Friday, November 2, 2018 Edition: #6327
Sheet for Brains!
BS SHOW BIZ BUZZ:
★ The mansion used for Netflix’s hit show, “The Haunting of Hill House,” is actually haunted in real life, according to former owners who lived on the terrifying property for years. Neil and Trish Liechty, who bought Bisham Manor in 2013, say that the 11,000 sq. ft home in LaGrange, GA is definitely haunted by “4 or 5 ghosts.” The Liechty’s former English-Tudor style mansion is used for the exterior of the Crain family home in the horror series.
-TheBlast
★ If you’ve ever wondered where the term “the royal treatment” comes from, check this out: According to Amazon Prime’s recently dusted off documentary “Serving the Royals: Inside the Firm”, Prince Charles has a laundry list of daily demands of his staff that make Mariah Carey’s infamous tour rider look completely normal. Charles (who’s called the “pampered prince” by staff) apparently has “everything done for him”, according to Princess Diana’s former butler Paul Burrell. He reports that Charles’ “pajamas are pressed every morning, his shoe laces are pressed flat with an iron, the bath plug has to be in a certain position, and the water temperature has to be just tepid.” Apparently, Charles even “has his valets squeeze one inch of toothpaste onto his toothbrush every morning.”
(At least he brushes his own teeth!)
-Cosmopolitan
★ We now have a name and a star for the “Game of Thrones” prequel. George R.R. Martin has revealed that the series will be titled “The Long Night” and will take place thousands of years before the events of “Game of Thrones”. Naomi Watts is aboard to star, at least for the pilot. “The Long Night” will chronicle the world’s descent from the golden Age of Heroes into its darkest hour. The exact details of Watts’ character are being kept under wraps, but it is known she is playing “a charismatic socialite hiding a dark secret.”
-MSN
★ Mary Lou Retton was booted from “Dancing With The Stars” this week, and the retired gymnast threw a massive temper tantrum backstage. 50-year-old Retton, who was pegged as being a “diva” early in the competition, revealed her secret divorce on-air moments before her exit. A production insider said, “The cast and judges think that she tried to use her divorce to get sympathy and it clearly backfired on her.”
-Canoe
TODAY’S SHOW BIZ SKED:
• “The Tonight Show starring Jimmy Fallon” (NBC/CTV): Benedict Cumberbatch, Minka Kelly, Orlando Leyba
• “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” (CBS/Global): Billy Eichner, Itzhak Perlman
• “Late Night with Seth Meyers” (NBC/CTV): Ike Barinholtz, Kiernan Shipka, Courtney Barnett, Thaddeus Dixon (R)
• “The Late Late Show with James Corden” (CBS/CTV): Allison Brie, Keegan-Michael Key, Prof. Robert Winston (R)
• “The View” (ABC/CTV): Rami Malek, Joe Mazzello, Gwilym Lee
• “The Talk” (CBS): Greg Kinnear, Simple Minds, guest co-hosts Carrie Ann Inaba & Lynda Lopez
• “Live with Kelly and Ryan” (ABC/CTV): Sarah Jessica Parker, Rosamund Pike, Joey Thurman
• “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” (NBC/CTV): Sean Hayes, Fatima Ali
• “Buying It Blind” (BRAVO): Series premiere. Anna, Jen, and Michel help a soon to be married couple with their new house and want to make sure it delivers on the stately presence and the personal spaces that each of the newlyweds is hoping for.
• “Watergate” (HISTORY): Series premiere. President Richard Nixon is reelected in 1972, but attacks from the media and the antiwar movement goad him to take the dark path to the Watergate burglary.
SATURDAY-
• “Christmas Joy” (HALLMARK): Joy Holbrook returns home to help her Aunt pull off a winning Cookie Crawl, but childhood friend Ben helps open her heart to the magic of the season.
• “Shut Up and Dribble” (SHOWTIME): A documentary series that examines the changing cultural and political roles of athletes in today’s society.
• “Saturday Night Live” (NBC): Host Jonah Hill with musical guest Maggie Rogers.
SUNDAY-
• “2018 MTV EMAs” (MTV): The network’s Europe Music Awards featuring performers Nicki Minaj, Halsey, Rosalia and Janet Jackson, who is the Global Icon Award winner. Hosted by Hailee Steinfeld.
• “Mickey’s 90th Spectacular” (ABC): The 90th year anniversary of Mickey Mouse is celebrated.
• “Ultimate Thanksgiving Challenge” (FOOD): Five of the country’s most creative chefs put their spin on every food lover’s favorite holiday.
BS MUSIC NOTES:
• Justin Bieber – has had the hair that he’s been growing all year long chopped off. He had previously vowed to grow it down to his toes. He posted a pic of the new shaved look online, and the reaction is overwhelmingly positive.
• Beverly McClellan – has died after a battle with cancer. One of the most beloved contestants to appear on “The Voice,” she was the third runner-up on the first season of the hit NBC show.
• Spice Girls – Four members of the group will reunite on ITV’s “Jonathan Ross Show” in the U.K., according to a leaked memo. Emma Bunton, Geri Horner, Mel B and Mel C will apparently come together to chat on November 10. Earlier this year, it was rumoured that the group would return with a tour and new music.
• Guns N’ Roses – Former guitarist Gilby Clarke says that he turned down an offer to join the band on their reunion tour so he could see his daughter’s band (Frankie + The Studs) play Lollapalooza. He says, “I had to be there, and I couldn’t really give that up to go be the third guitar player in the band.”
• Ozzy Osbourne – says he wasn’t ”allowed” to have fun with Black Sabbath, and never had the ”freedom” to let loose as an entertainer. According to him, guitarist Tony Iommi’s control meant he didn’t get the same joy out of performing that he does with his solo act.
• Neil Young — has confirmed that he is married to Daryl Hannah. He addressed the rumours in a message on his website, referring to her as “my wife Daryl” in an introduction to a live clip of him playing “Ohio.” It’s the first time Young has confirmed speculation that he and Hannah tied the knot over the summer.
• The Rolling Stones – have put together the compilation “Confessin’ the Blues” to pay tribute to the blues masters who inspired the group. Artists featured include BB King, Jimmy Reed, Muddy Waters and Howlin’ Wolf. It comes out Nov. 9.
• Maddie & Tae — Maddie Marlow has changed her wedding date three times in order to accommodate their tour with Carrie Underwood. Luckily, Marlow’s soon-to-be husband Jonah Font (and the wedding venue) have been completely understanding. Marlow announced her engagement earlier this year.
• Brett Young — has been named the 2018 ASCAP Country Songwriter/Artist of the Year. The award is earned by the songwriter who has written and recorded at least two songs that have amassed the greatest airplay during a predetermined time period. He’ll be recognized at the 56th annual ASCAP Country Music Awards on Nov. 12 in Nashville.
TODAY’S MOVIE OPENINGS:
• “Bohemian Rhapsody” (PG-13, Drama): Traces the meteoric rise of the band ‘Queen’ through their iconic songs and revolutionary sound, their near-implosion as Mercury’s lifestyle spirals out of control, and their triumphant Live Aid appearance, where Mercury, facing a life-threatening illness, leads the band in one of the greatest performances in the history of rock music. (Rami Malek, Lucy Boynton)
• “The Nutcracker and the Four Realms” (PG, Action/Kids): A young girl is transported into a magical world of gingerbread soldiers and an army of mice. (Mackenzie Foy, Keira Knightley)
• “Nobody’s Fool” (R-Rated, Comedy): A woman is released from prison and reunites with her sister. She soon discovers that her sister is in an online relationship with a man who may not be what he seems. (Tiffany Haddish, Courtney Henggeler)
• “Boy Erased” (R-Rated, Drama): The son of a Baptist preacher is forced to participate in a church-supported gay conversion program after being forcibly outed to his parents. (Lucas Hedges, Nicole Kidman)
• “Bodied” (R-Rated, Comedy/Drama): A progressive graduate student finds success and sparks outrage when his interest in battle rap as a thesis subject becomes a competitive obsession. (Calum Worthy, Jackie Long)
SLACKING: NOW AN IMPORTANT PART OF YOUR SKILL-SET:
If yours is the type of workplace where everyone scrambles to look busy whenever the boss walks by, you might want to share this little gem with him/her: In spite of our workaholic culture, research has shown time and again that brief periods of distraction have been shown to improve both decision-making and creativity. That’s right: Wasting a bit of time at work can actually boost productivity. On the other hand, prolonged attention to a single task can hinder performance. There’s also evidence that periods of mental rest at the workplace can improve memory formation. During rest periods, your brain reviews and ingrains what it previously learned. Without rest, you run the risk of experiencing the old “in one ear, out the other” thing. Experts suggest the following tips for wasting time…err…taking productive breaks at work: Doing a bit of daydreaming, taking a brief walk around the office, having a chat with colleagues at the water cooler, getting outside for a few minutes, grabbing a bite to eat, or yes, even doing some non- work-related net surfing. For how long? Some suggest a 5-minute break after every 25 minutes of work.
(Uh, may I also go to the bathroom?)
(It takes me 25 minutes just to get started…)
( [Co-host] takes so many breaks that the boss sneaks around trying to catch him working!)
-TheStartup
TO STUPID FOR US TO MAKE UP:
► While stuck in bumper-to-bumper traffic, an eagle-eyed Melbourne, Australia driver noted the Porsche Cayenne in front of him had a small but pretty significant flaw. The brand name of the sleek black German SUV, which costs between $94,000 and $240,000, was spelled incorrectly. The badge on the rear of the car spelled ‘P-o-r-s-c-h-e’ as ‘P-o-r-s-h-c-e’. A Porsche Australia spokesman said that the company is pretty certain the incorrect spelling was not a manufacturing error.
(Based on observation, those cars don’t have turn signals either!)
-DailyMail
► A popular tourist attraction in Tokyo lost out on hundreds of thousands of dollars because one of its ticket sellers was too scared to ask foreign visitors to pay. Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden, a short walk from the busiest train station in the world, charges fees of ¥200 ($1.80) for adult entry. But one attendant, now retired, stopped charging customers for entry in April 2014 after being shouted at by an irate visitor, which made him nervous about interacting with all those who came after. The Environment Ministry—which runs the park—estimates that around 160,000 people entered without paying since the incident, totaling around ¥25 million ($222,000 USD) in lost ticket sales.
(There goes HIS pension!)
-Newsweek
► Simcoe, ON police say they issued noise warnings to two men after one went to his neighbor’s home and howled like a dog in the middle of the night. The story is that a 41-year-old man was sick and tired of his neighbor’s dogs barking at all hours of the day, so he went to his neighbor’s window, where he barked and howled, which caused the dogs inside to do the same.
(I’m just glad that the problem wasn’t leg-humping!)
-CP
BS CHRONOMETER 11.02.18
TODAY’S CELEBIRTHDAYS . . .
1957 [61] Carter Beauford, Charlottesville VA, rock drummer (Dave Matthews Band-‘Crash Into Me’, ‘Don’t Drink the Water’)
1961 [57] k.d. lang (Katherine Dawn Lang), Consort AB, pop singer (‘Constant Craving’, ‘Crying’)
1966 [52] David Schwimmer, Astoria NY, movie actor (“Madagascar” films)/TV actor (“Friends” 1994-2004)
1969 [49] Reginald ‘Fieldy’ Arvizu, Bakersfield CA, rock bassist (Korn-‘Freak on a Leash’, ‘Here to Stay’)
1973 [45] Marisol Nichols, Chicago IL, TV actress (‘Hermoine Lodge’ on “Riverdale” since 2017, ‘Zoe Keates’ on “NCIS” 2015-2016
1974 [44] Nelly (Cornell Haynes Jr), Austin TX, rapper (‘Grillz’, ‘Hot in Herre’)
1975 [43] Chris Walla, Bothell WA, rock guitarist (Death Cab For Cutie-‘I Will Possess Your Heart’, ‘Soul Meets Body’)
SATURDAY-
TV actress Roseanne Barr (“Roseanne”) is 66; Movie actor Dolph Lundgren (“Rocky IV”) is 61; NFL Quarterback Colin Kaepernick is 31; Activist Elizabeth Smart is 31; Model Kendall Jenner (“Keeping Up With the Kardashians”) is 23
SUNDAY-
Comedian Kathy Griffin is 58; TV host Jeff Probst (“Survivor”) is 57, Movie actor Matthew McConaughey (“Dallas Buyers Club”) is 49; Hip hop artist Sean “Diddy” Combs is 49; Celebrity chef Curtis Stone is 43
BS REASONS TO PARTY . . .
• “All Souls’ Day”, the excuse for an annual “Kite Festival” in Santiago, Guatemala, when natives send massive, extremely colorful kites up to the heavens in an effort to communicate with the dead. In Mexico, it’s the 2nd day of the “Day of the Dead” (‘El Dia de los Muertos’) celebration.
• “Deviled Egg Day”, saluting the dish that entails hard-boiled eggs cut in half and filled with the egg’s yolk mixed with mayonnaise & mustard.
• “Plan Your Epitaph Day”, dedicated to the proposition that a forgettable gravestone is a fate worse than death. Some actual tombstone epitaphs:
☞ “I was hoping for a pyramid.”
☞ “Pardon me for not getting up.”
☞ “Destined to be a woman with too many cats.”
☞ “Well, this sucks.”
☞ “I told you I was sick.”
• “Cookie Monster Day”, a celebration of the birthday of everyone’s favorite blue monster with a voracious appetite. Jim Henson created the original version of Cookie Monster for a General Foods commercial in 1966, and the beloved character appeared in the very first episode of “Sesame Street” in 1969. All together now: “C is for cookie…”
• “Practice Being Psychic Day”, I saw two psychics meet on the street yesterday. One said to the other “You are fine. How am I?”
SATURDAY-
• “Cliché Day”. It’s amazing how they infiltrate our daily conversations. (***Try to make it through an entire show without anyone uttering a cliché. Hit the buzzer every time one pops up!**)
MOST ANNOYING BS CLICHÉS:
✗ “To be honest …”
✗ “Threw me under the bus.”
✗ “It is what it is.”
✗ “I’m not joking.”
✗ “With all due respect …”
✗ “Bite the bullet.”
✗ “Par for the course.”
✗ “Run it up the flagpole.”
✗ “You know what I mean?”
✗ “At the end of the day …”
• “Sandwich Day”, celebrating the 1718 birth of John Montagu, 4th Earl of Sandwich. A compulsive gambler, he wanted something that could be eaten at gaming tables and earned immortality when he began eating beef between slices of toast in 1792. (Some say Montagu stole the idea from a guest, the Earl of Shrewsbury. So, should we call it a peanut butter shrewsbury, a grilled cheese shrewsbury, a knuckle shrewsbury, etc.?) Here’s a listing of some truly odd sandwiches …
NET: http://bit.ly/sCip1r
• “Housewife Day”, recognizes the importance of stay-at-home wives and moms. Also referred to as “Retro” Housewife Day. These wonderful, caring creatures, build and enrich strong family environments. They help to instill family values and good character. (Probably best not to call them that, though…)
SUNDAY-
• “Daylight Saving Time” in North America officially ends at 2 am. Remember: Spring forward, Fall back, so set your clock back an hour. (Hey, it’s a long weekend!)
• “Candy Day”, for some unknown reason. Maybe a day to try to figure out what to do with all that leftover Halloween candy before your entire family needs to go to the dentist?
• “King Tut Day”, celebrates the date of the discovery of King Tutankhamen’s Tomb. King Tut’s rule lasted a short nine years, from 1333 B.C. to 1324 B.C.
• “International Skeptics Day” … or so they claim
THIS DAY IN SHOW BIZ . . .
1995 [23] Chrissie Hynde of The Pretenders guest stars on the ‘Friends’ episode “The One with the Baby on the Bus.” She sings “Angel of the Morning” and learns “Smelly Cat” from Phoebe
2003 [15] Cult favorite TV show “Arrested Development” premieres on FOX
TODAY’S MUSIC EVENTS . . .
1985 [33] The ‘Miami Vice’ soundtrack album, featuring the #1-hit theme song, tops the Albums chart in America, ushering in a new age of TV soundtracks.
2007 [11] Led Zeppelin’s reunion concert is postponed after guitarist Jimmy Page breaks his pinky finger (the one-off “Ahmet Ertegun Tribute Concert” eventually happens December 10th)
TODAY’S FIRSTS . . .
2000 [18] International Space Station becomes permanently staffed
2013 [05] In Wisconsin, 2 planes carrying 9 skydivers collide in midair but amazingly there are zero casualties as the skydivers use parachutes to steer clear of debris and the pilots survive with minor injuries
BULL’S BITS
BS WACK FACTS:
✓ What is called a “French kiss” in the English-speaking world is known as an “English kiss” in France.
✓ Neil Armstrong had to go through U.S. Customs after returning from the moon.
✓ Saudi Arabia imports camels from Australia.
✓ Sherlock Holmes NEVER actually said, “Elementary, my dear Watson.”
✓ The nursery rhyme never says that Humpty Dumpty was an egg.
✓ Cap’n Crunch’s full name is Horatio Magellan Crunch.
-ThoughtCatalogue
BS FAKE DAYLIGHT SAVING TIME FACTS:
• Farmers must set their roosters back to account for the end of Daylight Saving Time.
• Everyone wakes up feeling super refreshed.
• It was really invented as a way to make sure people changed batteries in clocks and smoke alarms.
• When you put your clocks back you’re legally required to repeat everything you did or said in the previous hour.
• The hours they take away from us are stored in secret government facilities and eventually used for covert purposes.
• You collect 4.5% interest on all daylight saved.
• Daylight saving was actually invented by Father Time’s evil twin brother, Father Never-on-Time.
• You can’t be arrested for anything illegal you do in the hour the clocks go back because it hasn’t happened yet.
• South of the equator, it is known as Nightlight Saving Time.
• It’s vital to farming.
• It’s daylight ‘savings’…not ‘saving’.
• You will get an extra hour of sleep and your kids won’t wake you up early.
-Twitter
Best of BS:
THINGS YOU CAN SAY TO BOTH YOUR TODDLER AND YOUR DRUNKEN FRIEND:
• You can’t nap here. You need to go to your bed.
• We never touch our private parts in public.
• Chew with your mouth closed.
• Keep your fingers out of your nose.
• I am not playing that song again. We have heard it 15 times. Put on your pants.
• I know, couch is a funny word.
• We need to use our “inside” voice.
• Don’t point, it’s rude.
• Yes, those are boobies, but we don’t touch those.
• Please go back and wash your hands.
• Do you really think whining will get you what you want?
• I don’t have any more money. Please stop asking.
• I am not going to ask you to sit down again. SIT DOWN.
• I need you to use nice words.
• Why are you holding yourself? Do you need to pee?
• I told you to sit here. Why did you leave? You have to tell me when you’re going somewhere.
-HuffingtonPost (First published in BS in 2017)
BS RANDOM JOKE:
Being good pays off later. Being bad pays off now.
BS PHONE STARTER:
What’s your ‘favorite flop’, the TV show you loved while everyone else seemed to hate it?”
BS WATER COOLER QUESTION:
Question: 27% of people still do this as an adult. What is it?
Answer: Eat their favorite sugary cereal.
BS DEEP THOUGHT:
Just because something is common sense doesn’t mean its common practice.
