BS SHOW BIZ BUZZ:
★ There’s a rumor abuzz that Brad Pitt is set to star in the 2nd season of “True Detective” (HBO). The show was an international success with both Woody Harrelson and Matthew McConaughey highly praised for their roles as detectives ‘Rust Cohle’ and ‘Marty Hart’. It was unusual to see high profile movie actors take time to do TV, but it seemed to pay off. A source says Pitt’s participation is not so unlikely, as he’s already ‘a member of the HBO family’, having produced the HBO movie “The Normal Heart” earlier this year. So far, nothing is confirmed.
– LatinPost.com
★ Coincidentally, Brad Pitt and Matthew McConaughey, are both hanging out in New Orleans. The pair are renting places down the same NOLA street after McConaughey flew in to shoot a scavenger hunt segment with New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees for “The Amazing Race” (CBS). In a new video circulating the Internet, Pitt discovers the Oscar-winner is just across the way and comes out onto his balcony for a chat. And then Pitt performs the ultimate in balcony one-upmanship … he completes a successful balcony-to-balcony beer throw.
– ContactMusic.com
★ E! is making the leap into scripted programming. The cable channel’s first scripted series “The Royals”, from “One Tree Hill” creator Mark Schwahn, is an hour-long drama that follows a fictional British royal family, their extravagant lifestyle, and the public scrutiny that impacts their lives. 48-year-old actress Elizabeth Hurley stars as the matriarch, ‘Queen Helena’, who will do anything to protect the image of her family. The new show’s set to premiere in early 2015.
– Variety.com
★ And director Francis Lawrence has rejected using CGI imagery to complete Philip Seymour Hoffman’s scenes in “The Hunger Games: Mockingjay”. Though Hoffman had completed the bulk of his scenes as ‘Plutarch Heavensbee’ before his death from a drug overdose in February, Lawrence has decided to rework his outstanding scenes using castmates Woody Harrelson and Elizabeth Banks instead of attempting to recast the role or use technology to fill in for the late star.
– Reuters.com

TODAY’S SHOW BIZ SKED:
• “Arsenio Hall” (syndicated) – DJ Afrojack (“Forget the World”).
• “Ellen DeGeneres Show” (syndicated/CTV2) – Tim McGraw (“Sundown Heaven Town”).
• “Jimmy Kimmel Live” (ABC/CityTV) – Timeflies (“The Scotch Tape”).
• “Last Call With Carson Daly” (NBC) – Warm Soda (“Can’t You See”).
• “Late Show With David Letterman” (CBS/Omni1) – We Are Scientists (“TV en Francais”).
• “The View” (ABC/CTV) – Toni Braxton (“Unbreak My Heart: A Memoir”, published today).
• Webby Awards – Last night’s 18th annual tribute to digital media excellence begins streaming online. De La Soul is ‘Webby Artist Of the Year’ for putting their entire discography online as a free download.
NET: http://www.webbyawards.com

TONIGHT’S TV FINALÉS:
• “American Idol” (FOX) – The top 2 finalists perform in Part 1 of the Season 13 finalé.
• “Dancing With the Stars” (ABC) – Season 18 finalé. Eliminated couples return to perform; musical performances by Ariana Grande, Cody Simpson, Christina Perri, Iggy Azalea f/Charli XCX; a winner is chosen.
• “Supernatural” (CW) – Season 9 finalé.
• “The Voice” (NBC) – Season 6 finalé. Coldplay, Ed Sheeran, OneRepublic, and Tim McGraw perform; the winner is announced.

BS MUSIC NOTES:
• Blake Shelton – Pizza Hut has announced it’s partnering with him to launch a new line of BBQ Pizzas in 3 flavors: ‘Blake’s Smokehouse BBQ’, ‘Hawaiian BBQ’, and ‘Honey BBQ Chicken’.
• Dierks Bentley – Following screenings in select movie theaters, his documentary film “Dierks Bentley: Riser” is now screening online via Hulu. It’s the first time the online video service has featured a modern country artist.
• Foo Fighters – The band’s 8th album, due this Fall, will be accompanied by an HBO TV series documenting the making of the project. It’s being recorded at a legendary studio in each of 8 different cities.
• Hunter Hayes – He’s debuted atop this week’s ‘Billboard Top Country Albums’ chart with his new release “Storyline”.
• Justin Bieber / Michael Jackson – A studio-created collaborative track is likely on the way. “Slave 2 The Rhythm” leaked last year with vocals by Jackson and Bieber, but it was soon removed from the web. It’s thought the track will be revisited, polished, and officially released.
• Lady Gaga – The RIAA has presented her with a Diamond Award in recognition of “Bad Romance” surpassing the 10 million threshold of song sales and streams. She is the first female artist to achieve the feat.
• Oasis – In honor of the 20th anniversary of their debut album they’re reissuing their first 3 studio albums. The first of the reissues, 1994’s “Definitely Maybe”, comes out today as a 3-disc set that includes rare and unseen footage and previously unheard tracks.
• Roy Orbison – Today a 25th anniversary edition of his final album, “Mystery Girl”, is released. The deluxe edition includes 9 previously unheard songs including “The Way Is Love”, which was pieced together from an old vocal recording found on a home tape machine.

THIS WEEK’S VIDEO RELEASES:
Out today on DVD, Netflix, Google Play and/or other video providers …
• “About Last Night” ( R-Rated Romantic Comedy ): The story of 2 couples who journey from the bar to the bedroom, then later have to put their new love to the test in the real world. Stars Kevin Hart, Regina Hall, Michael Ealy, Joy Bryant.
• “The Monuments Men” ( PG-13 War Drama ): George Clooney directs and stars in this story of an unlikely World War II platoon that is tasked to rescue art masterpieces from Nazi thieves and return them to their owners. Co-stars Matt Damon, Bill Murray, John Goodman.
• “Pompeii” ( PG-13 Action Adventure ): A slave-turned-gladiator is in a race against time to save his true love, who’s been betrothed to a corrupt Roman Senator. And he must do this just as Mount Vesuvius erupts. Stars Kit Harington, Carrie-Anne Moss, Emily Browning.
• “3 Days to Kill” ( PG-13 Action Thriller ): A dying Secret Service agent trying to reconnect with his estranged daughter is offered an experimental drug that could save his life in exchange for one last assignment. Stars Kevin Costner, Amber Heard, Hailee Steinfeld.
• “Vampire Academy” ( PG-13 Fantasy Action Comedy ): Based on the Richelle Mead novel, the story of a half-human/half-vampire whose legacy is to protect the world from bloodthirsty, immortal vampires. Stars Zoey Deutch, Lucy Fry.
• “The Zombie Horror Picture Show” – Rob Zombie’s first concert film, recorded live over 2 nights in Texas, captures Zombie’s multi-media live show of animatronic robots, pyrotechnics, LED screens, and elaborate lighting.
• Also released today: “Call the Midwife: Season 3” (TV); “The Great Flood” (Documentary); “Happy Days: The 5th Season” (Vintage TV); “John Wayne: The Epic Collection” (Movie Compilation); “The Pink Floyd & Syd Barrett Story” (Musical Documentary); “Waking the Dead: Season 9” (TV); “Warehouse 13: The Complete Series” (TV); and “Whoopi Goldberg Presents Moms Mabley” (Comedy Documentary).

SKIN STRETCHER:
A new product called Neotensil is being touted as ‘Spanx for your face’. The anti-aging skincare treatment is from Living Proof, the company that actress Jennifer Aniston both co-owns and serves as spokesperson for. The new product  is meant to reduce puffy and saggy skin, especially around the eyes. It’s a wearable polymer film that mimics young skin’s strength and elasticity and sits atop loose skin to reshape it. Neotensil isn’t an over-the-counter beauty treatment; you need a prescription. It’s also not cheap … 7 weeks of young-looking skin will set you back $500. The effect of each treatment lasts for 16 hours. (At which point you turn back into a pumpkin and go home.)
– TheGloss.com

HOW TO YARD-SALE LIKE A PRO:
A few tips on how to become a top bargain hunter …
✓ Arrive Early – While the sign may say ‘8 am-1 pm’, every yard sale aficionado knows the good items go first. Being on time and showing up at 8:01 am is not a bad thing.
✓ Know What to Look For – Yard sales are great sources for clothing & toys for fast-growing kids; gently-used, sometimes antique furniture; kitchenware; and books by the box load.
✓ Don’t Be Shy – When you see something you may be interested in, grab it before someone else picks it up. Then you can take the time to decide if you really want to make the purchase.
✓ Try Before You Buy – Items in a yard sale cannot be returned. If you buy an electronic item, ask to plug it in or bring your own batteries to test it. Last thing you want is to bring home a dud.
✓ Bring Change – Don’t try to pay for a 25¢ purchase with a $20-bill. And when you say, “I’ll give you a quarter for that”, you need to have one handy before the owners change their minds.
✓ Be Polite – Asking for a deal is fine, but keep in mind the items on sale are actually someone’s belongings. Some may hold sentimental value, so don’t degrade them.
– Adapted from iVillage.ca

MOBILE MARIJUANA MUNCHIES:
Seattle-based company MagicalButter unveiled its mobile marijuana meal-serving truck at the ‘Cannabis Cup’ pot event in Denver CO late in April. The truck, dubbed ‘The Samich’, has since returned to its home base of Washington state, where recent changes in drug laws have opened up the marijuana market there as well. The food truck’s menu includes things like grilled cheese sandwiches with a side of tomato soup, pulled pork, and peanut butter & jelly sandwiches. Each serving contains butter, cheese, or oil infused with THC … the main psychoactive chemical in the cannabis plant. (If you eat THC, don’t you get even hungrier?)
– NationalPost.com

BS PARENTING HACKS:
✓ Remove a splinter easily by applying a paste of baking soda & water, then waiting several minutes for it to pop up out of the skin.
✓ Organize a bath by placing your toddler and toys in a plastic clothes basket, then immersing the clothes basket in the water. It provides a back support and helps coral all the tub toys.
✓ Keep a fine-mist spray bottle full of water in the car to cool seatbelt buckles. Even if the water becomes warm, its evaporation will cool the hot metal and plastic quickly.
✓ Place a styrofoam pool noodle along the edge of a child’s bed under the fitted sheet to keep the little nipper from falling out at night.
✓ Use Velcro strips to fasten floor mats, making them less slippy for little busybodies running in the halls.
✓ Bake cupcakes directly in ice-cream cones. Makes them more fun and easier for kids to eat.
(And what’s your little secret for bringing up kids just a little bit easier?)
– Sourced from Mashable.com

SHORT MEN LIVE LONGER:
It’s true! A long-term University of Hawaii study, the largest of its kind and involving more than 8,000 men, conclusively shows a direct connection between short height and long life. That’s because short men are more likely to carry FOXO3, the so-called ‘longevity gene’ that protects from the effects of aging. As well as enhancing lifespan, FOXO3 seems to lead to smaller body size during early human development. The gene has previously been proven to enhance lifespan in animals but has never before been linked to variations in height in humans. In the study, people 5 ft-2 in and shorter lived the longest. (Great. Danny DeVito is immortal.)
– “The Independent”

DID YOU KNOW?
Snails don’t come back to a garden if they are thrown at least 20 meters (65 ft) away. (Over the neighbor’s fence, for instance.)
– “The Times”

BS CHRONOMETER 05.20.14

TODAY’S CELEBIRTHDAYS . . .
1944 [70] Joe Cocker, Sheffield UK, oldies singer (“You Are So Beautiful”, “With a Little Help From My Friends”)/movie actor (“Across the Universe”)

1946 [68] Cher (Cherilyn Sarkisian LaPierre), El Centro CA, has-been pop singer (“Believe”, Sonny & Cher-“I Got You Babe”)/movie actress (Oscar-“Moonstruck”)

1972 [42] Busta Rhymes (Trevor Smith Jr), Brooklyn NY, rapper (“Touch It”, Pussycat Dolls f/Busta Rhymes–“Don’t Cha”)

TODAY’S BS REASONS TO PARTY . . .
• “Eliza Doolittle Day”, a day named in honor of the lead character in the famous musical “My Fair Lady”. The occasion is inspired by a couplet from the song “Just You Wait”: ‘Next week on the 20th of May/I proclaim Eliza Doolittle Day’. Participants are encouraged to mark the day by making proper use of language.

• “Pick Strawberries Day”, which sounds like lots of fun until you get down in the dirt on hands & knees with sweat trickling down your forehead and spiders crawling up your arms. A better idea: “Buy Some Freshly Picked Strawberries Day”.

• “Weights & Measures Day”, in celebration of the 1875 treaty that established the International Bureau of Weights & Measures, thereby standardizing values. That means you’re just as fat in Pago Pago as you are here at home.

THIS DAY IN SHOW BIZ . . .
2007 [07] “The Simpsons” airs its 400th episode on FOX-TV

2011 [03] Woody Allen’s “Midnight in Paris” and the sequel film “Pirates Of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides” open in movie theaters

TODAY’S MUSIC EVENT . . .
2012 [02] Bee Gees singer-songwriter Robin Gibb dies of cancer in London at age 62

COMING UP . . .
[Wed] Employee Health & Fitness Day
[Wed] Wait Staff Day
[Thurs] World Goth Day
[Fri] Sasquatch! Festival begins (George, Washington)
[Fri] “Blended”; “X-Men: Days of Future Past” open in movie theaters
This Week Is … International Reggae Music Week
This Month Is … Global Civility Awareness Month

BULL’S BITS

BS WORST CHEESY PICK-UP LINES:
• Your body’s name must be VISA because it’s ‘everywhere I want to be’.
• Do you work for UPS? Because I could have sworn you were checking out my package.
• Can I buy you a drink … or do you just want the money?
• Have you heard they changed the alphabet? They put ‘U’ and ‘I’ together.
• I lost my phone number, can I borrow yours?
• I may not be the best looking guy here but I’m the only one talking to you.
• You might not be the best looking girl here but beauty is only a light switch away.
(Ask listeners for more!)

BS U-PICK TRIVIA:
• Which is the world’s tallest grass?
a. Kentucky Bluegrass.
b. Acapulco Gold.
c. Bamboo. [CORRECT. It can grow to 130 ft or more, even higher than your neighbor’s backyard.]

• During the 1930s and ‘40s posters showing which movie star’s legs were banned from the Paris Metro because they were considered too distracting to riders?
a. Betty Grable.
b. Marlene Dietrich. [CORRECT]
c. Lassie.
– “Totally Trivial”

BS PHONE STARTER:
☎ Which social network can’t you live without?

BS RANDOM JOKE:
Suburbia is where they tear out all the trees and then name streets after them.

BS WATER COOLER QUESTION:
Question: Women say THIS is the most common fashion crime they see men commit.
Answer: Wearing pants too short.

BS DEEP THOUGHT:
How smart you are doesn’t matter nearly as much as how hard you try.