WEEKEND TABLOID & BLOG BS:
• Singer Marc Anthony is playing down an awkward moment that aired Saturday night on “Q’Viva! The Chosen” (FOX), his TV talent show with ex-wife Jennifer Lopez. In the episode, Lopez appeared to upset her ex by calling him a ‘pig’ for referring to a pair of sexy dancers on the show as his ‘honeys’. After the awkward moment, Lopez laughed off her remark but an annoyed and unhappy Anthony seemed unwilling to move on. Anthony now insists the flare-up was all ‘just the work of clever producers’. (BS translation: They hate each other’s guts.)
– “Entertainment Tonight”
• Jennifer Love Hewitt’s new TV show “The Client List” debuted Sunday on Lifetime. She plays a single mom living in a small Texas town who, after taking a job in a spa, finds out hot stone massages aren’t all the clientele is after. The show is being promoted with a series of outdoor ads featuring some fairly raunchy pics of the voluptuous 33-year-old. Hewitt defends them by saying, “One day when I’m 80 I’m going to look back and be glad I have photos like that.” (Mom must be proud.)
– “New York Daily News”
• Actor-director Clint Eastwood is suing Evofurniture for using his name to market furniture and entertainment centers. He also cites marketing slogans which refer to some of his biggest movies, ie: “When you’re invited into a person’s home, you get to see the good, the bad and the ugly. When visitors come to your home, the ‘Clint Entertainment Center’ makes your family room alone look like you live in a perfect world of a million dollar baby.” (Even though he’s 81, this is one hombre you don’t wanna tick off … you’ll be “Unforgiven” and “In the Line of Fire”.)
– “Hollywood Reporter”
• Actress Sofia Vergara says she’s learned to live with her thick Colombian accent after expensive voice lessons failed to pay off. The “Modern Family” star says she wanted to adopt a more Hollywood-friendly accent and told an elocution expert she hoped to sound more like Mexican actress Salma Hayek or Spaniard Penelope Cruz. But even though the sessions were super-costly, she says, they were ‘a complete waste of time’. (Actually, what she said was ‘completa wiste off tiempo’.)
– WENN.com
• Model Brooklyn Decker says a visit with injured troops was all she needed to get into character as an army physical therapist for her new action film “Battleship” (opening May 18th). The 24-year-old says she spent time with rehabilitating patients at a Texas military hospital to prepare for the boardgame-inspired film, and claims it really pushed her to ‘do the best she could on camera’. (BS translation: She looks extra hot.)
– MailOnline.com
TODAY’S SHOW BIZ SKED:
• “Dancing With the Stars” (ABC) – Dinosaur rockers KISS perform; the remaining couples perform to classic rock songs.
• “Ellen DeGeneres Show” (syndicated) – Cee-Lo Green (“The Voice”).
• “Last Call With Carson Daly” (NBC) – Adam Levine (Maroon 5); Jessie Baylin (“Little Spark”).
• “Late Night With Jimmy Fallon” (NBC) – Pulp (“It”).
• “Late Show With David Letterman” (CBS) – Tennis (“Young & Old”).
• “Live With Kelly” (syndicated) – “American Idol” castoff DeAndre Brackensick.
• “Mama’s Boys Of the Bronx” (TLC) – Debut of a new reality TV series about 5 friends from the Bronx who still live at home with their mommies.
• “The Talk” (CBS) – Wilson Phillips (“Dedicated”).
• “Tonight Show With Jay Leno” (NBC) – Esperanza Spalding (“Radio Music Society”).
• “The View” (ABC) – Carly Rae Jepsen (“Curiousity”).
• “The Voice” (NBC) – Hopefuls from 2 teams compete.
BS MUSIC NOTES:
• Beyoncé – She’s just launched a new website that features a number of pics of herself, her husband Jay-Z, and her sister Solange, plus a video of her walking past a blue ivy tree while pregnant that may have inspired the name of her baby daughter.
NET: http://beyonce.com
• Deftones – Chino Moreno tells an Argentinian radio station that the band has finished pre-production on its 7th album and will soon enter the studio to begin recording. He expects the album to be out in early Fall.
• Florence & The Machine – Today they release the 11-track acoustic set, “MTV Unplugged – A Live Album”, recorded during an “MTV Unplugged” performance late last year.
• Justin Bieber – His upcoming album “Believe” is rumored to have collaborations with Drake, Kanye West, Ke$ha, Lil Wayne, One Direction, Pharrell, Timbaland, Usher, and will.i.am.
• Mary J Blige – She’s released a statement saying that a Burger King ad for fried chicken leaked online last week was ‘not the finished product’. The fast food chain has released an apology to both Blige and her fans. (This whole process is known as … damage control.)
• Pearl Jam – Frontman Eddie Vedder has announced the postponement of his 15-city solo tour due to temporary nerve damage in his right arm, the result of a back injury sustained earlier this year. It was scheduled to kick off tomorrow in Las Vegas but will now begin October 31st.
THE CAR’S THE D-D:
Researchers working with the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers are developing technology that could be built into a car’s dashboard to check a driver’s blood-alcohol level and refuse to start the vehicle if the user is above the legal limit. It’s thought that the ‘DADSS’ system (‘Driver Alcohol Detection System for Safety’) will be available in vehicles within 8-to-10 years. The next phase, a bit further off, is a vehicle with the technology to drive a tipsy owner home autonomously. Already, a restaurant group is lobbying against these new technologies. (Why? You wanna kill off the clientele?)
– “Wall Street Journal”
WHERE’D YOUR CHOCOLATE BUNNY COME FROM?
If you’re average, you consume about 5.5 kg (12 lbs) of chocolate per year. Out of 4.24 million tonnes of cocoa produced last year, the largest amount came from the African nation of Ivory Coast (1.51 million tonnes). On the other side of the equation, the Netherlands (one of Europe’s leading chocolate producers) led importing nations, bringing in 0.72 million tonnes of cocoa, well ahead of the USA’s 0.45 million tonnes. The cocoa trade has come under criticism recently for the use of child labor in Ivory Coast, among other places. US State Department estimates over 100,000 children work in the cocoa industry. What can you do about it? The ‘Fairtrade’ logo indicates chocolate made by paying cocoa farmers a ‘fair and living wage’. (But doesn’t necessarily prevent enslavement.)
– “The Guardian”
BABY NAME TRENDS FOR 2012:
A prediction of names that could become hot due to their recent exposure …
• ‘Adele’ – The one-named singing wonder is now known around-the-globe.
• ‘Daisy’ – The object of “The Great Gatsby’s” affection in a new movie opening in December.
• ‘Griffin’ – Robert Griffin III won the Heisman; LA Clippers Blake Griffin won Rookie Of the Year.
• ‘Kanani’ – Hawaiian-inspired doll (American Girl Dolls) whose name means ‘beautiful one’.
• ‘Kris’ – Kris Humphries’ unique name-spelling will long outlast his marriage to Kim Kardashian.
• ‘Mac’ – Could catch on among computer nerds as a tribute to the late Steve Jobs.
• ‘Marilyn’ – Monroe’s 50th death anniversary (August 5th) will make her name popular again.
• ‘Oskar’ – A unique name and spelling from the buzz-film “Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close”.
• ‘Pippa’ – Thanks to the Brit royal, Pippa (short for Philippa) is sure to soar far beyond Britain.
• ‘Tim’ – With the hype around NFL’s Timothy Richard Tebow, the name’s gotta click with some.
– FamilyEducation.com
WHEN DOGS SNAP:
A new French study finds that humans and dogs have something in common: Both get worn out trying to exert self-control and end up making dumb decisions. Researchers at the University of Lille Nord de France note that when humans react to restraint, they are less helpful, more aggressive, gamble more, etc. Similarly, when dogs feel constrained, ie: told to ‘sit and stay’ for long periods, they are also more likely to behave rashly and impulsively. This may explain why a family dog that’s been trained to control its urge to snap at yelling, screaming kids all day may eventually reach a willpower limit and bite. It could explain a large proportion of the millions of dog bites each year. The study suggests that it’s up to people to recognize that dogs need breaks and rest as much as we do. (Maybe they need to chill with a beer?)
– LiveScience.com
BS AMAZING FACT:
‘Red Bull’ was originally called ‘Red Water Buffalo’ (‘Krathing Daeng’ in Thai). It was a sticky liquid, laced with caffeine and other stimulants that was popular with truck drivers in Thailand.
– “Magazine Monitor”
BS CHRONOMETER 04.09.12
TODAY’S CELEBIRTHDAYS . . .
1926 [86] Hugh Hefner, Chicago IL, “Playboy” magazine founder/creepy old man (see BULL’S BITS)
1954 [58] Dennis Quaid, Houston TX, movie actor (“GI Joe: The Rise of Cobra”, “Flight Of the Phoenix”)/brother of actor Randy Quaid
1966 [46] Cynthia Nixon, NYC, movie actress (“Sex & The City” movies)/TV actress (‘Miranda Hobbes’ on “Sex & The City” 1998-2004)
1977 [35] Gerard Way, Summit NJ, alt-rock singer (My Chemical Romance-“Famous Last Words”, “Welcome To the Black Parade”)
1980 [32] Albert Hammond Jr, LA CA, indie rock guitarist (The Strokes-“Under Cover of Darkness”, “Juicebox”)
1982 [30] Jay Baruchel, Ottawa ON Canada, movie actor (“How to Train Your Dragon”, “Knocked Up”)
1986 [26] Leighton Meester, Fort Worth TX, TV actress (‘Blair Waldorf’ on “Gossip Girl” since 2007)/movie actress (“The Roommate”)/pop singer (w/Cobra Starship-“Good Girls Go Bad”)
1987 [25] Jesse McCartney, Ardsley NY, pop singer (“Leavin’”)/songwriter (“Bleeding Love”)/movie actor (“Alvin & The Chipmunks: The Squeakuel”)
1990 [22] Kristen Stewart, LA CA, movie actress (“The Runaways”, “Twilight Saga” films)
1998 [14] Elle Fanning, Conyers GA, movie actress (“We Bought a Zoo”, “Super 8”)/younger sister of actress Dakota Fanning
2000 [12] Jackie Evancho, Pittsburgh PA, classical crossover singer (“O Holy Night”)/former “America’s Got Talent” competitor
TODAY’S BS REASONS TO PARTY . . .
• “Cherish an Antique Day”, one of the few things that increases in value the older it gets.
• “Dyngus Day”, a traditional Polish holiday designed as a day of fun on “Easter Monday” when guys chase after girls with squirt guns, buckets, and other water containers. The more gallant boys use cologne. Tradition has it the females get revenge on Tuesday when they throw dishes back at the boys. But it’s become increasingly popular for girls to get their revenge right away, also tossing water. For obvious reasons, this wacky event is aka “Wet Easter Monday”.
• “Easter Egg Roll”, an annual celebration held on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington DC on “Easter Monday” for children & their parents. The ‘Egg Roll’ itself is a race, where kids push an egg through the grass with a long-handled club. Dolly Madison, wife of President James Madison, began the event in 1814.
NET: http://www.whitehouse.gov/eastereggroll
• “Former Prisoner of War Recognition Day”, observed annually to commemorate the outstanding sacrifices made by members of the armed forces who’ve been held captive.
• “Name Yourself Day”, a day for anybody with a name they hate to tag themselves with a brand new label. Help re-name people using the online ‘Random Name Generator’ …
NET: http://www.kleimo.com/random/name.cfm
THIS DAY IN SHOW BIZ . . .
2005 [07] Britain’s Prince Charles & Camilla Parker Bowles are wed in Windsor, England
TODAY’S MUSIC EVENTS . . .
2003 [09] Willie Nelson celebrates his 70th birthday at NYC’s Beacon Theatre, with performances by Ray Charles, Eric Clapton, Paul Simon, ZZ Top, Leon Russell, Ray Price
2008 [04] Elton John’s benefit concert at NYC’s Radio City Music Hall raises $2.5 million for Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign
TODAY’S FIRST . . .
2009 [03] Honda FCX Clarity, a 4-door sedan billed as the 1st hydrogen-powered fuel-cell vehicle, wins the ‘World Green Car Award’ at the New York Auto Show
TODAY’S RECORD . . .
1992 [20] ‘Heaviest Chocolate Easter Egg’ weighs 10,483 lbs and measures over 23-feet-high (Ringwood, Australia)
AND REMEMBER . . .
[Tues] “All For the Hall” benefit concert (Nashville)
[Tues] SPCA Day
[Tues] Equal Pay Day
[Tues] Be Kind to Lawyers Day
[Tues] Farm Animals Day
[Tues] Library Workers Day
THIS WEEK IS . . .
Animal Control Appreciation Week / Bat Appreciation Week / Health Information Privacy & Security Week / Networking Week / Orthodox Holy Week (Christian) / Pan American Week / Passover Week (Jewish) / Robotics Week / Library Week / Work Zone Safety Awareness Week
BULL’S BITS
BEST OF BS:
A highlight bit culled from 19 years of “Bull Sheet” back issues …
BS SIGNS HUGH HEFNER IS GETTING OLDER:
✓ Starting a new publication called “PlayGeezer”.
✓ Now uses his hot tub to warm milk for bedtime.
✓ Upcoming “Girls Of the Big Ten” pictorial features his great-great-great-granddaughters.
✓ He’s more worried about getting out of bed than getting into it.
✓ Only fold-outs he gets close to these days are Depends.
– First published in “BS” 1996.
NET: http://www.FreeRadioPrep.com
BULL’S EYE:
A new independent web search engine offers a real rarity these days … privacy. ‘Duckduckgo’ promises your web searches are not monitored or tracked, and will not be skewed by a ‘user profile’ or by sponsor links. Founder Gabriel Weinberg says it’s creepy to have a search engine tracking you. We agree wholeheartedly! Seems a lot of others do too, as the search tool has experienced a growth rate of nearly 1,000% in a single year.
NET: http://duckduckgo.com
BS RANDOM JOKE:
Love is like a roller coaster. When it’s good you don’t want to get off, and when it isn’t … you can’t wait to throw up.
BS PHONE STARTER:
☎ Whose fame is hardest to explain?
BS WATER COOLER QUESTION:
Question: Retail studies show that THIS food is the most profitable.
Answer: Pet food.
BS DEEP THOUGHT:
Life’s simple: Make the most of the best and the least of the worst.
NOW ON OUR SHEET LIST:
Jon Briggs @ BBC Radio Oxford, Oxford UK; Ken Hesely @ Power 106 [KPWR] Los Angeles CA; Tammy Wallace @ News/Talk 1400 [WFPA] Fort Payne AL; Bill Steele @ The New 94.5 K-Wine [KWNE] Ukiah CA; Michelle Denman @ Hospital Radio Hillingdon, London UK; Charlie Dodson @ Today’s News, Yesterday’s Music [KCHI] Chillicothe MO.