Friday, November 4, 2005        Edition: #3152
Wow, You Really Know Your Sheet!

BS SHOW BIZ BUZZ:
SUNDAY the first-ever live episode of NBC-TV’s “The West Wing” will pit its 2 presidential candidates, ‘Matt Santos’ (Jimmy Smits) & ‘Arnold Vinick’ (Alan Alda), against each other in an hour-long debate, moderated by real-life former ABC News correspondent Forrest Sawyer (some viewer questions will be accepted online) . . . Nicollette Sheridan’s character ‘Edie Britt’ will take a more central role in upcoming episodes of “Desperate Housewives”, according to creator Marc Cherry (sounds like someone’s been whining at the boss) . . . Katie Holmes’ father, Martin Holmes, is the lawyer who’s representing his daughter in the pre-nup negotiations with Tom Cruise and, according to one report, his ‘playing hardball’ is the reason they’re taking so long to get hitched (how can a successful marriage start off with ‘negotiations’?) . . . Normally a ‘Making of …’ feature is part of a movie’s much-later video release but the double-DVD/book package “King Kong: Peter Jackson’s Production Diaries” will hit stores DECEMBER 13th – a day BEFORE the movie “King Kong” opens in theaters . . . Director Oliver Stone has begun shooting the first feature film about 9/11, but he’ll do it without directly recreating the collapse of the World Trade Center – it only play on TV screens in the background . . . Actress Lindsay Lohan & rumored real-life hump-buddy Jared Leto are set to co-star in the indie movie, “Chapter 27″, about a woman who befriends Mark David Chapman on the weekend that he kills John Lennon . . . Actress Sandra Bullock’s motorcycle-building hubby Jesse James is opening up a fast-food joint called ‘Cisco Burgers’ in Long Beach CA, featuring burgers in the shape of a cross like the iron cross logo of his company West Coast Choppers (you can bet all waitresses will have tattoos) . . . And Angelina Jolie has been voted the woman lesbians would most like to marry, according to a new poll by the UK’s Gaydar Radio, beating out fellow actresses Charlize Theron & Jodie Foster.

BS MUSIC NOTES:
• Black Eyed Peas – Will.I.Am is now working on tracks for Justin Timberlake’s 2nd solo album, partly as a thank-you for Timberlake’s participation in the Peas’ 2003 break-out hit “Where Is The Love?”.
• John Fogerty – TONIGHT the classic rocker does the “Tonight Show With Jay Leno”.
• Michelle Branch – TODAY she appears with Santana on ABC-TV’s “The View”.
• Neil Young – TONIGHT the geezer rocker does “Late Night With Conan O’Brien”.
• Ricky Martin – TODAY he guests on the “Ellen DeGeneres Show”.
• Rolling Stones – SUNDAY they play their first concert at LA’s historic Hollywood Bowl since 1966.
• Toby Keith – SATURDAY he headlines the latest “CMT Outlaws” concert, which also features Merle Haggard, Billy Joe Shaver, Shelby Lynne & David Allan Coe.

TODAY’S MOVIE OPENINGS:
• “Chicken Little” ( G-Rated Family Adventure ): Disney’s first home-grown computer-animated feature follows a courageous chicken who comes to the rescue of his fellow citizens when aliens start an invasion. Features the voices of Zach Braff    (“Scrubs”), 81-year-old “Andy Griffith Show” alum Don Knotts (as ‘Turkey Lurkey’), and Amy Sedaris (as ‘Foxy Loxy’). A souped-up 3-D edition will show on 84 screens throughout North America.
NET: http://disney.go.com/disneypictures/chickenlittle/
• “Jarhead” ( R-Rated War Drama ): Jake Gyllenhaal & Jamie Foxx star in Sam Mendes’ bigscreen treatment of former US Marine Anthony Swofford’s best-selling 2003 book about his Gulf War experiences (1990-91). Why are marines called ‘jarheads’? There are a couple of explanations: in the early days if you were a marine you had to be of a certain height, and these tall guys would constantly ‘jar’ their heads on the low beams below a ship’s deck; a more modern explanation suggests that WW2 sailors (‘squids’) began referring to marines as jarheads due to the high collar on the dress blues uniform which made a marine’s head look like it was sticking out of the top of a Mason jar.
NET: http://www.jarheadmovie.com/welcometothesuck.html

DID YOU KNOW?
• NOVEMBER is the month when the most hair falls out. That’s why THIS MONTH has been declared “Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow Month”.
• English slang is now changing so fast that an estimated 5 new expressions are coined every day, according to Reading University professor David Crystal.

YOU MAKE ME SQUEAK SO GOOD:
When a male mouse meets the object of his desire he sings her a love song, scientists have discovered. It’s long been known that male mice utter ultrasonic squeaks in the presence of the opposite sex, but a new study at Washington University School of Medicine in St Louis using the latest computer analysis has established for the first time that these are more than mere random sounds – they’re full-blooded love ballads! The mice are driven to sing rapid chirp-like sounds by a whiff of female urine. Trials with 45 different mice found that each male sings a slightly different tune.
– “The Telegraph”

BATHROOM PET PEEVES:
What’s your spouse do in the bathroom that leaves you PO-ed?
5. Tries to have conversations while I’m using the toilet. (30%)
4. Never replaces the toilet paper. (37%)
3. Never cleans the toilet bowl. (37%)
2. Leaves the sink a mess. (44%)
1. Leaves dirty clothes on the floor. (47%)
– Roto-Rooter poll.

RADIO’S REALLY GONE TO THE DOGS:
34-year-old California pet lover Adrian Martinez has founded an Internet radio station designed to ease the lives of lonely dogs and cats around-the-world. Styled as ‘The Radio Station All Pets Enjoy’, Dog-Cat Radio Webcasts live 17 hours-a-day from a van in the parking lot of an LA recording studio. DJs speak to pets directly, aiming to keep them company while their ‘parents’ head to work.
NET: http://www.morusarecords.com/dcr.htm
– “Courier-Journal”

I SAID SIT DOWN!
A Japanese company has developed a remote control device that uses low-voltage electric currents to manipulate human movement with the shift of a joystick. The technology is called ‘Galvanic Vestibular Stimulation’, in which electricity messes with the delicate nerves inside the ear that help maintain balance. Nippon Telegraph & Telephone Corp, Japans top phone company, says  the point is not to control people against their will but for numerous positive uses such as helping people dodge oncoming cars or directing rescue workers in a dark tunnel. It may also be adapted to make video games more realistic. Feel the pain, dude!
– CNN

CUTTING EDGE VOCAB:
• ‘Smirting’ (short for ‘Smoking & Flirting’) – A result of the 2004 smoking ban in pubs & clubs in Ireland. Couples now often hook up in the outdoor area reserved for smokers rather than inside the crowded bar. (“Watch me pint, mate. I’m going out for a wee bit of smirting.”)
• ‘Sellionaires’ – Entrepreneurs who sell off their companies to enjoy the good life now, instead of spending their entire lives building their enterprises. (“He started up a small chain of convenience stores, then became a sellionaire when he sold out to 7-11.”)

CUFF ‘EM, ACHMED:
Police in the city of Bojnourd in northeastern Iran are launching a new morality drive by confiscating ‘alluring mannequins’ from boutiques and clothes stalls in bazaars. The city’s judiciary says the drive is an attempt to maintain ‘public chastity’. A total of 65 mannequins have been impounded so far. Well okay, but it’s kinda weird when they frisk them for weapons.
– Reuters

AND WE QUOTE:
“Never go to the beach to watch for – or surf – a tsunami.”
– A party-pooping warning from an Emergency Preparedness brochure in Malibu CA.

THE BULL SHEET 11.04.2K5

TODAY’S CELEBIRTHDAYS . . .
1916 [89] Walter Cronkite, St Joseph MO, retired TV news anchor (“CBS Evening News” 1962-81) who was often voted ‘The Most Trusted Man in America’

1929 [76] Doris Roberts, St Louis MO, TV actress (4 Emmy Awards as ‘Marie Barone’ on “Everybody Loves Raymond” 1996-2005)

1946 [59] Laura (Welch) Bush, Midland TX, US First Lady 2001-2009)/Mrs George W Bush/mother of twin daughters Jenna & Barbara

1962 [43] Jeff Probst, Wichita KS, TV reality show host (“Survivor” since 2000)

1969 [36] Matthew McConaughey, Uvalde TX, movie actor (“Sahara”, “How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days”)

1969 [36] Diddy (Sean Combs), Harlem NY, hip-hop artist (“Shake Ya Tailfeather”)/recording mogul (Bad Boy Records)/clothing designer (Sean John)/TV producer (“Making the Band”)/sometime actor (“Carlito’s Way: Rise to Power”, Monster’s Ball”)

1986 [19] Alexz Johnson, New Westminister BC, TV actress (“Instant Star” 2004-05)

SATURDAY’S BIRTHDAYS –
Pop singer Art Garfunkel (Simon & Garfunkel) is 64; Movie actor/playwright Sam Shepard (“The Notebook”) is 62; Oldies singer Peter Noone (Herman’s Hermits) is 58; Classic rocker Bryan Adams (“Cuts Like a Knife”) is 46; Rock musician David Bryson (Counting Crows) is 44: Rocker Jonny Greenwood (Radiohead) is 34.

SUNDAY’S BIRTHDAYS . . .
Actress Sally Field (“Legally Blonde”) is 59; Classic rocker Glen Frey (The Eagles) is 57; Journalist Maria Shriver (Mrs Arnold Schwarzenegger) is 50; Movie actor Ethan Hawke (“Training Day”) is 35; Movie actress/model Rebecca Romijn (“X-Men”) is 33; Movie actress Thandie Newton (“Crash”) is 33.

BS REASONS TO PARTY . . .
TODAY –
• “Children’s Goal-Setting Day”, to encourage parents to foster goal-setting habits in their children’s lives. Children need goals, because they spend altogether too much time goofin’ around – you know – acting like kids.
• “Eid-Al-Fitr” (pronounced ‘eed-ul-FIT-tur’), the 3-day Islamic holiday and feast that celebrates the end of the month-long “Ramadan” fast. The exact beginning cannot be predicted in advance. Scanning the sky for the crescent of the new moon to usher in “Eid-al-Fitr” is an Islamic ritual more than 1,400-years-old.
NET: http://www.funsocialstudies.learninghaven.com/articles/eid.htm
• “Governor-General’s Performing Arts Awards” presented by the new G-G, Micaelle Jean, at Rideau Hall in Ottawa. This year’s ‘National Arts Centre Award’ winner is kd lang. A gala follows TOMORROW evening.
NET: http://www.bce.ca/ggawards/home_en.html
• “Royal Winter Fair” through NOVEMBER 13th, the 83rd annual indoor agricultural, horticultural, canine & equestrian exhibition at Toronto’s Exhibition Place.
NET: http://www.royalfair.org

SATURDAY –
• “Guy Fawkes Day” in England, a traditional celebration since 1752. It commemorates the 1605 ‘Gunpowder Plot’ when Fawkes-led Catholics attempted to blow up the Parliament Buildings. One of the day’s traditions gives it its nickname – ‘Bonfire Night’.

SUNDAY–
“Halfway Point of Autumn”, marking the point when the [local losers] are officially out of the playoffs.
• “NYC Marathon”, the 36th running of what’s billed as ‘the world’s most celebrated road race’.
NET: http://www.nyrr.org
• “Saxophone Day”, celebrating the birthday of inventor Adolphe Sax (1814-1894) who invented several musical instruments but died in poverty and obscurity. Awwww.

TODAY’S MUSIC EVENT . . .
1997 [08] Shania Twain releases smash album “Come On Over” (over 34 million copies sold worldwide)

TODAY’S FIRSTS . . .
1939 [66] Packard unveils the 1st automobile with ‘Air Conditioning’

1980 [25] Ronald Reagan defeats Jimmy Carter by a landslide to become 1st divorcé, 1st actor & oldest US President

1991 [14] 1st gathering of 5 US Presidents as Bush, Reagan, Carter, Ford & Nixon attend opening ceremonies of the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library & Museum in Simi Valley CA

TODAY’S RECORDS . . .
1973 [32] Chicago Bears set NFL record by holding Green Bay Packers to -12 yards passing

2001 [04] Arizona Diamondbacks become Major League Baseball’s quickest expansion team to win the “World Series” by beating the NY Yankees in just their 4th season of existence

AND REMEMBER . . .
[Mon] PMS Stress Day
[Mon] World Community Day
[Tues] Dunce Day
[Tues] Cook Something Bold & Pungent Day
[Tues] Parents As Teachers Day
[Wed-Nov 13] Canadian Finals Rodeo (Edmonton)
[Fri] Remembrance Day
[Fri] Veterans Day
This Week Is . . . Canadian Career Week / National Fig Week
This Month Is . . . Runaway Prevention Month

BULL’S BITS . . .
BS PROMO IDEA:
Former “American Idol” contestant Kimberley Locke is the official spokeswoman of what’s called the “Trillion Penny Drive” which runs throughout THIS MONTH to support Camp Heartland, a facility for children impacted by AIDS & HIV. Now there’s a heckuva an idea for a future local fundraiser! Virtually everyone has useless pennies tucked away in drawers, jars and piggy banks. Put together enough of them and you’ve got something useful, ie: a “Million Penny Drive” would raise 10-grand for a worthy cause – and sound even bigger than it is.
    
BS PHONE STARTER:
On what date do you think it’s reasonable for retailers to begin holiday season ad campaigns? (THIS WEEK both Canadian Tire & Wal-Mart kick off theirs on NOVEMBER 1st, the earliest date ever.)

BS BLATANT JOKE:
I’m not sure whether to be relieved or not … my head X-ray showed nothing.

TOP SWAPS:
The week’s most requested music files online …
1. Black Eyed Peas – “My Humps”
2. Chris Brown – “Run It”
3. T-pain – “I’m Sprung”
4. D4L – “Laffy Taffy”
5. Bow Wow – “Like You”
– Big Champagne online music measurement.

BS WATER COOLER QUESTION:
Today’s Question: An Austrian candy-maker created THIS in the 1920s, originally to fight bad breath.
Answer to Give Out Next Show: Pez.

BS DEEP THOUGHT:
A penny saved is … ridiculous.