BS SHOW BIZ BUZZ:
★ It’s a boy for Alec & Hilaria Baldwin! The 30-year-old yoga instructor announced her baby news Wednesday on Instagram with a photo captioned: “We are happy to announce the birth of Rafael Thomas Baldwin.” Hilaria has used Instagram throughout her pregnancy to update fans on her family’s newest addition. On New Year’s Day she posted a family photo with her 1-year-old daughter Carmen touching her pregnant belly. A rep for the actor has made no additional comment.
– “New York Daily News”
★ TV reality competition “Big Brother” will feature its first transgender houseguest on this Summer’s upcoming season. 25-year-old Audrey Middleton, who was born Adam, will compete in the 17th season of the CBS-TV reality show. A network rep says Audrey is a ‘super fan’ of the show who applied online like other hopefuls and was open about her transition in the application process. Word has it Audrey plans to discuss her story with the other house-guests during the premiere episode next Wednesday, June 24th.
– Variety.com
★ And British actor Damian Lewis has emerged as one of the frontrunners to take over the role of ‘James Bond’ when Daniel Craig steps down. Among oddsmakers, the former “Homeland” star is now the 2nd-favorite to lead the spy film franchise behind former “The Wire” star Idris Elba. Bookmakers William Hill have slashed odds on Lewis from 25:1 to 3:1, while rival company Ladbrokes moved him from 20:1 to 2:1. Other actors believed to be in the running include Henry Cavill (“Man of Steel”); Michael Fassbender (“12 Years a Slave”); and Tom Hardy (“Mad Max: Fury Road”).
– WENN.com

TODAY’S SHOW BIZ SKED:
• Amnesia Rockfest (Montebello QC) – The 4-day punk rock/metal fest includes Linkin Park, Slayer, Snoop Dogg, and System Of a Down. 3 bands perform classic albums in their entirety: Deftones (1997’s “Around the Fur”); The Offspring (1998’s “Americana”); and Rancid (1995’s “And Out Come the Wolves”).
NET: http://www.amnesiarockfest.com
• “The Astronaut Wives Club” (ABC) – The team behind “Gossip Girl” unites for this new drama based on the best-selling novel about 7 women who were transformed from anonymous military spouses into celebrities when NASA chose their husbands to be the 1st Americans in space.
• “Balletlujah” (CBC) – Debut of an artsy new documentary that follows the creation of a ballet inspired by and featuring the music of kd lang.
• British Summer Time (London UK) – The annual concert series in Hyde Park runs through June 27th. Among this year’s artists: Beck, Blur, The Strokes, Taylor Swift.
NET: http://www.bst-hydepark.com
• “Complications” (USA) – Series debut of a new drama from the creator of “Burn Notice” that stars Jason O’Mara as an ER doctor entangled in violence after saving a boy’s life.
• Country Jam (Grand Junction CO) – The 24th annual 4-day country music festival at Jam Ranch is headlined by The Band Perry, Keith Urban, Tim McGraw, and Toby Keith.
NET: http://countryjam.com
• “Ellen DeGeneres Show” (syndicated/CTV2) – Nicki Minaj (“The Pinkprint”). Rerun.
• Firefly Music Festival (Dover DE) – This year only 4-day passes have been sold, eliminating single-day tickets. The lineup includes: Bastille, Cage the Elephant, Charli XCX, Foster The People, Hozier, The Killers, Kings Of Leon, Modest Mouse, Paul McCartney, and Snoop Dogg.
NET: http://fireflyfestival.com
• “Guys Choice 2015” (Spike) – Much has been made about Clint Eastwood’s lame Caitlyn Jenner joke, which has been edited out of tonight’s pre-taped  men’s entertainment awards show hosted by “Empire’s” Taraji P Henson & Terrence Howard. Honorees include Dwayne Johnson (“San Andreas”).
• “Jimmy Kimmel Live” (ABC/CityTV) – Fifth Harmony f/Kid Ink (“Reflection”).
• “Last Call With Carson Daly” (NBC) – Gorgon City (“Sirens”). Rerun.
• “Late Night With Seth Meyers” (NBC/CTV) – James Taylor (“Before This World”).
• “Live With Kelly & Michael” (syndicated/CTV) – Hilary Duff (“Breathe In. Breathe Out.”).
• “Mistresses” (ABC/CTV) – The Season 3 debut of this unapologetically lurid, trashy, and over-the-top series. Actress Alyssa Milano has departed, replaced by Jennifer Esposito.
• Songwriters Hall of Fame Gala (NYC) – Inductees include Country Music Hall of Famer Bobby Braddock; pop star Cyndi Lauper; Grateful Dead’s Jerry Garcia & Robert Hunter; pop/rock songwriter Linda Perry; country star Toby Keith; and blues icon Willie Dixon. Van Morrison gets the ‘Johnny Mercer Award’ for lifetime achievement; fun.’s Nate Ruess the ‘Hal David Starlight Award’ for young songwriters; and Lady Gaga the first-ever ‘Contemporary Icon Award’.
NET: http://www.songhall.org
• “The Talk” (CBS) – Nick Jonas (“Nick Jonas”).

BS MUSIC NOTES:
• The Beatles – Their famous Abbey Road recording sessions are the basis of a new live stage show. “The Sessions at Abbey Road” will first be performed at London’s Royal Albert Hall next April. 39 musicians and 8 singers are being used during the show, which features a full-sized reconstruction of Abbey Road’s Studio Two.
• Foo Fighters – Dave Grohl has revealed that he dislocated his ankle and snapped his fibula during his 12-ft fall off the stage over the weekend. He’s had an operation in London and now has 6 metal screws in his leg. The Foos have canceled the rest of their UK and European tour for June, which includes 2 shows at Wembley Stadium and a slot at Glastonbury. Florence + The Machine are replacing them as the festival’s Friday night headliners.
• Jason Aldean – The guy has a plan. Quote: “I know what I do well, and I know what I don’t do well. So the things I don’t do well, I just try to stay away from those and focus on the things that I am good at.” Good advice for us all, no?
• Neil Young – He’s complaining about Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump using his song “Rockin’ In the Free World” at his campaign launch. A Trump campaign rep says the Trump’s team paid ASCAP for the legal rights to the tune, but won’t be using it again anyway.

COMING ATTRACTIONS:
A BS selection of movies in the making …
• “The League Of Extraordinary Gentlemen” – Fox is taking a look at developing the flop movie into a potential new franchise. The 2003 film, based on graphic novels about a group of Victorian literary characters-turned-superheroes (‘Allan Quatermain’, ‘Captain Nemo’, ‘Tom Sawyer’, etc) starred Sean Connery. A planned sequel was scrapped due to bad box office.
• “The Legacy Of a Whitetail Deer Hunter” – 47-year-old actor Josh Brolin is set to star in this new offbeat comedy alongside comic actor Danny McBride. No details about the plot have yet been released. Brolin has a slew of films coming out this year and will next be seen in the crime drama “Sicario”, followed by the mountaineering thriller “Everest”.
• “Maleficent 2” – Disney has confirmed it’s making a sequel to the 2014 hit ($760 million), but it’s not yet known whether Angelina Jolie will return to the lead role. A script for the follow-up to the re-imagining of the “Sleeping Beauty” story is being prepared in such a way that the 40-year-old actress could reprise her role, though she has no contract in place for a sequel.
• “Opening Belle” – Actress Reese Witherspoon is so confident author Maureen Sherry Klinsky’s upcoming novel will be a hit, she’s optioned it for the bigscreen. The book, due later this year, is loosely based on Klinsky’s own experiences working on Wall Street while trying to juggle her responsibilities as a mother of 3. Witherspoon is eyeing the lead role for herself.
• “Wonder Woman” – 34-year-old actor Chris Pine (“Star Trek”) is reportedly in negotiations to play lead actress Gal Gadot’s love interest in the upcoming superhero film. Pine would play ‘Steve Trevor’, an intelligence officer in the US Army during World War II whose plane crashes on Paradise Island, the homeland of ‘Wonder Woman’. The film is due to screen in 2017.

HOW MANY EARTHS DO WE NEED?
Countries consume varying amounts of the planet’s resources. The Global Footprint Network has attempted to illustrate this point by calculating how man Earths we’d need to sustain a population of 7 billion at various countries’ levels of consumption. This calculation has its critics, but is nevertheless interesting to ponder. The top 10 consumers …
1. If everyone on the planet consumed as much as Kuwait, we’d need 5.1 Earths.
2. Australia … 4.8
3. United Arab Emirates … 4.7
4. Qatar … 4.0
5. USA … 3.9
6. Canada … 3.8
7. Sweden … 3.8
8. Bahrain … 3.6
9. Trinidad & Tobago … 3.5
10. Singapore … 3.4
– “BBC News Magazine”

IS THE DRUMMER THE SMARTEST MEMBER OF THE BAND?
Drummers, the forever-shat-upon members of any band, just got some good news … they’re smarter than most of us. That’s right, a new study at California’s Stanford University suggests that the rhythmic stimuli percussionists experience speeds up brain waves and increases concentration. Apparently it’s the rhythm that’s good for the brain. It creates a sort of drummer’s high for both the player and the listener. Experiencing a steady rhythm seems to improve cognitive function. According to researchers, that means drummers have a rare, innate ability to problem-solve. (To refute this claims we offer the following evidence: Ringo Starr – even better – Travis Barker. And by the way: How can you tell if the stage is level? Drool is coming out of both sides of the drummer’s mouth.)
– ConsequenceofSound.net

NO BS, THEY’RE USING HS:
Finland’s horses may soon prove useful just by doing what comes naturally. The Finnish government wants the country to turn away from fossil fuels and instead make use of … horse manure. The new coalition’s manifesto sets out plans for large-scale use of horse dung as a renewable energy source. One energy company is already trying out a bio-fuel made by mixing horse manure with a wood-based litter, which is then burned to create power. The annual waste created by 3 horses would be enough to heat a family home for a year. And with about 77,000 horses in Finland, there’s potential for over 20,000 homes to become manure-warmed. It would also help solve the problem of what to do with livestock waste. (No danger of running out … as we all know, there’s no shortage of horseshit in the world.)
– #NewsfromElsewhere

DID YOU KNOW?
There are some 38,000 man-made objects orbiting the Earth. Every day at least one of them comes crashing back to Earth.
– “Science Line”

BS CHRONOMETER 06.18.15

TODAY’S CELEBIRTHDAYS . . .
1942 [73] (Sir) Paul McCartney, Liverpool UK, rock billionaire (Wings-“Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey”, Beatles-“Let it Be”)/Rock & Roll Hall of Fame (1999)

1971 [44] Nathan Morris, Philadelphia PA, oldies singer (Boyz II Men-“I’ll Make Love to You”, “End Of the Road”)

1973 [42] Ray LaMontagne, Nashua NH, folk-rock singer-songwriter (“Beg, Steal, or Borrow”, “Trouble”)

1976 [39] Blake Shelton, Ada OK, country singer (“Sangria”, “Sure Be Cool If You Did”)/TV personality (“The Voice” since 2011)/wed to country singer Miranda Lambert since 2011

1978 [37] Steven Chen, LA CA, indie rock guitarist (Airborne Toxic Event-“”Timeless”, “Changing”)

1980 [35] David Giuntoli, Milwaukee WI, TV actor (‘Nick Burkhardt’ on “Grimm” since 2011)

1990 [25] Jacob Anderson, Bristol UK, TV actor (‘Grey Worm’ on “Game of Thrones” since 2013)

TODAY’S BS REASONS TO PARTY . . .
• “Autistic Pride Day”, an annual celebration of the ‘neuro-diversity’ of people on the autism spectrum that’s designed to shift views of autism from ‘disease’ to ‘difference’.

• “Go Fishing Day” which, if you can pull it off, would allow you to post a sign on your door saying ‘Gone Fishing’. Work, after all, is for people who don’t know how to fish.

• “International Picnic Day” a great time to enjoy a meal ‘al fresco’, or if you don’t know him … anyone else you choose. It’s a pseudo-holiday for humans but a regular working day for ants.

• “International Sushi Day”, the 6th annual observance conceived originally as a Facebook page. If you’re looking for an excuse to eat raw fish, this seems as good a day as any.
NET: http://bit.ly/10Xizp

• “Splurge Day”, when we’re encouraged to go out and do something indulgent. If funds or guilt were no problem, what would you blow bucks on? $40-a-lb Comté cheese … mmm!

TODAY’S MUSIC EVENT . . .
2004 [11] Ray Charles’ funeral is held in Los Angeles CA at the First AME Church, featuring performances by BB King, Stevie Wonder, Willie Nelson, and Wynton Marsalis

TODAY’S FIRSTS . . .
1905 [110] The wooden chair that’s become a symbol of Summer, the ‘Adirondack Chair’, is patented by Harry Bunnell of Westport NY (in Canada, it’s known as the ‘Muskoka Chair’)

2014 [01] Internet retailer Amazon.com releases its own smartphone, ‘Fire’

TODAY’S RECORDS . . .
2000 [15] Tiger Woods wins the US Open Golf Championship by a record 15 strokes

2012 [03] ‘World’s Fastest Supercomputer’, Sequoia, is installed at US Department of Energy

2013 [02] The biggest version of Boeing’s Dreamliner plane, the 787-10, debuts at the Paris Air Show in France

AND REMEMBER . . .
[Fri] “Dope”; “Inside Out” open in movie theaters
[Fri] Flip Flops Day
[Sat] World Refugee Day
[Sun] Fathers Day
[Sun] Summer Solstice
This Week Is … Hermit Week
This Month Is … International Men’s Month

BULL’S BITS

BS WAYS YOU CAN START HAVING A POSITIVE ATTITUDE TODAY:
✓ Relish small pleasures.
✓ Have purpose.
✓ Be curious.
✓ Stop complaining, focus on the good.
✓ Be thankful.
✓ Find positive people to hang out with.
✓ Be responsible.
✓ Make decisions.
✓ Encourage others.
✓ Live in the now.
✓ Don’t compare yourself to others.
✓ Have a sense of humor
✓ Smile.
– Adapted from List25.com

BS PHONE STARTER:
☎ What should totally be legal that currently isn’t? (Jaywalking? Naked sunbathing? Carrying your drink through airport security? Being married to whoever the hell you want?)

BS RANDOM JOKE:
Oops, pardon me. I just got lost in thought, and it was unfamiliar territory.

BS WATER COOLER QUESTION:
Question: When we do THIS, it lasts an average of 4 days.
Answer: Go on a diet.

BS DEEP THOUGHT:
“I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.”
– Thomas Edison