BS SHOW BIZ BUZZ:
★ Clint Eastwood’s actor-son Scott is developing his own whiskey to sell at his Solana Beach, California bar. The “Suicide Squad” star is a part-owner of the beach bar that’s one of the first places where his Eastwood Whiskey will be served. He tells “Men’s Fitness” magazine, “It’s made here in California. The raw product we use is beer. I don’t want to give too much away (but) it’s made in America by Americans.” Wait a sec … whiskey made from beer?
– “New Magazine”
★ Joss Whedon, director of box-office smash “Avengers: Age of Ultron”, has quit Twitter and deleted his account after facing angry criticism of his depiction of female characters in the film, in particular Julianne Moore’s ‘Quicksilver’ and ‘Scarlett Johansson’s ‘Black Widow’. In a final message to fans, Whedon writes: “Thank-you to all the people who’ve been so kind and funny and inspiring up in here.”  To date “Avengers: Age of Ultron” has taken in $630 million globally.
– “Entertainment Weekly”
★ And FOX-TV has renewed “The Simpsons” for 2 more seasons, taking its total to 28 and adding 44 new episodes to bring that tally to a whopping 625. It’s already the longest-running scripted primetime series of all-time. “The Simpsons” premiered in 1989 and has since won 31 Emmys, become the 1st animated show to win a Peabody Award, and hit the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2000. In the Season 27 premiere, ‘Marge’ files for divorce from ‘Homer’ and starts a romance with a young pharmacist named ‘Candace’, voiced by Lena Dunham (“Girls”).
– Variety.com

TODAY’S SHOW BIZ SKED:
• “American Idol” (FOX) – 3 contestants battle to become the next Idol; Martina McBride performs. The 2015 finalé is set for May 12-13.
• “Conan” (TBS/CTV) – They Might Be Giants (“Glean”).
• “Jimmy Kimmel Live” (ABC/CityTV) – Maroon 5 (“V”).
• “Last Call With Carson Daly” (NBC) – Tennis (“Ritual in Repeat”).
• “Late Night With Seth Meyers” (NBC/CTV) – Twin Shadow (“Eclipse”); Willie Nelson (“It’s a Long Story: My Life”).
• “Late Show With David Letterman” (CBS/Omni1) – Norah Jones (“Little Broken Hearts”).
• “Marilyn Denis Show” (CTV/CTV2) – The Tenors (“Lead With Your Heart”).
• “Queen Latifah” (syndicated) – Trey Songz (“Trigga”). Rerun.
• “Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” (NBC/CTV2) – Noel Gallagher (“Chasing Yesterday”).
• “The View” (ABC/CTV) – Ciara (“Jackie”); Willie Nelson again.

BS MUSIC NOTES:
• Beyoncé – The Baileys and singer-songwriter Sophie Beem are newly signed to her company, Parkwood Entertainment. The teenage sisters became YouTube phenoms after covering Beyonce’s “Pretty Hurts”, while 14-year-old Beem appeared on “The X Factor” in 2012.
• Duran Duran – Nick Rhodes is backing a $6,000-a-year skin moisturizing treatment. Called GeneU, it’s claimed to be one of the most advanced anti-aging treatments. An initial consultation and tester kit costs $900, and each month’s refresher supply is $450.
• Ed Sheeran – Tonight he kicks off his 2015 North American headlining tour in Austin TX. The dates are part of Sheeran’s worldwide tour in support of the album “x”, which will culminate with 3 sold out nights at London’s Wembley Stadium.
• Lauryn Hill – She’s cancelled tomorrow’s show in Israel after being pressured to boycott the country in a social media campaign. She was due to perform in Tel Aviv Thursday night but has decided not to align herself with any particular side in the ongoing Middle East conflict.
• Little Big Town – They’re working on a Christmas album. Guitarist Phillip Sweet tells ABC News Radio they’ll tackle a mix of new tunes alongside a fresh take on some holiday classics.
• Mariah Carey – She kicks off her headlining residency today at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. For the first time, she’s performing all 18 of her #1 hits in a single show.
• Sam Smith – He’s had to cancel 3 more tour dates so he can jet to the US from Australia for treatment on his vocal cords. He’s been resting his voice in a bid to be back on form for dates in Japan and The Philippines this week, but those concerts have now been called off.
• Walk Off the Earth – They’re taking to the road for a North American tour starting tonight in Toronto ON. Their sophomore album, “Sing It All Away”, is set for release on June 16th.

RIGHTEOUS RIFFS:
A new ranking of the ‘Greatest Guitar Solos’ of all-time …
5. Matthew Bellamy (Muse’s “Knights of Cydonia”).
4. Tom Morello (Rage Against the Machine’s “Killing In the Name”).
3. Jimi Hendrix (All Along the Watchtower”).
2. Jimmy Page (Led Zeppelin’s “Stairway to Heaven”).
1. Slash (Guns N’ Roses’ “Sweet Child O’ Mine”).
– NME.com

BS BUZZWORDS:
Cutting-edge vocab …
• ‘Flaneurable’ – An area that’s worthwhile for walking, particularly in the curious, observant, and detached manner of the ‘flaneur’ … a Parisian who wanders the grands boulevards aimlessly.
• ‘Meat In a Seat’ – Airline slang for customers who are unappreciated or viewed only as a source of revenue.
• ‘Onomatapology’ (onomatopoeia + apology) – An apology that makes the sounds of being sincere but falls far short of being an actual apology.

WHAT’S IN A BEARD?
Beard hygiene is important according to a microbiologist who’s swabbed a bunch of beards and was shocked by the results. Quest Diagnostics expert John Golobic says some of his samples have yielded the types of bacteria you’d find in fecal matter. That, he claims, is disturbing even if the material isn’t potent enough to make people sick. He urges the bearded among us to keep their beards – and hands – clean, and to keep hands away from the face as much as possible. Dissenters note that the diversity of microbes found on human skin (bearded or not) means this shouldn’t be cause for concern. After all, even clean-shaven hospital workers must wear face coverings for sterile procedures. (Forget the bacteria in your beard, it’s yesterday’s soup and the remains of this morning’s Boston Cream doughnut that are off-putting.)
– Newser.com

FROM THE BS POLL VAULT:
A statistical look at who we are and the things we do …
• 90% of parents say if their babysitter asked for a raise, they’d give it to them.
• 52% of women polled say their favorite thing in life is ‘sleeping’.
• 37% of us have caught a co-worker picking their nose.
• 25% of wives wish their husbands did NOT own golf clubs.
• 6% of drivers leave their keys in their vehicles … at all times.
• 2% of us have NEVER cleaned the refrigerator.

ON DINING ALONE:
Would you take a book to the pub on Saturday night, or eat alone in a Michelin-starred restaurant? Would it make you feel like a loser? A new joint study from the University of Maryland and Georgetown U shows that we’re vastly more comfortable being seen alone doing ‘utilitarian’ things (activities with some clear purpose) than ‘hedonic’ ones (done for sheer pleasure). This fear of being seen alone in a social situation is know as the ‘spotlight effect’. However, the study shows that we’re bad at predicting how much we’ll enjoy hedonic activities alone. In fact, people who pursue these activities by themselves are no less likely to report having enjoyed the experience. Bottom line: We overestimate how much others notice our aloneness; and underestimate how much fun we’ll have on our own. (Great conversations!)
– TheGuardian.com

RETRO TOYS THAT ARE NOW WORTH A FORTUNE:
✓ A-Team Van Set – If you have an original 1983 version it could fetch close to $700.
✓ Babe Ruth Figure – Only 5 with a blue hat were made. One recently sold for $14,000.
✓ Boba Fett Action Figure – The rocket-firing prototypes (1978) can sell for up to $16,000.
✓ Furby – Mint condition originals can be sold for circa $500.
✓ Hotwheels – A complete collection in mint condition sold for $20,000 not long ago.
✓ Jurassic Park Merch – Merchandise from the 1st film (1983) goes for several hundred dollars.
✓ Mario Kart 64 – Expect to get about $1,000 for this Nintendo game if you find it in your closet.
✓ Pokemon Cards – Some of the rarer cards go for nearly $6,000.
✓ Super Soaker – The coolest squirt gun on the block can now fetch up to $600.
✓ Tamagotchi – These days the digital pets have been know to sell for $500.
– Condensed from List25.com

FOR THE RECORD:
British actor Idris Elba has smashed a land speed record as part of his upcoming motoring series, “Idris Elba: No Limits”, which is set to air on Discovery Channel later this year. He beat the so-called ‘Flying Mile’ record by reaching speeds of 180 mph (290 km/hr) in a Bentley Continental GT Speed on the Pendine Sands in Wales, where legendary race driver Malcolm Campbell set the target in 1927.
– “Daily Mirror”

DID YOU KNOW?
China now has more vineyards than France.
– BBC News

BS CHRONOMETER 05.06.15

TODAY’S CELEBIRTHDAYS . . .
1945 [70] Bob Seger, Dearborn MI, classic rock singer (“Against the Wind”)/Rock & Roll Hall of Fame (2004)  BS FACTOID: He’s still touring with his Silver Bullet Band, winding up his latest trek March 30th in Indianapolis IN.

1955 [60] Tom Bergeron, Haverhill MA, TV host (“Dancing With the Stars” since 2005, “America’s Funniest Home Videos” since 2001, “Hollywood Squares” 1998-2004)

1960 [55] Roma Downey, Derry, Northern Ireland, TV actress (star, co-creator, and producer of “The Bible” mini-series, “Touched By an Angel” 1994-2003)

1961 [54] George Clooney, Lexington KY, movie actor (Oscar-“Syriana”)/movie director (“Good Night, and Good Luck”)/movie producer (“Michael Clayton”)  COMING UP: “Tomorrowland”, opening May 22nd.

1971 [44] Chris Shiflett, Santa Barbara CA, rock guitarist (Foo Fighters-“Rope”, “Best Of You”)

1983 [32] Gabourey Sidibe, Brooklyn NY, TV actress (‘Becky Williams’ on “Empire” 2015, “The Big C” 2010-13)/movie actress (2010 Oscar nominee-“Precious”)

1992 [23] Brendan Gallagher, Edmonton AB, NHL hockey forward (Montréal Canadiens)

TODAY’S BS REASONS TO PARTY . . .
• “Bike to School Day”, the 3rd annual in coordination with National Bike Month. Don your helmets, everyone!

• “International No Diet Day”, created in 1992 by UK advocacy group Diet Breakers to help people appreciate the body they have.
NET: http://tinyurl.com/c4kwbx

• “No Homework Day” … not sure why or who started it, but c’mon, teach’, be a sport!

• “Nurses Week” begins, celebrated each year May 6-to-12 surrounding the birth date of Florence Nightingale. The USA observes “National Nurses Day” today while “International Nurses Day” is May 12th.

• “Thank a School Librarian Day”, observed annually on Wednesday of the 1st full week of May.

• “Tourist Appreciation Day”, a highlight of “Travel & Tourism Week”, when we’re encouraged to consider all the things tourism brings to our communities. (Let’s see … crowds, litter, traffic jams, people wearing sandals with socks …)

• “World Asthma Day”, an annual event organized by the Global Initiative for Asthma to improve asthma awareness and care around-the-world.
NET: http://www.ginasthma.org/World-Asthma-Day

THIS DAY IN SHOW BIZ . . .
2004 [11] Much-hyped series finalé of “Friends” airs on NBC-TV (52.46 million viewers)

TODAY’S MUSIC EVENT . . .
2008 [07] 61-year-old Cher kicks off a planned 3-year, 200-show residency at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas dubbed “Cher At the Colosseum” (only 78 shows would be performed)

TODAY’S FIRSTS . . .
2001 [14] During a trip to Syria, Pope John Paul II becomes the 1st pope to enter a mosque

2010 [05] David Cameron (Conservative) becomes Britain’s Prime Minister (he’ll find out tomorrow if he still is via the UK election)

TODAY’S RECORDS . . .
1990 [25] Dominic Cuzzacrea runs a Buffalo NY marathon in 3 hours, 6 minutes … while flipping a pancake

1995 [20] In San Antonio TX, the ‘World’s Largest Margarita’ measures 3,500 gallons (13,250 liters)

COMING UP . . .
[Thurs] Day to Prevent Teen Pregnancy
[Fri] No Socks Day
[Fri] Military Spouse Appreciation Day
[Fri] “Hot Pursuit” opens in movie theaters
[Sat] Babysitters Day
[Sat] Stay Up All Night
[Sat] World Belly Dance Day
This Week Is … Drinking Water Week
This Month Is … Better Hearing Month

BULL’S BITS

BS ‘MOMISMS’ EVERY KID HAS HEARD:
Just in time for Mothers Day this Sunday …
• “Someday your face will freeze like that!”
• “What if everyone jumped off a cliff? Would you do THAT, too?”
• “You’re going to put an eye out with that thing!”
• “If I’ve told you once, I’ve told you a thousand times …”
• “Don’t put that in your mouth, you don’t know where it’s been!”
• “Why? Because I said so, that’s why.”
• “Don’t use that tone with me!”
• “There’s enough dirt in those ears to grow potatoes.”
• “Don’t pick it, it’ll get infected!”
• “I’m not just talking to hear myself.”
• “Did you flush?”

BS PHONE STARTER:
☎ How much have you had to shell out to attend a ‘destination wedding’?

BS U-PICK TRIVIA:
Cultural historians in Japan say modern Japanese have given up the ancient art of ‘Namba’. What is it?
a. Eating live goldfish.
b. A martial art using paper balls.
c. A style of walking. [CORRECT. It’s where the right arm & leg swing forward together, followed by the left arm & leg. Very difficult!]

BS RANDOM JOKE:
Go ahead and ask to see my tattoo of a rose, but don’t ask outside … I’m constantly bothered by bees.

BS WATER COOLER QUESTION:
Question: Moms are more likely to do THIS than dads.
Answer: Admit they have a favorite child.

BS DEEP THOUGHT:
To be successful at fishing you should get there yesterday, when the fish were biting.