Tuesday, December 4, 2018        Edition: #6349

Sheet Happens!

BS BEST WISHES:
Congrats to CHUM 104.5’s Roger Ashby, who retires tomorrow after a spectacular 50-year career with the Toronto station.  Ashby and the CHUM morning gang were one of the Bull Sheet’s original subscribers way back in 1993, and have been BS’ing ever since.  Best to you in the future, Roger.  Sleep in on Thursday!

BS SHOW BIZ BUZZ:
★ Astrophysicist and author Neil deGrasse Tyson has denied allegations of sexual misconduct made against him by three women. Last month, three women told Patheos, a religion and spirituality website, that Tyson harassed them and made inappropriate sexual advances as early as 1984 and in recent years. Katelyn N. Allers, an associate professor of physics and astronomy at Bucknell University in Pennsylvania, says that Tyson grabbed her arm and reached into her dress while looking at her tattoo of the solar system at a party in 2009.  Allers said it was a clear sign that Tyson was capable of “creepy behaviour.”
-MSN
★ Christian Bale’s intensive research for his roles not only results in brilliant performances, it can also save lives. That’s the according to Adam McKay, who directed Bale in “The Big Short” and the upcoming Dick Cheney biopic “Vice”.  He says that Bale’s research into the former vice-president’s heart attacks likely saved the director’s life when he suffered one after filming completed.  McKay says he remembered Bale discussing some of the symptoms of a heart attack, which caused him to be able to quickly identify what he was experiencing and seek treatment.  He says he called Bale shortly afterward to tell him, “Either you or Dick Cheney just saved my life.”
-MSN
★ Dame Joan Collins thinks a ”little fly” that often visits her may be the reincarnation of her late sister Jackie Collins. The 85-year-old says that while she’s still undecided about whether or not she truly believes in the concept of reincarnation, she often wonders whether the fly is her sister, who died of breast cancer in 2015.  Collins says that it seems wherever she goes, “France, London, here – this little fly comes.”
(I thought the same thing…until I took the garbage out!)
-ContactMusic
★ Nicole Kidman has banned handheld electronic devices from her house. Kidman, who lives in Tennessee with her husband Keith Urban and their 7 and 10-year-old kids, says she’s made a conscious effort to ensure that her children are not obsessed with the internet and television. According to her, not only do they have periods at home where the TV is off-bounds, but their “no-devices” house includes their children’s guests.  She said:  ”I left home yesterday and my children were up in the tree house, with eight friends over. We have a no-devices house. Their friends can’t bring devices over. The general rule is: play, hard core and outside.”
(I wonder if adult guests are allowed to bring their phones…)
-ContactMusic
★ Celebrity tattoo artist and make-up queen Kat Von D has given birth to a baby boy. The reality TV star took to Instagram to announce the new arrival, posting a picture of her husband, musician Rafael Reyes cradling the baby, and writing: “Meet our beautiful baby boy, Leafar Von D Reyes. Thank you to all our beloved friends+family, fans+followers for your patience in us announcing his long awaited arrival!”
-Canoe

TODAY’S SHOW BIZ SKED:
• “Jimmy Kimmel Live” (ABC/Global): Justin Theroux, Karen Gillan, Gucci Mane
• “The Tonight Show starring Jimmy Fallon” (NBC/CTV): Saoirse Ronan, Russell Westbrook, Alessia Cara
• “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” (CBS/Global): Julia Roberts, Patrick Wilson
• “Late Night with Seth Meyers” (NBC/CTV): Jake Tapper, Bill Burr, Nikki Glaspie
• “The Late Late Show with James Corden” (CBS/CTV): Zachary Levi
• “Watch What Happens Live” (Bravo): Ross Inia, Ashton Pienaar, Rhylee Gerber
• “The View” (ABC/CTV): Rep. Steve Scalise
• “The Talk” (CBS): Zachary Levi, Josh McBride, guest co-host Carrie Ann Inaba
• “Live with Kelly and Ryan” (ABC/CTV): Colin Jost, Emma Bunton
• “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” (NBC/CTV): Ryan Reynolds, Gwen Stefani
• “The Voice” (NBC): Live Top 10 Eliminations
• “Saturday Night Live Christmas Special” (NBC): A star-studded collection of popular Christmas-themed sketches.

BS MUSIC NOTES:
• Mac Miller — His final recordings, a Spotify Singles session done a month before his death, have been released.  It includes a stripped-down version of his song ‘Dunno’ and a cover of Billy Preston’s ‘Nothing from Nothing’.
• Ariana Grande – On Sat night, the singer of ‘Thank U, Next’ tweeted: “actually… i don’t want no ‘next’. true love doesn’t exist. hope you’re having a great day!” About an hour later, that tweet was deleted and replaced with one saying: “true love might exist i was just hungry.”
• Maroon 5 – Their record label initially didn’t want them to release ‘Moves Like Jagger’. Songwriter Benny Blanco says that the group defied record executives to perform it on “The Voice”, and it quickly took on a life of its own. The 2016 single has gone on to become one of the best-selling tracks of all time.
• Cher – says that “It was easy to live before Twitter”.  In an interview to promote her new tour, she said that getting into tweeting was, for her, “kind of an accident”.  Quote: “When I first started, I was so ridiculous and I didn’t mean to be saying something mean, but I found out that I had, but everybody thought it was hysterical so I think it got me, like, a gazillion followers in one day.”
• Frances Bean Cobain – has released a performance clip of another new song, as she continues to tease her work on a career in music. We’re not sure of its title, but the lyrics contain references to love, death and being trapped.  The daughter of Nirvana’s Kurt Cobain has previously teased a handful of compositions.
• Toto — has released the previously unheard track ‘Devil’s Tower’, which was written alongside their anthem ‘Africa’ in 1981 and had been planned for inclusion on the 1982 album Toto IV.  The song now appears in limited-edition box set “All In”.
• Queen – Their biopic “Bohemian Rhapsody” is the champion, my friends. With a U.S. box office total of $164.3 million, the movie is now the all-time No. 1 music biopic in the United States, surpassing N.W.A.’s 2015 film Straight Outta Compton by more than $3 million.  It was already the #1 music biopic worldwide.
• Florida Georgia Line — Tyler Hubbard is participating in TOMS’ End Gun Violence Together campaign. In the 2 weeks since TOMS shoe company founder Blake Mycoskie announced the campaign, more than 600,000 have signed on, including Hubbard, Dierks Bentley, Joe Jonas, Ryan Seacrest and Josh Duhamel.
• Luke Combs — shared the news of his engagement to Nicole Hocking on Instagram late last week, with a photo of the couple posing in front of a Maui sunset.  According to the caption, the actual proposal may not have taken place in nearly as scenic a location:  “She said yes a while ago, but this is a way better place to take pictures than the kitchen.” He went on to write: “Can’t wait to spend forever with you @nicohocking. I love you!”

THIS WEEK’S VIDEO RELEASES:
• “Mission: Impossible – Fallout” (PG-13, Action/Adventure): Ethan Hunt and his IMF team, along with some familiar allies, race against time after a mission gone wrong. (Tom Cruise, Henry Cavill, Ving Rhames)
• “The Happytime Murders” (R-Rated, Action/Adventure):  When the puppet cast of a ’90s children’s TV show begin to get murdered one by one, a disgraced LAPD detective-turned-private eye puppet takes on the case. (Melissa McCarthy, Elizabeth Banks, Maya Rudolph)
• “Til Death Do Us Part” (PG-13, Drama/Mystery):  Michael & Madison Roland had planned to spend the rest of their lives together, until one day Michael’s controlling ways turned their perfect marriage into an abusive rollercoaster. With the help of her best friend, Madison decides to get away. (Bianca Bethune, Stephen Bishop)
• “The Nun” (R-Rated, Horror):  A priest with a haunted past and a novice on the threshold of her final vows are sent by the Vatican to investigate the death of a young nun in Romania and confront a malevolent force in the form of a demonic nun. (Demián Bichir, Taissa Farmiga)
• “Operation Finale” (PG-13, Drama):  A team of secret agents set out to track down the Nazi officer who masterminded the Holocaust. (Oscar Isaac, Ben Kingsley)

TREASURE HUNT:
The stores in Eskilstuna, Sweden’s “ReTuna” shopping mall sell only used goods.  ReTuna, which recently celebrated its third birthday, is managed by a municipal energy company whose mandate is to run organizations which have benefits to the environment.  The 11-store, two-storey indoor shopping center, which is promoted as a “green role model” for other Swedish cities, is the first mall in the world with a focus on sustainable shopping. The goal is to enhance the experience of shopping for secondhand goods by collecting niche stores under one roof, removing the need to scour dusty thrift stores spread across the city, and without that “feel” of a flea market.  Almost all of the items available at ReTuna have been donated by members of the public.  Stores include a vintage furniture outfitter, a bicycle shop, a bookstore, and homewares, electronics, and plant shops.  And of course, clothing.  Merchants are required to sign a pledge to attempt to keep waste at “zero”.
(When I heard there was a “used” mall, I thought they meant it was for sale!)
(Well, I know where I DON’T want you to buy my Christmas gift!)
(I’ve heard you can find some pretty decent clothes in the “donated by a cheated-on spouse” section!)
-HuffingtonPost

THE FINAL FRONTIER:
The remains of 100 people are going to be launched into space on a SpaceX rocket.  Elysium Space, which calls itself a “space burial” company, says that each family paid about $2,500 to have a sample of their loved ones’ ashes placed aboard the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket.  Among those whose ashes will be boldly going where no man has gone before, will be military veterans and aerospace enthusiasts, alongside others whose families were “looking to celebrate a loved one within the poetry of the starry sky,” according to Elysium.  Ashes have been packed into a 4-inch square sections called “cubesats” aboard the spacecraft.  Families will be able to track their loved ones’ progress on their final journey in real-time through an app as it orbits the planet for about four years before falling back to Earth.  The initial launch date of November 19 was delayed, but the remains remain aboard the rocket, ready for the final countdown.
(Sounds like the dead people aren’t the only ones who are ‘late’!)
(It’s not like they don’t have all the time in the…universe!)
(Let’s be honest, no matter how the company describes itself, there isn’t anyone getting “buried” here!)
-CNN

COMMON BRAND NAMES YOU’RE DEFINITELY MISPRONOUNCING:
✗ Ikea:  The right way to pronounce it: ih-key’-ah.
✗ Nutella:  The right way to pronounce it: new-tell’-uh.
✗ Hyundai: The right way to pronounce it: hun’-day.
✗ Porsche:  The right way to pronounce it: por’-sha.
✗ Nike: The right way to pronounce it: nai’-key.
✗ Miele:  The right way to pronounce it: meal’-uh.
✗ Huawei:  The right way to pronounce it: wah’-way.
✗ Sega:  The right way to pronounce it: see’-gah.
✗ Givenchy:  The right way to pronounce it: jhee-von’-shee.
✗ Amazon:  The right way to pronounce it: ama’-zun.
(I’m just glad that after saying this sentence, I’ll never again have to say “Givenchy”!)
-BestLifeOnline

DID YOU KNOW?
You can “feel it in your bones”.  A 2007 study looked at reports of joint pain from 200 arthritis patients and found that spikes in self-reported pain correlated with the changes in barometric pressure and temperature that occur prior to a storm.

BS CHRONOMETER 12.04.18

TODAY’S CELEBIRTHDAYS . . .
1949 [69] Jeff Bridges, LA CA, movie actor (“Iron Man”, “The Big Lebowski”)

1964 [54] Marisa Tomei, Brooklyn NY, film actress (“Spider-Man Homecoming”, Oscar-“My Cousin Vinny”) COMING UP…”Spider-Man: Far From Home”, 2019

1966 [52] Fred Armisen, Hattiesburg MS, TV comic (“Portlandia” 2011-18, “Saturday Night Live” 2002-13)/movie actor (“Smurfs” movies)

1969 [49] Jay-Z (Shawn Carter), Brooklyn NY, rap artist-producer (w/Beyoncé-‘Crazy in Love’, f/Alicia Keys-‘Empire State of Mind’)/wed to Beyoncé since 2008

1970 [48] Kevin Sussman, NYC, TV actor (‘Stuart Bloom’ on “The Big Bang Theory” since 2009)

1973 [45] Tyra Banks, Inglewood CA, TV personality (“America’s Next Top Model” since 2003, “The Tyra Banks Show” 2005-10)/former fashion model (“Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show”)

TODAY’S BS REASONS TO PARTY . . .
• “Cookie Day”, celebrating the yummiest treat of all. What’s the best kind? Chocolate chip? Oatmeal and raisin? Peanut butter with macadamia nuts?

• “Extraordinary Work Team Recognition Day”, created in 2000 as a day to pass out ‘attaboys’ to employee teams that consistently work extraordinarily well together to produce significant results for their companies or organizations. (It’s far cheaper than year-end bonuses.)

• “Santa’s List Day”, the day the big guy purportedly decides who’s been naughty and who’s been nice (Does that make tomorrow “Do Whatever You Want Because Santa has Already Made his List Day”?)

• “Wear Brown Shoes Day”, for some unknown reason. To get the full effect, make sure you wear ’em with something black.  (To get half-effect, wear ONE brown shoe)

• “World Wildlife Conservation Day”, with the aim of raising awareness and engaging conservationists in the goal of putting an end to wildlife crime. Some of the world’s best-loved species are being slaughtered by criminal networks driven by a voracious demand for illegal animal parts and products.

• “National Kitten Day”, created with the goal to not only celebrate the undeniable adorableness of kittens, but more importantly, to save as many as possible by giving shelters and rescues a chance to highlight the kittens in their care.  (***See ‘Sitcoms for Cats’, below***)

AND REMEMBER . . .
[Wed] Bathtub Party Day
[Wed] International Ninja Day
[Thurs] Miners’ Day
[Thurs] Gazpacho Day

THIS DAY IN SHOWBIZ . . .
2015 [03] Melanie Griffith and Antonio Banderas divorce after 19 years of marriage

TODAY’S MUSIC EVENTS . . .
1980 [38] Led Zeppelin officially disbands following the death by misadventure of drummer John Bonham due to excessive alcohol intake.  They never fully reform, but do play some shows with Jason Bonham filling in for his father.

1993 [25] Frank Zappa dies of terminal prostate cancer at age 52 in Los Angeles, California.

1992 [26] In an effort to prevent hearing loss among its fans, heavy metal group Megadeth distributes 13,000 pairs of earplugs at a concert in San Francisco, California

TODAY’S FIRSTS . . .
1982 [36] 1st human killed by a bowling ball (Hernia? Swallowing? Were other victims … ‘spared’?)

2013 [05] Xavier Bettel becomes Luxembourg’s 1st openly gay Prime Minister

BULL’S BITS

BS WACK FACTS:
✓ In 1998, Marvel offered the rights to almost all of their characters to Sony for $25 million. Sony elected to only purchase Spider-Man for $10 million, believing he was the only character movie audiences would care about.
✓ Burt Reynolds turned down the roles of James Bond, Han Solo, Michael Corleone and Rocky Balboa, plus the starring roles in Die Hard, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest and Pretty Woman.
✓ According to a study on Academy Award speeches, Steven Spielberg has been thanked more than God.
✓ During the First World War, 1,000 double-decker London buses, complete with drivers and mechanics, were sent to the front line.
✓ People who eat spicy foods tend to live longer.
✓ The older a father is when he has a child, the uglier the child will be, according to research.
-WhattheFFacts, FactSlides

BS THINGS NOT TO DO IN A BOOKSTORE:
• Read “Fifty Shades of Grey” out loud.
• Use their free Wi-Fi to log into Amazon and buy books.
• Return the book “How to Get Away With Murder” covered in blood.
• Light a match.
• Rearrange the books alphabetically by title.
• Ask if you can use your Blockbuster card.
• Stand in the self-help section and offer unsolicited advice.
• Read your Kindle.
• I couldn’t tell you.  I’m not allowed within 500 feet since “the incident…”
-Twitter

Best of BS . . .
BS SITCOMS FOR CATS:
• Meow I Met Your Mother
• Mouse Hunters International
• Saved by the Tortoise Shell
• The Big Fang Theory
• M*A*N*X*
• Teletabbies
• L.A. Claw
• Caturday Night Live
• Whose Feline is it Anyway?
• Purrfect Strangers
• Furriends
-Twitter, first published in ‘BS’ in 2017

BS PHONE STARTER:
Give your city (or town or region) a new name to better reflect the type of place that it is.

BS RANDOM JOKE:
Two wrongs don’t make a right.  But two Wrights did make an airplane.

BS WATER COOLER QUESTION:
Question:  When it comes to the holidays, 43% of people think THIS is tacky. What?
Answer:  Inflatable lawn decorations

BS DEEP THOUGHT:
The difference between friends and pets is that friends we allow into our company, pets we allow into our solitude.