Friday, November 25, 2016 – Edition: #5859

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BS SHOW BIZ BUZZ:
★ Producers of murder mystery movie “London Fields” are suing actress Amber Heard for $10 million for allegedly ‘sabotaging’ the film. The plaintiffs contend that Heard, who plays a clairvoyant femme fatale, schemed with director Matthew Cullen to remove some of the movie’s more provocative sex scenes and cut nudity. The movie had been slated to premiere at the Toronto Film Festival in 2015, but was pulled due to the conflict between producers and Cullen. (Think Heard would be sued had she not just collected a huge divorce settlement from Johnny Depp?)
– TheFrisky.com
★ Lena Dunham has now confirmed she’s not moving to Canada as promised. The “Girls” creator and star was among those who threatened that they’d leave America if Donald Trump was elected. She’s now backtracked on that vow, telling her Instagram followers she’s going to give Trump a shot at succeeding. The 30-year-old actress also revealed it was a nasty letter that prompted her to clarify her position as a proud American. It said in part: “Don’t let the door hit you on the ass when you cross the border into Canada.” That, she says, was one of the more polite notes she has received. (So far, it seems all the emigrating stars have reneged.)
– WENN.com
★ And Akon thinks that currently hospitalized Kanye West is a victim of the so-called ‘Kardashian Curse’. There’s no doubt some of the guys associated with the family’s females have fallen on hard times. Khloe Kardashian’s ex, Lamar Odom, collapsed and almost died at a Nevada brothel after a drug and alcohol binge. And last November, Kourtney Kardashian’s former partner Scott Disick was in rehab getting treatment for alcohol and substance abuse issues. Akon says he’s now on the lookout to see if anything bad happens to Kylie Jenner’s boyfriend Tyga. (Aside from dating Kylie and having 2 cars repossessed?)
– TMZ.com

WEEKEND SHOW BIZ SKED:
• “Ellen” (syndicated/CTV2) – Today John Legend (“Darkness & Light”, out December 2nd).
• “Gilmore Girls: A Year In the Life” (Netflix) – Debut of the 4-part “Gilmore Girls” revival. Lauren Graham & Alexis Bledel co-star.
• “HALO Awards” (Nickelodeon) – Sunday Nick Cannon hosts a NYC concert special honoring 4 young community leaders who are changing the world by ‘Helping and Leading Others’ (‘HALO’). Appearances by Alessia Cara, Daya, Hailee Steinfeld, Jason Derulo, and Zedd.
• “Jimmy Kimmel Live” (ABC/CityTV) – Tonight Garth Brooks (“Gunslinger”). Rerun.
• “Last Call With Carson Daly” (NBC) – Tonight Holy Ghost! (“Dynamics”). Rerun.
• “Live With Kelly” (syndicated/CTV) – Today Pentatonix (“A Pentatonix Christmas”).
• “Soul Train Awards” (BET/Centric) – Sunday Erykah Badu hosts the pre-recorded annual honors in Las Vegas. Drake leads nominations with 12. Singer/songwriter/producer Teddy Riley is presented the ‘Legend Award’. Brandy receives the ‘Lady of Soul Award’.
• “Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” (NBC/CTV2) – Tonight Justin Timberlake (“Can’t Stop the Feeling”). Rerun.

BS MUSIC NOTES:
• Beyonce & Jay Z – While they may not be your average mom & dad, the pair are said to be model parents who are very involved in daughter Blue’s $19,000-a-year private school in Los Angeles.
• Dave Matthews – Sunday he’s headlining a benefit concert at the DAR Constitution Hall in Washington DC supporting the Standing Rock Sioux tribe and their fight against the Dakota Access Pipeline.
• Kings Of Leon – They’ve just been signed to headline the British Summer Time Festival on July 6th in London.
• DNCE – 27-year-old Joe Jonas has revealed he’s, quote, “into whips and leather”. In fact, DNCE”s raunchy new track “Be Mean” is inspired by his own wild sex life that delves into bondage and sadomasochism. Remember when he & his brothers used to wear ‘purity rings’?
• Little Mix – The girl group has teamed with USA Pro to launch their own sportswear line that includes hoodies, tops, joggers, and leggings. They already serve as the sports fashion brand’s ambassadors.
• Madonna – She says she’s supporting son Rocco Ritchie after reports surfaced Wednesday that the 16-year-old has been arrested for possession of marijuana in London. Rocco was the subject of a months-long custody dispute between Madonna and ex-husband Guy Ritchie.
• Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers – Today they release “The Complete Studio Albums Volume 2”, a vinyl box set that compiles 7 albums, about half the band’s entire discography. “The Complete Studio Albums Volume 1” containing the other 9 albums is out December 9th.
• Twenty One Pilots – A vinyl-only live album recorded October 18th in Oakland CA arrives today. “Blurryface Live” entails a set of 3 picture discs.
• The Weeknd – His new album “Starboy” finally arrives today. The 26-year-old singer-songwriter has just revealed he keeps his recently shorn trademark hair … in his manager’s safe. He says he’s happy he trimmed his locks because now he can wear hats again.

TODAY’S MOVIE OPENINGS:
• “Lion” ( PG-13 Drama ): A 5-year-old Indian boy gets lost on the streets of Calcutta, thousands of kilometers from home. He survives many challenges before being adopted by a couple in Australia. 25 years later, he sets out to find his lost family. Stars Nicole Kidman, Rooney Mara, Dev Patel, David Wenham. Based on a true story.
NET: http://lionmovie.com
• “Moana” ( PG Animated Musical Comedy ): A young woman (voiced by Auli’i Cravalho) uses her navigational talents to set sail for a fabled island. Joining her on the adventure is her hero, the legendary demi-god ‘Maui’ (Dwayne Johnson). Voice cast also includes Rachel House, Temuera Morrison, Nicole Scherzinger.
NET: http://movies.disney.com/moana
• Also opening in limited release: “Mifune: The Last Samurai” (Documentary).

BUDGETING YOUR TIME:
Google is aiming to help out with the Black Friday shopping crush. The tech company has made it possible to see how busy stores and other popular destinations are … in real time. A Google search for a store now delivers a status update – such as ‘a little busy’ – as well as information about how long people typically spend at the location. The info is based on Google app users who share their location data. Those who’ve tried it out complain there’s often no live data for smaller locations. The system may also be seen as unwelcome by some retailers because if they are absolutely mobbed, the warning could put more people off from visiting. (If today’s stats trend the same as the past few years, a lot of the shopping activity will be online.)
– TechCrunch.com

WORLD’S RICHEST COUNTRIES:
A new ranking of the wealthiest nations based on Gross National Income per capita …
1. Qatar … $129,000 per person per year (rounded off)
2. Macao … $114,000
3. Singapore … $78,000
4. Kuwait … $76,000
5. Norway … $68,000
– 247WallSt.com

IN THEIR CUPS:
The thought of 2.8 billion disposable coffee cups a year (320,000 every hour) being dumped in landfill sites across Germany is a travesty that’s caused the city of Freiburg to come up with a pioneering project aimed at reducing waste. The so-called ‘Freiburg Cup’, made from dishwasher-proof plastic and obtained from cafes and bakeries for a deposit of 1 euro, can be reused hundreds of times … or returned. The cups are washed in businesses that have signed on to the initiative. So far 16 outlets have agreed to take part in the experiment. The problem of coffee cup waste is something relatively new; it did not exist a decade ago. That’s because the takeout cups used by global coffee giants are almost impossible to recycle as they are fused with polyethylene to make them waterproof and often include plastic lids and/or straws. (Charge the companies distributing them an environmental fee and they’d fix the problem pronto.)
– BBC News

BS AMAZING ANIMAL FACTS:
• Macaque monkeys make snowballs to entertain themselves.
– BuzzFeed.com
• Every dog alive today is descended from ancient Asian roots.
– “Discover”

BS CHRONOMETER 11.25.16

TODAY’S CELEBIRTHDAYS . . .
1955 [61] Bruno Tonioli, Ferrara, Italy, TV personality (ABC-TV “Dancing With the Stars” judge since 2005, BBC-TV “Strictly Come Dancing” judge since 2004)

1960 [56] Amy Grant, Augusta GA, country-pop-gospel singer with 6 Grammy Awards (“Simple Things”, “Baby Baby”) who’s sold over 22 million albums/Mrs Vince Gill since 2000

1971 [45] Christina Applegate, Hollywood CA, movie actress (“Anchorman” movies, “Alvin & The Chipmunks” movies)/TV actress (“Samantha Who?” 2007-09)/breast cancer survivor

1975 [41] Kristian Nairn, Lisburn, Northern Ireland, 6′-10¾” TV actor (‘Hodor’ on “Game of Thrones” since 2011)

1983 [33] Joey ‘Jaws’ Chestnut, Vallejo CA, competitive eater (currently ranked #1 in the world by the International Federation of Competitive Eating)
NET: http://majorleagueeating.com/rankings.php

SATURDAY –
Hip hop artist DJ Khaled (“I Got the Keys”) is 41; Country singer Joe Nichols (“Tequila Makes Her Clothes Fall Off”) is 40; Pop singer Natasha Bedingfield (“These Words”) is 35; Rock drummer Ben Wysocki (The Fray) is 32; Pop singer Rita Ora (“How We Do”) is 26.

SUNDAY –
Film director Kathryn Bigelow (“The Hurt Locker”) is 65; Rock drummer Mike Bordin (Faith No More) is 54; Rock singer Myles Kennedy (Alter Bridge) is 47; TV actress Aubrey Peeples (“Nashville”) is 23.

TODAY’S BS REASONS TO PARTY . . .
• “Black Friday”, the day after US Thanksgiving that’s touted as the biggest single shopping day of the year in America though that’s statistically untrue. The ‘black’ refers to retailers finally turning a profit after spending much of the year ‘in the red’.
• “Buy Nothing Day”, a 24 hour moratorium on holiday shopping (today in North America; tomorrow internationally), created as a protest against outlandish consumption and commercialism, particularly during the holiday season.
NET: http://www.adbusters.org/campaigns/bnd
• “Flossing Day”, a day that truly has ‘strings attached’.
NET: http://www.flossing.org
• “International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women”, initiated by activists in 1981 and adopted by the UN in 1999 to help raise awareness of this worldwide problem.
NET: http://www.un.org/en/events/endviolenceday/
• “Record Store Day Black Friday”, bringing with it a slew of exclusive and limited-edition releases to independent record retailers.
NET: http://www.recordstoreday.com/Home
• “Shopping Reminder Day”, marking exactly 1 month until Christmas Day. Just what you wanted to hear, huh?
• “Sinkie Day”, the 25th annual salute to the time-honored tradition of eating a snack (or an entire meal) over the kitchen sink. People prone to the practice are known as ‘sinkies’.
NET: http://www.sinkie.com

SATURDAY –
• “Cake Day”, an annual salute to the classic dessert that’s the climax of many a celebration. What’s the best kind? Angel Food? Black Forest? Red Velvet? Double Chocolate Fudge?
• “International Aura Awareness Day”. Hey, what’s that hovering around your head?
• “Small Business Saturday”, an annual reminder to support the little mom & pop operations as well as the big malls and chains during the holiday season buying frenzy.

SUNDAY –
• “Banquet for Monkeys”, the 26th annual feast on the last Sunday of November for over 500 simians in Lop Buri, Thailand. The 80-table banquet of fruit barbecues is prepared by 5-star hotel chefs as payback to the critters for bringing the town tourism. (Not to mention aroma.)
• “Bavarian Cream Pie Day”, an annual salute to the delicious, chilled dessert made with cooked egg custard layered with whipped cream and toppings in a pie shell.
• “Freckle Pride Day”, a day to stand up for your spots. Join ’em all together and you’d have a tan. Or maybe if you connect them they make a picture?
• “Grey Cup” at BMO Field in Toronto ON, the 104th Canadian football championship, pitting the Calgary Stampeders vs the Ottawa Red-Blacks. OneRepublic headlines this year’s halftime show. The whole event is an excuse for a nationwide party.
• “Sofa Sunday”, the Sunday after the US Thanksgiving, when people are encouraged to relax at home and only purchase goods online.

THIS DAY IN SHOW BIZ . . .
2004 [12] Dan Rather announces he’ll step down as anchorman of “CBS Evening News” in March 2005 (leads to the 2015 film “Truth”, starring Robert Redford as Rather)

TODAY’S MUSIC EVENT . . .
2008 [08] “A Colbert Christmas: The Greatest Gift of All!”, soundtrack to the Christmas comedy special starring Stephen Colbert, is released on iTunes (goes on to win a Grammy for ‘Best Comedy Album’)

2013 [03] Beastie Boys sue toy company GoldieBlox for running an ad featuring little girls singing an altered version of their song “Girls” (the company eventually issues an apology and makes a donation to charity)

TODAY’S FIRST . . .
2002 [14] The US Department of Homeland Security is formed (“Red Warning, Red Warning!”)

TODAY’S RECORD . . .
2013 [03] In its opening weekend “The Hunger Games: Catching Fire” grosses $158 million domestically, becoming the most successful film ever released to date in November

AND REMEMBER . . .
[Mon] Cyber Monday
[Tues] Square Dancing Day
[Wed] Meth Awareness Day
This Week Is … Game & Puzzle Week
This Month Is … Manatee Awareness Month

BULL’S BITS

SUGGESTED BUZZFEED ARTICLES:
Web blog BuzzFeed has some of the wonkiest lists going. Just in case they run out of ideas …
• 13 Toddlers Wearing Giant Clocks Around Their Necks
• 8 Frat Boys Screaming at Librarians
• 3 Opera Singers Covered in Day-Old Newspapers
• 14 GPS Errors That Will Lead Your Vehicle Into an Active Volcano
• 26 Celebrities Who Look Worse Because of the Passage of Time
• The 100 Filthiest Bathrooms in Calcutta
• 11 Retired History Professors Being Stung by Wasps
• The World’s 13 Laziest Salmon
• 6 Emaciated Models Wearing Refried Beans
• 18 Goiters
– Thanks to Jory John

BS RANDOM JOKE:
It seemed like a silly idea at first, but now I sleep much better with my eyes closed.

BS U-PICK TRIVIA:
When entering a store, about 85% of shoppers do which?
a. Check to make sure they have their wallets.
b. Subconsciously turn right. [CORRECT]
c. Run to the first ‘Sale’ sign they see.

BS PHONE STARTER:
☎ How do you take care of your mental health over the holiday season?

BS WATER COOLER QUESTION:
Question: According to a survey of adults, over 60% do THIS while gambling.
Answer: Pray.

BS DEEP THOUGHT:
Everything put together, sooner or later, falls apart.