Thursday, February 10, 2005        Edition: #2967
Get Your BS Here, Hot ‘N Fresh!

BS SHOW BIZ BUZZ:
TODAY Harvard University’s annual tongue-in-cheek “Hasty Pudding Awards” are handed out by the Hasty Pudding Theatricals drama troupe, this year honoring actors Catherine Zeta-Jones & Tim Robbins . . . Former “Sex & the City” star Kristin Davis has signed on to star in an ABC-TV pilot tentatively titled “Soccer Moms”, about a pair of suburban housewives who also happen to be private investigators (they drive souped-up mini-vans?) . . . The “Academy Awards” will feature performances by Counting Crows, actress-turned-singer Minnie Driver, and Josh Groban & Beyoncé dueting on the Oscar-nominated song “Believe” from “The Polar Express” . . . And the Oscars show will feature some changes – some winners will receive awards while still seated in the audience, and in some categories all nominees will be invited on-stage before the winner is announced . . . The stars of “The Sopranos” have collaborated on a cookbook due  THIS FALL that’s titled – “Shut Up and Eat!” . . . Actor Chris Noth, who left the original “Law & Order” 10 years ago then played ‘Mr Big’ on “Sex & the City”, will become a regular on “Law & Order: Criminal Intent” beginning NEXT SEASON . . . The 4 principal stars of “Desperate Housewives” are each getting a $250,000 ‘Thank-You Bonus’ from ABC-TV (hoping it’ll soften them up come contract renewal time) . . . And the “Desperate Housewives” star who is coming out? Word is it’s Marcia Cross (‘Bree Van De Kamp’) who is set to appear on the cover of “The Advocate”, revealing she’s a real-life lesbian in a long-term relationship with ‘a brunette from another top TV show’ (oh no, here we go again!).

BS MUSIC NOTES:
• Elton John – He now says he’ll marry long-term partner David Furnish as soon as marriage laws change in Britain.
• Madonna – She’s now taking karate lessons after being encouraged by hubby Guy Ritchie, a black belt.
• Mariah Carey – “Rush Hour 1-3″ director Brett Ratner is helming her next music video (he also did “Heartbreaker”) and currently has a casting call out for ‘upscale wedding guests’ for the shoot.
• Pharrell Williams – To host LAST NIGHT’s “Brit Awards” after-party in London he demanded the use of a chauffeured Rolls-Royce and over $50,000-worth of booze for his crew.
• Rod Stewart – TODAY he’s on TV’s syndicated “Ellen DeGeneres Show”.
• Sting – TONIGHT he’ll donate profits from his concert in Perth, Australia to tsunami victims.
• White Stripes – Jack White has revealed he was accepted at a seminary in Wisconsin as a teen and only decided at the last minute not to pursue a career as a priest.

COMING ATTRACTIONS:
In Martin Scorsese’s next film, “The Departed”, Jack Nicholson will star as an Irish gang boss who’s the target of undercover cops (Leonardo DiCaprio & Matt Damon) . . . Johnny Depp has signed up to play a hockey goalie-turned-bank robber in “The Ballad of the Whiskey Robber “, the true story of a Hungarian folk hero known for his charm and gentlemanly manners . . . Antonio Banderas is set to take the lead in “Take the Lead”, playing a  ballroom dancer-turned-high school teacher who develops a new dance style with his students that blends ballroom and hip-hop . . . Will Ferrell will next star in “Stranger Than Fiction” as  an IRS man who seeks help in sorting out his life from a wacky professor (Dustin Hoffman) . . . Eva Mendes, who co-stars with Will Smith in this FRIDAY’s release “Hitch”, will play Nicolas Cage’s love interest in “Ghost Rider”, an upcoming adaptation of yet another Marvel comic book . . . In an as-yet-unnamed Gregory Nava film, Jennifer Lopez will play an American reporter sent to the Mexican-US border town of Ciudad Juarez to investigate the mysterious killings of dozens of females (a real life phenomenon).

WEB WEARY TEENS:
A new Nielsen Norman Group study looks at the different way teens surf the Web compared to their parents. Perhaps not surprisingly, teens get bored quickly and are easily frustrated by Websites that are difficult to navigate. Compared to their parents, teens have a shorter attention span, a lower patience level, and far more need to be constantly stimulated. One conclusion of the study – Websites must have plenty of interactive features in order to attract teens. (In other words – no chat room, no teens.)
– CNN/Money

GIVING YOU THE FINGER:
Scientists at the University of Giessen in Germany have determined that people whose ring and index fingers are about the same length have a more difficult time with spatial skills, the ones we use to do things like read maps and park cars. This may indicate another difference between genders: in women the 2 fingers are usually the same length, but in men the ring finger tends to be longer than the index finger. (The ‘driver’s signaling finger’ tends to be longest for both.)
– BBC News

ALMOST AS GOOD AS BOOZE IN COFFEE:
A new Budweiser beer, called ‘B-to-the-E’, combines beer with – caffeine! The marketing types at Anheuser-Busch admit some consumers may see the new beer’s mathematical-style logo and pronounce it ‘B.E.’ or ‘B-plus-E’ but that’s just fine, because the product is aimed at the 21-to-27-year-old age group that doesn’t want to be told what to do. (And wants their hangover cure right in their beer.)
– “Hartford Courant”

THE BIG BANG:
Northwestern University seismologists have calculated that the DECEMBER 26th Sumatra earthquake that triggered the tsunami in South Asia was much larger than originally thought, measuring 9.3 on the Richter scale. That makes it the 2nd-largest earthquake ever recorded, after a 1960 quake in Chile that measured 9.5.
– ANI

FROM THE BS POLL VAULT:
• 60% of employees have had at least one affair with a co-worker.
• 50% of us live within 50 miles of our birthplace.
• 40% of women do not like their partner’s taste in music.
• 40% of couples first met at work.
• 38% of women like to get a gift of flowers, but only 4% of men would ever want to.
• 25% of women say they enjoy a foot massage, compared to only 15% of men.
• 5% of doctors admit to dating a patient.

FOR THE RECORD:
Got a cold? Take heart! The longest bout of sneezing ever recorded was by the UK’s Donna Griffith. It began January 13, 1981 and continued until September 16, 1983 – a total of 978 days!
– “Naked Scientist”

BS AMAZING FACTS:
• THIS WEEK a new law was passed in Virginia that imposes a $50 fine on anyone wearing their pants so low that their underwear shows.
– AP
• The average blond has 140,000 hairs on the head while the average redhead only has 88,000. (Explains why every guy you meet nicknamed ‘Red’ is bald?)
– “Medical Cosmetology”

AND WE QUOTE:
“I’d love to do a song with Springsteen. He would be my ultimate choice to work with.”
– Tim McGraw fantasizing about possible collaborations with syndicated columnist Marilyn Beck.

THE BULL SHEET 02.10.2K5

TODAY’S CELEBIRTHDAYS . . .
1939 [66] Adrienne Clarkson (Poy), Hong Kong, well-travelled Governor-General of Canada since 1999 who has trouble struggling through on a $19.1 million annual budget /former TV journalist (“Adrienne Clarkson Presents: …”, “The Fifth Estate”)

1955 [50] Greg Norman, Melbourne, Australia, pro golfer (‘The Great White Shark’) who holds the record for lowest 72-hole total (267 in 1993)

1967 [38] Laura Dern, Los Angeles CA, movie actress (“I Am Sam”, “Jurassic Park 1 & 3″) who  was once engaged to actors Billy Bob Thornton & Jeff Goldblum

BS REASONS TO PARTY . . .
TODAY is “Al-Hijra”, the Islamic New Year on the first day of the month of Muharram. It marks the Hijra (or Hegira) in 622 CE when the Prophet Muhammad moved from Mecca to Medina and set up the first Islamic state. The Muslim calendar counts dates from the Hijra, which is why Muslim dates have the suffix AH for ‘After Hijra’. There is no specific religious ritual required on this day, but Muslims regard this as a good time for New Year resolutions.

TODAY is “For the Birds Day”, a highlight of “Wild Bird Feeding Month”. (So check your cookbook for some yummy wild game recipes.)

THIS WEEK is “Rejection Awareness Week”, to draw attention to people who’ve taken a chance on love and had their hearts stomped on.

TODAY’S MUSIC EVENT . . .
1990 [15] Paula Abdul becomes first female artist to have an album in the top 10 for over 50 weeks (“Forever Your Girl”)

TODAY’S FIRSTS . . .
1870 [135] 1st ‘YWCA’ (NYC)

1957 [48] 1st ‘Styrofoam Cooler’ (next day, the 1st ‘road trip’)

1996 [09] IBM’s Deep Blue notches 1st ‘Tournament Victory by a Computer‘ under classic chess rules, beating world chess champion Garry Kasparov

TODAY’S RECORD . . .
1982 [23] 28 skiers perform a simultaneous back-flip while holding hands (Bromont QC)

AND REMEMBER . . .
[Fri] Inventors Day
[Fri] Satisfied Staying Single Day
[Sat] British Academy of Film & Television Arts Awards (London UK)
[Sun] 47th Grammy Awards
[Sun] NFL Pro Bowl (Honolulu HI)
[Mon] Valentine’s Day
[Tues] Canadian Flag Day (40th Anniversary)
This Week Is . . . International Friendship Week / Engineers Week
This Month Is . . . Snack Food Month / Fiber Focus Month

BULL’S BITS . . .
BS WHYZITS:
• Whyzit the person who invests all your money is called a ‘broker’?
• Whyzit croutons come in air-tight packages? It’s just stale bread to begin with.
• Whyzit supermarkets use the express checkout for on-the-job training of cashiers?
• Whyzit called ‘premarital sex’ when most participants have no intention of getting married?
• Whyzit women’s magazines spend so much time nagging you about what you should eat and how much you should weigh, then in the same issue publish the latest chocolate fudge cake recipe?

BS QUICK-PICK TRIVIA:
• Which term refers to the fear of beautiful women?
a. Sophobobia.
b. Caligynephobia. [CORRECT]
c. NinetyEightPercentofAllMenaphobia.

• Where is the geographic center of North America?
a. Rugby, North Dakota. [CORRECT]
b. Brandon, Manitoba
c. Effingham, Illinois

• What is Hans Lippershey credited with inventing?
a. Telescope. [CORRECT]
b. Indoor plumbing.
c. Chapstick.

• You are an ‘oenophile’. What are you an expert in?
a. Wine. [CORRECT]
b. Women.
c. Song.

• In the old TV show “Knight Rider”, what was the name of David Hasselhoff’s talking car ‘KITT’ an acronym for?
a. ‘King Imperial Twin Turbo’.
b. ‘Knight Industries Two Thousand’. [CORRECT]
c. ‘Kiss Its Tailpipe, Turtle!’.

TOP DOGS:
The most popular dog breeds, according to stats from the Canadian Kennel Club …
1. German Shepherd
2. Labrador Retriever
3. Golden Retriever
4. Shetland Sheepdog
5. Rottweiler

The most popular dog breeds, according to stats from the American Kennel Club …
1. Labrador Retriever
2. Golden Retriever
3. German Shepherd Dog
4. Beagle
5. Dachshund

PHONE STARTER:
What is your biggest sexual turn-off? (In a recent poll, ‘Too Much Cologne or Perfume’ and ‘That Extra 10 Pounds’ topped the list.)

BS WATER COOLER QUESTION:
Today’s Question: Women do THIS 4 times as often as men.
Answer to Give Out Next Show: Go to the doctor.

BS DEEP THOUGHT:
Poise is the act of raising your eyebrows instead of the roof.