Thursday, March Test, 2014        Edition: #7777

Hey!  New Sheets!

BS SHOW BIZ BUZZ:
★ “Girls” star and creator/show-runner Lena Dunham says she probably won’t be into acting for the long haul. In a new magazine interview she says, “I’d rather give parts to other women than be the woman having the parts.” Abandoning acting would certainly free up her schedule to continue making “Girls” her own little slice of the TV world and to pursue other projects. “I want you to feel like you are getting lost with these characters,” she says of her hit HBO show. “So I write long scenes.”
– “Glamour”
★ Actor Chris Pine, known for playing ‘Captain Kirk’ in the “Star Trek” movies, has been charged with drunken driving in New Zealand. The 33-year-old American actor is due to make his first court appearance in the case next Monday. Pine has been in New Zealand filming the indie sci-fi pic, “Z for Zachariah”, which is due for release next year. Much of the filming has taken place on the South Island’s picturesque Banks Peninsula.
– Variety.com
★ And Universal Studios has confirmed that production on the stalled “Fast & Furious 7” movie will resume later this month. It was put on hold last year following the death of star Paul Walker in November, but now the cast & crew are preparing to go back to work March 31st. Filming was half-completed at the time of Walker’s death, and the movie was due to hit cinemas this year. The film has now been pushed back to April 10, 2015.
– WENN.com

TODAY’S SHOW BIZ SKED:
• “American Idol” (FOX/CTV) – The contestants face elimination; Harry Connick Jr performs; Mali Music performs.
• “Conan” (TBS/CTV) – The Wild Feathers (“The Wild Feathers”). Rerun.
• “Jimmy Kimmel Live” (ABC/CityTV) – The Preatures (“Is This How You Feel”)
• “Last Call With Carson Daly” (NBC) – Night Terrors of 1927 (“Guilty Pleas”).
• “Late Night With Seth Meyers” (NBC/CTV2) – Lo-Fang (“Blue Film”).
• “Late Show With David Letterman” (CBS/Omni1) – LE1F (“Hey”).
• “Wendy Williams” (syndicated) – Country veterans the Oak Ridge Boys.
• Woodie Awards (Austin TX) – MTVu’s annual awards gala and music festival again coincides with SXSW. This year’s event begins with 5 hours of performances leading up to the awards for music voted best by college students.
NET: http://www.mtv.com/ontv/woodieawards

BS MUSIC NOTES:
• Cassadee Pope – She’s became the 1st solo female singer since Taylor Swift in 2006 to go Platinum with her debut single. “Wasting All These Tears” has now achieved that with 1 million downloads.
• Frank Ocean – He’s just posted a photo online of the check he’s sent Mexican food chain Chipotle after it sued him for $212,500. Seems it paid him in advance to record a song for one of its ads … which he then backed out of. On the memo line of the check, he wrote ‘f— off’.
• Lady Gaga – Tonight at SXSW in Austin TX she plays a gig at the outdoor stage at Stubb’s
nightclub, the temporary home of the #BoldStage. Fans have been challenged to perform a series of ‘Bold Missions’ in order to get a ticket. Proceeds go to the Born This Way Foundation.
• Lorde – The New Zealand teen is launching a cosmetics collection with popular brand MAC, which is sure to feature her signature dark lip shade. She’s been working with MAC senior artist Amber Dreadon on the collection that hits stores this Summer.
• Rolling Stones – Keith Richards & daughter Theodora have taken an anecdote from his memoir “Life” and turned it into a children’s book, “Gus & Me: The Story of My Granddad & My First Guitar”, which tells the story of Keith and Theodore Augustus Dupree, his grandfather who was a big-band jazz musician. Theodora handles illustrations. The book’s out September 9th.
• Soundgarden – Tonight as part of the iTunes Festival, they’re playing “Superunknown” in its entirety for the first time. The SXSW event will be streamed live via the iTunes store. The band has already announced plans to reissue a 20th anniversary edition of the album on June 3rd.

COMING ATTRACTIONS:
A BS selection of movies in the making …
• “The Black Phantom” – Actor-singer Jamie Foxx (“Django Unchained”) and actor-comedian Kevin Hart (“About Last Night”) are reportedly in talks to co-star in this tale of a double-crossed mob hitman who enlists the help of the ‘Black Phantom’ … the same African-American hitman who was sent to kill him in the first place. Hijinks ensue.
• “Cake” – 45-year-old Jennifer Aniston is preparing to star in and produce this indie drama about a woman who becomes intrigued by the death of someone in her support group, all the while dealing with her own issues. The $50 million-film is being funded in part by Chinese TV producer Shenghua Entertainment.
• “The Invention of Wings” – Oprah Winfrey’s Harpo Films has acquired screen rights to the latest novel from “The Secret Life of Bees” author Sue Monk Kidd. The book, which debuted in January at #1 on the “New York Times” bestseller list, centers on the real-life story of 2 young abolitionist sisters during the 1800s, one of whom is gifted with an African-American slave.
• “A Perfect Day” – Benicio del Toro, Tim Robbins, and Olga Kurylenko will star in this English-language debut of Fernando Leon de Aranoa, one of Spain’s most reputable and popular directors. The drama centers on a motley group of aid workers in a conflict zone. The film begins shooting in and around Granada, Spain on March 17th.

TRADEMARK FOOD:
During ongoing trade talks, the European Union is expected to propose a ban on the use of the names of cheese varieties that originated in Europe, arguing that versions made elsewhere are mere shadows of the originals and copycat cheeses cut into the sales and identity of European products. The Europeans say Parmesan, for instance, should only come from Parma, Italy. Among other cheeses in question: Asiago, Feta, Gorgonzola, Gruyere, Muenster, and Romano. (What other foods might be trademarked? Bologna, Black Forest ham, Greek yogurt, Prosciuto, Valencia oranges?)
– Associated Press

GREATEST RETIREMENT REGRETS:
Financial advisors warn against these retirement planning faux pas …
• Not saving enough for retirement. People see their salaries go up, and they continue to spend instead of save.
• Premature retirement savings plan withdrawals. Defer taxes as long as possible, unless you absolutely have to use the money.
• Retiring too early. It means you have less time to save and a longer period of retirement during which you have to provide yourself an inflow of income.
• Relying too much on government pension. It was originally just one part of a 3-legged stool along with your employee pension and your own savings.
• Not planning for ill health and the potential need for long-term care.
– USAToday.com

NOT MUSICALLY INCLINED:
New research reveals that some people are incapable of having an emotional response to music … any music. The disorder has been dubbed ‘Specific Musical Anhedonia’ and it causes people to be biologically incapable of registering any feelings while listening to tunes. University of Barcelona scientists think between 1-and-5 % of the population suffers from the odd ailment. Researchers say it’s common to find people who respond to one musical genre and not another – love country, hate hip-hop, for instance – but it was surprising to find that there are people that simply do not respond to any music whatsoever. (A lot of the contestants on “American Idol”, as an example.)
– Telegraph.co.uk

WORLD’S ‘SELFIEST’ CITIES:
The cities which produce the most ‘selfies’ per capita, according to a recent survey. Note: Only online pics tagged with a location have been counted …
10. George Town, Malaysia
9. Cebu City, Philippines
8. Milan, Italy
7. Manchester, England
6. Tel Aviv, Israel
5. Petaling Jaya, Malaysia
4. Anaheim and Santa Ana, California
3. Miami, Florida
2. NYC (Manhattan, south Bronx, part of Queens, northern Brooklyn)
1. Makati City and Pasig, Philippines
See the complete list here …
NET: http://time.com/selfies-cities-world-rankings
– TIME.com

DIY OBIT:
Would you write your own obit before passing away? That’s what one man did … and it’s more humorous than you’d expect. Sam Bruhl posted an essay written by his grandfather, Walter George Bruhl Jr, to Reddit this Monday (a day after his granddad died). A sampling: “Walt was preceded in death by his tonsils and adenoids in 1935, a spinal disc in 1974, a large piece of his thyroid gland in 1988, and his prostate on March 27, 2000.” (Would you consider writing your own obituary? What would it say?)
– iVillage.ca

5-SECOND RULE LEGIT?
Seems the old saw about picking up dropped food in a timely manner may have some validity. Researchers at the UK’s Aston University have found the length of time food has been on the floor does, in fact, influence how many dangerous germs – such as E coli or Staphylococcus – might have glommed onto it. What’s more, the type of flooring seems to matter. Bacteria has less chance of making contact with food on carpeting and is more likely to transfer when on laminate or tiled surfaces. An accompanying survey also finds …
• 87% say they would eat food dropped on the floor or have already done so.
• 55% of those that would, or have, eaten food dropped on the floor are women.
• 81% of the women who would eat food off the floor say they follow the ‘5 Second Rule’.
(So much for bacteria, but what about cat and dog hair, tracked-in dirt, spilled cleaning agents, etc? Sorry, it’s still totally gross!)
– “Science Daily”

ACCOMMODATION BY THE DAY:
Hotels are increasingly becoming flexible with check-in and check-out times. More and more of them are dumping the old system of strict check-in, check-out times and introducing a 24-hour policy. That means if you check in at 8 pm, you don’t have to check out until 8 pm the next day … no more getting bounced from your room at 11 am. The new system guarantees guests a full 24 hours in their rooms. One of the first chains to introduce 24-hour check-in service was Starwood, whose portfolio includes Four Points, Le Meridien, Sheraton, Westin, and W Hotels. (This is happening locally … down at the No Tell Motel, when you and your ‘date’ stop in for an afternoon siesta, you now get to stay a FULL hour.)
– RelaxNews.com

BS AMAZING PEOPLE FACTS:
• Movie actor Richard Gere’s middle name is ‘Tiffany’.
• Mystery author Agatha Christie was an avid surfer.
• German composer Richard Wagner (ri-CARD VAG-ner) always wore pink silk underwear.
• Stephen Stills, Glen Campbell, and Charles Manson all failed auditions for “The Monkees” TV show back in the 1960s.
– “Quite Interesting”

BS CHRONOMETER 03.13.14

TODAY’S CELEBIRTHDAYS . . .
1950 [64] William H Macy, Miami FL, movie actor (“Wild Hogs”, “Fargo”)/TV actor (“Shameless” since 2011)/wed to actress Felicity Huffman since 1997

1956 [58] Dana Delaney, NYC, TV actress (“Body of Proof” 2011-13, “Desperate Housewives” 2007-12, “China Beach” 1988-91)

1960 [54] Adam Clayton, Chinnor UK, rock bassist (U2-“Vertigo”, “Beautiful Day”)

1972 [42] Common (Lonnie Lynn Jr), Chicago IL, rapper (“Love Of My Life”, “The Light”)/ TV actor (‘Elam Ferguson’ on “Hell on Wheels” since 2011/movie actor (“American Gangster”, “Smokin’ Aces”)

1985 [29] Emile Hirsch, Topanga CA, movie actor (“Milk”, “Into the Wild”)

TODAY’S BS REASONS TO PARTY . . .
• “Earmuffs Day”, celebrating the first ‘Earmuffs’ patent by one Chester Greenwood of Farmington, Maine on this day 137 years ago in 1877.

• “K-9 Veterans Day”, honoring all dogs who have served in the military. The US Army launched its ‘K-9 Corps’ 72 years ago today (1942).

• “Open an Umbrella Indoors Day”, when celebrants are encouraged to challenge the old superstition and note whether any bad luck befalls them. The superstition can be traced to the 11th century BC.

• “World Kidney Day”, an annual global health awareness campaign on the 2nd Thursday of March focused on reducing the frequency and impact of kidney disease and its associated health problems worldwide. The 2014 focus is on chronic kidney disease and aging.
NET: http://www.worldkidneyday.org

THIS DAY IN SHOW BIZ . . .
1969 [45] “The Love Bug”, a Disney movie about the adventures of a Volkswagen Beetle named ‘Herbie’, opens in movie theaters (spawns the spinoffs “Herbie Rides Again”, “Herbie Goes to Monte Carlo”, “Herbie Goes Bananas”, and “Herbie: Fully Loaded”)

TODAY’S MUSIC EVENT . . .
1987 [27] Bryan Adams’ “Heat Of the Night” becomes the 1st-ever ‘cassette single’ (“What’s a cassette, Grandpa?”)

TODAY’S FIRST . . .
2013 [01] Pope Francis is elected in the papal conclave to succeed Pope Benedict XVI

TODAY’S RECORD . . .
1988 [26] Guinness Record for ‘World’s Longest Conga Line’ is achieved at the 27th annual “Calle Ocho Festival” in Miami, Florida … 119,980 people

AND REMEMBER . . .
[Fri] “Need for Speed”; “Veronica Mars” open in movie theaters
[Fri] International Ask a Question Day
[Fri] World Sleep Day
[Sat] Corn Dog Day
[Sun] Full ‘Sap’ Moon
[Sun] Lips Appreciation Day
[Mon] St Patricks Day
This Week Is … Older Persons Employment Week
This Month Is … Professional Social Work Month

BULL’S BITS

WHY HOLLYWOOD HATES THE METRIC SYSTEM:
✗ “The Whole 8.2296 Meters” (“The Whole 9 Yards”)
✗ “4828.03 Kilometers to Graceland” (“3,000 Miles to Graceland”)
✗ “182.88 Centimeters Under” (“Six Feet Under”)
✗ “Attack Of the 15.24-Meter Woman” (“Attack Of the 50-Foot Woman”)
✗ “Celsius 232.778” (“Fahrenheit 451”)
✗ “The Longest 0.9144 Meters” (“The Longest Yard”)
– Thanks to David Cristofano

BS PHONE STARTERS:
☎ Do you understand what the heck ‘Bitcoin’ is? If so, explain it to us in 3 sentences.

BS RANDOM JOKE:
The woman said she knew me from the vegetarian restaurant, but I’d never met herbivore.

BS WATER COOLER QUESTION:
Question: A new poll reveals THIS is the most popular TV show that couples watch together.
Answer: “The Big Bang Theory”.

BS DEEP THOUGHT:
Use cassette titles here.