BS SHOW BIZ BUZZ:
★ “Kung Fu Panda 3” has become China’s highest-grossing-ever animated film at the box office. The 3rd film in the franchise featuring the voices of Jack Black, Angelina Jolie, and Kate Hudson, has raked in $149 million in the country after nearly a month on release. In fact, it set a record a week before it even hit cinemas, by selling $6.4 million-worth of advance tickets in just 3 hours. In China 2 versions of the film have been released, an English-language take as well as a Mandarin version, featuring the voice of Jackie Chan.
– WENN.com
★ Derek Hough will be “Singin’ In the Rain” on Broadway. The “Dancing With the Stars” pro has been cast to take on Gene Kelly’s role in a new stage production. Movie mogul Harvey Weinstein is teaming with Theatre du Chatelet on the new adaptation of the classic 1952 movie that starred Kelly and Debbie Reynolds. The stage play originally ran on Broadway in 1985 and a sold-out Paris production was launched in 2014. The news comes a month after Hough’s sister Julianne earned rave reviews for her role in the TV special “Grease: Live”.
– ContactMusic.com
★ And former “Dancing With the Stars” partners Kym Johnson and Robert Herjavec are engaged. The former panelist on “Dragons’ Den” (CBC) who now appears on “Shark Tank” (ABC) was paired with pro dancer Kym on last year’s show, and the duo began dating 10 months ago. 53-year-old Herjavec has reportedly proposed with a 6.5 carat ring. It will be the 1st marriage for Australia-born Kym, while Canadian Herjavec already has 3 children with his ex-wife.
– People.com

TODAY’S SHOW BIZ SKED:
• “Jimmy Kimmel Live” (ABC/CityTV) – Miike Snow (“iii”, to be released Friday).
• “Last Call With Carson Daly” (NBC) – Quilt (“Piaza”).
• “Super Tuesday” (ABC/CBS/NBC) – Coverage of the Democratic and Republican primaries and caucuses across the USA.
• “Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” (NBC/CTV2) – Jimmy Greene (“Beautiful Life”).

BS MUSIC NOTES:
• Adele – She’s once again #1 on today’s new ‘Billboard Top 200’ album chart with “25”. It’s her 10th non-consecutive week at the top.
• Chris Stapleton – He’s regained the #1 slot on the new ‘Billboard Country Albums’ chart with “Traveller”.
• Maroon 5 – They’ll be the headliner for this year’s Capital One JamFest on Sunday, April 3rd in Houston TX as part of the NCAA March Madness Music Festival.
• Michael Jackson – His “Gone With the Wind” Oscar is gone. In 1999 Jackson paid a record $1.54 million for the statuette originally awarded to producer David O Selznick in 1940, and now executors of his estate can’t find it. The trophy technically now belongs to Michael’s children.

THIS WEEK’S VIDEO RELEASES:
Out today on DVD, Netflix, Google Play and/or other video providers …
• “Creed” ( PG-13 Sports Drama ): In yet another sequel to Sylvester Stallone’s “Rocky” series, the former world heavyweight champ serves as a trainer and mentor to ‘Adonis Johnson’, the son of his late friend and former rival ‘Apollo Creed’. Stars Michael B Jordan, Tessa Thompson, Phylicia Rashad. Writer/director Ryan Coogler successfully pitched this idea to Stallone.
• “The Danish Girl” ( R-Rated Biographical Drama ): The remarkable love story inspired by the lives of artists Lili Elbe and Gerda Wegener. Lili and Gerda’s marriage and work evolve as they navigate Lili’s groundbreaking journey as a transgender pioneer. Stars Eddie Redmayne, Oscar-winner Alicia Vikander, Amber Heard, Ben Whishaw.
• “The Night Before” ( R-Rated Seasonal Comedy ): Who’s idea is that now’s a good time to release a Christmas comedy with a red-band label? On Christmas Eve, 3 lifelong friends, two of whom are Jewish, spend the night in NYC looking for the ‘Holy Grail’ of Christmas parties. Stars Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Seth Rogen, Jillian Bell, Lizzy Caplan.
• “Room” ( R-Rated Drama ): Tells the extraordinary story of ‘Jack’ (Jacob Tremblay in a breakout performance), a spirited 5-year-old who is looked after by his loving and devoted ‘Ma’ (Brie Larson) while they’re trapped in 10-by-10-foot space. Eventually they enact a risky plan to escape. Co-stars Oscar-winner Brie Larson, William H Macy, Joan Allen.
• Also released today: “The Americans Season 3” (TV); “Angry Birds Toons: Season 2” (TV); “Capture the Flag” (Family); “Drunk History Season 3” (TV); “The Fall, Series 2” (TV); “Lego Star Wars: Droid Tales” (TV); “Sesame Street: The Cookie Thief” (Family); “She’s Beautiful When She’s Angry” (Documentary); and “The Unauthorized Collection 4-Film Set” (Lifetime biographic movie compilation).

LIFESAVING HACKS FOR FIRST-TIME PARENTS:
You’re sleep-deprived, covered in someone else’s bodily fluids, and having the time of your life. Welcome to parenting! Here are a few tips for holding on to some semblance of sanity …
✓ Going out? Pack your diaper bag with a few leak-proof dog house-training pads for quicker, cleaner visits to the public changing table.
✓ When a knife just won’t cut it, quickly slice solid food for older babies with a pizza cutter.
✓ Sick babies hate medicine droppers, so give them what the doctor ordered by cutting a larger slit in an open pacifier and then dropping the liquid inside.
✓ Hang a canvas shoe caddy on the back of your car seat, then use the pockets to store any supplies you may need while on-the-go.
✓ Why should standing babies have all the fun? Take 2 or all 4 legs off a play table and place it flat or at an angle on the floor for your li’l crawler. The legs will fit right back on later.
✓ Spit-up (and worse) happens. Always pack an extra shirt for yourself in the diaper bag. Even better, choose a one-size-fits-all garment that can save the day for mom, dad, or the babysitter.
✓ When baby’s #2 is all over his onesie, use the folds on top to pull the clothing down over the shoulders and off the body, instead of removing it over the head.
✓ Everyone loves a bounce-house. Skip the playpen and use an inflatable pool to make a safe play area for older babies and toddlers.
✓ If your little one is teething, spread applesauce on a clean cloth, then roll it up and freeze it. The result: a soothing (and tasty) distraction from her gum pain.
✓ Dimmer switches – which are surprisingly easy to install – will help keep lights low and sleep-conducive during late-night feedings and diaper changes.
– Condensed from MentalFloss.com

HOW PRETTY FACES AFFECT YOUR MEMORY:
Want to give your memory a boost? Trying gazing at a good-looking person … if you’re a man, at least. Recent studies show that guys who look briefly at an image of an attractive woman fare better in memory tests than men who gaze at more ‘average faces’. Interestingly, in similar experiments women’s memory is hardly affected. Although intuition might suggest that exposure to highly attractive people would be distracting and impair cognitive performance, researchers have found the opposite among men and think that may be because mating goals might lead guys to attempt to display ‘desirable mental traits’. (Burping is not one of these, lads.)
– “Pacific Standard”

MOST RIGHT-SWIPED JOBS ON TINDER:
Not getting the matches you’d hoped for on Tinder? Maybe it’s your job. Millions of the dating app’s users now include their jobs in their profiles, a feature Tinder launched a few months back. Tinder claims that including any job increases the chance of someone swiping right on you, but data analysis suggests some jobs are more appealing than others …
FOR WOMEN:
1. Physical Therapist
2. Interior Designer
3. Business Founder/Entrepreneur
4. PR/Communications
5. Teacher
FOR MEN:
1. Pilot
2. Business Founder/Entrepreneur
3. Firefighter
4. Doctor
5. TV/Radio Personality (!?!)
– GoTinder.com

BEST ‘AFTER-DATE’:
A supermarket that sells only ‘expired’ food is now open. Denmark’s WeFood opened in Copenhagen on Monday, hoping to help cut down on the world’s staggering food waste. It sells food past its ‘best-by’ date or in dinged-up packaging at prices 30%-to-50% less than traditional stores. While a recent study shows that 91% of us toss food after its expiration date out of concern for food safety the truth is the date labels don’t signal when food is unsafe, but when the manufacturer thinks it will taste best. Foodborne illness comes from contamination, not from the natural process of decay in packaging. WeFood hopes to attract a dual audience … those concerned about the planet, and those with low incomes. (As well as the far-sighted who can’t read fine print.)
– “Quartz”

BS AMAZING FACT:
Ford Motor Co has built a new test-track ridden with pot-holes in Belgium to mimic bad roads.
– “Engineering & Technology Magazine”

BS CHRONOMETER 03.01.16

TODAY’S CELEBIRTHDAYS . . .
1944 [72] Roger Daltrey, London UK, classic rock singer (The Who-“Who Are You”)  BS FACTOID: The band returned to the stage on the weekend with “The Who Hits 50! Tour” following a long delay due to Daltrey’s battle with viral meningitis.

1954 [62] Ron Howard, Duncan OK, movie director (Oscar-“A Beautiful Mind”)/movie & TV producer (“Katy Perry: Part of Me”)

1967 [49] George Eads, Fort Worth TX, TV actor (‘Nick Stokes’ on “CSI” 2000-15)

1969 [47] Javier Bardem, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain, movie actor (Oscar-“No Country for Old Men”)/wed to actress Penélope Cruz since 2010

1973 [43] Ryan Peake, Brooks AB, rock guitarist (Nickelback-“Photograph”)

1983 [33] Lupita Nyong’o, Mexico City, Mexico, movie actress (Oscar-“12 Years a Slave”)

1987 [29] Kesha (Sebert), LA CA, pop singer (“Tik Tok”) undergoing legal battle to be released from contract

1994 [22] Justin Bieber, Stratford ON, pop music singer (“Love Yourself”)

TODAY’S BS REASONS TO PARTY . . .
• “Chalanda Marz” in Switzerland, when they drive away Winter by ringing bells and cracking whips. Let’s try that and see if it works! [SFX].

•  “Horse Protection Day”, to raise awareness about the abuse, neglect, homelessness, and slaughter of horses and to promote adoption events to help unwanted horses find a home.
NET: http://www.horseprotectionday.com

• “Peanut Butter Lovers’ Day”, a good day to have phone contestants try a tongue-twister with a mouthful of smooth or crunchy. A few suggestions …
– ‘The sixth sick sheik’s sixth sheep’s sick.’
– ‘Toy boat. Toy boat. Toy boat.’
– ‘A box of biscuits, a batch of mixed biscuits.’
– ‘Pope Sixtus VI’s six texts.’

• “Pig Day”, honoring the ‘most intelligent and useful of domesticated animals’. Studies show pigs are much smarter than horses (… but harder to ride).

• “Plan a Solo Vacation Day”, to inspire singles to spice up their lives by checking out solo travel options. What’s the biggest thing that would dissuade you from traveling on your own?
NET: http://www.solotravelportal.com

• “Refired, Not Retired Day”, an annual event encouraging seniors to reignite their zest for life.
NET: http://www.refiredretired.com

• “Self-Injury Awareness Day”, a grassroots global event in which several organizations make special efforts to raise awareness about self-harm and self-injury. Some wear an orange awareness ribbon, write ‘Love’ on their arms, or draw a butterfly on their wrists in observance.

• “World Compliment Day”, billed as the most positive day of the year. There is an art to it, though. A true compliment must be genuine, or the receiver will see through it. As importantly, the receiver must accept the compliment with a heartfelt “Thank-you!”

• “Zero Discrimination Day”, an annual worldwide event that promotes diversity and recognizes that everyone counts.

THIS DAY IN SHOW BIZ . . .
2010 [06] After a failed primetime experiment, Jay Leno returns as host of NBC-TV’s “The Tonight Show” (thereby bumping off Conan O’Brien, who later ends up at TBS)

TODAY’S MUSIC EVENT . . .
2000 [16] In an online charity auction for Nordoff-Robbins Music Therapy Foundation, a fan of rockers AC/DC pays $28,100 for a single music lesson from lead guitarist Angus Young

TODAY’S FIRSTS . . .
1941 [75] 1st ‘FM radio station’ goes on-the-air (Nashville TN)

1998 [18] “Titanic” became the 1st film to gross over $1 billion in worldwide box office

TODAY’S RECORD . . .
2006 [10] Wikipedia posts its 1-millionth article (English language)

COMING UP . . .
[Wed] Dr Seuss Day
[Wed] American Music Prize announced
[Thurs] International Ear Care Day
[Thurs] World Book Day
[Thurs] World Wildlife Day
[Fri] “House of Cards” 4th season debut (Netflix)
This Week Is … Eating Disorders Awareness Week
This Month Is … International Boost Self-Esteem Month

BULL’S BITS

BS SIGNS YOU’RE SUFFERING FROM ROAD RAGE:
• State Farm refuses to insure your personal vehicle … because of the gun turrets.
• That throbbing vein in your forehead is big enough to honk the horn on its own.
• You keep a 7-iron in the backseat … just in case.
• You’ve developed Carpal Tunnel Syndrome in your middle finger.
• You’ve mounted your windshield wipers on the inside to clear the spittle.
• You swear more before you get to work than most rappers do all day.

BS RANDOM JOKE:
I had fun once. It was awful.

BS U-PICK TRIVIA:
Today is “St David’s Day” in Wales. Which do the Welsh use to celebrate?
a. Thistle.
b. Leek. [CORRECT. They celebrate their patron saint by taking a leek, and wearing it.]
c. Yellow Armband.

BS PHONE STARTER:
☎ A Luddite is someone who purposely and purposefully avoids new changes and improvements in technology. Who’s the biggest Luddite you know? What won’t they do?

BS WATER COOLER QUESTION:
Question: Asked which Spring activity we’re looking forward to most, 20% of us say THIS.
Answer: Riding a bike.

BS DEEP THOUGHT:
Change is inevitable, except from a vending machine.