November 15, 2011 INTL

Tuesday, November 15, 2011        Edition: #4630
Nuthin’ Like a Bull in Your Radio Shop!

BS SHOW BIZ BUZZ:
Responding to a question on Australian TV, 47-year-old Brad Pitt says he’ll likely quit the acting biz in 3 years, after which he may focus on the producing end of movie-making (retirement at 50 – must be nice!) . . . Actress Cameron Diaz’s recent dates with entrepreneur Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs have been explained, a spokesperson claiming ‘they are not romantically involved, just meeting up to discuss a movie project’ (BS translation: They’re boinking) . . . RadarOnline reports that “Jersey Shore’s” Nicole ‘Snooki’ Polizzi has trimmed down from a size 4 to a 2 by cutting back on junk food & alcohol and lifting weights several days a week (the 4’-9” reality star says her goal is to hit 98 lbs) . . . Former US prez Bill Clinton’s 31-year-old daughter Chelsea has landed a gig as a TV correspondent for the NBC News series “Making A Difference” (not to be cruel but she’d look better on radio, no?) . . . 13-year-old movie actress Elle Fanning (“Super 8”) admits she doesn’t always get along with her 17-year-old actress-sister Dakota but misses her now that’s studying at New York University, especially her closet full of designer clothing (the rides to the mall were good too) . . . And Jay Z’s fashion line Rocawear has come under fire from Occupy Wall Street protesters after the clothing company began marketing T-shirts emblazoned with the slogan ‘Occupy All Streets’ in support of the campaign, but decided against donating any of the proceeds (that’s cuz he’s now one of the ‘1%’).

TODAY’S SHOW BIZ SKED:
• “Conan” (TBS) – Childish Gambino (“Camp”).
• “Dancing With the Stars (ABC) – Cobra Starship w/Sabi (“Night Shades”) perform; the Muppets take over the ballroom; another couple is eliminated.
• “Jimmy Kimmel Live” (ABC) – Christina Perri (“lovestrong”).
• “Last Call With Carson Daly” (NBC) – Mastodon (“Hunter”).
• “Late Night With Jimmy Fallon” (NBC) – Tony Bennett (“Duets 2”).
• “Late Show With David Letterman” (CBS) – Drake (2nd album “Take Care” is out today, which includes collaborations with Motown legend Stevie Wonder).
• “Live With Regis & Kelly” (syndicated) – Tony Bennett (“Duets 2”).
• “Tavis Smiley” (PBS) – Chris Isaak (“Beyond the Sun”).
• “Tonight Show With Jay Leno” (NBC) – Patrick Stump (“Soul Punk”).
• Vintage Comics & Comic Art Signature Auction – Heritage Auctions’ 3-day event, beginning today in Beverly Hills, California (streaming live online), features several million-dollars-worth of the pen-and-ink artwork behind famous comics, including classic Batman art, and some Jack Kirby inks.
NET: http://bit.ly/utntjq

BS MUSIC NOTES:
• David Nail – Today he releases his sophomore country album, “The Sound Of a Million Dreams”, the follow-up to 2009’s “I’m About to Come Alive”.
• Guns N’ Roses – An Italian website has launched an online campaign to encourage the band’s original members to reunite for next year’s Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony (should they be selected). Fans are being asked to sign a petition at the website forum.
NET: http://gnronline.it
• Gym Class Heroes – Their oft-delayed new album “The Paper Chronicles II” is out today, which includes some recurring themes from the first “Papercut Chronicles”, both musically and lyrically.
• Michael Jackson – A new book by former assistant & manager, Frank Cascio, claims he began using Propofol – the drug that killed him in 2009 – at least a decade earlier. “My Friend Michael: An Ordinary Friendship With an Extraordinary Man” also suggests that Jackson’s drug use began in the mid-1980s when he started taking the painkiller Demerol.
• REM – Their 2-disc set, “Part Lies, Part Truth, Part Heart, Part Garbage: 1982-2011”, is out today. The compilation, which was already in the works before the group’s decision to split up, includes 3 new songs recorded earlier this year.
• Rolling Stones – Keith Richards tells “The Guardian” he & Mick Jagger are like brothers who ‘sometimes love each other and sometimes hate each other’. He also says it’s like working with Maria Callas. Quote: “The diva is right and we’ve got to try and put music together without annoying the diva.”
• Slash – Today he releases his first live solo album entitled “Made In Stoke 24/7/11”. He played Stoke-on-Trent UK, where he was raised, at the end of his 2010-11 tour.
• The Who – Today they re-release “Quadrophenia” in a ‘Deluxe Edition’ and a ‘Director’s Cut’ box set, which includes a re-master of the original double album, previously unheard demos, a DVD, hardcover book, personal notes, photos, and other memorabilia.

TODAY’S VIDEO RELEASES:

• “God Bless Ozzy Osbourne” ( NR Music Documentary ): The life story of the classic rocker as seen through the eyes of his youngest, Jack Osbourne. Ozzy recounts his troubled youth, his early career with Black Sabbath, and the impact of fame and addictions. Includes live performances from around-the-world, plus behind-the-scenes footage.
• “Larry Crowne” ( PG-13 Dramedy ): Tom Hanks, who also directed, stars as the title character, a middle-aged man who goes back-to-school after losing his job. Julia Roberts plays the community college teacher he falls for. The last time they co-starred onscreen was in “Charlie Wilson’s War” (2007). Hanks hasn’t directed a film since 1996’s “That Thing You Do!”.
• “Superheroes” ( NR Documentary ): Explores the world of real-life caped crusaders and chronicles the lives of these dedicated crime-busters as they protect and support their local communities, from NYC to Seattle to Orlando to San Diego. These everyday citizens don masks, homemade costumes & utility belts in an attempt to bring justice to evildoers.
• Also released today: “The California Raisins Collection” (Animation); “Dora the Explorer: Celebrate With Dora” (Animation Compilation); “It Takes a Thief: The Complete Series” (Vintage TV); “The Lion King – DVD Edition” (Animation); “Smallville: The Complete Series” (TV); and “West Side Story: 50th Anniversary Edition” (Musical).

FRIEND LIST:
How many friends do you have? Not the Facebook kind, but actual close confidantes? Results of a new online poll of over 2,000 adults on the subject …
• 0 friends … 4%
• 1 friend … 48%
• 2 friends … 18%
• 3 or more … 29%
The current average of 2 friends (2.3 to be precise) is down from 3 confidantes 25 years ago.
– LiveScience.com

CRAPPY TEA:
An Yashi, a professor at Sinchuan University in China, has developed a new tea which is fertilized with … panda droppings. At $80,000 per kilo ($36,000/lb), it’ll be the most expensive tea in the world when it reaches the market. Yashi claims it’s worth that price because of its special health benefits. The tea is said to be rich in fiber and nutrients, and – like green tea – contains an element that can fight cancer, thanks to the panda’s diet of bamboo. It’s described as having a mature, nutty taste, and a very distinctive aroma while it’s brewing. (We bet.)
– SBS.com.au

SKIRTING THE ISSUE:
Amateur boxing’s governing body will sound out competitors and the public before deciding whether women should wear skirts instead of shorts in the ring at the 2012 London Olympics. AIBA spokesman Sebastien Gillot says the world body never suggested skirts should be compulsory and is surprised at the way the controversy has snowballed over the past couple weeks. Several women boxers have criticized attempts to encourage them to wear skirts for what seems to be purely esthetic reasons. (Sounds like a joke, right? Apparently not.)
– Reuters.com

MYTHS ABOUT CREEPY CRAWLERS:

• The female black widow spider does not always eat her mate.
• The praying mantis can, in fact, copulate without decapitating her mate.
• Falling asleep with candy in your mouth will not make ants burrow into your brain through your ears.
• Daddy long-legs do not have the most potent venom to humans. They’re not venomous.
• No spider ever laid eggs in someone’s skin, mouth, or beehive hairdo.
• Spiders are not waiting in airplane toilet seats to bite your butt.
• Millipedes do not have a thousand legs. They have 2 pairs of legs per segment.
• No one knows how many spiders the average person swallows in a year or a lifetime … if any. That so-called ‘statistic’ was invented online and based on no evidence whatsoever.
– Arizona-Writer.com

‘ATTRACTIVE’ NAIL POLISH:

Nails Inc’s new ‘Magnetic Polish’ creates cool 3-D effects when you put a magnet over your nails while it’s drying. As the magnet is held over the nail, iron powder in the formula gravitates toward the magnet, forming the pattern secretly hidden in the magnet. The magnet is included in the cap of the nail polish. Comes in chrome, purple, and teal … at $16 a bottle.
NET: http://sephora.com/browse/product.jhtml?id=P296010
– Neatorama.com

CUTE TODAY, MAYBE NOT TOMORROW:
Do cute babies turn out to be attractive adults? Past research has shown that adult attractiveness can be predicted as early as age 5, but until now no study has tracked attractiveness from infancy. Researchers comparing photos of infants with the same people in high-school yearbooks have found there’s no correlation between attractiveness in infancy and in adulthood. In both males and females, some ugly ducklings turn into swans, some beautiful babies grow gawky, and some babies simply retain their looks. The conclusion: Cuteness – or homeliness – in infancy does not predict future attractiveness. (Check out mom & dad.)
– “Psychology Today”

DID YOU KNOW?

• ‘Occupy’ has been the most commonly-used word in print and on the Internet over the past year, according to a new Global Language Monitor study.
– Telegraph.co.uk
• There are more than a million earthquakes worldwide each year. In the past decade, they’ve caused more than 780,000 deaths, almost 60% of all disaster-related mortality.
– BBC News

BS CHRONOMETER 11.15.11


TODAY’S CELEBIRTHDAYS . . .
1970 [41] Jack Ingram, Houston TX, country singer (“Barefoot & Crazy”, “Wherever You Are”)

1974 [37] Chad Kroeger, Hanna AB, much-vilified rock singer (Nickelback-“Rockstar”, “How You Remind Me”)

1974 [37] Jesse Sandoval, Albuquerque NM, indie rock drummer (The Shins-“Phantom Limb”, “So Says I”)

1977 [34] Sean Murray, Bethesda MD, TV actor (‘Special Agent Timothy McGee’ on “NCIS” since 2003)

1988 [23] BoB (Bobby Ray Simmons Jr), Winston-Salem NC, rapper-songwriter-producer (f/Hayley Williams-“Airplanes”, f/Bruno Mars-“Nothin’ on You”)

TODAY’S BS REASONS TO PARTY . . .

• “America Recycles Day”, a day to promote that idea that recycling not only makes sense, it makes a huge difference to our environment, our quality of life, and our future.

• “Clean Out Your Refrigerator Day”, dedicated to fridges filled with ‘USOs’ … Unidentified Shriveled Objects. Time to hunt down and throw out that green-crusted pork chop from last Summer’s BBQ, the moldy mayo jar, and any other ‘mystery items’ you find. What’s the oddest thing in your fridge?

• “George Spelvin Day” (female variation ‘Georgette’ or ‘Georgina’), commemorating the 1886 invention of the name used on Broadway for actors who have more than one role in a play. The fictitious name has appeared in over 10,000 Broadway programs. The name ‘Walter Plinge’ is similarly used on the British stage.

• “Pack Your Mom’s Lunch Day”, when kids with a mother who’s gone back-to-school are encouraged to honor her by making her lunch … or could it just be payback for all those peanut butter & baloney sandwiches mom made?

• “Sadie Hawkins Day”, named after the “Li’l Abner” comic strip character ‘Sadie Hawkins, the homeliest gal in the hills’. The tradition that girls can ask boys out on this day was born in the  “Li’l Abner” strip published 74 years ago on November 15, 1937.
NET: http://www.lil-abner.com/sadiehawk.html

THIS DAY IN SHOW BIZ . . .

2006 [05] Arab news channel al-Jazeera launches international English-language service

TODAY’S MUSIC EVENTS . . .

1996 [15] Michael Jackson marries the woman carrying his baby – his plastic surgeon’s nurse, Debbie Rowe – in an Australian wedding ceremony

2007 [04] Kenneth Donnell of Glasgow, Scotland pays $122,000 for 2 tickets to Led Zeppelin’s one-off reunion at London’s O2 Arena (the charity-auction purchase includes admission to the legendary band’s rehearsal)

TODAY’S FIRST . . .
2005 [06] 1st person to undergo a ‘Partial Face Transplant’, in Amiens, France (Isabelle Dinoire had been attacked by a dog earlier in the year)

TODAY’S RECORD . . .
2007 [04] Guinness World Record set for ‘Longest Piano Recital’ as Pat Jones of Jacksonville, Florida tickles the ivories for 65 consecutive hours

COMING UP . . .
[Wed] International Day for Tolerance
[Wed] Educational Support Professionals Day
[Thurs] National Unfriend Day
[Thurs] Homemade Bread Day
[Thurs] Use Less Stuff Day
This Week Is … Geography Awareness Week
This Month Is … Long-Term Care Awareness Month

BULL’S BITS


BABY BOOMERS – THEN AND NOW …
• Then: K-e-g. Now: E-K-G.
• Then: Acid  rock. Now: Acid  reflux.
• Then: Moving  to California because it’s cool. Now: Moving  to Arizona because it’s warm.
• Then: Rolling Stones. Now: Kidney stones.
• Then: Disco. Now: Costco.
• Then: Seeds and stems. Now: Roughage.
• Then: Passing  the driver’s test. Now: Passing  the vision test.
• Then: Whatever. Now: Depends.

BS PHONE STARTER:
Which sports team has the ugliest uniforms?

BS GEOGRAPHY GAME:
This is “National Geography Awareness Week”, so here’s a quickie quiz to check out yours …
• What’s the capital of Illinois? (Springfield)
• Lake Okeechobee is found in which state? (Florida)
• What’s the 2-letter abbreviation for the state of Montana? (MT)
• Which of these states is NOT in the Midwest – Iowa, Colorado, Wisconsin? (Colorado)
• Which state was once a monarchy? (Hawaii)
• Name the 4 states in the ‘Four Corners Area’. (Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, Utah.)
• Lake Michigan borders how many states? (4.)
– ESL Quiz Center

BS RANDOM JOKE:
A vulture boards an airplane, carrying 2 dead raccoons. The flight attendant looks at him and says, “I’m sorry, sir, only 1 carrion allowed per passenger.”

BS WATER COOLER QUESTION:

Question: When it comes to buying THESE, 20% of us buy the wrong size.
Answer: Gloves.

BS DEEP THOUGHT:
Eat the rich, the poor are tough and stringy.

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