12.11.08

SHOW PREP DECEMBER 11, 2008

 

HOLLYWOOD 411 . . .

 

Meet Matteo and Valentino Martin! Born via surrogate in early August, Ricky Martin’s 4-month-old twin boys make their debut in this week’s issue of PEOPLE, on newsstands Friday. A joyful Martin, 36, spoke candidly with PEOPLE at home in Puerto Rico about his desire to be a parent, the decision seek the help of a surrogate and juggling caring for twins – he has no nanny! PEOPLE: Describe this time in your life MARTIN: I’m so happy! Everything they do, from smiling to crying, feels like a blessing. Being a father feels amazing. This has been the most spiritual moment in my life. How hands-on are you as a father? I don’t have a nanny. I’m doing this on my own because I don’t want to miss a moment. I have a personal assistant who helps me, someone who takes care of me while I’m taking care of them, but I’m the one who changes the diapers, the one that feeds them, the one that bathes them, the one that puts them to sleep. For any parent, the first couple of months tend to get a little bit intense. Why did you choose to become a parent via surrogate? Adoption was one option, but it’s complicated and can take a long time. Surrogacy was an intriguing and faster option. I thought, ‘I’m going to jump into this with no fear.’ Tell us about Valetino’s and Matteo’s personalities. Valentino loves to sleep. I call him ‘Mr. Peace and Love’ because he’s so chill and serene. Matteo is more alert and active. He was up at 3 a.m. the other night and just hanging!  What is your philosophy on raising your sons? I love to read books to my sons and tell them stories. I play music for them so they develop their own personalities. I want to give them information and raise them with honesty and love, and give them self-esteem and a lot of acceptance. (People)

 

Toni Braxton had a good reason for not dancing on the finale of “Dancing With the Stars” last month: The 41-year-old singer says she had a benign tumor removed from her breast the week before. Braxton says she knew about the tumor before she appeared on the ABC show. She scheduled the surgery after being eliminated from the competition on Oct. 20. She tells Us Weekly magazine in its issue out Friday: “Getting the boot on the show was actually a blessing in disguise for me. My grandmother on my dad’s side died of breast cancer, and I have aunts on both sides that have breast cancer.” Though Braxton is still recovering, she is scheduled to appear on the “Dancing With the Stars” tour, which begins Dec. 17 in San Diego. (Daily Record)

 

Hollywood star Brad Pitt has become heavily interested in ‘spirit channeling’. Brad Pitt has become obsessed with trying to communicate with ghosts after watching a TV documentary sources have told Star magazine. “Brad is having sort of a midlife crisis. He is asking the big questions, like ‘What do I want to do with the rest of my life?’ He has also taken up deep-trance spirit channeling, trying to commune with ghosts, after watching the documentary ‘Tuning In: Spirit Channelers in America’,” the source says. “Angelina is trying to be supportive but is now worried that Brad may become obsessed. Brad is looking for a script about channeling, but Angelina is afraid that if he tries to bring it into the mainstream, people will really think he’s gone off the deep end.” (Handbag)

 

British actress Emma Watson is in a dilemma whether to pick an acting career over a university degree – because movie bosses keep plying her with roles. The Harry Potter star is keen to improve her education and has applied to a number of universities, both in the U.K. and America, to start her studies next year. But she is fearful she may be tempted to halt her degree to take on a new film. She tells Britain’s Style magazine, “I’m at a strange age. I’m not a woman yet, but I’m not a girl any more. “(Film companies) say, ‘Oh, in a couple of years you’ll be perfect for this.’ I’ll be like, yeah, but I want to be studying English then, so it’s going to be quite tough to choose between the two.” (Teen Hollywood)

 

Tom Cruise has a lot to celebrate. This month his wife, Katie Holmes, turns 30; daughter Bella turns 16; son Connor, 13, is making his film debut with a small role opposite Dad’s pal Will Smith in the drama Seven Pounds; and Cruise’s new movie, Valkyrie, hits theaters. Also, this year daughter Suri turned 2. And Cruise himself marked his 25th year as a movie star. At 46, Cruise is striking – handsome and fit. And yet, in recent years, he hasn’t always looked so good. He became surprisingly vocal about Scientology and psychiatry. He tussled with Matt Lauer and Brooke Shields. And, of course, he hopped on Oprah Winfrey‘s couch. “I think I could have handled things better,” admits Cruise, laughing at the understatement. Off screen Cruise is charming but sincere; intense but cheerful; and funnier than you’d expect. In the new issue of PEOPLE, hitting newsstands Friday, the actor comments on his life and career through a series of pictures – including never before published personal snapshots. (People)

 

Everyone in the cast of “Gossip Girl” is hooking up with each other – and Chace Crawford and Taylor Momsen are at the center of the latest smooching session. A Page Six spy spotted the co-stars sneak away during their holiday party at Haven on East 51st Street to steal kisses in the corner, but Crawford’s rep denies it. We reported last week Ed Westwick and Jessica Szohr were kissing in an airport, and original “GG” couple Blake Lively and Penn Badgley are still going strong. (Page Six)

 

Even Leonardo DiCaprio  loses things now and again. The “Revolutionary Road” star was at Rolf’s on Third Avenue Sunday night “turning the restaurant upside-down looking for his wallet,” our spy said. When DiCaprio and his group switched tables, it seems he left his wallet behind, and “after searching frantically for it, the staff found it in the dirty linen pile.” Earlier in the weekend, he took his on-again girlfriend Bar Refaeli – and his wallet – to Wired magazine’s pop-up holiday store on West 18th Street, where they browsed flat-screen TVs. (Page Six)

 

David Duchovny and Tea Leoni very publicly announced a split, but all signs point to a reconciliation. TMZ spies have spotted them all over New York – and not just in very public places like a Knicks game. They’ve been seen walking around their Upper East Side neighborhood, in random spots in the West Village, and, according to the Boston Herald, in New Bedford, MA, of all places, having “a great time.” DD and TL have two kids and have been married for eleven years. (TMZ)

 

Jim Carrey’s a yes man when it comes to girlfriend Jenny McCarthy and her son, Evan. In dealing with the two of them, the Yes Man star told PEOPLE at Tuesday’s London premiere of his new comedy, “I’m a pushover, absolutely.” He just can’t say no to “most things.” Carrey, 46, and McCarthy, 36, have stood united through 6-year-old Evan’s battle with autism, participating together in multiple fundraising events to raise awareness of the disease. But marriage doesn’t seem to be on the horizon for the comedic couple – an oft-stated viewpoint Carrey reiterated once again on the red carpet. Asked the craziest thing he’s ever said “Yes” to, Carrey replied, “I’ve been married twice.” (People)

 

Former Spice Girl Victoria Beckham has been accused of having an established designer create her fashion label’s new collection. Victoria Beckham is rumored to have had significant help designing her new collection by established French designer Roland Mouret claims the Daily Mail. Sources say fashion insiders, many of whom gave Posh’s collection positive reviews, have noticed many similarities between Victoria and Roland’s dresses. “The similarities between the dresses are undeniable,” an unnamed source at Mouret’s office told the paper. “It’s been a bit of a joke as to how much Roland has been involved. We have all been convinced that Roland and Victoria must be in some kind of a business arrangement.” However, a spokesman for Victoria insists everything is above board, “Roland set Victoria up with his pattern cutter and also introduced her to his fabric suppliers.” They explained. “The seamstress atelier in Battersea was introduced to Victoria via Roland – they are a couture atelier looking after many London-based designers. There is no secret Roland has helped Victoria set up various aspects of her atelier in London.”  Interestingly both Victoria and Roland Mouret are represented by Simon Fuller at 19 management. (Handbag)

 

Jennifer Aniston has admitted she’s fed up with being famous. “I think it’s ridiculous. There’s just this insatiable need,” she told USA Today when asked about the interest in her personal life. “I am honestly getting sick of it, and I feel like telling people, ‘You know what? It’s none of your f*****g business.’ Seriously, it’s enough. It’s like we’re appealing to the lowest. And this is at a time when we should be so inspired and excited with what’s happening with the president. It’s a time to be positive and join together. We’re just trying to entertain you, man. Don’t shoot the messenger.” (Handbag)

 

Mark Ruffalo is speaking out about the tragic death of his brother. “Mark Ruffalo and his family deeply appreciate the outpouring of prayers and support during this most difficult time of the passing of Scott Ruffalo, beloved son, brother and husband,” a rep for the actor said in a statement, TMZ reports. “The funeral service will be private.”  Scott Ruffalo, 39, died Monday night, one week after he was shot in the head inside his Beverly Hills apartment.  In remembrance, the family has created a memorial fund in Scott’s name. Donations may be sent to:  (People)

Scott Ruffalo, Family Fund
c/o Altman Greenfield & Selvaggi, CPA’s
200 Park Avenue South 8th Floor
New York, NY 10003

 

 

THE OTHER STUFF . . .

 

Michael Jackson’s glittery glove is going on the auction block. The glove, which inspired countless copycats, quips and Halloween costumes after it was unveiled in the 1983 video for Jackson’s hit “Billie Jean,” will be part of a five-day auction next year, Julien’s Auctions announced Wednesday. Jackson is also unloading the grandiose gates that once led to his Neverland Ranch, along with more than 2,000 other personal items. The King of Pop’s possessions will be on display before the auction begins on April 21, 2009. Bids will be accepted in person and online. The sale is to be broadcast live on Auction Network. Jackson plans to donate a portion of the proceeds to MusiCares, a charitable organization founded by the Recording Academy to help musicians in need. The singer has been plagued by financial woes since he was acquitted of child-molestation charges in 2003. He went into default on his sprawling Neverland property earlier this year, before an investment company bought the loan. Last month, Jackson’s lawyers reached a settlement in a $7 million breach-of-contract case brought by a Bahraini sheik. As Jackson marked his milestone 50th birthday in August, the reclusive star hinted that he would be back to work eventually. “(I’m) looking forward to doing a lot of great things,” he told ABC News. “I think the best is yet to come in my true humble opinion.” (Daily Record)

 

People began lining up at midnight, five hours before the doors opened, when ABC’s “Good Morning America” sponsored a job fair last month in Chicago. It spoke not only about the troubled economy but to public response to the morning show’s effort to help viewers looking for work. Stunned by the turnout, “Good Morning America” is having another job fair Thursday near Miami. “We have every intention of serving the audience as well as we can under the circumstances,” said Jim Murphy, executive producer of ABC’s morning show. “What matters more to the American people than about what is going on with their economic life and their economic future?” The job fairs were organized by Tory Johnson, the show’s workplace contributor and founder and CEO of Women For Hire, which does job recruitment drives and offers advice to women seeking work. Johnson has been filing reports for “GMA” for four years, telling stories about women balancing work and family, returning to the work force after raising children or building businesses online. With the economy souring, “Good Morning America” is turning to her more often. Now she’s addressing questions about job security, coping with layoffs and finding work through the Internet. Johnson can relate to some of what her viewers are experiencing. She worked in public relations at NBC News in the early 1990s, and was swept out of her job as part of a housecleaning in the wake of an embarrassing scandal in which “Dateline NBC” rigged a truck crash for a story. “I was very young – 22 years old – and I thought my career had crumbled before it had even started,” she said. She eventually found other public relations work, but tired of the field and saw an opportunity to build a company that helped women seeking work. Besides getting up to 80 companies to meet with jobseekers at her “GMA” fairs, experts are on hand to help people sharpen their resumes. There have already been some successes; Aramark Uniform Services hired nine people who turned out to the Chicago job fair. Johnson instructs women who have never used the Internet to hunt for jobs, but also stresses the need for personal contact and networking. She and “Good Morning America” are helping people set up job-hunting clubs, modeled after book clubs, where job seekers get together to share experiences. Her reports are almost exclusively about women, since more than two-thirds of the morning show’s viewers after the first half hour are women. “Hiring has not come to a halt,” she said. “It’s important to sift through the headlines … and realize that opportunities still exist.” (Daily Record)

 

Should a Sitcom Star be New York’s next Senator? Maybe. We’d support congressional ambitions from Tina Fey, Holland Taylor or possibly that guy who played Balki on Perfect Strangers. (We like his fiscal policy.) But Fran Drescher? The former star of The Nanny would like to take over the Senate seat being given up by Hillary Clinton, and—ditch the laugh track—she ain’t kidding. Her publicist confirmed this, releasing a statement saying Drescher’s experience as an “actress, women’s health advocate and public diplomacy envoy for the U.S. State Department” qualified her for consideration. There was no reference to her role in Spinal Tap, which we consider a serious omission. What say you? Is she only qualified for Elected Hotties or do you see her as shaking up the staid Senate just the way she did with that stuffy Slovetzian dictator in The Beautician and the Beast? (Eonline)

 

Britney Spears has been criticized by animal rights group PETA. People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals have released a statement slamming Britney Spears for using an elephant in the video for her new single, Circus. “As Britney is such a victim of the paparazzi and always complaining and crying about how she hates to be held up in her guarded house and can’t feel free, she of all people should be able to relate to the horror that captive animals go through when they’re used for entertainment,” the statement reads. “Except Britney chooses to perform, and the lifestyle just comes with it. Animals are ripped away from their mothers at a young age, kept in chains, and prodded with electric shock devices to make them perform.” (Handbag)

 

Five months after the birth of Vivienne and Knox, Angelina Jolie is reportedly back on prenatal vitamins so she and Brad Pitt can try to create another set of twins. One more and they’ll have a baseball team. (Eonline)

 

Guy Ritchie’s father says that his son is worried that ex-wife Madonna will break the terms of their custody deal and keep the couple’s children in America with her. The director and singer finalized their divorce last month and have agreed to share custody of son Rocco and adopted son David, meaning the children will spend half their time between New York and London. The children are currently with their mother on the Latin American leg of her Sticky + Sweet world tour but John Ritchie said Guy is worried that Madonna won’t stick to her side of the deal. “The children are with Madonna at the moment. Our worry is that she won’t send them back and Guy hopes she won’t keep them,” he said. (British Glamour)

 

“American Idol” winner Fantasia Barrino is again finding that, like the title of her autobiography, life is not a fairy tale. Court documents obtained Tuesday show one of Barrino’s houses in Charlotte is up for auction after a company said Barrino failed to repay money it loaned her to over her taxes in 2006. The Mecklenburg County Sheriff’s Office is scheduled to sell the home, valued at $1.1 million, in January. The home isn’t in foreclosure, but rather is being used to compensate the company that loaned Barrino money to cover taxes. Barrino, whose autobiography is titled “Life is Not a Fairy Tale,” has rapidly ascended to stardom after winning the third season of “American Idol” in 2004. A single mother and high school dropout from High Point, located in central North Carolina, Barrino has released two albums and debuted on Broadway playing the lead role of Celie in the musical version of “The Color Purple.” She also is nominated for a Grammy for “I’m His Only Woman,” a song she performs with fellow “American Idol” alumna and Academy Award winning actress Jennifer Hudson. Even if January’s sale proceeds, Barrino still has a house in Charlotte. The soul singer has a $529,000 home a couple miles from the one scheduled for sale in south Charlotte. Larry Goldman, a Charlotte-based attorney representing the Florida company that made the loan, said he hopes Barrino will pay the judgment before the home goes to auction on Jan. 12. “It seems like a huge waste of time and resources, and puts her home at risk,” Goldman said. “I can’t imagine that somebody is not advising her that it would be expedient to write a check and not have to deal with all the ramifications of having her home sold.” He said the two sides had contact when the complaint was initially served in January, but he’s had no formal contact since then. Goldman said he decided to go after Barrino’s larger home because it appeared to be her place of residence. Fantasia’s record label, J Records, had no comment. Court documents show that Broward Energy Partners agreed to pay more than $68,000 of Barrino’s taxes in October 2006. The company said Barrino eventually repaid $10,000 of the loan. The company later sued for full compensation, but Barrino failed to appear in court to defend the lawsuit. A judge agreed in October to allow Broward Energy Partners to recover the money from Barrino, plus 8 percent interest and court costs. That was an estimated $65,541 in September, according to the court documents. Sgt. J.W. England, supervisor of civil judgments with the Mecklenburg County Sheriff’s Office, said Tuesday that deputies tried to contact Barrino by both mail and in person. “Her people never got in contact with us,” England said. “We could have gone in another direction if she would have communicated with us. I hope it doesn’t go to that extreme. We’re hoping she’ll pay this thing and we’ll be out of the picture.” (Daily Record)

 

Paula Abdul has accused her American Idol bosses of exposing her to the crazed fan who committed suicide outside her California home. Abdul claims producers on the show allowed Paula Goodspeed to audition on three separate occasions, knowing she had stalked the star for 17 years. And she accuses broadcaster Fox of shooting footage at her home, which effectively showed fans how to get access to the Sherman Oaks estate. Speaking on talk show host Barbara Walters’ Sirius Satellite radio show on Monday night, Abdul said, “She came to the audition. I said, ‘This girl is a stalker of mine. Please do not let her in.’ I was shaking. “The producers thought, for entertainment value, it would be funny. Fun for them to cause me stress. It would make good television. “If you look at the audition on YouTube, you’ll see I couldn’t even look up. “But it wasn’t just once. She showed up again in Las Vegas and she showed up the following year.” Abdul adds, “(Then) Fox broadcasting literally went to my house and gave my address away and showed how easy it is to break in.” The 45-year-old also reveals Goodspeed wrote her disturbing letters threatening her life. (Teen Hollywood)

 

Popstar Lily Allen has laid into music rival Katy Perry. Lily Allen has called Katy Perry “crass” in an explosive interview with Capital radio. “I happen to know for a fact that she was an American version of me. She was signed by my label in America as, ‘We need to find something controversial and kooky like Lily Allen.’ And then they found her,” she ranted. “I think the lyrics and stuff are a bit crass. When I met her I was bit frosty with her because someone asked her to describe herself. She’s like, ‘Aha, I’m like a fatter version of Amy Winehouse and a skinner version of Lily Allen!’. It’s like, you’re not English and you don’t write your own songs, shut up!” (Handbag)

 

Rapper DMX is back behind bars again in Miami after he was arrested by federal authorities for allegedly skipping out on a court appearance. The 37-year-old, whose real name is Earl Simmons, was arrested Tuesday afternoon on a warrant issued by a Phoenix judge after he wasn’t in court Friday. Attorney Charles Kozelka says the entertainer been in and out of rehab in Florida for a couple of weeks. DMX, whose real name is Earl Simmons, was being held at the Miami-Dade County jail. He has pleaded not guilty to charges of drug possession, identity theft and animal cruelty in Arizona. DMX will be returned to Phoenix, where bond is set at $120,000. (Daily Record)

 

The wife of Travis Barker’s assistant sued several aviation companies and the estates of two pilots Tuesday over the South Carolina plane crash that killed her husband earlier this year. Otilia Villar Baker, wife of Chris Baker, filed the suit in Los Angeles Superior court, alleging negligence and wrongful death. The lawsuit was also filed on behalf of the Bakers’ young son, Sebastian. The suit claims the companies contributed to the Sept. 19 crash that also killed the two pilots and Barker’s bodyguard. Barker and musical collaborator Adam Goldstein, known as DJ AM, were severely injured. The suit seeks damages for pain and anguish Baker suffered before his death, loss of earnings, companionship, repayment of funeral and other costs. Barker sued the same companies, which include Clay Lacy Aviation, Goodyear Tire and Rubber, Bombardier Inc., Global Exec Aviation and Inter Travel & Services, last month. His lawsuit faulted the pilots, but did not name their estates as defendants. Otilia Baker’s suit seeks damages from the estates of the two pilots. Their families could not be reached for comment Tuesday night. In response to Barker’s suit, a representative of Clay Lacy said the company merely brokered the fatal flight, while a Goodyear spokesman said the suit was premature because an NTSB investigation hasn’t been completed. Bombardier said it did not respond to pending lawsuits, and representatives of the other companies could not be reached for comment. (Daily Record)

 

Police cleared a woman arrested in the shooting death of actor Mark Ruffalo’s younger brother after being shown evidence that the wound was self-inflicted, the result of playing with a gun, her attorney said Wednesday. Police records confirmed that Shaha Mishaal Adham, 26, left the Beverly Hills jail, where she’d been held without bail since surrendering Monday afternoon on an attempted murder arrest warrant. Attorney Ronald Richards said he presented evidence to detectives during a five-hour meeting Tuesday night that proved Adham did not shoot Scott Ruffalo early Dec. 1. He said Ruffalo’s gunshot wound to the head was self-inflicted – that Adham was essentially a witness to a game of Russian Roulette. “This was an accidental shooting by someone that plays with guns,” Richards said. He credited police with being “more than impartial with the facts.” Richards said Adham, a friend of Scott Ruffalo’s, had gone to the hairdresser’s condo to retrieve keys to her sport utility vehicle, then fled the scene. “A series of wrong decisions starting with her not staying at the scene of the shooting caused an incredible chain reaction of stupidity and bad luck,” Richards said. He said she received poor legal advice from other attorneys before her surrender. Richards said no charges would be pursued against Adham. A police sergeant said more information would be released Wednesday. Another man wanted for questioning, Brian B. Scofield, was released after turning himself in for questioning Monday. Scott Ruffalo, 39, died late Monday after being removed from life support at a Los Angeles hospital, police said Tuesday. His family thanked supporters and announced the creation of a fund in his honor. “Mark Ruffalo and his family deeply appreciate the outpouring of prayers and support during this most difficult time of the passing of Scott Ruffalo, beloved son, brother and husband,” the statement read. The family said the funeral service would be private. Mark Ruffalo, 41, has appeared in films such as “Zodiac,” “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind,” and this year’s “Blindness.” (Daily Record)

 

 

MUSIC . . .

 

Beyoncé and Solange Knowles have canceled their Beyoncé and Solange: Hope for the Holidays benefit show, citing “irresolvable scheduling conflicts.” The concert to benefit victims of Hurricane Ike was scheduled for yesterday, December 9th, to be televised by FUSE. No word yet on when or even if the show will be rescheduled, but the record label released a statement saying, “Beyoncé and Solange regret the cancellation of their Houston-area holiday concert and urge their fans to support the efforts of The Gulf Coast Ike Relief Fund and the Survivor Foundation.” “Irresolvable scheduling conflicts” sounds like a bullshit excuse to us! (Perez Hilton)

 

In need of a good chuckle this morning???? Then check out Kanye West‘s recent blog post about his new album: “THANK YOU EVERYBODY FOR MAKING ‘HEARTLESS’ NUMBER ONE ON 106 AND PARK!!!! MY BOY CALLED ME FROM THE A AND TOLD ME IT’S NUMBER ONE DOWN THERE TOO. THIS IS A SONG NOBODY CAN FRONT ON!!! THE BEAT IS ON SOME RZA SHIT AND EVERY LINE COULD MAKE THE ULTIMATE RAP HOOK! I COULD SEE SOMEBODY SAMPLING…. “WE JUST GONE BE ENEMIES!!!” I’VE BEEN HEARING THAT THERE’S PEOPLE WHO BOUGHT THIS ALBUM THAT NEVER BOUGHT ONE OF MY ALBUMS BEFORE. I’VE BEEN HEARING THAT STREET NIGGAS LOVE IT! STREET NIGGAS CALLED ME AND TOLD ME THEY LOVE IT! YOU KNOW GIRLS LOVE IT!! EVERYBODY HAS A DIFFERENT FAVORITE!!! RIGHT NOW. ‘PARANOID’ IS MOST LIKELY GONNA BE THE NEXT SINGLE. IT’S NECK AND NECK WITH ‘ROBOCOP!!!’ I’M NOT GONNA RELEASE EITHER FOR AWHILE BECAUSE I WANT ‘HEARTLESS’ AND ‘LOVE LOCKDOWN’ TO SOAK INTO THE CULTURE!! I’M GONNA WALK THIS ALBUM SLOW LIKE A MORE INDEPENDENT APPROACH. I FEEL LIKE A NEW ARTIST. THERE’S ACTUALLY ARGUMENTS AGAIN. IT REMINDS ME OF THE FIRST ALBUM WHEN EVERYBODY SAID I COULDN’T RAP. I LISTENED TO ‘SAY YOU WILL’ LAST NIGHT AT MY HOUSE AND WAS DAAAMN, THIS SONG IS SOOOO DOOOPE!!! I’M A FAN OF WHAT I’VE MADE. WHEN I MADE ‘GRADUATION’ I WASN’T SATISFIED! I FELT LIKE CERTAIN RECORDS WERE KEEPING IT FROM BEING A PLAY IN EVERY ENVIRONMENT ALBUM. I WAS AT THE COOL STORE IN AUSTRALIA CALLED ASSIN THAT CARRIES RICK OWENS, LANVIN, DIOR ECT… THEY TOLD ME THEY PLAY MY NEW ALBUM IN THE STORE. IT WAS SUCH A BIG COMPLIMENT FOR ME TO HAVE SONGS THAT ARE NUMBER ONE ON 106 AND CAN PLAY RIGHT NEXT TO VAMPIRE WEEKEND, SADE OR SILVERCHAIR IN A HIGH END FASHION STORE! IT’S SUCH A TRIUMPH TO HAVE LOVE LOCK DOWN ON RADIO. WHEN IT COMES IN IT DOESN’T SOUND LIKE ANYTHING ELSE EVER MADE IN HISTORY! THIS IS NEW MUSIC! IT MIGHT TAKES SOME GETTING USE TO BUT WHEN IT SET’S IN IT WILL MAKE ALL THE DIFFERENCE!” (Perez Hilton)

 

Britney Spears is a wanted woman. Oprah Winfrey says she wants Britney Spears to be on her show. Madonna loves working with Spears. And now fans have made the comeback pop princess’ new album, Circus, a hit. So you’d think that fellow pop rocker Katy Perry would jump at the chance to work with Brit, right? Well, actually, no. “She wouldn’t be the girl I would collaborate with necessarily,” Perry said Saturday at KIIS-FM’s Jingle Ball concert outside of L.A. “She’s not on the top of my list. There are other people I’d much rather work with first. I love John Legend’s record. So how about I collaborate with him?” But Perry knows never to say never, explaining she needs some face time with Spears before making any final calls. “I work with people I love,” Perry said. “I only work with them if I love them. If we click, we click, but if we clash, we clash…So I’d have to see. I’d have to meet [Spears].” Meanwhile, Perry is taking the high road when it comes to the Grammys. Much to everyone’s surprise, she received only one nomination: Best Female Pop Vocal Performance for her megahit “I Kissed a Girl.” No doubt she should have also gotten noms for Best New Artist and Record of the Year. “This is my first year being up for nominations, so I’m just happy that I even got the one nod,” Perry said. “I mean, I could have been left with no nominations!” (Launch)

 

Conductor Steven Reineke (RYE’-nuh-kee) has been named music director of The New York Pops, the nation’s largest independent pops orchestra specializing in popular music.  Reineke is an established symphonic composer and associate conductor of the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra. His new job begins Oct. 1, 2009. He succeeds New York Pops founder and former NBC music director Skitch Henderson, who died in 2005. Reineke is a native of Tipp City, Ohio. He conducted the New York Pops’ 25th birthday gala at Carnegie Hall earlier this year, and will lead the orchestra in the annual telecast of the 2009 Macy’s July 4 fireworks on NBC. The New York Pops was founded in 1983 to create greater public appreciation of America’s rich musical heritage. (Launch)

 

Pearl Jam has unearthed a host of unreleased tracks and special surprises from its vaults for a deluxe reissue of its fabled 1991 debut album, “Ten.” Four different editions will be available March 24 from Epic; pre-orders begin today (Dec. 10) at PearlJam.com. Each version includes a digitally remastered version of the original album as well as a completely new remix of the set by longtime producer Brendan O’Brien, who did not work on “Ten” but produced Pearl Jam’s subsequent four albums. Bassist Jeff Ament and designer Andy Fischer teamed to revamp the artwork. The O’Brien disc also includes six previously unreleased songs from the era: early versions of “Breath” and “State of Love and Trust,” “Brother” (with vocals, not the instrumental version from the 2003 rarities collection “Lost Dogs”), “Just a Girl,” “Evil Little Goat” and “2,000 Mile Blues,” a Stevie Ray Vaughan-inspired jam with improvised vocals from frontman Eddie Vedder. Band members have been asking O’Brien to take a crack at a complete remix for years, and he gave the idea a trial run when he remixed the “Ten” tracks “Once,” “Black” and “Alive” for Pearl Jam’s 2004 greatest hits album “Rearviewmirror.” “The original ‘Ten’ sound is what millions of people bought, dug and loved, so I was initially hesitant to mess around with that,” says O’Brien of the album, which has sold 9.58 million copies in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan, and vaulted Pearl Jam to global superstardom. “After years of persistent nudging from the band, I was able to wrap my head around the idea of offering it as a companion piece to the original — giving a fresh take on it, a more direct sound.” The “Legacy” edition of “Ten” adds a DVD of Pearl Jam’s previously unreleased 1992 performance on “MTV Unplugged,” including a never-aired version of “Oceans.” The audio has been remixed in 5.1 surround sound. Fans can also opt for a double-vinyl version featuring the original “Ten” on one LP and O’Brien’s remix on the other. But the package sure to send hardcore fans into a tizzy is the “Super Deluxe Edition,” which features two CDs, a DVD and four vinyl records. It is housed in a linen-covered, slip-cased clamshell box with a replica of an item second to none in Pearl Jam lore. In 1990, when bassist Jeff Ament and guitarist Stone Gossard and Mike McCready were getting the nascent Pearl Jam going in Seattle, they recorded three instrumentals to send to the then-unknown Eddie Vedder, who’d been recommended by Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Jack Irons. Vedder, then living in San Diego, overdubbed vocals onto the tape, in the process creating the songs “Alive,” “Once” and “Footsteps” (he was invited to join the band within weeks). Poor quality bootlegs of the demo, dubbed “Momma-Son,” have circulated for years, but the “Super Deluxe Edition” will include a crystal-clear dub of the tape on a replica cassette. In addition, fans will receive Pearl Jam’s previously unreleased Sept. 20, 1992, concert at Seattle’s Magnuson Park (dubbed Drop in the Park) on two vinyl LPs and a replica of Vedder’s composition notebook packed with notes, photos and memorabilia from the “Ten” era. This version will sell for $140. The “Ten” reissue is the first piece of a two-year campaign culminating with the band’s 20th anniversary in 2011. Additional details have yet to be announced. Meanwhile, Pearl Jam is recording its ninth studio album (its first with O’Brien producing since 1998’s “Yield”), which is expected for release next year. (Billboard)

 

Kiss has reversed course and decided to hit the studio next year to record its first new album since 1998’s “Psycho Circus.” Guitarist Paul Stanley will produce. In recent years, bassist Gene Simmons has been vocal about his lack of enthusiasm about making a new album, which he attributes to the state of the business. “The record industry is in such a mess,” he told Billboard in November 2007. “There is nothing in me that wants to go in there and do new music. How are you going to deliver it? How are you going to get paid for it if people can just get it for free?” In 2006, Stanley told Billboard making a new Kiss album in the shadow of the band’s classic repertoire would be a formidable challenge. “The fact is, [fans] may tolerate the new songs, but it’s the old ones you want to hear,” he said. “I think Jimmy Page and Robert Plant found that out. The [Rolling] Stones certainly know it. The Who certainly know it. So unless you’re willing to go into the studio accepting that how your album will be received will never match your expectations, I’m not sure it’s worth the effort.” Stanley admitted complete control would change his mind. “I would consider doing it if I could do it the way I wanted to do it,” he explained, adding that his 2006 solo album “Live To Win” confirmed how he’d “like music to sound that I’m a part of. To do another Kiss album, I would not be willing to compromise my point of view perhaps as much as I have in recent years.” It’s unknown how Kiss will distribute the album, which will feature original members Stanley and Simmons alongside guitarist Tommy Thayer and drummer Eric Singer. Following its 35th anniversary tour, which primarily played Europe this summer, Kiss is expected to hit North America at some point in 2009. (Billboard)

 

Madonna is causing “crazy enthusiasm” and “impure thoughts” on her first concert visit to Chile, a prominent retired cardinal complained on Wednesday, as he paused in a tribute to a late dictator to denounce the pop star. Roman Catholic Cardinal Jorge Medina criticized the flamboyant singer during his homily at a Mass in honor of the late dictator Augusto Pinochet, who oversaw the deaths of some 3,200 dissidents during his 1973-1990 rule. “This woman comes here and in an incredibly shameless manner, she provokes a crazy enthusiasm, an enthusiasm of lust, lustful thoughts, impure thoughts,” said Medina, the cardinal who was chosen to announce the election of Pope Benedict XVI. Hundreds of fans spent three days camping outside the National Stadium in Santiago to get good spots for Wednesday’s concert, the first of two. About 60,000 people were expected at each performance. One of those waiting in line, Roberto Lopez, told local reporters that he had quit his job in the southern city of Punta Arenas because his boss hadn’t given him time off to attend the concert. Pinochet died Dec. 10, 2006, at age 91. Medina said that some of those who claim to seek justice for violations of human rights under the dictator are actually seeking revenge. (Daily Record)

 

Blaring from a speaker behind a metal grate in his tiny cell in Iraq, the blistering rock from Nine Inch Nails hit Prisoner No. 200343 like a sonic bludgeon. “Stains like the blood on your teeth,” Trent Reznor snarled over distorted guitars. “Bite. Chew.” The auditory assault went on for days, then weeks, then months at the U.S. military detention center in Iraq. Twenty hours a day. AC/DC. Queen. Pantera. The prisoner, military contractor Donald Vance of Chicago, told The Associated Press he was soon suicidal. The tactic has been common in the U.S. war on terror, with forces systematically using loud music on hundreds of detainees in Iraq, Afghanistan and Guantanamo Bay. Lt. Gen. Ricardo Sanchez, then the U.S. military commander in Iraq, authorized it on Sept. 14, 2003, “to create fear, disorient … and prolong capture shock.” Now the detainees aren’t the only ones complaining. Musicians are banding together to demand the U.S. military stop using their songs as weapons. A campaign being launched Wednesday has brought together groups including Massive Attack and musicians such as Tom Morello, who played with Rage Against the Machine and Audioslave and is now on a solo tour. It will feature minutes of silence during concerts and festivals, said Chloe Davies of the British law group Reprieve, which represents dozens of Guantanamo Bay detainees and is organizing the campaign. At least Vance, who says he was jailed for reporting illegal arms sales, was used to rock music. For many detainees who grew up in Afghanistan – where music was prohibited under Taliban rule – interrogations by U.S. forces marked their first exposure to the pounding rhythms, played at top volume. The experience was overwhelming for many. Binyam Mohammed, now a prisoner at Guantanamo Bay, said men held with him at the CIA’s “Dark Prison” in Afghanistan wound up screaming and smashing their heads against walls, unable to endure more. “There was loud music, (Eminem’s) ‘Slim Shady’ and Dr. Dre for 20 days. I heard this nonstop over and over,” he told his lawyer, Clive Stafford Smith. “The CIA worked on people, including me, day and night for the months before I left. Plenty lost their minds.” Rear Adm. David Thomas, the commander of Guantanamo’s detention center, said the music treatment is not currently used at Guantanamo but added that he could not rule out its use in the future. “I couldn’t speculate and I wouldn’t speculate but I can tell you it doesn’t happen here at Guantanamo and it hasn’t happened since I’ve been here,” Thomas, who has been at Guantanamo for a half-year, told AP. The spokeswoman for Guantanamo’s detention center, Navy Cmdr. Pauline Storum, wouldn’t give details of when and how music has been used at the prison. FBI agents stationed at Guantanamo Bay reported numerous instances in which music was blasted at detainees, saying they were “told such tactics were common there.” According to an FBI memo, one interrogator at Guantanamo Bay bragged he needed only four days to “break” someone by alternating 16 hours of music and lights with four hours of silence and darkness. Ruhal Ahmed, a Briton who was captured in Afghanistan, describes excruciating sessions at Guantanamo Bay. He said his hands were shackled to his feet, which were shackled to the floor, forcing him into a painful squat for periods of up to two days. “You’re in agony,” Ahmed, who was released without charge in 2004, told Reprieve. He said the agony was compounded when music was introduced, because “before you could actually concentrate on something else, try to make yourself focus on some other things in your life that you did before and take that pain away. “It makes you feel like you are going mad,” he said. Not all of the music is hard rock. Christopher Cerf, who wrote music for “Sesame Street,” said he was horrified to learn songs from the children’s TV show were used in interrogations. “I wouldn’t want my music to be a party to that,” he told AP. Bob Singleton, whose song “I Love You” is beloved by legions of preschool Barney fans, wrote in a newspaper opinion column that any music can become unbearable if played loudly for long stretches. “It’s absolutely ludicrous,” he wrote in the Los Angeles Times. “A song that was designed to make little children feel safe and loved was somehow going to threaten the mental state of adults and drive them to the emotional breaking point?” Morello, of Rage Against the Machine, has been especially forceful in denouncing the practice. During a recent concert in San Francisco, he proposed taking revenge on President George W. Bush. “I suggest that they level Guantanamo Bay, but they keep one small cell and they put Bush in there … and they blast some Rage Against the Machine,” he said to whoops and cheers. Some musicians, however, say they’re proud that their music is used in interrogations. Those include bassist Stevie Benton, whose group Drowning Pool has performed in Iraq and recorded one of the interrogators’ favorites, “Bodies.” “People assume we should be offended that somebody in the military thinks our song is annoying enough that played over and over it can psychologically break someone down,” he told Spin magazine. “I take it as an honor to think that perhaps our song could be used to quell another 9/11 attack or something like that.” The band’s record label told AP that Benton did not want to comment further. Instead, the band issued a statement reading: “Drowning Pool is committed to supporting the lives and rights of our troops stationed around the world.” Vance, in a telephone interview from Chicago, said the tactic can make innocent men go mad. According to a lawsuit he has filed, his jailers said he was being held because his employer was suspected of selling weapons to terrorists and insurgents. The U.S. military confirms Vance was jailed but won’t elaborate because of the lawsuit. He said he was locked in an overcooled 9-foot-by-9-foot cell that had a speaker with a metal grate over it. Two large speakers stood in the hallway outside. The music was almost constant, mostly hard rock, he said. “There was a lot of Nine Inch Nails, including ‘March of the Pigs,'” he said. “I couldn’t tell you how many times I heard Queen’s ‘We Will Rock You.'” He wore only a jumpsuit and flip-flops and had no protection from the cold. “I had no blanket or sheet. If I had, I would probably have tried suicide,” he said. “I got to a few points toward the end where I thought, `How can I do this?’ Actively plotting, `How can I get away with it so they don’t stop it?'” Asked to describe the experience, Vance said: “It sort of removes you from you. You can no longer formulate your own thoughts when you’re in an environment like that.” He was released after 97 days. Two years later, he says, “I keep my home very quiet.” (Daily Record)

 

 

MOVIE . . .

 

Batman has a shot at an Academy Award for musical score, after all. The music branch committee of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has reversed an earlier decision that would have made “The Dark Knight” score ineligible to compete for the Oscar. On Nov. 10, the committee declared the score ineligible because the studio submitted too many names as musical contributors. The committee now has reversed that ruling after getting further information that only two composers, Hans Zimmer and James Newton Howard, wrote the score. A statement from the academy says nomination ballots and lists of eligible scores have not yet been distributed to branch members, so voting will not be affected by the change. Oscar nominations come out Jan. 22. (Daily Record)

 

Lindsay Lohan and Sean Penn are in discussions about filming a movie together, according to U.S. reports. The Mean Girls star has appeared in a number of flops in recent years, including 2007’s Georgia Rule, and is more famous for her romance with DJ Samantha Ronson. But now the actress looks set to revive her career by starring in a film with acclaimed actor Penn, after the pair were heard discussing their career together with director Gus Van Sant. A source tells New York gossip column PageSix, “Lindsay and Sean were talking about possibly doing a film together. Lindsay seems like she was really into the idea.”  (Teen Hollywood)

 

A naughty dancing scene in new movie Bride Wars had to be cut when Anne Hathaway took it a little too far. The actress decided to have a little fun with her dancing partner, not realizing cameras were still rolling. She explains, “My favorite part of the scene got cut out of the movie. At the end of it I run up to my partner and I did a handstand at his feet and wrapped my legs around his head and pulled myself up and then he grabbed my butt. “I opened my legs wide, into a V, and I said, ‘F**k me!'” Co-star and producer Kate Hudson insists the X-Rated scene will be among the outtakes on the DVD. (Teen Hollywood)

 

Marisa Tomei prepared for her stripper role in The Wrestler by watching Rock of Love With Bret Michaels. Heather, Daisy, Frenchie and friends can be such an inspiration. (Eonline)

 

Cynthia Nixon has put a dampener on rumors that there will be a sequel to the Sex And The City film, insisting that the stars are yet to sign contracts. Kim Cattrall and Sarah Jessica Parker have both confirmed that a sequel is in the works but Cynthia, who plays Miranda, says fans might be in for a bit of a wait. “We don’t know if it’s coming up. We’re in negotiation. I’m very hopeful, but certainly nothing is for sure. I don’t think anyone’s deals are done,” she said. We were very excited to get to do the first one, and we’re keeping our fingers crossed that we get to do another one.” (British Glamour)

 

The creators of the new Friday the 13th are obviously hoping to make a killing at the box office. Yeah, that was hokey, but then again, that’s kinda what we think about the latest trailer for a flick that doesn’t seem to have much to do with the original. Which is why, instead of a calling it a remake, the filmmakers prefer to label it with the oh-so-sophisticated-sounding term re-imagining, thereby allowing them to tag on familiar elements from the 1980 horror classic—the creepy music, Crystal Lake and, of course, Jason Vorhees—to what essentially looks to be nothing more than a generic slasher flick conveniently wrapped up in a title that people recognize (though the addition of hottie Jared Padalecki is appreciated). But what say you? Have a look and, um, stab us with your comments below… (Eonline)

 

Betty Thomas has signed on to direct “Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakuel,” Fox 2000 and Regency’s follow-up to the surprise 2007 hit featuring the lovable CGI-animated singing rodents. Although plot details are being kept under wraps, the new movie will introduce the Chipmunks’ female counterparts, the Chipettes.  Justin Long, Matthew Gray Gubler and Jesse McCartney are returning to respectively voice the parts of troublemaker Alvin, intellectual Simon and chubby Theodore. It is unclear whether Jason Lee is returning. Casting of the Chipettes is under way.  Writer deals are being finalized. Ross Bagdasarian Jr. and Janice Karman are producing. Karen Rosenfelt is executive producing. Erin Siminoff is overseeing for Fox 2000.  The first “Alvin” movie grossed more than $360 million worldwide. Thomas, repped by CAA, most recently helmed “John Tucker Must Die” and worked with animals in “Doctor Dolittle.” (Hollywood Reporter)

 

Fox Searchlight is greenlighting an intergenerational comedy written and directed by indie darlings Jay and Mark Duplass. The studio is in talks with Marisa Tomei, John C. Reilly and Jonah Hill to star in the film, which will center on a budding romance between a man (Reilly) and woman (Tomei) that the woman’s son (Hill) attempts to foil. The project, which was at one point was called “Safety Man,” follows in the steps of such dramatic romantic comedies as “Nick & Norah’s Infinite Playlist” and Searchlight’s own “500 Days of Summer.” The project is expected to begin production in the first half of 2009. The Duplass brothers landed on the map four years ago with “The Puffy Chair,” which became a Sundance sensation and cemented them as part of the mumblecore movement. They subsequently landed deals with Universal and Searchlight. Tomei is drawing awards attention for her role as a sympathetic exotic dancer in “The Wrestler,” Reilly is starring in Universal’s vampire pic “Cirque du Freak,” and Hill has been cast in Ricky Gervais’ directorial debut, “This Side of the Truth.” (Hollywood Reporter)

 

SAG leadership has notified its members that strike authorization ballots will be mailed to them on Friday, Jan. 2. Only those of the 120,000-strong membership that are paid up in full at that time can vote on the measure which, if passed, would give the guild’s national board of directors the authority to call a strike. At least 75% of those voting would have to respond “yes” for the measure to pass. Those votes will be tabulated at Integrity Voting Systems in Everett, Wash., on Jan. 23. “SAG members understand that their futures as professional actors are at stake,” SAG national president Alan Rosenberg said, “and I believe that SAG members will evaluate the AMPTP’s June 30 offer, and vote to send us back to the table with the threat of a strike. A ‘yes’ vote sends a strong message that we are serious about fending off rollbacks and getting what is fair for actors in new media.” The two sides in the labor dispute — SAG and the companies, represented by the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers — have been at an impasse since July. The participation of a federal mediator in October and November did not bring about a resolution to the prolonged, combative contract negotiations. In waiting until the New Year, SAG leaders expressed a desire to avoid burdening members with the decision over the holidays and to give themselves more time to persuade members of its justification. Among other things, the timing of the vote tabulation means that the Golden Globes, at least, appears safe from any kind of walkout or boycott by movie stars and nominees. The show will take place Jan. 11. Last year’s ceremony was crippled by the actors’ offscreen support of the writers strike. “We will continue our comprehensive education campaign and urge our members to vote yes on the strike authorization,” national executive director and chief negotiator Doug Allen said. “I am confident that members around the country will empower our negotiating team with the leverage and strength of unified Screen Actors Guild members. Our objective remains to get a deal that SAG members will ratify — not to go on strike.” The AMPTP quickly responded with its own statement: “It’s now official: SAG members are going to be asked to bail out a failed negotiating strategy by going on strike during one of the worst economic crises in history. We hope that working actors will study our contract offer carefully and come to the conclusion that no strike can solve the problems that have been created by SAG’s own failed negotiation strategy.” (Hollywood Reporter)

 

 

TV . . .

 

What’s so funny about Jay Leno going to primetime? Everything, according to the outgoing Tonight Show host and his late-night replacement, Conan O’Brien. “We’re going to be doing a new show in the fall,” Leno said in his monologue Tuesday. “We’ll start at 10 p.m. right after the last hour of the Today show. And, he added, “As you may have heard there were rumblings that I was leaving NBC and going to ABC, and let me tell you something, those were nothing but rumors started by a disgruntled employee: ME!” NBC announced that Leno will stay with the struggling network and host a new primetime comedy/talk show five nights a week starting in the fall of 2009. “We’re going to try it,” Leno said later in the show. “If it works, great. If it doesn’t, we’ve had a hell of a ride. For the last 17 years, it’s been a privilege to say, ‘Please stay tuned for Conan,’ and I’m glad I’ll be able to do that again.” O’Brien, who is taking over the Tonight Show, opened his late-night show Tuesday by saying, “I saw something on the front page of the paper that absolutely shocked me. I was stunned and I have to say I didn’t see this coming and I just had to share it with you for a second.” O’Brien opened a New York Post with the Leno news on the front page and then a New York Daily News, also with the Leno headline, and complained the two papers gave different weather forecasts. “Let’s get our stories straight here, people! This is insanity!” he said. On a more serious note, O’Brien said, “I’ve talked a lot about this with Jay. I am thrilled. I am absolutely thrilled that Jay is staying at NBC. He has been my lead-in on this program for 16 seasons. He is a fantastic lead-in. He is a huge part of my success. I am indebted to Jay Leno. And I love the idea that that relationship is going to continue.” After congratulating Leno, he added, “Also I’ve talked it over with my producer and that means I can keep doing my Jay Leno impression.” (People)

 

David Letterman is having a good chuckle over Jay Leno‘s new primetime comedy/talk show. “Welcome to the Late Show. Still at 11:35,” Letterman deadpanned on his show Tuesday night. Said CBS’ Craig Ferguson, “Jay’s getting a little older now. So 10 p.m. is kinda ‘late night’ for Jay.” Leno also joked about his new show, which will air five nights a week at 10 p.m. starting in the fall of 2009 “Guys, leave those boxes. We’re not going anywhere,” he said, adding that reports about a possible network move “were nothing but rumors started by a disgruntled employee: me.” Leno teased that Letterman would try to one-up him with a scheduling change by having a show at 9:59 p.m.  “Just when I think I’m out, they pull me back in,” Leno jokingly told reporters at a press conference Tuesday. “Originally, I wasn’t going to stay with NBC. But my parents said, ‘Whatever you do in life, always try to come in 4th.'” The new show will feature Leno’s opening monologue and sketches like “Headlines” and “Jaywalking.” Bandleader Kevin Eubanks will also return. (US Weekly)

 

Turner Sports, The National Basketball Association and Cinedigm Digital Cinema will team up to broadcast TNT’s coverage of “NBA All-Star Saturday Night” in live 3-D to 80 digitally equipped theaters across the United States. Scheduled for Feb. 14, the broadcast will play on as many as 160 screens in 35 states. The event represents the first-ever fully marketed deal to deliver an NBA sporting event to the public in live 3-D.  Participating theater chains include Carmike Cinemas, Celebration Cinemas, Cinema West, Emagine, Galaxy Theatres, Marquee Cinemas, MJR, NCG, Rave Motion Pictures, Showcase and UltraStar Cinema. “NBA All-Star Saturday Night,” which also be broadcast live on TNT at 8 p.m. ET will feature the league’s top-players in such events as: Haeir Shooting Stars, with San Antonio players David Robinson, Tim Duncan and Becky Hammon; PlayStation Skills Challenge, with Utah Jazz guard Deron Williams; Foot Locker Three-Point Shootout, with Toronto Raptors forward Jason Kapono; and Sprite Slam Dunk, with Orlando Magic center Dwight Howard. The event will employ Cinedigm’s CineLive technology, which enables live 2-D and 3-D streaming currently to more than 80 theater complexes with more than 160 3-D screens in the U.S. Cinedigm expects to further expand its CineLive network throughout 2009 to at least 150 locations. (Hollywood Reporter)

 

Martha Plimpton, Kiele Sanchez, Eddie Shin, Nate Torrence and Dreama Walker have joined Matthew Perry on his dark comedy Showtime pilot “The End of Steve.” The Sony TV project, penned and executive produced by Peter Tolan and Perry, stars Perry as Steve, an egomaniacal local talk show host who is on a reluctant path to redemption. Plimpton will play he show’s producer. Sanchez will play his pretty co-host, by whom he is completely entranced. Shin (“That ’80s Show”) will play Bob Hu, Steve’s boss. Torrence, who co-starred with Perry on NBC’s “Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip,” will play Nathan, Steve’s assistant. Walker (“Gossip Girl”) will play the hot teen daughter of the manager of the apartment complex where Steve lives. Tony-nomineted Plimpton next stars on stage opposite Stockard Channing in the revival of “Pal Joey.” She is repped by Innovative and manager Jill Littman. Sanchez, who recurred on “Samantha Who?” and “Lost,” is repped by Gersh and Artistry. Shin is repped by APA and Meghan Schumacher Management. Torrence is repped by CAA and Messina Baker. Walker is repped by Gersh. (Hollywood Reporter)

 

After a gloomy assessment by rival CEO Jeff Zucker and NBC’s plan to give five hours of primetime to Jay Leno, CBS Corp. CEO Leslie Moonves said that there is nothing wrong with network TV’s model. After those comments made at the UBS annual media conference two days ago by Zucker, Moonves said that CBS was having a good season in the ratings and would be doing better with advertising revenue if it weren’t for the bad economy. “I’m here to tell you the model ain’t broke,” Moonves said at the UBS conference late Wednesday morning. “You can still make a lot of money in network television. We like 10 o’clock shows.” Moonves’ comments drew a chuckle from the analysts and investors. He later brought up Leno and NBC directly, asking the analyst who was conducting the Q&A if he was going to ask about it. He did. “For NBC, probably a very good move,” Moonves said. “For us, it wouldn’t be a good move. We are winning four of five nights at 10 p.m.” And he didn’t seem worried by the possibility that Leno’s show could be a big hit.  “I would bet anyone who would like to bet that ‘CSI: Miami’ will beat Jay by a lot,” Moonves said. “Remember: by a lot.” He said also that CBS’ dramas not only rate well but they also provide a good lead-in to the late local news and also since they own the content, gives CBS “about 12 different ways” to monetize that content after its first run. It’s true that CBS is doing much better than the rest of the network, only slightly lower year over year. CBS is tops in viewers and 25-54 this season to date, and tied in adults 18-49, the best showing CBS has had in two decades. He said that CBS at least had no issues with makegoods. “Certain people are having audience erosion, and certain people aren’t,” Moonves said. “We aren’t.”  Moonves touted CBS’ strong schedule, where only one show has been canceled. (Hollywood Reporter)

 

Who says network television can’t create new hits? CBS’ “The Mentalist” topped the prime-time ratings last week for the first time. The series with Simon Baker solving crimes using astute powers of observation was seen by 18.74 million people last week, its biggest audience ever, according to Nielsen Media Research. It was the first time since May 2005 that a freshman series has led Nielsen’s weekly prime-time ratings, when “Desperate Housewives” did it for ABC. The departure of ABC’s “Dancing With the Stars,” which competed with “The Mentalist,” helped drive new viewers to the CBS show. Three CBS dramas were the most-watched programs last week. Barbara Walters reached Nielsen’s top 10 with her annual special focusing on the year’s most fascinating people, with President-elect Barack Obama taking the top spot. It was the best showing for this annual special since 2004. For the week, CBS led with an average of 10.9 million prime-time viewers (6.9 rating, 11 share). ABC had 8.6 million (5.4, 9), Fox 7.7 million (4.7, 7), NBC 7.5 million (4.8, 8), My Network TV 2 million (1.2, 2), the CW 1.7 million (1.1, 2) and ION Television 790,000 (0.5, 1). Among the Spanish-language networks, Univision led with a prime-time average of 4 million viewers (2.0 rating, 3 share). Telemundo had 1.2 million viewers (0.6, 1), TeleFutura 510,000 (0.3, 0) and Azteca 280,000 (0.2, 0). NBC’s “Nightly News” won the evening news ratings race with an average of 9.4 million viewers last week (6.3 rating, 12 share). ABC’s “World News” was second with 8.8 million (5.9, 11) and the “CBS Evening News” had 6.8 million viewers (4.6, 8). A ratings point represents 1,145,000 households, or 1 percent of the nation’s estimated 114.5 million TV homes. The share is the percentage of in-use televisions tuned to a given show. For the week of Dec 1-7, the top 10 shows, their networks and viewerships: “The Mentalist,” CBS, 18.74 million; “NCIS,” CBS, 18.52 million; “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation,” CBS, 17.48 million; “The OT,” Fox, 16.22 million; “Desperate Housewives,” ABC, 16.09 million; “Grey’s Anatomy,” ABC, 15.28 million; “60 Minutes,” CBS, 13.79 million; “Two and a Half Men,” CBS, 13.63 million; NFL Football: Washington at Baltimore, NBC, 13.29 million; “Barbara Walters Presents: The 10 Most Fascinating People of ’08,” ABC, 13.19 million. (Daily Record)

 

A British television channel plans to show a film about an American man who commits assisted suicide at a Swiss clinic, reigniting debate over an issue that strongly divides opinion in Britain. Opponents called the broadcast a ratings-grabbing stunt. Feelings about the issue ran so high Wednesday that Prime Minister Gordon Brown was asked about the program in Parliament. The 2006 suicide of 59-year-old Craig Ewert was to be shown Wednesday evening in a documentary on the Sky Real Lives digital channel. Ewert had degenerative motor neuron disease and died at a clinic in Zurich run by the assisted suicide group Dignitas, with his wife Mary at his side. Assisted suicide is legal in Switzerland in some circumstances and organizations there provide suicide services. Ewert lived in Britain, where assisted suicide and euthanasia are banned. The film by Oscar-winning documentary maker John Zaritsky has been screened at film festivals around the world and was shown on Canadian television last year. But it was attracting controversy in Britain, where previous programs on the topic have stopped short of showing the actual moment of death. Originally called “The Suicide Tourist,” the film has been titled “Right to Die?” for its British broadcast. Peter Saunders of the anti-euthanasia lobby group Care Not Killing said the decision to show Ewert’s death was a “cynical attempt to boost television ratings.” Lawmaker Phil Willis, who represents Ewert’s home town of Harrogate in northern England, accused the film of promoting assisted suicide. “While I have huge sympathy for Mary Ewert and the rest of the family and indeed the great courage of Craig Ewert, their private decisions – I do not think – should be made the subject of a public film which is available to everybody,” Willis said. In the House of Commons, Willis asked the prime minister whether the program was “in the public interest or … simply distasteful voyeurism.” Brown said it was “very important these issues are dealt with sensitively and without sensationalism, and I hope broadcasters remember they have a wider duty to the general public.” “Of course, it will be a matter for the television watchdogs when the broadcast is shown,” Brown told lawmakers in the House of Commons. The film shows Ewert, a former computer science lecturer from Chicago, traveling to Switzerland with his wife. “If I go through with it, I die as I must at some point,” Ewert says in the film. “If I don’t go through with it, my choice is essentially to suffer, and to inflict suffering on my family, and then die.” Later, Ewert is shown drinking sedatives and turning off his ventilator. Ewert’s widow said she was “very happy” with the film. Writing in The Independent newspaper, Mary Ewert said her husband wanted his death recorded and shown “because when death is hidden and private, people don’t face their fears about it.” Zaritsky said it was important to show the moment of death to counteract claims “that the death was unpleasant or cruel or wasn’t even done willingly.” “By putting it out there, and putting it out there in its entirety, people can judge for themselves,” said Zaritsky, who won an Academy Award in 1982 for his documentary “Just Another Missing Kid.” British law bans “aiding, abetting, counseling or procuring” suicide, but courts have recently been reluctant to convict people who help loved ones to end their lives. On Tuesday, state prosecutors said they would not charge the parents of 23-year-old Daniel James, who also died at a Swiss Dignitas clinic in September. James was paralyzed from the chest down after an accident while playing rugby. Director of Public Prosecutions Keir Starmer said there was enough evidence to charge his parents, Mark and Julie James, but a prosecution would not be in the public interest. Starmer said it was “very unlikely” a court would send James’ parents to prison. (Daily Record)

 

Gay rights groups charged Wednesday that Italy’s state television censored Ang Lee’s “Brokeback Mountain” when it aired the Oscar-winning movie by cutting scenes of gay sex. Activists protested that RAI TV would never have dropped similar scenes had they involved a heterosexual couple, and politicians called for the incident to be discussed in parliament. RAI said it had aired the cut version by mistake. “Brokeback Mountain” is a cowboy romance about two ranch-hand buddies who start an affair when they meet on the fictional mountain in the 1960s. The 2005 movie won three Oscars, including the best director award for Lee, as well as the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival. RAI’s second channel aired the film late Monday cutting out a sex scene and a sequence showing a kiss between the lead characters, played by the late Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal. “I don’t believe it was an oversight, I believe it was preventive censorship,” said gay rights advocate and former lawmaker Vladimir Luxuria. In an interview with La Repubblica daily, Luxuria said cutting the key scenes was “like showing the Mona Lisa without its head.” RAI said in a statement the film had arrived from the distributor already cut so that it could be shown in prime time. When it was decided to air it late at night, no one checked for the uncut version, it said. RAI pledged to show the complete movie soon. Some commentators and politicians were not satisfied, saying the cuts would not have been justified even if the film had been aired earlier. “It is grotesque that RAI censored scenes that have the same content as those seen in most prime-time movies,” Benedetto Della Vedova, a conservative lawmaker, was quoted as saying by the Corriere della Sera newspaper. Luigi Vimercati, a center-left lawmaker, told Corriere he would take up the issue in parliament. In overwhelmingly Roman Catholic Italy, skimpily dressed women are a fixture on many TV programs, while scenes of sex and violence in movies are generally left untouched. Massimo Gramellini, a top commentator for La Stampa daily, wrote in a front-page editorial: “I would like to understand why a kiss between two gays … should offend our sensibilities more than scenes of heterosexual sex or bloodthirsty violence.” (Daily Record)

 

 

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

 

Q.  We pass by these every day and the average age is 24 years. Age of what?

            A.  Telephone poles

 

 

TODAY’S QUOTE (Irish Proverb)

 

“YOU WILL NEVER PLOUGH A FIELD IF YOU ONLY TURN IT OVER IN YOUR MIND.”

 

 

MIND BOGGLERS . . .  (QuickTrivia)

 

Q.  What Capri-pants-wearing role did Mary Tyler Moore get on the recommendation of TV legend Danny Thomas?

            A.  Laura Petrie  ****

            B.  Mary Richards

            C.  Gidget

            D.  The Flying Nun

 

Q.  Who was the oldest member of the Beatles?

            A.  Ringo Starr  ****

            B.  George Harrison

            C.  Paul McCartney

            D.  John Lennon

 

Q.  What is the actual name of the Christmas poem Clement Clark Moore had published in 1823?

            A.  A visit from Saint Nicholas  ****

            B.  Twas the Night Before Christmas

            C.  Not a creature was stirring

            D.  Not even a mouse

 

Q.  Mary Edwards Walker, the first female surgeon in the US Army, is also the only female winner of the Congressional Medal of Honor. In which war did she serve?

            A.  Civil War  ****

            B.  War of 1812

            C.  Vietnam War

            D.  World War II

 

Q.  Name the Zeppelin song containing these lyrics: “Do you remember mama, when I knocked upon your door”?

            A.  Down By The Seaside

            B.  Black Dog

            C.  I’m Gonna Crawl

            D.  Since I’ve Been Loving You  ****  (From the album “Led Zeppelin III”)

 

Q.  What is the correct name of Bangkok?

            A.  Phitsanulok

            B.  Tak

            C.  Krung Thep  ****

            D.  Ban Pong

 

 

TRAVEL TIPS . . . (Peter Greenberg Worldwide)

 

NEW(ER) SECRET FLIGHTS:

 

You may have heard of something called secret flights: these are unusual routes flown by airlines that you would never expect. And in return, you may have a much better flying experience. Want to fly to Europe in style? Indian airline Jet Airways flies from Toronto, New York or New Jersey—non-stop— to Brussels. Flying from Los Angeles to London usually means a layover in New York. But not if you fly Air New Zealand, which has a daily non-stop flight on its way from Auckland.  If you want to get from New York to Frankfurt, sure you could take Lufthansa, Delta or Continental. But you can also fly the award-winning Singapore Airlines. Foreign carriers often provide better customer service, more comfortable seating, and better food than U.S. carriers on the same route. And because these flights are less known, you may find fewer crowds and lower prices.

 

(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 . . .

 

A CHRISTMAS STORY: J

 

MS JONES WAS A NICE TEACHER AND SHE WAS CURIOUS HOW HER STUDENTS CELEBRATED CHRISTMAS. SO SHE CALLED ON YOUNG PATRICK

MURPHY AND ASKED HIM HOW HIS FAMILY CELEBRATED?

 

THE BOY SAID, MY BROTHERS AND SISTERS GO TO MIDNIGHT MASS—WE COME HOME VERY LATE –WE SING HYMNS—HANG OUR STOCKINGS,

LEAVE PIES FOR FATHER CHRISTMAS AND GO TO BED!

 

THEN MS. JONES ASKED JIMMY BROWN HOW HIS FAMILY CELEBRATED? JIMMY SAID “WE ALL GO TO CHURCH—WE ALL SING CAROLS—LEAVE

COOKIES AND MILK FOR SANTA—SAY OUR PRAYERS– HANG OUR STOCKINGS AND GO TO BED AND WAIT FOR SANTA.

 

MS. JONES REALIZED SHE HAD A JEWISH BOY IN CLASS AND DIDN’T WANT TO LEAVE HIM OUT SO SHE ASKED—ISAAC, HOW DOES YOUR FAMILY CELEBRATE? ISAAC SAID, WELL MS. JONES—IT’S THE SAME EVERY YEAR—DAD COMES HOME—WE ALL PILE IN THE ROLLS ROYCE—DRIVE TO HIS

TOY FACTORY—GO INSIDE AND SEE ALL THE EMPTY BOXES –SING WHAT A FRIEND WE HAVE IN JESUS-AND GO TO THE BAHAMAS!!!

 

 

REAL STOOPIT CROOK NEWZ:

 

JEAN ETIENNE IS A STOOPIT CROOK—HE WAS ARRESTED FOR SHOPLIFTING—AND DISORDERLY CONDUCT. BUT HIS DUMBEST MOVE WAS WHEN

HE TRIED TO PAY HIS BAIL WITH COUNTERFEIT MONEY.

 

POLICE OFFICER ROBERT REILLY SAID, IT COULD’VE BEEN THE FACT THAT THE WATERMARK WAS MISSING—THE INK WAS ALL WRONG OR MAYBE

IT WAS THAT BOTH $100 DOLLAR BILLS HAD THE EXACT SAME SERIAL NUMBERS THAT TIPPED ME OFF!  ETIENNE WAS LOOKING AT PROBATION..NOW

WE’RE TALKING 7 YEARS IN A FEDERAL PEN!!

 

 

BIRTHDAYS . . .

 

—1913  Producer Carlo Ponti (d. 1-10-2007)

—1923  Actress Betsy Blair

—1926  Singer Big Mama Thornton (d.)

—1931  Actress/Singer Rita Moreno (The Four Seasons)

—1935  Actor Ron Carey (d. 1-16-2007)

—1940  Musician David Gates (Bread) (“Diary”)

—1940  Politician/Activist Tom Hayden (Jane Fonda’s Ex-husband)

—1941  J. Frank Wilson (“Last Kiss”)

—1943  Actress Donna Mills (“Abby” Knots Landing)

—1944  Singer Brenda Lee (“I’m Sorry”)

—1944  Keyboardist Booker T. Jones (Booker T. & The MG’s)

—1949  Actress Teri Garr (Tootsie)

—1950  Heiress Christina Onassis (d. 11-19-1988)

—1952  Filmmaker Susan Seidelman (Desperately Seeking Susan)

—1953  Actress Bess Armstrong (Married People)

—1954  Musician Jermaine Jackson (Jackson 5) (“ABC”)

—1958  Musician Nikki Sixx (Motley Crue)

—1962  Singer Curtis Williams

¾1966  Actor Gary Dourdan (CSI)

¾1968  Actress Monique (The Parkers)

¾1979  Actor Rider Strong (Boy Meets World)

 

 

THIS DAY IN HISTORY . . .

 

—1816  Indiana became the 19^th state. The state capital is Indianapolis, their state flower is peony.

—1930  A refugee from Nazi anti-Semitism arrived on U.S. shores, with the secret which would ultimately lead to victory in World War II and, the nuclear age: Albert Einstein.

—1936  King Edward VIII of Great Britain abdicated his throne, saying he could not continue to discharge his duties as king, “without the help and support of the woman I love,” twice-divorced American socialite Wallis Warfield Simpson. He married her the following June.

—1946  Hank Williams begins his first recording session.

—1946  The United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) was established.

—1953  KTVA, Channel 11 in Anchorage, Alaska, signed on the air becoming Alaska’s first broadcast station.

—1957  Jerry Lee Lewis secretly weds his 13-year old cousin Myra Brown; however, the news soon leaks and ensuing controversy severely hurts his career.

—1961  President John F. Kennedy sent the first direct U.S. military aid to South Viet Nam — two helicopter companies.

—1964  Sam Cooke is shot and killed by a LA Hotel Manager in an incident involving a woman he had picked up at a party. She claimed he was attempting to rape her. Court later rules justifiable homicide. Cooke was only 29.

—1970  John Lennon’s first solo album “Plastic Ono Band,” is released in Britain.

—1972  Then quintet Genesis plays its first US concert in Massachusetts at Brandeis University.

—1976  Ace Frehley (Kiss) is almost electrocuted after touching a short circuited light. After being carried off stage, he returns ten minutes later to finish the show in Florida.

—1977  The Tampa Bay Buccaneers, after losing 26 consecutive games, won their first game, defeating New Orleans.

—1980  Series premier of “Magnum PI” on CBS starring Tom Selleck.

—1985  In the biggest non-oil corporate merger ever, up until that time, G.E. agreed to buy out NBC for $6.28 billion.

¾1990  Ivana Trump (b. 2-20-1949) was divorced from Donald Trump after 12 years of marriage. They have 3 children together, Donald Jr, Ivanka, Eric Trump.

 ¾2006  Elizabeth “Lizzie” Bolden died in Memphis, TN on this date at the age of 116.  She was the oldest living person in the world at the time of her death.  She had 75 great-great-great-great grandchildren.

 

 

RADIO ONLINE® DAILY SHOW PREP™ . . .

 

ON THIS DAY

On this date in 1719, the first recorded sighting of the Aurora Borealis took place. Of course, back then, it was recorded in black and white.

In 1816, Indiana became our 19th state. A guy named Jonathon Jennings gets credit for leading the drive for statehood, thus earning him the name “Hoosier Daddy!”

In 1892, the very first basketball game was played.

·         The game was in its early form. They soon discovered they needed a “no tackling rule” and to get rid of the bats.

·         Until then, it had been pretty much played in closets, which made it tough to get a shot off.

On this date in 1953, Alaska got it’s very first television station. The first program shown on Alaskan television? “Nome Improvement.”

In 1975, the cost of a U.S. postage stamp went up… to 13 cents. Now that wouldn’t even get your letter a third of the way there!

TODAY IS

Mo’nique is 40 today. That’s how she spells her name: Mo, then an apostrophe, then nique. Does that make nique her last name? Does she have a brother named Hugh and a sister named Clin? Okay, now I’m thinking too much.

Jermaine Jackson turns 54 today. Michael Jackson is his younger brother… uh, or is it sister?

The original “roll in ze hay” girl, Terri Garr, turns 59 today.

David Gates, who led the group “Bread” through the 60s and early 70s is now in the same area himself: 68. For a while, Bread was hot… then, they went stale.

Jack Frost Day — In “The Christmas Song,” what is Jack Frost doing to your nose?” (“Nipping!”)

THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW

·         Tough times on Broadway: “Grease,” “Young Frankenstein,” “Hairspray” and “Monty Python’s Spamalot” will all close after the holiday season.

·         Britney Spears’ latest CD, “Circus,” is #1 on the album charts. Estimates have the record selling as many as 500,000 copies in its first week of release.

·         Character actor Robert Prosky has died at age 77. His was a face seen in lots of movies like “Mrs. Doubtfire” to TV’s “Hill Street Blues.”

·         Trista Sutter and her firefighter husband, Ryan, are having a baby girl, due next April.

·         Jennifer Hudson will get back to work next week, working on a video, for the first time since the tragic death of her family members.

·         One more visit from Amy Poehler on Saturday Night Live this weekend before she officially takes off for her new series.

·         Rapper DMX is behind bars again in Miami after he was arrested by federal authorities for allegedly skipping out on a court appearance.

·         T.R. Knight has asked to be released from his contract and get off “Grey’s Anatomy.”

·         Yes that was Ellen Degeneres and Britney Spears dressed up in Victorian clothes and caroling in L.A. last week. They were filming a big for Ellen’s December 16th show.

·         Paula Abdul says Fox and “American Idol” producers knew Paula Goodspeed had stalked her, and allowed the woman to audition for the show anyway.

·         Oscar Meyer is accepting resumes until the end of January for one-year spots as Hotdoggers: drivers for the one of the official Oscar Meyer Wiener-mobiles.

·         Even the NFL is facing hard times and is trimming 14% of the staff at its headquarters.

·         Actor John Schneider’s SUV was stolen and later recovered. But missing are the two puppies he had bought to give to his kids for Christmas.

·         Police cleared a woman arrested in the shooting death of actor Mark Ruffalo’s younger brother after being shown evidence that the wound was self-inflicted, as they were playing Russian Roulette.

·         What’s Brad getting from Angelina on his upcoming 45th birthday? A $12,000 Ducati Monster 1100S titanium motorcycle.

·         Toni Braxton had a good excuse for not dancing on the finale of “Dancing With the Stars” last month: she had a benign tumor removed from her breast the week before.

CONVERSATION STARTERS

A survey by TheLadders.com reveals that 36% of U.S. bosses have issued a formal warning for swearing, and 6% have actually fired an employee for swearing. The survey also found that 81.2% of senior executives find a foul-mouthed colleague unacceptable to work alongside in the office. Nearly 100% of the survey respondents believed that the idea of office etiquette does exist and the majority (69.7%) said they would fire an employee for bad office manners. Of managers who have fired employees for office etiquette offenses, the top five most common causes were:

1.      Bad language, 38.4%

2.      Excessive workplace gossip, 36.5%

3.      Drinking on the job, 35.2%

4.      Leaving the office without telling anyone, 33.6%

5.      Too many personal calls, 28%

When asked to rate the worst affronts to office etiquette:

1.      Eating someone else’s food from the fridge, 97.8%

2.      Bad hygiene, 95.6%

3.      Bad habits, 88.2%

4.      Drinking on the job, 85.7%

5.      Wastefulness with paper, 82%

6.      Cooking smelly food in the office microwave, 74.1%

7.      Sneaking peeks at the BlackBerry in meetings, 63.5%

When men take risky gambles with money, they aren’t just thinking about dollar signs. Turns out, they’re also thinking about sex. That’s the word from a new study by researchers at Northwestern University and Stanford University who say that when a man sees erotic photographs, it lights up the same part of the brain as when he takes big financial risks. Researchers found that when excited by erotic images, the 15 heterosexual men in this study were far more likely to bet high on a random chance game that would earn them either a dollar or a dime.

An Entertainment Weekly online poll asked, “What show’s January return are you most looking forward to?”

·         48% said “Lost”

·         13% said “24”

·         12% said “Battlestar Galactica”

·         12% said “American Idol”

·         10% said “Scrubs”

·         5% said “Big Love”

Fathers are likely to pass their good looks down to their daughters but their sons are on their own when it comes to diving into the gene pool. That’s the findings of a study that shows both parents influence the beauty of daughters, but male attractiveness is not hereditary. “We checked to see if male and female facial traits are inherited,” the authors write in an article published in the journal Animal Behavior. “For the male line, we find facial masculine dads have masculine sons. But we didn’t find evidence that facial attractiveness is passed down from father to son.” The theory implies it’s not unusual for attractive parents to produce a beautiful daughter while failing to pass the same good looks to a son, and for a good looking dad to pass his striking appearance to a daughter, regardless of the beauty of the mother.

According to a survey conducted by Blockbuster, movie lovers chose Tim Allen’s portrayal in “The Santa Clause” as their favorite “nice” on-screen Santa. They chose Billy Bob Thornton’s anti-Claus in “Bad Santa” as their favorite version of a less jolly old elf.

America’s Favorite Nice Santas

·         The Santa Clause (played by Tim Allen), 35%

·         Miracle on 34th Street (played by Edmund Gwenn), 22%

·         Elf (played by Edward Asner), 14%

·         Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer (voiceover by Stan Francis), 10%

·         Polar Express (voiceover by Tom Hanks), 10%

American’s Favorite Naughty Santas

·         Bad Santa (played by Billy Bob Thornton), 33%

·         Dr. Seuss’ How The Grinch Stole Christmas (played by Jim Carrey), 27%

·         How The Grinch Stole Christmas (voice-over by Boris Karloff), 20%

·         A Christmas Story (played by Jeff Gillen), 13%

·         Trading Places (played by Dan Akroyd), 5%

Watching your finances like everyone else? Pull out the greenbacks and put away the plastic. People spend less when they pay cash than when they use credit cards. Why? It’s harder to part with actual bills, which is why people who use credit cards typically buy more, according to a study in the Journal of Experimental Psychology.

PHONE TOPICS

·         Ever win big money gambling?

·         What did you find in your dead relative’s house after they died? (You won’t believe the stuff you’ll get on this topic.)

·         What do you have in your desk that some people might think is weird?

·         What do you like to hear first, good news or bad news?

·         Who was your first celebrity crush?

·         He’s 50, I’m 21. Will it work out?

·         Do you spank your kids?

·         What’s the wildest thing you’ve ever done to get even with an ex?

·         Ways your parents still embarrass you?

·         Complete the sentence, “A woman looks best when she’s wearing _____.”

·         What is the most you have ever eaten?

·         Ask listeners to call in an create the ultimate man using various body parts from celebrities.

·         The most embarrassing thing a parent did while you were growing up?

·         Is there anything you refuse to buy at a grocery store?

·         What are “musts” when it comes to Christmas stockings?

Ooga Ooga! New research show that men overspend more than women do. Why? To attract women. Yes. Their maxed-out credit cards and mega-purchases have been tied to their desire to attract mates. And that’s not all the study found. The biggest male spenders in the survey were found to have the highest number of reported past partners and desired the most future partners. The finding, detailed in the current issue of the journal Evolutionary Psychology, did not hold with women. Does your man overspend? Is it to impress you ladies?

Ladies, at what age do you, or did you feel, the “sexiest”? A new study has found that women feel most sexy at the age of 34. The survey also revealed that middle-aged women have half as much sex as they did when they were younger – in fact the researchers found that that on average women aged 45 to 60 have sex 4.5 times a month, compared to 10.4 times a month in their 20s and 30s.

According to a new survey conducted by the insurance company Admiral, taxi drivers are the rudest people in the world. But don’t feel left out van drivers and teenagers. You’re second and third on the list. Which professionals are by far the worst drivers?

Which car color is the coolest? DuPont has awarded the top car color for 2008. It once again is white. When it comes to choosing a car color, the majority of people go with the white paint job. Now, white and white pearl combined to score 20 percent of the North America market, with black and “black effect” at 17 percent and silver just a fraction behind.

Are British women easy? According to a new survey, British women have more sexual partners in their lives than other women around the world. They average nine lovers by the age of 21. Most women lost their virginity by the age of 16.

Do you have a Christmas Joke? Here are some from people you may know:

·         “The one thing women don’t want to find in their stockings on Christmas morning is their husband.” -Joan Rivers

·         “I was so poor growing up, if I hadn’t been a boy I’d have had nothing to play with on Christmas Day.” -Rodney Dangerfield

·         “Do you do this with Christmas tree lights? You have a string of them and one bulb is dead and you flick the bulb with your finger to get it to light up? They do the same thing with George Bush before a debate.” -Jay Leno

·         “I saw a guy driving down Hollywood Boulevard with a tree on his bumper and I said: ‘Getting ready for Christmas?’ He said: ‘No, teaching the wife how to drive.'” -Bob Hope

·         “At the office party you’re supposed to sit naked on top of the photocopier, not the shredder.” -David Letterman

·         “Roses are reddish, violets are bluish, if it wasn’t for Christmas, we’d all be Jewish.” -Benny Hill

·         “Christmas is a time for remembering. So that’s me f***ed.” -Ozzy Osbourne

Talked about cell phones and where people have seen other people use them where they felt it was inappropriate — church, in line at the checkout, at the movies, etc. Do Americans feel that anywhere is there private living room where they can chat on the phone about anything in public?

We got going on divorces and how to handle it. We had the “experts'” advice and then took calls from people who’ve been there and done that. It was funny how many women said, “Whatever you do, don’t jump into another relationship right away.”

What the heck is the logic behind wearing pajamas? Besides warmth, is there any logical reason for clothing made specifically for sleeping? Or are you wearing them mostly for modesty? Phoner: How many listening that sleep naked? Find out. Does your mate have any sleeping habits that drive you up the wall? Tell us about it.

Have you ever had to cram 2 weeks of project making into 1 night for your kid? Most parents have had to do this and it is a tense situation to say the least. And the follow up question, “Have you ever been caught by the teacher doing your kids school work?” I bet you get calls! We did.

We talked about lopsided gifts. This is when you buy your significant other a really extravagant gift and they bought you something worth $5. We had great stories. One was a guy buying his girlfriend a promise ring and she bought him a hair brush.

What is the secret to getting a solid 7 to 8 hours of sleep? Head for the kitchen and enjoy one or two of these 10 foods. They relax tense muscles, quiet buzzing minds, and/or get calming, sleep-inducing hormones – serotonin and melatonin – flowing. Yawning yet? Here are some foods that are good bedtime foods (from Yahoo Food):

·         Bananas. They’re practically a sleeping pill in a peel. In addition to a bit of soothing melatonin and serotonin, bananas contain magnesium, a muscle relaxant.

·         Chamomile tea. The reason chamomile is such a staple of bedtime tea blends is its mild sedating effect.

·         Warm milk. It’s not a myth. Milk has some tryptophan – an amino acid that has a sedative – like effect – and calcium, which helps the brain use tryptophan.

·         Honey. Drizzle a little in your warm milk or herb tea. Lots of sugar is stimulating, but a little glucose tells your brain to turn off orexin, a recently discovered neurotransmitter that’s linked to alertness.

·         Potatoes. A small baked spud won’t overwhelm your GI tract, and it clears away acids that can interfere with yawn-inducing tryptophan.

·         Oatmeal. Oats are a rich source of sleep – inviting melatonin, and a small bowl of warm cereal with a splash of maple syrup is cozy – plus if you’ve got the munchies, it’s filling too.

·         Almonds. A handful of these heart-healthy nuts can be snooze-inducing, as they contain both tryptophan and a nice dose of muscle-relaxing magnesium.

·         Flaxseeds. When life goes awry and feeling down is keeping you up, try sprinkling 2 tablespoons of these healthy little seeds on your bedtime oatmeal.

·         Whole-wheat bread. A slice of toast with your tea and honey will release insulin, which helps tryptophan get to your brain, where it’s converted to serotonin and quietly murmurs “time to sleep.”

·         Turkey. It’s the most famous source of tryptophan, credited with all those Thanksgiving naps. But that’s actually modern folklore. Tryptophan works when your stomach’s basically empty, not overstuffed, and when there are some carbs around, not tons of protein.

You no longer need to be as sick as a dog to take time off work – we hear that some companies are allowing employees to work from home or take days off to look after unwell pets. Hasn’t pet care gone too far? Taking the day off for a sick pet? What’s next, your company will be covering them on your family health insurance plan? My co-host thinks it’s a great idea. What do your people say?

My partner is a severe nut when it comes to grammar. She has a Yahoo Personals ad going on and we read the responses from the boys. She loses her mind if they spell wrong or use words like what not, do what, and such. I do it on purpose, use words that don’t exist just to get her going.

I become very irritated by my co-host and how she sings along to songs even if she doesn’t know the words. So this started an on air confession about what each host does that annoys them. So we then decided to ask for people from our audience that has stories on some of their pet peeves. Some of the bad habits we heard about were people chewing their food too loudly, popping gum, and breathing heavy. This was a very easy bit to come about and it ended up being pretty exciting.

Ever been down with a bad cold and have to still go on with all your plans? Work, taking care of kids? Even worse, handling a huge presentation to a client. Nothing’s worse than not getting time in bed to recover. A lot of stories about how life goes on, even when you are sick!

What over the counter items are you addicted to? It is cold/flu and allergy season and lots of calls about those nasal sprays like Afrin. Use more than 3 days and your nose absolutely won’t work without it! Also heard about lip balm, like Carmex. Totally addictive! And tons of calls on caffeine. Coffee and other things you may not expect, like migraine meds. For instance the new Advil Migraine medicine is over the counter. But with the amount of caffeine in it, hard not to get hooked! Even if it is just mental.

WEIRD NEWS

Nip Tuck Kitty
In Winthrop, Massachusetts, veterinarians had quite a challenge with Edgar, a 5-year-old long-haired cat. She (yes — a girl named Edgar) went missing from her home for three days and when she finally returned, her owner found her in her litter box — with part of her face dangling from her head! Vets think she may have been injured by a car’s fan belt, probably because she tried to stay warm under the hood. When her owner saw her, she passed out. Anyway, the surgical team at Angell Animal Medical Center did some major facial reconstruction surgery and Edgar’s going to be just fine. Remarkably, she suffered no major blood loss or any permanent nerve damage from her accident. She just needed to have her facial skin stitched back on. So — eight more lives to go! (myway.com)

No — This Really Is My Van
In Bloomfield Township, Michigan, a motorist was stopped and handcuffed by police on suspicion of stealing what turned out to be his own van. Police Chief Kirt Bowden said he witnessed the traffic stop Monday from his office window and worried something was amiss when he noticed the van wasn’t new and the driver appeared to be in his 70s. According to a report on WJBK-TV, the motorist spotted the van he reported stolen and was told by Detroit police he could take it back. It was still was listed as stolen in the Law Enforcement Information Network when the man was stopped by his officers about 15 miles northwest of Detroit. (myway.com)

A New Way To Pray
In Longview, Texas, Pastor Thomas McDaniels of the LifeBridge Christian Center may be on to something — a new way to pray. Pastor McDaniels filled out a bank deposit slip for $1 million bucks, then prayed over it hoping the funds would come to build a new church. And come they did. An anonymous donor wrote a check for $1.5 million and the new church is set to open in a few weeks. Members of LifeBridge, which formed in 2005, had been meeting at a Longview hotel. McDaniels says, in these economic times, that “the Lord wanted to show his power.” (myway.com)

A Cure For Alcoholism?
French cardiologist Dr. Oliver Ameisen claims he is no longer an alcoholic because an anti-muscle spasm pill that he had been taking for many years caused him to lose desire to drink liquor. The claim is in a new book set for release in the U.S. next year under the title “The End of My Addiction.” In the book, which is already a best-seller in France, Ameisen said he started taking Baclofen after reading a news story about a cocaine addict who lost his drug addiction after taking the pill commonly prescribed to multiple sclerosis patients. Dr. James Garbutt, a researcher at the Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine says, “There is a fair amount of evidence that the drug does something. The basic science is sound, and it’s been shown to work in animals.” (ABC News)

There Still Are Honest People in the World
Here’s our hero of the day. It’s 75-year-old Billie Watts of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. She and her husband found $97,000 in cash inside a bag left in a Cracker Barrel restaurant restroom. They took the bag home because there was nothing inside to identify its owner, except for a photo. Billie also left her phone number with the restaurant’s store clerk. The owner of the bag, an old lady, called Watts within 15 minutes and identified the contents. The unidentified owner said the money came from selling her home and belongings. She offered to give Billie a $1,000 reward but Billie refused saying the owner needed the money a lot more than she does. (AHN News)

Company Launches Pre-chewed Pencils!
The Concentrate Company in England has launched an interesting new product to help children concentrate at school– pre-chewed pencils! No kidding! The pencils are made to look like they have already been chewed making pupils less likely to put them in their mouths. They say it’s a cheap but effective way of encouraging youngsters to get their teeth into their lessons instead. Concentrate specializes in products to help kids at school and identify why they get distracted or are unable to focus in class. A company spokesperson, in true British fashion said, “We know it’s daft but just get down to some concentrated thinking and who knows what might happen.” (Ananova)

Man Pulls Car With Eyelids!
In China, 21-year-old martial artist Luo Deyuan has done what seems to be the impossible — pulling a one-ton car by a rope fastened to his eyelids! He also pulled the vehicle by fastening the rope to a piercing in his neck. Luo says he learned his skills from a local martial arts master, adding, “I really wanted to do something special.” Luo claims he can do 23 other stunts including lifting two buckets of water with his eyelids, stopping electric fans with his tongue, and walking on sharp blades. (Guizhou Metropolis News)

Saddam Sells Chicken Wings?
The Passion Barbecue Chicken Wings restaurant in Shenyang, China is using the image of former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein to promote its spicy chicken wings. According to the posters featuring pictures of Saddam, the spicy taste is a challenge for customers, just like Saddam was to the U.S. and the UK. A restaurant spokeswoman said, “Saddam loved challenges, and eating our spicy chicken wings also requires courage, so it’s a good match.” What? (Liao Shen Evening Post)

HOLE IN THE HEADLINE

·         “Panda Bites Student Who Just Wanted A ____!” (Hug)

·         “Police Think They’ve Nabbed ‘____ Bandit’!” (Butt)

·         “‘Ugly Ducklings’ Plea Wins Mayor ____ Award!” (Sexism)

·         “Robber Apologizes During Store ____!” (Holdup)

·         “Cell Phone In Man’s Chest Pocket Stops ____!” (Bullet)

·         “____ Crashes Van Into Coffeehouse!” (Dog)

·         “Priest Gets Probation For Jogging ____ At Track!” (Nude)

·         “Cops ____ Pallbearer At Dad’s Funeral!” (Taser)

·         “Upset Over Fee, Man Wields ____ To Get Back Cat!” (Bat)

·         “Driver Gets Jail For Throwing ____ At Motorist!” (Ax)

·         “Man In Wheelchair Allegedly Hides Cash In ____!” (Leg)

·         “Hand Model, Magician Sues Over Snipped ____!” (Finger)

MAKE IT FUN!

Constantly being reminded to promote other dayparts? Make it fun! We run a bit where we have our producer break into other jocks’ lockers and rummage through them. What will you find? You can pre-record a phone bit with the “victim,” this is a great way to recycle.

TICKED-OFF COLUMN

This is something that we do a couple of times a week. People can e-mail us their letters complaining about something in their lives. Many times these issues are funny. The local newspaper has a similar column too. People love to vent.

TOP FIVE SIGNS YOU LIVE NEXT DOOR TO AN ELF

1.      Always wearing t-shirt that says, “I’m with Santa”

2.      Shoes with curled toes left on porch

3.      Company truck in driveway says, “Toys made while you wait”

4.      Basketball hoop just two feet off the ground

5.      Stepladder next to the mailbox

HUNTER’S HUMOR by Tim Hunter

An extra second will be added on at the end of the year so that we can stay in sync with atomic time. Wow, even the clocks needs a bailout.

More layoffs were announced this week by several companies. Everyone’s down-sizing these days except Oprah.

I’m trying to figure out what to buy my dad for Christmas. It’s between a subscription to Sports Illustrated or an Illinois Senate Seat.

SLOGAN OFF

Classic Edition

·         “Lifts and Seperates” (Playtex Cross-Your-Heart Bra)

·         “The fun develops instantly” (Polaroid Cameras)

·         “I liked it so much I bought the company.” (Remington)

·         “The Uncola” (7-up)

·         “Kills bugs dead” (Raid)

Modern Edition

·         “A new kind of family” (ABC Family Network)

·         “Spirit of Service” (Qwest)

·         “You are now free to roam about the country” (Southwest Airlines)

·         “Believe” (Yahoo personals)

·         “Eat Fresh” (Subway)

THE LOSERS BALL

Have a party for men and women who try too hard, and are really unlucky in love. This can be an on-going bit. If romance happens as a result of your party, you can follow these people for a couple of years.

SEX COULD SAVE YOUR LIFE

Yes, that’s the word from Kerry McCloskey, whose book, The Ultimate Sex Diet: The Secret Formula for a Slimmer, Healthier, More Passionate Life, maintains that sex will make you skinny and healthy. Here’s the top 10 health benefits of sex:

1.      Sex helps you to live longer.

2.      It strengthens your heart. Do it right and sex can be a cardio workout.

3.      Sex helps to reduce stress and depression thanks to certain stress-busting chemicals your body produces during intercourse.

4.      Sex strengthens your bones and muscles.

5.      It improves your memory and helps keep your mind sharp.

6.      Frequent sex helps you to look younger. A 1999 study by Scotland’s Royal Edinburgh Hospital found that an active sex life can make you look up to seven years younger.

7.      Sex improves your sense of smell.

8.      It provides pain relief.

9.      Sex may reduce the risk of prostate cancer.

10.  It boosts the immune system.

KISS AND MAKEUP DAY

Get a couple on the outs to (a guy) call you. Send your street guy to the ladies work with candy and flowers to smooth it over for the idiot guy.

TRIVIA

·         Terrorists attacked India’s financial capital, Mumbai, killing more than 170 people in a 60-hour rampage across the city. Part of the attacks involved the occupation and siege of two landmark hotels. Name one of the two. (Taj Mahal hotel and Rambagh Palace)

·         President-elect Barack Obama continues to fill his future cabinet with the announcement of his security team. Who will stay on as defense secretary? (Robert Gates)

·         President-elect Obama announced his choice for commerce secretary. Who is this governor of New Mexico? (Bill Richardson)

·         After the CEOs of America’s Big Three automakers returned to Washington in another attempt to persuade Congress to hand over billions to bail them out. Learning a lesson from their previous trip — when they were roundly criticized for having flown to the nation’s capital in private jets — the trio drove from Detroit in what? (fuel-efficient cars)

·         They were recently announced, so…which artist had the most grammy nominations this year? (Lil Wayne)

·         Which British rock band took second place? (Coldplay – with 7)

·         The National Bureau of Economic Research — the body charged with making pronouncements in this type of thing — said that the United States indeed was in recession and had been for quite a long time. What month did they say the downturn had started? (December 2007)

·         Plaxico Burress, the talented but troubled New York Giants receiver, was suspended and faces a possible end to his career for a gun incident at New York City nightclub. He accidentally shot himself where? (the upper thigh)

·         She’s a single-named singer who performed at the 1963 March on Washington and whose music influenced Bob Dylan and other folk-boom artists died at age 77. Who is she? (Odetta)

·         Car thieves stole which “Dukes of Hazzard” TV show cast member’s sport utility vehicle at a mall last week, with puppies inside that were early Christmas gifts? (John Schneider)

·         Dennis Yost, lead singer of which 1960s rock group, died at the age of 65? (Classics IV)

·         A judge dismissed drug and battery charges filed against hip-hop bigwig “Suge” Knight, who was accused of beating a woman in a parking lot in what city? (Las Vegas)

·         What is the relationship of “Amazing Race” winners Nick and Starr? (brother and sister)

·         HarperCollins just published a book by 9-year-old Alec Greven on what subject? (picking up girls)

·         Jessica Simpson says she can’t pass up a lucky penny that may be on the ground and collects all she can. Where does she keep them? (in a Ziploc bag)

·         First introduced in the U.S. in 1966, what shoe carried such nicknames as Hari Krishna shoes, Jesus sandals, or Flintstone Feet? (Birkenstocks)

·         Where is Rutgers University? (New Jersey)

·         What do scientists say jellyfish have, similar to humans, which help them survive? (Eyes)

·         Invented in Italy, what pointed toe tall heeled shoes were often banned in buildings after emerging in popularity in the mid ’50’s? (Stilettos)

·         What was used as blood in Hitchcock’s “Psycho?” (Chocolate Sauce)

GORSEFEATHERS by Patrick Gorse

A new study by Vanderbilt University says that people who have cochlear hearing implants should avoid MRI machines because they can permanently damage the hearing devices. This new information totally contradicts the prevailing theory that Rush Limbaugh should have his head examined.

A cardiologist in France claims that he cured his alcoholism by taking muscle relaxant pills that caused him to lose his desire to drink liquor. This is great news if you like your heart surgery done by a guy who’s hooked on muscle relaxants.

In Australia, an 18-year-old male white rhinoceros that was looking to mate broke out of his zoo enclosure to seek out females. When he finally found one, the lady rhinoceros said, “Is that a horn on your face or are you just happy to see me?”

Yesterday was “Call in Gay” to work day, to show your opposition to Proposition 8. What if you work in a gay bar? Were you supposed to go to a Mormon Tabernacle instead? How does that work?

Early Wednesday morning, MSNBC showed video of Democratic Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich leaving for work. At least we know he’s not gay.

I don’t understand this huge controversy with the Governor of Illinois. Jay Leno sold his seat to Conan O’Brien and worked out a great side-deal for himself. I don’t see anything wrong with that.

Britain’s Prince Andrew has been accused of forcing his royal security officers to act as ball boys while practicing golf on the grounds of Buckingham Palace. In a related story, Sen. Larry Craig has been accused of replacing his security force with ball boys.

Oprah Winfrey is confessing that she weighs at least 200 pounds. Duh! She’s on TV every day. Isn’t this like Gov. Rod Blagojevich confessing that his haircut looks dorky?

Oprah confessed that she gained weight as a defense mechanism. She didn’t want to leave any jumping room on her couch for Tom Cruise.

In related stories, Tom Cruise confessed that he’s a self-absorbed ass; Andy Dick confessed that he’s a drunk — and Amy Winehouse admitted to having a bad hair day.

The Big Three automakers are close to a deal with Congress over a $15 Billion bailout loan–but there’s been a snag. The auto CEO’s are refusing to throw in the floor mats.

Larry Craig lost his appeal to purge his guilty plea to soliciting sex. Craig says he may appeal the appeal. What started for Craig with an appeal continues on appeal after the appeals court has issued their response to his appeal. It’s ironic — because I don’t find Larry Craig appealing at all.

Senator Larry Craig continues to deny he’s gay — but that doesn’t jive with the facts. In his appeal, Craig claimed he was temporarily insane when he originally pled guilty in court, because he couldn’t stop fantasizing about what the judge was wearing under his robe.

Disgraced Democratic Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich said on Monday that taping his conversations with hidden devices “smells like Nixon.” Which is funny, because when Arnold Schwarzenegger first came to America, he said that President Nixon was, “like a breath of fresh air.” Of course, back then, Arnold spent all his time in gymnasiums.

Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich claimed that secret taping “smells like Nixon.” The founder of the Log Cabin Republicans defended President Nixon saying, “I used to love the smell of Dick in the morning.”

Asked if Barack Obama is “tainted” by Rod Blagojevich, NBC political director Chuck Todd said that it “depends how you define taint.” I looked up ‘taint’ in the dictionary. Look, Chuck… I think we already established that Rod Blagojevich isn’t gay.

On Monday, responding to a reporter who asked Rod Blagojevich if he felt the cloud of a federal corruption investigation hanging over him, Gov. Rod Blagojevich said, “I’ve got nothing but sunshine hanging over me.” There you have it — ANOTHER Democratic politician palling around with The Weathermen.

A new study in the medical journal Human Nature says that 60 percent of the people in their study group who were shown pictures of cars, attributed human personalities to them, describing them as adult or childlike, masculine or feminine, and dominant or submissive. Many saw headlights as eyes, the grill as a nose and air intakes as a mouth. This explains a posting I saw on Craig’s List that read, “Looking for a ’65 Mustang with leather seat covers — no freaks.”

Conservative Episcopalian leaders in the U.S. who disagree with the churches’ liberal stance on homosexuality have decided to break away and form their own church. The conservative leaders said they were tired of Southern Baptists referring to them as ‘Episcopansies.’

IS YOUR GUY MAKING YOU FAT?

(Fitness) A relationship adds so much to your life like extra weight. The bittersweet gains: three pounds, on average, for cohabitators in the first five years and nine for new brides, says a study from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Let your love but not your waistline grow with these tips from Jenna Bergen, author of “Your Big Fat Boyfriend.”

·         Take charge of takeout — “Volunteer to make the call,” Bergen suggests. “That way you can be sure your food is grilled rather than fried, has the dressing on the side or comes with brown, not white rice.”

·         Ask for a shelf in the fridge — When he offers you closet space, tell him you’d love some in the refrigerator too. Then stock up on healthier snacks than his chips and dips.

·         Save the couch for non-meal activities — Eat in front of the TV and you’ll mindlessly overindulge. Bergen’s advice: Sit at the kitchen table, even if that means you two dine apart.

·         Exercise your wardrobe — “Dressing sexy keeps you aware of your body,” Bergen says. So don’t let those hot pants get cold, wear them regularly.

WHAT GIVES YOU CONFIDENCE?

(Sun) Discovering the source of your self-esteem can help you achieve your important goals. Answer the questions in the this short quiz, see what the analysis reveals and find out what give you confidence:

When it comes to roses, your favorite color is:

a.       red

b.      pink

c.       yellow

Your handwriting is:

a.       large and vivid

b.      small and tidy

c.       medium and distinctive

The outfit you’d wear to a big social event is:

a.       a slinky designer knock-off

b.      an elegant black cocktail dress

c.       a classic evening suit

If you have a bad hair day, you’d:

a.       keep working on it until you look presentable

b.      quit fussing and put it up in a bun

c.       tame it with fancy barrettes

Analysis

Mostly “a” – You possess a wealth of talents that makes you a standout in a crowd. And your strong belief in yourself makes you a natural leader that others admire and emulate.

Mostly “b” – You have a spiritual strength that you use to answer life’s important questions. Your drive to always do your best inspires achievement among your friends and family.

Mostly “c” – Your upbeat outlook gives you the ability to follow your dreams to the limit. Even when things go wrong, you take the lessons from the experience to conquer future obstacles.

SANTA TREATS

According to The American Dietetic Association (ADA), if Santa drinks a glass of whole milk and eats two butter cookies at every American household he visits, he will consume a shocking 14,026,032,000 calories and 6,180,336,000 grams of fat in one night alone!

·         Try skim milk instead of whole, saving 64 calories and eight grams of fat for each glass he drinks.

·         Offer Santa “skinny nog” — a mixture of skim milk and low fat egg nog or use dry egg nog mix with skim milk to save 145 calories and 18 grams of fat per serving.

·         Leave Santa gingersnaps or graham crackers in place of higher fat cookies conserving 169 calories and eight grams of fat per serving.

·         Opt to give non-food gifts, like food and nutrition books, subscriptions to health newsletters, exercise tapes or equipment and gift certificates.

And, according to Zanecosky, carrots, celery, apples and pears are great treats for Santa as well as his reindeer. “With a little planning, it will be easy to expand Santa’s food choices without expanding his waistline.”

JINGLE BELLS

Jingle Bells! (666) Jingle Bells! (666) Jingle all the way! (6#786999) Oh what fun it is to ride in a one horse open sleigh! (99555557456)

A TOY SEARCH TOY FIND

Works well up to Christmas. Listeners help each other out in finding those hard to find toys. We’ve had some pretty good calls. Lots of them too! The listeners are being really depictive in describing their frustration and telling of their encounters in the crowded stores.

CHRISTMAS CAROL QUIZ

·         According to the song when do “We need a little Christmas?” (“Right this very minute!”)

·         What do you hear when “It’s Christmas-time in the city?” (“Silver Bells!”)

·         The song says it’s “A beautiful sight we’re happy tonight.” What are we doing? (“Walking in a winter wonderland!”)

·         In “Jingle Bells,” what are we doing in a “one-horse open sleigh?” (“Dashing through the snow!”)

·         According to the song where is Brenda Lee “Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree?” (“At the Christmas party hop!”)

·         In the Garth Brooks’ song “Santa Looks A Lot Like…” Who? (“Daddy!”)

·         The song says “For the holiday’s you can’t beat…” Where? (“Home sweet home!”)

·         Name the song where “All is calm, all is bright!” (“Silent Night!”)

·         What’s the very last thing that “Frosty The Snowman” said to the children?” (“Don’t you cry. I’ll be back again some day!”)

·         In the “Twelve Days Of Christmas,” what is the gift on the 6th day of Christmas?” (“Six geese a laying!”)

·         In “The Christmas Song,” what is Jack Frost doing to your nose?” (“Nipping!”)

·         In “Holly Jolly Christmas,” “I don’t know if there’ll be snow but have but have a cup of this!” What is it? (“Cheer!”)

·         What are the things you better not do ’cause “Santa Claus is coming to town?” (“Pout… cry… shout!”)

·         According to the song “I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus,” exactly where did she tickle Santa Claus? (“Underneath his beard (so snowy white))

·         In “White Christmas,” what do the treetops do? (“Glisten!”)

·         In the song “Here Comes Santa Claus,” what is Santa coming down? (“Right down Santa Claus lane!”)

·         In “The Christmas Song” what a folks dressed up like? (“Eskimos!”)

·         What did Rudolph the reindeer have? (“He had a very shiny nose!”)

·         What do we “Deck The Halls” with?” (“Boughs of holly!”)

·         In the song “Let It Snow,” how do they describe the weather outside? (“The weather outside is (frightful)!”)

NAME THAT YULETIDE TUNE

Whip out your accordion (or that sound-a-like on the keyboard player) and have your listeners guess the name of poorly played Christmas tunes.

AND A PORRIDGE IN A SPARE TREE

Here’s another spin on an idea. Line up a succession of callers and have each do a line from a holiday classic like “The Twelve Days of Christmas” or “The Night Before Christmas.” It should be spontaneous and, the more foul-ups, the funnier it’ll be.

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