March 10, 2006

Friday, March 10, 2006        Edition: #3236
Sheet Rocks!

BS SHOW BIZ BUZZ:
TODAY a major new Ray Charles exhibit opens at Nashville’s Country Music Hall of Fame & Museum, and will remain on display throughout 2007 . . . SATURDAY & Sunday “Canadian Idol” holds auditions at Portage Place in Winnipeg MB . . . SATURDAY is reportedly the day that Nicole Kidman will wed Keith Urban at a Catholic Church in Sydney, Australia, a rumor vehemently denied by her publicist (and therefore likely true) . . . SUNDAY the new Broadway production “Ring of Fire: The Johnny Cash Musical Show” opens at NYC’s Ethel Barrymore Theatre, an elaborate production which includes 38 of Cash’s best-known songs . . . SUNDAY the 6th season of “The Sopranos” returns to HBO, and online betting site Pinnacle.com is picking ‘Tony Soprano’s nephew, ‘Christopher Moltisanti’, as this season’s 8-1 odds-on favorite to get whacked . . . Surprise, surprise! Fashion house Chanel, which famously dumped model Kate Moss after her cocaine scandal LAST YEAR, will likely soon ask her to return, according to head designer Karl Lagerfeld (she couldn’t have concocted a better marketing plan) . . . The “Harry Potter & The Goblet of Fire” DVD sold 5 million copies in a single day, putting it on track to become one of the all-time top-sellers . . . Price Charles’ wife Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, has made a surprise debut on a new list of the UK’s ‘Best Dressed’ compiled by “Tatler” magazine (for horse breeders?) . . . And your ‘cutting-edge’ laptop just became a doorstop as Toshiba has unveiled its new ‘Qosmio G30′ laptop which can display hi-def TV & movies, either on its own monitor or a home-theater system (due in stores NEXT MONTH).

BS MUSIC NOTES:
• Arctic Monkeys – TOMORROW the hot-as-a-pistol Brit band is the musical guest on NBC-TV’s “Saturday Night Live”, hosted by Matt Dillon.
• Cowboy Troy – TONIGHT the ‘world’s only 6-ft-5 black rapping cowboy’ guests on “Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson” on CBS-TV.
• Eve – Word has it her new boyfriend is 34-year-old Teodorin Nguema Obiang, a filthy rich playboy with mansions in Paris, London, South Africa & Rio, and an LA-based record label. Unfortunately, much of his moolah comes from looting his home country of Equatorial Guinea, where his father is the corrupt dictator.
• Josh Gracin – Of the 12th- through 3rd-place “American Idol” finishers who have gone on to release records, he’s the only one to achieve ‘Gold’ status. The 2nd-season country singer who finished 4th, has sold around 647,000 copies of his debut album. (Interesting Corey Clark has only managed to sell a paltry 2,400 copies of his effort, even after spilling about his alleged affair with Paula Abdul.)
• Paul McCartney – Fresh from saving seals, he’s now written the governor of Arizona asking that he block a drug company from building an animal testing lab in the state where Big Mc owns a ranch.
• Toni Braxton – TONIGHT she returns to the road for the first time in several years, kicking off a cross-country itinerary in Atlantic City NJ.
• Train – TODAY they guest on the syndicated “Ellen DeGeneres Show”.
• U2 – They’ve postponed the final 10 dates of the sold-out “Vertigo ’06” tour in Australia, New Zealand, Japan & Hawaii due to the illness of a close relative of an unnamed band member.
• The Who – The geezer rockers’ 18-month world tour kicking off THIS SUMMER is expected to be the last time they’ll ever hit the stage. (Interesting that their so-called “Farewell Tour” was in 1982!)

TODAY’S MOVIE OPENINGS:
• “Crash” ( R-Rated Drama ): Fresh off its ‘Best Picture’ Oscar win, it’s being re-released in about 160 theaters even though it’s been available on DVD since SEPTEMBER (a 2-disc ‘Director’s Cut’ is coming APRIL 4th). The ensemble drama about race relations in LA also won ‘Best Editing’ and ‘Best Original Screenplay’ Oscars, and was nominated for 3 others.
NET: http://www.crashfilm.com
• “Failure to Launch” ( PG-13 Romantic Comedy ): Exasperated parents set up their 30-something son (Matthew McConaughey) with the perfect-girlfriend-for-hire (Sarah Jessica Parker) in a plot to get him to finally move out of their house. Kathy Bates & Terry Bradshaw play the mom & dad (yes, THAT Bradshaw, the ex-QB who’s now a FOX-TV NFL analyst).
NET: http://www.failuretolaunchmovie.com
• “The Hills Have Eyes” ( R-Rated Horror Thriller ): Deep in a forlorn desert, mutated savages ensnare and prey upon a vacationing family whose car breaks down near an isolated house. Stars Ted Levine & Kathleen Quinlan. Shot completely in Morocco. A remake of Wes Craven’s 1977 horror film.
NET: http://www2.foxsearchlight.com/thehillshaveeyes
• “The Libertine” ( R-Rated Biographical Drama ): Johnny Depp stars as the Earl of Rochester, a 17th-century poet who drank and debauched his way to an early grave but whose work won universal acclaim after he died. Co-stars Samantha Morton & John Malkovich.
NET: http://www.thelibertine-movie.com
• “The Shaggy Dog” ( PG Comedy ): Tim Allen plays a dedicated family guy who tries to live a normal life despite the fact that – he sometimes turns into a sheepdog. Seems he was accidentally infected with a serum in an animal lab. Cast includes Kristin Davis, Craig Kilborn, Jane Curtin, Robert Downey Jr & Danny Glover. An update of the 1959 Disney family comedy which starred Fred MacMurray. (It seems dogs are this year’s penguins.)
NET: http://disney.go.com/disneypictures/shaggydog

DULLEST PLACE ON EARTH?
Palmerston North, ‘the gateway to the lower North Island of New Zealand’, has thrown down the gauntlet. The city of circa 75,000 is proud to be boring and will take on all comers worldwide to prove it has the best laid-back and relaxed (yawn) lifestyle of any city, anywhere. The challenge comes after former “Monty Python” comic John Cleese recently visited and declared the place ‘suicidally boring‘. The local Chamber of Commerce is currently working to set up a boring Website for the city, packed with every tedious positive the place has to offer. (Is there a town in your area worthy of the challenge?)
PHONER: 011-64-6-350-1830 (Manawatu Chamber of Commerce)
– “Manawatu Standard”

SCIENTISTS SAY:
A BS compendium of recent ‘discoveries’ …
• Scientists say … you’ll live longer if you have a positive attitude – and drink cocoa! According to two 15-year Dutch studies, optimistic older men with the highest cocoa consumption are half as likely to die from cardiovascular disease as non-users.
• Scientists say … we actually like meetings far more than we admit! A report in the “Journal of Applied Psychology” finds that more people acknowledge meetings as ‘a positive part of their day at work’ than would ever publicly admit it.
• Scientists say … if you want to live longer, wait to have that baby. Manchester University research shows that postponing motherhood also seems to postpone menopause, age-related diseases such as Alzheimer’s – and death.

COMPANIES WITH THE BEST REPUTATIONS:
According to a new poll, here are the most-admired companies in 2006 …
5. Starbucks
4. Procter & Gamble
3. Southwest Airlines
2. FedEx
1. General Electric
– “Fortune Magazine”

REALLY, REALLY STRANGE BUT TRUE:
• There’s a new restaurant in Beijing, China whose speciality is ‘animal penis hot-pot’. For prices ranging from $40-to-$400 you can pick from ox, yak, dog, donkey or seal. (This place will be popular with Anna Nicole.)
• An entire family has been discovered in a remote region of Turkey that can only walk on all fours. Researchers believe the 4 sisters & 1 brother could yield clues as to why our ancestors made the transition from 4-legged to 2-legged animals. (Just before the scientists showed up, one sister yelled, “Hey, I dropped a 20 bucks on the ground somewhere over here …”)
• The bad news for 54-year-old Bakersfield CA food market owner Donald Batsch – he was shot in the arm & abdomen during an armed robbery. The good news – when doctors operated on the wounds, they also discovered a tumor which they successfully removed. “It was like an act of God that [the robber] shot me,” Batsch said. (As a grand piano fell from a second-story window on his head.)
• Newfoundlander Mary Ann Butt spent $300 for an iPod on eBay only to receive – an empty iPod box. The anonymous seller argued that the product listing was just for the box, not the actual iPod. However PayPal, which handles eBay financial transactions, disagreed and managed to recover $280 of the money for Butt. (She’s spending it on the “History of Rock” 10-CD box set … of jewel cases.)

WHO CHEATS ON TAXES?
The APRIL issue of “Psychology Today” notes several facts about tax cheats …
• Tax evaders tend to be energetic & impulsive thrill-seekers, know as ‘Type T’ personalities.
• Over all, men are more likely to lie on their tax returns than women.
• ‘Type T’s gravitate toward investment banking & entrepreneurship.
• People who cheat on taxes are also more likely to ‘flip the bird’ at other drivers in traffic.
• The wealthy & self-employed are most tempted to cheat on taxes. In the US, they are also most likely to get audited.
– “Globe & Mail”

THE BULL SHEET 03.10.2K6

TODAY’S CELEBIRTHDAYS . . .
1947 [59] Kim (Avril Phaedra) Campbell, Port Alberni BC, briefly 1st female Canadian PM (June-October 1993)/later served as Canadian consul in Los Angeles

1947 [59] Tom Scholz, Toldeo OH, classic rock guitarist (Boston-“Don’t Look Back”, “More Than A Feeling”)

1957 [49] Osama Bin Laden, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Al-Qa’ida founder/world’s most-wanted man  
1958 [48] Sharon Stone, Meadville PA, movie actress (“Catwoman”, “Basic Instinct”)  COMING UP: The sequel “Basic Instinct 2″, opening MARCH 31st, in which she confirms there are nude scenes (instead of any worthwhile storyline).

1963 [43] Jeff Ament, Havre MT, rock bassist (Pearl Jam-“Last Kiss”, “Jeremy”)  FACTOID: After a 4-year break from recording, Pearl Jam has announced plans to release its 8th studio album MAY 2nd, followed by a major tour.

1964 [42] Prince Edward (Edward Antony Richard Louis Windsor), London UK, QEII’s #3 son/Earl of Wessex & Viscount Severn/Mr Sophie Rhys-Jones

1966 [40] Edie Brickell, Oak Cliff TX, pop singer (“What I Am”, “Love Like We Do”)/Mrs Paul Simon since 1992

1971 [35] Daryle Singletary, Cairo GA, country singer (“The Note”, “The Used To Bes”)

1983 [23] Carrie Underwood, Muskogee OK, country singer (“Don’t Forget To Remember Me”, “Jesus, Take the Wheel”)/last season’s “American Idol” winner

SATURDAY –
Media magnate Rupert Murdoch (FOX-TV) is 75; TV actor Wallace Langham (“CSI”) is 41; Pop singer Lisa Loeb (“I Do”) is 38; Movie actor Terrence Howard (“Crash”, “Hustle & Flow”) is 37; Movie actor Johnny Knoxville (“Dukes of Hazzard”) is 35; Twin rockers Benji & Joel Madden (Good Charlotte) are 27.

SUNDAY –
Pop singer/movie actress Liza Minelli (“Cabaret”) is 60; Oldies singer James Taylor (“You’ve Got a Friend”) is 58.

BS REASONS TO PARTY . . .
• “Frozen Dead Guy Days” weekend in Nederland CO, the 4th annual celebration of Grandpa Bredo Morstoel, who died in 1989, was frozen by his grandson and stored in a shed.
PHONER: 720.374.6742  NET: http://www.nederlandchamber.org/FrozenDeadGuyDays
• “Mario Day”, saluting anyone with that name because the abbreviated date (MAR-10) sort of spells ‘Mario’. Famous Marios include NHL Hall of Famer Mario Lemieux, legendary race car driver Mario Andretti, and Super Mario Bros (Nintendo game).
• “Salvation Army Day”, the anniversary of its establishment in the USA on this day in 1880. The Sally Ann was founded by William Booth in London in 1865, then came to NYC to provide food, shelter and clothing to needy Americans.
• “World’s Largest Rattlesnake Round-Up” weekend in Sweetwater TX, with live rattlesnakes on display, snake-meat to eat, snake products for sale, a parade, a cook-off, and the ‘Miss Snake Charmer Pageant’.
PHONER: 325.235.5488  NET: http://www.rattlesnakeroundup.com

SATURDAY –
• “The 2006 Tim Hortons Brier”, the Canadian Men’s Curling Championship, at Regina’s Brandt Centre begins sweeping and continues through March 19th.
NET: http://www.curling.ca/fan_central/brier/2006/index.asp
• “Johnny Appleseed Day”, celebrated on the anniversary of his death. Born John Chapman in Massachusetts in 1774, he became a serious nurseryman who laid out orchards in the wilderness of the US Midwest, then gave or sold trees to pioneers.
• “Romeo & Juliet’s Wedding Day”. According to Shakespeare, the all-time champion lovers did the deed this date in 1302. Wow, It’s their 704th anniversary!
• “Worship of Tools Day” (aka “Tool Appreciation Day”), celebrating men’s inexplicable fascination with high-priced gizmos. What tool have you purchased and then never, ever used?

SUNDAY –
• “Girl Scout Day”, honoring the 94th anniversary of the group’s formation. Daisy Gordon of Savannah GA gathered a troop in 1912 and taught them how to milk a cow, how to tie up a burglar, and the complicated art of boiling water.
• “Middle Name Pride Day”, a day to stand up and be proud … Alphonse.
• “Plant a Flower Day”, celebrating gardening, the hobby enjoyed by millions of people old and young alike. It’s a good day to get a little dirt under your fingernails indoors, or weather permitting, outdoors.

TODAY’S FIRSTS . . .
1842 [164] Queen’s University founded in Kingston ON (home of the ‘Golden Gaels’)

1876 [130] 1st ‘Telephone Call’ as Alexander Graham Bell says to Thomas Watson in next room: “Mr  Watson, come here. I want you.” (setting off all kinds of rumors)

1941 [65] 1st ‘Batting Helmets’ used by pro baseball players (Brooklyn Dodgers)

1967 [39] 1st recorded ‘Octuplets’ born, in Mexico (named ‘Uno’, ‘Dos’, ‘Tres’ …)

1975 [31] 1st ‘Dog Spectacles’ patented (UK)

AND REMEMBER . . .
[Mon] 2006 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction (NYC)
[Mon] 26th “Genie Awards”
[Mon] Ear Muff Day
[Mon] Good Samaritan Day
[Mon] Open an Umbrella Indoors Day
[Mon] Genealogy Day
[Mon] Commonwealth Day
This Week Is . . . Save Your Vision Week / Read an E-Book Week
This Month Is . . . Caffeine Awareness Month / Prepare Your Home To Be Sold Month

BULL’S BITS

TOP SWAPS:
The week’s most requested music files online …
5. Jamie Foxx – “Unpredictable”
4. Chris Brown – “Yo”
3. Beyoncé Knowles – “Check On It”
2. Ne-Yo – “So Sick” (his album “In My Own Words” debuted at #1 this week on sales charts)
1. Nelly – “Grillz”
– Big Champagne Online Music Measurement

BS WATER COOLER QUESTION:
Today’s Question: 20% of married couples say they rarely do THIS together anymore.
Answer to Give Out Next Show: Eat dinner.

BS DEEP THOUGHT:
Conscience is that inner voice that warns us someone may be looking.

 

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