Friday, October 31, 2005 Edition: #3148
Monthly Planning Calendar in Today’s BS!
WEEKEND TABLOID BS:
• TODAY a court hearing is set in LA regarding the increasingly nasty custody battle between actor Alec Baldwin and ex-wife actress Kim Basinger. He’s requesting that she be ordered to have a psychological evaluation because of her ‘pathological need’’ to keep their 10-year-old daughter away from him.
– “E! Online”
• 31-year-old UK supermodel Kate Moss has just completed her 30-day rehabilitation program for cocaine abuse at The Meadows clinic in Arizona and is now reportedly planning to remain in the USA. Even though she currently has homes in London and Gloucestershire in northwest England, she’s begun apartment hunting in NYC.
– “Daily Mirror”
• Carmen Electra & Dave Navarro better watch out, there’s another pair vying for most gothic couple. While Electra & Navarro creeped people out with their morgue-themed wedding invitations, Marilyn Manson & Dita von Teese seem to have them beat – they plan on sucking each other’s blood at their wedding. They apparently think that exchanging their life blood is a beautiful way of cementing their love.
– “Daily Star”
• According to a spy at Jay-Z’s ‘40/40′ sports club launch in Atlantic City NJ, Beyoncé is pregnant with his baby. Australian gossip mag “NW” says the baby rumors come hot on the heels of talk the couple are set to wed later THIS MONTH.
– “The Bosh” / “Page Six”
• 40-year-old Broadway actress Brooke Shields (“Chicago”) is due to give birth again in the Spring. She already has a 2-year-old daughter with producer-husband Chris Henchy. Shields wrote about the mental anguish she suffered after giving birth to Rowan in “Down Came The Rain: My Journey Through Post-Partum Depression”, the book Tom Cruise publicly trashed.
– “Star Magazine”
BS MUSIC NOTES:
• Fiona Apple – TONIGHT she performs on “Late Show With David Letterman”
• Franz Ferdinand – TONIGHT they appear on the “Late Late Show With Craig Ferguson”.
• The Game – He’s been charged with disorderly conduct after rowdy behavior in a Greenville NC mall. He’s also charged with resisting arrest for refusing to remove a Halloween mask.
• James Blunt – He wrote “You’re Beautiful” for a girlfriend to whom he also gave half the publishing rights from his album. Then when he became a success, he dumped her! But revenge is sweet: now whenever his music gets played, she gets paid.
• Kenny Chesney – He tells “Life” magazine his music is like medicine, helping him deal with the breakup of his brief marriage to actress Renée Zellweger.
• Little Big Town – TONIGHT they perform the national anthem before the Baltimore Ravens @ Pittsburgh Steelers game on “Monday Night Football”.
• R Kelly – FRIDAY a Chicago judge refused to toss out child pron charges against him. His lawyers had claimed the time period of the alleged offences was not specific enough.
• Rod Stewart – RKO Pictures is suing him for ripping off its classic logo on the covers of his platinum-selling “Great American Songbook” album series.
• Rolling Stones – Keith Richards admits to borrowing pot from his kids when his own supply runs out. But the father-of-4 says that more often it’s a case of, “Dad, have you got any?”
• Sheryl Crow – TONIGHT she guests on “Late Night With Conan O’Brien”.
WALK THE LINE:
For his last stunt, in the Fall of 2003, magician David Blaine dangled in a plastic cubicle near the River Thames in London for 44 days. TODAY, “International Magic Day”, the New York illusionist will perform what he calls ‘an easy and fun’ high-wire act in Manhattan.
– AP
MAYBE THAT DVD PLAYER WASN’T YOUR BEST BUY:
DVDs and CDs will soon be extinct, according to Bill Gates. The Microsoft boss believes that most homes will soon have a single device to control all entertainment needs and that cellphones will become an even more indispensable item.
– “GQ”
PEACE OUT, BOB:
The ‘2005 Nobel Man of Peace Award’ won’t be officially announced until NOVEMBER 24th in Rome, but Bob Geldof has already been told he’s won the award at the “Live 8″ DVD launch in London (to be released NOVEMBER 7th). Previous ‘Nobel Peace Prize’ winners vote for the winner of the ‘Nobel Man of Peace’, a totally separate award from the Peace Prize. They voted for Geldof based on his, quote: unflagging work and powerful voice on behalf of the poor of Africa over the last 20 years and in particular the last 12 months.
– “Chart Magazine”
ON THE LAMB:
The remains of ‘Dolly’, the world’s first cloned sheep, are embarking on a world tour to promote modern Scotland. ‘Dolly’, who died in 2003, is an essential part of a plan to encourage businesses to invest in the Scottish economy and to bring Scottish ex-pats back to their homeland.
– “The Observer”
DIET WARS – FRANCE VS JAPAN:
Hot on the heels of Mireille Guiliano’s best-selling cookbook “French Women Don’t Get Fat” comes Naomi Moriyama’s “Japanese Women Don’t Get Old Or Fat: Secrets Of My Mother’s Tokyo Kitchen”. The key to Naomi’s diet success is the ‘Japanese Country Power Breakfast’, a miso soup chock-full of tofu, vegetables and a whole egg. And it seems there’s truth in her boast: Japanese women have the world’s lowest obesity rate (2.9% compared to France’s 11%) and the highest life expectancy (85 years).
– “Focus”
BEST CLEAVAGE IN HOLLYWOOD:
5. Halle Berry
4. Angelina Jolie
3. Carmen Electra
2. Salma Hayek
1. Jessica Simpson
– Just-released “In Touch Weekly” poll.
LAW & DISORDER:
• A masked robber in Austria has been arrested after he held up a bank where his high school sweetheart works – and she recognized his deep blue eyes. After she gave him all the cash on hand, he made his getaway while she called the cops – to turn in her first boyfriend. (File this case under ‘Hell hath no fury like a girlfriend dumped’.)
• A Pittsburgh PA mother is on trial for killing her 2 children in a house fire, the result of her setting the family dog ablaze – because her son was allergic to it. The case has finally gone to trial after 15 years of delays. (This case could single-handedly revive an interest in firing squads.)
• A Belgian man has been jailed for 6 months – for wearing a fake Rolex . A court in Dendermonde heard that the perp was spotted by Rolex reps wearing the faux watch and they complained to authorities. The judge ruled the man knowingly bought the fake and sentenced him for handling counterfeit goods. He’s also ordered to pay a $1,200 fine for breaching brand name registration laws. (Apparently when it comes to following the letter of copyright law, these Belgians don’t waffle!)
PUNKIN FACTS:
• What the heck is a ‘pumpkin’ anyway? The pumpkin is a fruit, a type of squash from the gourd family which also includes cucumbers, gherkins and melons.
• So why is it called a ‘pumpkin’? After French explorer Jacques Cartier explored the St Lawrence River region of North America in 1584, he reported finding ‘gros melons’ [groe meh-LAHN]. The name was somehow butchered in English to sound like ‘pompions’, which eventually evolved into ‘pumpkin’.
– “Social Studies”
THE BULL SHEET 10.31.2K5
TODAY’S CELEBIRTHDAYS . . .
1931 [74] Dan Rather, Wharton TX, retired TV anchor (“CBS Evening News” 1981-2005″)
1939 [66] Ron Rifkin, NYC, TV actor (‘Arvin Sloane’ on “Alias” since 2001)
1950 [55] Jane Pauley, Indianapolis IN, retired TV anchor (“Dateline: NBC” 1992-2003)/Mrs Gary Trudeau (“Doonesbury”) since 1980
1961 [44] Larry Mullen Jr, Dublin, Ireland, rock drummer (U2-“Vertigo”)
1961 [44] Peter Jackson, Pukerua Bay NZ, movie producer/director (“King Kong” [opening DECEMBER 14th], “Lord of the Rings”) COMING UP: The bigscreen version of the video game “Halo” (2007).
1963 [42] Rob Schneider, Pacifica CA, movie actor (“Deuce Bigalow: European Gigolo”)/former TV comic (“Saturday Night Live” 1990-94)
1964 [41] Darryl Worley, Pyburn TN, country singer (“A Good Day to Run”)
1966 [39] Adrock (Adam Horovitz), South Orange NJ, rock musician/rapper (Beastie Boys-“Ch-Check It Out”)
1967 [38] Adam Schlesinger, Montclair NJ, pop musician (Fountains of Wayne-“Stacy’s Mom”)
BS REASONS TO PARTY . . .
TODAY is “Halloween”, a tradition in Canada, the USA, the UK, Ireland, Australia and the Philippines. In recent years, the celebration has spread to other countries around-the-world.
• The observance originated with 5th century BC Celtic Druids who believed that on October 31st, all persons who had died in the previous year assembled to choose the body of a person or animal they would inhabit for the next 12 months.
• After the 9th century AD, the day became known as “All Hallows’ Eve” or “Halloween” since it was the night before “All Saints’ Day”.
• The Irish brought the Halloween custom to North America in the 1840s. Of the countries that celebrate Halloween, only in Ireland is it considered a national holiday.
ORIGINS OF HALLOWEEN TRADITIONS:
TRICKS: Witches’ pranks were replaced by kids’ ‘tricks’ in the 1800’s on “Mischief Night”.
COSTUMES: Ancient Druids began the tradition of ‘guisers’ (disguisers) by blackening their faces with ash from bonfires, then roaming around demanding money or food.
TREATS: May have come from Medieval England when people made rounds on “All Souls Day” asking for ‘soulcakes’. Later evolved into a form of bribery in order to avoid pranks.
JACK-O’-LANTERN: In ancient Ireland the first jack-o’-lanterns were made of turnips, beets or hollowed-out potatoes to represent a lost soul carrying a coal from hell.
BOBBING-FOR-APPLES: Scottish ritual for young people to determine future spouses. A name was stuck to each apple.
TODAY is “International UNICEF Day”, observed on October 31st since 1967, the reason many trick-or-treaters collect donations in UNICEF coin boxes.
TODAY is “International Magic Day,” traditionally a day for magicians to meet, celebrated on the anniversary of Harry Houdini’s death 79 years ago TODAY. Every year, spiritualists hold a seance on Halloween to try and contact the late magician. So far, the line’s been busy!
TODAY is “Increase Your Psychic Powers Day”. Did you sense we were going to say that?
TODAY’S MUSIC EVENT . . .
2000 [05] U2 releases album “All That You Can’t Leave Behind”
TODAY’S FIRST . . .
0834 [1171] 1st ‘All Hallows Eve’, established by Pope Gregory IV to honor saints
TODAY’S SPOOKY DEATHS . . .
Magician Harry Houdini died on Halloween, 1926 of gangrene & peritonitis caused by a burst appendix from being punched in the stomach; 21 years ago TODAY (1984), Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi was assassinated by her own security guards; 12 years ago TODAY (1993), movie director Federico Fellini died at age 73 and actor River Phoenix died at age 23.
TODAY’S RECORD . . .
1987 [18] ‘Longest Singles Tennis’ match lasts 80 hours, 21 minutes in Coventry UK (“Geez, I can’t believe it’s deuce AGAIN!”)
1990 [15] ‘Largest Jack-O-Lantern’ carved from 816-lb pumpkin
BS MONTHLY PLANNING CALENDAR . . .
[Nov 1] Vegan World Day / Plan Your Epitaph Day / All Saints’ Day (All Hallow’s Day) / Sadie Hawkins Day / Family Literacy Day / “Star Wars, Episode III: Revenge of the Sith” out on DVD
[Nov 2] Take Our Kids to Work Day / Devilled Egg Day / All Soul’s Day
[Nov 3] Sandwich Day / Housewives’ Day / Cliché Day / 6th Latin Grammy Awards (LA) / MTV Europe Music Awards
[Nov 4] Eid-Al-Fitr, celebrating end of Ramadan (Islam)
[Nov 5] Governor-General’s Performing Arts Awards (Ottawa) / Guy Fawkes Day (UK)
[Nov 6] NYC Marathon / Saxophone Day / Halfway Point of Autumn / Men Make Dinner Day
[Nov 7] World Community Day
[Nov 8] Dunce Day / Cook Something Bold & Pungent Day / Parents As Teachers Day
[Nov 9-13] Canadian Finals Rodeo (Edmonton)
[Nov 11] Remembrance Day
[Nov 12] 2005 Vibe Awards (LA)
[Nov 14] Operating Room Nurse Day
[Nov 15] 39th CMA Awards (NYC) / Clean Out Your Refrigerator Day / Pack Your Mom’s Lunch Day / Beaver Moon (Full Moon in November) / Mix It Up at Lunch Day
[Nov 16-20] World Scrabble Championships (London)
[Nov 17 ] Take A Hike Day / Homemade Bread Day / Farm Joke Day
[Nov 18] Married To A Scorpio Support Day / “Harry Potter & the Goblet of Fire” opens in movie theaters / Video Game Awards (LA)
[Nov 19] 20th Gemini Awards Gala / Have A Bad Day Day / World Toilet Day
[Nov 20] Absurdity Day / Name Your PC Day / Universal Children’s Day / National Child Day in Canada
[Nov 21] World Hello Day / False Confessions Day
[Nov 22] 33rd American Music Awards (LA) / Start Your Own Country Day / Stop the Violence Day / Microsoft Xbox 360 goes on sale
[Nov 24] US Thanksgiving Day
[Nov 25] Buy Nothing Day / Sinkie Day / Shopping Reminder Day / International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women / 2005 Aboriginal Music Awards (Toronto)
[Nov 27] 93rd Grey Cup (Vancouver) / Pins & Needles Day
[Nov 28] Ted Koppel retires from “ABC Nightline”
[Nov 28-29] Canadian Urban Music Awards (Toronto)
[Nov 29] Electronic Greetings Day / Square Dance Day
[Nov 30] International Computer Security Day / Stay Home Because You Are Well Day
[Dec 1] World Aids Day
[Dec 3] 2005 Vanier Cup (Hamilton) / International Day of Disabled Persons
[Dec 4] 2005 Kennedy Center Honors / Extraordinary Work Team Recognition Day
[Dec 6] 2005 Billboard Music Awards (Las Vegas)
[Dec 7] Grammy Awards nominees announced
BULL’S BITS . . .
SCARIEST BS SENTENCES:
These frightening phrases will cause far more fear than ‘trick-or-treat’ …
• “Come here and pull my finger.”
• “Looks like we’re going to be cell-mates, pretty boy.”
• “Canada Revenue is on line 1.”
• “Mom, Dad … the apartment’s just not working out, I’m moving back into my room.”
• “Hi, I sell life insurance. Looks like we’ll be stuck in this elevator for a while.”
• “You’ve been traded to the Hamilton Ti-Cats.”
• “This nude beach is fun. Say, isn’t that Lloyd Robertson?”
HALLOWEEN TRUTH OR BS?
• The first jack-o-lanterns were carved from dried sheep dung. (BS. Jack-o-lanterns originated in Ireland and were first carved from turnips, rutabagas and potatoes.)
• Halloween is now the 3rd-biggest day of the year for booze consumption. (TRUTH. It follows New Year’s Eve and Super Bowl Sunday, but has moved ahead of St Patrick’s Day.)
• When you’re ‘Bobbing for Apples’, the apples float due to the worms inside. (BS. Fresh apples float because 25% of their volume is air.)
• About 10% of adults dress up for Halloween. (BS. A recent poll finds about 3 in 10, almost a third, dress up in a costume of some kind.)
• ‘Dracula’ means ‘rare meat’ in Romanian. (BS. It means ‘son of Dracul’. ‘Dracul’ in turn means ‘devil’.)
BS WEB GOODIE:
Here’s a Website where you plug in your name and it tells you who your very own ‘magic fairy’ is and all the qualities the little critter has. An invaluable service to provide your crew or listeners!
NET: http://www.emmadavies.net/fairy
BS WATER COOLER QUESTION:
Today’s Question: If THIS was a country, it would rank as the 24th-most-productive in the world.
Answer to Give Out Next Show: Wal-Mart.
BS DEEP THOUGHT:
A grandma is someone who pretends she doesn’t know who you are on Halloween.
SHEETERS WHO WILL PROSPER:
A big moo-out to Bill Wood @ CJVR Melfort SK, back for a 13th year of “The Bull Sheet”; and
Brad Dryden @ The Bear [CKQB-FM] Ottawa ON, back for a 5th year; and we welcome samplers this week that include Terry Stuart @ Classic Rock Q94 [WBXQ] Altoona PA; Nikki Woods @ Ellusions Radio Network, New Haven IN; Randy Hudnall @ Hawaiian 105 [KINE] Honolulu HI; and Theo Alvarado @ KZDC San Antonio TX. Welcome to the pasture, all!
