Tuesday, July 13, 2004 Edition: #2821
There’s No BS Like Show BS …
BS SHOW BIZ BUZZ:
LAST NIGHT Utah software engineer & record-setting “Jeopardy!” contestant Ken Jennings made an unprecedented 29th appearance on the quiz show, trying to increase his record winnings of $920,960 (he claims it’s due to a curious mind, good memory & ‘astute buzzer technique’) . . . With a 2-weekend total gross of over $257 million, “Spider-Man 2″ is about $20 million ahead of where the 2002 original film was at the same time in its cycle (it ranks #6 all-time with a final total near $404 million) . . . The new reality TV series “Private Stars” on Britain’s Bravo channel will follow the hijinks of 5 average guys locked in a house with – 5 female por*n stars (the guys will be voted out based on ‘performance’) . . . Word has it Paris Hilton has quietly ended her legal battle with ex-boyfriend Rick Salomon over the “1 Night in Paris” videotape, agreeing to take a lump sum of about $400,000 plus a percentage of sales (we’ve established what you are, now we’re just quibbling over price) . . . Macy Gray, Lenny Kravitz & Avril Lavigne are among the artists welcoming the Olympics back to Greece in 3 albums recorded to honor the upcoming “Athens Summer Games” . . . Maybe actress Kate Winslet should consider a career in real estate: She’s just sold her 5-bedroom Belsize Park, London home to Chris Martin & Gwyneth Paltrow for $4.53 million – a tidy little profit of $756,000 in just 2 years! . . . The Alexander the Great movie duel is over before it even started – Aussie director Baz Luhrmann (“Moulin Rouge”) has now cancelled his production which was to star Nicole Kidman & Leonardo DiCaprio, while Oliver Stone’s “Alexander” starring Colin Farrell & Angelina Jolie is already in the can and due out in NOVEMBER . . . And filmmaker Michael Moore is asking for a $1-million advance for a “Fahrenheit 9/11″ soundtrack album but because the film only features 2 tunes (The Go-Go’s “Vacation” & Neil Young’s “Rockin’ in the Free World”), he’s trying to find a label interested in convincing its artists to record songs ‘inspired by the movie’ (now he’s just gettin’ greedy).
BS MUSIC NOTES:
• Alan Jackson – TODAY he’ll shoot the music video for “Too Much of a Good Thing” at Nashville’s Grand Ole Opry House with a live audience. Jackson wrote the upbeat love song which will be included on his upcoming studio album in stores SEPTEMBER 7th.
• Britney Spears – TODAY her mother Lynne will cut the ribbon on a suite at the Onyx Hotel in Boston named in honor of the Britney Spears Children’s Foundation (an idea hatched AFTER she named her world tour the “Onyx Hotel Tour”. Britney is skipping the ceremony to chill in Hawaii.
• Alanis Morissette/Barenaked Ladies – TONIGHT they launch a 22-date US tour beginning in Cleveland, alternating as headliners.
• Toby Keith – TODAY he’s on TV’s syndicated “Sharon Osbourne Show”.
• R Kelly – He’s become so obsessed with Africa he’s turned his music studio into a jungle, complete with plants and trees, and tents to sleep in.
• Madonna – She recently (and unsuccessfully) tried to blend in at NYC’s upscale restaurant Solo by wearing disguise of an auburn wig, fake teeth, heavy makeup and a long black skirt.
• Elton John – TONIGHT he’ll perform with a full symphony orchestra for the first time at NYC’s Radio City Music Hall to benefit the Juilliard School and the Royal Academy of Music.
• Carlos Santana – Starting TODAY his “Food For Thought” charity CD will be sold in Baja Fresh Mexican restaurants. The $8 promotional collection includes 4 new songs, one never-released from his archives. Proceeds go to the Milagro Foundation.
TODAY’S VIDEO RELEASES:
• “The Barbarian Invasions” (Drama – DVD): Canadian director Denys Arcand’s sequel to his 1986 “The Decline of the American Empire” is the story of a father and son who think they have nothing in common, but learn that they both share an insatiable appetite for life. Winner of the “Academy Award” for ‘Best Foreign-Language Film’, it’s also the first Canadian film to win ‘Best French Film of the Year’ at the “Cesars”, France’s national film awards. English subtitles.
• “Agent Cody Banks 2: Destination London” (Family Comedy – DVD/VHS): Frankie Muniz returns as the super-cool teen spy, this time going undercover overseas to catch a rogue CIA agent who’s stolen a top secret mind-control device from the US government.
• “Against the Ropes” (Drama – DVD): Meg Ryan stars in this fictional story inspired by the most famous female boxing promoter, Jackie Kallen. It follows her struggle to survive and succeed in a male dominated sport. Omar Epps plays the boxing prodigy she discovers. Filmed partly in Toronto and Hamilton ON.
THE LAP OF LUXURY:
Celebrity dog lovers like Pamela Anderson are rushing their pets to Las Ventanas al Paraiso resort in Los Cabos, Mexico. The $3,000-a-night ‘Pet Luxury Program’ includes stress-reducing full body dog massages, feasting on the spa’s signature dish ‘Rin Tin Tin’ (shredded braised beef & steamed rice) on a private patio, gazing through a personal dog telescope at the sea, and napping in a private dog cabana.
– popbitch.com
NET: http://www.lasventanas.com
5-MINUTE TRUST TEST:
Evergreen Industries new ‘CheckMate 5-Minute Infidelity Test Kit’ helps suspicious spouses check whether their partners are cheating. Here’s how it works – users drop a chemical from the kit onto suspicious stains on clothing or bed linens, then blot it with a small paper strip. If seme*n is detected, the strip turns purple within seconds. The kit includes instructions that tell the doubting male partners not to have sex with their wife or girlfriend for a week before doing the test so they can be sure what they’ve found belongs to another man. How much to find out you’ve been jilted? $50. (As if searching through dirty laundry isn’t humiliating enough.)
– “NY Post”
NET: http://www.getcheckmate.com
TOWARD BETTER BEER:
In the early 1990s, Philips Electronics in the Netherlands developed the ‘Digital Compact Cassette’ tape format, designed to give CD-quality to cassette tapes. The ‘DCC’ technology used a hot beam to blast holes in metal film. Thanks to the popularity of CDs, DCCs never caught on but now the Dutch company Fluxxion is adopting the technology to help make – better beer! Fluxxion has developed ultra-fine silicon filters with teeny, tiny holes that will remove yeast residue in the brewing process. Bottom line – brighter, clearer beer could be on the way!
– “New Scientist”
ANOTHER ROUND OF HAIR PRODUCT:
Jenny McCarthy, Anna Nicole Smith & Tara Reid are all hooked on Hollywood’s latest hair conditioning treatment – Kahlua! Stylists at top West Hollywood salon B2V mix up a Kahlua and milk concoction and rub it into the hair. The liqueur treatment is said to nourish hair and make it shiny, serving as a thermal conditioner and revitalizer, adding gloss, shine and color. And oh, it’s also $30.
– “World Entertainment News”
WORLDWIDE BULL ROAR:
• A Norwegian couple is facing court action for stripping off and doing the nasty on-stage during a rock concert. They’re part of an oddball group dedicated to having se*x in public to save the environment. So far, they’ve raised some $24,000 from sponsors to help save the rain forest. (There’s a creative new pickup line in here somewhere.)
• A badly injured seagull found by a yacht crew in Turkey has been saved after its wounded leg was amputated and replaced – with parts from a ‘Barbie’ doll. The bird has recovered and now walks around the boat. (What we wanna know – what’s a bunch of burly sailors doing with a ‘Barbie’ onboard?)
• 24-year-old Australian performance artist Amal Laala says she’s disgusted by corporate greed and the power of the banks. That might explain her most recent ‘artwork’ – vomiting on the pavement in front of a branch of the Australia National Bank. Her previous works have included urinating on a pile of clothing during Melbourne Fashion Week. (Hey, thanks for sharing, hon’.)
• In an attempt to help Australia’s dwindling sper*m banks, the fertility group Reproductive Medicine Albury is now offering male college students worldwide a FREE, 2-week trip Down Under, worth up to $7,000, in exchange for their sper*m. One stipulation, the studs must make a deposit every 2 days. (Even if they lose interest.)
BS AMAZING FACTS:
Up until the middle of the 18th century, the word ‘July’ in English rhymed with ‘truly’.
– “Daily Express”
Colorado culinary students who are under 21 can taste wine or other alcoholic beverages in class, thanks to a new state law that takes effect THIS MONTH – but they won’t be allowed to swallow.
– “Chronicle of Higher Education”
THE BULL SHEET 07.13.2K4
TODAY’S CELEBIRTHDAYS . . .
1940 [64] Patrick Stewart, Mirfield UK, movie actor (“X-Men” & “X2″, ‘Cpt Jean-Luc Picard’ in “Star Trek: The Next Generation”) COMING UP: “X-Men 3″ in 2006.
1942 [62] Harrison Ford, Chicago, IL, movie actor (“Air Force One”, “Star Wars” & “Indiana Jones” series) IN THE WORKS: “Indiana Jones 4″ in 2006.
1957 [47] Cameron Crowe, Palm Springs CA, movie producer/director/writer (“Almost Famous”, “Jerry Maguire”) UP NEXT: Currently shooting the romantic comedy “Elizabethtown” with Orlando Bloom & Kirsten Dunst.
1963 [41] Fatboy Slim (Norman Cook), Bromley UK, club DJ/pop musician (“Praise You”, “Funk Soul Brother”)
1965 [39] Neil Thrasher, country singer/songwriter (Thrasher Shriver-“Be Honest”)
1973 [31] Deborah Cox, Toronto ON, R&B/pop singer (“We Can’t Be Friends”, “It’s Over Now”)
BS REASONS TO PARTY . . .
TONIGHT is the “75th Major League Baseball All-Star Game” at Minute Maid Park in Houston TX. (Proving there are some products that stadiums just shouldn’t be named after.)
NET: http://mlb.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/mlb/events/all_star/index.jsp
TODAY is “Gruntled Workers Day”. You always hear about ‘disgruntled’ workers, but what about people who are happy with their jobs and can’t wait to go to work each day? Gruntled workers, this is your day! (Ya eager beaver keeners.)
TODAY is “National French Fries Day”. The ‘french’ has nothing to do with France, but the method of preparation. Food that’s chipped into pieces is said to be ‘frenched’.
THIS WEEK over 500 jugglers from all over the world are in Buffalo NY for the “International Juggling Association Juggling Festival 2004″. The 57th annual get-together features the Flying Karamazov Brothers who will receive the ‘IJA Award of Excellence’. (Oooo!)
PHONER: 415.505.9019 (Sandy Brown)
NET: http://www.juggle.org/festival
THIS WEEK is “Take Charge of Change Week”. Change affects people differently and can be very stressful. This week is to encourage us to explore the different types of change in our lives and how each affects us. How to cope? Learn how to accept the change you cannot control, manage the change you can control, and make change a positive force in your life.
NET: http://www.idealady.com/change.htm
THIS DAY IN SHOW BIZ . . .
1953 [51] 1st ‘Stratford Festival’ celebrates Shakespeare in Stratford ON (Sir Alec Guinness opens in ‘Richard III’)
TODAY’S MUSIC EVENT . . .
1985 [19] 1.5 billion worldwide watch or listen to “Live Aid” rock concerts in Philadelphia and London, raising over $70 million for African famine relief
TODAY’S FIRSTS . . .
1568 [436] 1st ‘bottled beer’ developed by the Dean of St Paul’s Cathedral in London (before that you had to stick your head in the barrel)
1930 [74] 1st ‘World Cup’ soccer tourney begins (Montevideo, Uruguay)
1982 [22] 1st MLB All-Star Game outside USA (Montréal’s Olympic Stadium)
COMING UP . . .
[Wed] “American Idol” summer tour begins (Salt Lake City UT)
[Thurs] Emmy Award nominations announced
[Thurs] Respect Canada Day
[Thurs-July 25] 22nd Just For Laughs comedy festival (Montréal)
[Sun] Stick Out Your Tongue Day
This Week Is . . . National Farriers Week (they shoe horses, don’t they?)
This Month Is . . . Purposeful Parenting Month
BULL’S BITS . . .
WORST ALL-TIME BS MOVIES:
1. “Manos’ the Hands of Fate” (1966)
2. “Future War” (1997)
3. “You Got Served” (2004)
4. “Space Mutiny” (1988)
5. “Eegah” (1962)
– Internet Movie DataBase poll.
BS PHONE STARTERS:
• Kentucky officials are looking to give the state an image make-over and are taking submission for a new state slogan. They hop to have it in place by late August. Ideas anyone?
• What should be the ‘8th Deadly Sin’?
BS BLATANT JOKES:
• Now wait a second, I got that right after all. I thought I was mistaken but I was mistaken.
• I put a blank CD-R in my PC and cranked it up full blast. Next thing I knew my neighbor was banging on the door complaining about the noise. He’s a mime.
BS WATER COOLER QUESTION:
Today’s Question: A man who has one of THESE earns an average 11% more money.
Answer to Give Out Next Show: A wife.
BS DEEP THOUGHT:
The harder we work, the luckier we get.