazon Prime has greenlighted a new series starring John Krasinski as ‘Jack Ryan’, Clancy’s fictional CIA agent. The drama series will reportedly feature 10 hour-long episodes, in which Krasinski’s character uncovers a pattern in terrorist communications that puts him face-to-face with a new breed of terrorism. Alec Baldwin, Ben Affleck, Chris Pine, and Harrison Ford have all previously played the character in movies. No date has yet been set for the TV show’s premiere.
– Variety.com
★ This week the Pixar prequel “Finding Dory” has sprinted past the $900-million mark in worldwide box office, becoming the 4th Disney release of the year to cross that threshold and giving the studio the 4 top-grossing films of 2016 so far – “Captain America: Civil War” ($1.15 billion), “Zootopia” ($1.02 billion), “The Jungle Book” ($947.6 million) and “Finding Dory”, which opened in mid-June to record numbers.
– “Hollywood Reporter”
★ The Playboy Mansion sale has closed for $100 million as businessman and next-door neighbor Daren Metropoulos has acquired the property for half of what it was listed for. Even so, it’s the largest residential sale in Los Angeles County history. Part of the deal for the 5-acre property is that Playboy founder Hugh Hefner will continue to occupy the mansion for the remainder of his lifetime. Playboy will pay Metropoulos $1 million-a-year for upkeep of the property while Hef’ is still living there.
– Reuters.com
★ Oscar-winner Anna Paquin has joined the cast of a new TV mini-series based on Margaret Atwood’s historical novel “Alias Grace”. The former “True Blood” star will portray one of the victims of a real-life 19th century double murder. Streaming service Netflix has picked up the series, which revolves around a young Irish immigrant who’s convicted of murdering her employer in 1843. Actress/filmmaker Sarah Polley has adapted Atwood’s story for the screen.
– WENN.com
★ And the female drummer in Shaun White’s rock band is doubling down in her lawsuit against him, claiming he sexually harassed her for years … and she has the text messages to prove it. The snowboarder/skateboarder is a 2-time Olympic gold medalist and also holds the X-Games record for gold medals. Lena Zawaideh, who formed the band Bad Things with White back in 2008, claims she hasn’t been paid for some of her work and also that she was regularly subjected to the “darker, misogynistic personality” of White during her 7 years in the band.
– TMZ.com
TODAY’S SHOW BIZ SKED:
• “Jimmy Kimmel Live” (ABC/CityTV) – Prophets of Rage (“Make America Rage Again Tour”). Rerun.
• “Late Show With Stephen Colbert” (CBS/Global) – Jenny Lewis & NAF (“Nice AF”). Rerun.
• “The Nightly Show” (Comedy Central) – Tonight is the swan song for Larry Wilmore’s show. He only found out he was axed and informed his staff on Monday. After debuting in January 2015, the show failed to grab young adults and has had little impact on social media.
• “The Real” (syndicated) – The Game (“The Documentary 2”). Rerun.
• “Tavis Smiley” (PBS) – Ben Harper (“Call It What It Is”).
• WWE SummerSlam Concert (Brooklyn NY) – Flo Rida and Jason Derulo headline this first-ever ”SummerSlam Week” event, taking place at the Barclays Center. Proceeds benefit Connor’s Cure, a fund to help further pediatric cancer research.
BS MUSIC NOTES:
• Adele – NFL press release: “We have had conversations with several artists about the Pepsi Super Bowl Halftime Show. However, we have not at this point extended a formal offer to Adele or anyone else.” Super Bowl 51 takes place February 5, 2017.
• Charli XCX – The “Boom Clap” hitmaker has revealed her as-yet-untitled 3rd studio album is finished and will be out sometime next year. She’s confident it’s going to be massive, saying she wants it to be “the best pop album of 2017”.
• Drake – This week while performing a “Summer Sixteen Tour” gig at Joe Louis Arena in Detroit MI, he brought on hometown her Eminem. The 43-year-old rose from below stage to join Drake on his track “Forever”, but he was drowned out by screams and cheers from fans.
• Lady Gaga – She says she is ”elated” to be starring in the movie remake “A Star is Born” opposite Bradley Cooper, who will also be making his directorial debut with the picture. Gaga will compose and perform new songs for the film.
• Robbie Williams – How does a has-been pop star make a living? Williams has reportedly been handed circa $2 million to perform at the wedding of Russian oil magnate Rashid Sardarov’s daughter at Prague Castle in the Czech Republic.
• The Shins – James Mercer says a new album is on the way in early 2017. Even though it’s already in the can, they’ve opted to push release to the beginning of the new year to hopefully better time it with a Coachella performance and other festival slots.
• Taylor Swift – She’s donating $1 million to Louisiana Flood Relief, saying she hopes her contribution is helpful following the recent devastating floods in the state.
• Usher – He’s signed on to headline the inaugural Global Citizen Concert in Canada. He’ll take the stage at Montreal’s Bell Centre September 17th for the free concert which supports the Global Fund to end AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria.
COMING ATTRACTIONS:
A BS selection of movies in the making …
• “Holmes & Watson” – Will Ferrell plays ‘Sherlock Holmes’ and John C Reilly takes on the role of sidekick ‘Watson’ in this upcoming comedy take on author Arthur Conan Doyle’s famous detective team. Etan Cohen, who recently directed Ferrell in the comedy “Get Hard”, wrote the script and is set to direct the project.
• “Hotel Mumbai” – 53-year-old Brit actor Jason Isaacs (“Harry Potter” films) stars alongside Dev Patel (“Slumdog Millionaire”) and Armie Hammer (“The Man from UNCLE”) in this drama based on the tragic events of the 2008 terrorist attack on the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel in India.
Filming on the project is currently underway in Adelaide, Australia.
• “The Little Mermaid” – 36-year-old “Hamilton” creator/star Lin-Manuel Miranda is joining composer Alan Menken on Disney’s upcoming live adaptation. The duo will write songs together, while Miranda also serves as producer. Menken was composer for the 1989 animated version. Interestingly, Miranda named his son Sebastian after the crab in the original film.
• “Peter Rabbit” – Actor-turned-TV host James Corden (“The Late Late Show”) is reportedly in talks to star in a contemporary take on the classic Beatrix Potter children’s story. Corden is wanted to voice the title character. Actress Rose Byrne is also in discussions about appearing in the project. The movie is a hybrid of live action and animation.
• “Queen Of the Air” – Margot Robbie (“Suicide Squad”) is going from ‘Quinn’ to queen in this period drama about early 20th century trapeze artist Lillian Leitzel and her tragic love affair with Alfredo Codona. The script, based on the 2013 Dean Jensen book of the same name, follows the couple’s rise to fame in circuses, their marriage, and tragic deaths a few years afterward.
FLEX-TIME IS KEY:
Chances are about half of the workers in your organization would like more flexible working options. According to a recent Randstad survey, only 56% of Canadians are happy with their current work schedules, ranking Canada 10th of 25 countries polled, behind the likes of France, India, and the USA. The survey reveals that more than half of those polled would like to work variable hours every workday, longer days and shorter weeks, or variable workdays every week. About 65% of Canadians polled would also prefer telecommuting at least part of the time. (What would be your ideal workweek? 40 consecutive hours?)
– HuffingtonPost.ca
2016 EDM CASH KINGS:
A new ranking of the world’s top EDM acts based solely on DJ income over the past year …
1. Calvin Harris – $63 million
2. Tiesto – $38 million
3. David Guetta – $28 million
4. Zedd – $24.5 million
5. Steve Aoki – $23.5 million
6. Diplo – $23 million
7. Skrillex – $20 million
8. Kaskade – $19 million
9. Martin Garrix – $16 million
10. Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike – $15.5 million
– Forbes.com
TRUTH ABOUT POLITICAL POSTS:
Social media marketing firm Rantic has done research on the way Facebook users react to political messages that their friends post, and the results are interesting. Political posts are extremely unlikely to change anyone’s point-of-view a survey finds, however, they are likely to annoy people and even inspire them to unfriend posters. About two-thirds of the study’s 10,000 participants say that social media is not an appropriate place to discuss politics, and around half say they judge others based on their political opinions. (So it’s a waste of time spouting off about politics, but religion however …)
– Wired.com
ON YOUR MARK, GET SET:
Audi has developed a traffic light information system for its new cars that features a countdown. The digital traffic light timer appears in the car’s dashboard when the driver pulls up to a red light. Using data from Traffic Technology Services, the clock counts down the seconds until the signal turns green, disappearing with 4 seconds to spare to keep motorists from treating the feature like a starting pistol. The tool also works the other way around – counting down the seconds left in a green light when it detects a driver is cutting it close. In addition to having the right model, drivers interested in using the new system will need to sign up for an Audi Connect package starting at $25-a-month. (Watch out for Audi drivers mouthing the words: “4-3-2-1 …”)
– “Business Insider”
DID YOU KNOW?
• Some people believe Twitter will close down in 2017 … although the company says it won’t.
– BBC Technology
• In the early days of filmmaking, people who worked on the sets were called ‘movies’. The films themselves were called ‘motion pictures’.
– DidYouKnow.org
BS CHRONOMETER 08.18.16
TODAY’S CELEBIRTHDAYS . . .
1936 [80] Robert Redford, Santa Monica CA, movie director (“A River Runs Through It”)/movie actor (“Pete’s Dragon”)/”Sundance Film Festival” founder (1978)
1957 [59] Denis Leary, Worcester MA, TV actor (‘Johnny Rock’ on “Sex&Drugs&Rock&Roll” since 2015, “Rescue Me” 2004-11)/movie actor (“Ice Age” films)
1969 [47] Christian Slater, NYC, TV actor (“Mr Robot” since 2015, “Breaking In” 2011-12)/movie actor (“Broken Arrow”, “3,000 Miles to Graceland”)
1969 [47] Edward Norton, Columbia MD, movie actor (“The Grand Budapest Hotel”, “Birdman”)
1978 [38] Andy Samberg, Berkeley CA, TV actor (‘Jake Peralta’ on “Brooklyn Nine-Nine” since 2013)/comedian (“Saturday Night Live” 2005-12)/movie actor (“Hotel Transylvania” films)
1979 [37] Brad Tursi, Harrisonburg VA, country guitarist (Old Dominion-“Snapback”, “Break Up With Him”)
1992 [24] Frances Bean Cobain, LA CA, late Nirvana icon Kurt Cobain’s daughter and heir (estimated worth: $170 million)
TODAY’S BS REASONS TO PARTY . . .
• “Bad Poetry Day”, a day to compose some really rotten rhyme as revenge against all that ‘good poetry’ you were forced to study in school.
• “Long Tan Day” in Australia. Nope, nothing to do with lying about in the sun; it’s named after the Battle of Long Tan during the Vietnam War (aka ‘Australian Vietnam Veterans’ Day’).
• “Soft Ice Cream Day”, celebrating the swirled delight also known as ‘soft serve’, which ice cream vendors use a special machine to produce. They also use a special technique to double the amount of air in soft ice cream, which creates its light, smooth texture. And increases profit.
• “Sturgeon’ Moon”, the Full Moon of August, so-named because the fish were most readily caught this month. It’s also been called the ‘Red Moon’, ‘Green Corn Moon’ and ‘Grain Moon’.
THIS DAY IN SHOW BIZ . . .
2014 [02] Longtime TV announcer Don Pardo (“The Price Is Right”, “Jeopardy!”, “Saturday Night Live”) dies at age 96 in Tucson AZ (his career at NBC-TV spanned 70 years)
TODAY’S MUSIC EVENT . . .
2014 [02] Ed Sheeran’s album “X” notches it’s 8th week at #1 in the UK, tying James Blunt’s “Back to Bedlam” (2005) for longest chart-topper by a male solo artist
TODAY’S FIRST . . .
1922 [94] 1st ‘Caesar Salad’ is concocted in Tijuana, Mexico (named for Caesar’s Restaurant)
TODAY’S RECORD . . .
2011 [05] Gold hits a record price of $1,826 per ounce (currently valued circa $1,347)
COMING UP . . .
[Fri] International Orangutan Day
[Fri] Men’s Grooming Day
[Fri] Canadian National Exhibition begins (Toronto ON)
[Sat] Homeless Animals Day
[Sat] International Tongue Twister Day
[Sun] Spumoni Day
This Week Is … Minority Enterprise Development Week
This Month Is … Boomers Making a Difference Month
BULL’S BITS
ACTUAL PARENTING TWEETS IN QUESTIONABLE TASTE:
• “I taught my kid how to spell beer so he’d quit bringing me Pepsi from the fridge.”
• “Kindergarten concert Friday. Shopping for earplugs today.”
• “A cute thing I tell my kids when we see a deer on the side of the road – ‘Looks like Santa lost his temper again’.”
• “Toddlers are much easier to keep track of when bells are tied to them.”
• “I hate it when I go to hide out from my kids in the walk-in closet and my husband is already in there hiding out from me.”
• “It’s a serious Lego project when the first thing my 5-year-old does is take off his shirt and gets me a beer from the fridge.”
• “Instead of food, I put a note in my kid’s lunch box saying: ‘Just steal a sandwich from one of the weaker children’.”
• “I’m approving my kids’ friends based on which parents I think would drink wine with me during play dates.”
– Adapted from BuzzFeed.com
BS U-PICK TRIVIA:
In the legal systems of England and Wales, many Commonwealth countries, and much of the USA, there is a set of criteria called the ‘McNaughton Rules’. These are used to determine whether a person on trial is …
a. Adequately represented by legal counsel.
b. Allowed to testify on his or her own behalf.
c. Not guilty because of insanity. [CORRECT]
d. Old enough to be tried as an adult.
– TriviaPark.com
BS PHONE STARTER:
☎ What’s the most time-saving kitchen gadget you own?
BS RANDOM JOKE:
He never drinks anything stronger than gin before breakfast.
BS WATER COOLER QUESTION:
Question: About three-quarters of us get annoyed if we have to wait more than 1 minute for THIS.
Answer: Elevator.
BS DEEP THOUGHT:
Not one shred of evidence supports the notion that life is serious.
