Tuesday, September 25, 2007        Edition: #3620
Sheet For Brains!

BS SHOW BIZ BUZZ:
Actress Lindsay Lohan’s wacked mom Dina says that although Li-Lo has a movie shoot scheduled after her stay in rehab, she also plans to travel & possibly even study abroad (yeah, likely astrophysics) . . . Skanky has-been rocker-turned-actress Courtney Love is reportedly dating Kate Moss’ ex-bf, drug addled loser Pete Doherty (and they say Match.com doesn’t work!) . . . Meantime Courtney Love has announced she wants to launch her own perfume but she’s worried nobody wants to smell like her (and rightly so!) . . . At the request of hubby Ashton, Demi Moore has officially changed her name to Demi Kutcher, but she’ll still use her own name professionally (if she ever gets another movie role, that is) . . . Actor George Clooney’s doing fine but is in a lot of pain after FRIDAY’s motorcycle mishap in New Jersey, however shooting on his new movie “Burn After Reading” is expected to go ahead as scheduled in NYC . . . Former “That ’70s Show” actor Wilmer Valderrama doesn’t need to worry about a lack of screen roles, he’s become a mogul in the hospitality biz with another restaurant in the works, this one a South American-influenced steakhouse called ‘The Company’ set to open in the Luxor Hotel in Las Vegas later THIS YEAR (this guy’s sharper than his public persona) . . . 26-year-old Paris Hilton’s constant companion these days is a 20-year-old pizza delivery guy she apparently picked up while clubbing (uh honey, that’s dating waaaay ‘below the line’) . . . And Hollywood tough guy Bruce Willis was PO-ed after his party of 8 was turned away from trendy NYC nightclub Socialista – it seems the doorman didn’t have any idea who he was (you know your star is fading when …).

BS MUSIC NOTES:
• Blue Rodeo — In a bit of a guerilla marketing campaign, they played several impromptu gigs in downtown Toronto YESTERDAY, including Union Station during morning rush hour, to promote their new album, “Small Miracles”, out TODAY.
• Led Zeppelin – Frontman Robert Plant is reportedly trying to convince the rest of the band to play a special show at Belfast’s Ulster Hall when it reopens in NOVEMBER, 2008. The venue is where they first played their signature song, “Stairway To Heaven”, in 1971.
• My Chemical Romance – In a emotional new interview, frontman Gerard Way says that his band has nothing to do the ‘pile of [sheet]’ that is emo.
• Natasha Bedingfield – Her new single “Love Like This” features 17-year-old “Beautiful Girls” phenom Sean Kingston.
• Rascal Flatts – “Take Me There” is their 9th #1 single.
• Sex Pistols — The punk legends’ one-off NOVEMBER 8th reunion concert at London’s Brixton Academy sold out in just 10 minutes, so now they’ve added 2 more shows …. and more than doubled the price. Tickets for the first show sold for circa $75. The new dates … $170-a-pop!
• Taylor Swift — Her song “A Place In This World” has been featured on the new FOX-TV series “Nashville”. She wrote the song when she was 13 and had just moved to Music City.

TODAY’S SHOW BIZ SKED:
• Black Eyed Peas – Frontman will.i.am releases his first solo album, “Songs About Girls”.
• “Cane” (CBS/Global) – Jimmy Smits’ new drama series debuts, in which he plays the heir to the ‘Duque’ family’s sugar cane & rum empire. Has nothing to do with the real-life Florida-based Fanjul family … honest, nothing at all.
• “House” (FOX/Global) – In the 4th season premiere, House works to save a woman injured in an office-building collapse.
• James Blunt – He’s on the “Ellen DeGeneres Show” (syndicated/CityTV).
• Rascal Flatts – Their new CD, “Still Feels Good”, is out TODAY, featuring a track with  actor/singer Jamie Foxx, a longtime pal of frontman Gary LeVox (‘leh-VOH’). TODAY they perform on both “Good Morning America” (ABC) and “Late Show With David Letterman” (CBS).
• Reba McEntire w/Vince Gill – They perform a duet from her new album on the “Tonight Show With Jay Leno” (NBC).
• Whiskey Falls – The country band’s debut CD, “Last Train Running”, comes out TODAY but their music has already been featured on daytime drama “Days of Our Lives”, the TV series “Saving Grace”, and in an ad for AAMCO Transmissions.
• Also released TODAY: “Goin’ Home: A Tribute to Fats Domino”, featuring  Elton John (“Blueberry Hill”), Paul McCartney (“I Want to Walk You Home”); Tom Petty (“I’m Walkin’”); and Willie Nelson (“I Hear You Knockin’”) as well as BB King, Neil Young, Norah Jones & Robert Plant; Joni Mitchell’s “Shine”, a 10-song collection which follows Paul McCartney’s “Memory Almost Full” as the 2nd album released on Starbucks’ Hear Music label; and “Tony Bennett Sings The Ultimate American Songbook, Volume 1” (meaning, there’s 2 or 3 more in the can).

TODAY’S VIDEO RELEASES:
• “Bug” ( Horror Thriller ): Michael Shannon plays a paranoid, unhinged Gulf War vet who sees insects everywhere. He holes up in a spooky Oklahoma motel room with a lonely waitress (Ashley Judd) who’s on the run from her abusive husband (Harry Connick Jr).
• “Evening” ( Drama ): Vanessa Redgrave plays a woman on her deathbed who wants to warn her daughters (real-life daughter Natasha Richardson, and Toni Collette) not to make the same mistakes she did in life. So she relates the tragic tale of her young self (Claire Danes) and the man she loved (Patrick Wilson).
• “Knocked Up” ( Romantic Comedy ): Seth Rogen plays a slacker-stoner who enjoys a one-off drunken romp with an up-and-coming E! entertainment reporter who’s way out of his league (Katherine Heigl of “Grey’s Anatomy”). When she later realizes she’s pregnant, she decides to keep the baby, forcing both of them to make major changes in their lives. Also available in a ‘Unrated 2-Disc Collector’s Edition’.
• “Next” ( Sci-Fi Thriller ): Nicolas Cage plays a Las Vegas showroom magician who really can see into the future, an ability that makes him a target of the FBI who want him to help stop America’s enemies before they strike. Based on a short story by Philip K Dick (“Blade Runner”), NOT the best-selling novel of the same name by Michael Crichton.
• Also released TODAY: “Babel: Special Collector’s Edition”; “Cujo: 25th Anniversary Edition”; “King of Queens – The Complete 9th Season”; “The Mickey Rooney & Judy Garland Collection: Ultimate Collector’s Edition”; and “My Name Is Earl: Season 2”.

THE WEB, AN ALTERNATIVE TO LIFE:
A new poll of just over 1,000 adults shows that surfing the net has become such an obsession for many of us, 1 in 3 admit to giving up friends and even sex for it. A few highlights …
• 48% agree they feel something important is missing when they don’t have Internet access.
• 28% spend less time socializing face-to-face with peers because of the time they spend online.
• 20% spend less time having sex because they are online.
• 15% say they would only feel okay giving up online activity for ‘a day or less’; 21% could last ‘a couple of days’; only 20% say they could go ‘a full week or more’.
All this tech preoccupation has led to the new term ‘Digitivity Denizens’ to describe those whose online and offline lives are co-mingled and who would chose a Wi-Fi connection over TV any day. This is how ‘D-Ds’ communicate, entertain and live.
– Reuters

SCIENTISTS SAY:
A compendium of recent ‘discoveries’ –
• Scientists say … being lazy extends your life. According to doctor-couple Peter & Michaela Axt of Germany, the body has a limited amount of energy to be used over a lifetime. So they advise that composure, contentedness, moderation, and even laziness may be the keys to a healthy, productive and successful life. (In other words, take a chill pill!)
• Scientists say … being thin is in your genes. Having recently discovered what they’re calling the ‘skinny gene’, they hope the discovery could eventually lead to a cure to obesity. (Dunno what they’re looking at but there’s nothing skinny in [sports reporter’s] jeans.)
• Scientists say … unhappy people are better workers than cheerful ones. A Norwegian study finds that depressed employees tend to be less confident, and therefore use more creativity to look deeper for solutions. (Problem is, they’re also more likely to off their co-workers with an Uzi.)
• Scientists say … that swearing may actually be a healthy habit. University of Florida research suggests it can provide instant release from stress. (For the swearer maybe, but not the swearee.)

HOW TO LOSE POUNDS DINING OUT:
The average restaurant meal in London, England now costs $79, making the most expensive city for dining in the world, according to restaurant rating company Zagat. Paris, France is runner-up at nearly $72, followed by Tokyo, Japan at just over $71 (the prices include drinks & standard tips).That makes eating out in any of these cities more than twice as expensive as NYC, where the average meal costs just $39. London is already the world’s 2nd-costliest city overall, just behind Moscow.
– AP

HOW TO TELL IF SHE’S FLIRTING WITH YOU:
Guys are such dolts when it comes to picking up on clues. So here’s a handy guide to signs a woman likes the cut of your jib …
• She keeps glancing over and smiling.
• She plays with her hair.
• She initiates conversation and asks if you like certain activities.
• She laughs at your jokes.
• She pays you a compliment.
• She makes sexual comments and touches you.
(And another surefire sign: She’s wearing your shirt.)
– AskMen.com

VANISHING VERNACULAR:
Of the estimated 7,000 languages spoken in the world today, linguists say almost half are likely to become extinct this century. New research has identified 5 regions where languages are disappearing most rapidly: northern Australia; central South America; North America’s upper Pacific coastal zone; eastern Siberia; and the American southwest.
– “New York Times“

LIFE BY THE NUMBERS:
A BS snapshot of who we are and what we do …
• 99 % of pumpkins are sold for decoration only.
• 71% of those killed by floods & lightning strikes during storms are male.
• 70% of retirees say their biggest regret was not having enough sex earlier in life.
• 23% of sports fans admit they have prayed for a win in a sports event.
• 13% of us spend at least 5 minutes a day during work hours looking for another job.
• 10% of us have quit a job because our mommies told us to.

BS AMAZING FACT:
People with straight hair average almost twice as many tangles as those with curly hair.
– LiveScience.com

AND WE QUOTE:
“I’ll never be able to work another real job so I consider that to be kinda forcing myself to stick to music.”
– Good Charlotte rocker Benji Madden, sharing his creative motivation … food & shelter.

BS CHRONOMETER 09.25.07

TODAY’S CELEBIRTHDAYS . . .
1929 [78] Barbara Walters, Boston MA, TV personality/producer (“The View”)/former TV news anchor (“20/20”1978-2004)/1st female network news anchor (“ABC Evening News” 1976-1978)/news magazine host (“The Today Show” on NBC-TV 1961-1976)/TV Hall of Fame (1990)

1933 [74] Ian Tyson, Victoria BC, legendary Canadian folk/country singer (Ian & Sylvia-“Four Strong Winds”)/Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame (1989)

1944 [63] Michael Douglas, New Brunswick NJ, movie actor/director/producer (“Traffic”, Academy Award-“Wall Street”)/Mr Catherine Zeta-Jones since 2000

1961 [46] Heather Locklear, Westwood CA, TV actress (“Spin City” 1999-2002, “Melrose Place” 1993-99)/David Spade’s ex-girlfriend/Mrs Richie Samboro 1994-2006/Mrs Tommy Lee 1986-94

1962 [45] Aida Turturro, NYC, TV actress (‘Janice Soprano’ on “The Sopranos” 2000-07)

1968 [39] Will Smith, Philadelphia PA, movie actor (“Hitch”, “Men In Black”)/sometime rapper (“Switch”, “Gettin’ Jiggy Wit It”)/Mr Jada Pinkett since 1997

1969 [38] Catherine Zeta-Jones, Swansea, Wales, movie actress (“The Legend of Zorro”, Academy Award-“Chicago”)/Mrs Michael Douglas since 2000 (25 years younger)  UP NEXT: The bigscreen version of the smash Broadway musical “Nine”.

1980 [27] TI (Clifford Joseph Harris Jr), Atlanta GA, rapper (“Big Things Poppin’ (Do It)”, “What You Know”)/movie actor (“ATL”) UP NEXT: Has a role in “American Gangster”, starring Denzel Washington & Russell Crowe, opening NOVEMBER 2nd.

TODAY’S BS REASONS TO PARTY . . .
• “Chinese Moon Festival” or “Mid-Autumn Festival“ begins, a popular Asian celebration of abundance and togetherness, dating back over 3,000 years to China’s Zhou Dynasty. In Malaysia and Singapore, it is sometimes referred to as the “Lantern Festival”. Traditional customs include barbecues outside under the moon; putting pomelo rinds on one’s head; carrying brightly lit lanterns; burning incense; planting trees; lighting lanterns on towers; and fire dragon dances.

• “Imperfection Week”, celebrating the fact that we’re not all perfect. (Some less so than others.)

• “One-Hit Wonder Day”, originally sponsored by “One Shot Magazine” to honor musicians who made it big only once before fading into obscurity. There’s nothing like a one-hit wonder to zap some spice into the bland regimen of playlist radio. For an artist & title list, try these sites …
NET: http://www.dogpound.biz/onehit.html#ohw
NET: http://tinyurl.com/22fpyh

TODAY’S MUSIC EVENTS . . .
1976 [31] Boston releases their all-time classic “More Than a Feeling”

TODAY’S FIRSTS . . .
1926 [81] NHL grants franchises to the Chicago Black Hawks and the Detroit Red Wings

1981 [26] 1st woman US Supreme Court Justice sworn in (Sandra Day O’Connor)

1996 [11] Canada’s population reaches 30 million (many of whom are legal residents)

AND REMEMBER . . .
[Wed] Food Service Employees Day
[Wed] Full Moon (Harvest Moon)
[Thurs] Ancestor Appreciation Day
[Thurs] World Tourism Day
[Thurs] World Maritime Day
[Thurs] Van Halen reunion tour begins (Charlotte NC)
This Week Is … Chimney Safety Week
This Month Is … Be Kind to Editors & Writers Month

BULL’S BITS

INITIAL IMPRESSIONS:
Some people are so famous, people know who they are just from their initials … or we think they do. Let’s find out …
• AI … NBA player Allen Iverson (Denver Nuggets).
• BB … Aging French movie star Brigitte Bardot (“And God Created Woman”).
• JT … Pop singer Justin Timberlake.
• LBJ … Former US president Lyndon Baines Johnson.
• LT … Nowadays it more likely refers to NFL running back LaDaninian Tomlinson (San Diego Chargers). Previously, it referred to Pro Football Hall of Fame linebacker Lawrence Taylor (NY Giants).
• OJ … Accused kidnapper & thief, former movie actor & football player exonerated of murder.
• RFK … US politician Robert F Kennedy.
• TO … NFL player Terrell Owens (Dallas Cowboys).
• TP … NBA player Tony Parker (San Antonio Spurs).
• ZZ … Retired French soccer player Zinedine Zidane (France, Real Madrid).

BS PHONE STARTER:
From now on, you only visit 2 websites when you’re online. Which do you pick?

BS RANDOM JOKE:
Somebody ought to cross Sharpies with coat hangers so that pens will multiply instead of disappear.

BS WATER COOLER QUESTION:
Today’s Question: THIS happens 400 times a year in the average household.
Answer to Give Out Next Show: We wash a load of laundry. (“O Magazine”)

BS DEEP THOUGHT:
Boredom is tiring.