December 9, 2005

Friday, December 9, 2005       Edition: #3177
It’s Your Daily Constitutional Sheet!

BS SHOW BIZ BUZZ:
TONIGHT ‘60s folk group Peter, Paul & Mary perform at Carnegie Hall in NYC, notable because its their first appearance since 69-year-old singer Mary Travers had bone marrow transplants in an attempt to beat leukemia . . . SATURDAY, “International Human Rights Day”, the first tracks of a new John Lennon tribute album to raise funds for Amnesty International will be released, featuring Avril Lavigne, Black Eyed Peas & The Cure . . . SATURDAY Samuel L Jackson hosts Spike TV’s broadcast of the 3rd annual “Video Game Awards”, featuring an amazing lineup that includes Red Hot Chili Peppers, Charlize Theron, 50 Cent, Kiefer Sutherland, Vin Diesel, The Rock, Missy Elliot, Snoop Dogg & Ozzy Osbourne . . . SUNDAY is the 2-hour finalé of “Survivor: Guatemala”, when the latest million-dollar winner will be chosen (our money’s on Rafe) . . . SUNDAY Reba McEntire hosts the pre-taped 7th annual “Family Television Awards” on the WB, honoring family-oriented primetime TV programs (perhaps surprisingly, “Lost” is a big winner) . . . “Friends” alum David Schwimmer will make his Broadway debut NEXT SPRING in a revival of “The Caine Mutiny Court Martial” . . . Publicity flacks have confirmed that Nicole Richie & fiancé Adam Goldstein (DJ AM) have called off their 9-month engagement (what is it with spoiled Hollywood starlets & self-absorbed playboys – they just aren’t making it anymore!) . . . And a true Lotusland landmark, the original ‘Hollywood’ sign, has sold on eBay for $467,000, an unnamed Hollywood producer topping the bids for the 1923 sign which was dismantled and placed in storage in 1978 (the present one is a replica).

BS MUSIC NOTES:
• Brad Paisley – TONIGHT he appears on “Late Show With David Letterman”.
• Fall Out Boy – TONIGHT the “Dance, Dance” group performs on the “Tonight Show With Jay Leno”.
• Linkin Park – They’ve managed to work out their differences with Warner Music so that a new studio album will be released NEXT YEAR as planned.
• Rod Stewart – He and perennial fiancée Penny Lancaster have named their new son ‘Alastair Wallace’. He was born NOVEMBER 27 in London.
• Shakira – TOMORROW she’s the musical guest on NBC-TV’s “Saturday Night Live”, hosted by actor Alec Baldwin.
• Sting – He & wife Trudy are throwing a Christmas Party with a ‘Russian Winter Wonderland’ theme.
• 3 Doors Down – SATURDAY they host the 2nd annual “Better Life Foundation Concert” in Mobile AL, this year funding aid for Hurricane Katrina victims along the Gulf Coast. Country star Tracy Lawrence is also on the bill.

TODAY’S MOVIE OPENINGS:
• “Brokeback Mountain” ( R-Rated Romantic Drama ): What’s become known as ‘that gay Western’ is based on the complex Annie Proulx story about a secretive relationship between two cowboys and their lives over the years. Jake Gyllenhaal, Heath Ledger & Michelle Williams star (Ledger & Williams developed an off-screen relationship, leading to a baby girl in OCTOBER). Shot in Calgary and Fort Macleod AB.
NET: http://www.brokebackmountain.com/splash.html
• “The Chronicles of Narnia” ( PG Fantasy Adventure ): In this Disney adaptation of the classic
CS Lewis novel, 4 London children sent to a country home during World War II find a magic wardrobe which leads to a mystical land ruled by an evil witch. To defeat her, they must join forces with ‘Aslan, the Lion God’. Author Lewis, who died in 1963, doubted that his stories could ever be done justice by either TV or film, calling the very idea ‘buffoonery’.
NET: http://adisney.go.com/disneypictures/narnia/index.html
• “Syriana” ( R-Rated Political Thriller ): George Clooney gained 35 lbs to play CIA operative ‘Robert Barnes’ in this politically-charged epic about the state of the oil industry. He also suffered a serious spinal injury while performing a stunt. Matt Damon co-stars as an up-and-coming oil broker. Based on Robert Baer’s book, “See No Evil: The True Story of a Ground Soldier in the CIA’s War on Terrorism”.
NET: http://syrianamovie.warnerbros.com/

SUPERMARKET SECRETS:
• Why do grocery stores display fruits & vegetables near the entrance? [Produce is the most lucrative item sold in the store because the margin is highest.]
• Why are the ceilings slightly lower in the checkout section? [The lower the ceiling, the more personal and intimate the interaction is perceived.]
– “Every Day With Rachel Ray”

IN A WORD:
The word ‘podcast’ has been crowned ‘Word of the Year’ by the “New Oxford American Dictionary”. In case you don’t know, it means ‘a digital recording of a radio broadcast or similar program, made available on the Internet for downloading to a personal audio player’. Words that almost made the cut but didn’t include ‘bird flu’ (nickname for ‘avian flu’), ‘sudoku’ (a new form of puzzle that’s become popular in newspapers) and ‘trans fat’ (the bad-for-you kind of fat).
– BBC News

TIE ONE ON:
After years of a trend toward casual dress, men’s suits and neckties are staging a modest comeback. The tie biz tanked in the mid-1990s, according to the Men’s Dress Furnishing Association, but now there is definitely a dress-up trend among younger consumers. Why? Odds are if your dad is running around in casual wear, you want to look different.
– “Christian Science Monitor”

DON’T FORGET YOUR COFFEE:
Here’s good news for coffee addicts who are concerned about the ill effects that it may have. A new study reveals that a little bit of java can aid your short-term working memory. Researchers at the Medical University of Innsbruck in Austria say that’s because caffeine ‘modulates a higher brain function through its effects on distinct areas of the brain’. Translated from science nerd-speak – it wakes you up!
– ANI Health & Science
 
FIRST CHRISTMAS LIGHTS:

It was probably 6 years after Thomas Edison invented the light bulb that an associate of his, Edward Johnson, lit a tree for the first time electrically. George Nelson of Knoxville TN has researched Christmas tree lights for 25 years and has concluded it was 1882 when Johnson first lit up a tree as a publicity stunt in NYC. People came from all over to see the tree, which featured red, white & blue bulbs and stood on a revolving stand.
– “Globe & Mail”

THE BULL SHEET 12.09.2K5

TODAY’S CELEBIRTHDAYS . . .
1934 [71] Dame Judi Dench, York UK, movie actress (‘M’ in ‘James Bond’ movies, including the upcoming “Casino Royale”, Oscar-“Shakespeare in Love”)

1953 [52] John Malkovich, Christopher IL, movie actor (“Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy”, “Con Air”)

1962 [43] Felicity Huffman, Bedford NY, TV actress (‘Lynette Scavo’ on “Desperate Housewives” since 2004)

1968 [37] Brian Bell, Knoxville TN, rock guitarist (Weezer-“Beverly Hills”, “Buddy Holly”)

1969 [36] Jakob Dylan, NYC, rock singer (The Wallflowers-“One Headlight”)/Bob Dylan’s son

1970 [35] David Kersh, Humble TX, country singer (“Wonderful Tonight”, “If I Never Stop Loving You”)

1972 [33] Tre Cool (Frank Edwin Wright III), Frankfurt, Germany, rock drummer (Green Day-“Wake Me Up When September Ends”, “Boulevard Of Broken Dreams”)

1978 [27] Jesse Metcalfe, Waterford CT, TV actor (gardener ‘John Rowland’ on “Desperate Housewives” 2004-05)

SATURDAY’S BIRTHDAYS . . .
Movie actor/director Kenneth Branagh (“Harry Potter & the Chamber of Secrets”) is 45; Country singer Kevin Sharp (“Love Is All That Matters”) is 35.

SUNDAY’S BIRTHDAYS . . .
Oldies singer Brenda Lee (“Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree”) is 61; Bassist Nikki Sixx (Motley Crue) is 47; TV actor Gary Dourdan (‘Warrick Brown’ on “CSI”) is 39; Rapper/movie actor Mos Def (“The Italian Job”) is 32.

TODAY’S BS REASONS TO PARTY . . .
• “Homemade Gift Day”. Better start now if you hope to have that ugly knitted hat finished in time for the big day!

SATURDAY –
• “Dewey Decimal Day”, honoring Melville Dewey (born 12/10/1851), known as the ‘Father of Modern Librarianship’ for inventing the ‘Dewey Decimal Classification (DDC) System’ when he was 21 and working as a student-assistant at the library of Amherst College in Massachusetts.
• “Festival of Whirling Dervishes” in Konya, Turkey. Traditionally-dressed male dancers present their ‘sena’ or whirling ceremony when they spin in tight circles to achieve mystical union with heaven. This dizzy custom goes back over 700 years.
• “International Human Rights Day”, marking the anniversary of the UN’s ‘Declaration of Human Rights’ in 1948.
• “Nobel Prize Awards Day”, when the annual prizes for physics, chemistry, medicine, literature and economics are presented by the King of Sweden at a formal ceremony in the Stockholm Concert Hall. The ‘Nobel Peace Prize’ is awarded separately at the City Hall in Oslo, Norway. The awards were established by the will of Swedish chemist and dynamite inventor Alfred Nobel and have been held on this date since 1901.

SUNDAY –
• “Nobel Peace Prize Concert” in Oslo, Norway celebrating the 2005 Nobel Prize winners. Movie stars Salma Hayek & Julianne Moore host the show featuring Duran Duran, Gladys Knight and many others.
NET: http://www.nobel.no/concert/index.html
• “Noodle Day”. Besides the versatile egg noodle, there are a gazillion types of pasta noodles including – angel hair, fettuccine, fusilli, gnocchi, lasagne, macaroni, manicotti, penne, rigatoni, rotini, spaghetti, vermicelli, and ziti. So what’s your fave?
• “Scaling Day” in Geneva, Switzerland. That’s when stores sell pot-shaped chocolate candies to represent the soup pots women used in medieval days to pour scalding water on any invaders attempting to ‘scale’ city walls. It’s been a traditional celebration since 1602.

THIS DAY IN SHOW BIZ . . .
1965 [40] 1st broadcast of the TV special “A Charlie Brown Christmas” (MONDAY’s 40th anniversary broadcast on ABC-TV still attracted over 15 million viewers, winning its time slot)

1973 [32] 1st “Royal Canadian Air Farce” broadcast (CBC Radio)

TODAY’S MUSIC EVENT . . .
1950 [55] Seasonal recording “Frosty The Snowman” is released by Gene Autry

TODAY’S FIRSTS . . .
1851 [154] 1st ‘YMCA’ in North America (Montréal)

1907 [98] ‘Christmas Seals’ go on sale for the first time, to support the American Lung Association
NET: http://www.christmasseals.org/

1968 [37] 1st ‘Computer Mouse’ introduced, by far the most popular pointing device used to interact with computers

AND REMEMBER . . .
[Mon] Poinsettia Day
[Mon] Ding-A-Ling Day
[Wed] Bouillabaisse Day
[Wed] “King Kong” opens in movie theaters
[Thurs] US Bill of Rights Day
[Fri] Underdog Day
[Fri] Chocolate Covered Anything Day
This Week Is . . . Drunk Drivers Awareness Week
This Month Is . . . Hi Neighbor Month

BULL’S BITS

FROM THE BS WACKY GIFT GUIDE:
Real products that would make unforgettable (maybe even unforgivable) holiday gifts …
• “Fake Fags” – For the diehard smoker, a package of custom-sized stickers to cover the depressing health warnings on cigarette packages. Each pack of “Fake Fags” contains 20 stickers with more uplifting warnings such as ‘You Will Get Fat If You Stop Smoking’, ‘It’s OK, I’m Not Pregnant’, ‘You Could Get Hit By a Bus Tomorrow’, ‘It’s OK If You’re Drunk’, and the doubtful ‘Smoking Makes You Look Sexy’.
NET: http://www.fakefags.co.uk/category_stickers.asp
• “Latke Larry, the Singing Hanukkah Doll” – In fact, he’s the ‘World’s Only Talking Action Hanukkah Gift’. The doll’s unique song is sung by comedian Jerry Stiller, father of actor Ben. For you, only $17.95!
NET: http://www.wonderfullywacky.com/latkelarry.htm
• “The Chicken Anger Management Doll” – Turn him on and the annoying “Chicken Dance” song will play. Choke the chicken and his eyes bulge out as his cheeks light up bright red and his legs flail around like a fish out-of-water. Let go and the “Chicken Dance” starts playing at a faster pace. Listen, choke, let go, and repeat. What fun for only $19.95!
NET: http://www.wonderfullywacky.com/31063-0922Chicken.mpg
• “The Monthly Doos 2006 Dog Poop Calendar” – Created by canines with pride and maybe a little extra roughage. Your friends or just maybe your enemies will howl with laughter at the 12 months of pure crap from a masterful pile in autumn leaves to delicate droppings in a field of flowers. Yours for only $11.95 … and that’s no BS!
NET: http://www.wonderfullywacky.com/monthlydoos-calendar.htm

TOP SWAPS:
The week’s most requested music files online …
1. Black Eyed Peas – “My Humps”
2. D4L – “Laffy Taffy”
3. Chris Brown – “Run It”
4. Nelly – “Grillz”
5. T-pain – “I’m Sprung”
– Big Champagne Online Music Measurement

BS PHONE STARTERS:
Peter Brandt, the photographer being sued by Jennifer Aniston for taking topless pics of her, says nude shots were not what he was looking for – it’s her own fault for walking around starkers. However, he admits he used a high-powered lens while standing on a public street about 300 yards from Aniston’s house. So who’s in the right here?

BS WATER COOLER QUESTION:
Today’s Question: In Australia, early in the summer they celebrate what’s known locally as ‘Chrissie’.  What do we call it?
Answer to Give Out Next Show: Christmas. In the Southern Hemisphere the seasons are reversed. (“Macquarie Australian Dictionary”)

BS DEEP THOUGHT:
To the world you may be one person, but to one person you may be the world.

Leave a comment