Wednesday, July 7, 2004 Edition: #2817
It’s Another Running Of The Bull!
BS SHOW BIZ BUZZ:
A group of 4 Stamford CT men are suing the Wayans brothers, seeking $15 million in damages for allegedly stealing the idea for the movie “White Chicks” (who’d wanna take credit for that?) . . . Is this the ultimate reality show? A new program on Singapore TV called “Here’s Looking at You, Babe!” follows a couple through the entire baby-making process (it’s intended to encourage locals to make the dwindling population grow) . . . An updated version of “Kojak”, the hit ‘70s TV series about a lollipop-licking police detective, is being developed for actor Ving Rhames (Telly Savalas starred in the original 1973-78) . . . French fashion firm Louis Vuitton is is paying actresses Scarlett Johansson & Chloe Sevigny $500,000 each to model for its fall & winter print-ad campaign . . . Model Heidi Klum has introduced boyfriend Seal to her parents, whisking him off for a weekend in Germany (hmm, could things be getting serious?) . . . Publisher HarperCollins has confirmed that 73-year-old actor Sean Connery will receive a 6-figure sum for his autobiography which will be published in late 2005 . . . Her PR flacks are vehemently denying it, but 41-year-old Demi Moore is said to be expecting 26-year-old boytoy Ashton Kutcher’s child and they’re reportedly planning a quiet wedding at the Los Angeles Kabbalah Center in SEPTEMBER . . . And Mary-Kate Olsen ain’t got milk – a deal for her and her sister to join the ‘milk-mustache’ ad campaign has been canceled ‘out of sensitivity for her situation’ (hey, what’s that white stuff on her lip then?).
BS MUSIC NOTES:
• Jimmy Buffett – TODAY the video debuts for his updated version of the Hank Williams’ classic “Hey, Good Lookin”. It features cameos by George Strait, Alan Jackson, Kenny Chesney, Toby Keith & Clint Black.
• Coldplay – Word is Britney Spears is desperate for them to perform at her NOVEMBER wedding to Kevin Ferderline.
• Madonna – She’s reportedly spending a quarter-million to have a chiropractor tour with her. The bone-crusher apparently straightens her spine after the show’s strenuous dance moves.
• Beyoncé – She relaxes by painting portraits of women. She picked up the hobby 2 years ago and now sometimes paints all night long.
• JoJo (Joanna Levesque) – The 13-year-old grew up in Foxboro MA listening to her mother’s soul music collection. She got her show biz break on Bill Cosby’s “Kids Say the Darndest Things” TV show, which led to an invitation to perform on “Oprah”.
• Norah Jones – TONIGHT she does “Tonight Show With Jay Leno” on NBC-TV.
TODAY’S MOVIE OPENING:
• “King Arthur” (PG-13 Action-Adventure): Clive Owen is ‘King Arthur’, Keira Knightly is ‘Queen Guinevere’ and Ioan Gruffudd is ‘Lancelot’ in producer Jerry Bruckheimer’s re-telling of the famous Arthurian legend of a king who unites a kingdom but loses his lady love. 19-year-old Knightley bulked up for the role through weightlifting, boxing, sword-fighting, horseback riding and archery lessons. She says she had no complaints about her love scenes with 20-years-older co-star Clive Owen because … he’s ‘gorgeous’.
NEW ENGLISH 101:
• ‘Summer Slide’ or ‘Summer Lag’ – The academic setback that some kids suffer after being off school for the summer. Best solution: encourage them to read!
• ‘Information Environmentalism’ – A new movement that seeks to reduce information overload and its effects on people’s lives.
• ‘Togethering’ – A new trend of vacationing with extended family or friends (also known as ‘Hell’). (“We’re togethering with my sister’s family for 2 weeks in the Rockies this August.”)
THE DESIGNER BOX:
A newly-opened coffin exhibition in Berlin, Germany that showcases the latest from casket manufacturers offers the families of the dearly departed some unusual choices. An industry spokesman says traditional funeral styles are becoming old fashioned and this show seems to prove it – there are coffins shaped like giant fish, vegetables, even one that duplicates a Mercedes-Benz. The trend is inspired by an African tradition that requires caskets to reflect objects that played an important role in the deceased one’s life. (So … what should you be buried in?)
– Reuters
SPAM SCAM SLAMMED:
The Economic & Financial Crime Commission in Niger*a (if we spell it out your spam filter will kick us out) has rounded up over 500 suspects and seized property worth more than $500 million from flimflam artists suspected of running e-mail scams known as ‘Advance Fee Fraud’. The busts were made using a new technology that identifies key words used in the e-mails. Among the arrested – lawyers, bankers and politicians. (Cool, can we arrest them all here too?)
– AFP
DRINK SAFE:
Welsh inventor David Burnell has developed the ‘Drinkguard’, a plastic cap that prevents anything – such as date-rape drugs – from being added to a beer bottle without the drinker knowing. The cap fits on the bottle and locks when a small key is pulled from it. A red warning light on top lights up if anyone attempts tampering. If the key is lost, the cap can still be removed but not without setting the light off. Burnell’s now looking for investors as he attempts to get his product on the market before Christmas.
– “Weekly News”
ESSENCE OF SALMONELLA, BAM!
University of Guelph researchers have conducted an extensive study of cooking shows on Food Network Canada and found that the typical TV chef violates a whopping 14 food safety rules per hour. One chef actually used a knife to swat flies. Another squeezed juice from a lemon … using his teeth! It’s not just Canadian chefs at fault. In fact, most of the programs on the channel are produced in the US. (Hey, it’s show biz. No viewer’s gonna squash flies with a cleaver. Or are they?)
– “Broadcasting & Cable”
DOLPHINS ONLINE:
You’ll soon be able to listen live online to sounds made by a pod of about 50 dolphins living off the west coast of Ireland. Scientists are installing a sound system in the Shannon estuary and hope to begin streaming the dolphin sounds online by SEPTEMBER. The Shannon Dolphin & Wildlife Foundation also hopes to establish a dial-a-dolphin phone line where you can call up and listen in. (Sign there’s a dolphin in your chat room – keeps asking the size of your breathing hole.)
– AFP
QUIT LOOKING AT ME!
After more than a thousand experiments, scientists at Freiburg University Hospital in Germany have concluded that we may have a ‘sixth sense’ that we’re being stared at. Dr Stefan Schmidt admits the effects are small, but there is evidence that people feel a ‘prickling’ sensation when someone unseen is staring at them. (His next study will determine if your ears really do get a burning sensation when someone’s talking about you.)
– “British Journal of Psychology”
BS AMAZING FACTS:
• A life of cigarette smoking will be, on average, 10 years shorter than a life without it, according to a newly-released 50-year study. Researchers also found that someone who stops smoking by age 30 has the same average life expectancy as a non-smoker, and someone who stops at 50 will lose an average of 4, rather than 10 years of life.
• The number of married women who are having sex with men other than their spouses has risen to 40% according to “Newsweek” magazine. By comparison, about 50% of husbands cheat.
THE BULL SHEET 07.07.2K4
TODAY’S CELEBIRTHDAYS . . .
1940 [64] Ringo Starr (Richard Starkey), Liverpool UK, rock drummer/bad singer (The Beatles [1962-1970]-“Act Naturally”)
1968 [36] Jorja Fox, NYC, TV actress (‘Sara Sidle’ on “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation” since 2000)
1969 [35] Joe Sakic, Burnaby BC, NHL player (2 Stanley Cups-Colorado Avalanche)
1969 [35] Cree Summer, LA CA (raised Red Pheasant SK), movie actress who’s been voicing cartoons since the age of 13 (“Clifford’s Really Big Movie”, “Rugrats Go Wild!”)/daughter of Canadian actor Don Francks
1980 [24] Michelle Kwan, Torrance CA, figure skater (4-time World Champion, Olympic Silver Medalist)
BS REASONS TO PARTY . . .
TODAY is “Father-Daughter Take a Walk Together Day”. If she’s a teenager, good luck! You tryin’ to embarrass her or what?
TODAY through July 14th is the annual “Fiesta San Fermin” in Pamplona, Spain, famous for its daily ‘Running of the Bulls’ when those with really large cojones (or really small brains) run in front of rampaging bulls for about a half-mile to lead them from their holding pen to the local bull ring. It only takes 2 to 3 minutes but injuries occur virtually every year. Since the unusual tradition began in 1926, 13 people have been killed. It was first made famous in the Ernest Hemingway novel, “The Sun Also Rises”.
PHONER: 011.34.948.221.059 (Pamplona Bull Ring)
NET: http://www.sanfermin.com/guia/in_encierro1.shtml
FRIDAY & Saturday the 21st annual “Wayne Chicken Show” clucks in Wayne, Nebraska, home of the “National Cluck-off”. That’s where they search for the person who can best cluck like a chicken. Contestants must be audible across a barnyard, act and sound like a chicken, and keep it up for 15 seconds. The wacky festival also includes a ‘Most Beautiful Beak Contest’ and a competition for ‘Best Chicken Legs on a Human’.
PHONER: 402.375.2240 ( Wayne Area Chamber of Commerce)
NET: http://www.chickenshow.com
THIS DAY IN SHOW BIZ . . .
1954 [50] 1st Elvis Presley recording played on radio (“That’s All Right, Mama” on WHBQ Memphis TN)
TODAY’S MUSIC EVENT . . .
1989 [15] It’s announced that Compact Discs are outselling vinyl record albums for the first time
TODAY’S FIRST . . .
1891 [113] A patent is granted for the ‘Traveller’s Cheque’ (about to become obsolete due to the popularity of bank cards?)
COMING UP . . .
[Thurs] Video Games Day
[Fri] Intern Appreciation Day
[Sun] Cheer Up the Lonely Day
[Sun] Pet Photo Day
This Week Is . . . Canned Luncheon Meat Week / Pleasure Week
This Month Is . . . Parks & Recreation Month / Anti-Boredom Month
BULL’S BITS . . .
WHO SHOULD BE THE NEXT ‘JAMES BOND’?
1. Hugh Jackman (24%)
2. Orlando Bloom (21%)
3. Colin Farrell (16%)
4. Clive Owen (11%)
5. Robbie Williams (10%)
– Results of new UK poll of 8,000 people.
BS SIGNS IT’S TIME YOU MOWED YOUR LAWN:
• You have to attach an orange antenna flag to your kid before she plays outside.
• Your lawn flamingo was taken down by hungry jackals.
• Taking out the garbage requires a machete and a 4-day supply of water.
• Suddenly your yard is THE hot spot to watch bison do it.
• The last time it was cut, the neighbor kid did it for 5 bucks. Today, his son wants a hundred.
• Your ABOVE-ground pool is now an IN-ground pool.
BEST CELEBRITY LEGS:
1. Kylie Minogue
2. Cameron Diaz
3. Naomi Campbell
4. Nicole Kidman
5. Anna Kournikova
– Newly-released Gillette Co poll.
BS INTERVIEW:
A pair of ‘health mines’ a few miles apart at Boulder and Basin, Montana are the only places in North America where people can pay to breathe radioactive radon gas that occurs naturally. Who’d wanna? People are flocking in from all over the world because inhaling radon is said to be beneficial to people suffering from a variety of ailments, including cataracts, emphysema, arthritis, migraine headaches, multiple sclerosis, muscular dystrophy, asthma … even fertility. Dwayne Knutzen is a former sceptic who now owns the Merry Widow Health Mine. He charges $3.50 for a 1-hour ‘treatment’. So how’s it work and what’s the most common thing that’s cured?
PHONER: 406.225.3220 (Merry Widow Health Mine, Basin MT)
NET: http://www.merrywidowmine.com
BS WHAT AM I?
• People use me a lot when in a group.
• I come in different sizes.
• Most people use me on weekends.
• I was first used in 1862.
• I usually have 3 finger holes.
[I’m a bowling ball.]
BS BLATANT JOKE:
When I was kidnapped, my parents snapped into action. They immediately rented out my room.
BS WATER COOLER QUESTION:
Today’s Question: There are only 250 people worldwide that wear THIS uniform.
Answer to Give Out Next Show: Ronald McDonald.
BS DEEP THOUGHT:
The only thing certain about your ‘To Do’ list is that it will never be ‘To Done’.
