December 11, 2007

Tuesday, December 11, 2007        Edition: #3674
Don’t Take Any Sheet, Unless It’s Pure Bull!

BS SHOW BIZ BUZZ:
“There Will Be Blood” has been named 2007’s ‘Best Film’ by the Los Angeles Film Critics Association, while acting citations go to that film’s Daniel Day-Lewis and to Marion Cotillard for playing singer Edith Piaf in “La Vie En Rose” (how come award winners always seem to be films we’ve never heard of?) . . . Singer Patti LaBelle claims she was once offered Paula Abdul’s judging job on “American Idol” but she turned it down because she didn’t want to be mean (hey, Paula not mean – sickeningly fawning maybe) . . . “American Idol” judge Randy Jackson has filmed a PSA for the ‘Heart of Diabetes’ campaign in which he discusses his own experiences coping with type 2 diabetes . . . Director Joel Coen says it cost some $800-a-gallon to import specially-made fake blood from England to make the Coen Bros critically-acclaimed new film “No Country for Old Men” (they needed fake stuff so as not to attract wild animals on-set) . . . 100 IMAX theaters are being converted into digital 3-D venues at a cost of $50 million for the projection equipment alone (covered by a ticket surcharge of up to $4 at giant-screen, 3-D theaters) . . . Paris Hilton is taking piano lessons and hopes to be able to play proficiently and write her own music by the time she heads into the studio to record her next album (this is shocking – there’s a next album?) . . . And many of the performances you’ll be seeing on “Dick Clark’s Primetime New Year’s Rockin’ Eve” (ABC) are already in the can as Akon, Natasha Bedingfield, and Sean Kingston have all taped their segments on a soundstage in Burbank CA that’s been decorated like a dance club with people wearing party hats and glasses shaped like ‘2008’ (what these people couldn’t stay up till midnight or what?).

BS MUSIC NOTES:
• Carrie Underwood – She’s vowing to never bare her midriff onstage again. She recently admitted she’s so worried about her weight that she writes down the calorie content of everything she eats. But now, she says, she wants fans to focus on her music … not her body.
• Drowning Pool – They’ve called off the rest of their tour after bassist Stevie Benton was rushed to a Wisconsin hospital. He’s been diagnosed with Bell’s Palsy, which causes paralysis to the face and sometimes sensitivity to sound. He’s been ordered to stop touring for at least 6 weeks.
• Gavin DeGraw – The “I Don’t Want to Be” singer is opening a downtown Manhattan bar called National Underground. He’s also set to release a new album tentatively titled “Medicate the Kids” but admits he may change the name after John Mayer told him it sounds like ‘the one before the good one’.
• Green Day – Online fans are buzzing about a ‘secret side project’, noting that a new 1960s-inspired EP released under the artist name Foxboro Hot Tubs sounds suspiciously like the band. If true, it wouldn’t be the first time they’ve used a pseudonym. In 2003, they released the techno-themed “Money Money 2020” under the name The Network.
• Madonna – She’s suing the board of her Central Park West co-op in Manhattan, complaining that they’re blocking her from purchasing an adjacent residence she wants to acquire so she can expand her 6,000-sq-ft 7th-floor digs. Maybe she could just rent Madison Square Garden?
• Mariah Carey – She’s teamed up with film director Spike Lee to create a video called “Lovers and Haters”, which makes fun of those who make fun of her. The piece will appear on her new concert DVD, “The Adventures of Mimi”.
• Radiohead – They were so determined to keep their new album “In Rainbows” from leaking online, they labeled master recordings with the names of artists they thought nobody would want to steal, such as … ‘Phil Collins’. Ouch!

TODAY’S SHOW BIZ SKED:
• James Blunt – This morning he’s a guest on “The View” (ABC/CTV).
• Mannheim Steamroller – The new wave jazz combo, famous for its seasonal recordings, is on “Live With Regis & Kelly” (syndicated/CTV).
• Nobel Peace Prize Concert – Celebrating the 2007 winners, former US VP Al Gore & the UN’s climate change panel, in Oslo, Norway. Actors Kevin Spacey (Tommy Lee Jones was forced to pull out due to undisclosed personal reasons) & Uma Thurman introduce a star-studded lineup that includes Alicia Keys, Annie Lennox, Earth Wind & Fire, KT Tunstall, Kylie Minogue, and Melissa Etheridge.
NET: http://nobelpeaceprize.org/concert/index.php
• Orson Welles – The legendary filmmaker’s 1941 ‘Best Screenplay‘ Oscar for “Citizen Kane” goes under the hammer at a Sotheby’s auction in NYC. It’s expected to fetch between $800,000 and $1.2 million.
• Radiohead – A 7-CD limited edition box set is being released, encompassing their entire body of work before their current album “In Rainbows”. Also available on a USB flashdrive resembling the band’s bear icon.

TODAY’S VIDEO RELEASES:
• “The Bourne Ultimatum” ( Action Thriller ): Matt Damon returns as amnesiac spy ‘Jason Bourne’ who still has no memory of who he really is or where he’s from. In this 3rd attempt to find himself, he receives help from a former co-conspirator (Julia Stiles) and confronts a mysterious figure from his past (Edgar Ramirez). Joan Allen co-stars. Shot in Berlin, London, Paris, Madrid, and Washington DC among other places.
• “Harry Potter & the Order of the Phoenix” ( Fantasy Adventure ): Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson & Rupert Grint return in the starring roles. As readers of the book know, this is where things turn really dark for ‘Harry’ and company as authoritarian bureaucrat ‘Dolores Umbridge’ (Imelda Staunton) steadily seizes power at ‘Hogwarts’ school. Also available in a ‘Two-Disc Special Edition’ and a ‘Limited Edition DVD Gift Set’.
• “High School Musical 2” ( Musical Comedy ) – A made-for-TV sequel to 2006’s surprise sing-along sensation. The original cast (Zac Efron, Vanessa Anne Hudgens, Ashley Tisdale, Lucas Grabeel, Corbin Bleu, and Monique Coleman) is back as the gang from ‘East High’, performing in a talent show at a country club during summer vacation. Premiered on Disney Channel AUGUST 17th and attracted over 17 million viewers. Also available in an ‘Extended Edition’.
• Also released TODAY: “Big Love: The Complete 2nd Season”; “Dirt: The Complete 1st Season”; “Lost: The Complete 3rd Season – The Unexplored Experience”; and “United Artists 90th Anniversary Essential Collection Gift Set” (30 titles).

COLD MEAT & CHOCOLATE:
The new book “Teach Yourself: Training Your Brain” by  Terry Horne & Simon Wootton offers numerous dos and don’ts for those trying to strengthen their mental ability which are claimed to be based on the latest research by leading experts worldwide. Among them …
• Don’t … use cannabis, watch soap operas, hang out with serial complainers, or pursue fat-free diets.
• Do … eat dark chocolate, cuddle babies, read out loud, have plenty of sex, and follow the Scandinavian example of having cold meat for breakfast. Ugh.
– “London Observer”

McSLOGAN MOOLAH:
The government of Scotland has just finished wasting some $250,000 of taxpayers’ money in order to replace the country’s old slogan, “Scotland: Best Small Country in the World”. The top advertising agency in the country has claimed the cash by developing the new slogan … “Welcome to Scotland”. Pure genius, no? While the slogan will never win any contests for creativity, it did manage to beat out a couple of other incredibly lame options such as “World Leader in Learning”, “Home of Golf”, and “Home of Europe’s Fastest Growing Life Sciences Community”. (Why not “Scotland: Men in Skirts”?)
– “Daily Record”

SHY GIRLS:
According to a recent survey, women say they feel more comfortable undressing in front of men than they do undressing in front of other women. They say that women are too judgmental. (Men are just grateful.)
– AFP

MIRROR MIRROR ON THE WALL:
People with a disorder in which they are erroneously convinced they are ugly have a brain glitch when processing things they see. Researchers say an estimated 1-to-2% of people worldwide have this condition. (Would it be bad news or good news to be told you don’t have it?)
– “Cosmopolitan”

FROM THE BS POLL VAULT:
A snapshot of who we are and what we do …
• 73% of women & 53% of men think that sending flirtatious email to a co-worker counts as cheating.
• 71% of us say that our favorite part of Christmas is spending time with family.
• 67% of women say they are not going to diet this holiday season.
• 60% of pet owners made their animal some kind of special meal last Christmas.
• 43% of us will go through life and never use a nutcracker.
• 38% of us have bought a scarf as a Christmas gift when we’re in a jam and can’t think of anything else.

THE LONG & SHORT OF IT:
A new Danish study shows that your adult height influences how you view your quality of life. Shorter people tend to think their health is worse than their average-height and taller peers do. (Now there’s a double whammy … you’re short AND you’re paranoid.)
– TS-Si News Service

TIME TRIALS:
According to a British study, 1-in-4 kids aged 4-to-8 can’t tell the time on a traditional clock face. Seems they are surrounded by so many digital clocks they simply don’t recognize the old-style ‘big hand’ and ‘little hand’ method. Increasingly, kids are even using their mobile phone displays to give them the time rather than wearing a watch. The study also finds that a quarter of 6 to 8-year-olds don’t know there are 24 hours in a day. (Or the meaning of ‘quiet time’.)
– Reuters

THERE’S SOMETHING FISHY ABOUT THIS:
According to scientists in Greece, stressed-out fish don’t taste as good as relaxed ones. Professor Sofronios Papoutsoglou of Geoponic University in Athens claims fish living under artificial lighting in water tanks tend to suffer severe stress and depression and that affects their taste. To help them unwind before they’re grilled or fried, he recommends customizing the water tank’s color, providing ‘play time’ and improving the quality of their food. (And maybe some little teeny headphones so they can’t hear the oil sizzling?)
– AFP

DID YOU KNOW?
• There are more cows in the world than cars, 1.4 billion of them compared to about 1 billion autos. That’s not the greatest news, since cows produce 20% of all methane emissions.
– “Any Question Answered”
• A new survey finds that the average time from meeting to mating for couples is 777 hours and 17 minutes or 32 days.
– PopBitch.com

SHE SAID IT:
“You hardly ever hear of a drive-by shooting from a hay wagon.”
– Country legend Dolly Parton, explaining why she prefers small towns to big cites.

BS CHRONOMETER 12.11.07

TODAY’S CELEBIRTHDAYS . . .
1944 [63] Brenda Lee (Tarpley), Lithonia GA, 4′-9” oldies singer who was 16 when she recorded “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree”/Country Music Hall of Fame (1998)/Rock & Roll Hall of Fame (2002)

1958 [49] Nikki Sixx (Frank Ferranno), San Jose CA, rock bassist (Motley Crue-“If I Die Tomorrow”, “Girls Girls Girls”)

1966 [41] Gary Dourdan, Philadelphia PA, TV actor (‘CSI Warrick Brown’ on “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation” since 2000)

1973 [34] Mos Def (Dante Smith), Brooklyn NY, movie actor (“The Italian Job”)/rapper (“Mathematics”)

BS REASONS TO PARTY . . .
• “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, an annual celebration for over 400 years, since 1602. It’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. Charming.

TODAY’S MUSIC EVENT . . .
1972 [35] Rock group Genesis debuts at a concert at Brandeis University in Massachusetts (includes Peter Gabriel, Phil Collins, Steve Hackett, Mike Rutherford, and Tony Banks)

TODAY’S FIRSTS . . .
1844 [163] 1st ‘Dental Anesthetic’, used by Dr John Riggs (before that … mallet to the forehead)

1946 [61] United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) is established

2000 [07] 1st ‘Player/Owner’ in NHL history as Pittsburgh Penquins owner Mario Lemeiux announces he’s coming out of 3-plus-years of retirement to play again

TODAY’S RECORDS . . .
1937 [70] Toronto beats Winnipeg 4-3 in the Grey Gup game played latest in the year (perhaps the ball shattering on kickoff convinced officials December was too cold?)

1985 [22] Edmonton Oilers beat Chicago Blackhawks 12-9 to tie NHL record for goals in a game (21) and set record for most points (goals and assists) at 62

AND REMEMBER . . .
[Wed] Poinsettia Day
[Wed] Ding-A-Ling Day
[Wed] “The Perfect Holiday“ opens in movie theaters
[Fri] Bouillabaisse Day
[Fri] “Alvin & the Chipmunks”; “I Am Legend”; “The Kite Runner” open in movie theaters
[Sat] US Bill of Rights Day
[Sun] Las Posadas begins (Mexico)
[Sun] Chocolate Covered Anything Day
This Week Is … Human Rights Week
This Month Is … Stress-Free Family Holiday Month

BULL’S BITS

BS WHYZITS:
• Whyzit they only harvest mistletoe? What do they do with the rest of the mistlefoot?
• Whyzit whenever someone tells you they’re doing something ‘for your own good’ you can be certain you won’t like it?
• Whyzit there are no washing machine or dryer magnets, just fridge magnets?
• Truckers know the good places to eat, right? So whyzit you never see trucks parked outside a fancy French restaurant?
• Whyzit some people watch the same movie several times? Do they think there’s a chance
it will end differently?

BS PHONE STARTER:
What’s your favorite movie that’s a total tear-jerker?

BS U-PICK TRIVIA:
• Which is the most ancient fermented beverage?
a. Wine.
b. Beer.
c. Honey.
[Fermented honey, known as ‘mead’, which dates from at least as far back as 1700 BC.]

• According to a new survey, what’s the leading cause of in-car arguments?
a. Bad map-reading.
b. Backseat driving.
c. Interior temperature.
d. Choice of radio station.
[Those are the top 4, in order.]

BS WATER COOLER QUESTION:
Today’s Question: Most people who live to 100 years of age do THIS every day.
Answer to Give Out Next Show: Eat breakfast.

BS DEEP THOUGHT:
Time wounds all heals.

Leave a comment