Friday, February 11, 2005        Edition: #2968
Bullseye!!

BS SHOW BIZ BUZZ:
TODAY shooting is scheduled to resume in New Orleans on Lindsay Lohan’s new movie “Just My Luck” after a hiatus due to her ‘illness’ that cost the production big bucks (funny, she got ‘sick’ during the “Herbie: Fully Loaded” shoot, too) . . . TONIGHT “Last Chance for Romance” debuts on Global-TV, a Canadian reality TV series that takes couples with troubled relationships to an exotic Caribbean resort where they try to work things out with the help of a counselor (almost worth faking a fight for!) . . . TONIGHT the “MusiCares 2005 Person of the Year Tribute” to Brian Wilson in LA features performances by Backstreet Boys, Barenaked Ladies, Michelle Branch, Michael McDonald, Red Hot Chili Peppers & Neil Young (http://www.grammy.com/musicares) . . . SATURDAY Alicia Keys is one of several stars lined up to perform at BMG chief Clive Davis’ annual “Pre-Grammy Gala” at the Beverly Hills Hotel, to be attended by Mary J Blige, Foo Fighters, Bill Maher, Ruben Studdard, Eva Longoria & Morgan Freeman to name but a few . . . SATURDAY at the “British Academy of Film & Television Arts Awards” (the “BAFTAs”) in London, Martin Scorsese’s “The Aviator” leads nominations with 14, and Kate Winslet has 2 ‘Best Actress’ nominations (“Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind” & “Finding Neverland”) . . . At Kimora Simmons’ Baby Phat show during “New York Fashion Week”, the goodie bags consisted of condoms, Altoids, and ‘lube & stimulation gel’ . . . NEXT SEASON’s “The Amazing Race 8″ will feature not just couples, but entire families of 4 (just imagine the bickering then!) . . . Word has it Brad Pitt has been hanging with model April Florio, ‘Miss December’ in the 2005 “Maxim” magazine calendar, who has dropped out of sight to avoid the publicity storm . . . Paris Hilton is the “Playboy” magazine cover girl for the MARCH issue but her rep is none-too-thrilled about it, because Paris never posed for the mag and it’s unclear where the photo came from (let the lawsuits begin!)  . . . Actor Bruce Willis has revealed there will be a 4th “Die Hard” movie (but not why) . . . And over 100,000 rabid fans have already pre-ordered the 6th ‘Harry Potter’ book, “Harry Potter & The Half-Blood Prince”, and it doesn’t even go on sale – for 5 months!

GRAMMY AWARDS HIGHLIGHTS:
• SUNDAY Queen Latifah hosts the “47th Annual Grammy Awards” live from the Staples Center in Los Angeles on CBS-TV (Global-TV in Canada).
• Kanye West leads nominations with 10.
• The show opener features 5 nominated artists performing across 3 stages – Black Eyed Peas, Gwen Stefani w/Eve, Los Lonely Boys, Maroon 5 and Franz Ferdinand.
• Other performers during the show include Usher w/James Brown, Green Day, Alicia Keys w/ Jamie Foxx, Tim McGraw, U2, John Mayer, Kanye West and – for the first time together –  Jennifer Lopez with husband Marc Anthony.
• A performance of the Beatles’ “Across the Universe” by Bono, Stevie Wonder, Norah Jones, Alicia Keys, Slash, Velvet Revolver, Tim McGraw, Al Green & Brian Wilson will later be sold via iTunes to raise funds for tsunami relief.
• A tribute to Ray Charles will feature Bonnie Raitt & Billy Preston.
• There’s also a salute to Southern Rock with Tim McGraw, Gretchen Wilson, Keith Urban, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Elvin Bishop, and former Allman Bros guitarist Dickey Betts.
• ‘Lifetime Achievement Awards’ (awarded SATURDAY) go to classic rockers Led Zeppelin, country music’s legendary Carter Family, country singer Eddy Arnold, late rocker Janis Joplin, rock ‘n roll pioneer Jerry Lee Lewis, and soul/gospel group the Staple Singers, among others.
• This year, instead of the traditional gift bag for celebs, the Recording Academy has partnered with gifting company Distinctive Assets to create a display area where guests will be able to ‘preview’ luxury products (and no doubt take away boatloads of samples).

OTHER BS MUSIC NOTES:
• Avril Lavigne – TODAY she’s on TV’s syndicated “ Ellen DeGeneres Show”; TONIGHT she does “Jimmy Kimmel Live” on ABC-TV.
• Elton John – Florida-based airline AirTran has put his face on the side of 20 of its planes to promote the availability of satellite radio at each passenger seat.
• Green Day – Singer Billy Jo Armstrong has given his son the middle name ‘Danger’.
• Joss Stone – The white-bread country girl from Devon UK won at THIS WEEK’S “Brit Awards” for ‘Best Urban Act’. Unbelievably, not a single award went to a black artist.
• Kelly Clarkson – TOMORROW she’s on NBC-TV’s “Saturday Night Live”.
• Mandy Moore – She says she created her ‘Mblem’ fashion line so she could have an unlimited supply of casual and sexy T-shirts. And now so can you … at 50 bucks a pop!
• Rascal Flatts – Bassist Jay DeMarcus is currently in the studio producing a new album for ‘70s rock band Chicago.
• SheDaisy – SATURDAY they perform on CBS-TV’s “The Early Show”.
• Sheryl Crow – TODAY she’s on TV’s syndicated “Oprah Winfrey Show”.
•  3 Doors Down – TOMORROW they kick off their “Seventeen Days” tour at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona FL.

TODAY’S MOVIE OPENINGS:
• “Hitch” (PG-13 Romantic Comedy): Will Smith plays a ‘date doctor’ who, while trying to help a client (Kevin James), discovers that his own medicine doesn’t quite work on a woman he’s smitten with (Eva Mendes).
• “Pooh’s Heffalump Movie” (G-Rated Animated Family): When the citizens of ‘Hundred Acre Wood’ hear a rumbling in the distance, they decide to investigate, worried that an evil ‘Heffalump’ (a purple elephant-like creature) may be nearby. Based on characters from AA Milne’s “Winnie-the-Pooh” stories. Originally slated to go direct-to-video, this feature was upgraded to theatrical release.

ART IN THE PARK:
TOMORROW a free public outdoor work-of-art in NYC’s Central Park called “The Gates” will be unveiled by avant garde artists Christo and Jeanne-Claude. It took some 600 ‘art makers’ a week to erect the 23-mile-long project consisting of 7,500 16-ft-high, fabric-covered gates.
SATURDAY, weather permitting, the cocoons on each of the gates will be opened and the fabric unfurled, wrapping the park with miles of saffron-colored trails for visitors to walk through. But it only lasts for 16 days. Then it will all be dismantled and recycled.
– “NY Post”

MUSIC’S TOP MONEY-MAKERS:
The biggest-earning artists of the past year …
1. Prince
2. Madonna
3. Metallica
4. Elton John
5. Jimmy Buffett
– “Rolling Stone”

BALLADS IN THE BUFF:
SATURDAY the Berlin Station Café in Berlin CT is going ahead with its controversial ‘Naked Karaoke’ contest. Originally, the idea was advertised on a sign simply as a joke to create some buzz. But after residents and Town Hall took it seriously and raised a ruckus, the bar sued the town and the owners won their lawsuit. Some 120 people have signed up for TOMORROW’s competition but it’s uncertain how many will actually show up and sing in the altogether.
– “Daily News”
PHONER: 860.828.7633 (Marty St Pierre & David Koskoff, Berlin Station Café co-owners)

SCIENTISTS SAY:
A compendium of recent ‘discoveries’ …
• Scientists say … men who try to dominate conversations are 60% more likely to die at an early age. That’s the conclusion after characteristics such as verbal competitiveness, loudness and self-aggrandizement were observed in a 22-year study by Duke University Medical Center. (So how old is Donald Trump again?)
• Scientists say … sending text messages can boost the confidence of introverted and anxious young people. More than half of young cellphone users prefer to send text messages to friends than to talk to them, according to a new Plymouth University study.
• Scientists say … we’re wasting a lot of money trying to make everything germ-free. Stuart Levy, Professor of Molecular Biology & Microbiology at Tufts University School of Medicine, says if you have a relatively clean home, you simply don’t need antibacterial products. In fact, you may actually hamper your families’ ability to build immunity to various bugs. (Hooray … no housework this weekend!)

BS AMAZING FACT:
How boring must this town be? Officials are so worried about people exiting the sleepy southern town of Laviano, Italy (population 1,500), they’re offering a cash bonus to anybody who agrees to raise a child there – $14,000 as a matter of fact!

THE BULL SHEET 02.11.2K5

TODAY’S CELEBIRTHDAYS . . .
1926 [79] Leslie Nielsen, Regina SK, movie actor (“Naked Gun” series, “Airplane”) who’s appeared in over 60 movies and many more TV productions

1936 [69] Burt Reynolds, Waycross GA, movie actor (“Boogie Nights”, “Smokey & the Bandit”)/Emmy Award-winning TV actor (“Evening Shade”)  UP NEXT: Plays ‘Boss Hogg’ in the bigscreen version of “The Dukes of Hazzard”.  NOTE: For a scary look at how much cosmetic surgery this guy’s had , click on the photo here – http://www.thisislondon.com/showbiz/articles/16447934?source=Daily%20Mail

1962 [43] Sheryl Crow, Kennett MO, pop singer (“The First Cut Is the Deepest”, w/Kid Rock-“Picture”)/9-time Grammy Award winner who’s been dating cyclist Lance Armstrong since 2004

1969 [36] Jennifer Aniston, Sherman Oaks CA, movie actress (“Along Came Polly”, “Bruce Almighty”)/former TV actress (“Friends” 1994-2004)/estranged Mrs Brad Pitt

1977 [28] Mike Shinoda, Agoura CA, rock singer/songwriter (Linkin Park-“Numb”, “In the End”)

1979 [26] Brandy (Norwood), Macomb MS, pop singer (Grammy Award-w/Monica-“The Boy Is Mine”, “Have You Ever?”)/guest judge on this season’s “American Idol”

1981 [24] Kelly (Kelendria) Rowland, Atlanta GA, pop singer (Destiny’s Child-“Lose My Breath”, “Jumpin, Jumpin”, w/Nelly-“Dilemma”)

SATURDAY’S BIRTHDAYS . . .
Keyboardist Ray Manzarek (The Doors) is 66; Pop singer Michael McDonald (Doobie Brothers) is 53; Bassist Jim Creeggan (Barenaked Ladies) is 35; NHL player Owen Nolan (Toronto Maple Leafs) is 33; Actress Christina Ricci (“Monster”) is 25.

SUNDAY’S BIRTHDAYS . . .
TV talk show host Jerry Springer is 61; Actress Stockard Channing (“The West Wing”) is 61;
Classic rocker Peter Gabriel (“Sledgehammer”) is 55; NHL player Mats Sundin (Toronto Maple Leafs) is 34; Bassist Todd Harrell (3 Doors Down) is 33; Britain’s #1 pop star Robbie Williams (“Angels”) is 31.

BS REASONS TO PARTY . . .
TODAY “Mothers Against Drunk Driving” (MADD) kicks off its 25th year of raising awareness about the dangers of drunk driving. (For a while there was also a fathers’ group, but it was just a ‘FADD’.)

TODAY is also –
• “Don’t Cry Over Spilled Milk Day”
• “Make a New Friend Day”
• “Vatican City Independence Day” (1929)
• “Japan’s National Foundation Day” (660 BC)
• “Satisfied Staying Single Day”, for those who choose to live independently.

SATURDAY is –
• “Lincoln’s Birthday” (1809)
• “Lost Penny Day”, a day to collect all of those wasted pennies stashed in jars and drawers around the house and put them back into circulation.

SUNDAY is –
• “Get A Different Name Day”, set aside to give us opportunity to pick one we’d really like.
• “International Read to Your Child Day”

TODAY’S MUSIC EVENT . . .
1997 [08] At age 14, country phenom LeAnn Rimes releases her 2nd album – “The Early Years”

TODAY’S FIRSTS . . .
1922 [83] Discovery of ‘Insulin’ (Banting & Best-Toronto)

1948 [57] ‘La-Z-Boy’ chair invented

1993 [12] Janet Reno becomes America’s 1st female Attorney General

TODAY’S RECORD . . .
1977 [28] ‘Heaviest Known Crustacean’ is caught off Nova Scotia, a 44.5-lb (20.2-kg) lobster which measures 3.5 ft (1 m) from claw tip to tail fan (and requires 13 lbs of liquified butter)

AND REMEMBER . . .
[Sun] NFL Pro Bowl (Honolulu HI)
[Sun] Boy Scout & Girl Scout Day
[Mon] Valentine’s Day
[Tues] Canadian Flag Day (40th Anniversary)
[Thurs] “Survivor 10″ debuts (Palau)
This Week Is . . . School Counselling Week / Freelance Writers Appreciation Week
This Month Is . . . Return Shopping Carts To the Supermarket Month / Sleep Safety Month

BULL’S BITS . . .
BS INVENTIONS THAT NEVER MADE IT:
TODAY is “Inventor’s Day”, honoring the birth of inventor Thomas Alva Edison (1847-1931), who single-handedly patented some 1,200 inventions. These were not among them …
• Helicopter Ejector Seat
• Inflatable Dart Board
• Solar-Powered Flashlight
• Waterproof Tea Bag
• Fireproof Cigar
• Mesh Umbrella
• Wind-Powered Fan
• Flea Dip

BS INTERVIEW:
Paradise Ranch Country Club for Cats & Dogs in Sun Valley CA claims it’s so exclusive, it doesn’t accept people. The pet-pampering resort picks up pooches & pusses in its air-conditioned ‘Mercedes Mutt Cab’ and whisks them off to luxurious theme-suites with full human-size bedrooms in real Spanish-style houses. There are cage-free dog kennels, private meals of your choosing at the ‘Bed & Biscuits Inn’ and ‘one-on-one, all-you-can-play time’ in ‘botanical play-yards’. And perhaps most creepy of all, they even provide human ‘bed buddies’ for dogs and cats who hate to sleep alone. So what’s all this cost? (Just a tour is 10 bucks … by appointment only.) And how are you supposed to compete with all this luxury when your pet returns to its humble home?
PHONER: 818.768.8708
NET: http://www.paradiseranch.net

BS BLATANT JOKE:
How do you spot an extroverted accountant? He stares at YOUR shoes.

BS WATER COOLER QUESTION:
Today’s Question: Robert Chesebrough, the inventor of Vaseline, did THIS with it every day.
Answer to Give Out Next Show: He ate a spoonful.

BS DEEP THOUGHT:
He who borrows sells his freedom.