BS SHOW BIZ BUZZ:
✳ Actor Jim Carrey has withdrawn his support from his new movie “Kick-Ass 2” over fears the level of violence in the film is inappropriate in the aftermath of December’s Connecticut school massacre. Carrey filmed his scenes for the sequel last November, a month before the mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School. Now he’s tweeted that he’s had a change of heart and will not promote the film, which is set for release in August. (The producers have suffered a collective heart attack.)
– WENN.com
✳ Jon Stewart, currently on leave from Comedy Central’s “The Daily Show”, has made an appearance on Egyptian TV’s top satire show, “Al-Bernameg” (‘The Program’). It’s hosted by Bassem Youssef, who rose to fame as an incredibly popular comedian after making online political videos mocking Egyptian politics during the 2011 uprising. Stewart was introduced as a ‘captured foreign spy’ before sitting down to discuss his upcoming Iranian documentary “Rosewater”, and the issue of satire in a country as strict as Egypt. (When you die in front of an audience there … you actually die.)
– ContactMusic.com
✳ The University of Texas, which is suing Ryan O’Neal over the alleged theft of a multi-million-dollar Farrah Fawcett portrait by Andy Warhol – has slapped down the actor’s bid to delay a trial for a 3rd time. The 72-year-old asked an LA judge last week to delay the trial over the disputed silkscreen because it’s November scheduling would interfere with his ability to work in a new, unnamed movie … and he needs the money. UT, which was bequeathed Fawcett’s entire art collection after her 2009 death, has fired back a formal opposition, claiming the alleged movie does not exist. The court has yet to decide on the issue. (O’Neal’s last film, 2012’s “ Slumber Party Slaughter” was his first film work in a decade.)
– RadarOnline.com
✳ And “Mad Men” creator Matthew Weiner has offered up a few hints about ‘Don Draper’s’ future at ‘Sterling Cooper Advertising Agency’ following Sunday night’s Season 6 finalé. Quote: “In the corporate world, being put on leave is as close to being fired as possible. I’m not saying people don’t come back from that … you’ll have to watch.” (BS translation: The goose that lays the golden eggs will most definitely be back.)
– “Entertainment Weekly”
TODAY’S SHOW BIZ SKED:
• “America’s Got Talent” (NBC) – Auditions continue.
• “Conan” (TBS) – Mavis Staples (“One True Vine”).
• “Daily Show With Jon Stewart” (Comedy Central) – Questlove (The Roots).
• “Ellen DeGeneres Show” (syndicated) – Ed Sheeran (“+”). Rerun.
• “Jimmy Kimmel Live” (ABC) – Miley Cyrus (“We Can’t Stop”).
• “Last Call With Carson Daly” (NBC) – Curtis Peoples (“Curtis Peoples”). Rerun.
• “Late Night With Jimmy Fallon” (NBC) – Portugal. The Man (“Evil Friends”). Rerun.
• “Late Show With David Letterman” (CBS) – Fitz & The Tantrums (“More Than Just a Dream”).
• “So You Think You Can Dance” (FOX) – Paired into couples, the top 20 finalists perform dance routines in assigned genres.
• “Tavis Smiley” (PBS) – Natalie Cole (“Natalie Cole En Español”).
• “Tonight Show With Jay Leno” (NBC) – Il Volo (“We Are Love”).
BS MUSIC NOTES:
• Flo Rida – He’s been ordered to pay child support for a boy he previously denied fathering. A court has established him as father of the 2-year-old because he did not officially dispute the claim, first made in 2011. Now the Florida Department of Revenue is asking him to turn over details of his finances so it can determine how much he owes the boy’s mother.
• Goo Goo Dolls / Matchbox Twenty – Tonight in Manchester NH they embark on a co-headlining Summer tour throughout North America.
• Incubus – Today frontman Brandon Boyd debuts a new side project entitled Sons Of the Sea with the 4-track EP “Compass”.
• Jordin Sparks – She’s performed at a prom for NY students whose high school was wrecked by Superstorm Sandy last year. Seniors from storm-ravaged East Rockaway High School were treated to a fairytale formal at a lavish estate on Long Island.
• Kanye West – His new album, “Yeezus”, has entered the Official UK Album chart at #1 this week.
• Motley Crue – Nikki Sixx is set to stage his first photography exhibition, at the Leica Gallery in Los Angeles later this year. The rocker has embarked on a sideline career as a lensman in recent years, regularly sharing his artsy snaps with fans online.
• Pearl Jam – Today guitarist Stone Gossard releases his 2nd solo album, “Moonlander”. Songs on the album were originally recorded 2003-2011, then fleshed out for this project.
• Yeah Yeah Yeahs – They’ve become the first rock act to perform atop NYC’s Empire State Building, while making the video of their new single “Despair”. The shoot took place on the iconic building’s observation deck.
TODAY’S VIDEO RELEASES:
• “The Call” ( R-Rated Thriller ): Halle Berry stars as a veteran 9-1-1 operator who receives a call from a girl who has just been abducted. She soon realizes that she must confront a killer from her past in order to save the girl’s life. Co-stars Evie Thompson, Abigail Breslin, Morris Chestnut.
• “Help!” ( G-Rated Musical Comedy ): A digitally-restored Blu-ray re-release of the 1965 Beatles film. The plot? Ringo finds himself the human sacrifice target of a cult and the band must try to protect him from it. Includes a new surround-sound soundtrack and bonus features that includes out-takes and a 30-minute documentary on the making of the film.
• “The Incredible Burt Wonderstone” ( PG-13 Comedy ): After a street magician’s stunt makes their show look stale, superstar magicians ‘Burt Wonderstone’ (Steve Carell) & ‘Anton Marvelton’ (Steve Buscemi) look to salvage their act by staging their own daring stunt. Co-stars Olivia Wilde, Jim Carrey, James Gandolfini, Alan Arkin, Jay Mohr. Cameo by David Copperfield.
• Also released today: “Best of Warner Bros 50 Cartoon Collection – Looney Tunes” (Compilation); “CSI: NY – The 9th Season” (TV); “Defiant Requiem” (Documentary); “Fat Albert & The Cosby Kids: The Complete Series” (Animation); “The Garfield Show: Pizza Dreams” (Animation); and “MADtv: Season 3” (Vintage TV).
MULTI-FUNCTION TIMEPIECE:
There’s a new smartwatch designed to help the wearer measure … their state of drunkenness. Tokyoflash’s ‘Kisai Intoxicated Watch’ has a built-in Breathalyzer, which the wearer can blow into by removing the watch dial. A display shows 3 levels of drunkenness: ‘Green’ for sober, ‘Amber’ for a blood-alcohol level up to 0.06%, and ‘Red’ for over that level. There’s also a sobriety game in which the wearer tries to press a button to align a moving column with the center of the screen. (And a handy stopwatch function will measure the many hours it takes you to figure any of this out after you’ve imbibed a couple.)
– Orange.co.uk
MOST-PIRATED TV SHOWS:
A new ranking of the most downloaded TV shows (and estimated number of downloads) on BitTorrent so far in 2013 …
5. “Hannibal” (2.1 million)
4. “The Walking Dead” (2.7 million)
3. “How I Met Your Mother” (2.85 million)
2. “The Big Bang Theory” (2.9 million)
1. “Game of Thrones” (5.2 million, almost equal to the TV audience of 5.5 million)
– TorrentFreak.com
MOST SUPERSTITIOUS CITY:
What city could credibly be called the most superstitious city on Earth? Hong Kong. It’s where it’s considered completely normal to shell out for a ‘lucky phone number’ from a hawker in a night-market. Local tycoons pay millions for licence plates with auspicious digits; the most common vanity plates in Hong Kong include the lucky number ‘8’. And in Hong Kong, people spurn secondhand goods because … they might be infected with the prior owner’s bad luck. (You should never buy a used fortune cookie.)
– Esquire.com
MORE BS THINGS MEN WISH WOMEN KNEW:
Universal guy truths that all women should understand …
✓ If you’re truly interested in us, don’t play hard to get.
✓ Leave the eyebrows alone. Plucked ain’t pretty.
✓ No question need ever be asked through a closed bathroom door if I’m inside.
✓ I don’t ask for directions because I’m just happy to be driving. Anywhere.
✓ If you think I’m speeding now, you should see me drive when you’re not in the car.
✓ Bare, tan shoulders are underrated.
✓ I may lie to make you feel good. Don’t be angry about this. You really weren’t looking for the truth anyway.
✓ You’re really bad at faking it.
✓ When you call us at work ‘just to chat’, we’re not really listening; we’re checking our email.
✓ When I screw up, go ahead and tell me … once.
– MensHealth.com
WHEN WORK FRIENDS BECOME SNOOTY:
In the workplace, we tend to gravitate toward others who share similar characteristics. This tendency to stick with people like yourself, known as ‘homophily’ (‘love of the same’), has been observed for decades. Networks that result from homophily are initially helpful for workers to get ahead. But according to a new study at the European Institute of Business Administration, once an employee has moved up in an organization or demonstrated good work, staying with that first group of colleagues can hold them back. (Speaking of backs … check for a knife in yours.)
– CNN.com
DID YOU KNOW?
Saudi Arabia has just shifted its weekends to Friday-Saturday. King Abdullah decreed the change from Thursday-Friday weekends to bring the biggest Arab economy’s working week into line with its neighbors.
– Guardian.co.uk
BS CHRONOMETER 06.25.13
TODAY’S CELEBIRTHDAYS . . .
1961 [52] Ricky Gervais, Reading UK, triple Golden Globe-, double Emmy-winning TV writer-producer (“Derek”, “The Office” creator)/movie actor (“The Muppets”, “Night At the Museum”)
1963 [50] George Michael (Yorgos Kyriatou Panayioutou), Radlett UK, oldies singer (“Faith”, Wham-“Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go”)/recent road accident victim
1971 [42] Angela Kinsey, Lafayette LA, TV actress (‘Angela Martin’ on “The Office” 2005-13)
1972 [41] Mike Kroeger, Hanna AB, rock bassist (Nickelback-“Photograph”, “How You Remind Me”)/half-brother of frontman Chad Kroeger
1975 [38] Linda Cardellini, Redwood City CA, TV actress (‘Sylvia Rosen’ on “Mad Men” 2013)
1979 [34] (Elizabeth) Busy Philipps, Oak Park IL, TV actress (‘Laurie Keller’ on “Cougar Town” since 2009)
TODAY’S BS REASONS TO PARTY . . .
• “Catfish Day”, first initiated in 1987 to celebrate the value of farm-raised catfish. (They sure are hard to herd!)
• “Leon Day” (‘Noel’ spelled backwards), observed exactly 6 months from Christmas, meaning we’re as far away from all that holiday rush and stress as we can be.
• “Please Take My Children to Work Day”, the 11th annual tongue-in-cheek holiday for part- and full-time stay-at-home moms, who are encouraged to take the day off by finding a relative, neighbor, friend, or babysitter to take care of the kid(s).
NET: http://mommasaid.net/please-take-my-children-to-work-day
• “Sense of Humor in Bed Appreciation Day”. So what’s it like being laughed at?
THIS DAY IN SHOW BIZ . . .
1993 [20] David Letterman tapes his final “Late Night With David Letterman” for NBC-TV before moving to CBS-TV (where “Late Show With David Letterman” debuts August 30th)
TODAY’S MUSIC EVENTS . . .
1988 [25] 17-year-old Debbie Gibson becomes the youngest person to write, produce, and perform her own #1 pop single (“Foolish Beat”)
2009 [04] Michael Jackson dies of acute Propofol intoxication at age 50
TODAY’S FIRSTS . . .
1947 [66] 1st ‘Tennis Shoes’ are designed (next day, Third World workers are recruited to manufacture them in return for 23 cents a year)
1958 [55] 1st ‘Paddington Bear’ book is published
TODAY’S RECORD . . .
1977 [36] Roy Sullivan of Virginia is struck by lightening for the 7th time … and lives! (dude, when you hear rumbling, head indoors!)
AND REMEMBER . . .
[Wed] Summerfest begins (Milwaukee WI)
[Wed] “Big Brother” season debut (CBS)
[Wed] International Day Against Drug Abuse & Illicit Trafficking
[Wed] International Day in Support of Victims of Torture
[Wed] National Canoe Day
[Thurs] Decide to Be Married Day
[Thurs] “Hannibal” season finalé (NBC)
This Week Is … Lightning Safety Awareness Week
This Month Is … Fireworks Safety Month
BULL’S BITS
BS REASONS TO AVOID THE BEACH:
✗ 60% of all sand finds its way into a child’s bathing suit.
✗ Sunscreen + wet child skin + sand = Brillo Pad that wants to sit on your lap and whine.
✗ You’re constantly surrounded by people wearing things you really wish you didn’t have to see people wearing.
✗ Sunscreen in your eye … ouch! No sunscreen on your feet … you can’t wear shoes for a week.
✗ Things you’re forced to walk around: Dead birds, used needles, used diapers.
✗ The sun umbrella won’t stay up. When it finally does stay up, the wind sends it flying down the beach where it lands on a couple making out.
✗ Seagulls pooping out the food they stole.
✗ As the old saying goes: Step on a crack, break your mother’s back; step on a shell, bleed profusely for 17 hours.
✗ Hairy backs.
✗ Sand in your car … FOREVER.
– Adapted from JasonGood.net
BS RANDOM JOKE:
I believe you should use contraceptives on every conceivable occasion …
BS U-PICK TRIVIA:
• After English and German, which is the 3rd-most-popular language for Wikipedia pages?
a. Dutch. [CORRECT]
b. French.
c. Chinese.
– “Financial Times”
• Which do some Rolls-Royces have embedded in the door?
a. Champagne bucket.
b. Umbrella. [CORRECT]
c. Mini-fridge.
– “Forbes Magazine”
BS PHONE STARTER:
☎ What are 3 words that sum up Summer for you?
BS WATER COOLER QUESTION:
Question: THIS cuts your chance of having a heart attack by nearly half.
Answer: Owning a cat.
BS DEEP THOUGHT:
Some people are so afraid to die that they never begin to live.
