Yourtango.com reported that a newlywed couple from Omaha, Nebraska recently moved in with the bride's ex-husband. Although the situation began when the first husband offered to take them in following husband number two's job loss, the men now say they are great friends. They added that once they explained to their two daughters, who are six and eight, that their mother doesn't have two husbands, the arrangement began working so well that the three think they'll continue it for a few more years.
Want to be still holding hands after 40 more years? Here are some suggestions (from MSN.com Dating and Personals) on how to keep it together:
Start solid. Remember that best friend you had when you were a kid? Whether blissfully playing side-by-side in the sandbox or building an awesome fort together, you two just grooved on being in each other's presence. Happy couples share that same serendipitous groove, if in the all-grown-up world.
Keep it fresh. Routines and traditions can give a couple a comforting sense of predictability that's both grounding and reassuring. But surprises and adventures are also essential to really keeping that spark alive.
Clear the air. It's perfectly natural for any couple to encounter frustrations, disappointments, and miscommunications from time to time. But if grievances go unaired, they can pile up to a mountain of resentment and put the relationship at risk.
Have a life. A healthy relationship consists of two individuals who each maintain a strong sense of themselves and take a genuine interest in the other. One may decide to go back to school to pursue a higher degree, while the other may get involved in a volunteer project or a photography workshop. Maintaining individual identities and pursuing individual interests ensures that there'll always be new things to share and to learn about each other.
Tune it up. Whether it be once a month or once a year, a regularly scheduled sit-down can allow for some essential upkeep and maintenance of a healthy relationship. Happy couples may agree to a periodic summit meeting to check in with one another about the overall well-being of their partnership.
For the record, when the Idols perform together on the "Results" show, they ARE lip-syncing to a previously recorded track.
It's David Cook and Lady Gaga performing on the "Results" show this week.
The topless revue Les Folies Bergere has called it quits after 49 years at the Tropicana hotel-casino in Las Vegas. The first show was on Christmas Day, 1959.
The safest seat on an airplane is in an aisle seat within five rows of an emergency exit, according to an exhaustive study from the United Kingdom's University of Greenwich that examined 105 airline accidents along with firsthand accounts of 2000 survivors.
Actor Tim Allen is a father for the second time. His wife, Jane, gave birth to a 5-pound, 13-ounce girl, Elizabeth, on Saturday in Los Angeles.
The two-hour finale of "E.R." is this Thursday night on NBC, with a one-hour retrospective kicking things off at 8pm (7 central & mountain).
Fox is working on a dating show for overweight people called, "More to Love."
French composer Maurice Jarre has died at the age of 84. He is best known for writing the haunting song "Lara's Theme" from the film "Doctor Zhivago."
"Cupid" is coming back to ABC. The first 12 episodes aired back in 1998. Now it's being given a second chanc
Mussels: A good source of zinc, which plays a role in cell reproduction and hormonal balance, both of which affect hair growth.
Steak: It is high in protein, iron and zinc. Zinc manages the glands that attach to your hair follicles. Hair is made mostly of protein so it makes sense that a protein-heavy diet would help prevent hair loss.
Milk: The drink is rich in iodine (another mineral vital to healthy hair, skin and nails).
Black beans and other legumes: Good sources of protein and iron.
Chickpeas: These, also in the legume family, are high in zinc and vitamin B-6, both great for maintaining healthy hair.
Eggs and other sources of dairy, such as yogurt: These are also good ways to add extra protein to your diet. Eggs are loaded with nutrients like selenium and magnesium.
AMERICANS WARNED TO AVOID PISTACHIOS IN SALMONELLA SCARE
The Food and Drug Administration is warning Americans to avoid eating pistachios while a report of possible salmonella contamination is investigated. Kraft Foods notified the FDA last week that it had detected salmonella in roasted pistachios through routine product testing. Setton Farms, the country's second-largest pistachio processor, then launched a voluntary recall of its entire 2008 crop, which is more than one million pounds of pistachios. This latest incident comes in the wake of the national salmonella outbreak involving peanuts, in which more than 690 people in 46 states were sickened.
HALLE BERRY CONSIDERING MORE CHILDREN: Halle Berry has not ruled out having more children. When asked by Ellen DeGeneres if one-year-old Nahla may be getting a sibling, Berry responded, "My mind says yes, but the rest isn't up to me so we'll see." If Berry and longtime partner Gabriel Aubry are able to conceive again, she stressed it would be part of a small brood. Presumably referring to "Octomom," she joked, "I hope I don't have like 14 more."
JOSH HARTNETT HOSPITALIZED WITH STOMACH PAINS: Josh Hartnett was hospitalized on Monday (March 30th) after suffering from stomach pains. The actor's rep told People magazine that he was able to walk to an ambulance, which arrived at Hartnett's Los Angeles hotel around 2 a.m. The rep added that Hartnett suffered a "flare-up" of an ongoing gastrointestinal problem that has been bothering him for the last several months.
MATT DILLON PLEADS GUILTY TO SPEEDING: Matt Dillon pleaded guilty to speeding on a Vermont interstate last year and after paying a $828 fine, the negligent operation charge filed against him was dismissed. Prosecutor Will Porter announced Dillon's guilty plea on Monday (March 31st), nearly three months after the 44-year-old was stopped while driving 106 miles per hour in Northern Vermont.
JADE GOODY'S SONS SKIPPING FUNERAL: Jade Goody's two young sons will not be present for her funeral this Saturday (April 4th). People magazine reports that five-year-old Bobby and four-year-old Freddy are being taken on a trip to Australia by their father, Jeff Brazier, as thousands gather to pay their last respects to the 27-year-old British reality star.
LAIM NEESON RETURNS TO WORK: Liam Neeson returned to work less than two weeks after the tragic death of his wife, Natasha Richardson. A rep for the actor confirmed that he completed filming Chloe in Toronto, the set he rushed off from upon hearing of Richardson's ski injury. A source who saw the grieving Neeson alone at a hotel bar near the production told the New York Post, "It was so sad."
SHAMWOW PITCHMAN ARRESTED:Vince Shlomi -- better known as the ShamWow Guy -- was arrested in February on a felony battery charge, the Smoking Gun recently discovered. According to the arrest affidavit, 44-year-old Shlomi began punching a 26-year-old woman he'd paid for sex after she "bit his tongue and would not let go." Prosecutors recently decided not to file formal charges against Shlomi or the woman, who was also arrested on a battery charge. Shlomi gained cult fame by hocking absorbent towels and food choppers.
JAMIE KENNEDY RECOVERING FROM KIDNEY STONES: Jamie Kennedy is recovering at home with some tender loving care from girlfriend Jennifer Love Hewitt after being hospitalized last week with kidney stones. People magazine reported that after the couple flew back from a Mexican vacation, Kennedy was forced to alter his work schedule due to the pain. A source told the magazine, "He had comedy shows scheduled in Boston, but he canceled them because of his kidney stones. He felt better later in the day and went home, but on Thursday he started hurting again and he went back to the hospital." The source added that Kennedy is at home now and "feeling better."
ALYSON HANNIGAN GIVE BIRTH TO BABY GIRL:How I Met Your Mother star Alyson Hannigan and her husband, actor Alexis Denisof had a baby girl last week, People reports. Satyana Denisof was born in Los Angeles on March 24, which also happens to be Hannigan's birthday. "They're very excited, and mom and baby are doing great," says a rep for the actress.
Taylor Swift rises to the top of the USA Today/Mediabase country singles charts this week with her latest single, "White Horse." This is Swift's fourth Number One single, and the second from her latest CD titled Fearless.
The teenager is scheduled to appear on The Tonight Show With Jay Leno on Thursday (April 2nd).
From Los Angeles, Swift will head to Las Vegas for a performance at the Academy Of Country Music Awards on Sunday (April 5th). Swift is nominated for Album of the Year for Fearless, Top Female Vocalist and Video of the Year for "Love Story."
While on the West Coast this week, Swift will attend the premiere of Hannah Montana: The Movie. She makes a cameo appearance in the film, performing her original song "Crazier." She also contributed the song "You'll Always Find Your Way Back Home" (performed by Hannah Montana) to the film and soundtrack.
FAST FACTS
Swift is the first country artist in the 16-year history of the Nielsen BDS chart to have a single reach Number One on the pop chart. She achieved that feat earlier this year with "Love Story."
Swift kicks off her first-ever headlining tour on April 23rd in Evansville, Indiana. So far, all shows have been sold out, including her August date at New York's Madison Square Garden, which sold out in one minute.
Keith Urban's new studio album, Defying Gravity, sees release on Tuesday (March 31st). The 11-song project features all-new material which Urban wrote specifically for this CD. His debut single, "Sweet Thing," has already topped the country charts.
Defying Gravity is obviously already on track to do well, but regardless, come release day, Urban tells us he intentionally changes his focus. "Well, I try and shift my attention towards putting the tour together cause that's the next project that I'm involved in. That's the next thing I'm building. The record's done. Once it's out there I have no control over it. I'm done with it, as far as that goes. That's one thing I have gotten better at is just letting it go."
Urban says that technology and the internet have allowed people to re-create his albums, a reality he's finally learned to accept. "Some people will only buy a few singles. Some may buy the whole album but then put it on playlists and change the order of the sequence, and they'll just do all kinds of things to it, which I'm far more content with than I've ever been because that's the society we're in. I can do whatever I want with it up to the point of releasing it, and then it's up to everybody else to do whatever they want with it."
Urban's last studio album was 2006's Love, Pain & The Whole Crazy Thing.
He kicks off his Escape Together World tour on May 7th in Uncasville, Connecticut. Urban will team with a different touring partner in each city, including Sugarland, Taylor Swift, Jason Aldean, Lady Antebellum, The Zac Brown Band and Dierks Bentley.
Toby Keith will make the leap into the gaming realm with his Rock Band debut for the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and the Playstation 3 and PlayStation 2 computer entertainment systems. The "Toby Keith 6-Pack" will be available at the Rock Band Music Store of downloadable content beginning on April 7th for Xbox and on April 9th for Playstation. The "6-pack" includes Keith's hits "Should've Been A Cowboy," "How Do You Like Me Now," "Beer For My Horses," "Who's Your Daddy," "I Love This Bar," and "She's a Hottie."
All six tracks featured in the "Toby Keith 6-Pack" may also be purchased individually.
SIDE NOTE
Keith's feature film, Beer for My Horses, will receive the Tex Ritter Award at the upcoming Academy of Country Music (ACM) Honors on September 22nd in Nashville. The award is given to a movie that features country music. Keith co-wrote and starred in Beer For My Horses. His co-stars included Rodney Carrington, Ted Nugent, Tom Skerritt, Claire Forlani and Willie Nelson.
The Lost Trailers' Stokes Nielson and his wife, Maria, will welcome a new addition to the family this Fourth of July. The baby, who they recently learned is a boy, will join daughter Averly, who is one-and-a-half years old.
FAST FACTS
The Lost Trailers are nominated for Top Vocal Group at Sunday's (April 5th) ACM Awards in Las Vegas.
The group's debut single, "Holler Back," was a Top 10 hit.
New duo Caitlin & Will release their self-titled digital EP on Tuesday (March 31st). The six-song package includes their debut single, "Address In The Stars," which is currently climbing the charts. It also gives fans an opportunity to download an additional free bonus track.
Caitlin Lynn and Will Snyder became a duo while auditioning for last season's Can You Duet show on CMT. They arrived at the auditions with other duet partners, but producers liked what they saw in them, cut their partners loose and paired them up. The match worked, as Caitlin & Will won the show and a record deal with Sony Nashville.
As Caitlin & Will tell us, there is no formula for their chemistry: (Caitlin) "It just works. We don't try to explain it. We don't try to understand it. You know, Will and I really have the duo mentality whereas when we're choosing songs, we just come together. I don't know. A lot of things that we do are done separately and then we come together. It ends up being the same decision." (Will) "I mean, the whole thing is bizarre and weird (laughs) and there's no logic behind any of it. It just, like Caitlin says, it's fate and God, and it really is." (Caitlin) "That's why we don't even try to understand it (laughs)."
Caitlyn & Will's debut CD will be released later this year.
Craig Morgan and his friends Blake Shelton, Kellie Pickler, Bucky Covington, James Otto and Jason Michael Carroll will be joined by professional motocross riders Kevin Windham, Destrey Abbott, Fred Andrews, Barry Hawk and Andrew Short for The Craig Morgan Charity Ride on Tuesday (March 31st) in Morgan's hometown of Dickson, Tennessee. The day's events include a sold-out acoustic concert, a silent auction and a motocross and four-wheeler ride. The event launches The Craig Morgan Fund, which was established earlier this year to support youth-based local and national charities.
FAST FACT
The most recent Craig Morgan Charity Ride was held in late 2007. Proceeds from the event helped to fund structural improvements to Dickson's Van Leer Elementary School.
What could be the biggest game in Arizona State's women's basketball history is only a few hours away. A victory would place the Sun Devils in the school's first Final Four. Beat UConn in the Trenton Regional final tonight and history is theirs.
Louisville has knocked off top-seeded Maryland in the Raleigh Regional to reach the NCAA women's basketball Final Four. Angel McCoughtry's 21 points and 13 rebounds led the Cardinals to a 77-60 win over the Terrapins. And Stanford reached the Final Four as Jayne Appel scored a school-record 46 points and grabbed 16 rebounds to highlight the Cardinal's 74-53 rout of Iowa State in the Berkeley Regional.
In the NBA last night....
Milwaukee 107, New Jersey 78 Orlando 101, Miami 95 Utah 112, New York 104 Memphis 114, Golden State 109 Spring training continues to wind down. Today, the Arizona Diamondbacks host the Los Angeles Dodgers in Tucson. Yesterday, Brad Hawpe hit a three-run homer and the Colorado Rockies beat Arizona 10-3. The NFL has released its pre-season schedule. It features a Super Bowl rematch between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Arizona Cardinals. The Super Bowl champion Steelers will host the Cardinals on Aug. 13 - six months after Pittsburgh defeated Arizona 27-23 for the NFL title. The Thursday game will be on ESPN.
Plaxico Burress goes back to court today in his gun possession case, four months after he accidentally fired a bullet into his thigh at a Manhattan nightclub. A law enforcement official with knowledge of the case says that Burress and prosecutors have been in active discussions about a deal but remain at odds over the terms. The official says the District Attorney's office is pushing for a stiffer punishment than what defense lawyers believe Burress deserves. Phoenix beat Dallas 6-5 on Petr Prucha's goal 53 seconds into overtime. Brendan Morrison, Andrew Hutchinson, Darryl Sydor, Chris Conner and Loui Eriksson scored for the Stars, who have lost seven straight.
In the other NHL action from last night....
N.Y. Rangers 3, New Jersey 0 San Jose 2, Calgary 1
Do you like to snuggle up to your honey under the covers, or are you the type who needs your space? Your behavior in bed may be trying to tell you something important bout the health of your relationship. "The way partners share a bed says a huge amount how much they really like each other, trust and feel safe with each other," says Dr. Mark Goulston of the University of California. "Analyzing sleep positions can highlight trouble spots they may not even be aware of." Recognizing what these unconscious signs indicate can help couples iron out problems before they reach a crisis, Goulston adds.
The Spoon -- One partner cuddled up to the back of the other is the most common position in the first few years of a relationship. It implies physical trust and a feeling of complete emotional safety. "For many couples the Spoon is a comforting cocoon," says Baltimore psychologist and marital therapist Shirley Glass.
The Lovers Hug -- Typically the man is on his back with his arm around his partner and her head on his shoulder. Utter contentment is the hallmark here. "You're literally being brought in under the wing," Glass says. "It's a very nurturing position."
The Hooked Leg -- Casually touching your partner with your foot or leg indicates a healthy camaraderie. "They are showing a need for closeness as well as a desire to maintain individuality," Goulston says.
Back to Back -- faced away from each other with only your buttocks touching allows a private connection without clinging. "Like two circles, separate but overlapping, this position is a perfect definition of interdependence," Glass contends.
The Pursuit -- If your partner moves to the far side of the bed and you pursue, it's not necessarily a bad sign. "The partner who distances may actually want to be pursued," says Glass. "It's a test."
Opposite Sides -- If there's an ocean of sheet between you, closeness is fading and stress is building between you. "They're avoiding a lot of issues and don't trust each other," says Goulston. "They are probably thinking, 'What am I doing here?'"
Baby on Board-- If one partner continually brings the kid to bed, he or she may be expressing a fear of intimacy. Erecting this barrier is a way to prevent meaningful discussion of important issues. They must talk about why they feel this and work towards feeling comfortable," Goulston advises.
Fido Invasion -- If your mate plops your pet between you in bed every night, it's time to sit down and have a little talk. "He or she needs more affection, fears rejection and wants to put a barrier between themselves and a partner," Goulston explains.
It takes anywhere from three to 15 months to find the right job -- yet just days or weeks to lose it. Here are 10 traits that are career poison, according to CareerBuilder.com:
The most expensive home for sale in the U.S.? The late Aaron Spellling's 55,000-square-foot mansion, which his widow put up for sale at $150 million.
Cash-strapped former "Eight is Enough" and "Charles in Charge" star Willie Aames is selling off his belongings in suburban Kansas City.
Actress Mary Tyler Moore reveals in her new book, "Growing Up Again," that her greatest regret is when she developed type 1 diabetes at 33 and that it ultimately cost her her eyesight. Moore, now 72, said she did not take care of herself and manage her disease properly and decades later, she is paying dearly for that, losing most of her vision.
Men who regularly eat fish that is packed with omega-3 fatty acids have a far lower risk of developing advanced prostate cancer, WebMD reports of new research from the University of California, San Francisco.
Irving R. Levine, the bow-tied NBC newsman who explained the fine points of economics to millions of viewers for nearly a quarter century, has died. He was 86.
If you're a fan of "Friday Night Lights," it's gotten the go-ahead to crank out two more seasons worth of shows.
The new NBC show "Chopping Block" is done after just three weeks on the air.
You were supposed to turn off all of your electricity at 8:30 for an "Earth Hour" on Saturday night. Did you remember?
A new study says that 7 out of 10 Americans should curb the amount of salt they each day... but don't.
If you're angry at him for leaving dirty dishes in the sink, say so. If you're upset with her for ignoring you at the end of a long day, speak up. Holding it in with the idea of not starting an argument is the fastest way to kill a marriage. Why? It creates emotional distance. The Rev. David Code, an Episcopal priest, family coach and author of "To Raise Happy Kids, Put Your Marriage First," says couples today are quick to suppress the urge to argue with one another. "But just because you seldom argue doesn't mean your marriage is strong. The real silent killer of marriage is distancing yourself from your partner," he wrote in a column published in the Christian Science Monitor.
Romantic dinners are swell, but 48% of women feel closest to their mate when out walking together, an American Heart Association poll finds.
In a recent survey, a whopping 79% of women say that "in the end, my opinion determines family financial decisions." Nearly three-quarters, 74% of the ladies confirmed they are primarily responsible for buying groceries and basic supplies, according to a new report by The Harrison Group marketing specialists. And more than half, 55%, say they're primarily responsible for paying the bills. But women do take into account their partner's opinions when divvying up the dollars in the household budget. Slightly more than half, 53% cited their spouse/partner "as having significant influence over their most recent $100 plus purchase decision." The kids also had their say. Many of the gals with children younger than age 18 said their offspring help make household decisions on clothing purchases 62%, vacation 44%, when to eat out 42%, and groceries 37%.
PARIS HILTON AND BEAU BRAWL WITH BODYGUARD: Paris Hilton told Radaronline.com that she and boyfriend Doug Reinhardt were attacked at the DJ booth of a Miami club after a bodyguard pushed Hilton, prompting Reinhardt to come to her aid. Hilton added that Reinhardt and the guard began brawling, leaving her beau with a bloody lip. She said, "I can't believe someone would do this to us, it's really scary." The cops were called to the scene but no charges were filed.
TIM ALLEN AND WIFE WELCOME BABY GIRL: Actor Tim Allen and his wife since 2006, Jane Hajduk, welcomed a healthy baby girl weighing in at 5 pounds, 3 ounces, named Elizabeth on Saturday in Los Angeles. This is the first child for Jane, Allen has another daughter Katherine, 19, from a previous marriage.
STEVE WOZNIAK TO WALK KARINA SMIRNOFF DOWN THE AISLE: Apple co-founder and Dancing With The Stars competitor, Steve Wozniak, has gotten an invitation from his professional partner Karina Smirnoff to walk her down the aisle at her wedding. The pair have reportedly become so close that Smirnoff allegedly asked the Apple billionaire to give her away on the big day. Unfortunately for Wozniak it may be a bit of a challenge after he fractured his foot and pulled a hamstring on the hit dancing show.
VINCE VAUGHN RENTING CHICAGO PAD: Vince Vaughn is renting out his Chicago townhouse for the bargain price of $9,500 a month. People magazine reports that the four-bedroom, three-and-a-half-bathroom property, which he bought as an investment can "be rented unfurnished or furnished -- if you want the Vince Vaughn effect."
CHRISTIAN SLATER AND GIRLFRIEND SPLIT? Christian Slater has reportedly split from his girlfriend, Jimmy Choo president Tamara Mellon. A source told Britain's Daily Mail that the stress of a long distance relationship took its toll on the couple, saying, "We all thought Tamara and Christian were made for each other, but the pressures of their respective careers meant they were spending too much time apart."
JOELY RICHARDSON RETURNS TO WORK:People magazine reports that Joely Richardson returned to work on the London set of her latest project on Thursday (March 26th), four days after attending sister Natasha Richardson's funeral. The film, a remake of The Day of the Triffids, also stars Richardson's mother, Vanessa Redgrave, who had already finished her role before Natasha's death.
Brad Paisley is the lead nominee heading into this weekend's Academy of Country Music Awards in Las Vegas. He's nominated in six categories, including Entertainer, Male Vocalist, and Song, Single and Video of the Year for "Waitin' On A Woman."
Paisley has taken home the Top Male Vocalist award for the past two years, following in the footsteps of his musical heroes, as he tells us: "The ACMs are one of those things that you take very seriously. I remember wanting to win those. I remember watching guys go up there and win those awards, watching somebody like Alan Jackson or Garth or whoever from my childhood go up there and pick one of those up, and you wanna win that. It's all a part of building your career and trying to reach more people when you win an award like that."
Paisley and his peers may be serious when it comes down to the Awards show, but he adds that having the event in Sin City allows for plenty of playtime. "It becomes a party atmosphere sort of before and after, actually the whole week, being it's in Vegas. Everybody's partying right up 'til those cameras roll, and then they're serious about it."
The Academy of Country Music Awards airs live from the MGM Grand Garden Arena on Sunday.
LEE ANN WOMACK PREFERS THE NOMINATION TO THE AWARD
Lee Ann Womack is no stranger to award nominations, having been up for some 25 awards throughout her career. She is again nominated for Top Female Vocalist at this week's Academy of Country Music Awards. While Womack always hopes to take home the trophy, she says she's more than satisfied with just the nomination. "I love being nominated for anything anytime. That's great. It's always been my favorite, even back in the beginning of my career. I've always been more happy with the nomination than I was with the win. I think it's because the win comes and goes so quickly, but the nomination, you get nominated and then it's a couple of months until the awards show where you're part of everybody's shows that they're doing. So I've always liked being nominated."
JACK INGRAM ON FIRST USO TOUR
Jack Ingram began his first USO tour on Friday. The singer and his Beat-Up Ford Band headed off to Cuba for a five-day stint with the troops. Ingram said, "It's easy to forget the sacrifice these kids are making if you don't know someone who's in active service, but go to a military hospital and see a kid just out of their teens with both legs blown off, and you realize they only signed up to get a college education when they'd finished their tour of duty, and other than maybe their family, nobody realizes how great their sacrifice is."
REBA McENTIRE, HEIDI NEWFIELD PAY VISIT TO 'THE PRICE IS RIGHT'
Reba McEntire and Heidi Newfield will make a special appearance on the game show The Price Is Right on Friday (April 3rd). The entertainers will present a prize in a unique fashion, and the showcases will be country-themed. The Price Is Right airs on CBS
REBA McENTIRE FANS TO GET SNEAK PEEK AT NEW SONG
Reba McEntire will debut her brand new single, "Strange," live on the Academy of Country Music Awards on Sunday (April 5th), but fans can get a sneak peak of the song via a special widget available at thevalorymusicco.com/reba. The widget also includes a countdown to the ACM Awards, a video message from McEntire and a link to pre-order "Strange."
The song will be available for purchase through Bandbox on The Valory Music Co. website immediately following McEntire's performance Sunday evening. It will also be available on iTunes beginning on Monday (April 6th).
* "Strange" is the lead single from McEntire's first solo studio album in six years. The yet-untitled album will be released sometime this summer.
KELLIE PICKLER CREATES FIRST OFFICIAL FAN CLUB
Kellie Pickler has finally created her first official fan club! Fans joining the club online at kelliepickler.com will receive the first chance at tickets to her shows, rare photos and videos, access to a members-only message board, exclusive contests and giveaways, and the opportunity to meet Pickler. Members also qualify for merchandise discounts at her store and pre-sales on concert tickets, including the upcoming Fearless tour with Taylor Swift.
Pickler has priced her fan club yearly subscription at $19.99.
* She said, "I'm so glad there's a place where the fans have special access to all these extras and there's a lot more to come too. We took our time developing this site so that it's a cool experience from the get go. I've already had the opportunity to meet some of the first members at our recent shows, and we've got a whole tour coming up to meet with fans all year long." * Kellie Pickler Fan Club members also get never-before-seen content, like the first look at her new video, "Best Days of Your Life." Members were able to watch the video before its TV and internet debut on March 27th at midnight.
Sacramento surprised Phoenix 126-118, further dimming the Suns' playoff hopes. The Suns are three and a-half games out of the eighth spot in the West with eight games left.
Other scores from the NBA yesterday....
Cleveland 102, Dallas 74 Toronto 134, Chicago 129, OT Atlanta 86, L.A. Lakers 76 Minnesota 108, New Jersey 99 Detroit 101, Philadelphia 97 Indiana 124, Washington 115 Boston 103, Oklahoma City 84 New Orleans 90, San Antonio 86 Oddsmakers have made Michigan State a four-point underdog against Connecticut in the first game of the men's Final Four next Saturday at Detroit's Ford Field, just 90 miles from the Spartans' campus in East Lansing, Mich. The Spartans earned their Final Four ticket by beating overall No. 1 seed Louisville 64-52 behind Goran Suton's 19 points and 10 rebounds to win the Midwest Regional. North Carolina is making its 18th trip to the Final Four and Las Vegas oddsmakers have made the Tar Heels an eight-point favorite against Villanova in next Saturday's second game. The Tar Heels got 19 points from Ty Lawson and 18 from Danny Green and beat Oklahoma 72-60 to win the South Regional. Top seed Connecticut has taken its usual place in the regional finals of the NCAA women's basketball tournament. Next up for UConn is Arizona State, which advanced with an 84-69 win over Texas A&M. Briann January finished with 22 points and Danielle Orsilio added 15.
In the NHL last night....
Nashville 4, Detroit 3 St. Louis 5, Columbus 2 Ottawa 3, Tampa Bay 0 Vancouver 4, Chicago 0 Boston 4, Philadelphia 3 Anaheim 4, Colorado 1 Minnesota 3, Edmonton 2
Arizona starter Doug Davis continues to work on his curve ball in spring appearances, but it was his fastball that cost him against the White Sox. Davis allowed three runs and seven hits, while striking out two in 4 2-3 innings yesterday as Arizona lost to the White Sox 9-6. Chicago's John Danks allowed three runs and six hits while striking out five in 5 2-3 innings. Karrie Webb posted a two-shot victory over Jayai Shin in the Phoenix LPGA International. Webb was 5-under for the day and 14-under for the tournament. It's Webb's first victory on the LPGA Tour in two years, and 36th of her career.
Thanks to Wes Stevenson and Tom McFarland for coming by this morning!
http://www.rodeoup.com/wolf.html The Wolf Pack will be hanging out all weekend long at the Pioneer Hotel and Gambling Hall. Get over there and party with The Wolf Pack and check out Bikini Bull Riding going on tonight at the Pioneer at 8 PM tonight then Killing Time takes the stage at 9pm with great country music.
Dan Seals, who was England Dan in the pop duo England Dan and John Ford Coley, and later had a successful country career, has died of complications from cancer. He was 61.
The Farrelly brothers have been working on a Three Stooges movie for decades and now, it looks it'll finally happen... starring Jim Carrey, Sean Penn and Benicio del Toro to star as Curly, Larry and Moe.
Seth Rogen will be the host of "Saturday Night Live" on April 4 with musical guest Phoenix.
April 16th, Bob Barker will make a one-day return to "The Price is Right" to plug his new book, "Priceless Memories."
Now we hear that Prince Harry and his ex-girlfriend Chelsy Davy have gotten back together.
CSI star Marg Helgenberger has filed for divorce after 20 years of marriage to husband, fellow actor and Screen Actors Guild President Alan Rosenberg.
Charmin is now sponsoring SitOrSquat, a web site and mobile phone application that helps you find the nearest public restrooms anywhere around the world.
Friends of Jennifer Aniston say she's thinkin' the heck with a life partner, she's going to be artificially inseminated and have herself a baby!
Prosecutors charged a man Thursday with stalking "Dancing With the Stars" contestant Shawn Johnson, saying he drove from Florida in a car found with loaded guns, duct tape and love letters to meet the 17-year-old Olympic gymnast.
Bono says he and his bandmates are determined to enjoy their upcoming world tour because they're afraid it could be their last one together... whatever that means.
A new study indicates that women who ate a lot of soy while growing up appear to have a much lower risk of developing breast cancer as adults.
There's a computer worm scheduled to try and attack your computer on April 1st called Conficker C. You have been warned.
Actor David Arquette has teamed up with singer Ben Harper and David Bedwell to launch a new clothing line called "Propr."
A bit of drama on the set of "Desperate Housewives," where Nicolette Sheridan was so upset the cast didn't throw her a farewell party, she cleaned out her personal trailer... taking home thousands of dollars in things that were supposed to stay there.
Next year's Oscars will be delayed until March 7 to avoid any conflict with the upcoming Winter Olympic Games. The year they were on February 22nd.
JADE GOODY FUNERAL DATE SET: Jade Goody's funeral will be held on April 4th. The late British reality star's mother told London's The Sun that her daughter will be buried in her wedding gown, which she wore earlier this year when tying the knot with Jack Tweed. Goody's publicist said that the 27-year-old planned her funeral before her death, explaining, "Jade wanted a celebration of her life. It will be very much a Jade Goody Production with Jade doing her own thing her own way."
WILLIAM H. MACY CALLS WIFE 'SEXIEST' WOMAN ON 'DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES': William H. Macy paid wife Felicity Huffman a compliment -- or an insult, depending on her catwalk aspirations. When asked about the cast of Huffman's show, Desperate Housewives, Macy told Parade.com, "The others are sort of model beautiful women and Felicity is not a model type. But I think she's the sexiest on that show. What is sexy? It's hard to put it into words. The way she carries herself. And she keeps in really great shape. She's got the kind of body that makes me melt. She's cut. She's strong and lithe and capable. I love that."
HOLLY MADISON IS THE LATEST 'DANCING WITH THE STARS' CELEB TO GET INJURED:Girls Next Door star Holly Madison is the latest contestant to be injured rehearsing for Dancing With The Stars. Madison was taken to the doctor Thursday (March 26) after suffering from an excruciating pain in her side that prevented her from rehearsing, People reports. "She hurt herself last week when she was rehearsing the Samba," Steve Flynn, Madison's rep, told the magazine. "(Thursday) she was practicing the tango and the pain was so bad that it made it basically impossible for her to move." Madison was prescribed pain medication and hopes to be back performing after getting some rest.
A LOOK AT SHAWN JOHNSON'S 'DANCING WITH THE STARS' CONTRACT: Shawn Johnson could make up to $365,000 for her stint on Dancing With The Stars. Johnson's contract, which was obtained by TMZ.com, guarantees the Olympic gymnast $125,000 for appearing on the show. In addition she gets $10,000 a week for surviving the first two eliminations in weeks 3 and 4. The weekly rate rises to $20,000 a week if she makes it to weeks 5, 6 and 7, $30,000 a week for weeks 8 and 9 and $50,000 a week in weeks 10 and 11. The contract stipulates that Johnson must train approximately 20 hours a week.
RIP TORN WANTS DRUNK DRIVING CHARGES DROPPED: Rip Torn is trying to avoid a drunken driving charge by applying for an alcohol education program. The Associated Press reported that the 78-year-old actor appeared in a Connecticut court on Wednesday (March 25th) to request the program, which requires offenders to take classed before charges are dropped. Torn pleaded not guilty to the charge in January, a month after he was pulled over for driving a car with a Christmas tree on top.
STEVE WOZNIAK HAS LARGE ONLINE FAN BASE: Steve Wozniak may not be much of a dancer, but he sure is popular. Despite the fact that Wozniak scored a ten out of 30 for his performance earlier this week on Dancing With the Star, People magazine reports that VoteWoz.com has over 70,000 followers and the fans are mobilizing on Facebook and Twitter to keep the Apple co-founder in the competition.
Cosmopolitan says it's the little things that attract (or repel) people. Nicholas Boothman, author of "How to Make People Like You in 90 Seconds or Less" offers this advice to guys:
Floss your teeth -- Seems minor but less-than-pearly whites and breath that could kill a small animal make your meet-and-greet tank before it even takes off.
Notice the color of her eyes-- Picking up on the hue will force you to keep your pupils focused on hers -- not nervously wandering all over. Eye contact is crucial, subliminal way to show that you're a sane, friendly person.
Mirror her -- If she scratches her nose, rub your eye. Pick up on her voice pitch and match it. We gravitate toward people like us -- if you're not a scary mimic, this approach will warm her up.
Back off -- We all need our personal space, so if you're closing in on a potential pal and she takes a step away, you should stop, back up, and continue your introductions from a safer distance.
Keith Urban's new CD, Defying Gravity, will be released on Tuesday (March 31st). The collection of songs has a definite theme, as Urban tells us:"They're all really songs about being vulnerable and brave to love, cause it's hard to do when you get older and you've been in love and had your heart broken by somebody, maybe several times, so the tendency is to want to just pull back."
Urban wrote most of the 11 songs from a personal perspective of "daring to love." He explains: "Sometimes, and I've seen it happen with myself, I pull back so far that I become convinced I don't actually need anybody. 'I'm fine,' you know, and I don't realize why I'm not growing, why I'm not glowing, why I'm not sort of not getting anywhere. My life seems to be just stuck, and it's because I'm terrified of loving, and so this record was sort of touching upon what happens when one dares to give over to it."
Defying Gravity is Urban's fifth studio album.
Urban is currently in the midst of his No Frills mini-tour sponsored by Verizon. Urban plays the House of Blues in Los Angeles on Friday (March 27th); Joe's Bar in Chicago on March 30th; Webster Hall in New York City on April 1st; and the Theater of the Living Arts in Philadelphia on April 3rd.
His Escape Together World tour kicks off on May 7th in Uncasville, Connecticut.
Jamey Johnson, Miley Cyrus, Lady Antebellum, John Rich, Lee Ann Womack and the show's hostess, Reba McEntire, are all scheduled to perform as part of the 44th annual Academy of Country Music (ACM) Awards. They join previously announced performers Toby Keith, Miranda Lambert, Tim McGraw, Heidi Newfield, Rascal Flatts, Sugarland and Taylor Swift. The ACM Awards will be broadcast live from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on April 5th at 8 p.m. ET/PT on CBS.
FACT FACTS
The performance marks Miley Cyrus' first at the ACM Awards.
This will be McEntire's 11th time to host the show.
Jake Owen has already won this year's Academy of Country Music's (ACM) Top New Male Vocalist award based on votes by the fans. Now he heads into the competition for the overall Top New Artist award, a brand new category at the ACM Awards. Owen is up against Julianne Hough and the Zac Brown Band for the Top New Artist award, which fans are currently voting for online at VoteACM.com.
Just a couple years into his career, Owen has already earned some very devoted fans, as he tells us:"I've had the opportunity of playing in front of so many people over the last few years that have just been so supportive of me and my music, and people that come out to shows make signs and T-shirts and sing. I see their lips moving to the words of my songs."
Voting for the Top New Artist award continues through April 5th at 8 p.m. ET. The winner will be announced later that night during the live broadcast of the ACM Awards on CBS.
The 44th annual ACM Awards will be held at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. The show will be hosted by Reba McEntire.
Singer 'England Dan' Seals best know for his work in the duo England Dan & John Ford Coley, died on Wednesday night (March 25th) of complications from lymphoma, according to The Associated Press. Seals, who died at his daughter's home in Nashville, was 61.
England Dan & John Ford Coley scored five Top 40 hits between 1976 and 1979, including the Top Ten's "Nights Are Forever Without You," "We'll Never Have To Say Goodbye Again," "Love Is The Answer," and their 1976 Top Two hit and signature song "I'd Really Love To See You Again."
FAST FACTS
As a solo artist in the '80s, Seals continued to score hits on the country charts including such favorites as "Bop," "You Still Move Me," "Love On Arrival," his duet with Marie Osmond, "Meet Me in Montana" -- and his groundbreaking hit "Rage On" -- which explored the topic of an interracial relationship.
Seals' older brother was Jimmy Seals from the '70s soft-rock duo Seals & Croft who scored such massive hits as "Summer Breeze," and "Diamond Girl." In recent years the brothers performed together as Seals & Seals.
Dan Seals is survived by his wife Andi, four children; five grandchildren, two brothers, and a sister.
Martina McBride has teamed up with the National Teen Dating Abuse Helpline (NTDAH) for a new program called My Time to Shine. The partnership is in conjunction with the release of McBride's new album, called Shine, which came out on Tuesday (March 24th).
As the mother of three daughters, her oldest being a teenager, McBride wants to increase awareness about teen dating abuse. She said, "Young people today have more opportunities to make decisions about their lives, and it places a lot of pressure on them early. If we can help them to form healthy relationships at an earlier age in life, they will make better choices for life partners, and as a mom, I want to be part of that."
As part of the My Time To Shine campaign, McBride will record public service announcements to be shown at her concerts when her tour begins in October. My Time to Shine merchandise will also be sold at the shows to raise funds for the teen helpline.
FAST FACTS
To learn more about the Teen Dating Abuse Helpline, visit www.loveisrespect.org/ or call 1-866-331-9474/TTY 1-866-331-8453.
McBride's signature song is "Independence Day," a song about domestic violence.
The Arizona Diamondbacks host the Cleveland Indians today in a spring training game in Tucson. With a 9-16 Cactus League record, the D-backs are struggling through the worst spring in their 12-season history. Their only other losing springs were 2004 and 2008.
Top-seed Connecticut and third-seed Missouri will meet Saturday for the West Regional title and a trip to the Final Four. UConn topped Purdue 72-60 while Missouri raced past second-seed Memphis 102-91 behind J.T. Tiller's career-high 23 points to end the Tigers' 27-game win streak. In the East Regional, top-seed Pitt and third-seed Villanova will meet in an All-Big East regional final and a Final Four appearance. The Panthers beat Xavier 60-55 while Villanova downed second-seed Duke 77-54. Tonight, the top overall seed Louisville plays 12th-seed Arizona and second-seed Michigan takes on defending national champion Kansas in the Midwest Regional semifinals. In the South Regional, top-seed North Carolina plays fourth-seed Gonzaga and second-seed Oklahoma plays Syracuse with the winners advancing to the Elite Eight. In the NBA last night.....
Portland 129, Phoenix 109 L.A. Lakers 92, Detroit 77 Chicago 106, Miami 87 NHL commissioner Gary Bettman says the financially struggling Phoenix Coyotes still are actively seeking investors or possibly new ownership, but reiterated that the team won't be relocated. Bettman says the goal is to bring in new capital and make the franchise solvent. The Coyotes have reportedly lost $200 million since current owner Jerry Moyes brought the team in 2001 and are projected to lose another $30 million this season.
Scores from the NHL last night...
Phoenix 3, Edmonton 2 Columbus 5, Calgary 0 Florida 4, Philadelphia 2 Atlanta 5, N.Y. Rangers 4, SO Montreal 3, Tampa Bay 2, OT Nashville 3, San Jose 2 St. Louis 4, Vancouver 2 Los Angeles 1, Dallas 0, SO
And a big THANK YOU NOTHING BUT AIR BALLOONS for dropping by with a beautiful birthday bouquet!
Also, a HUGE THANK YOU to THE "ALL NEW" AQUARIUS in Laughlin and LISA MCCABE for coming by to tell us all about the spring concert series at the Aquarius that kicks off this Friday with MONTGOMERY GENTRY. Gates open at 7pm show starts at 8pm. A FEW great seats are left call the AQUARIUS800-435-8469 so I can see you there!
To check out the all the rest of the amazing shows coming to the AQUARIUS and concert packages available log on to www.aquariuscasinoresort.com
A Music Shop -- Say you like the John Rich, and you see a cute guy who can't decide whether or not he should buy Son of a Preacher Man. Sidle over, tell him what a great disc it is, then let the conversation flow from there. (Important note: Don't be afraid to approach a guy in this sort of situation. We dig being approached, especially if you're confident, cool, and witty about it.) If you want to increase the dating pool-and broaden your musical horizons-hit the jazz section. But if you don't see any interesting-looking possibilities in the jazz section, try checking out...
A Jazz Club-- For the most part, jazz, especially the instrumental stuff, is "guy music," thus the boy/girl ratio in your typical jazz club-especially the higher-end places-is a solid two-to-one. Best contact method? Have a drink sent to his table. (Trust me, it works. At least... it worked on me.) But bear this in mind: Do it during the break. Most male jazz fans want to be left alone while basking in their "guy music."
Electronics/Computer Store -- Boys like their toys. Thus, where there are toys, there are boys. If you really want to reel him in, ask him a question about a piece of equipment that you legitimately want to learn something about. Nothing makes us happier than pontificating about plasma televisions, X-Boxes, or motherboards.
A Cafe -- Remember last Thursday at your local java emporium when you saw that cute, be-stubbled man hunched over his laptop, lost in his little laptopping world? You bet I do. Did you go talk to him? No. Why not? Well, he was lost in his little laptopping world. Well, maybe that was the case, but there's little doubt he could've been easily distracted. I mean, if he wanted to be left all alone in his little laptopping world, he'd have stayed home, right?
A Thrift Store -- This one is for girls whose demographic range runs the gamut from cool starving artists to indie rocker dudes. Again, be confident and funny in your approach-like maybe grab an ugly, kitschy paisley button-down shirt, hold it up in front of him and say, "With the right pair of pants, I think you could make this work." And not only might you find a nice boy, but you might stumble onto a once-worn, mint-condition Vera Wang cocktail dress that's being sold for $15. Hey, you never know...
A High-End Department Store -- This one is for women who're looking for a more refined fella. A good way to break the ice is to offer up a sartorial suggestion, but here's an vital caveat: No negativity. You won't win his heart by saying, "That pinstriped suit is heinous." Try something more along the lines of, "That non-pinstriped suit would look amazing on you."
A Health-Food Place -- Step into one of these joints and you'll have your pick of workout boys, or crunchy-granola boys, or hippie boys, or regular boys who're simply concerned about what's going into their bodies. And this isn't even taking into account the wide selection of protein bars, which offers you a great conversational gambit ("Excuse me, which one of these do you think is best? Oh yeah, and which flavor?")
100 wallets dropped in front of hidden cameras to test honesty
They included money and some piece of identity so that people could return it to the right owner. And wallettest.com reveals the answers.
74% were honest and returned the wallets.
26% were dishonest and kept the wallets.
Of the 77 white people tested: 21% were dishonest and kept the wallets.
Of the 23 black people tested: 43% were dishonest and kept the wallets.
Of the 51 females tested: 14% were dishonest and kept the wallets.
Of the 49 males tested: 39% were dishonest and kept the wallets.
Speaking of, what's the most money that you've ever found? A guy who works for McDonald's in Norwich, CT, just wanted to jot down a phone number when he picked up what he thought was litter on a sidewalk. But what he found was an envelope containing a $185,000 check. He found the owner and did return the check. He was given a $50 reward. Have you ever lost something of value and had it returned? Did you offer a reward?Let us know at morings@kflg947.com
Nagging, nagging, nagging -- We know about the squeaky wheel, but complaining loud and long gets you only short-term gains and builds up powerful discontent on your spouse's side.
Blaming, criticizing, and name-calling -- These tactics belittle the person you promised to love, honor, and cherish; let you play angel to his or her devil; and don't address the responsibility you both share for your marital happiness.
Bullying, rudeness, and selfishness-- These ugly power plays tell your partner that he or she doesn't count at all in your eyes.
Peacekeeping and passive placating -- A "whatever you say, Dear" attitude may keep your home quieter but leaves you in the martyr's role. You'll end up angry, defensive, and a drudge. What fun is that?
Deploying logic all the time -- Life isn't the starship Enterprise; playing the dispassionate Mr. Spock not only cuts you off from your feelings but also subtly tells your spouse that his or her feelings don't count either.
Throwing up distractions -- You're just having fun, right? Think again. Being hyperactive, fooling around all the time, and refusing to focus -- in conversation or in life -- often is an attempt to avoid intimacy or difficult issues, which can be horribly frustrating for your mate.
Stonewalling -- Another stall maneuver, stonewalling stops arguments and constructive discussions cold. Not much can happen when one spouse just won't talk about it.
Making unilateral decisions about the big things -- Sometimes you have to pick the bathroom paint color on your own. But if you're making major decisions about your money, your time, your kids, and your family life, you're acting without accountability and cutting off the possibility of joint decision-making and deeper intimacy.
YAOUNDE (Cameroon) - THE LATEST super-food to join the 'weight loss wonders' line-up comes in the form of West African fruit irvingia gabonensis, commonly known as the African mango, said a report on Wednesday.
Research published in Lipids in Health and Disease and conducted at Cameroon's University of Yaounde, reports a test group of 102 overweight adults was given extracts of the fruit or a placebo two times a day over a 10-week period.
No other changes to the individuals' diets or existing levels of activity were altered.
At the end of the test period, those administered with the fruit extract showed a marked weight loss - on average 12 kilograms - in comparison to people in the placebo group who showed no change.
The plant's ability to help shift excess weight has been a long-held idea but this is the first clinical study of its true effects.
The findings may be the first solid foray into research but according to the research team led by Dr Julius E Oben, the findings "provide impetus for much larger clinical studies". -- Reuters
The whole Monica Lewinsky ordeal is going to be turned into a movie, called "Special Relationship"... with Dennis Quaid as Bill and Julianne Moore as Hillary.
In case you weren't one of the 25 million watching, Denise Richards went home this week on "Dancing With the Stars."
Simon Cowell says the president asked to have dinner with him last week, but unfortunately, their calendars didn't match up.
Jennifer Love Hewitt and Jamie Kennedy enjoyed a romantic getaway to Mexico last weekend.
Matt Lauer had shoulder surgery on Monday and is expected back on the "Today Show" late this week.
Al Gore has another book about global warming coming out in November.
85-year-old Sir Richard Attenborough is in physical rehab after a fall in December. But he's determined to play the archbishop in the upcoming movie, "Ironclad."
Oprah dared to ask the First Lady, Michelle Obama, about the rumor that she was pregnant. Michelle's response: "Not pregnant and not planning on it!"
Lance Armstrong's latest injury is worse than originally thought. He broke his collarbone, but there were bone fragments as well that had to be cleaned up during surgery yesterday.
An extract derived from the African mango, a fruit that is popular in West Africa, appears to inhibit body fat production.
Isaiah Washington's landlord has started an eviction procedure against the former "Grey's Anatomy" co-star, claiming he owes $100,000 in rent.
A Seattle condominium project is offering job insurance. Buy one of their condo's and if you lose your job, they'll pay your mortgage.
In Los Angeles, a woman used a fake name and fake ID to get $12,000 worth of breast implants and liposuction and then disappeared. How fake can you get?
George Lopez is going to host a late-night talk show on TBS starting next fall.
Maryland lawmakers are thinking maybe it's time to find a way to scrub "Northern scum" -- and a few other sensitive pre-Civil War phrases -- from the official state song.
Obama to Answer Questions Today in Online Town Hall Meeting
President Obama is planning an online town hall-style meeting on the White House's website at 11:30 a.m. today (March 26th) in which he'll answer questions submitted by visitors to the site at WhiteHouse.gov. The site asks for questions to be submitted on the economy, although other topics are represented as well, and for visitors to vote on queries that have been submitted by others, saying Obama will answer some of the most popular. Visitors are also encouraged to include a brief video of themselves asking their question, although it isn't required. As of early this morning, nearly 70,000 questions had been submitted.
Actor Mickey Rourke and Kris Kristofferson will be featured in the video for John Rich's new single, "Shuttin' Detroit Down." Rich and Rourke became friends last year after meeting unexpectedly in a New York City bar. According to TheBoot.com, Rourke recognized Rich and introduced himself. Several drinks later, the two traded phone numbers and kept in touch.
When it came time to shoot the video for his solo hit, "Shuttin' Detroit Down," Rich said Rourke was tops on his list. He said, "I thought, 'Who would be the most perfect face to represent blue collar, hard-working America?' That's Mickey Rourke, without a doubt."
The video for "Shuttin' Detroit Down" will be released next week.
Rich's solo album, Son of a Preacher Man, was released earlier this week.
ASK YOUR LISTENERS
Do you like John Rich better as a solo act or as a duo with the other half of Big & Rich, "Big" Kenny Alphin?
Taylor Swift, Jake Owen, Jason Aldean, Rodney Atkins and Jamey Johnson have all been added to the lineup of performers on the main stage during this year's CMA Music Festival in downtown Nashville. The artists will perform at LP Field over the course of the four-day event, which runs from June 11th through the 14th.
Previously announced performers at CMA Music Festival 2009 include Reba McEntire, Trace Adkins, Julianne Hough, Lady Antebellum, Miranda Lambert, Martina McBride, Brad Paisley, Dierks Bentley, Brooks & Dunn, John Rich, and Montgomery Gentry. Additional artists will be announced in the coming weeks.
FAST FACT
Tickets to CMA Music Festival 2009 are available now. To order, call 1-800-CMA-FEST (262-3378) or purchase online at CMAfest.com or ticketmaster.com.
Dolly Parton is proud to be associated with Cracker Barrel Stores and restaurants for the release of her collector's edition Backwoods Barbie CD, which is available exclusively through the chain beginning this week. Back in 1991, Cracker Barrel was embroiled in controversy over discriminating against gay employees, although they did implement an anti-discrimination policy in 2002. Since the gay community makes up a large portion of Parton's fan following, we asked her if Cracker Barrel's history gave her any cause for concern about aligning herself with the company: "I'm sure they have gay people come and eat in the restaurant. When you're a public place of business, you're for the public, so they don't have to endorse it, but, yeah, I have many friends that are gay and lesbian. I don't make any bones about that. I'm not out there preaching for anybody. I accept everybody as they are, so I don't know anything about all that, and that's not part of what my association with them is."
The collector's edition of Backwoods Barbie features three new tracks as well as brand new photos and artwork.
The original version of Backwoods Barbie was released last year.
The album's title track is among the songs Parton wrote for the new Broadway show, 9 To 5: The Musical, which opens next month.
The 1991 controversy started after Cracker Barrel instituted a policy of terminating employees who sexual preferences failed to "demonstrate normal heterosexual values." In 2002, the board of directors of Cracker Barrel's parent company, CBRL Group, voted to add sexual orientation to its written non-discrimination policy.
Jack Ingram kept the economy in mind when making his upcoming album, Big Dreams And High Hopes. His brand new single, "Barefoot And Crazy," is a light-hearted tune that Ingram hopes help his fans mentally break from the daily grind."You know, I think there's always room for escape. I mean, the next song, 'Barefoot And Crazy' is about that. It's about letting go and here comes the summertime -- let's rock! Let's have a good time and forget about all of it for a while. But, you know, I come from a background of musicians and artists and songwriters that also talked about real things, you know -- things that were affecting people's lives."
Ingram says that his new album combines songs about real life with less heavy subject matter, taking listeners on an emotional journey. "There's room for all that -- for escapism and everything -- and all in one album, and all in one show. That's the beauty of music is that it can take you on an emotional roller coaster, and when you're done you're somehow like a rock in a stream -- you've been changed somehow."
There is no release date yet for Big Dreams And High Hopes.
Ingram is set to present an award at next month's Academy of Country Music Awards. Last year, he took home the honor of Top New Male Vocalist.
Ingram will also participate in CBS' George Strait: Artist of the Decade special, being taped on April 6th in Las Vegas
Merle Haggard, the late Harlan Howard, Dolly Parton and Hank Williams, Jr. are all among the early winners of special awards being handed out by the Academy of Country Music (ACM). Haggard and Howard will receive this year's ACM Poets Award for their songwriting contributions to the field of country music. Parton will be the recipient of the Jim Reeves International Award, for helping country music gain world-wide acceptance. Hank Williams, Jr., Jerry Reed, Kenny Rogers, and Randy Travis will receive the Cliffie Stone Pioneer Award. Toby Keith's movie, Beer For My Horses, will be honored with the Tex Ritter Award, which is given to a movie that features country music.
The ACM off-camera awards will be presented to the winners at the ACM Honors, a special annual event held in Nashville. This year's ACM Honors will be held on September 22nd.
The ACM special awards are voted on by the ACM board of directors.
FAST FACTS
Past recipients of the Jim Reeves International Award include Garth Brooks, Dick Clark, Roy Clark, Merv Griffin, and Buck Owens.
Past recipients of the Cliffie Stone Pioneer Award include Alabama, Johnny Cash, Charlie Daniels, Merle Haggard, George Jones, Brenda Lee, Loretta Lynn, Willie Nelson, The Oak Ridge Boys, Dolly Parton, Charlie Pride, Tex Ritter, Conway Twitty, Porter Wagoner, Hank Williams, Sr., and Bob Wills.
Past recipients of the Tex Ritter Award include The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, O'Brother, Where Art Thou, Sweet Dreams and Walk the Line.
It's six straight wins for the Phoenix Suns. Last night, Grant Hill scored 26 points, including a tiebreaking jumper in the lane with 31.5 seconds remaining to lift the Suns over the Utah Jazz 118-114. The victory kept the Suns three games behind the Dallas Mavericks in their push for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference.
Elsewhere in the NBA last night....
Chicago 99, Detroit 91 L.A. Lakers 107, Oklahoma City 89 San Antonio 107, Golden State 106 Utah 99, Houston 86 Chris Davis of Texas hit a seventh-inning grand slam off Arizona pitcher Tony Pena to snap a 4-4 tie and lead the Rangers to an 8-5 victory last night. Vicente Padilla allowed three runs and eight hits and two walks while striking out one in six innings. Arizona's Jon Garland struggled through two innings before settling down to retire 10 of the final 12 batters he faced.
The Sweet 16 portion of the NCAA men's basketball tournament starts tonight at two sites starting in the West Regional outside Phoenix where top-seed Connecticut plays No. 5 Purdue and second-seed Memphis taking on third-seed Missouri. At the East Regional in Boston, top-seed Pitt plays No. 4 Xavier followed by second-seed Duke and third-seed Villanova. The 12th seeded Arizona Wildcats confront top-seeded Louisville (30-5) on Friday night in Indianapolis. The Wildcats (21-13) beat Utah and Cleveland State to roll into the Midwest Region semifinal. The Arizona State women's basketball team is one of the final 16 teams playing in the NCAA tournament, despite being without its leading scorer. Sun Devils coach Charli Turner Thorne says Sunday's game will be about defense against Texas A&M in the regional semifinal at Trenton, New Jersey.
In the NHL last night....
Buffalo 5, Florida 3 Carolina 2, Ottawa 1 Minnesota 6, N.Y. Islanders 2 Pittsburgh 2, Calgary 0 Chicago 6, San Jose 5, SO Anaheim 7, Colorado 2
'LAGUNA BEACH' STAR INVOLVED IN DRUG CASE: Alex Murrel, a former cast member on MTV's Laguna Beach has found herself in the middle of a drug bust after her boyfriend was busted in her rented Orange County home. TMZ.com reports that feds raided the property and arrested her boyfriend for felony possession of cocaine with intent to sell. Murrel was not charged, but was interviewed as a witness.
REDMOND O'NEIL PLEADS NOT GUILTY TO DRUG CHARGES: Redmond O'Neil pleaded not guilty to drug charges in a California courtroom on Wednesday (March 25th). People magazine reports that the 24-year-old son of actor Ryan O'Neal had been charged with a felony count of methamphetamine possession, two misdemeanor counts of possession of drug paraphernalia and one misdemeanor count of illegal possession of pepper spray. He and his father were both arrested last September during a probation sweep, when authorities discovered the drugs. In January, Ryan pleaded guilty to felony drug possession and agreed to enter an 18-month drug diversion program.
NANCY O'DELL RECOVERING FROM KNEE SURGERY: Nancy O'Dell is recovering from knee surgery following an injury sustained while training for Dancing With the Stars. The Access Hollywood host wrote on the show's blog, "Well, surgery on my knee is done and over with and it went well! I am so happy as I am ready to start rehabbing my knee and get it back to normal!" O'Dell withdrew from the competition shortly before its debut and was replaced by The Bachelor'sMelissa Rycroft.
MARG HELGENBERGER OFFICIALLY FILES FOR DIVORCE: Actress Marg Helgenberger officially filed for divorce from her husband, Alan Rosenberg. The CSI star, who separated from Rosenberg last December, cited irreconcilable differences in the divorce papers filed in L.A. County Superior Court on Tuesday (March 24). She is asking for spousal support, and looking to split attorney fees. Helgenberger and Rosenberg were married back in 1989.
LEONARDO DICAPRIO BEING HONORED AT KIDS' CHOICE AWARDS: Leonardo DiCaprio is receiving Nickelodeon's first-ever "Big Green Help Award" at Saturday's (March 28th) Kids' Choice Awards in Los Angeles. People magazine reports that the award recognizing the 34-year-old actor's dedication as an environmental activist as well as his work in the award-winning environmental documentary The 11th Hour. Cameron Diaz will present DiCaprio the award.
(Self) Use these five insider tips to stand out in a tough market and you'll be getting offers quicker than the Dow drops 10 points:
Polish your credentials-- To make your resume shine, quantify your achievements. ("I increased profits by 9 percent" versus saying "sales experience.") If you email your CV, mention one of your feats in the subject line. ("Teacher who improved class test scores 10 percent seeks position.") Finally, address a dry spell by listing what you've accomplished during your hiatus (like getting involved in a charity).
Wear your game face-- "Exuding confidence in this climate indicates that you can perform well under pressure," says Jason Alba, CEO of the career site JibberJobber.com. To feel more in control during your search, use a spreadsheet to keep a record of where you have applied and when you need to follow up.
Be open to criticism -- Inviting a little scrutiny during an interview could pay off big time, Rosemary Haefner, vice president of human resources at CareerBuilder.com, says, "Asking, 'Do you think I'm lacking any critical experience?' gives you a chance to assuage any reservations."
Spin your skills -- If openings in your field are scarce, think creativity about how your experience might be marketable elsewhere. Your talent for writing grant proposals for a nonprofit could translate into penning a hospital newsletter, for example. Start by searching job sites such as Monster.com using your skills (HTML programming) rather than title (Web developer).
Create career karma -- Even if you're in dire straits, do a small favor for someone in your circle (introduce a colleague who wants to break into advertising to a pal who owns an ad firm). It will encourage others to repay your generosity with referrals of their own, and you'll strengthen ties with people who will continue to support you down the road.
(Men's Health) Is chatting her up going to lead to something -- other than a hefty bar bill? Here's how to tell whether to make a move or just move on...
She's leaving with you if... her toes -- the ones dangling from her cross-legged position -- are pointed toward you. (Bonus if her foot is dangling -- she's foot flirting with you.) She's just plain leaving if... her toes are pointed toward the handsome man by your side, or her leg is crossed in the direction facing away from you.
She's leaving with you if... she asks if you like "Sex and the City" (her excuse to flirt and bring up naughty topics). She's just plain leaving if... she mentions you seem like a "Everyone Loves Raymond" type of guy.
She's leaving with you if... she whips out her compact mirror and puts on lip liner and lipstick right in front of you. (We women think this turns guys on.) She's just plain leaving if... she goes to the ladies' room and returns completely uncoifed (meaning she didn't even adjust her makeup or hair for you).
She's leaving with you if... she wants you to meet "the girls." She's just plain leaving if... she skips a chance to introduce you to her friends (probably because she doesn't need their approval or want their competition).
She's leaving with you if... she's asked you a laundry list of questions (three or more), and she's still talking to you. She's just plain leaving if... he hasn't asked you any questions at all. (Sorry, she's not even scooping you out.)
She's leaving with you if... her hands keep creeping up and tossing her hair -- she's telling you she's healthy and playful. She's just plain leaving if... her body doesn't move or fidget at all -- she thinks you're not quite as exciting as "the CBS Evening News."
Neuroscientist Sandra Aamont, Ph. D., coauthor of "Welcome to Your Brain," uncovers female-brain facts in her book:
Size doesn't matter. "Men's brains are just bigger in proportion to their bigger bodies," says Aamont.
Men do have bigger brains than women. But it doesn't mean they're smarter.
Men are good at finding things. Because of sex hormones' effect on the brain, women tend to be able to recall objects locations while men are better at spatial problems like how a couch will fit through a door.
Your brain has a memory peak. Memory starts to decline in your thirties, and continues to weaken as we age. The best way to stay sharp? Exercise; it boosts blood flow to the brain.
Stress makes you forget. Long-term stress can damage the hippocampus, an area that's essential to storing new memories.
The brain has a willpower muscle. Self-discipline seems to be controlled by the frontal cortex. It gets strong with practice so hitting the guy tonight could help you get there tomorrow, too.
SIGNS THAT INDICATE THE RECESSION IS ENDING (MSN.com)
Cardboard boxes are in demand: Cargo and cardboard are two heavy-duty industrial signals to watch. The Baltic Dry Index is an assessment of the price of moving raw materials on cargo ships around the world. When the world economy is fading, shipping gets cheaper. When growth returns, shipping costs more. The index has shown some improvement this year, after sinking to a 22-year low in early December.
Diamonds are forever . . . again: Jewelry sales are a leading indicator of recovery in the retail sector, according to Mike Niemira, the chief economist at the International Council of Shopping Centers. So what better store to watch than Tiffany? Sales of engagement rings have been down in recent months, said Mark Aaron, the company's vice president of investor relations. "It's not that people don't fall in love during a recession," Aaron said, "It's whether they're making that commitment and buying a $10,000 engagement ring and making wedding plans."
Restaurants are bubbly: High-end restaurants will know the recession is ending when the most affluent diners stop ordering the $150 bottles of wine they've been drinking lately and start ordering the $300 bottles they drank when the economy was stronger. Some in the restaurant business see sales of Champagne as a leading indicator. If you buy that, there's hope, as bubbly remains very popular at hip bars, nightclubs and hotels, said Stephen Brauer, the general manager of wines and champagnes at Pernod Ricard.
David Letterman has revealed that he married his longtime girlfriend, Regina Lasko, March 19th in Montana.
Where in the world is Matt Lauer? Getting ready for shoulder surgery after a bicycle accident. He was riding on Long Island when a deer ran in front of him and he flipped over the handlebars, injuring his shoulder.
He's not alone. Lance Armstrong broke his collarbone after a bicycle fall during a race in Spain this week.
Robin Williams is recovering from heart surgery in Ohio, after having an aortic valve replaced last week.
Kiefer Sutherland says he'll be back next year for another season of "24" that they'll actually begin filming in May.
Octo-Mom Nadya Suleman has fired the free nursing staff provided to her by the non-profit organization Angels In Waiting.
They were just married February 26th. Now Tom Brady and Gisele Bundchen are having a second wedding so friends can attend, on April 3.
A Hollywood agent estimates that each of the contestants on "Dancing with the Stars" gets $200,000 to appear on the show... with bonuses for each of the top three.
Zac Efron has dropped out of the remake of "Footloose."
Derek Jeter is building a gigantic, 30,875-square-foot mansion with seven bedrooms and nine bathrooms on Davis Islands in Tampa.
The rumor mill says that Jennifer Aniston dumped John Mayer for "Twittering" too much... and kept telling her he was "too busy" to see her.
Aussie supermodel Kristy Hinze tied the knot with billionaire Netscape founder Jim Clark last weekend. She's 28, he's 65.
After the lights go down on tonight's episode of "American Idol," Jennifer Hudson is going to take the stage to tape an appearance for a future episode.
Phoenix hosts the Utah Jazz tonight. The Suns are looking for their sixth straight victory as they drive for the playoffs. Phoenix is within three games of Dallas for the final Western Conference playoff position.
The Utah Jazz moved within a half game of idle Denver for the NBA's Northwest Division lead by beating Houston 99-86 last night to end the Rockets' four-game win streak. Utah's 13th straight home victory was led by Deron Williams' 19 points and 12 assists. The San Antonio Spurs suffered last-minute losses at home to Boston and Houston last week, but didn't fold down the stretch last night. Tony Parker scored 30 and Roger Mason scored 24 and sank the go-ahead jumper with 23.8 seconds left in the Spurs' 107-106 win over Golden State.
In other NBA action last night....
Chicago 99, Detroit 91 L.A. Lakers 107, Oklahoma City 89
In the NHL last night....
N.Y. Rangers 2, Minnesota 1 Toronto 3, Washington 2, SO Montreal 6, Atlanta 3 Tampa Bay 2, Columbus 1, OT Anaheim 2, Nashville 1, SO St. Louis 2, Los Angeles 0 Vancouver 5, Dallas 2 Detroit 3, Edmonton 2 Eric Byrnes appears fully recovered from the hamstring problems that sidelined him for much of last season. Byrnes had two more hits Tuesday for the Arizona Diamondbacks in a 7-3 loss to the San Francisco Giants. Arizona meets the Rangers in Surprise tonight. NFL owners have passed four player safety rules for next season and adjusted the calls on the kind of tackle that injured Patriots quarterback Tom Brady in the 2008 opener. Defenders who are knocked to the ground no longer can lunge into quarterbacks if the play is still going on.
The Lost Trailers have dubbed their new tour the Lean & Clean tour because it's stripped down and streamlined, but not in the way you probably think. The group is taking it upon themselves to help out both the economy and the environment, as member Ryder Lee tells us: "Basically, what we're doing is we're cutting all of our carbon emissions. We're gettin' rid of the bus. We're gettin' rid of any sort of semis and stuff like that. We're doing all commercial fly dates. We're also using local crew to supplement for that, so when we come into a community, we'll be renting our instruments there (and) putting money into the community, using local crew (and) putting money into the community that way."
Lead guitarist Stokes Nielson adds that the changes are their way of sacrificing for the good of everyone. "People say, 'The Lost Trailers without a bus! What's that gonna be like?' and we don't know actually. We're gonna do it for a year and see how it goes, but we really feel like in this economy everybody's gonna have to make sacrifices. It allows us to put more money into local communities when we play, and we wanna do that. We wanna help those mom and pop instrument stores. We wanna help those local crew guys who get a paycheck."
The Lost Trailers begin their West Coast tour on March 31st with a stop at Anaheim's House of Blues.
The band will play 60 dates from now through the end of September.
For a complete list of Lean & Clean tour stops, log onto thelosttrailers.com.
JUST OUR OPINION
We think it's great that The Lost Trailers are doing what they can to help the environment and the economy. But, one of the reasons bands have their own tour buses is to make sure they arrive at their destination on time, with all their luggage and gear intact. Flight delays and lost luggage could be a problem here and they might also have trouble with inconsistent quality of the instruments and crews on the local level. We just hope everything works out as planned.
Dierks Bentley will spend the summer as one of the opening acts for headliners Brad Paisleyand Keith Urban, among others. Bentley headlined his very first tour nearly two years ago, and tells us while he enjoyed the experience, he's happy to share the bill with some of his peers. "I look so fondly back on 2007, 2008. We had great tours and we played all the big rooms doing three, four, five, sometimes six, seven thousand people a night just depending on the town, so that was a great tour, but I always kind of wanted to go back and get a chance to spend some time with some of these other guys that I just would like to get to know -- Keith Urban, the Flatts and definitely at the top of the list right there, Brad Paisley."
Now that he's not the headliner, Bentley says he can kick back and relax a bit. "I've spent so much time this last year working on this record and rehearsing our live show. I'm so happy now just to be out there in the middle slot again. It's like going back in high school and you don't have to be the senior with all the pressure. You just get a chance to be the junior and be kind of the class clown, the slacker out there."
Bentley will play his first date on Urban's Escape Together World tour on May 29th in Roanoke, Virginia.
He joins Paisley's American Saturday Night tour beginning on June 5th in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Tracy Lawrence and his band and crew are lucky to be alive today. They were on their way from Nashville to a show in Jackpot, Nevada when their tour bus blew a tire on an interstate in North Platt, Nebraska on Sunday (March 22nd). The driver lost control of the bus, which ran down an embankment and over the median, landing on two wheels and bouncing into oncoming traffic. Lawrence says it was "divine intervention" that brought the bus to a complete stop in the center of the median.
He added, "We were at the right place at the right time for a serious incident like this to happen and have everyone walk away unscathed."
The front of the bus and undercarriage suffered only minor damage.
SIDE NOTE
Lawrence shot the video for his latest single, "Up To Him," on Tuesday (March 24th) in Nashville.
The song is the debut release from his upcoming inspirational country CD, The Rock.
Lady Antebellum is partnering with water filtration leader BRITA and their "FilterForGood" campaign to encourage fans to use fewer disposable water bottles as a small step toward bettering the environment.
The group will help spread the FilterForGood message online and on the road, starting with this week's "Webisode Wednesday." Lady Antebellum will encourage concert-goers on their upcoming Sun City Carnival tour with headliner Kenny Chesney to tailgate with reusable FilterForGood Nalgene bottles.
Group member Hillary Scott said, "The message of our new video for 'I Run To You' is about paying it forward and being there for others when they need you. We are going to try and make small lifestyle changes now to pay it forward for people younger than us, like my little sister, so that they have a clean, healthy and safe environment to enjoy years from now."
SIDE NOTES
To take the pledge, purchase an iconic FilterForGood bottle like the one the band uses and find more tips, visit www.filterforgood.com.
Lady Antebellum is also participating in the World Wildlife Fund's Earth Hour on March 28th, when individuals and communities across the world will turn off their lights at 8:30 p.m. local time. The band will dim their stage lights during their performance of their current single, "I Run To You," to support the global effort.
Dolly Parton fans can check out a stripped down performance by the legend on Unplugged At Studio 330 online at CMT.com on March 31st. The acoustic set features songs from her newest album, Backwoods Barbie, in addition to her hits "Jolene," "I Will Always Love You" and "9 to 5."
Backwoods Barbie is the first release on Parton's own Dolly Records.
A Limited Edition of Backwoods Barbie was released earlier this week at all Cracker Barrel Country Stores.
Parton fans can register at CMT.com to win an all-expenses paid trip to see 9 to 5: The Musical in New York, along with the blue outfit Parton wore in the video "Shinola," and one free meal each week for a year at Cracker Barrel.
Parton wrote the music for 9 to 5: The Musical, which is based on the 1980 hit comedy film in which she starred. 9 to 5: The Musical opens on Broadway in April.
T.R.KNIGHT REPORTEDLY CAUSED CAR CRASH: Law enforcement officials have reportedly determined that Grey's Anatomy actor T.R. Knight caused a car crash last Thursday (March 19th) that put one person in the hospital. TMZ.com reported that although Knight stopped a stop sign, he entered the intersection even though it wasn't clear of traffic, subsequently crashing into another car. Knight will not be ticketed however, because its against LAPD policy to ticket on infractions that they did not witness.
COURTHOUSE STAFF LEAKS LETTERMAN WEDDING DETAILS: David Letterman surprised the staff at the Montana courthouse where he married longtime girlfriend Regina Lasko last week. Lisa Sinton, the Clerk of District Court in Choteau County told People magazine that the talk show host had a friend call in to get the information he needed for the wedding, so when the comedian turned up, she was shocked. Sinton added that a couple close to Letterman and Lasko and their five-year-old son Harry were present during the ceremony.
DUSTIN DIAMOND SUED: Former child star Dustin Diamond is being sued by an energy company for allegedly failing to pay his utility bills. The lawsuit, obtained by the Journal Sentinel newspaper, claims that Diamond failed to pay an outstanding bill of $2,079 for amenities provided to his Wisconsin home. Diamond, who rose to fame playing Screech Powers on Saved By the Bell, has until April 15th to respond to the lawsuit. In the past few years, Diamond has both battled foreclosure and had his car repossessed.
COURTENAY SEMEL IN REHAB: Tila Tequila's ex-girlfriend Courtenay Semel has checked in to rehab. The New York Post reports that the heiress decided to try and kick her hard-partying habits after her father, Yahoo! billionaire Terry Semel cut her off following her Las Vegas arrest for hitting a security guard. A rep for Semel told the Post, Courtenay has indeed checked into rehab . . . She's emotionally, physically and mentally exhausted. She is now taking responsibility for her actions and is excited for her chance to start over."
ELAINE CASSIDY PREGNANT: Harper's Island star Elaine Cassidy is pregnant. Peoplemagazine reports that the 29-year-old actress, who is set to debut on the CBS show next month, is expecting her first child with her husband, U.K. actor and producer Stephen Lord. Harper's Island, which premieres on April 6th, follows Cassidy's character as she returns to the island where her mother was murdered and deals with a string of subsequent homicides.
The amount of pain caused by getting inked varies from person to person depending on an individual's tolerance and the tattoo site. Newsweek reporter Temma Ehrenfeld has compiled this list of the five most painful places to get a tattoo.
The eyeball -- While you're not going to get a sailor emblazoned on your eyeball, some blind people do get permanent makeup there to make their eyes look more normal. Other painful spots for permanent makeup are the eyebrows and lips.
The pubic area -- Tattoos down under are just about as painful as the lips because there are a lot of nerves that typically provide pleasure under different circumstances. If you're determined to do this, ask the tattoo artist to use a numbing cream.
The top of the foot or ankle -- Women like tattoos here. They look delicate and feminine and can be easily shown off by wearing sandals or going barefoot. But since there is so little fat here, be prepared to grit your teeth during the procedure.
Behind the ear -- It's a sexy look to be sure, but with nothing but skin, bone and nerves, there is nothing to help dull the pain. Ouchies! A tattoo here can be endearingly sexy. Just remember ladies, there's nothing in this spot but skin and bone--and nerves (though not as many as on your lip surface).
The rib cage -- The thinner you are, the more painful it is. And this goes for both men and women.
Robin Williams is recovering after undergoing successful heart surgery
Publicist Mara Buxbaum told the Associated Press that the 57-year-old had an operation to replace an aortic valve after being transferred from Florida to Cleveland for the procedure.
A cardiothoracic surgeon at the clinic said, "His heart is strong and he will have normal heart function in the coming weeks with no limitations on what he'll be able to do. A couple of hours after surgery, he was entertaining the medical team and making us all laugh."
In a statement, Williams thanked the staff at both hospitals who treated him, saying, "I can't thank them enough for their kindness and dedication while I was in their care. I must also thank all the people who have expressed their love and concern for me. I have been deeply touched by their support."
Williams was forced to cancel the remainder of his one-man comedy show tour earlier this month after it was determined that he'd need surgery. The sold-out, multi-city tour is expected to resume in the fall.
DAVID LETTERMAN MARRIES LONGTIME GIRLFRIEND: David Letterman married his longtime girlfriend Regina Lasko last Thursday (March 19th). The talk show host shared the happy news with his Late Night show audience on Monday (March 23rd), revealing that he and Lasko tied the knot in a courthouse ceremony. The pair, who have been dating for more than ten years, have a 5-year-old son named Harry. Usmagazine.com reports that the newlyweds first met when Lasko worked on Letterman's show.
MATT LAUER TO UNDERGO SURGERY AFTER BIKE ACCIDENT: Matt Lauer is scheduled to undergo surgery after separating his shoulder in a bicycle accident over the weekend. NBC announced that the Today show host flipped over his bike's handlebars after a deer jumped into his path while he was riding. The Today show publicist said that Lauer is "doing well" and he'll hopefully return to his hosting duties by the end of the week.
DANNY BONADUCE ENGAGED: Danny Bonaduce is engaged to his girlfriend of two years, Amy Railsback. The 26-year-old former teacher told Usmagazine.com, "He proposed a whole bunch of times over the last couple of years, but you know, it's never quite official until you have a ring on your finger. I'm a little giddy about it." She added that 49-year-old Bonaduce popped the question on March 12th with a sterling silver skull and crossbones ring, explaining, "He promises to get me a grown up engagement ring and wedding when we get married. This one is a Danny version for now." Bondaduce, who rose to fame as a child on The Partridge Family, currently works as a radio show host.
JUDGE REFUSES TO ESTABLISH PETER FALK CONSERVATORSHIP: A judge has refused to establish a conservatorship for Peter Falk on Monday (March 23rd), indicating that he will likely throw out a petition by the actor's adopted daughter. Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Aviva Bobb postponed a final ruling, having instead scheduled testimony to decide whether court intervention may be necessary. The move is opposed by Falk's wife, who, before he began suffering from Alzheimer's disease and advanced dementia, was designated as his caregiver and keeper of his estate.
TOM BRADY AND GISELE BUNDCHEN PLANNING SECOND WEDDING: Peoplemagazine has confirmed that Tom Brady and Gisele Bundchen will hold a second wedding on April 3rd in Costa Rica. Sources tell the magazine that friends and family have been invited to a celebration honoring the newlyweds, who tied the knot in a small ceremony on February 26th in Santa Monica. One insider said, "It's going to be an intimate affair. Mostly family and a few friends of both."
LISA LING'S SISTER ARRESTED IN NORTH KOREA: Laura Ling, the sister of former View co-host Lisa Ling, was one of two American journalists arrested in North Korea last week. People magazine reports that North Korea claims Ling and Euna Lee -- reporters for Current TV -- were "illegally intruding" from across the border with China when they were taken into custody last Tuesday (March 17th). They had been working on a story about North Korean refugees in the border region. The United States government says the State Department is in talks with North Korea about freeing the detained women, who People reported on Monday (March 23rd) have been taken to Pyongyang for interrogation.
CALIFORNIA STILL TRYING TO COLLECT TAXES FROM ANGELINA JOLIE'S LATE MOTHER: Cash strapped California is trying to collect over $60,000 in back taxes from Angelina Jolie's mom Marcheline Bertrand, who passed away in 2007. TMZ.com reports that the state filed a claim against Bertrand's estate for owes $43,699 in back taxes, $10,924.75 in penalties and $$8,304.95 in interest, for a total of $62,928.70.
'WONDER YEARS' STAR GETS MARRIED: Danica McKellar, who starred as Winnie Cooper on The Wonder Years, got married on Sunday (March 22nd) to composer Mike Verta. Her rep confirmed to People magazine that the couple, who had been dating since 2001, tied the knot in front of 150 guests in La Jolla, California. Crystal McKellar, who played Becky Slater alongside her sister on the hit show, served as the maid of honor.
ASHTON KUTCHER DISPENSES MARRIAGE ADVICE: Attending Bruce Willis's weekend wedding apparently gave Ashton Kutcher some food for thought, evident after he expressed his thoughts on the sacred bond via Twitter. Since attending the nuptials of his wife Demi Moore's ex, Kutcher has written, "For me it's about relearning that supporting my wife isn't about providing $ and Home, it's about supporting her desires, needs and emotions." He added, "Greatest lesson in my marriage. Don't try to solve her problems, just listen, love and be supportive. This is the opposite of male nature," and "2nd greatest lesson. When she says time for bed...hop to, good things await."
Grant Hill scored 23 points and hit the tiebreaking basket in the final minute as Phoenix topped the Nuggets 118-115. Jason Richardson added 22 points to help the Suns extend their season-high winning streak to five games.
Chicago 101, Washington 99 Atlanta 109, Minnesota 97 Boston 90, L.A. Clippers 77 Miami 94, Memphis 82 Orlando 106, New York 102 Phoenix 118, Denver 115 Philadelphia 114, Portland 108, OT Sybil Dosty scored 13 points and Danielle Orsillo hit a tiebreaking three-pointer with 32 seconds left to lead Arizona State past Florida State 63-58. Sixth-seeded Arizona State (25-8) will play the winner of Tuesday's Texas A&M-Minnesota game on Sunday in Trenton, N.J.
In the NHL last night.....
Philadelphia 4, New Jersey 2 Carolina 3, Florida 2, OT Calgary 5, Detroit 3
Japan has successfully defended its World Baseball Classic championship by beating Korea 5-3 in 10 innings at Dodger Stadium. Ichiro Suzuki went 4-for-5, including a two-run single that snapped a 3-3 tie in the top of the 10th. Japan who won the inaugural WBC three years ago. Curt Schilling has announced his retirement after 20 major league seasons and three World Series championships. He won the World Series with the Bosox in 2004 and 2007 after capturing his first championship with the 2001 Arizona Diamondbacks. Schilling is 14th on baseball's all-time strikeout list and leaves the game with a career 216-146 record and 3.46 ERA. The Super Bowl champion Steelers will open the 2009 NFL season in Pittsburgh on Sept. 10 against the Tennessee Titans. The announcement was made at the league meetings in southern California. The league also said the Chicago Bears will play at Green Bay in the first Sunday night game. Both the Titans-Steelers and Bears-Packers games will be on NBC.
Martina McBride's new studio album, called Shine, hits stores on Tuesday (March 24th). McBride tells us the title was appropriate for both this collection of songs and her career these days: "You know, when you're looking for an album title it's the hardest thing because you want an album title that's obviously memorable and catchy, but also really represents the music and what you've done with the music, and so that word just kept popping out, and all of a sudden I thought, 'I love this word.' It's so positive and powerful and strong, and it feels like what I wanna do with this music. I just want to go out there and shine, so that's really where the title came from."
The word "shine" first drew McBride's attention in the album's debut single, "Ride," as well as a song she dedicates to her husband: "There's a line in 'Ride' that says, 'Shine while you have the chance to shine,' which is one of my favorite lines from the song, and then there's also a song on this album called 'I Just Call You Mine' that has 'shine' very prominently in the song, in the chorus."
Shine is McBride's 10th studio album.
Her last CD, Waking Up Laughing, was released in 2007.
Chuck Wicks wants to help his dance partner and real life girlfriend, Julianne Hough, claim her third championship on ABC's Dancing With The Stars. With a few weeks of Dancing experience under his belt, Wicks has had plenty of opportunity to figure out who his biggest competitor is this season, but instead he tells us he chooses to keep the focus on himself: "My biggest competition really is myself. Everybody thinks we have this big advantage because we know each other, and they think I've been taking lessons from her since day one, and I haven't. We have chemistry and that's a given, but that doesn't mean I can dance. I still gotta learn how to dance."
This week's results episode of Dancing With The Stars airs on Tuesday night (March 24th) at 9:00 p.m. ET.
Oprah Winfrey has invited some of country music's hottest acts to take part in an upcoming edition of her show. Kenny Chesney, Carrie Underwood, Darius Rucker and Sugarland will all visit the talk show queen for a special hour devoted to country music.
Winfrey will fill the audience with the stars' biggest fans. She has reached out to potential audience members via her website, requesting that "HUGE" country music fans email the show.
There's no further information on when that show will be taped or aired.
Very few country music stars have graced Oprah's set. Some of the lucky few are Faith Hill, Tim McGraw, Shania Twain and Dolly Parton.
The lineup of performers paying tribute to George Strait at the upcoming ACM Artist of the Decade All-Star Concert continues to grow, with the addition of Brooks & Dunn, Jack Ingram, Alan Jackson, Jamey Johnson, Miranda Lambert, Montgomery Gentry, John Rich, LeAnn Rimes, Blake Shelton, Lee Ann Womack and actor Jamie Foxx. All are scheduled to perform at the event, which will be taped at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on April 6th and will air on CBS on May 27th at 8:00 p.m. ET.
Previously announced performers include Faith Hill, Toby Keith, Tim McGraw, Sugarland, Taylor Swift and Keith Urban.
Tickets are available to the public for $200, $150 and $100 through Ticketmaster.com.
FAST FACTS
Only four other acts have received the Artist of the Decade honor -- Marty Robbins in 1969, Loretta Lynn in 1979, Alabama in 1988 and Garth Brooks in 1998.
This marks the first time the Artist of the Decade honor will be presented as a separate television special.
The video for Alan Jackson's poignant new single, "Sissy's Song," debuts this week on CMT and GAC. The clip was shot in black and white at the historic Bear Creek Church in Culleoka, Tennessee, located 60 miles south of Nashville. The church and its cemetery were added to the National Registry of Historic Places in 1985. It is legendary for having been the place of worship and safety for Confederate soldiers during the Civil War.
Jackson wrote "Sissy's Song" after the sudden death of one of his longtime household employees, Leslie "Sissy" Fitzgerald. Sissy died on May 20th, 2007, in a motorcycle accident. She left behind two teenaged children and her husband, who is an expert car restorer and also works for the Jacksons.
Of Sissy's death, Jackson said, "I didn't sleep for a while. So I sat down one day and wrote this song and after that I felt all right. A lot of people told me how much it made them feel better and helped them get through it a little easier, so I was very proud of it."
He recorded the song and gave it to her family for the funeral.
FAST FACTS
Jackson has scored three consecutive Number One singles from his current Good Time album -- "Small Town Southern Man," "Good Time," and "Country Boy."
All totaled, Jackson has charted 34 Number One hits.
The Best of Shooter Jennings & The .357's is available online and in stores on Tuesday (March 24th). The 13-track CD includes fan favorites from Jennings' last four albums, plus two never-before-released tracks.
Eric Church's sophomore album, Carolina, also sees release on Tuesday. He says, "I wanted Carolina to go to some different places. The first album was more aggressive and moody. This one is more diverse, more musical and a little brighter. I hope people can at least hear that we're still taking chances."
FAST FACTS
Jennings' last studio album, The Wolf, was released in 2007.
Church's debut album, Sinners Like Me, was released in 2006.
He recently kicked off his The Young & Wild tour. The two-month run will conclude on May 16th in Melbourne, Florida.
BRUCE WILLIS MARRIES GIRLFRIEND: Bruce Willis married his girlfriend, model Emma Heming on Saturday (March 21st) at the actor's home on the Turks and Caicos Islands. Usmagazine.com reports that Willis's ex-wife Demi Moore, her husband Ashton Kutcher and Madonna were among those who witnessed the nuptials. A rep for Willis, who is 54-years-old, told People magazine that he and Heming, who is 32-years-old, will also be having a civil ceremony when they return to California. The couple had been dating for over a year.
Harrison Ford and Calista Flockhart are engaged. After numerous false reports of the couple's rumored intentions to marry over the past seven-and-a-half years, sources close to the pair confirmed to People magazine that Ford popped the question on Valentine's Day.
A source added that the proposal occurred while the two were away on a family vacation with son Liam.
It will be the third marriage for Ford, who is 66-years-old, and the first for Flockhart, who is 44-years-old.
The sci-fi thriller Knowing, starring Nicolas Cage as an astrophysicist who decodes a prophecy that predicts catastrophes and must save the world from disaster, opened at the top of the weekend box office. The film is Cage's ninth Number One film since 1997.
The male-bonding comedy I Love You, Man, starringPaul Rudd and Jason Segel, debuted in second place. Opening at Number Three was the romantic comedy Duplicity, which stars Julia Roberts and Clive Owens as former spies who scheme to steal millions of dollars.
Last weekend's top movie, Race to Witch Mountain, dropped to fourth place.
According to a survey by ISO Quality Planning, the Hummer H2 is more likely than any other vehicle to get a traffic ticket followed by the Scion tC and the Scion xB. The survey was done to help insurance companies identify and manage risks when insuring automobiles. The least ticketed car in the U.S. is the Jaguar XJ, followed by the Chevrolet Suburban and the Chevrolet Tahoe. Here's the top 10 most ticketed cars:
National Cleaning Week -- the fourth week in March (March 23-29)
87% of Woman's Day readers will do some sort of spring cleaning this year. When asked, "What's your most hated household chore?"
Cleaning the bathroom, 46%
Dusting, 16%
Mopping, 16%
Taking out the trash, 7%
Idiot's Guide To Spring Cleaning
Do: When you dust, start at the top and work down. Don't: Try to save time and money on feather dusters by hopping the neighbor's cat up on cat nip and using its tail.
Do: Wash the walls from the bottom up to avoid streaking. Don't: Cut corners by filling up your super soaker with Windex.
Do: Wash the knickknacks instead of dusting. Don't: Run the knickknacks in a load of laundry.
Do: Open a box of backing soda to absorb odors in your refrigerator. Don't: Recklessly open gurgling Tupperware.
National Clutter Awareness Week-- the fourth week in March. Time to clear your clutter and help disaster victims. They've lost everything they own. You own a lot of stuff you don't use and it's cluttering up your home. Feng Shui Diva! Robyn Bentley (robynbentley@fengshuidiva.com) suggests Americans transform their clutter into cash to help hurricane Katrina victims.
Open your eyes and look at all the stuff that's cluttering up your home. Now think about what you actually need and what you could live without like CDs you don't listen to, books you've finished, DVDs you don't watch, video games you don't play anymore, software, cameras, jewelry, clothing, collectibles, etc. You can take the things you don't use or don't really need and turn them into money to benefit the American Red Cross or other relief organizations. So even if you're strapped for cash you probably have some valuable things cluttering up your home that can be used to help disaster victims.
Clearing your clutter will help you too. After you clear your clutter, your home will feel more positive and so will you. Here are some tips to help you get started.
Make A Date With Your Clutter -- Be serious about getting rid of clutter. Set a day to start. Be reasonable with yourself about just how much you can accomplish. Give yourself a set amount of time to accomplish it.
Start Small-- A big room might be too overwhelming so start with something small, like a drawer. Take it easy and do one thing, finish it, and then do another small thing.
Organize Your Stuff -- Divide the big project of clearing clutter into smaller, more manageable clutter projects. Make a to do list and check off each thing you finish. Have separate bags or boxes for (1) borrowed items (2) things to sell for hurricane relief (3) gifts you'll give to others (4) garbage.
Transforming Your Clutter Into Cash-- There are a couple of ways to use your clutter for hurricane relief. You can sell your items on eBay and donate the proceeds to the American Red Cross or other relief groups. eBay has a special Giving Works program for charity listings where people can buy items that support nonprofit organizations. The items you auction will be grouped with other items that are specifically being auctioned to help charities. And shoppers can search for items that are being auctioned to help charities. But if you are unable to auction items online you can help out the old fashioned way by having a yard sale and donating the proceeds to the Red Cross or other relief organizations. You can also combine your items with friends and family and have a neighborhood, civic association or church sale.
Keith Urban takes the stage at the Fillmore in San Francisco on Tuesday (March 24th) on his limited-run No Frills tour. The show is the second of six club and theater dates sponsored by Verizon as a way to promote his new album, Defying Gravity, which will be released on March 31st.
Urban says that returning to smaller venues has two great benefits -- getting in some last-minute rehearsal for his upcoming Escape Together World tour, and having a more intimate connection with the audience, as he tells us: "Well, Verizon have approached us to do some club shows just as a promotional little run, but also it's a bit of a warm-up to the tour as well, and it's a really terrific way for us to hone the band, but also there's a certain connection with the audience that you get in a place that only holds 1200, 1500 people that's pretty awesome. Having them right up in front of the stage like that is great!"Urban plans to keep that intimacy when he returns to the larger venues this summer. "As we put this arena tour together, I'm looking for more ways to keep that connection a little closer, too. We're gonna drop the stage down by quite a bit this year to get us a little bit closer to the audience."
The No Frills tour plays the House of Blues in Los Angeles on March 27th; Joe's Bar in Chicago on March 30th; Webster Hall in New York City on April 1st; and the Theater of the Living Arts in Philadelphia on April 3rd.
Fans can get tickets to the shows by downloading Urban's music or videos from Verizon Wireless' V CAST Music service. Select fans will receive mobile tickets via their Verizon Wireless phones for entry to the event.
The Escape Together World tour begins on May 7th with the first of two shows at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut.
Billy Currington's new single, "People Are Crazy," immediately caught his attention because of the title. While sifting through songs for his latest album, Little Bit Of Everything, Currington tells us he skipped over several tunes to hear this one first. "The first thing that brought me to the song was the title alone, 'cause I got a CD, I remember. On that CD was like five songs. I think it was, like, the fourth one, but that was the first song that I went to just because of the title alone, and, yeah, after it went through the process and it made me laugh a couple times and it got to the end and I thought, 'Wow! What a really well-written song!'"
Currington said after replaying "People Are Crazy" several times in a row, he was ready to claim the song for his own until he discovered he was not the only one who liked it. "After the third time I remember calling Brian Wright at the label and was asking him, 'Does anybody have this song?' and he was like, 'Yeah, George Strait, Alan Jackson, Brad Paisley, Kenny Chesney,' and I'm like, 'I'm in line behind all those guys?' But somehow it worked out. A few weeks later we were able to record the song,
Taylor Swift is doing more than just making impressive music -- she's changing America, according to Rolling Stone magazine. The 19-year-old comes in at Number 100 on the publication's list of the 100 people who are changing the country.
Swift is in the heady company of Microsoft founder Bill Gates, Apple co-founder Steve Jobs, and President Obama as one of Rolling Stones' "Agents of Change."
The magazine says that Swift is "the first teen pop star who seems to get what it means to be a teenager." They give her props for managing to "keep her head on straight -- no drinking, no smoking, no limousine peekaboo -- without seeming like a prude."
Other musicians who make the countdown include Jack White, Bono, Neil Young, and Kanye West.
Reba McEntire and LeAnn Rimes will be among the famous ladies honored at the Kennedy Center's Spring Gala, called A Celebration of Women in the Arts. The event will take place on May 3rd at the Kennedy Center Concert Hall in Washington, D.C.
Patti LaBelle, k.d. lang, Kathleen Turner, Stockard Channing, Amy Poehler, photographer Annie Leibovitz and the women of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater are also among the evening's honorees.
FAST FACT
The Spring Gala secures funding for the Center's artistic programming and ongoing education and outreach initiatives.
Carrie Underwood's hits "Last Name" and "Just A Dream" have earned gold digital certification for sales of over 500,000 each. They join "So Small" as the second and third gold digital singles from Underwood's Carnival Ride CD, which is nominated for an Academy of Country Music (ACM) award for Album of the Year.
FAST FACTS
Underwood is also nominated for Entertainer of the Year, Top Female Vocalist and Video of the Year for "Just A Dream" at the ACM Awards, which will be held on April 5th in Las Vegas.
Her latest hit, "I Told You So," was a Number One hit for Randy Travis in 1988.
A special collector's edition of Dolly Parton's latest album, Backwoods Barbie, is available exclusively at the Cracker Barrel Old Country Stores starting today (Monday, March 23rd). The CD will feature three new tracks as well as brand new photos and artwork.
The three new songs on this disc, called "Rose of My Heart," "Hallelujah Holiday," and "Berry Pie," were selected by Parton herself from her extensive catalog.
The collector's edition of Backwoods Barbie is $11.99.
FAST FACTS
The original version of Backwoods Barbie was released last year.
Parton just released a video for the album's title track to GAC and CMT.
The song "Backwoods Barbie" will also be featured as one of the songs in 9 to 5: The Musical. Parton wrote all the music and lyrics for the upcoming Broadway show.
After some early-round upsets, the cream is rising to the top as the NCAA men's basketball tournament enters the Round of 16 later this week. All the No. 1, 2 and 3 seeds are still alive when the tournament resumes Thursday with the regional semifinals.
Syracuse reached the round of 16 with a 78-67 win over Arizona State in the South Regional. Eric Devendorf scored 21 points and Andy Rautins added 17 to lead the Orange. Devendorf drained a pair of three-pointers after the Sun Devils trimmed a 15-point, second-half deficit to 61-57. Syracuse plays Oklahoma next. No. 12 Arizona is the lone double-digit seed left standing after the Wildcats knocked out No. 13 Cleveland State 71-57 in the Midwest Regionals at Miami. Arizona had four players with at least 15 points, led by Nic Wise's 21. Jordan Hill added 16 points and nine rebounds for the Wildcats, who entered the tournament with just one victory in their previous six games.
In the NBA last night....
Miami 101, Detroit 96 Houston 87, San Antonio 85 Toronto 100, L.A. Clippers 76 Oklahoma City 97, Minnesota 90 Cleveland 96, New Jersey 88 New Orleans 99, Golden State 89 Philadelphia 112, Sacramento 100
Japan can make it two straight World Baseball Classic titles with a victory over South Korea tonight at Dodger Stadium. The Japanese jumped on Houston Astros hurler Roy Oswalt with five runs in the fourth inning and eliminated the U.S. 9-4 in last night's semifinal. Arizona right-hander Dan Haren gave up two homers and five runs in the first two innings but settled down against San Diego yesterday. Haren lasted five innings in his best outing of the spring. Chris Young and Miguel Montero each hit three-run homers and Ryan Roberts added a solo shot helping Arizona rally from five runs down to beat San Diego 12-7. Ryan Getzlaf scored two power-play goals in the third period and the Anaheim Ducks beat Phoenix 6-2 last night. Petr Prucha and Shane Doan scored for Phoenix.
In the NHL last night.....
Philadelphia 3, Pittsburgh 1 Chicago 4, Los Angeles 1 Boston 4, New Jersey 1 Minnesota 3, Edmonton 0 Ottawa 2, N.Y. Rangers 1 Anaheim 6, Phoenix 2 San Jose 3, Colorado 1
Kyle Busch edged Denny Hamlin by four-tenths of a second to win the Food City 500 at the high-banked half-mile Bristol Motor Speedway on the NASCAR Sprint Cup circuit. Jimmie Johnson was third, followed by points leader Jeff Gordon and Kasey Kahne.
Saturday night at Mohave Valley Raceway....
IMCA Modifieds-Jeff Sheppard, Golden Valley Super Stocks-Shawn Hannah, Needles Street Stocks-John Montgomery,Bullhead City Mini Sports-Austin Black, Mohave Valley Mini Stocks-Donavan Wooten, Mohave Valley Outlaws-Tristan Montgomery-Bullhead City Bandits-Cameron Williams, Ft. Mohave
Battle of the Sexes
Lucky 98 FM-Star beat Dave K-Flag Country-Jessi beat Kirt
MARISKA HARGITAY GOES BACK TO WORK: Mariska Hargitay will be back to catching sexual predators Monday, when she returns to work on the set of Law & Order SVU, E! Online reports. Hargitay has been battling problems with a collapsed lung since the show was on hiatus in January. She returned to work at the end of the month and then in early March was hospitalized again for the ailment. This week she'll be filming an episode that airs on April 28th.
BRUCE WILLIS MARRIES GIRLFRIEND: Bruce Willis married his girlfriend, model Emma Heming on Saturday (March 21st) at the actor's home on the Turks and Caicos Islands. Usmagazine.com reports that Willis's ex-wife Demi Moore, her husband Ashton Kutcher and Madonna were among those who witnessed the nuptials. A rep for Willis, who is 54-years-old, told People magazine that he and Heming, who is 32-years-old, will also be having a civil ceremony when they return to California. The couple had been dating for over a year.
FORMER 'BACHELOR' ANDREW FIRESTONE WELCOMES FIRST CHILD: Andrew Firestone, the former star of ABC's The Bachelor, welcomed a son with his wife Ivana Bozilovic on Saturday (March 21st). A rep for Firestone told People magazine that the couple named their child Adam Brooks after the reality star's father. The couple married in July of 2008 after announcing their engagement ten months earlier.
MEGAN FOX REPORTEDLY MOVES OUT OF BRIAN AUSTIN GREEN'S HOUSE: Despite reports that the rumored break up between Megan Fox and Brian Austin Green was just gossip, E! reports that the Transformers star moved out of Green's home over the weekend. Ted Casablanca reported that Fox moved into a hotel in the past few days, apparently leaving Green's Hollywood Hills home for good.
OPRAH WINFREY SAYS SICK PUPPY IS GETTING BETTER: Oprah Winfrey's sick cocker spaniel puppy Sadie is "hanging in there" as she battles the Parvo virus. The talk show host updated her audience on Sadie's condition last Friday (March 20th), just days after it was announced that Sadie's litter mate Ivan had died from the disease. Winfrey adopted both pups two weeks ago. Veterinarian Dr. Alexis Newman said that Sadie was about 80 percent recovered after being close to death a week ago and could be home again with Winfrey as soon as this week.
CHRISTOPHER NOLAN'S BROTHER ARRESTED FOR MURDER: The Dark Knight director Christopher Nolan's older brother has been arrested on murder and kidnapping charges. E! Online reports that Matthew Francis Nolan was nabbed by the FBI in his hometown of Chicago and is being extradited to Costa Rica. The elder Nolan has been wanted in Costa Rica since 2006 when local authorities charged him with the kidnapping and murder of a Florida businessman. According to the FBI complaint, Matthew and an accomplice held the businessman for ransom, hoping to recoup $7 million that the victim reportedly owed another man. The complaint added that when the family failed to meet Nolan's demands, the businessman was executed. The accomplice was convicted of murder and kidnapping and is now in prison.
'DAWSON'S CREEK' ACTOR GETTING DIVORCED: Actor Kerr Smith is divorcing his wife of nearly six years. TMZ.com reports that the Dawson's Creek alum cited irreconcilable differences in the filing against Harmoni Everett, who played a manicurist in Josie and the Pussycats. The pair was married in 2003.
My Dog Ate My Deposit In Apex, North Carolina, it wasn't a case of the dog ate my homework... it was my dog ate my deposit! $400 worth to be exact. Kelley Davis said she had an extra $400 in cash to deposit after working extra hours as a physical therapist. Unfortunately she left the money sitting out in her bedroom -- where her 2-year-old greater Swiss mountain dog, Augie, likes to hang out. When the money turned up missing, she feared Augie might have eaten it. That theory turned out to be true when she took Augie for a walk the next day and found parts of three $100 bills and five $20s in his poop! She washed them with a garden hose and hopes to find enough pieces to exchange them for new bills. Just in case you're worried, a professor at the North Carolina State University Veterinary School said the money shouldn't hurt the dog. No word yet on whether it will hurt the teller who has to exchange it. (The News & Observer)
Gay Marriage Now Recognized -- in the Dictionary! While Connecticut and Massachusetts may be the only two states in America that legally recognize gay marriage, the dictionary now does. Merriam-Webster has now included a secondary definition of marriage to recognize same-sex relationships. Actually they did this a few years ago but it went largely unnoticed until the conservative World Net Daily news site found out and made it into a big deal. In its Web and print editions, Merriam-Webster has traditionally defined marriage as "the state of being united to a person of the opposite sex as husband or wife in a consensual and contractual relationship recognized by law." But in 2003 they added a secondary meaning as "the state of being united to a person of the same sex in a relationship like that of a traditional marriage." Merriam-Webster spokesman Arthur Bicknell said, "We were one of the last ones among the major dictionary publishers to do this." The American Heritage Dictionary modified its definition of marriage to include same-sex unions in 2000. (myway.com)
Equal Peeing Rights! In Norfolk, Virginia, jurors are deliberating the discrimination case of a female dock worker who was punished by her union for urinating outdoors on the job. The problem is -- when a male co-worker did the same thing and relieved himself -- nobody seemed to care. The U.S. District Court jury began deliberations Wednesday in the case of Sonyo Tillett-Bond, who was told to go home after the Oct. 5, 2006, incident at the Portsmouth port. She wants damages totaling $300,000 from the International Longshoremen's Association Local 1458. Her supervisor sent her home after he heard of the urination incident because of fears of sexual harassment. While she was eventually reinstated by the union, a male co-worker was not punished. And that's just not fair! (The Virginian-Pilot)
Please, Punch My Face! Remember folks -- if it's illegal to begin with, it's still illegal even if somebody asks you to do it. 19-year-old Andrew Duba, a freshman at the University of Colorado in Boulder found out the hard way after he allegedly broke his friend's nose after the friend asked to be hit in the face! Police gave him a ticket on suspicion of third-degree assault. The friend, 18-year-old Dylan Krug, was drinking at a party and reportedly asked several people to hit him. Duba was the only one to oblige and punched him squarely in the nose. When he realized he had probably just broken Krug's nose, he tried to reposition it by hand. That's when Krug started bleeding profusely from his face and someone called police. (Daily Camera)
Easy Come, Easy Gone! For five glorious minutes, Paul Kusznirewicz thought he was a multi-millionaire. The 55-year-old sat amazed at the Buccaneer slot machine at the Georgian Downs casino in Innisfil, Ontario as it shouted out, "Jackpot! You've won $42.9 million!" Amidst the bells and whistles, a casino employee arrived, at first offering congratulations on the huge win. But then a supervisor came over, then another, and finally several mechanics. Then the bomb got dropped. Someone said, "We can't pay you that money because that machine is broken." And what was the generous compensation Paul was offered for the ultimate psych? Four coupons for the casino's dinner buffet! That wasn't good enough for Paul so yesterday, his lawyer Bryan McPhadden, served the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation with legal papers. The OLG has countered that the maximum payout for the Buccaneer slot game – a 2 cent per play machine – is $9,025. A spokesperson said, "It malfunctioned. It clearly malfunctioned. And each machine has a posted sign that says malfunction voids all pays and plays." But what wasn't posted is the maximum prize amount and that's what's making Paul cry foul. Plus, in the several weeks since the incident, the casino has never provided evidence the machine malfunctioned. So an investigation continues but I've got money that says he never gets the money. (The Star)
Better Rethink Forcing Your Religion on Everybody Next time you want to go try and force your religion on the general public, better think about McCreary and Pulaski counties in Kentucky. They're the two counties that lost a civil suit over their display of the 10 Commandments in courthouses and now have been ordered by a federal judge to pay the $400,000 litigation cost for the case! Of course the counties are planning to appeal. In 2005, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) won a Supreme Court ruling that says the 10 Commandments displays were unconstitutional. But the two counties refused to remove the displays and chose to fight the plaintiffs in court. They lost--and now they have to foot the bill. (Ananova)
Twins Win Again! In Berlin, Germany, 27-year-old twin brothers stood accused of stealing $7 million worth of jewelry and watches during a heist of Europe's largest department store -- KaDeWe. But the two men have been set free simply because being identical twins, the police can't prove which one did it. A court statement read, "From the evidence we have, we can deduce that at least one of the brothers took part in the crime but it has not been possible to determine which one." DNA evidence at the scene proved no help this time because the brothers have basically the exact same DNA. It's good to have a twin! (Ananova)
World's Biggest Idiot! Here's a guy who's definitely not ready for prime time crime. It's Matthew Peverada who was arrested in Portland, Maine, and charged with attempting to rob Dipietro's Market. He first attempted to rob the store around 4pm in the afternoon. But he was rebuffed by employees so he loudly announced that he'd be back at 11pm and they they'd better have some money for him! He came back at 11 -- and found not money, but the police waiting for him. (Portland Press-Herald)
How do you date on "the cheap?" It's important to know how to with rising gas prices and rising living expenses. Dating during a recession - how to save and still be romantic:
Cook dinner together. This requires (a) a presentable apartment with a well-stocked kitchen and (b) enough trust on your date's part to tramp up to your sixth floor walk-up on the wrong part of town. Oh, yeah, and (c) the ability to cook, since you don't want the other person to be calling all the culinary shots. Even when you add (d) a romantic bottle of wine, you'll have saved money over your typical bistro.
Take a walk in the park. Just about every woman's online profile references "long, romantic walks in the park," so now's the time to call her bluff. Just be sure to schedule your stroll so it doesn't conclude too close to dinnertime in a part of town lined with fancy bars and restaurants.
Go on a bike ride. This one is tricky, because it requires you to own a bike -- and owning a bike is tricky, because it requires you to own a helmet, kneepads, an annoying little "get out of my way!" bell, and all sorts of other doodads. However, if you already own a bike and all the accessories, and your date does too, a long bike ride won't cost you anything but calories.
Rent a movie. Great line from The Simpsons' hack actor Troy McClure: "I've been reading a lot of scripts lately. It's a lot cheaper than actually going to the movies!" If you can convince your date to get over that sixth-floor-walkup thing, renting a DVD (or better yet, tuning in something on basic cable) can be a great way to snuggle up and get to know one another. Just avoid anything involving Steven Seagal, giant insects, or ex-cast members of MAD TV.
Flash a coupon. Think about it: If a restaurant really wanted you to use that 25%-off coupon, would they demand that you show it to your waiter, in full view of your date, the instant you sit down? Still, coupons can be a good way to have your dating cake and eat it too, especially if you can wave them at the maitre d' when your gal pal isn't looking. (You can also be honest and suggest trying a particular restaurant because you happen to have the coupon. I don't recommend this, but some people insist it works.)
Just have coffee and dessert. "It's romantic to share your food, and women love to linger over chocolate while gazing into their lovers' eyes," says relationship coach Kathy Stafford. Of course, the tricky part about this is how one goes about scheduling a coffee-and-dessert date without actually having dinner.
Move in together. Since so many of the strategies here involve that sixth-floor-walkup thing, show off your financial-planning prowess by inviting your date to move in with you after you've known her all of two or three weeks. That way, you two can split the rent, which may even allow you to occasionally go to a concert or dine out at a fancy restaurant, the way some other couples do.
Want to save 20 percent or more on fuel costs? Follow these simple tips from the Consumer Federation of America.
Check Your Air Filter - A clean air filter can improve gas mileage by as much as 10 percent, and nearly one in four cars needs an air filter replacement.
Straighten Up - Poor alignment not only causes tires to wear out more quickly, but also forces your engine to work harder, which can reduce fuel economy by as much as 10 percent.
Tune Up - A properly tuned engine can improve mileage by 4 percent.
Pump 'em Up - More than one quarter of vehicles have improperly inflated tires. The average under-inflation of 7.5 pounds causes a loss of 2.8 percent in fuel efficiency.
Check Your Cap - It is estimated that nearly 17 percent of cars on the road have broken or missing gas caps, which not only reduces gas mileage but may harm the environment.
Slow Down - For every 5 mph you reduce highway speed, you can reduce fuel consumption by 7 percent.
Drive More Smoothly - The more smoothly you accelerate and decelerate, the better your gas mileage, with potential gas savings of 33 percent on the highway and 5 percent around town.
Lighten Up - For every 100 extra pounds carried around, your vehicle loses 1 to 2 percent in fuel efficiency.
Don't Be Idle. Besides causing pollution, idling wastes gas. If stopped for more than 30 seconds, turn off the engine, and don't bother to "warm up" your car before driving -- it is not necessary.
CHUCK WICKS AND JULIANNE HOUGH LEAVE TENSION ON THE DANCE FLOOR
Chuck Wicks and Julianne Hough continue on to compete another week on Dancing With The Stars. The real life couple refuse to let their personal relationship be affected by the competition, so they agree to leave any Dancing frustration behind at the studio, as Wicks tells us:
"She cracks the whip pretty good, man. She's taken the lead and not letting it down, and that's good because that's something that I need cause this is something I've never done. At the end of the day, we still go out to dinner, say, 'I love you,' and we're good. We understand the difference between tension that might happen in a practice to learn something. I mean, we're in competition with 12, 13 other people, so it's showtime, man. We wanna win this thing!"
Wicks adds that he and Hough have found it fairly easy to assume the roles of teacher and student during rehearsals, and Wicks has nothing but praise for his new teacher:
"We're both really competitive in nature. I mean, we get it. I get that she's the teacher, she's the coach. I'm the student. She's a great teacher. She knows how to word things. She knows how to get me to understand what she's really trying to talk about in my language, which is not dance. I don't know dance lingo at all, but she has a great way of getting it across."
* Dancing With The Stars airs on Mondays and Tuesdays on ABC. * The season's first elimination was Belinda Carlisle.
TOBY KEITH TO RECEIVE SPECIAL MARINE CORPS AWARD
Toby Keith will be awarded with the Johnny "Mike" Spann Memorial Semper Fidelis Award on March 26th at the Marine Corps-Law Enforcement Foundation's annual gala in New York City. The honor recognizes Keith as "always faithful" (Semper Fidelis) in his loyalty to and support of America's troops. The award is named for the Marine Corps captain-turned-CIA-paramilitary professional who was the first casualty in the war on terror on November 28th, 2001 in Afghanistan.
* Keith said, "Spending time with our soldiers around the world is something I've always regarded as a privilege and honor. I'm certainly happy to accept this award, but I won't forget for a second who's really doing the heavy lifting to keep this country safe. And that's why I'll keep going back and spending time with those good folks every chance I get."
FAST FACTS
* Keith completed his seventh USO Tour in 2008, visiting multiple sites including Forward Operating Bases on the front lines in Afghanistan and Iraq. * Senator Joseph Lieberman was the 2008 recipient of the Johnny "Mike" Spann Memorial Semper Fidelis award.
LEANN RIMES' NEW MOVIE TO PREMIERE ON LIFETIME THIS WEEKEND
LeAnn Rimes' new TV movie, Northern Lights, will premiere on Lifetime on Saturday (March 21st) at 9:00 p.m. ET. Interest in the show might be up due to reports of Rimes' alleged affair with her Northern Lights co-star, Eddie Cibrian. The two have a romantic relationship in the film, which US Weekly magazine maintains carried over to real life. Both Rimes and Cibrian are married.
* Rimes issued a statement on her website on Wednesday (March 18th), saying, "This is a difficult time for me and my loved ones, but I appreciate all your continued support. I would like to assure all of you that this is a place for you to hear things directly from me and as you all know, not everything in our lives is always black and white." * Cibrian also responded to the rumors on Wednesday, telling Access Hollywood, "Other than being friends and two actors who were romantically intertwined in a movie-for-television we filmed last fall, there is no truth to the reporting initiated by US Magazine. It is a fabricated story that is using random snapshots as connective tissue to create a scandalous relationship." * The entire story is featured in this week's issue of US Weekly, on newsstands now. * The article includes video stills and photos which the magazine points to as proof of the relationship.
LEE ANN WOMACK ENJOYED MOVIE MAKING 'EXPERIENCE'
Lee Ann Womack makes her acting debut in the independent movie Noble Things, about a rising country star who goes back to his hometown to face his terminally ill father, imprisoned brother and the life he left behind. Womack played Claire Wades, the town sheriff. She told us about the movie:
"I played somebody in the sheriff's department and then the sheriff gets sick, so I have to kind of step in. I had a good, good time. I'm glad I did it. It was an experience. That's something that not everybody gets to do, so I was happy to be able to do it."
* The movie was filmed in various locations throughout Womack's home state of Texas, including Austin and Beaumont. * Noble Things is set to premiere at the 40th annual Nashville Film Festival as the headlining movie on the evening of Saturday, April 18th. The screening will be held at Regal Green Hills Stadium 16.
SIDE NOTES
* The movie's soundtrack features two songs from another Texas native, Mark Chesnutt. * Noble Things was three years in the making.
BRAD PAISLEY, DIERKS BENTLEY ADDED TO CMA MUSIC FESTIVAL
Brad Paisley, Dierks Bentley, Brooks & Dunn, John Rich, and Montgomery Gentry have all been added to the lineup of performers on the main stage during this year's CMA Music Festival in downtown Nashville. The artists will perform at LP Field over the course of the four-day event, which runs from June 11th through the 14th.
* Previously announced performers at CMA Music Festival 2009 include Trace Adkins, Julianne Hough, Lady Antebellum, Miranda Lambert, Martina McBride, and Reba McEntire. Additional artists will be announced in the coming weeks.
FAST FACT
* Tickets to CMA Music Festival 2009 are available now. To order, call 1-800-CMA-FEST (262-3378) or purchase online at CMAfest.com or ticketmaster.com.
The TV networks are a bit miffed at the President for wanting to take over TV next Tuesday night to make a speech. That means shifting shows a night: American Idol will be Wednesday and Thursday next week. That puts Idol up against March Madness on Thursday, which they didn't want.
Stacy Keach had a mild stroke, but his publicist says no impairment as a result.
40% of Cosmopolitan readers say sleeping in is what they most look forward to on days off.
British TV has declared the ads for the DVD release of Angelina Jolie's movie "Wanted" too violent for their airwaves.
Longtime "60 Minutes" producer Don Hewitt is battling pancreatic cancer.
Both "Two and a Half Men" and "The Big Bang Theory" have received long-term renewals from CBS.
Howie Mandel's upcoming autobiography will be called, "Here's The Deal: Don't Touch Me."
Another celebrity fall: this time, Jessica Lange fell in her Minnesota cabin, breaking her shoulder and collar bone and dislocating her arm.
This year's "Lost" season finale will be on May 13.
Officials in Mexico say that the "spring break" crowds are down up to 15% from where they were last year.
A Swedish countess who's divorcing a former American CEO says she cannot live on $43 million.
Here are Cosmopolitan's ten ways NOT to get him to propose:
Gain 35 pounds to show him how sexy you'll look pregnant.
Freak out whenever he utters "Will you...," then act all depressed when the words "...marry me" don't follow. Practice on these: "Will you... pass the remote?" or "Will you... stop staring at me like that?"
Surreptitiously change his ring tone to "Chapel of Love."
Since the theory is that all guys are looking for their mother, start wearing pleated elastic-waist jeans, appliqued vests, and jewelry that looks like fruit.
Buy an old-fashioned alarm clock and place it by his bed. Tell him that this is your biological clock. Make sure it ticks - loud.
Constantly call his best friend "excellent best-man material."
At a family party, tap your spoon on your glass and say, "Everybody, I think Pete wanted to ask me a special question while you were all here tonight. Sweetie?"
Not that you'd ever bribe anyone, but explain to your man that if you were to get engaged, he could register for the motorbike he's always wanted. Hey someone might buy it for him.
Oh so casually request "Babe, can you scratch my ring finger? It's kinda itchy."
Remind him that the's not getting any younger - or any closer to actually knowing Angelina Jolie.
Phoenix Suns guard Leandro Barbosa will be sidelined for one to three weeks after suffering a bone contusion in his left knee. Barbosa planted his left leg awkwardly in the final minute of the first quarter in Wednesday night's home win over Philadelphia.
Last night's NBA scores...
Atlanta 95, Dallas 87 Cleveland 97, Portland 92, OT L.A. Lakers 114, Golden State 106 Arizona State faces Temple today in a first-round game of the NCAA basketball tournament. The Sun Devils take a 24-9 record into the South regional game in Miami and are in the NCAA field for the first time since 2003. The Wildcats stand 19-13 and are in the tournament for the 25th straight year.
The biggest upset on opening day of the tournament belonged to Western Kentucky. The 12th-seeded Hilltoppers beat fifth-seed Illinois 76-72 in the South Regional and will take on Gonzaga next. Michigan, the 10th seed in the South Regional, upset seventh-seed Clemson 62-59 in another upset of a mostly form-filled first day of action yesterday. Manny Harris scored 21 points and Stu Douglass added 12 for the Wolverines, who will face Oklahoma on Saturday.
Scores from Yesterday's NCAA Tournament..
LSU 75 Butler 71 North Carolina 101 Radford 58 Texas 76 Minnesota 62 Duke 86 Binghamton 62 Purdue 61 N. Iowa 56 Washington 71 Mississippi St. 58 Gonzaga 77 Akron 64 Memphis 81 CS Northridge 70 Maryland 84 California 71 Oklahoma 82 Morgan St. 54 Texas A&M 79 BYU 66 Connecticut 103 Chattanooga 47 Villanova 80 American U. 67 UCLA 65 Va. Commonwealth 64
In the NHL last night....
Los Angeles 3, Boston 2, OT Ottawa 5, Montreal 4 Florida 3, Toronto 1 Washington 5, Tampa Bay 2 Edmonton 8, Colorado 1 Anaheim 3, Phoenix 2, SO Vancouver 3, St. Louis 0 San Jose 3, Nashville 2, SO After a day off, the Arizona Diamondbacks resume Cactus League play today with a game in Tempe against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. The D-backs are 7-12 so far in spring training while the Angels have a 15-4 record. Whitey Lockman, who doubled ahead of Bobby Thompson's "Shot Heard Round The World" that clinched the 1951 NL pennant, has died in Scottsdale at age 82. Lockman told the New York Daily News last week that he was fighting pulmonary fibrosis.
The sci-fi thriller Knowing, starring Nicolas Cage as an astrophysicist who decodes a prophecy that predicts catastrophes and must save the world from disaster, opened at the top of the weekend box office. The film is Cage's ninth Number One film since 1997.
The male-bonding comedy I Love You, Man, starringPaul Rudd and Jason Segel, debuted in second place. Opening at Number Three was the romantic comedy Duplicity, which stars Julia Roberts and Clive Owens as former spies who scheme to steal millions of dollars.
Last weekend's top movie, Race to Witch Mountain, dropped to fourth place.
HOW YOU FOLD YOUR CLOTHES REVEALS YOUR REAL PERSONALITY
(Sun) Don't look now, but the way you fold the clothes in your dresser drawers reveals some interesting secrets about your personality:
Precise-- You're a finicky person who keeps everything in your life organized to the nth degree. But your super-meticulous style leaves little room for unscheduled fun and games. Don't forget the joy of spontaneity. Cut loose and do something unscripted with family and friends.
Rolled -- You make a valiant attempt to maintain order while being laid back enough not to worry about a bit of clutter. But your easy going attitude often keeps you from completing projects. It's time to return to those forgotten tasks and finish them once and for all.
Mishmash-- You're life tends to be chaotic, and your home reflects it a packed suitcase from a long ago trip is still not put away. End the frustration of looking for items lost in the mess by bringing organization to closets and drawers. You'll be calmer and even happy to have unexpected visitors.
We've all heard of the The 5-Second Rule: if food falls on the floor, pick it up within five seconds and you can eat it. Whatever germs are on the floor don't have time to adhere to the food that quickly. Or do they? A recent national survey by Kelton Research found that nearly 60% of Americans admit to eating food that has fallen on the floor. Would they continue doing that if they knew a typical home carpet has up to 4,000 times more bacteria particles -- even after vacuuming -- than toilet seats? Here's the total number of bacteria particles found on one-inch square samples of different household surfaces:
Toilet seat: 49
Kitchen counter: 1,686
Kitchen tile: 2,546
Bathroom floor: 18,025
Carpet: more than 200,000
Why is the floor -- the kitchen tile, the living room hardwood and the family room carpet -- so dirty? Blame your shoes. Gerba found more than 400,000 units of bacteria inside and outside shoes, including the worst kind of all: E. coli. So does the 5-second rule work? No. Eat that cookie that falls on the floor, and you could also be ingesting a frosting of E. coli.
The New York Post is claiming that actress Natasha Richardson is brain dead after her skiing accident. She was transferred to a New York hospital so that her mom, Vanessa Redgrave and Natasha's two sons can say goodbye before taking her off life support.
After 26-1/2 years of dating, "The View" host Joy Behar says she's considering marriage to her boyfriend, Steve Janowitz.
More babies were born in the U.S. in 2007 than any year in the nation's history, topping the peak during the baby boom 50 years earlier, federal researchers reported Wednesday.
Christina Ricci and her comedian boyfriend Owen Benjamin are engaged.
Yes, Guy Ritchie is dating Elle Macpherson.
A new study from researchers in Australia says that regular quantities of mushrooms and green tea in the diet can reduce the breast cancer risk in women by up to 90%.
Julia Roberts said the f-word when she was a guest on David Letterman's "Late Show." Eight times! The f-bomb tirade was sparked when Letterman asked Julia Roberts, "Have you ever worked with a guy who was just a raging maniac?"
Meanwhile, Stacy Keach was supposed to be starring as Richard Nixon in a stage version of "Frost/Nixon"... but instead, he's in the hospital.
"American Idol" trading cards? They'll come out April 21!
Madonna may be down one husband, but she apparently wants to adopt at least one more African child.
Now we hear that Chris Brown and Rihanna are "taking a break."
Drew Carey is a part-owner of the new Seattle Sounders FC soccer team that kicks off it's first season Thursday night in Seattle.
One of the puppies that Oprah Winfrey just adopted earlier this month has died of parvo.
JESSICA LANGE BREAKS COLLARBONE IN FALL: Actress Jessica Lange was hospitalized on Tuesday (March 17th) after sustaining minor injuries from a fall down the stairs at her Minnesota cabin. A rep for the 59-year-old told People magazine, "She bruised her ribs, broke her collarbone and received a small cut on her forehead. She will be completely fine and expects to be released from the hospital imminently." A family member of the Oscar-winner told TMZ.com, "She's OK ... but very lucky." Lange and Drew Barrymore co-star in the upcoming HBO film, Grey Gardens.
BRUCE WILLIS GETTING MARRIED? Bruce Willis is reportedly planning to marry girlfriend Emma Heming -- as soon as this weekend. The National Enquirer claims that the couple will tie the knot in an "exotic location," but when contacted by Extra TV, Willis's reps said they had no comment on the marriage report. However, a source told People magazine that Willis's ex-wife Demi Moore and her husband, Ashton Kutcher, who both maintain a close friendship with Willis, arrived in Turks & Caicos a few days ago where Willis owns a home.
'PROJECT RUNWAY' FINALIST ARRESTED: Project Runway season five finalist Kenley Collins was arrested on Tuesday (March 17th) in Brooklyn for allegedly attacking her reported fiance with a variety of items -- including a cat. TMZ.com reports that the designer was arrested and charged with six crimes, including 2nd degree assault, 3rd degree assault and criminal possession of a weapon in the 4th degree. The District Attorney claims that Collins attacked the sleeping man with "anything she could get her hands on," including a cat, a laptop, several apples and water.
NIKKI BLONSKY SUED: Nikki Blonsky and her parents are being sued by an attorney in connection with their 2008 airport brawl at a Turks and Caicos airport. The New York Post reported that Michael J. Griffith filed a lawsuit seeking legal fees from the family, who was involved in a fight with America's Next Top Model contestant Bianca Golden and her mother. The Post reports that Griffith has told friends that he was responsible for getting Carl Blonsky out of jail on $3,000 bail, but Nikki fired him the next day without paying for his services.
HEATHER GRAHAM REPORTEDLY DATING DIRECTOR: Heather Graham is dating the director of her new movie, Yaniv Raz. The 39-year-old, who met Raz on the set of their comedy, Son of Mourning, told Us Weekly during a charity trip to Hawaii, "We didn't start dating until after we were done filming."
LeAnn Rimes and her Lifetime movie co-star, Eddie Cibrian, have reportedly taken their romance from the small screen to real life. The story made the cover of US Weekly magazine this week, which is currently on newsstands.
Rimes, 26, and Cibrian, 35, star together in the Nora Roberts flick, Northern Lights, which premieres on March 21st. Rimes, who recently celebrated her seventh wedding anniversary with husband Dean Sheremet, shared a supposedly romantic dinner with Cibrian earlier this month in Los Angeles. Security tape from the restaurant show the two kissing and holding hands.
US additionally reports that Rimes and Cibrian met for a "three-hour tryst" at the Malibu Beach Inn on March 14th.
Cibrian is also married and has two young sons.
Rimes posted a message on her website on Wednesday (March 18th), saying, "This is a difficult time for me and my loved ones, but I appreciate all your continued support. I would like to assure all of you that this is a place for you to hear things directly from me and as you all know, not everything in our lives is always black and white."
Sheremet posted a comment on Twitter.com simply stating, "I love my wife!!!"
Cibrian"denied the story, saying in a statement to Access Hollywood,"It is a fabricated story that is using random snapshots as connective tissue to create a scandalous relationship."
Reps for Rimes declined to comment.
Do you think that US Weekly is a reliable news source?
Do you think Rimes as much as admitted to the affair with her vague website posting?
In your opinion, are most celebrity marriages doomed from the beginning? If so, why do you think that is? EMAIL US AND LET US KNOW ! mornings@kflg947.com
Celebrities may be lining up to get a shot on ABC's Dancing With The Stars, however Miranda Lambert will do her best to avoid the opportunity to strut her stuff. Lambert tells us she has no business being on the show. "I can't dance for crap, so I would not be on Dancing With The Stars. And I don't want to stand next to Julianne Hough every week for 12 weeks or whatever. That's not something I'd rather do. She's like a Barbie."
Lambert admits to being a fan of certain reality TV, but she has no plans on ever doing another such show after being part of the 2003 season of Nashville Star."I get sucked in. I choose my few, like, reality shows that just suck you in and you're like, 'I don't need to be watching this, but I'm watching the whole marathon all day Sunday.' You know what I mean? Some of those just hook you in, but, no, I don't see myself ever doing another one just because I already did it, but I have a few (favorites) like Girls Next Door and America's Top Model. Those are my -- what do you call it -- guilty pleasures (laughs)."
Lambert will join Kenny Chesney on his upcoming Sun City Carnival tour this summer. The run begins on April 17th in Uncasville, Connecticut.
Keith Urban is becoming the king of collaborations these days, working with everyone from Brad Paisley to B.B. King and Justin Timberlake, as evidenced at the Grammy Awards earlier this year. Urban was originally only scheduled to participate in a multi-artist tribute to Bo Diddley at the Grammys, but working with Timberlake was a last-minute surprise, he tells us: "The Justin thing with Al Green was so unexpected and bittersweet for how that came about with Rihanna and Chris Brown, but, for me, what a huge honor to get to play with those two guys."
Urban was quickly grabbed as a fill-in when Rihanna pulled out of the show shortly before airtime. Urban said the show's producer literally stopped him on his way out of the Staples Center after rehearsal the day of the show and asked for his help."Basically, he shoves me in Justin's dressing room and there's Justin, and then we're figuring out the arrangement to this song, and they're trying to get Al on the phone, and all this is going down and I'm just sitting there going, 'What the hell is . . . What is going on?' Within 20 minutes after that they manage to get Al down there. We ran up on stage, ran through the song once really quickly and then 30 minutes later the show started. It was insane how fast it all came together."
Urban's new album, Defying Gravity, will be released on March 31st.
He will kick off his Escape Together World tour on May 7th in Uncasville, Connecticut.
Rascal Flatts now hold the record for the largest first week digital scans for a country debut single with their latest, "Here Comes Goodbye." The trio released the song to iTunes last week, and now 126,000 copies of the song have been purchased.
Fans can go to iTunes.com to purchase the single and video for "Here Comes Goodbye," as well as the newly released track "Forever."
Rascal Flatts will pre-release a total of four songs from their new CD, Unstoppable, via iTunes each consecutive Tuesday leading up to the April 7th street date. On that date, iTunes customers may "Complete My Album" and purchase the album at a reduced price based on the tracks they've already purchased. Each song will also be made available to radio for airplay as it is released at iTunes.
Upcoming tracks and release dates are "Love Who You Love" on March 24th, and "Things That Matter" on March 31st.
FAST FACTS
Unstoppable is Rascal Flatts' first studio album since 2007's multi-platinum Still Feels Good.
Their JCPenney-sponsored American Living Unstoppable tour kicks off on June 5th. While the dates have not been officially announced, the trio will play in at least 60 cities each year for the next two years.
Illness forced Willie Nelson to postpone six concert dates, beginning with Tuesday's (March 17th) scheduled show in Clearwater, Florida. Pollstar reports that Nelson's dates through March 22nd in Sprindale, Arkansas have been put on hold. The singer plans to reschedule the shows, however no dates have yet been confirmed.
Tickets for the postponed shows are expected to be honored on the rescheduled dates.
There is no specific cause known for Nelson's illness.
SIDE NOTES
Nelson's new album, called Naked Willie, was released on Tuesday (March 17th). The project includes 17 songs recorded between 1966 and 1970, but now stripped down from their original production.
George Jones will play host to the first-ever Jones Jam on Saturday (March 21st) at the National Peanut Festival Fairgrounds in Dothan, Alabama. The concert will feature performances from Jones, Clint Black, Lee Greenwood, and Aaron Tippin, among others. The festival will help support the official groundbreaking of Country Crossing, a resort and entertainment facility in Dothan. The event is free and open to the public.
Jones's Possum Holler Bed and Breakfast, which is part of the Country Crossing resort, is scheduled to be complete by late summer.
Other entertainers affiliating themselves with Country Crossing developments include John Anderson, Clint Black, Tracy Lawrence, Lorrie Morgan, Aaron Tippin and Darryl Worley.
FAST FACTS
Country Crossing will feature celebrity-themed venues and restaurants, a hotel, amphitheater, family entertainment center, electronic bingo pavilion, RV Park and festival grounds. A variety of music festivals will also be held on the grounds of the community.
Jones became a full-fledged partner with Ronnie Gilley Properties, LLC in 2006. The singer and his wife, Nancy Jones, helped to develop a neighborhood called The Legends in the city of Enterprise, Alabama.
Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kurt Warner has undergone arthroscopic surgery on his left hip. The team says the operation to repair a torn labrum and "clean up some loose fragments" was performed Tuesday by the same doctor that operated on Yankees slugger Alex Rodriguez's hip last week. The Cardinals signed defensive end Bertrand Berry to a one-year contract with the Arizona Cardinals. Terms were not disclosed. Berry played in all four of the Cardinals post-season games. He started three of them and had two sacks and a fumble recovery. Arizona State and Arizona are preparing for college basketball's post-season. Arizona State meets Templetomorrow and the UA plays Utah Friday. Both games take place in Miami.
In the NBA last night...
Boston 112, Miami 108, OT Portland 95, Indiana 85 Charlotte 104, Sacramento 88 New Jersey 115, New York 89 Denver 111, Memphis 109 Orlando 106, Milwaukee 80 Chicago 103, Oklahoma City 96 New Orleans 94, Minnesota 93 Houston 106, Detroit 101, 2OT Phoenix 126, Philadelphia 116 L.A. Clippers 123, Washington 108
In the NHL last night....
Carolina 4, New Jersey 2 Columbus 4, Chicago 3, OT Calgary 2, Dallas 1 Anaheim 4, Nashville 3, OT Arizona managed just one hit yesterday in spring training off Milwaukee starter Yovani Gallardo. The 23-year-old right-hander held Arizona hitless through five innings Wednesday in the Brewers' 4-1 victory over the Diamondbacks. Arizona's Doug Davis held the Brewers without a hit in 2 1-3 scoreless innings.
Constant Channel Changer -- You're always looking for something new, interesting and fulfilling. You are outgoing and ambitious.
Muncher -- Snacks while watching TV. People around you consider you a good neighbor.
Bedtime Viewer -- (Watch before going to bed) You don't take TV too seriously, but use it to unwind after a long day. You probably have either a dynamic or stressful job and use the TV to relax.
Fact Seeker -- Loves new programs. You are a serious no-nonsense type of person. You use TV to learn and to gather information. Your head, not your heart rules your life.
Sit-com or Game Show Junkie-- You are warm, sociable and love to be around groups of people. You are likely to be involved with an intramural sport team of some sort; or some kind of a social group that meets on a weekly basis.
Continuous Viewer-- Watches lots of TV. You have a great need for people and a hunger to be stimulated. You are happiest when you are with family or friends. TV is reassuring to you.
The Planner -- Plans entire viewing schedule. Good organizer and follow a strict schedule in life. You are a good business person and very thorough in everything you do.
You can put yourself in the pink just by paying attention to the colors in your life. For example, wearing green attracts money. Writing things on yellow paper helps you remember them. You'll get faster restaurant service if you wear red. Psychologist Dr. Edna DuShann discovered these and other facts during a 15-year career studying the effects that colors have on people attitudes and behavior. Here are DuShann's tips on colors and what they can do for you.
Redenergizes both the mind and body. To work more efficiently, keep a bright red object close by and look at it regularly. You'll get waited on sooner in bank lines and restaurants if you wear red because it's a bold color that demands attention.
Green has a deep subconscious association with wealth. Look at a green lawn or tree leaves to help you generate money-making ideas. When applying for a loan wear green to your interview.
Yellow stimulates memory. When trying to recall someone's name or where you put your keys, look at a yellow bandana or an unpeeled lemon. To retain information, write it on a yellow legal pad.
Blue relaxes us. Look at the sky or at the ocean when you're dressed. Wearing a blue shirt or sweater makes others feel more comfortable around you.
Pink has an amazingly positive effect on the immune system. To stay healthy or fight the beginnings of a cold or flu, surround yourself with pink.
Gray is great for helping you get out of yourself. When personal problems threaten to overwhelm you, look at a charcoal gray cloth or object to slow your self-centered thoughts and make you more objective. Wearing gray can make you blend into a crowd.
Violet is associated with confidence and personal power. Next time you have to take on a difficult task, especially one involving other people, look at a violet pastel painting or cloth. Violet will also help you command respect from those around you, but don't overdue it. A violet shirt or jacket is going too far. Better to sport a violet tie or scarf.
White is the color of purity. Looking at clean white pillowcases, nice fluffy clouds or newly driven snow will help you fight temptation and resist bad habits. For reasons not completely understood, wearing white makes women sexually attractive to men, but women regard men who wear the color as less sexy and more brainy.
(Woman's Day) Before you pass old wives' tales on to your kids, find out what's fact and what's fiction:
"Feed a cold starve a fever" - False. Malnutrition reduces the body's response to infections, so skipping meals is never a good idea, says Frank Diensts, M.D., a Florida based internal pulmonary critical care specialist.
"Sitting close to the TV ruins your eyes" - False. There's no evidence to suggest that sitting too close will affect your eyesight, but watching too much TV as a child, more than two hours a day, has been linked to adult obesity.
"Put butter on a burn" - False. It may actually do more harm than good, because the grease helps seal in the heat. Instead, run cool water over the burn to nub the pain and reduce swelling.
"Garlic wards off the common cold" - True. "One of the best remedies for a cold is to eat raw garlic at the onset of symptoms," says Andrew Weil, M.D., director of the Program in Integrative Medicine at the University of Arizona College of Medicine. It contains allicin, which has antibiotic effects.
Can't sleep? The problem could be your cell phone.
Using a cell phone before going to bed could disrupt your natural sleep rhythms. Radio frequency from cell phones can cause insomnia, headaches and confusion and may also reduce the amount of deep sleep, according to research done in Sweden. Cautions study head Dr. Bengt Arnetz: "If you feel you have trouble sleeping, you should think about not talking on a mobile phone right before you go to bed."
LINDSAY LOHAN INVOLVED IN FENDER BENDER: Less than 24 hours after her arrest warrant was recalled, Lindsay Lohan was involved in a car crash. The fender bender, however was not her fault -- EOnline reports that Lohan was in the passenger seat of a black SUV when her driver crashed into a wall outside the Mondrian Hotel in West Hollywood. The incident occurred at 3:30 a.m, after Lohan hit the town following a court-ordered alcohol-education class.
REESE WITHERSPOON AND JAKE GYLLENHAAL REPORTEDLY ENGAGED: Reese Witherspoon and Jake Gyllenhaal are reportedly engaged. Star magazine claims that Witherspoon accepted her beau's third proposal -- after having rejected his first two attempts to gain her hand in marriage. A source told the magazine that Witherspoon wore her new ring to a recent commercial shoot, but took it off after witnesses started gawking. The insider said, "It was gorgeous, and everyone noticed it right away. But she took it off as soon as she saw people staring. Reese stuffed it in her bag and didn't put it on again the rest of the day." A second source added, "There was already word out that she and Jake had gotten engaged, so the ring absolutely confirmed everybody's suspicions."
CHRISTINA RICCI ENGAGED: Christina Ricci is engaged. The actress's rep confirmed to Usmagazine.com that the 29-year-old will marry Owen Benjamin, who she has been dating since October. The couple will appear together in the film All's Faire in Love, which is due to be released later this year. Ricci dated actor Adam Goldberg from 2003 until 2006.
MEL GIBSON CHEATING ON WIFE? Mel Gibson was reportedly seen kissing a woman who is not his wife. The Huffington Post reported that the movie star was seen "embracing a stunning mystery brunette" near his home in Costa Rica. A source said, "They put their arms around each other and kissed pretty passionately for about four or five seconds." Gibson has been married to Robyn Moore, with whom he has seven children, since 1980.
STACY KEACH HOSPITALIZED: Actor Stacy Keach was hospitalized and replaced by an understudy in a Los Angeles stage production of Frost/Nixon Tuesday (Maarch 17) night. Spokesman Dick Guttman says Keach was in stable condition, but provided no information on why the 67-year-old actor was hospitalized. Keach had been starring as Richard Nixon in the Center Theater Group's production of Frost/Nixon at the Ahmanson Theatre.
JOY BEHAR TO MARRY? Joy Behar is considering marrying her longtime boyfriend, Steve Janowitz. Speaking on Barbara Walters's radio show, Behar said that the two have talked about tying the knot, mentioning, "I have been with a guy for 26-and-a-half years." She explained that a gay couple's ordeal is leading them to reconsider their marital status. Behar said, "Somebody that I know lost her partner. They were gay women. And the partner was in the hospital, and she had to pretend that she was her sister in order to really deal with stuff. I don't want that to happen to us . . . and I also just feel that I want to."
HARRY POTTER STUNTMAN MAY NEVER WALK AGAIN: A STUNTMAN injured while practicing a stunt for the new Harry Potter film is reportedly unlikely to walk again. Britain's Daily Mirror reports that David Holmes, who damaged his spine in the accident, has been unable to move his legs or arms in the past two months. A source told the paper, "Doctors have told him he only has a five percent chance of recovering movement in his arms and legs. He's devastated but if there is a chance of him walking again I'm sure he will." Holmes's grandfather Charles Chase added, "It's right David has been told he has little chance of walking again. It's very upsetting."
'WATCHMEN' STAR EXPECTING SECOND CHILD: Watchmen star Patrick Wilson and his wife, actress Dagmara Dominczyk are expecting their second child. When asked if he was to become a father of two, Wilson responded, "Yes, we're about halfway there." Wilson said that his two-year-old son Kalin is "very excited," adding, "I think he'll make a great older brother." The new baby is due in June.
GUY RITCHIE DATING ELLE MACPHERSON? Guy Ritchie may be rebounding with Australian supermodel Elle Macpherson. The director, whose split from wife Madonna was announced last year, was seen dining with Macpherson in London on Monday (March 16th) night. The U.K.'s Daily Mail reported that the pair stayed at the restaurant until after midnight but left separately to avoid being photographed together.
'THE CITY' COUPLE CALLS IT QUITS:Whitney Port and her boyfriend, Australian musician Jay Lyon have split after less than a year together. The City creator Adam Divello told Usmagazine.com, "Whitney and Jay are broken up as of The City season finale. There were a few factors in their relationship that led to their split and fans saw those play out on-air. As we pick up where we left off when the show returns later this year, viewers will see what unfolds as we continue to tell Whitney's story."
JADE GOODY MEMORIALIZED BY OK! MAGAZINE: Jade Goody is being memorialized by the British version of OK! magazine -- before her actual death. Although the reality star's rep has said that it's only a matter of time before the terminally ill 27-year-old succumbs to cancer, OK! has published the "Jade Goody Official Tribute Issue" and wrote "1981-2009" on the cover. At the time ok-magazine.co.uk began publicizing the issue, Goody was still clinging to life.
Rascal Flatts will head into uncharted territory when they perform at Wrigley Field in Chicago on July 18th. The show will be the group's first as a stadium headliner. Rascal Flatts is also the first country act and only the third act ever to perform at the venue.
Jay DeMarcus tells us that the trio initially had doubts about accepting the gig: "First of all, when they brought us the idea we were like, 'Oh my God! Are you sure we can pull a stadium off?' So to see the ticket sales numbers from last week was very, very encouraging, and it's obviously a humbling thing, indeed, to be the first country act to ever play Wrigley Field, and we're looking so forward to that night. It's gonna be really special. We're working on a few surprises right now. We're gonna take Vince Gill up there with us and a few of our other good friends that are gonna chime in and do some things up there."
The group plans to change up their show in order to fit the venue, as DeMarcus and lead singer Gary LeVox explain: "It's overwhelming, too, at the same time. You gotta adjust everything you do to play a place like that." (LeVox) "It's Wrigley. I don't know where you go from there. To be the third act ever in the history of Wrigley Field, you know, to play it. It's gonna be a great night."
A local group of community members might put a damper on the evening, however. Some unhappy citizens are pushing for the show's cancellation, saying it will conflict with the city's annual Summer On Southport Festival, another live music event.
Information about the protest was news to the Rascal Flatts guys, who were a bit disheartened to hear about it. (LeVox) "Is that the only thing better you have to do is to go protest some kind of show?" (Rooney) "If you want to talk to somebody, Brian O'Connell with Live Nation set all this up. It's not our fault." (DeMarcus) "Yeah he did. We had nothing to do with it. We have no recollection of that."
Rascal Flatts' new album, Unstoppable, will be in stores on April 7th.
Trace Adkins will be the Grand Marshal and Honorary Starter for the Goody's Fast Pain Relief 500 at Martinsville Speedway in Martinsville, Virginia on March 29th. He will lead 500 men, women and their families identified as "hardworking" local business people as honorary Grand Marshals.
Tickets to the Goody's Fast Pain Relief 500 are available online at martinsvillespeedwaycom or by calling 1-877-RACE-TIX.
FAST FACTS
Adkins' latest album, X (Ten), has already produced two Top 20 hits with the debut single, "Muddy Water," and his current release, "Marry For Money."
The singer will join Toby Keith on his America's Toughest tour in June.
Jason Michael Carroll says success is a double-edged sword. He scored three hits on his debut album, Waitin' In The Country, so the bar has already been raised for what his upcoming sophomore album will do, as Carroll tells us:"Oh no, it's absolutely adding pressure. The fact that we had two Top Five singles and a Top 20 as singles on my last record, all of which I wrote, to releasing a first single that I didn't write on this record, and, as a matter of fact, only having three songs that I co-wrote on this record, but, yeah, I think it adds a lot of pressure, you know? Two Top Five singles is pretty hard to follow, and it looks like we're doing pretty good with our new single -- 'Where I'm From' is Top 30, so we'll keep our fingers crossed and hopefully we'll be doing this for a lot longer."
Carroll's new album, called Growing Up Is Getting Old, is set for release on April 28th.
"Where I'm From" is currently available for download at all online music providers.
Billy Currington is inviting fans to join him in filling out an NCAA March Madness bracket and play against him. Fans have until Thursday (March 19th) at 11 a.m. ET to enter to play at CBSsports.com. To join Currington's bracket, log onto billycurrington.mayhem.cbssports.com. The group password in "billy."
The Grand Prize winner who beats Currington's bracket will receive an autographed copy of the singer's latest CD, Little Bit Of Everything. The project features the Number One hit "Don't," as well as the new single, "People Are Crazy." The winner will also win a copy of Currington's first two albums, Billy Currington and Must Be Doin' Somethin' Right.
Five first prize winners will receive a copy of Little Bit Of Everything.
SIDE NOTE
Curringtonwill headline the post-race concert at the Country Music Marathon & 1/2 Marathon in Nashville on April 25th. The show will be held at the Sommet Center. Special guests will include Ashton Shepherd and the Carter Twins.
Toby Keith has signed Kenny Chesney's recent duet partner to his record label. Mac McAnally, who wrote and originally recorded Chesney's Number One hit, "Down The Road," has joined the roster of Keith's Nashville-based indie label, Show Dog Records.
Keith said, "There's nobody more respected, at least when it comes to musicians and people who really know this business, than Mac McAnally. There aren't a lot of guys you put in that category, and I've gotten to work with a few. So getting to be a part of whatever Mac wants to do is an honor for me, and for everyone at the label."
McAnally and Chesney are nominated for the Academy of Country Music's Vocal Event of the Year for "Down The Road." The winner will be announced on April 5th in Las Vegas.
FAST FACTS
McAnally got his start as a Muscle Shoals, Alabama session musician.
He's played behind or sang harmony for such artists as Roy Orbison, Hank Williams, Jr., Amy Grant, Travis Tritt, Linda Ronstadt, Dolly Parton and Jimmy Buffett, who McAnally continues to tour with as part of his Coral Reefer band.
McAnally has produced projects for Buffett, Ricky Skaggs, Sawyer Brown, Chris LeDoux and Little Feat.
Actress Natasha Richardson is in a critical condition after suffering a head injury in a skiing accident in Canada. She's the wife of Liam Neeson and the daughter of Vanessa Redgrave.
Carson Daly and longtime girlfriend Siri Pinter welcomed a new son into the world on Sunday night, Jackson James Daly.
Three quarters of women a quarter of men admit to snuggling with an article of their partner's clothing when their loved one is away.
If you like to plan ahead, "Transformers 3" is a go and will hit theaters July 1, 2011.
BetOnline.com, an online gambling site, has stopped all betting on American Idol because of the rules change granting the judges "veto" power.
Kid Rock and Lynyrd Skynyrd are going to team up for a Rock and Rebels tour this summer. 22 cities on the schedule so far.
"Saturday Night Live's" Andy Samberg is set to host the 18th annual MTV Movie Awards, Sunday May 31.
David Prowse, the man behind the Darth Vader mask in the original Star Wars movies, is fighting prostate cancer.
Matthew Fox says he'll be through with TV once "Lost" is over.
"Earth Hour" is coming up March 28th, when you're supposed to stop using electricity for one full hour at 8:30pm, local time.
Screenwriter Millard Kaufman has died at age 92. He co-created the cartoon character Mr. Magoo.
The rumor mill says that Liz Hurley's marriage is strained, at best.
One D-backs team wins, the other loses in spring training. Max Scherzer recorded just two outs in a rough spring debut for Arizona. Scherzer allowed five runs, one earned, and three hits as an Arizona split squad lost 11-3 to the Oakland Athletics. Dan Haren had his strongest outing of the spring for Arizona allowing four hits as the other D-backs squad beat the Chicago White Sox 7-6 in 10 innings.
The United States has reached the World Baseball Classic semifinals by scoring three runs in the bottom of the ninth to beat Puerto Rico 6-5. David Wright ended the game with a one-out, two-run single that also eliminated Puerto Rico. Phoenix pulled out a 4-3 win against San Jose on Shane Doan's goal with 26.9 seconds left. Doan also assisted on the Coyotes' first three goals before dropping the Sharks three points behind the West-leading Red Wings.
NHL Scores from last night
New Jersey 3, Chicago 2 Ottawa 4, Buffalo 2 Pittsburgh 6, Atlanta 2 Detroit 3, Philadelphia 2 N.Y. Rangers 4, Montreal 3, SO Washington 3, Florida 0 Toronto 4, Tampa Bay 3, SO Minnesota 3, Colorado 2, SO Edmonton 2, St. Louis 1, SO Vancouver 4, Dallas 2 The Phoenix Suns host Philadelphia tonight. The Suns are coming off a huge win Sunday over the Golden State Warriors. The Suns ripped the Warriors 154-130 Sunday night. The Suns are within four games of the eighth and final playoff position.
NBA Scores from last night
Atlanta 119, Sacramento 97 Cleveland 97, Orlando 93 Chicago 127, Boston 121 Dallas 103, Detroit 101 San Antonio 93, Minnesota 86 Utah 103, Washington 88 Philadelphia 94, L.A. Lakers 93 Golden State 127, L.A. Clippers 120 The public body that built and operates the Arizona Cardinals' stadium and helped finance Phoenix-area spring-training baseball facilities is financially troubled. A state Auditor General's report says the Arizona Sports and Tourism Authority reported operating deficits in three of the past seven years and projects that costs will exceed revenues this year and the next five.
If you were celebrating the tradition of St. Patrick's Day in Ireland, you would wear a small bunch of shamrocks on your cap or jacket and, if you are a female, you would wear green ribbons in your hair.
The word "leprechaun" comes from the Irish Gaelic word "leiprechan", which was originally an underwater sprite.
The St. Patrick's Day parade in Dublin, Ireland is part of a five day festival
Not surprisingly, the first American city to celebrate St. Patrick's Day was Boston, MA, first taking place in the year 1737.
Almost a quarter of the people who live in the state of Massachusetts descend from Irish immigrants. With 23% of the population of Celtic ancestry, Irish Massachusetts has a higher proportion of residents of Irish descent than any other state, edging out New Hampshire (20%) and Rhode Island (18%). The remaining New England states -- Connecticut, Vermont and Maine -- also rank among the top 10 in this category, as does Delaware, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Montana.
While New York City has the largest number of Irish residents Boston tops the list of cities with the largest%age of the population.
Some more Irish-American numbers:
156,000 - U.S. residents born in Ireland, which was among the top 10 countries of birth among the foreign-born population as recently as 1970.
373,000 - Tourists and business travelers from "the old sod" who visit the United States annually.
$24 billion - The value of U.S. imports from the Republic of Ireland during a recent 10-month period (January-October 2005). Meanwhile, the United States exported $7.5 billion worth of goods to Ireland.
22 - Gallons of beer consumed per capita by Americans annually. Some establishments offer beer dyed green in honor of St. Patrick's Day.
9 - Number of places in the United States which share the name of Dublin, Ireland's capital city. Dublin, Ohio, was the most populous, at 31,392, followed closely by Dublin, California, at 29,973.
4 - Number of places in the United States named Shamrock, the floral emblem of Ireland. Mount Gay-Shamrock, West Virginia and Shamrock, Texas, were the most populous, with 2,623 and 2,029 residents, respectively. Shamrock Lakes, Indiana had 168 residents and Shamrock, Oklahoma, 125.
It's St. Patrick's Day ... when excessive amounts of green today can result in excessive feelings of green tomorrow. Matthew Patrick from "All My Children" and "Six Feet Under" turns 41 today. To show what a sense of humor his parents had, they gave him the middle name "Saint."
Kurt Russell turns 58 today. Who ever would have thought that the cute little kid in the Disney movies would grow up to be Kate Hudson's common-law step-dad?
Ironic that a nice Irish fellow like Patrick Duffy would be born on St. Patrick's Day. He turns the big 6-0 today.
St. Patrick's Day -- the anniversary of the death of St. Patrick, who, according to legend, drove all the snakes out of Ireland.
According to the Irish Tourist Board:
St. Patrick used to use the shamrock to explain the trinity-the Father, the Son, and Holy Spirit-when he persuaded the Irish to Christianity. Ireland's climate keeps shamrocks green year round.
There are 166 churches named after St. Patrick within the republic of Ireland.
A Leprechaun is no more than 24 inches tall, dresses in bright colors, is usually skilled as a shoemaker, and if surprised, might lead you to his Pot o' Gold. Your best chance of seeing one will come if you visit one too many pubs. (Ted Kennedy see 'em all the time)
Within the last 25 years, four of the six U.S. Presidents have claimed Irish ancestry: John F. Kennedy [County Wexford], Richard Nixon [County Kildare], Gerald Ford [County Longford], Ronald Reagan [County Tipperary].
The official emblem of Ireland is a silver-and-gold Irish harp on a blue background. The oldest Irish harp in existence is the "Brian Boru Harp," dating from the 14th century and named after the most famous king in early Irish history.
The shillelagh was named for a village in County Wicklow where oak and blackthorn trees are plentiful. It was first displayed in battle in 1209.
The tri-colour Irish flag [green, white, and orange] first gained acceptance as the flag of Irish independence in 1848, and became the national flag when Ireland finally achieved its independence in 1921.
The potato did not originate in Ireland. The lowly spud was actually brought to the Emerald Isle in the 17th century from America by Sir Walter Raleigh, who had a large estate at Youghal [pronounced "Yawl"] in County Cork.
The original "Tara" is actually a mound 500 feet above sea level that was the religious and cultural capital of Ireland in ancient times. It is about 30 miles from Dublin, in county Meath. St Patrick is said to have preached there.
In the 6th century, an Irishman named St. Brendan the Navigator is said to have discovered America and returned to Ireland to tell the tale. To prove the legend, Tim Severin sailed successfully from Kerry to Boston in 1976 using a replica of St Brendan's 36-foot leather boat.
On Columbus's 1492 trip to the New World, he stopped at Galway to pick up Irishman Rice de Culvy as part of his crew.
St. Patrick's Day Facts:
According to the 2000 U.S. Census, 33.1 million Americans are of Irish descent -- almost 10 times the population of Ireland, 3.8 million. Here's bit more information on the Irish for St. Patrick's Day:
St. Patrick's Day is not party time but a solemn religious holiday in Ireland, which has only about 30 parades nationwide that day.
The world's first St. Patrick's Day parade stepped off in New York City on March 17, 1762. It was staged by Irish soldiers serving in the British army, to celebrate their heritage.
It's not true that St. Patrick drove the snakes from Ireland, as popular legend claims. But he did convert most of the Irish from paganism to Christianity by the time he died in 461.
Watch who you're calling Paddy: Some Irish consider this an insult. The name sprang up in the mid-1800s, when the Irish were among America's most abused immigrants. It's where we get "paddy wagon," the police vehicle that hauled people to jail.
"Leprechaun" is based on an Old Irish word literally meaning "small body." They're a mischievous race of elves that are compelled to give up their hidden gold to anyone who catches them. According to one leprechaun story, an Irish gentleman caught a leprechaun, who took him to a bush under which his gold was buried. To mark the spot, the man tied a red handkerchief to the bush before running home to get a shovel. When he returned to the area, he found that the tricky leprechauns had tied red handkerchiefs to every bush in the field.
"May these who love us, love us. And those that don't love us, may God turn their hearts. And if He doesn't turn their hearts, may He turn their ankles, so we'll know them by their limping." -- Irish toast.
Kenny Chesney closed out his Keg In The Closet mini-tour with a show at Sloppy Joe's in Key West on Saturday (March 14th). The town's Duval Street was closed down for the event, and people were already lining both sides of the street at 6:30 a.m. ET.
Chesney was joined onstage by his recent duet partner, Mac McAnally. Their collaboration on the McAnally-penned "Down The Road" recently topped the country charts. This was the first time that the two ever performed the song together in front of an audience.
Other famous friends in attendance at Sloppy Joe's were Indianapolis Colts players Peyton Manning and Jim Sourgi, former New York Jet Trey Teague, New Orleans Saints coach Sean Peyton, former Tampa Bay Buccaneers coach John Gruden, NASCAR team owner Rick Hendrix and Dale Earnhardt, Jr.
Chesney closed the show and the tour with a rendition of 'Sweet Home Alabama.”
* The superstar kicks off his Sun City Carnival tour on April 17th in Uncasville, Connecticut.
SIDE NOTE
* Chesney will release his second greatest hits album on May 19th. His first one was released in 2000.
KEITH URBAN DEBUTS NEW MUSIC, GIVES THANKS TO WIFE, NASHVILLE
Keith Urban gave industry insiders a live preview of his soon-to-be-released album, Defying Gravity, on Monday (March 16th) at performing rights organization BMI in Nashville. Prior to his performance, BMI presented Urban with a series of "Million-Aire" awards signifying radio airplay of a million or more radio spins. The evening also commemorated Urban's career 10th Number One hit, "Sweet Thing."
A grateful Urban thanked everyone from record label and management to his engineers, co-writers, band members and musicians. He also made a point of thanking his wife, actress Nicole Kidman, who was in attendance:
"But I also want to thank my wife for coming tonight. Baby, thank you so much. We kept shuffling this scheduling thing around to make sure we were both in town at the same time, and it's awesome that you're here. You're my muse and my everything, and I know that I wouldn't be up here tonight, particularly for 'Sweet Thing' being back in this place without you, so I appreciate it and love you so much. Thank you."
Urban also spoke of his appreciation for the city of Nashville, which he and Kidman call home:
"It's a huge team. It really does take a village, and I've been able to find myself within this extraordinary village, and this town has been so damn good to me. That's why we're here. That's why we're raising our daughter here. We've been all over the world but nowhere is like Nashville. It's a beautiful town. We can live a real life here, and as I get older I so appreciate real people who I can depend on and just a beautiful town where we don't need a driver, don't need security. It's the real simple stuff that I appreciate immensely."
* BMI acknowledged seven of Urban's songs which have been played one million times. Those are: "Better Life," "I Told You So," "It's A Love Thing," "You're My Better Half," "Tonight I Wanna Cry," "Once In A Lifetime," and "Everybody." * Three of his songs -- "Who Wouldn't Wanna Be Me," "But For The Grace Of God," and "Days Go By" -- have racked up two million performances each. * "Somebody Like You" has been played more than three million times, as many as Hank Williams' "Your Cheating Heart," Dolly Parton's "9 To 5", the Beatles' "Can't Buy Me Love," and the Rolling Stones' "Brown Sugar." * Urban's new album, Defying Gravity, will be released on March 31st.
TAYLOR SWIFT SHOW A FAST SELLOUT IN NYC
Tickets to Taylor Swift's upcoming Fearless tour continue being snapped up in record time, most recently at New York City's Madison Square Garden. Tickets went on sale over the weekend and were gone in one minute. Swift has already sold out shows in Portland, Spokane, Charleston, Los Angeles, Evansville, Jacksonville, San Diego, St. Louis, and Seattle.
Swift's growing popularity may be partially due to her crossover success at pop radio, but as far as she is concerned, her devotion is to country radio, as Swift tells us:
"I absolutely am so blessed that country radio has been so amazing to me and treated me so well. I walked into their radio stations as a 16-year-old girl with a song called 'Tim McGraw' and I don't think it gets any weirder than that, so the fact that they opened up their arms and embraced me and were so amazing to me. I will never, ever forget them as long as I live, and country radio is where my faith is and I love them so much."
* The Fearless tour kicks off on April 23rd in Evansville, Indiana. * Swift will be joined by opening acts Kellie Pickler and Gloriana.
DARIUS RUCKER CHARTS SECOND NUMBER ONE
Darius Rucker claims the Number One spot on the R&R and Mediabase/USA Today country singles charts with "It Won't Be Like This For Long." Rucker co-wrote the song, which is the second single and second chart-topper from his debut country album, Learn To Live.
* Rucker dedicates "It Won't Be Like This For Long" to all parents. He said, "When we were writing it, we were talking about how fast our families were growing up. That first week after the baby is born is awful: you're up all the time. Then when it's not like that, you miss those times."
FAST FACTS
* Learn To Live debuted at Number One on the Billboard country albums chart in September of last year. * The album has been certified gold for sales of more than 500,000 copies. * Rucker will join Rascal Flatts on tour beginning in June.
JESSICA SIMPSON WRAPS UP RASCAL FLATTS TOUR WITH A FEW MISHAPS
Jessica Simpson struggled through her set on the last show of the Rascal Flatts tour on Saturday (March 14th) in Irvine, California. US magazine reports that Simpson forgot the lyrics to two songs, including one of her recent singles, "Remember That," which is about an abusive relationship.
Before starting the song over, Simpson told the crowd, "Oops! I said whiskey too early! I messed up! I'm so embarrassed! But I'm starting over again because I reallywant you guys to hear the lyrics the right way."
The magazine reports that Simpson also flubbed the opening line of "Still Don't Stop Me." She said, "I messed up again! I do this all the time!"
One thing she did get right was a cover of Robbie Williams' "Angels," which drew immediate applause from the audience. Simpson joked, "I just felt like I was on American Idol!"
KID ROCK WORKING ON NEW ALBUM, MAPS OUT NEW TOUR
Kid Rock has scrapped plans for a spring tour in order to keep working on his next album, according to Billboard.com. But Rock fans won't be disappointed for long, as the singer has also announced a new summer leg of last year's succcessful Rock And Rebels trek with Lynyrd Skynyrd that will kick off on June 26th in West Palm Beach, Florida. For now, Rock is holed up in his Michigan studio, completing the follow-up to his double platinum 2007 effort, Rock N Roll Jesus. Rock told Billboard, "I really feel like I've kind of got this figured out. I think I can make an equally good record, if not better than the last one -- which is once again putting quite a weight on your shoulders. But I do like the pressure."
* Rock hopes to finish the new disc before going on tour this summer, with a tentative release planned for the fall. * Rock N Roll Jesus was Rock's most successful CD in years, with the singer saying, "Obviously I had a great year in 2008...maybe even better considering the times we're in. We're at a point where you do something and then it's forgotten, and I'll have to prove myself again, and that's just incredible." * Tickets for the Rock And Rebels tour go on sale Friday (March 20th). * Newly confirmed Kid Rock/Lynyrd Skynyrd dates (subject to change): June 26 - West Palm Beach, FL - Cruzan Amphitheatre June 27 - Tampa, FL - Ford Amphitheatre June 28 - Atlanta, GA - Lakewood Amphitheatre June 30 - Houston, TX - Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion July 1 - Dallas, TX - Superpages.com Center July 7 - Buffalo, NY - Darien Lake Performing Arts Center July 8 - Holmdel, NJ - PNC Bank Arts Center July 10 - Cuyahoga Falls, OH - Blossom Music Center July 11 - Indianapolis, IN - Verizon Wireless Music Center Indianapolis July 12 - Tinley Park, IL - First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre July 14 - Pittsburgh, PA - Post-Gazette Pavilion July 21 - Maryland Heights, MO - Verizon Wireless Amphitheater St. Louis July 22 - Cincinnati, OH - Riverbend Music Center July 24 - Raleigh, NC - Time Warner Cable Music Pavilion at Walnut Creek July 25 - Virginia Beach, VA - Verizon Wireless Virginia Beach Amphitheater July 26 - Charlotte, NC - Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre Charlotte July 29 - Boston, MA - Comcast Center July 31 - Hershey, PA - Hersheypark Stadium & Star Pavilion August 1 - Washington, DC - Nissan Pavilion August 2 - New York, NY - Nikon at Jones Beach Theater
COUNTRY TRIVIA
Q. Who was the first pop-culture icon to wear a cowboy hat in the 1930s? A. Gene Autry
ON THE TUBE
CMT CRIBS/CMT Charlie Daniels, Craig Morgan, Dierks Bentley
CMT CRIBS/CMT James Otto, Heidi Newfield, Kenny Rogers
Actor and political activist Ron Silver died Sunday following a two year battle with cancer. He was 62.
Get this -- The Sci-Fi network, fearing association with aliens and Trekkies, is changing its name to Syfy, pronounced the same as Sci-Fi.
Vice-president Joe Biden is getting a lesson on what happens when a microphone is hot -- they've caught him saying, "Oh, give me a f*cking break!"
Beginning this week, labels on fresh meat and some fresh fruits, vegetables and other foods will now list the food's origin.
What is happening with "Dancing with the Stars" this season? Two contestants dropped out before the show even began because of injuries. Now we hear that Steve-O has a back injury, Gilles Marini has a separated shoulder and Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak has a fractured foot.
Hugh Hefner has put his personal house -- the one right next door to the Playboy Mansion -- up for sale for $27 million.
Jennifer Love Hewitt is dating her Ghost Whisperer co-star Jamie Kennedy.
Charlie Sheen and his wife are the proud parents of twin boys.
Former professional wrestler Andrew Martin, who was known as "Test" and "The Punisher" to fans, has died at his Tampa home. He was 33.
Alan Livingstone had to his credit as being the inventor of Bozo the Clown. But he also was the one who signed the Beatles to a Capital Records contract and brought them to America. Alex died last week at age 92.
A new walking, talking robot from Japan with a female face that can smile will make its debut at a Japanese fashion show.
A mathematician in South Carolina claims that he's come up with a formula that allows him to solve any Sudoku puzzle.
Detroit Pistons owner Bill Davidson has died at age 86. He bought the team in 1974 for $6 million against the advice of his advisers. Today, the team is worth more than $430 million.
Eggs may boost your cholesterol, but they could lower your blood pressure and thus reduce your risk of a heart attack, according to Canadian researchers. The magic ingredient is a protein in eggs that acts like ACE inhibitors to lower blood pressure.
Cleveland Browns wide receiver Donte Stallworth hit and killed a pedestrian with his Bentley last Saturday morning in Miami.
Gospel singer BeBe Winans has been charged with misdemeanor domestic assault after a dispute with his ex-wife in Nashville.
Vice President Joe Biden's 91-year-old mother was hospitalized on Sunday after falling at her home in Delaware.
St. Patrick died on this date in the year 461. While I know there's no way to prevent everybody from doing it, I would appreciate it if you didn't celebrate every year the day that I died.
On this date in 1776, British forces evacuated Boston. Even back then they had free-agency problems during the off-season.
In 1898, the very first successful submarine was designed. Builders couldn't wait to start putting one together. Teenagers were anxious to go watch the races.
The Camp Fire Girls were created on this date in 1910. Most are still in mint condition
Running back Jason Wright and the Arizona Cardinals have agreed to a two-year contract. The 5-foot-10, 215-pound free agent spent the last four seasons in Cleveland, where he was used primarily as a third-down back. The Phoenix Coyotes look to reel in the San Jose Sharks tonight. Phoenix is coming off a 2-0 loss to the Nashville Predators on Saturday night. The Sharks beat Anaheim 1-0 Sunday to reach the playoffs.
In the NHL last night....
Atlanta 5, Washington 1 Nashville 4, Los Angeles 3 A technical foul against the Phoenix Suns has landed Golden State's Stephen Jackson on suspension without pay. Jackson will sit out one game by the NBA for receiving his 16th technical this season.
In the NBA last night
Charlotte 112, Toronto 86 Portland 103, Memphis 92 Houston 95, New Orleans 84 Oklahoma City 78, San Antonio 76 Denver 121, New Jersey 96
Louisville is the No. 1 team in the Associated Press men's basketball poll, the first time the Cardinals have ever been the top team. The Cardinals picked up 45 first-place votes and vaulted from fifth to first by winning the Big East tournament over the weekend. North Carolina is second, followed by Memphis, Pittsburgh and Connecticut. Dave Leitao has stepped down as men's basketball coach at Virginia, according to an athletic department official familiar with the decision. The Cavaliers went just 10-and-18 this season, the team's worst final record in decades. Leitao won the ACC coach of the year award just two years ago, when Virginia and North Carolina shared the conference regular-season title.
Denver quarterback Jay Cutler did not show up for the Broncos' first team meeting since Josh Daniels took over as coach, and a club spokesman says Cutler "has requested a trade." McDaniels met with Cutler over the weekend but was apparently unable to settle a feud that began a couple of weeks ago when Denver showed interest in obtaining signal-caller Matt Cassel. The Broncos have said they have no interest in trading their star quarterback, who set several team passing records last season and just played in his first Pro Bowl. Los Angeles Dodgers slugger Manny Ramirez will miss at least a week because of a hamstring injury that he aggravated while playing the outfield Sunday for the first time this spring. Ramirez first had trouble with his left hamstring last week when he was scratched from the lineup Thursday. He made his preseason debut Friday as the designated hitter, sat out Saturday and started in left field Sunday against Colorado. Phillies star pitcher Cole Hamels is headed to Philadelphia to have his left elbow examined by the team physician. Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. says the World Series MVP "had a little bit of a persistent soreness in his elbow" and he's being checked out as a precautionary measure. The 25-year-old left-hander made his first Grapefruit League start Wednesday.
How to Dine: When invited to a pre-arranged meal, always use your utensils from the "outside in." After all, utensils are set in the order that food will be served.
Telephone Manners: When calling a friend, identify yourself to the person who answers the phone before asking to speak your friend. By doing so, the parents or other family member who answer the phone will appreciate this courtesy and see you as friendly.
On Correspondence: Anytime it takes someone more than 15 minutes to do something for you, send the person a thank-you note. By doing so, the person will know you really appreciated what was done for you.
Be Gracious: When you are sent an invitation that requires an RSVP, be sure to let the person know if you will be able to go to the gathering. After all, "RSVP" means "respond if you please."
Shoes Are Important: When getting dressed each day, be sure that your shoes are well-maintained. People associate the way you take care of your shoes with the way you handle detail in the rest of your life.
Be Open to New Foods: When you are invited out to eat and are served a food that is not your favorite, try a piece of it anyway. You may be surprised and find that you end up liking it.
Ask Questions: When talking with friends and family, always make a point of asking them questions about themselves. People will see you as interesting if you are interested in them.
At the Table: When eating a roll, be sure to break off a bite-sized piece at a time. No bread-and-butter sandwiches, please.
Be Friendly: When you are in school, be cool by making a point to talk with that new kid in your class. If the tables were turned, wouldn't that make you feel good?
The Rule of Twelve: When talking with others, always use a form of thanks and the person's name in the first 12 words you speak ("It's good to see you, Mary," or "Thanks for picking me up from soccer, Dad.") By following this rule of 12, people will want to continue to do nice things for you.
Why does one marriage last 50 years, while another dissolves in just five years? It's not about happiness. It's about conflict resolution. John M. Gottman of the Relationship Research Institute and the University of Washington conducted a 20-year study with more than 600 married couples and carefully plotted how husbands and wives interacted with each other. Based on these observations, he has identified the three most stable types of marriages -- the kind that are likely to see their golden anniversaries. Gottman actually created a mathematical formula that can predict how well a marriage will endure.
The Avoiders-- A husband and wife in this type of marriage routinely avoid conflict. Gottman says that when a difference of opinion arises, "they will never argue. They will listen to the other, but will not try to persuade." He calls them the avoiders. While this couple may be unemotional and distant, their union endures through the years.
The Bickersons -- The husband and wife have a volatile relationship, much like two lawyers arguing in a courtroom. "They can argue at the drop of a hat," Gottman said. But even with frequent and passionate arguments, such marriages do tend to last through the years.
The Validating Couple -- A husband and wife listen to each other, respect the other's opinion, and only occasionally argue. "They pick the issues they fight about," he explained.
As long as both people in a marriage have the same type of personality, that is, they are both Avoiders or both Bickersons or both Validating, the marriage will last. Trouble occurs when there is a mix, such as one partner is an Avoider and one a Bickerson.
No matter how you slice it, your favorite pizza puts you under a microscope. "It's all in the toppings," says Brandon Wills, a psychologist and longtime pizza lover. "Pepperoni, sausage, broccoli, you name it -- whatever you like to see peeking through the cheese and tomato sauce tells the world what kind of person you are deep down inside.
Plain Cheese -- You might think people who prefer pizzas unadorned are bland and lifeless milquetoasts. Untrue. They're highly analytical individualists who have the ability to cut through superficial trivialities and get to the fundamental underlying principles. You'll never be taken for a sucker, but resist the tendency to be too cynical.
Pepperoni -- Folks who flock to the most popular topping of them all are good team players, prepared to sacrifice their personal interests to those of the majority. You're loyal and steadfast, but don't be a sheep.
Sausage-- You're forthright and honest. You call it like you see it, and you don't care how others react. But be aware that honesty must be tempered with compassion, or your friends may end up shunning you, or at least refusing to open up to you.
Green Peppers-- You're comfortable in the middle of the road. Extreme views and courses of action make you feel uneasy. You're stable and reliable, but you must recognize that life involves risk and you must be prepared to take a few calculated gambles.
Onions-- Your zest for life and adventure is a compelling trait. People are attracted to your energy and look to you to take charge of situations. Remember, though, the importance of looking carefully before leaping headlong into unfamiliar territory.
Mushrooms -- Fungus fanciers are hard workers, who get their reward from a job well done, rather than from praise and recognition. Others value your industry, but they may try to overload you with responsibilities. Look out for Number One now and again.
Special Items -- You know -- duck breast, sea scallops, or some other non-traditional pizza accompaniment. You enjoy being a trendsetter, and that's a good thing. But don't squander your resources chasing every new fad that comes along.
Desert Items -- People who like fruit and confectioner's sugar on their pizzas are nostalgic and sentimental. You're full of compassion, but craving comfort and security could stand in the way of your success.
Anchovies-- The experts admit that the data on this controversial topping is conflicting. "More research needs to be done," Wills says. "Until then, we are thrown back on the shaky ground of personal opinion. For what it's worth, I think people who put anchovies on their pizzas should consider professional counseling."
Spring break is underway. One of the best parts of taking road trips with the family is seeing hilarious bumper stickers, here are some of our favorites!
Here I Am. Now What Are Your Other Two Wishes?
Beer: It's Not Just For Breakfast Anymore
Conserve Water. Shower With A Friend
I'm Not As Think As You Drunk I Am
Out Of My Mind. Back In Five Minutes
He Who Laughs Last, Thinks Slowest
Laugh Alone And The World Thinks You're An Idiot
Work Is For People Who Don't Know How To Fish
Where There's A Will, I Want To Be In It
Hard Work Has A Future Payoff. Laziness Pays Off Now
A Bartender Is Just A Pharmacist With A Limited Inventory
Consciousness: That Annoying Time Between Naps
How Can I Miss You If You Won't Go Away?
We Have Enough Youth. How 'bout A Fountain Of Smart?
Your Kid May Be An Honor Student, But You're Still An Idiot!
Many thanks to all of our listeners and friends of St. Jude for their donations during our 7th Annual Radio-thon. We, along with the families of St. Jude appreciate your support!
Arizona State has punched its ticket and is in the big dance. The Sun Devils learned Sunday they will meet the Temple Owls in the South Regional in Miami. The 22-11 Owls earned an automatic bid for the second straight season after winning the Atlantic 10 tournament on Saturday. After sweating it out, the Arizona Wildcats are in the NCAA tournament for the 25th straight year. The Wildcats extended the nation's longest active string of NCAA appearances on Sunday. Arizona will face fifth-seeded Utah on Friday in Miami. Two former Golden State Warriors came back to haunt their old team Sunday night. Phoenix's Jason Richardson scored 31 points and Matt Barnes added 20 as the Suns destroyed the Warriors 154-130. Shaquille O'Neal added 26 for Phoenix. Monta Ellis scored 26 points and Corey Maggette added 21 for the Warriors.
Other action in the NBA on Sunday......
Toronto 110, Indiana 87 Milwaukee 86, Boston 77 Philadelphia 85, Miami 77 Atlanta 98, Portland 80 Memphis 89, Detroit 84 L.A. Lakers 107, Dallas 100 Orlando 105, Utah 87 Washington 106, Sacramento 104 Cleveland 98, New York 93 L.A. Clippers 107, New Jersey 105
In the NHL yesterday....
N.Y. Rangers 4, Philadelphia 1 Pittsburgh 6, Boston 4 N.Y. Islanders 4, Chicago 2 Detroit 4, Columbus 0 St. Louis 5, Minnesota 3 San Jose 1, Anaheim 0 Vancouver 4, Colorado 2
Jimmy Rollins homered and drove in four runs as the United States beat the Netherlands 9-3 to stay alive in the World Baseball Classic. The victory in the double elimination tournament came a day after the Americans suffered an embarrassing 11-1 Mercy Rule loss to Puerto Rico.
In WBC action yesterday...
Japan 6, Cuba 0 South Korea 8, Mexico 2 Arizona's Brandon Webb continues tuning up for the regular season. Chicago's Micah Hoffpauir's three-run homer marred Webb's best outing of the spring in the Chicago Cubs' 10-7 victory over Arizona Sunday. They were the only runs allowed by the Diamondbacks' ace, who gave up four hits in four innings, striking out four and walking two.
The family adventure Race to Witch Mountain opened at the top of the weekend box office, starring Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson as a cab driver who picks up two alien teenagers. Directed by Andy Fickman, the movie is a reworking of 1975's Escape to Witch Mountain. Last week's top movie, the comic book adaptation Watchmen, fell to second place, as its ticket sales plunged 67 percent from the previous weekend.
The Last House on the Left a remake of Wes Craven's 1972 horror thriller, opened in third place.
The R-rated comedy Miss March debuted at Number 10.
CHARLIE SHEEN WELCOMES TWIN BOYS:Charlie Sheen's wife Brooke gave birth to the couple's twin sons on Saturday (March 14th) night. Entertainment Tonight confirmed that the couple welcomed two boys, who they've named Bob and Max. Sheen has three daughters from previous relationships; 24-year-old Cassandra with ex-girlfriend Paula Profitt and Sam, who is five-years-old and Lola, who is three-years-old, with ex-wife Denise Richards.
JAMIE KENNEDY AND JENNIFER LOVE HEWITT COUPLE UP: Jamie Kennedy and Jennifer Love Hewitt are a couple. The actor revealed his new girlfriend to Ryan Seacrest, telling the American Idol host, "Yes, we are dating. Wow, I've never said that." The coupling had been rumored since Hewitt called off her engagement to Ross McCall earlier this year, but Kennedy had previously denied it. Now, however, he's gushing about his new lady, telling Seacrest that she's "so talented. She can sing, she can dance, she's hilarious . . . and hot since she was, like, 9." He added, "We're more than dating . . . we're more than in love."
TOM BRADY MEETS GISELE'S FAMILY IN BRAZIL: Tom Brady is reportedly in Brazil meeting the extended family of his new wife, Gisele Bundchen. Zero Hora, a local newspaper, reports that the newlyweds are in the southern Brazilian city of Horizontina for Bundchen's grandfather's 83rd birthday. The paper published a photo of the couple eating ice cream inside of a car and said that Brady exercised at a local gym.
JOHN MALKOVICH TALKS ABOUT BERNIE MADOFF SCANDAL: John Malkovich can still put things into perspective after getting swindled by Bernie Madoff. The actor told the New York Daily News, "I wouldn't say I feel flush. But I wouldn't pretend to have less than the most spectacular life. I'm more worried about people who don't have jobs."
KATE BOSWORTH AND BOYFRIEND SPLIT? Kate Bosworth has reportedly split from her longtime beau, British model James Rousseau. Britain's Daily Mail reported on Sunday (March 15th) that the Superman Returns actress ended things with Rosseau a few months back. A source told the paper, "Kate dumped James a month ago following fights over their work schedules. She has insisted on remaining in Los Angeles to further her career but he loves England and didn't want to move to L.A." Although the couple has not been seen together for months, the paper claims that Bosworth's rep insists they are still together.
JADE GOODY'S CONDITION WORSENS: Jade Goody's condition is worsening. A rep for the British reality star, who is dying of cancer, said that Goody is "unconscious a lot of the time, almost in a coma-like state" but stresses that she is not in a coma. The rep added that she seems aware that her husband and mother are with her, and recently accepted a visit from a priest. Her spokesperson said honestly, "It's just a matter of when."
HOWARD K. STERN LAWYER RESPONDS TO CHARGES: A lawyer for Howard K. Stern said that he will "ultimately be exonerated" of charges that he, along with two doctors, provided prescription drugs to the late Anna Nicole Smith. In a statement, attorney Krista Barth said, "The television, tabloid and Internet trial of Mr. Stern in the court of public opinion has been based on sensational lies, speculation, rumor and gossip. Unfortunately, it appears that criminal charges have now been brought by the State of California based on this same type of misinformation." Stern was arrested last week and released on bail. Smith died in 2007 of an accidental overdose.
RON SILVER DIES OF CANCER: Actor and political activist Ron Silver died on Sunday (March 15th) at the age of 62. The executive director of the Creative Coalition, which Silver helped create, told the New York Post, "Ron Silver died peacefully in his sleep with his family around him this morning. He had been fighting esophageal cancer for two years and his family is making arrangements for a private service." Silver starred as Alan Dershowitz in "Reversal of Fortune" and had a recurring role on The West Wing. Silver, who was a staunch Democrat for most of his life, went to the radical right after the September 11th terrorist attacks and spoke at the 2004 Republican National Convention.
The other day, the rumor was that John Mayer had bought Jennifer Aniston an engagement ring. Today, we hear they broke up.
One week ago today, Dancing With the Stars contestant Gilles Marini said he felt a sharp pain in his shoulder... turns out he has suffered a separated shoulder. But, thanks to a shot of cortisone, he'll be back competing tonight.
Actress Anne Heche and boyfriend James Tupper had a baby boy last weekend and gave him the unlikely name of Atlas Heche Tupper.
"The Dog Whisperer" Cesar Millan became a U.S. citizen last week.
Sting is producing wine on his estate in Italy.
Matt Damon says the best way to judge a movie is 10 years after its release.
There was the rumor going around last week that Chris Brown had fired all his staff, including his manager and lawyer. His mom and co-manager, Joyce Hawkins, says not true.
Anna Nicole Smith's lawyer-turned-boyfriend, Howard K. Stern, and a doctor surrendered to face charges that they conspired to provide the late Playboy Playmate with thousands of prescription pills before her 2007 fatal overdose. Another doctor also is accused.
Coming up in the weeks ahead: Google Voice, a new phone service from Google that will let you give friends a phone number... and then they call it, ALL of your phones ring---home, cell, etc... and if they leave a voicemail, it'll be converted into an e-mail message.
The hot new clothes for tweens the next school year will be "Jonas"... a line of clothing inspired by the Jonas Brothers. It'll be at Sears, Wal-Mart and JC Penney in time for back-to-school shopping.
David Hasselhoff's ex, Pamela Bach, was arrested last week on a DUI charge.
That U.S. Airways hero pilot Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger has now landed a deal to write not one, but two, books.
In addition to hosting next month's Academy of Country Music Awards, Reba McEntire will take the opportunity to debut her brand new single, called "Strange," on the show. McEntire said, "I guess I'm a always a little nervous to perform in front of my peers, but I am so proud of this new music, I'm excited to get a chance to sing it on the show! I love getting to host the ACMs because it gives me a chance to see all my artist friends. Most of us travel so much throughout the year, that this is one of the few times we are all in the same place and get a chance to visit."
This will be McEntire's 11th time to host the ACM Awards.
The show will air live from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on April 5th on CBS.
SIDE NOTES
"Strange" will officially head to radio the day following the ACM Awards (Monday, April 6th).
McEntire's new album will be released this summer.
Trace Adkins has been added to the list of performers at the upcoming Academy of Country Music Awards. The singer will be joined by the West Point Glee Club as he sings "'Til The Last Shot's Fired," a poignant track from his current album, X (Ten). The performance will mark the Academy's unveiling of their newly branded charitable fund, Lifting Lives. Formerly called the Charitable Fund, Lifting Lives has selected the Wounded Warriors Project (WWP) as their charity of choice this year.
Adkins' performance of "Til the Last Shot's Fired" will be dedicated to the servicemen and women who will be seated in the front rows of the MGM Grand Garden Arena during the show.
Adkins said, "It's a privilege to perform this song with such a distinguished choir for the great servicemen and women in whose honor it was written. We should always let our military know how much we appreciate them putting their lives on the line for us every day."
Fans will be able to download "'Til The Last Shot's Fired" at iTunes, and all profits from downloads will benefit the WWP, an organization that provides extensive support to troops who have been wounded in combat.
The ACM Awards will be held in Las Vegas on April 5th. The show will air live on CBS at 8 p.m. ET.
FAST FACTS
Adkins traveled to Iraq and Afghanistan last year where he and his band performed for more than 10,000 United States military personnel in partnership with the USO.
The West Point Glee club made a special appearance on the recording of "'Til The Last Shot's Fired" for Adkins' album.
Blake Shelton celebrated the Number One success of his latest single, "She Wouldn't Be Gone," with a party in Nashville on Friday (March 13th). The song is the debut release from Shelton's latest album, Startin' Fires, but the second consecutive chart-topper for the singer. His last single, "Home," claimed the Number One spot on the country charts in July of last year.
Shelton tells us he hopes his good fortune adds to the longevity of his career."Luckily enough I got my hands on a couple of great songs, you know, and that's been my saving grace all along is every now and then I've gotten my hands on the right songs and that's kept my career going. I just was lucky enough that it happened two times in a row this time around, and this is the type of thing that I think you can build a career off of instead of just hanging around. It helps become a bigger deal and a bigger part of the industry."
Shelton's new single, "I'll Just Hold On,"is already making its way up the country charts.
He will join George Strait on his summer tour beginning on May 9th at Dodge Arena in Hidalgo, Texas. The 17-date run will also feature Julianne Hough.
Taylor Swift extended her stay down under to participate in the Sound Relief concert in Sydney over the weekend. The event raised money for victims of the recent Australian brush fires.
Swift performed a series of sold out shows in Australia prior to the Sound Relief concert.
She returns to the U.S. this week in time to play another sold out show on Friday (March 20th) at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo. Close to 70,000 fans will be in attendance.
FAST FACTS
Swift kicks off her first headlining Fearless tour on April 23rd in Evansville, Indiana.
The run features opening act Kellie Pickler.
Swift recently made a guest appearance in the video for Pickler's new single, "Best Days Of Your Life." The two co-wrote the song together about one of Pickler's former boyfriends.
Martina McBride has been busy putting together her new album, Shine. Finding songs for the project was a painstaking process for McBride, who tells us she had to listen to literally thousands to find the standouts: "One of the things about Nashville is people get together and write everyday, so I'm looking for a song that doesn't sound like two songwriters had a 12 o'clock songwriting appointment and they kept their appointment and had to write something. I want a song that sounds inspired, you know, that sounds like something somebody really wrote because an idea came to them and they had to write it, and I think you can tell the difference, really, especially when you listen to two or three thousand songs, the really great ones stand out from the rest."
McBride says she has no specific requirements when searching for the right songs, other than they have to immediately grab her. "For me, it's just instinct mostly. You know, I just go, 'I love that song!' But I have to say there are a lot of really good songs. I hear a lot of good songs. I don't hear a lot of great songs, and that's personal opinion, but it has to be something different, you know?"
Shine will be released on March 24th.
The album's debut single, "Ride," is a Top 20 hit on the Billboard chart.
The video for Eric Church's new single, "Love Your Love The Most," will make its debut on GAC and CMT this week The clip was shot recently in New York City. "Love Your Love The Most" is the second single from Church's soon-to-be-released album, Carolina. The project is set to hit retail outlets on March 24th.
Church kicked off his first headlining run, called the Young & Wild tour, in support of the new CD on Thursday (March 12th) in Evansville, Indiana.
Church said, "I'm both excited and anxious to be embarking on my first headline tour -- excited about seeing the fans and playing some music after a four month break, and anxious about being a headliner for the first time. As with everything in my career, I am placing my faith in the people, that they will show up and set the tone for this tour. I believe they will."
The Young & Wild tour currently runs through May 16th in Melbourne, Florida.
Church will be the musical guest on Late Night With Jimmy Fallon on March 19th.
FAST FACT
Church's debut album, Sinners Like Me, was released in 2006.
As of 10am, we have upped our total to $9,125!!! Thanks to Partners in Hope like, Betty from Kingman, Julie from Golden Valley, Jason, a veteran, of Lake Havasu City, Charlie of Laughlin, Chad from Hamilton, Montana! Rachel of Needles. Jean a breast cancer survivor of Amittyville, NY! Christina, who donated $100 in memory of her mother Janice who passed away from cancer. Rita, a member of the Senior Circle, of Ft. Mohave. Lee Anderson of Wikieup who is going through Chemo for the 2nd time! Mary Ann of Dalton Gardens, ID. James of Golden Valley, Wayne of Joshua Tree, CA and the many others who have made the call to help the kids of St. Jude. 1-800-345-HOPE! Call now!
Thanks to Dr. Barton of Ft. Mohave who has issued a challenge to other Dr's that he will match donations up to $5000. If you know a Dr., call them and tell them to call us!
Well Flaggers, it's time to make that call to help out the kids of St. Jude. We had a good day on Thursday...but today is the final day that you can call in and help the kids and families, the Doctors, Nurses and researchers, to beat cancer and other childhood illnesses. Remember, your family doctor gets the same information that is shared by St. Jude. Here is the number to call. 1-800-345-HOPE!
John Gurney & the Fine Folks of Wikieup raise $1,500 for St. Jude's
Kflag Country would like thank everyone who joined John Gurney down at Joe's BBQ this past year who raised money in the tip jar (and also from the sales of the new and still available CD of "The Wikieup Song") was donated to Saint Judes Research Hospital for Children. Last March, they started this fund raising drive & Had what John thought to be a very optimistic goal of raising $1,000.00
With the overwhelming generosity of the fine folks of Wikieup, I am elated to report that they have exceeded that goal, to the tune of just over $1,500.00!!!!
"NEWS FLASH"
I also want to let you know that they are not stopping here.
John is starting an all new Saint Judes fund raising drive for 2009 and it begins this Saturday night (March 14th) at Joe's BBQ in Wikieup.
John will be entertaining from 6 -8pm, so come on in and join us so we can get this new fund raiser off to a great start. He can't do it without you.
