BS SHOW BIZ BUZZ:
★ 38-year-old undefeated boxing champ Floyd Mayweather Jr (47-0) is calling Saturday’s showdown with 36-year-old Filipino champion Manny Pacquiao at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas “the biggest event in the history of the sport”. It’s certain to be the richest. The ring rivals have been in negotiations on and off since 2008 to strike a deal on a match-up. A few facts …
• Jamie Foxx is set to sing the pre-fight anthem.
• If 4 million fans buy the pay-per-view, the purse will be around $200 million, with ‘Money’ Mayweather getting $120 million due to the 60:40 split agreed to between the fighters.
• “Forbes” already ranks Mayweather the highest paid athlete in the world.
– BangShowbiz.com / Telegraph.co.uk
★ Jessica Alba and her partners at The Honest Company are developing a green tampon. Her efforts to keep chemicals out of everyday household items and baby products have made her a successful businesswoman, and now her brand is expanding into feminine products. She says the organic tampon is packaged in a plant-based plastic compact applicator, the first of its kind. She’s also working on skincare, haircare, mattresses, and paint. Alba launched the company in 2011; it had an estimated market value of $1 billion as of last November.
– “More Magazine”
★ Melissa Rivers’ tribute memoir to her mom, late comedian Joan Rivers, is being published next week. Among amusing tidbits revealed in “The Book of Joan: Tales of Mirth, Mischief and Manipulation” is that Rivers used to hide her travel cash in Milk Duds boxes. Melissa says she’s been going through Joan’s belongings because she is selling her mother’s NYC apartment and plans to auction off most of its contents. It’s been almost 8 months since Rivers died at age 81, following complications from a botched procedure at a ritzy NYC endoscopy clinic.
– “People Magazine”
★ And the world’s longest-running musical, off-Broadway show “The Fantasticks”, is set to close on Sunday after 51 years on stage in NYC. The play holds a world record for its stint at the Sullivan Street Playhouse alone, where it played for 42 years after its premiere in 1960. It later moved to the Jerry Orbach Theater, named after the late “Law & Order” actor who was part of the original cast. Other famous names that have appeared in the show over the years include Aaron Carter, Glenn Close, Kristin Chenoweth, and Liza Minnelli.
– WENN.com

WEEKEND SHOW BIZ SKED:
• “Beyond the Tank” (ABC) – Tonight the debut of a 3-episode companion series after “Shark Tank”, which follows up on some of the deals that were made and some that weren’t.
• “Blue Bloods” (CBS/CTV) – Tonight the 5th season finalé.
• Carolina Rebellion (Charlotte NC) – Saturday the 5th annual hard rock event at Charlotte Motor Speedway features performances by Godsmack, Korn, Marilyn Manson, Rise Against, Slash f/Myles Kennedy & The Conspirators, Slayer, Slipknot and many others.
• “Cleveland Abduction” (Lifetime) – Saturday a re-creation of the true story of Ariel Castro, who kidnapped 3 women and kept them trapped in his home for 11 years.
• “iHeartRadio Country Festival” (Austin TX) – Saturday this 1-day country jamboree streams exclusively on Yahoo Live. Performers include The Band Perry, Brad Paisley, Brantley Gilbert, Darius Rucker, Dierks Bentley, Little Big Town, Rascal Flatts, Sam Hunt, Tim McGraw, and Tyler Farr. The festival also airs as a 2-hour special May 27th on NBC-TV.
• “Jimmy Kimmel Live” (ABC/CityTV) – Tonight Chet Faker (“Built on Glass”). Rerun.
• “Last Call With Carson Daly” (NBC) – Tonight Halsey (“Ghost”). Rerun.
• “Late Late Show With James Corden” (CBS/Omni 1) – Tonight Jenny Lewis (“Rabbit Fur Coat”). Rerun.
• “Late Night With Seth Meyers” (NBC/CTV) – Tonight Buzzcocks (“Singles Going Steady”). Rerun.
• “Late Show With David Letterman” (CBS/Omni1) – Tonight a traditional roots music jam with Amos Lee, Emmylou Harris, Ralph Stanley, Rodney Crowell, and Steve Martin.
• “Queen Latifah” (syndicated) – Today Common (“Glory”). Rerun.
• “Saturday Night Live” (NBC/Global) – Host Scarlett Johansson (“Avengers: Age of Ultron”); musical guest Wiz Khalifa (current top-selling download “See You Again” from “Furious 7”).
• “Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” (NBC/CTV2) – Tonight My Morning Jacket (“The Waterfall”, out May 4th).

BS MUSIC NOTES:
• Adele – Her much anticipated 3rd album has been delayed until September. The long-awaited follow-up to 2011’s “21” was due this Spring but the release has been pushed back following a number of delays.
• Alabama Shakes – “Sound & Color” debuts atop the new ‘Billboard 200’ albums chart. It’s the rock ‘n soul group’s first #1. Their 2012 debut, “Boys & Girls”, peaked at #6 a year after release.
• Ed Sheeran – Sunday he performs at the Beale Street Music Festival in Memphis TN, then kicks off his 2015 North American headlining tour next Wednesday in Austin TX.
• Eric Clapton – Tonight & tomorrow night he’s celebrating his 70th birthday (March 30) with a pair of shows at NYC’s Madison Square Garden, where he’s appeared 45 times before.
• Gary Clark Jr – He tells “Rolling Stone” he’s almost finished his sophomore album. He’s recording in his home state of Texas and taking more control of producing the project himself.
• John Fogerty – Saturday his “1969” tour launches with an appearance on at the Beale Street Music Festival in Memphis TN. He’ll be performing the music of his former band Creedence Clearwater Revival throughout the trek, which runs through August 9th in Albuquerque NM.
• New Kids On the Block – Tonight their “Main Event Tour” gets underway at Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas NV. The Summer trek stops in over 30 cities, wrapping up at the Delaware State Fair on July 26th. Also on the bill: Nelly, and TLC.
• Thompson Square – Married singers Shawna & Keifer Thompson were given the devastating news during a recent tour stop that their Alabama home had flooded. The incident went unnoticed for 6 days until Shawna’s mother checked on the property. They’re now rebuilding.

TODAY’S MOVIE OPENINGS:
• “Avengers: Age of Ultron” ( PG-13 Action Adventure ): In director Joss Whedon’s followup to “The Avengers” (2012), ‘Tony Stark’ (Robert Downey Jr) tries to jumpstart a dormant peacekeeping program, but things go awry and it’s up to the ‘Avengers’ to stop the villainous ‘Ultron’ (James Spader) from enacting a terrible plan. Co-stars Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, Scarlett Johansson. This is the most anticipated movie of 2015, according to online fan votes. The first “Avengers” film made over $1.5 billion (#3 all-time).
NET: http://marvel.com/avengers
• Opening in limited release: “Far From the Madding Crowd” (Drama); “Far From Men” (Drama); “Hyena” (Crime Drama); “Iris” (Documentary); “Ride” (Comedy); “Welcome to Me” (Dramedy).

SCIENTISTS SAY:
A BS compendium of recent ‘discoveries’ …
• Scientists say … people who get along with their neighbors have a 22% lower risk of heart attack. And the University of Michigan study concludes that those with the best neighborly relationships have the lowest risk. (Unless the neighbors have a barking dog constantly yap, yap, yapping all day long, driving you bonkers …)
– “Daily Mail”
• Scientists say … more parents worry about their kids’ mental health than drug & alcohol use. 65% of parents polled worry their teen suffers from anxiety or depression; less than 25% worry about substance abuse. (Interestingly, the real numbers are exactly opposite: 20% have anxiety, depression, etc; 66% of high-school kids have drank, 41% have smoked marijuana.)
– @NYDailyNews.com
• Scientists say … men & women seem to want sex at totally different times of the day. A survey of some 2,300 people has found that men are fondest of fooling around between 6-to-9 am, while women are more in the mood late at night 11 pm-to-2 am. Interestingly, the least frisky part of the day is 4-to-6 pm. (There’s nothing less sexy than a packed commuter train.)
– Metro.co.uk

BS AMAZING FACT:
99% of the Earth’s gold is stuck in its core
– List25.com

BS CHRONOMETER 05.01.15

TODAY’S CELEBIRTHDAYS . . .
1967 [48] Tim McGraw, Delhi LA, country singer (“Shotgun Rider”, “Southern Voice”)/movie actor (“The Blind Side”, “Friday Night Lights”)/Mr Faith Hill since 1996

1969 [46] Wes Anderson, Houston TX, movie director (“The Grand Budapest Hotel”, “The Royal Tenenbaums”)

1972 [43] Julie Benz, Pittsburgh PA, TV actress (“Defiance” since 2013, “Dexter” 2006-10)

1982 [33] Jamie Dornan, Holywood, Northern Ireland, movie actor (‘Christian Grey’ in “Fifty Shades of Grey”)/TV actor (“Once Upon a Time” 2011-13)

SATURDAY –
Fashion designer Donatella Versace is 60; Movie actor Dwayne Johnson (“Furious 7”) is 43; Retired soccer star David Beckham is 40; Pop singer Lily Allen (“Smile”) is 30; NASCAR driver-owner Kyle Busch is 30.

SUNDAY –
TV sportscaster Greg Gumbel (“The NFL on CBS”) is 69; Country musician John Driskell Hopkins (Zac Brown Band) is 44; TV actress Christina Hendricks (“Mad Men”) is 40; Country singer Eric Church (“Talladega”) is 38; Dancer Cheryl Burke (“Dancing With the Stars”) is 31.

TODAY’S BS REASONS TO PARTY . . .
• “Batman Day”, saluting the 1939 creation of the character as a comic strip hero in DC Comics. It’s been calculated it would take a person 15-to-18 years to do all the training they’d need to take on the job.
• “International Tuba Day”, observed annually on the 1st Friday of May to celebrate the musical instrument that seems to get no respect, and to recognize tubists around-the-world who struggle with the ‘weight and size of their instrument’.
• “Lei Day”, celebrated in Hawaii instead of May Day. It is a time to celebrate native Hawaiian culture. One of the most common flowers used in leis is the orchid.
• “May Day”, a traditional holiday celebration since ancient times. Since 1889, it’s been officially observed in some 66 countries as a “Labor Day” holiday.
• “Mother Goose Day”, which actually honors many different writers. The term was first used in the title of the nursery rhyme collection “Mother Goose’s Melody” about 1765. The name caught on and nursery rhymes have been attributed to ‘Mother Goose’ ever since.
NET: http://www.librarysupport.net/mothergoosesociety/tips.html
• “New Homeowner’s Day”. Congratulations, you’ll be debt-free in about 30 years! Got your repair manual yet?
• “No Pants Day”, a participatory holiday on the 1st Friday in May, when we’re encouraged to leave our pants behind. Usually this means wearing boxers, bloomers, slips, or briefs. (Not to be confused with the annual “No Pants Subway Ride” in January.)
• “Purebred Dog Day”, an annual celebration of all ‘purpose-bred’ dogs. (Like the pitbull.)
• “Save the Rhino Day”, in honor of the pachyderm that’s roamed the Earth for over a million years but has recently been hunted to near extinction.
• “School Principals Day”. It’s a dirty job but some sadist has gotta do it!

SATURDAY –
• “Free Comic Book Day”, the 1st Saturday in May each year, when participating comic book shops around-the-world give away comic books absolutely free to anyone who comes in.
NET: http://www.freecomicbookday.com
• “Homebrew Day”, saluting the intrepid amateur brewers who make booze in their basement. It also happens to be “Beer Pong Day” … how apropos.
• “Kentucky Derby”, the 141st ‘Run For the Roses’ in Louisville, Kentucky. It’s the first jewel in the ‘Triple Crown’ of thoroughbred horseracing in America. Also an excuse for a huge party.
NET: http://www.kentuckyderby.com
• “Play Your Ukulele Day”, when you’re encouraged to play a ukulele, share your ukulele, and teach someone else how to play. The theme is ‘Changing the World 4 Strings At a Time’.
• “Sibling Appreciation Day”, a day to let brothers & sisters know you care. (Or maybe to add up all the times you got ratted on, your hair pulled, your dessert stolen … and get even!)
• “World Naked Gardening Day”, an annual clothes-optional event on the 1st Saturday of May. Geez, be careful of the rosebushes!

SUNDAY –
• “Different Colored Shoes Day”, ie: one brown and one black. It’s a day to take a risk and step outside your daily routine. Why not go for the socks, too? Pink and chartreuse?
• “Flower Moon”, the Full Moon of May, so-named for the abundant flowers during this time. Other names include the ‘Corn Planting Moon’, and the ‘Milk Moon’.
• “Paranormal Day”, a day for all paranormal enthusiasts to get together and share their unique experiences with each other. Seminars and readings are scheduled worldwide.
• “World Laughter Day”, initiated on the 1st Sunday of May by practitioners of ‘laughter yoga’. The movement begun by Indian physician Madan Kataria in 1995 now has over 6,000 clubs in 65 countries. The idea is that 20 minutes of laughter per day promotes overall wellness.
NET: http://www.laughteryoga.org/events
• “Wordsmith Day, just one more excuse for miscellaneous merriment. How scintillating yet somehow egregious.
• “World Press Freedom Day”, a UN initiative to raise awareness of the importance of freedom of the press and to remind governments of their duty to respect and uphold that right.

THIS DAY IN SHOW BIZ . . .
2009 [06] “X-Men” prequel “X-Men Origins: Wolverine”, starring Hugh Jackman, opens in movie theaters (grosses over $87 million in its first 3 days at the North American box office)

TODAY’S MUSIC EVENT . . .
1975 [40] Rolling Stones announce their upcoming tour by being driven down 5th Avenue in NYC while performing “Brown Sugar” on the back of a flatbed truck

TODAY’S FIRST . . .
2011 [04] Barack Obama announces the death of elusive Al-Qaeda terrorist leader Osama bin Laden after a secret mission carried out by US Navy SEALs

TODAY’S RECORD . . .
2005 [10] Fishermen in northern Thailand catch a 293-kilo (646-lb), 2.7-m (8.9-ft) Mekong giant catfish, the ‘Largest Freshwater Fish’ ever recorded

AND REMEMBER . . .
[Mon] International Firefighters Day
[Mon] Respect for Chickens Day
[Mon] Melanoma Monday
[Mon] Petite & Proud Day
[Tues] Cinco de Mayo
[Tues] International Midwives Day
This Week Is … Teacher Appreciation Week
This Month Is … International Business Image Improvement Month

BULL’S BITS

WAYS TO FEEL HAPPIER RIGHT NOW:
✓ Smile. Even when you don’t feel like it, the physical act will cheer you up.
✓ Laugh more.
✓ Be grateful for all the awesome things in your life.
✓ Plan a vacation.
✓ Get some exercise. Better yet, go outside and get some exercise.
✓ Spend time with people you love. Share a meal with people you care about.
✓ Say ‘yes’ to something that kind of scares you.
✓ Get more sleep.
✓ Cross something off your ‘to-do’ list.
✓ Listen to music that makes you feel good.
✓ Do something good for someone else.
✓ Surround yourself with positive people.
✓ Hang out with kids or animals … whichever brings you more joy.
✓ Step away from social media.
– Adapted from BuzzFeed.com

BS PHONE STARTER:
☎ What was your embarrassing teenage email address? (ie: My_Heart_Is_Yours@aol.com)

BS RANDOM JOKE:
Mick Jagger is so old he shops at EXTREMELY Old Navy.

BS WATER COOLER QUESTION:
Question: The cost of doing THIS has almost doubled since 2012.
Answer: Attending a wedding.

BS DEEP THOUGHT:
Letting the cat out of the bag is a whole lot easier than putting it back in.