2 Year Old singing Taylor Swift's "You Belong with Me"
By MYFOXDC STAFF/myfoxdc
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Taylor Swift might be raking in the awards in 2009, but she'd better watch out because she's got some competition. She's young, blonde, talented, and she's got style.
She's also a toddler.
The latest YouTube sensation is an adorable little blonde girl who does her best Taylor impression for the camera. The video was posted by her mom, who's also behind the camera.
In the description of the video, her mom writes, "As most young kids do, our daughter loves Taylor Swift. Here is her attempt to replicate Taylor's performance on the subway during the VMA's."
The 2 year old even pulls off a wardrobe change during the two-minute performance. She starts off wearing a brown bucket hat and a red coat, but when she gets to the chorus of "You Belong With Me", she rips off the hat and coat to reveal her princess dress. The little girl even carries an imaginary microphone, which she sings into, appropriately.
The hit of the video is definitely at the end —she finishes the song, and then yells out, "I love you, New York!"
So far, the little girl's a hit. The YouTube video had been viewed more than 776,000 times at the time this story was published.
Tim McGraw had nothing but wonderful words to say about Sandra Bullock, his co-star in the new movie The Blind Side -- a true story about the life of professional football player Michael Oher. Tim tells Nashville's Tennessean, "She's very unaffected. Whether you are in the music business or the movie business, you run into characters, but she is definitely not one of them. She's just a very cool, friendly, down-to-earth person. For me, she always reminded me of like my best friend's little sister."
Tim had to slightly alter his appearance to look more like Sean Tuohy, the character he plays in the film, but he said he didn't mind shaving off his trademark goatee. "That's the great thing about movies -- I don't have to be me. I look like a totally different person when I shave."
Tim McGraw and Sugarland appear on today's episode of the Oprah Winfrey Show (check local listings) in the talk show queen's first-ever holiday duet extravaganza.
Sugarland's Kristian Bush says he and partner Jennifer Nettles were excited to appear on Oprah for the second time this year. He says, "The only thing better than having appeared on Oprah in February and getting her phone number would be that her phone number pops back up on your phone and she says, 'Would you come back and be on my show again?'"
Tim teams up with R-&-B star Alicia Keys, while Sugarland duets (or tri-ets?) with Oscar-winning actress Jennifer Hudson on a Christmas classic from their new Gold and Green holiday album. The other duet features Mary J. Blige with Andrea Bocelli.
FAST FACTS
Tim appeared in last year's holiday hit, Four Christmases. He played "Dallas," one of Vince Vaughan's brothers. Four Christmases also starred Reese Witherspoon, Robert Duvall, Jon Favreau, Sissy Spacek, Jon Voight and Dwight Yoakam.
One of Tim's favorite Christmas songs is "Away in the Manger," which wife Faith Hill put on her Joy to the World album last year.
Sugarland has been tapped to perform on the TNT Christmas In Washington special airing on December 20th at 8 p.m. ET. The duo will join President Obama and the First Lady, as well as fellow entertainers Mary J. Blige, Neil Diamond, Rob Thomas, Usher and host George Lopez. The show will be taped at the National Building Museum in Washington, DC on December 13th.
Carrie Underwood recently taped her upcoming holiday special, Carrie Underwood: An All-Star Holiday Special. She tells People magazine, "It was a lot of fun to tape, and I think we ended up with a great show."
The Oklahoma native teams up with an all-star cast, including pal Brad Paisley, American Idol's David Cook, Broadway and television star Kristin Chenoweth, as well as the legendary Dolly Parton. Of Parton's appearance, she says, "It was a dream come true."
Carrie Underwood: An All-Star Holiday Special airs December 7th at 8:00 pm (ET) on FOX.
SIDE NOTES
Carrie plans on being home in Checotah, Oklahoma for the Christmas holiday. She tells People, "We are together and that's the most important thing."
Something that has to be on the table for the holiday is her mom's broccoli cheese and potato casseroles. She says, "I just love food!"
Taylor Swift released the Platinum Edition of her hit album, Fearless, a few weeks ago, and the collection features six new songs, including a cover of the Nashville rock band Luna Halo's song "Untouchable," which originally appeared on the group's 2007 major-label debut album.
Luna Halo member Nathan Barlowe was thrilled with Taylor's version of the song, and they're apparently being inundated with offers to write tunes for other country stars. "A lot of people are curious to see if we can repeat the magic somehow, and we are, too," Nathan tells Nashville's Tennessean. "Songwriting, to me, if you're good at it, it's a craft that you're constantly learning, especially when you switch formats. There's a learning curve there that takes a little time. Luckily, we're hooking up with some of the greatest writers in town, and we're learning from them."
FAST FACTS
If you happened to miss Taylor hosting Saturday Night Live earlier this month, you can catch the show again as it repeats December 26th on NBC.
Taylor was home in Hendersonville for the Thanksgiving holiday and hung out with friends over the weekend. She tweeted, "Driving around with [best friend] Abigail just like when we were 16. 'Fifteen' just came on the car radio."
The battle of the country charts is currently between Lady Antebellum's "Need You Now" and Luke Bryan's "Do I." The two acts are friends as well as labelmates, and it just so happens that Lady Antebellum, who's held the Number One position for two weeks, has a stake in Luke knocking them out of the top spot -- Lady A's Charles Kelley and Dave Haywood co-wrote "Do I," while Hillary Scott sang background vocals.
Charles tells us when he and Dave moved to Nashville, they just wanted to write songs. [(Charles) "When we first moved to Nashville, you know, Dave and I, we honestly got to the point where we were like, 'I just want to write songs.' Man, I love writing. I love waking up around 10, write a song, eat some lunch, finish the song, and then you're done with your day. (laughs) What a great life. They have the best lives ever. And so, our whole dream when we moved to Nashville was to hear another artist sing a song that we penned. And to hear a song on the radio that someone's singing that you're a big fan of, and Luke and us have become such huge buddies. So, we're excited. It's a lot of fun for us to kind of watch that move up the charts, and I just think he sounds awesome on it and I'm hoping it shoots its way along right up to the top." (Dave Haywood) "And Hillary's singing backup on it."
We'll find out tomorrow if Luke takes over the top spot on the charts.
You can take a peek at Lady A's new album cover for Need You Now -- the follow-up to their platinum-selling self-titled debut album -- at their official website LadyAntebellum.com.
Need You Now, which features the chart-topping title track, arrives in stores January 26th.
FAST FACTS:
"Do I" is the first single from Luke's second album, Doin' My Thing, which hit stores in October.
Keith Urban and wife Nicole Kidman are getting into the Christmas spirit. The two were spotted a few days ago at The Home Depot in Los Angeles stocking up on holiday decorations, according to Australia's Daily Mail. The couple were seen laughing and joking as they strolled up and down the aisles loading their carts high with festive trinkets, including numerous gold ornaments.
FAST FACTS:
Last week, Keith appeared at the 23rd ARIA Awards Ceremony in Australia, where he was nominated for Best Country Album, which went to Troy Cassar-Daley. Keith performed his hit "Kiss a Girl" on the show.
Keith is nominated for four Country Music Association of Australia awards, which takes place in New South Wales on January 23rd. He's up for Best Album for Defying Gravity, Best Male Artist, Best Single for "Kiss a Girl" and Best Song for "Why's It Been So Long."
The Australian leg of Keith's Escape Together World Tour will kick off next month.
Dierks Bentley narrates a new DVD documentary, The Rise of Kahne, featuring NASCAR driver Kasey Kahne. The film, which arrives in stores December 12th, follows Kahne's actions on and off the track, as he drives his way to superstardom.
SIDE NOTES:
Dierks is currently in the midst of writing and recording a pair of albums -- one bluegrass and one country -- which he plans to release next year.
Dierks still has a handful of concert dates on the books until the end of the year. On December 9th, he'll be in Los Angeles and on December 10th, he kicks off a two-night stand in Las Vegas.
Gary Allan is gearing up to release his new album, Get Off on the Pain, early next year, and he's really thrilled with the first single, "Today," even though he didn't write it.
Gary tells us when he heard the song, it really affected him, and he just had to record it. "'Today,' I didn't write it, but I think that we've all got like somebody in our lives that you just kinda feel like, 'Man, I missed that, and when your heart's moving too slow,' I guess that's what that is. So, this song just hit me really hard. I knew it was a hit right when I heard it, and I was excited to cut it and excited to get it out."
Gary wrote or co-wrote five of the tracks on Get Off on the Pain,which is due in stores February 2nd.
FAST FACTS:
Gary was born and raised in La Mirada, California, but now resides in Nashville.
Gary turned down a record deal with A&M Records when he was still in high school.
The first concert Gary attended was Ernest Tubb at the Universal Amphitheater in Los Angeles.
Dick Clark (entertainer and producer, long-time host of American Bandstand) (80)
Clay Aiken (American Idol runner-up, pop star) (31)
Robert Guillaume (actor, Soap and Benson) (82)
Bo Jackson (former football and baseball star) (47)
G. Gordon Liddy (Watergate figure and radio talk show host) (79)
Billy Idol (rock star, "White Wedding," "Rebel Yell," "Eyes Without A Face") (54)
Des'ree (R&B/jazz singer) (41)
Elisha Cuthbert (actress, 24, Old School, The Girl Next Door, House Of Wax) (27)
Ben Stiller (actor, comedian, producer and director, Reality Bites, There's Something About Mary, Zoolander, Dodgeball, Meet The Parents, Meet The Fockers) (44)
Roger Glover (bassist, Deep Purple, Rainbow) (64)
Mindy McCready (country star) (34)
David Sancious (jazz keyboardist; former member of Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band) (56)
Leo Lyons (bassist, Ten Years After) (66)
Colin Mochrie (actor-comedian, Whose Line Is It Anyway?, The Green Screen Show) (52)
Mandy Patinkin (actor, Ragtime, Yentl, The Princess Bride, Alien Nation, Chicago Hope, Criminal Minds) (57)
Efrem Zimbalist, Jr. (actor, The F.B.I., Airport 1975; father of Stephanie Zimbalist) (91)
Frank Ifield ("I Remember You") (72)
Rob Grill (of the Grass Roots, "Midnight Confession") (66)
Bob Moore ("Mexico") (77)
Jimmy Bowen ("I'm Sticking With You") (72)
Kaley Cuoco (actress, The Big Bang Theory, 8 Simple Rules, Charmed) (24)
BRITTANY MURPHY'S HUSBAND HOSPITALIZED: Brittany Murphy's husband Simon Monjack was rushed to the hospital on Saturday (November 28th) after the couple's flight from Puerto Rico landed in Los Angeles. TMZ.com reports that Murphy told responding fire department personnel that she thought her husband was having an asthma attack that didn't warrant hospitalization, but the officers disagreed. Sources told TMZ that Monjack was "incoherent" when EMTs boarded the plane.
NICK HOGAN IN MINOR CRASH: Nick Hogan was involved in a minor car accident on Saturday (November 28th) night in Los Angeles. TMZ.com reports that there were no injuries and although police came to the scene, no report was taken. Ironically, Hogan -- who spent time in jail last year after causing an accident that seriously injured his friend -- was coming back from a charity event to raise money for an organization that teaches people to drive safely when the accident occurred.
TOM ARNOLD MARRIED: Tom Arnold got married for the fourth time on Saturday (November 28th). People magazine reports that the comedian tied the knot with Ashley Groussman in Hawaii in front of about 75 people, including best man Dax Shepard. Arnold recently wrote on the couple's weddingchannel.com page, "I knew that if I could get Ashley to fall in love with me, I'd never have to worry about anything else as long as I lived."
TAWNY KITAEN CHARGED WITH DUI: Tawny Kitaen has been officially charged with driving under the influence stemming from her September arrest. TMZ.com reports that the reality star faces up to six months in jail and a $1,000 fine if convicted. She was pulled over by police near John Wayne Airport in California three months ago, allegedly making "contact with officers after operating a vehicle while under the influence."
TAYLOR LAUTNER AMONG DECEMBER 'SNL' HOSTS: Taylor Lautner is among the recently-announced actors who will be hosting Saturday Night Live in December. Examiner.com reports that the New Moon hunk will take control of the program on December 12th with musical guest Bon Jovi. Gossip Girl'sBlake Lively will kick off the month's programs on December 5th with musical guest Rihanna while James Franco has the honor of hosting on December 19th.
ANOTHER 'AMITYVILLE' REMAKE? Another remake of The Amityville Horror is reportedly in the works. PerezHilton.com claims that the Weinstein Company and Dimension Films have acquired the rights to redo the scary flick, which was last put on the big screen in 2005.
'PARANORMAL ACTIVITY' DVD OFFERS NEW ENDING: An alternate ending to Paranormal Activity will be featured on the film's DVD. Entertainment Weekly announced the popular horror film will be available for home viewing beginning on December 29th.
Tiger Woods is praising the actions of his wife Elin Nordegren and denying rumors that he was cheating with another woman after crashing his car near his house in Orlando on Friday, (November 27th). In a post on his website Sunday (November 30th), the 33-year-old golf champion said, "This situation is my fault and it's obviously embarrassing to my family and me. I'm human and I'm not perfect. I will certainly make sure this doesn't happen again."
The National Enquirer and other gossip sites reported that Woods had left his home after a physical altercation with his wife over his alleged affair with a New York club hostess named Rachel Uchitel. He reportedly suffered wounds on his face, which if caused by his wife, could lead to charges. Some gossip sites speculate that Woods is refusing police interviews so that his injuries cannot be assessed.
Woods countered, "This is a private matter and I want to keep it that way. Although I understand there is curiosity, the many false, unfounded and malicious rumors that are currently circulating about my family and me are irresponsible."
He continued: "The only person responsible for the accident is me. My wife, Elin, acted courageously when she saw I was hurt and in trouble. She was the first person to help me. Any other assertion is absolutely false. This incident has been stressful and very difficult for Elin, our family and me. I appreciate all the concern and well wishes that we have received. But, I would also ask for some understanding that my family and I deserve some privacy no matter how intrusive some people can be."
TIGER REFUSES POLICE INTERVIEW
Woods also canceled an interview Sunday with Florida state troopers about the incident. It was the third time he canceled a police interview after his wife told authorities that Woods was sleeping on Friday, and postponing it on Saturday. Sgt. Kim Montes of the Florida Highway Patrol told AP that no other interview has been scheduled with Woods and is not required to continue the investigation.
911 CALL DETAILS ACCIDENT'S AFTERMATH
People.com reported that a neighbor called 911 after Woods crashed his 2009 Escalade into a fire hydrant and then into a tree minutes after leaving his home at 2:55 a.m. Though it was previously reported that Nordegren broke the back window of the SUV with a golf club to get her husband out of the car, the 911 caller tells the dispatcher that he was not trapped in the car.
In the call, which was released on Sunday, the neighbor is heard saying, "I need an ambulance immediately, I have someone down in front of my house."
The conversation continued, "(Dispatcher) What happened? What's wrong? (Neighbor) I have a neighbor, he hit the tree and we came out here just to see what was going on. I see him and he's laying down. (Dispatcher) By hit a tree, you mean it was an auto accident? (Neighbor) Yes there was an auto accident, yeah."
Woods reportedly suffered lacerations to his face and lips. He was treated at a local hospital and released in good condition.
ALLEGED MISTRESS DENIES INVOLVEMENT
Meanwhile, Uchitel says she has met Woods, but is not involved with him. "I resent my reputation is getting completely blasted in the media," she said. "Everyone is assuming I came out and said this. This is not a story I have anything to do with."
SIDE NOTES
Sources have told Bossip.com that Tiger's facial lacerations were not due to the crash but were inflicted by his wife during a physical altercation, after which he chose to leave the house. As Tiger drove away, Elin came after him and struck the vehicle several times with a golf club.
According to these sources, Woods became "distracted," and thought he had stopped the vehicle when he turned to see what had happened. At that point the SUV rolled forward, striking the fire hydrant and then a tree. The sources also say that Tiger was taking prescription meds for an injury, which is why he was "out of it" at the scene.
The Twilight Saga: New Moon held on to the top spot at the North American box office for the second weekend in a row, as the vampire romance took in $42.5 million for the three days and $66 million over the five-day Thanksgiving holiday. In fact, the top three spots were the same as last weekend, with The Blind Side remaining in second place and 2012 staying in third.
The comedy Old Dogs, starring John Travolta and Robin Williams as best friends who are unexpectedly put in charge of the care of seven-year-old twins, opened in fourth place, with a $16.8 million take over the weekend and $24 million for five days. Kelly Preston and Seth Green co-star. The action movie Ninja Assassin, starring Korean superstar Rain as a member of a secret clan of assassins who seeks revenge on the people who trained him after they kill his friend, debuted at Number 6, taking in $13.1 million for the three days and $21 million for the five-day period.
The animated "stop-motion" film Fantastic Mr. Fox, based on the Roald Dahl children's book, expanded into wide release and climbed into the top 10, finishing at Number 9. It features the voices of George Clooney, MerylStreep, Jason Schwartzman and Bill Murray, and was directed by Wes Anderson.
SUSPECT SOUGHT IN SHOOTING DEATHS OF FOUR WASHINGTON COPS: Police are searching for a 37-year-old ex-con who's suspected in the shooting deaths of four police officers Sunday (November 29th) inside a Parkland, Washington, coffee shop. The man being sought, Maurice Clemmons, has an extensive violent criminal history in Arkansas, including aggravated robbery and theft. He was also recently arrested and charged in Washington state for assaulting a police officer and second-degree rape of a child. He posted $150,000 bail and was released last week. There's still no known motive for why the killer went into the coffee shop Sunday morning and gunned down the three male and one female officers, ranging in age from 37 to 42. It's believed one of the four was able to fight back, and may have shot the suspect before he died.
In 1989, a 17-year-old Clemmons was convicted in Arkansas for aggravated robbery. He was paroled in 2000 after then-Governor Mike Huckabee commuted his 95-year sentence, citing Clemmons' youth. Clemmons later violated parole and was returned to prison. He was released in 2004.
IRAN SAYS WILL BUILD 10 NEW NUCLEAR FACILITIES: Iran yesterday (November 29th) said it will build 10 new uranium enrichment facilities, a major expansion of its controversial nuclear program. However, Vice President Ali Akbar Salehi told state radio Iran hadn't intended to do so until the International Atomic Energy Agency's resolution Friday (November 27th), backed by U.S., Britain, France, China, Russia and Germany, demanding that Iran stop construction of its newly-revealed enrichment facility and end all other enrichment activities. Salehi said Iran made the decision to build the 10 new facilities in addition to the one it already has because it needed to give a strong response. The U.S. and its allies charge Iran is trying to produce nuclear weapons, but Iran insists it's only interested in nuclear energy to produce electricity.
REPORT: BIN LADEN IN REACH OF U.S. TROOPS IN DECEMBER 2001: A Senate Foreign Relations Committee report says that Osama bin Laden was within reach of U.S. troops in the mountains of Tora Bora in December 2001 when American military leaders made the costly decision not to pursue the al-Qaida leader with massive force. According to the report, the failure to catch bin Laden then has had lasting consequences beyond just his fate, saying it laid the foundation for the renewed Afghan insurgency today, and inflamed the internal conflict now threatening Pakistan. The report says bin Laden was hiding in Tora Bora when the U.S. could have mounted a rapid assault with at least several thousand troops. Instead, fewer than 100 U.S. commandos, working with Afghan militias, tried to track him down, aided by airstrikes. At the time, then-Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld expressed concern that a large U.S. troop presence might cause a backlash, and he and some others said the evidence wasn't conclusive about bin Laden's location.
TODAY'S FYI:
TRANSSEXUAL SPORTSWRITER DEAD, SUICIDE SUSPECTED:Los Angeles Times sportswriter Mike Penner, who announced two years ago that he was a transsexual and was changing his name to Christine Daniels, was pronounced dead Friday (November 27th) after being found at his L.A. home. The Times reported that he's believed to have committed suicide. The 52-year-old veteran sportswriter had returned to using the name Mike Penner last year. Penner wrote a story for the Times in April 2007 in which he revealed that he'd be taking a few weeks vacation, and would be returning as a woman. He wrote, "I am a transsexual sports writer. It has taken more than 40 years, a million tears and hundreds of hours of soul-wrenching therapy for me to work up the courage to type those words." Penner's bosses were supportive, and he reported as Christine Daniels. But he eventually reverted to writing under the name Mike Penner, and was a Times columnist at the time of his death.
OBAMAS TAKE IN COLLEGE BASKETBALL GAME:President Obama and his family took in a college basketball game Saturday (November 28th) in Washington, D.C., between George Washington University and Oregon State, which is coached by first lady Michelle Obama's brother, Craig Robinson. Obama, his wife, daughters Malia and Sasha and mother-in-law Marian Robinson sat courtside in the Smith Center, watching and cheering as Oregon State won the game 64-57.
SPACE SHUTTLE RETURNS TO EARTH: The space shuttle Atlantis returned to Earth Friday (November 27th), touching down in Cape Canaveral with seven astronauts on board. Among them was Randolph Bresnik, whose wife gave birth to their daughter Saturday while he was in orbit, and who flew home to Houston a day ahead of his crewmates to see them both. Also returning was Nicole Stott, who'd spent three months at the International Space Station. Atlantis delivered a load of large spare parts to the space station, and crew members performed three spacewalks to install equipment and carry out maintenance.
Only five space shuttle flights remain, all scheduled for next year, with the first set for February.
HUCKABEE SAYS LIKELY WON'T RUN FOR PREZ IN 2012: Fox News host and former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee said on CBS' Face the Nation Sunday (November 29th) that he probably won't run for president in 2012. Part of the reasoning behind his likely decision is the fact that he doesn't think President Obama will lose his re-election bid. He said, "Anyone who thinks Barack Obama is an easy mark off, just remember Bill Clinton was just labeled politically dead and came back to win a resounding re-election in 1996." However, he sounded less certain during another appearance yesterday, on Fox News Sunday. On that show, Huckabee said he's leaning slightly against running for president in 2012 but says it's far too early to say what he'll do. Huckabee, a favorite of evangelical conservatives, finished second in the 2008 Republican presidential primary behind winner John McCain.
MYSTERY SADDAM HUSSEIN CHANNEL TURNS UP ON IRAQI TV: A mysterious satellite channel that celebrates Saddam Hussein began broadcasting in Iraq Friday (November 27th), on the Islamic calendar's anniversary of the late dictator's 2006 execution. It's unknown who's behind the channel -- whose official name alternates between the Arabic words for "the banner" and "the Arab" -- but the Iraqi government suspects it's members of the Baath political party that Saddam once led. It mostly airs flattering, still images of Saddam, set against audio recordings of him making speeches and reciting poetry. Patriotic music urges listeners to, quote, "liberate our country." The channel is broadcast across the Arab world, but it's unclear where it's being broadcast from.
SPORTS:
NFL SCORES -- WEEK 12: Here are the results of this week's National Football League games. (Home teams are listed in italics):
New England Patriots at New Orleans Saints (8:30 p.m. ET)
NETS GO 0-17, MATCH NBA RECORD FOR WORST SEASON START: The New Jersey Nets lost 106-87 to the Los Angeles Lakers last night (November 29th), bringing their record to 0-17, which ties the record for worst start to an NBA season, held by the 1988-89 Miami Heat and the 1999 Los Angeles Clippers. The loss came a few hours after Nets head coach Lawrence Frank was fired, and his assistant, Tom Barrise, filled in temporarily.
(Headline News, FYI and Sports stories were compiled in part from reports by the Associated Press and Reuters.)
HEROES - Unexpected visitors greet H.R.G.; Samuel's plan starts to come to fruition; Claire's journey takes her to an unexpected destination.
TRAUMA - As a bad batch of heroin hits San Francisco, Glenn questions Nancy's judgment during an encounter with a 'frequent flyer'; a bizarre theft sends Marisa on a wild goose chase; Boone contemplates his future; a romance begins to take off.
DR. SUESS' HOW THE GRINCH STOLE CHRISTMAS - Boris Karloff narrates an animated tale about a curmudgeon and merry Whoville.
SHREK THE HALLS - The ogre's plans for a cozy family Christmas go awry when Donkey, Puss in Boots and the rest of the fairy tale gang try to join in on the festivities.
FIND MY FAMILY - A school aid from Ohio searches for the brother she never knew; an Arizona woman wants to find the birth mother who had to give her up for adoption when she was a baby.
ONE TREE HILL - Nathan and Haley's careers bring about a tough decision for the family; Julian reveals a secret to Alex; Jamie learns the truth about Skills' new job.
GOSSIP GIRL - Blair suspects her mother of keeping a big secret; Vanessa shows up on Dan's doorstep for Thanksgiving; Chuck tells Nate he has potentially damaging information about one of their friends.
DAY TIME TALK SHOW
THE ELLEN DEGENERES SHOW - (repeat) THE OPRAH WINFREY SHOW - Oprah's Holiday Music Extravaganza THE VIEW - Deepak Chopra
LATE NIGHT TALK SHOWS
THE LATE SHOW WITH DAVID LETTERMAN (CBS) - (repeat) THE JAY LENO SHOW (NBC) - Bill Maher, Adam Carolla THE TONIGHT SHOW WITH CONAN O'BRIEN (NBC) - William Shatner, a performance by the past of Mary Poppins JIMMY KIMMEL LIVE (ABC) - (repeat) THE LATE LATE SHOW WITH CRAIG FERGUSON (CBS) - Michael Sheen, Lance Burton LATE NIGHT WITH JIMMY FALLON (NBC) - (repeat) LAST CALL WITH CARSON DALY (NBC) - (repeat) THE DAILY SHOW WITH JON STEWART (COMEDY CENTRAL) - Maziar Bahari THE COLBERT REPORT (COMEDY CENTRAL) - Cevin Soling LOPEZTONIGHT - Katey Sagal, Joanna Krupa, David Guetta featuring Akon
COUPLE HAS BLACK FRIDAY WEDDING IN LINE AT BEST BUY: A bargain-hunting couple looking for a way to save money on their wedding decided to get married while on line to get into a Best Buy for Black Friday deals. The couple waited outside the Best Buy for two days to ensure they were first in line, along with their combined four kids from previous relationships. "We are saving money standing in line for Black Friday and we're not really spending much on the wedding," said the bride. "So we said we are here looking for deals on Black Friday. Let's have a wedding doing the same thing," added her husband. (WFIE)
SECRETARY CALLS IN BOMB THREAT TO DELAY BOSS' FLIGHT: A Florida woman is accused of calling in a bomb threat to Miama International Airport in an attempt to delay her boss' flight. She reported sent an e-mail saying that there was a bomb on board an American Airlines flight to Honduras so that her boss, who was running late, would not miss his flight. (WSVN)
POLICE RESPOND TO PARENTS FIGHTING OVER TOY HAMSTERS: Indiana police said they responded to two seperate calls on Friday from Toys 'R Us stores reporting parents fighting over robotic hamsters. Reports say the lines for the stores were much longer than expected and customers were cutting the line and not cooperating. Three squad cars were called after a fight broke out in the back of one line. (the Consumerist)
VIETNAMESE MAN DIGS UP DEAD WIFE TO SLEEP WITH HER: A Vietnamese man reportedly dug up his dead wife and slept with her body for five years so that he could hug her in bed. The 55-year-old man said that after his wife died in 2003 he spent many nights asleep on top of her grave, but after his children prevented him from going to the grave he decided to dig up his wife and take her home. He molded clay around her remains and put clothes on her. "I'm a person that does things differently. I'm not like normal people," said the man. (TVNZ)
'TURKEY DROP': DUMPING SOMEONE OVER THANKSGIVING: A Washington University junior told an NPR host, "The turkey drop is that holiday breakup season where all the college students return home for their first major vacation and everyone breaks up." It's often freshmen who do the majority of the turkey dropping. After three months living apart and making new friends, high school sweethearts reunite to find their long-distance relationship is more burden than they want. You're not safe from the turkey drop if you're out of college, either, according to relationship and sex advice guru Dan Savage. "For grown-ups," he says, "it's the anticipation of being stuck for three or four more months. You're a cad if you break up around Christmas. And then there's New Years -- and you can't dump somebody right around New Years. After that, if you don't jump on it, is Valentine's Day," Savage says. "God forbid if their birthday should fall somewhere between November and February -- then you're really stuck. Thanksgiving is really when you have to pull the trigger if you're not willing to tough it out through February."
EQUATION CALCULATES TOYS' PLAY VALUE: Psychologist Cliff Arnall has created an equation that is designed to calculate a toy's 'play value' based on factors including cost, the amount of time a child is expected to spend with it and whether it encourages social interaction. A toy that scores 40 or above is considered to to be of excellent value. Professor Arnall developed the equation after a study of 5,000 parents and children, commissioned by British toy company Worlds Apart, revealed that 65 percent of kids receive Christmas presents they don't like or don't play with.
H&M OFFERING SKIRTS FOR MEN: The spring 2010 look book for mass retailer H&M has some new pieces for men including fringe jackets, tie-dye scarves, harem pants, and -- skirts.
SUDOKU REPORTEDLY BURNS 90 CALORIES AN HOUR: The Daily Mail reports that one researcher claims you can burn 90 calories an hour doing sudoku puzzles. Doing puzzles and quizzes burns an average of 90 calories every hour, they say -- while a chocolate chip cookie contains an average 56 calories. A British Dietetic Association spokesman said, "When thinking hard, the brain needs to get its energy from somewhere. It can get this energy from burning calories. The brain is like any other body part -- if you are working it hard, it will need more calories to work well."
Dr. Katherine Ramsland, who teaches forensic psychology at DeSales University and wrote the book, The Science of Vampires addressed the origins of the myth. (Fox News)
Avoiding sunlight: Several elements of the vampire legend are based around facts, artfully combined into a scary whole. Vampires are commonly depicted as creatures of the dark, being highly sensitive to sunlight. This is the case for people afflicted with porphyria, a well-known condition that makes one allergic to the sun. When exposed to the sun, people with porphyria develop burning blisters and swelling of the skin. Porphyria is extremely rare, of course, but not so its milder cousin, polymorphic light eruption. This type of allergic reaction is characterized by the formation of bumpy and itchy rashes on sun-exposed skin. But it's not actually an allergy to the sun, rather an immune reaction.
Immortality: Dracula is commonly regarded as not just long-lived, but literally immortal. Ramsland thinks there is science to explain this aspect of the myth, noting research on what scientists call "immortalized cells." The aging process is partly predicated on the lifespan of our cells; as long as they continue dividing, we remain young, and structures in our cells called telomeres play a part in cellular division. What controls the telomeres? Ramsland explains that "through the activity of an enzyme known as telomerase, the youth-preserving activity of the telomeres can be extended. In other words, there's an actual chemical in our cells that may hold the secret to eternal youth, and if so, it may explain how vampires can live forever."
Drinking blood: Mosquitoes, bats and other creatures drink blood, but humans rarely do -- unless they have an iron deficiency such as anemia, notes Dr. Manuel Alvarez, managing editor for health at FoxNews.com. Those suffering from iron deficiencies could feel the need to rush out for an extra side-helping of iron-rich spinach . . . or may opt to eat an extremely bloody steak. Craving iron and feasting on human blood are very different, of course. But Dr. Manny notes that pica, the pattern of eating non-foods or even blood, can result from anemia. This may not explain the vampire mythology, but it could explain one of the characteristics associated with the creatures.
Killing humans: Physicists Costas J. Efthimiou and Sohang Gandhi argue a good case against vampires, based on the hard facts of physics. In their 2007 paper "Cinema Fiction vs. Physics Reality: Ghosts, Vampires and Zombies," The pair work out a mathematical formula to describe the number of humans left after x months of vampirism spreading through a population of size and " . . . we conclude that if the first vampire appeared on January 1st of 1600 AD, humanity would have been wiped out by June of 1602, two and a half years later. We conclude that vampires cannot exist, since their existence contradicts the existence of human beings. Incidentally, the logical proof that we just presented is of a type known as reduction ad absurdum, that is, reduction to the absurd."
According to Wikipedia, The Jon Stewart Show was the first talk show on that network and was an instant hit, becoming the second-highest rated MTV show behind Beavis and Butt-head. In 1994, Paramount pulled the plug on The Arsenio Hall Show and, with new corporate sibling MTV (through MTV parent Viacom's acquisition of the studio), launched an hour-long syndicated late-night version of The Jon Stewart Show. It was canceled in less than two years. Amongst the fans of the show was David Letterman, who was the final guest of The Jon Stewart Show.
Shoppers Turned Out Over Black Friday Weekend, But Spent Less
Holiday shoppers turned out on Black Friday and over the weekend, which was good news for retailers, but they weren't spending as much, focusing on practical, small-ticket and sale items. According to preliminary figures released Saturday (November 28th) by ShopperTrak, sales rose just 0.5 percent Friday compared with a year ago. So despite the increase in shoppers, the National Retail Federation trade group said Sunday it's sticking to its forecast for holiday sales to decline 1 percent from last year.
There was some promising news, as overall reports from malls and stores showed shoppers continued to come in over the weekend. That's a change from last year, when stores had a pretty good Black Friday, but sales tanked the rest of the weekend and season. For the season overall, sales were down three percent last year. This year, traffic to stores and websites rose to 195 million from 172 million in 2008.
Analysts said that store chains that may have done better this past weekend include discount retailers like Wal-Mart and Target, teen apparel retailers Aeropostale and American Eagle Outfitters, and higher-end chains like Saks.
Black Friday was a great Red White and Blue Success!
THANKS FLAGGER'S for making Black Friday at Preferred Outlets at Laughlin such a success and getting in on all the great deals! If you missed it, not to worry! More deals to be had all weekend long at Preferred Outlets. Head over and shop their 53 stores until you drop! Get everything you need on your list and save tones of $$$$$$$!
The place to be Black Friday is Preferred Outlets in Laughlin! Join me bright and early at 9am -11am Nevada Time by the Boot Barn at the Preferred Outlets in Laughlin and I will pass one FREE Santa Stocking along to each of you Flagger's 18 and over FILLED full of goodies from the 53 fine retailers. You will also have a chace at WINNING 1 of 3 32' TV's to be given away, Nitendo DS Lite or a pair of 1 CART DIAMOND HOOP EARRINGS from Ultra Diamonds! Ohhhhhhhhh, I would LOVE to have those earrings. I can't win them but you sure can!!! Don't miss your chance be at Preferred Outlets at 9am -11am Nevada time this Friday!!!! Let's shop till we drop!!!
Chris Young celebrated his very first Number One hit, "Gettin' You Home," with a party in Nashville yesterday (Tuesday, November 24th). Chris co-wrote the song which, he tells us, he can hardly believe hit the top of the charts. It's just still surreal. I still pinch myself everyday about it. It sounds stupid and a hokey answer to say, but we were shootin' the new video, and I was sittin' there and I was like, 'Man!' They're like, 'What?' I'm like, 'I got a Number One record!' It's just really strange to me. It's cool playin' it out and people all know the words to it."
Chris will continue the celebration through Thanksgiving, where he says he plans to have an all-out feast. "Diet is out the window on Thanksgiving this year. Last year I was like right in the middle of the radio tour. I'm like, 'I'm sorry, I can't eat that,' and then I spent the rest of the year goin', 'Man! I missed out on cheese bisuits and turkey,' and so this year I'm eatin' it (laughs)!"
Chris will perform at the 5th annual Sound & Speed event in Nashville on January 8th. He will join headliner Hank Williams, Jr., along with a host of NASCAR's star drivers.
Blake Shelton tells us that his girlfriend, Miranda Lambert, is a great cook. She likes to experiment, and he says that more often than not, her results are impressive. And it's a good thing. Because Blake says he is definitely not a cook and tells us he won't be much help with Thanksgiving dinner. "I don't do any turkey carving. I guess if there's any outdoor cooking to be done, I'll babysit it but I'm really not that good at grilling either. I'm more of a just stand around, what do you need me to carry type of guy. But I don't do much of the cooking."
Blake says he's not even any good at the manly activity of frying turkeys. "I have fried turkeys. In fact, we did that for about three or four years in a row and after about the third year of carving into a raw turkey that I could have sworn there's no way it's been sitting in there that long, and still not be done yet. And then you've got to put it back in there. And then it's ruined. So I've stopped frying turkeys, or baking them. Turkeys are just too big."
You might recall that Shelton once had a pet turkey... named Turkey.
Blake's new single, "Hillbilly Bone," features a guest appearance by Trace Adkins.
Hank Williams, Jr. and Chris Young will perform at the fifth annual Sprint Sound & Speed event scheduled for January 8th and 9th at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville. Sound & Speed combines the worlds of music and NASCAR, with the appearance of such drivers as Dale Earnhardt Jr., Tony Stewart, Denny Hamlin, Kasey Kahne, Michael Waltrip, Clint Bowyer, Reed Sorenson, and David Stremme. NASCAR legend Kyle Petty will also give a special performance with his band.
Other country stars scheduled to appear at the 2010 Sound & Speed include Jason Michael Carroll, Josh Turner, and members of Diamond Rio.
Tickets for the Sound & Speed concerts are available through TicketMaster.
For more information about the event, log onto soundandspeed.org.
FAST FACTS
Since its inception, the event has attracted about 40,000 fans and has raised more than $800,000 for Victory Junction Camp.
The Camp was founded by Kyle and Pattie Petty for children with chronic medical conditions or serious illnesses.
Andy Griggs and his family are dealing with the devastating loss of their Nashville-area home to fire over the weekend, and now a beloved four-legged member of the family is missing. Their Miniature Yorkshire Terrier, Lexie, was last seen running around the yard while the fire department was fighting the fire. Andy asks that anyone who finds her contact either the phone number on her tag or his publicist's office at 615-321-1383.
A spokesperson for Andy said, "She (Lexie) is a member of their family. They are very worried about her and would very much like for her to be returned home safely."
The Griggs' home was destroyed on Saturday (November 21st). The cause of the blaze is still unknown.
Aside from missing their pet, Andy says the family is holding up well. He said, "We are doing good. My family and I thank you for your prayers. I can actually feel them."
Lost Highway released the five-CD Johnny Cash set Unearthed, including the final recordings of his life, in 2003.
NBC-TV airs its second Shania Twain special of the year, Shania Twain: Up!Close And Personal, with special guests Alison Krauss + Union Station, in 2003.
Phil Vassar climbed to Number One in Billboard with "Just Another Day In Paradise" in 2000.
LeAnn Rimes performed for Pope John Paul II in 1999.
Garth Brooks' Sevens album was released in 1997.
Trisha Yearwood made her first appearance on CBS-TV's Jag in the recurring role of forensics specialist Teresa Coulter in 1997.
NICOLE KIDMAN'S NOT PREGNANT: Nicole Kidman is not pregnant. After the 42-year-old actress was photographed at the American Music Awards holding her belly and a finger to her lips, rumors began swirling that she and Keith Urban were expecting another baby. Her rep clarified, "This is not true."
NICOLE RICHIE STILL RECOVERING FROM PNEUMONIA: Nicole Richie has thanked fans for well-wishes during her battle with pneumonia. The star, who was recently hospitalized for the illness, blogged on Tuesday (November 24th), "Right now it's important for me to stay in bed and recover. Reading all of your messages on Twitter and my website has really brightened my spirits and I am so grateful for the support. I look forward to seeing you all very soon and wish you a happy Thanksgiving."
'NEW MOON' STARS TWEET: Rob Pattinson and Kristen Stewart are embracing Twitter. The New Moon co-stars posted their first messages on the social networking site earlier this week, thanking fans for supporting their movie. Pattinson wrote on Summit Entertainment's official Twilight Twitter page, "Thank you for making NEW MOON #1. It's very exciting to be a part of something embraced by so many people. I hope you are looking forward to ECLIPSE as much as I am." Stewart then followed up, posting, "You all have proven you're the most amazing fans in the world once again." Her in experience was evident after she added, "Yes, I twittered. Or twitted, tweeted? I dunno, but thank you sooo much anyway!"
JOSEPH FIENNES DENIES WIFE IS PREGNANT: Joseph Fiennes has shot down rumors that he's about to become a first-time father. The actor spoke out after the Daily Mail claimed his new wife was expecting a baby, telling Britain's Now newspaper, "No it isn't (true). A newspaper said I made an announcement, which felt like I opened my French doors and said, 'Ladies and gentleman, I just want you to know. . . ' But it just never happened. I'd love to have kids; I grew up in a large family."
ALYSSA MILANO CONFRONTS TWITTER IMPOSTOR: Alyssa Milano blew the whistle on a Twitter impostor. Earlier this week the actress tweeted, "Maybe Alyssa_Milano would like to tell us all why she is pretending to be me." Shortly after, the fake account was suspended and now reads "Sorry, the profile you were trying to view has been suspended due to strange activity."
DONNY OSMOND CROWNED DANCING WITH THE STARS CHAMPION
Donny Osmond was crowned the new champion of ABC's Dancing with the Stars on the season finale Tuesday night (November 24th), and he celebrated by running into the audience and picking up his wife, who he carried onto the stage. The 1970s teen idol was helped to the title by his performance last night of an Argentine tango with his professional dancing partner, Kym Johnson, that earned the top score of the final performances.
Singer Mya, who performed a jive with her partner, Dmitry Chaplin, for her final dance, was the runner-up, and Kelly Osbourne, the daughter of legendary rocker Ozzy Osbourne, came in third. The 25-year-old Osbourne began crying after her last dance -- a cover of Ray LaMontagne's "Trouble" that she performed with partner Louis Van Amstel -- and thanked the American TV audience. With dad Ozzy, mom Sharon and brother Jack looking on, Osbourne said she'd, quote, "grown so much" during the show.
Whitney Houston made a guest appearance, performing the single "Million Dollar Bill" off her comeback album, and her 1980s hit, "I Wanna Dance with Somebody."
SUSAN BOYLE DOCUMENTARY AIRING NEXT MONTH: Susan Boyle will be the subject of a documentary slated to air on the TV Guide Network on December 13th. The New York Post reports that the special -- which is being co-produced by Simon Cowell -- features live performances by the 48-year-old singer who rose to super-stardom earlier this year.
USA RENEWS 'BURN NOTICE': USA has renewed Burn Notice for a fourth season. EW.com reports that a deal to bring the show back for a 16-episode season was made official earlier this week. The new episodes will likely debut next summer.
ROB PATTINSON DOCUMENTARY COMING TO COMPUTERS: A Rob Pattinson documentary is coming to America. Variety reports that Revolver, the U.K. distributor of Robsessed, will is making the documentary available only to buy or rent on iTunes. The company's CEO Justin Marciano told Variety that the digital release "demonstrates our belief that the future is most certainly digital." The film charts the rise of the British star of the "Twilight" films although CinemaBlend.com reports that it seems more "like assembled paparazzi footage and talking head interviews with people who don't actually know him."
DUSTIN HOFFMAN REPORTEDLY TURNS DOWN 'FOCKERS' MOVIE: Dustin Hoffman has reportedly refused to reprise his role as Ben Stiller's father in the upcoming Little Fockers. Although he starred in 2004's Meet the Fockers, Starpulse.com reports that he won't be in the upcoming film, nor is it certain whether Barbra Streisand -- who played his wife -- will be back for the next installment.
A Wisconsin clothing boutique has settled its lawsuit against Oprah Winfrey's mother. Valentina Inc. of Milwaukee had originally filed suit against Vernita Lee in July 2008 after she failed to pay a bill of $155,547.
Lee's attorneys tried to place the blame on the retailer, saying it never should have extended credit to Oprah's mom in the first place, since she already had a history of failing to repay loans and credit cards.
Details are scant on the settlement, but many believe Winfrey herself stepped in to bail her mother out of trouble.
According to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, the store will only receive part of what was owed. A final hearing to sign off on the judgment is set for December 7th.
Although Taylor Lautner is arguably one of the most popular teenagers on the planet right now, the New Moon star admits that his career once made him a laughing stock among his peers. The 17-year-old told Rolling Stone, "I was never extremely confident. Because I was an actor, when I was in school there was a little bullying going on. Not physical bullying but people making fun of what I do . . . I just had to tell myself I can't let this get to me. This is what love to do. And I'm going to continue to do it."
Lautner is staying humble about his notoriety, explaining that superstardom "could have happened to anybody who played Jacob." He added, "I was just lucky enough to be the one that has the opportunity. I'm so grateful. It's Twilight. It's not me personally."
Paula Abdul is looking to take Oprah's place as television's resident talk show queen. The former American Idol judge told Extra that she hopes to have her own such program within three years.
The 47-year-old explained, "It would be fun and quirky and it would be insightful. It would be fun to jam with the band and have amazing guests and introduce amazing different formats on the show."
She added, "I feel I would be really good at it. I have the ability to connect with people on a level. I've proven to pierce the heartstrings, but also to be celebratory and bring out the best in people."
Perhaps hoping for an endorsement down the road, Abdul took the time to praise Winfrey, calling her a "phenomenon" who "broke barriers and let the path for other women to be empowered." She added, "Like 'American Idol,' there's a place and time that makes history. That's Oprah."
Opening today (November 25th) is the new comedy Old Dogs, starring Robin Williams, John Travolta, Kelly Preston and Seth Green. The movie is about two best friends, played by Williams and Travolta, who have their lives turned upside down when they're unexpectedly charged with the care of seven-year-old twins while approaching the biggest business deal of their lives. Old Dogs was directed by Walter Becker.
Old Dogs is rated PG.
Opening today (November 25th) in wide release is the new animated 'stop-motion' film from director Wes Anderson, Fantastic Mr. Fox, starring George Clooney, MerylStreep, Jason Schwartzman and Bill Murray. Based on Roald Dahl's children's book, the story follow Mr. and Mrs. Fox, played by Clooney and Streep, as they live the perfect life with their son Ash, played by Schwartzman, and visiting nephew Kristopherson, played by Eric Anderson, but when Mr. Fox slips back into his old ways as a sneaky chicken thief, he endangers his family and the whole animal community forcing the animals to band together and fight the farmers who are determined to kill fantastic Mr. Fox.
Fantastic Mr. Fox is rated PG and has a running time of 1 hour and 30 minutes.
Opening today (November 25th) is the new action movie Ninja Assassin, starring Rain, Naomie Harris, Ben Miles and Rick Yune. The film follows Raizo, a member of the secret clan of assassins known as the Ozunu, who seeks revenge on the very people who trained him after the Ozunu kill his friend. Ninja Assassin was directed by James McTeigue.
Ninja Assassin is rated R.
Opening today (November 25th) is the highly anticipated film The Road, starring Viggo Mortensen, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Charlize Theron, Robert Duvall and Guy Pierce. The film follows a father, played by Mortensen, and his son, played by Smit-McPhee, who try to keep the dream of civilzation alive as they roam through the post-apocalyptic landscape. The Road was directed by John Hillcoat.
The Road is rated R and has a running time of 2 hours.
OBAMA SET TO PRESENT PLAN FOR MORE TROOPS IN AFGHANISTAN:President Obama said yesterday (November 24th) that he's ready to lay out his plans for the way forward in Afghanistan, which is virtually sure to include sending more troops, saying, "I intend to finish the job." Obama is expected to explain it all to the American people in a prime time speech next Tuesday night (December 1st). AP cited sources as saying the president will lay out his plans for expanding the Afghan conflict, and then ultimately ending America's military role. Aware of polls showing the American public about evenly split on sending in more troops, Obama said, "I feel very confident that when the American people hear a clear rationale for what we're doing there and how we intend to achieve our goals, that they will be supportive." Military officials expect an increase of 32,000 to 35,000 troops, below the reported 40,000 General Stanley McChrystal had requested.
OBAMA HOSTS INDIAN PRIME MINISTER AT FIRST STATE DINNER: Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was the guest of honor last night (November 24th) at the first state dinner of the Obama administration. There were 338 people on the guest list as President Obama and First lady Michelle Obama hosted the prime minister and his wife at the dinner held in a huge, carpeted white tent set up on the South Lawn, with suspended chandeliers and views of the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial through clear panels. Award-winning chef Marcus Samuelsson of the restaurant Aquavit in New York was brought in to help White House executive chef Cristeta Comerford and her staff prepare the meal, which was largely vegetarian since Singh is a vegetarian. The after-dinner entertainment included performances by singer and actress Jennifer Hudson and Indian musician and singer A.R. Rahman, who composed the music for the Academy Award-winning movie Slumdog Millionaire.
POLICE SAY HANGED CENSUS WORKER COMMITTED SUICIDE: Police have concluded that a census worker who was found hanged to death from a tree in rural Kentucky in September with the word "fed" scrawled on his chest committed suicide and staged his death to look like a murder so there'd be a big insurance payout for his son. Initial suspicions that Bill Sparkman may have been killed over anti-government sentiment gave way to the belief it was suicide when investigators discovered that there were no defensive wounds, and that Sparkman believed he had cancer, had two insurance policies worth $600,000, and had an adult son who needed money. Authorities also said that Sparkman talked about his plan about a week before his death to someone who didn't take him seriously at the time.
PANEL BEGINS DEBATING POSSIBLE IMPEACHMENT OF S.C. GOV: A panel of South Carolina state lawmakers began debating yesterday (November 24th) whether Governor Mark Sanford should be impeached over his failure to inform his staff of his whereabouts or put anyone in charge when he disappeared for five days in June to go visit his mistress in Argentina. Although his staff had put out a statement at the time that the married governor was hiking on the Appalachian Trail, Sanford confessed where he'd really been when he returned. Later investigations found the two-term Republican governor also may have violated state ethics laws for travel and campaign finances, and he faces 37 civil charges that he used his office to personally benefit himself. The committee will meet at least three more times before deciding whether to forward the impeachment measure to the House Judiciary Committee.
TODAY'S FYI:
TURKEY 'COURAGE' BEING PARDONED TODAY: A lucky turkey named Courage will be pardoned today (November 24th) by President Obama in the annual tradition that began in 1947 with President Harry Truman. Another turkey, Carolina, will be on hand in case there's any problem with Courage. After the Rose Garden ceremony -- which will be Obama's first turkey-pardoning -- Courage and Carolina will be flown to Disneyland to serve as grand marshal of its annual Thanksgiving Day parade, and they'll then move into their new home in the theme park's Frontierland.
CDC WARNS AGAINST HOLIDAY SPREAD OF SWINE FLU: The swine flu epidemic seems to have begun to wane in the U.S., but plenty of people are still ill, and health officials are warning that Thanksgiving travel and holiday gatherings could lead to a new spread of the disease. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has launched a new travel-health campaign ahead of Thanksgiving, putting up posters in airports, seaports and border crossings, and using advertisements with slogans like, "Stop, Wash & Go." The CDC is also urging people to travel only if they are well, wash their hands often, and cough or sneeze into a tissue or the bend of their elbow.
AIRLINES FINED FOR KEEPING PASSENGERS ON PLANE OVERNIGHT: The federal government yesterday (November 24th) imposed fines for the first time ever against airlines for stranding passengers on a plane overnight. Continental Airlines and its ExpressJet Airlines affiliate were fined $100,000 and Mesaba Airlines, a unit of Delta Air Lines, was fined $75,000 for the August 8th incident in Rochester, Minnesota. Forty-seven passengers were forced to stay on board a Continental Express plane on the tarmac overnight after it diverted to Rochester because of bad weather while en route from Houston to Minneapolis. Mesaba, which was the only airline staffing the Rochester airport at the time, refused to let the passengers exit the plane and enter the terminal because there were no federal security personnel on duty. Government regulators found that all three airlines violated a law against unfair and deceptive practices.
SAAB LIKELY TO SHUT DOWN: General Motors could decide in a matter of days to shut down the decades-old Swedish Saab brand after a deal to sell it to a specialty carmaker collapsed Tuesday (November 24th). There are no other apparent interested parties, and the Swedish government is refusing to buy Saab, so it's very likely the GM board will soon decide to shut it down. That would jeopardize the jobs of Saab's 4,500 employees, most of whom are in Sweden. GM has been looking to shed brands this year and focus on the core ones of Chevrolet, Buick, GMC and Cadillac. The GM board has already decided to phase out the Saturn brand.
GM bought half of Saab in 1990 for $600 million and the rest in 2000 for $125 million.
Saab was created in 1947 by a Swedish aerospace company.
WHAT WASN'T ON THE PILGRIM'S TABLE: Besides the big bird, there are lots of other foods that have become traditional for the Thanksgiving meal. But you might be surprised to know that many of those foods were not on the menu at the first Thanksgiving. According to the Mayflower Web Pages, the Pilgrims would have been surprised to see any of the following foods on their table:
Sweet potatoes, potatoes, or yams -- These hadn't yet been introduced in New England.
Corn on the cob -- What the Pilgrims called "Indian corn" was only used to make cornmeal.
Cranberry sauce -- Although they had cranberries, they didn't have sugar.
Popcorn-- "Indian corn" could only be half-popped, and wouldn't have tasted very good.
Pumpkin pie -- However, they probably made a type of pumpkin pudding, sweetened by honey or syrup.
What you might be surprised to know was on the menu at the first Thanksgiving was fish and seafood, which was plentiful in coastal New England, including cod, bass, eel, clams and mussels.
PILGRIM CLOTHING MYTH: The image we all have in our heads of Pilgrims at the time of the first Thanksgiving in 1621 is that of men and women who dressed only in black and white with big buckles on their shoes, hats and clothes. But according to the History Channel, that idea of Pilgrim fashion is a myth. Buckles didn't become popular until later in the 17th century, and black and white clothes were usually worn only on Sundays and at formal occasions. Instead, women usually wore red, earthy green, brown, blue, violet and gray, while men wore clothing in white, beige, black, earthy green and brown.
TURKEY TRIVIA: Here are some facts about the turkey you'll be eating on Thanksgiving:
Scientific name: melegragris gallopavo
Plumage: bronze, dark brown and black on wild turkeys with 3,500 feathers at maturity
Turkeys live in flocks, roosting at night in thick tree trunks.
Male turkeys are called "gobblers" or "toms" and female turkeys are called "hens."
Turkeys are polygamous -- one male has a harem of females.
Toms attract hens by gobbling and strutting.
Hens lay about 12 eggs at a time, which hatch in 28 days.
Turkeys can fly at speeds up to 55 miles per hour and run at around 12 miles per hour.
Turkeys have 27 calls besides the gobble, including the "kee-kee," the "purr," the "yelp," the "whine" and the "cluck."
SPORTS:
PUJOLS WINS SECOND STRAIGHT NATIONAL LEAGUE MVP AWARD: St. Louis Cardinals' first baseman Albert Pujols was named the National League MVP for the second year in a row yesterday (November 24th) and the third time overall, added to his win in 2005. Pujols won unanimously, getting all 32 first-place votes and 448 points in balloting by the Baseball Writers' Association of America. Hanley Ramirez of the Florida Marlins was second with 233 points, and the Philadelphia Phillies' Ryan Howard came in third with 217. Pujols led the major leagues this year in home runs, with 47, runs, slugging percentage and intentional walks, and topped the National League in on-base percentage. He's the first player to repeat as MVP since Barry Bonds won four in a row from 2001 to 2004.
Catcher Joe Mauer of the Minnesota Twins was voted the American League MVP on Monday.
WASHINGTON WIZARDS OWNER ABE POLLIN DEAD AT 85: Washington Wizards owner Abe Pollin, the NBA's longest-tenured owner, died Tuesday (November 24th) at age 85. The cause of death wasn't disclosed, but he'd suffered for years from a rare brain disorder. Pollin and two partners bought the Washington Bullets in 1964, and he bought them out four years later. He renamed the team the Washington Wizards in 1997 because of the violent connotation of the word "Bullets," particularly in a city associated with crime. The team won the NBA title in 1978, and Pollin vowed he wouldn't sell the franchise until it won another championship. Pollin also introduced sports innovations, including the Capital Centre being the country's first sports major venue to have luxury boxes and a big replay screen.
THE NEW ADVENTURES OF OLD CHRISTINE - Fearful that he might propose to her, Barb insists that Christine join her on a date with Dave; Richard realizes he must woo New Christine to get her back.
GARY UNMARRIED - When Gary lets Louise attend a party, he tries to keep it a secret from Allison; Sasha contemplates having more than a working relationship with Gary.
CRIMINAL MINDS - The team races to help Hotchner find the Reaper and save his fmaily.
CSI: NY - As the team races to save the Compass Killer's fourth victim, the sunrise presents a final surprise.
THE MIDDLE - Mr. Ehlert forcesthe staff to work on Thanksgiving; Brick gets lost in a corn maze.
MODERN FAMILY - Claire and Phil decide to plan the biggest and best birthday party for Luke.
COUGAR TOWN - Jules and her friends hope to make a memorable first impression in Travis' new girlfriend; Grayson and Bobby find they have a common interest.
EASTWICK - Darryl organizes an art show of Roxie's work at his mansion; Joanna tries to use her power to get her life back in order.
GRACIE - After the death of her older brother, a teenager petitions her high school for the right to take his place on the boys varsity soccer team. 2007. Starring Dermot Mulroney, Elisabeth Shue, Andrew Shue and Carly Schroeder.
FX
NIP/TUCK - Matt and Alexis request unusual surgical procedures from Christian; Erica discovers the horrible truth about her husband; Julia seeks revenge on her mother.
DAY TIME TALK SHOW
THE ELLEN DEGENERES SHOW - Sandra Bullock THE OPRAH WINFREY SHOW - Remembering Ted Kennedy: Vicki Kennedy's First TV Interview THE VIEW - Natalie Portman, Dancing with the Stars finalists
LATE NIGHT TALK SHOWS
THE LATE SHOW WITH DAVID LETTERMAN (CBS) - Natalie Portman, Adam Lambert THE JAY LENO SHOW (NBC) - Paula Patton THE TONIGHT SHOW WITH CONAN O'BRIEN (NBC) - Norm MacDonald, Gretchen Bleiler, Dan Cummins JIMMY KIMMEL LIVE (ABC) - Charles Barkley, Peter Facinelli, Leona Lewis THE LATE LATE SHOW WITH CRAIG FERGUSON (CBS) - Robin Wright, Wolfgang Puck LATE NIGHT WITH JIMMY FALLON (NBC) - Seth Green, Tommy Lee, Padma Lakshmi, Mos Def & Talib Kweli LAST CALL WITH CARSON DALY (NBC) - David Gray THE DAILY SHOW WITH JON STEWART (COMEDY CENTRAL) - (repeat) THE COLBERT REPORT (COMEDY CENTRAL) - (repeat) LOPEZTONIGHT - Arsenio Hall
NBC'S PEOPLE OF THE YEAR - Some of this year's newsmakers discuss how fame changed their lives; Taylor Swift, Nadya Suleman, Kobe Bryant, Susan Boyle and others are interviewed.
NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM - A night watchman at The Museum of Natural History discovers that exhibits come alive after the building closes. Starring Ben Stiller, Carla Gugino, Mickey Rooney and Dick Van Dyke.
A CHARLIE BROWN THANKSGIVING - The Peanuts gather around Charlie's pingpong table for an unusual feast; a bonus cartoon is 'This is America, Charlie Brown: The Mayflower Voyagers.'
BEYONCE...I AM YOURS - A performance from Las Vegas; unseen footage of the singer's life off stage and moments from her childhood.
PAUL MCCARTNEY: GOOD EVENING NEW YORK CITY - McCartney performs some of his favorite songs at Citi Field in Queens; includes footage of the original Beatles concert at Shea stadium and an interview with Paul.
THE ELLEN DEGENERES SHOW - (repeat) THE OPRAH WINFREY SHOW - (repeat) THE VIEW - (repeat)
LATE NIGHT TALK SHOWS
THE LATE SHOW WITH DAVID LETTERMAN (CBS) - (repeat) THE JAY LENO SHOW (NBC) - Megan Fox THE TONIGHT SHOW WITH CONAN O'BRIEN (NBC) - Pee Wee Herman, Donald Faison, Bon Jovi JIMMY KIMMEL LIVE (ABC) - (repeat) THE LATE LATE SHOW WITH CRAIG FERGUSON (CBS) - (repeat) LATE NIGHT WITH JIMMY FALLON (NBC) - Robin Williams, Rashida Jones LAST CALL WITH CARSON DALY (NBC) - Weezer THE DAILY SHOW WITH JON STEWART (COMEDY CENTRAL) - (repeat) THE COLBERT REPORT (COMEDY CENTRAL) - (repeat) LOPEZTONIGHT - Taylor Lautner, Kristin Cavallari, LMFAO
REAL ESTATE AGENT FINDS PILE OF BONES AT SHOWING: A Louisiana real estate agent showing a house found a pile of human bones in the basement, which investigators say are so old they had to have been there before the house was built. A forensic investigator said he believes the bones belong to Native Americans that were buried on the land. The real estate agent said he later learned from the previous owners that they would often find the bones will mowing the lawn or doing yard work and would put them in the basement. (AP)
DAD LEAVES SON OUTSIDE, GOES INTO STRIP CLUB: Police arrested an Indianapolis man who left his 5-year-old son alone outside a strip club and later called police intoxicated to report his truck and child missing. According to police the man was too drunk to remember where he parked, but they found the boy alone in the car watching cartoons with the keys in the ignition and doors unlocked. The 39-year-old man was charged with public intoxication and child neglect. (AP)
BABOONS ROBBING TOURISTS IN SOUTH AFRICA: Officials in the city of Cape Town, South Africa are struggling to control the population of baboons, who seem to have learned how to open car doors and windows to find food inside. Just last Tuesday 29 baboons raided four cars in a small coastal neighborhood, led by one baboon the locals have nicknamed "Fred" who apparently figured out how to open the cars. Officials say there are approximately 420 baboons, which run in troopes, in the surrounding area and that they basically spend all day rescuing tourists from the primates. (AP)
WORLD'S OLDEST SHEEP DIES IN HEATWAVE: An Australian sheep named Lucky said to be the oldest sheep in the world at 23 years, six months died Tuesday morning. Lucky's owner said the cause of death is related to a heatwave that has struck most of south east Australia, reaching a record of 86 degrees for November. Sheep typically have a life expectancy of 10 to 12 years. (AFP)
NEW YORK COOKING BOOZ-Y TURKEY: A local NYC tavern is unveiling what the owner is calling the nation's first 100-proof turkey. A spokesman for the owner of O'Casey's Tavern in Midtown Manhattan says that the bird is infused with fruit-flavored and 100-proof Georgi vodka for three days before being cooked. The flavors of vodka include peach, raspberry, cherry and apple. The gravy is also laced with the distilled liquor. Out of concern for the danger of drinking-and-driving, the tavern is offering free taxi ride home to anyone who orders the turkey. It wasn't immediately clear how much it will cost to have some of the boozy bird.
IS BINGE EATING LIKE DRUG ADDICTION? The Los Angeles Times reported, "The notion that binge eating and addiction are linked is supported by brain imaging studies that show significant overlap between the brain circuits activated by a drug addict's "craving" and those of a binge eater pondering an eating jag. Researchers also find that the brains of overeaters and those with substance addictions share a common shortage of receptors for the neurotransmitter dopamine, a key chemical in the activation of reward-seeking brain circuits."
WOMEN ANXIOUS ABOUT BODY IMAGE: According to a study reported on by the Telegraph, on average, women had negative thoughts about their bodies 36 times a day. One hundred women were asked to carry a clicker in an experiment to measure how many times they felt anxiety about their bodies ageing. Over a seven day period, the women aged 35 to 69 had to use the clicker every time they worried about their face, body, or appearance in general and on average did so 36 times.
250 million -- The preliminary estimate of turkeys raised in the United States in 2009. That's down 8 percent from the number raised during 2008. The turkeys produced in 2008 together weighed 7.9 billion pounds and were valued at $4.5 billion.
45.5 million -- The preliminary estimate of turkeys Minnesota expected to raise in 2009. The Gopher State was tops in turkey production, followed by North Carolina (37.5 million), Arkansas (28 million), Missouri (21 million), Virginia (16.4 million) and California (15 million). These six states together would probably account for about two-thirds of U.S. turkeys produced in 2009.
709 million pounds -- The forecast for U.S. cranberry production in 2009. Wisconsin is expected to lead all states in the production of cranberries, with 400 million pounds, followed by Massachusetts (190 million). New Jersey, Oregon and Washington are also expected to have substantial production, ranging from 16 million to 54 million pounds.
1.8 billion pounds -- The total weight of sweet potatoes -- another popular Thanksgiving side dish -- produced by major sweet potato producing states in 2008. North Carolina (874 million pounds) produced more sweet potatoes than any other state. It was followed by California (437 million pounds) and Mississippi (335 million pounds).
1.1 billion pounds -- Total production of pumpkins produced in the major pumpkin-producing states in 2008. Illinois led the country by producing 496 million pounds of the vined orange gourd. Pumpkin patches in California, Pennsylvania and New York also provided lots of pumpkins: Each state produced at least 100 million pounds. The value of all pumpkins produced by major pumpkin-producing states was $141 million.
3: Number of places in the United States named after the holiday's traditional main course. Turkey, Texas, was the most populous in 2008, with 456 residents, followed by Turkey Creek, La. (361) and Turkey, N.C. (272). There are also nine townships around the country named Turkey, three in Kansas.
5: Number of places and townships in the United States that are named Cranberry or some spelling variation of the red, acidic berry (e.g., Cranbury, N.J.), a popular side dish at Thanksgiving. Cranberry township (Butler County), Pa., was the most populous of these places in 2008, with 27,194 residents. Cranberry township (Venango County), Pa., was next (6,795).
Your mother-in-law insists on helping with the cooking -- but keeps getting in the way: As she adds yet more salt to the gravy (telling you that your husband prefers it that way), resist the temptation to slam her on the knuckles with the ladle. "Gently redirect her behavior. Promote her to social director. Say: 'I love that you're in the kitchen, but I've got it covered. You could really help me by going into the living room and encouraging the kids to talk to the other guests.'" She'll feel useful, while you desperately try to rescue the gravy with sugar and lemon juice. Or throw it out.
You accepted a Thanksgiving invitation, but now you're having second thoughts, thinking you'd rather spend the day elsewhere -- or even on your own: Little white lies never hurt anyone. Say that some kind of business-travel commitment has come up. However, when the big day arrives, don't be afraid to do a U-turn. Just say the trip got canceled at the last minute. People always overcater for Thanksgiving, so if you do show up, it's no big deal. But make sure you call ahead and bring an expensive bottle of Champagne for the host.
The guys slump in front of the TV to watch sports after the meal and do nothing to help: Many men hide behind that lame "She doesn't want us in the kitchen anyways" excuse. But this isn't an episode of "Mad Men." Share the chores between the sexes. Tell them that, if they don't clean up now, they're skipping dessert. Or say: 'You can watch the game, but just so you know, the dishes will be waiting for you when it's over.' Stick to your guns. Put even one darn plate in that dishwasher, and the sisterhood suffers.
Your sulky "New Moon"-addict kids set up camp in their bedroom, obsessively watching "Twilight" on DVD. They refuse to come out into the light: Don't have unrealistic expectations. Accept that modern families with teenagers have zero in common with the Waltons. Don't force the issue or yell at them. Say: 'If you don't come down and interact, you're getting nothing to eat'," she says. You'll soon hear the march of clumpy vampire feet.
Your mom is prone to baring her soul at Thanksgiving, reminiscing and ruminating on what she doesn't have to be thankful for. It usually involves her going into intimate details about why her husband left her for another woman: If you can't face another "But her thighs are so much fatter than mine" conversation, look outside the family and ask a co-worker or friend to join in the festivities. Invite an outsider who has nowhere to go. This is not only charitable, but it's great protection from family members who are likely to air dirty laundry when only familiar faces are present.
Your sister drops a bombshell during dinner, announcing that she's getting divorced: Don't allow the crisis to ruin the meal. Acknowledge it by saying, 'Oh my God, I am so sorry,' but don't probe any further. Say: 'Let's talk about this afterward over coffee, but now tell us one good thing that is happening in your life.' Hopefully, she will be able to come up with something to move the conversation on. Afterward, take her aside, together with other close family members, and discuss the problem in a less stressful atmosphere.
Your uncle has too much to drink and makes an unhelpful comment about your sister's weight and her divorce: Immediately cut off his alcohol supply and quietly suggest he lie down in another room. He might have spoken out publicly, but don't start a public screaming match. Take him aside and warn him that, if he says anything else like that, he's going to have to leave. Whatever happens, don't allow his inappropriate comments to ignite a huge argument with different sets of relatives taking sides. The last thing you want is a family feud. Get him to repair the damage by apologizing and admitting he was drunk.
You invited your neighbors, but their bratty kids are running wild. Their ultraliberal, laid-back style of parenting clearly isn't working, because their 10-year-old repeatedly tries to stab your toddler with a carving fork: Where kids are concerned, fight fire with fire. Express yourself. Unleash the monster inside of you, take a deep breath, count to 10 as you approach the tormentor, and SCREEEEAAAM! into their ear. Then smile your most mysterious smile and say: 'Go ask your mom about scream therapy'. This tactic almost guarantees the neighbors won't darken your door again at Thanksgiving.
It's a tradition to go around the table with each person saying what he or she is grateful for. Trouble is, the guys and teens roll their eyes at such a folksy exercise and can't think of anything original to say: Granny's head would spin if you dropped the tradition altogether. So mix it up bit. As an alternative, ask everyone at the table to honor the person to their left of them, giving praise for what they like best about him or her. The honoree may only say 'Thank you.' But limit the praise to one or two sentences.
The 83rd annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade will kick off at 9 a.m. on Thursday (November 26th), featuring the iconic giant helium character balloons, floats, marching bands, clowns, celebrities, Broadway show performances, the Radio City Rockettes, and much more before ending three hours later with the traditional arrival of Santa Claus to usher in the holiday season. In a big change this year, the nationally-televised parade for the first time won't be winding its way down Broadway. Parts of Broadway were closed to vehicular traffic this year, making it off-limits to floats. So while starting at the same place as usual, Central Park West and 77th Street in Manhattan, the parade will make several corner turns and go down different streets and avenues on a slightly longer 2.65-mile route before ending at Macy's flagship store on 34th Street.
Among the 16 signature giant helium balloons this year are four new additions:
Pillsbury Doughboy -- The giggly Pillsbury Doughboy is making his parade debut, measuring in at more than 63 times his normal 8 3/4-inch height. Also known as Poppin' Fresh, the doughboy will be flying over the parade route with his arms outstretched, wearing his signature chef's hat and scarf.
Ronald McDonald -- This is the third version of Ronald McDonald to fly in the Macy's parade since he made his debut in 1966 holding a bouquet of party balloons. This Ronald will be wearing ice skates, ready for some winter fun.
Sailor Mickey -- Sailor Mickey Mouse will be sporting his nautical-themed red, white and blue sailor outfit in his parade debut, as he salutes the crowd from on board a ship's anchor.
Spider-Man -- Spidey is returning to the Macy's parade after a decade away in celebration of Marvel Comics' 70th anniversary. The new buffer Spider-Man is posed in a crawl with one hand ready to release a web.
There are three new floats in the line-up, including a new sleigh for Santa:
Local Heroes Helping Everyday -- This float salutes firefighters, doctors, nurses, crossing guards and police officers, who all lend a hand to neighbors every day. The local heroes come together on this float from Hamburger Helper that features a fire truck with a hydraulic ladder to rescue a cat caught up a tree.
There's a Party in My City -- The world of Yo Gabba Gabba! comes to life, compete with DJ Lance Rock, Brobee, Foofa, Muno, Plex and Toodee. They'll debut a special "dancey dance" number, and reflect the show's theme of teaching kids simple lessons through music.
Santa's Sleigh -- It's a special year for Santa Claus, as the big guy in the red suit who everyone waits for to end the parade is getting a new sleigh for the first time in more than 40 years. The sleigh depicts Santa leaving the North Pole to make his Christmas Eve journey, showcasing his Toyshop home and a giant ice and granite obelisk that's supported by ice sculptures of a walrus and a polar bear.
Among the celebrities who'll be appearing in the parade are: singers Andrea Bocelli, Carly Simon, Gloria Gaynor and Season Five American Idol runner-up Katharine McPhee; Late Night host Jimmy Fallon and his show's band The Roots; 30 Rock actress Jane Krakowski; and Miss America Katie Stam.
The first hour of the broadcast will include performances from the Broadway shows Bye, Bye Birdie, Hair, Billy Elliot and Shrek.
Colin Hanks turns 32 today. I just can't imagine Tom Hanks having a kid that old. Those years stranded on the island must keep him young.
Stanley Livingston turns 59 today. Besides sounding like an African expedition, he starred as youngest son "Chip" in "My Three Sons."
Pete Best, the original drummer for the Beatles, turns 68 today. Most of those years spent kicking himself. In honor of his birthday, everyone will give his presents to Ringo.
THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW
A Canadian woman lost her disability benefits for depression when her insurance agent found photos of her on Facebook at a male strip club.
Seven bulls being used on the set of a film starring Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz broke free in Spain and slightly injured two people. Cruise and Diaz were not on the set at the time.
The white glove Michael Jackson wore when he premiered his trademark moonwalk dance in 1983 was sold at an auction for $350,000!
For the record, Sarah Palin's memoir sold 300,000 copies on the first day, which is more than Hillary Clinton, but less than Bill Clinton.
People who consumed a diet rich in calcium and dairy products as children live longer lives as adults, according to a 65-year study from the Queensland Institute of Medical Research in Brisbane, Australia.
No details have been given, but a "family matter" has put the brakes on production of Courtney Cox's series, "Cougar Town."
The 5 Oldest English words are "I," "we," "two," "three" and "five." Biologists at England's University of Reading created a computer model to analyze the rate of change of words in English and other languages.
Rebecca Mader -- whose character, anthropologist Charlotte Lewis, died onscreen last season -- has returned to the cast for the sixth and final season of "Lost."
Little Sunday Rose Kidman Urban is only a year old but she's already showing signs of following in her famous daddy's footsteps. Keith Urban told reporters backstage at the American Music Awards on Sunday (November 22nd) that he and Sunday share a bit of time jamming together each day. "Well, she's got some pipes! (laughs) They're loud, you know! I think so. I think she sounds quite musical. I sit her at the piano every morning and we play. We mash the keys together, and so hopefully she'll have a little bit of that!"
Keith won his very first American Music Award for Favorite Country Male Artist on Sunday night.
He will be taking his Escape Together World tour back home to Australia next month beginning on December 12th in Melbourne.
Keith, his wife, Nicole Kidman, and Sunday Rose will spend the holidays down under with family and friends.
Jimmy Wayne's new album, Sara Smile, is in stores this week. It made sense to name the 10-song CD after the debut single because as Jimmy tells us, the Hall & Oates re-make is the cornerstone for the entire project. "The song 'Sara Smile' was what I consider the flaghsip song, the song that we started off with, and (label head) Scott Borchetta and I were talkin' about putting this record together. 'Why don't we go back and pull some of the songs that we didn't put on the last album?', because of some production reasons. The song 'Do You Believe Me Now,' when I presented that song to the label it was so much different than anything else we had recorded."
Jimmy knew he had a hit on his hands with "Do You Believe Me Now," so rather than let the song go, he decided to build his last album around the tune that went on to be a three-week Number One."I wanted the record to have some consistency, so instead of putting those songs on that album, I just asked that we record more songs from that producer, Joe West, so there would be some consistency with 'Do You Believe Me Now' and then we released the album, and then a year later we move on to this album, Sara Smile, and go back and get the songs that we didn't use for that album and use 'em for this album cause they sound more like the Sara Smile sound, if you will."
The song, "Sara Smile," features special guests Daryl Hall and John Oates.
Jimmy's Do You Believe Me Now CD was released in 2008.
Andy Griggs and his family escaped injury on Saturday (November 21st) when their Nashville-area home caught on fire. There is no word on what caused the blaze, but the home is reportedly a total loss.
Andy's publicist issued a statement saying, "Andy and his family are strong in their spiritual faith and are very appreciative to be alive. Andy is very touched by all of the support of his fans and all of the messages of concern. He wants to assure everyone that he and his family are fine and he expresses his most sincere thanks to all of this fans and friends for their thoughts and prayers at this time."
FAST FACTS
Andy's latest CD, The Good Life, was released in 2008 by Nashville indie label Montage Music Group.
Previously, Andy released three albums for RCA Label Group. His biggest hits, "You Won't Ever Be Lonely" and "She's More," peaked at Number Two in 1999 and 2000, respectively.
Fans can watch Joe Nichols' brand new video for "Gimmie That Girl" online at both cmt. com and gactv.com. The live performance clip was recently shot at Cowboys in San Antonio, Texas before a packed house. This is Joe's very first live concert video.
He said, "There's nothing like performing a song in front of an audience. The energy is something that's hard to describe. I've wanted to do a live concert music video for a while now, and when we were discussing treatments for this new single, I knew the time was right. If you've never been to one of my concerts, this music video gives you a good idea of what it's like."
"Gimmie That Girl" is the second single from Nichols' new CD, Old Things New.
SIDE NOTES
Joe documents his first trip to Iraq this summer in the new GAC special, My Military Diary, currently airing on the cable network.
He soon heads to the Big Apple to begin rehearsals for the Broadway musical of Pure Country. The show, which will also star Lorrie Morgan, will open early next year.
Michelle Branch checked in with fans this week about what she's been up to lately, but offered no new release date for her new solo album, which was supposed to come out November 10th. That got delayed after a series of record label issues, but there's still no word from Branch on when it will be released. In her latest blog, post, Branch writes, "I know it seems super quiet around here but believe me, I've been keeping extremely busy!! I just got back from Minneapolis and Omaha where I had two really great shows. She adds, "I'm getting ready to head to Arizona to visit my family for Thanksgiving. I am so looking forward to it. It's gonna be nice to have a week of relaxation before getting back on the horse. December is starting to look like a crazy month."
Branch has released a few new songs on her website and has been playing her latest tracks live. She clues us in about how she goes about writing her songs: "It's kind of crazy because sometimes you write things that you don't even know that you're feeling until you write it on paper. You might be feeling something and then you write it and you'll read it back, you know, a couple of days later and you go, 'Oh, wow, I was feeling like that.' I really can't walk you through the whole process because it's different every time, but that's one of the things that happens every time I write."SOUNDCUE (:20 OC: . . . times I write.)
A who's who list of young stars appear on the seventh edition of A Very Special Christmas collection, due out today (Tuesday, November 24th), including Carrie Underwood, Kellie Pickler, Miley Cyrus, and Colbie Caillat. Also contributing holiday tracks to the set are the Carter Twins, Charice, Kristinia DeBarge, Gloriana, Vanessa Hudgens, Sean Kingston, Leighton Meester, Mitchel Musso,and Ashley Tisdale. The album will feature original recordings of new and traditional Christmas songs that each artist selected especially for the compilation. Proceeds from CD sales will go to the Special Olympics.
FAST FACTS
The first A Very Special Christmas came out in 1987. In all, the albums have raised more than $l00 million for Special Olympics, the most ever raised by a benefit recording series.
Special Olympics founder Eunice Kennedy Shriver passed away this year.
Dolly Parton is opening a Nashville store full of, well, all things Dolly! Dolly Parton's Trinkets & Treasures won't celebrate its grand opening until the spring of next year, but the first 500 preview shoppers in the store today (Tuesday, November 24th) who spend at least $20 will receive a free Backwoods Barbie tour book.
The store, which is located on 2nd Avenue in downtown Nashville, is decorated in Dolly's trademark "Coat of Many Colors" -- pink, yellow, red, blue, green and purple -- both inside and out.
Items to be found at Trinkets & Treasures include the superstar's CDs, t-shirts, hats, jewelry and a collection of children and tween items.
This is Dolly's very first retail store.
FAST FACTS
Dolly launched her own Dolly Records in 2007 with the Backwoods Barbie CD.
Her latest CD/DVD project, Dolly Parton: Live From London, was released earlier this year.
Dierks Bentley climbed to Number One on the Billboard country singles chart with "Free And Easy (Down The Road I Go)" in 2007.
Toby Keith's "I Wanna Talk About Me" made it to the top spot on the Billboard country singles chart in 2001.
Ashland, Kentucky proclaimed it Billy Ray Cyrus Day in 1998. The city presented the singer with a key to the city, and a section of Kentucky Route 693, in nearby Flatwoods, was renamed Billy Ray Cyrus Boulevard.
K.T. Oslin charted a Number One country single in Billboard with "Come Next Monday" in 1990.
Wanted: The Outlaws, featuring Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson, Tompall Glaser and Jessi Colter, became the first country album to receive the new platinum certification, signifying one million units shipped, in 1976.
"The Most Beautiful Girl" took Charlie Rich to Number One on the Billboard country singles chart in 1973.
Brenda Lee's holiday classic "Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree" was released in 1958.
JON'S BREACH OF CONTRACT CAUGHT ON TAPE? TLC aired the final episode of Jon & Kate Plus 8 last night, but reality continues for Jon Gosselin. Although nothing new about the family was revealed during Monday's (November 23rd) episode, RadarOnline.com reported earlier in the day that a tape surfaced in which Jon's manager, Mike Heller, discusses money deals that breach Gosselin's exclusive contract with TLC. Jon's supposed friend Michael Lohan is the other person involved in the discussion. Last month TLC filed a breach of contract lawsuit against Jon over deals such as the one discussed on tape.See clips from the final Jon and Kate episode here: http://tinyurl.com/ykbq6tv
POLICE CHIEF IN SARAH JESSICA PARKER SURROGATE THEFT FOUND GUILTY: An Ohio police chief accused of stealing items from the surrogate mom who carried Sarah Jessica Parker and Matthew Broderick's twin daughters was found guilty Monday (November 23rd) on three of six charges. People magazine reported that after 12 hours of deliberation, a jury found Carpenter guilty of receiving stolen property, theft in office and tampering with evidence. He was found not guilty on two counts of burglary and one count of unauthorized use of property or services but could still face up to ten years in prison. He will be sentenced on December 10th.
AMA VIEWERS GOSSIP ABOUT KATE HUDSON'S SMALL CHEST: Kate Hudson's breasts -- or lack thereof -- were fodder for conversation after she bared most of her chest in a revealing dress at Sunday (November 22nd) night's American Music Awards. After the actress and her Nine co-star Nicole Kidman introduced the Black Eyed Peas, Marlon Wayans tweeted, "[Kate] is pretty but she got a chest like me in White Chicks." Hudson once acknowledged her small assets to InStyle magazine, saying, "Maybe the reason I don't have a problem with nudity is that since I have such small breasts I never feel that they are gratuitous."
SIENNA MILLER AND JUDE LAW DATING DESPITE DENIALS? Although they've denied rumors of a rekindled romance, Jude Law and Sienna Miller have reportedly been seen getting "cozy" around New York City, where they're both starring on Broadway. A source told the New York Daily News that the actors were spotted at a Manhattan bar over the weekend, "They came in together and got a table with a few friends around 1 a.m. At one point, Jude ordered shots for the two of them, and he was egging her on to take one. They were laughing a lot and whispering to each other -- it looked like they were genuinely having a good time." The source added, "It looked like he wanted people to see that they were together."
CANDY SPELLING SETTLES LAWSUIT: Candy Spelling has settled a lawsuit brought forth by her former maid. TMZ.com reported that Lourdes Serrano had sued Tori's mother, claiming that Candy was a "tightwad" boss who made her clock out for ten-minute breaks twice a day and wouldn't pay for the downtime. Although the settlement terms are confidential, sources told TMZ that the maid got "chump change."
MAN ACCUSED OF VIDEOTAPING ESPN REPORTER SAYS HE'S INNOCENT: A Chicago insurance man pleaded not guilty on Monday (November 23rd) to charges that he videotaped television sports reporter Erin Andrews in her hotel room while she was nude and tried to sell the footage. Reuters reported that Michael David Barrett, who is free on $100,000 bond and was charged in federal court in Los Angeles, faces up to five years in federal prison if convicted.
AMAS GET BIG RATINGS: Sunday (November 22nd) night's American Music Awards marked the broadcast's largest viewing audience since 2002. Parade.com reports that the show drew an estimated 14.2 million viewers. Despite the milestone, NBC's Sunday Night Football edged out the awards show in the ratings by an estimated 400,000 people.
REGIS PHILBIN TAKING LEAVE OF ABSENCE FROM 'LIVE': Regis Philbin is taking a leave of absence from Live with Regis and Kelly to recover from his upcoming hip surgery. The 78-year-old announced on Monday's (November 23rd) program that he'd be absent from the program beginning December 1st and into the new year.
'COUGAR TOWN' TO RESUME FILMING: Courteney Cox Arquette's mystery family matter was apparently resolved as the cast of Cougar Town is expected to resume filming next Monday (November 30th). PerezHilton.com reported that filming is back on track, but there's still no word as to what issue was behind the production delay that was announced over the weekend.
SUSAN SARANDON HONORED IN SWEDEN: Susan Sarandon was honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award at last weekend's Stockholm International Film Festival in Sweden. Swedish actor Gustaf Hammarsten presented Sarandon a 15-pound bronze horse statue after saying, "The roles Susan Sarandon has played often gain a life of their own beyond the films themselves. Reflection, seduction and rebellion animate her characters and seem to be the key tools in her actor's repertoire."
OPRAH DEVELOPING HBO SERIES? Oprah Winfrey's Harpo Films is developing a pilot for an untitled, "sexually charged" HBO series, Variety reports. The hour-long drama would reportedly deal with a woman who leaves her marriage abruptly for a very different lifesty
Mya is poised to take the victory on Dancing With the Stars after last night's (November 23rd) competition finale, accumulating a score of 87/90 after performing three routines. Of course, fan voting plays a large part in determining the winner so Donny Osmond has a great shot of claiming the mirror ball trophy with his score of 85/90.
Kelly Osbourne on the other hand, came in a distant third, with a total score of 76/90. After her freestyle performance to "I Will Survive," the judges complimented her effort and look -- but not her dancing.
Mya captured two 30s by the night's end while Donny received one perfect score. Kelly placed third in all three rounds of dance.
Martha Stewart attempted to quiet rumors of a cat fight with Rachael Ray, using the platform of her talk show to clear the air. After slamming Ray's cooking abilities during an interview with Nightline last week, Stewart said on Monday (November 23rd), "I just want to take this opportunity just to address some comments that are circulating on the Internet regarding me and Rachael Ray. And just for the record there are no bad feeling between us nor have there ever been."
She went on, "I truly believe that Rachael has done a terrific job bringing people, many people who would of never of even stepped into the kitchen or made a dish to cook. I applaud Rachel for her enthusiastic approach to cooking and I really had a great time being a guest on her show and it was a lot of fun to have her on this show making pie with me too. Come on back Rachael, anytime you want and I hope you have a Yum-o Thanksgiving."
Stewart originally started the feud rumors after saying during her interview, "Well, to me, she professed that she could -- cannot bake. She -- just did a new cookbook which is just a re-edit of a lot of her old recipes. She -- and that's not good enough for me."
BRAND AND ANGIE GAVE $6.8 MILLION TO CHARITY LAST YEAR!
Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie gave nearly $7 million to charity in 2008, according to a tax return from their Jolie-Pitt Foundation. The Hollywood Reporter revealed that the $6.8 million given away was more than double what the foundation gifted in 2007.
According to the publication, the foundation earned approximately $13 million last year, meaning half was dispersed to organizations like Global Health, Human Rights Watch and Brad's Make it Right Foundation.
While those organizations each received a minimum of $1 million, they also gave $500,000 to the Armed Services YMCA of the U.S. Army, $50,000 to the Springfield, Missouri Public Schools -- Pitt's hometown -- and roughly a million dollars to projects in Cambodia, the country from which they adopted their first child, Maddox.
RACHEL WEISZ ADMITS MOTHERHOOD COMES WITH HAIR PULLING MOMENTS
Rachel Weisz is not pretending that motherhood is all smiles and bliss. The actress, who became a first-time mom to son Henry in 2006, admitted to Redbook magazine, "I think one of the things that mothers aren't allowed to talk about enough to one another is the times when you're pulling your hair out at home with the kids. Those moments when everything is crashing in and you feel like you're going to scream. It doesn't make us less good or less human, just real."
She added, "I think there is sometimes too much pressure on us to be perfect parents, to be empathetic and loving all the time. Every woman needs a good girlfriend to be able to turn to and say, 'I just can't deal with it all today.' Because even though children are the most precious things in the world, they are also sent to test us. I think women are already stretched and pressured to be perfect, and it kind of drives me crazy."
Overall, however, life has improved for Weisz since becoming a mom. She explained, "I find I can get a lot more done since I've had Henry. Suddenly, in 45 minutes, you can get twice as much done as you once did. I've become a lot more organized. And I'm a much happier person since I've had Henry, and much more balanced. I feel I have an ultimate purpose beyond anything else in my life."
FORT HOOD SUSPECT MAY USE INSANITY DEFENSE: The civilian attorney for the Fort Hood massacre suspect said yesterday (November 23rd) that Army psychiatrist Major Nidal Hasan will likely plead not guilty to the charges against him in his military trial and may use an insanity defense. John Galligan told AP, "Based on the evidence thus far, his mental status must be raised. Anybody who allegedly engages in conduct that is completely contradictory to his lifestyle and military career -- an insanity defense has to be considered." Hasan has been charged with the premeditated murder of the 13 people killed in the November 5th shooting rampage. More than two dozen other people were wounded. Hasan remains in custody in intensive care at a military hospital, where he was taken after being shot during the attack.
TAX CREDIT BOOSTS HOME SALES TO BIGGEST INCREASE IN A DECADE: The National Association of Realtors said Monday (November 23rd) that sales of existing homes increased 10.1 percent in October from September for the biggest monthly increase in a decade, boosted by first-time homeowners taking advantage of a special tax credit of up to $8,00. The credit had been due to expire this month before Congress extended it until spring and expanded it to more buyers.
CHINA EXECUTES TWO PEOPLE OVER TAINTED MILK SCANDAL: China executed two people Tuesday (November 24th) for their roles in last year's tainted milk powder scandal in which at least six children died from tainted infant formula and more than 300,000 became sick. Cattle farmer Zhang Yujun and Geng Jinping were convicted of producing and selling a phony protein powder containing the industrial chemical melamine, which, when added to watered-down milk, can fool inspectors testing for protein. Melamine can cause kidney stones and kidney failure. Zhang and Geng sold much of the fake protein powder to producers who then sold tainted milk to one of China's biggest dairies. In all, 21 people were tried and sentenced over the scandal.
TODAY'S FYI:
MORE THAN TWO MILLION DROP-SIDE CRIBS RECALLED: A recall was announced Monday (November 23rd) in the U.S. and Canada of more than 2.1 million drop-side cribs made by Stork Craft Manufacturing, after reports of four infants dying from suffocation. The Consumer Product Safety Commission said the cribs involved in this largest crib recall in U.S. history were sold from 1993 through October of this year, and some 150,000 of them have the Fisher-Price logo. The Stork Craft cribs have had hardware problems, and there can also be assembly mistakes by the crib owner, both of which can cause the drop-side to detach, creating a dangerous space between the side and the mattress where an infant can become trapped. Consumer advocates have complained for years about drop-side cribs, and more than five million of them have been recalled over the past two years alone.
MISDIAGNOSED MAN WAS AWARE BUT PARALYZED FOR 23 YEARS: A 46-year-old Belgian man who was misdiagnosed as being in a vegetative state after a 1983 car accident has revealed that he was conscious the whole time and aware of what was going on around him, able to see foggily, hear and feel, but unable to move or communicate for 23 years. Rom Houben, who now communicates using one finger and a special touchscreen, described how he felt during those years in a Belgian TV interview Monday (November 23rd), "Powerlessness. Utter powerlessness. At first I was angry, then I learned to live with it." Houben's family had never accepted the diagnosis, and repeatedly took him other doctors for evaluation. Finally, three years ago, a PET scan showed his brain to be almost normal, and the family and doctors began trying to establish communication. There was a breakthrough when Houben was able to slightly move his foot to indicate yes or no. Houben has since been diagnosed with a form a "locked-in syndrome," in which people are unable to speak or move, but can think and reason. Although there's little chance his physical condition will improve, Houben is moving forward by writing a book.
SCHWARZENEGGER CAUGHT PARKING ILLEGALLY: Just a few weeks after his wife was caught parking illegally in a red zone, California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has apparently done the same thing. The celebrity website TMZ.com posted photos yesterday (November 23rd) of Schwarzenegger getting into a silver convertible Porsche that was parked in a Beverly Hills red zone on Saturday (November 21st), where no stopping, standing or parking is allowed. Maria Shriver apologized when she was caught on video parking in a red zone, but Schwarzenegger's office declined to comment.
SEXY BONUS FOR HERO PILOT SULLENBERGER AND HIS WIFE: A revelation about hero pilot Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger that perhaps falls into the category of "too much information" was revealed in an interview he and his wife, Lorrie, did with Matt Lauer for NBC's People of the Year special set to air on Thanksgiving night. When asked if Sully's sudden celebrity after safely landing a crippled jet in the Hudson River helped or hurt their relationship, Lorrie said, "He doesn't know I'm gonna say this, but I had joked the other day that . . . the hero sex really helps a 20-year-old marriage." Sullenberger himself added, "Rock star sex."
Other people interviewed for the show include singer Taylor Swift, "Octomom" Nadya Suleman, British singing sensation Susan Boyle, and NBA star Kobe Bryant.
OBAMA ANNOUNCES WHITE HOUSE SCIENCE FAIR:President Obama said Monday (November 23rd) that he'll convene a national science fair at the White House next year to honor young inventors in the same way college and professional athletes are celebrated for their championships. Obama said, "You know, if you win the NCAA championship, you come to the White House. Well, if you're a young person and you produce the best experiment or design, the best hardware or software, you ought to be recognized for that achievement, too. Scientists and engineers ought to stand side by side with athletes and entertainers as role models."
RUSSIAN BILLIONAIRE REPORTEDLY BUYS HITLER'S MERCEDES: A German newspaper reported Monday (November 23rd) that an unidentified Russian billionaire has bought Adolf Hitler's original, dark-blue Mercedes 770 K for between $6 million and $15 million. The Express newspaper said a middleman for the billionaire approached German vintage car dealer Michael Froehlich and asked him to track down Hitler's car. Despite being conflicted about doing so, Froehlich tracked down the Mercedes in Germany, and the Russian flew in and bought it from the private owner.
SPORTS:
TITANS TOP TEXANS 20-17 IN 'MONDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL': The Tennessee Titans beat the Houston Texans 20-17 in Monday Night Football last night (November 23rd), getting the win on a 53-yard field goal by Rob Bironas with less than a minute remaining in the game. The Texans had a chance to tie it up and send the game into overtime before their home fans in Houston, but Kris Brown's 49-yard field goal attempt with one second left went wide left. This was the fourth straight victory for Tennessee after an 0-6 start.
MAUER NAMED AMERICAN LEAGUE MVP IN NEAR-UNANIMOUS VOTE: Minnesota Twins catcher Joe Mauer won the American League Most Valuable Player Award yesterday (November 23rd) in a near-unanimous vote. Mauer got 27 of 28 first-place votes and 387 points in balloting by the Baseball Writers' Association of America, followed by New York Yankees Mark Teixeira in second place, with 225 points, and Derek Jeter in third, with 193. The Detroit Tigers' Miguel Cabrera got the other first-place vote and finished in fourth place. The 26-year-old Mauer led the AL this year in batting average, at .365, on-base percentage and slugging percentage, becoming the first AL player to top all three categories in the same season since George Brett in 1980.
The National League MVP will be announced today.
GOALIE ROLOSON BLOCKS 58 SHOTS, MOST IN NHL IN 18 YEARS: New York Islanders goalie Dwayne Roloson blocked 58 shots last night (November 23rd) against the Toronto Maple Leafs, the most by an NHL goalie in 18 years. Ron Tugnutt blocked 70 shots for the Quebec Nordiques against the Boston Bruins on March 21, 1991. The 40-year-old Roloson's accomplishment helped the Islanders beat the Maple Leafs 4-3 in overtime.
(Headline News, FYI and Sports stories were compiled in part from reports by the Associated Press and Reuters.)
SONS OF ANARCHY - Jax and Clay prepare to battle The League; A.J. learns the truth about Ethan's business dealings; Tara ensures her position at the hospital.
MTV
THE HILLS - TBA
THE CITY - TBA
DAY TIME TALK SHOW
THE ELLEN DEGENERES SHOW - Bon Jovi THE OPRAH WINFREY SHOW - Oprah and People Magazine Salute Headlind Making Heroes of 2009 THE VIEW - Robin Williams, Matthew Rhys
LATE NIGHT TALK SHOWS
THE LATE SHOW WITH DAVID LETTERMAN (CBS) - Zac Efron, Carrie Fisher, Rihanna THE JAY LENO SHOW (NBC) - Charles Barkley, the latest castoff from The Biggest Loser THE TONIGHT SHOW WITH CONAN O'BRIEN (NBC) - Jack McBrayer, Marisa Miller, Weezer JIMMY KIMMEL LIVE (ABC) - Charlize Theron, the winner of Dancing with the Stars, Ron Artest, Regis Philbin THE LATE LATE SHOW WITH CRAIG FERGUSON (CBS) - Maria Bello, Peter Capaldi LATE NIGHT WITH JIMMY FALLON (NBC) - Claire Danes, Chad Ochocinco, the Pixies LAST CALL WITH CARSON DALY (NBC) - OK Go THE DAILY SHOW WITH JON STEWART (COMEDY CENTRAL) - (repeat) THE COLBERT REPORT (COMEDY CENTRAL) - (repeat) LOPEZTONIGHT - Sandra Bullock, Derek Luke
MAN SURVIVES FOUR DAYS LOST IN FLORIDA EVERGLADES: A Florida man on a hunting trip with friends and family made a nearly fatal mistake when he decided to take off on his own into the woods to hunt deer. It didn't take long for the man to realize he was lost, but things got worse when he realized his compass wasn't working and his cell phone was damaged by water. He survived by drinking spring water and eating catfish and bull frogs. The thick brush of the Everglades made it difficult for rescue teams to find him, but the man was finally discovered by a Bloodhound and his handlers after four days. He suffered an injured knee and hundreds of bug bites, but is now at home and doing well. (news-press.com)
BAGEL CART PREVENTS ARMED ROBBERY: Two armed Orlando men who tried to rob a bagel store were chased away when an employee pushed a bagel cart at them. Witnesses say the two suspects wore hooded sweatshirts and masks, and were armed with shotguns when they entered the store around 5:30 a.m. One customer was in the store at the time of the attempted robbery, but no one was hurt. (Orlando Sentinel)
WOMAN ASKS FOR DONATIONS TOWARD TURKEY'S EYE SURGERY: A Massachusetts woman and her husband are asking people in their community and on Craigslist to donate money toward a fund to get their pet turkey eye surgery. The turkey, who was adopted by the couple from a Rhode Island farm last week, has cataracts and cannot eat independently or fly. The procedure could cost as much as $2,600. (AP)
TAVERN TO SERVE 100-PROOF TURKEY: A New York City tavern owner says he'll be serving 100-proof turkeys this Thanksgiving, infused with 100-proof Georgi vodka for three days before being cooked. Customers will have the option of choosing a turkey made with either peach, raspberry, cherry or apple flavoured vodka. The gravy will also be made with a distilled liquor. To keep customers safe, the tavern is offering free taxi rides home to anyone who orders the tanked turkey. (AP)
WOMEN PICK ON MENS' HOUSEWORK TO FEEL MORE FEMININE: According to a major study reported on by Jezebel.com, female breadwinners exaggerate their partner's uselessness around the home because they feel guilty about devoting too much time to their career, and not enough to their role of wife and mother. By nagging their man over his alleged shortcomings, women feel more feminine because they can control the traditionally female role of maintaining the home and family, experts say. Dr Rebecca Meisenbach, professor of communication at Missouri University, said, "Working women who provide the majority of the household's income continue to articulate themselves as the ones who "see" household messes and needs as a way to retain claim to an element of traditional female identity."
HAVING FRIENDS OVER MORE STRESSFUL WORK: According to a new British survey, many people now find that inviting friends round to share a meal is more stressful than the daily commute, seeing the bank manager or even going for a job interview. Some are even resorting to underhand tactics; 16 percent have cheated with the cooking and not told guests, with one in five men admitting to buying in food and passing it off as their own cooking. The research found that 24 percent of the 1,007 people questioned thought that hosting a dinner party was more stressful than going to a job interview. Topping of the list of concerns for nervous hosts is that fear that the dishes will go wrong (36 percent), followed by the guests not enjoying themselves at (33 percent).
MEN LEAVING JILTED BRIDES IN INDIA: According to the BBC, there's a new trend among men in England. The BBC reports that men are going to India, marrying women, telling them they'll bring them back soon (but that they should have lots of sex first) then flying home and abandoning them. The report claims that there are up to 20,000 of these abandoned brides in India.
HEALTH OBSESSION MAKING US MORE SICK? Scientists warn that our obsession with hygiene could be impairing our skin's ability to stay healthy. According to the Daily Mail, scientists say bacteria on the skin's surface play an active role in preventing rashes and damping down cuts and bruises. One possible explanation for soaring numbers of allergies is that children's immune systems are not developing properly because they are not exposed to enough bugs and dirt.
Dessert: Even the most obsessive-compulsive mother won't mind another saccharine temptress joining her well-planned menu. The obvious choice here is pumpkin pie, but chances are your store-bought pie will be joining three homemade ones without much thought. Bring pumpkin ice cream and a bottle of brandy to pour a shot on each scoop (if you live in the southwest, try tequila).
Bread: This doesn't mean showing up with a loaf of Wonder Bread -- go to your local bakery and ask what they recommend for a Thanksgiving dinner. If you really want to score bonus points, bake your own -- you don't even need a bread machine.
DVDs: While everyone is tripping out on tryptophan, be the hero and pop in the perfect holiday DVD. Son-In-Law and Home for the Holidays aren't great movies, but they're both Thanksgiving-themed and safe for families. If there aren't children around, bring the Thanksgiving classics Planes, Trains and Automobiles or Hannah and Her Sisters. If there are children, bring the latest Pixar film or A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving.
Games: Skip Monopoly, otherwise Aunt Sandy will be chucking hotels at you by 3 a.m. Board games like Scattergories or DVD games like Shout about Movies are great ways to avoid conversation. Research Thanksgiving trivia and write up your own 10-question game. Have everyone guess the answers and award the winner with a prize.
Camera/video camera: Everybody likes their holidays documented, but many times no one wants to be in charge of the camera. Bring your digital camera and snap lots of photos. Upload them to an online album and send e-mails to the family. Even if they didn't like you before, they'll appreciate the effort afterward. If you're video-inclined, capture some footage and splice together a home movie.
Booze: Do your research -- find out who drinks and ask what that person's favorite poison is. Spend the most on the patriarch's bottle, but surprise the wayward uncle with his favorite gin and the sister-in-law with blueberry-infused vodka. If you're not sure what people drink, bring a couple six-packs of holiday ale or pumpkin beer and nice bottles of white and red wine (Pinot Noir and Sauvignon Blanc are Thanksgiving classics).
Consumer Reports Takes on Pushy Holiday Retail Practices
With the traditional holiday shopping season officially kicking off on "Black Friday" at the end of this week, Consumer Reports has launched a public education campaign aimed at pushy holiday retail practices. They're boosting it with a full-page ad in today's (November 24th) USA Today highlighting three of the top holiday shopping annoyances -- extended warranty sales pitches; cashiers that ask for your phone number or other personal information; and pushing store credit cards at the register.
The full list of holiday shopping annoyances, as determined by a nationally-representative survey of Americans, is:
72 percent -- Stores that never open all the checkout lines
68 percent -- Fake sales. If something is always 20 percent off, it's not on sale.
67 percent -- Coupons that exclude almost everything in the store
62 percent -- Being hounded by extended warranty sales pitches
58 percent -- Cashiers that ask for your phone number or other personal info
56 percent -- In-store prices that don't match the same company's online prices
53 percent -- Employees required to up-sell you at the register
52 percent -- Pushing store credit cards at the register
50 percent -- Mail-in rebates
48 percent -- Stores that require loyalty cards to get discounts.
43 percent -- Stores that have a minimum purchase requirement for credit cards
YOU KNOW I love ALL you Flagger's but LHC Flagger's ROCKED IT on Saturday! Oh my goodness did we have a great time at the grand opening at the McDonald’s at the shops at LHC! Thank you so much to Theresa, Diane and Steven and all the McDonal's Crew and the Flagger's that came out to race the Kflag Cars, pick up free happy meals, Sea World Tix and so many other great prizes. Don't for get to drop by your local McDoanld's to pick up the 4 different colors collectable Coke glasses with the purchase of a Value Meal. AND the McRib is back at low, low price!! McDonald's....I'M LOVIN" IT!
Taylor Swift is among the year's newsmakers and will be spotlighted in NBC's People Of The Year special. The show, which will be hosted by Matt Lauer, will air on Thanksgiving night (Thursday, November 26th) at 9 p.m. ET. Also on the list are "Octo-mom" Nadya Suleman , Britain's Got Talent star Susan Boyle, NBA star Kobe Bryant, Captain Chelsey 'Sully' Sullenberger, the commercial pilot who successfully landed his jet in the Hudson River, and Richard Phillips, the captain who fought off Somali pirates.
Taylor's last year as been chock full of great memories and milestones. Other than winning the CMA's Entertainer of the year a few weeks ago, she tells us that one opportunity was the definite highlight. "SNL really stands out in my mind as one of those things that I'm really going to look back on whenever I have a bad day or anything like that because, honestly, that was the coolest week of my life. I felt like I was part of such a tradition, and getting to make friends with those people that make me laugh every Saturday, that was something I'm never, ever going to forget."
Taylor won five trophies at last night's (Sunday, November 22nd) American Music Awards, including Favorite Female Pop/Rock Artist, Favorite Country Female Artist and the night's big honor, Artist of the Year, beating out the late Michael Jackson, Lady Gaga, Eminem and Kings of Leon. Taylor made her acceptance speeches via satellite from London, where she was rehearsing for a show there tonight (Monday, November 23rd).
Taylor will take some time off over the holidays to celebrate her 20th birthday -- on December 13th -- as well as spend time with family.
She'll kick off the 2010 leg of her Fearless tour in Brisbane, Australia on February 4th.
The U.S. leg begins on March 4th in Tampa, Florida.
Taylor Swift and the late Michael Jackson were the big winners at the 2009 American Music Awards last night (Sunday, November 22nd) at the Nokia Theater in Los Angeles. Swift, who accepted her awards via satellite from London, scored five prizes out of a total of six nominations. Jackson won four posthumous honors, putting his AMA trophy total at 23, the most for any artist. But he ended up losing the event's biggest recognition -- Artist of the Year -- to the 19-year-old Swift. Jackson's trophies were accepted by his brother Jermaine, who paid tribute to King of Pop by wearing a glittery white glove. Other multiple winners included hip-hop acts Jay-Z and the Black Eyed Peas, with two each.
Adam Lambert shocked audiences with his closing performance, which featured sexually suggestive dancing -- and a guy-on-guy kiss. Rolling Stone reported that producers weren't told about the kiss in advance.
The night was also chock-full of elaborate performances by various acts, including Lady Gaga, Jennifer Lopez and others. It was also a night of comebacks -- with Rihanna returning to the awards scene after missing the Grammy Awards earlier this year after she was allegedly assaulted by her former boyfriend Chris Brown. Whitney Houston also returned -- making her first live TV performance in five years. The evening revolved around Michael Jackson, with his sister Janet Jackson kicking off the show with medley of hits.
Nominees were determined by radio airplay and retail sales, and members of the public chose the winners through online voting. That's why Jackson got so many nominations, even though he didn't release any new material.
Although it's been widely reported that Lady Gaga is ineligible for a best new artist nod at the Grammys because of a past nominations, Grammy president Neil Portnow revealed to EW.com at the American Music Awards that there's a chance things could change. He said, "The awards and nominations committee meets to review the rules every year. We change the rules frequently. We recognize that situation is not perfect, and we are looking at ways to figure it out."
WINNERS LIST
ARTIST OF THE YEAR -- Taylor Swift
POP/ROCK -- Favorite Band, Duo or Group: The Black Eyed Peas
COUNTRY -- Favorite Band, Duo or Group: Rascal Flatts
POP/ROCK -- Favorite Female Artist: Taylor Swift
POP/ROCK -- Favorite Album: Number Ones, Michael Jackson
ALTERNATIVE ROCK -- Favorite Artist: Green Day
SOUL/R&B -- Favorite Male Artist: Michael Jackson
COUNTRY -- Favorite Male Artist: Keith Urban
COUNTRY -- Favorite Album: Fearless, Taylor Swift
SOUL/R&B -- Favorite Female Artist: Beyonce
T-MOBILE BREAKTHROUGH ARTIST: Gloriana
COUNTRY -- Favorite Female Artist: Taylor Swift
POP/ROCK -- Favorite Male Artist: Michael Jackson
ADULT CONTEMPORARY: Favorite Artist Taylor Swift
RAP/HIP-HOP -- Favorite Male Artist: Jay-Z
RAP/HIP-HOP - Favorite Album: Blueprint 3, Jay-Z
SOUL/R&B -- Favorite Band, Duo or Group: The Black Eyed Peas
SOUL/R&B -- Favorite Album: Number Ones, Michael Jackson
CONTEMPORARY INSPIRATIONAL -- Favorite Artist: Mary Mary
HIGHLIGHTS
When Paula Abdul hit the stage to introduce the first award, the microphone wasn't on. Rascal Flatts also faced microphone issues. When they spoke there was a major echo -- so much so that they ended up joking about it by creating their own echo while speaking.
Sofia Vergara from Modern Family had the whole audience laughing with her intro for Keith Urban. She called him a "Papicito muy rico!"
Taylor Swift accepted the award for Favorite Female Artist via satellite from London where she was rehearsing for a concert.
Snoop Dogg made a joke about getting high when introducing an award with Aerosmith's Joe Perry.
Jermaine Jackson accepted the American Music Award for the late Michael Jackson, telling the crowd, "The message that Michael had will live on forever, and that's he saw good in everyone and he wanted everyone to do good, and he always started with love. Start with love, and let's love each other. We miss you, Michael. You'll always be in our heart."
Keith Urban dedicated his award to his wife, Nicole Kidman, and their daughter, Sunday.
Rihanna made a return to the awards scene with a performance. Earlier this year, she missed the Grammy Awards following the scuffle with then-boyfriend, Chris Brown.
Country act Gloriana beats Lady Gaga for Breakthrough Artist.
Jennifer Lopez fell on her butt mid-routine after jumping off a man's back, but swiftly got back up.
Whitney Houston gave her first live performance on television in five years and took home the award for International Artist of the Year award -- making her only the seventh person to win the honor. The award, according to an inscription read by actor and presenter Samuel L. Jackson, is given "in recognition of her worldwide success exemplified by her international record sales, radio airplay in countries all over the world, live performances that span the globe, and popularity that knows no borders or boundaries."
When Swift accepted the Artist of the Year award, she said, "Music has never been ultimately about competition," adding that it was an "unimaginable honor" to be named in the the same awards category as Jackson. She also thanked the Jackson family.
THE PERFORMANCES
Janet Jackson opened up the show with a medley of her hits, including "Control," "What Have You Done For Me Lately," "Miss You Much" and "Everywhere I Go," "Make Me" from her new greatest hits album, among others. She received a standing ovation, but it seemed like much of performance was lip-synched.
Daughtry performed "Life After You," from its sophomore album, Leave This Town.
Shakira put on a big production of "Give It Up To Me" from her She Wolf album.
Keith Urban performed his hit song "Kiss A Girl."
Kelly Clarkson performed her new single, the ballad "Already Gone."
After an introduction from Yankees star Alex Rodriguez, Alicia Keys and Jay-Z performed their hit, "Empire State Of Mind." Keys sang a version of the classic, "New York, New York." The performance got nearly everyone out of the seats, including a very enthusiastic Whitney Houston, who was singing along from the audience.
The Black Eyed Peas performed "Meet Me Halfway" and "Boom Boom Pow."
Rihanna sang two new songs -- "Wait Your Turn" and "Hard," which appear on her latest album, Rated R, out this week. She opened her song while spinning in a wheel in what seemed like it could have been a torture device.
Carrie Underwood sang her new song "Cowboy Casanova" from her new Play On album.
Lady Gaga sang two new songs -- "Bad Romance" and "Speechless." During her performance she knocked out a glass wall to get to an enclosed piano, where she sat while surrounded by flames. She broke bottles against the piano while playing.
Mary J. Blige sang "I Am," off her upcoming album, Stronger With Each Tear.
Jennifer Lopez performed "Louboutins" from her upcoming album Love? due out in 2010. She seemed to be lip-synching.
Whitney Houston sang her new song "I Didn't Know My Own Strength."
Alicia Keys performed "Try Sleeping With A Broken Heart" off of her upcoming album, The Element Of Freedom.
Eminem and 50 Cent did a version of their new son, "Crack A Bottle," off of Eminem's upcoming album.
Timbaland performed "Morning After Dark," featuring SoShy and Nelly Furtado.
Green Day did a version of "21 Guns" from its latest album, 21st Century Breakdown.
Adam Lambert performed his first single "For Your Entertainment."
PRESENTERS
Colbie Caillat, Alex Rodriguez, Christian Slater, Pete Wentz, Demi Lovato, Dominic Monaghan, Donny Osmond, Drake, Jason Aldean, Jeremiah, Joe Perry, Julie Bowen, Kate Hudson, Kelly Osbourne, Keri Hilson, Kid Cudi, Kris Allen, Kristen Bell, Leona Lewis, Melissa Etheridge, Michelle Rodriguez, Morena Baccarin, Mya, Ne-Yo, Nicole Kidman, Orianthi, Paula Abdul, Perez Hilton, Rascal Flatts, Reba McEntire, Ryan Seacrest, Samuel L. Jackson, Selena Gomez, Seth Green, Sofia Vergara, Snoop Dogg, Toni Braxton and Zac Brown Band, among others.
From Vicky on People.com: "Why is Janet wearing MC Hammer pants?"
Black Eyed Peas
From Chad on People.com: "Must have taken hours to Bedazzle their outfits. Fergs has a lot of extensions in tonight."
Paula Abdul
From Melissa on People.com: "Her hair looks the same as Carrie Underwood's -- I see a trend."
Alex Rodriguez
From Dee on People.com: "He didn't even spit out his gum."
Nicole Kidman
From Amanda on People.com: "It looks like Nicole is wearing a pageant strip and seashells."
Rihanna
From Melissa on People.com: "Rihanna is the Transformers robot!"
Carrie Underwood
From Michelle on People.com: "She looks like a drum majorette."
Lady Gaga
From Chad on People.com: "So, that leotard should settle the debate over whether Lady Gaga has man or lady parts."
From Michelle on People.com: "Okay, I got it. She is the love child of Marilyn Manson and Gwen Stefani."
Mary J. Blige
From Steve on People.com: "Blah, her dress doesn't even light up."
Whitney Houston
From Michele on People.com: "Nice silhouette. Dress is good. Ooooh she looks good."
Adam Lambert
From Chad on People.com: "He clearly got the memo re. spikey shoulder pads."
From Brian on People.com: "Bondage in prime time, wow!"
John Rich is breathing a sigh of relief after a Nashville judge dismissed assault and harassment charges brough against him by an aspiring singer. Former Nashville Star contestant Jared Ashley had accused the Big & Rich member of punching him in the face at a private Nashville nightclub co-owned by John in March of last year.
Witnesses, including John, testified on Friday (November 20th) that he did not hit Jared.
The harassment charges stemmed from a threatening phone call made to Jared by John and his friend, Sebastian Bach, former lead singer of the 80s rock group Skid Row. The judge dropped those charges because Jared had told a Florida radio station while on the air that he was "just honored" to have gotten a call from Sebastian as a fan of Skid Row.
John and Jared still have civil suits pending against each other.
SIDE NOTES
John's behavior over the past year or so have raised eyebrows. In addition to this situation, John punched a guy in Los Angeles and broke his nose late last year in a drunken incident at the Mondrian Hotel. The argument was allegedly over a girl.
In June of this year, just days after Jared Ashely filed his lawsuit, John physically threatened a bartender in Nashville who reminded him that his beer needed to be finished by 3 a.m. in compliance with state law.
Kenny Chesney's upcoming tour movie, Summer In 3-D, is the only type of project that will ever bring him to the big screen. Or the little one, for that matter. While Trace Adkins, Sara Evans,Julianne Hough and Tanya Tucker have all dabbled in reality television, Kenny tells us he'll never venture into that territory. "Never! No, my life's real enough, you know (laughs)? I don't think so. I really don't. I just don't think that I would. I would rather concentrate on tryin' to connect with fans in the audience and tryin' to write a great song and cut great music, and that takes up a lot of time, to be honest with you. I don't think you'll ever see me do that."
Kenny adds that he lacks the desire -- and the talent -- to act. "I've even had a lot of people ask me if I want to act. I'm never sayin' never, but it's not something I wake up everyday wanting to do, and so I don't think I'd ever take a year off to go do a movie or something. I wouldn't be that good at it anyway. I think I realized doin' the 'You Save Me' video where it took us three days to shoot three minutes of an opening of a video. I realized right then I wanted my day job back -- that I was never gonna have the patience to act (laughs)."
Kenny Chesney: Summer In 3-D will hit theaters in April.
The film was shot during the course of his Kenny's 2009 Sun City Carnival tour in five cities -- Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, Seattle, Boston and Indianapolis.
Carrie Underwood donated the sheet music from the song "I Ain't In Checotah (pronounced SHA-COTAH) Anymore" to the Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame and Museum. The plaque, which includes a signed photo of Carrie along with the lyrics, were unveiled during a special event at the Museum in Muskogee on Thursday (November 19th) night.
Carrie co-wrote the song for her debut album, Some Hearts.
She was made a member of the Oklahoma Hall of Fame in September.
A man driving one of Miley Cyrus's tour buses was killed on Friday (November 20th) after the vehicle crashed on a Virginia highway. TMZ.com reports that Miley herself was not on the bus nor involved in any way.
TMZ added that 911 calls from the scene indicate that the driver, 53-year-old Bill Douglas, may have suffered cardiac arrest after the crash. Police told the site that there were no obvious signs that alcohol played a factor in the crash, and believe Douglas may have had health-related issues.
Cyrus released a statement on her website that read, "We are deeply saddened by the loss of Bill 'Uncle Bill' Douglas. Members of our tour are like members of our family. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family in the midst of this tragedy. He will truly be missed."
TMZ reported that one other person was injured in the crash.
Miley played her first concert since the crash, in North Carolina, on Sunday (November 22nd) as scheduled.
LAWSUIT AGAINST CYRUS DISMISSED
A $4 billion lawsuit against Miley Cyrus stemming from her infamous slant-eyed photo has been dismissed. After the snapshot -- of Cyrus posing with her eyes pulled to the sides -- hit the internet, Lucie Kim sued the teen, accusing her of violating a statute that prohibits businesses from discriminating against minorities, specifically in terms of offering equal access to public accommodations.
A judge ruled that while the photo may have been offensive, it didn't break any state laws.
Faith Hill starred in her first TV special, Faith!, on Thanksgiving on CBS in 2000.
Deana Carter claimed the top spot on the Billboard country chart with "Strawberry Wine" in 1996.
Trace Adkins made his debut on the Grand Ole Opry in 1996. After singing "Every Light In The House," he dropped to one knee, brought out girlfriend Rhonda Forlaw and asked her to marry him.
Roy Acuff died from congestive heart failure in Nashville in 1992.
Tammy Wynette climbed to Number One in Billboard with "Stand By Your Man" in 1968.
Jack Greene became the first country star to appear in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in 1967.
"Great Balls Of Fire" by Jerry Lee Lewis topped both the country and pop charts in 1957.
DOES ROBERT PATTISON SMELL BAD, OR WHAT? The Internet-wide rumor that Robert Pattinson smells bad may be an unintended consequence of some advice he got from a celebrity pal, according to New York magazine. Peter Facinelli, who plays Pattison's dad in the Twilight series, took credit or blame for the rumor at the New York premiere of New Moon on Thursday night. He says he advised the younger star to wear the same clothes every day to foil photographers who have to come up with an obviously new pic to get top dollar. Meanwhile, Pattinson's co-stars are having fun keeping the rumour going.
Ashley Greene, who plays his sister in Twilight, says she avoids breathing while in his presence. "You know what, I think maybe out of a defense mechanism, I don't sniff him," she said.
Chris Weitz, the film's director, swears he's glad that R-Patz is kind of stinky. "I can smell him coming, that's the nice thing," Weitz says.
NICOLE RICHIE IS HOME FROM HOSPITAL:Nicole Richie is back home and doing well after a hospital stay for treatment of pneumonia, her boyfriend Joel Madden wrote on his band Good Charlotte's web site. "All is well and we are home with no problems," Madden wrote. He came back to Los Angeles from an international tour last week and went straight to Cedars-Sinai Hospital, where Nicole was being treated. Nicole ande Joel have two children, son Sparrow, born in September, and daughter Harlow, 22 months.
NO VERDICT YET IN SARAH JESSICA PARKER SURROGATE CASE: Jury deliberations resume today (Monday) in the trial of an Ohio police chief who allegedly broke into the home of the woman who carried twins as a surrogate mom for Sarah Jessica Parker and Matthew Broderick. Martins Ferry Police Chief Barry Carpenter is accused of taking photos of an ultrasound test and a plaster stomach cast that were in the surrogate's home, in hopes of selling them to celebrity photographers. Carpenter has said he entered the home while on routine patrol only because a basement door was open. He says he showed the photo to paparazzi and others as a joke. The jury deliberated for five hours on Friday.
HEIDI KLUM IS NOW MRS. SAMUEL: It's official. Heidi Klum is now Heidi Samuel. A court commissioner approved her petition to adopt her husband Seal's last name on Friday in Los Angeles. It's about time. The supermodel and the soul singer were married four years ago, and had their third child together, daughter Lou, five weeks ago. They also have two sons, Henry, 3, and Johan, 2. And Seal, who is 46 years old, is the adoptive father of Klum's daughter Leni, 5. The ProjectRunway star has not said whether she'll use her new surname professionally.
LARRY HAGMAN'S DALLAS-SIZE ESTATE UP FOR SALE: Actor Larry Hagman, best known as wicked J.R. Ewing in the 1980s series Dallas, is hoping to sell a sprawling mansion in Ojai (oh HI), California, that is worthy of an oil baron. But the house is so eco-friendly that the electric bill is only $13 a year! The solar-powered house itself, however, will cost you $11 million. It has nine bedrooms and 14.5 bathrooms sprinkled around 18,000 square feet of space.
OJ SIMPSON'S JAILHOUSE CAREER: Prison inmate and ex-football star OJ Simpson is lifting weights and getting in shape at Lovelock Correctional Center in Nevada, according to The New York Post. In his spare time, he teaches other inmates about anger management and preaches racial harmony. Um . . . Anger management? OJ?
HOWARD K. STERN SETTLES OUT OF COURT: The one-time lawyer and lover of Anna Nicole Smith has settled out of court his suit against writer Rita Crosby, author of the book about Smith Blonde Ambition. Stern sued over an allegation in the book that Stern and Larry Birkhead, rivals for the affections of Smith, had been caught on tape in a sexual encounter with each other. A move to dismiss was filed on Friday, according to TMZ.
The Twilight Saga: New Moon soared to the top of the weekend box office in its debut, taking in $140.7 million in North America -- more than twice the $69.6 million for last year's Twilight, the first film in the vampire romance franchise -- and $258.8 million worldwide. New Moon placed third on the all-time opening chart, behind last year's $158.4 million debut weekend for the Batman movie The Dark Knight, and 2007's $151.1 million for Spider-Man 3. However, it set a record high for opening day with $72.7 million, topping the previous record of $67.2 million by The Dark Knight.
New Moon continues the story based on Stephanie Meyer's novels of the romance between a teenage girl, played by Kristen Stewart, and a vampire, played by Robert Pattinson. The sequel sets up a love triangle among Stewart's Bella, Pattinson's Edward and Jacob, a werewolf portrayed by Taylor Lautner, who gets involved with Bella when she and Edward break up. Pre-teen and teen girls are a major fan base for the Twilight books, so females made up 80 percent of New Moon movie-goers, and half the audience was under 21.
Opening in second place was the football drama The Blind Side, starring Sandra Bullock, Quinton Aaron, Kathy Bates and Tim McGraw in the real-life story of Baltimore Ravens tackle Michael Oher, who was a homeless black teen taken in by a wealthy white family. The animated Planet 51, about a NASA astronaut who lands on a planet of aliens living the life of 1950s America, debuted at Number Four. It features the voices of Dwayne Johnson, Jessica Biel, Sean William Scott, Gary Oldman and John Cleese.
Last weekend's top movie, the disaster film 2012, fell to third place.
THIS WEEKEND TOP TEN MOVIES -- NOVEMBER 20-22
The Twilight Saga: New Moon, $140.7 million
The Blind Side, $34.5 million
2012, $26.5 million
Planet 51, $12.6 million
Disney's A Christmas Carol, $12.2 million
Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire, $11 million
Dr. Conrad Murray, the man who is the prime suspect in the homicide death of Michael Jackson, is returning to work. The doctor's attorney, Edward Chernoff told The Associated Press on Sunday that Murray will be at his Armstrong Medical Clinic in Houston on Monday (November 23rd).
Murray, 56, was hired to oversee Jackson's medical needs as he rehearsed for his This Is It concerts in London. He was the person who administered the sedative propofol, and was at Jackson's bedside when he died on June 25th. He has maintained that he did not kill the singer.
Murray has been the focus of an interstate investigation, with police searching the Houston clinic as well as his Las Vegas home and office.
Chernoff said that Murray has been the target of numerous threats and has not been able to work since before July 22nd, when police began their search.
SIDE NOTES
Dr. Murray has no choice but to try to earn money from his practice. Earlier this month he was ordered by a family court judge in Los Angeles to pay $1000 a month in child support for a young son.
He also had to file suit against This Is It promoter AEG for services rendered to Jackson. But problems with his contract -- which was never signed by the pop singer -- and overwhelmingly negative publicity could mean he will never recoup.
Meanwhile, a judge slapped down a request from the LAPD to keep search warrants and other documents in the ongoing homicide investigation sealed until after January 18th. Though the motion was denied, the date gives a clue as to when the police may be looking to formally charge Dr. Murray in Jackson's death.
SANDRA BULLOCK GETS A CAREER BEST:New Moon may have broken records last weekend, but Sandra Bullock got a respectable second place at the box office, and her personal career best for a movie opening, with her new drama The Blind Side. The movie came in second with $34.5 million in ticket sales. The fact-based story about a Tennessee housewife who takes in a homeless black teenager and encourages him to become a football hero has won strong reviews from critics. Only last September, her comedy All About Steve was a bomb, earning less in its entire run than The Blind Side did in its opening weekend. Bullock's biggest movie so far is The Proposal, which earned $164 million in the U.S.
UMA AND R-PATZ GET CLOSEUP:Uma Thurman has signed to co-star with Twilight series star Rob Pattinson in an adaptation of the short story "Bel Ami" by French writer Guy de Maupassant (gee deh maw-pah-SAHNT). Kristin Scott Thomas also has joined the cast. Ami tells the story of a young French journalist who rises to wealth and success in Paris by seducing influential women. Thurman and Thomas both play socialites who fall for Pattinson's character. Nicole Kidman reportedly turned down the role that Thurman is playing.
DONNY, MYA OR KELLY? Who will take home the mirrorball? Will it be Donny Osmond, Mya or Kelly Osbourne? The big finale of Dancing with the Stars finally airs this week. The finale starts tonight at 8 PM ET, with the results show to air tomorrow night (Tuesday) on ABC.
TRAVOLTA SCREENS OLD DOGS FOR CHARITY:John Travolta and Kelly Preston held a private advance screening of their latest movie at home in Ocala, Florida, as a fundraiser for local charities. The event raised money for five nonprofit agencies, including the Jett Travolta Foundation, named for the couple's son Jett, who died at age 16 at the family vacation home in the Bahamas. Other beneficiaries include Florida Highway Patrol Advisory Council, Project Hope, the Marion County Public Safety Assistance Trust, and the Humane Society of Marion County. John and Kelly and their daughter Ella Bleu greeted fans on the red carpet Friday for the movie, Old Dogs. Robin Williams co-stars in the Disney comedy about two men who are placed in the care of 7-year-old twins.
Old Dogs opens this Wednesday, November 25th.
COUGAR TOWN SHUTS DOWN FOR NOW: Production of the sitcom Cougar Town has temporarily shut down while star Courteney Cox takes care of a family matter, according to a statement from ABC. Reps for the star and the show declined to identify the issue. Cox, who is 45, plays a randy divorcee on the ensemble comedy.
BRAD PITT MAY BE HEADED FOR BERMUDA TRIANGLE: Some day soon, you may see Brad Pitt on the big screen playing a cargo pilot who crashes in the Bermuda Triangle and ends up in a parallel universe fighting evil aliens. A major Indian movie production company and Pitt's company have bought the movie rights to the story, called Dark Void. But first, Dark Void is being released as a video game. The game, developed for Windows, Playstation 3 and Xbox 360, is due in January. The Indian movie company, Reliance, has done deals with other Hollywood stars including Pitt pals Julia Roberts and George Clooney.
LEVI JOHNSTON PLAYS IT COY: Photos from Levi Johnston'sPlaygirl magazine photo shoot finally popped up on the Internet on Saturday, and he's playing it coy, or at least Playgirl is. The photos show Johnston only from the waist up. More equally tasteful photos will be released weekly for the next few weeks, a Playgirl spokesman says. Readers who want to see the whole Levi -- or at least as much as the photos reveal -- will have to buy the mag or enroll in the Web site. As the Web site Gawker.com says: "Levi only has one thing Playgirl's readers want to see, and it's not his SAT2 score."
The dust hasn't even settled on Oprah Winfrey's announcement last week that she'll end her long-running daytime talk show in 2011, and already people are talking about who could replace her. Winfrey's show has claimed the coveted 4 p.m. eastern time slot for more than 20 years. That's considered the best time of the day, because more people are at home then.
A few of the contenders for Oprah's slot:
Dr. Phil, a protege of Oprah's. But he's been around for a while and his ratings are slipping, suggesting that viewers may be getting tired of the Philster.
Dr. Oz, another Oprah protege, is a newcomer and a surprise success in daytime. But his show is health oriented, and no one knows if he can do a wide-ranging show like Oprah's.
Ellen deGeneres sure has been getting a lot of attention from Oprah lately. Ellen is currently featured on the cover of O magazine, and the two stars have showed up on each other's shows lately. That has led to rumors that Ellen is Oprah's choice.
But wait! There's Gayle King! Oprah's real-life best buddy briefly had a talk show of her own in 2007. Okay, it bombed big time. But might Oprah give her another show of her very own?
Just sayin' . . . It really is Oprah's decision. She has a financial stake in both the Dr. Phil and Dr. Oz shows, for starters. And Gayle King is now editor of Oprah's O magazine. And Oprah's still the most powerful woman in television, if not the most powerful person in show biz.
Jon and Kate Gosselin made it through an arbitration session on issues related to their divorce on Saturday, according to Internet reports. The session did not stretch into a second day. That's a sign that the squabbling former reality tv stars have agreed broadly on the terms of their divorce.
According to TMZ.com, Jon agreed that Kate will get primary custody of their eight children. Neither is demanding spousal support. Division of their assets is now up to the court. A decision is due in about 30 days.
Jon reportedly brought along a bouquet of roses to give his ex, but she left them on the table -- literally -- at the end of the negotiation session.
The very last episode of the all-too-real reality show airs tonight (Monday) on TLC.
In an emotion-packed evening, Nicole Kidman, Kate Hudson, George Lopez and Neil Patrick Harris turned the spotlight on others Saturday night at a gala event in honor of CNN Heroes. The annual awards show hosted by anchor Anderson Cooper celebrates 10 people, none of them previously famous, who are making an extraordinary contribution to the world. "I've cried twice and we're on hero three," said Harris backstage.
This year's top winner is Efren Penaflorida, a young man from the Philippines who has devoted his life to getting an education for himself and other Filipinos. Each of the honorees received a $25,000 grant to continue their work, and the top winner got an additional $100,000 grant. Pierce Brosnan created a moving moment while honoring Andrea Ivory, a breast cancer survivor who runs a free mobile mammography project in Miami. Brosnan's first wife, Cassandra Harris, died of ovarian cancer in 1991. Cassandra was a "magnificent mother, a wonderful actor," Brosnan said.
The 10 finalists were selected by a panel that included former Secretary of State Colin Powell, Whoopi Goldberg and CNN founder Ted Turner. The winner was chosen in an online vote, with nearly 3 million votes cast.
CNN Heroes will air on the network on Thanksgiving Day.
VOTE MOVES HEALTH BILL TO FULL SENATE FOR DEBATE: The Senate voted 60-39 Saturday night (November 21st) with no votes to spare to move the health insurance reform bill to the full Senate for what will be weeks of debate and proposed amendments after the Thanksgiving holiday. Three wavering moderate Democrats and independent Joe Lieberman voted in the end to advance the bill, giving the majority the 60 votes needed to block a filibuster. All the Republicans voted against it. A tough battle still lies ahead, with those same four centrists threatening to side with the Republicans and filibuster the bill to keep it from having a final vote, with their main objection being the inclusion of a public option. The legislation would require most Americans to carry insurance and provide subsidies to those who couldn't afford it, and would ban the insurance industry practice of denying coverage because of pre-existing conditions. Congressional budget analysts say the measure will cost $979 billion over a decade, but reduce deficits over the same period while extending coverage to 94 percent of the population.
ATTORNEY: 9/11 DEFENDANTS WANT TO EXPLAIN THEIR VIEWS IN COURT: An attorney for one of the five defendants who will face trial in a New York City federal courtroom for the 9/11 attacks said Sunday (November 22nd) that they will plead not guilty so they can voice their criticism of U.S. foreign policy and explain their views. The New York Times cited Scott Fenstermaker, lawyer for Ali Abd al-Aziz Ali, as saying that the men -- including accused mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed -- wouldn't deny their role in the attacks but, quote, "would explain what happened and why they did it." Critics of Attorney General Eric Holder's recent decision to give the men a civilian trial in New York said it would give them a propaganda platform. But he said before the Senate Judiciary Committee last week, "I have every confidence that the nation and the world will see him for the coward that he is. I'm not scared of what Khalid Sheikh Mohammed has to say at trial -- and no one else needs to be, either." A Justice Department spokesman said yesterday that while the accused terrorists may try to the use the trial to express their views, quote, "we have full confidence in the ability of the courts, and in particular the federal judge who may preside over the trial, to ensure that the proceeding is conducted appropriately and with minimal disruption."
GLOBAL WARMING FASTER, WORSE SINCE KYOTO: Global warming has gotten worse and sped up since the 1997 Kyoto international accord to fight climate change, going beyond even some of the worst predictions made at the time, AP reported Sunday (November 22nd), ahead of next month's climate summit in Copenhagen. Among some of the changes over the past 12 years: the world's oceans have risen by about an inch and a half; droughts and wildfires have become more severe; more species of plants and animals are at risk; temperatures over the past 12 years are 0.4 of a degree warmer than the dozen years leading up to 1997. According to AP, the changes that have the scientists most alarmed are in the Arctic, with melting summer sea ice, and around the world with the loss of key land-based ice masses. Since the Kyoto agreement to reduce greenhouse gas pollution, it's actually increased, with carbon dioxide emissions up 31 percent, leading to an increase of carbon dioxide in the air of 6.5 percent. This is in large part because the U.S., China and India, the world's top carbon polluters, didn't take part in the pact's emission reductions. Additionally, developing countries were not covered.
IRAN CONDUCTING WAR GAMES TO PROTECT NUKE SITES: Iran began five days of air defense war games Sunday (November 22nd) aimed at protecting its nuclear facilities from attack, state TV reported. At the same time, the commander of the Revolutionary Guard's air force, General Amir Ali Hajizadeh, played down threats against his country by Israel, which has not ruled out launching air strikes against the nuclear facilities. He said on the Guard's official website, "We are sure they are not able to do anything against us since they cannot predict our reaction. If their fighter planes could escape from Iran's air defense system, their bases will be hit by our devastating surface-to-surface missiles before they land."
The U.S. and its Western allies accuse Iran of trying to build nuclear weapons, but Iran insists the program is only for peaceful, energy-producing purposes.
OFFICIALS: RADIATION AT THREE MILE ISLAND NOT SIGNIFICANT: The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission says the small amount of radiation detected at the Three Mile Island nuclear power plant in Pennsylvania isn't significant, ABC News reported. The NRC sent investigators to the plant after the radiation was detected and about 150 employees were sent home Saturday afternoon (November 21st). NRC specialist John White told ABC there's no indication that radiation at the plant exceeded or even approached regulatory limits, and Exelon Nuclear spokeswoman Beth Archer says the radiation was quickly contained.
A partial meltdown famously occurred at Three Mile Island in 1979.
AT LEAST 104 DEAD IN CHINA MINE EXPLOSION: Grieving family members were demanding answers Monday (November 23rd) from Chinese mining officials after a massive underground gas explosion Saturday night left 104 men dead and four missing in the city of Hegang. Some 500 miners had been working at the state-owned coal mine at the time of the blast. China has the deadliest mining industry in the world, with 1,175 people killed in the first six months of the year alone. However, that was actually an 18.4 percent decline from the same period a year earlier.
TODAY'S FYI:
PALIN MEETS WITH BILLY GRAHAM, HAS BIG BOOK SALES: Former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin and several members of her family had dinner with the Reverend Billy Graham yesterday (November 22nd) at his North Carolina home. Palin, who will be at Fort Bragg in the state today to do a book signing for her new memoir, had never met Graham before. The legendary, 91-year-old preacher said it was an honor having Palin in his home and that they took the opportunity to pray together. "I, like many people, have been impressed with her strong commitment to her faith, to family and love of country," he said in a statement. Graham's son, Franklin, got to know Palin earlier this year in Alaska and he invited her to North Carolina.
Meanwhile, publisher HarperCollins said Friday (November 29th) that Palin's memoir, Going Rogue, sold 300,000 copies on its first day Tuesday, among the best openings ever for a nonfiction book. By comparison, Bill Clinton's My Life debuted with sales of 400,000 copies in 2004, and Hillary Clinton's Living History started at 200,000 copies in 2003.
LEVI JOHNSTON'S MOTHER SENTENCED TO THREE YEARS: The mother of Levi Johnston, the ex-fiance of former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin's 18-year-old daughter Bristol and father of their infant son, was sentenced to three years in prison Friday (November 20th) on drug charges. Sherry Johnston pleaded guilty in August to one count of possession of the painkiller OxyContin with intent to deliver. Five other felony counts were dropped in the plea deal, which called for a five-year prison sentence with two years suspended. The Anchorage Daily News reported that the 43-year-old Johnston will serve her sentence at Alaska's only female prison.
ASTRONAUT'S BABY BORN WHILE HE'S IN ORBIT: Astronaut Randolph Bresnik's daughter was born Saturday night (November 21st) while he was in orbit 220 miles above the Earth on his first space shuttle mission, becoming only the second astronaut to ever have a child while he was in space. Bresnik had completed his first spacewalk from the linked space shuttle Atlantis and International Space Station just hours before Abigail Mae Bresnik was born. This is the second child for Bresnik and his wife, Rebecca, after they adopted a boy from Ukraine a year ago. Bresnik is set to return to Earth on Friday.
BARNES & NOBLE SOLD OUT OF NEW 'NOOK' E-READER: Barnes & Noble said Friday (November 20th) that it had sold out of its newly-launched Nook electronic readers due to high demand, one day after a similar announcement by Sony about its e-reader, Daily Edition. Reuters cited analysts as saying those pre-holiday miscalculations could boost sales of Amazon.com's market-leading Kindle e-reader. Barnes & Noble said Nooks ordered from Friday will be shipped in January, with gift-givers issued a holiday certificate that cites the January shipping. Additionally, Nook e-readers sold in Barnes & Noble stores are in limited supply. Industry experts have said that e-readers will be top-selling electronic gadgets for the holidays.
SANTA LETTERS WILL BE GOING OUT FROM NORTH POLE AFTER ALL: The U.S. Postal Service brought Christmas cheer back to North Pole, Alaska, Friday (November 20th) when it reversed its decision to end the small town's decades-old program of replying to children's letters addressed to "Santa Claus, North Pole." Town residents had protested and even Alaska's congressional delegation got involved before the Postal Service relented, with spokesman Ernie Swanson saying, "We never wanted to spoil people's Christmas." The Postal Service had originally said it wasn't feasible to enact stronger security restrictions in Alaska that it had put in place nationwide last year after a volunteer with the agency's similar Operation Santa program in Maryland was found to be a registered sex offender. Even though they are going ahead with the program, the letters will still be subject to the tighter security rules.
SPORTS:
NFL SCORES -- WEEK 11: Here are the results of this week's National Football League games. (Home teams are listed in italics):
Indianapolis Colts 17, Baltimore Ravens 15 -- Colts remain undefeated at 10-0.
Dallas Cowboys 7, Washington Redskins 6
Detroit Lions 38, Cleveland Browns 37
Jacksonville Jaguars 18, Buffalo Bills 15
Minnesota Vikings 35, Seattle Seahawks 9 -- Minnesota quarterback Brett Favre completed a career-high 88 percent of his passes -- 22 of 25 throws -- for 213 yards and four touchdowns.
New Orleans Saints 38, Tampa Bay Buccaneers 7 -- Saints remain undefeated at 10-0.
New York Giants 34, Atlanta Falcons 31
Kansas City Chiefs 27, Pittsburgh Steelers 24
Green Bay Packers 30, San Francisco 49ers 24
Arizona Cardinals 21, St. Louis Rams 13
San Diego Chargers 32, Denver Broncos 3
Oakland Raiders 20, Cincinnati Bengals 17
New England Patriots 31, New York Jets 14
Philadelphia Eagles 24, Chicago Bears 20
Tonight's Monday Night Football game on ESPN:
Tennessee Titans at Houston Texans (8:30 p.m. ET)
(Headline News, FYI and Sports stories were compiled in part from reports by the Associated Press and Reuters.)
HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER - Marshall bequeaths a 'slap bet' slap to Ted and Robin; Lily's father (Chris Elliot) visits for Thanksgiving.
ACCIDENTALLY ON PURPOSE - Billi feels threatened and tries to prove her worth when James hires another film critic at the paper.
TWO AND A HALF MEN - Charlie discovers he has not been satisfying Chelsea; Alan attempts to cure his thinning hair.
THE BIG BANG THEORY - After being humiliated on the radio, Sheldon voews to destroy Kripke; Wolowitz tries not to ruin his new relationship with Bernadette.
CSI: MIAMI - Deadly jellyfish are used as a murder weapon; a mysterious woman from Jesse's past returns.
HEROES - H.R.G. hosts an unconventional Thanksgiving dinner; the Petrelli family recieves a surprise guest.
TRAUMA - Things go awry when a packed commercial airplane tries to make an emergency landing; Tyler and Boon encounter an unusually common Thanksgiving emergency.
THE JAY LENO SHOW - Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, Lady Gaga
HOUSE - On Thanksgiving, the team treats an exceptionally brilliant physicist who traded his career for a job as a courier; a myriad of strange symptons stump with doctors.
LIE TO ME - Lightman goes to Afganistan on a mission to rescue two captured Marines.
JON & KATE PLUS 8 - Jon and Kate address the ups and downs of the last few years; Kate and the kids milk cows at a dairy farm; Jon and the children visit a firehouse.
DAY TIME TALK SHOW
THE ELLEN DEGENERES SHOW - Penelope Cruz, the latest castoffs from So You Think You Can Dance, Kris Allen THE OPRAH WINFREY SHOW - Inside sex addiction rehab THE VIEW - Zac Efron, Claire Danes, Norah Jones
LATE NIGHT TALK SHOWS
THE LATE SHOW WITH DAVID LETTERMAN (CBS) - Robin Williams, Ashley Greene THE JAY LENO SHOW (NBC) - Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, Lady Gaga THE TONIGHT SHOW WITH CONAN O'BRIEN (NBC) - Taylor Lautner, John Cleese, Timbaland with Nelly Furtado and So Shy JIMMY KIMMEL LIVE (ABC) - Andre Agassi, Weezer THE LATE LATE SHOW WITH CRAIG FERGUSON (CBS) - Margaret Cho, Carl Edwards LATE NIGHT WITH JIMMY FALLON (NBC) - ILO LAST CALL WITH CARSON DALY (NBC) - Brett Dennen THE DAILY SHOW WITH JON STEWART (COMEDY CENTRAL) - (repeat) THE COLBERT REPORT (COMEDY CENTRAL) - (repeat) LOPEZTONIGHT - Eva Mendes, Craig Robinson
POLICE TO AWARD SOBER DRIVERS WITH FREE TURKEYS: Police in Salinas, California, announced that they will give away free Thanksgiving turkeys to some drivers who successfully pass a sobriety test at checkpoints on the road Tuesday night. While the department did not reveal how winners would be chosen, the turkeys were donated by local businesses, police officers and any citizens who would like to donate. This is the seventh year the turkeys will be given away, and the popularity of the event has police keeping the location of the checkpoint secret. They are asking drivers not to pass through more than once to try to win a turkey. (NBC)
MAN BLAMES FBI MIND CONTROL FOR CRASH: A Minneapolis man who crashed into a building told police that the FBI had a mind-control device inside which caused the accident by sending signals through his head and reading his thoughts. The building, home to Physicians and Surgeons Capital Corp., suffered more than $20,000 in damages. (WCCO)
BANK ROBBERY SUSPECT EATS EVIDENCE: Police say a man suspected of robbing a bank in Streetsboro, Ohio, was able to reach into his pocket while being arrested and ate a piece of paper. They believe the paper was a note to a bank teller demanding money. Luckily for police, that wasn't the only evidence they had, since the car fit the description of the bank robbers, with money found inside and an exploded bank dye pack. (AP)
POLICE BLOW UP CAR PARKED IN 'SENSITIVE AREA': A London man who parked on a side street before catching a boat his friends rented for his birthday returned the next day to find his car destroyed. Police explained that he had parked the car in a sensitive area, near the Ministry of Defense and in the exact location of a parade to commemorate the end of World War I and that they had witnessed him running from the car on surveillance footage. They set off two controlled explosions to open the front doors, hood and trunk. A spokesman for a car insurance company said under the circumstances, the company could contest his claims. (Oxford Mail)
WOMEN LIKE VAMPIRES BECAUSE THEY SECRETLY WANT GAY MEN? According to Esquire magazine, "Vampires have overwhelmed pop culture because young straight women want to have sex with gay men." The magazine explains, "Edward, the romantic hero of the Twilight series, is a sweet, screwed-up high school kid, and at the beginning of his relationship with Bella, she is attracted to him because he is strange, beautiful, and seemingly repulsed by her. This exact scenario happened several times in my high school between straight girls and gay guys who either hadn't figured out they were gay or were still in the closet. Twilight's fantasy is that the gorgeous gay guy can be your boyfriend, and for the slightly awkward teenage girls who consume the books and movies, that's the clincher. Vampire fiction for young women is the equivalent of lesbian porn for men: Both create an atmosphere of sexual abandon that is nonthreatening. Sex that's dangerous and safe at the same time, risky but comfortable, gooey and violent but also traditional and loving. In the bedroom, we want to have one foot in the twenty-first century and another in the nineteenth."
PEOPLE GETTING MARRIED FOR HEALTH INSURANCE: A blogger on TheFrisky.com admitted, "I'd never been one of those girls who'd dreamt about her perfect wedding. The virgin-white dress, the exorbitant costs, the fuss over a big, shiny rock -- none of it ever appealed to me. I wanted to find a lifelong partner, and a family sounded nice, too, but honestly? I never cared much about that piece of paper. So why did I just marry my boyfriend after pondering it for a mere two hours? One (evidently all-too-common) reason: health insurance."
43% OF AMERICANS WILL BE OBESE? According to new data reported by USA Today, obesity will cost Americans roughly $334 billion in medical expenses by 2018. That would account for 21% of the nation's total health-care spending. Those figures are based on the projection that in a decade 43% of us will be obese, a term defined by when an individual is 30 pounds of more over a healthy weight level.
INTERNET MAY CURE DEPRESSION IN SENIORS: A recent study by the Phoenix Center for Advanced Legal & Economic Public Policy Studies, a non-profit think-tank in Washington, DC, indicates that spending time online cuts the incidence of depression among senior citizens by at least 20 percent. The results were based on surveys of 7,000 people age 55 and older who were retired and not working, but not living in nursing homes. Co-author Sherry G. Ford said, "Increased Internet access and use by senior citizens enables them to connect with sources of social support when face-to-face interaction becomes more difficult. Considering that depression costs the U.S. economy about $100 billion annually, Internet use for the elderly may have a significant payoff."
THE ONLY REASONABLE EXCUSES FOR OBSESSIVELY CHECKING FACEBOOK (Lemondrop.com)
You work for Facebook.
You are a Facebook application developer.
You have one of those clueless bosses who keeps badgering you to "make a MySpace" for your company because you are the only person in the office still young enough to ovulate.
You are a paid "social media expert."
You work for the graphics department of a television news show and often have to take screenshots of Facebook for alarmist trend pieces about cocaine enemas, teen-sex hysteria and "drank."
You're one of those "Facebook hookers" on the TV news.
You are trapped beneath a heavy object, and your head is contorted in such a way that you are looking at a computer displaying Facebook.
You are an incurable moron and ought to be exterminated via wolves.
Name three celebrities who have patents for their inventions.
A: Jamie Lee Curtis, Harry Connick Jr., Eddie Van Halen, Marlon Brando, Penn Jillette
Penn Jillette, U.S. Patent 5,920,923 -- Hydro-therapeutic stimulator. A spa designed to stimulate a female user with water jets.
Marlon Brando, U.S. Patent 6,812,392 -- Drumhead tensioning device and method. An invention which makes it possible to tune a drum.
Harry Connick, Jr., U.S. Patent 6,348,648 -- System and method for coordinating music display among players in an orchestra. An electronic system, a device with a screen, used to show the sheet music for the musicians, for example in an orchestra, while they are playing, instead of the more commonly used paper. Connick uses this system when performing with his big band.
Jamie Lee Curtis, U.S. Patent 4,753,647 -- Infant garment. A disposable baby diaper with pockets containing one or more removable clean-up wipers.
Eddie Van Halen, U.S. Patent 4,656,917 -- Musical instrument support
University Makes Overweight Students Take a Fitness Class to Graduate
Pennsylvania's Lincoln University is drawing fire over its controversial requirement that overweight undergrads must take a fitness course in order to graduate, although they don't have to actually lose weight. Officials at the historically black school near the town of Oxford said Friday (November 20th) that they're concerned about high rates of obesity and diabetes, especially in the African-American community.
This year's seniors are the first class governed by the mandate, and they've begun realizing that, if they're affected, they have to take the class in the spring if they haven't already done so. Under the mandate, students have to get tested for their body mass index, and if it's 30 or above, which is classified as being obese, they must take the class, which involves walking, aerobics, weight training and other physical activities, as well as information on nutrition, stress and sleep.
Senior Tiana Lawson wrote against the requirement in this week's edition of the student newspaper, and in an AP interview said her problem is with larger students being singled out, not with getting healthy or losing weight. She said, "If Lincoln truly is concerned about everyone being healthy, then everyone should have to take this gym class, not just people who happen to be bigger."
Tim McGraw's new movie, The Blind Side, opens in theaters across the country today (Friday, November 20th). The film is based on the best-selling novel by Michael Lewis, The Blind Side: Evolution of the Game. It tells the true story of Michael Oher (pronounced OAR), a homeless African-American teen from a broken household who is taken in by the Tuohy (pronounced TEW-EY) family, a well-to-do white family that sees extraordinary promise in him. Tim plays Sean Tuohy, while Sandra Bullock plays his wife, Leigh Anne Tuohy.
Juggling both an acting and a recording career may seem daunting, but Tim tells us one actually benefits the other. "After doing movies and sort of finding a different way of approaching how to get into being somebody else, instead of interpreting it in a song you interpret it with your whole body and not so much just your voice singing, so it does help you when you go back into the studio to record an album you do take part of that other part of yourself that you discovered in order to do that in the movies. I think they feed off each other and they help each other and hopefully makes it better."
The Blind Side was filmed in Atlanta, Georgia.
In other Tim news, he is featured in the new issue of People magazine as one of the "Sexiest Men Alive." He told ACC Top 40, "I like it, I have to say. Except, I have to explain it all to my friends who are sitting back there. They're not gonna let me live it down," he said of his band, the Dancehall Doctors.
Tim's wife, Faith Hill, has already been in several of People's "Most Beautiful" issues, a fact that he says will be brought to his attention. He said, "She'll pull that out on me when it's to her convenience."
Carrie Underwood has been spotted at a lot of hockey games lately, and she tells us her romance with Ottawa Senators player Mike Fisher is only part of the reason. "I love sports. I'm a huge football fan. I love football season. I live for football season, and now I've diversified my sports portfolio and I am into hockey for many reasons. I never realized -- hockey's like man sport. And you thought football was man sport? Hockey's . . . they make them look like weenies!"
Carrie told Ellen DeGeneres earlier this week that she met Mike through a bandmember who set the two up. She was less than thrilled to hear that some of his teeth were not real, but Carrie tells us she now has a whole new respect for these guys on ice. "They work so hard! They work everyday. They practice everyday. I've seen the damage it can do -- loss of teeth!! Could you imagine, like, you could lose your teeth in your job!! I would pick a different job myself, but that's me, but I just love bein' there, and I just love seeing people do what they love and people screaming and cheering them on. It's like they're at their own concert but they're not singing, and these people are so excited. It's great!"
The singer admits she does get a little uptight when violence erupts during the games. "I'm not a fan of the fights. I get . . . like it makes me nervous, especially when someone I know's involved."
Carrie will perform at the American Music Awards on Sunday (November 22nd). She is also nominated for Favorite Country Female Artist. The show airs live from Los Angeles on ABC-TV.
Taylor Swift is among the artists who have attached their name to a lawsuit against a sports bar in Idaho. According to TMZ, a sting operation by songwriting organization BMI uncovered that The Sports Cellar Bar was playing Taylor's music, as well as using it for Karaoke, and not paying the proper licensing fees for the right to do so.
BMI and Taylor want this bar to pay up. The suit reportedly asks for unspecified damages.
Lady Antebellum is on a roll! First they take home two awards at last week's CMA's, then they top the charts this week with their latest single, "Need You Now." Now the trio learns that both "Need You Now" and their debut single, "Love Don't Live Here," have been certified gold this week.
Lady Antebellum's sophomore CD, also called Need You Now, will be released on January 26th.
They will kick off 2010 by joining Tim McGraw on his Southern Voice tour in February.
FAST FACTS
"Need You Now" is spending its sixth consecutive week at Number One on the Billboard Canada chart.
Sales of their self-titled debut album spiked 130% after their appearance on the CMA Awards. Since the show, they sold more than 45,000 albums, besting their first-week release sales by almost 2,000 units.
The next CMT Crossroads episode will feature the pairing of the Zac Brown Band and Jimmy Buffett. The show will be taped next month before an invitation-only audience in Nashville. The episode will premiere in March of next year.
Jimmy will release a new studio album, called Buffet Hotel, on December 8th. It will be his first studio album in three years.
The Zac Brown Band will be in Los Angeles on Sunday (November 22nd) for the American Music Awards. They are nominated in two categories -- Favorite Country Band, Duo or Group and Favorite Country Album for The Foundation. They are also semifinalists in the T-Mobile Breakthrough Artist category. Finalists are determined by text messaging.
FAST FACTS
The Zac Brown Band are currently on the road with their Breaking Southern Ground headlining tour.
The group trails Lady Gaga as the biggest-selling new artist of 2009 with their platinum debut album, The Foundation.
They have charted three Number One singles.
Joe Nichols, David Nail, Heidi Newfield, Josh Thompson, Easton Corbin and Halfway To Hazard are among the acts set to perform on the Academy of Country Music stage at the upcoming Wrangler National Finals Rodeo (NFR). The event will be held in Las Vegas from December 3rd through December 12th. The performances will take place inside the Cox Pavilion at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas. The event is free to NFR fans and open to all ticket holders. Josh Kelley has signed a new record deal with Universal Music Group Nashville, and with that, he's making the move to country music. Kelley has been working hard on a soul-tinged country album, which is expected out next year. He tells Entertainment Weekly, "Country is where I'm going to live out the rest of my career. This is the style and level of songwriting that I've always wanted. I'm coming home." So the label deal makes sense for the Georgia native, who says, "Universal is a perfect home for me and my music. They have an awesome track record of allowing artists to be who they really are, and have already been so supportive of my new music. I'm stoked to be part of such a talented group of artists and staff."
Kelley wrote a new song for the album, called "Naleigh Moon," for the daughter he and wife, actress Katherine Heigl, recently adopted from Korea. And Heigl herself might even direct the video for one of the album's more upbeat songs called "Great Idea." Kelley says, "She's never wanted to do that with any of my songs, but when she heard that, she perked up. There's gonna be a lot of upbeat songs on this album, because at the end of the day, people wanna shake it."
Q. What two singers were involved in a scuffle with police over riding an officer's horse at a tour stop in Buffalo, New York? A. Tim McGraw and Kenny Chesney
Wynonna got married for the second time, this time to her long-time bodyguard, D.R. Roach, in Leiper's Fork, Tennessee in 2003. The two divorced a few years later.
Keith Whitley married Lorrie Morgan in 1986.
George Strait's Greatest Hits was certified gold in 1985.
Kenny Rogers' "Lady" went to Number One on the Billboard country chart in 1980.
Charley Pride recorded the Number One single, "She's Just An Old Love Turned Memory," in 1976.
Johnny Cash was featured on the cover of Life magazine in 1969.
JIM CARREY'S DAUGHTER GETS MARRIED: Jim Carrey has a new son-in-law. The actor confirmed that his pregnant daughter Jane recently got married, tweeting, "My Jane is a married woman. Days ago her and my new son-in-law Alex got hitched. The day was simply perfect . . . lots of love there." Carrey confirmed in July that 21-year-old Jane was expecting her first child with then-boyfriend Alex Sanatana.
PARKER-BRODERICK SURROGATE TESTIFIES: The woman who carried Sarah Jessica Parker and Matthew Broderick's twin girls testified on Thursday (November 19th) in the trial of a police chief is accused of breaking into her home while she was pregnant. Michelle Ross said ultrasound photos and tax information were gone when she returned, and that some items were misplaced, including a plaster cast of her stomach made when pregnancy with her own son. Police Chief Barry Carpenter is accused of breaking into her home in May and then trying to sell items related to the pregnancy to paparazzi.
MARTHA STEWART LOST $1 BILLION IN TRADING SCANDAL: Martha Stewart admitted that her net worth significantly dropped when she was to jail in 2004 on charges lying to authorities. When asked for a dollar figure relating to the incident that stemmed from lying about the 2001 stock sale of ImClone System Inc., Stewart told Nightline, "Probably more than a billion dollars, of course." She added, "When you are prosecuted in such a way, and a great portion of wealth is dissipated, all I can think so much is what I could have done with all that, and for the good of mankind, and I hope I can continue."
LINDSAY LOHAN'S DAD WON'T RELEASE MORE TAPES: Lindsay Lohan's father says that he's done releasing private audio tapes concerning the 23-year-old starlet. Michael Lohan told Life & Style magazine, "I will not release another audiotape about Lindsay. I did it because I wanted Lindsay to know how I felt when I heard that tape. When I get a phone call at two, three, four or five in the morning from my daughter and she's in dire straits, I get very concerned."
HEIDI KLUM MAKES SURPRISE RUNWAY APPEARANCE SIX WEEKS AFTER GIVING BIRTH: Heidi Klum not only served as host of the Victoria Secrets Fashion Show, she also made a surprise walk down the runway. The model/mom put on a corset and full skirt and took to the runway just six weeks after giving birth to her daughter Lou. The Victoria Secrets Fashion Show airs on December 1 at 10 p.m. on CBS.
NEW BOYFRIEND FOR AUDRINA PATRIDGE? Audrina Patridge is reportedly dating Glee star Mark Salling.Usmagazine.com reports that the maybe-couple was "joined at the hip" at a recent industry party and although the two left separately, they exited at the same time and their cars followed one another as they drove off.
JAMES VAN DER BEEK FILES FOR DIVORCE:James Van Der Beek has filed for divorce from his wife of nearly six years, actress Heather Ann McComb, People reports. The couple separated earlier this year.
SUSAN BOYLE ALBUM BREAKS PRE-SALE RECORDS: Susan Boyle's upcoming debut album has become the largest global CD pre-order in the history of Amazon.com. The retailer declined to give exact sales figure but announced on Thursday (November 19th) that the disc, "I Dreamed a Dream," surpassed the 2008 record held by "Supermarket Fantasy" from Japanese rock band Mr. Children, 2007's "Not Too Late" by U.S. singer Norah Jones, and British group Take That's "Never Forget: The Ultimate Collection" in 2008. The album will be released on November 24th.
PREMIERE DATE ANNOUNCED FOR 'LOST': A premiere date has been announced for the sixth and final season of Lost. ABC revealed that the anticipated season will begin on February 2nd at 8 p.m. with a recap episode, followed by a two-hour season premiere.
LAUREN CONRAD WRITING STYLE GUIDE: Lauren Conrad has inked a deal to write a style guide. People magazine reports that the former reality star will unveil fashion tips in Lauren Conrad Style, which will be published by Harper Collins in the fall of 2010. She said in a statement, "I am really excited to write a style guide. I think fashion should be fun and reflective of who you are. When you wear clothes you feel good in, it shows in everything you do. I know this guide will offer simple, practical tips to help anyone look fabulous."
ANNE HATHAWAY WANTED FOR 'SPIDER-MAN':Spider-Man 4 producers are reportedly looking to get Anne Hathaway on-board for a role in the upcoming blockbuster. Deadline.com reports that Hathaway is wanted for a starring role -- but she won't replace Kirsten Dunst.
'SIMPSON' CONTEST WINNER ANNOUNCED:The Simpsons has selected a contest winner in its search to create a character for Fox's long-running animated series. A 52-year-old hospital operations manager from Connecticut named Peggy Black took the prize after dreaming up ladies' man Ricardo Bomba, who is "someone that all the women love and all the men want to be." Bomba will be introduced in the January 31st episode featuring guest star Chris Martin of Coldplay. The episode had been mostly completed, with a spot reserved for the contest character.
KRISTEN STEWART AND DAKOTA FANNING LOCK LIPS IN UPCOMING MOIVE
Kristen Stewart may have some new romance rumors to deal with -- this time concerning a different New Moon co-star, Dakota Fanning. 15-year-old Fanning admitted that she and Stewart lock lips in a scene for their second film collaboration, The Runaways.
When asked about the kiss, Fanning told Access Hollywood, "Yes, it happens in The Runaways. We were so into the scene and into the script and the characters."
She added, "We're playing Joan Jett and Cherie Currie and they're best friends in the film and became really close in real life. And that's something that went down back in the '70s."
Robert Downey Jr.'s working days may be numbered. The actor, who plays Sherlock Holmes in Guy Ritchie's upcoming film, told Entertainment Weekly, "I have no set plans for my future. I've never had it this good -- this is my day in the sun -- and I certainly don't want to look a gift horse in the molars. But [my wife] Susan and I want to begin to be in our lives as much as we are in our jobs. I'd love just to sit here and say, 'What movie's playing tonight?' I'd love to finish the new book about D-day I'm reading. I love painting, I love music."He added, "I'm f-ing really good at what I do -- and have been for a long time, so I don't waver on that. But here's the thing: I can only be a guy on a call sheet probably, I don't know, maybe a couple more times. It's something I'm so grateful to have in my palm, and yet I already see its inevitable decay."
However, he added, "If Sherlock Holmes performs well, I could be busy for the next 5 or 7 or 10 years."
DREW BARRU,PRE REPORTEDLY KICKS MESSY JUSTIN LONG OUT OF THE HOUSE
Drew Barrymore and Justin Long have reportedly hit a speed bump in their rekindled relationship. Star magazine reports that Barrymore has kicked her beau out of her Hollywood Hills home because Long couldn't change his bachelor ways.
A source told the magazine, "Drew really had it with being Justin's babysitter at home. And it's not just that he made a mess, it's his attitude. He gets mopey and is a big-time couch potato. She isn't thrilled about seeing this side of him."
Despite the reverse co-habitation, the couple is reportedly still on. The insider said, "She gently told Justin that things would be better between them if he moved back to his own place. Then it would be special when they're together -- they wouldn't feel like an old married couple."
The source added, "It was really the wake up call he needed. He knows Drew's a great girl. He's going to do everything he can to make her happy."
OPRAH WINFEY ANNOUNCING END TO SYNDICATED TALK SHOW!
Media mogul Oprah Winfrey will end her top-rated TV talk show at the end of its 25th season, in September 2011. The talk show host will announce her decision publicly during The Oprah Winfrey Show broadcast today (Friday, November 20th).
The coming announcement was hyped on ABC-TV websites by Harpo Inc.'s president Thursday.
GossipCop.com also reports that a letter was sent to Winfrey's staff on Thursday (November 19th), informing them "the sun will set" on the highly successful program on September 9, 2011.
In recent years Winfrey has mulled whether to continue the daily chatfest, and for how long. It's widely assumed Winfrey will expand her involvement in the Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN), the cable network she launched last year, after concluding her 25th and final season of Oprah.
Kirsten Dunst and Jake Gyllenhaal not best friends.
Unlike the legions of celebrities who publically maintain that they are "best friends" with an ex after a break-up, Kirsten Dunst admits that she and Jake Gyllenhaal are not close. When asked about the actor, who she split from in 2004 after two years together, Dunst told Allure magazine, "It would be nice to see him. But we're not good friends."
The couple previously shared a home in Los Angeles and a dog named Atticus, who now resides with Gyllenhaal. The actor has been dating Reese Witherspoon since 2007.
Dunst, however, is single. When asked about notable guests in her apartment, she said, "My girlfriends will sleep in bed with me, but no guests, not long-term, anyway."
The actress also shared her reflections on a recent cross-country road trip, saying, "After we were done, I was like, 'Wow, America is so poor. Just the towns you come across -- all that's there are restaurants and gas stations. There are beautiful stretches of pasture, but for the most part, people live simply. The East and West Coast are so different from the rest of America."
Opening today (November 20th) is the highly anticipated second installment of Stephanie Meyer's Twilight Saga, New Moon, starring Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, Taylor Lautner, Rachelle Lefevre and Dakota Fanning. New Moon follows Bella Swan, played by Stewart, who gets deeper into the mysteries of the supernatural world she wants to be a part of only to find herself in greater danger than ever. New Moon was directed Chris Weitz.
New Moon is rated PG-13 and running time of 2 hours and 10 minutes.
New Moon is has taken over the top place in Fandango's record breaking pre-ticket sales. The top five advance tickets sellers on Fandango are New Moon (2009), Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith (2005), Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince (2009), The Dark Knight (2008) and Twilight (2008).
According to movietickets.com, 2,150 screenings of New Moon have already sold out.
TWILIGHT TRIVIA GAME Q: Why did Bella move to Forks, Washington?
A: Bella Swan moved to Forks, Washington from Phoenix, Arizona. Her mom, Renee Dwyer, recently married Phil, a minor league baseball player. Phil has to travel with his team and Renee would stay home with Bella. Bella knew her mom wanted to be able to go with Phil, but would never leave her alone. She decided to move in with her Dad, Charlie Swan, so her mom would be able to travel with Phil.
Q: What is Edward Cullen?
Edward Cullen, and the rest of the Cullen family are Vampires.
Q: What are Edward's sisters names?
The names of Edward's sisters are Alice Cullen and Rosalie Hale.
Q: What are Edward's brothers names?
The names of Edward's brothers are Jasper Hale and Emmett Cullen.
Q: Who tries to kill Bella?
A group of nomadic vampires, James, Laurent, and Victoria, stop to play a game of baseball with the Cullen family. James gets a whiff of Bella's scent and senses the rage in Edward. James, who is a tracker, is set on tracking Bella and killing her to enrage Edward. He hopes to fight Edward.
Q: What kind of vehicle does Rosalie have?
Rosalie Cullen has a red, BMW M3 convertible.
Q: What kind of food does Bella order at the restaurant in Port Angeles?
Bella orders Mushroom Ravioli when Edward takes her to dinner in Port Angeles.
Q: What kind of animal does Edward like to hunt?
Edward likes to hunt Mountain Lions.
Q: What is the game that the Cullen's like to play in thunder storms?
Because of the strength the Cullen family has, they need a thunder storm to cover up the sound of them hitting a baseball.
Opening today (November 20th) is the new sports drama The Blind Side starring Sandra Bullock, Kathy Bates, Tim McGraw and Quinton Aaron. The Blind Side tells true story of Michael Oher, a homeless black teenager, played by Aaron, who has been in and out of the system for years until Leigh Anne Tuohy, played by Bullock, and her husband Sean, played by McGraw, take him in, giving Michael a new chance at life allowing him to realize his potential as a student and football player. The Blind Side was directed by John Lee Hancock.
The Blind Side is rated PG-13 and has a running time of 2 hours and 6 minutes.
Opening today (November 20th) is the new animated film Planet 51, with Dwayne Johnson, Jessica Biel, Sean William Scott, Gary Oldman and John Cleese lending their voices. Planet 51 is a follows astronaut Captain Chuck Baker who lands on Planet 51 thinking he's the first person to step foot on it until he finds that the planet is inhabited by little green people who are happily living in communities resembling the white picket fence world of 1950s America. The inhabitants' only fear is that their planet will be taken over by alien invaders, like Chuck, who must figure out a way to escape becoming a part of the Planet 51 Alien Invaders Space Museum. Planet 51 was directed by Jorge Blanco.
PENTAGON TO REVIEW PROCEDURES AFTER FORT HOOD SHOOTING: The Pentagon said yesterday (November 19th) that it will review its procedures for identifying volatile soldiers in the wake of the Fort Hood shooting rampage. Defense Secretary Robert Gates announced a 45-day emergency investigation into personnel, medical, mental health, discharge and other policies in all areas of the Defense Department, as well as ways to improve security and emergency response at its facilities. The review will be led by former Army Secretary Togo West and former Navy chief Vernon Clark. A longer, second review lasting about six months will look at what Gates called "systemic institutional shortcomings." Gates stressed that his review is separate from the criminal investigation into Major Nidal Malik Hasan, the Army psychiatrist accused of killing 13 people at Fort Hood and wounding more than 30, and shouldn't be seen as targeting Muslims or anyone else.
President Obama has already ordered a review of all intelligence related to Hasan, including his contacts with a radical imam overseas, concerns raised by some of his colleagues, and whether warnings were properly shared and acted upon.
REID SETS SATURDAY VOTE TO ADVANCE HEALTH BILL FOR DEBATE: One day after presenting the Senate Democrats' 10-year, $849 billion health insurance reform bill, Majority Leader Harry Reid yesterday (November 19th) scheduled a vote for Saturday evening (November 21st) on advancing the measure to the floor for full debate, which would begin after Thanksgiving. Democrats control 60 seats, including two independents, and will need all those votes to advance the legislation in the face of a Republican filibuster. Three moderate Democrats have not yet said how they'll vote, although none of them has announced a plan to defect.
FORECLOSURES MOVING BEYOND SUBPRIME LOANS: A report out yesterday (November 19th) from the Mortgage Bankers Association showed that the foreclosure crisis is moving beyond subprime loans and affecting a growing proportion of fixed-rate loans made to people with good credit. Last year, it was subprime loans driving the crisis, however with unemployment now at 10.2 percent, even people with good credit are now having trouble paying their mortgage. Driven by rising job loss, prime fixed-rate loans to borrowers with good credit accounted for nearly 33 percent of new foreclosures last quarter, up from 21 percent a year ago. Meanwhile, subprime loans with adjustable rates have fallen to 16 percent of new foreclosures, from 35 percent a year earlier.
PAP SMEAR RECOMMENDATIONS CHANGED: Just days after a government panel reversed decades of recommendations and said women shouldn't start getting mammograms until age 50 instead of age 40, and then only every two years, there's been another change in health guidelines women have long been given. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists is saying today (November 20th) that most women in their 20s can have a Pap smear every two years instead of annually, saying that's enough to catch slow-growing cervical cancer. ACOG also says women 30 and older should wait three years between Paps once they've had three clear consecutive tests, and that routine Paps should start at age 21, a change from the previous recommendation of age 21 or within three years of first sexual intercourse, whichever came first.
ACOG said the new Pap guidelines coming out at the same time as the mammogram advice change is coincidence.
TODAY'S FYI:
COMPUTER GLITCH CAUSES WIDESPREAD FLIGHT DELAYS: A Federal Aviation Administration computer glitch early yesterday morning (November 19th) caused widespread flight cancellations and delays across the country that lasted well into the rest of the day. The problem at a FAA computer center in Salt Lake City began at around 5 a.m., preventing air traffic controller computers across the country from talking to each other. Until it was fixed some four hours later, at around 9 a.m., air traffic controllers had to type in complicated flight plans themselves because they couldn't be transferred automatically from computers in one region of the country to another. The slowed down the whole system, and it took many hours to untangle.
The incident was reminiscent of an August 2008 software malfunction that delayed hundreds of flights across the country.
ALASKA RESIDENTS TRYING TO SAVE SANTA LETTER-WRITING PROGRAM: Residents of the small town of North Pole, Alaska, are trying to save their traditional program dating back to 1954 of volunteers responding to children's letters addressed to "Santa Claus, North Pole," after the U.S. Postal Service decided this month to end it. The Postal Service's decision came after a volunteer with the agency's similar Operation Santa program in Maryland was recognized last year as a registered sex offender. The Postal Service put tighter security measures in place, including replacing children's last names and addresses on the letters with computerized codes so volunteer responders can't read them. In explaining its North Pole decision, the agency said dealing with the stronger restrictions isn't feasible in Alaska. The residents of North Pole are trying to come up with a way to keep their program going, and the state's congressional delegation has stepped in to try and help.
FAMILY MEMBERS OF TWO SENATORS INVOLVED IN DUIs: The daughter of Democratic Senator John Kerry of Massachusetts and wife of Republican Senator Richard Lugar of Indiana were both involved in DUI incidents over the past two days. The 2004 Democratic presidential nominee's 36-year-old daughter, Alexandra, was arrested and booked for a possible DUI early Thursday (November 19th) in Los Angeles. However, a spokesman for the senator said in a statement, "Alexandra Kerry was pulled over for an expired registration and was released after the results of a breathalyzer test . . . were under the legal limit." The younger Kerry is due in court on December 10th. Meanwhile, Lugar's 76-year-old wife, Charlene, was charged with drunk driving and a hit-and-run after hitting a parked car in McLean, Virginia, Wednesday night and taking off. The senator said in a statement that he's thankful no-one was hurt, and that he and his wife are, quote, "deeply sorry and embarrassed." Charlene Lugar is due for trial on January 8th.
'ADMONISH' NAMED WORD OF THE YEAR IN WAKE OF JOE WILSON'S 'YOU LIE!' OUTBURST: Merriam-Webster announced its annual Word of the Year yesterday (November 19th), which is based on the words that are looked up most during the year on its free online dictionary. Almost all the words in the top 10 were associated with a news event or coverage leading to a spike in look-ups. That was true for the World of the Year, "admonish," which people began searching for after GOP Rep. Joe Wilson of South Carolina shouted out "You lie!" during President Obama's speech before a joint session of Congress on health insurance reform in September and was admonished by the House for it.
Here are the runners-up, a loose definition, and what generated interest in them:
Emaciated -- very thin -- Michael Jackson was described in some reports as being emaciated at the time of his death.
Empathy -- understanding and being sensitive to other's feelings and experiences -- Republicans criticized President Obama when he said Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor would bring a, quote, "quality of empathy" to the bench.
Furlough -- leave of absence from duty -- Many government agencies and businesses announced unpaid furloughs for workers during the recession.
Inaugurate -- induct into office -- President Obama was inaugurated in January as the first black president.
Nugatory -- of little or no consequence -- Only word in the top 10 without a clear link to current events.
Pandemic -- occurring over a wide geographic area and affecting a high proportion of the population -- The swine flu was declared a pandemic.
Philanderer -- someone who has casual or illicit sex with women, especially someone who's unfaithful to his wife -- Both Governor Mark Sanford of South Carolina and David Letterman made headlines for their affairs.
Repose -- to lie at rest, to lie dead -- Senator Ted Kennedy's body was brought to the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library to lie in repose after his death.
Rogue -- when used as an adjective, as in the title of Sarah Palin's new memoir, Going Rogue, its means uncontrollable, aberrant or dangerous
WEBBY AWARD GROUP LIST DECADE'S TOP 10 INTERNET MOMENTS: The International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences, which has given out the annual Webby Award since 1996 for Internet excellence, has chosen what it believes are the past decade's 10 most influential moments on the Internet. They are:
Free classifieds site Craigslist expands outside San Francisco in 2000, impacting newspapers nationwide
Google AdWords launches in 2000, letting advertisers precisely target their customers
Free, open-source encyclopedia Wikipedia launches in 2001
Napster shut down in 2001, opening the file-sharing floodgates
Google's initial public offering (IPO) in 2004
Online video revolution in 2006 that led to a boom in homemade and professional content online
Facebook opens to non-college students and Twitter takes off in 2006
iPhone debuts in 2007
2008 U.S. presidential campaign in which the Internet changed how campaigns are run
2009 Iranian election protests during which Twitter was vital in organizing demonstrations and getting out information
SPORTS:
DOLPHINS BEAT PANTHERS 24-17, WILLIAMS SCORES THREE TDs: The Miami Dolphins downed the Carolina Panthers 24-17 last night (November 19th) in a game that saw Miami's Ricky Williams score three touchdowns and rush for 119 yards. The Dolphins have won four of their last six games, after starting the season at 0-3. The Panthers' last shot to tie the game ended as quarterback's Jake Delhomme's desperation pass into the end zone was knocked down by Tyrone Culver as time expired.
LINCECUM REPEATS AS NL CY YOUNG AWARD WINNER: San Francisco Giants pitcher Tim Lincecum was named that National League Cy Young Award winner for the second year in a row yesterday (November 19th), becoming the first repeat winner since Randy Johnson, who won it in four consecutive years, from 1999 to 2002. Lincecum received 11 first-place votes, 12 seconds and nine thirds for 100 points in balloting released by the Baseball Writers' Association of America, beating second place finisher Chris Carpenter of the St. Louis Cardinals by just six points, and Adam Wainwright, also of the Cardinals, in third by 10 points in the tight vote. The 25-year-old Lincecum went 15-7 for the season with a 2.48 ERA and a league-leading 261 strikeouts.
Wainwright, who led the NL with 19 wins, actually got one more first-place vote than Lincecum, making him the only player other than Trevor Hoffman in 1998 to get the most firsts and not win the award.
The Kansas City Royals' Zack Greinke was awarded the American League Cy Young earlier this week.
REPORT: JAYSON WILLIAMS AGREES TO PLEA DEAL: The Associated Press reported Thursday (November 19th) that retired NBA star Jayson Williams has agreed to a plea deal that would send him to prison for up to three years for accidentally shooting a driver at his New Jersey estate in 2002, citing a person with knowledge of the case. Williams will reportedly plead guilty today to aggravated assault, avoiding a retrial set for January on a reckless manslaughter charge. Witnesses testified that Williams was showing off a shotgun in his bedroom in February 2002 when he snapped the weapon shut and it fired, killing driver Costas Christofi. They also testified that Williams initially put the gun in the dead man's hands and told those present to lie about what happened. The defense has said that the shooting was an accident and Williams panicked afterward. During his initial trial in 2004, the jury acquitted Williams of aggravated manslaughter and convicted him of covering up the shooting, but deadlocked on the reckless manslaughter count. He's remained free on bail pending the retrial's outcome.
Williams retired in 2000 after nine seasons in the NBA with the Philadelphia 76ers and New Jersey Nets.
(Headline News, FYI and Sports stories were compiled in part from reports by the Associated Press and Reuters.)
SHREK THE THIRD - Shrek and friends set out to find Fiona's slacker cousin and bring him back to rule the lan of Far, Far Away. Starring Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy, Cameron Diaz, Antonio Banderas and Rupert Everett.
SMALLVILLE - Tess kidnaps Lois in an attempt to find out where she went during her disappearance; Clark makes a significant decision about Zod.
AMERICA'S NEXT TOP MODEL (repeat)
DAY TIME TALK SHOW
THE ELLEN DEGENERES SHOW - Robert Pattinson, 13- year-old violinist Justus Rivera THE OPRAH WINFREY SHOW - America's Favorite Husband Ray Romano Returns to TV THE VIEW - Joseph Califano, Emily Osment
LATE NIGHT TALK SHOWS
THE LATE SHOW WITH DAVID LETTERMAN (CBS) - Viggo Mortensen, Paula Poundstone, Lyle Lovett THE JAY LENO SHOW - Kellan Lutz, Ed Begley Jr. THE TONIGHT SHOW WITH CONAN O'BRIEN (NBC) - Eva Mendes, Jon Bon Jovi, Bon Jovi JIMMY KIMMEL LIVE (ABC) - Robert Pattinson, Kristen Stewart, Taylor Lautner, Death Cab for Cutie THE LATE LATE SHOW WITH CRAIG FERGUSON (CBS) - Neil Patrick Harris, David Gray LATE NIGHT WITH JIMMY FALLON (NBC) - Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Elvis Costello LAST CALL WITH CARSON DALY (NBC) - Morena Baccarin, Lisa Hannigan
THE AMAZING RACE 15 - Tempers flare when a team breaks a promise; a stolen taxi to a team falling to last place.
COLD CASE - The team reopens the 1983 case of a teenage who was killed before he could get justice for his slain girlfriend.
THREE RIVERS - When a setback leaves a billionaire's wife without a new liver, he resorts to buying one on the black market; a friend from Andy's past resurfaces.
THE SIMPSONS - Principal Skinner tells Bart that there is a former Springfield Elementary student hailed as the best prankster ever; Bart tracks down the prankster (Jonah Hill), now 19.
THE CLEVELAND SHOW - Cleveland celebrates his first Thanksgiving with his new family and dicovers a secret about Donna's Auntie Momma.
FAMILY GUY - Peter and the guys interview potential friends to fill the vacancy left by Cleveland.
AMERICAN DAD - After attending a concert with Hayley, Stan becomes obsessed with her music.
2009 AMERICAN MUSIC AWARDS - Fans vite to determine the winners; Slated to perform are the Black Eyed Peas, Janet Jackson, Whitney Houston, Jay-Z, Adam Lambert and more.
HBO
CURB YOUR ENTHUSIASM - (season finale) A returned favor costs Larry quality time with Cheryl.
SHOWTIME
DEXTER - TBA
CALIFORNICATION - Hank's exploits are exposed; Charlie struggles to keep Marcy away from Rick Springfield.
ELDERLY WOMEN FENDS OFF ROBBERS WITH HAIRBRUSH: An 82-year-old British woman said she was able to defend herself against two men who forced their way into her home to rob her. The woman said she bit one of the men and kicked him in the seat of his pants when he tried to pin her down to a bed and demanded money. The other man felt the wrath of her hairbrush and a bible she waved in his face. That's when she was able to run out of the house to find help, but said she regrets not locking the men in the house. Police are still searching for the robbers who only got away with a small amount of money. (News Letter)
TEEN CALLS 911 OVER PARENTS TAKING XBOX AWAY: Buffalo Grove police said a 15-year-old Illinois boy called 911 to complain that his parents took his Xbox 360 away from him. The boy then hung up and officers were dispatched to the location of the call. Once they arrived the boy asked whether his parents had the legal right to take the video game system away from him. The police told the boy that he needed to listen to his parents. (Daily Herald)
MAN STUFFS STOLEN GOLD INTO COOKED CHICKEN: An employee of a gold retailer in South Africa was arrested this week after he was caught stealing gold jewelery by stuffing the items into a cooked chicken. The plan failed when he set off a metal detector at the retailers central offices in Johannesburg. The amount of gold hidden in the chicken is unknown, and the man faces trial for attempted theft and possession of allegedly stolen goods. (AFP)
CHICKEN-SUITED MAN BURSTS INTO COMMITTEE MEETING: A man dressed in a chicken suit suddenly burst into a Durango, Colorado committee meeting on laws for raising backyard fowl. Witnesses said the man ran around flapping his wings before taking a seat in the nearly empty gallery. Then the giant chicken stood up, laid an egg on the floor and walked out. The committee members said the were perplexed but also amused. (AP)
WOMEN SHOULD SHOW 40% OF BODY TO ATTRACT MEN: The findings were based on work by four female researchers, who discreetly observed women at one of the city's biggest nightclubs from a balcony above the dance floor. Using tape recorders hidden in their handbags, the researchers took note of what female clubbers were wearing and how many times they were approached by men asking them to dance. For the purposes of the study, each arm accounted for 10 percent of the body, each leg for 15 percent and the torso for 50 percent. Women who revealed around 40 percent of their skin attracted twice as many men as those who covered up. However, those who exposed any more than this also fared worse. Experts believe that showing too much flesh puts men off because it suggests they might be unfaithful.
FEMALE VIAGRA IN THE WORKS: A failed anti-depression drug may end the elusive search for the female version of Viagra. Asylum.com reports that during its initial clinical testing, flibanserin didn't cheer women up; rather, many who took it reported "an increased libido that they liked." This led to a series of studies in which pre-menopausal women in three countries went on a 24-week course of the drug and documented in a diary the intensity of their sexual desires and how many satisfactory sexual encounters they had. Researchers found 100 milligrams a day of the drug resulted in "significant improvements" on both fronts relative to women who took a placebo. While Viagra and other erectile dysfunction medications work on the blood supply, flibanserin achieves its action on the fairer sex by heading directly for a female's sexually complicated brain.
LINGERE GPS AVAILABLE: The New York Daily News reports that, courtesy of LindeLucy Lingerie designer Lucia Iorio, the "Find Me If You Can" line comes equipped with a pager-sized GPS that allows those with the password to track the wearer's whereabouts online. The black box is sewn into the bodice of the lingerie and is clearly visible. The designer said, "This collection . . . is a wink to women and a challenge to men because, even if she gives him the password to her GPS, she can always turn it off. She can be found only if she wants to [be]. It's not a modern chastity belt. Some men think they can keep tabs on their girlfriends with it, but they're wrong."
OBESE PEOPLE DON'T THINK THEY'RE FAT: A new study presented at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions based on survey data collected in Dallas, found that one in 10 participants -- all of whom were classified as obese -- were satisfied with their body size and didn't think they needed to lose weight. Lead researcher Tiffany Powell, a cardiology fellow at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center said, "That is a sizeable percentage who don't understand they are overweight and believe they are healthy."
The Too-Much-In-Love Couple: Between the constant "I love my honey sooooo much!!" and "I have the most amazing husband in the whole world!!!" updates, these couples do proclaim too much. Their updates are filled with flowery adjectives and almost always include the words "amazing," "luckiest," and "best! ever!" Don't these people have personal email addresses? Can't they actually speak to one another in person and leave the rest of us out of it? But, of course, all these proclamations aren't for their benefit, they're for ours. We're supposed to feel jealous of their burning love for one another and their incredible luck to have found each other. Unfriend!
The Pathetic Couple: Outside of their relationship, this couple is miserable and empty. If either of them so much as works outside the home and they're forced to spend eight hours apart, their updates are peppered with hourly countdowns until their end-of-the-day reunion. If one gets invited to a function without the other, they use their Facebook update to announce how unfair the world is and how nothing else in life is as important as the time they spend with each other. "I have to go to my BFF's bachelorette party tonight, which means a whole evening without Nick! No fair!!!" How these couples ever managed to survive in the world without each other is one of the great mysteries of life.
The Boring Couple: It's clear that the Boring Couple, who does nothing but constantly hang out at home, has forgotten that other people actually have fun for fun. They update with: "Excited to stay in for 'movie and pizza night' with the hubby!" or "Gonna cook a big dinner for wifey tonight!!" Well, hey, guess what, the rest of us are going to eat dinner at some point, too, and unless it's enjoyed with a mentor we've just been granted a meal with from the Make-A-Wish foundation, it probably doesn't warrant two exclamation points or, you know, a status update on Facebook. These people would be more sad than annoying if they weren't so smug about their domestic bliss.
The Passive-Aggressive Couple: Perhaps the biggest offender of them all, this couple hashes out their issues with one another in passive-aggressive, embarrassing, and often melodramatic updates, like "Would have gotten a lot more sleep if somebody didn't keep me up all night with his constant farting!" or "There's nothing I hate more than a man who can't make up his mind which he woman he wants!" Every other day your feed is cluttered with messages that they've broken up or gotten back together. At least you can take comfort in knowing that they totally deserve each other.
The TMI Couple: The TMI couple clearly has something to prove and that something is the amount of sex they're having versus the amount you're not having, you poor soul. Let's just hope they're practicing great birth control, otherwise we'll soon see them on Facebook's Most Annoying Parents list. Unfriend.
Lee Ann Womack has been added to next year's George Strait tour with special guest Reba McEntire. The arena trek kicks off on January 22nd in Baltimore, Maryland and runs through April 10th in Des Moines, Iowa.
Lee Ann has long been a fan of George's and toured with him multiple times as part of his Country Music Festival. She has recorded with the "King" of country music and even developed a friendship with him over the years, but Lee Ann says no one humbles her more than George. "There are times I think in people's careers when they go through those hot spells or whatever. And you think, I'm rockin', I'm doing good, you know. And then you get around George Strait and you think, 'Man, I'm nothing' (laughs). He's just so huge, and people just go crazy when he walks into a room or when he walks out on stage. There's nothing that will humble you quicker than being in his presence, because it's like 'Lee Ann who?'"
While thrilled about the tour, Lee Ann is already having wardrobe issues. She joked, "I'm trying to figure out what to wear, cause you can't out-starch George and you sure can't out-spangle Reba!"
Lee Ann and George were nominated for Musical Event of the Year at last week's CMA Awards for "Everything But Quits."
The two won that award in 2005 for "Good News, Bad News."
Dierks Bentley will take the first few months of the new year off to work on two new projects that he hopes to release in 2010. One is his next studio album, while the other is a special bluegrass project.
Dierks told The Boot, "Every album I've done has a bluegrass song on it, so it's not a surprise that one day I might make a bluegrass record. It would be a cool thing for me."
Switching things up has become mandatory for Dierks in order to keep things interesting, he tells us: "Musically, (I) just try to make records that always excite me, I guess, and not be afraid to take chances and even somewhere down the road disappoint people with an album that maybe no one really likes but me. There's some artists who I love that make really consistent albums every time that sound the same as the one before, and I buy 'em because of that, 'cause I love that consistent sound that singer makes, but my thing is always going to be trying to take it somewhere new, looking for new sounds and new songs and new ideas and new melodies and just going in one direction or the other, hopefully always up, but maybe sometimes to the left or right and just trying to take it somewhere where it's always exciting to me."
Dierks will be hitting the road again next spring, but he hopes to squeeze in one of his High Times and Hangovers tours of bars and clubs again with group Cross Canadian Ragweed before signing on with any major tours.
Dierks' latest album, Feel That Fire, was released in February of this year.
Sugarland has been tapped to perform on the TNT Christmas In Washington special airing on December 20th at 8 p.m. ET. The duo will join President Obama and the First Lady, as well as fellow entertainers Mary J. Blige, Neil Diamond, Rob Thomas, Usher and host George Lopez. The show will be taped at the National Building Museum in Washington, DC on December 13th.
Sugarland was in Chicago recently to tape a segment for The Oprah Winfrey Show. The episode is set to air on November 30th.
FAST FACT
Sugarland is so far the only country act performing on The Grammy Nominations Concert Live!!, taking place on December 2nd at Club Nokia in Los Angeles. The show, which announces the Grammy nominees, will air live on CBS.
We now know where Dolly Parton stands on the subject of gay marriage -- she's for it, she told CNN host Joy Behar during her recent appearance on Joy's show. Dolly said, "Sure, why can't they get married? They should suffer like the rest of us do."
In all seriousness, Dolly has told us that she doesn't judge others. "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."
She does have some strong feelings for those who criticize gay people, however, like celebrated pastor Joel Osteen, who recently said that "homosexuality is not God's best work." Dolly said, "I think God made us who we are and how we are, and I don't think if (Osteen) was a religious person, he would be judging people."
Other country stars who have recently come to the defense of gay people and their right to legally marry include Reba McEntire and Sugarland's Jennifer Nettles. In fact, Jennifer has performed at Gay Pride in Atlanta on three different occasions. She told ChicagoPride.com, "I've always had a large gay following, particularly in the lesbian community. I am grateful for that. To me, it means my music transcends categories. It also means that I'm a cute girl singing a rock song in an alto voice!"
Actress Jennette McCurdy from the TV show iCarly is trying to break into the country music biz. Jennette will not be leaving her day job as Sam Puckett on the popular Nickelodeon show, but she's been spending a lot of time in Nashville writing for her debut album. The 17-year-old is signed to Capitol Records.
Jennette told The Tennessean, "I've been a country music fan my whole life. My grandma and my mom raised me on country music. Right now, I'm in love with Keith Urban. It's pretty sad. There's no way I should be thinking this much about him. I have to stop it. I love Rascal Flatts. They are the nicest guys."
Jennette plans to make the big move to Nashville early next year, but will continue to commute to California for the show.
There is no word yet on when her first album will be released.
NICOLE RICHIE HOSPITALIZED WITH PNEUMONIA: Nicole Richie has been hospitalized with pneumonia. X17Online.com received a statement from the star's rep which reads, "Nicole has checked into Cedars Sinai where she is being treated for pneumonia. She is doing well."
GERARD BUTLER RECREATES MICHALE JACKSON SCENE: Gerard Butler paid homage to Michael Jackson on Tuesday (November 17th), pretending to dangle a fake baby out of his London hotel room. E! reports that Butler's "baby" was actually just a plant wrapped in a towel but it's expected he was aiming to recreate Jackson's infamous 2002 scene in Berlin. Check out Butler: http://tinyurl.com/yg2ltng
COPS REPORTEDLY CALLED OVER PARIS HILTON ARGUMENT: Paris Hilton and boyfriend Doug Reinhardt reportedly got into a drunken argument early Wednesday (November 18th) morning. PerezHilton.com reports that police responded to a call regarding "drunk people arguing" after a witness saw Hilton screaming at Reinhardt outside a residence. After Reinhardt got out of his car, the two supposed began shoving each other, but went back inside after police confronted them at the scene. Hilton denied the story, telling TMZ.com, ""Doug and I were in bed, sound asleep, when Doug's houseguests from hell got into an argument. We had nothing to do with it. Doug told the LAPD that his guests' fight was over and that we had nothing to do with it."
ANDREW LLYOD WEBBER HOSPITALIZED: Andrew Llyod Webber was hospitalized earlier this week after developing an infection following surgery relating to his battle with prostate cancer. A statement on the famed composer's website read, "He has been advised that while the operation was entirely successful, he has developed a postoperative 'chronic infection' which needs immediate treatment. He still hopes to be back at work in the New Year.
THOUSANDS OF 'NEW MOON' SCREENINGS SELLING: Over 2,000 screenings of New Moon have reportedly sold out. A spokesperson for MovieTickets.com said that 2,150 showings of the film are at capacity, adding that the film is "accounting for 90 percent of all ticket sales."
WILL FERRELL DEEMED HOLLYWOOD'S MOST OVERPAID STAR: Will Ferrell is Hollywood's most overpaid star, according to Forbes magazine. Using a formula that calculated the actor's estimated salary on each film, including DVD and TV sales, compared to the film's revenues from theater box offices and elsewhere, Forbes.com said that for every dollar Ferrell was paid, his films earned an average $3.29. Flops like Land of the Lost, Semi-Pro and Step Brothers are to blame for his decreasing value. Other overpaid stars include Ewan McGregor, Billy Bob Thorton and Eddie Murphy. To see the top ten, go to: http://tinyurl.com/y95njsn
'GOSSIP GIRL' STAR DESIGNING JEWELRY: Michelle Trachtenberg is getting into the jewelry design business. Usmagazine.com reports that the Gossip Girl actress has signed a deal with luxe handbag designer Coach to design a line of costume jewelry. The designs, which Women's Wear Daily describes as "tough-girl meets sugary-sweet vibe," will hit stores next spring.
HEATHER LOCKLEAR DOESN'T HELP 'MELROSE' MUCH: Heather Locklear's hyped return to Melrose Place did little to boost the show's sagging ratings. The Hollywood Reporter announced that Locklear's debut earlier this week bumped ratings just 14 percent from its series-low-matching performance a week ago -- pulling in a total audience of 1.5 million. The publication noted that the show is still dropping 30 percent from its 90210 lead-in.
After revealing a handwritten agreement detailing the working relationship between Jon Gosselin and his former fling Kate Major, RadarOnline.com is reporting that Major plans on suing the reality dad for breach of that contract. The scrawled agreement stated that Major would act as Gosselin's personal assistant and handle "some but not all future accounts" in exchange for letting Jon regulate her conversations with the media.
Attorney Ben Pietra told Radar, "Kate called me and has retained my services regarding a possible breach of contract between herself and Jon Gosselin. We are keeping our legal options open, but if a breach of contract has occurred, we will be moving forward with a lawsuit."
A source told the website that after Kate resigned from her position as an entertainment magazine reporter, "Kate 2.0 and Jon spent a weekend in a hotel where they drew up the contract. Jon told her he would match the salary she was making at the magazine if she came to work for him as his personal employee."
Rob Pattinson's fan interactions have become quite abnormal since shooting to super-fame with the Twilight saga. In separate interviews for New Moon, the actor detailed how he's bitten members of his adoring public -- and gotten them to strip for him.
On The Late Show with David Letterman, Pattinson admitted that a male fan asked that the actor bite him, and Rob complied.
While talking to Ellen DeGeneres, Pattinson revealed that on one press line, "You kind of get 10 seconds with each person and you never really say anything and I kind of got bored of saying, 'Hey, how are you doing?' A fan] said in her 10 seconds, 'What can I do to get your attention?' I was like um, just take your clothes off."
He continued, "She stood there and frantically started taking her clothes off and got dragged out of the room by security. I never felt more terrible."
SIDE NOTES
Fandango released the following facts from a survey New Moon fans:
66% say the love story in "New Moon" is the biggest draw in their decision to buy a ticket.
57% claim Alice Cullen (Ashley Greene) is the secondary character they'd most like to see in his or her own "Twilight" spin-off movie.
39% of moviegoers plan to take off time on Friday - from school or work - in order to see the movie.
27% of respondents surprisingly picked "Breaking Dawn" as their favorite book among Stephanie Meyer's "Twilight" novels; 16% chose "Eclipse; 11% voted for the first "Twilight" and only 8% pegged "New Moon" as their favorite. (38% said they love all the "Twilight" books equally.)
MARTHA STEWART GOES AFTER RACHEL RAY IN NEW INTERVIEW
Martha Stewart slammed competitor Rachel Ray in a new interview with ABC News' Nightline. In her first television sit-down since serving five months in prison in 2004 for lying to investigators about a stock trade, Stewart says of Ray, "Well, to me, she professed that she could -- cannot bake. She -- just did a new cookbook which is just a re-edit of a lot of her old recipes. She -- and that's not good enough for me."
She went on to say that Ray is "more of an entertainer ... with her bubbly personality, than she is a teacher, like me. That's not what she's professing to be."
When asked if she was angered by Stewart's remarks, Ray responded, "Why would it make me mad? Her skill set is far beyond mine. That's simply the reality of it." Ray added, "That doesn't mean that what I do isn't important too . . . I don't consider it needling. I really just think she's being honest. She does have a better skill set than I do when it comes to producing a beautiful, perfect, high-quality meal. I'd rather eat Martha's than mine, too."
Usmagazine.com reports that the interview will air tonight (November 19th)
JOHNNY DEPP REPEATS AS PEOPLE MAG'S SEXIEST MAN ALIVE
Johnny Depp has been crowned People magazine's 2009 Sexiest Man Alive -- six years after the honor was first bestowed upon him in 2003. Kate Coyne, the publication's senior editor, announced the news on Wednesday (November 18th), explaining that Depp has achieved an almost "iconic status in terms of sexiness."
The magazine said in a statement, "Whether it's onscreen in roles like Captain Jack Sparrow in the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise or at home with his family on their private Bahamian island, the 46-year-old father of two with 25 years in show business still reigns as Hollywood's most irresistible iconoclast,"
People reports that the only other two-time winners are Brad Pitt and George Clooney. Depp is succeeding 2008's sexist man, Hugh Jackman.
Other sexy men recognized by the magazine include Zac Efron, Ryan Reynolds and Rob Pattinson -- who many blogs feel was more deserving of the title this year.
It's unclear if Taylor Lautner and Taylor Swift are dating -- but they're certainly not engaged. A rep for the New Moon star denied a report in the National Enquirer claiming that the 17-year-old recently proposed to the country star.
A source told the publication, "Just weeks after winning approval from country star Taylor Swift's mom to date her daughter, 'Twilight' hunk Taylor Lautner has proposed!" The Enquirer acknowledged that the couple's families then urged the pair to get to know each other better "before taking such a big step."
Lautner's rep deemed the story in its entirety, "absolutely not true."
The director of New Moon plans to quit movie-making for good after completing one last project. Chris Weitz told MovieMaker magazine, "Every time I make a movie I'm pretty much convinced it's the last time I'm going to be able to do it and that really it's a rather silly occupation to undertake. But I think I have maybe one more film in me."
The director says that he wants his final work to be an homage to the Italian classic The Bicycle Thief called The Gardener. He explained, "I feel that if I were to do this one film, I'd feel okay just sitting back and reading. I'd really like to read some books. You know, it sounds ridiculous, but I'd really like to be a better surfer. I'd like to learn to speak Spanish fluently; I'd like to travel around, live in Italy; I'd like to learn kung fu ... It's nice to make movies, but it's also really hard."
REID UNVEILS HEALTH INSURANCE REFORM LEGISLATION: Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid yesterday (November 18th) finally unveiled health insurance reform legislation written over weeks of negotiation with White House aides and incorporating elements from two bills passed earlier by Senate committees. The 10-year, $849 billion measure will extend coverage to 30 million more Americans, and ban insurance companies from rejecting people with pre-existing conditions. According to Congressional Budget Office estimates, it will reduce deficits by $127 billion over a decade. The measure will set up insurance marketplaces, where consumers would have the choice of buying government-sold insurance, and Americans would be required to carry health insurance, but subsidies would be provided to help those who couldn't otherwise afford it. Next up will be a vote to bring the legislation to the floor for weeks of debate and votes on amendments.
Reid released his legislation more than a week after the House approved its version of a health insurance reform bill on a 220-215 vote.
OBAMA AND HOLDER SAY 9/11 MASTERMIND WILL BE CONVICTED:President Obama and Attorney General Eric Holder yesterday (November 18th) both rejected criticism of the decision to try professed 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed in New York, and predicted he'd be convicted and executed. Obama, speaking in TV interviews on his Asian trip, said those offended by the rights given Mohammed by him facing a civilian instead of military trial won't find it, quote, "offensive at all when he's convicted and when the death penalty is applied to him." At the same time, he added he's not prejudging the outcome. Meanwhile, Holder spoke as he was questioned by the Senate Judiciary Committee. He said he's certain Mohammed and four alleged accomplices will be convicted, saying, "Failure is not an option." Addressing concerns raised by GOP opponents that Mohammed will use the trial as a platform to spew his hateful rhetoric, Holder said judges can control unruly defendants and that whatever he says will make him look worse,declaring, "I have every confidence that the nation and the world will see him for the coward that he is. I'm not scared of what Khalid Sheikh Mohammed has to say at trial -- and no one else needs to be, either."
OBAMA WARNS IRAN AFTER IT REJECTS NUCLEAR DEAL: President Obama issued a strong warning to Iran Thursday (November 19th) of the consequences of its rejection of a deal to send enriched uranium abroad for further processing, which aimed to delay Iran's potential ability to make bombs by at least a year. The International Atomic Energy Agency had said Iran should send 75 percent of its enriched uranium to Russia and France, where it would be turned into fuel for a medical research reactor in Tehran. Speaking in South Korea Obama said the U.S. had begun discussions with its allies, quote, "about the importance of having consequences," meaning more sanctions. However, Iran's foreign minister rejected such talk, saying the West had learned from, quote, "failed experiences" of the past.
SEBELIUS SAYS WOMEN SHOULD GET MAMMOGRAMS AT AGE 40: Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said Wednesday (November 18th) that women should continue getting annual mammograms starting at age 40, speaking amid the uproar and confusion caused by a government task-force recommendation task force two days earlier that the breast screening test isn't needed until women turn 50, and then only every two years. The American Cancer Society has long said annual mammograms should begin at age 40, and they were among those rejecting the panel's recommendation. Sebelius said that policies regarding Medicare coverage for mammograms hasn't changed, explaining that the task force doesn't, quote, "set federal policy and they don't determine what services are covered by the federal government." She continued, "Indeed, I would be very surprised if any private insurance company changed its mammography coverage decisions as a result of this action."
JUDGE: ARMY CORPS OF ENGINEERS' NEGLIGENCE LED TO KATRINA FLOODING: A federal judge ruled Wednesday (November 18th) that the Army Corps of Engineers' failure to properly maintain a navigation channel led to massive flooding in New Orleans in Hurricane Katrina. The judge sided with five residents and one business who'd brought the suit charging negligence caused the flooding of the Lower Ninth Ward and St. Bernard Parish, and awarded them $720,000. His decision could eventually lead to the government having to pay much more money, as it should give more than 100,000 other individuals, businesses and government entities better odds of getting billions of dollars in damages.
ATTEMPTED PIRATE ATTACK ON MAERSK ALABAMA THWARTED: An attempted Somali pirate attack was thwarted Wednesday (November 18th) against the Maersk Alabama, the U.S. cargo ship hijacked in April whose captain was held hostage for days before being freed by Navy SEAL sharpshooters. Private security guards aboard the ship used guns and a sound blaster to repel the attack off the Horn of Africa, as the Maersk Alabama was headed to Kenya. Experts say it's not unusual for ships to be attacked by pirates more than once, especially in trouble spots.
TODAY'S FYI:
HUNDREDS TURN OUT FOR START OF PALIN BOOK TOUR: Hundreds of people turned out in Michigan, yesterday (November 18th) for the first stop of Sarah Palin's three-week book tour for her new memoir, Going Rogue. More than a thousand people lined up at a Barnes & Noble in Grand Rapids to meet the former Alaska governor and 2008 GOP vice presidential nominee after getting wristbands allowing them to get two copies of the book signed. Although the memoir was just released Tuesday, it has topped online best-seller lists for weeks. Palin has done several interviews related to the book release, including with Oprah Winfrey, Barbara Walters, and several conservative commentators, including Rush Limbaugh.
OBAMA MET WITH HALF-BROTHER IN CHINA:President Obama said yesterday (November 18th) that he'd met briefly in China with a half-brother who lives there and who recently wrote a semi-autobiographical novel about their Kenyan father, who the brother says was abusive. Obama spent three days in China earlier this week as part of his Asian tour, and confirmed that he'd met with Mark Ndesandjo when asked about it by CNN. Obama said, "I don't know him well. I met him for the first time a couple of years ago. He stopped by with his wife for about five minutes during the trip." Ndesandjo, who's lived in China since 2002, described the meeting to AP as being "overwhelming" and "intense." The two last met in January, when Ndesandjo attended Obama's inauguration as a family guest.
Ndesandjo's mother, Ruth Nidesand, was Barack Obama Sr.'s third wife, who he married after divorcing Barack Obama's mother two years after he was born. Obama Sr. died in a car accident in 1982.
BAD NEWS FOR EGGO WAFFLES FANS: Kellogg had some bad news yesterday (November 18th) for fans of their Eggo frozen waffles, announcing that there's going to be a shortage nationwide until next summer because of interruptions in production at two of the four plants that make them. An Atlanta plant was shut down for some time by a storm in September that dumped large amounts of rain, and some production lines at a Tennessee plant are closed indefinitely for repairs. The effects of the shortage are already being felt, with many stores having near-empty Eggo shelves.
BYRD NOW LONGEST-SERVING MEMBER OF CONGRESS EVER: Democratic Senator Robert Byrd of West Virginia became the longest-serving member of Congress ever on Wednesday (November 18th), after nearly 57 years of service. Byrd, who'll turn 92 Friday and is in fragile health, said, "I've loved every precious minute of it," during a day of floor tributes to him as the Senate passed a resolution marking the milestone. He wept a few minutes later as he said his only regret is that his wife Erma, who died in 2006, wasn't there. Byrd was first elected to the House in 1952, and then moved up six years later to the Senate, where he is now in his unprecedented ninth term. The record had previously been held by Democrat Carl Hayden of Arizona, who served in the House and Senate from 1912 to 1969.
CANDY CROWLEY TALKS ABOUT HER WEIGHT LOSS: People who are regular CNN watchers couldn't help but notice that senior political correspondent Candy Crowley has lost a significant amount of weight. While there's been speculation in the blogosphere about how she did it, Crowley hadn't spoken about her weight loss publicly until now, when she agreed to speak Tuesday (November 17th) to James Rainey of the L.A. Times. Crowley said she'd been reluctant to come forward, but she wanted to thank the many fans who've sent her emails expressing their admiration, and to shoot down the chatter than she might have had gastric bypass or Lap-Band surgery. Instead, Crowley said she's lost the weight through dieting, swimming and working out since last December. But she believes what might have made the biggest difference is that she's taken up transcendental medication, explaining, "I'm lighter now in a lot of ways."
CHENEY HAS NEW GRANDCHILD: Former Vice President Dick Cheney and his wife Lynne have become grandparents for the seventh time, after their daughter Mary Cheney gave birth to a baby girl yesterday (November 18th) named Sarah Lynne Cheney. This is the second child for Mary and her partner, Heather Poe, after their son Samuel was born in 2007.
SPORTS:
ANGELS' SCIOSCIA, ROCKIES' TRACY WIN MANAGER OF THE YEAR:Mike Scioscia of the Los Angeles Angels and Jim Tracy of the Colorado Rockies were named Manager of the Year yesterday (November 18th) for the American League and National League, respectively. This is a second Manager of the Year award for Scioscia, who managed his team to a third consecutive division title during a difficult year that included the April death of pitcher Nick Adenhart in a car accident. Tracy, who led his team to winning the wild card, became
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