Carrie Underwood is joining Oprah Winfrey, first lady Michelle Obama and Tyra Banks as part of PETA's (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) new "Fur-Free and Fabulous" campaign. The posters are currently hanging in Washington, D.C. Metro stations to promote the city's "Make D.C Fur-Free" campaign.
FAST FACTS
Carrie is a vegetarian.
She was voted PETA's Sexiest Vegetarian in both 2005 and 2007.
Kenny Chesney picked up a couple of furry friends as Christmas presents for his girlfriend earlier this month. The singer flew to the Bardstown-Nelson County Airport in Kentucky with his galpal, Amy Colley, to buy two puppies -- female teacup MaltiPoos and named them Molly and Dolly. According to TheKentucky Standard, Kenny sat on the couch and let a puppy crawl up on his chest and lick his face, and he laughed and said the puppy loved him.
FAST FACTS:
Kenny graduated from East Tennessee State University in 1990 with a degree in marketing.
Kenny's middle name is Arnold.
One of Kenny's favorite songs is Keith Whitley's "Don't Close Your Eyes."
Some of the odd jobs Kenny had were as a telemarketer and a mailroom sorter.
What are some of your favorite stars doing to welcome in the New Year, not to mention a new decade? Many of them are working to help fans celebrate, however several artists have taken the time off around the holidays and will hit it hard when they return to the road in mid-to-late January. Some artists have resolutions and some are very helpful with their own hangover cures for those who imbibe too much on New Year's Eve.
Jack Ingram will be ringing in 2010 while performing at Cowboys Dancehall in San Antonio, Texas.
Diamond Rio takes part in FOX News' All-American New Year's Eve special tonight.
Randy Houser will toast 2010 in Kennesaw, Georgia at Cowboy's Concert Hall.
Eli Young Band will bring in the New Year at the Verizon Wireless Theater in Houston, Texas.
If you happen to be in Music City for New Year's Eve, you can catch Jeffrey Steele headlining the spectacular show at Nashville's Wildhorse Saloon. His special guest is former Trick Pony member Ira Dean.
Keith Anderson will be hanging around his hometown of Miami, Oklahoma, ringing in the New Year at the Buffalo Run Casino. He tells us he'd rather be on stage on the biggest party night of the year. "New Year's Eve, unless I'm playing, I'd much rather be at home. I used to, before I had my deal and used to travel all the time, we would usually go and try to find something fun to do. But it just gets so long by the time New Year's Eve hits, you're pretty much toast. (laughs)"
Bucky Covington usually likes to be on stage for New Year's Eve. He says, "My favorite spot to celebrate New Year's, hands down, would easily be on a stage, because people love to go out and have a good time on New Year's. So, I would love to be a part of that. Or sitting at home with my brother, family and friends, and just laying back and watching the ball drop in New York. And you can guess the rest."And Bucky will be performing in Winston-Salem, North Carolina .
Justin Moore will be counting down the seconds until 2010 at The Village in Little Rock, Arkansas.
Gloriana is set to play Columbia Basin College in Pasco, Washington on New Year's Eve.
Billy Dean, along with his Big Band, will perform in Tallahassee, Florida.
Sarah Buxton tells us her favorite New Year's Eve memory is when she played a gig in Nashville. "Probably my favorite New Year's Eve was a show that Jedd Hughes and I did at The Basement here in Nashville. We started playing at nine o'clock and we played until like two in the morning. His band, and they were my band too, and we just rocked out all night. And all of our friends came, and we drank champagne, and it was too much fun."
Eddie Montgomery and Troy Gentry, who are spending the New Year on stage at a resort in Rancho Mirage, California, are just like the rest f us when it comes to New Year's resolutions. Eddie tells us: "My New Year's resolution is the same one as usually everybody's. It's always you want to lose a little weight, you know. I definitely want to spend time with the family. And I definitely want to make great music, brother, and hang with you and have a great time and see all our friends out on the road playing and just have a great time." However, Troy reminds us of one significant difference -- "You know, I'm on the same lines -- everybody wants to lose a little weight. And you know, I want to be a good dad and I want to be a good husband and I want to get out there and win over the hearts of our fans and continue making great music."
Some people use New Year's Eve as an excuse to imbibe many adult beverages, and Dierks Bentley says he doesn't really have a cure for the inevitable hangover that may occur on New Year's Day. "I think January first is universally accepted as a day off. So, I mean a little hair of the dog, I guess. But just water and stay on the couch, I guess. There's no real sure-fire cure for that."
Chuck Wicks disagrees. He has one tip for curing a hangover: ["Sleep. Sleep it off, or drink more. That always works. If you stay drunk you never have a hangover. I'm a genius. I'm a genius. I think I've made a breakthrough. Ladies and gentlemen, if you stay drunk, you'll never be hung over."
Tracy Lawrence agrees, saying the best cure for a hangover is alcohol. "There ain't nothing better than the dog that bit ya. Bloody Marys and mimosas -- trust me. Just get back on it."
Lee Brice, who is in his hometown of Sumter, South Carolina "to ring in this exciting new year of my life with my friends," explains what works best for him when he has a hangover. "There's the hair of the dog approach, which is to just stomach whatever you were drinking the night before -- a really stiff one, and you'll feel better immediately. Or my favorite actual hangover cure is the actual process of sleeping in on the couch, watching football, eating like Chinese food or something, or something with cheese and meat and bread and fries and ketchup and ranch dressing. (laughs) That's the cure for me -- just sitting around all day, letting it pass, relaxing."
Newcomers Steel Magnolia says 2009 was a year they'll never forget, especially with winning CMT's Can You Duet and getting signed to a record deal. Meghan Linsey and Joshua Scott Jones explains: "Just, I think, definitely winning the show was a huge milestone this year, and getting the deal with Big Machine, obviously. The radio tour. The radio tour was just amazing. Working with Dann Huff . . . I think there's a whole number of things. The Grand Ole Opry debut was a huge thing for us. Yeah, just a lot of big things happened."
Jimmy Wayne has been preparing for his "Meet Me Halfway" walk, which kicks off Friday morning. In fact, he secured a sponsorship from Marmot for his attire and supplies to help keep him warm and comfortable during the nearly 17-hundred mile walk. He tells us, "I have a sponsorship from Marmot. They've provided me with the attire that I'll need to withstand the cold temperature, sleeping bag, tent. And again, I'm just simulating being homeless. I, obviously, have the means to pick up the phone and call if I get stranded or if something happens, if I'm in danger. And I'll have money, unlike these kids. I can stop by and buy food. I'm not gonna be homeless. I'm gonna walk from here to Arizona. I'm gonna sleep outside, but I'm not gonna go hungry. (laughs)"
Jimmy wants to not only raise awareness of the plight of homeless teens and children, but also raise funds for organizations that benefit homeless and at-risk youths.
Jimmy plans on walking from Monroe Harding in Nashville to Phoenix, Arizona (which is halfway across America) beginning Friday (January 1st) at 10 a.m. CT.
Phil Vassar has a great sense of humor, especially when it comes to making fun of himself. That humor even spills over at his shows, where at his merchandise tables, there are tank tops that read "Future Mrs. Vassar." In an interview with The Boot, he was asked if there will be a future Mrs. Vassar, and if the third time (he's been married, and divorced, twice) will be a charm. First off, Phil jokes the shirt wasn't his idea, but states, "I have no plans for [getting married anytime soon]. I have started to date again. But bringing somebody around my kids again . . . that terrifies me. What if they're nuts? And they usually turn out to be in my experience!" He adds, "But seriously, I've got to do the right thing when it comes to that."
Phil's new album, Traveling Circus, is in stores now.
Kris Kristofferson and Rosanne Cash are reportedly on board to star in a new musical created by John Mellencamp and horror book author Stephen King. The show, called Ghost Brothers Of Darkland County, is set to debut in Atlanta in September of 2010.
Other celebs reportedly scheduled to participate in the musical include Elvis Costello, Sheryl Crow and boxer Joe Frazier.
John and Stephen have been collaborating on Ghost Brothers for the past 10 years.
The musical is about a Mississippi family in the 1950s who are struck by tragedy.
A special edition package of Ghost Brothers will be available for purchase sometime next year. It will include the show's book, a two-CD cast recording of the entire production and a CD with John Mellencamp's songs by themselves. The package will be produced by T-Bone Burnett.
Taylor Swift's "Love Story" is being played in the background of the trailer for the upcoming feature film, Letters to Juliet.
Taylor Swift's Fearless tops the 2009 country chart in Australia. Lee Kernaghan's Planet Country is Number Two, followed by Keith Urban's Defying Gravity. Also in the Top 10 are Keith's Greatest Hits collection, 18 Kids, Tim McGraw's Southern Voice and Carrie Underwood's Play On.
Brad Paisley says he's not going to add acting to his resume any time soon. He tweeted earlier this week, "An According to Jim I guested on was on tonight. I watched it. I think I, uh, will stick to music."
Shania Twain will carry the Olympic torch through her hometown of Timmins, Ontario in Canada on Friday (New Year's Day). Log onto CTVOlympics.ca/torch at 7 p.m. ET to watch her run. The Winter Olympics are set to begin on February 12th in Vancouver.
Merle Haggard postponed his January 7th show in Mesa, Arizona, due to a scheduling conflict, to May 9th.
Condolences go to country duo The Bellamy Brothers, whose mother Frances passed away on December 24th. A private funeral has already been held. She was 85.
Kitty Wells and her husband Johnny Wright give their final public performance in Nashville.
Guitarist Eddy Shaver, son of singer/songwriter Billy Joe Shaver, died of a heroin overdose at age 38 in 2000.
The Country Music Hall of Fame, which had been in the same Nashville location for 33 years, closes its doors. A new museum facility in downtown Nashville opens five months later in 2000.
Wynonna and Naomi Judd reunite in Las Vegas for their first full-length concert in eight years. The show also serves as the kickoff of a reunion tour that would extend into June in 1999.
Country Music and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame pianist Floyd Cramer dies of cancer at 64 in 1997.
Ricky Nelson died in an airplane crash near DeKalb, Texas, at age 45 in 1985.
Grand Ole Opry star Del Reeves, who had his biggest hit in 1965 when "Girl on the Billboard" topped the country chart, died on New Year's Day in 2007. He was 74, and had been suffering from an unspecified illness for some time.
Jamey Johnson moved to Nashville in 2000.
"Wild One" became Faith's Hill's first number one in 1994.
Johnny Cash performed at San Quentin prison in 1959, with Merle Haggard in the audience.
Sun Records released "Blue Suede Shoes" by Carl Perkins in 1956.
Hank Williams was pronounced dead at OakHillGeneralHospital in West Virginia in 1953, after passing away in the back seat of a Cadillac, en route to a show in Canton, Ohio.
IT'S SIR PATRICK STEWART NOW: Is this better than being captain of a starship? Patrick Stewart, best known in the United States as Captain Jean-Luc Picard on Star Trek: The Next Generation, has been knighted by Britain's Queen Elizabeth II. His name popped up on the New Year's List of honorees.
ERIK GATES OF MYTHBUSTERS DIES:Erik Gates, the "Amateur Rocket Expert" for the Discovery Channel show MythBusters, has been killed in a freak accident at a work site in California, according to CNN. He was 47. Gates reportedly fell 30 feet from a skylight while doing electrical work on a roof in Newbury Park, California. He was an owner of Gateco Electric, which was employed at the site.
CARLY POPE INJURED IN CARJACKING:Carly Pope was rushed to a Vancouver hospital on Tuesday after a car thief smashed up her BMW, with her still in the passenger seat. TMZ reports that Pope's brother was driving the car when a man jumped onto the hood. When the brother got out to investigate, the carjacker leaped into the driver's seat. Police say that the suspect hit three other cars before finally crashing into a building. The actress, the suspect and a pedestrian were taken to a hospital for treatment. Pope was released the same day, and the suspect was taken into custody. Criminal charges are pending. Pope had a starring role in the WB comedy Popular. She has since appeared in 24, Californication and Dirt.
BROOKE MUELLER'S ARREST HISTORY RELEASED: The wife of Charlie Sheen has her own troubled history, according to Florida documents posted by RadarOnline. Brooke Mueller has been arrested twice, in September 1996, for driving under the influence and again in March 2001 for cocaine possession, a 3rd degree felony. There are conflicting reports on whether the couple is headed for divorce court or marriage counseling in the wake of a Christmas Day incident at their rented home in Aspen, Colorado that ended in Sheen's arrest on domestic violence charges.
Sheen's sitcom Two and a Half Men held steady in the ratings this week. The top-rated CBS comedy drew an estimated 11.1 million viewers for a repeat on Monday, according to preliminary Nielsen ratings. A year ago, it pulled 11.9 million. Sheen and the rest of the cast are expected to be back at work on Monday after the show's holiday break.
TIGER WOODS IS NOT AS DUMB AS WE FEARED: Earlier reports that Tiger Woods and his Number 1 mistress Rachel Uchitel have been partying all over Palm Beach over the holiday season are not true, according to celebrity lawyer Gloria Allred, who represents Uchitel. Allred told RadarOnline: "Ms. Uchitel has had absolutely no contact with Tiger Woods for quite some time, and has not seen him or had any communication with him since she has been in Palm Beach."
Oh, and, uh, happy birthday, Tiger. The world's best golfer and possibly the world's biggest public relations nightmare since Saddam Hussein celebrated his 34th birthday yesterday (Wednesday).
CHIEF GETS JAIL TIME IN PARKER-BRODERICK SURROGATE CASE: Former Ohio police chief Barry Carpenter has been sentenced to two years and eight months in prison for entering the home of the surrogate who bore twins for Sarah Jessica Parker and Matthew Broderick. Carpenter was convicted last month on charges of receiving stolen property, theft in office and evidence tampering, but was acquitted of other counts, including burglary. Prosecutors said he stole items related to her surrogacy from Michelle Ross' home in May, and conspired with the police chief of a neighboring town to sell the items to celebrity photographers. Carpenter resigned two weeks ago as police chief in Martins Ferry.
SIGOURNEY WEAVER TO HOST SNL: Sigourney Weaver is way hot again. Hotter than she's been since Aliens and Ghostbuster days. Hot enough to host Saturday Night Live on one of its first new shows of 2010. The star of Avatar will be there on January 16th. You'll recognize her because she really is extremely tall, although she's not usually blue. And speaking of extremely tall, NBC great Charles Barkley opens the SNL season a week earlier, on January 9th.
BRAD PITT AND KIDS DO TIMES SQUARE: Brad Pitt and sons Maddox and Pax acted just like normal tourists on the loose in Times Square on Wednesday, at least if you didn't notice the four giant security guards surrounding them. The star, 46, and his younger brother Doug took the boys to the noisy arcade restaurant Dave & Buster's for a little shoot-'em-up action, UsMagazine.com reports. Pitt and Pax, age 6, won a giant stuffed animal playing The Big One. Then Pax and Maddox, age 8, got to work on the life-size guns of the war game Razing Storm. They have pics--which show that Brad still has that horrible scraggly beard that makes him look like a serial killer.
ROSIE'S GOT A NEW GAL PAL: Rosie O'Donnell has a new girlfriend, named Tracy Kachtick-Anders, her representative has confirmed. Kachtick-Anders is a Texas-based artist and an activist for adoption rights who has six children of her own. Rosie has four, so that's going to make for some loud dinner parties.
PETA'S PEOPLE: The animal rights group PETA has chosen Ellen DeGeneres for its Woman of the Year, and Tim Gunn as its Man of the Year. De Generes is a vegan, and has highlighted vegan recipes on her talk show. Gunn has banned the use of fur from Project Runway and from the company Liz Claiborne, where he is chief creative officer.
JON AND HAILEY MAY BE TALKING: Oh, please, both of you, just shut up! Ex-television reality star Jon Gosselin and his ex-girlfriend Hailey Glassman reportedly are ready to talk to each other long enough to declare a truce in their public yelling-and-spitting match. You'll remember he accuses her of trashing his new apartment and breaking his valuable Ming vase on Christmas, and she says she had nothing to do with it, and anyway, he probably did it himself.
THE BIGGEST LITTLE INDEPENDENT MOVIES: Looking for something good to pop into the DVR? The movie news site indieWIRE has a list of the top grossing independent movies of the decade. Here they are:
1. The Passion of the Christ, 2004 (Newmarket) $370,274,604
2. My Big Fat Greek Wedding, 2003 (IFC Films) $241,438,208
10. March of the Penguins, 2005 (Warner Independent) $77,437,223
COMIC CONTEST MAY BE BACK: NBC may bring back the show Last Comic Standing, a talent show that ran for six seasons ending in 2008. EW.com reports that the show will be re-launched, with a new host replacing Bill Bellamy. It will air next summer. The show pits comedians against each other in a competition for a development contract with NBC.
The fans of Jeff Dunham are intensely loyal. And his detractors are equally intense in their loathing of the comic, who is politically incorrect to put it mildly. So it's big television news that Comedy Central has canceled The Jeff Dunham Show after only a couple of months on the air. They had pretty good reasons: It debuted as the highest-rated premiere ever on Comedy Central. But 55 percent didn't go back for Episode 2, and by December it was averaging less than two million viewers. And the critics, as AOL's TV section notes, were savage. Time magazine called him "politically incorrect, gratuitously insulting and ill tempered." The New York Times said that Dunham might just be "the most offensive person on television." A Web site called Videogum went farther, calling the show the "worst thing in the entire world," and that was just the headline.
After a long leave of absence, Regis Philbin returns to Live with Regis and Kelly on January 4th. The veteran television host has been off the air since late November, recovering from hip-replacement surgery. Now 78 years old, Philbin will rejoin co-host Kelly Ripa for some more daytime chat. His guests on his first week back are expected to include Amy Adams, Gabourey Sidibe, Tim Allen and Chris Meloni.
Regis got his first national television role in 1967 as the sidekick for Joey Bishop on the short-lived late-night The Joey Bishop Show. He has been on the air, on local or national television programs, ever since. According to Wikipedia, Philbin set a Guinness World Record for "Most Hours on Camera" on his August 20th, 2004 show, topping Hugh Downs. At that time, he had spent a total of 15,188 hours on television.
INTERNET COMMENTS: AGREE OR DISAGREE?
From Jamie M on omg.com: "Regis is the man...Kelly and Her "man" make me sick!"
From jobena on omg.com: "Don't like him or the show. Won't be watching"
You heard it here first. Anna Kendrick Is The 'It Girl' Of 2010. Well, okay, you could have read it first on Popeater, but still. The site says Hollywood is buzzing about actress Anna Kendrick as a top prospect for female breakout star of 2010. She seems to be as good a choice as anybody. If you're a Twilight fan, you've seen her in every one of the movies in the series in a smallish role, as Bella's BNF (best non-fanged friend). She got a bigger role in Up in the Air, and nominations for a Golden Globe and a SAG award along with it. Although she's only 24, it turns out she's a showbiz veteran. She won a Tony nomination at the age of 12 for her performance in the play High Society, and made her film debut in 2003 in Camp.
What a world we live in. A West Coast sperm bank reportedly offers hopeful moms-to-be the option of picking a celebrity look-a-like as a donor. The California Cryobank lets them choose a donor who looks like their favorite actor, athlete, musician, television star, or at least "anyone famous enough to be found on the web," according to the Hollyscoop site. And the top choice for baby look-a-likes is: Ben Affleck. There's tough competition, too. The Cryobank has a long list of look-a-likes, so you can opt for a baby who looks like Robert Downey Jr. or Robin Williams, Viggo Mortensen or Vin Diesel. There's plenty more information on the California Cryobank site, including vial prices. But it doesn't have a section of tips for explaining to friends and family why your new baby looks just like Ben Affleck.CHECK IT OUT: California Cryobank has a site: www.cryobank.com
EIGHT AMERICANS KILLED IN AFGHAN SUICIDE BOMBING: Eight American cilivians and one Afghan were killed Wednesday (December 30th) in a Taliban suicide bombing at a military base in Afghanistan. A Reuters report said CIA employees were among the Americans killed. According to reports, the bomber blew himself up in the gym on the base on Khost province, and the Taliban claimed he was wearing a military uniform. Meanwhile, four Canadian troops and a reporter embedded with their unit died when their armored vehicle hit a bomb while on patrol south of Kandahar. Michelle Lang, a 34-year-old health reporter with the Calgary Herald, was the first Canadian journalist to die in Afghanistan.
YEMEN GOES AFTER AL-QAIDA: Yemeni forces raided an al-Qaida hideout and set off a gun battle Wednesday (December 30th) as the government vowed to eliminate the group that claimed it was behind the failed Christmas Day bombing attempt on a Northwest Airlines jet. A government statement said at least one suspected militant was arrested. U.S. investigators said the would-be bomber, 23-year-old Nigerian Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, has told them he got training and instructions from al-Qaida operatives in Yemen, a poor and lawless country. Yemeni forces backed by U.S. intelligence carried out two major strikes against al-Qaida hideouts this month, before the attempted plane attack, reportedly killing more than 60 militants.
Meanwhile, AP reported that a man tried to board a commercial jet in Somalia last month carrying powdered chemicals, liquid and a syringe in a case bearing striking similarities to the Detroit airliner plot. The Somali man was arrested by African Union peacekeeping troops before the Daallo Airlines flight took off, headed to Djibouti and Dubai.
The Netherlands and Nigeria said yesterday they would begin mandatory use of full-body scanners on U.S.-bound planes. Abdulmuttallab was able to get through security screening in both of their countries while wearing his "underwear bomb."
IRANIAN HARDLINERS RALLY, CALL FOR DEATH OF OPPOSITION LEADERS: Tens of thousands of hardliners took to the streets of several Iranian cities Wednesday (December 30th) in support of the Islamic nation's clerical rulers at state-sponsored rallies, some chanting calls for the execution of opposition leaders. Some of the demonstrators wore white funeral shrouds to symbolize a willingness to die in defense of the current rulers. The government gave all civil servants and employees a day off to attend rallies and organized buses to bring schoolchildren and supporters from rural areas to the protests. The rallies came after opposition demonstrations Sunday (December 27th) that triggered the worst bloodshed since the height of the unrest over the summer after the disputed presidential election.
LIMBAUGH ADMITTED TO HOSPITAL WITH CHEST PAIN: Conservative radio talk show host Rush Limbaugh was taken to a Honolulu hospital yesterday (December 30th) after suffering chest pains and was resting comfortably last night, his radio program said in a statement. Local TV station KITV reported that paramedics took the 58-year-old Limbaugh to the hospital in serious condition from the Kahala Hotel and Resort, where he was staying while on vacation in Hawaii.
Limbaugh revealed in 2001 that he had lost most of his hearing due to an autoimmune inner-ear disease, and had an electronic device implanted in his skull to restore his hearing. Two years later, Limbaugh acknowledged he was addicted to pain medication he'd been taking for back pain, and went into rehab.
TODAY'S FYI:
HIGH SCHOOLERS TO HELP WITH TIMES SQUARE BALL DROP: Twelve high school students from around New York City will help Mayor Mike Bloomberg ring in the new year tonight (December 31st), joining in pushing the button that begins the midnight drop of the crystal ball in Times Square, the New York Daily News reported. The students are high school seniors from city public schools ranked among the 100 best in America by U.S. News and World Report. Principals from the 12 schools that made the list chose who would represent them. Celebrities or famous New Yorkers are often invited to do the honors, and last year Bloomberg was joined by Bill and Hillary Clinton.
SWINE FLU NOT AS CONTAGIOUS AS OTHER PANDEMIC FLUS: A new study found that swine flu is less contagious than other new flus that have caused pandemics in the past. Specialists from Imperial College London and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention studied infection patterns in 216 people with swine flu in the US. and 600 people living with them. They found that when someone in the home had swine flu, the odds of other family members catching it are about 13 percent, although children are twice as susceptible. That's less than the rate during flu pandemics in 1957 and 1968, when 14 to 20 percent of household members were infected. With ordinary, non-pandemic flu, the spread rate varies widely, from five percent to 40 percent of household members.
RUSSIA MAY SEND SPACECRAFT TO KNOCK ASTEROID OFF COURSE: The head of Russia's space agency said Wednesday (December 30th) that a spacecraft may be sent to knock a large asteroid off course to reduce its chances of hitting the Earth. Anatoly Perminov said the space agency would be meeting soon to consider a mission to the asteroid, called Apophis, and might eventually invite NASA, the European Space Agency, the Chinese space agency and others to join the project. News of this possible mission comes despite U.S. scientists saying that it's extremely unlikely that Apophis will hit Earth. When the 885-foot asteroid was first discovered in 2004, its chances of hitting our planet in 2029 was estimated to be 1 in 37. But further studies have ruled out the possibility of an impact that year, and only indicate a small possibility of a hit in 2036 -- 1 in 250,000, and 2068 -- 1 in 330,000. Perminov wouldn't give details of the possible project, saying they still needed to be worked out, but he did say it wouldn't involve nuclear explosions.
MOST RIDICULOUS LAWSUITS OF 2009: The U.S. Chamber Institute for Legal Reform has announced the top five finishers in its first annual Most Ridiculous Lawsuit of the Year poll. Nominees were drawn from the winners of a monthly ridiculous lawsuit poll chosen by visitors to the website FacesofLawsuitAbuse.org. The top five are:
Illegal immigrants sue rancher who stopped them on his property at gunpoint and turned them over to the Border Patrol.
Polish tourist sues Egyptian hotel, claiming daughter got pregnant from swimming pool.
ABC REPORTER ENGAGED TO WHITE HOUSE BUDGET CHIEF: Romance has blossomed in Washington, as ABC News reporter Bianna Golodryga has announced the she's engaged to White House budget director Peter Orszag. According to a story posted on ABC's website, the couple met in May at the White House Correspondents Dinner. Before becoming head of the White House's Office of Management and Budget, the 41-year-old Orszag had served as director of the Congressional Budget Office. Golodryga, who's 31, joined Good Morning America in 2007, and has worked the economy and business beat and reported on the housing and credit crisis.
SPORTS:
TEXAS TECH COACH FIRED: Texas Tech fired football coach Mike Leach Wednesday (December 30th), after he took the school to court to try to overturn his suspension for alleged mistreatment of an injured player. Receiver Adam James has alleged that Leach twice made him stand in small, dark rooms while the team practiced after he was diagnosed with a concussion. News of Leach's firing came as the team is preparing for the Alamo Bowl against Michigan State on Saturday. Leach said later in a statement, "Texas Tech's decision to deal in lies and fabricate a story which led to my firing, includes, but is not limited by, the animosity remaining from last year's contract negotiations. I will not tolerate such retaliatory action; additionally, we will pursue all available legal remedies."
PACQUIAO FILES SUIT AGAINST MAYWEATHER:Manny Pacquiao filed a lawsuit Wednesday (December 30th) alleging that Floyd Mayweather Jr. and others in his camp defamed him by falsely accusing Pacquiao of using performance-enhancing drugs. The suit further complicates efforts to reach an agreement for a proposed blockbuster fight on March 13th between the two welterweight boxers. The fight has been held up by demands by the Mayweather camp that both fighters submit to random blood and urine tests leading up to the bout.
(Headline News, FYI and Sports stories were compiled in part from reports by the Associated Press and Reuters.)
WILD HOGS - A group of middle aged friends looking for adventure, hit the open road and encounter the adventure they were searching for. Starring Tim Allen, John Travolta, Martin Lawrence and William H. Macy.
DICK CLARK'S PRIMETIME NEW YEAR'S ROCKIN' EVE WITH RYAN SEACREST 2010 - The Black Eyed Peas are slated to perform.
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) - (repeat) THE TONIGHT SHOW WITH CONAN O'BRIEN (NBC) - (repeat) JIMMY KIMMEL LIVE (ABC) - (repeat) THE LATE LATE SHOW WITH CRAIG FERGUSON (CBS) - (repeat) LATE NIGHT WITH JIMMY FALLON (NBC) - (repeat) LAST CALL WITH CARSON DALY (NBC) - (repeat) THE DAILY SHOW WITH JON STEWART (COMEDY CENTRAL) - (repeat) THE COLBERT REPORT (COMEDY CENTRAL) - (repeat) LOPEZTONIGHT - (repeat)
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) - (repeat) THE TONIGHT SHOW WITH CONAN O'BRIEN (NBC) - (repeat) JIMMY KIMMEL LIVE (ABC) - (repeat) THE LATE LATE SHOW WITH CRAIG FERGUSON (CBS) - (repeat) LATE NIGHT WITH JIMMY FALLON (NBC) - (repeat) LAST CALL WITH CARSON DALY (NBC) - (repeat)
EXTREME MAKEOVER: HOME EDITION - Weather man Sam Champion and the Muppets help the team rebuild a home and daycare for a family in St. Paul, Minn.
DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES - In the aftermath of the plane crash, the residents of Wisteria Lane think about what their lives might have been like had they made different choices.
BROTHERS & SISTERS - Kitty's life is in jeopardy as the Walkers frantically search for a bone marrow donor.
E!
KEEPING UP WITH THE KARDASHIANS - Kourt gives Scott an ultimatum after he fails to take her pregnancy seriously; Bruce stands up to Kris after she confiscates his ATM card.
FLORIDA MAN CALLS 911 FOR A RIDE TO A BAR: A Florida man was arrested after he allegedly called 911 claiming he'd been beaten and shot, hoping this story would get him a ride to a bar. Gregory Oras reportedly called 911 three times before his arrest, telling the dispatcher he had a broken nose and bleeding ears and claimed people were shooting at him. The officers said the man was looking for a ride to another bar. The report also shows that Oras kicked an officer in the knee before being Tasered, as a way to subdue him. (AP)
MAN SETS BEER CAN ALARM AND FIGHTS INTRUDER: A North Dakota man set empty beer cans in front of his door to alert him to intruders and reportedly ended up fighting with an alleged burglar. Police were reportedly called to the scene after a report of two elderly men attacking each other. The alleged burglar appeared drunk and police thought it possible that the man assumed he was entering his own home. (AP)
MAN TRIES TO CARJACK TOWTRUCK AFTER CRASHING: A Hartford man crashed his car into a utility pole and then allegedly tried to carjack a towtruck who tried to help him. The man allegedly punched the towtruck driver, who got out of his truck to try to help him, and tried to steal the truck. But the driver called the police and the man ran away. He was found and was arrested. (The Hartford Courant)
MAN GETS HIS 11TH DIVORCE: A 50-year-old Jerusalem man was granted his 11th divorce after claiming his wife told him he did not work and had been living off her income. The man says he gets a divorce about every 2 years. Although he has so many divorces under his belt, the man says he never has trouble finding women. He claimed, "I send out a hook in all directions, and the fish come on their own." (Fox News)
The next time you fly, get ready to do a "digital strip search" at the airport. Security experts say that the man who tried to blow up an international flight over Detroit last week might have been stopped at the airport security check, if a full-body imaging machine had been used. The imaging machine shows the contours of the body, and reveals any foreign objects hidden under clothing. Machines are already in use at 19 airports in the United States. Orders are in for 150 more machines, and there are plans to make them the standard screening method at U.S. airports, according to The New York Times. That has privacy advocates in an uproar. A coalition of 24 rights groups protested the decision in a letter to Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano. They say it is too intrusive.
Here's what we've all been looking for. A few tips on losing weight that do not include exercising self-control. They're from Dr. Oz, the TV doc, and he says they work because they're based on biology, not willpower.
Eat a 100-calorie snack a half-hour before dinner to take the edge off your appetite. It takes a half hour for your brain to tell your stomach it isn't all that hungry.
Drink water instead of a sugary soft drink with meals. Fructose screws up your brain's ability to understand that your stomach is full and you should stop eating already.
Eat a high-fiber breakfast. Fiber digests slowly, so it's satisfying longer and you're less likely to crave a late-morning snack.
If you're looking for love in the New Year, here are some excellent resolutions to make, from British relationship expert Dr. Pam Spurr, in the London newspaper The Daily Mail. She says there are just three things you must do, and none of them are about losing weight or getting a dose of Botox:
First, widen your circle of opportunity. Don't go to the same coffee bar every day, or hang out with just a few best buddies. Go to new places and see new people.
Make a good first impression. When you're out and about, be aware of your body language and facial expression. A smile and a confident look makes you more approachable.
Get a new attitude. If you've been moping about how unlucky in love you are, you're probably giving off bad vibes. Cheer up and people will be drawn to you.
It's no wonder Americans are confused about the various tax credits that were put in place as economic stimulus programs this year. But one thing that is NOT true is that they all expire tonight at midnight. In fact, you can get a home energy tax credit for various energy efficiency upgrades to your home into 2010. Some people are still eligible for the first-time homebuyers credit, too. The details are pretty complicated. But it's all explained in detail at the IRS site, www.irs.gov. Click on the headline: "Tax Benefits of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009."
Since it's New Year's Eve, this is as good a time as any to talk about how good drinking in moderation is for you. Let's put the stress on that word "moderation." Getting sloppy drunk won't do you or anyone else any good. But here's a round-up from MSNBC of major studies that show that just a few drinks a week does a body good:
Post-menopausal women who drink up to seven alcoholic drinks a week have a smaller risk of dying from any cause, compared to abstainers. The benefit for white women was greater, 19 percent compared with only six percent for black women.
Older people who are light drinkers are 50 percent less likely to develop dementia.
Women who drink lightly are less likely to develop hypertension. Bad news for guys, though: It increased their chances of high blood pressure.
Still, men who have several drinks a week are more than 40 percent less likely to have a heart attack.
A little white wine appears to improve lung function.
Listen Tomorrow Morning to the Jessi & Friends Morning Show as I do shots of JD to show the affects of alcohol!
Tomorrow morning I will be drinking shots of Jack Daniels live on the air! Join me on the Flag with CP and the CHP! CHP will be monitoring my alcohol use and doing breathalyzer tests and other sobriety tests on me to show you the affects of alcohol. I am doing this to raise Public awareness of drinking and driving and how quickly alcohol affects all of us. Because I want you to have a safe and HAPPY NEW YEAR and NOT be tempted to get behind the wheel of a car when you have been drinking! ! A big thank you to our Friends Western Arizona Regional Medical Center, Fox Creek Urgent Care, Brake Masters, Valley View Medical Center and Mill Tours for helping me raise drunk driving awareness in the Tri-State area! CYA in the morning!!!
What are some of your favorite stars doing to welcome in the New Year, not to mention a new decade? Many of them are working to help fans celebrate, however several artists have taken the time off around the holidays and will hit it hard when they return to the road in mid-to-late January. Some artists have resolutions and some are very helpful with their own hangover cures for those who imbibe too much on New Year's Eve.
Jack Ingram will be ringing in 2010 while performing at Cowboys Dancehall in San Antonio, Texas.
Diamond Rio takes part in FOX News' All-American New Year's Eve special tonight.
Randy Houser will toast 2010 in Kennesaw, Georgia at Cowboy's Concert Hall.
Eli Young Band will bring in the New Year at the Verizon Wireless Theater in Houston, Texas.
If you happen to be in Music City for New Year's Eve, you can catch Jeffrey Steele headlining the spectacular show at Nashville's Wildhorse Saloon. His special guest is former Trick Pony member Ira Dean.
Keith Anderson will be hanging around his hometown of Miami, Oklahoma, ringing in the New Year at the Buffalo Run Casino. He tells us, he'd rather be on stage on the biggest party night of the year. "New Year's Eve, unless I'm playing, I'd much rather be at home. I used to, before I had my deal and used to travel all the time, we would usually go and try to find something fun to do. But it just gets so long by the time New Year's Eve hits, you're pretty much toast. (laughs)"
Bucky Covington usually likes to be on stage for New Year's Eve. He says,"My favorite spot to celebrate New Year's, hands down, would easily be on a stage, because people love to go out and have a good time on New Year's. So, I would love to be a part of that. Or sitting at home with my brother, family and friends, and just laying back and watching the ball drop in New York. And you can guess the rest." And Bucky will be performing in Winston-Salem, North Carolina .
Justin Moore will be counting down the seconds until 2010 at The Village in Little Rock, Arkansas.
Gloriana is set to play Columbia Basin College in Pasco, Washington on New Year's Eve.
Billy Dean, along with his Big Band, will perform in Tallahassee, Florida.
Sarah Buxton tells us her favorite New Year's Eve memory is when she played a gig in Nashville. "Probably my favorite New Year's Eve was a show that Jedd Hughes and I did at The Basement here in Nashville. We started playing at nine o'clock and we played until like two in the morning. His band, and they were my band too, and we just rocked out all night. And all of our friends came, and we drank champagne, and it was too much fun."
Eddie Montgomery and Troy Gentry, who are spending the New Year on stage at a resort in Rancho Mirage, California, are just like the rest f us when it comes to New Year's resolutions. Eddie tells us, "My New Year's resolution is the same one as usually everybody's. It's always you want to lose a little weight, you know. I definitely want to spend time with the family. And I definitely want to make great music, brother, and hang with y ou and have a great time and see all our friends out on the road playing and just have a great time." However, Troy reminds us of one significant difference --"You know, I'm on the same lines -- everybody wants to lose a little weight. And you know, I want to be a good dad and I want to be a good husband and I want to get out there and win over the hearts of our fans and continue making great music."
Some people use New Year's Eve as an excuse to imbibe many adult beverages, and Dierks Bentley says he doesn't really have a cure for the inevitable hangover that may occur on New Year's Day. "I think January first is universally accepted as a day off. So, I mean a little hair of the dog, I guess. But just water and stay on the couch, I guess. There's no real sure-fire cure for that."
Chuck Wicks disagrees. He says his tips for curing a hangoverr is "Sleep. Sleep it off, or drink more. That always works. If you stay drunk you never have a hangover. I'm a genius. I'm a genius. I think I've made a breakthrough. Ladies and gentlemen, if you stay drunk, you'll never be hung over."
Tracy Lawrence agrees, sayingg the best cure for a hangover is alcohol. "There ain't nothing better than the dog that bit ya. Bloody Marys and mimosas -- trust me. Just get back on it."
Lee Brice, who is in his hometown of Sumter, South Carolina "to ring in this exciting new year of my life with my friends," explains what works best for him when he has a hangover. "There's the hair of the dog approach, which is to just stomach whatever you were drinking the night before -- a really stiff one, and you'll feel better immediately. Or my favorite actual hangover cure is the actual process of sleeping in on the couch, watching football, eating like Chinese food or something, or something with cheese and meat and bread and fries and ketchup and ranch dressing. (laughs) That's the cure for me -- just sitting around all day, letting it pass, relaxing."
Newcomers Steel Magnolia says 2009 was a year they'll never forget, especially with winning CMT's Can You Duet and getting signed to a record deal. Meghan Linsey and Joshua Scott Jones explains: "Just, I think, definitely winning the show was a huge milestone this year, and getting the deal with Big Machine, obviously. The radio tour. The radio tour was just amazing. Working with Dann Huff . . . I think there's a whole number of things. The Grand Ole Opry debut was a huge thing for us. Yeah, just a lot of big things happened."
Taylor Swift and Taylor Lautner are apparently no longer an item. The two have split, and according to a source who told People magazine, "It was never a big deal to begin with. They went out on a few dates and realized this was just not going anywhere." Citing busy schedules and living far apart (she in Nashville and he in L-A) were a couple of factors in the breakup.
The day after Lautner hosted Saturday Night Live, he flew to Nashville to surprise Taylor for her 20th birthday, and sometime after the party, the two decided they'd be better off as friends.
The couple met on the set of the new Valentine's Day movie, and had been spending time together since October. The New Moon actor attended a couple of the 20-year-old singer-songwriter's shows; the pair were spotted at an L-A Kings hockey game, different restaurants for dinner and more.
Carrie Underwood will attend next week's People's Choice Awards, where she's vying for Best Female Artist, along with Taylor Swift, Beyonce, Britney Spears and Pink, as well as for Best Country Artist against Taylor, Keith Urban, Brad Paisley and Rascal Flatts.
Hugh Jackman, Taylor Lautner, Mariah Carey, Sandra Bullock, Ellen DeGeneres, Steve Carrell and LL Cool J are also among the stars expected at the show next week.
The People's Choice Awards, hosted by Queen Latifah, will take place live from L-A's Nokia Theater on CBS.
Steel Magnolia are enjoying their recent success with not only winning the second season of the CMT show, Can You Duet?, but also the grand prize of getting a record deal with Big Machine, home to Taylor Swift. Their debut single, "Keep on Lovin' You," is rising up the country charts, and they've been on a continuous radio tour, chatting and performing at stations around the country.
The two are just now able to look back on this year and take stock of what's been happening. The on-and-off stage couple Joshua Scott Jones and Meghan Linsey share their thoughts with us: JOSHUA: "It's been more than we probably expected right off the bat, I think, and I think it's kind of like being in the weeds, you're working your butt off and every once in a while, you get a chance to look up and catch a glimpse of what's going on. I think that as of lately, when we cracked the Top 25, it's kinda hitting us now, so." MEGHAN: "I think just about now is when we're starting to realize 'Oh Gosh, we just did all this in about the last four or five months, just working really hard.' And just to have all this happen is cool."
Meghan and Joshua first met when she was a karaoke host at a club in Nashville's Printer's Alley.
Meghan is from Ponchatoula, Louisiana, and she began her stage career at age 15, opening for such acts as Toby Keith, Brad Paisley, Travis Tritt, Blake Shelton and others.
Joshua is from Charleston, Illinois, and counts Waylon Jennings among his influences.
Phil Vassar has written songs for himself, as well as for stars such as Tim McGraw, Alan Jackson and Jo Dee Messina. Now, he's heading to the Great White Way, by writing music for a new Broadway play, based on the 2007 independent movie Waitress. He's working with Barry Weissler, who's won Tony Awards for Annie Get Your Gun and Chicago.
Phil tells The Lynchburg News and Advance, "It's such a great story. We're staying as close as we can to it." He's already written about 10-12 songs for the project, and there's still a handful more to go before its completed.
SIDE NOTES:
Phil just released his new studio album, Traveling Circus, which he produced by himself.
Phil wrote "I Will Remember You" with Kenny Chesney. The song appears on his album, Traveling Circus.
Justin Moore took a day away from the family to go hunting. He tweeted that he was getting up at 4:00 AM in 20-degree weather. He said the upside was "watchin' the sun come up in a blind will make it all worthwhile. Nothin' better."
Justin did have a few issues, however. He forgot his flask, and apparently, a bunch of squirrels were bothering him while he was waiting on the deer to arrive. He tweeted, "Dear squirrel family . . . I'm deer huntin', but I WILL kill a mess of y'all if you don't stop playin' around me! Thanks for your time. Sincerely JM."
Last night, Justin tweeted that he didn't get a deer, but that he was going to go squirrel hunting today and figured he wouldn't come home empty-handed, with all the trouble he had with the pesky critters yesterday. He mentioned something about making some "squirrel dumplings."
SIDE NOTES:
Justin kicks off his opening gig on the 2010 leg of Brad Paisley's American Saturday Night tour, along with Miranda Lambert, on January 7th in San Antonio, Texas.
Justin and his wife are expecting their first child -- daughter Ella Kole near the end of January.
Martina McBride is spending time in Kansas with her parents, and she's having a blast, but she's also learning a few things while she's out there. In fact, she caught a glimpse of this huge ring around the moon. She tweeted to ask if anyone knew what it meant, and the explanation was a lunar halo. She wrote, "It was really awesome to see. Apparently, they are quite common, but it was a first for me!"
LeAnn Rimes invited her parents to join her and actor-boyfriend Eddie Cibrian at her L-A home for Christmas. According to People, Eddie spent part of the day with his son, and then joined the singer later in the day.
Taylor Swift attended the surprise birthday party for Paramore's Hayley Williams, donning roller skates and listening to Hanson.
In other Taylor news, her official website, TaylorSwift.com looks a lot different than it used to, and it now features a lot of new items for fans. The site offers a feed of Taylor's latest Twitter updates, and fans can have their own profile on her site in the Taylor Nation section, which should launch in the coming weeks.
Keith Urban's "Only You Can Love Me This Way" was chosen as the song for the first dance at Kevin Jonas' recent wedding to his wife Danielle. The pair were married December 19th in Huntington, New York.
Jimmy Wayne is gearing up for his nearly 17-hundred mile walk beginning on New Year's Day. He tweeted last night, "All my Marmot clothes are packed in zip lock bags and labeled. Makes search and unpacking, etc. easier, and they stay dry!"
Julianne Hough apparently left her car on, but not running, all day outside the recording studio she was working at. Apparently, most of the musicians, as well as the producer, tried to jumpstart it, but no luck. Not sure how she got her car started finally.
David Nail's new single will be titled "Turning Home," which was written by Kenny Chesney and Scooter Carusoe.
Chuck Wicks has been writing songs for his upcoming album and plans to head back into the studio on January 4th.
1939 The film The Hunchback of Notre Dame, starring Charles Laughton, Maureen O'Hara, Cedric Hardwicke and Thomas Mitchell, premiered.
1940 Los Angeles opened its first freeway to the public.
1951The Roy Rogers Show debuted on NBC-TV.
1953 The first color TV sets went on sale for about $1,175.
1954 The 24-minute shot clock was used in professional basketball for the first time.
1963 The John F. Kennedy half-dollar was authorized by Congress.
1963Let's Make A Deal debuted on NBC-TV with host Monty Hall.
1978Woody Hayes was fired as Ohio State's football coach, after punching a player from Clemson University during the Gator Bowl game.
1980The Wonderful World of Disney was cancelled by NBC-TV after more than 25 years on TV. It was the longest-running series in prime-time television history.
1983"Dr. J.," Julius Erving, of the Philadelphia 76ers, sank a free throw in the third quarter to become the ninth professional basketball player to score 25,000 points.
1992 The film Lorenzo's Oil, starring Nick Nolte and Susan Sarandon, opened in theaters nationwide.
1993 President George H.W. Bush made his final foreign trip in office. He stopped in Somalia to visit U.S. troops aiding famine victims.
1995 Elton John was awarded the CBE -- Commander of the British Empire. A few years later, he was knighted by the Queen.
1999Sarah "Sadie" Clark Knauss, listed by the Guinness Book of Records as the oldest person with a verifiable date of birth, died in Allentown, Pennsylvania, at age 119.
1999 Former BeatleGeorge Harrison fought off a knife-wielding intruder who broke into his mansion west of London and stabbed him in the chest. (Michael Abram was later acquitted of attempted murder by reason of insanity.)
KOURTNEY AND KIDDY GET A MAGAZINE COVER: Kourtney Kardashian has only been a mom for about a week, but she's already thinking about giving her newborn a sibling. "Right now I'm obsessed with Mason and want to give him all my time. But being with him has definitely made me think about having another one," Kourtney told Life & Style magazine, which got the first photo of Kourtney, 30, with baby Mason Dash Disick for its current cover. The Keeping Up With the Kardashians star told the magazine that she and sister Kim Kardashian are only 18 months apart in age. "Growing up, we did everything together. It would be nice for Mason to have a little brother or sister that many months apart too."
A BEVERLY HILLS CHRISTMAS: After years of estrangement and some very public squabbling, actress Tori Spelling and her mom Candy Spelling have made up. At least they were together for a Christmas dinner in the Polo Lounge at the Beverly Hills Hotel, according to US magazine. Candy, 64, and Tori, 36, were there, along with Tori's husband Dean McDermott and their children Liam and Stella, McDermott's son Jack, and Tori's brother Randy Spelling and his girlfriend. Earlier in December, Candy told UsMagazine.com of her patched-up relationship with her daughter: "I'm so happy. That's all I want to say about this topic -- I'm happy."
HELIO CASTRONEVES DANCING FOR JOY:Dancing With the Stars champion Helio Castroneves and his girlfriend Adriana Henao are the parents of a baby girl, born Monday. The 3-time Indy 500 winner, who is 34, announced the news on his Twitter feed. Mikaella weighs in at seven pounds and three ounces. It's their first child.
BRITTANY MURPHY DEATH CERTIFICATE RELEASED: The actress' cause of death is listed on the document as "deferred." As reported earlier, it will take from four to six weeks for test results to determine the precise cause of her death at age 32.
JEFF DUNHAM SHOW CANCELED: Comedy Central will not renew The Jeff Dunham Show for a second season, TVGuide.com has confirmed. The show, which features the comedian and his puppets, premiered in October with an audience of 5.3 million, making it the most-watched premiere in Comedy Central history. But ratings dropped steeply. The season finale this month drew only 1.3 million viewers.
BRAD PITT AS PROFESSOR MORIARTY? It could happen. With the box office success of the new Sherlock Holmes, the inevitable sequel may include a part for Brad Pitt as Professor Moriarty, the arch-villain who matches wits with Holmes. That's according to Rob Shuter, columnist for Popeater.com. Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law are reportedly already committed to the sequel.
THE REAL SNOOKI:In Touch Weekly got "Snooki" of Jersey Shore to pose without makeup. We're startled to report that somebody who's kind of cute is hiding under all that mascara and teased hair. And, in other news from Jersey Shore, the list of those embarrassed by the show now includes: The Jersey Shore! Part of the reality television series was taped in the borough of Seaside Heights, with the borough's permission. Now, the borough government has issued a statement saying that it "did not solicit, promote or participate in the filming of this show."
HAPPY 40TH, ALL MY CHILDREN: Celebrity couple Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos, who met on the set of All My Children and later eloped, will return as guests on the ABC daytime soap next month as it celebrates its 40th anniversary. Hayley and Mateo, as their characters are called, will guest star on the January 4th and 5th episodes, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
COTILLARD AND TARANTINO GET FILM HONORS: The Palm Springs International Film Festival will present actress Marion Cotillard with its Desert Palm Achievement Award, and will honor director Quentin Tarantino with its Sonny Bono Visionary Award, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Cotillard, who received the fest's Breakthrough Performance Award in 2008 for La vie en rose, is currently appearing in the musical Nine, and co-starred in Public Enemies. Tarantino, whose most recent film is Inglourious Basterds, will receive the award named after the festival's founder. The awards gala will be held Jan. 5 at the Palm Springs Convention Center.
AVATAR GETS AN HONORABLE MENTION: The movie Avatar is "noteworthy," but that doesn't mean it's one of the finest films of 2009. That's according to the American Film Institute, which chose the sci-fi spectacular as one of the noteworthy events in cinema of the year, citing its technical achievements and their likely impact on futuremoviemaking. But it's not on AFI's list of the best movies of the year. Their "best" list includes Coraline, The Hangover, The Hurt Locker, The Messenger, Precious, A Serious Man, A Single Man, Sugar, Up, and Up in the Air.
AFI cited another major cultural trend of 2009 that it doesn't think is quite so favorable. Reality television, the institute said, "crossed a line in 2009 as the cultural craving for celebrity moved in a dangerous new direction." AFI pointed to the balloon boy hoax and the phenomenon of "Octomom."
AFI is a non-profit organization created by the National Endowment for the Arts.
Tiger Woods' scandalous extra-marital affairs with numerous women, which came to light after a November 27th car accident at his Florida home, has certainly lost him his professional reputation. But according to financial reports, the scandal has also lost money for millions of investors. According to a study by two economics professors from the University of California-Davis, the sex scandal may have lost shareholders of companies endorsed by the golf champion up to $12 billion.
The study was released Monday (December 28th) by UC researchers Victor Stango and Christopher Knittel. "We estimate that shareholders of Tiger Woods' sponsors lost $5 to $12 billion after his car accident, relative to shareholders of firms that Mr. Woods does not endorse," the researchers wrote.
In a statement, Stango added, "Our analysis makes clear that while having a celebrity of Tiger Woods' stature as an endorser has undeniable upside, the downside risk is substantial, too."
Woods is considered to be the wealthiest athlete in sports, and had previously had endorsements worth up to $100,000. Several companies have since severed ties with the golfer, while others say they will keep current campaigns but reconsider their relationships going forward.
Charlie Sheen's private life may be a mess, but his career is doing just fine. And that's not likely to change, despite his arrest on Christmas Day on allegations of domestic abuse. How can that be, when only weeks ago, Tiger Woods was driven out of golf and into seclusion by his own scandal? Well, it's all about public image, and nobody every thought Charlie Sheen was America's sweetheart. "Charlie Sheen has bounced back from various scandals, and I don't think anyone expects anything more from him," public relations expert Vanessa J. Horwell, of ThinkInk PR, told CNN. "Bad-boy behavior is part of his persona that's been a work in progress since the 1980s. He has bounced back time and time again." In short, Sheen has known scandal before and every arrest, divorce and indiscretion has become part of his bad-boy image, making him essentially scandal-proof.
Meanwhile, RadarOnline combed Sheen's arrest report and discovered that he has 10 tattoos, and four more that are in the process of being removed. One reads "Back in 15 Min." Another has a picture of Charlie Brown with "mom" in a word balloon. Others display a burning Marlboro cigarette, a stingray and a baseball. Sheen has four more tattoos that he is having removed, including an open zipper with an eyeball popping out, a Yankees tattoo, a Japanese samurai and angel wings. Already gone: The tattoo of the name Denise Richards, his ex-wife.
INTERNET COMMENTS: AGREE OR DISAGREE?
From sillylemur on radaronline: "All the people who feel sorry for "poor ol' Charlie" need to learn more about his past, and educate themselves on the realities of domestic abuse. I suggest reading some Lundy Bancroft."
From lenore on radaronline.com: "Leave ol' Charlie alone. I like him - what I know of him - but wouldn't want to be married to him. She was drinking (also?) a lot they said. Give up on gold digging starlets."
From bones on radaronline.com: "Charlie has a history of domestic and substance abuse. He needs to be in jail before he really hurts or God forbid kills someone. Thank God this didn't happen at his own home- where he probably access to handguns."
Fans of the Twilight series swamped a poll of the best and worst of the year at the movies on MovieFone's site, giving wins to their favorite and its stars in four categories. New Moon won best movie of the year and "best chick flick." Robert Pattinson got "sexiest male star" and Taylor Lautner got "male breakout star" of the year. But seriously, folks, George Clooney got best actor for Up in the Air, and Sandra Bullock won best actress for The Blind Side. Here are some dishonorable mentions:
Worst Movie:Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (but it was also "best action movie)
Worst Actor:Jack Black in Year One
Worst Actress:Megan Fox in Transformers (but she also got "sexiest female star")
Most Disappointing Movie:Bruno
INTERNET COMMENTS: AGREE OR DISAGREE?
From kramer at MovieFone.com: "I don't really like Twilight, but I'm in love with Kristen Stewart"
From tony at MovieFone.com: "are these people kidding? New moon sucked , its just a dumb chick flick , and transformers 2 made more than any other movie this year."
From brandon at MovieFone.com: "Will this effect Razzie selection?"
Robert Halderman, the man accused of attempting to extort money from Late Night host David Letterman in return for his silence about Letterman's involvement with women on his show's staff, has a new argument in his own defense. Documents obtained by TMZ.com indicate that Halderman's lawyer is asking that the charges against him be dismissed, because none of Tiger Woods' mistresses have been locked up! The document in the Letterman case notes that at least one of Tiger Woods' mistresses is reported to have gotten a multi-million settlement in return for shutting up. "Their behavior was capitalist, not criminal," the lawyer concludes. Halderman's lawyer says his client essentially just "offered to sell his very marketable story to David Letterman." Celebrity misdeeds have "significant fair market value" and are "routinely suppressed through private business arrangements," the document adds. It should be noted that no payments from Tiger Woods to any of his mistresses have been confirmed.
In an online poll accompanying the TMZ story, 72 percent thought the new legal argument was "BS." Only 28 percent responded "Free Halderman!"
INTERNET COMMENTS: AGREE OR DISAGREE?
From wewhocare on tmz.com: "And they wonder why we hate lawyers."
From Papparazzo on tmz.com: "What an idiot lawyer. Robert Halderman didn't sleep with Letterman -- he tried to blackmail him."
From jerseyshore on tmz.com: "Did this attorney ever think that it was Tiger who initiated the Hush Money!!!!!!!!!"
From paul on tmz.com: "The Tiger defense? More like the 21st century's Twinkie Defense. ;)"
You can't tell a lie to that hardboiled news hound Matt Lauer. The Today Show host forced Bethenny Frankel to 'fess up at last: That enormous naked photo of her looming over Times Square in New York City has been airbrushed. "There was a rogue boob they took out," the Real Housewives of New York City star told Lauer yesterday (Tuesday) in an interview. Frankel is covering her breasts with her hands in the picture. Before and after versions show that a photo editor tastefully erased the over-exposure, and also removed her tan lines. A closer look reveals signs of overall airbrushing. The photo is the latest in anti-fur organization PETA's "I'd Rather Be Naked" ad series. "It's a little airbrushed, but the truth is, here it is. I don't care," Frankel said. The actress is the latest to be caught up in a controversy over whether actresses and models are routinely being airbrushed into a perfect beauty that no one possesses.INTERNET
COMMENTS: AGREE OR DISAGREE?
From SP on gothamist.com: "They made her look about 20 years younger, but even so I'd still hit it.
From howboutdemcowboys on gothamist.com: "Rogue boob? Sounds like a Chris Farley movie that was never made."
From oneofthem on gothamist.com: "anybody else think better in the before?"
You just can't stop yourself from reading a story with the headline: "Catherine Zeta Jones Hates Cute, Defenseless Animals." That's the headline on a story from cocoperez.com, which warns the actress wife of Michael Douglas that she can pretty much count on being featured prominently in the next "worst dressed" list from PETA, the animal rights activist group. A PETA vice president has already released this warning shot: "Among the most vulgar offenders this year is Catherine Zeta Jones, who can't seem to leave her room in New York without covering herself head to toe in the dried-out skins of several species - not just fur coats but leather pants and crocodile bags. She looks more like a serial killer than a star."
Past losers in the PETA hit list include Paris Hilton and Christina Ricci, who stopped wearing fur (at least in public) after making the list.
OBAMA SAYS U.S. INTELLIGENCE HAD INFO AHEAD OF ATTEMPTED ATTACK: President Obama said Tuesday (December 29th) that the intelligence community had information that should have been pieced together that would have triggered red flags and possibly prevented the attempted terror attack on Christmas Day by 23-year-old Nigerian Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab on a Northwest Airlines jet. "There was a mix of human and systemic failures that contributed to this potential catastrophic breach of security," Obama said. He called the shortcomings "totally unacceptable." The New York Times reported that the government had intelligence from Yemen before Christmas that leaders of a branch of al-Qaida there were talking about a Nigerian being prepared for a terrorist attack. AP cited government officials as saying that there were initial indications that Yemen-based radical cleric Anwar al-Awlaki -- who reportedly corresponded with Fort Hood killer Major Nidal Malik Hasan -- was involved. Abdulmutallab's name had been put in a government advisory system, but never made it onto lists that would have kept him off airplanes or caused his U.S. visa to be revoked, despite his father's warnings to U.S. Embassy officials in Nigeria last month.
IRAN INTENSIFIES CRACKDOWN: Iranian security forces intensified their crackdown on opposition supporters Tuesday (December 29th), arresting a reported 10 more people, including the sister of Iran's Nobel Peace Prize laureate Shirin Ebadi, and main opposition leader Mir Hossein Mousavi's brother-in-law, and limiting the movement of another top opposition leader, Mahdi Karroubi. Iran also accused the U.S., Israel and Britain of being behind Sunday's sometimes violent protests that left eight people dead and were the biggest since the aftermath of June's disputed presidential election.
CONSUMER CONFIDENCE UP IN DECEMBER: The Conference Board's monthly Consumer Confidence Index out yesterday (December 29th) rose in December for the second month in a row, to 52.9, from a revised 50.6 in November. While the bump up is good news, it's still far short of the 90 that would signal a solid economy. Economists watch the consumer confidence numbers closely because consumer spending on goods and services accounts for about 70 percent of U.S. economic activity. The consumer confidence index hit a historic low of 25.3 in February.
TODAY'S FYI:
SEAN GOLDMAN'S BRAZILIAN FAMILY TO CONTINUE LEGAL BATTLE: Nine-year-old Sean Goldman is back in New Jersey with his father after he was returned to David Goldman on Christmas Eve by order of a Brazilian Supreme Court judge. But the boy's Brazilian family said Tuesday (December 29th) that their legal battle hasn't ended, and they'll fight to regain custody. Lawyers for the relatives say they'll continue with a request from Sean's Brazilian grandmother to allow the boy to make his wishes known in court. The request was initially denied, but the Supreme Court hasn't issued a final ruling on it. Sean was taken by Goldman's then-wife, Bruna, told her native Brazil in 2004 for what was supposed to be a two-week vacation. But she remained in Brazil with their son, got a divorce and remarried. Goldman has been fighting to get his son back since, first battling his ex-wife, and then after she died last year in childbirth, the boy's stepfather and Bruna's relatives.
GM OFFERING BIG DISCOUNTS ON SATURNS, PONTIACS: There are big deals to be had on Saturns and Pontiacs if you act quickly, with the Wall Street Journal reporting Tuesday (December 29th) that General Motors is offering deep discounts on the vehicles in order to sell the leftover inventory of the two brands it will soon shut down. According to the report, GM will pay dealers $7,000 for every new Saturn or Pontiac left on their lots if the vehicle is moved to dealer-operated rental or service fleets. That will allow dealers to sell the vehicles at a discount, although they'll be labeled as used, because the dealer would technically be the first owner. The deal ends on January 4th. GM is shutting down Saturn and Pontiac as part of its restructuring plan, and will likely close down Saab as well. Meanwhile, the Hummer brand is being sold to a Chinese heavy equipment maker. GM will be left with four core brands: Buick; Chevrolet; GMC; and Cadillac.
KARL ROVE AND WIFE DIVORCE:Karl Rove, the former top strategist for President George W. Bush, and his graphic artist wife Darby, have divorced after 24 years of marriage. The two have a son together, 20-year-old college student Andrew Rove. A spokeswoman said yesterday (December 29th) that the divorce was finalized last week, and that the couple made the decision, quote, "mutually and amicably" and maintain a strong friendship. The marriage was Rove's second.
SURVIVOR OF USS COLE BOMBING DIES AT 31: A 31-year-old survivor of the USS Cole bombing died last week, nine years after the October 2000 terrorist attack in which he lost his left foot. U.S. Navy Petty Officer 3rd Class Johann Gokool was an electronic warfare technician aboard the Cole, and was in the ship's mess hall at the time of the attack, which took place during a refueling stop in Yemen. Seventeen sailors were killed and 39 others injured. Gokool's sister, Natala, told AP yesterday (December 29th) that her brother suffered severe post-traumatic disorder and panic attacks so violent that he'd go into seizures and even fractured his wrist several times. He was found dead last Wednesday (December 23rd) by one of the brothers he lived with, and the cause of death is unknown. But Natala said the family believes the seizures just become too much for his body. She said Gokool went to many specialists, but no one could find the cause of the violent panic attacks. She said, "My parents and brothers and I always knew that unless somebody could figure out what was wrong with him, it would probably kill him."
CENSUS BUREAU PROJECTS NEW YEAR'S DAY U.S. POPULATION: With 2010 just days away, a year in which the every-10-years census will take place, the Census Bureau is projecting what the U.S. population will be on New Year's Day. There will be a population of 308,400,408 on January 1st, up just over 2.6 million from New Year's Day 2009, an increase of 0.9 percent. In population predictions for the month, one birth is expected to occur every eight seconds in the U.S. in January 2010, and one death every 12 seconds. Net international migration is expected to add one person every 37 seconds in the month, causing an increase in the total population of one person every 14 seconds.
SPORTS:
SUSPENDED TEXAS TECH COACH SEEKS COURT ORDER TO BE IN ALAMO BOWL: Suspended Texas Tech coach Mike Leach is seeking a court order that would allow him to coach the team in the Alamo Bowl on January 2nd. Leach was suspended Monday (December 28th) while the school investigates a complaint from receiver Adam James -- the son of former NFL player and current ESPN analyst Craig James -- and his family. After James was diagnosed with a mild concussion after being injured on December 16th, the player alleges he was twice forced to stand in small, dark rooms, not allowed to sit or lean on anything, while the team practiced, told by Leach he'd be kicked off the team if he came out. Leach said in an affidavit that he'd never intentionally harm or endanger any player, and that he hadn't been given any evidence that what he did violated university rules. The lawyer said, "He was not hurt by what happened in the equipment room. And Mike did not do anything to worsen the situation, in fact he put him in a safer environment by being inside."
POLL: COLLEGE FOOTBALL FANS WANT PLAYOFFS: A majority of college football fans want to scrap the current Bowl Championship Series and replace it with a playoff system that's similar to college basketball, according to a new Quinnipiac University poll out yesterday (December 29th). According to the survey, 63 percent want to get rid of the current system, while 26 percent want to keep it. Among those on the side of the majority here is President Obama, who said shortly after his election last year that there should be a playoff system.
(Headline News, FYI and Sports stories were compiled in part from reports by the Associated Press and Reuters.)
HAPPY NEW YEAR, CHARLIE BROWN - While other Peanuts plan a holiday, Charlie Brown struggles with 'War and Peace.'
THE MIDDLE (repeat)
MODERN FAMILY (repeat)
COUGAR TOWN (repeat)
EASTWICK - The ladies agree never to reveal what they did to Jamie; sparks fly between Kat and her new neighbor (Jerry O'Connell), a single father with a dark secret.
DOG THE BOUNTY HUNTER - Dog tries to match wits with a tricky target who has been in trouble with the law since he was a juvenile.
STEVEN SEAGAL LAWMAN - A suspicious call sends the team on a neighborhood chase; deputies search a dark neighborhood.
MTV
THE REAL WORLD - (season premiere) Eight strangers move to Washington, D.C.; the roommates dive into drama.
DAY TIME TALK SHOW
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) - (repeat) THE TONIGHT SHOW WITH CONAN O'BRIEN (NBC) - (repeat) JIMMY KIMMEL LIVE (ABC) - (repeat) THE LATE LATE SHOW WITH CRAIG FERGUSON (CBS) - (repeat) LATE NIGHT WITH JIMMY FALLON (NBC) - (repeat) LAST CALL WITH CARSON DALY (NBC) - (repeat) THE DAILY SHOW WITH JON STEWART (COMEDY CENTRAL) - (repeat) THE COLBERT REPORT (COMEDY CENTRAL) - (repeat) LOPEZTONIGHT - (repeat)
COUPLE CAUSES CHAOS AT WALMART: A Tennessee couple reportedly caused a scene at Walmart when the husband tried to steal $2,000 worth of goods and was spotted by an off duty cop. When the officer showed the shoplifter his badge, the man claimed it was fake and tried to leave the store with a cartfull of unpaid goods. The officer arrested him just before the man's wife faked a heart attack and claimed she did not know her husband. When a witness said the couple had been brousing the store together, the wife attacked the witness in the parking lot. The witness was able to stab the woman with a pocket knife. The male suspect has been charged; charges against the wife are pending. (AP)
FUNERAL HOME GIVING FREE BURIALS TO DRUNK DRIVERS: A Georgia funeral home is reportedly offering free burials to drunk drivers between now and Thursday at noon. Drivers can visit Maguire, Jennings and Miller Funeral Home and sign a contract saying they plan to drink or take drugs and then drive on New Year's Eve. If the driver dies in a wreck that day, the driver will receive a free burial. The burial package includes a casket, grave, limousine and preparation of remains. The funeral home claims that the program is meant to save lives by making partygoers think twice about drinking and driving. (AP)
TEENAGERS USE PLASTIC LEG TO COMMIT ROBBERY: Three drunken teenagers reportedly armed themselves with a knife and a plastic toy leg then tried to rob a man of his groceries. When the teenagers demanded his shopping bag he gave it to them, was not hurt and ran to the police station. The teenagers have been arrested and charged with assault using a stick, a knife and a plastic toy leg and stealing groceries with $24.25. (The Dominion Post)
MAN TRIES TO ROB BAR HE WAS DRINKING IN: An Oregon man was arrested after he allegedly tried to rob the same bar in which he had been drinking. The man had reportedly been drinking at MacEnzi's Bar and Grill and left around 10 PM before returning 25 minutes later with a beanie pulled over his face. He alledgedly grabbed a bag of money, pushed the bartender and ran out. The bartender recognized the man, who has been arrested. (AP)
It sounds too good to be true, but the latest research suggests that coffee is good for you, and a lot of coffee is even better. Harvard researchers found that one to three cups daily of caffeinated coffee can slightly reduce the risk of developing Type 2 diabetes, now at epidemic levels among Americans. But drinking six cups or more a day can cut a man's risk of diabetes by 54 percent and a woman's risk by 30 percent. Web MD notes that coffee can also lower your risk of Parkinson's disease and colon cancer. It's the latest of hundreds of studies that suggest that coffee may be something of a health food, especially in higher amounts.
You may be surprised to learn that you haven't missed the best prices of the season. According to SmartMoney, America's retailers have wised up to the fact that the crowds of people right after Christmas are using gift cards, and may not demand the lowest prices. So, stores are putting off the deepest discounts until later. Like right now, and on into the first few days of the new year. Here are SmartMoney's picks for the best shopping bargains:
Best Buy: HP TouchSmart all-in-one computers are at their best price now.
WalMart: Holiday discounts on electronics have been extended. Plus, there are half-off deals on toys and holiday items.
Toys 'R' Us: There's a "Buy One, Get One Half-Off Sale" on through January 2nd.
Macy's: The best discounts, up to 70 percent off, are online through December 29th. Use the coupon code MERRY to get free shipping. Avoid the in-store coupons, most good only if you put the charges on your Macy's card.
Blissworld.com: Get up to 70 percent off on skincare and other products, plus free shipping over $25.
Barnes&Noble: It's half off on many books and calendars, and up to 90 percent off on some other items.
Piperline.com: The online shoes and accessories site for Gap has markdowns up to 40 percent.
ALDO: Take an extra 30 percent off sale shoes and accessories through January 4th. Free shipping over $100.
80's Purple: Use the code THANKYOU at check-out to get an extra 20 percent off your entire purchase at this online fashion boutique.
A new study finds that gingko, the ancient herbal remedy that has been touted as food for your brain, actually does little to slow the decline of the aging brain. In a study led by the University of Virginia School of Medicine, elderly people taking ginkgo supplements showed no notable differences in scores on brain-function tests than those who took placebo pills. The study was published this week in the Journal of the American Medical Association. We found these tips from Health.com that may be more effective in keeping the old brain working:
Floss every day: Did you know plaque is bad for your brain? It is.
Exercise your brain: Do a crossword puzzle or other brain-teaser regularly. Video games are great for your brain, too.
Exercise your body: Twenty minutes of sustained movement three times a week will keep the blood flowing to your brain.
Eat fish: Omega-3 fatty acid is good for your memory. Fish like salmon are excellent sources, and yoghurt is, too.
RARE FULL MOON WILL LIGHT UP NEW YEAR'S EVE: Who needs fireworks? This New Year's Eve, we'll have a full moon to light up the revelry. It will be a rare occurrence: the second full moon in a month. (The last was on December 2nd.) Since a full moon occurs every 29.5 days, most years have 12 of them. The "extra" is seen only every 2.5 years. The last was seen in May 2007. Of course, a second full moon on New Year's Eve is even rarer, falling every 19 years.
ELEGANT ITALIAN-STYLE LEFTOVERS: We found this great way to get rid of any and all of the little bits of vegetables left over in your refrigerator from the holidays. In fact, it will work just about any time, and it's so tasty it seems almost deliberate. Here's the recipe for a vegetable frittata (that's an Italian style omelette), from top London chef Angela Hartnett, as featured in The Times of London:
Pre-heat the grill. Heat some oil in a large frying pan and sauté bits of bacon or ham. Add any roughly chopped leftover vegetables, and some diced cooked potatoes. Add a chopped onion and sauté just until it's all heated through. Beat some eggs in a bowl, season, then pour into the pan, tilting it to draw the egg from the sides into the center until the egg is set underneath. Sprinkle generously with grated Parmesan and put under the grill until the top is just set. Scatter with chopped basil or parsley and serve.
Q: What country is the world's biggest producer of coffee? A:Brazil, by a wide margin. The country exports more than two million tons of coffee a year, compared with number 2, Vietnam, with less than a million tons. Colombia is in third place with about 700,000 tons a year, according to Wikipedia.
The Rock Band video game is getting a little more country. It's adding seven more songs, including songs by Alan Jackson, Jason Aldean, Keith Urban and Martina McBride to the Rock Band online Music Store for download, available today. These songs originally appeared in the Country Track Pack, which was released earlier this year, but now they're available as individual tracks.
The tracks are available today on X-box 360 and Wii, and they'll be ready for the PlayStation 3 system on January 7th.
The tracks include Alan's "Good Time," Jason's "She's Country," Cross Canadian Ragweed's "Cry Lonely," Keith's "I Told You So," Shania Twain's "Any Man of Mine," Martina's "This One's for the Girls" and Kenny Rogers' "The Gambler."
Alan's number-one hit, "Good Time," has some tongue-twister lyrics, but after a little practice, he says they roll off his tongue as easily as a classic fast-food jingle. "First time we started working that thing up live, yeah, I thought, 'Man, I don't know if we'll be able to get those words out.' You know, after you do it a few times, it comes pretty natural: 'I've been working all week, I'm tried, and I don't wanna sleep, I wanna have fun, it's time for a good time.' It's like 'two all-beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions, on a sesame seed bun."
Jason loves the idea that his chart-topping hit, "She's Country," is part of the interactive video game, Rock Band. He and his own band have been big fans of Guitar Hero, playing it on the tour bus when they're on the road. "When they told me about Rock Band, that was, that was pretty neat, you know. And so, I'm excited. I'll definitely be going and getting the game and seeing if I can play my own song on there."]
Carrie Underwood took to her official fan club site to chat about what she received for Christmas this year. She mentioned among the great presents she got this year, were a "pair of pink warm fuzzy socks to keep my tootsies nice and toasty." The Oklahoma native also talked about her best gift -- "I think you all know what Santa left under the tree for me this year . . . a fiance! Woo hoo!" Carrie and pro hockey star Mike Fisher got engaged last week, and word has it her ring cost around $150,000.
Carrie added that her rat terrier, Ace, "is finally going to have a dad! We all couldn't be happier!!!"
While their travel plans were cut short due to the "mess of snow and ice," they did spend some time in her hometown of Checotah, where she "ate so much on Chrismas Eve that I thought I might actually get sick! But it was soooo gooood!"
Carrie has yet to set a wedding date, but Mike recently mentioned they're looking to tie the knot sometime next summer, according to Us magazine.
Sugarland's Jennifer Nettles will help celebrate the musical contributions and cultural legacy of Bruce Springsteen at the annual Kennedy Center Honors tonight. She and pop star Ben Harper perform a medley of The Boss' songs, including "Glory Days," "My Father's House" and "I'm on Fire."
The show, which also includes tributes to Mel Brooks, Dave Brubeck, Grace Bumbry and Robert De Niro, airs tonight at 8:00 PM (ET) on CBS.
FAST FACTS:
Jennifer grew up in Douglas, Georgia.
Jennifer was once the lead singer for a group called Soul Miner's Daughter.
Jennifer was a majorette in her high school band.
Jennifer has the word "Believe" tattooed on her wrist.
A new featurette on Taylor Swift's upcoming feature film debut, Valentine's Day, has been released (you can see it on YouTube), and it includes scenes from the film as well as commentary from some of its cast. In the background, the clip previews Taylor's new song, "Today was a Fairytale," which is featured on the movie's soundtrack.
Valentine's Day stars Julia Roberts, Bradley Cooper, Anne Hathaway, Taylor Lautner, Jessica Biel, Jennifer Garner, Ashton Kutcher, Jamie Foxx and Queen Latifah, among others.
The film is due in theaters nationwide February 12th, while the soundtrack is expected to hit stores three days earlier.
Taylor says as a songwriter, she's drawn to love. "It's interesting how you think that you're the only person going through something, and then you realize that there are millions of people who have felt that exact same way at that exact same time in their life, and they've cried on their bathroom floor at the exact same time. And it's just so interesting to me that we are so drawn to love, and we can't stay away from it. It's a flame, and we cannot stay away."]
The soundtrack also features Taylor's "Jump Then Fall," which is included on her Fearless: Platinum Edition album, Jewel's "Stay Here Forever," Willie Nelson's "Where You Live," Steel Magnolia's single "Keep On Lovin' You" and songs by Amy Winehouse, Joss Stone and Maroon 5, among others.
Jason Aldean credits his wife, Jessica, with teaching him patience. He tells OK magazine, "I've always been a very impatient person. Being married to her, she's taught me how to be a little more patient, thank goodness. It's probably something I needed." His wife, whom Jason wed in 2001, says the "Big Green Tractor" singer has made her more outgoing. She says, "He's so chatty. When we first met, I was super quiest, so the more I've been around him, the more I talk."
The couple has two daughters, six-year-old Keeley and two-year-old Kendyl, and the younger one has started going to school on Tuesdays and Thursdays, so when Jason's not on the road, those are usually their date days. "We usually spend those days hanging out or maybe go to a movie or whatever. That's about the only alone time we get these days." Jessica's also been taking golf lessons, so the two sometimes go out and play a few rounds.
SIDE NOTES:
Jason decided to extend his Wide Open tour into 2010. He's taking along fellow Georgian Luke Bryan on the trek, which kicks off Janury 22nd in Greenville, South Carolina.
Jason will open for Brooks and Dunn's The Last Rodeo tour next year, as well. Brooks and Dunn will begin saying their farewells in Sacramento, California on April 23rd.
Gloriana has been gaining fans since the release of their first single, "Wild at Heart," and their opening gig on Taylor Swift's Fearless tour. In fact, they've made such an impression on one Seattle fan, that he decided to go on the road with them, without their knowledge.
The band's Mike Gossin tells The Boot, "This man managed to sneak past security and get under the bus in one of the bays. Tom [Gossin] went to go get some clothes, and he was hiding under the bus! It was so crazy and we have it on video! You should have seen him jump . . . it was hilarious!"
Tom says this guy, named Dave, is apparently the group's Number One Fan. "He was in my bay, and I've been missing a couple of boxer shorts ever since."
Gloriana is currently headed up the country charts with their new single, "How Far Do you Wanna Go."
FAST FACTS:
Gloriana member Cheyenne Kimball won first place on the television talent show, America's Most Talented Kid at age 12.
Tom and Mike Gossin of Gloriana, who were raised in Utica, New York, were once members of the band, Madison Rose. The group starred in a pilot for a VH1 reality show.
The fourth member, Rachel Reinert, is a native of Marietta, Georgia. After attending a performing arts school, she was signed to a publishing deal at the age of 15.
Uncle Kracker's hit single, "Smile," has gone gold. It's been certified a Gold Digital Single by the Recording Industry Association of America for selling more than 500,000 units. Uncle Kracker says he didn't write the upbeat song for anyone in particular. It came about simply because he wanted to write something positive: "It was just creative writing 101 I guess I'd be lying if I said I wrote it for Mel or the kids. I wrote that with two of my buddies. I was like, 'Man, let's just write something positive -- something that just feels good and positive.' And I was like, 'Why don't you make me smile.' Something like that. It just started really quick, and the song came quick. And we just decided that's what we were gonna do one afternoon, and after a few hours, we just ended up with 'Smile.'"
The track appears on Uncle Kracker's new Happy Hour album.
Taylor Swift has a soft spot in her heart for animals. She recently tweeted, "When I drive past herds of deer, I always feel the need to caution them on the dangers of traffic, usually addressing them as 'Bambi.'"
Charlie Daniels Band Museum located in downtown Nashville was robbed early yesterday morning. More than $200 was taken from the cash register, but none of the band's memorabilia was taken in the burglary.
Police currently have no suspects at this time.
Julianne Hough was at Blackbird Studios in Nashville (which is owned by Martina McBride's husband John) to track a handful of songs. She wrote three of the four songs and said she was "super stoked" about being in the studio.
Rodney Atkins headlines a free street party in downtown Nashville on New Year's Eve.
LeAnn Rimes has been tapped to host and perform at the National Final of this year's Colgate Country Showdown talent show at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville on January 14th.
Q. A successful recording artist and actor in his own right, he also wrote "Mamas Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up To Be Cowboys" for Waylon Jennings & Willie Nelson and "Texas (When I Die)" for Tanya Tucker. A. Ed Bruce
CHARLIE SHEEN'S WIFE SPOTTED OUT AND ABOUT:Brooke Mueller seems to have bounced back from the Christmas Day domestic incident that led to her husband Charlie Sheen being arrested on felony assault charges in Aspen, Colorado. People.com has got a pic of her popping out of a chauffeured SUV in the town, smiling and looking well. Sheen was released on an $8,500 bond Friday and has returned to Los Angeles. The star of the sitcom Two and a Half Men reportedly has not been formally charged, but was ordered to appear in court on February 8th.
Meanwhile, Charlie has found one sympathetic friend to talk over his troubles with, according to TMZ. It's the rocker Slash. The rock legend revealed that he and Sheen have talked, and Sheen is doing "Okay."
JOHNATHON SCHAECH AND JANA RAE KRAMER ARE ENGAGED: Actor Johnathon Schaech and actress Jana Rae Kramer got engaged over the holiday. "It was the best present ever," he told PEOPLE magazine. She is a star of One Tree Hill. He played a singing sensation in the movie That Thing You Do and was previously married to Christina Applegate.
JON GOSSELIN CONVICTED IN COURT OF PUBLIC OPINION: Who trashed former reality tv star Jon Gosselin's apartment in New York over the Christmas holiday? He did it to get attention. At least that's the suspicion of 72 percent of the people who responded to a poll on People.com. Only 20 percent think his ex-girlfriend Hailey Grossman did it to get attention, even though her name was signed to a note left at the scene. The remaining 9 percent think it was an unfortunate crime and somebody else did it.
"THANKS" FROM ROMAN POLANSKI: Still under house arrest in Switzerland, movie director Roman Polanski has posted his thanks to people who have sent him messages of support while he attempts to avoid extradition from Switzerland to the United States over a 1977 case in which he was convicted of having sex with a 13-year-old. Polanski's message appeared on the web site of a friend, the French intellectual Bernard-Henri Levy. The Swiss Justice Ministry is expected to decide next year whether to extradite Polanski, whose films include The Pianist, Rosemary's Baby, and Chinatown.
MERYL STREEP AND YO-YO MA ARE DISTANT COUSINS: You may be surprised to discover that Meryl Streep, Mike Nichols, Yo-Yo Ma and Eva Longoria are all very distant cousins, according to The New York Post. It came to a surprise to all of them, apparently. They lent their DNA to be analysed for a documentary on PBS called Faces of America, with Henry Louis Gates Jr. The four-part series, set to air in February, explores the geneaology of 12 famous Americans.
IT'S LIGHTS OUT FOR THE TYRA SHOW: Tyra Banks has announced that the fifth season of The Tyra Show will be its last. But don't get all unfashionably frazzled about it. America's Next Top Model is returning for its 15th season in February, and Banks will continue to do her ABC show True Beauty. Banks wants more time to focus on her launch of Bankable Studios, a film production company currently reviewing possible projects.
BUT HE SORT OF LOOKS LIKE A HOBBIT: In an interview with Access Hollywood, Tobey Maguire killed off the rumour that he will play the lead in the upcoming film The Hobbit, the prequel to the blockbuster Lord of the Rings movies. He said nobody has approached him about the movie, or sent him the script. Somebody ought to, though. He sort of looks like a hobbit, doesn't he? Maguire will next be seen at the Golden Globes ceremony, where he's nominated for his role in Brothers.
HALLE AND COLIN GO TO THE GLOBES:Halle Berry, Colin Farrell and Matthew Fox are the latest stars to be named as presenters for the 67th Annual Golden Globe Awards show, to be televised on NBC on January 17th. Previous names named include Mickey Rourke, Jennifer Aniston and Julia Roberts.
THE MOST PIRATED MOVIE: The movie most often illegally downloaded off of the Internet in 2009 was: Star Trek, according to PerezHilton. That's not surprising, really. Geeks are known to be obsessed with Captain Kirk and Mr. Spock and the whole gang.
Movie fans may well be asking, "Why do they release all the good movies at once?" But in Hollywood, movie producers are very, very happy. A raft of hit movies led by Avatar hauled in $278 million. That's the best weekend in the history of the movie business, according to Entertainment Weekly. It wasn't just the giant blue people from Pandora that people went to see, although Avatar alone brought in $75 million. Sherlock Holmes, starring Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law, was right on their heels with $65.4 million. Even pesky Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel made $50.2 million, although a lot of parents probably had to be dragged kicking and screaming to that one. Grownups with a choice saw the R-rated comedy It's Complicated, with Meryl Streep and Alec Baldwin earning a solid $22.1 million
Onetime supermodel and current television entrepreneur Tyra Banks says she is ending her daily syndicated talk show. "This will be the last season of The Tyra Show," Banks told People.com on Monday (December 28th). "I've been loving having fun, coming into your living rooms, bedrooms, hair salons for the past five years." Instead, Banks will continue to produce and appear on America's Next Top Model, which is going into its fifteenth season in the U.S. this February and has versions in several other countries. She also produces the syndicated program True Beauty.
The statuesque model also plans to focus on launching Bankable Studios, the film arm of her TV production company. The goal of the studio is to bring "positive images of women to the big screen," according to a statement.
"My next huge steps will allow me to reach more women and young girls to help us all feel as fierce as we truly are," Banks said.
If this story is true, golfer Tiger Woods is a lot dumber than anyone would have thought. Entertainment Tonight is reporting on its Web site that Tiger and his reported Number 1 mistress, Rachel Uchitel, were spotted holding hands and mingling with about 300 other guests on Sunday night at a party in a private mansion in Palm Beach, Florida. Some even say the couple is living together in Palm Beach, where Woods' yacht is reportedly docked. Uchitel was photographed on the beach there recently. There are also reports that the couple was seen partying together on Saturday night at the Everglades Club in Palm Beach.
Two professors at the University of California estimate that shareholders of companies that had endorsement deals with Woods have lost about $12 billion since the scandal about his marital infidelities broke. "Our analysis makes clear that while having a celebrity of Tiger Woods' stature as an endorser has undeniable upside, the downside risk is substantial, too," said Victor Stango, professor of economics.
Heath Ledger's last film made a quiet debut over the Christmas weekend. The wild fantasy The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus was screened in only a few American theaters, and made only about $130,000. Industry insiders say that the distributor didn't want the movie going up nationwide against a packed list of holiday movie contenders like Avatar and Sherlock Holmes. It is expected to go into wider release early in the new year.
Heath Ledger died almost one year ago before completing Doctor Parnassus. His role was completed by an all-star cast of his friends, including Johnny Depp, Jude Law and Colin Farrell. (It's hard to imagine how one role can be played by four actors, but reviewers say the movie is so weird anyway that it sort of works.)
The director and screenwriter of the film is Terry Gilliam, a graduate of Monty Python and director of the equally strange 1985 movie Brazil.
OBAMA VOWS TO FIGHT TERRORISTS; AL-QAIDA BRANCH CLAIMS FAILED PLANE ATTACK: President Obama vowed in a televised statement Monday (December 28th) to use, quote, "every element of our national power" to keep Americans safe, speaking three days after a failed Christmas Day attempt to blow up an Northwest Airlines jet minutes before it landed in Detroit. Obama said, "The United States will more than simply strengthen our defenses. We will continue to use every element of our national power to disrupt, to dismantle and defeat the violent extremists who threaten us." He also called the plot "a serious reminder" of the need to continually adapt security measures against changing terrorist threats. Officials said Obama had deliberately not spoken out until now, an effort to balance the need for him to show concern, but not unduly elevate a botched incident and encourage other would-be attackers. Meanwhile, al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula claimed responsibility for the attempted attack by 23-year-old Nigerian Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, saying it was in retaliation for a U.S. operation against the group in Yemen. Yemeni forces, helped by U.S. intelligence, carried out two airstrikes against al-Qaida operatives this month in the lawless country.
IRAN HOLDING BODIES OF DEAD PROTESTERS, DETAINS OPPOSITION FIGURES: Iranian authorities said Monday (December 28th) that they were holding the bodies of five anti-government protesters, including the nephew of opposition leader Mir Hossein Mousavi, who'd been killed during violent protests the day before in Tehran. The move appeared to be an attempt to prevent activists from using their funerals as a platform for more anti-government demonstrations. Iranian state television reported that eight people overall died in the violence. Meanwhile, pro-reform websites and activists said the government detained at least eight prominent opposition figures, and hardliners issued statements urging the judiciary to take action against the opposition for violating Islamic principles and insulting the head of Iran's religious leadership, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. President Obama condemned the crackdown on the protesters, saying of the opposition efforts, "It's about the Iranian people and their aspirations for justice and a better life for themselves. And the decision of Iran's leaders to govern through fear and tyranny will not succeed in making those aspirations go away."
U.S. MAN ARRESTED IN NORTH KOREA: North Korea said Tuesday (December 29th) that it it had detained a U.S. citizen who entered its territory, apparently confirming a report that an American activist crossed into the isolated communist nation to raise awareness about its human rights abuses. Twenty-eight-year-old Robert Park walked over a frozen river from China into North Korea last Friday, according to other activists. He told Reuters ahead of doing so that it was his duty as a Christian, and that he was carrying a letter calling on North Korean leader Kim Jong-il to step down. The U.S. doesn't have diplomatic relations with North Korea, and an administration official said they'd asked Sweden, which looks after U.S. interests in the country, to seek information. Park, who is a Korean-American, told Reuters he wouldn't seek U.S. help. He said last Wednesday, "I don't want President Obama to come and pay to get me out. But I want the North Korean people to be free. Until the concentration camps are liberated, I do not want to come out. If I have to die with them, I will."
TODAY'S FYI:
BRISTOL PALIN FIGHTING FOR FULL CUSTODY OF SON: Former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin's daughter Bristol is fighting her ex-fiance, Levi Johnston, for full custody of their one-year-old son, Tripp. Eighteen-year-old Bristol filed the petition on November 3rd, seeking sole custody and child support. She also is seeking a visitation schedule for Johnston, and claims he's exercised only, quote, "sporadic visitation rights." Johnston denies that he's avoided his responsibilities, and is seeking joint custody. Palin requested in November that the proceedings be kept closed, but an Alaska judge denied her request on Christmas Eve, making the custody battle public.
OBAMA RUSHES FROM GOLF COURSE WHEN FRIEND'S CHILD IS INJURED:President Obama rushed from the golf course where he was playing with friends from Chicago during his Hawaiian vacation yesterday (December 28th) and sped to his rented compound after learning that a friend's child had been injured while playing on the beach. Am ambulance raced to the compound and left with lights flashing, but the child of Eric and Cheryl Whitaker was described as having a relatively minor injury that didn't require stitches. Obama returned to the golf course after a brief delay, and a White House official said the first family was fine.
FEWEST LAW ENFORCEMENT DEATHS IN 2009 IN 50 YEARS: A report out Monday (December 28th) from the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund found that the number of law enforcement deaths in 2009 was the lowest in 50 years. There were 124 police officers killed in the U.S. this year, compared to 133 in 2008, and the lowest number since 108 were killed in 1959. Texas had the most police officers killed in the line of duty, with 11, followed by nine in Florida, eight in California, and seven in North Carolina and Pennsylvania. Looking at the decade as a whole, there were an average 162 officers killed a year, compared to 160 in the 1990s, 190 in the 1980s, and 228 in the 1970s, which was the deadliest decade for law enforcement. However, the past decade contained the 9/11 attacks, in which 72 officers died.
WEBSITE TMZ FOOLED BY JFK HOAX PHOTO: Celebrity gossip website TMZ.com was fooled yesterday (December 28th) by a photo it claimed showed future president John F. Kennedy cavorting on a yacht with naked women, but which turned out to be a hoax. The worn photo shows two naked women sunbathing on a yacht and two more nude women skinny dipping, while a man who looks similar to Kennedy is seen sunbathing on board. TMZ claimed the recently-discovered photo was from the 1950s, and crowed it could have changed the course of history if it had been discovered before the 1960 presidential election. But Playboy magazine told TMZ the photo ran as part of a 1967 feature in its magazine called "Charter Yacht Party: How to Have a Ball on the Briny with an Able-Bodied Complement of Ship's Belles." TMZ said it obtained the photo after it had been locked away in a car salesman's drawer for years. He died 10 years ago, and one of his son's found the photo.
SPORTS:
BEARS BEAT VIKINGS 36-30 IN OT: The Chicago Bears topped the Minnesota Vikings 36-30 in overtime last night (December 28th), getting the Monday Night Football win on a 39-yard touchdown from quarterback Jay Cutler to Devin Aromashodu with just over nine minutes left. Vikings' QB Brett Favre made a stellar fourth-down touchdown pass to Sidney Rice with 16 seconds left to tie the game and send it to overtime. That had capped a Vikings comeback from being down 23-6 in the third quarter, but the team couldn't pull out the win in overtime. This was Minnesota's third loss in four games. [Look in "Last Night's TV Audio" for soundbites from the game.]
(Headline News, FYI and Sports stories were compiled in part from reports by the Associated Press and Reuters.)
THE 32ND ANNUAL KENNEDY CENTER HONORS - Mel Brooks, composer Dave Brubeck, mezzo-soprano Grace Bumbry, Robert DeNiro and Bruce Springsteen are honored.
THE BENCHWARMERS - A millionaire helps three nerdy guys form a baseball team to compete against all the mean Little Leaguers. Starring David Spade, Rob Schneider, Jon Heder and Jon Lovitz.
TEEN MOM - Amber and Gary's arguing reaches a boiling point; Catelynn struggles to find a home; Farrah chooses protection.
DAY TIME TALK SHOW
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) - (repeat) THE TONIGHT SHOW WITH CONAN O'BRIEN (NBC) - (repeat) JIMMY KIMMEL LIVE (ABC) - (repeat) THE LATE LATE SHOW WITH CRAIG FERGUSON (CBS) - (repeat) LATE NIGHT WITH JIMMY FALLON (NBC) - (repeat) LAST CALL WITH CARSON DALY (NBC) - (repeat) THE DAILY SHOW WITH JON STEWART (COMEDY CENTRAL) - (repeat) THE COLBERT REPORT (COMEDY CENTRAL) - (repeat) LOPEZTONIGHT - (repeat)
MAN STEALS TRUCK FULL OF CHEESECAKE: A Florida thief stole a refrigerated truck filled with $40,000 worth of cheesecake. The owner of the truck told police he took the keys and walked away from the vehicle only to find that the truck was gone when he came back. The victim says he has all the keys to the truck in his possession. The contents of the trucks, cheesecakes, are worth an estimated $40,000. The police reportedly have no leads on the tasty goods. (Orlando Sentinel)
FLORIDA MAN TRASHES HIS OWN APARTMENT AS 'ART': Two Florida men were arrsted after reportedly wrecking one of the men's apartment with a sledgehammer and croquet balls. The men claimed they were turning the apartment into an art gallery. The men claimed they took down the walls and destroyed objects including mirrors and windows to create a mural. The damage is estimated at $12,000. (Gainsville.com)
MISSOURI POLICE FIND GIFT -WRAPPED MARIJUANA: Missouri troopers reportedly seized about 20 pound sof marijuana from a car they stopped for speeding. Some of the marijuana was wrapped in gift paper while some was in a suitcase. The two female occupants gave permission for the troopers to search their vehicle and were taken into custody. (AP)
DONKEYS ESCAPE FROM LIVE NATIVITY SCENE: A Colorado live nativity scene went awry when two donkeys escaped. The borrowed donkeys were being held in a fenced-in enclosure for the event when they pushed their way through the fence. A churchgoer noticed the missing animals who were eventually caught by the sheriff's deputy after he saw footprints in the snow. (AP)
If you found a Blu-ray player beneath your Christmas tree, you'll want to try it out with a bang, or maybe a whole range of movie special effects. Here, from PC World, are some new titles available on Blu-ray that are guaranteed to maximize your home theater's bells and whistles.
STAR TREK: The latest movie version of the old sci-fi warhorse introduces a younger Captain Kirk and Mr. Spock and, more to the point, it has cool explosions and hand-to-hand combat with Romulans.
UP: Float away to South America in a balloon-borne house, and let the movie's storm scene give your sound system a workout.
SILVERADO: You'll never get a better armchair view of America's spectacular Western scenery.
THE NATIONAL PARKS: AMERICA'S BEST IDEA: Speaking of America's spectacular scenery, this recent PBS documentary is a guided tour of our national treasures, and they're even more amazing in Blu-ray than in the original high-definition.
Some foods that are seriously good for us just get no respect in the American diet. Men's Health
magazine suggests you juice up your diet with a bigger bite of these:
Celery: It's no mere garnish. Celery is loaded with bone-healthy silicon and cancer-fighting phenolic acids. It can lower blood pressure and reduce belly fat.
Seaweed: Most Americans only eat it if it's wrapped around sushi, but seaweed is packed with calcium and potassium. Buy sheets of seaweed in a health store, use a coffee grinder to grind it to powder, and use it as a salt substitute.
Hemp Seeds: No, they won't make you high, but they're rich in Omega-3 fatty acids that can reduce risk of heart attack or stroke, and they have lots of protein. Add them to cereals or salads.
Scallops: These babies are 80 percent protein, and contain magnesium and potassium. They're easy to prepare, too. Just season, sear in olive oil, and eat.
Dark Meat: Chicken or turkey legs have a little more fat than the white meat, but most is the "good" unsaturated kind. So, you feel fuller longer, eat less later, and get the heart-healthy benefits of higher levels of HDL, the "good" cholesterol.
Lentils: Lentils have a huge amount of belly-filling fiber, and more folate than spinach. They're a great substitute for rice or pasta in any dish.
We've all heard the basic "must dos" of personal financial planning. But 2009 was the year that we found out what can happen when you don't do them. To help you avoid repeating past mistakes, here are four financial goals to strive for in 2010, from Jill Schlesinger of CBS MoneyWatch.com:
Always keep six months expenses in reserve. Yeah, right, we said. But nearly 40 percent of those who lost their jobs this year were out of work for at least 27 weeks.
Beware of credit card debt: We played with easy money for years. Now it's time to get off that merry-go-round.
Be diversified: When real estate crashed and stocks followed, the people who walked away even, or maybe a little ahead, were invested in a combination of stocks and less-risky bonds.
Don't stop contributing to your IRA: Those who panicked when their IRA accounts plunged missed a fast trip back to a healthier balance.
Here's some good advice on how to buy a party dress for the New Year's weekend. Our fashion expert is Hilary Rose, a columnist for The Times of London, so of course she calls it a "party frock." Anyway, here are a few things to keep in mind:
Choose a more glamourous version of the kind of thing you wear every day. Sounds obvious, but you'll look and feel your best.
Don't be seduced by novelty. You'll never wear it again, and you might not want to wear it the first time.
Don't forget accessories. Pick something that goes with shoes and purse and jewelry you already own, unless you're prepared to buy the works.
Thee hit film Sherlock Holmes is once again stirring up interest in history's most famous fictional detective. Off-screen, of course, you must look for him in London, which teems with sites featured in his film and print adventures. If you're going, here are a few must-see sites from The Los Angeles Times writer John Lee:
Church Of Saint Bartholomew The Great: The new movie Sherlock shows the famous dome of St. Paul's Cathedral, but when the action moves indoors, you're actually seeing the ancient interior of St. Bartholomew the Great. This is not only the setting for the new movie's crypt scene, but has been seen in other films including Four Weddings and a Funeral and The Other Boleyn Girl.
Baker Street: The London Underground can take you straight to the heart of Sherlock's home territory. A Sherlock statue stands right outside the Tube station, and Number 221b Baker Street is a museum devoted to his life and work.
"In the Footsteps of Sherlock Holmes" Tour: Ask your concierge about this two-and-a-half-hour tour of Holmes hotspots, from the grand restaurant Simpsons-in-the-Strand to the notorious back alleys of Victorian London.
Bad Memories Shredded Ahead of New Year on Good Riddance Day
The third annual Good Riddance Day was held in New York's Times Square Monday (December 28th), during which New Yorkers and tourists could put bad memories through an industrial-sized shredder and look for a fresh start in 2010. The day was organized by the Times Square Alliance as part of the buildup to the New Year's Eve ball-drop celebration. People lined up to either put some bad memory in the shredder, throw it in a dumpster, or pound on it with a sledgehammer. AP gave some examples, including one man who shredded a newspaper story about the New York Giants 41-9 loss Sunday to the Carolina Panthers that ended their playoff hopes, and a woman who shredded a piece of paper with "writer's block" written on it, saying she's going to write a musical. Among the things being sledgehammered were an old computer and fattening office snacks. The winner of a $250 prize for the most creative item shredded was 12-year-old Alissa Yankelevits of Los Angeles, who's visiting her grandparents in New York. She shredded the memory of a counselor on a school trip who was later featured on the TV show, America's Most Wanted. She told AP, "I just spent a week with him. It was really terrifying, because I just found that out."
The Blind Side, featuring Tim McGraw, has earned more than $150-million since its release in theaters. The film has earned a Golden Globe nomination and possible Oscar buzz for its other star, Sandra Bullock.
In an interview with a special edition of ABC's 20/20, director John Hancock explains once he had Sandra in place to play Leigh Anne Tuohy, he needed someone pretty strong to play her husband, Sean. "I realized that there would be a lot of actors that would become wallpaper quickly," explains Hancock. "I needed someone that was comfortable in his own skin, and had the kind of a self-effacing sense of humor." That's where Tim comes in, who has admitted he was reluctant to take on another dad or football movie, especially after his roles in Friday Night Lights and Flicka. Tim says, "I read it and just fell in love with the . . . characters and the people. And I gave it to my wife to read, and she loved it as much as I did. It's just rare that you come across a story . . . that moves you that much.
The special edition of 20/20 airs tomorrow (Tuesday) night at 10:00 PM (ET).
SIDE NOTES:
Tim will kick off the eighth season of PBS' Soundstage January 21st.
Tim is scheduled to be on the sidelines of the Outback Bowl between Auburn and Northwestern on Friday to salute a group of Marines being honored at halftime. The country star and football native will also be one of the VIPs on the field during the coin toss.
All Taylor Swift wanted for Christmas this year was "soft furnishings" such as pillows, curtains, sheets and more for her new pad she's moving into very soon. She's been renovating the condo she bought, with some help from her mom Andrea. It's kind of a bittersweet moment for the 20-year-old, who tweeted, "The last Christmas with all of us under one roof. How weird is that? Merry Christmas to you guys, hug your families."
SIDE NOTES:
Taylor was named the breakthrough star of the year in a new online poll, beating out Susan Boyle and Lady Gaga. She garnered 43-percent of the vote in the survey conducted by Popeater.com.
Taylor will perform at the Grammy Awards on January 31st.
Taylor has released her new single, "Fearless," the title track to her multi-platinum sophomore album.
Taylor kicks off the 2010 leg of her Fearless tour Down Under in Brisbane on February 4th.
Dierks Bentley is gearing up for a big year in 2010, what with not one, but two albums on the way. He spent part of the Christmas holiday in the recording studio working on both his bluegrass and country albums. He twittered his necessities for laying down tracks -- "Budlight, several types of whiskey, coffee, water and a dog named Jake . . . essential studio 'must haves.'"
Dierks also had some good luck and bad luck over the holiday, including a phone call from the legendary George Jones, who sang a few lines of a Christmas song to him.
Dierks also experienced a busted pipe with water leaking through the second floor of his house. He tweeted, "Daughter is too old for me to cuss in front of anymore. Does saying, 'Crap on a stick' count?"
Kellie Pickler is climbing the country charts with her single, "Didn't You Know How Much I Loved You," which is about a lost relationship. The video shows Kellie crying her eyes out, but her inspiration didn't come from a lost love or an old boyfriend. The singer tells us that when it came to shedding tears on camera for the very first time, she drew upon thoughts of her beloved grandmother, who passed away a few years ago. "When we were shootin' the video, I remember the director, he told me, 'I want to get a shot of you, of you cryin'.' And I'm like, 'Uhh, okay.' I'm like, 'Okay, I've never done this before.' He gave me a few minutes to kind of take myself to a place that would make me cry. So I just . . . I started thinking about my grandmother and, you know, my grandma raised me, and she passed away when I was fifteen, and so I still have a hard time. I struggle every day with accepting the fact that she's not here anymore. Then I got to thinkin' about how difficult it is for me that she's not here with me at this particular moment, on this video shoot. I just kind of took myself to that place, and it just came pourin' out."
SIDE NOTES:
"Didn't You Know How Much I Loved You" is the third hit from Kellie's self-titled sophomore album. The collection also features "Best Days of Your Life" and "Don't You Know You're Beautiful."
Kellie hits the road again on Taylor Swift's 2010 leg of the Fearless tour March 4th in Tampa, Florida.
Kellie spent Christmas with her songwriter boyfriend, Kyle Jacobs, where it snowed around 12-15 inches. She said it was her first white Christmas. She also took along her TWO dogs -- yes, two. Besides "MooMoo," she now has "Pixie," which looks to be another Chihuahua.
There's nothing like the bond between mother and child, and that holds true for Keith Urban's daughter Sunday Rose and her mother, Nicole Kidman. The Oscar-winning actress is turning down a few roles so she can remain at the couple's Nashville-area home with their nearly 18-month old daughter. She says, "I just can never be away from her, so she comes wherever I go . . . Have baby, will travel. She's okay on planes, but honestly, we stay in Nashville a lot. That's why I don't work that much."
Nicole did star in the new musical, Nine, shortly after Sunday's birth and says she has her daughter to thank for the curves she shows off in the film. She told USA Today, "I was wrapped into that dress. I was! That's when I had big boobs from the milk! That's the benefit of the breast feeding."
Charlie Daniels will be featured in a new ad campaign for Geico Insurance, called "Rhetorical Questions." If you watch any television at all, you've probably heard Geico's famous tagline, "15 minutes could save you 15-percent or more on car insurance." With that in mind, the new campaign asks the question, "Could switching to Geico really save you 15-percent or more on car insurance?" Some of the "answers" include, "Is Ed 'Too Tall' Jones too tall?;" "Does Elmer Fudd have trouble with the letter R?;" "Does Charlie Daniels play a mean fiddle?" The answer, of course, is Yes!
SIDE NOTES:
The ads begin running on television today.
Charlie's Geico commercial will also be posted on charliedaniels.com beginning today, as well.
Kenny Chesney has achieved more in his career than he ever thought possible -- his record-breaking tours, Entertainer of the Year awards, multiple Number One hits and more. But there are a couple of things on his to-do list that have nothing to do with music.
He tells us one of them is . . . swimming. "There's certain things I'd like to do, you know, away from the music business. I'd like to swim with sharks. That'd be great. I was watching this thing on TV the other day how these people would go and get in these cages and swim with sharks. It was like, 'Wow!' That'd be a rush. you know, I saw that movie (The Bucket List). I don't want to jump out of an airplane. I don't like heights. I don't want to bungee jump, you know? There are other things that'd make you feel alive that that. So, yeah, one day I'd love to do that. I'd love to swim with sharks. It'd be a big rush for me. To be that close to a great white, it'd be really, really awesome."
Carrie Underwood became the first country artist in history and the only American Idol winner to achieve 10 Number One singles from their two albums. When her hit "Cowboy Casanova" -- the debut single from Play On -- topped the country chart, she added another single to her list, which now totals 11.
GAC's Top 50 Videos of 2009, hosted by Martina McBride, premieres tonight at 8:00 PM (ET).
Chris Young went to see the Robert Downey film, Sherlock Holmes, on Christmas Day with his family, and recommended it to Eddie Montgomery via Twitter.
Jimmy Wayne, who was fighting a cold on Christmas Day, watched The Christmas Story three times.
Jessica Simpson launches a new collection of swimwear this week. Jessica told Stylelist.com, "My spring collection was inspired by my favorite vacation and the jet-setting getaways I dream about." She calls the looks, "fun and flirty, but still so classic."
When the site asked Jessica for advice on how to feel comfortable in a bathing suit, she replied, "You have to be comfortable in your own skin because when you feel good about yourself, you are going to look great no matter what you're wearing."
The collection retails $40 - $100 and is available December 30th at Jessicasimpsoncollection.com.
CHECK IT OUT
4 Steps to ensure you'll keep your new year's resolutions - http://bit.ly/4uOkPA
BRITTANY MURPHY LAID TO REST: Actress Brittany Murphy was laid to rest at Forest Lawn Cemetery in the Hollywood Hills on Christmas Eve, after a quiet funeral service for friends and family that included an emotional eulogy by her husband, British screenwriter Simon Monjack. Murphy was 32. She died at her home on Dec. 20.
Los Angeles police investigating Murphy's death have concluded that there are no signs that a crime occurred. An autopsy has been conducted, but the official cause of death will not be determined until tests of any substances found in her system are completed.
SIGOURNEY WEAVER DRAGGED INTO COURT BATTLE: The name of actress Sigourney Weaver has popped up unexpectedly as a defendant in a nasty $5 million court battle between two cosmetic company executives in New York. Anthony Minuto is suing his former business partner, Vincent Longo, a makeup artist whose famous clients have included Cindy Crawford, Naomi Campbell, Heidi Klum, Hillary Clinton, Julia Roberts and Gwyneth Paltrow. According to The New York Post, Longo dumped Minuto from their business, Vincent Longo Inc. Now, Minuto says Longo owes him 25 percent of the company and nearly $5 million in damages. It turns out that Weaver owns a minority stake in the company, and that's why she's named as a defendant.
RENEE ZELLWEGER BONDS WITH BRADLEY COOPER'S PARENTS: Guess this thing between Renee Zellweger and Bradley Cooper is getting serious. The actress spent Christmas week in Los Angeles with him and his parents, Gloria and Charlie Cooper, according to People magazine. Bradley got his breakthrough role this year in the hit movie The Hangover.
Oddly, both have very brief marriages in their pasts. Cooper was married for four months in 2006 to actress Jennifer Esposito, while Zellweger had her own four-month marriage in 2005, to country star Kenny Chesney.
BRAD AND ANGELINA DONATE TO A WORTHY CAUSE: Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie have donated $100,000 to the American SOS Children's Villages, an alternative foster care organization dedicated to helping orphaned and abandoned children. There are now 500 villages in 132 countries. The American Children's Villages are in Illinois and Florida.
BUT ANGELINA SOMETIMES TALKS TOO MUCH: In an interview with a German magazine that is now reverberating around the English-speaking world, Angelina Jolie said she doesn't believe in monogamous relationships. The actress told Das Neue (dahs NOY eh) she believes open romances can work just as well, if both partners agree to it. Jolie said, "Neither Brad nor I have ever claimed that living together means to be chained together. We make sure that we never restrict each other." She also said the famous couple can get fiery in private, adding, "The sparks fly at home if the nice Brad fails to see that he's wrong and reacts in a defiant way."
NO TURKEY FOR MICHAEL LOHAN: Dina Lohan hosted all her kids, including Lindsay, Ali and brothers Michael and Cody, for Christmas this year. She told The New York Post: "We always have a big celebration. We always invite all manner of strays and friends to join in." But not her ex-husband Michael Lohan. Then again, Dina said she had just seen him the day before Christmas Eve, in court, where she's suing him for alleged nonpayment of $40,000 in child support. Michael Lohan had no comment.
NICOLAS CAGE IS NOT BEING SUED FOR $36.7 MILLION: A lawyer for broke actor Nicolas Cage says he is NOT being sued for $36.7 million by a real estate company that charges him with fraud. He's only being sued by a real estate company, Red Curb Investments, for failure to pay back about $3 million in loans. Attorney Marty Singer made the clarification to People magazine.
SUSAN SARANDON IS NOT DATING A PING PONG MOGUL: Rumours move so fast these days that some of them both started and ended during the long holiday weekend. Susan Sarandon is not dating her 31-year-old business partner, a representative of the actress said in a statement. Her relationship with Jonathan Bricklin is strictly business, according to the statement. Sarandon, now 63, split with her longtime partner Tim Robbins, 51, last summer.
TILA TEQUILA IS ONLY A LITTLE PREGNANT: The next time Tila Tequila announces she's pregnant, the media is going to demand to see the ultrasound. The reality star recently posted on Twitter: "Im pregnant!!!!" and "BIG ANNOUNCEMENT: I am going to become a SURROGATE MOTHER for my brother & his Wife!!!" According to Access Hollywood, she now says she was merely announcing her intention to carry a little niece or nephew. Tila also announced her engagement to Johnson & Johnson heiress Casey Johnson earlier this month, but don't count on it.
THE NEXT AMERICAN IDOL:American Idol will return on January 12th and 13th with a two-night, four-hour premiere featuring auditions in Boston and Atlanta, the Fox network announced. Auditions also are scheduled in Chicago, Orlando, Dallas, Los Angeles and Denver. The big change this season, of course, is the addition of Ellen DeGeneres to replace Paula Abdul as a judge, although Ellen isn't expected to appear until February, after the tryout rounds. Guest judges at the auditions will include Victoria Beckham, Mary J. Blige, Kristin Chenoweth, Neil Patrick Harris, Joe Jonas, Avril Lavigne, Katy Perry and Shania Twain.
In related news, Fox reportedly wants to order at least three more seasons of American Idol, with or without on-air appearances by evil genius Simon Cowell. Cowell reportedly wants to bow out of his judging duties to concentrate on another television show he's hoping to import from Britain to America.
ACCIDENTAL BILLIONAIRES ON FILM: Identical twins Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss may become household names soon. In case you don't know their names already, they settled a multimillion-dollar lawsuit against Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg over allegations that he stole their idea for the social-networking site. Since then, the twins have been pursuing MBAs at Oxford and spots on the US National Crew Team. Now, their battle with Zuckerberg will be dramatized in a movie called The Social Network, according to The New York Post. It's an adaptation of a book by Ben Mezrich, The Accidental Billionaires: The Founding of Facebook, A Tale of Sex, Money, Genius and Betrayal. Asked how he felt about the casting of Armie Hammer as the twins, Cameron joked, "He's too good-looking to be playing Tyler." Justin Timberlake, Rashida Jones and Jesse Eisenberg will also be in the movie.
LAWMAKERS WANT JERSEY SHORE AXED: A group of Italian-American legislators from New Jersey have joined the ranks of those protesting the MTV reality show Jersey Shore. The New Jersey Italian American Legislative Caucus wrote that the show is "wildly offensive" and promotes derogatory ethnic stereotypes. They asked that it be immediately canceled. At least three other Italian-American organizations have publicly protested the show. MTV says it "depicts just one aspect of youth culture."
WHO'S A HAS-BEEN? Who's the most over-exposed celebrity on the planet? When the Popeater site popped that question in a poll, the answer came back: It's Jon Gosselin, by a wide margin. He got 55 percent of the votes of those who participated in the poll. Distant runner-ups include Lady Gaga and Miley Cyrus.
CHARLIE SHEEN FACES FELONY ASSAULT CHARGES IN ASPEN
Some wild and contradictory stories are floating around the Internet gossip mill, but one fact is certain at this hour: actor Charlie Sheen was charged with felony assault in Aspen, Colorado, after a Christmas morning argument with his wife. Sheen was arrested on felony charges of second-degree assault and menacing, and a misdemeanor count of criminal mischief, according to The Los Angeles Times. Sheen's third wife, Brooke Mueller, reportedly called 911 from their rented home. He's out on bail, but will have to appear in Aspen to answer the charges on February 8th, 2010. Here's the latest:
Sheen is back in Los Angeles, while his wife remains in Aspen. They are headed for divorce court or marriage counseling, depending on which source you believe.
His wife originally claimed he had choked her or pulled a knife on her, or both, but may have recanted her original report, according to conflicting reports.
Both Sheen and his wife have histories of alcohol abuse.
Charlie Sheen is among the highest paid actors in television, earning about $1.5 million per episode for his hit sitcom Two and a Half Men. The official statement from Aspen police referred to him as "Carlos Irwin Estevez, also known as the actor Charles I. Sheen." He's the son of actor Martin Sheen, born Estevez.
INTERNET COMMENTS: AGREE OR DISAGREE?
From sylviaofspokane on eonline.com: "AS A RETIRED RN WHO SPENT TIME WORKING ON A REHAB AND DETOX UNIT(3.5YRS). I HAVE MUCH SYMPATHY FOR CHARLIE. HIS TV SHOW ALONE MUST HAVE PUT STRESS ON HIS SOBRIETY. EVERY DAY AT WORK HE HAD TO RELIVE ALL THE (GOOD TIMES) HE HAD WITH HIS ADDICTIONS. THIS IS A POWERFUL PULL BACK TO ADDICTIONS. IF IT IS TRUE(WHICH I BELIEVE IT IS) THAT HE DID NOT WANT TO SOCIALIZE AWAY FROM WORK IT WAS WHAT HE WAS TAUGHT TO DO IN REHAB. IT IS SAD HE MARRIED A PARTY GIRL WHO WANTED TO CASH IN ON HIS CELEBRETY."
From DesertPenguin on latimes.com: "Really, is anyone surprised this LOSER is in trouble w/ the law ... again?"
From Eddie on latimes.com: "I find it funny how people love to jump to conclusion when stories first break. Can you please wait and see what comes out as the days progress??"
British actors Jude Law and Sienna Miller seem to be rekindling their romance. It's been four years since she booted him out for having an affair with the nanny who looked after his children. But that was then. Recently, they've been starring in rival Broadway shows. And now, they're in Barbados having a little post-Christmas holiday and celebrating their birthdays together. She'll be 28, while Law is turning 37. Sources told The New York Post: "Sienna has always maintained she and Jude are soulmates despite their past troubles."
Are you getting all wrapped up in these "Best" and "Worst" of the decade stories? One of our favorites focuses on the decade's biggest trend in television, and it's called "Reality TV's Most Outrageous Moments of the Decade," by Matthew Belloni of The Hollywood Reporter. He writes: "The Reality Television Decade that began with Susan Hawk's "rats and snakes" speech on Survivor has ended with Nicole "Snooki" Polizzi getting punched in the face on Jersey Shore." Here are a few of his memorable moments in between:
The Hot tub threesome on The Real World: Las Vegas, on MTV in 2002: "These days the intramural sexual escapades of Real World housemates have become an integral part of the show. But when Brynn, Steven and Trishelle decided to have a steamy threesome on the third day of filming the Vegas season, they officially set the bar for all future Real Worlders -- and every copycat show with a Jacuzzi."
"Fairplay" lies on Survivor, on CBS in 2003: "On Season 7 in the Pearl Islands, Jonny "Fairplay" Dalton pulled off what host Jeff Probst called the "greatest lie in Survivor history," pre-arranging with a friend to announce that his very alive grandmother had died so Fairplay could win a reward challenge."
Sharon throws the ham, on The Osbournes on MTV in 2002: "The proliferation of celebrity diary shows shouldn't obscure how fresh and interesting Ozzy Osbourne and his real-life Addams Family were back in 2002. In episode 4, when trash-talking wife Sharon throws a ham onto the noisy neighbors' property, a genre of reality TV was born."
THIS HOLIDAY WEEKEND'S TOP TEN MOVIES -- DECEMBER 25-27
Avatar, $75 million
Sherlock Holmes, $65.4 million
Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel, $50.2 million
It's Complicated, $22.1 million
Up in the Air, $11.8 million
The Blind Side, $11.7 million
The Princess and the Frog, $8.7 million
Nine, $5.5 million
Did You Hear About the Morgans?, $5 million
Invictus, $4.4 million
The 3-D sci-fi epic Avatar was the top film for the second weekend in a row, falling off only three percent from last week and helping to set a new weekend box office record of $278 million, beating the previous mark of $253 million in July 2008 on the weekend The Dark Knight opened.
Opening big in second place was Sherlock Holmes, director Guy Ritchie's newest version of author Arthur Conan Doyle's fictional detective, starring Robert Downey Jr. in the title role and Jude Law as his assistant Watson. Debuting at Number Three was Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel, the follow-up to 2007's original, which took in $50.2 million over the weekend and $77.1 million since opening last Wednesday. It stars Jason Lee, David Cross and Zachary Levi and the voices of Justin Long, Jesse McCartney, Matthew Gray Gubler, Amy Poehler, Anna Faris and Christina Applegate.
The romantic comedy It's Complicated, starring Meryl Streep, Alec Baldwin and Steve Martin, opened in fourth place, while Up in the Air, starring George Clooney, moved up into fifth place as it expanded even further in wide release. However, director Rob Marshall'sNine, the adaptation of the Broadway musical which was itself a take on Federico Fellini's classic film 8 1/2, came in disappointingly at Number Eight in its first weekend of wide release. It stars Daniel Day-Lewis, Marion Cotillard, Penelope Cruz, Nicole Kidman, Judi Dench, Kate Hudson, Sophia Loren and singer Fergie.
In theaters is the new romantic comedy from Nancy Meyers, It's Complicated, starring Meryl Streep, Alec Baldwin, Steve Martin and John Krasinski. The film follows Jane, played by Streep, who has an amicable relationship wit her ex-husband and father of her three grown children, Jake, played by Baldwin. But when Jane and Jake's flame re-ignites things get complicated;especially when Adam, played by Martin, Jane's architect becomes part of the love triangle.
It's Complicated is rated R and has a running time of 1 hour and 54 minutes.
Now in theaters is the latest movie from Juno director Jason Reitman, Up In The Air, starring George Clooney, Vera Farmiga, Jason Bateman and Danny McBride. The story follows Ryan Bingham, played by Clooney, a corporate downsizing expert whose life on the road is threatened just as he gets close to his goal of ten million frequent flyer miles and just after he's met the woman of his dreams.
Up In The Air is rated R and has a running time of 1 hour and 50 minutes.
In theaters is the highly anticipated latest version of Sherlock Holmes from director Guy Ritchie and starring Robert Downey Jr., Jude Law and Rachel McAdams. Sherlock Holmes follows Holmes, played by Downey, and Watson, played by Law, as they battle a new nemesis on a brand new adventure to unravel the deadly plot that could bring down the country.
Sherlock Holmesis rated PG-13 and has a running time of 2 hours and 14 minutes.
Now in theaters is Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel, starring Jason Lee, Justin Long, Jesse McCartney and Zachary Levi. The animated movie centers on the chipmunks, now in the care of Dave's nephew, played by Levi, trying to save their school's music program by winning a battle of the bands contest but the competition gets tougher after sparks starting flying when the chipmunks meet Brittany, Eleanor and Jeannette also known as The Chipettes.
Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel is rated G and has a running time of 1 hour and 30 minutes.
Benicio Del Toro (I LOVE HIM!) will be soon be opening his new movie The Wolfman, a remake of a 1979 horror film. The new version will be rated "R" for gore when it opens in early February. But sources tell The New York Post that Del Toro is now developing another remake, of the cult classic TV series T.H.E. Cat. The dark, stylish NBC show ran for only one season in 1966. It starred Robert Loggia as a circus performer-turned hired gun named T. Huett Edward Cat, also known as T.H.E. Cat.
The series was inspired in part by Alfred Hitchcock's movie To Catch a Thief, and coincidentally, that too may soon be remade. George Clooney is rumored to be interested in the role played by Cary Grant, and January Jones of Mad Men is his pick for the Grace Kelly role.
SECURITY BEING REVIEWED AFTER ATTEMPTED PLANE ATTACK: The administration has announced a sweeping review of aviation security, including the systems for placing suspicious people on watch lists and detecting explosives before passengers board flights, after the Christmas Day attempt to blow up a Northwest Airlines jet with 278 passengers and crew on board as it was minutes away from landing in Detroit on a flight from Amsterdam. Investigators said Sunday (December 27th) that they believe the suspect, 23-year-old Nigerian Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, tried to ignite a mix of the explosive PETN and possibly a liquid explosive that he'd hidden in a pouch below his torso. It set off popping, smoke and some fire, but didn't detonate as passengers and crew subdued the suspect. Abdulmutallab, a devoted Muslim, said after his arrest that his plan originated with al-Qaida in Yemen. However, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said there's no indication yet that Abdulmutallab is part of a larger terrorist plot, although his possible ties to al-Qaida are still under investigation. There were reports over the weekend that new security measures in the wake of the attempted attack may include barring passengers from getting out of their seats within one hour of landing and from holding anything in their laps.
A second Nigerian man on the same Northwest flight from Amsterdam to Detroit was detained Sunday after he locked himself in the plane's bathroom for a long time. It turns out the man was sick with food poisoning, and investigators concluded he didn't pose any threat.
AT LEAST FIVE KILLED BY SECURITY FORCES IN IRAN PROTESTS: At least five people were killed Sunday (December 27th) when Iranian security forces opened fire on protesters in Tehran, according to the opposition websites and witnesses. A nephew of opposition leader Mir Hossein Mousavi was reported to be among the dead. There were also reports of fierce clashes in four other Iranian cities. Accounts of violence couldn't be independently confirmed, however, because of government restrictions on media coverage. For their part, police denied using firearms, and said dozens of officers were injured and more than 300 protesters were arrested. Demonstrators reportedly confronted security forces, throwing stones and setting their motorcycles, cars and vans on fire, and tried to cut off roads with burning barricades. The clashes marked the bloodiest confrontation since the height of unrest in the weeks after June's disputed election.
HOUSE LIKELY TO BEND TOWARDS SENATE HEALTH REFORM BILL: After the Senate passed its version of a health insurance reform bill last Thursday (December 24th), early on Christmas Eve, the next step is for negotiators from the House and Senate to meet next month to reconcile that bill and the one approved by the House into a final version that can be sent to President Obama for his signature. Scraping together the 60 votes needed in the Senate to avoid a Republican filibuster took weeks, and two Congressional Democrats acknowledged yesterday (December 27th) that the House will likely have to bend towards the Senate version in the final legislation. Democratic Senator Robert Menendez of New Jersey said on Fox News Sunday, "If we are going to have a final law, it will look a lot more like the Senate version than the House version." On the same show, Democratic Rep. Chris Van Hollen of Maryland said he recognizes the realities in the Senate. But at the same time, he said that before the House gives up the public option -- which isn't in the Senate bill -- they'd want to be persuaded that there are other mechanisms in the final bill that will keep down premiums.
TODAY'S FYI:
POPE'S SECURITY TIGHTENED AFTER CHRISTMAS EVE INCIDENT: Security had been tightened around Pope Benedict the Sixteenth yesterday (December 27th) as he waded into a crowd of well-wishers in Rome, just days after he was knocked down by a woman at Christmas Eve Mass. The 82-year-old pontiff kept to his busy Christmas schedule despite the incident, in which a woman jumped a barricade in St. Peter's Basilica and pulled the pope to the ground as she was taken down by guards. Benedict, who was unhurt, got up quickly and celebrated the Mass. The Vatican said the woman was mentally unstable and identified her as 25-year-old Swiss-Italian Susanna Maiolo, who had jumped the barrier at Christmas Eve Mass in 2008 as well, but failed to get to the pope. She was being kept in a hospital psychiatric ward.
GOLDMAN CALLS XMAS EVE RETURN OF HIS SON A 'MIRACLE':David Goldman told MSNBC that the return of his son Sean on Christmas Eve after a five-year legal battle in Brazil was "a miracle." In the interview set to air this morning on NBC's Today show, Goldman told Meredith Vieira, "There was 364 other days that he could've been, if he ever were going to come home. But it was Christmas Eve. Somebody's up there for sure." Nine-year-old Sean was handed over to his father early Thursday (December 24th) at the U.S. Consulate in Rio de Janeiro, but only after his Brazilian stepfather and other relatives of his late mother paraded him past the media in protest of a Brazilian court order that the boy be returned to his father. Goldman told Vieira of the scene, "I hope [Sean] doesn't have lifelong nightmares of that day." Goldman, Sean, and some of Sean's American cousins spent the holiday weekend in Orlando, visiting Disney World and getting reacquainted. Goldman, who lives in New Jersey, told Vieira that Sean was concerned about how much snow there was there and how cold it might be. "He was saying, 'I need to get boots. I need a winter coat.'"
Sean was taken by Goldman's then-wife to her native Brazil in 2004 for what was supposed to be a two-week vacation. But she remained in Brazil with their son, got a divorce and remarried. Goldman has been fighting to get his son back since, first battling his ex-wife, and then after she died last year in childbirth, the boy's stepfather and his mother's relatives.
NEW CRYSTAL FOR TIMES SQUARE NEW YEAR'S EVE BALL: Organizers of the Times Square New Year's Eve ball drop unveiled the design yesterday (December 27th) for new triangles for the crystal ball. The new Waterford crystals feature an interlocking ribbon pattern woven into a Celtic knot to illustrate the theme for 2010, "Let There Be Courage." Some 288 of the ball's 2,668 Waterford crystal triangles will be replaced with ones with the new pattern for this year's ball drop. Also demonstrated yesterday was a new "Clink-Clink" iPhone app for virtual toasts, which Waterford helped design. It allows two people make a virtual toast with images of Waterford champagne flutes and cocktail glasses on their iPhones.
CHINA CLAIMS WORLD'S FASTEST TRAIN: China unveiled what it says is the world's fastest train Saturday (December 26th), Agence France Presse reported. The train has an average speed of 217 miles per hour, and will run between the cities of Guangzhou and Wuhan, reducing the 664-mile trip from 10 1/2 hours to just three hours. By comparison, Japan's high-speed trains operate at 150 miles per hour and France's run at an average speed of 172 miles per hour.
HOUSTON NEIGHBORHOOD HIT BY 22 ARSON FIRES IN FIVE MONTHS: Houston has been rattled by 22 arson fires that have taken place in the historic neighborhood called the Heights since August. Most of the fires have taken place in the middle of the night and almost always in abandoned buildings. Some structures have been set on fire more than once, with one hit four times. A suspect was charged last month for starting one of the fires, but he hasn't been charged with any of the other arsons and the fires continued even after his arrest. The Heights is a neighborhood of more than 40,000 people, with tree-lined streets and Victorian-style homes, as well as as antiques stores, coffee shops and art galleries.
SPORTS:
NFL SCORES -- WEEK 16: Here are the results of this week's National Football League games. (Home teams are listed in italics):
Friday, December 25th
San Diego Chargers 42, Tennessee Titans 17
Sunday, December 27th
Atlanta Falcons 31, Buffalo Bills 3
Cincinnati Bengals 17, Kansas City Chiefs 10
Cleveland Browns 23, Oakland Raiders 9
Houston Texans 27, Miami Dolphins 20
New England Patriots 35, Jacksonville Jaguars 7
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 20, New Orleans Saints 17 (Overtime)
Pittsburgh Steelers 23, Baltimore Ravens 20
Carolina Panthers 41, New York Giants 9 -- Giants were embarrassed in their final game at Giants Stadium before moving to the new Meadowlands Stadium next year.
Green Bay Packers 48, Seattle Seahawks 10
Arizona Cardinals 31, St. Louis Rams 10
San Francisco 49ers 20, Detroit Lions 6
Philadelphia Eagles 30, Denver Broncos 27
New York Jets 29, Indianapolis Colts 15 -- The Colts got their first loss of the season after going 14-0 in a stunning upset by the Jets.
Dallas Cowboys 17, Washington Redskins 0
Tonight's Monday Night Football game on ESPN:
Minnesota Vikings at Chicago Bears (8:30 p.m. ET)
TERRELL OWENS GETS 1,000TH CAREER RECEPTION:Terrell Owens got his 1,000th career reception yesterday (December 27th), becoming only the sixth player in NFL history to catch 1,000 passes. However, it came in a lopsided 31-3 loss by his Buffalo Bills to the Atlanta Falcons. The 36-year-old Owens came into the game needing only two catches to reach 1,000, and he got them both in the second quarter. He finished the game with four catches for 39 yards. Owens, who began his NFL career in 1996, reached the milestone in 203 games; only Marvin Harrison and Jerry Rice did it in fewer. The other players with 1,000 receptions are Cris Carter, Tim Brown and Isaac Bruce.
(Headline News, FYI and Sports stories were compiled in part from reports by the Associated Press and Reuters.)
PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: AT WORLD'S END - Will, Elizabeth and Barbossa unite to save Jack Sparrow from Davy Jones' locker. Starring Johnny Depp, Orlando Bloom and Keira Knightley.
MEN OF A CERTAIN AGE - Owen and Melissa go to a charity function with Joe's ex-wife and her new boyfriend; Joe goes to dinner with his bookie.
DAY TIME TALK SHOW
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) - (repeat) THE TONIGHT SHOW WITH CONAN O'BRIEN (NBC) - (repeat) JIMMY KIMMEL LIVE (ABC) -(repeat) THE LATE LATE SHOW WITH CRAIG FERGUSON (CBS) -(repeat) LATE NIGHT WITH JIMMY FALLON (NBC) - (repeat) LAST CALL WITH CARSON DALY (NBC) - (repeat) THE DAILY SHOW WITH JON STEWART (COMEDY CENTRAL) - (repeat) THE COLBERT REPORT (COMEDY CENTRAL) - (repeat) LOPEZTONIGHT - (repeat)
STUDENT SUSPENDED FOR WEARING SANTA SUIT TO SCHOOL: A Pennsylvania high school student was suspended for wearing a Santa Claus outfit to school. When 18-year-old Michael Hance, a senior at Wallingford's Strath Haven High School, told his principal he planned to dress as Santa and pass out candy canes for Christmas, he was told not to because it would be a distraction. Hance decided to go with his plan anyway and was removed moments after he walked into his first class on Tuesday (December 22nd). The school released a statement saying that he was suspended for "defiance of authority." (AP)
INDIAN GOVERNER RESIGNS OVER ALLEGED SEX TAPE: The 86-year-old governor of Andhra Pradesh, Narain Dutt Tiwari, resigned after a local TV station broadcast a sex tape showing him with three women. The tape's release prompted women's rights groups to protest and demand Tiwari's resignation. Tiwari's office says the tape is fabricated, but the governor resigned anyway. (AFP)
'BAREFOOT BANDIT' ELUDES US POLICE: After a string of burglaries and escapes spanning six years, an 18-year-old has been named Time magazine's "most wanted teenage thief" for 2009. Colton Harris-Moore has a criminal record that stretches back six years to when he was just 12 years old. The teen -- referred to as the "Barefoot Bandit" -- now has a cult following including a Facebook fan page. Harris-Moore's mother Pam Koehler says, "He's smart. He took an IQ test a few years ago and he's three points below Einstein." Meanwhile, a Hollywood producer says he wants to make a movie out of the 'Bandit's' life. Island County, Washington sheriff Mark Brown says, "He's an adult felon! I will not have him made into some kind of folk hero." (AFP)
CLOSE TO HALF OF NEW YEAR'S RESOLUTIONS REPORTEDLY SUCCESSFUL: According to AskMen.com, about 40 percent of New Year's resolutions are successful after the first six months. This figure comes from Dr. John Norcross, a clinical psychologist and professor of psychology at the University of Scranton, and Dr. Norcross and his colleagues actually think that the figure (which they reached through two extensive studies) is pretty impressive. New Year's resolutions date back to the Romans, who would tell their resolutions to Janus, the two-faced, two-direction god of good conduct.
MISTLETOE AS CANCER TREATMENT? Scientists have found an extract of the plant -- usually used as an excuse for secret admirers to steal a kiss -- could help to fight bowel cancer. The Daily Mail reports that patients who had the mistletoe treatment regularly injected into their blood had fewer side-effects from toxic chemotherapy and radiotherapy and survived longer than those who did not. The extract is thought to help the body's immune system fight tumours and speed up the disposal of toxic 'debris' left by chemotherapy. The scientists treated 429 cancer patients with the mistletoe jab and compared them with 375 receiving conventional care. The results, published in the journal of The Society For Integrative Oncology, showed only 19 percent of those in the mistletoe group suffered side-effects from toxic treatments, compared to 48 percent in the other group. They were also 32 per cent more likely to still be alive five years after starting therapy.
SYMPATHY PAIN EXISTS: The Daily Mail reported that in a recent study, a third of subjects claimed to feel real pain in the same part of the body as the victim they were watching. Psychologist Dr Stuart Derbyshire made the discovery after inviting 123 college students to watch video clips and photographs of patients and sports stars in pain. The videos included a footballer breaking his leg, a tennis player turning over his left ankle and a patient getting an injection in the hand. All the students said that, for at least one of the images or videos, they had an 'emotional reaction' - such as feeling sad, disgusted or fearful. But a third also claimed to feel real pain in the same part of the body as the person they were watching. Some experienced tingling or aching, others felt a heavy or stabbing pain. For some the pain was fleeting -- others complained that it lasted for several seconds.
THINGS TO DO BEFORE 2009 IS OVER (CollegeCandy.com)
Do something ballsy. We're about to embark into a new decade here! Take the initiative and do something that the "2000-2009 You" would've been terrified of. Ask that guy you've been eyeing (and Fbook stalking) since last January to chill (or meet you at the bar) over break. Kiss a stranger (okay, maybe not a total stranger. There's a lot to worry about these days!).
Make some NY resolutions. Put it in writing that you plan to ditch the nasty social smoking habit you've acquired (and only recently found out about via Facebook photos). Sign up (and pay) for a weekly yoga class now so you'll think twice about slogging down that third cranberry and vodka, since you'll know you have to perform a downward dog in front of hot instructor in t-minus 7 hours.
Use My Year In Status'. This little ditty randomly selects status updates from the past year and creates a customizable page of your 2009 (mis)adventures. Necessary? No. A hilarious stroll down memory lane? Hell to the yes.
Make an end-of-2009 playlist. Let's be honest, 2009 was full of some quality tunes (admit it, you liked "Use Somebody" . . . the first 200 times), so throw them all together on your very own "Now That's What I Call Music." But don't just include the top songs of 2009; you should also add jams specific to your year.
Do at least one thing that is so 2009. Sign up for a Twitter account, even if you think "tweeting" sounds like a sexual innuendo. Force yourself to go see "Twilight: New Moon," even though Kristen Stewart makes your skin crawl. (Okay, I guess a DVR marathon of The Vampire Diaries will suffice). Hop on stage and interrupt someone while they make an acceptance speech, telling them they don't deserve it. Learn the "Single Ladies" dance so you can bust it out at your NYE party when it inevitably plays. Twice.
HOW NOT TO LOOK LIKE A TOURIST WHEN YOU TRAVEL (AskMen.com)
Do your homework: It always helps to have some background information on where you're going. Knowledge of the local customs or history can help you avoid sticking out -- or even offending the locals. You don't want to try to get a meal in a small town in Spain, for example, when everyone has closed up shop for their afternoon siesta.
Know the currency: Familiarize yourself with the exchange rate so you don't have to figure out how much the local money is worth every time you pay for something. Avoid having to say things like, "How much is this worth in American dollars?" Find out the exchange rate the day before you leave, apply it to a $10 purchase, and use this scale to calculate the value of your expenditures.
Get familiar with your surroundings: You can buy maps and guidebooks for most major cities around the world in big bookstores or on the internet. If you do your prep work, you're much less likely to be caught off guard by cabbies who like to take the scenic route. Furthermore, you don't want to get lost, or appear lost, in public.
Learn a few words of the language: Get as familiar as you can with the local language. You don't have to be fluent, but it's very helpful to memorize a few basic words, handy phrases (such as "Where's the bathroom?") and common slang.
Get directions discreetly: Ever see a tourist standing on a street corner with a huge map unfolded? Would you want to look that clueless? If you do get lost, find a quiet place to open up your map -- a store or restaurant will do, providing they let you sit down for a while. Local businessmen and merchants, being established in the area, are also more likely to know the neighborhood and to give you better directions than passersby.
Dress the part: Make sure your clothes are appropriate for the local culture and climate. Bermuda shorts and a Hawaiian shirt may be great for St. Petersburg, Florida, but they won't fly in St. Petersburg, Russia. Don't wear souvenir clothes that will give you away as a tourist instantly.
Don't carry heavy bags or other accessories you won't need. If you bring your camera, don't leave it hanging around your neck all day, or even in your hand. Keeping it at the hotel will not only allow you to blend in better, but you'll be less likely to have it damaged or snatched.
Keep a low profile: Always be polite and unobtrusive. Remember, you're a visitor, so act as you would expect someone who is visiting your home to act. If there's a misunderstanding, don't lose your cool. Keep in mind that yelling won't help you be better understood.
Stray off the beaten path: If you can, avoid traveling in high season. You'll get a better feel for your destination if you're there when the other tourists are gone, plus you'll get better rates on airfare and accommodation. Stay away from the obvious tourist traps. When picking restaurants, try some local cuisine instead of visiting a chain that you have back home.
Get help from the locals: If you already know someone who lives where you're going, get them to help you and show you around. They'll know where all of the good places to go are, and you'll likely be better treated if you're with a local. Making new friends there isn't a bad idea either -- just be wary of scams.
The presents under the tree have been opened, broken ribbons in the trash and gifts you didn't want have been returned and exchanged for something you could use. We've heard from some of your favorite country artists about their Christmas gifts and what they did over the holidays.
Sugarland's Kristan Bush tweeted, "Merry Christmas! I got a yo-yo, a toy airpane, a record player and a bunch of my favorite albums on vinyl."
Miranda Lambert got a few things for her kitchen -- "Time to make blueberry muffins in my new muffin pan. Yay!"
Taylor Swift surprised some children at the Monroe Carrell Jr Children's Hospital with a performance on Christmas Eve.
Joe Nichols received a Tshirt stating, "I tweet naked," from his mother-in-law for Christmas.
Miranda's boyfriend, Blake Shelton, tweeted a picture of some of the gifts he received, which included alcohol and guns.
Keith Urban and wife Nicole Kidman got what they wanted for Christmas -- time together with their faily. The couple took daughter Sunday Rose to children's mass on Christmas Eve.
Kellie Pickler spent her holiday in Minnesota with her songwriter boyfriend, Kyle Jacobs, and went to the Mall of America. While there, she picked up the 2009 holiday Barbie.
On Christmas Eve, Martina McBride's daughter Ava made Santa Claus a cookie and a brownie in her Easy Bake Oven.
I know this is not a country song and it the quality of the sound it not that great but the lyrics are exactly what I feel in my heart. MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEARto ALL my Flagger Friends!!Much love to you all....Jessi
Kenny Chesney had the top grossing country tour of the decade with $455.6-million. He landed at Number Three overall, right behind the Dave Matthews Band ($529.1 million) and Celine Dion ($522.2 million). Toby Keith is the second top grossing country tour of the decade (and Number 11 overall) with $274-million, while Rascal Flatts is number-three with $222-million (Number 16 overall).
While Kenny won't be launching a big production tour next year, he will most likely miss his fans. He explains what he sees from his perspective on stage. "It's unbelievable to see the passion that people have for havin' a good time out there with us. I've seen people bring boats and use 'em as coolers. I've seen so many crazy things that it just, I tell ya, for me to go out there and do that. It reminds me of why we're there. It reminds me that, no matter what's goin' on in their life, too. And for a couple hours later on that night, we get to have a shared moment -- and we're gonna make that shared moment the best we can make it."
SIDENOTES:
Kenny has sold 8.6 million tickets over the past 10 years.
Kenny is nominated for a Grammy with the top touring act of the decade, Dave Matthews, for "Down the Road," which is up for Best Country Vocal Collaboration.
For many of us, being in a school Christmas play was just part of growing up, and Kenny Chesney is no exception. He was a "star" even as a child. "I think one time I held the star, you know, and did it behind them. You know, I didn't . . . never did show my face. I was holding the star going through the night. That's all I did. I remember doing that one year. But all my other buddies was Joseph and Mary and all that stuff. I never did, really, get out on stage that much. Never really did sing in the Christmas play and . . . no, I was pretty scared to get up there then!" (laughs)
Craig Morgan is having a little fun with a playful Christmas version of his current hit, "Bonfire," and while he was initially reluctant to record a Yuletide edition, he talked himself into it! Craig tells us,"When we first started talkin' about it, I'm like, 'Man, how are we gonna do this . . . without it bein' too cheesy?' Initially, I said, 'No," I wasn't gonna do this, but the more I thought about it, the more I thought it would be somethin' that'd be a lot of fun to do while we're touring, right up to the holidays. And I sat down and started piddling with it a little bit, and five minutes later, we had it finished, and I called my co-producer. And I was on the road touring out in Georgia somewhere, and he brought a . . . brought the studio down, set it up in a hotel room, and I re-recorded the vocals over the top of the original tracks, and that's what we ended up with."SOUNDCUE (:26 OC: . . . ended up with.) So Craig worked it up, got his producer to come out on the road, and you can be listen ing for it now on your favorite station!
The holiday version of "Bonfire" can be streamed online on Craig's MySpace page at myspace.com/craigmorgan.
The regular version of "Bonfire" is featured onCraig's current album, That's Why.
George Jones' "He Stopped Loving Her Today" will be featured in the Library of Congress historical archives and will be included in this weekend's The Sounds of American Culture radio program. George will appear, as well as the song's co-writer Bobby Braddock.
George has said that he initially thought "He Stopped Loving Her Today" was too sad to be very popular, but, at one of the lowest points of his career and personal life, he made it one of country music's defining and most enduring songs.
Since 2002, the Library of Congress' National Recording Preservation Board has named a limited number of recordings each year to the National Recording Registry. The recordings are considered "culturally, historically or aesthetically significant."
Faith Hill has many great Christmas memories, especially since becoming a mother. But she does recall one of favorite Christmas presents as a child.["[My] favorite Christmas present was a little wooden baby bed with a little baby doll in it. I think I asked for a little baby doll. We lived in Philadelphia, Mississippi this time. I think I was probably, I think I was five years old. And we had one of those silver Christmas trees, and I remember having that and a baby bed with a little baby in it. And my mom still has that baby bed." Taylor Swift's "You Belong With Me" is CMT's Top Music Video of the Year. The network's year-end Top 20 Countdown will air on Christmas Day at 11:30 AM (ET), featuring all of the top videos for the year.
Sarah Buxton "Outside My Window" has climbed into the Top 20 on the country singles charts. It's from her debut album, which arrives in stores February 23rd.
Vince Gill and Julianne Hough are expected to appear at the National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM), taking place in Anaheim, California, January 14th-17th. The trade show features thousands of the latest musical instruments, products and more. Quincy Jones, Gene Simmons, Yoko Ono, Ace Frehley, Stevie Wonder and Peter Frampton are also scheduled to appear.
Darius Rucker appears on ABC's Good Morning America on Christmas Day to perform the holiday favorite, "Candy Cane Christmas." The song is currently available for download at i-Tunes.com.
Bucky Covington will perform at the Hard Rock Cafe in downtown Nashville for its official re-opening on December 29th. Proceeds from the event will benefit the Arthritis Foundation of Tennessee.
American Idol finalist Danny Gokey, who just released his debut country single, is scheduled to make his Grand Ole Opry debut January 8th at Nashville's historic Ryman Auditorium. In other news, Dannny will perform the National Anthem prior to the NFL matchup between the Green Bay Packers and the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday (December 27th).
Tim McGraw and Faith Hill took baby Audrey home from the hospital in 2001, 18 days after she was born eight weeks premature.
N-B-C erroneously lists Chet Atkins among the famous people who had died that year. Chet calls C-N-N, Hard Copy and A Current Affair, and tells them (borrowing from Mark Twain) that reports of his death had been greatly exaggerated in 1994. (Atkins died in 2001 of cancer, at age 77.)
Tom Cruise marries Nicole Kidman in 1990. The two later divorce.
"When You Say Nothing At All" hit number one for Keith Whitley in 1988.
Kix and Barbara Brooks have their first child, Molly Brooks in 1986.
Larry Gatlin and the Gatlin Brothers top the Billboard country chart with "Houston" in 1983.
Alan Jackson proposed to Denise, his girlfriend of three years, in 1978.
Pam Tillis shattered her face in more than 30 places in a car accident in 1973, requiring multiple surgeries over the next five years.
Jack Greene began a seven-week stay at number-one on the Billboard country chart with "There Goes My Everything in 1966.
Glen Campbell filled in for Brian Wilson in the Beach Boys for the first time in 1964.
Franz Gruber of Oberndorff, Germany, composes the music for "Silent Night" to words written by Josef Mohr in 1818.
COFFEE BREAK: FRESHLY BREWED ENTERTAINMENT AND GOSSIP NEWS
JOHNNY KNOXVILLE IS A DAD AGAIN: Johnny Knoxville and his girlfriend Naomi Nelson are the parents of a newborn son. People magazine confirmed that Nelson gave birth to Rocko Akira Clapp on Sunday (December 20th) night in Los Angeles. Knoxville has a 13-year-old daughter from his previous marriage.
ANGELINA JOLIE DOESN'T BELIEVE IN FIDELITY? Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt may not be exclusive. The actress is quoted in an interview with a German women's magazine, Das Neue as saying, "I doubt that fidelity is absolutely essential for a relationship. It's worse to leave your partner and talk badly about him afterwards." She supposedly adds, "Neither Brad nor I have ever claimed that living together means to be chained together. We make sure that we never restrict each other."
'MISTER ED' ACTRESS DIES: Connie Hines, who played Wilbur's wife on the popular 1960s television show Mister Ed died last week at the age of 78. Her former co-star Alan Young told the Los Angeles Times that Hines passed away at her Beverly Hills home from complications relating to heart problems. Hines also appeared in the 1960 film Thunder in Carolina and TV shows like The Millionaire, Johnny Ringo and Riverboat.
BRITTANY MURPHY FUNERAL SET FOR CHRISTMAS EVE:RadarOnline.com reports that Murphy's funeral is to be held on Christmas Eve at Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Hollywood Hills and is listed as "strictly private.
JOHNNY KNOXVILLE IS A DAD AGAIN:People magazine reports that Knoxville and his girlfriend welcomed son Rocko Akira Clapp on Sunday.
TIGER WOODS POPULARITY TAKES PLUNGE: A CNN poll found Woods had a 34 percent favorable rating and 49 percent unfavorable mark last week.
MORGAN FREEMAN BUYS PRIVATE JET: Gulfnews.com reports that Freeman purchased a brand new private jet from Emivest, a private investment company in the United Arab Emirates.
'SEX AND THE CITY' TRAILER RELEASED: Check out what's coming: http://tinyurl.com/y86w6xl'MISTER ED' ACTRESS DIES: Connie Hines, who played Wilbur's wife on the popular 1960s television show Mister Ed died at the age of 78 from complications of heart problems.
'SEX AND THE CITY' TRAILER RELEASED: The first Sex and the City trailer has hit the web. The preview doesn't offer too many plot hints, but promises exotic locations, extravagant clothes and adventures with girlfriends and lovers. Check it out here: http://tinyurl.com/y86w6xl
GOLDEN GLOBE PRESENTERS ANNOUNCED: Julia Roberts, Jennifer Aniston and Mickey Rourke will be among the presenters at next month's Golden Globes. Robert De Niro and Leonardo DiCaprio were previously announced as presenters for the January 17th show, which will be hosted by Ricky Gervais. Roberts is also a nominee this year in the category of best comedy actress for her performance in Duplicity.
SUSAN BOYLE CONTINUES DOMINATING CHARTS: Susan Boyle will reportedly dominate the Billboard 200 chart for a fourth consecutive week. MTV reports that Boyle's debut album, I Dreamed a Dream, will top the chart again next week after selling an additional 661,000 copies. Since its release last month, Boyle's disc of covers and holiday favorites has sold nearly 2.5 million copies.
HUGE DROP IN TIGER WOODS POPULARITY AS SCANDAL UNFOLDS
Tiger Woods' popularity has unsurprisingly suffered greatly since his adulterous scandal has unraveled. A CNN poll found that the golfer had a 34 percent favorable rating and 49 percent unfavorable mark last week -- down from a 60-to-25 favorable-to-unfavorable margin less than three weeks ago, after the scandal first broke.
The New York Post noted that Tiger's unwillingness to speak about his situation is most likely to blame for the dip.
Dr. Conrad Murray, the cardiologist who will likely be charged with the murder of superstar Michael Jackson, reportedly struck a deal with a British film company for a new documentary. According to TMZ.com, Murray allowed a film crew to follow him around during his first day back at his Houston medical clinic on November 23rd. The footage -- which also follows Murray to his church -- will be part of a one-episode TV special.
A spokesman for Dr. Murray says the production company was "interested in the reaction of patients to his return," and that the good doctor has not received any money for the project. Just when the Murray documentary will get on the air is not determined, as the doctor reportedly told the crew that he would not consent to have it broadcast until after the Michael Jackson investigation is complete. That could take years.
"There is no proposed deal," said Murray spokeswoman Miranda Sevcik. "They were thinking about doing something in the future, but it's been blown way out of proportion. We have them on an ironclad contract saying if they show anything, we can sue them. So they won't touch the stuff."
The doctor returned to his practice because he needs the income. He claims that he has not been paid for his services as Jackson's personal physician during the weeks he was rehearsing for his London shows, and was charged by a Los Angeles judge with paying child support for his young son. Murray was the person responsible for administering the powerful sedatives that ultimately killed the King Of Pop on June 25th.
JAKE GYLLENHAAL REPORTEDLY VACATIONING WHERE HE INTENDED TO PROPOSE
Jake Gyllenhaal is reportedly recovering from his split from Reese Witherspoon in the same location where he planned to propose to her. Popeater.com reports that the actor is vacationing at the exclusive Post Ranch Inn in Big Sur, California, which describes itself as "providing the ultimate accommodations for a romantic getaway for those seeking a luxurious escape for a honeymoon, anniversary, or a relaxing vacation."
A source told the website, "It's so sad watching his friend try to cheer him up in the infinity pool when you know it was Reese that was supposed to be next to him wearing a diamond ring."
Brittany Murphy's funeral will reportedly take place today (December 24th) at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in the Hollywood Hills. RadarOnline.com reports that the service is listed as "strictly private."
Meanwhile, there's speculation that Murphy may have a post-mortem singing careering. E! reports that music executives are looking to see if Murphy, who sang alongside Paul Oakenfeld and in films like Happy Feet, may have any unreleased songs.
An executive said, "Obviously this isn't a Michael Jackson thing, but people are definitely interested in Brittany and her story. Depending on what she may have recorded and what kind of quality it is, she could end up having a hit song or two."
In other news, TMZ.com reports that the actress's home is already a stop on "Haunted Hollywood Tours." A van for the company was seen driving past the house in which Murphy died just two days after her death.
Reports have circulated claiming Natalie Portman is dating the older brother of Miley Cyrus's boyfriend. Star magazine reported that the actress and Star Trek actor Chris Hemsworth began dating after they were cast together in the upcoming movie Thor, however her Portman's rep told GossipCop.com that the rumor is untrue.
A source had told Star "Sparks have been flying since their first meeting. He seems to have a crush on her, and she clearly loves the attention." Thor is scheduled to start shooting in January.
Cyrus has reportedly been dating Hemsworth's younger brother Liam since the pair shot The Last Song together six months ago.
KATE GOSSELIN REPORTEDLY DROPPED FROM TALK SHOW PILOT
Kate Gosselin has reportedly been dropped from the talk show pilot she shot earlier this year opposite Paula Deen and several other women. RadarOnline.com reported in September that Gosselin was one of several hosts tapped for a Momlogic TV pilot, but the website said that executives dropped the reality mom because they thought she was "too controversial."
Regardless of Gosselin's involvement, Radar noted that it's unlikely the show will be picked up. The website described the program -- dubbed "The View for working moms" -- as being on life support. A source said that it is still on the schedule to be sold at the convention where television shows are pitched, but an insider said there is little chance it will make it.
In other news, Radar reported that Kate will likely be back on TLC in the spring with a new show, although the concept has not been made public.
Susan Sarandon and Tim Robbins have split up after more than 20 years together. Sarandon's rep confirmed that the relationship -- which held strong for over two decades despite the lack of a marriage license -- has ended.
Teal Cannaday told People magazine, "Actress Susan Sarandon and her partner of 23 years, actor Tim Robbins have announced that they separated over the summer. No further comments will be made."
The couple, who met on the set of Bull Durham, have two sons together; 20-year-old Jack and 17-year-old Miles. Sarandon, at 63, is 12 years older than Robbins.
Sarandon previously commented on their decision not to marry, saying, "I won't marry because I am too afraid of taking him for granted or him taking me for granted -- maybe it will be a good excuse for a party when I am 80."
Sarandon has a 24-year-old daughter from a previous relationship with director Franco Amurri.
Opening tomorrow (December 25th) is Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel, starring Jason Lee, Justin Long, Jesse McCartney and Zachary Levi. The animated movie centers on the chipmunks, now in the care of Dave's nephew, played by Levi, trying to save their school's music program by winning a battle of the bands contest but the competition gets tougher after sparks starting flying when the chipmunks meet Brittany, Eleanor and Jeannette also known as The Chipettes.
Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel is rated G and has a running time of 1 hour and 30 minutes.
Opening tomorrow (December 25th) is the new romantic comedy from Nancy Meyers, It's Complicated, starring Meryl Streep, Alec Baldwin, Steve Martin and John Krasinski. The film follows Jane, played by Streep, who has an amicable relationship wit her ex-husband and father of her three grown children, Jake, played by Baldwin. But when Jane and Jake's flame re-ignites things get complicated;especially when Adam, played by Martin, Jane's architect becomes part of the love triangle.
It's Complicated is rated R and has a running time of 1 hour and 54 minutes.
Opening tomorrow (December 25th) is the highly anticipated latest version of Sherlock Holmes from director Guy Ritchie and starring Robert Downey Jr., Jude Law and Rachel McAdams. Sherlock Holmes follows Holmes, played by Downey, and Watson, played by Law, as they battle a new nemesis on a brand new adventure to unravel the deadly plot that could bring down the country.
Sherlock Holmesis rated PG-13 and has a running time of 2 hours and 14 minutes.
Opening tomorrow (December 25th) in wide release is the latest movie from Juno director Jason Reitman, Up In The Air, starring George Clooney, Vera Farmiga, Jason Bateman and Danny McBride. The story follows Ryan Bingham, played by Clooney, a corporate downsizing expert whose life on the road is threatened just as he gets close to his goal of ten million frequent flyer miles and just after he's met the woman of his dreams. Up In The Air is rated R and has a running time of 1 hour and 50 minutes.
JOHN KERRY'S WIFE HAS CANCER: Senator John Kerry's wife, Teresa Heinz-Kerry, is battling breast cancer. The 71-year-old revealed her diagnosis in a Pittsburgh-Post Gazette Op-Ed on Wednesday (December 23rd), writing that she was diagnosed and treated for stage one cancer in both breasts, first detected at an early stage during an annual mammogram. The once First Lady-hopeful added that she has had two operations and her prognosis for a full recovery is good. In her piece, Heinz-Kerry also made it clear that she disagreed with a federal panel recommendation last month that women in their 40s should stop routinely having annual mammograms.
HISTORIC HEALTH CARE VOTE HAPPENING: At press time, the U.S. Senate was poised to vote on passage of a historic health care reform bill on Thursday morning (December 24th), following 23 straight days of debate in which Republicans aimed to score political points against President Barack Obama by bringing the legislation down with the help of a handful of conservative Democrats. A procedural vote passed 60 to 39 on Wednesday evening (December 23rd), clearing the way for the final vote and an upcoming conference with the House of Representatives to meld their two bills together into one final package. The Senate bill extends coverage to 31 million Americans, bans insurance companies from denying coverage or dropping customers due to illness, and aims to both slow the growth of spending and cut the deficit.
ARMED MAN IN WHEELCHAIR TAKES FIVE HOSTAGE: An armed man in a wheelchair took five people hostage in a western Virginia post office on Wednesday (December 23rd), forcing police to cordon off a three-block area crowded with holiday shoppers. According to the Associated Press, there were no injuries although shots had been fired, and the man had made no demands except to ask for a pizza. The man appeared to have five pounds of explosive strapped to his chest. The man's motive for taking the people hostage was not determined.
GUANTANAMO MAY STAY OPEN UNTIL 2011: Despite President Obama's pledge to close the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba by January, the now-notorious base may have to stay open until 2011. According to the Associated Press, that's because it will take the government months to complete the purchase of an Illinois prison and upgrade it to hold enemy combatants. Republicans have pledged to delay votes on funding to upgrade the Thomson Correctional Center, a state facility located about 150 miles from Chicago. The government cannot buy the facility until March, after which it will need approximately 10 months of construction. More than 560 inmates have been released from Guantanamo since 2002, with 198 remaining.
TODAY'S FYI:
STUDY FINDS AIRPORT RESTAURANTS LACKING IN FOOD SAFETY: A recent inspection of nearly 800 restaurants at 10 airports found dangerous food conditions. USA Today, which conducted the study themselves, found tuna salad and turkey sandwiches stored in warm temperatures, raw meat cross-contaminating ready-to-eat items, rat droppings, and kitchens without soap. David Jefferson of the Tarrant County, Texas health department told the paper, "The grab-and-go sandwich problem, it's a constant battle." The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention noted that every year there are 76 million cases of food-borne illnesses in the U.S.
WOMAN SUING AFTER BEING MISDIAGNOSED WITH STDS: A New Jersey woman says that a Harlem hospital nearly destroyed her life and wrecked her marriage after misdiagnosing her with terminal HIV, hepatitis and herpes. Maria Osorio told the New York Post that she went to a screening at the Harlem Hospital earlier this year after seeing an ad on TV offering a $15 mammogram. When a nurse offered her a free instant cheek swab and blood test, too, she accepted and was told she had HIV. She told the paper that she lashed out at her husband, who tried to defend himself. She alleges that almost three weeks later, the hospital called to say she was perfectly healthy, but no one apologized to her for the mistake. Osorio filed a medical-malpractice notice of claim against the city in state Supreme Court in Manhattan last week.
U.S. RETAILERS STAY OPEN PAST MIDNIGHT IN HOLIDAY PUSH: Some U.S. retailers have been keeping their doors open 24 hours the past few nights in a final push for holiday sales. Macy's has kept 12 stores open in big cities like New York, Washington, D.C. and Philadelphia. Best Buy and Kmart have done the same with several of their store locations as well. Chief industry analyst at the NPD Group tells Reuters, "What retailers are looking to do is get any leg up on the competition to get what little dollars are available . . . We're seeing a new tradition form right in front of our eyes." The National Retail Federation expects that U.S. retail sales will fall one percent from a year ago. Retailers will release December sales results in two weeks.
MORE PEOPLE GET NEWS FROM YAHOO NEWS THAN CNN: According comScore -- a digital measuring service -- more people get their online news from Yahoo News rather than CNN or news properties of the New York Times. In November, comScore reports that Yahoo News had 138 million unique visitors worldwide, while CNN had 66 million and the New York Times properties' combined had 92 million. Google News attracted 100 million unique visitors worldwide, making the top two sources of online news Yahoo News and Google News.
JAILBREAK FUGITIVE UPDATES FACEBOOK PAGE: An escaped prisoner named Craig Lynch is on the run but still manages to find time to update his Facebook status. The 28-year-old was serving a sentence for aggravated burglary when he escaped from a prison in eastern England back in September. British police are trying to use Lynch's updates to figure out where he is hiding. A police spokeswoman told CNN, "Obviously we're taking what he's saying on Facebook with a pinch of salt because he's now aware that people may be reading what he's writing." There have been several status updates since the news of his updates broke -- the most recent of them being -- "Well what can i say fellow friends. The run is nearly over. Sorry some of you had to find out like this. I know some of you might take offense that i never told you personally. But you know me. I Trust No One. Its the only way to be."
11 AREAS WHERE JOBS ARE INCREASING: MetroMonitor, a "quarterly, interactive barometer of the health of America's 100 largest metropolitan economies" recognizes 11 metropolitan areas where they saw increases in employment in the last quarter.
The metros that saw positive job growth are:
McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, Texas
New Orleans, Metarie-Kenner, Louisiana
New York-Northern New Jersey-Long Island, New York, Pennsylvania
Omaha-Council Bluffs, Nebraska-Iowa
Columbia, South Carolina
Worcester, Massachusetts
Jackson, Mississippi
Raleigh-Cary, North Carolina
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-Virginia-Maryland-W. Virginia
Madison, Wisconsin
Syracuse, New York
SPORTS:
MLB UMPIRES SIGN 5-YEAR CONTRACT: Major League Baseball and it's umpires have come to an agreement on a five-year contract that runs through 2014. Owners are expected to vote on the deal on January 14, and umpires will vote on ratification four days later. After a number of missed calls during the playoffs, MLB wanted the rule that prohibited umpires from working the World Series in consecutive years lifted as well as more control over postseason assignments. Negotiators said they wouldn't discuss the specifics of the deal before ratification.
MICHAEL VICK WINS EAGLES' COURAGE AWARD: Michael Vick was awarded the Ed Block Courage Award, voted on by his teammates on the Philadelphia Eagles. Vick's teammates rewarded him for the tough journey he took in order to return to the NFL after spending 18 months in a federal prison for his role in a dogfighting ring. "It means a great deal to me," Vick said Wednesday. "I was voted unanimously by my teammates. They know what I've been through." The Ed Block Award honors players who exemplify commitment to the principles of sportsmanship and courage. All 32 NFL teams select a recipient, and each winner will be honored at an awards ceremony in Baltimore on March 9.
IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE - (1946) A suicidal family man and do-gooder sees life a new way thanks to his guardian angel. Starring James Stewart, Donna Reed, Lionel Barrymore and Thomas Mitchell.
RAISING THE BAR - Richard defends a law student who poured a beer on a police officer who demnaded he respect the national anthem; Marcus prosecutes a father accused of robbing a store to feed his children.
RAISING THE BAR - Jerry defends a massage therapist accused of touching a client inappropriately; Judge Kessler's boyfriend asks her for a favor.
DAY TIME TALK SHOW
THE ELLEN DEGENERES SHOW - (repeat) THE OPRAH WINFREY SHOW - (repeat) THE VIEW - The View's Last Minute Throw Together Christmas Show
LATE NIGHT TALK SHOWS
THE LATE SHOW WITH DAVID LETTERMAN (CBS) - (repeat) THE JAY LENO SHOW (NBC) - (repeat) THE TONIGHT SHOW WITH CONAN O'BRIEN (NBC) - (repeat) JIMMY KIMMEL LIVE (ABC) - (repeat) THE LATE LATE SHOW WITH CRAIG FERGUSON (CBS) - (repeat) LATE NIGHT WITH JIMMY FALLON (NBC) - (repeat) LAST CALL WITH CARSON DALY (NBC) - (repeat) THE DAILY SHOW WITH JON STEWART (COMEDY CENTRAL) - (repeat) THE COLBERT REPORT (COMEDY CENTRAL) - (repeat) LOPEZTONIGHT - (repeat)
'TIL DEATH - Eddie and Joy try to live without complaining, but Eddie finds that repressing his true feelings makes him sick; Kenny works as a mall Santa.
'TIL DEATH - Eddie and Joy visit his parents in Florida and find out that the older couple are separating.
'TIL DEATH - Joy's boyfriend with Eileen, Eddie's ex-girlfriend, causes problems.
'TIL DEATH - Kenny's wife kicks him out of their apartment, so Eddie invites him to stay at his house.
PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: DEAD MAN'S CHEST - Jack Sparrow must find a way to avoid the clutches of ghostly pirate Davy Jones and his crew or be damned for all eternity. Starring Johnny Depp, Orlando Bloom, Keira Knightley, Bill Nighy and Geoffrey Rush.
GRANDMA GOT RUNOVER BY A REINDEER - A boy embarjks on a journey to find his missing grandmother and prove that Santa Claus is real.
DAY TIME TALK SHOW
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) - (repeat) THE TONIGHT SHOW WITH CONAN O'BRIEN (NBC) - (repeat) JIMMY KIMMEL LIVE (ABC) - (repeat) THE LATE LATE SHOW WITH CRAIG FERGUSON (CBS) - (repeat) LATE NIGHT WITH JIMMY FALLON (NBC) - (repeat) LAST CALL WITH CARSON DALY (NBC) - (repeat)
JESSE STONE: THIN ICE - A police chief lands in trouble with the council after a shootout on the streets of Boston. Starring Tom Selleck, Kathy Baker, Kohl Sudduth and Leslie Hope.
THE SOUND OF MUSIC - A woman leaves her convent to become the governess to Capt. Von Trapp's seven children in Austrua before World War II. Starring Julie Andrews, Christopher Plummer, Eleanor Parker and Peggy Wood.
E!
KEEPING UP WITH THE KARDASHIANS - Khloe gets excited when she thinks she's pregnant; Kim's tendency to tell little white lies get her into big trouble.
SANTA ROBS A BANK TO PAY HIS ELVES: Nashville, TN police say a man dressed as Santa Claus robbed a local bank claiming he needed the money to "pay elves". A bank teller asked him to remove the sunglasses he was wearing, but he refused and then reached into his sack for a gun. He warned the tellers not to put blue dye packs in the with the money or he'd come back and kill everyone. (WKRN)
FAMILY FINDS BABY SEAL IN THEIR BACKYARD: A family in Kent, England found a baby seal in their backyard, 18 miles from the sea. The family said they discovered the seal when they heard their dog barking at it and say it got into their pond and ate some of their pet goldfish. The family at first thought it was a "huge slimy cat". Wildlife officials say they believe the seal got lost from it's mother during a storm at sea, but that the seal is a good weight and was not starving when they found it. (BBC News)
SALON GLUES WOMAN'S EYES SHUT: An English woman got more than she paid for when her eyes were accidentally glued shut during a "lash tinting" at a beauty salon. During the treatment, her eyes became irratated and swelled up causing her to go to the hospital where she received perscription eye drops, but a week later she woke up with her eyes seemingly glued shut. With warm water she was eventually able to pry them open before returning to the hospital for treatment on her scars. (Stylelist.com)
SEA OTTERS DELAY FLIGHT: Officials say two sea otters are responsible for an 80-minute flight delay out of Houston, Texas on Tuesday. They say the shortly before takeoff, two sea otters being stored in the cargo deck got loose and had to be restrained before the flight could take off for Columbus, Ohio. (KHOU.com)
IS SANTA A BAD INFLUENCE? Public health expert Dr. Nathan Grills says Santa Claus is a bad influence. Ananova.com reports that Grills said Father Christmas is a bad role model -- and encourages obesity, drink-driving and risk-taking. He added that Santa must be over the limit while driving his sleigh, after all those beers, brandies and sherries -- and he doesn't even wear a seatbelt. Grills told the British Medical Journal, "To create a supportive environment for Santa's dieting we should cease the tradition of leaving him cookies, mince pies, and milk, brandy, or sherry. This is bad not only for Santa's waistline but for parental obesity. Santa might also be encouraged to adopt a more active method to deliver toys - swapping his reindeer for a bike or walking or jogging."
AMERICANS SPENT TONS ON TIME ONLINE: A Harris Interactive poll suggests that adult Internet users are now spending an average of 13 hours a week online. About 14 percent spends 24 or more hours a week online, while 20 percent of adult Internet users are online for only two hours or less a week. Harris concludes that the average hours spent online have increased from 7 hours from 1999 to 2002, to between 8 and 9 hours in 2003 to 2006, and surged after that.
Rule #1: Thou shalt not regift anything you've already used. This is the single most important rule. Don't try to fudge it. Think of this rule as your excuse to give that gently-worn sweater to a worthy charity, instead of racking your brains trying to think of a friend who won't remember seeing you in it.
Rule #2: Thou shalt carefully examine your regift from every angle. Check for gift notes tucked into the box. Check for inscriptions on the first ten pages of the book. Check for damage. And for the love of sweet pickle juice, check for monograms and personalization.
Rule #3: Thou shalt be certain, beyond a doubt, that the person who originally gave you the gift does not know, and never will know, the person you're regifting it to.
Rule #4: Thou shalt regift with the same care and generosity with which you, er, regular-gift. Wrap the gift nicely, include a thoughtful card, and observe your usual gift-giving discretion. You wouldn't tell a friend how much you paid for a gift you bought, right? You don't need to tell her how much you didn't pay, either. (Total honesty might make you feel better, but it probably won't have the same effect on the recipient.)
Rule #5: Thou shalt only regift things that other people might actually want. On the "do" list: Bottles of wine and champagne are almost universally welcome regifts. Other good regifts: new toys, bestselling books, unused (and unopened) beauty products, edible goodies that not only are fresh but also look fresh, music (anything that wasn't the big hit of last year, that is), and picture frames you've taken the trouble to put great pictures into.
What to Gift: This couple wavers between talking about how tired they are and how amazing their lives are now that they have a new baby. Give them a gift basket that says, "Welcome to parenthood! Now stop complaining." Items include:
His and Hers Pillow Cases (for those late night debates)
Baby Sleeping, Do Not Disturb Signs (so baby's naps go uninterrupted)
Placenta Teddy Bear (for novelty's sake)
Mom Jeans (a "cheeky" welcome to the club token)
Type: Parents Who Travel
What to Gift: Smart Baby Case (complete with air purification unit, LED screen and auto-diaper functions!)
Type: Parents With a Crazy Kid
What to Gift: Put together a basket that will help your friends -- and everyone else -- stay sane. Items include:
Leash (for the kid)
Hill Pill (for the parents)
Nyquil and Popsicle Containers (for sleepy time)
New Parent Apology Cards (for public outings)
Type: Environmentally Obsessed Parents
What to Gift: Anything that involves cloth diapers, butt-wash spray (yes, it exists) and fleece wipes are all good. Buy a gift basket from your friend's favorite overpriced eco-baby store and watch her squeal with delight.
WHY IT'S BETTER TO BE SINGLE DURING THE HOLIDAYS (YourTango.com)
Fewer gift to buy. Without a significant other, you're giving yourself the gift of one less purchase. It's been a tough 12 months -- why not splurge for that deep tissue massage your shoulders have been asking for all year?
The chance to meet new loves. As Twanna Hines, who writes a dating blog Funky Brown Chick, says, "single for the holidays doesn't have to mean solo." There are holiday parties to attend, New Year's Eve bashes brimming with champagne and eligible singles at every corner fresh (and freshly buzzed) from office parties. Use these social events as your very own holiday dating service. If you start to view it as such, at the very least, you'll see that you really aren't missing very much by being single.
French kisses under the mistletoe. Kissing someone new under the mistletoe is 100 percent more exciting than kissing the person you kiss every day.
More friendly encounters. Hines, who's single, looks forward to Thanksgiving with her girlfriends. It's a tradition that she's upheld since college, and she's happy a significant other doesn't disrupt the pattern.
Silent nights. All the blinking Santa lights veering on seizure-inducing? "All I Want For Christmas Is My Two Front Teeth" making you want to remove your own (or somebody else's)? We feel you. And since the only people you have to please are you and yourself, feel free to draw the shades and enjoy the silence.
Fewer liars lying. Mark Maurice, a NY-based entrepreneur, had to use some creative story-telling to get out of spending last Christmas with his ex-girlfriend's family. "They are absolutely insane," he says, wide-eyed. "At some point or another, I always ended up cornered by her Robert DeNiro-like Meet the Parents father and her crazy mother, who kept dropping wedding hints." Deciding that he would give himself the gift of a Solo Holiday, Maurice ended up spinning a tall tale involving an 11th-hour business meeting. When his web of deceit unraveled two months later, so did his relationship.
Guy #1: "The reach is transparent, yes, but necessary. It seems entitled to not make some gesture to help pay, even if the girl knows the guy won't actually take her up on it. It's just an awkward moment all around, though, and you can't escape it."
Guy #2: "I want her to do a blatantly ceremonial reach. The guy should always pay on the first date; it's part of the old-fashioned mating dance. I don't care about 'this economy'; the economy of romance hasn't changed."
Guy #3: "If the 'reach' is obviously insincere, then I consider it to be a bunch of B.S. and a telling sign that the girl isn't as straightforward as I'd like her to be. I'm very open and likely would have already told her that I was paying prior to the meal. If she balked at the idea and demanded to contribute half of the funds, then before the meal is the right time to make her stance known. After the meal is over, the only stance I want her in is . . . well . . . I'll stop there."
Guy #4: "I generally appreciate the reach. In certain minority cases the onus might fall on the woman to pay (like if she clearly asked the guy out), ergo the emergence of the lesser known 'male reach.' I would make the finer point that there's a noticeable difference between the more common 'reach' bluff and a bone fide 'reach' with a serious intention to split the check. Obviously, I give more credit for the latter."
Guy #5: "The reach for the check, I'm presuming we're discussing? I would never discourage other end of date 'reaches.' I appreciate the gesture, but do not mind at all if it's skipped on a first date. A lack of 'thank you' is a bit poor form, in my opinion, but also excusable -- once. Two times with no acknowledgment is a deal breaker."
Christmas Eve birthday boy Ryan Seacrest hosted what ESPN show when he was 19-years-old?
A: Radical Outdoor Challenge
Radical Outdoor Challenge was a television show on ESPN that aired in 1993 that was hosted by a then 19 year-old Ryan Seacrest in his first major television role as well as Jerry Bernardo and Sharon Swainson. The show featured three children competing against each other in various outdoor competitions held on a property in Thomaston, Georgia. Various graphical non sequiturs were interspersed with the footage of the show, intended to give the show a "radical" quality. An episode of the show was featured in a 2006 episode of Cheap Seats on ESPN Classic.
The "Balloon Boy" parents have been slapped with some jail time. According to the Associated Press, the parents who pulled the balloon boy hoax in hopes of getting a reality TV show this year were sentenced to jail Wednesday (December 23rd). The boy's father, Richard Heene, got 90 days, and his wife, Mayumi Heene, was hit with 20 days. They also received four years probation.
Richard will serve the first 30 days of his sentence in jail. During the last 60 days, he'll spend weekends and nights behind bars so that he will be able to work during the day. The term begins January 11th. Reports say that Richard held back tears during the sentencing, saying, "I do want to reiterate that I'm very, very sorry. And I want to apologize to all the rescue workers out there, and the people that got involved in the community. That's it." Prosecutors asked for the maximum sentence for the husband, saying that a message needs to be sent to promoters who attempt hoaxes to get publicity.
Taylor Swift and Lady Antebellum are among the performrs announced for the 52nd annual Grammy Awards next month. Other performers include Beyonce, Maxwell and the Black Eyed Peas.
The 20-year-old, who is up for eight Grammy awards including the overall Album and Record of the Year categories, appeared last year with pal Miley Cyrus to perform her hit, "Fifteen."
Lady Antebellum has two nominations: Best Country Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocals and Best Country Song (with Tom Douglas) for "I Run To You."
The 52nd annual Grammy Awards will be broadcast live from Los Angeles on January 31st at 8:00 PM (ET/PT) on CBS.
FAST FACTS:
Taylor is second only to Beyonce in the number of nominations for the Grammys. Taylor has eight, while Beyonce leads with 10.
The Grammy Awards were originally called the Gramophone Awards.
Alison Krauss has the most Grammy Awards for any female with 26.
Jimmy Wayne announced at a press conference yesterday that he was going to walk halfway across America from Nashville to Phoenix, Arizona to help raise awareness, and hopefully funds, for homeless teens and organizations that help those teens. He will begin his nearly 1700 mile journey -- officially titled the Meet Me Halfway campagin -- at 10:00 AM on New Year's Day (January 1st), averaging approximately 25 miles a day, until he reaches his destination.
Jimmy will be carrying a backpack with a few amenities, including a sleeping bag and his cell phone and plans to sleep outside for the most part. He may stop to take a shower or sleep in a truck stop or homeless shelter. Jimmy explains to us that he just decided to do this about a month ago after meeting an 18-year-old Albuquerque homeless boy. He explains to us why he wanted to do the walk,"I've got to do something. The time is right. there's not much going on, perfect timing, the beginning of the year, the coldest, right dead in the winter, I think I'm gonna walk halfway across the country and just raise some awareness. And I want to do something like that, 'cause I felt like that was gonna be a statement, not just doing a free show, you know. Not just putting the word out there, I've done that enough. I want to do something grand, like walking across the United States is a big statement."
The North Carolina native, who grew up in the welfare system and was sometimes forced to live in abadoned trailers or warehouses, will document his adventures via Twitter. He also says that a website dedicated to his mission will most likely be up and running when he takes off, and will be able to trace his route and find his exact location via GPS.
We asked Jimmy what the hardest thing about being homeless for him was, and he said "being hungry." "Probably being hungry was the hardest part to me about being homeless. Man, when you're hungry, there's no feeling like that. It's hard to explain. It drains your energy. Everything about you changes when you're hungry. Even now, I mean, if I get hungry, I get ill. (laughs) So, that's probably the most of my worries, the nutritional part about this hike, if you will, this walk. But the other stuff I can take care of. I think I'll be fine. I'm just simulating being homeless. I'm not gonna kill myself, if you will."
Jimmy has a couple of shows that he has to fulfill contractually, and he'll walk to the nearest airport, pick up his ticket and fly to his show. Once he's finished with his appearance, he'll fly right back to the town he left and continue on his walk.
SIDENOTES:
While Jimmy is showing the plight of homeless youth, he will not be without one or two comforts. He's being sponsored by Marmot, who will supply his clothing and hiking attire and gear.
Faith Hill stars in the 11th annual A Home for the Holidays special airing tonight at 8:00 PM (ET) on CBS. Reba McEntire and Carrie Underwood are among the special guests, as well as Mary J. Blige, Jenna Elfmanand Shakira.
Faith explains why she participates in the show year after year. "It's a program that focuses on about 20 children that we try to find homes for. And every year all 20 have been adopted into homes and being an adopted child myself I just have a special place in my heart for you know, adopted children, children in foster care, children's homes."
This is Faith's second time to host the special (and third time appearing on the show), which will share people's personal stories about foster care adoption.
FAST FACTS:
Faith released her first Christmas album, Joy to the World, in 2008.
Faith recorded "Where Are You Christmas" for the soundtrack to the 2000 feature film version of How the Grinch Stole Christmas, starring Jim Carrey.
Faith was adopted by Edna and Ted Perry shortly after her birth.
Tim McGraw's "Something Like That" is the most popular song of the decade, according to Nielsen BDSradio, which monitors radio stations across the nation. The tune, released in 1999, was played 487,343 times, beating out the most popular song on Top 40 radio, Usher's "Yeah!," which was spun 416, 267 times on the radio.
FAST FACTS:
"Something Like That" is from Tim's 1999 album, A Place in the Sun.
A Place in the Sun also features the hits, "Please Remember Me," "My Next Thirty Years" and "My Best Friend."
In 2006, Tim received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and it's located near Julie Andrews and William Shatner.
LeAnn Rimes has agreed to a divorce settlement with her estranged husband, Dean Sheremet, who filed for divorce from his wife of seven years last Thursday. A confidential settlement was agreed to later that day, and Dean asked for the singer to pay spousal support, plus all attorney fees and costs. According to People, the divorce deal states, "The (settlement) shall not be filed in this proceeding due to the parties' mutual desire to maintain their respective rights to privacy." The divorce is scheduled to be final June 19, 2010.
Reba McEntire's "Consider Me Gone" climbed to Number One on both the Billboard and the USA Today/Country Aircheck charts this week, making it her 34th chart-topper. Reba exclaimed, "My Valory Music Company family gave me the best Christmas gift ever -- a Number One Record . . . 2009 has been great. Thirty-four Number Ones are great. And I feel like we are just getting started!"
"Consider Me Gone" is from Reba's current album, Keep on Loving You.
FAST FACTS:
Reba first hit the top of the charts with "Can't Even Get the Blues" in 1983.
In 1976, Reba released her debut single, "I Don't Want to Be a One-Night Stand," and it peaked at only Number 88.
Keep on Loving You, featuring "Consider Me Gone" and "Strange," is Reba's 26th studio album.
For the fashion plate she is, Carrie Underwood is not a big shopper, especially at Christmas. She says, "I hate shopping for Christmas presents. I kind of wander around aimlessly in malls and stores and whatnot, thinking, 'Now what would . . . fill in the blank . . . what would this person like? Hmmm. Oh, yeah, that looks like her! Okay, I'll get that.'"
Christmas for Carrie hasn't changed that much since she was a young girl growing up in Checotah, Oklahoma. She still gets together during the holidays with her family, which includes her parents, two sisters and more, and her mother still cannot stay mum about what she got everyone for Christmas. Carrie explains to us, "One thing you learn in my family is that my mother is . . . um . . . a blabbermouth. And ever since I was little, I have known every single Christmas present I have ever gotten, ever. I'm not one for surprises, and yeah, I've always known my presents before Christmas. But I didn't have to, like, sneak around and find out what they were, 'cause Mom told me."
Carrie can now add a new fiance to the family gatherings, as she and professional hockey player boyfriend, Mike Fisher got engaged over the weekend.
When shopping for Christmas gifts, Brad Paisley usually gets them at the last possible moment, but he says it's just part of his genetic makeup. "I'm pretty last minute. Most guys, I think, are like me. You just don't invest enough, you don't think ahead and plan it. I really do end up somewhere like the mall or something on the 24th. It's a shame. It's really a waste of what should be a fun day, 'cause you know, here I am scrambling around going, 'Oh, I think they'll like that.' They may have never heard of it, and I don't know what is necessarily, but let's buy it! And I could give it to somebody. (laughs) You end up buying all these things, and it's just a waste."Hopefully, he won't be shopping at the last minute for his two sons, Huck and Jasper . . . they would end up with a Dora the Explorer doll. Miley Cyrus has reportedly broken the record for the largest-ever attendance at the U.K.'s O2 arena. London's The Mirror reported that the 17-year-old beat out the likes of Beyonce, Bon Jovi and Coldplay to set the record after drawing 16,196 fans to the venue.
Meanwhile, Poison rocker Bret Michaels recently praised Cyrus in the wake of their collaboration on a recording of "Every Rose Has Its Thorn." He told MTV, "She's one of the few musicians -- and I want to use that word cause she can actually play and sing -- she's one of the few people who can pull it off and give it her own flair and make it sound good. (She) nailed the song. She really knew what she was doing. She got in there and picked the guitar up. It was one of those nights that just worked. It was fun."
Guitarist Billy Burnette who was once a member of Fleetwood Mac underwent quintuple-bypass surgery on December 16th in Nashville. According to Spinner.com, Burnette, who is now part of John Fogerty's band, checked into the hospital after experiencing shortness of breath. Burnette is recovering at Vanderbilt University Medical Center
Burnette, who is 56 and the son of rockabilly pioneer Dorsey Burnette, joined Fleetwood Mac in 1988 following Lindsey Buckingham's departure prior to the Tango In The Night tour. He was in the band through 1996 and featured on 1990's Behind The Mask and 1995's Time.
Legendary artists who've record songs by Burnette include Tammy Wynette, Ray Charles, Roy Orbison, Jerry Lee Lewis, Everly Brothers, Cher, Bette Midler, and Rod Stewart.
Taylor Swift's run-in with Kanye West at this year's MTV Video Music Awards was voted the Number Three Top 20 Music Moments of 2009 in Billboard magazine. Michael Jackson's death was ranked Number One.
Carrie Underwood showed off her new bling Monday night. She was sporting a very big engagment diamond ring she received from her new fiance, hockey player Mike Fisher, over the weekend as the Ottawa Senators took on the Boston Bruins.
American Idol finalist Danny Gokey has titled his debut country album, My Best Days, after his single "My Best Days Are Ahead of Me," due for release in March. Danny is featured in today's issue of USA Today, and a performance of him performing "O Holy Night" at idolchatter.usatoday.com.
The Zac Brown Band released an emotional video for their new single, "Highway 20 Ride," yesterday on i-Tunes.
Little Big Town's Karen Fairchild and her hubby Jimi Westbrook tweeted last night, "Been putting a crib together for the last hour...sweet success....finally." The two are expecting their first child.
Kellie Pickler had a date night with her boyfriend, songwriter Kyle Jacobs,Monday night. The two went to see the new filme, Did You Hear About the Morgans? Kellie tweeted, "I wish I could trade bodies with Sarah Jessica Parker." The film also stars Hugh Grant.
Martina McBride got a little frustrated the other night when she went to Blockbuster to redeem some old gift cards. The clerk told her they had expired. She tweeted her frustration, "How can gift cards EXPIRE!? That is so lame." We tend to agree.
Miranda Lambert's Revolution was named the Best Country Album of 2009 by Entertainment Weekly.
QUAIDS PLEAD NOT GUILTY: Randy and Evi Quaid appeared in a Santa Barbara courtroom on Tuesday (December 22nd) where they pleaded not guilty to felony charges of defrauding an innkeeper. The plea came at their arraignment following their arrest in Texas over the weekend. A bench warrant for their arrest had been issued after they failed to appear in court. RadarOnline.com reports that the warrant was recalled Tuesday and the couple is once again free until a preliminary hearing on March 1st.
ARREST WARRANT ISSUED FOR 'REAL HOUSEWIFE': An arrest warrant has been issued for one of the Real Housewives of Orange County. TMZ.com reports that Lynne Curtin and her husband Frank were scheduled to appear in court on Monday (December 21st) to answer questions about the $1.2 million judgment they had been ordered to pay a former business partner, but did not show up. Earlier this year the couple was evicted from their home for not paying their rent.
JUDE LAW'S ASSISTANT DATING RACHEL MCADAMS? Jude Law's personal assistant may have landed a high-profile girlfriend. The New York Daily News reports that the Sherlock Holmes leading lady was spotted around New York City last weekend with Law's right-hand-man, Ben Jackson. A witness told the paper, "They were laughing a lot and looked like they were having a good time."
JON GOSSELIN FAILS TO SELL CAR: Jon Gosselin reportedly tried to sell his BMW for profit on the same day that his divorce was finalized. TMZ.com reports that Gosselin showed up at a Pennsylvania car exchange last Friday (December 18th), looking to trade the luxury vehicle for a 2008 Subaru STI plus $4,000 in cash. The dealership reportedly rejected the deal and Jon drove away in the same car in which he came.
ARNOLD STANG DIES: Actor Arnold Stang died of pneumonia on Sunday (December 20th) at the age of 91. Stang was a radio, theater, film and television actor famous for his nerdy looks. He played alongside Milton Berle on the radio in the 1950s, starred as Frank Sinatra's sidekick in the 1955 movie The Manwith the Golden Arm, and was a member of the ensemble comedic cast of It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World in 1963.
ROMAN POLANSKI REPORTEDLY SUING FRENCH MAGAZINES: Roman Polanski is reportedly suing French magazines for publishing photos taken when the 76-year-old Oscar-winner returned to his chalet in Swiss Alps to serve time on house arrest. Legal sources told AFP that the director feels that the photos infringed his privacy. Polanski and his wife reportedly want $110,000 in damages.
KARDASHIAN SHOW BREAKS E! RECORD: Last Sunday's (December 20th) episode of Keeping Up With the Kardashians was the most-watched telecast in E! history. The Hollywood Reporter announced that the show trumped the record previously held by the 2002 premiere of The Anna Nicole Smith Show after drawing 4.2 million viewers.
KRISTEN JOHNSTON REPLACING PAULA ABDUL ON 'UGLY BETTY': Kristen Johnston will appear on Ugly Betty next month in the cameo role intended for Paula Abdul. The actress told New York Magazine that the part had to be altered to accommodate the casting change. She said, "It was all, like, hot-flash jokes. So I rewrote it. And now they get it. She's an aged-up, dresses-like-Lindsay-Lohan party girl, who, like, is like, 'OMG!' and wears leggings and has lined lips outside the lip line."
NEW RICKY GERVAIS SHOW TO AIR ON HBO: Ricky Gervais will lend his voice to a 13-episode animated comedy series that will air on HBO next year. The network announced that The Ricky Gervais Show will be based on the comedian's popular podcasts. The show will also feature the voices of Gervais's longtime collaborator Stephen Merchant and their friend Karl Pilkington -- whose musings often inspire the series' offbeat storylines.
FOX TO REPLACE 'AMERICAN IDOL' WITH NEW SIMON COWELL SHOW?
Simon Cowell is reportedly planning to leave American Idol at the end of next season. The mogul's brother Tony Cowell said on his weekly radio show, "Meanwhile, Simon prepares for a new season of 'Idol,' or should I say his last season of 'Idol' -- OK, I will [say it], because it is."
He added, "As I sit here in the sunny Caribbean with my family, a press statement is being prepared which will confirm what everyone expected: Simon will leave 'Idol' at the end of 2010 to concentrate on bringing the American version of 'The X Factor' to US TV in 2011."
The New York Post reports that Fox is close to signing Cowell and X Factor to a new deal -- and might drop Idol all together. However, the paper notes, it's still possible that Fox could keep both shows, replace Cowell with a new judge and air both shows.
TIGER WOODS CURRENTLY HOLED UP WITH RACHEL UCHITEL?
Reports are circulating that Tiger Woods is currently holed up in Florida with his first reported mistress, Rachel Uchitel. In Touch magazine claims that despite reports, Woods is not on his yacht, but a secret boat that is docked near Uchitel's Palm Beach condo.
A source told the magazine, "They have been sleeping together the entire time since the scandal broke."
When asked by E! News if she is indeed spending time with Woods, Uchitel responded via text saying, "I got a house here and 2 girlfriends have been here the entire time. I have family that lives in Palm Beach also, I planned this before November."
Brittany Murphy's widower Simon Monjack is speaking out, denying rumors that his late wife overdosed on drugs and suffered from an eating disorder. Monjack, who was in the couple's home when Brittany died on Sunday (December 20th), told People magazine, "These rumors that she was anorexic? It's crazy -- she was slim, but that was her natural physique. This is what's killing all of us? How did it happen? Her mum, myself and her family -- we want to know why we lost our baby."
He added that Murphy did suffer from a heart murmur but did not require medication for the ailment. He acknowledged that she'd been suffering from laryngitis in the days leading up to her death, but said the actress was treating it with herbal tea, ginger and lemon.
Monjack acknowledged that Murphy appeared to be underweight, saying, "She tried to gain weight but had one of those metabolisms -- a high metabolism -- but enjoyed food as much as anyone. I wish I could show all the receipts from the take out restaurants.'
MONJACK DEFENDS HIMSELF
Monjack's character has been questioned in the wake of his wife's death, which he finds troubling. He said, "So many people have their views of us, but they never met us or sat down with us. I'm not perfect, but I don't think anyone is . . . I am feeling beyond devastated. I was in love with Brittany and Brittany with me."
Responding to reports that he initially asked that an autopsy not be performed on Murphy, Monjack said, "My initial reaction to the autopsy was -- they're going to cut her open -- I couldn't bear it. That would break her mother, but we realized we needed to know. I look forward to getting the results."
He added, "We are faced with this ridiculous reality that people out there believe she felt, 'Oh, poor me, I'm fat, I'm thin.' Brittany didn't see beauty as a physical thing, which I'm bloody lucky for. I know there was a disparity in how we looked and I'm no movie star, but she always saw the person."
Eva Longoria Parker is the latest celebrity to launch her own fragrance. The Desperate Housewives star announced that her trademark scent, Eva, will be available in more than 1,000 stores worldwide beginning in April.
She talked about the new venture telling Women's Wear Daily, "I have always been somewhat allergic to all perfumes and really wanted to create something that every woman could wear. So I decided to create my own fragrance that is light, fresh and unique. I think the scent of a woman is extremely sexy and this scent will prove that."
The actress noted that the project wasn't an easy one. She said, "I never knew how complicated it was to create a unique scent that hasn't already been done. But I enjoyed the process."
Joan Rivers is returning to E!. Variety reported that the 76-year-old will appear on the network for a pair of primetime "Fashion Police" specials that will recap red carpet events beginning with the Golden Globes. For her first special, Rivers will be joined by Khloe Kardashian Odom, Giuliana Rancic and Jay Manuel. Her daughter Melissa will produce the programs.
Rivers worked in a similar role at E! for several years until contract-renewal negotiations broke down in 2004. She then did red carpet events for the TV Guide Channel until 2007.
Rivers said of her return, "I am delighted to be back on E! and to have the opportunity to say what I think about the fashions on the red carpet. Most of all, I am thrilled to have my daughter Melissa producing. I know with Melissa at the helm, I can relax and say what I really want."
SENATE HEALTH REFORM BILL PASSES ANOTHER VOTE HURDLE: Democrats are confident of passage later this week of the Senate health reform bill after the measure survived another procedural vote Tuesday (December 22nd), getting the 60 votes needed to avoid a GOP filibuster. Meanwhile, Majority Leader Harry Reid announced an agreement to vote on final passage at 8 a.m. on Thursday, Christmas Eve, fulfilling President Obama's desire to get a bill passed in the Senate by Christmas. In an interview with the Washington Post yesterday, Obama said the Senate legislation accomplishes 95 percent of what he wanted on health care. The Senate measure would still have to be reconciled with the health care bill passed by the House in November before final legislation would go to the president.
BRAZIL'S CHIEF JUSTICE RULES N.J. MAN CAN TAKE HIS SON HOME: Brazil's chief justice ruled yesterday (December 22nd) in favor of a New Jersey man who's been fighting a five-year legal battle for his son, ordering Brazilian relatives of the boy to turn over 9-year-old Sean to his father, David Goldman. The boy was taken by Goldman's now-deceased ex-wife to her native Brazil in 2004 for what was supposed to be a two-week vacation. But she remained in Brazil with her son, got a divorce and remarried. Goldman has been fighting to get his son back since, first battling his ex-wife, and after she died last year in childbirth, the boy's stepfather and his mother's relatives. There was still a chance for the Brazilian family to appeal to the country's highest appeals court, but the chances of success seemed slim. Law enforcement was reportedly on guard in case the Brazilian family did not transfer Sean, and Interpol had been notified to make sure the boy was not flown out of Brazil.
TODAY'S FYI:
FRESHMAN DEM CONGRESSMAN DEFECTS TO GOP: Freshman Rep. Parker Griffith of Alabama announced yesterday (December 22nd) that he's defecting to the Republican Party, saying, "I can no longer align myself with a party that continues to pursue legislation that is bad for our country, hurts our economy, and drives us further and further into debt." The 67-year-old Griffith was narrowly elected last year in a district where John McCain beat Barack Obama badly in the presidential contest, but he denied yesterday that his party switch had anything to do with concerns about being re-elected next year. Since coming to Congress in January, Griffith has had one of the most conservative voting records of any House Democrat. His defection means the Democrats now have 257 House seats to the GOP's 178.
FIRST LADY AND OBAMA KIDS VISIT CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL: First lady Michelle Obama and daughters Malia and Sasha visited the Children's National Medical Center yesterday (December 22nd), where Mrs. Obama visited with the young patients -- with first dog Bo along to cheer them up -- and then read "Twas the Night Before Christmas" to more children in the hospital atrium. Malia and Sasha took turns reading the book Snowmen at Night aloud, and then all three of them answered questions. When asked what the president would be getting for Christmas, the first lady said she couldn't give it away, but said it was, quote, "sports stuff," and Sasha drew laughs when she said in response to a question about how this first Christmas in the White House would be different for them: "It will be easier to get on the plane." The Obamas will spend Christmas in the president's home state of Hawaii, continuing their family's tradition.
PRINCE WILLIAM SPENDS THE NIGHT ON A LONDON STREET: Britain's Prince William spent a night sleeping on a London street last week to highlight the plight of the country's homeless teens. He spent the chilly night huddled behind garbage bins with Seyi Obakin, the chief executive of the British homeless charity Centrepoint, of which William is a patron. The 27-year-old future heir to throne said Tuesday (December 22nd), "I hope that by deepening my understanding of the issue, I can help do my bit to help the most vulnerable on our streets." Homelessness was one of the charitable causes of William's late mother, Princess Diana. She had also been Centrepoint's patron, and took William and his brother to spend time at a homeless shelter when her oldest son was just 13.
ANN NIXON COOPER, LAUDED BY OBAMA ON ELECTION NIGHT, DIES AT 107:Ann Nixon Cooper, the centenarian lauded by Barack Obama in his election night victory speech last November, died Monday (December 21st) at her Atlanta home. She was 107. In his election night speech, Obama called Cooper an example of the "heartbreak and hope" of the past century, noting she was born at a time when neither women nor blacks could vote, but lived to cast her ballot for the first black president. In a statement Tuesday, the president praised Cooper, saying of her life, "It was a life that captured the spirit of community and change and progress that is at the heart of the American experience; a life that inspired and will continue to inspire me in the years to come."
SNOOPY NAMED TOP DOG IN U.S. POP CULTURE:Peanuts character Snoopy was named the top dog in pop culture yesterday (December 22nd) by the American Kennel Club as part of its 125th anniversary celebration. The lovable beagle came out on top in an online poll in which 76,000 people voted. The top 10 finishers were:
Snoopy
Texas A&M's mascot Reveille
Scooby Doo
Eddie from the TV show Frasier
Pound Puppy toys
The painting "Dogs Playing Poker"
The song "How Much is that Doggie in the Window?"
Georgetown mascot Jack the Bulldog
The song "Who Let the Dogs Out?"
Brian Griffin from TV's animated show Family Guy
SPORTS:
PACQUIAO-MAYWEATHER FIGHT IN JEOPARDY: The proposed blockbuster fight between Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr. was thrown into jeopardy Tuesday (December 22nd) with a demand from Mayweather's camp that both fighters be subjected to Olympic-standard drug testing in the weeks leading up to the bout. Mayweather's side charges it was told Pacquiao wouldn't agree to blood testing within 30 days of the fight because of personal superstitions. But Pacquiao's trainer, Freddie Roach, said he'd be okay with some testing, as long as it wasn't too close to the fight. The much-hyped bout, which promises to be the richest ever, had widely been expected to be formalized this week, to take place at the MGM Grand hotel in Las Vegas. Both fighters would likely make more than $25 million.
(Headline News, FYI and Sports stories were compiled in part from reports by the Associated Press and Reuters.)
THE 11TH ANNUAL A HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS WITH FAITH HILL - Celebrities present inspirational stories of adoption; musicians include Mary J. Blige, Reba McEntire, Shakira and others; Faith Hill performs.
STEVEN SEAGAL LAWMAN - Deputy Chief Seagal and his team find themselves in a desperate situation trying to help two men who have been robbed and shot.
E!
JONAS BROTHERS - Charting the popularity of the Jonas Brothers through interviews with Joe, Kevin and Nick.
MTV
REAL WORLD/ROAD RULES CHALLENGE - Unseen footage from the season.
DAY TIME TALK SHOW
THE ELLEN DEGENERES SHOW - (repeat) THE OPRAH WINFREY SHOW - (repeat) THE VIEW - Maggie Gyllenhaal, Mary J. Blige
LATE NIGHT TALK SHOWS
THE LATE SHOW WITH DAVID LETTERMAN (CBS) - Alec Baldwin, Jay Thomas, Darlene Love THE JAY LENO SHOW (NBC) - Julie Scardina & animals, African Children's Choir THE TONIGHT SHOW WITH CONAN O'BRIEN (NBC) - Elijah Wood, Derek Fisher, Dwayne Perkins JIMMY KIMMEL LIVE (ABC) - (repeat) THE LATE LATE SHOW WITH CRAIG FERGUSON (CBS) - Paris Hilton, Chef Jose Andres LATE NIGHT WITH JIMMY FALLON (NBC) - Joy Behar, Jonny Lee Miller, the Muppets LAST CALL WITH CARSON DALY (NBC) - (repeat) THE DAILY SHOW WITH JON STEWART (COMEDY CENTRAL) - (repeat) THE COLBERT REPORT (COMEDY CENTRAL) - (repeat) LOPEZTONIGHT - (repeat)
MAN SENTENCED FOR KILLING AND EATING A RARE TIGER: A man in China was sentenced to 12 years in jail for killing and eating a rare Indochinese tiger. The villager, Kang Wannian was gathering freshwater clams and claimed to have killed the tiger in self-defense. Four of the villagers who helped Kang eat the tiger were also sentenced to three to four years in jail. Kang was sentenced 10 years for killing a rare animal and two years for possession of firearms. The local court claims that he did not need a firearm to gather clams. (Reuters)
TWO MEN ARE ARRESTED FOR TRYING TO TRADE A LIZARD FOR LIQUOR: Police arrested a 44-year-old man and an 18-year-old teen for stealing a lizard from the Eagles Landing Pet Hospital and allegedy trying to trade the reptile for alcohol. Police say that the two men went to at least two liquor stores trying to swap the 18-inch bearded dragon for alcohol. The bearded dragon, named ''Big'', has been returned to the veterinary clinic. (AP)
MAN WAS SENT TO JAIL AFTER REFUSING TO PAY FOR A $3000 CAB RIDE: A man was jailed in Tennessee after taking a $3,000 taxi ride and refusing to pay for it. This Miami man told the taxi driver that the woman he was visiting would pay for the 1,600-mile drive once they had arrived. The woman claims that she had no idea why he came to visit her, and that she made it very clear that she did not have any money to pay the driver.
DIVORCE VOUCHERS OFFERED AS HOLIDAY PRESENTS: A London law firm is offering Christmas gift vouchers for divorce advice. MSNBC reported that the firm, Lloyd Platt & Company, which normally charges 325 pounds ($530) an hour, said that 60 have been sold for the price of 125 pounds for a half hour session with a divorce lawyer. The firm's founder, Vanessa Lloyd Platt, said she had been amazed at the response to the vouchers. "They seem to appeal to an enormously widespread spectrum of people looking for that 'must have' gift for Christmas."
IS 'XMAS' OFFENSIVE? Blogger Jill Fehrenbacher announced that she's lost fans after writing "Merry XMas" on her website. She tweeted about the drop, writing, "Hate mail of the day: I'm unsubscribing from your newsletter because you took the christ out of christmas! (by spelling it xmas)."
WHISKEY GIVES YOU WORSE HANGOVER THAN VODKA: Dark alcohols like whiskey lead to more painful hangovers than clear ones with the same proof. Researchers at Brown University paid 95 healthy drinkers to spend one night drinking whiskey, one downing vodka and a third night imbibing a placebo. The order of the nights was randomized, and participants drank the same amount of liquor (or placebo) each time. According to the study's findings, the whiskey made the drinkers feel more hung over when compared to vodka.
WOMEN WORSE AT PARKING THAN MEN: Women are worse at parking than men according to a report in the Telegraph. Female drivers take an average of 20 seconds longer to park their cars but are still less likely to end up in the middle of the bay, research suggests. As part of the test 65 people were asked to park an Audi A6 family saloon in a standard-sized parking space. Dr. Claudia Wolf from Ruhr University in Bochum, Germany, who led the study, said that the research confirmed previous findings that men have better co-ordination and spatial awareness than women, and take more risks behind the wheel.
Do This: Take her (farther) away. Women favor gifts of travel over 17 other perennial holiday presents, according to market research. "Travel gifts from significant others have a lot of residual value. She'll never forget it, and it's something she wouldn't buy for herself," says Sherri Athay, author of Present Perfect, who commissioned the research.
Not That: Stuff the stocking with another year of last-minute impersonal gifts. Candy, electronics, and magazine subscriptions all rank at the bottom of the list of a woman's favorite gifts, and for good reason: They're all likely to be used up, rendered obsolete, or thrown away soon. And they show no imagination. Give her something she can't replace.
WHEN YOUR CAR IS STUCK IN THE SNOW
Do This: Grab those traction mats that you wisely purchased back in the fall. Shove one under the front of the tires that get power (or the back of the tires, if that's where you're heading). Anyone pushing should be at the corner of the car, not directly behind it, to stay out of the way if it bucks, says Chuck Roberts, a spokesman for the National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence.
Not That: Don't bother carrying kitty litter in your trunk. Scattering it in front of the tires is useless: It'll sink into the snow. Also, don't use plywood under the tires; it can become a projectile that can hurt the pusher, the car, or another car, says Amy Ruiz, a spokeswoman for the American Automobile Association. And don't gun the engine. "The more your wheels spin, the faster the snow will melt and the more stuck you'll be," says Roberts.
WHEN YOU'RE WAITING IN THE AIRPORT WITH SMALL KIDS
Do This: Take them hunting. Give them special airport dollars to buy food for the plane ride. Play "I Spy." Guess how many steps it is between gates 18 and 20. It's focused, it's fun, and they're burning off energy and learning how to adapt to uncertainty. And they're developing the habit of listening, says Jeff Bostic, M.D., a child psychiatrist in Boston.
Not That: Don't rely on DVDs or video games. You want kids moving--save the batteries for the plane ride. And don't promise a reward with "If you're good . . . " It's an endless trap, Dr. Bostic says. Instead, praise behavior as it happens. "I love how y
Carrie Underwood is joining Oprah Winfrey, first lady Michelle Obama and Tyra Banks as part of PETA's (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) new "Fur-Free and Fabulous" campaign. The posters are currently hanging in Washington, D.C. Metro stations to promote the city's "Make D.C Fur-Free" campaign. 
Kenny Chesney picked up a couple of furry friends as Christmas presents for his girlfriend earlier this month. The singer flew to the Bardstown-Nelson County Airport in Kentucky with his galpal, Amy Colley, to buy two puppies -- female teacup MaltiPoos and named them Molly and Dolly. According to The Kentucky Standard, Kenny sat on the couch and let a puppy crawl up on his chest and lick his face, and he laughed and said the puppy loved him. 
Phil Vassar has a great sense of humor, especially when it comes to making fun of himself. That humor even spills over at his shows, where at his merchandise tables, there are tank tops that read "Future Mrs. Vassar." In an interview with The Boot, he was asked if there will be a future Mrs. Vassar, and if the third time (he's been married, and divorced, twice) will be a charm. First off, Phil jokes the shirt wasn't his idea, but states, "I have no plans for [getting married anytime soon]. I have started to date again. But bringing somebody around my kids again . . . that terrifies me. What if they're nuts? And they usually turn out to be in my experience!" He adds, "But seriously, I've got to do the right thing when it comes to that." 
Taylor Swift
Jason Aldean credits his wife, Jessica, with teaching him patience. He tells OK magazine, "I've always been a very impatient person. Being married to her, she's taught me how to be a little more patient, thank goodness. It's probably something I needed." His wife, whom Jason wed in 2001, says the "Big Green Tractor" singer has made her more outgoing. She says, "He's so chatty. When we first met, I was super quiest, so the more I've been around him, the more I talk." 
Uncle Kracker's hit single, "Smile," has gone gold. It's been certified a Gold Digital Single by the Recording Industry Association of America for selling more than 500,000 units. Uncle Kracker says he didn't write the upbeat song for anyone in particular. It came about simply because he wanted to write something positive: "It was just creative writing 101 I guess I'd be lying if I said I wrote it for Mel or the kids. I wrote that with two of my buddies. I was like, 'Man, let's just write something positive -- something that just feels good and positive.' And I was like, 'Why don't you make me smile.' Something like that. It just started really quick, and the song came quick. And we just decided that's what we were gonna do one afternoon, and after a few hours, we just ended up with 'Smile.'" 
The Blind Side
Dierks Bentley
Kellie Pickler
Charlie Daniels
Jessica Simpson 
Kenny Chesney
Craig Morgan
George Jones' "He Stopped Loving Her Today" will be featured in the Library of Congress historical archives and will be included in this weekend's The Sounds of American Culture radio program. George will appear, as well as the song's co-writer Bobby Braddock. 
Jimmy Wayne
Tim McGraw
LeAnn Rimes
Reba McEntire's 
When shopping for Christmas gifts, Brad Paisley usually gets them at the last possible moment, but he says it's just part of his genetic makeup. "I'm pretty last minute. Most guys, I think, are like me. You just don't invest enough, you don't think ahead and plan it. I really do end up somewhere like the mall or something on the 24th. It's a shame. It's really a waste of what should be a fun day, 'cause you know, here I am scrambling around going, 'Oh, I think they'll like that.' They may have never heard of it, and I don't know what is necessarily, but let's buy it! And I could give it to somebody. (laughs) You end up buying all these things, and it's just a waste."Hopefully, he won't be shopping at the last minute for his two sons, Huck and Jasper . . . they would end up with a Dora the Explorer doll.
Miley Cyrus
