10.23.08

SHOW PREP OCTOBER 23, 2008

HOLLYWOOD 411 . . .

Actress Alyson Hannigan is pregnant, her rep Megan Moss tells PEOPLE exclusively. The How I Met Your Mother star, 34, and her husband, actor Alexis Denisof, 42, will welcome their first child this spring. The couple met on the set of Buffy the Vampire Slayer during the 1999-2000 season and were married at the Two Bunch Palms resort near Palm Springs, Calif., on Oct. 11, 2003. On the big screen, Hannigan is famous for her role as band geek Michelle opposite Jason Biggs in the American Pie trilogy. (People)

Be advised, fellow gossipers: Rumors and photos have it that Jennifer Aniston is pregnant. Of course rumors and photos are often found to be lies, but just knowing the possibility is out there is pretty exciting. Update: Jen’s rep denies she’s preggers and says, “Give me a break.” (Eonline)

Two-time Dancing With the Stars champ Julianne Hough was taken by ambulance to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center after Tuesday night’s live results show in which she performed a high-energy dance. Hough, 20, “was experiencing slight stomach pains all day that increased and the doctors thought it was best to have them checked out,” her rep, Cindy Guagenti, tells PEOPLE. Contrary to other reports, Hough “didn’t collapse” at the show, Guagenti says. In fact, Hough was energetic all afternoon and evening. The budding country singer performed her hit “My Hallelujah Song” while doing choreographed moves with brother Derek and dancer Mark Ballas during a pre-taped segment. The segment, airing later in the season, was taped twice. During the second take a spirited Hough exhorted the crowd to cheer loudly. Hough also appeared fine during the one-hour telecast. She performed an encore dance with partner Cody Linley: a lively jitterbug that brought the crowd to its feet. But 40 minutes after the show ended, she was seen getting into an ambulance at CBS Studios in L.A., where Dancing is taped. (People)

UPDATE: Julianne Hough is feeling fine after being hospitalized with stomach trouble following her “Dancing With the Stars” performance.” With stomach problems, you never know what’s going on,” Hough wrote in a FanCast posting. “It could’ve been appendicitis. It turned out just to be a bad stomach. As my mom said, better safe than sorry.” The 20-year-old professional dancer, who’s partnered with “Hannah Montana” actor Cody Linley on the popular ABC dancing competition, went to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center following the live results show Tuesday. Hough said she hadn’t been feeling well all day and “curled up in a ball” backstage after the show. “I’d never been in an emergency room before,” she wrote. “I was grateful I wasn’t there for anything more serious than a bad stomach ache.” (Daily Record)

Reality TV star Kim Kardashian spent her 28th birthday in hospital – visiting her injured boyfriend Reggie Bush. The socialite’s American football star lover was recovering from surgery on his knee at an Alabama medical centre after he was injured during the New Orleans Saints’ game on Sunday against the North Carolina Panthers. The couple had been due to take a romantic trip to London to celebrate Kardashian’s birthday on 21 October. However, the pair was forced to cancel the holiday and spend the day at the medical facility instead – but Kardashian got in to the spirit of the event by donning a hospital gown. She writes on her official website, “I was supposed to be in London right now with Reggie but we had to cancel our trip. When I saw him limp off the field my heart dropped! All that has mattered is that Reggie is going to be okay! And he is okay! “He’s pretty bummed that the special birthday he planned in London couldn’t happen, but as long as he is okay, I will have the best birthday ever!!!!” (Teen Hollywood)

Mariah Carey has admitted the 10-year age gap between herself and new husband Nick Cannon gave her doubts. The couple were together for just six weeks before getting hitched in the Bahamas earlier this year but when asked if she had doubts she told Showbiz Spy, “You know what, I did. But he doesn’t act like it [younger] – he’s really very intelligent. He’s a very business-minded person, but he’s also a lot of fun so you don’t really think about those things. It is what it is,” before adding, “I’ve been with someone older (Mariah was married to record boss Tommy Mottola for five years until 1998) and that could be a disaster or maybe you have to throw that side away and don’t think about it – think about who’s right for you.” (Handbag)

Pink has said she attempted to get checked into a rehab facility earlier this year after becoming worried about her drinking. “A few months ago, I went to see a specialist because I thought I was an alcoholic,” she tells Contact Music. “I have a problem with my vices. I’ve kicked the drugs, but every now and then I have to go out and get completely wasted on alcohol. For me it’s about losing control. I’m such a control freak it’s very hard for me to lose my inhibitions without something chemical inside me. How do you really have fun if there isn’t a little drink in you? I don’t actually know. I checked into Canyon Ranch in Tucson, Arizona, in the summer and I went to see a therapist, telling him I was an alcoholic. He asked me when I’d had my last drink and I couldn’t remember – it had been a few weeks previously. I then read the AA [Alcoholics Anonymous] manual cover to cover and we talked. I realized I wasn’t an alcoholic, just someone who likes to get drunk every now and again. I’m trying to work out if that’s a bad thing.” (Handbag)

Paris Hilton has celebrated her eight-month anniversary with rocker Benji Madden by phoning home from London to clear up royal romantic rumors. The socialite called in to pal Ryan Seacrest’s radio show in Los Angeles on Tuesday morning to address British tabloid reports she has been caught flirting with British Princes William and Harry after meeting the royal brothers at the London Hilton. Hilton told Seacrest she has met with William and Harry – but there’s nothing to the rumors, and she’s not texting love notes to either of them. She said, “They’re very nice boys, very down to earth and sweet but there’s nothing romantic going on at all. They just came up and said hello. There’s no texting going on; I’m reading that I invited them to Las Vegas to a club – that never happened. “I have a boyfriend, it’s an eight month anniversary today. I would never say that in a million years and it just annoys me that particularly the media out in the Uk, they will not only make up stories, they’ll also go as far to make up quotes that I supposedly said. “William was really nice… Harry was with his girlfriend, Chelsea, who was so stunning, beautiful and sweet… They were just very friendly, they weren’t flirting at all. (Teen Hollywood)

Justin Timberlake has been dancing since before he was born.” My mother, I don’t know how pregnant she was with me, but I know that she did a 10 year reunion recital with the people she used to take dance class with,” Timberlake, 27, says on E!’s Daily 10.”I always joke around that my dance lesson was in the womb,” he says. “I know that she used to say that. “My father used to play in a band, and she used to say that [I’d] just sit there and bounce,” Timberlake adds. As for his voice? “I got my voice from my father,” Timberlake says. Although he’s known for his singing and dancing, Timberlake’s more into golf these days. Timberlake says his biggest achievement was appearing on the cover of Golf Digest. “Well, I’m not gonna’ lie. I mean, I’m done,” he said. “I don’t have to do another magazine cover.” Timberlake loves the sport so much, he got involved in the PGA for the Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospitals for Children Open in Las Vegas. The charity raises money for specialty care for children afflicted with burns and spinal cord injuries. He also hosted a star-studded charity concert Oct. 17, where he retired his hit, “SexyBack.” “I think it’s the only time you’ll ever see 50 Cent and the Jonas Brothers on the same stage,” Timberlake later joked to E!. Rihanna and Leona Lewis were also along the performers, while Timberlake’s girlfriend, Jessica Biel, cheered from the audience with her family. (US Weekly)

Ashley Tisdale was once left terrified after a ghostly experience in a hotel room. The actress was shooting a film in New Zealand when she claims she felt a presence in the room. She explains, “I thought my hotel room was haunted. Lights would go on and off and I’d hear things being thrown around the room. I could tell something was there. “I like to believe maybe it was just electrical problems, though.” (Teen Hollywood)

George Clooney could have just about any woman in the world, but there is just something Krista Allen he can’t resist. Or so say Rush & Molloy, who report “friends” of George say he’s back with Allen, whom he dated from 2002-04. He moved on to Lisa Snowden (pretty brunette) and then Sarah Larson (pretty brunette), and now he’s returned to … yes, the pretty brunette. Krista “admits she just can’t get over him,” says a pal. Reps were mum. (TMZ)

Guy Ritchie has already moved on. If you believe Us Weekly, Madonna‘s soon-to-be ex has taken up with British actress Kelly Reilly , who’s in his “Sherlock Holmes” (filming now with Robert Downey Jr. as Sherlock). Ritchie demanded a divorce earlier this month after Page Six reported Madge and Alex Rodriguez had dinner at Dos Caminos on Third Avenue. The new kabbalah couple are so tight, the Yankee slugger has registered his car and given a photo to managers of Madonna’s Central Park West building, so he can visit at will. (Page Six)

Enrique Iglesias emerged without a scratch after his flight over the Atlantic was forced to make an emergency landing Monday. The Spanish pop star, 33 – on a promotional tour of Europe after the release of his greatest hits album – was aboard a plane from the U.S. that was forced to shut down one of its engines before being diverted to Luton Airport outside London, reports Britain’s Press Association. The singer’s agent said, “The highly skilled pilots managed to make a safe landing and nobody was hurt.” A rep for Iglesias’s Polydor label confirmed no one was injured. The air scare comes a month after Travis Barker and DJ AM miraculously survived a private-plane crash in South Carolina that claimed the lives of two crew members and two other passengers. (People)

William Shatner is setting his phaser to stun against his old “Star Trek” co-star George Takei. In a video posted on Shatner’s Web site Wednesday, he lashed out at Takei for not inviting him to his wedding last month. The 77-year-old Kirk said Takei, who played Enterprise helmsman Sulu, apparently harbors a grudge against him that kept him from being invited to Takei’s nuptials. “The whole thing makes me feel badly,” Shatner said in the video. “Poor man. There is such a sickness there. It’s so patently obvious that there is a psychosis there. I don’t know what his original thing about me was. I have no idea.” Takei and Brad Alman tied the knot Sept. 15. “Star Trek” alums Nichelle Nichols and Walter Koenig – who played Uhura and Chekhov, respectively – were among the attendees at the multicultural ceremony at the Japanese American National Museum. Takei and Altman had previously stated that Shatner was invited to their wedding, but he never RSVPed. “It is unfortunate that Bill was unable to join us for our wedding as he indeed was invited to attend,” Takei responded. “It is our hope that at this point he joins us in voting no on Proposition 8, which seeks to eliminate the fundamental right for same-sex couples to marry in California.” Shatner said he felt he never knew Takei when they worked together on the original TV series and later in the “Star Trek” films. The “Boston Legal” co-star also attacked Takei’s decision to come out of the closet later in life, saying “Who cares? Be gay. Don’t be gay. That’s up to you, George.” (Daily Record)

An interview with former I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here winner Kerry Katona on ITV’s This Morning has prompted concerned viewers to call in. Kerry, who was on to publicize a new reality show, slurred her words throughout the interview, leading Philip Schofield to say, “You don’t seem right to me. Your speech is a bit slurred, how are you feeling?” Katona blamed prescription drugs she had taken to help her sleep. “All it is, is my medication,” she explained, defensively. “I’ve never been happier, I swear to God, health-wise I’m fine.” Kerry, who was diagnosed bi-polar following a spell in rehab, said she had been taking Chlorpromazine, an anti-pyschotic drug. It’s not the first time an interview with Kerry has caused concern. Last year viewers voiced their worries for her after a ramshackle appearance on GMTV. (Handbag)

Court documents show that entertainment mogul Sumner Redstone has filed for divorce from his wife of five years. The 85-year-old executive chairman of CBS and Viacom petitioned for divorce Friday. The documents say Redstone and his wife, 46-year-old Paula Fortunato Redstone, already have a settlement agreement. According to the papers, the couple married in April 2003 and have no children. Redstone’s declaration cited “irreconcilable differences” but provided no further details. Redstone’s theater chain, National Amusements, moved last week to sell some of its nonvoting shares in both CBS and Viacom, saying the stock market put some of its debts at risk. Forbes magazine calculated Redstone’s wealth at $7.6 billion in 2007. (Daily Record)

THE OTHER STUFF . . .

Hilary Duff visited a Fort Wayne elementary school to promote a program to help feed needy students. Duff, star of the Disney TV show “Lizzie McGuire” and the movie “Cheaper By the Dozen,” visited South Wayne Elementary School on Tuesday to publicize Blessings in a Backpack, a program that gives backpacks filled with food to low-income students so they can eat on the weekend. “I feel lucky enough to have a voice or a name that people might pay attention to,” said Duff, 21. “I think that people might not be aware that a couple neighborhoods away, kids aren’t having food on the weekends, and we just want people to be informed and to know what’s going on in their communities and to help if they can.” (Daily Record)

John Malkovich knows the play “The Good Canary” inside and out. In fact, he can direct it in three different languages. After tackling a French version in Paris, Malkovich takes on a Spanish version of writer Zach Helm’s tale of a frustrated writer struggling with his wife’s addiction to amphetamines. Never mind that Malkovich, of “Burn After Reading,” isn’t fluent in either language. Mexican actor Diego Luna said Tuesday in a news conference that Malkovich could direct “The Good Canary” in any language because he understands the play so well. Luna, of “The Terminal” and “Y Tu Mama Tambien,” interprets the play’s lead character, writer Jack Parker. The play opens Nov. 26 for 10 weeks in Mexico City’s Teatro Insurgentes. (Daily Record)

A waxwork version of Sir Paul McCartney’s head has been left on a train–and now $4,000 is being offered for its safe return. The owner of the head, Joby Carter, left it on a London-to-Reading train last Thursday (October 16), reports BBC News. Carter is offering the money as a reward for the head, which was expected to sell for between $10,000 and $20,000 at Carters Entertainment auctioneers before it went missing. (Launch)

For Jessica Alba, motherhood means eco-friendly living – and plenty of couch-jumping. “It’s kid-friendly, animal-friendly,” the actress, 27, tells In Style magazine of the newly renovated L.A. canyon home she shares with husband Cash Warren and their 5-month-old daughter Honor Marie. “You can jump on the sofas, walk around barefoot,” she says in the magazine’s November issue. “There’s nothing off-limits here. “By using nontoxic paints and recycled furniture, the new parents – whose family also includes three dogs – pulled off an environmentally friendly renovation. “The energy here is so inviting – it is open and playful,” says Alba. “And everywhere you look, inside and out, you get to see a part of nature.” As for how Warren, 29, contributes to the new house, Alba says, “he’s pretty organized for a dude.” The issue hits newsstands Friday. (People)

“Michelle” is one of the most cloying love songs of all time, but Paul McCartney really penned it in a bid to score hot babes. In “Please Please Me,” a new book about British pop, Gordon Thompson says the ex-Beatle began composing the tune while a student at the Liverpool Institute. He writes: “His musical goal was to ‘write something with a melody and a bass line,’ while his social goal was to evoke ‘that French existential thing’ as a way to attract girls.” (Page Six)

The art of the deal seems to have eluded Donald Trump when it comes to bailing out Ed McMahon, who’s in danger of losing his $5 million home. In August, Trump announced he’d save the five-bedroom Beverly Hills mansion from foreclosure by buying it and leasing it to McMahon. But asked the other day about Trump’s help, Johnny Carson’s former sidekick told Fox Business Channel, “That’s kinda murky . . . Everything that seems like it’s wonderful becomes unclear.” He added: “That has not resolved itself yet.” Trump’s lawyer, Michael Cohen, insisted the wheels of financial salvation are turning, albeit slowly. “This is a process that does not lend itself to moving quickly, especially in light of the economic climate,” he told us. “Whether or not it gets resolved is not up to Donald Trump as it is up to Countrywide Mortgage, as they are the holder of the paper.” Keep your chin up, Ed! (Page Six)

What a mismatch! Jose Canseco , the juiced-up home run slugger who stands 6-foot-4 and 240 pounds, and Danny Bonaduce, the former “Partridge Family” star who’s 5-foot-6 and 165 pounds, have agreed to square off on Jan. 17 as part of a Celebrity Boxing Federation bout. Canseco is swearing to flatten his opponent in the first round, but Bonaduce boasts to Philadelphia Daily News gossip Dan Gross, “The bigger they are, the harder they fall.” (Page Six)

“To be honest, there’s nothing I want to talk about less than politics. I’d rather vomit and lick it up. I like Obama, but he’s not gonna win. Trust me, I know my people.” – Chrissie Hynde of the Pretenders in Blender. (Page Six)

Call it sipping into character. Daniel Craig, the current James Bond, says not only has he tried a Vesper martini – the drink 007 invented in Casino Royale – but he’s done a taste test for the best recipe. “I’ve tried about 10 of them,” Craig, 40, tells London’s Time Out in its Oct. 23 issue. “They’re knockout. We did a proper taste test: full measure of gin, full measure of vodka and then another liqueur on top of it. I ended up on the floor.” When he’s off duty, the actor says he prefers vodka martinis with an olive. Shaken or stirred? “I don’t know who drinks stirred cocktails anymore. I like them ice, ice, ice cold, so you have to shake them up.” Marine Workou To work off his excesses, Craig literally calls in the big guns: the Royal Marines. “They always hurt me … my trainer is one. They haunt me.” In the interview – which features questions from the circa-’70s 007 Roger Moore and singer Shirley Bassey, who scored a Top Ten hit with the classic title song to 1965’s Goldfinger – Craig also sounds off on his relationship with his Bond predecessors. “I speak to Pierce [Brosnan] occasionally,” says Craig, whose second Bond film, Quantum of Solace, hits theaters Nov. 14. “We’ve got the same publicist, so I might get on the phone with him when he’s on junkets. He was really nice and encouraging when the whole thing kicked off.” (People)

Want to date an Olsen? You’ll have to also impress her twin. The famous sisters, 22, tell Oprah Winfrey that they have a say in each other’s relationships – at least to some extent. “I just support her,” Mary-Kate Olsen says about twin sister Ashley in a new Oprah Winfrey Show interview set to air Thursday. “If she doesn’t like him, I won’t like him. If she likes him, I’ll like him.” Mary-Kate, who says she’s currently “not in a relationship,” admits that she “can put in my two cents, but I think, you know, whatever makes her happy. It’s her life.” One guy who has likely made a good impression on Mary-Kate? Ashley’s current beau Justin Bartha, with whom she was recently spotted cozying up during an intimate dinner in L.A. “We respect each other’s decisions,” adds Ashley. Has it always been that way? Says Mary-Kate, “pretty much.” (People)

Chace Crawford has vowed never to play a similar role to his high-school jock character in Gossip Girl – because he is terrified of being typecast. The actor shot to international stardom as handsome rich kid Nate Archibald in the hit U.S. series, and has quickly become one of Hollywood’s leading teen idols. But the star insists he has what it takes to last in the industry – and won’t rely on his good looks to land roles. He tells America’s Vman magazine, “There are a lot of adverse effects of being a certain type, which I am. “Look, I wouldn’t be in the business if I didn’t feel I had what it takes to have longevity. Everyone has a certain castability, or quality they’re always going to have to fight.” And Crawford believes he has the key to success – reinvention. He adds: “I think the best remedy is to reinvent yourself. I’m not going to take the same type of role in the future.” (Teen Hollywood)

Trudie Styler — who helped introduce Madonna to Guy Ritchie ten years ago — is hopeful the two can settle their divorce amicably. “They’ll work it out,” Styler – who is godmother to Madonna and Guy’s son Rocco – tells Extra. “They’re both big enough people to become great friends in time, and I’m sure that they will for the sake of their kids, if nothing else.” She adds, “I’m sad when great things come to an end, but they both need to recapture their lives.” The two announced last week they were divorcing after 7 1/2 years of marriage. Says a source, “They really tried to work things out. They tried for years, actually.” The couple – who did not have a prenuptial agreement – have yet to reach a settlement. They are reportedly worth around $525 million, with Ritchie having an estimated $35 million fortune. They own homes in London, Los Angeles and New York, and a 1,200-acre retreat in Wiltshire, England. They have two children: Rocco, 8, and David Banda, 3, who was adopted in Malawi in 2006. Madonna has a daughter, Lourdes, 12, from a previous relationship with Carlos Leon. (US Weekly)

It’s been announced that David Beckham is to join AC Milan on loan from LA Galaxy in January. The American Soccer season ends this weekend and though the footballer and his wife, Victoria, have been enjoying the Californian lifestyle with their family, it is thought that David is keen to keep up his footballing skills with a European team. “Beckham has chosen Milan. He’ll stay here in Milan on loan for a few months,” Milan vice-president Adriano Galliani said. We’re sure his wife’s love of Milan’s designer shops also played a significant part in the decision! (British Glamour)

With house prices plummeting in Britain, Kate Moss is rumored to be looking at buying property in the Caribbean. According to media reports, the model has been investigating the possibility of buying a home in Puerto Rico, away from the prying eyes of the media. “Kate loves the Caribbean and has been investigating owning a home in Puerto Rico. Now she’s putting her plan into action,” a source said. “She wants somewhere very private and reckons she and Jamie could find peace and tranquility on the island. It will be her special place where she can escape from the limelight,” they added. (British Glamour)

Anti-violence campaigners have criticized Katy Perry for being photographed holding a three-inch flick knife and looking menacing. “This woman’s behavior is unacceptable. She must be out of her mind to pose for a picture like this. There is nothing glamorous about knives – they wreck families. Any youngsters seeing her will think it is ok to carry a blade,” said Richard Taylor, father of stabbing victim Damilola Taylor. The images, for Perry’s new album One Of The Boys, were taken by acclaimed photographer Terry Richardson but did not make the final cut. “The knife picture was done to give Katy more a sexy, harder edge. But in the end it wasn’t picked as a main shot for her album or website,” a source said. (British Glamour)

Aubrey O’Day is finally talking to the press about being kicked out of Danity Kane by Diddy the diva. O’Day tells the new issue of In Touch Weekly, “I feel great — this is the first time I’ve felt truly free and happy in a long time.” Really? Not having a paycheck or steady job makes you happy? Good luck with that! And when asked what she thought of Diddy’s remark that he wanted to “work with the young woman I signed, not the person that fame has made her,” she had a stupid response as expected. Aubrey says, “My exterior presentation has evolved over the past five years; I’ve changed a lot physically. But internally, I’m still the same strong, fearless person I’ve always been. I feel sad about the way I’m interpreted.” Sorry, honey, but wearing shiteous, barely-there outfits is all your doing. Oh, and what about those almost-fully nude photos you took??? So what’s next for this future has-been? Well it seems she’s dying for her own “reality” TV show. Says O’Day, “What reality show wouldn’t want me on it? I’d openly embrace any future reality TV. I’m recording music, I’ve got a movie offer and many TV offers. I just want to run free with my ‘Aubrey Show.’ I don’t want to censor myself. Now it’s time for me to find something else to be loved for — being me.” And by movie offer, we assume she means porno movie right? O’Day continues, “I always defended this group and stood up for things that were best for all of us as a unit. I take everything people say about me to heart — even the blogs and haters. You can learn from the bad and the good — but I’d rather learn from the good. Diddy made a decision that was best for him. I’m thankful for the opportunities he gave me . I learned a lot about the industry.” (Perez Hilton)

The home of the computer nerd who allegedly leaked candid photos of Miley Cyrus online after hacking into her email account has been raided by the FBI. Josh Holly, 19, is a prime suspect in a federal investigation. Police raided his Tennessee home and seized computer equipment after learning Holly has allegedly bragged to pals about flooding the Internet with saucy Cyrus pictures, according to TMZ.com. According to Wired.com, Holly also boasted about posing as a MySpace.com administrator to steal Cyrus’ password, and using it to unlock her Gmail account. Charges against Holly have not been filed as Wenn goes to press. (Teen Hollywood)

Tony Cowell, Simon’s older brother, has branded the X Factor judge vain in a new interview with Star magazine. “Simon has a lot of mirrors in his LA house. He can’t walk more than six steps without passing a mirror and he glances in each one every single time he goes past,” Tony explains, before mocking the mogul’s taste in décor. “He’s obsessed with the color white. His house is hysterical because there are about 30 shades of white in it. It starts with a white marble floor downstairs and then you go upstairs where it changes to a different type of white. It’s hilarious.” (Handbag)

A slew of young celebs enjoyed the pool at Hollywood’s Roosevelt Hotel over the weekend – oblivious to the fact that the hotel staff never drained the water after a dead body was found in the pool a week earlier, sources said. At 4:30 a.m. Monday Oct. 13, Jordan Nagler, 30, a Rockville Centre, LI, native who was the executive director of International Student Exchange in Babylon, was found dead in the hotel’s Tropicana Bar pool. Ed Winter, assistant chief of investigations for the Los Angeles County coroner’s office, told The Post’s David Finnigan: “He was found at the bottom of the pool wearing swimming trunks. The staff at the hotel found him, but we don’t know who actually removed him from the pool.” A Page Six source told us that days after Nagler’s body was found, “The hotel management had a meeting, where they told staffers the pool didn’t need to be drained” because “there was enough chlorine in it to kill the bacteria.” The tipster added, “Following the tragedy, the hotel held a meeting with employees of the Roosevelt, Teddy’s [the club inside the hotel] and Tropicana Bar.” Staffers were instructed not to “say anything to anyone” because, “We don’t want this to get out.” One week later, the likes of Lindsay Lohan, Samantha Ronson, Eve, Kevin Connolly and Stacy Keibler “were swimming in the unchanged water,” our source added. On Monday, Justin Long, Sarah Chalke, Seth Rogen and Elizabeth Banks were there for an Effen Vodka-hosted party. Stephen Brandman, chief operating officer of Thompson Hotels, which owns the Roosevelt, called reports about not draining the pool and shushing the staff “urban legend.” He told us, “Somebody did die, but we don’t think anything awkward or bizarre occurred. He had a heart attack.” Winter said the cause of death was undetermined. An LA cop told Finnigan there’s no homicide investigation and the death “could be a result of alcohol consumption.” (Page Six)

Federal aviation officials are saying the tires on the doomed Learjet that crashed last month in South Carolina shredded as the plane ran out of runway. The crash killed four people and injured former Blink-182 drummer Travis Barker and celebrity disc jockey DJ AM. The National Transportation Safety Board said Wednesday that very little rubber was left on the jet’s wheels and the brakes were severely damaged when the plane crashed on takeoff just before midnight Sept. 19. The plane’s cockpit voice recorder has indicated that crew members thought a tire blew as they hurtled down the runway before failing to abort the takeoff. Barker and DJ AM suffered severe burns in the crash. Both have been released from the hospital are expected to fully recover. (Daily Record)

MUSIC . . .

Kenny Chesney scores his fifth No. 1 on The Billboard 200 and eighth Top Country Albums as “Lucky Old Sun” (BNA) moves 176,000 copies in the U.S., according to Nielsen SoundScan. However, this marks the lowest sales debut for one of his studio album since “Everywhere We Go” bowed with 30,000 at No. 51 in 1999. Chesney ends T.I.’s two-week reign atop the Billboard 200, as his Grand Hustle/Atlantic album “Paper Trail” falls 1-2 with 132,000, a 26% sales decline. Singer/songwriter Ray LaMontagne easily scores his best charting and sales week yet as his third album “Gossip in the Grain” (RCA) bows at No. 3 with 60,000. His 2006 set, “Till The Sun Turns Black,” opened at No. 28 with 28,000, while his 2004 debut, “Trouble,” moved 3,000 units in its first week, peaking at No. 189. Metallica’s Warner Bros. album “Death Magnetic” slips 2-4 with 51,000 (-23%), as Jennifer Hudson’s self-titled Arista debut falls 4-5 with 46,000 (-27%). In its 54th week on the chart, Kid Rock’s “Rock N Roll Jesus” (Top Dog/Atlantic) moves 45,000 on a 6% slip but ascends 7-6. Keane’s third Interscope album, “Perfect Symmetry” climbs on board at No. 7 with 43,000. The British rock band’s last offering, 2006’s “Under the Iron Sea,” entered at No. 4 with 75,000. Ne-Yo’s “Year of the Gentleman” (Def Jam) holds tight at No. 8 despite a 14% slip in sales to 40,000. Country/rock vet Lucinda Williams’ “Little Honey” (Lost Highway) starts at No. 9 with 35,000. Her 2007 album, “West,” began at No. 14, but sold more in its first week, raking in 57,000. James Taylor’s “Covers” (Starcon/Hear Music) rounds out the top tier, keeping the No. 10 spot warm for a second week with 31,000 (-28%). Entering at No. 13, Billy Currington’s third studio set, “Little Bit of Everything” (Mercury), sold 25,000 and earns the country singer his second best charting effort. His prior album, “Doin’ Somethin’ Right,” peaked at No. 11 on The Billboard 200 in 2005. Other debuts this week include indie singer/songwriter Ingrid Michaelson’s “Be OK” (Original Signal) at No. 35 with 15,000 and cellist Yo-Yo Ma’s “Yo-Yo Ma & Friends: Songs of Joy & Peace” (Sony Classical) at No. 41 with 12,000. At 6.53 million units, sales this week are up 1.8% from last week’s sum and down 17.6% from the same week last year. (Billboard)

After years of delay, Guns N’ Roses is finally releasing “Chinese Democracy.” Geffen Records has announced that the band’s eagerly awaited album will be released Nov. 23 at Best Buy stores and the retail chain’s Web site. “Chinese Democracy” is the first album of new Guns N’ Roses material since 1991’s “Use Your Illusion I” and “Use Your Illusion II.” The band, fronted by Axl Rose, has sold 90 million albums and made a splash in the ’80s with the hits “Sweet Child o’ Mine,” “Paradise City” and “Welcome to the Jungle.” Their 14-track album includes the song “If The World,” which is part of the soundtrack to the recent film “Body of Lies.” The band recently completed a world tour. (Daily Record)

Back when Shooter Jennings set out to make an album with his dad, country music star Waylon Jennings, he was 16 years old and a big fan of the industrial rock band Nine Inch Nails. The result was a collection of songs with psychedelic guitar parts and odd vocal effects that never saw the light of day. Jennings set the project aside and forged ahead with his own career. Now, almost seven years after his father’s death, he’s retooled the recordings and released them on a new CD, “Waylon Forever,” billed as the late country star’s final recordings. “It’s more mature,” Jennings said recently of the new arrangements he added with his band, the .357s. “At the time, being 16, I think I didn’t know how to embrace subtly as much.” His father sings on the eight tracks and plays guitar on two of them, “Jack of Diamonds” and “Lonesome On’ry and Mean.” The disc features remakes of Jennings classics such as “Waymore’s Blues,” a cover of Cream’s “White Room” and a never-released Waylon Jennings composition called “I Found the Body.” The younger Jennings credits his girlfriend, Drea de Matteo, and his producer, Dave Cobb, with finally getting the CD released on Vagrant Records.

“They were pushing me, ‘You know, you’ve got to do this,'” Jennings recalled. “It was always there, but it was always intimidating to me to go back and try to revamp it.” Until then, he said, “I wasn’t in a place yet to do it. In my own music and in working with my band and with my producer, I had to get to a place where I really felt it was the right time.” (Daily Record)

U.S. rock radio outlets from Jackson, Miss., to Springfield, Mass., started their morning with the new Guns N’ Roses single, “Chinese Democracy,” and reaction to the band’s first new song in nine years is running the gamut. “A number of GNR catalog titles test well but it’s not a foregone conclusion this song makes it beyond the starting gate,” says WMMR/Philadelphia’s Bill Weston. “We’ll expose the song on-air for a week and closely monitor listener reaction to determine further spins. The release of the record (finally) is an event but in Philly there is much resentment towards Axl Rose, due to his famous no-show concert. The long gestation period along with the fits and starts of leaked songs over the years do not help in setting up the song.” “This is what we’ve waited 15 years (or however long) for?,” asked MD/morning host Matt Murray on WHTG/Monmouth-Ocean, N.J. “How long did we wait for the third Boston album? Remember how that turned out?,” said KISS/San Antonio’s John Lisle. “I admit, it took a couple of listens, but ‘Chinese Democracy’ is really good,” says PD Michael Cross at KFMW/Waterloo-Cedar Rapids, Iowa. “It’s something that could have easily been on ‘Use Your Illusion.’ Much like ‘It’s So Easy,’ with Axl’s trademark screams and higher pitched vocals mixed underneath his lower vocals, the track rocks. Instant phones!” Recalling that it has been 16 years since he last saw Guns N’ Roses live, KISS/San Antonio PD LA Lloyd says, “It takes almost as long to get into the meat of the song as it did to get it out. I was hoping for more but who wasn’t? I am putting this one on the air and (letting) the listeners decide. I hope the outcome is good. My prediction: 2010, Axl and the original members get back together for the biggest reunion tour ever.” According to Broadcast Data Systems, “Chinese Democracy” had been spun 49 times from its 5 a.m. ET digital arrival at stations through 11:20 a.m. ET. WAAF/Boston had played it five times, while WQXA/Harrisburg-Lebanon-Carlisle, Pa., was next with four. “Chinese Democracy” the album arrives Nov. 23 exclusively in Best Buy stores. (Billboard)

Aerosmith plan to return to the studio in 2009 after injuries forced them into hiatus. The band have not released an album of all-new material since 2001’s Just Push Play. Following this, 2004’s Honkin On Bobo consisted mainly of cover versions. However, guitarist Brad Whitford has told Billboard that they intend to change that as soon as they can. (Launch)

Rufus Wainwright is planning to scale back the sonics for his next album. “I’m planning at the moment — and I really want to stick to this — that the album will just be a solo piano/voice, just sitting in the studio alone and making it about the music,” Wainwright tells Billboard.com. He says it’s a reaction to the big production of his latest releases — 2007’s “Release the Stars” and “Rufus Does Judy at Carnegie Hall” — as well as his forthcoming opera, “Prima Donna.” “After all that, it’s an opportunity to have this slight moment of intimacy with me — which I know everybody wants,” he says. Wainwright hopes to get cracking on the album “right after” the July 2009 debut of “Prima Donna,” and that working on the opera hasn’t kept him from writing more straightforward pop material. “I write songs all the time,” he explains. “I’ve been writing them so long they’ve become kind of like a bodily function at this point; they sort of arrive at my doorstep and I give them some milk. I’m not really worried about that well drying up any time soon.” For the time being, however, Wainwright’s primary focus is the opera, which he’ll unveil July 10 in Manchester, England. “The opera’s pretty much written,” Wainwright reports. “I’m sort of in the process of orchestrating it; that is a huge job in itself, so I’m sort of in mid-battle now.” And, Wainwright acknowledges, he’s feeling the pressure. “It’s a tall order,” he notes. “I’m definitely putting it all out on the line here, ’cause with opera, if it’s not good then it’s really bad. That’s sort of the sense I’m getting — it has to be pretty great or it’s a real drag to listen to.” Wainwright is in the midst of a handful of live shows in the U.S., but he won’t be previewing any of the “Prima Donna” material at his shows. “No, no, no … ‘Prima Donna’ is an opportunity for me to sit in the audience and enjoy my own brilliance — with a certain perspective,” he says. “It’s the one chance for me to not be on stage.” (Billboard)

Weird Al Yankovic has weighed on his first experiment to make available a new song digitally while the song it parodies was still hot on the charts. “Whatever You Like,” a takeoff on T.I.’s hit of the same name, sold 21,000 digital downloads in its first week as an iTunes exclusive, according to Nielsen SoundScan. It sold another 7,600 this week. “I probably won’t be as inclined to announce new singles in advance, though,” Yankovic says on his MySpace blog. “I’ve learned from hard experience that iTunes is not able to guarantee a time — or, apparently, even a day — that a song will go live online. So perhaps it’s best for me to wait until a new song is actually available, and THEN announce it. “Also, I’m not sure that I’d agree to give iTunes any kind of an exclusivity window in the future,” he continues. “It seems like the amount of publicity I received from them didn’t really compensate for the sales I lost by not also having my song available elsewhere.” “Whatever You Like” is now available via all digital retailers. (Billboard)

MOVIE . . .

Dustin Hoffman, a hard-drinking womanizer? Sources say the Oscar winner wants to play Maynard Nottage, a Hollywood publicist from the Roaring ’20s who toured with Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show and liked his booze and babes. Nottage, who died an outcast from the Hollywood studios in 1965, had been largely for gotten when his granddaughter gave his collected papers to Mark Borkowski, who wrote “The Fame Formula.” Director Tony Kaye (“American History X”) is said to be interested in adapting the book as a vehicle for Hoff man. “Nottage is very colorful,” Borkowski said. (Page Six)

Teri Polo is set to star in Joe Dante’s supernatural feature “The Hole.” Additionally, the actress has been tapped for two episodes of CBS’ supernatural drama “Ghost Whisperer.” “Hole,” from Bold Films and Benderspink, centers on Susan (Polo), a mother who moves with her teen sons to a rural house where the three are forced to face their fears after discovering a bottomless hole in the basement. Also cast in the project, penned by Mark L. Smith, is Haley Bennett (“The Haunting of Sarah Morgan”). She will play Julie, a neighbor who is attracted to one of the sons. Production on the film, which will be filmed in 3-D, starts Dec. 5 in Vancouver. On “Ghost,” Polo will play the fiancé of somebody close to Melinda (Jennifer Love Hewitt). Additionally, she will guest-star on the 150th episode of CBS’ “CSI: Miami” on Nov. 17, playing the mother of a kidnapped baby. Polo, whose upcoming features include “The Beacon” and “Material Lies,” also is gearing up to reprise her role as Pam Byrnes in “Meet the Little Fockers,” the third installment in the “Meet the Parents” comedy franchise. She is repped by Gersh and McGowan Management. (Hollywood Reporter)

Naomi Watts is in negotiations to topline “My Name Is Jody Williams,” a Universal drama that Audrey Wells is attached to direct. Dan Jinks and Bruce Cohen are producing. The screenplay by Wells tells the true story of Jody Williams, a strong-willed teacher working for a temporary employment agency who left her life in Washington to pursue an unlikely career in global activism. Almost a decade and a half later, Williams was honored with the Nobel Peace Prize for leading an international campaign to eradicate land mines. Brash and somewhat controversial, Williams famously called President Bill Clinton a “weenie” for not signing the land mine ban. Melissa Goddard is executive producing. Universal’s Donna Langley, Peter Cramer and Maradith Frenkel are overseeing the project. Watts, repped by CAA and Untitled, last starred in the English-language remake of “Funny Games” and “Eastern Promises.” “The International,” in which she stars opposite Clive Owen, is in the can. (Hollywood Reporter)

Producer Anthony Bregman is teaming with comic writers Jay Reiss and Ian Helfer for the comedic drama “Oranges.” The project, which a number of directors are circling, focuses on a man who has a romantic relationship with the daughter of a family friend, turning the lives of the man and the family upside down. Bregman (“Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind”) will produce via his A Likely Story banner. One person familiar with the project called it ” ‘American Beauty’ if ‘American Beauty’ had more comedy.” Financing is being finalized, with A Likely Story in negotiations with Media Rights Capital as well as several other potential entities to fund the picture. The CAA-repped Reiss and the Gersh-repped Helfer have a number of comic projects in development. Reiss is on tap to write “Man-Witch” for Todd Phillips and Warner Bros., while Helfer has worked with “Wet Hot American Summer” director David Wain and wrote for John Hamburg’s television pilot “Welcome to the Captain.” A Likely Story most recently produced “Synecdoche, New York,” Charlie Kaufman’s acclaimed directorial debut that opens this weekend. It is also behind Nicole Holofcener’s untitled Catherine Keener-starrer about family and real estate for Sony Pictures Classics. (Hollywood Reporter)

TV . . .

Toni Braxton will no longer break it down on “Dancing with the Stars.” The singer and her professional partner, Alec Mazo, were eliminated Tuesday from ABC’s popular dancing competition. The pair received a score of 22 out of 30 from the show’s judges during Monday’s performance after a respectable West Coast swing routine. The “Unbreak My Heart” crooner was booted after that score was combined with viewer votes. “My goal was reached,” said Braxton, who has coronary microvascular angina, after she was dismissed. “I wanted to do better. I wanted to breathe better. And I was definitely breathing better. I’ve come a long way from Week One to Week Now.” Celebrities remaining in the competition include TV personality Brooke Burke; singer Lance Bass; former NFL star Warren Sapp; Olympic gold medalist Maurice Greene; actor Cody Linley; and actresses Cloris Leachman and Susan Lucci. Chef Rocco DiSpirito, reality TV star Kim Kardashian, actor Ted McGinley and comedian Jeffrey Ross were previously eliminated. (Daily Record)

“Law & Order” is looking for a few hookers and cross-dressers. For an upcoming episode, the NBC drama has placed a casting call in Back Stage for actors with “their own wardrobe” to play “male transvestite characters.” Also wanted are male and female performers to portray prostitutes and who are comfortable in “provocative, scantily clad streetwalker attire, think Meatpacking District, etc.” The ad stresses that no nudity is required. (Page Six)

ABC has picked up “Private Practice” for a full season. The network has given a back-nine order to the sophomore drama from ABC Studios. “Practice” is ABC’s tentpole show on Wednesday nights, the ringleader of a trio of sophomore shows interrupted by the writers strike. All have returned down significantly this year, but “Practice” has maintained the highest rating of the bunch. “Practice” is the latest network series to get a full-season pickup, following NBC’s “Knight Rider” and “Chuck,” CBS’ “The Mentalist,” Fox’s “Fringe” and “Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles” and CW’s “90210.” (Hollywood Reporter)

The Russian state-run channel Rossiya is suing actress and TV host Anastasiya Zavorotnyuk for 17 million rubles ($700,000) for breaking a contract with the channel signed last June, the Russian wire service RIA Novosti reported Wednesday. Under the contract, the actress, who earned nation-wide popularity several years ago starring in the TV series “My Beautiful Nanny,” a remake of the U.S. sitcom “The Nanny,” made by the channel CTC, was supposed to host or co-host several shows on Rossiya, particularly the figure skating show “Star Ice.” However, last month, Zavorotnyuk received a more attractive offer to host a similar show on another state-run channel, Channel One, and chose to go with that, unilaterally breaking her agreement with Rossiya. The first court session is scheduled for Nov. 20. Zavorotnyuk, who is currently one of the most popular media personalities in Russia, declined comment on the situation. Since the channel hasn’t disclosed details of its contract with the actress, observers are uncertain about the prospects of the case in court. (Hollywood Reporter)

CBS Interactive is partnering with Saturn to launch a scripted Web series starring Daphne Zuniga. The company plans eight episodes of “Novel Adventures,” an online series by Jonathan Prince, the creator of A&E’s “The Cleaner” and CBS’ “Cane.” Each episode will be presented for a 48-hour window on CBS.com, TheInsider.com and TV.com and then roll out across the CBS Audience Network. The series premieres online Nov. 3. “Adventures” tracks four friends who embark on activities inspired by various classic novels. In the first episode, the girls head out for an afternoon of deep-sea fishing honoring Hemingway’s “The Old Man and the Sea.” “We get to tell great stories with an A-plus cast and crew, Saturn gets creative and seamless promotion for its new line of cars and CBS Interactive offers its flagship Web sites and Audience Network high production-value content,” said Prince, who was asked by Saturn to create the series and then brought the idea to CBS. “Add to that, if successful, we have created a template for a potential broadcast or cable series to develop with our production studio, CBS Paramount.” CBS launched a flurry of online programs with the launch of Innertube in 2006. With CBS’ purchase of CNET and other online properties, Anthony Soohoo, senior VP and GM of CBS Interactive Entertainment division, said the company is now in a better position to launch original Web content. “We’re in a stronger position to really make an impact with original online series,” he said. The series stars Zuniga (“One Tree Hill”), Paola Turbay (“Cane”), Ashley Williams (“How I Met Your Mother”) and Jolie Jenkins (“Desperate Housewives”). (Hollywood Reporter)

First off, the newest batch of rumors to come out of the “Saturday Night Live” world have Barack Obama signed on for the Nov. 1 show, the last live taping before the elections. A rep for the show repeated the standard line, that Obama is “not confirmed” (we heard this about Palin up until her camp did the confirming to the press) and another well-placed show source says that he “wouldn’t trust it.” That said, those who think there’s a grain of truth to the booking say it’s not a last-ditch campaigning effort, but rather a make-good appearance, since Obama had to cancel his planned Sept. 13 showing due to Hurricane Ike. And, for those of you who still have lingering questions about Sarah Palin’s appearance on the show, while she looked at times like more of an observer than participant in the sketches, Us Weekly has a nice detail from behind the scenes. “She fixed my hair to make it look more Todd Palin–like,” Jason Sudeikis, who played the Alaska governor’s husband in Weekend Update, told the magazine. Former cast member Horatio Sanz reveals that the cast was sensitive to what lines were written about Palin, too. “I heard there were some racy lines about her, and they were like, ‘Oh, maybe we shouldn’t do that,’” Sanz says. (Scoop)

Papa Bear is staying put for now. Bill O’Reilly has signed a new four-year contract with Fox News—said to be worth between $10 million and $12 million per annum—to continue hosting his top-rated prime-time cable news program, The O’Reilly Factor. (Eonline)

According to an internal memo, it looks like some belt tightening has hit the costuming department at some of ABC’s biggest primetime shows. The network, home to highly wardrobed dramas such as “Dirty Sexy Money” and “Desperate Housewives,” has circulated a memo titled “new wardrobe guidelines” that outlines the “maximum allowable spend” for categories of clothing for each character. No more than $150 may be spent on men’s or women’s accessories; no more than $250 on a pair of women’s shoes (only $200 for men’s shoes). Handbags should cap out at $300 and men’s suits at $1,500. One source involved with an ABC show called the memo evidence that the network is “cheap,” but Charissa Gilmore, a rep for ABC, says that the memo is nothing more than a guide. “Probably everyone is looking at costs,” says Gilmore, “and there are guidelines for every single department.” Despite the source of the memo saying that the guidelines are new and definitely a change from previous season’s guidelines, Gilmore says the memo is probably part of a larger set of guidelines established last summer, and not a response to a specific cost-cutting drive. Also, Gilmore drives home the point that the costs allotted are just suggestions. “All of our people can go over. If someone argues that we need red-soled (Christian Louboutin) shoes to show that Lucy Liu is the power attorney (on ‘Dirty Sexy Money’), then she’s going to get them. It’s about making smart decisions.” (Scoop)

The memorabilia dealer who led O.J. Simpson to a hotel room where an infamous robbery occurred filed a lawsuit Tuesday against the “Dr. Phil” show claiming his remarks in an interview were spliced to change their meaning. Thomas Riccio, who testified at Simpson’s recent kidnapping-robbery trial, sued Philip McGraw – known on the show as Dr. Phil – and Stage 29 Media for unspecified damages. The lawsuit claims defamation, fraud, emotional distress and being portrayed in a false light. Riccio said that on the show he was referred to as “the shady deal maker,” “a puppet master who would sell his soul for a coin” and “the ring leader of this crime.” He said that during the show, McGraw falsely claimed that Riccio “set O.J. Simpson up and told people to bring guns into the room.” Riccio said his denial of those statements and his claim that he is anti-gun were edited out and replaced with a shot of him nodding his head as if in agreement with the host. “Had plaintiff been aware of defendants’ intent and their intended actions, he would not have agreed to do the interview,” the lawsuit stated. The Oct. 6 interview aired Oct. 8. Simpson was convicted of 12 charges in a Las Vegas court Oct. 3. Theresa Corigliano, a spokeswoman for Dr. Phil., would not comment. (Daily Record)

TODAY’S IMPOSSIBLE QUESTION . . . (Mike Butts Creative)

Q. This week nearly 50 million children will use THIS – so did you and me?

A. Elmer’s glue

TODAY’S QUOTE (By J. Robert Oppenheimer)

“THE FOOLISH MAN SEEKS HAPPINESS IN THE DISTANCE, THE WISE GROWS IT UNDER HIS FEET.”

MIND BOGGLERS . . . (QuickTrivia)

Q. In “Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventures,” the now-obscure Alex Winter plays Bill. Who played Ted?

A. Nicolas Cage

B. Keifer Sutherland

C. Keanu Reeves ****

D. Sean Penn

Q. Which of these bands was Eric Clapton in first?

A. Cream

B. Blind Faith

C. Yardbirds ****

D. Derek and the Dominos

Q. Who performed the 80s hit “Human Nature”?

A. Janet Jackson

B. Michael Jackson ****

C. Heart

D. Whitney Houston

Q. What famous religious revolutionary once said, “Here I stand, I can do no otherwise.”?

A. Martin Luther ****

B. Gandhi

C. Joan of Arc

D. Ayatollah Sayyid Khomenei

Q. What was Stephen Spielberg’s first theatrically released movie?

A. American Graffiti

B. Close Encounters of the Third Kind

C. Jaws

D. The Sugarland Express ****

Q. Alexander Mackenzie was which country’s second prime minister?

A. Australia

B. South Africa

C. Great Britain

D. Canada ****

TRAVEL TIPS . . . (Peter Greenberg Worldwide)

PUT THE SPARK BACK IN YOUR RELATIONSHIP:

Has the romance disappeared from your relationship? Then take advantage of one of these hotel packages that offer extra help to rekindle that flame. Many hotels will offer packages designed to help put the spark back in your relationship, but you may be looking for more than roses and chocolates on the pillow. The Library Hotel in New York City takes it to the next level with its package for couples only. This includes a chilled bottle of prosecco, strawberries and whipped cream, a Kama Sutra pocket guide, and even something called edible honey dust. Hotel Solamar in San Diego has an unusual package called Friday Foreplay, which includes a bottle of chilled champagne and chocolate body paint. And, at the Palms Hotel in Las Vegas, well, I won’t get into details, but they have a suite that actually involves—a stripper pole.

(Peter Greenberg is North America’s preeminent expert on Travel. An Emmy Award-Winning writer and producer, Peter is the Travel Editor for NBC’S “TODAY SHOW,” MSNBC and CNBC. A Best-Selling author of the “Travel Detective” series and host of the nationally syndicated “Peter Greenberg Worldwide Radio Show.” Visit WWW.PETERGREENBERGWORLDWIDE.COM to learn more about Peter Greenberg and his adventures.)

MIKE BUTTS CREATIVE . . .

WHEN YOUR WIFE HAS A COLD: L

MY WIFE HAS A COLD/FLU/BRONCHITIS~~ SHE FEELS REALLY BAD AND I’VE BEEN MAKING HER CHICKEN SOUP—SETTING OUT

EXTRA VITAMIN “C’ AND PILLS FOR HER—AND BEING THERE FOR HER. I WANT TO SHOW HER MORE AFFECTION BUT I DON’T

WANT TO CATCH IT AND GET SICK TOO. SO I DUCT-TAPED TWO BASEBALL GLOVES TO TWO-TEN-FOOT-POLES…AND I HUG HER

FROM THE LIVING ROOM! J

MR. BLACKWELL IS DEAD: J

FASHION CRITIC MR. BLACKWELL HAS PASSED AWAY AT THE AGE OF 86. HE WAS SO MEAN TO PEOPLE I’M NOT SURE IF HE’S

GOING TO HEAVEN OR HELL. BUT I KNOW WHAT WOULD BE HELL FOR MR. BLACKWELL—A ROOM FULL OF “PLAID” AND CLIP –

ON TIES” HIS LAST WORDS WERE ( gasp) DOC..YOUR TIE– YOU LOOK LIKE AN INTERN FROM GREY’S ANATOMY.

DONALD TRUMP FACTS!

ON THE APPRENTICE—DONALD TRUMP USES THE PHRASE “YOU’RE FIRED” BECAUSE “I WANT TO DRINK YOUR BLOOD “ HAD

ALREADY BEEN TAKEN! DRACULA—BELA LUGOSI I BELIEVE.

BIRTHDAYS . . .

–1752 Chef/Confectioner Nicolas Appert (d. 6-3-1841)

–1835 23^rd Vice-President Adlai Ewing Stevenson (d. 6-14-1914)

–1925 TV Host Johnny Carson (d. 1-24-2005)

–1931 Baseball’s Jim Bunning

–1931 Actress Diana Dors (d. 5-4-1984)

–1934 Golfer Juan “Chi-Chi” Rodriguez

–1940 Soccer Player Pele

–1940 Drummer Freddy Marsden (Gerry & The Pacemakers) (“I Like It”) (d. 12-9-2006)

–1942 Director/Author Michael Crichton (The Andromeda Strain)

–1943 Singer Barbara Ann Hawkins (The Dixie Cups) (“Chapel Of Love”)

–1947 Musician Greg Ridley (Humble Pie) (“Natural Born Boogie”) (d. 11-19-2003)

–1949 Musician Wurzel (Motorhead)

–1953 Singer Pauline Black (Selecter)

–1956 Musician Dwight Yoakam

–1959 Singer/Satirist “Weird Al” Yankovic

–1962 Football’s Mike Tomczak

–1962 Football’s Doug Flutie

–1963 Musician Michael Mertens (Propaganda)

–1986 Actress Jessica Stroup (The Hills Have Eyes II)

THIS DAY IN HISTORY . . .

SCORPIO, THE SCORPION (October 23-November 22) Astrological sign. Today is also the traditional date for the Swallows to depart for the winter from old mission of San Juan Capistrano, CA.

–1752 French Chef, inventor, and author Nicolas Appert was born. He invented the bouillon cube, but he is best remembered for inventing a way of heating foods and sealing them in air tight containers. We take it for granted these days, but Appert was awarded the title “Benefactor of Humanity” and 12,000 francs from the French government.

–1783 Having fought in the colonial army for two years using the name Robert Shurtlef, Deborah Sampson received an honorable discharge. When she died her husband received the first widower’s pension awarded by the US Army.

– 1941 Walt Disney’s animated movie “Dumbo” was released in movie theaters in the USA.

–1962 Stevie Wonder records his first single for Motown Records, “Thank You For Loving Me All The Way,” at the age of 12.

–1970 On prime time TV tonight:

ABC – Young Lawyers – Silent Force – ABC Monday Night Football (in its first season)

CBS – Gunsmoke – Here’s Lucy – Mayberry R.F.D. – Doris Day Show – Carol Burnett Show

NBC – Red Skelton Show – Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In – NBC Monday Night Movie

–1976 “Disco Duck” by Rick Dees is the top single in the US in Britain, it’s “Mississippi” by Pussycat.

–1978 Sid Vicious attempts suicide while being held at Riker’s Island in NY, after being charged with the murder of girlfriend Nancy Spungen.

–1988 In an Oakland Tribune interview, Eddie Money comments “I’ve sold five million records, and I’m still broke. Nobody’s stealing from me, but I’m getting tired of shopping at Miller’s Outpost.”

–2001 Actor William Baldwin (38) & his wife (singer) Chynna Phillips (33) welcomed their second child Vance Alexander to the world. Vance has an older sister Jameson.

–2003 Actress Reese Witherspoon (27) gave birth to her second child a son, Deacon. Reese and her (now ex) husband Ryan, have a daughter Ava age 4.

RADIO ONLINE® DAILY SHOW PREP™ . . .

ON THIS DAY

In 1910, Blanche Scott became the first woman to ever fly an airplane by herself. Several other women had flown planes before, but from the backseat.

On this date in 1941, “Dumbo” flew into theaters. The only drawback of a flying elephant: hey, you know what a pigeon can do to your windshield. Don’t even get me started! Or, on this date in 1941, “Dumbo” was released. Yeah, even he had a brief stint in “rehab.”

In 1946, the United Nations met in New York for the very first time. Of course, being the first day, nothing was really accomplished… and the streak has now reached 60 years.

On this date in 1974, President Richard Nixon agreed to turn over his White House Recordings… on his own, “I’m notta crook” label.

TODAY IS

Ryan Reynolds turns 32 and is married to Scarlett Johansson, so don’t even bother to send him a gift.

Former quarterback Doug Flutie turns 46 today. He’s known for his famous “Hail Mary” pass back in college and being on the only NFL quarterback ever to sit on the bench in a booster seat.

“Weird Al” Yankovic turns 49 today. I wonder if he’s ever heard a normal version of “Happy birthday to you” in his life?

THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW

· Paris Hilton has bought herself a brothel, or should we say a former brothel in London for the bargain-basement price of $1.4 million.

· So why does Alaska Governor Sarah Palin look so fabulous? Politico.com reports that the Republican National Committee has shelled out $150,000 for Palin’s spiffy new wardrobe and accessories.

· Tina Fey says she glues her ears down when she does her impressions of Sarah Palin.

· Hotter than hot “Dancing with the Stars”‘ pro Julianne Hough took a trip to the hospital with stomach trouble Tuesday night. She’s okay.

· In case you didn’t hear, the Britney Spears “driving without a license” trial has been dismissed. After two days, the jury couldn’t agree on a decision.

· By the way, Britney will start out her birthday — December 2nd — performing on “Good Morning, America.”

· And now we hear that Barack Obama may be showing up soon on “Saturday Night Live” November 1, right before the election.

· Former baseball steroid poster boy Jose Canseco and Danny Bonaduce, the former “Partridge Family” are going to fight each other in a Celebrity Boxing Federation bout on January 17.

· ‘Survivor’ host Jeff Probst has created a new show called “Live Like You Were Dying,” which will take terminally-ill people on the adventure of their lives.

CONVERSATION STARTERS

Eagle Snacks is doing a Bald and the Beautiful promotion and has noarrowed down the most favorite bald and beautiful celebrities to four top stars:

· Charlie Villanueva, NBA player

· Terry Bradshaw, Hall of Fame NFL quarterback

· Chris Doughtry, Grammy nominated singer

· Tiki Barber, retired NY Giants Running Back

When it comes to sheer numbers, the top secret most women keep from the man in their life is not about sex. Or past boyfriends. Or money. It’s the number of shoes their own, according to a poll by the Consumer Reports National Research Center for the shopping magazine ShopSmart. The average American woman owns 19 pairs of shoes — and some of these were purchases hidden from her partner — even though she only wears four pairs regularly. 15% of women own more than 30 pairs of shoes. 43% admitted they had been at least moderately injured by shoes, especially by wearing slingbacks and stilettos, while 8% reported serious injuries, such as sprains or breaks.

The typical American worker spends nearly two hours a day goofing off on the job, according to Salary.com. A whopping 63% of employees admit to slacking off at work and the average employee fritters away 1.7 hours during an 8.5 hour work day.

The top three time wasters are:

· 34.7%, surfing the Internet

· 20.3%, chatting with co-workers

· 17%, taking care of personal business

The slackers also make personal calls and take long breaks. The worst goof-offs are employees in this order: [ * 2.1 hours a day for workers ages 20 to 29

· 1.9 hours a day for workers ages 30 to 39

· 1.4 hours a day for workers ages 40 to 49

Many of the slackers blamed their bosses for their attitudes, with 11.8% citing low pay, 13.9% complaining about long hours and 11.1% claiming their work wasn’t challenging enough.

Search patterns on the internet have been used to predict which new shows will be popular on television this fall. Here’s a list of the most popular searches:

· Kid Nation

· Bionic Woman

· Gossip Girl

· The Big Bang Theory

· Reaper

· Moonlight

· Cane

· Chuck

· Private Practice

· Cavemen

The Internet may help you connect with friends, but computers are coming between couples literally. 65% of Americans say they spend more time on the computer than with their partner, according to a survey by Support.com, a technology service. Instead of spending hours of prime time organizing your digital vacation photos alone, ask your beau to join in so you can reminisce together.

Women ages 20 to 34 are the fastest growing part of the population. A study in Epidemiologic Reviews reports that in 1960, 21% of young women had a BMI of 25 to 30, considered overweight. By 2000, that number had ballooned to 52%. At this rate, 75% of the entire U.S. population will be shopping for plus sizes by 2015. (Women’s Health)

PHONE TOPICS

· Do pretty people make more money?

· When you were a kid, ever write to a celebrity?

· What’s the easiest thing to grow?

· Is cheerleading really a sport? What in the world is the difference between a sport, game and activity?

· If you’re a woman, does shopping make you feel better? It’s like therapy for some of us. Do you hide the bags from your husband?

· Do you think restroom valets deserve a tip? How much?

· Body parts, and the strange places where they got stuck?

· I’m embarrassed to admit it but I like _____!

· Who has the most bizarre pet?

· Tell us a secret about your mate. “You won’t believe this about him/her, but…

· What do people say you are very good at?

· What’s the definition of nagging?

· If you could take back one thing you said in your life, what would it be?

· What has worked for you to lose weight?

· Who has the most cousins?

Did John Mayer use texts and tunes to win back Aniston? The London Daily Mirror is convinced the singer has been “desperately” wooing the actress back with more than just that previously reported “barrage of romantic e-mail” — seems there were also “soppy texts” involved. Phoner: Have you ever won a lover back? What was the trick?

A San Francisco website (inSpot.org) says more than 50,000 people have sent e-cards through its Web site to tell sexual partners they should get tested for diseases. You’re allowed to send an anonymous email. Do you think this site is a great idea to warn people, or a bad thing because of pranksters?

The richer you are, apparently, the better sex you have. That’s according to a recent survey of more than 600 high-net-worth individuals. And rich women, it seems, enjoy sex the most. Do you have better sex when you’re loaded? Have you ever been with a rich person? Were they incredible?

We did the “pregnant women’s cravings” phone topic. Went very well. Some of the better ones included everything from vinegar sauce to pickles and chocolate sauce.

Everyone wants to know the best places to live, but what about the worst? What city have you visited that’s so awful that you would consider it the “the armpit of America?”

Ladies, how much do you spend to pamper yourself? Here’s how VP nominee Sarah Palin gets pampered:

· The Republican National Committee has spent more than $150,000 to clothe and accessorize vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin and her family.

· The accessorizing began in early September and included bills from Saks Fifth Avenue in St. Louis and New York for a combined $49,425.74.

· The records also document a couple of big-time shopping trips to Neiman Marcus in Minneapolis, including one $75,062.63 spree in early September.

· The RNC also spent $4,716.49 on hair and makeup through September after reporting no such costs in August.

Good calls too on “weird places you’ve seen people use cell phones.” Had an OB/GYN’s office call to say they have more than once had to hand someone a cell phone when they were getting examined.

Have you ever been left standing at the altar? There you are in your tuxedo or your mega-expensive wedding dress, and your spouse-to-be is a no-show. What happened? Were you ever able to confront them later? What was their excuse?

Both men and women are equally guilty of snoring, but men are more likely than women to wake up their snoring partners to get them to stop according to a recent study from Britain’s University of Surrey. Phoner: Ladies, how often does your husband wake you up and tells you stop snoring, when in fact he’s keeping up the whole neighborhood sawing a huge log? Anyone listening that moves into another room when their husbands are snoring, or do you kick him about of bed?

We had a debate spurred by a letter from a listener whose husband makes her sit in the back seat when they drive with his mom. Mixed calls from people about whether mom deserves the front seat over the wife, and good calls from women about their “Momma’s Boy” husbands.

What do you take to work everyday? One caller had a coffee cup that actually makes coffee in the cup. She will not leave without it and made such a big deal out of it! So, people started calling with things that they could not leave home each morning without! People are weird! Some listeners have to have a lucky charm to play with in their pockets, etc. Esquire magazine asked its male readers, “How much cash do you have on you right now?”

· 12% said not a cent

· 21% said $20

· 20% said $20 to $49.99

· 14% said $50 to $99.99

· 10% said $100 to $149.99

· 9% said $150 to $299.99

· 2% said $300 to $499.99

· 12% said $500 or more

The average amount of cash an American male has on them is $134.40.

Have you ever hurt yourself trying to look hot? A twisted ankle, a broken toe, a curling iron burn? A friend of mine hurt her foot on a tough pair of heels.

Ever check your mate or roommate’s Internet history to see where they’ve been? Find anything really weird/gross? Perverted? Ever gotten into trouble at work for where you surfed on a company computer?

A topic that went over much better than we expected was cheesy pickup lines. Ones you have used or have been used on you. The phones went all morning with some really good ones, of course you are going to get the standard ones like “If I said you have a beautiful body, would you hold it against me.”

One of our sales folks tried to adjust the spring loaded back of his chair and it slammed forward cracking him in the side of the head, bending his glasses and leaving him feeling “woozy.” It got us thinking that there was probably allot of freak accidents that happen. Amazingly everyone wanted to tell me about their “freak” accidents. If I kept the phones going I could’ve received enough calls to write a book.

When a man catches sight of a beautiful woman, he loses his ability to make good decisions and focus on the task at hand, according to a recent study from The University of Leuven in Belgium. Phoner: Men, is this true? I remember having a conversation with my wife when watching Football, I caught a glimpse of a hot cheerleader when they were going to commercial. I completely lost my train of thought and it took a couple of minutes to recover.

HOLE IN THE HEADLINE

· “Florida Woman Chooses To Go To ____ Over $7.45 Bill!” (Jail)

· “Woman Accused Of Tending Bar In The ____”! (Buff)

· “Man Wins Prize For Building His Own ____”! (Coffin)

· “Iowa Couple Ordered Apart After Woman Bites ____”! (Fiance)

· “Man Nabbed With Frozen ____ Bags Down His Pants! (Shrimp)

· “Man Charged With ____ Twice In Same Night”! (DWI)

· “Great Dane Gives Birth To Great Litter: __ Puppies”! (16)

· “____ ____ Whiz, 85, Says Opponents Hard To Find”! (Table Tennis)

· “Dead ____ Offered The Vote In Illinois”! (Goldfish)

· “Judge’s Ruling Could Put Couple’s Wedding On ____”! (Ice)

· “Ohio Woman, 89, Accused Of Keeping Kids’ ____”! (Football)

· “Alleged Burglar Dresses As ____ ____ Owner”! (Beauty Shop)

GREAT KIDS OF THE WEEK

Once a week at 7:15am, we put our “listeners family first” with the Great Kid of the Week. In addition to some cool prizes, we also read the nomination letter on the air to honor our “Great Kid.” To nominate a kid, we ask listeners to send along a couple of paragraphs telling us why their kid should be our “Great Kid of the Week,” along with name, address and phone number.

PAY THE BILLS

We asked people to fax us their bills. All of their bills so that they’d have a better chance of getting something paid. Then, when we read their name on the air, they had ten minutes and fifty nine seconds to call us back. We paid a woman’s mortgage, twenty two hundred bucks. She called before we even went into spots, and when we told her we were paying her mortgage, she went absolutely crazy. The crazy turned into crying, and by the end of the break we even had her laughing hysterically.

TOP FIVE SIGNS YOUR CANDIDATE IS GIVING UP

1. Those aren’t rally towels supporters are waving — they’re white flags!

2. New campaign slogan: “Quitters are winners”

3. Song played at every rally — Marvin Gaye’s “Got to give it up!”

4. Shows up to latest press conference in bathrobe

5. Skips latest debate to get a pedicure

HUNTER’S HUMOR by Tim Hunter

Tony Braxton was booted off “Dancing with the Stars” this week. With any luck, they’ll let her just hang out and occasionally change outfits.

Iran says they’ve captured two “spy pigeons” near their controversial uranium enrichment facility. So far, the birds haven’t talked.

India has launched a spacecraft that will explore the moon’s surface. Why do I feel the phrase, “lunar tech support” is right around the corner?

According to the latest polls, 7% of American voters are still undecided. These are the same folks who take an extra half hour to grocery shop because of that grueling paper/plastic decision.

I can’t decide whether to call these people ‘morons’ or ‘gluttons for punishment’.

The bad economy has forced Sea World to lay off several whale trainers. It’s been a tough year for Wamu, Yahoo and Shamu!

SLOGAN OFF

Classic Edition

· “Behold: the power of _______” (cheese)

· “A can a week, that’s all we ask” (California Almond Growers)

· “Puts you in the drivers seat” (Hertz)

· “Babies are our business. Our only business.” (Gerber)

· “When ________ speaks, people listen” (EF Hutton)

Modern Edition

· “Citi never sleeps” (Citibank)

· “What’s in your wallet?” (Capitol One)

· “When banks compete, you win!” (Lending Tree)

· “That was easy” (Staples)

· “Experience the original” (Levi’s 501 Jeans)

MOTHERS OF TALENT

If everything goes right, we’ll have our mothers on the show next week for an illuminating look at the childhood of each member of the show. Having your mother tell embarrassing stories about you on the air I think humanizes you in the eyes of the listener. My mother has several stories which she’s ready to tell at anytime.

TEE VEE TOONS DAY

This sounded to easy to be good, but it worked like a charm for us. An all request TV theme song day. People called all morning to request old themes which led to discussions and disputes about the shows, and we played a few obscure ones for people to try to identify for prizes. We produced some campy sounding IDs to prompt the calls and the rest was easy. It keeps the water cooler talk going all day. Tee Vee Toons are a must for any morning show anyway. If you haven’t done so already, pick ’em up!

GREATEST THINGS EVER SAID ABOUT MARRIAGE

· “Garth, marriage is punishment for shoplifting in some countries.” –Mike Myers, as Wayne Campbell in “Wayne’s World.”

· “Marriage is our last, best chance to grow up.” –Theologian Joseph Barth

· “The problem with marriage is that it ends every night after making love, and it must be rebuilt every morning before breakfast.” –Gabriel Garcia Marquez

· “Rituals are important. Nowadays it’s hip not to be married. I’m not interested being hip.” –John Lennon, in 1980

· “I married the first man I ever kissed. When I tell my children that, they just about throw up.” –Barbara Bush

· “We have had long, really difficult times, but we have enough lust and respect. We’re lustily respectful, respectfully lustfull” –Paul Newman on his 45-year marriage to Joanne Woodward

· Well, she does my laundry and she does a good job, so she must love me. I’m a beast, aren’t I? No, I’m kidding. What does she do to make me feel loved? Everything she does. Every now and then she looks at me and I think, Wow, she loves me.” –Matthew Broderick on wife Sarah Jessica Parker

· “There’s something about marriage that I don’t like. The idea that Kurt gets to be my boyfriend is a sexy choice. It’s incredibly fascinating.” –Goldie Hawn, on her 20-year relationship with Kurt Russell.

· “Whenever you want to marry someone, go have lunch with his ex-wife.” –Shelley Winters

· “There is nothing nobler or more admirable than when two people who see eye-to-eye keep house as husband and wife, confounding their enemies and delighting their friends.” — Homer, The Odyssey

· “I shake my head at these people who get married for a few years, then say their careers are pulling them apart. Hey, you get married for life. You make it work.” –Sharon Osbourne

· “What do you expect me to do? Sleep alone?” –Elizabeth Taylor, who has married eight times.

DRAG RACE

For a good prize you have a bunch of guys competing for their ladies in the 100-yard dash. The catch is they must be dressed completely as women before they reach the finish line. Dress, wigs, lipstick pumps, the entire ensemble. They must carry it and dress while they are trying to run the race. First guy across the line completely dressed as a lady wins.

LONGEST CELL PHONE THROW

Playboy says the longest cell phone throw is 222 feet, 9 inches by Nico Morawa of Germany. Perfect opportunity to have listeners to come down to the studio or other location and throw cell phones for prizes.

TRIVIA

· After months of speculation, Madonna and her filmmaker husband, Guy Ritchie, announced that they are divorcing. Where will the divorce be decided? (United Kingdom)

· John McCain and Barack Obama had their third and final presidential debate, a contentious event in which they clashed in particular on taxes, energy and Obama’s ties to a former Sixties radical. The forum took place at a university in New York. Which one? (Hofstra)

· In which state does Joe the plumber (real name: Joe Wurzelbacher) live? (Ohio)

· The children of which famous American are engaged in a court battle about an upcoming book project? (Martin Luther King)

· The headline-grabbing case of Caylee Anthony, a 3-year-old whose mother didn’t report her missing until a month after she disappeared. In which state did the alleged crime occur? (Florida)

· After being indefinitely suspended by the National Football League for involvement in a fracas at a hotel, Dallas Cowboys corner back Adam “Pacman” Jones checked into a rehab center. For what problem is he being treated? (Alcohol abuse)

· Paula Abdul’s “American Idol” salary is somewhere in the neighborhood of $5 million to $8 million per season and she is straight up upset, that her salary is not closer to the how much that Simon Cowell reportedly makes per season? ($36 million)

· General Motors Corp. is rolling out a new campaign to reach people by touting what? (Ability to get a loan)

· Which auto company is recalling more than 200,000 vehicles in the U.S. and overseas to fix a sensor system that could affect the car’s passenger side air bag? (Nissan)

· Things are not so sweet in the world of candy as Mars is moving into the Pennsylvania territory controlled by Hershey with a $70 million plant to make what product? (Dove)

· As it topped the $10 trillion mark last week, the National Debt Clock ran out of numbers. When did the National Debt Clock begin? (1989)

· In the world of Sports Biz, which Major League Baseball team spent the most money per victory this past season? (New York Yankees)

· Gene Wilder played the starring and title role in this popular 1971 film. (“Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory”)

· What is the most common religious affiliation among presidents? (Episcopalian)

· Lincoln was the tallest president at 6’4″. James Madison was the shortest. How short was he? (5’4″)

· A vexillologist is an expert in what? (The History of Flags)

· What does “AM” stand for in radio? (Amplitude modulated)

· What state is home to the rainiest city in the country? (Hawaii)

· What is Cap’n Crunch’s first name? (Horatio)

· What is the best selling breakfast cereal of all time? (Cheerios)

GORSEFEATHERS by Patrick Gorse

Word is that Paula Abdul is furious because “American Idol” has raised Simon Cowell’s salary to $36 million a year. American Idol’s producers say they would have raised Paula’s salary, but they were afraid she’d blow it all on alcohol.

Paula Abdul is angry about Simon Cowell’s $36 million salary because she only makes $5 million a year. Apparently Paula is an Obama supporter. She wants “American Idol” to spread the wealth around.

A woman has been arrested for bartending naked at a pub in Alton, Illinois. It was called “Club 007.” Everybody ordered their martinis shaken, not stirred.

An Illinois woman has been arrested for bartending nude. Things got out of control when after a new beer keg arrived, she bent over it and said, “Anybody want to help me tap this thing?”

An Illinois woman was arrested for bartending buck naked. Gives a whole new meaning to the term ‘behind’ the bar.

When that Illinois woman was arrested for bartending nude, the cops almost took in one of the customers. He said, “Liquor? Didn’t even touch her!”

A woman in Illinois was arrested for bartending in the nude. And the word ‘cocktail’ never seemed more apropos.

The hot new scandal is that the RNC charged $150, 000 in clothing for Sarah Palin at Saks Fifth Avenue and Neiman Marcus. The only Democrats not complaining about it are John Edwards and his hair stylist.

You know the weird part? Sarah Palin spent $150,000 on fashions, and her outfits still killed Mr. Blackwell.

Turns out Joe the Plumber has outstanding arrest warrants in Arizona. Plumber Joe may have a date with Sherriff Joe.

NBC News reports geologists studying sandstone deposits have discovered over 1,000 fossilized footprints and the tail drag marks of dinosaurs in Utah and they’re calling it a veritable “dinosaur dance floor.” They’re sure the drag marks are from dinosaur tails, because in those days, you didn’t have to drag Cloris Leachman around the dance floor.

San Francisco could become the first major city in the U.S. to decriminalize prostitution if Proposition K passes on November 4th. I guess Proposition KY was already taken.

San Francisco prostitutes will challenge anti-prostitution foes in a televised forum the night before the election. The prostitutes make a pretty good case but their opponents are master-debaters.

WHICH WITCH?

· This witch is just a teenager and played by Melissa Joan Hart on the show “Sabrina The Teenage Witch?” (Yummy)

· This witch chased Dorothy and her little dog too in “The Wizard of Oz?” (Wicked Witch of the West)

· This former “Melrose Place” co-star has her own show “Charmed” about three witch sisters? (Alyssa Milano)

· This witch was married to two Darrins on the show “Bewitched?” (Samantha Stevens)

· Because of the name, you might think this film about three kids getting lost in the woods had something to do with “Blair” from the “Facts of Life?” (“The Blair Witch Project”)

· This spin-off of “Bewitched” starred the daughter of ‘Samantha’ and ‘Darrin?’ (Tabitha)

· Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman starred in this movie about witches? (“Practical Magic”)

· Billie Hayes played this witch on the kid’s show “H.R. Pufnstuf?” (Witchiepoo)

· This witch dressed in red, hangs out with Casper the friendly ghost? (Wendy)

HAUNTED CAR WASH

Instead of the usual haunted house this year, we’re doing a “Haunted Car Wash.” It’s one of those big supersonic car washes with all the bells and whistles, and every evening, we take it over. People drive through, have blood and other disgusting stuff thrown on their car while scary monsters terrorize them. There’s also the usual haunted house scarry scenes set up inside the car wash for them to look at as they go though, and black lights really make the soap and water look wild. By the time they’ve gone through, their car is washed and all proceeds go to charity.

SCARIEST KID CONTEST

Have kids call up and give you their scariest “whatever.” We called it the “Scariest Kid Contest.” We took qualifiers all week. The kids had to be 12 and under and they had 15 seconds to be scary. We had our finals from all the qualifiers on Halloween morning. We had a great grand prize, and the moms and dads loved it.

CHEAP COSTUME IDEAS

· Cover yourself with a clear plastic garbage bag, fill it with different colored balloons, write ‘M’ on the balloons and go as a bag of M&M’s.

· Wrap yourself in tin foil and go as leftovers!

· Cover your and your friends in sheets. One person wears horns, and goes as bull sheet. The other has feathers, chicken sheet. And finally wear a sign that says ‘happens.’ Sheet happens.

· Wear a green shirt and attach Christmas ornaments, go as a Christmas tree.

· Painted your head red and go as a candy apple.

· Dye Your hair blue and say you’re a Ban Roll-On.

· Put on dark glasses and write “venetian” across your chest and go as a venetian blind.

The EZ Foil company says it’s easy-to-make Halloween costumes. The company recommends using their pans to make costumes like turtle and cel phones and robots. This led to other creative and cost-effective costumes. People love to brag about being cheap.

HOLD A SEANCE

You might bring in one of those tarot card readers or fortune tellers to help you out on this one. Pick a really cheesy, but dead, celebrity to contact.

MOST UNIQUE COSTUME

Get a panel of local celebrities (mayor, TV news anchors, etc.) to judge a costume contest. Not costumes that you get from a costume shop. We’re talking really unique costumes. For example, tape a bunch of cereal boxes to your body, carry a plastic knife, call yourself a “Cereal Killer.” If you can swing it, give away a weekend in Salem, Massachusetts, where they used to hold the witch hunts!

YOUR BODY’S CALLING

Check out all these changes our bodies go through:

· Eyes — We blink 5,000,000 times a year, and spend 23 minutes of every waking day doing it. We also produce a half gallon of tears, enough to fill a kettle, and spend an average three and a half hours a day watching TV — the equivalent of 53 days a year.

· Nose — Your nose hair grows an inch a year, adding up to six feet over the course of your life. Laid end to end, the hairs could wrap six times around your head.

· Breasts — A breast-feeding mother produces 43 gallons of milk a year, enough to fill 237 wine bottles.

· Lungs — An adult breathes two gallons of air a minute, more than 1,000,000 gallons a year, enough to inflate two hot air balloons. After 50, lung capacity decreases as air sacks become less elastic.

· Stomach — The stomach produces about a quarter of a gallon of gastric juice a day to help digest food. We eat 2,000 calories a day on average, and our metabolism peaks during adolescence, falling after that. Most people put on five pounds every decade after 20. But most of the food we eat is used up on energy. If you spend all day sleeping you still use up 1,320 calories, and 4,800 if you spend all day and night walking. Food is digested within 24 hours.

· Hands — When you touch something, impulses travel through the nerve network to the brain at a rate of 350 feet per second. Our fingernails grow three and a half centimeters a year.

· Blood — We produce 200 billion new red blood cells a day. We also have a trillion white cells, which together weigh 2 pounds. They fight infection and are constantly being renewed — 10 million each time.

· Skin — We shed 240 grams of skin each year, the equivalent of three layers. Babies renew their skin every seven days but a retiree takes six weeks. Young skin holds 14 pints of water, but we lose three and a half pints of it through our skin very day. The average person sweats the equivalent of 606 cans of cola a year, and if you exercise you lose a teaspoon of salt each session.

· Hair — Each day we shed 200 hairs, adding up to 73,000 a year — enough to make Dolly Parton a new wig. We have more than 100,000 hairs. They grow five inches a year and most last two years before falling out. Grey hair starts developing around age 34, and by the time most of us are 50, half our hair is gray.

· Brain — We store a million items in the brain, everything from phone numbers to memories and feelings. The average person has more than 100 billion brain cells at age 35, but from then on we lose them at a rate of 7,000 a day or 2,555,000 a year.

· Mouth — The mouth is the first feature to form in a unborn baby, so we learn taste and texture before we have even swallowed food. As adults we spend the equivalent of 10 days a year eating, and 55 days talking. We eat an average 100 eggs, 150 loaves of bread and 27 pounds of chocolate a year.

· Liver — Your liver helps process food and drink, and over the course of a year it produces 96 gallons of bile to help break down fat. That’s enough to paint half a street of row houses.

· Kidneys — The kidneys help filter 50 gallons of fluid a day from which they produce a gallon and a half of urine, or 125 gallons a year. We spend two full days a year on the toilet.

· Heart — Your heart pumps 1,700 gallons of blood around your body a day, beating 80 times a minute. In a year it pumps enough blood to fill several large swimming pools.

· Sex organs — In male adolescence the testes produce 1,000 sperm per second. A girl is born with about 1 million eggs in her ovaries. The average couple have sex 130 times a year, and have five different partners in their life. The typical couple has two children and four grandchildren.

· Bones — In children, half the skeleton is replaced, cell by cell, every year. In two years they have a whole new set of bones. The process of renewal continues in adulthood, but takes five times as long. After 35, bone density is reduced around 0.2 percent a year. Most of us start shrinking after the age 45.

· Feet — The average person takes 9,000 steps a day — 3,285,000 a year — or 1,456 miles. In a life time that means we walk 115,000 miles — more than four times around the world. So, it’s no wonder feet sweat. The 250,000 glands in a pair of feet excrete half a pint of moisture every day.

TOP FIVE SIGNS YOU’VE BEEN WATCHING TOO MUCH FOOTBALL LATELY

1. When your boss says you goofed up you ask for a booth review

2. When you DO goof up, you say, “Well, I guess I fumbled it!”

3. When making a pass at the secretary it’s intercepted by the girl in the mail room

4. At work, you announce the two-minute warning before lunch

5. When you’re told your sales numbers have fallen short, you ask for a measurement

THURSDAY / OCTOBER 23, 2008 HAPPY B-DAY Birthdays for Thursday, 10/23/08 Music: Barbara Ann Hawkins 65/singer, Dixie Cups, “Chapel Of Love” Dianne Reeves 52/jazz singer Dwight Yoakam 52/”I Sang Dixie,” “Streets of Bakersfield,” “A Thousand Miles From Nowhere.” “Weird Al” Yankovic 49/song satirist Robert Trujillo 44/bassist, Metallica David Thomas 42/singer, Take 6 Brian Nevin 42/drummer, Big Head Todd and The Monsters Jimmy Wayne 36/”Stay Gone,” “Do You Believe Me Now.” And the late: Boozoo Chavis–1930-2001/Zydeco singer Greg Ridley–1947-2003/bass, Spooky Tooth, Humble Pie General: Pele 68/soccer legend Michael Crichton 66/author-producer, TV’s ER Ang Lee 54/movie director, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Brokeback Mountain Sam Raimi 49/producer-director, Spider-Man movies Ryan Reynolds 32/actor, Van Wilder, Mr. Scarlett Johansson Masiela Lusha 23/actress, TV’s George Lopez Jessica Stroup 22/actress, TV’s 90210 And the late: Johnny Carson–1925-2005/ex-Tonight Show host Birthdays for Friday, 10/24/08 Music: Bill Wyman 72/ex-Rolling Stones bassist Ben Gillies 29/drums, Silverchair Monica 28/singer Adrienne Bailon 25/singer, 3LW And the late: The Big Bopper–1930-1959/J.P. Richardson, Chantilly Lace Died in that plane crash with Buddy Holly and Richie Valens on 2/3/59. Jerry Edmonton–1946-1993/drums, Steppenwolf. Died in a car crash in 1993. General: Y.A. Tittle 82/football Hall-Of-Famer David Nelson 72/actor-producer, TV’s Adventures of Ozzie & Harriet F. Murray Abraham 69/actor, Amadeus, Without a Clue Kevin Kline 61/actor, A Fish Called Wanda, Dave Kweisi Mfume 60/former NAACP President B.D. Wong 46/actor, M Butterfly, Law and Order: SVU Shenae Grimes 19/actress, 90210 Music History for Thursday, 10/23/08 2004 — “I Hate Everything” earned GEORGE STRAIT another number-one hit single. 2001 — JOHN RICH and BIG KENNY met up at Nashville’s Pub of Love to initiate the MuzikMafia shows. The shows eventually led to recording contracts for artists GRETCHEN WILSON, JAMES OTTO and BIG & RICH. 2001 – R.E.M. played a surprise gig at the Crocodile Café in Seattle. The club is co-owned by the band’s guitarist, PETER BUCK and his wife, STEPHANIE DORGAN. 1999 – The wife of LOS LOBOS singer CESAR ROJAS disappeared. Police charged her half-brother GABRIEL GOMEZ with the kidnapping and murder. 1998 – EDDIE NICHOLS, lead singer for modern swing band ROYAL CROWN REVUE was arrested in Toledo, Ohio for allegedly punching a sheriff in a diner. Nichols was charged with a felony and held over the weekend without bail. 1996 — BUCK OWENS opened his own club in Bakersfield, California, called the Crystal Palace. 1996 –The album Time Marches On was certified platinum for TRACEY LAWRENCE. 1995 – DEF LEPPARD landed in the Guinness Book Of World Records by playing three gigs in three continents in 24 hours: Tangier, London and Vancouver. 1995 – Former SELENA fan club president YOLANDA SALDIVAR was convicted of murdering the Tejano star outside a motel in Texas on March 31st, 1995. 1995 – Rapper TONE-LOC was ordered to take an anger management class after fighting with a pizza delivery person. 1993 — GEORGE STRAIT hit number one with “Easy Come, Easy Go.” 1992 — ROY ACUFF made his final appearance on the Grand Ole Opry stage. 1982 – THE DAMNED released an album called Strawberries which came with a strawberry-scented lyric sheet. 1980 – BARBRA STREISAND had the number one single with “Woman In Love,” written and produced by BARRY GIBB of THE BEE GEES. 1978 – SEX PISTOLS bassist SID VICIOUS attempted to commit suicide while awaiting trial for killing his girlfriend NANCY SPUNGEN. 1973 – The number one song was “Midnight Train To Georgia”by GLADYS KNIGHT & THE PIPS. 1966 – THE JIMI HENDRIX EXPERIENCE recorded their first single, “Hey Joe,” at De Lane Lea Studios in London. 1965 – THE BYRDS released “Turn! Turn! Turn!” 1962 – STEVELAND MORRIS JUDKINS, later known as LITTLE STEVIE WONDER, at the age of 12 recorded his first single. The song was “Thank You For Loving Me All the Way.” 1961 – DION had the number one song with “Runaround Sue.” 1939 — BILL MONROE auditioned for the Grand Ole Opry with “Foggy Mountain Top,” “Mule Skinner Blues” and “Fire on the Mountain.” After passing the audition, Monroe made his debut at the Opry five days later. General History for Thursday, 10/23/08 1915 – Twenty-five-thousand women marched in New York City, demanding the right to vote. 1973 – President Nixon agreed to turn over White House tape recordings requested by the Watergate special prosecutor over to Judge John J. Sirica. 1983 – A total of 241 U.S. Marines and sailors in Lebanon were killed in a suicide truck-bombing at Beirut International Airport. 1987 – The Senate rejected, 58-to-42, the Supreme Court nomination of Robert H. Bork. 1993 – Joe Carter of the Toronto Blue Jays became only the second player to end the World Series with a home run when his round tripper gave his team a series victory over the Philadelphia Phillies. 1995 – President Clinton met with Russian President Boris Yeltsin in Hyde Park, New York. 1996 – The civil trial of O.J. Simpson opened in Santa Monica, California. Simpson was later found liable in the deaths of his ex-wife, Nicole, and her friend, Ronald Goldman 1999 – The New York Yankees won the first game of the World Series, beating the Atlanta Braves, 4-1. The Yankees went on to sweep the series. 2000 – Secretary of State Madeline Albright held groundbreaking talks in North Korea with communist leader Kim Jong the Second. 2001 – For the first time, The Irish Republican Army announced it had begun to disarm. Music History for Friday, 10/24/08 2001 – The cities of Detroit and Auburn Hills settled lawsuits with DR. DRE. The lawsuits accused the cities of censorship by threatening to arrest him if he aired a sexually explicit video at a concert in July 2000. 2000 – Former Hee Haw co-host and country music veteran ROY CLARK was inducted into the Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame. 1996 – Motown Records founder BERRY GORDY was honored with his very own star on the Hollywood Walk Of Fame. 1995 – It was Tony Bennett Day in New York City. He performed that evening at Radio City Music Hall. 1995 – CHRISSIE HYNDE of THE PRETENDERS sang the national anthem at Game Three of the World Series in her hometown of Cleveland…well, she was actually born in Akron, but close enough. 1995 – BOB SEGER & THE SILVER BULLET BAND released It’s A Mystery, their first studio album in four years. 1993 – DURAN DURAN cancelled the remainder of their tour after SIMON LeBON tore a vocal chord. 1992 – MADONNA released Erotica. 1989 – HANK BALLARD, HOLLAND-DOZIER-HOLLAND, BOBBY DARIN, the FOUR TOPS, the FOUR SEASONS, the KINKS, CAROLE KING and GERRY GOFFIN, the PLATTERS, the WHO, and SIMON AND GARFUNKEL were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame 1988 – The JOHN FOGERTY vs. Fantasy Records case began. Fantasy claimed that Fogerty had plagiarized his own song Run Through The Jungle when he wrote The Old Man Down The Road. 1987 – MICHAEL JACKSON started a two-week run at number one on the singles chart with Bad. 1987 – 100,000 fans came out to see THE MONKEES during a benefit concert at Lowry’s Park Zoo in Tampa, Florida. 1980 – PAUL McCARTNEY was honored by the Guinness Book of World Records for being the best-selling songwriter and recording artist in music history. 1977 – KEITH RICHARDS pleaded guilty to possessing heroin to a court in Toronto and was given a one-year suspended sentence, and ordered to perform a benefit concert for the blind. 1973 – JOHN LENNON sued the U.S. government. He accused them of tapping his telephone. 1967 – LULU had the number one song with To Sir With Love. The song was taken from the film of the same name, which starred Lulu and SIDNEY POITIER. 1967 – PINK FLOYD had to cancel a U.S. tour when lead singer SYD BARRETT refused to lip-sync to their song Arnold Layne on ABC-TV’s American Bandstand. 1964 – The T.A.M.I. Show was filmed at the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium. 1962 – JAMES BROWN recorded what would become one of the greatest live albums of all time, Live At The Apollo, at the historic Apollo Theater in Harlem, New York. General History for Friday, 10/24/08 1901–Anna Edson Taylor, a schoolteacher from Bay City, MI, celebrated her 43rd birthday by going over Niagara Falls in a barrel. She wasn’t the first person to go over the falls, but she WAS the first to survive the trip. 1931–Al Capone was thrown in the slammer for an 11-year term for tax evasion. “Scarface” had been eluding the authorities for years and had operated the biggest money-making rackets in history. 1939–Nylon stockings went on sale for the first time in a Wilmington, Delaware, department store. 1940–The 40-hour work week went into effect under the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938. 1949 – The cornerstone for the U.N. headquarters was laid in New York. 1972–Hall-of-Famer Jackie Robinson, the first black major league baseball player, died in Stamford CT, at the age of 53. 1977–Tiny Tim and his wife, Miss Vicki, were divorced. The couple had gotten married on The Tonight Show, drawing huge ratings. The former Miss Vicki Budinger was granted the divorce on grounds of mental cruelty. 1989–A judge ordered Zsa Zsa Gabor to serve 72 hours behind bars for slapping a Beverly Hills police officer. She was also charged with driving without a valid license and having an open container of alcohol in her Rolls Royce. 1992–The Toronto Blue Jays became the first team outside the U.S. to win the World Series. They defeated the Atlanta Braves in the 11th inning of game six. Dave Winfield got the winning hit in the 4-3 game. 1996–Riots broke out in St. Petersburg, Florida, after a white cop fatally shot a black man during a traffic stop. 1997 – In Arlington, VA, former NBC sportscaster Marv Albert was spared a jail sentence after a courtroom apology to the woman he’d bitten during a sexual encounter. 1999–The New York Yankees took Game 2 of The World Series, defeating the Atlanta Braves, 7-to-2. 2001–The House passed a 100 billion dollar economic stimulus package. 2003 – In London, the last commercial supersonic Concorde flight landed.