BS SHOW BIZ BUZZ:
★ “Orange Is the New Black” actress Dascha Polanco (‘Dayanara Diaz’) has opened up about her battle with depression, revealing therapy has helped her understand it’s OK to feel low. The 32-year-old Dominican-American admits she used to hide the blues until the death of her mother made life unbearable. Quote: “Mental health is a big issue and I think it’s ignored a lot in the Latino community.” Season 3 of “Orange Is the New Black” debuts June 12th on Netflix.
– “Latina Magazine”
★ Frenchman Gerard Depardieu is reportedly in talks to star in a political drama for Netflix. The 66-year-old “Life of Pi” actor is negotiating to appear in “Marseille”, playing the Southern French city’s mayor for the past 25 years. The program will be the streaming service’s first French-language production, and is reportedly similar in theme to the hit Netflix series “House of Cards”, starring Kevin Spacey. The new drama will run 8 episodes to begin with.
– Variety.com
★ 57-year-old director Brad Bird reveals that he made the difficult decision of turning down the latest instalment of “Star Wars” (“Episode VII – The Force Awakens”) so he could helm “Tomorrowland” instead. Quote: ”It was difficult to turn down ‘Star Wars’… but I was working on my own idea, ‘Tomorrowland’; we had a script we liked, George Clooney and Hugh Laurie had committed to it, and I didn’t know whether, if we lost that momentum, we’d ever recapture it.”
– “New Review”
★ And here’s an idea that may catch on. Movie star Chris Pratt has apologized – in advance – for any offensive remarks he may make during the whirlwind promotional tour around-the-world for “Jurassic World” (opening June 12th). The 35-year-old “Guardians Of the Galaxy” star, who leads the cast of the highly-anticipated 4th installment of the “Jurassic Park” series, fully expects he’ll make a stupid statement or two due to exhaustion from extensive travel.
– WENN.com

TODAY’S SHOW BIZ SKED:
• “America’s Got Talent” (NBC/CityTV) – Season debut of what’s become a Summer perennial.
Nick Cannon returns as host; Heidi Klum, Howie Mandel, Howard Stern, and Mel B are the judges for this often quirky talent competition that’s celebrating its 10th anniversary.
• “Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?” (FOX) – Season premiere. Return of the quiz show featuring adult contestants competing for $1 million against kids by answering questions ripped from grade-school textbooks.
• “Conan” (TBS/CTV) – Lee Ann Womack (“The Way I’m Livin'”). Rerun.
• “Ellen DeGeneres Show” (syndicated/CTV2) – Josh Groban (“Stages”).
• “Extreme Weight Loss” (ABC) – Season debut. Twins Robert & Raymond start their weight loss journey at 381 lbs and 378 lbs respectively.
• “I Can Do That” (NBC) – Series debut. Marlon Wayans hosts this new variety series which asks celebs such as Joe Jonas, Ciara, and Cheryl Burke to step outside their comfort zones as performers.
• “Jimmy Kimmel Live” (ABC/CityTV) – Earl Sweatshirt (“I Don’t Like Shit: I Don’t Go Outside”). Rerun.
• “Last Call With Carson Daly” (NBC) – Hundred Waters (“Tmrlab”). Rerun.
• “Late Night With Seth Meyers” (NBC/CTV) – Shakey Graves (“Nobody’s Fool”). Rerun.
• “The Little Couple” (TLC) – It’s a big day for Bill & Jen as their book, “Life Is Short (No Pun Intended)”, is released and an all-new season of their reality show premieres tonight.
• “Meredith Vieira Show” (syndicated) – Flo Rida (“My House”). Rerun.
• “Queen Latifah” (syndicated) – Jennifer Hudson (“JHUD”); Madden Bros (“Greetings from California”). Rerun.
• “Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” (NBC/CTV2) – Smashing Pumpkins (“Monuments To an Elegy”). Rerun.
• “The View” (ABC/CTV) – John Legend (“Love In the Future”).
• “Wendy Williams” (syndicated) – Brandy Norwood (“Two Eleven”). Rerun.

BS MUSIC NOTES:
• Beyoncé – She’s said to be feeling ‘lonely’ in LA after relocating to the Holmby Hills with her family. Queen Bey is reportedly homesick for NYC, but a source tells “In Touch Weekly” she’s been unable to sway her hubby Jay Z, as he’s really enjoying living on the West Coast.
• Brandon Flowers – After taking over London in a series of gigs this month, he’s also conquered the UK Album Chart. His 2nd solo album, “The Desired Effect”, has debuted at #1 in Britain.
• Juicy J – He’s been forced to scrap a San Francisco CA gig after being hospitalized with shortness of breath, perhaps due to exhaustion. The Three 6 Mafia co-founder (real name Jordan Houston) was admitted and later released from the Bay City’s St Francis Memorial.
• Kelly Clarkson – She’s endorsing the legalization of marijuana in a new interview with “Rolling Stone”. Quote: “I’m not even a pothead, I just think it’s funny that we legalize something as destructive as alcohol or pills and not that. Don’t get me wrong, I love me some alcohol, but I don’t know anybody in rehab because of pot.”
• Lifehouse – Today’s release, “Out Of the Wasteland”, marks their 1st album since their 2013 hiatus. The lead single was “Hurricane” back in January. The band’s previous 6 albums generated combined sales exceeding 15 million units.
• Rush – 62-year-old drummer Neil Peart’s tendinitis and 61-year-old guitarist Alex Lifeson’s arthritis could eventually force the trio to stop playing live. Both are apparently struggling to play for hours each night during their 40th anniversary tour. The “R40 Tour” hits Atlanta GA tonight.
• U2 – During the band’s gig in Phoenix AZ, Bono slightly altered the lyrics to their anthem “Pride (In the Name of Love)” to reference the same sex marriage referendum in Ireland where more than 60% of voters agreed that gay marriage should be made legal.

THIS WEEK’S VIDEO RELEASES:
Out today on DVD, Netflix, Google Play and/or other video providers …
• “The Loft” ( R-Rated Thriller ): 5 married guys conspire to secretly share a penthouse loft, a place where they can carry out hidden affairs. But the fantasy becomes a nightmare when they discover the dead body of an unknown woman in the loft, and they realize one of the group must be involved. Stars Karl Urban, James Marsden, Wentworth Miller, Eric Stonestreet.
• “Seventh Son” ( PG-13 Fantasy Adventure ): For many years, the 7th son of a 7th son (Jeff Bridges) has protected his country from all manner of things that go bump in the night. Now he’s seeking an apprentice to carry on. His last hope is a young farmer’s son (Ben Barnes). Does he stand a chance against the most dangerous witch in the county (Julianne Moore)?
• Also released today: “Ballet 422” (Documentary); “Bob’s Burgers: The Complete 4th Season” (TV Animation); “Looney Tunes Musical Masterpieces Compilation” (Cartoon Collection); “Magician: The Astonishing Life & Work of Orson Welles” (Documentary); “Major Crimes: The Complete 3rd Season” (TV); “The Nanny: The Complete Series 1993-99” (Vintage TV); “Ray Donovan: Season 2” (TV); “The Rockford Files: The Complete Collection” (Classic TV); “Sons of Liberty” (History Channel Miniseries); and “The Wonder Years – Season 3” (Vintage TV).

COFFEE IN CRISIS:
2 billion cups of coffee are consumed around-the-world every day. Over the past 15 years, consumption has risen by 43% but researchers are warning that the world’s most popular coffee, Arabica, is under threat. Although there are 124 known species of coffee, most that’s grown for human consumption comes from just 2 varieties – Arabica and Robusta. Robusta makes up about 30% of global production. It’s mainly used for instant coffee as its taste cannot compare to the complex flavors of Arabica. The problem is Arabica comes from a more fragile plant that only tolerates a narrow scope of environmental conditions. It’s particularly sensitive to changes in temperature and rainfall. Industry observers are now forecasting that the number of locations where wild Arabica coffee grows could decrease by 85% by 2080. (Our forecast: Getting out of bed 65 years from now is going to be really tough.)
– “BBC News Magazine”

SYNTHETIC RAP:
A team of Finnish scientists has developed a computer program dubbed ‘DeepBeat’, which has learned how to rap by analyzing the rhymes in approximately 10,000 raps by over 100 artists. Like real rappers, the researchers have focused on ‘assonance rhyme’ which (unlike ‘perfect rhyme’) only requires that rhymes repeat vowel sounds. The verses it produces are occasionally incoherent but are significantly more complex than those produced by human rappers, who are often outperformed in terms of length and frequency of rhymes. The developers have also used the program to rank the rhyming skills of real-life rappers. Inspector Deck, Rakim, and Redrama rank at the top, while Eminem doesn’t fare so well. But that may be because he often achieves rhymes by ‘bending’ words, a trick the program does not compute. (For example, mispronunciation makes ‘gone’ rhyme with ‘worn’.)
– TechnologyReview.com

BARTENDING TERMS EXPLAINED:
Bartenders’ language is often peppered with quippy slang. A few examples …
✓ ‘Behind the Stick’ – Doing actual bartending rather than managerial tasks. The term is believed to come from the wooden handles on beer taps.
✓ ‘Chaser’ – A small amount of liquid (beer, water, soda, pickle brine, etc) that accompanies a strong drink or shot. Used since about 1800, it most likely originally referred to the practice of taking a sip of liquor to quash the unpleasant aftertaste of coffee or tobacco.
✓ ’86’ – To run out of something or intentionally get rid of it. It can refer to bar stock and/or patrons. (“That sales rep 86-ed all our Scotch, then we 86-ed him because he couldn’t walk.”)
✓ ‘Finger’ – Hearkens back to Wild West saloons where the size of a pour was based on the width of the bartender’s forefinger. Since this is rather imprecise, it’s been mostly abandoned.
✓ ‘On the Rocks’ – This gets you a standard pour of straight spirit over ice in a ‘rocks glass’. The term most likely derives from the days when ice cubes were chipped off a large ice block.
✓ ‘Up’ – A drink chilled by shaking or stirring with ice, then strained into an empty glass. It’s likely that ordering a drink ‘up’ originally meant that it was served in a glass with a stem.
✓ ‘Neat’ – A drink poured from the bottle into a glass and served at room temperature without ice. It was originally used to order unadulterated wine in the late 16th century.
– Condensed from MentalFloss.com

HIGH-FLYING TASTE:
Turns out there’s a scientific reason that Bloody Marys seem better on airplanes. According to Cornell University researchers, tomato juice tastes better up in the air. The reason is the noise level on an airplane influences our taste perceptions. In experiments it’s been found that the noisier the environment, the more difficulty people have in detecting sweet flavors. Savory flavors, however – including tomatoes’ earthy ‘umami’ taste – become easier to pick up. This could explain why Germany’s Lufthansa Airlines sells as much tomato juice as beer on flights. The company ordered a study of its own that determined the air pressure and humidity levels on planes make bolder drinks and foods more appealing. (So there you go … official permission to spice up your next flight. Thanks, science!)
– Esquire.com

DID YOU KNOW?
The modern strawberry was born after a French spy brought back a South American species from Chile in 1712.
– BBC News

BS CHRONOMETER 05.26.15

TODAY’S CELEBIRTHDAYS . . .
1948 [67] Stevie (Stephanie) Nicks, Phoenix AZ, oldies singer (“Talk to Me”, Fleetwood Mac-“Dreams”)/Rock & Roll Hall of Fame (1998)

1949 [66] Hank Williams Jr, Shreveport LA, country singer (“That’s How They Do It In Dixie”, “All My Rowdy Friends Are Coming Over Tonight”)

1964 [51] Lenny Kravitz, NYC, rock singer-guitarist (“Fly Away”, “Are You Gonna Go My Way”)

1966 [49] Helena Bonham Carter, London UK, movie actress (“The King’s Speech”, “Alice in Wonderland”)/filmmaker Tim Burton’s partner since 2001

1971 [44] Matt Stone, Houston TX, TV writer & producer (“South Park” co-creator with Trey Parker)

1979 [36] Elisabeth Harnois, Detroit MI, TV actress (‘Morgan Brody’ on “CSI” 2011-15)

1981 [34] Isaac Slade, Denver CO, pop-rock singer-pianist (The Fray-“You Found Me”, “How to Save a Life”)

BS REASONS TO PARTY . . .
• “Blueberry Cheesecake Day”. Well okay … if we have to!

• “Bob Day”, honoring anyone with the name. Why is it they always seem to turn out to be the ultimate OK guys? Which Bobs are your favorites?

• “National Sorry Day” (aka “National Day of Healing”), an annual event in Australia since 1997 to remember and commemorate the mistreatment of the continent’s indigenous population.

• “Paper Airplane Day”, an unofficial observance honoring the simple aeronautical toy anyone can make. You’re encouraged to stage contests for ‘greatest distance’ and ‘longest time aloft’.
NET: http://www.nationalpaperairplaneday.org

• “World Lindy Hop Day”, celebrating the dance (aka ‘swing dancing’ or ‘jitterbug’) that originated in Harlem NYC in the 1920s but is still popular today. In fact, there are Lindy Hop dance schools and clubs worldwide.
NET: http://worldlindyhopday.com

THIS DAY IN SHOW BIZ . . .
2006 [09] “X-Men: The Last Stand” opens in movie theaters with the then-4th-highest debut in box office history

2013 [02] “Fast & Furious 6” opens in 59 countries, including Canada and the USA, grossing an estimated $122 million

TODAY’S MUSIC EVENT . . .
2008 [07] Yale University awards Paul McCartney an honorary Doctorate of Music

COMING UP . . .
[Wed] Cellophane Tape Day
[Wed] World MS Day
[Thurs] “Aquarius” premieres (NBC)
[Fri] “Aloha”, “Results”, “San Andreas” open in movie theaters
[Sat] 2015 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction airs (HBO)
This Week Is … Hurricane Preparedness Week
This Month Is … High Blood Pressure Education Month

BULL’S BITS

BS HORRIBLESCOPES:
Use ’em all at once or one-at-a-time as the zodiac reading of the day …
• Aries – You will be forced to baby-proof your home in the days to come, though that won’t stop those wily infants from getting back in.
• Taurus – Look for hidden treasures! For instance, that horse you’ll receive in the mail may have a diamond-studded golden tooth.
• Gemini – The light is coming closer and soon you will see exactly what the future holds. Well, we think it’s a light. Either that or a brick.
• Cancer – Yes, there will be a period of adjustment, and yes, there will be a lot to accept, but don’t worry. By the end of the year, those antlers you’ve grown will seem commonplace.
• Leo – Jail sentences between 5-and-10 years may be applicable to your situation today. Chin up, best foot forward.
• Virgo – You set your sights too high; it’s time to lower them in order to find true love. Be aware, though, that marrying your own pets is not allowed in most countries.
• Libra – Only love can break your heart. But trans-fatty acids will also have a damned good try.
• Scorpio – This week the number 10 will randomly pop up in everyday conversations. Oh, by the way … 10.
• Sagittarius – Any satisfaction you had about not having a police record may be undone today.
• Capricorn – You will ‘go’ peacefully in your sleep later this week, thereby forcing disgusted nurses to once again change the sheets.
• Aquarius – You’ll be reunited with an old flame this weekend, leaving 40% of your body covered in 3rd-degree burns.
• Pisces – Life can be as romantic as you wish to make it. Like the old saying goes, a man with 3 fish has enough in his heart to help him build a picnic chair. Act on it!

BS PHONE STARTER:
☎ What’s the strangest thing that scares your pet?

BS RANDOM JOKE:
If I want to hear the pitter-patter of little feet, I’ll put shoes on my cat.

BS WATER COOLER QUESTION:
Question: 1-in-4 women who have done THIS have cried after doing it.
Answer: Failed their driving exam.

BS DEEP THOUGHT:
You can’t build a little guy up by tearing a big guy down.