BS SHOW BIZ BUZZ:
★ It’s been 8 years since the last sequel to Emmy-winning Disney Channel original movie “High School Musical” and 10 years since the series began, but it’s finally set to return with an all-new cast in the form of “High School Musical 4”. So what’s the old cast doing now?
– Ashley Tisdale has been doing a lot of voice roles in animated shows such as “Sabrina: Secrets Of a Teenage Witch” and “Phineas & Ferb”.
– Corbin Bleu has taken to doing independent horror movies like “Scary or Die”. He also currently stars in the daytime TV drama “One Life to Live”.
– Lucas Grabeel went on to appear in the Oscar-winning biopic “Milk” and now stars in the family TV drama “Switched at Birth”.
– Monique Coleman stars in the new TV comedy “Here We Go Again” and just finished work on the film “We Are Family”.
– Vanessa Hudgens has appeared in several movies including “Spring Breakers”, and in the recent TV revival “Grease Live!”.
– Zac Efron has since had more serious bigscreen roles in romantic dramas such as “‘The Paperboy”.
– Adapted from ContactMusic.com
★ Persian actress Sarah Shahi has been cast as grown-up child sleuth ‘Nancy Drew’ in a new CBS-TV series to be titled simply “Drew”. The upcoming project will follow the young adult literary heroine as a 30-something police officer in New York City. Texas-born Shahi, who has Spanish and Persian roots, will be the first actress of color to play the role. She follows in the footsteps of Bonita Granville and Emma Roberts, who played ‘Nancy Drew’ on the bigscreen. The series will also star Vanessa Ferlito, Felix Solis, and former “ER” regular Anthony Edwards, who’ll play the young sleuth’s father.
– WENN.com
★ And billionaire Warren Buffett is offering $100,000 to the employee with the best NCAA bracket during the upcoming ‘March Madness’ tournament. His more than 300,000 Berkshire Hathaway employees can win the loot by picking the most consecutive winners in the men’s basketball tournament, which begins March 15th. Buffett promises at least 1 employee will win the prize, and it will be shared if multiple employees tie. If an employee can somehow manage to pick all 48 games in the opening rounds correctly, they’ll win $1 million-a-year for life. Buffet won’t likely have to fork out on that promise … the odds of anyone pulling it off are ridiculous.
– FOX News

TODAY’S SHOW BIZ SKED:
• “American Idol” (FOX) – After the finalists face elimination, the top 8 singers are revealed.
• “Conan” (TBS/CTV) – BJ The Chicago Kid (“In My Mind”).
• “Ellen DeGeneres Show” (syndicated/CTV2) – Bonnie Raitt (“Dig in Deep”).
• “Jimmy Kimmel Live” (ABC/CityTV) – CeeLo Green (“Heart Blanche”).
• “Last Call With Carson Daly” (NBC) – Day Wave (“Head Case”).
• “Late Late Show With James Corden” (CBS/M3) – M Ward (“More Rain”).
• “Late Night With Seth Meyers” (NBC/CTV) – Patrick Carney (The Black Keys).
• “Late Show With Stephen Colbert” (CBS/Global) – Ray Lamontagne (“Ouroboros”, out Friday).
• “Live With Kelly & Michael” (syndicated/CTV) – Daughtry (“It’s Not Over … The Hits So Far”).
• “Meredith Vieira” (syndicated) – CeeLo Green again.
• “Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” (NBC/CTV2) – Loretta Lynn (“Full Circle”); Pharrell Williams (“The Voice”).

BS MUSIC NOTES:
• Charlie Puth – Tonight he embarks on his first-ever North American headline tour in support of his debut album “Nine Track Mind”. The trek begins in San Francisco CA and wraps on April 8th in Red Bank NJ.
• Merle Haggard – The country icon is still ill. He’s been forced to postpone a string of March shows after checking into a California hospital for treatment of a recurring bout of double pneumonia.
• Nicole Scherzinger – She’s been cast in the upcoming “Dirty Dancing” ABC-TV movie remake. She’ll take on the role of the original dance partner of ‘Johnny’, ‘Penny’, who was played by Cynthia Rhodes on the bigscreen nearly 3 decades ago.
• Ozzy Osbourne – His wife Sharon Osbourne has revealed he slept with his kids’ 2 nannies back in the day. Quote: “I caught two of them in bed with Ozzy different times.” She says she put up with the infidelity because he was under the influence of drugs and alcohol at the time.
• Panic! At the Disco – 28-year-old Brendon Urie never set out to be a one-man band but he’s become the sole surviving member of the group. Quote: “When I as a temporary guitar player, I never imagined I’d be in the position I’m in now, doing this all alone.”
• Pusha T – Tonight he hits the road for a 28-date North American tour that starts in Vancouver BC. The tour supports the new album “King Push – Darkest Before Dawn: The Prelude”.
• Rolling Stones – They’re lined up to play a ‘historic’ concert in Cuba that may open the doors for other rock bands to stop off in the country. Their free show on Friday, March 25th takes place at the Havana sports complex Ciudad Deportiva de la Habana.

COMING ATTRACTIONS:
A BS selection of movies in the making …
• “Barry” – The story of a young Barack Obama trying to find his way in 1981 NYC has found its two leads. Devon Terrell will play the future prez as a college student exploring the Big Apple; Anya Taylor-Joy, who appeared in the hit horror movie “The Witch”, will co-star. The indie drama is being directed by Vikram Gandhi. The movie is expected to begin shooting in April.
• “Dr Q” – Brad Pitt’s Plan B and Walt Disney Studios are taking on the tale of brain surgeon Dr Alfredo Quinones-Hinojosa as a potential feature film. It’s the true-life story of an illegal immigrant from Mexico who crossed the border when he was 19 in order to work on California farms. He went on to become a celebrated brain surgeon and cancer researcher in America.
• “The Founder” – Michael Keaton plays McDonald’s founder Ray Kroc. Keaton, who starred in this year’s ‘Best Picture’ Oscar-winner “Spotlight” and was nominated 2 years ago for “Birdman”, is hoping his luck holds with this new biopic about the fast-food mogul. The flick opens August 5th.
• “Lion” – Adapted from the non-fiction book “A Long Way Home” by Saroo Brierley, this is the story of a 5-year-old Indian boy who, after a wrong train takes him thousands of miles away from home, survives many challenges before being adopted by an Australian couple. 25 years later he begins a quest to find his lost family. Dev Patel, Rooney Mara and Nicole Kidman star.
• “The Thomas Crown Affair” – 29-year-old Michael B Jordan (“Creed”) has the lead role as a scheming businessman in this upcoming remake. The project, which is in the early stages of development and does not yet have a director or writer attached, marks the 3rd take on the story. The original 1968 film featured Steve McQueen; a 1999 version starred Pierce Brosnan.

MOST POWERFUL PASSPORTS:
Which passport give the holder access to the most countries? According to a new index from immigration & citizenship firm Henley & Partners, these are the best papers on the planet to be holding …
1. ‘Germany …  visa-free access to 177 countries.
2. Sweden … 176 countries.
3. Finland, France, Italy, Spain, UK … 175.
4. Belgium, Denmark, the Netherlands, USA … 174.
5. Austria, Japan, Singapore … 173.
(Canada is tied for 6th; New Zealand for 7th; Australia is 8th.)
– “Business Insider”

GREY AREA:
University College London scientists have found the gene linked to … grey hair. The culprit is called ‘IRF4’, and the revelation comes from the most comprehensive study of its kind involving more than 6,000 people from 5 different countries and different backgrounds. The study raises the possibility of being able to prevent hair from going grey in the first place, negating the need to using a bottle of dye to cover it up. Don’t look for a magic pill anytime soon, the researchers say, but the discovery at least points scientists in the right direction. The study has also identified genes related to curly hair, beard thickness, eyebrow thickness, and … the mono-brow. (Ah, there’s hope for Cara Delevingne!)
– CNN.com

TOP BILLIONAIRES 2016:
The latest annual compilation of the wealthiest people on Earth is out. Here’s the net worth of the top 10, along with the source of their wealth …
1. Bill Gates, Microsoft … $75 billion.
2. Amancio Ortega, Zara … $67 billion.
3. Warren Buffett, Berkshire Hathaway … $60.8 billion.
4. Carlos Slim Helu, telecom industry … $50 billion.
5. Jeff Bezos, Amazon … $45.2 billion.
6. Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook … $44.6 billion.
7. Larry Ellison, Oracle … $43.6 billion.
8. Michael Bloomberg, Bloomberg LP … $40 billion.
9/10. Charles & David Koch, diversified … $39.6 billion (each).
– Forbes.com

BEING FAT MAKES YOU FORGETFUL:
That spare tire around your waist may also be weighing down your memory. Experts believe that added fat changes the structure and function of the brain, including its ability to recall past events with episodic memory. In experiments, researchers at the UK’s University of Cambridge have found that people with higher BMI are less able to remember the location of hidden items than those with lower BMIs. It’s unclear what exactly about carrying extra fat changes brain function, but the results back previous research that has linked obesity with dysfunction in areas of the brain involved with memory, decision-making, problem-solving, and emotions. (How can you lose weight if you can’t remember what you ate?)
– “New York Daily News”

DID YOU KNOW?
Half of the world’s population could be short-sighted by 2050.
– “Science Daily”

BS CHRONOMETER 03.03.16

TODAY’S CELEBIRTHDAYS . . .
1945 [72] George Miller, Brisbane, Australia, movie producer-director (“Mad Max: Fury Road”, “Happy Feet” films)  UP NEXT: “Justice League Part One” (2017).

1958 [58] Miranda Richardson, Southport UK, movie actress (“Harry Potter” films, “The Hours”)

1982 [34] Jessica Biel, Ely MN, movie actress (“Hitchcock”, “The A-Team”)/former TV actress (“7th Heaven” 1996-2006)/wed to Justin Timberlake since 2012

1984 [32] Joe ‘Blower’ Garvey, Oklahoma City OK, rock guitarist (Hinder-“Is It Just Me”, “Lips Of an Angel”)

1997 [19] Camila Cabello, Havana, Cuba, pop singer (Fifth Harmony-“Worth It”)/reality TV contestant (“The X Factor” 2012)

TODAY’S BS REASONS TO PARTY . . .
• “Girls’ Day” (“Hinamatsuri”) in Japan, a time to give thanks for the health & well being of daughters. Homes with young girls set up displays of dolls surrounded by peach blossoms, specially-colored diamond-shaped rice cakes, and white sake.

• “I Want You to Be Happy Day”, a day to show love, care and concern for others … for once. (Tomorrow is ‘Get Real, Loser, I Was Only Kidding Day’.)

• “International Ear Care Day”, an annual advocacy event that aims to raise awareness and promote ear and hearing care across the world. (As mom used to say, “Never put anything in your ear smaller than your elbow.”)
NET: http://www.who.int/pbd/deafness/news/IECD/en/

• “World Wildlife Day”, the 3rd annual proclaimed by the UN to celebrate and raise awareness of the world’s wild fauna and flora (the famous nature twins).
NET: http://tinyurl.com/lg4tucc

TODAY’S MUSIC EVENT . . .
2009 [07] To celebrate the release of U2’s 12th studio album “No Line On the Horizon” and their appearance every night for a week on “Late Show with David Letterman”, NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg temporarily renames part of 53rd Street in Midtown Manhattan ‘U2 Way’

TODAY’S FIRSTS . . .
2005 [11] Margaret Wilson is elected Speaker of the New Zealand House of Representatives, beginning a period where all the highest political offices are occupied by women, making New Zealand the 1st country in which this occurs

2009 [07] The uber-luxurious Maybach Zeppelin sedan goes on sale, with a starting price of $523,870-to-$610,580 (automaker Daimler-Benz announces only 100 will be built, each to owner specifications)

TODAY’S RECORD . . .
2004 [12] Belgian brewer Interbrew and Brazilian rival AmBev agree to merge in a $11.2 billion-deal that forms InBev, the ‘World’s Largest Brewer’

2005 [11] Steve Fossett flies the ‘Virgin Atlantic GlobalFlyer’ to a world record by completing the first non-stop, non-refueled, solo flight around-the-world

COMING UP . . .
[Fri] “House of Cards” 4th season debut (Netflix)
[Fri] “Loretta Lynn: Still a Mountain Girl” (PBS)
[Fri] “London Has Fallen”; “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot”; “Zootopia” open in movie theaters
[Sat] Frozen Food Day
[Sun] Day of The Dude
[Sun] Mothering Sunday (UK)
This Week Is … Telecommuter Appreciation Week
This Month Is …. Eye Donor Month

BULL’S BITS

BS WAYS TO AMUSE YOURSELF:
• Buy a TV exactly like your neighbors’. Then you can annoy them by standing outside their window and changing their channel using your identical remote control.
• Walk up to a store employee and tell him/her in an official tone, ‘Code 3 in Aisle 4  and see what happens.
• Putting just the right amount of gin in your goldfish bowl makes the fishes’ eyes bulge and causes them to swim in an amusing manner.
• When your money comes out of the ATM, scream “I won! I won! Third time this week!”
• Drill a 1-inch hole in your refrigerator door. This will allow you to check that the light goes off when the door is closed.

BS PHONE STARTER:
☎ If you could communicate with any type of animal, which animal would you chose?

BS U-PICK TRIVIA:
• On a film set, what is a ‘gaffer’?
a) The youngest member of the crew.
b) A ‘go-fer’.
c) Chief electrician. [CORRECT]

• What does the term ‘karaoke’ mean in Japanese?
a) Empty orchestra. [CORRECT]
b) A cappella.
c) Drunken fool.

• If you suffer from ‘hexadactylism’, you have an extra what?
a) Spouse.
b) Digit. [CORRECT. 6 fingers or 6 toes on one or both hands and feet.]
c) Sex organ.

BS RANDOM JOKE:
Seen it all, done it all, can’t remember most of it.

BS WATER COOLER QUESTION:
Question: You increase the odds of having a 2nd date by 200% if you order THIS on the 1st date.
Answer: Sushi.
 
BS DEEP THOUGHT:
Don’t be so humble … you’re not that great.