HAPPY TURKEY DAY!!!!
· Butterball turkey tip #117. When sticking a meat thermometer in the turkey, make sure it is first dead.
· (Turkey) How can anything that ugly cost so much?
· Surgeon General has announced that stuffing your turkey should not be considered as safe sex.
· If you want to know just how to pluck a turkey, just ask me about my last divorce.
· After Thanksgiving dinner. I took off my shoes, put my feet up and un-did my pants, which is when they asked me to leave (restaurant).
· Today on the program: "How to stuff a turkey without becoming emotionally involved."
· I was just about to kill my own Thanksgiving turkey when we got a last minute call from the governor.
· Thanksgiving is the time of year you hear all the turkeys learning to "meow."
· We always go to grandma's on Thanksgiving. She owns a McDonalds.
· Tough: It took me almost an hour, just to carve the gravy.
· A time for families to get together for the first time in years and ignore each other while they watch football.
· _____ never picks a Butterball, or a Holly Farms. Instead they always choose their favorite turkey, "Swanson."
· It's hard to describe my wife's turkey dressing. Just imagine Alpo laced with chestnuts.
· As far as leftovers. First day I love turkey, second day I like turkey, third day I tolerate turkey, fourth day, we clean it off the ceiling.
· My favorite food is the pumpkin pie. It's the greatest thing to put whip cream on, next to (sexy star).
· _____'s turkey dinner is famous. In fact, last year it was offered to inmates awaiting death row, who didn't like the electric chair.
THANKSGIVING MYTHS VS FACTS
Myth: The first Thanksgiving was in 1621 and the pilgrims celebrated it every year thereafter.
Fact: The first feast wasn't repeated, so it wasn't the beginning of a tradition. In fact, the colonists didn't even call the day Thanksgiving. To them, a thanksgiving was a religious holiday in which they would go to church and thank God for a specific event, such as the winning of a battle. On such a religious day, the types of recreational activities that the pilgrims and Wampanoag Indians participated in during the 1621 harvest feast -- dancing, singing secular songs, playing games -- wouldn't have been allowed. The feast was a secular celebration, so it never would have been considered a thanksgiving in the Pilgrims minds.
Myth: The original Thanksgiving feast took place on the fourth Thursday of November.
Fact: The original feast in 1621 occurred sometime between September 21 and November 11. Unlike our modern holiday, it was three days long. The event was based on English harvest festivals, which traditionally occurred around the 29th of September. President Franklin D. Roosevelt set the date for Thanksgiving to the fourth Thursday of November in 1939 (approved by Congress in 1941). Abraham Lincoln had previously designated it as the last Thursday in November, which may have correlated it with the November 21, 1621, anchoring of the Mayflower at Cape Cod.
Myth: The pilgrims wore only black and white clothing. They had buckles on their hats, garments, and shoes.
Fact: Buckles did not come into fashion until later in the seventeenth century and black and white were commonly worn only on Sunday and formal occasions. Women typically dressed in red, earthy green, brown, blue, violet, and gray, while men wore clothing in white, beige, black, earthy green, and brown.
Myth: The pilgrims brought furniture with them on the Mayflower.
Fact: The only furniture that the pilgrims brought on the Mayflower was chests and boxes. They constructed wooden furniture once they settled in Plymouth.
Myth: The Mayflower was headed for Virginia, but due to a navigational mistake it ended up in Cape Cod Massachusetts.
Fact: The Pilgrims were in fact planning to settle in Virginia, but not the modern-day state of Virginia. They were part of the Virginia Company, which had the rights to most of the eastern seaboard of the U.S. The pilgrims had intended to go to the Hudson River region in New York State, which would have been considered "Northern Virginia," but they landed in Cape Cod instead. Treacherous seas prevented them from venturing further south.
TOP 10 THINGS OVERHEARD AT THE FIRST THANKSGIVING
1. John Smith - boy, your parents must have some imagination.
2. Which one are you again, Pochohontas or Sachajawea?
3. What time are the Cowboys on today?
4. Whoa there, Jebediah. Is that your rifle or are you just happy to see me?
5. Columbus or DeSoto... I don't know, Regis, I think I'd like to smoke signal a friend.
6. Plymouth Rocks, but what time do the bars in Boston close?
7. Excuse me, but I have to make my next pilmgrimage to the men's room.
8. Wos! Now I know why they call you Miles.
9. What the hell was Kathie Lee Gifford doing on the Mayflower?
10. What's up with all the trees and natives? The brochures promised casinos and hookers.
USELESS THANKSGIVING TRIVIA
· When the Pilgrims were sailing to America in 1620, what game did they play? (Darts)
· Ben Franklin tried to get the turkey, named the national bird.
· Neil Armstrong's first meal on the moon was turkey.
· A turkey has about 3,500 feathers.
· What was one of the main reasons that the Pilgrims stopped at Plymouth Rock? (Because they ran out of beer)
· At the very first Pilgrim Thanksgiving in 1621 they feasted on deer meat, turkey and what else? Popcorn brought by the Indians
· How much vitamin turkey feed is necessary to raise a 30 lb turkey? (84 lbs.)
· Running speed of wild turkeys? (25 mph)
· Turkey meat gobbled up last year by the average American? (18.1 pounds)
· The first settlers weren't called Pilgrims. Instead, they referred to themselves as Saints.
· They didn't wear big hats with buckles either! That was invented by artists.
· The first Thanksgiving was no solemn religious occasion. It was instead a 3-day party that included drinking, gambling and target shooting.
· It didn't take place in November but sometime between late September and mid-October.
· There's no evidence they celebrated Thanksgiving the following year.
FEELING GUILTY?
If all you do is pig out and watch football, don't feel guilty. You are doing yourself some good. Here's the rundown:
· Stuffing a turkey, burns 54 calories.
· Baking a pie, burns 120 calories.
· Eating the feast, burns 70 calories.
· Watching the football game, burns 144 calories.
WHY DID THE TURKEY CROSS THE ROAD?
Question: Why did the turkey cross the road?
Pat Buchanan: To steal a job from a decent, hard-working American.
Louis Farrakhan: The road, you will see, represents the black man. The turkey crossed the "black man" in order to trample him and keep him down.
Bill Gates: I have just released the new Turkey 2001, which will both cross roads and balance your checkbook, though when it divides 3 by 2 it gets 1.4999999999.
Freud: The fact that you thought that the turkey crossed the road reveals your underlying sexual insecurity.
Los Angeles Police Department: Give me ten minutes with the turkey and I'll find out.
Richard M. Nixon: The turkey did not cross the road. I repeat, the turkey did not cross the road.
Dr. Seuss: Did the turkey cross the road? Did he cross it with a toad? Yes! The turkey crossed the road, but why it crossed it, I've not been told!
Martin Luther King, Jr.: I envision a world where all turkeys will be free to cross roads without having their motives called into question.
Mulder: It was a government conspiracy.
Scully: It was a simple bio-mechanical reflex that is commonly found in turkeys.
Darwin: Turkeys, over great periods of time, have been naturally selected in such a way that they are now genetically dispositioned to cross roads.
Darwin #2: It was the logical next step after coming down from the trees.
Oliver Stone: The question is not "Why did the turkey cross the road?" but is rather "Who was crossing the road at the same time whom we overlooked in our haste to observe the turkey crossing?"
Jerry Seinfeld: Why does anyone cross a road? I mean, why doesn't anyone ever think to ask, "What the heck was this turkey doing walking around all over the place anyway?"
The Pope: That is only for God to know.
Ernest Hemingway: To die. In the rain.
O.J.: It didn't. I was playing golf with it at the time.
HOW TO COOK A TURKEY WHEN THE IN-LAWS ARE COMING
· Step 1: Go buy a turkey
· Step 2: Take a drink of whiskey, scotch or JD to calm your nerves
· Step 3: Put the turkey in the oven
· Step 4: Take another 2 drinks of whiskey
· Step 5: Set the degree to 375 ovens
· Step 6: Take a couple more swigs
· Step 7: Turn oven the on
· Step 8: Tip the bottle some more
· Step 9: Turk the bastey
· Step 10: Whiskey another bottle get
· Step 11: Stick a turkey in the thermometer
· Step 12: Glass yourself a pour of whiskey
· Step 13: Bake the whiskey for 4 hours
· Step 14: Take the oven out of the turkey
· Step 15: Take the oven out of the turkey
· Step 16: Floor the turkey up off the pick
· Step 17: Turk the carvey
· Step 18: Get yourself another scottle of botch
· Step 19: Tet the sable and pour yourself a glass of turkey
· Step 20: Bless the saying, pass and eat out
On to ROCK NEWS -
TOM PETTY & THE HEARTBREAKERS RELEASE CAREER-SPANNING 'LIVE ANTHOLOGY'…Out now is Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers' four-CD 48 track collection called The Live Anthology. The box set covers live Heartbreakers material from 1978 to 2007 and features unadulterated tapes from the Petty's archive, with "no fixes or overdubs." Highlights on the set included such Petty classics as "Even The Losers," "Refugee" "Here Comes My Girl," "Mary Jane's Last Dance," "Learning To Fly," "American Girl," "Runnin' Down A Dream," "I Won't Back Down," and more.
Among the covers featured on the collection are the Grateful Dead's "A Friend Of The Devil," Thunderclap Newman's "Something In The Air," Booker T. & The MG's "Green Onions," Fleetwood Mac's "Oh Well," the theme from the 007 spy thriller Goldfinger, and the Dave Clark Five's "Any Way You Want It," among others.
We asked Heartbreakers cofounder Mike Campbell how the band got the idea to compile a career-spanning live set: "Well it came from Tom first. I remember we were on tour once and he said, 'I wanna put together all the best live stuff we've ever done.' He said, 'But it's a lot of work, so why don't you do it? (laughs).' So I got an engineer and started digging in to the archives. Then as we went along we found some things and got him to listen to a few things and he got really excited, and then he jumped on and wanted to be hands-on with us. So that's how it kinda came about."
Campbell admits it was fascinating to listen to the band's evolution of the decades: "It was really different to hear the different eras of the band. Like to hear the band back in the late-'70s, early-'80s, and to hear the youthful energy, Stan Lynch on the drums, and the original lineup was really refreshing to hear what that was after all these years. And then to compare it to what we're doing now, y'know, it's quite a journey."
The set is available in several different configurations:
A 4-CD/48-track set.
A deluxe box featuring a five-CD/62-track set -- including two-DVDs including the Heartbreakers'1978 New Year's Eve concert in Santa Monica, California; the documentary 400 Days which was shot during the Wildflowers tour, a remastered vinyl copy of Official Live Leg bootleg from 1976, a high resolution DVD with all 62 tracks in 5.1 and stereo and more.
A standard digital release.
NEW BEATLES 'BOX OF VISION' GIVES CLASSIC ALBUM ARTWORK NEW LEASE ON LIFE…The holiday gift that just may give the Beatles remasters and Rock Band game a run for their money does nothing more than store the Beatles catalogue. For the first time ever; the band's company Apple has allowed all the group's album artwork to be collected in a single hardcover coffee table book. The officially-sanctioned book The Beatles: Box Of Vision, was spearheaded by compiler Jonathan Polk, and consists of a 200-page LP-size book which rounds up all of the Beatles' classic album artwork in one deluxe package.
Polk explains that the impetus of the project -- which was years in the making -- was basically an effort to preserve the Beatles album artwork for the ages: "The driving force behind this was to try and deal with all the things about CD's that really I felt disconnect people from the music. One being the fact that it's really difficult to store your CD's in any satisfying way. CD's changed the game. They were awkward, they came in different size packages. . . But in the artwork part of it, obviously, I was very dissatisfied that all this big beautiful artwork was reduced to these little books. Y'know, if you're over 45 years old -- which is the predominant part of this fan base -- you can't read it! Now you can put it on your lap, relax, open the pages up like you used to."
Polk says that it took perseverance and even some technical magic, to recreate the pristine Beatles album artwork: "I went to Apple first, I went to EMI, (and) Capitol Records here in the U.S., and then for the most part, I went to record collectors and collected as many copies of actual records I could find -- as old as possible. I would say for each cover there's about 10 or 15 different scans. So a lot of it is combinations. In some cases there were really beautiful and pristine covers that just needed to be minor touch ups to get it through. But a lot of them were combinations and details from different ones."
STEPHEN STILLS SCRAPPED MULTIDISC BOX SET DUE TO LOUSY ECONOMY…Stephen Stills says that tough times forced him to scale back his planned archival project. Stills recently released Manassas: Pieces, which features 15 outtakes and rarities from his groundbreaking early '70s country rock ensemble with Byrds co-founder Chris Hillman. The set also features guest spots by Joe Walsh and Bonnie Raitt.
Stills says that the collection was part of a huge vault projects that got sidelined, telling The Wall Street Journal, "I was working on a boxed set, but the recession being what it is, I thought I'd put out a few things, like the Manassas album, and not ask people to buy a 10-CD set. I have enough material to do that."
When asked about getting the rest of the archives released -- including a rumored album's worth of material with Jimi Hendrix -- Stills said: "It's going to take awhile. Eventually, we'll release lots of things. . . I have a room the size of a fairly good-sized restaurant that's filled with boxes and boxes of outtakes and jams. . . There's a little bit with Hendrix, but not as much as everybody thinks. We'd jam and sometimes the tape was rolling for 20 minutes and other times nobody thought to record it."
Stills revealed that Hendrix turned him on to restringing lefty guitars for righties for a better sound: "Jimi showed me up close and personal, something about the positioning with the pickups made them sound better upside down. But I had a '50s lefty Strat, and that went away. Somebody nabbed it."
Out now is Live At Shepherd's Bush, which features Stills caught live in London during the fall of 2008. The album includes acoustic and full electric band sets, featuring such classics as "4 + 20," "Johnny's Garden," "Change Partners," "Suite: Judy Blue Eyes," "Rock & Roll Woman," "Bluebird," "For What It's Worth," and "Love The One You're With," among others.
That’s it for now, as always, if you can’t be good, be good at it and don’t get caught!!
Happy Turkey Day!!
Jonathan
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
Wednesday - November 25, 2009 -
ON THIS DAY
On this date in 1758, the British capture Fort Duquesne at what is now Pittsburgh. They sacked the quarterback four times!
In 1884, evaporated milk was invented when a cow was vaporized.
On this date in 1922, the entrance to King Tut's tomb was discovered. He was buried there so he could be close to his mummy. Or, the head of the expedition grew very attached to his mummy. That same day, FTD introduced their Mummy's Day Bouquet.
TODAY IS
Christmas is exactly one month away!
The Bush twins -- Barbara and Jenna -- turn 28 today. They're fraternal twins because their dad belonged to a fraternity.
Christina Applegate turns 38. Wow, sounds like a Lifetime series.
Amy Grant is 49 today. She sang "Baby, Baby"... the big hit follow up to her less known song, "Baby."
Funny guy John Larroquette turns 62 today. He's one of those guys who very premature gray hair. Made junior high pretty tough.
Shopping Reminder Day -- It's exactly one month before Christmas, time to remind you that there are only 24 more shopping days after today until Christmas (excluding Sundays, Thanksgiving and Christmas Eve).
THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW
Last week, "Cougar Town" shut down production because Courtney Cox had a "family matter" to deal with. Apparently, all is resolved, because production will resume next week.
Regis Philbin will undergo hip replacement surgery next week (Tuesday).
Don Rickles has signed up to do another year's worth of shows in Las Vegas at age 83.
Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie donated over $6 million to charities last year.
The Food Network's Paula Deen got an unexpected serving of ham... across her face. She was helping to unload 25,000 pounds of donated meat for an Atlanta food bank on Monday when someone threw one of the hams like a football and accidentally smacked her.
Jon and Kate Gosselin's divorce could be finalized before the end of the year.
P Diddy is going to go on the Home Shopping Network and hawk his fragrances, "I am King" "Unforgivable."
Oprah's BFF Gayle King says O is at peace with her decision to end her talk show after 25 years.
Little Richard is asking fans to pray for his speedy recovery after undergoing hip surgery at a Tennessee hospital.
Howie Mandel has a new book out called, "Don't Touch Me."
The first section of "City Center" -- a new $8.5 billion shopping, business and living complex in Las Vegas -- opens next Tuesday.
Now, John Kerry's daughter, Alexandra, won't be prosecuted for drunk driving. The DA says on review, her alcohol level was below the legal limit.
When Lady Gaga saw the huge line outside of an LA music store, waiting to get an autographed copy of her new album, her people called up Papa John's and she bought 80 cheese pizza's to be delivered to the folks in line.
Heidi Klum has now taken Seal's last name. It's now Heidi Samuel.
WEIRD NEWS
Coma Victim Actually Conscious For 23 Years! - So imagine you're in a car crash and become completely paralyzed. Now imagine that, even though you're completely conscious, your doctors decide you're in a coma and leave you lying in your hospital bed. Now imagine you lay there for the next 23 years! That is the story of England's Rom Houben. For 23 years Ron could not let doctors know that he could hear every word they were saying. Now 46, Ron says, "I dreamed myself away. All that time I just literally dreamed of a better life. Frustration is too small a word to describe what I felt." Back in 1983, Doctors conducted a series of coma tests before concluding that his consciousness was "extinct". But three years ago, new hi-tech scans showed his brain was still functioning almost completely normally. Ron's amazing case has only just been revealed in a scientific paper released by the man who "saved" him, top neurological expert Dr. Steven Laureys. Dr. Laureys believes there may be many similar cases of false comas around the world. Ron is still completely paralyzed so is likely to never leave the hospital, but now has a special computer above his bed which lets him read books while lying down. Ron said, "I shall never forget the day when they discovered what was truly wrong with me. It was my second birth. I want to read, talk with my friends via the computer and enjoy my life now that people know I am not dead." (Ananova)
And Why Wasn't Little Johnny In School Today? - In Warwick, Rhode Island, police say a 17-year-old boy skipped school to rob a bank and has been arrested after leaving fingerprints on the threatening note he passed to the teller. Apparently the boy was not a very good student as the note was riddled with misspellings. The note demanded money or threatened that "everyone will be shot." The teller at Coastway Community Bank gave the boy money, but he didn't have much time to spend it. Thanks to video surveillance pictures and the fingerprints, he was arrested six hours after the alleged theft and now faces a first degree robbery charge. (The Providence Journal)
A Thankful Turkey! - Here's one turkey that won't be on anyone's table this Thursday. In Rehoboth, Massachusetts, Lyndsey Medeiros is seeking donations from fellow pet lovers to help pay for eye surgery for her turkey named Jerry. Lyndsey and her husband adopted three-year-old Jerry and another turkey from a Rhode Island farm last week. But Jerry has cataracts, and the eye problems mean he can't eat independently or join his female companion, Penelope, in flying. So Lyndsey posted an ad on Craigslist seeking donations for the surgery which could cost up to $2,600. Her farm in Rehoboth cares for other animals with health problems. (myway.com)
Have a 100-Proof Thanksgiving! - If you want to share in the Thanksgiving bird at O'Casey's Tavern in Midtown Manhattan, you'll have to be 21 and you'll need some I.D. O'Casey's owner, Paul Hurley, said he'll unveil what he is calling the nation's first 100-proof turkey! The bird was infused with fruit-flavored and 100-proof Georgi vodka for three days before being cooked. The flavors of vodka include peach, raspberry, cherry and apple. The gravy is also laced with the liquor. Out of concern over the danger of drinking-and-driving, the tavern is offering free taxi ride home to anyone who orders the boozy bird! (myway.com)
Gonna Catch The Wabbit! - In Woodward, Oklahoma, police went on an unexpected rabbit hunt after receiving a call about a suspicious person dressed in a rabbit suit and harassing some school kids at a local McDonald's. Reportedly "a man in a Mazda convertible dressed in a rabbit suit" had allegedly been driving around the kid's school bus while it was parked at the McDonald's. They were able to track down the vehicle and discovered the driver was in fact wearing a pink bunny costume minus a mask. He wasn't arrested as police officers had not witnessed him harassing any of the students. Police Lt. Monty Martin said, "He hadn't been drinking or anything, just acting goofy. It was just a young person being silly. I told him you need to act your age," adding that when he learned that the guy had just recently moved to Woodward, "We didn't do that kind of stuff up here." (The Woodward News)
Definitely Not Ready For Prime Time Crime! - Who knew it was so easy to stop a robbery in process? In Orlando, Florida, two suspects in hooded sweatshirts, masks and armed with a shotgun walked into an Einstein Bros. Bagels and tried to rob the place. But their attempt was stopped cold when one of the employees simply pushed a bagel cart at the suspects. The suspects suddenly fled apparently concluding that their shot gun was no match for an angry cart load of bagels. (Orlando Sentinel)
The New Pot Smoking King! - When one pauses to reflect on the world's most prolific pot smokers, one conjures up names like Snoop Dog, Cheech and Chong, Willie Nelson. But don't forget about 56-year-old Irvin Rosenfeld of Fort Lauderdale! The stockbroker just set a new world record for weed consumption while lighting up his 115,000th joint. And it's all legal! Rosenfeld told reporters his stash was all provided by Uncle Sam saying, "They grow it for me, I find that quite ironic." Rosenfeld's pot has been provided by the government since 1982, when he became a patient in the Federal Drug Administration's Investigational New Drug Program. Grown on a farm on the campus of the University of Mississippi, the weed is delivered to a local pharmacy where Rosenfeld gets it by the bushel. He suffers from a rare bone disorder which causes severe pain, alleviated by a healthy dose of ganja. He's been getting 300 joints every 25 days for the past 27 years, and said he smokes between 10 and 12 per day. Rosenfeld said he's never gotten high and has never gotten "the munchies." He says, "A lot of patients don't get high." Rosenfeld is an advocate for the Feds providing medicinal marijuana, a policy ended in 1992. While most people who need medicinal marijuana rely on the dozen or so states that allow it, Rosenfeld and three others were grandfathered into the federal program. He said he's lucky to be able to get his hands on what many others can't. (NBC News)
What A Difference a Day Makes! - It's rather amazing how a man's life can change in just 24 hours. 56-year-old Charles Wesley Mumbere had been toiling away as a nurse's aide at a nursing home in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania for years. That is until just recently when the Ugandan government recognized the separatist Rwenzururu territory founded in 1962 by Mumbere's late father. So this month, Mr. Mumbere returned to his native country and now reigns as king of the region's 300,000 subjects. (The Guardian)
Facebook In the Monestary! - 11-year-old Jigme Wangchuk had been enjoying life as a student at St. Peter's School in Boston. However that came to an abrupt end this month as he was just enthroned by a Buddhist sect in his native India's Darjeeling district and named its high priest. He now rules over a territory extending to neighboring Nepal and Bhutan. Unfortunately for him, that means he now has to live in seclusion in his monastery, except for occasional contact with Facebook friends he made while in Boston. (Daily Telegraph)
FIVE THINGS THE PILGRIMS DID ON THANKSGIVING
1. Watched annual football game between the Redskins and the Chiefs
2. Made comments like, "Shouldn'tst thou have removed the feathers?"
3. Publicly flogged Earl Cathaway after he remarked to Mrs. Hanson, "Nice yams!"
4. "I maketh dibs on the wishbone!"
5. Complained about no national healthcare plan
HUNTER'S HUMOR by Tim Hunter
Last week, 5 storms rolled through our area. This week: none. I guess we should be thankful. Now, to figure out which day we should do that...
Over the river and through the woods is a lot more challenging these days, what with all the vampires and werewolves running all over.
Jennifer Lopez says she meant to trip during her performance Sunday night at the AMA's. By the way, since then, her booty has experience several aftershocks.
The movie "Ninja Assassin" opens this weekend... just in time to pick up a few tips on holiday shopping.
HOW BIG OF AN IDIOT ARE YOU?
Take the test, see how you score.
1. Do they have a 4th of July in England?
2. How many birthdays does the average man have?
3. Some months have 31 days; how many have 28?
4. A woman gives a beggar 50 cents; the woman is the beggar's sister, but the beggar is not the woman's brother. How come?
5. Why can't a man living in the USA be buried in Canada?
6. How many outs are there in an inning?
7. Is it legal for a man in California to marry his widow's sister? Why?
8. Two men play five games of checkers. Each man wins the same number of games. There are no ties. Explain this.
9. Divide 30 by 1/2 and add 10. What is the answer?
10. A man builds a house rectangular in shape. All sides have southern exposure. A big bear walks by, what color is the bear? Why?
11. If there are 3 apples and you take away 2, how many do you have?
12. I have two U.S. coins totaling 55 cents. One is not a nickel. What are the coins?
13. If you have only one match and you walked into a room where there was an oil burner, a kerosene lamp, and a wood burning stove, which one would you light first?
14. How far can a dog run into the woods?
15. A doctor gives you three pills telling you to take one every half hour. How long would the pills last?
16. A farmer has 17 sheep, and all but 9 die. How many are left?
17. How many animals of each sex did Moses take on the ark?
18. A clerk in the butcher shop is 5' 10" tall. What does he weigh?
19. How many two cent stamps are there in a dozen?
20. What was the President's name in 1950?
Answers:
1. Yes
2. One
3. All of them (12)
4. The beggar is her sister.
5. He can't be buried if he isn't dead.
6. SIX
7. No - because he is dead.
8. They aren't playing each other.
9. 70
10. White. The house is at the North Pole so it is a polar bear.
11. 2
12. 50 cent piece and a nickel. (The other one is a nickel)
13. The match.
14. Half way. Then he is running out of the woods.
15. 1 Hour
16. 9
17. None - Noah took them on the ark.
18. Meat
19. 12
20. Bill Clinton - Same as it is today...
Answers to Test and Scoring guide:
20 Correct - Genius
17 Correct - Above Normal
15 Correct - Normal
8 Correct - Not the brightest crayon in the box
6 Correct - Not quite an idiot...definitely not an Einstein
3 Correct - Big Idiot
On to ROCK NEWS –
REMEMBERING GEORGE HARRISON…It was eight years ago Sunday (November 29th, 2001) that George Harrison died after a long battle with cancer, at age 58. Harrison, the first of the Beatles to embrace Eastern philosophies and culture, will also be remembered for his humanitarian efforts, such as his 1971 Concert For Bangladesh for famine relief.
After the group's split in 1970, Harrison's solo career kicked off with the Number One hit "My Sweet Lord" and the Number One album All Things Must Pass. He was also responsible for organizing 1971's The Concert For Bangladesh, which was the first major rock fundraiser, which paved the way for countless other music-supported benefits over the years.
Harrison wrote such Beatles classics as "Don't Bother Me," "I Need You," "Think For Yourself," "If I Needed Someone," "Taxman," "I Want To Tell You," "Within You, Without You," "Blue Jay Way," "It's Only A Northern Song," "It's All Too Much," "The Inner Light," "While My Guitar Gently Weeps," "Piggies" "I Me Mine," "For You Blue," "Old Brown Shoe," "Something," and "Here Comes The Sun," among others.
Other solo hits included "What Is Life," "Bangla Desh," "Give Me Love (Give Me Peace On Earth)," "Dark Horse," "You," "This Song," "Crackerbox Palace," "Blow Away," "All Those Years Ago," and his 1987 comeback single "Got My Mind Set On You," which is the last solo Number One single by any former Beatle to date.
Harrison produced Ringo Starr's initial solo singles "It Don't Come Easy" and "Back Off Boogaloo," as well also co-writing Starr's first Number One hit "Photograph" with him.
Shortly after his return to the spotlight in 1987, Harrison co-founded the supergroup the Traveling Wilburys with Bob Dylan, Roy Orbison, Jeff Lynne and Tom Petty. In 1991 he undertook a brief tour of Japan with Eric Clapton and his band.
His widow Olivia Harrison has lead a successful reissue campaign of the Harrison solo catalog, including a recent box set of the Traveling Wilburys material. A future collection featuring highlights of Harrison's sole North American solo tour from 1974 is said to be in the works for the near future. Olivia is also serving as the executive producer for director Martin Scorsese's upcoming documentary on Harrison's life and work.
The Harrison's son Dhani is now a musician in his own right, leading his own band the New Number Two, as well as spearheading the production of the recent Beatles: Rock Band game.
Harrison's first wife Pattie Boyd recently published her memoir on her marriages to Harrison and future husband Eric Clapton titled Wonderful Tonight: George Harrison, Eric Clapton And Me. Boyd was amazed at what a loving and supportive family Harrison had away from the madness of "Beatlemania": "They were so warm as a family and really were most inviting and kind to me, and I was very fond of them. And I'm still in touch with Harry, George's eldest brother. And so I had spent a lot of time with him and his wife Irene, and with (his brother) Pete and his wife and their children. So... we all grew up together."
Olivia Harrison was asked how she thought George would have made sense of the post-9/11 world: "You know he died in 2001, in November, and you know what events took prior to that, and he was pretty horrified and very sad. And I think his solution to everything was to go inside and be part of the solution. And he used to say, 'For a forest to be green each tree must be green.' And I think he'd really taken to keeping his own house in order."
Life-long friend Eric Clapton said that it might have taken Harrison's death to show people just how great he really was: "The best thing that came out of his passing was that we all got to remember exactly what he'd contributed, you know, as much as any of the other guys -- and maybe more so, because it was an individual achievement. You know, Lennon & McCartney's one thing, and Paul is one thing, and John's one, but I think George -- in my opinion, I found him, his work the most accessible, and the strongest, for me to tune in to."
SLASH JOINED BY OZZY, OTHER GUNS N' ROSES MEMBERS AT BENEFIT…Ex-Guns N' Roses guitarist Slash was joined by two other ex-members of the original Guns lineup, as well as Ozzy Osbourne, Linkin Park's Chester Bennington and others, at a benefit gig on Sunday night (November 22nd) in Hollywood for the Los Angeles Youth Network (LAYN). At one point in the show, Slash was joined onstage by former Guns drummer Steven Adler and bassist Duff McKagan for a rendition of the Guns tune "Paradise City" with Bennington on vocals, making for perhaps the highest concentration of original Guns members to share a stage together in years.
According to NME.com, other surprise guests at the show included Rage Against The Machine axeman Tom Morello, singer Billy Idol and Jane's Addiction guitarist Dave Navarro.
Slash has enlisted a number of rock and pop luminaries to appear on his upcoming solo album, Slash & Friends, tentatively due out in March 2010.
Among the artists appearing on the album are Dave Grohl, Flea, Chris Cornell, Duff McKagan, Wolfmother's Andrew Stockdale, Iggy Pop, Alice Cooper, Nicole Scherzinger, Meat Loaf, Maroon 5's Adam Levine and Ozzy Osbourne, who contributes vocals to the first single.
STALEMATE BETWEEN AEROSMITH AND STEVEN TYLER CONTINUES…Aerosmith guitarist Joe Perry told MTV News at Sunday night's (November 22nd) 2009 American Music Awards that he and singer Steven Tyler are still not on speaking terms following Tyler's announcement that he wanted to go solo for two years and his subsequent appearance with Perry's own solo band in New York a couple of weeks ago. Perry said, "I think that you just have to listen to what's going on in the press. Because that's the only thing I know. All I know is that the four guys (other than Tyler in Aerosmith) want to work . . . The band's going to be working."
Perry told reporters Sunday night that the four non-singing members of Aerosmith will likely begin discussions over the holidays about getting a new frontman.
As for how audiences might react to Aerosmith with a different frontman, Perry said he's not sure: "Part of it's the personalities in the band and part of it's the songs. So we're gonna be able to deliver the songs, and also, I mean, we'll work with somebody who is gonna bring something to the party, and it may knock Aerosmith up a whole 'nother notch. So that's something I'm excited about."
Tyler has been estranged from the band since August, when he fell from a stage in South Dakota and forced the group to cancel the rest of its summer tour.
The other members have revealed that Tyler has his own management, and that none of them have had any contact with him in months. Drummer Joey Kramer and guitarist Brad Whitford have hinted that they think Tyler might be using drugs again.
Tyler did join Perry onstage in New York two weeks ago while the latter was touring with his Joe Perry Project solo band, telling the crowd that he wasn't quitting Aerosmith.
ROB ZOMBIE WANTS TO BREAK OUT OF HORROR WITH NEXT MOVIE…Rob Zombie told the Chicago Tribune on Tuesday (November 24th) that he wants his next film as a writer/director to be outside the horror genre. Zombie, who has made four horror movies since 2003, said, "If you go down that road too far, it's hard to break out of it. I don't want to get stuck with anything. I want the freedom to do what I want to do." Zombie's last film, Halloween II, was released in late August to mostly horrible reviews and lukewarm box office.
Zombie recently said on a conference call with reporters that the movie he hopes to do next might surprise people: "The movies I've made up to this point have been pretty dark and pretty much in that world because those are the opportunities that were presented. But I'm also working on something now that is not in that world at all. You know, the people that put up the money for these things know that if I stick to that sort of thing, it's easily more profitable. So it's a much bigger challenge to break out of it. But if everything goes according to plan, and the next movie that I want to make is the next movie, people are gonna be shocked as to what it is."
Zombie has been planning to make an action film called Tyrannosaurus Rex, and has also been named to write and direct a remake of The Blob, but there's no indication yet of when or if either project will get off the ground.
He was approached to direct 2008's Punisher: War Zone but passed. His other films include House Of 1000 Corpses, The Devil's Rejects and Halloween.
Zombie releases a new solo album, Hellbilly Deluxe 2, on February 2nd. He is currently on the road and stops on Wednesday night (November 25th) in Columbus, Ohio.
ROGER DALTREY OFFERING REFUNDS FOR CANCELED BALTIMORE GIG…Roger Daltrey announced that fans will be reimbursed for his November 10th show at Baltimore's Lyric Opera House which he was forced to cancel due a "throat issue." Fans were told at the time to hang on to their tickets and wait for further instructions -- with many holding out hope that the Who frontman would make up the show at the end of his tour.
On Monday (November 23rd) a message was posted on thewho.com stating: RESCHEDULE IMPOSSIBLE: Roger Daltrey's gig in Baltimore, which he had to cancel due to ill health, unfortunately cannot be rescheduled. "Roger only has a short window at the end of the tour before he has to be back in the UK for work commitments and the venue is not available," says the singer's management.
RICHIE SAMBORA GETS A STREET NAMED AFTER HIM…Bon Jovi guitarist Richie Sambora now has a street named after him. According to the Associated Press, on Tuesday (November 24th), residents and public officials gathered in Sambora's hometown of Woodbridge, New Jersey to name a street in his honor -- Richie Sambora Way. Sambora, who attended the event yesterday with his mother, still has close ties to his hometown. He recently launched a fundraising effort called, "You Can Go Home," which benefits 19-year-old Kelly Mahon, a Woodbridge woman who was diagnosed with a brain tumor two years ago. He's also paying for a new weight room at his alma mater, Woodbridge High School. Sambora is naming it after his father Adam, who died of cancer in 2007.
Bon Jovi is out with a new album called The Circle. The band kicks off a tour next year.
That’s it for now, as always if you can’t be good, be good at it and don’t get caught!!
Happy Thanksgiving –
Jonathan
On this date in 1758, the British capture Fort Duquesne at what is now Pittsburgh. They sacked the quarterback four times!
In 1884, evaporated milk was invented when a cow was vaporized.
On this date in 1922, the entrance to King Tut's tomb was discovered. He was buried there so he could be close to his mummy. Or, the head of the expedition grew very attached to his mummy. That same day, FTD introduced their Mummy's Day Bouquet.
TODAY IS
Christmas is exactly one month away!
The Bush twins -- Barbara and Jenna -- turn 28 today. They're fraternal twins because their dad belonged to a fraternity.
Christina Applegate turns 38. Wow, sounds like a Lifetime series.
Amy Grant is 49 today. She sang "Baby, Baby"... the big hit follow up to her less known song, "Baby."
Funny guy John Larroquette turns 62 today. He's one of those guys who very premature gray hair. Made junior high pretty tough.
Shopping Reminder Day -- It's exactly one month before Christmas, time to remind you that there are only 24 more shopping days after today until Christmas (excluding Sundays, Thanksgiving and Christmas Eve).
THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW
Last week, "Cougar Town" shut down production because Courtney Cox had a "family matter" to deal with. Apparently, all is resolved, because production will resume next week.
Regis Philbin will undergo hip replacement surgery next week (Tuesday).
Don Rickles has signed up to do another year's worth of shows in Las Vegas at age 83.
Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie donated over $6 million to charities last year.
The Food Network's Paula Deen got an unexpected serving of ham... across her face. She was helping to unload 25,000 pounds of donated meat for an Atlanta food bank on Monday when someone threw one of the hams like a football and accidentally smacked her.
Jon and Kate Gosselin's divorce could be finalized before the end of the year.
P Diddy is going to go on the Home Shopping Network and hawk his fragrances, "I am King" "Unforgivable."
Oprah's BFF Gayle King says O is at peace with her decision to end her talk show after 25 years.
Little Richard is asking fans to pray for his speedy recovery after undergoing hip surgery at a Tennessee hospital.
Howie Mandel has a new book out called, "Don't Touch Me."
The first section of "City Center" -- a new $8.5 billion shopping, business and living complex in Las Vegas -- opens next Tuesday.
Now, John Kerry's daughter, Alexandra, won't be prosecuted for drunk driving. The DA says on review, her alcohol level was below the legal limit.
When Lady Gaga saw the huge line outside of an LA music store, waiting to get an autographed copy of her new album, her people called up Papa John's and she bought 80 cheese pizza's to be delivered to the folks in line.
Heidi Klum has now taken Seal's last name. It's now Heidi Samuel.
WEIRD NEWS
Coma Victim Actually Conscious For 23 Years! - So imagine you're in a car crash and become completely paralyzed. Now imagine that, even though you're completely conscious, your doctors decide you're in a coma and leave you lying in your hospital bed. Now imagine you lay there for the next 23 years! That is the story of England's Rom Houben. For 23 years Ron could not let doctors know that he could hear every word they were saying. Now 46, Ron says, "I dreamed myself away. All that time I just literally dreamed of a better life. Frustration is too small a word to describe what I felt." Back in 1983, Doctors conducted a series of coma tests before concluding that his consciousness was "extinct". But three years ago, new hi-tech scans showed his brain was still functioning almost completely normally. Ron's amazing case has only just been revealed in a scientific paper released by the man who "saved" him, top neurological expert Dr. Steven Laureys. Dr. Laureys believes there may be many similar cases of false comas around the world. Ron is still completely paralyzed so is likely to never leave the hospital, but now has a special computer above his bed which lets him read books while lying down. Ron said, "I shall never forget the day when they discovered what was truly wrong with me. It was my second birth. I want to read, talk with my friends via the computer and enjoy my life now that people know I am not dead." (Ananova)
And Why Wasn't Little Johnny In School Today? - In Warwick, Rhode Island, police say a 17-year-old boy skipped school to rob a bank and has been arrested after leaving fingerprints on the threatening note he passed to the teller. Apparently the boy was not a very good student as the note was riddled with misspellings. The note demanded money or threatened that "everyone will be shot." The teller at Coastway Community Bank gave the boy money, but he didn't have much time to spend it. Thanks to video surveillance pictures and the fingerprints, he was arrested six hours after the alleged theft and now faces a first degree robbery charge. (The Providence Journal)
A Thankful Turkey! - Here's one turkey that won't be on anyone's table this Thursday. In Rehoboth, Massachusetts, Lyndsey Medeiros is seeking donations from fellow pet lovers to help pay for eye surgery for her turkey named Jerry. Lyndsey and her husband adopted three-year-old Jerry and another turkey from a Rhode Island farm last week. But Jerry has cataracts, and the eye problems mean he can't eat independently or join his female companion, Penelope, in flying. So Lyndsey posted an ad on Craigslist seeking donations for the surgery which could cost up to $2,600. Her farm in Rehoboth cares for other animals with health problems. (myway.com)
Have a 100-Proof Thanksgiving! - If you want to share in the Thanksgiving bird at O'Casey's Tavern in Midtown Manhattan, you'll have to be 21 and you'll need some I.D. O'Casey's owner, Paul Hurley, said he'll unveil what he is calling the nation's first 100-proof turkey! The bird was infused with fruit-flavored and 100-proof Georgi vodka for three days before being cooked. The flavors of vodka include peach, raspberry, cherry and apple. The gravy is also laced with the liquor. Out of concern over the danger of drinking-and-driving, the tavern is offering free taxi ride home to anyone who orders the boozy bird! (myway.com)
Gonna Catch The Wabbit! - In Woodward, Oklahoma, police went on an unexpected rabbit hunt after receiving a call about a suspicious person dressed in a rabbit suit and harassing some school kids at a local McDonald's. Reportedly "a man in a Mazda convertible dressed in a rabbit suit" had allegedly been driving around the kid's school bus while it was parked at the McDonald's. They were able to track down the vehicle and discovered the driver was in fact wearing a pink bunny costume minus a mask. He wasn't arrested as police officers had not witnessed him harassing any of the students. Police Lt. Monty Martin said, "He hadn't been drinking or anything, just acting goofy. It was just a young person being silly. I told him you need to act your age," adding that when he learned that the guy had just recently moved to Woodward, "We didn't do that kind of stuff up here." (The Woodward News)
Definitely Not Ready For Prime Time Crime! - Who knew it was so easy to stop a robbery in process? In Orlando, Florida, two suspects in hooded sweatshirts, masks and armed with a shotgun walked into an Einstein Bros. Bagels and tried to rob the place. But their attempt was stopped cold when one of the employees simply pushed a bagel cart at the suspects. The suspects suddenly fled apparently concluding that their shot gun was no match for an angry cart load of bagels. (Orlando Sentinel)
The New Pot Smoking King! - When one pauses to reflect on the world's most prolific pot smokers, one conjures up names like Snoop Dog, Cheech and Chong, Willie Nelson. But don't forget about 56-year-old Irvin Rosenfeld of Fort Lauderdale! The stockbroker just set a new world record for weed consumption while lighting up his 115,000th joint. And it's all legal! Rosenfeld told reporters his stash was all provided by Uncle Sam saying, "They grow it for me, I find that quite ironic." Rosenfeld's pot has been provided by the government since 1982, when he became a patient in the Federal Drug Administration's Investigational New Drug Program. Grown on a farm on the campus of the University of Mississippi, the weed is delivered to a local pharmacy where Rosenfeld gets it by the bushel. He suffers from a rare bone disorder which causes severe pain, alleviated by a healthy dose of ganja. He's been getting 300 joints every 25 days for the past 27 years, and said he smokes between 10 and 12 per day. Rosenfeld said he's never gotten high and has never gotten "the munchies." He says, "A lot of patients don't get high." Rosenfeld is an advocate for the Feds providing medicinal marijuana, a policy ended in 1992. While most people who need medicinal marijuana rely on the dozen or so states that allow it, Rosenfeld and three others were grandfathered into the federal program. He said he's lucky to be able to get his hands on what many others can't. (NBC News)
What A Difference a Day Makes! - It's rather amazing how a man's life can change in just 24 hours. 56-year-old Charles Wesley Mumbere had been toiling away as a nurse's aide at a nursing home in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania for years. That is until just recently when the Ugandan government recognized the separatist Rwenzururu territory founded in 1962 by Mumbere's late father. So this month, Mr. Mumbere returned to his native country and now reigns as king of the region's 300,000 subjects. (The Guardian)
Facebook In the Monestary! - 11-year-old Jigme Wangchuk had been enjoying life as a student at St. Peter's School in Boston. However that came to an abrupt end this month as he was just enthroned by a Buddhist sect in his native India's Darjeeling district and named its high priest. He now rules over a territory extending to neighboring Nepal and Bhutan. Unfortunately for him, that means he now has to live in seclusion in his monastery, except for occasional contact with Facebook friends he made while in Boston. (Daily Telegraph)
FIVE THINGS THE PILGRIMS DID ON THANKSGIVING
1. Watched annual football game between the Redskins and the Chiefs
2. Made comments like, "Shouldn'tst thou have removed the feathers?"
3. Publicly flogged Earl Cathaway after he remarked to Mrs. Hanson, "Nice yams!"
4. "I maketh dibs on the wishbone!"
5. Complained about no national healthcare plan
HUNTER'S HUMOR by Tim Hunter
Last week, 5 storms rolled through our area. This week: none. I guess we should be thankful. Now, to figure out which day we should do that...
Over the river and through the woods is a lot more challenging these days, what with all the vampires and werewolves running all over.
Jennifer Lopez says she meant to trip during her performance Sunday night at the AMA's. By the way, since then, her booty has experience several aftershocks.
The movie "Ninja Assassin" opens this weekend... just in time to pick up a few tips on holiday shopping.
HOW BIG OF AN IDIOT ARE YOU?
Take the test, see how you score.
1. Do they have a 4th of July in England?
2. How many birthdays does the average man have?
3. Some months have 31 days; how many have 28?
4. A woman gives a beggar 50 cents; the woman is the beggar's sister, but the beggar is not the woman's brother. How come?
5. Why can't a man living in the USA be buried in Canada?
6. How many outs are there in an inning?
7. Is it legal for a man in California to marry his widow's sister? Why?
8. Two men play five games of checkers. Each man wins the same number of games. There are no ties. Explain this.
9. Divide 30 by 1/2 and add 10. What is the answer?
10. A man builds a house rectangular in shape. All sides have southern exposure. A big bear walks by, what color is the bear? Why?
11. If there are 3 apples and you take away 2, how many do you have?
12. I have two U.S. coins totaling 55 cents. One is not a nickel. What are the coins?
13. If you have only one match and you walked into a room where there was an oil burner, a kerosene lamp, and a wood burning stove, which one would you light first?
14. How far can a dog run into the woods?
15. A doctor gives you three pills telling you to take one every half hour. How long would the pills last?
16. A farmer has 17 sheep, and all but 9 die. How many are left?
17. How many animals of each sex did Moses take on the ark?
18. A clerk in the butcher shop is 5' 10" tall. What does he weigh?
19. How many two cent stamps are there in a dozen?
20. What was the President's name in 1950?
Answers:
1. Yes
2. One
3. All of them (12)
4. The beggar is her sister.
5. He can't be buried if he isn't dead.
6. SIX
7. No - because he is dead.
8. They aren't playing each other.
9. 70
10. White. The house is at the North Pole so it is a polar bear.
11. 2
12. 50 cent piece and a nickel. (The other one is a nickel)
13. The match.
14. Half way. Then he is running out of the woods.
15. 1 Hour
16. 9
17. None - Noah took them on the ark.
18. Meat
19. 12
20. Bill Clinton - Same as it is today...
Answers to Test and Scoring guide:
20 Correct - Genius
17 Correct - Above Normal
15 Correct - Normal
8 Correct - Not the brightest crayon in the box
6 Correct - Not quite an idiot...definitely not an Einstein
3 Correct - Big Idiot
On to ROCK NEWS –
REMEMBERING GEORGE HARRISON…It was eight years ago Sunday (November 29th, 2001) that George Harrison died after a long battle with cancer, at age 58. Harrison, the first of the Beatles to embrace Eastern philosophies and culture, will also be remembered for his humanitarian efforts, such as his 1971 Concert For Bangladesh for famine relief.
After the group's split in 1970, Harrison's solo career kicked off with the Number One hit "My Sweet Lord" and the Number One album All Things Must Pass. He was also responsible for organizing 1971's The Concert For Bangladesh, which was the first major rock fundraiser, which paved the way for countless other music-supported benefits over the years.
Harrison wrote such Beatles classics as "Don't Bother Me," "I Need You," "Think For Yourself," "If I Needed Someone," "Taxman," "I Want To Tell You," "Within You, Without You," "Blue Jay Way," "It's Only A Northern Song," "It's All Too Much," "The Inner Light," "While My Guitar Gently Weeps," "Piggies" "I Me Mine," "For You Blue," "Old Brown Shoe," "Something," and "Here Comes The Sun," among others.
Other solo hits included "What Is Life," "Bangla Desh," "Give Me Love (Give Me Peace On Earth)," "Dark Horse," "You," "This Song," "Crackerbox Palace," "Blow Away," "All Those Years Ago," and his 1987 comeback single "Got My Mind Set On You," which is the last solo Number One single by any former Beatle to date.
Harrison produced Ringo Starr's initial solo singles "It Don't Come Easy" and "Back Off Boogaloo," as well also co-writing Starr's first Number One hit "Photograph" with him.
Shortly after his return to the spotlight in 1987, Harrison co-founded the supergroup the Traveling Wilburys with Bob Dylan, Roy Orbison, Jeff Lynne and Tom Petty. In 1991 he undertook a brief tour of Japan with Eric Clapton and his band.
His widow Olivia Harrison has lead a successful reissue campaign of the Harrison solo catalog, including a recent box set of the Traveling Wilburys material. A future collection featuring highlights of Harrison's sole North American solo tour from 1974 is said to be in the works for the near future. Olivia is also serving as the executive producer for director Martin Scorsese's upcoming documentary on Harrison's life and work.
The Harrison's son Dhani is now a musician in his own right, leading his own band the New Number Two, as well as spearheading the production of the recent Beatles: Rock Band game.
Harrison's first wife Pattie Boyd recently published her memoir on her marriages to Harrison and future husband Eric Clapton titled Wonderful Tonight: George Harrison, Eric Clapton And Me. Boyd was amazed at what a loving and supportive family Harrison had away from the madness of "Beatlemania": "They were so warm as a family and really were most inviting and kind to me, and I was very fond of them. And I'm still in touch with Harry, George's eldest brother. And so I had spent a lot of time with him and his wife Irene, and with (his brother) Pete and his wife and their children. So... we all grew up together."
Olivia Harrison was asked how she thought George would have made sense of the post-9/11 world: "You know he died in 2001, in November, and you know what events took prior to that, and he was pretty horrified and very sad. And I think his solution to everything was to go inside and be part of the solution. And he used to say, 'For a forest to be green each tree must be green.' And I think he'd really taken to keeping his own house in order."
Life-long friend Eric Clapton said that it might have taken Harrison's death to show people just how great he really was: "The best thing that came out of his passing was that we all got to remember exactly what he'd contributed, you know, as much as any of the other guys -- and maybe more so, because it was an individual achievement. You know, Lennon & McCartney's one thing, and Paul is one thing, and John's one, but I think George -- in my opinion, I found him, his work the most accessible, and the strongest, for me to tune in to."
SLASH JOINED BY OZZY, OTHER GUNS N' ROSES MEMBERS AT BENEFIT…Ex-Guns N' Roses guitarist Slash was joined by two other ex-members of the original Guns lineup, as well as Ozzy Osbourne, Linkin Park's Chester Bennington and others, at a benefit gig on Sunday night (November 22nd) in Hollywood for the Los Angeles Youth Network (LAYN). At one point in the show, Slash was joined onstage by former Guns drummer Steven Adler and bassist Duff McKagan for a rendition of the Guns tune "Paradise City" with Bennington on vocals, making for perhaps the highest concentration of original Guns members to share a stage together in years.
According to NME.com, other surprise guests at the show included Rage Against The Machine axeman Tom Morello, singer Billy Idol and Jane's Addiction guitarist Dave Navarro.
Slash has enlisted a number of rock and pop luminaries to appear on his upcoming solo album, Slash & Friends, tentatively due out in March 2010.
Among the artists appearing on the album are Dave Grohl, Flea, Chris Cornell, Duff McKagan, Wolfmother's Andrew Stockdale, Iggy Pop, Alice Cooper, Nicole Scherzinger, Meat Loaf, Maroon 5's Adam Levine and Ozzy Osbourne, who contributes vocals to the first single.
STALEMATE BETWEEN AEROSMITH AND STEVEN TYLER CONTINUES…Aerosmith guitarist Joe Perry told MTV News at Sunday night's (November 22nd) 2009 American Music Awards that he and singer Steven Tyler are still not on speaking terms following Tyler's announcement that he wanted to go solo for two years and his subsequent appearance with Perry's own solo band in New York a couple of weeks ago. Perry said, "I think that you just have to listen to what's going on in the press. Because that's the only thing I know. All I know is that the four guys (other than Tyler in Aerosmith) want to work . . . The band's going to be working."
Perry told reporters Sunday night that the four non-singing members of Aerosmith will likely begin discussions over the holidays about getting a new frontman.
As for how audiences might react to Aerosmith with a different frontman, Perry said he's not sure: "Part of it's the personalities in the band and part of it's the songs. So we're gonna be able to deliver the songs, and also, I mean, we'll work with somebody who is gonna bring something to the party, and it may knock Aerosmith up a whole 'nother notch. So that's something I'm excited about."
Tyler has been estranged from the band since August, when he fell from a stage in South Dakota and forced the group to cancel the rest of its summer tour.
The other members have revealed that Tyler has his own management, and that none of them have had any contact with him in months. Drummer Joey Kramer and guitarist Brad Whitford have hinted that they think Tyler might be using drugs again.
Tyler did join Perry onstage in New York two weeks ago while the latter was touring with his Joe Perry Project solo band, telling the crowd that he wasn't quitting Aerosmith.
ROB ZOMBIE WANTS TO BREAK OUT OF HORROR WITH NEXT MOVIE…Rob Zombie told the Chicago Tribune on Tuesday (November 24th) that he wants his next film as a writer/director to be outside the horror genre. Zombie, who has made four horror movies since 2003, said, "If you go down that road too far, it's hard to break out of it. I don't want to get stuck with anything. I want the freedom to do what I want to do." Zombie's last film, Halloween II, was released in late August to mostly horrible reviews and lukewarm box office.
Zombie recently said on a conference call with reporters that the movie he hopes to do next might surprise people: "The movies I've made up to this point have been pretty dark and pretty much in that world because those are the opportunities that were presented. But I'm also working on something now that is not in that world at all. You know, the people that put up the money for these things know that if I stick to that sort of thing, it's easily more profitable. So it's a much bigger challenge to break out of it. But if everything goes according to plan, and the next movie that I want to make is the next movie, people are gonna be shocked as to what it is."
Zombie has been planning to make an action film called Tyrannosaurus Rex, and has also been named to write and direct a remake of The Blob, but there's no indication yet of when or if either project will get off the ground.
He was approached to direct 2008's Punisher: War Zone but passed. His other films include House Of 1000 Corpses, The Devil's Rejects and Halloween.
Zombie releases a new solo album, Hellbilly Deluxe 2, on February 2nd. He is currently on the road and stops on Wednesday night (November 25th) in Columbus, Ohio.
ROGER DALTREY OFFERING REFUNDS FOR CANCELED BALTIMORE GIG…Roger Daltrey announced that fans will be reimbursed for his November 10th show at Baltimore's Lyric Opera House which he was forced to cancel due a "throat issue." Fans were told at the time to hang on to their tickets and wait for further instructions -- with many holding out hope that the Who frontman would make up the show at the end of his tour.
On Monday (November 23rd) a message was posted on thewho.com stating: RESCHEDULE IMPOSSIBLE: Roger Daltrey's gig in Baltimore, which he had to cancel due to ill health, unfortunately cannot be rescheduled. "Roger only has a short window at the end of the tour before he has to be back in the UK for work commitments and the venue is not available," says the singer's management.
RICHIE SAMBORA GETS A STREET NAMED AFTER HIM…Bon Jovi guitarist Richie Sambora now has a street named after him. According to the Associated Press, on Tuesday (November 24th), residents and public officials gathered in Sambora's hometown of Woodbridge, New Jersey to name a street in his honor -- Richie Sambora Way. Sambora, who attended the event yesterday with his mother, still has close ties to his hometown. He recently launched a fundraising effort called, "You Can Go Home," which benefits 19-year-old Kelly Mahon, a Woodbridge woman who was diagnosed with a brain tumor two years ago. He's also paying for a new weight room at his alma mater, Woodbridge High School. Sambora is naming it after his father Adam, who died of cancer in 2007.
Bon Jovi is out with a new album called The Circle. The band kicks off a tour next year.
That’s it for now, as always if you can’t be good, be good at it and don’t get caught!!
Happy Thanksgiving –
Jonathan
Monday, November 23, 2009
Monday - November 23, 2009 -
ON THIS DAY
On this date in 1887, Notre Dame lost its first game to Michigan, 8-0. I thought you'd wanna know.
John Lee Love of Fall River, MA, patented his "Love Sharpener" or the Pencil Sharpener way, way back in 1897 -- Bit idea: Have a pencil sharpening contest, the first to sharpen 50 pencils wins.
On this day in 1936, the very first issue of Life magazine hit the newsstands. Finally, an answer to the age-old question, "What is life?"
In 1945, the rationing of food because of the war finally ended. However, now there's an idea whose time has come: rationing food!
On this date in 1948, the zoom lens was invented. It was also on this date in 1948 that the inventor's neighbors broke down and bought curtains.
TODAY IS
Rap singer Kurupt turns 37 today. That scraping sound you hear is the bottom of the celebrity birthday barrel.
Bruce Hornsby turns 55 and that's just the way it is...
THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW
A new United Nations study claims that Afghanistan is the most dangerous place in the world for a child to be born.
James Van Der Beek has filed for divorce from wife Heather McComb.
Jim Carrey walked his 22-year-old daughter Jane down the aisle last weekend as she married musician Alex Santana. Imagine Jim as your father-in-law.
"Lost" will return for it's final season February 2.
Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz are in Austria this week to continue shooting their new movie, "Knight and Day."
The National Enquirer reports that Penny Marshall is battling liver cancer.
John Kerry's daughter, Alexandra, was arrested last week on suspicion of DUI.
Assault and harassment charges against singer John Rich (Big and Rich) were dismissed on Friday. Rich and other witnesses testified that he did not punch singer Jared Ashley at a private nightclub in March, 2008.
"CSI Miami" co-star Eddie Cibrian is suing Life & Style Weekly for defamation over a recent story claiming he was cheating on girlfriend LeAnn Rimes. He wants the court to award him $1 million.
Tonight is the final new episode of "Jon and Kate Plus Eight"... forever.
James Caan has filed for divorce from wife #4 after 14 years of trying to make it work.
Britney Spears' ex-boyfriend Adnan Ghalib was sentenced to jail for 45 days for leaving the scene of an accident. He pleaded no contest last month to leaving the scene of an accident that injured a man who was trying to serve him with a restraining order.
Google's new Chrome operation system will out a year from now.
9 Ways to Reclaim Your Sex Life in 2009 (from Fox News). Is one of your New Year's resolutions to reclaim your sex life? Here are nine easy tips to reclaiming your sex life:
1. Just Do It! It might sound silly, but just have more sex.
2. Connect. Do something non-physical -- together. You can't just turn sex on when it's time to go to bed.
3. Be Positive. In times of economic crisis, many couples may argue over finances. It's important not to act negatively outside of the bedroom if you want to have a positive relationship inside it.
4. Unplug. There's no urgent need to check your BlackBerry -- your relationship has to be a priority.
5. Be Healthy. Believe it or not, your health factors into your sex drive, so maintaining a healthy lifestyle is imperative.
6. Fantasize. It's important to understand that sex, especially in a long-term relationship, is mental.
7. Pitch In. Men: If you want to get some action, it's time to take some action. Maybe you weren't getting any in 2008 because you weren't doing enough about it in 2008. Try helping around the house a little more and your female partner may suddenly be in the mood.
8. Don't Fake It. Aim for honesty.
9. Love Nest. Does your bed still have those outdated sheets that the baby once peed on? Is your bedroom cluttered with laundry just waiting to be folded? Maybe it's time to turn the bedroom into more of a "love nest."
WEIRD NEWS
Who Would Ever Notice 15 Lizards Strapped To My Chest? - In the world of really dumb ideas, this one is award winning. Federal officials in Los Angeles say they arrested 40-year-old Michael Plank of Lomita, California, after he strapped 15 live lizards to his chest and tried to get through customs at LAX. Mike was returning from Australia and apparently was convinced nobody would notice the two geckos, two monitor lizards and 11 skink lizards fastened to his body. All Australian reptiles are strictly regulated and our buddy sadly did not have a permit for them. This never sits well with Mr. Customs Man. (Los Angeles Times)
It May Not Be Officially Perverted, But It's Damn Creepy! - It doesn't quite qualify as child sexual assault but 39-year-old Charles Hersel was arrested in Thousand Oaks, California and charged with misdemeanor child annoyance after allegedly paid a teenager $31 to spit in his face. A sheriff's statement said Westlake High School students claimed Hersel also paid them to yell profanities, spit on him and slap him in the face. Several also claimed he offered them cash to urinate and defecate on him. Hersel allegedly contacted some of the teens through the ultra safe place for your child to hang out -- the MySpace social networking site. (myway.com)
Doctor May Lose His License Over a Fat Freeloader! - He didn't quite call her a fat freeloader, but Dr. Earl Sunderhaus of Asheville, North Carolina might just lose his license after a patient complained he made cutting criticisms, including telling her she was fat. Perhaps if he was her primary care physician this would be more understandable but in fact, he's just her eye doctor. Dr. Sunderhaus' patient claims he poked her thigh and told her she was fat. He also allegedly told her she was irresponsible for being unemployed and relying on taxpayers to pay for another pregnancy. Sauderhaus' version is that he only told the patient she had thick thighs and diabetes could cause her to go blind. Now it's up to the North Carolina Medical Board to decide if the good doctor overstepped the bounds of professional decency. He didn't exactly help his case though when he wrote to the patient, Gov. Beverly Perdue and blasted the medical board. (Raleigh News & Observer)
Bingo Psych! - In Montgomery, Alabama, Victoryland, an electronic bingo center, might have just as well yelled, "PSYCH" after one of their bingo machines told Sherry Knowles she had just won $41.8 million bucks! No -- you can't win $41.8 million with a $1 bet playing bingo and yes -- the machine malfunctioned. However, originally the Macon County court ruled that Victoryland owed Knowles $10 million. But that was shot down by the Alabama Supreme Court who said no way. Victoryland officials said the machine displayed the symbol "snake eyes," which pays only $2 bucks. Unfortunately it malfunctioned and kept ringing up credits that totaled the $41.8 million! (myway.com)
Kissing You Makes Me High! - In Mercer, Pennsylvania, police arrested a female visitor who came to the State Correctional Institutiob to visit her incarcerated man. During the visit she happened to give him a very long kiss. Police became suspicious when it looked like the guy swallowed something after the kiss. While the inmate denied doing anything wrong, turns out his girlfriend had orally passed a balloon filled with marijuana to him. So they put him in an isolated cell so they could monitor his potty visits. Eventually the balloon appeared. Now the inmate and his gal pal face charges of conspiracy to smuggle contraband among other things. (The Herald)
You May Now Officially Start To Panic Over H1N1! - First there was widespread panic about H1N1. Then we all realized that half the country has it and it's not nearly as deadly as we thought. Well things just took a turn for the worse. A new drug-resistant mutation of the H1N1 influenza virus has been discovered in hospital patients in Wales. Doctors say the strain is resistant to Tamiflu, the most common antiviral used against flu. The resistance is believed to have developed in one patient in the University Hospital of Wales in Cardiff and spread to others. Two have been discharged, but one is in intensive care, while the other two remain in the hospital. The Norwegian Institute of Public Health reported another H1N1 mutation found in three patients, including the first two to die from H1N1 in Norway. (Sky News)
Evidence? You Mean That Thing I Just Ate? - In Twinsburg, Ohio, police made a mistake. They were in the process of arresting 35-year-old John H. Ford of Cleveland, who had allegedly handed a bank teller a note demanding cash. Funny thing was -- nobody was sure what happened to the note. But while police had Ford handcuffed and leaning over the hood of a police cruiser, they began to search him and started emptying the contents of his pockets and putting them on the hood of the car. Turns out the note was in his pocket. But before anyone realized what was happening, Ford bent over, grabbed the note in his mouth and swallowed it down! Patrolman Daniel Biada said, ''He grabbed it in his mouth, just like Pacman. He just ate it right there.'' Ford is also a suspect in two other bank robberies and even without the note, police feel they have a pretty solid case. (Ohio.com)
Don't You Know the Kia People Love This! - You can't pay for this kind of publicity and we're sure the folks at Kia are thanking the P.R. gods above. A couple from Dorset, England have named their new baby daughter Kia after she had to be delivered in the back seat of a Kia minivan. Tony Richardson and Samantha Smyth were racing to the hospital in Samantha's mother's 's vehicle when they realized they weren't going to make it. Baby Kia was born at 4.30am and Tony and Sam decided to ditch their original name of "Tilley" to commemorate the unusual birth. This all worked out very well for them as Kia has now offered to give the couple a new Kia Carens-- the same model baby Kia was born in-- worth $26,000. A company spokesperson said, "We would like to welcome Kia to the Kia family and wish her a wonderful life." Damn Honey -- told you we should have named the kid Rolls Royce! (Ananova)
TOP FIVE BEST HOLIDAY SHOPPING ACCESSORIES
1. Doorbuster numchucks
2. A Kevlar credit card (they can't stop me!)
3. Elbow and knee pads and a hockey mask
4. John Goodman to run interference
5. Shopping bag with built-in roll bar
HUNTER'S HUMOR by Tim Hunter
Joe Biden's birthday was last Friday. His speech thanking his friends for coming to his party should be just about over by now...
Oprah says her syndicated show is going to end in September of 2011... just like the ancient Mayan calendar predicted.
So, now that you've figured out the show, Oprah... what about the Stedman thing?
AOL plans to layoff a third of its work force... in a weird way. People will just show up to work when a computer voice says, "You've got Unemployment!"
AOL is cutting back by 1/3. From now on, it will just be called "AO".
Twitter is now available in French. Of course, the tough part for the French will being rude in 140 or less characters.
TOP 10 TIPS TO AVOID PACKING ON HOLIDAY POUNDS
(National Examiner) Packing on pounds is easy to do during the holidays. So here are 10 suggestions to help you keep the weight off from nutrition and health expert Dr. James D. Krystosik:
1. Get plenty of sleep. Being tired often triggers eating pangs.
2. Drink plenty of water. If you don't take in liquid, the body retains it, increasing body weight by 10 to 15 pounds.
3. Curb appetite by loading up on "good carbs" - high fiber veggies like beans, whole grains such as oats and brown rice and fruits.
4. Limit your intake of proteins.
5. Keep stress levels down by walking, exercising and meditation. Stress can spark the appetite.
6. Avoid "bad carbs" like high-starch potatoes, breads and desserts.
7. Vinegar reduces the body's absorption of "bad carbs" so use a variety of vinegar with olive oil for salad dressings.
8. Stay away from foods with hydrogenated oils and the sweetener aspartame. These substances do not aid in weight loss.
9. Choose foods with "good fats" like soy beans, avocado, nuts and seeds, fish like salmon, tuna and halibut and leafy green veggies.
10. Keep in touch with a pal who has similar diet and health goals to boost your willpower during the holiday food feast.
On to ROCK NEWS –
JON BON JOVI: 'I COULDN'T HAVE SURVIVED AMERICAN IDOL'…Jon Bon Jovi has been making music for 25 years, but if he were just coming up as an artist today, the New Jersey rocker doesn't think he'd stand a chance, say, on the popular TV show American Idol. He thinks the process is really tough on contestants, telling Spinner.com, "It's a very difficult spotlight to be in and a microscope to be under. I couldn't have survived it to be honest with you." When it comes to making it in the music industry these days, Bon Jovi says that touring around the U.S. and auditioning for Idol are both good "launching pads," but adds, "If you're brave enough to go on and win one of those Idol contests, ultimately you better have the songs to back it up. Chris Daughtry has delivered songs on two albums in a row. But I'm sure there are 10 Idols I can think of that didn't do that or had a flash in the pan."
Bon Jovi is out with a new Number One album called The Circle.
The band will kick off a tour next year.
ROGER DALTREY BLASTS NOISY FANS AND DOPE SMOKERS AT NYC GIG…The tough New York City fans were no match for Roger Daltrey, whose Use It Or Lose It tour hit the Nokia Theatre in the heart of Manhattan's Times Square on Friday night (November 20th). The 2,100-strong crowd was clearly unimpressed with the sci-fi, retro cacophony of Daltrey's young opening act Paper Zoo -- who bravely soldered on against a vocally belligerent group of die-hard fans eager for a night of Who songs.
Although Daltrey was good natured throughout the show, portions of the crowd grew impatient with his long between-song-banter. Daltrey was forced to pause during several of his introductions to tell the noisy crowd to shut up, and at one point lost his cool, shouting, "Do you wanna f***ing come up here and I'll teach you how to really shout? You're f***ing selfish." Daltrey also had to urge members of the audience to stop smoking pot several times due to the fact that he sadly is now allergic to it and the smoke tends to constrict his vocal cords. He had to remind the tokers several times to take it easy with the smoke which was making its way onto the stage.
Daltrey shook up the night's setlist, performing the Who's "Naked Eye" -- a song which ironically opens with the line "Take a little dope," which he joked beforehand that he never remembers the band recording -- possibly because he was high at the time.
Also included was a rendition of Creedence Clearwater Revival's "Born On The Bayou," along with a request by the band for the Quadrophenia standout "The Real Me."
One of the highlights of the show was Daltrey's rhythm guitarist -- and Pete Townshend's kid brother -- Simon Townshend tackling Pete's Who's Next classic "Going Mobile," which drew some of the loudest cheers of the night.
Daltrey says that if Simon wasn't burdened with having a genius older brother, his name would be on everyone's lips: "He's always been with me. He's like my right-hand man on stage. He's someone who I deeply respect as a musician. I've always felt a little bit -- not sorry for -- but I kind of feel for him that in any other environment without a brother like Pete, Simon would be a very big musical talent (and) probably more known than he is. Because again, he's overshadowed by Pete, and he's a supreme musician, Simon."
Daltrey performs tomorrow (November 24th) in North Charleston, South Carolina at the North Charleston Coliseum.
STEWART COPELAND RECALLS SHOWDOWN WITH STING ON POLICE TOUR…Over a year after the Police wrapped their reunion tour, Stewart Copeland revealed that his longtime problems with Sting carried over to the reunion dates. Copeland, who recently released his memoirs called Strange Things Happen, has returned to his "day job" scoring film and theatrical pieces, but shed some light on the tensions between him and Sting on the reunion tour, telling Mojo, "At one of the dreaded band meetings Sting gets Andy (Summers) lined up and they tell me I'm a liability, I'm screwing up. I say, 'Excuse me, have you read a single f***king review? Nobody says I'm playing too loud, too fast, too much. In fact, I have been singled out for praise because of my energy. So f***cking get off my back both of you, don't f***cking tell me to stop doing what I'm here to do."
Copeland recalled the night things came to a head between him and Sting -- who has always been overtly critical of Copeland's high-octane drum style: "We had our showdown in Singapore (on February 4th, 2008 -- the 100th gig) when I was able to say, 'Stingo, I am not your problem, you don't need to worry about whether I'm making too much noise, nobody else is worried about it. You may not like it, but that's because you think you're stuck with it. You're not. The end is near. But isn't this fun? Stop resisting it. Stop trying to change me and mold me into something you can use. You can't use me because I'm f***ing out of here! Don't worry.'"
He went on to add, "I'm actually very happy about it all. We had to go through this and I love my two colleagues and I understand where they're coming from and there's not a trace of bitterness now. It was about what hadn't been said that I wished I'd said -- I stopped playing drums for 10 years because I hadn't said it. So the glorious thing about the tour was it all got said."
Copeland says that after years of dealing with Sting and Andy Summers solely as friends as opposed to bandmates, it took them a while to fall back into the Police's usual tense, but natural groove: "It took us a while to get back to our formula, to appreciate our formula. And our formula is tension. And the formula is that we don't cut each other any slack. We challenge each other, we push each other into places where we normally wouldn't go, we're all out of comfort zone. And it took us while to appreciate that that's what makes the band rock. The fact that Sting plays harder and more aggressively with me behind him, and maybe I play a little less obnoxiously with him in front of me."
BEATLES NEWS ROUNDUP…Paul McCartney will make an appearance on ABC's Good Morning America on Thanksgiving Day (November 26th) to promote that night's hour-long prime time special Good Evening New York City. The special, which features highlights from his newly-released DVD, will air at 10 p.m. ET/PT on ABC-TV. Good Evening New York City includes performances from McCartney's historic opening gigs at New York's Citi Field last July.
During the program McCartney will recall the summer 2009 shows, as well as the Beatles' 1965 and 1966 concerts at the Mets' former home -- Shea Stadium. The "Fab Four's" historic 1965 Shea concert will be represented with vintage footage and rare audio. (Maccareport.com)
The next night, McCartney and surviving Beatle bandmate Ringo Starr will appear on VH1 Classics' The Making Of The Beatles: Rock Band. The 30-minute special features the former "Fabs" talking about the game at London's Abbey Road Studios, along with George Martin's son Giles Martin -- who served as the music supervisor for The Beatles: Rock Band. Also featured is Alex Rigopulos, who's the co-founder and CEO of Harmonix Music Systems which produced the game in conjunction with the Beatles' company Apple Corps. (Crispygamer.com)
The Making Of The Beatles: Rock Band premieres on Friday (November 27th) on VH1 Classic at 7:30 p.m. ET/PT.
That’s it for now, as always, if you can’t be good, be good at it and don’t get caught!!
Jonathan
On this date in 1887, Notre Dame lost its first game to Michigan, 8-0. I thought you'd wanna know.
John Lee Love of Fall River, MA, patented his "Love Sharpener" or the Pencil Sharpener way, way back in 1897 -- Bit idea: Have a pencil sharpening contest, the first to sharpen 50 pencils wins.
On this day in 1936, the very first issue of Life magazine hit the newsstands. Finally, an answer to the age-old question, "What is life?"
In 1945, the rationing of food because of the war finally ended. However, now there's an idea whose time has come: rationing food!
On this date in 1948, the zoom lens was invented. It was also on this date in 1948 that the inventor's neighbors broke down and bought curtains.
TODAY IS
Rap singer Kurupt turns 37 today. That scraping sound you hear is the bottom of the celebrity birthday barrel.
Bruce Hornsby turns 55 and that's just the way it is...
THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW
A new United Nations study claims that Afghanistan is the most dangerous place in the world for a child to be born.
James Van Der Beek has filed for divorce from wife Heather McComb.
Jim Carrey walked his 22-year-old daughter Jane down the aisle last weekend as she married musician Alex Santana. Imagine Jim as your father-in-law.
"Lost" will return for it's final season February 2.
Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz are in Austria this week to continue shooting their new movie, "Knight and Day."
The National Enquirer reports that Penny Marshall is battling liver cancer.
John Kerry's daughter, Alexandra, was arrested last week on suspicion of DUI.
Assault and harassment charges against singer John Rich (Big and Rich) were dismissed on Friday. Rich and other witnesses testified that he did not punch singer Jared Ashley at a private nightclub in March, 2008.
"CSI Miami" co-star Eddie Cibrian is suing Life & Style Weekly for defamation over a recent story claiming he was cheating on girlfriend LeAnn Rimes. He wants the court to award him $1 million.
Tonight is the final new episode of "Jon and Kate Plus Eight"... forever.
James Caan has filed for divorce from wife #4 after 14 years of trying to make it work.
Britney Spears' ex-boyfriend Adnan Ghalib was sentenced to jail for 45 days for leaving the scene of an accident. He pleaded no contest last month to leaving the scene of an accident that injured a man who was trying to serve him with a restraining order.
Google's new Chrome operation system will out a year from now.
9 Ways to Reclaim Your Sex Life in 2009 (from Fox News). Is one of your New Year's resolutions to reclaim your sex life? Here are nine easy tips to reclaiming your sex life:
1. Just Do It! It might sound silly, but just have more sex.
2. Connect. Do something non-physical -- together. You can't just turn sex on when it's time to go to bed.
3. Be Positive. In times of economic crisis, many couples may argue over finances. It's important not to act negatively outside of the bedroom if you want to have a positive relationship inside it.
4. Unplug. There's no urgent need to check your BlackBerry -- your relationship has to be a priority.
5. Be Healthy. Believe it or not, your health factors into your sex drive, so maintaining a healthy lifestyle is imperative.
6. Fantasize. It's important to understand that sex, especially in a long-term relationship, is mental.
7. Pitch In. Men: If you want to get some action, it's time to take some action. Maybe you weren't getting any in 2008 because you weren't doing enough about it in 2008. Try helping around the house a little more and your female partner may suddenly be in the mood.
8. Don't Fake It. Aim for honesty.
9. Love Nest. Does your bed still have those outdated sheets that the baby once peed on? Is your bedroom cluttered with laundry just waiting to be folded? Maybe it's time to turn the bedroom into more of a "love nest."
WEIRD NEWS
Who Would Ever Notice 15 Lizards Strapped To My Chest? - In the world of really dumb ideas, this one is award winning. Federal officials in Los Angeles say they arrested 40-year-old Michael Plank of Lomita, California, after he strapped 15 live lizards to his chest and tried to get through customs at LAX. Mike was returning from Australia and apparently was convinced nobody would notice the two geckos, two monitor lizards and 11 skink lizards fastened to his body. All Australian reptiles are strictly regulated and our buddy sadly did not have a permit for them. This never sits well with Mr. Customs Man. (Los Angeles Times)
It May Not Be Officially Perverted, But It's Damn Creepy! - It doesn't quite qualify as child sexual assault but 39-year-old Charles Hersel was arrested in Thousand Oaks, California and charged with misdemeanor child annoyance after allegedly paid a teenager $31 to spit in his face. A sheriff's statement said Westlake High School students claimed Hersel also paid them to yell profanities, spit on him and slap him in the face. Several also claimed he offered them cash to urinate and defecate on him. Hersel allegedly contacted some of the teens through the ultra safe place for your child to hang out -- the MySpace social networking site. (myway.com)
Doctor May Lose His License Over a Fat Freeloader! - He didn't quite call her a fat freeloader, but Dr. Earl Sunderhaus of Asheville, North Carolina might just lose his license after a patient complained he made cutting criticisms, including telling her she was fat. Perhaps if he was her primary care physician this would be more understandable but in fact, he's just her eye doctor. Dr. Sunderhaus' patient claims he poked her thigh and told her she was fat. He also allegedly told her she was irresponsible for being unemployed and relying on taxpayers to pay for another pregnancy. Sauderhaus' version is that he only told the patient she had thick thighs and diabetes could cause her to go blind. Now it's up to the North Carolina Medical Board to decide if the good doctor overstepped the bounds of professional decency. He didn't exactly help his case though when he wrote to the patient, Gov. Beverly Perdue and blasted the medical board. (Raleigh News & Observer)
Bingo Psych! - In Montgomery, Alabama, Victoryland, an electronic bingo center, might have just as well yelled, "PSYCH" after one of their bingo machines told Sherry Knowles she had just won $41.8 million bucks! No -- you can't win $41.8 million with a $1 bet playing bingo and yes -- the machine malfunctioned. However, originally the Macon County court ruled that Victoryland owed Knowles $10 million. But that was shot down by the Alabama Supreme Court who said no way. Victoryland officials said the machine displayed the symbol "snake eyes," which pays only $2 bucks. Unfortunately it malfunctioned and kept ringing up credits that totaled the $41.8 million! (myway.com)
Kissing You Makes Me High! - In Mercer, Pennsylvania, police arrested a female visitor who came to the State Correctional Institutiob to visit her incarcerated man. During the visit she happened to give him a very long kiss. Police became suspicious when it looked like the guy swallowed something after the kiss. While the inmate denied doing anything wrong, turns out his girlfriend had orally passed a balloon filled with marijuana to him. So they put him in an isolated cell so they could monitor his potty visits. Eventually the balloon appeared. Now the inmate and his gal pal face charges of conspiracy to smuggle contraband among other things. (The Herald)
You May Now Officially Start To Panic Over H1N1! - First there was widespread panic about H1N1. Then we all realized that half the country has it and it's not nearly as deadly as we thought. Well things just took a turn for the worse. A new drug-resistant mutation of the H1N1 influenza virus has been discovered in hospital patients in Wales. Doctors say the strain is resistant to Tamiflu, the most common antiviral used against flu. The resistance is believed to have developed in one patient in the University Hospital of Wales in Cardiff and spread to others. Two have been discharged, but one is in intensive care, while the other two remain in the hospital. The Norwegian Institute of Public Health reported another H1N1 mutation found in three patients, including the first two to die from H1N1 in Norway. (Sky News)
Evidence? You Mean That Thing I Just Ate? - In Twinsburg, Ohio, police made a mistake. They were in the process of arresting 35-year-old John H. Ford of Cleveland, who had allegedly handed a bank teller a note demanding cash. Funny thing was -- nobody was sure what happened to the note. But while police had Ford handcuffed and leaning over the hood of a police cruiser, they began to search him and started emptying the contents of his pockets and putting them on the hood of the car. Turns out the note was in his pocket. But before anyone realized what was happening, Ford bent over, grabbed the note in his mouth and swallowed it down! Patrolman Daniel Biada said, ''He grabbed it in his mouth, just like Pacman. He just ate it right there.'' Ford is also a suspect in two other bank robberies and even without the note, police feel they have a pretty solid case. (Ohio.com)
Don't You Know the Kia People Love This! - You can't pay for this kind of publicity and we're sure the folks at Kia are thanking the P.R. gods above. A couple from Dorset, England have named their new baby daughter Kia after she had to be delivered in the back seat of a Kia minivan. Tony Richardson and Samantha Smyth were racing to the hospital in Samantha's mother's 's vehicle when they realized they weren't going to make it. Baby Kia was born at 4.30am and Tony and Sam decided to ditch their original name of "Tilley" to commemorate the unusual birth. This all worked out very well for them as Kia has now offered to give the couple a new Kia Carens-- the same model baby Kia was born in-- worth $26,000. A company spokesperson said, "We would like to welcome Kia to the Kia family and wish her a wonderful life." Damn Honey -- told you we should have named the kid Rolls Royce! (Ananova)
TOP FIVE BEST HOLIDAY SHOPPING ACCESSORIES
1. Doorbuster numchucks
2. A Kevlar credit card (they can't stop me!)
3. Elbow and knee pads and a hockey mask
4. John Goodman to run interference
5. Shopping bag with built-in roll bar
HUNTER'S HUMOR by Tim Hunter
Joe Biden's birthday was last Friday. His speech thanking his friends for coming to his party should be just about over by now...
Oprah says her syndicated show is going to end in September of 2011... just like the ancient Mayan calendar predicted.
So, now that you've figured out the show, Oprah... what about the Stedman thing?
AOL plans to layoff a third of its work force... in a weird way. People will just show up to work when a computer voice says, "You've got Unemployment!"
AOL is cutting back by 1/3. From now on, it will just be called "AO".
Twitter is now available in French. Of course, the tough part for the French will being rude in 140 or less characters.
TOP 10 TIPS TO AVOID PACKING ON HOLIDAY POUNDS
(National Examiner) Packing on pounds is easy to do during the holidays. So here are 10 suggestions to help you keep the weight off from nutrition and health expert Dr. James D. Krystosik:
1. Get plenty of sleep. Being tired often triggers eating pangs.
2. Drink plenty of water. If you don't take in liquid, the body retains it, increasing body weight by 10 to 15 pounds.
3. Curb appetite by loading up on "good carbs" - high fiber veggies like beans, whole grains such as oats and brown rice and fruits.
4. Limit your intake of proteins.
5. Keep stress levels down by walking, exercising and meditation. Stress can spark the appetite.
6. Avoid "bad carbs" like high-starch potatoes, breads and desserts.
7. Vinegar reduces the body's absorption of "bad carbs" so use a variety of vinegar with olive oil for salad dressings.
8. Stay away from foods with hydrogenated oils and the sweetener aspartame. These substances do not aid in weight loss.
9. Choose foods with "good fats" like soy beans, avocado, nuts and seeds, fish like salmon, tuna and halibut and leafy green veggies.
10. Keep in touch with a pal who has similar diet and health goals to boost your willpower during the holiday food feast.
On to ROCK NEWS –
JON BON JOVI: 'I COULDN'T HAVE SURVIVED AMERICAN IDOL'…Jon Bon Jovi has been making music for 25 years, but if he were just coming up as an artist today, the New Jersey rocker doesn't think he'd stand a chance, say, on the popular TV show American Idol. He thinks the process is really tough on contestants, telling Spinner.com, "It's a very difficult spotlight to be in and a microscope to be under. I couldn't have survived it to be honest with you." When it comes to making it in the music industry these days, Bon Jovi says that touring around the U.S. and auditioning for Idol are both good "launching pads," but adds, "If you're brave enough to go on and win one of those Idol contests, ultimately you better have the songs to back it up. Chris Daughtry has delivered songs on two albums in a row. But I'm sure there are 10 Idols I can think of that didn't do that or had a flash in the pan."
Bon Jovi is out with a new Number One album called The Circle.
The band will kick off a tour next year.
ROGER DALTREY BLASTS NOISY FANS AND DOPE SMOKERS AT NYC GIG…The tough New York City fans were no match for Roger Daltrey, whose Use It Or Lose It tour hit the Nokia Theatre in the heart of Manhattan's Times Square on Friday night (November 20th). The 2,100-strong crowd was clearly unimpressed with the sci-fi, retro cacophony of Daltrey's young opening act Paper Zoo -- who bravely soldered on against a vocally belligerent group of die-hard fans eager for a night of Who songs.
Although Daltrey was good natured throughout the show, portions of the crowd grew impatient with his long between-song-banter. Daltrey was forced to pause during several of his introductions to tell the noisy crowd to shut up, and at one point lost his cool, shouting, "Do you wanna f***ing come up here and I'll teach you how to really shout? You're f***ing selfish." Daltrey also had to urge members of the audience to stop smoking pot several times due to the fact that he sadly is now allergic to it and the smoke tends to constrict his vocal cords. He had to remind the tokers several times to take it easy with the smoke which was making its way onto the stage.
Daltrey shook up the night's setlist, performing the Who's "Naked Eye" -- a song which ironically opens with the line "Take a little dope," which he joked beforehand that he never remembers the band recording -- possibly because he was high at the time.
Also included was a rendition of Creedence Clearwater Revival's "Born On The Bayou," along with a request by the band for the Quadrophenia standout "The Real Me."
One of the highlights of the show was Daltrey's rhythm guitarist -- and Pete Townshend's kid brother -- Simon Townshend tackling Pete's Who's Next classic "Going Mobile," which drew some of the loudest cheers of the night.
Daltrey says that if Simon wasn't burdened with having a genius older brother, his name would be on everyone's lips: "He's always been with me. He's like my right-hand man on stage. He's someone who I deeply respect as a musician. I've always felt a little bit -- not sorry for -- but I kind of feel for him that in any other environment without a brother like Pete, Simon would be a very big musical talent (and) probably more known than he is. Because again, he's overshadowed by Pete, and he's a supreme musician, Simon."
Daltrey performs tomorrow (November 24th) in North Charleston, South Carolina at the North Charleston Coliseum.
STEWART COPELAND RECALLS SHOWDOWN WITH STING ON POLICE TOUR…Over a year after the Police wrapped their reunion tour, Stewart Copeland revealed that his longtime problems with Sting carried over to the reunion dates. Copeland, who recently released his memoirs called Strange Things Happen, has returned to his "day job" scoring film and theatrical pieces, but shed some light on the tensions between him and Sting on the reunion tour, telling Mojo, "At one of the dreaded band meetings Sting gets Andy (Summers) lined up and they tell me I'm a liability, I'm screwing up. I say, 'Excuse me, have you read a single f***king review? Nobody says I'm playing too loud, too fast, too much. In fact, I have been singled out for praise because of my energy. So f***cking get off my back both of you, don't f***cking tell me to stop doing what I'm here to do."
Copeland recalled the night things came to a head between him and Sting -- who has always been overtly critical of Copeland's high-octane drum style: "We had our showdown in Singapore (on February 4th, 2008 -- the 100th gig) when I was able to say, 'Stingo, I am not your problem, you don't need to worry about whether I'm making too much noise, nobody else is worried about it. You may not like it, but that's because you think you're stuck with it. You're not. The end is near. But isn't this fun? Stop resisting it. Stop trying to change me and mold me into something you can use. You can't use me because I'm f***ing out of here! Don't worry.'"
He went on to add, "I'm actually very happy about it all. We had to go through this and I love my two colleagues and I understand where they're coming from and there's not a trace of bitterness now. It was about what hadn't been said that I wished I'd said -- I stopped playing drums for 10 years because I hadn't said it. So the glorious thing about the tour was it all got said."
Copeland says that after years of dealing with Sting and Andy Summers solely as friends as opposed to bandmates, it took them a while to fall back into the Police's usual tense, but natural groove: "It took us a while to get back to our formula, to appreciate our formula. And our formula is tension. And the formula is that we don't cut each other any slack. We challenge each other, we push each other into places where we normally wouldn't go, we're all out of comfort zone. And it took us while to appreciate that that's what makes the band rock. The fact that Sting plays harder and more aggressively with me behind him, and maybe I play a little less obnoxiously with him in front of me."
BEATLES NEWS ROUNDUP…Paul McCartney will make an appearance on ABC's Good Morning America on Thanksgiving Day (November 26th) to promote that night's hour-long prime time special Good Evening New York City. The special, which features highlights from his newly-released DVD, will air at 10 p.m. ET/PT on ABC-TV. Good Evening New York City includes performances from McCartney's historic opening gigs at New York's Citi Field last July.
During the program McCartney will recall the summer 2009 shows, as well as the Beatles' 1965 and 1966 concerts at the Mets' former home -- Shea Stadium. The "Fab Four's" historic 1965 Shea concert will be represented with vintage footage and rare audio. (Maccareport.com)
The next night, McCartney and surviving Beatle bandmate Ringo Starr will appear on VH1 Classics' The Making Of The Beatles: Rock Band. The 30-minute special features the former "Fabs" talking about the game at London's Abbey Road Studios, along with George Martin's son Giles Martin -- who served as the music supervisor for The Beatles: Rock Band. Also featured is Alex Rigopulos, who's the co-founder and CEO of Harmonix Music Systems which produced the game in conjunction with the Beatles' company Apple Corps. (Crispygamer.com)
The Making Of The Beatles: Rock Band premieres on Friday (November 27th) on VH1 Classic at 7:30 p.m. ET/PT.
That’s it for now, as always, if you can’t be good, be good at it and don’t get caught!!
Jonathan
Thursday, November 19, 2009
Thursday - November 19, 2009 -
TODAY IS
Jodie Foster turns 47 today. Just for laughs, friends have arranged for a lamb to scream "Happy Birthday" to her later tonight.
Meg Ryan celebrates birthday #48. I'll still have what she's having.
THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW
Rapper T.I. says he's going to marry his fiancee next year... after he gets out of prison. Lucky girl.
Katharine McPhee will be performing songs from her new album at Macy's Herald Square in New York today.
PETA has complained to Sesame Street about the show being by The Egg Board.
An entertainment law firm is suing Rod Stewart for $3.3 million, saying that's what he owes them.
The 20th annual "America's Health" ratings are in and Vermont is our country's "healthiest state."
California's Department of Parks and Recreation has started cracking down on the state's few "nude beaches."
The San Diego zoo has named their new Panda cub Yun Zi, which is Chinese for "Son of Cloud."
People Magazine's Sexiest Man Alive title goes to Johnny Depp.
Amy Winehouse has spent three nights in a hospital, after taking a cold medication that didn't mix well with something else she was taking.
Carrie Underwood says she's not moving in with boyfriend Mike Fisher. She says the next guy she's going to live with is going to be her husband
THINGS THAT MAKE YOU GO HMMM……
It's illegal for women to wear pants in Paris, France. Wait...what? The law has been on the books since 1800, and it's survived numerous attempts at repeal. The UK Telegraph reports that the law states the women are banned from dressing like men, namely by wearing pants. The law stipulates that any Parisienne wishing to dress like a man "must present herself to Paris' main police station to obtain authorization." In 1892, it was amended to allow a woman to wear trousers "as long as the woman is holding the reins of a horse." It was further watered down in 1909, when the city allowed women to wear pants if they were "on a bicycle or holding it by the handlebars."
A new survey shows that when the chips are down, consumers seek out crispy snacks made from potatoes a 22% increase in the past two years alone. Salty snacks are considered to be more popular now because they fit Americans' new cost saving behaviors, such as staying home to watch TV instead of going out, and taking lunch to work instead of chowing down at restaurants. "If people are staying home and watching TV, then they're grabbing a pack of chips or a bag of popcorn," says Bill Patterson, a senior analyst at the market research company, Mintel. And it's not just potato chips folks are craving. Tortilla chips have also soared in sales by 18%, while popcorn and cheese snack sales skyrocketed by 17% and 20%. Adds Patterson: "This may reflect our growing need for affordable treats as a form of recession relief." (National Examiner)
INTERESTING….
(Cosmopolitan) The football quarterback. The high stakes attorney. The hedge fund entrepreneur. What do they all possess? Alpha male traits that women are conditioned to desire: uberconfidence, aggressiveness, and status. But, says Tina Tessina, Ph.D., author of "The Unofficial Guide to Dating Again," "while these types of guys can be great supporters financially, they may not lend as much emotionally because they are focused on themselves and their own achievements." The counterparts on the machismo spectrum, of course, are the beta males. "Personality wise, they tend to be laid back, even tempered, and gently assertive," says psychologist Yvonne Thomas, Ph.D. "They're comfortable with a teamwork approach instead of having to be in control all the time." And while they may never rise to be the CEO of a company, these sensitive dudes are more inclined to put friends, family and significant others before career ladder climbing. For this reason, they complement powerful women well. They're not threatened by your intelligence or how much money you make, which is often the root of trouble when an alpha female is in a relationship with an alpha male. So how do you tell the difference?
1. On your first day, he takes you: Alpha male, paintballing. Beta male, pumpkin picking.
2. He never fails to give you: Alpha male, butterflies. Beta male, support.
3. After playing mini golf, he: Alpha male, snarls at you for winning. Beta male, high-fives you for winning.
4. His favorite Wii game is: Alpha male, Resident Evil. Beta male, Mario Kart.
5. His favorite superhero is: Alpha male, Batman. Beta male, Superman.
Scientists are about to begin human trials on a revolutionary contact lens that can project text and images right onto the eyeball. Superficially, the lens looks like any other contact lens, but it's packed with electronic circuits that transform it into a tiny viewing screen that fits comfortably on the surface of the eye. Power is provided wirelessly from a transmitter in the user's pocket. Minuscule light emitting diodes (LEDs) form a grid on the lens that can project Internet pages and text and images of all kinds. The lens is specially designed to permit the eye to focus on a very close up object. When the bugs have been worked out, information can be transmitted directly to the lens you won't have to mess with external devices like cell phone displays or computer screens. The invention has been called the biggest revolution since the advent of the printing press. (Sun)
WEIRD NEWS
Facebook Gives Us the New Word of the Year! - You can thank Facebook for giving us the New Oxford American Dictionary's Word of the Year! That would be the word "unfriend" -- defined as "To remove someone as a 'friend' on a social networking site such as Facebook." Christine Lindberg, a language researcher for Oxford's U.S. dictionary, said, "In the online social networking context, its meaning is understood, so its adoption as a modern verb form makes this an interesting choice for Word of the Year." There had been some debate about whether "defriend" was the more commonly used term, especially on Facebook. However, Oxford spokesman Christian Purdy said researchers found "unfriend" was more common. Other new words that topped this year's list included "sexting," the sending of sexual texts and "intexticated," being distracted by texting while driving. (Ananova)
Beware the Geezer Bandit! - FBI officials in the San Diego area are baffled by a bank robber who has been dubbed "The Geezer Bandit." The nickname refers to the suspect's aged which is believed to be over 70. He is described as elderly, thin and gray-haired and has successfully held up five San Diego County banks since August 28. Law enforcement officials are offering $16,000 in rewards for information that leads to the Geezer Bandit's arrest and conviction. (myway.com)
Did You Get Married In Texas? Maybe You Didn't! - Bad news married Texans. You may not be. Barbara Ann Radnofsky, a Houston lawyer and candidate for attorney general, says that a 22-word clause in a 2005 constitutional amendment designed to ban gay marriages has inadvertently endangered the legal status of all marriages in the state. The amendment, overwhelmingly ratified by Texas voters, declares that "marriage in this state shall consist only of the union of one man and one woman." But it goes on to say, "This state or a political subdivision of this state may not create or recognize any legal status identical or similar to marriage" and therein lies the problem. Radnofsky says that phrase and wording effectively "eliminates all marriage in Texas," including common-law marriages. She calls it a "massive mistake" and blames the current attorney general, Greg Abbott, for allowing the language to become part of the Texas Constitution. She also says that another constitutional amendment may be necessary to reverse the problem. However not everyone agrees. Kelly Shackelford, president of the Liberty Legal Institute in Plano says, "It's a silly argument. Any lawsuit based on the wording of the section in question would have about one chance in a trillion of being successful." (Star Telegram)
Boy I Am Really, Really Bored! How Could I Spice Up My Night? - In Redding, California, two men were arrested -- one accused of trying to break into Northern California Recycling -- and another who simply tried to look like the guy who did! 23-year-old Matthew Padel led police on an hour-long chase which ended with his capture in a residential neighborhood. But while this was going on, 41-year-old Russell Spade was listening in on his police scanner and heard that officers were looking for a man wearing khaki pants and a San Francisco 49ers sweatshirt. So Mr. Spade wondered if the police would notice him if he went outside wearing the same outfit as the suspect. Well guess what -- they did! And they arrested him. They later realized Spade did not fit the description of suspect except for the clothes he was wearing but charged him anyway with suspicion of obstructing and delaying a police officer. (The Record Searchlight)
America Can Boast New Rock Paper Scissors Champ! - One more reason to be proud you're an American -- we own Rock Paper Scissors! Tim Conrad of Michigan has won the world Rock Paper Scissors championship in Toronto, clinching the victory after five hours of play and nine matches! Amazingly he faced off against his best friend for the championship in what became the first all-American final in championship history. And Tim did us proud dressing as Captain America during the competition to honor his home country. He gets $7,000 in prize money. The annual competition is organized by the World Rock Paper Scissors Society. Yes -- there is such a thing as the World Rock Paper Scissors Society! (myway.com)
This Is Over The Top -- Even For PETA! - Fundamentally I believe in the humane and ethical treatment of animals. But here's where PETA loses me. The People For the Ethical Treatment of Animals wanted to fill 3,500 buckets with pig urine and waste, set the buckets on the U.S. Capitol plaza and then, for several days, use fans to waft the scent across the Hill. Amazingly the U.S. Capitol Police said no. This display was PETA's way of protesting how the animals are treated in big corporate hog farms. The Capitol Police said their reasoning for declining the offer was that pigs a) have potentially unhealthy effluent and b) could spread swine flu. This didn't sit well with Democratic Rep. Bob Etheridge of North Carolina, the nation's No. 2 pork-producing state, after Iowa. Etheridge is a part-time farmer who raised piglets as a child and wrote the Capitol Police a stern missive last week that read: "I was extremely disturbed. Pig farms already suffer because of erroneous concerns that eating pork spreads swine flu. Coming in contact with pigs is not a significant risk factor for contracting the novel H1N1 flu. And it is not possible to get it by eating pork or pork products." He concluded by saying, "Pork products are not only very safe, but also very tasty." (AHN News)
Teacher Puts Out a Hit On Student! - We've heard disturbing stories of teachers hitting on high school students. But Randolph Forde, who teaches at Mundy's Mill High School in Clayton County Georgia, has been accused of putting out a "hit" on a 16-year-old student! He's been charged with making terroristic threats and is currently on administrative leave from his job with pay. He faces an employment hearing next month. The incident reportedly happened on October 9th when Forde allegedly took a student off a school bus and told him he "would pay him to kill the victim." When the student asked who the target would be, Forde allegedly held a piece of paper up with the victim's name on it. As for the targeted victim, "Forde allegedly called that student outside his class back in September and asked him if he was gay. The two had an argument in class and Forde threatened "to hit him in his 'effin mouth" according to the victim's attorney. The targeted victim's mother eventually took her son out of the school. (CNN)
Oh Give Us A Break Mattel! - Not quite sure what the folks from Mattel are thinking on this one. The company has already started accepting pre-orders for the April 2010 release of the newest doll in the Barbie/Ken line. It's the spiffily dressed "Palm Beach Sugar Daddy Ken." Apparently Sugar Daddy Ken is to be showcased with a much younger, trophy-type Barbie. Really? Seriously? This is what we want our kid's playing with? What's next -- Ponzi Scheme Ken? (EntertainmentEarth.com)
TOP FIVE SIGNS YOUR PET TURKEY KNOWS THANKSGIVING IS NEXT WEEK
1. Wearing that pin that says, "Tofu rules"
2. Has learned to meow
3. Keeps leaving brochures around about "The Turkey Flu"
4. Auto-reply on Outlook says "Out of town until after Thanksgiving"
5. Wearing t-shirt that says, "H1N1 rules"
HUNTER'S HUMOR by Tim Hunter
President Obama has visited China's Great Wall... of course, the place for which Wal-Mart is named.
Researchers say that the amount of "bad cholesterol" in U.S. adults actually dropped over the past decade. I don't know about you, but I say this calls for a donut!
I wonder if they'd believe me at work if I told them the ancient Mayan calendar predicted I would take this day off?
President Obama says he probably won't be reading Sarah Palin's new book. Former President Bush says he won't be reading it, either, but he'll most likely color the pictures.
Some people are upset that President Obama bowed to the Emperor of Japan. Hey, he was just observing official protocol. Like the time Bush senior threw up in the lap of the Japanese prime minister. In that country, it's considered polite.
Disneyland has installed hand sanitizer in their theme parks, to help combat the spread of swine flu. They've also removed all restrictions on the Big Bad Wolf when it comes to those three little pigs.
CT scans of some mummies show that ancient Egyptians also suffered hardening of the arteries and heart disease. This might also explain why they always kill so many people when they're brought back to life.
I just realized that Carrie Prejean is one of those classic examples of one hand not wanting to know what the other one is doing!
On to ROCK NEWS –
SLASH DEFENDS FERGIE SINGING 'PARADISE CITY'…Slash took to Twitter to defend Black Eyed Peas singer Fergie's vocal performance on a new recording she did with Slash of the Guns N' Roses classic "Paradise City," also featuring Cypress Hill. A leaked copy of the recording surfaced online last week, while Slash is contemplating whether to include it on his new solo album. The former Guns guitarist tweeted, "Until now, not too many people have heard Fergie sing Rock & Roll but she sings it better (than) most dudes I know. She's a screamer at heart."
The record, titled Slash & Friends, is tentatively due out in March 2010.
Among the other guests appearing on the album are Dave Grohl, Flea, Chris Cornell, Duff McKagan, Wolfmother's Andrew Stockdale, Iggy Pop, Alice Cooper, Nicole Scherzinger, Meat Loaf, Maroon 5's Adam Levine and Ozzy Osbourne, who contributes vocals to the first single.
Slash "and friends" will perform at a fundraiser for the Los Angeles Youth Nation at Hollywood's Avalon Theater on November 22nd. Ozzy, Billy Idol, Andrew Stockdale, Linkin Park's Chester Bennington, Dave Navarro and Travis Barker are all tentatively slated to appear.
PAUL STANLEY REMEMBERS KISS FOUND IT HARD CLOSING AFTER BOB SEGER…Paul Stanley says that although Kiss has always been impressed with the band's choices of opening acts, back in the day it was Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band who really gave Kiss a run for their money.
Stanley recalls that during Seger's stint opening for the band in 1976, he set the bar pretty high for Kiss to follow every night: "Bob got his first gold album on tour with us. And there were nights, where I can remember being in the dressing room and listening to the crowd reaction, and looking at the band and saying (laughs) 'We better go out there and kick some ass.' Bob was no nonsense great rock and roll, and the band delivered the goods, and the crowd went crazy. And that always made us work harder. We always wanted great bands on the bill because it made us prove why we were the headliner."
Kiss with Buckcherry tour dates (subject to change):
November 19 - Sacramento, CA - ARCO Arena
November 21 - Fresno, CA - Save Mart Center
November 22 - Oakland, CA - Oracle Arena
November 24 - Anaheim, CA - Honda Center
November 25 - Los Angeles, CA - Staples Center
November 27 - San Diego, CA - San Diego Sports Arena
November 28 - Las Vegas, NV - Pearl Concert Theater
December 1 - Glendale, AZ - Jobing.com Arena
December 2 - El Paso, TX - University Of Texas
December 4 - Austin, TX - Frank Erwin Center
December 5 - Houston, TX - Toyota Center
December 6 - Dallas, TX - American Airlines Center
December 8 - Tulsa, OK - BOK Center
December 10 - Kansas City, MO - Sprint Center
December 11 - Council Bluffs, IA - Mid-America Center
December 13 - Pittsburgh, PA - Mellon Arena
December 15 - Sault Ste. Marie, ON - Essar Centre
BON JOVI LANDS NUMBER ONE ALBUM…Bon Jovi tops the charts this week with its new album, The Circle, which sold 163,000 copies. It's Bon Jovi's second consecutive chart-topper, coming on the heels of 2007's Lost Highway, which sold 292,000 in its first week and marked the first time Bon Jovi ever debuted at Number One on the charts. The group has had chart-topping albums prior to that -- first in 1986 with Slippery When Wet and then in 1988 with New Jersey. Frontman Jon Bon Jovi tells us he and the band have come a long way since scoring their first Number One album: "You know when I was 25 and we wrote 'Bad Name,' you were the kid with long hair in the mall -- sex, drugs, rock and roll. All that kind of stuff. You were a cowboy. You were gonna ride into town. You were dead or alive. That's who I was at that time. I'm not that guy anymore. I've grown up in the public eye. We've been at this a long time."
Bon Jovi will be on tour next year to back The Circle.
Bon Jovi set up an exclusive deal with NBC this year to plug the new album.
The group expects to have a greatest hits album out next year.
DON HENLEY NOT SURE IF U.S. CAN BE GOVERNED ANYMORE…Don Henley says that he's not sure if in the current political climate real progress can be accomplished in America. When asked by ifpress.com how he feels about the Obama administration, he explained, "In its present condition, with its rabidly partisan, corporate-controlled congress; its biased, infotainment-obsessed, ratings-driven news media -- which is now being supplanted by amateurs on the Web -- and its chronically uninformed and bitterly divided electorate, I'm not sure that the U.S. can be effectively led or governed by anybody, anymore."
When asked if like so many of his peers, he's ever thought about writing his memoirs, Henley explained, "Once in a while, I feel compelled to set the record straight but, most of the time, I just don't care. All that stuff has so little to do with my real, day-to-day life. I would eventually like to write my autobiography, and maybe a separate book with a more detailed account of my life in the Eagles."
Henley went to say, "I'm not interested in penning a tawdry tell-all or scraping the bottom of the barrel. That's already been done. I'd like to write an honest, literary account of my life, where I came from, how I got to where I am today and what the trip was like. I've had a varied and interesting life, both inside and outside the Eagles."
Although Henley has never shied away from keeping his liberal political views front and center when dealing with the press, both he and the rest of the Eagles try to keep their comments non-partisan on the stage: "We have found over the years that a concert is not necessarily the forum for one's political opinions. We do most of that work now separate and apart from our concert tours."
Out now is CD/DVD The Very Best Of Don Henley. The tracklist is: "Dirty Laundry," "The Boys Of Summer," "All She Wants To Do Is Dance," "Not Enough Love In The World," "Sunset Grill," "The End Of The Innocence," "The Last Worthless Evening," "New York Minute," "I Will Not Go Quietly," "The Heart Of The Matter," "Everybody Knows," "For My Wedding," "Everything Is Different Now," and "Taking You Home."
Don Henley wraps up his latest set of solo dates on Friday (November 20th) in Norfolk, Virginia at the Constant Convocation Center.
LENNY KRAVITZ EYES LEADING MOVIE ROLE…Lenny Kravitz currently has a supporting role in the new movie, Precious, but next time around, he plans to not just appear in a film, but actually be the star. Kravitz will team up once again with Precious director Lee Daniels for an unnamed project. He tells Spinner.com that they're in talks and aren't sure what they're doing just yet. But one thing is for sure -- he'll be the major player in the film, explaining, "I'm going to be doing a film and this time I'm going to be in the lead position. It's going to be a lot of responsibility and a lot of time -- it's very exciting." There are rumors Kravitz could get involved in a musical. Kravitz also plans to put out new material in 2010, saying, "I'm really anxious to get in the studio and finish this record. I'm gonna go in the studio and lock myself up for two months and see how it all comes out."
QUICK TAKES…Rod Stewart is being sued by his former attorneys for $3.3 million in back legal fees. The high-profile legal firm of Glaser, Weil, Fink, Jacobs, Howard & Shapiro filed suit against Stewart on Tuesday (November 17th) in Los Angeles. The suit claims that Stewart owes them money for three separate cases they worked on -- include Stewart's cancellation of a 2000 Las Vegas show in which a federal jury deemed Stewart responsible for the $2 million fee. (The Associated Press)
Bruce Springsteen performed solo on Tuesday night (November 17th) at New York's Carnegie Hall for the Concert For Autism, which was co-headlined by Jerry Seinfeld. Springsteen, who was considerably under-dressed compared to the top shelf-looking crowd joked, "I'm sorry, ladies and gentlemen, I must apologize. Apparently I'm a little under-dressed.I thought it was Carnegie Deli. Sorry. . . I see some high rollers out there. Forgive me. . . Ehhh, whatever."
Springsteen performed "No Surrender," "If I Should Fall Behind," "Working On The Highway," as well as a set-closing crowd request for "Thunder Road." (Backstreets.com)
The original members of Bad Company -- Paul Rodgers, Mick Ralphs, and Simon Kirke -- will reunite in April for a string of eight UK dates. The shows mark the first UK appearance of the band's original members in over 30 years. Supporting them on all of the dates will be the Joe Perry Project. The opening show will take place on April 1st at the Birmingham LG Arena, with the mini-tour wrapping up on April 11th at Wembley Arena.
Mick Ralphs said in a statement: It's great to be with Paul and Simon. We made great music together and had the time of our lives doing it. I'm really looking forward to us bringing Bad Company back to the UK."
Although no details were given, it was announced that a new Bad Company live CD/DVD set is set for release on February 9th.
That’s it for now, as always, if you can’t be good, be good at it and don’t get caught!!
Jonathan
Jodie Foster turns 47 today. Just for laughs, friends have arranged for a lamb to scream "Happy Birthday" to her later tonight.
Meg Ryan celebrates birthday #48. I'll still have what she's having.
THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW
Rapper T.I. says he's going to marry his fiancee next year... after he gets out of prison. Lucky girl.
Katharine McPhee will be performing songs from her new album at Macy's Herald Square in New York today.
PETA has complained to Sesame Street about the show being by The Egg Board.
An entertainment law firm is suing Rod Stewart for $3.3 million, saying that's what he owes them.
The 20th annual "America's Health" ratings are in and Vermont is our country's "healthiest state."
California's Department of Parks and Recreation has started cracking down on the state's few "nude beaches."
The San Diego zoo has named their new Panda cub Yun Zi, which is Chinese for "Son of Cloud."
People Magazine's Sexiest Man Alive title goes to Johnny Depp.
Amy Winehouse has spent three nights in a hospital, after taking a cold medication that didn't mix well with something else she was taking.
Carrie Underwood says she's not moving in with boyfriend Mike Fisher. She says the next guy she's going to live with is going to be her husband
THINGS THAT MAKE YOU GO HMMM……
It's illegal for women to wear pants in Paris, France. Wait...what? The law has been on the books since 1800, and it's survived numerous attempts at repeal. The UK Telegraph reports that the law states the women are banned from dressing like men, namely by wearing pants. The law stipulates that any Parisienne wishing to dress like a man "must present herself to Paris' main police station to obtain authorization." In 1892, it was amended to allow a woman to wear trousers "as long as the woman is holding the reins of a horse." It was further watered down in 1909, when the city allowed women to wear pants if they were "on a bicycle or holding it by the handlebars."
A new survey shows that when the chips are down, consumers seek out crispy snacks made from potatoes a 22% increase in the past two years alone. Salty snacks are considered to be more popular now because they fit Americans' new cost saving behaviors, such as staying home to watch TV instead of going out, and taking lunch to work instead of chowing down at restaurants. "If people are staying home and watching TV, then they're grabbing a pack of chips or a bag of popcorn," says Bill Patterson, a senior analyst at the market research company, Mintel. And it's not just potato chips folks are craving. Tortilla chips have also soared in sales by 18%, while popcorn and cheese snack sales skyrocketed by 17% and 20%. Adds Patterson: "This may reflect our growing need for affordable treats as a form of recession relief." (National Examiner)
INTERESTING….
(Cosmopolitan) The football quarterback. The high stakes attorney. The hedge fund entrepreneur. What do they all possess? Alpha male traits that women are conditioned to desire: uberconfidence, aggressiveness, and status. But, says Tina Tessina, Ph.D., author of "The Unofficial Guide to Dating Again," "while these types of guys can be great supporters financially, they may not lend as much emotionally because they are focused on themselves and their own achievements." The counterparts on the machismo spectrum, of course, are the beta males. "Personality wise, they tend to be laid back, even tempered, and gently assertive," says psychologist Yvonne Thomas, Ph.D. "They're comfortable with a teamwork approach instead of having to be in control all the time." And while they may never rise to be the CEO of a company, these sensitive dudes are more inclined to put friends, family and significant others before career ladder climbing. For this reason, they complement powerful women well. They're not threatened by your intelligence or how much money you make, which is often the root of trouble when an alpha female is in a relationship with an alpha male. So how do you tell the difference?
1. On your first day, he takes you: Alpha male, paintballing. Beta male, pumpkin picking.
2. He never fails to give you: Alpha male, butterflies. Beta male, support.
3. After playing mini golf, he: Alpha male, snarls at you for winning. Beta male, high-fives you for winning.
4. His favorite Wii game is: Alpha male, Resident Evil. Beta male, Mario Kart.
5. His favorite superhero is: Alpha male, Batman. Beta male, Superman.
Scientists are about to begin human trials on a revolutionary contact lens that can project text and images right onto the eyeball. Superficially, the lens looks like any other contact lens, but it's packed with electronic circuits that transform it into a tiny viewing screen that fits comfortably on the surface of the eye. Power is provided wirelessly from a transmitter in the user's pocket. Minuscule light emitting diodes (LEDs) form a grid on the lens that can project Internet pages and text and images of all kinds. The lens is specially designed to permit the eye to focus on a very close up object. When the bugs have been worked out, information can be transmitted directly to the lens you won't have to mess with external devices like cell phone displays or computer screens. The invention has been called the biggest revolution since the advent of the printing press. (Sun)
WEIRD NEWS
Facebook Gives Us the New Word of the Year! - You can thank Facebook for giving us the New Oxford American Dictionary's Word of the Year! That would be the word "unfriend" -- defined as "To remove someone as a 'friend' on a social networking site such as Facebook." Christine Lindberg, a language researcher for Oxford's U.S. dictionary, said, "In the online social networking context, its meaning is understood, so its adoption as a modern verb form makes this an interesting choice for Word of the Year." There had been some debate about whether "defriend" was the more commonly used term, especially on Facebook. However, Oxford spokesman Christian Purdy said researchers found "unfriend" was more common. Other new words that topped this year's list included "sexting," the sending of sexual texts and "intexticated," being distracted by texting while driving. (Ananova)
Beware the Geezer Bandit! - FBI officials in the San Diego area are baffled by a bank robber who has been dubbed "The Geezer Bandit." The nickname refers to the suspect's aged which is believed to be over 70. He is described as elderly, thin and gray-haired and has successfully held up five San Diego County banks since August 28. Law enforcement officials are offering $16,000 in rewards for information that leads to the Geezer Bandit's arrest and conviction. (myway.com)
Did You Get Married In Texas? Maybe You Didn't! - Bad news married Texans. You may not be. Barbara Ann Radnofsky, a Houston lawyer and candidate for attorney general, says that a 22-word clause in a 2005 constitutional amendment designed to ban gay marriages has inadvertently endangered the legal status of all marriages in the state. The amendment, overwhelmingly ratified by Texas voters, declares that "marriage in this state shall consist only of the union of one man and one woman." But it goes on to say, "This state or a political subdivision of this state may not create or recognize any legal status identical or similar to marriage" and therein lies the problem. Radnofsky says that phrase and wording effectively "eliminates all marriage in Texas," including common-law marriages. She calls it a "massive mistake" and blames the current attorney general, Greg Abbott, for allowing the language to become part of the Texas Constitution. She also says that another constitutional amendment may be necessary to reverse the problem. However not everyone agrees. Kelly Shackelford, president of the Liberty Legal Institute in Plano says, "It's a silly argument. Any lawsuit based on the wording of the section in question would have about one chance in a trillion of being successful." (Star Telegram)
Boy I Am Really, Really Bored! How Could I Spice Up My Night? - In Redding, California, two men were arrested -- one accused of trying to break into Northern California Recycling -- and another who simply tried to look like the guy who did! 23-year-old Matthew Padel led police on an hour-long chase which ended with his capture in a residential neighborhood. But while this was going on, 41-year-old Russell Spade was listening in on his police scanner and heard that officers were looking for a man wearing khaki pants and a San Francisco 49ers sweatshirt. So Mr. Spade wondered if the police would notice him if he went outside wearing the same outfit as the suspect. Well guess what -- they did! And they arrested him. They later realized Spade did not fit the description of suspect except for the clothes he was wearing but charged him anyway with suspicion of obstructing and delaying a police officer. (The Record Searchlight)
America Can Boast New Rock Paper Scissors Champ! - One more reason to be proud you're an American -- we own Rock Paper Scissors! Tim Conrad of Michigan has won the world Rock Paper Scissors championship in Toronto, clinching the victory after five hours of play and nine matches! Amazingly he faced off against his best friend for the championship in what became the first all-American final in championship history. And Tim did us proud dressing as Captain America during the competition to honor his home country. He gets $7,000 in prize money. The annual competition is organized by the World Rock Paper Scissors Society. Yes -- there is such a thing as the World Rock Paper Scissors Society! (myway.com)
This Is Over The Top -- Even For PETA! - Fundamentally I believe in the humane and ethical treatment of animals. But here's where PETA loses me. The People For the Ethical Treatment of Animals wanted to fill 3,500 buckets with pig urine and waste, set the buckets on the U.S. Capitol plaza and then, for several days, use fans to waft the scent across the Hill. Amazingly the U.S. Capitol Police said no. This display was PETA's way of protesting how the animals are treated in big corporate hog farms. The Capitol Police said their reasoning for declining the offer was that pigs a) have potentially unhealthy effluent and b) could spread swine flu. This didn't sit well with Democratic Rep. Bob Etheridge of North Carolina, the nation's No. 2 pork-producing state, after Iowa. Etheridge is a part-time farmer who raised piglets as a child and wrote the Capitol Police a stern missive last week that read: "I was extremely disturbed. Pig farms already suffer because of erroneous concerns that eating pork spreads swine flu. Coming in contact with pigs is not a significant risk factor for contracting the novel H1N1 flu. And it is not possible to get it by eating pork or pork products." He concluded by saying, "Pork products are not only very safe, but also very tasty." (AHN News)
Teacher Puts Out a Hit On Student! - We've heard disturbing stories of teachers hitting on high school students. But Randolph Forde, who teaches at Mundy's Mill High School in Clayton County Georgia, has been accused of putting out a "hit" on a 16-year-old student! He's been charged with making terroristic threats and is currently on administrative leave from his job with pay. He faces an employment hearing next month. The incident reportedly happened on October 9th when Forde allegedly took a student off a school bus and told him he "would pay him to kill the victim." When the student asked who the target would be, Forde allegedly held a piece of paper up with the victim's name on it. As for the targeted victim, "Forde allegedly called that student outside his class back in September and asked him if he was gay. The two had an argument in class and Forde threatened "to hit him in his 'effin mouth" according to the victim's attorney. The targeted victim's mother eventually took her son out of the school. (CNN)
Oh Give Us A Break Mattel! - Not quite sure what the folks from Mattel are thinking on this one. The company has already started accepting pre-orders for the April 2010 release of the newest doll in the Barbie/Ken line. It's the spiffily dressed "Palm Beach Sugar Daddy Ken." Apparently Sugar Daddy Ken is to be showcased with a much younger, trophy-type Barbie. Really? Seriously? This is what we want our kid's playing with? What's next -- Ponzi Scheme Ken? (EntertainmentEarth.com)
TOP FIVE SIGNS YOUR PET TURKEY KNOWS THANKSGIVING IS NEXT WEEK
1. Wearing that pin that says, "Tofu rules"
2. Has learned to meow
3. Keeps leaving brochures around about "The Turkey Flu"
4. Auto-reply on Outlook says "Out of town until after Thanksgiving"
5. Wearing t-shirt that says, "H1N1 rules"
HUNTER'S HUMOR by Tim Hunter
President Obama has visited China's Great Wall... of course, the place for which Wal-Mart is named.
Researchers say that the amount of "bad cholesterol" in U.S. adults actually dropped over the past decade. I don't know about you, but I say this calls for a donut!
I wonder if they'd believe me at work if I told them the ancient Mayan calendar predicted I would take this day off?
President Obama says he probably won't be reading Sarah Palin's new book. Former President Bush says he won't be reading it, either, but he'll most likely color the pictures.
Some people are upset that President Obama bowed to the Emperor of Japan. Hey, he was just observing official protocol. Like the time Bush senior threw up in the lap of the Japanese prime minister. In that country, it's considered polite.
Disneyland has installed hand sanitizer in their theme parks, to help combat the spread of swine flu. They've also removed all restrictions on the Big Bad Wolf when it comes to those three little pigs.
CT scans of some mummies show that ancient Egyptians also suffered hardening of the arteries and heart disease. This might also explain why they always kill so many people when they're brought back to life.
I just realized that Carrie Prejean is one of those classic examples of one hand not wanting to know what the other one is doing!
On to ROCK NEWS –
SLASH DEFENDS FERGIE SINGING 'PARADISE CITY'…Slash took to Twitter to defend Black Eyed Peas singer Fergie's vocal performance on a new recording she did with Slash of the Guns N' Roses classic "Paradise City," also featuring Cypress Hill. A leaked copy of the recording surfaced online last week, while Slash is contemplating whether to include it on his new solo album. The former Guns guitarist tweeted, "Until now, not too many people have heard Fergie sing Rock & Roll but she sings it better (than) most dudes I know. She's a screamer at heart."
The record, titled Slash & Friends, is tentatively due out in March 2010.
Among the other guests appearing on the album are Dave Grohl, Flea, Chris Cornell, Duff McKagan, Wolfmother's Andrew Stockdale, Iggy Pop, Alice Cooper, Nicole Scherzinger, Meat Loaf, Maroon 5's Adam Levine and Ozzy Osbourne, who contributes vocals to the first single.
Slash "and friends" will perform at a fundraiser for the Los Angeles Youth Nation at Hollywood's Avalon Theater on November 22nd. Ozzy, Billy Idol, Andrew Stockdale, Linkin Park's Chester Bennington, Dave Navarro and Travis Barker are all tentatively slated to appear.
PAUL STANLEY REMEMBERS KISS FOUND IT HARD CLOSING AFTER BOB SEGER…Paul Stanley says that although Kiss has always been impressed with the band's choices of opening acts, back in the day it was Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band who really gave Kiss a run for their money.
Stanley recalls that during Seger's stint opening for the band in 1976, he set the bar pretty high for Kiss to follow every night: "Bob got his first gold album on tour with us. And there were nights, where I can remember being in the dressing room and listening to the crowd reaction, and looking at the band and saying (laughs) 'We better go out there and kick some ass.' Bob was no nonsense great rock and roll, and the band delivered the goods, and the crowd went crazy. And that always made us work harder. We always wanted great bands on the bill because it made us prove why we were the headliner."
Kiss with Buckcherry tour dates (subject to change):
November 19 - Sacramento, CA - ARCO Arena
November 21 - Fresno, CA - Save Mart Center
November 22 - Oakland, CA - Oracle Arena
November 24 - Anaheim, CA - Honda Center
November 25 - Los Angeles, CA - Staples Center
November 27 - San Diego, CA - San Diego Sports Arena
November 28 - Las Vegas, NV - Pearl Concert Theater
December 1 - Glendale, AZ - Jobing.com Arena
December 2 - El Paso, TX - University Of Texas
December 4 - Austin, TX - Frank Erwin Center
December 5 - Houston, TX - Toyota Center
December 6 - Dallas, TX - American Airlines Center
December 8 - Tulsa, OK - BOK Center
December 10 - Kansas City, MO - Sprint Center
December 11 - Council Bluffs, IA - Mid-America Center
December 13 - Pittsburgh, PA - Mellon Arena
December 15 - Sault Ste. Marie, ON - Essar Centre
BON JOVI LANDS NUMBER ONE ALBUM…Bon Jovi tops the charts this week with its new album, The Circle, which sold 163,000 copies. It's Bon Jovi's second consecutive chart-topper, coming on the heels of 2007's Lost Highway, which sold 292,000 in its first week and marked the first time Bon Jovi ever debuted at Number One on the charts. The group has had chart-topping albums prior to that -- first in 1986 with Slippery When Wet and then in 1988 with New Jersey. Frontman Jon Bon Jovi tells us he and the band have come a long way since scoring their first Number One album: "You know when I was 25 and we wrote 'Bad Name,' you were the kid with long hair in the mall -- sex, drugs, rock and roll. All that kind of stuff. You were a cowboy. You were gonna ride into town. You were dead or alive. That's who I was at that time. I'm not that guy anymore. I've grown up in the public eye. We've been at this a long time."
Bon Jovi will be on tour next year to back The Circle.
Bon Jovi set up an exclusive deal with NBC this year to plug the new album.
The group expects to have a greatest hits album out next year.
DON HENLEY NOT SURE IF U.S. CAN BE GOVERNED ANYMORE…Don Henley says that he's not sure if in the current political climate real progress can be accomplished in America. When asked by ifpress.com how he feels about the Obama administration, he explained, "In its present condition, with its rabidly partisan, corporate-controlled congress; its biased, infotainment-obsessed, ratings-driven news media -- which is now being supplanted by amateurs on the Web -- and its chronically uninformed and bitterly divided electorate, I'm not sure that the U.S. can be effectively led or governed by anybody, anymore."
When asked if like so many of his peers, he's ever thought about writing his memoirs, Henley explained, "Once in a while, I feel compelled to set the record straight but, most of the time, I just don't care. All that stuff has so little to do with my real, day-to-day life. I would eventually like to write my autobiography, and maybe a separate book with a more detailed account of my life in the Eagles."
Henley went to say, "I'm not interested in penning a tawdry tell-all or scraping the bottom of the barrel. That's already been done. I'd like to write an honest, literary account of my life, where I came from, how I got to where I am today and what the trip was like. I've had a varied and interesting life, both inside and outside the Eagles."
Although Henley has never shied away from keeping his liberal political views front and center when dealing with the press, both he and the rest of the Eagles try to keep their comments non-partisan on the stage: "We have found over the years that a concert is not necessarily the forum for one's political opinions. We do most of that work now separate and apart from our concert tours."
Out now is CD/DVD The Very Best Of Don Henley. The tracklist is: "Dirty Laundry," "The Boys Of Summer," "All She Wants To Do Is Dance," "Not Enough Love In The World," "Sunset Grill," "The End Of The Innocence," "The Last Worthless Evening," "New York Minute," "I Will Not Go Quietly," "The Heart Of The Matter," "Everybody Knows," "For My Wedding," "Everything Is Different Now," and "Taking You Home."
Don Henley wraps up his latest set of solo dates on Friday (November 20th) in Norfolk, Virginia at the Constant Convocation Center.
LENNY KRAVITZ EYES LEADING MOVIE ROLE…Lenny Kravitz currently has a supporting role in the new movie, Precious, but next time around, he plans to not just appear in a film, but actually be the star. Kravitz will team up once again with Precious director Lee Daniels for an unnamed project. He tells Spinner.com that they're in talks and aren't sure what they're doing just yet. But one thing is for sure -- he'll be the major player in the film, explaining, "I'm going to be doing a film and this time I'm going to be in the lead position. It's going to be a lot of responsibility and a lot of time -- it's very exciting." There are rumors Kravitz could get involved in a musical. Kravitz also plans to put out new material in 2010, saying, "I'm really anxious to get in the studio and finish this record. I'm gonna go in the studio and lock myself up for two months and see how it all comes out."
QUICK TAKES…Rod Stewart is being sued by his former attorneys for $3.3 million in back legal fees. The high-profile legal firm of Glaser, Weil, Fink, Jacobs, Howard & Shapiro filed suit against Stewart on Tuesday (November 17th) in Los Angeles. The suit claims that Stewart owes them money for three separate cases they worked on -- include Stewart's cancellation of a 2000 Las Vegas show in which a federal jury deemed Stewart responsible for the $2 million fee. (The Associated Press)
Bruce Springsteen performed solo on Tuesday night (November 17th) at New York's Carnegie Hall for the Concert For Autism, which was co-headlined by Jerry Seinfeld. Springsteen, who was considerably under-dressed compared to the top shelf-looking crowd joked, "I'm sorry, ladies and gentlemen, I must apologize. Apparently I'm a little under-dressed.I thought it was Carnegie Deli. Sorry. . . I see some high rollers out there. Forgive me. . . Ehhh, whatever."
Springsteen performed "No Surrender," "If I Should Fall Behind," "Working On The Highway," as well as a set-closing crowd request for "Thunder Road." (Backstreets.com)
The original members of Bad Company -- Paul Rodgers, Mick Ralphs, and Simon Kirke -- will reunite in April for a string of eight UK dates. The shows mark the first UK appearance of the band's original members in over 30 years. Supporting them on all of the dates will be the Joe Perry Project. The opening show will take place on April 1st at the Birmingham LG Arena, with the mini-tour wrapping up on April 11th at Wembley Arena.
Mick Ralphs said in a statement: It's great to be with Paul and Simon. We made great music together and had the time of our lives doing it. I'm really looking forward to us bringing Bad Company back to the UK."
Although no details were given, it was announced that a new Bad Company live CD/DVD set is set for release on February 9th.
That’s it for now, as always, if you can’t be good, be good at it and don’t get caught!!
Jonathan
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Wednesday - November 18, 2009 -
ON THIS DAY
The Roman Emperor Vespasian was born on this date in 9 AD. Vespy was credited with building the Coliseum, where the Rome Red Sandals played their home games.
In 1307, it's said that William Tell shot an apple off of his son's head. Why an apple? A raisin was too small and a watermelon gave his son a stiff neck.
On this date in 1883, standard time zones were established across the entire U.S... so our entire population could complain about how dark it gets so early at the same time.
TODAY IS
Owen Wilson turns 41. He was the one Kate Hudson traded away for a player to be named later. That player turned out to be Alex Rodriguez. And he IS a player.
Mickey Mouse turns 81 today. Wow, 81 years on this earth and he's never worn a pair of pants.
THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW
Whitney Houston will perform next week on the finale of "Dancing with the Stars."
Brad and Angelina are coming out with their own line of designer jewelry.
Farah Fawcett left $4.5 million to her son, Redmond... but not one penny to her lover of many years, Ryan O'Neal.
Oops! The other night in a concert, Bruce Springsteen had shouted out several, "Hello, Ohio!"s until when his guitarist finally pointed out that they were in Michigan.
David Letterman is denying a report that his wife has kicked him out of the house.
A new study shows that college students drink more and more often in co-ed dorms than in gender-specific dorms.
The New Oxford Dictionary has chosen it's Word of the Year: "unfriend," as "I'm going to unfriend someone on Facebook."
51% of a typical American's annual weight gain occurs in the weeks between Thanksgiving and New Year's Day.
Window Media, the nation's largest publisher of newspapers serving the gay and lesbian community, has shut down.
A Scottish distiller is fronting the money for an expedition to the South Pole, to try and rescue two cases of Scotch that an explorer left buried in the ice 100 years ago.
One third of Saab dealers in the U.S. are going to close.
Last night, Joe Biden became the first sitting vice-president to appear on "The Daily Show."
Ken Ober, who hosted the 1980s MTV game show "Remote Control" and helped produce the shows "Mind of Mencia" and "The New Adventures of Old Christine," has died. He was 52.
Pamela Anderson has introduced a new budget fragrance line. The first two scents are Malibu Blue and Malibu Pink.
You won't be finding an Coke products at Costco. A pricing dispute broke out, so they're gone.
Chris Brown says he's avoiding the whole dating thing... for now.
The New Oxford American Dictionary has declared the word of the year is "unfriend." It's a verb. As in: "You were so mean to my sister yesterday, I'm going to unfriend you on Facebook." Want more? Here are ten words kids think you don't know.
1. Netbook: a small laptop computer
2. Sexting: sending sexually explicit texts and photos by cell phone
3. Hashtag: the hash sign added to a word or phrase that lets Twitter users search for tweets similarly tagged
4. Intexticated: the state people are in when they are distracted by texting while driving
5. Freemium: a business model in which some basic services are provided for free
6. Funemployed: referring to people taking advantage of newly unemployed status to have fun or pursue other interests
7. Birther: conspiracy theorists who challenged President Barack Obama's U.S. birth certificate
8. Choice mom: a person who chooses to be a single mother
9. Deleb: a dead celebrity
00. Tramp stamp: a tattoo on the lower back, usually on a woman
WEIRD NEWS
I'm Smarter Than You Mr. Robber! - Whoever just robbed Henry's Jewelers in Toledo, Ohio is going to be in for a big shock. All those gold rings you stole are worth about 25 cents apiece. Owner Henry Triplett says oh sure -- they looked to be worth thousands of dollars. But the "gold" rings in his display case are actually just brass dummies-- mere samples of the real gold rings he keeps safely locked up and out of view. So the real cost of the robbery will only be the expense of replacing his store's front window and the shattered glass on 13 display cases. (WTVG-TV News)
That Loogey Is Gonna Cost You! - It's surely not the first time a burger flipper spit on a burger. But when Jaime Perez, a cook at Andy's Landing in Burnet, Texas did it, he picked the wrong victim. He's accused of spitting on a hamburger served to Burnet Police Chief Paul Nelson and already confessed on tape to doing the deed. His attorney says that was just his client mouthing off and that prosecutors have no physical evidence. But the case is going to trial and Mr. Perez's little saliva stunt could cost him 10 years in prison! That's the possible penalty for harassing a public servant -- a felony. Prosecutors claim the motive was ill feelings Perez had for Chief Nelson because of a previous criminal case. (American Statesman)
A Pencil?? Seriously?? - In Bellingham, Washington, one man may have just thrown his life away for a free pencil! Police arrested the 44-year-old suspect for allegedly stealing a mechanical pencil from a department store. This despite the fact that he was carrying $600 in cash on him at the time! Officers questioned the man about why he stole the pencil when he had enough money to pay for it. The suspect just responded, "I don't know, being stupid I guess." (Bellingham Herald)
Man Run Over By Car Doing 85 -- In His Own Home! - You don't really expect to be run over by a car doing 85 miles-per-hour -- especially when you're in your own home! But that's what happened to 62-year-old Frederic Bardsley in Greenville, South Carolina. John Ludwig was allegedly driving more than 85 mph when he lost control of his Maserati. The car sped across a field before plowing into the back of Mr. Bardsley's home. Bardsley was killed. His wife, who was upstairs, was unhurt. Ludwig suffered only minor injuries. Ludwig's attorneys claim their client lost control of the vehicle after swerving to miss several deer. (WMBF TV News)
Bad, Bad PR For Allentown Union! - Hey unions -- we know times are tough but not sure you want to make a point by picking on potential Eagle Scouts! In Allentown, Pennsylvania, 17-year-old Kevin Anderson is working toward earning his Eagle Scout badge and has toiled for more than 200 hours over several weeks to clear a 1,000-foot walking and biking path at a local city park. But that doesn't sit too well with the city's largest municipal union. Nick Balzano, president of the local Service Employees International Union, told the Allentown City Council that the union is considering filing a grievance against the city for allowing young Kevin to do the work rather than hire union workers -- 39 of which were laid off last July. Balzano said he isn't targeting Boy Scouts but "there's to be no volunteers. No one except union members may pick up a hoe or shovel, plant a flower or clear a walking path." Mayor Ed Pawlowski said, "We would hope that the well-intentioned efforts of an Eagle Scout candidate would not be challenged by the union. This young man is performing a great service to the community. His efforts should be recognized as such." (The Morning Call)
Stop Praising Your Students! It's Against The Law You Stupid Teacher! - In Northfield, Minnesota, a high school teacher is in hot water after he posted the names and grades of students with the best test scores. He thought it was a good way to praise his high fliers and motivate the rest. Turns out it's against the law and the Minnesota Department of Administration agreed with a parent who complained that posting her son's test results in class for all to see was a violation of state law protecting student data. According to experts in education law, it's generally OK for schools to announce who makes the honor roll or graduates with the highest class rank. But revealing a student's specific grade on a class test without written permission is a no-no. Really? Has it come to this? I'd be proud to have my kid's good grades posted publicly! Then I could go get me one of those awesome bumper stickers that says my kid's smarter than your kid! (Star Tribune)
I'm Half the Man I Used To Be! - 37-year-old Peng Shuilin has shocked his own doctors and the medical community at large after surviving having the entire lower half of his body amputated! This after a horrible accident where he was run over by a truck. Peng spent nearly two years in hospital in Shenzhen, southern China, undergoing a series of operations to re-route nearly every major organ or system inside his body. And what an amazing outlook this guy has. He's now opened his own discount supermarket called the Half Man-Half Price Store. Now, just 2-feet 7-inches tall, he gets around in a wheelchair and gives lectures to inspire others recovering from disabilities. Bujie Hospital vice president Lin Liu said, "He had good care but his secret is his cheerfulness. Nothing ever gets him down!" (Ananova)
How To Make A Sissy! - Watch out pregnant moms! Researchers from the University of Rochester have found that boys born from mothers exposed to high levels of plastic chemicals during their pregnancy are less likely to play with masculine toys and rough and tumble games. Nice way of saying they become sissies! The researchers link the chemicals DEHP and DBP, which are still used in plastic packaging, to the disruption of the creation of testosterone in male fetuses. Based on the answers from the mothers in the research project, their boys ages 4 – 7, less prefer playing with cars, trucks and guns. The boys also less prefer play fighting. The result of the study is worrying because less masculine play at age five to seven may make boys effeminate later on -- and we don't want that now do we! (AHN News)
TOP FIVE SIGNS YOUR FOOTBALL TEAM HAS GIVEN UP ON THE PLAYOFFS THIS YEAR
1. Team flag is now white
2. Cheerleaders only stay for pre-game show
3. New team rule: don't get your uniform dirty
4. Two main receivers out after broken fingernail injury
5. Offensive line now selling sacks
HUNTER'S HUMOR by Tim Hunter
President Obama has lots of meeting with Chinese leaders lined up. Hu's on first, Wang's on second, Ida Ho's on third...
The NFL has fined Tennessee Titans owner Bud Adams $250,000 for making an obscene gesture at Buffalo Bills fans. That breaks down to $125,000 a finger!
You'd think as an owner and with his financial means that Bud would have hired someone to flip off the crowd for him. I know it would have cost less than $250,000.
Hell, I would have done it for a flat $100,000. Bud, I'm available this weekend.
Earthquake yesterday west of Vancouver, British Columbia. It was 6.6 on the Richter, minus, of course, the exchange rate.
On to ROCK NEWS –
BEATLES NEWS ROUNDUP…Former Beatles wives Cynthia Lennon and Pattie Boyd appeared together for the first time in decades on November 8th in Yerevan, Armenia for the grand opening of the Cafesjian Center for the Arts. The pair took part in a live interview with the museum's director and spoke openly about their lives while being married to John Lennon and George Harrison, respectively.
Boyd, who was married to Harrison from 1966 to 1977 -- and then Eric Clapton from 1979 to 1988 -- recalled her days of being caught up in "Beatlemania," revealing, "With a lot of help from a psychotherapist I have learned and am a much stronger person now. I am thankful to be free."
When Cynthia was asked about her favorite Beatles album, she answered: "They're all so different. It's here, there, and everywhere. But I think that Sgt. Pepper's (Lonely Hearts Club Band) was the most unbelievable album." (Reporter.am)
We asked Pattie Boyd of her impressions of Cynthia in the '60s while she was still married to John: "She wasn't very outgoing. She was in a difficult relationship. And I always thought the she found it quite difficult to try and control John, or, y'know, be with him."
On November 5th, original Beatles drummer Pete Best returned home to his native India and performed with his band in front of an estimated 250,000 people in Delhi. Best, who was born in Madras and lived in India until he was four, performed as part of a campaign to bring more tourists from India to Liverpool. Best explained, "Liverpool is my hometown. It is a great city with great people. I am proud and privileged to be able to travel the world and let people know what a unique and wonderful place Liverpool is." (Liverpool Daily Post)
Best says that he's long moved past dwelling on missing out on being the drummer for the biggest band in the world: "I put it to bed many, many years ago. Don't get me wrong it wasn't a 24-hour situation, it took a while to adjust to. But you've got to wake up one morning and just go, 'Hang on. It's no good reflecting about yesteryear all the time,' it's very much about today and tomorrow. And there's loads of things in life which compensate for it. I've got a great family. Great family life. I've got four beautiful grandchildren which I totally idolize and spoil. I think life's good for me."
As if there wasn't enough Beatles product to choose from this holiday season, MTV.com reported that the group's company, Apple Corps. has teamed up for new line of Beatles-themed garments with Comme des Garcons. The collaboration features a variety of t-shirts, bags and jackets, and will hit stores later this month.
Apple has also inked a deal with the ultra-hip clothing brand A Bathing Ape (Bape) to produce shirts, sweaters -- and of course -- a coin pouch. There's been no word when the "Beatles-Bape "collection" will hit outlets.
QUICK TAKES…The good news is Elton John is back on his feet and ready to resume his Face To Face Tour with Billy Joel -- the bad news is that now Billy's sick. The pair had to bail out of last night's concert (November 17th) at San Jose's Pavilion Arena due to Billy's undisclosed "medical reasons." Promoters are expected to announce a make-up date for the show soon. (Mercurynews.com)
Elton, meanwhile, is feeling much better after being laid low by a touch of the flu and an E. coli bacterial infection. On Monday (November 16th) he attended the Elton John AIDS Foundation's "An Enduring Vision" at New York City Cipriani Wall Street. Elton admitted that he loathes being sick: "The worst thing about being in the hospital was that, actually, it's the first time I've been in bed for about nine days in the whole of my life, except for maybe when I had my tonsils out. So, I was all right. I had a good rest; I didn't expect it. The worst thing was having to cancel shows. I hate that. But I'm back on my feet and I'm bouncing around now." (The Associated Press)
Ian McLagan says that the Faces are determined to hit the road next spring -- with or without Rod Stewart: "If we don't do it very soon, one of us is gonna check out. I'm 64, for chrissakes! We've been waiting and waiting for Rod to say yes; now he's finally said no. He's busy doing other sh**. So we're gonna do it."
McLagan added that an open lineup is fine by him, explaining, "I think it's more exciting, actually, with different singers, different bass players, maybe some other guests, another guitarist or whatever. (Saxophonist) Bobby Keys would probably sit in. It's more adventurous. It won't be the same old sh**."
Matel has just issued the new Barbie collector's series which pays tribute to the "Ladies of The 80's" -- featuring dolls of Joan Jett, Debbie Harry, and Cyndi Lauper. The dolls come with "clothes and accessories, a doll stand, and a certificate of authenticity." (Vintage Vinyl News)
JETHRO TULL ANNOUNCES NORTH AMERICAN SPRING DATES…Jethro Tull, featuring legendary frontman Ian Anderson, has announced the first nine-dates of the band's upcoming North American spring tour. The band kicks things off on June 4th at Miami's Bayfront Park Amphitheater, before wrapping things up on June 20th in Highland Park, Illinois at the Martin Theatre At Ravinia. Additional dates are expected to be announced.
Ian Anderson says that the band prides itself on keeping their setlists interesting for the Tull diehards without alienating the many casual fans catching the shows: "It's never the same from tour to tour. We're always having fun with some different old songs. You know, we try and switch 'em around. It's just that when we come back to visit a town again a couple a years later, you know, we really try and change 80 percent of the set. So things go in and out of the show all the time, and you can't please everybody all of the time. We just have to try and make sure that we cover 'the big picture' of Jethro Tull and make sure we play a selection of the stuff."
Jethro Tull tour dates (subject to change):
June 4 - Miami, FL - Bayfront Park Amphitheater
June 10 - Mashantucket, CT - Foxwoods Resort Casino
June 11 - Wantagh, NY - Nikon At Jones Beach Theater
June 12 - Atlantic City, NJ - Caesars Circus Maximus Theatre
June 13 - Holmdel, NJ - PNC Bank Arts Center
June 15 - Boston, MA - Bank Of America Pavilion
June 18 - Toronto, ON - The Molson Amphitheatre
June 19 - Windsor, ON - Caesars Windsor "The Colosseum"
June 20 - Highland Park, IL - Martin Theatre At Ravinia
BON JOVI PLANS GREATEST HITS FOR 2010…Bon Jovi had planned to release a greatest hits album this year, but the project got sidelined after the group came up with enough material for a brand new studio album, released last week. That doesn't mean the best-of set has been put on hold forever. Frontman Jon Bon Jovi says it will come out in 2010. Along with a few never-before-released songs, the compilation will also feature tracks not featured on Bon Jovi's 1994 Cross Road greatest hits. The New Jersey native tells us what we can expect on the new collection: "It'll be a new greatest hits because the last one was 15 years ago. It was '94. So you had everything from These Days forward. And what is this my fifth album in this decade? So at least six studio records and a solo thing. And then I'm sure you'll still end up having to put 'Living On A Prayer' on it but there won't be 'Runaway' on it. It won't have the early early stuff because we'll have had more hits since then."
Bon Jovi will be out with a new concert DVD on November 23rd called Live From Madison Square Garden.
Tickets are on sale for Bon Jovi's tour, set to kick off in 2010.
Bon Jovi's new album, The Circle, features the hit "We Weren't Born To Follow."
GUNS N' ROSES SETTING TICKET SALES RECORD . . .
IN KOREA…A Guns N' Roses concert scheduled for December 13th in Seoul, Korea -- the band's first gig ever in that country -- could set a new record for ticket sales in that nation, according to JoongAng Daily. Promoters said that tickets for the show, which is scheduled for a venue called the Olympic Park Gymnasium, are selling briskly, with representative Yvette Moon proclaiming on Monday (November 16th), "Ticket sales have already broken records set by other successful concerts we organized earlier in the year, like the Lady Gaga show this August."
According to the report, Korean music fans feeling neglected by major international music stars have been cheered in recent months by visits from A-list acts like Mariah Carey, Beyonce, Lady Gaga and Maroon 5.
The Guns N' Roses show is one of a handful of Asian gigs the band has planned, including stops in Taiwan and Japan. A Canadian trek is also set to begin on January 13th in Winnipeg.
Guns N' Roses has not played live since 2006 and has not done any concerts since the release last November of its long-delayed Chinese Democracy CD.
AEROSMITH GUITARIST THINKS STEVEN TYLER MIGHT BE BACK ON DRUGS…The Aerosmith drama continues as the rest of the band considers potentially moving forward without frontman Steven Tyler, amid rumors that the singer has gone back to the bad habits that nearly derailed him and the band in their early days. Aerosmith guitarist Brad Whitford doesn't count out the possibility that Tyler has lapsed back into using drugs, as he told us: "This guy has a tremendous history of drug abuse, and you have to be suspicious that this is something that is probably going on with him. I think that that's got to be a part of this irrational behavior, you know. You're supposed to -- people in recovery and stuff, if you're really doing it, it takes a lot of work. Historically or statistically, the majority of people in that situation don't make it. I have a feeling we might be looking at, you know, someone who's just really struggling very badly with this."
Tyler has been estranged from the band since August, when he fell from a stage in South Dakota and forced the group to cancel the rest of its summer tour.
The other members have revealed that Tyler has his own management, and that none of them have had any contact with him in months.
The singer told Classic Rock magazine several weeks ago that he wants to take two years off to work on "Brand Tyler."
Drummer Joey Kramer admits that the rest of the band aren't sure how to proceed, but says they all want to keep playing together: "You know, getting someone else is one of the questions. We all know that there's really no way to replace Steven, but we want to continue touring together. We even have a 40-year anniversary coming up and it's a milestone. We want to be able to celebrate it together and there's millions of fans out there that are dedicated to us."
Tyler joined guitarist Joe Perry onstage in New York last week while the latter was touring with his Joe Perry Project solo band, telling the crowd that he wasn't quitting Aerosmith. Perry, however, said after the show that the band's problems were far from over.
Both Perry and Kramer specifically declined to discuss the rumors about Tyler's drug use, although Kramer told us he hopes his bandmate "gets some help."
That’s it for now, as always, if you can’t be good, be good at it and don’t get caught!!
Jonathan
The Roman Emperor Vespasian was born on this date in 9 AD. Vespy was credited with building the Coliseum, where the Rome Red Sandals played their home games.
In 1307, it's said that William Tell shot an apple off of his son's head. Why an apple? A raisin was too small and a watermelon gave his son a stiff neck.
On this date in 1883, standard time zones were established across the entire U.S... so our entire population could complain about how dark it gets so early at the same time.
TODAY IS
Owen Wilson turns 41. He was the one Kate Hudson traded away for a player to be named later. That player turned out to be Alex Rodriguez. And he IS a player.
Mickey Mouse turns 81 today. Wow, 81 years on this earth and he's never worn a pair of pants.
THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW
Whitney Houston will perform next week on the finale of "Dancing with the Stars."
Brad and Angelina are coming out with their own line of designer jewelry.
Farah Fawcett left $4.5 million to her son, Redmond... but not one penny to her lover of many years, Ryan O'Neal.
Oops! The other night in a concert, Bruce Springsteen had shouted out several, "Hello, Ohio!"s until when his guitarist finally pointed out that they were in Michigan.
David Letterman is denying a report that his wife has kicked him out of the house.
A new study shows that college students drink more and more often in co-ed dorms than in gender-specific dorms.
The New Oxford Dictionary has chosen it's Word of the Year: "unfriend," as "I'm going to unfriend someone on Facebook."
51% of a typical American's annual weight gain occurs in the weeks between Thanksgiving and New Year's Day.
Window Media, the nation's largest publisher of newspapers serving the gay and lesbian community, has shut down.
A Scottish distiller is fronting the money for an expedition to the South Pole, to try and rescue two cases of Scotch that an explorer left buried in the ice 100 years ago.
One third of Saab dealers in the U.S. are going to close.
Last night, Joe Biden became the first sitting vice-president to appear on "The Daily Show."
Ken Ober, who hosted the 1980s MTV game show "Remote Control" and helped produce the shows "Mind of Mencia" and "The New Adventures of Old Christine," has died. He was 52.
Pamela Anderson has introduced a new budget fragrance line. The first two scents are Malibu Blue and Malibu Pink.
You won't be finding an Coke products at Costco. A pricing dispute broke out, so they're gone.
Chris Brown says he's avoiding the whole dating thing... for now.
The New Oxford American Dictionary has declared the word of the year is "unfriend." It's a verb. As in: "You were so mean to my sister yesterday, I'm going to unfriend you on Facebook." Want more? Here are ten words kids think you don't know.
1. Netbook: a small laptop computer
2. Sexting: sending sexually explicit texts and photos by cell phone
3. Hashtag: the hash sign added to a word or phrase that lets Twitter users search for tweets similarly tagged
4. Intexticated: the state people are in when they are distracted by texting while driving
5. Freemium: a business model in which some basic services are provided for free
6. Funemployed: referring to people taking advantage of newly unemployed status to have fun or pursue other interests
7. Birther: conspiracy theorists who challenged President Barack Obama's U.S. birth certificate
8. Choice mom: a person who chooses to be a single mother
9. Deleb: a dead celebrity
00. Tramp stamp: a tattoo on the lower back, usually on a woman
WEIRD NEWS
I'm Smarter Than You Mr. Robber! - Whoever just robbed Henry's Jewelers in Toledo, Ohio is going to be in for a big shock. All those gold rings you stole are worth about 25 cents apiece. Owner Henry Triplett says oh sure -- they looked to be worth thousands of dollars. But the "gold" rings in his display case are actually just brass dummies-- mere samples of the real gold rings he keeps safely locked up and out of view. So the real cost of the robbery will only be the expense of replacing his store's front window and the shattered glass on 13 display cases. (WTVG-TV News)
That Loogey Is Gonna Cost You! - It's surely not the first time a burger flipper spit on a burger. But when Jaime Perez, a cook at Andy's Landing in Burnet, Texas did it, he picked the wrong victim. He's accused of spitting on a hamburger served to Burnet Police Chief Paul Nelson and already confessed on tape to doing the deed. His attorney says that was just his client mouthing off and that prosecutors have no physical evidence. But the case is going to trial and Mr. Perez's little saliva stunt could cost him 10 years in prison! That's the possible penalty for harassing a public servant -- a felony. Prosecutors claim the motive was ill feelings Perez had for Chief Nelson because of a previous criminal case. (American Statesman)
A Pencil?? Seriously?? - In Bellingham, Washington, one man may have just thrown his life away for a free pencil! Police arrested the 44-year-old suspect for allegedly stealing a mechanical pencil from a department store. This despite the fact that he was carrying $600 in cash on him at the time! Officers questioned the man about why he stole the pencil when he had enough money to pay for it. The suspect just responded, "I don't know, being stupid I guess." (Bellingham Herald)
Man Run Over By Car Doing 85 -- In His Own Home! - You don't really expect to be run over by a car doing 85 miles-per-hour -- especially when you're in your own home! But that's what happened to 62-year-old Frederic Bardsley in Greenville, South Carolina. John Ludwig was allegedly driving more than 85 mph when he lost control of his Maserati. The car sped across a field before plowing into the back of Mr. Bardsley's home. Bardsley was killed. His wife, who was upstairs, was unhurt. Ludwig suffered only minor injuries. Ludwig's attorneys claim their client lost control of the vehicle after swerving to miss several deer. (WMBF TV News)
Bad, Bad PR For Allentown Union! - Hey unions -- we know times are tough but not sure you want to make a point by picking on potential Eagle Scouts! In Allentown, Pennsylvania, 17-year-old Kevin Anderson is working toward earning his Eagle Scout badge and has toiled for more than 200 hours over several weeks to clear a 1,000-foot walking and biking path at a local city park. But that doesn't sit too well with the city's largest municipal union. Nick Balzano, president of the local Service Employees International Union, told the Allentown City Council that the union is considering filing a grievance against the city for allowing young Kevin to do the work rather than hire union workers -- 39 of which were laid off last July. Balzano said he isn't targeting Boy Scouts but "there's to be no volunteers. No one except union members may pick up a hoe or shovel, plant a flower or clear a walking path." Mayor Ed Pawlowski said, "We would hope that the well-intentioned efforts of an Eagle Scout candidate would not be challenged by the union. This young man is performing a great service to the community. His efforts should be recognized as such." (The Morning Call)
Stop Praising Your Students! It's Against The Law You Stupid Teacher! - In Northfield, Minnesota, a high school teacher is in hot water after he posted the names and grades of students with the best test scores. He thought it was a good way to praise his high fliers and motivate the rest. Turns out it's against the law and the Minnesota Department of Administration agreed with a parent who complained that posting her son's test results in class for all to see was a violation of state law protecting student data. According to experts in education law, it's generally OK for schools to announce who makes the honor roll or graduates with the highest class rank. But revealing a student's specific grade on a class test without written permission is a no-no. Really? Has it come to this? I'd be proud to have my kid's good grades posted publicly! Then I could go get me one of those awesome bumper stickers that says my kid's smarter than your kid! (Star Tribune)
I'm Half the Man I Used To Be! - 37-year-old Peng Shuilin has shocked his own doctors and the medical community at large after surviving having the entire lower half of his body amputated! This after a horrible accident where he was run over by a truck. Peng spent nearly two years in hospital in Shenzhen, southern China, undergoing a series of operations to re-route nearly every major organ or system inside his body. And what an amazing outlook this guy has. He's now opened his own discount supermarket called the Half Man-Half Price Store. Now, just 2-feet 7-inches tall, he gets around in a wheelchair and gives lectures to inspire others recovering from disabilities. Bujie Hospital vice president Lin Liu said, "He had good care but his secret is his cheerfulness. Nothing ever gets him down!" (Ananova)
How To Make A Sissy! - Watch out pregnant moms! Researchers from the University of Rochester have found that boys born from mothers exposed to high levels of plastic chemicals during their pregnancy are less likely to play with masculine toys and rough and tumble games. Nice way of saying they become sissies! The researchers link the chemicals DEHP and DBP, which are still used in plastic packaging, to the disruption of the creation of testosterone in male fetuses. Based on the answers from the mothers in the research project, their boys ages 4 – 7, less prefer playing with cars, trucks and guns. The boys also less prefer play fighting. The result of the study is worrying because less masculine play at age five to seven may make boys effeminate later on -- and we don't want that now do we! (AHN News)
TOP FIVE SIGNS YOUR FOOTBALL TEAM HAS GIVEN UP ON THE PLAYOFFS THIS YEAR
1. Team flag is now white
2. Cheerleaders only stay for pre-game show
3. New team rule: don't get your uniform dirty
4. Two main receivers out after broken fingernail injury
5. Offensive line now selling sacks
HUNTER'S HUMOR by Tim Hunter
President Obama has lots of meeting with Chinese leaders lined up. Hu's on first, Wang's on second, Ida Ho's on third...
The NFL has fined Tennessee Titans owner Bud Adams $250,000 for making an obscene gesture at Buffalo Bills fans. That breaks down to $125,000 a finger!
You'd think as an owner and with his financial means that Bud would have hired someone to flip off the crowd for him. I know it would have cost less than $250,000.
Hell, I would have done it for a flat $100,000. Bud, I'm available this weekend.
Earthquake yesterday west of Vancouver, British Columbia. It was 6.6 on the Richter, minus, of course, the exchange rate.
On to ROCK NEWS –
BEATLES NEWS ROUNDUP…Former Beatles wives Cynthia Lennon and Pattie Boyd appeared together for the first time in decades on November 8th in Yerevan, Armenia for the grand opening of the Cafesjian Center for the Arts. The pair took part in a live interview with the museum's director and spoke openly about their lives while being married to John Lennon and George Harrison, respectively.
Boyd, who was married to Harrison from 1966 to 1977 -- and then Eric Clapton from 1979 to 1988 -- recalled her days of being caught up in "Beatlemania," revealing, "With a lot of help from a psychotherapist I have learned and am a much stronger person now. I am thankful to be free."
When Cynthia was asked about her favorite Beatles album, she answered: "They're all so different. It's here, there, and everywhere. But I think that Sgt. Pepper's (Lonely Hearts Club Band) was the most unbelievable album." (Reporter.am)
We asked Pattie Boyd of her impressions of Cynthia in the '60s while she was still married to John: "She wasn't very outgoing. She was in a difficult relationship. And I always thought the she found it quite difficult to try and control John, or, y'know, be with him."
On November 5th, original Beatles drummer Pete Best returned home to his native India and performed with his band in front of an estimated 250,000 people in Delhi. Best, who was born in Madras and lived in India until he was four, performed as part of a campaign to bring more tourists from India to Liverpool. Best explained, "Liverpool is my hometown. It is a great city with great people. I am proud and privileged to be able to travel the world and let people know what a unique and wonderful place Liverpool is." (Liverpool Daily Post)
Best says that he's long moved past dwelling on missing out on being the drummer for the biggest band in the world: "I put it to bed many, many years ago. Don't get me wrong it wasn't a 24-hour situation, it took a while to adjust to. But you've got to wake up one morning and just go, 'Hang on. It's no good reflecting about yesteryear all the time,' it's very much about today and tomorrow. And there's loads of things in life which compensate for it. I've got a great family. Great family life. I've got four beautiful grandchildren which I totally idolize and spoil. I think life's good for me."
As if there wasn't enough Beatles product to choose from this holiday season, MTV.com reported that the group's company, Apple Corps. has teamed up for new line of Beatles-themed garments with Comme des Garcons. The collaboration features a variety of t-shirts, bags and jackets, and will hit stores later this month.
Apple has also inked a deal with the ultra-hip clothing brand A Bathing Ape (Bape) to produce shirts, sweaters -- and of course -- a coin pouch. There's been no word when the "Beatles-Bape "collection" will hit outlets.
QUICK TAKES…The good news is Elton John is back on his feet and ready to resume his Face To Face Tour with Billy Joel -- the bad news is that now Billy's sick. The pair had to bail out of last night's concert (November 17th) at San Jose's Pavilion Arena due to Billy's undisclosed "medical reasons." Promoters are expected to announce a make-up date for the show soon. (Mercurynews.com)
Elton, meanwhile, is feeling much better after being laid low by a touch of the flu and an E. coli bacterial infection. On Monday (November 16th) he attended the Elton John AIDS Foundation's "An Enduring Vision" at New York City Cipriani Wall Street. Elton admitted that he loathes being sick: "The worst thing about being in the hospital was that, actually, it's the first time I've been in bed for about nine days in the whole of my life, except for maybe when I had my tonsils out. So, I was all right. I had a good rest; I didn't expect it. The worst thing was having to cancel shows. I hate that. But I'm back on my feet and I'm bouncing around now." (The Associated Press)
Ian McLagan says that the Faces are determined to hit the road next spring -- with or without Rod Stewart: "If we don't do it very soon, one of us is gonna check out. I'm 64, for chrissakes! We've been waiting and waiting for Rod to say yes; now he's finally said no. He's busy doing other sh**. So we're gonna do it."
McLagan added that an open lineup is fine by him, explaining, "I think it's more exciting, actually, with different singers, different bass players, maybe some other guests, another guitarist or whatever. (Saxophonist) Bobby Keys would probably sit in. It's more adventurous. It won't be the same old sh**."
Matel has just issued the new Barbie collector's series which pays tribute to the "Ladies of The 80's" -- featuring dolls of Joan Jett, Debbie Harry, and Cyndi Lauper. The dolls come with "clothes and accessories, a doll stand, and a certificate of authenticity." (Vintage Vinyl News)
JETHRO TULL ANNOUNCES NORTH AMERICAN SPRING DATES…Jethro Tull, featuring legendary frontman Ian Anderson, has announced the first nine-dates of the band's upcoming North American spring tour. The band kicks things off on June 4th at Miami's Bayfront Park Amphitheater, before wrapping things up on June 20th in Highland Park, Illinois at the Martin Theatre At Ravinia. Additional dates are expected to be announced.
Ian Anderson says that the band prides itself on keeping their setlists interesting for the Tull diehards without alienating the many casual fans catching the shows: "It's never the same from tour to tour. We're always having fun with some different old songs. You know, we try and switch 'em around. It's just that when we come back to visit a town again a couple a years later, you know, we really try and change 80 percent of the set. So things go in and out of the show all the time, and you can't please everybody all of the time. We just have to try and make sure that we cover 'the big picture' of Jethro Tull and make sure we play a selection of the stuff."
Jethro Tull tour dates (subject to change):
June 4 - Miami, FL - Bayfront Park Amphitheater
June 10 - Mashantucket, CT - Foxwoods Resort Casino
June 11 - Wantagh, NY - Nikon At Jones Beach Theater
June 12 - Atlantic City, NJ - Caesars Circus Maximus Theatre
June 13 - Holmdel, NJ - PNC Bank Arts Center
June 15 - Boston, MA - Bank Of America Pavilion
June 18 - Toronto, ON - The Molson Amphitheatre
June 19 - Windsor, ON - Caesars Windsor "The Colosseum"
June 20 - Highland Park, IL - Martin Theatre At Ravinia
BON JOVI PLANS GREATEST HITS FOR 2010…Bon Jovi had planned to release a greatest hits album this year, but the project got sidelined after the group came up with enough material for a brand new studio album, released last week. That doesn't mean the best-of set has been put on hold forever. Frontman Jon Bon Jovi says it will come out in 2010. Along with a few never-before-released songs, the compilation will also feature tracks not featured on Bon Jovi's 1994 Cross Road greatest hits. The New Jersey native tells us what we can expect on the new collection: "It'll be a new greatest hits because the last one was 15 years ago. It was '94. So you had everything from These Days forward. And what is this my fifth album in this decade? So at least six studio records and a solo thing. And then I'm sure you'll still end up having to put 'Living On A Prayer' on it but there won't be 'Runaway' on it. It won't have the early early stuff because we'll have had more hits since then."
Bon Jovi will be out with a new concert DVD on November 23rd called Live From Madison Square Garden.
Tickets are on sale for Bon Jovi's tour, set to kick off in 2010.
Bon Jovi's new album, The Circle, features the hit "We Weren't Born To Follow."
GUNS N' ROSES SETTING TICKET SALES RECORD . . .
IN KOREA…A Guns N' Roses concert scheduled for December 13th in Seoul, Korea -- the band's first gig ever in that country -- could set a new record for ticket sales in that nation, according to JoongAng Daily. Promoters said that tickets for the show, which is scheduled for a venue called the Olympic Park Gymnasium, are selling briskly, with representative Yvette Moon proclaiming on Monday (November 16th), "Ticket sales have already broken records set by other successful concerts we organized earlier in the year, like the Lady Gaga show this August."
According to the report, Korean music fans feeling neglected by major international music stars have been cheered in recent months by visits from A-list acts like Mariah Carey, Beyonce, Lady Gaga and Maroon 5.
The Guns N' Roses show is one of a handful of Asian gigs the band has planned, including stops in Taiwan and Japan. A Canadian trek is also set to begin on January 13th in Winnipeg.
Guns N' Roses has not played live since 2006 and has not done any concerts since the release last November of its long-delayed Chinese Democracy CD.
AEROSMITH GUITARIST THINKS STEVEN TYLER MIGHT BE BACK ON DRUGS…The Aerosmith drama continues as the rest of the band considers potentially moving forward without frontman Steven Tyler, amid rumors that the singer has gone back to the bad habits that nearly derailed him and the band in their early days. Aerosmith guitarist Brad Whitford doesn't count out the possibility that Tyler has lapsed back into using drugs, as he told us: "This guy has a tremendous history of drug abuse, and you have to be suspicious that this is something that is probably going on with him. I think that that's got to be a part of this irrational behavior, you know. You're supposed to -- people in recovery and stuff, if you're really doing it, it takes a lot of work. Historically or statistically, the majority of people in that situation don't make it. I have a feeling we might be looking at, you know, someone who's just really struggling very badly with this."
Tyler has been estranged from the band since August, when he fell from a stage in South Dakota and forced the group to cancel the rest of its summer tour.
The other members have revealed that Tyler has his own management, and that none of them have had any contact with him in months.
The singer told Classic Rock magazine several weeks ago that he wants to take two years off to work on "Brand Tyler."
Drummer Joey Kramer admits that the rest of the band aren't sure how to proceed, but says they all want to keep playing together: "You know, getting someone else is one of the questions. We all know that there's really no way to replace Steven, but we want to continue touring together. We even have a 40-year anniversary coming up and it's a milestone. We want to be able to celebrate it together and there's millions of fans out there that are dedicated to us."
Tyler joined guitarist Joe Perry onstage in New York last week while the latter was touring with his Joe Perry Project solo band, telling the crowd that he wasn't quitting Aerosmith. Perry, however, said after the show that the band's problems were far from over.
Both Perry and Kramer specifically declined to discuss the rumors about Tyler's drug use, although Kramer told us he hopes his bandmate "gets some help."
That’s it for now, as always, if you can’t be good, be good at it and don’t get caught!!
Jonathan
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Tuesday - November 17, 2009 -
ON THIS DAY
On this date in 1794, Eli Terry took out the very first patent on a clock. It was about time!
In 1869, the Suez Canal opened. It got it's name from everyone asking "Su... ez... dis da canal?"
On this date in 1940, the Green Bay Packers became the first NFL team to travel by plane. They flew to New York to play the Jets, but since jets hadn't been invented yet, they just flew back to Green Bay.
In 1959, synthetic diamonds were made for the very first time. Of course, with them came the creation of artificial karats. Or, they ended being a girl's best fake friend.
On this date in 1968, NBC infuriated football fans when they cut away from a Jets-Raiders game to show the movie "Heidi." The Raiders ended up coming from behind and winning the game. Millions of people were in disbelief: the Raiders won a game?
TODAY IS
Thanksgiving is just one week from Thursday!
Rupaul turns 49 today. He'll blow out the candles on his cake using a cross-draft.
Danny Devito turns 65 today. C'mon, Danny stand up and take a bow. Oh, you are standing up... well, then take a bow!
Take A Hike Day -- Doctors say walking is the most important part of a healthy life! If you could manage to take 10,000 steps a day -- and you're most likely taking 5,000 steps already -- you will lower your blood pressure and significantly improve your overall health. And get this -- if you take a brisk 30-minute walk several times a week and your memory will improve even as you get older. Regular cardiovascular exercise and maintaining a healthy weight actually reduce the amount of brain tissue that is lost as we age. And losing less tissue may mean keeping more memories.
THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW
Rosie O'Donnell admits her former partner, Kelli Carpenter, had moved out of her house two years ago.
Who's going to take over for Diane Sawyer on "Good Morning, America"? Word is that George Stephanopoulos has the inside track.
Now we're hearing there are at least 30 nude photos and eight sex tapes (total) of former Miss California Carrie Prejean floating around out there.
November 23 is the final... and I do mean final... episode of "Jon and Kate Plus 8."
Alicia Keys, Leona Lewis and Barry and Robin Gibb of the Bee Gees, will perform tonight on "Dancing with the Stars."
US Weekly says the hottest stars in Hollywood these days are Jenna Fischer, Chris O'Donnell, Adam Lambert, Eliza Dushku and the cast of Fox's "Glee."
Edward Woodward, famous for his roles in "The Wicker Man" and "The Equalizer" has died at age 79.
Courtney Cox says she'll be back for "Scream 4"... in the works, as we speak.
WHERE ARE THE WORST LOVERS IN THE WORLD -
The worst lovers live in Germany. That's the word from a survey conducted by the global research Web site OnePoll.com, which asked 15,000 women from 20 countries to rate the men from those 20 nations on their ability in bed.
The world's worst lovers ranked:
1. Germany, too smelly
2. England, too lazy
3. Sweden , too quick
4. Holland, too dominating
5. America, too rough
6. Greece, too lovey-dovey
7. Wales, too selfish
8. Scotland, too loud
9. Turkey, too sweaty
10. Russia, too hairy
The world's best lovers ranked:
1. Spain
2. Brazil
3. Italy
4. France
5. Ireland
6. South Africa
7. Australia
8. New Zealand
9. Denmark
10. Canada
WEIRD NEWS
Let's Play The Family Feud! - So how much fighting goes on in your house? A new study by research company Uinvue says the average family will spend 91 hours a year fighting and arguing. Fights flare up as much as three times a day, usually lasting for around five minutes. The most common arguments are over household chores, children "treating the house like a hotel", and couples taking each other for granted. 3,000 families took part in the research and it was interesting to note that the mother seems to still play the most pivotal role within the family when it comes to resolving conflicts. However the results do show that dads are getting far more involved. Daughters were most likely to slam doors during an argument, while fathers preferred to go for a long drive to cool off. But it's not the arguing that tears families apart -- it's how they deal with their disagreements. Families who promote healthy resolve to conflicts can actually realize a positive effect on family members. On the other hand, one in ten of the families surveyed said they were not on speaking terms. (Telegraph)
The Latest H1N1 Victims: Hand Puppets! - Looks like the stuffed animals and hand puppet industry may be the latest casualty of H1N1. In Minneapolis, Hennepin County libraries say plush toys and hand puppets will no longer be available for checkout or play, partly because of H1N1 flu concerns. Puppets have been available at less than half of the 41 libraries in the suburbs and in Minneapolis and some are allowed to be checked out. And while there's no way to know if anyone has gotten ill through the puppets, the libraries are sensitive to the real threat and public sense that puppets might be germy. So for now the kids will only have toys that can easily wiped down. (The Post Bulletin)
Shocker: Kids of Lesbians Better Off Than Kids of Heterosexuals! - This will be quite a surprise for some. The National Academy for Parenting Practitioners has new research that shows children from lesbian couples do better in life than the offspring of heterosexual couples. Director Stephen Scott said flat out, "Lesbians make better parents than a man and a woman." His controversial position draws backing from research that suggests children with two female parents aspire for more than those with opposite-sex parents. The study also says kids of lesbians are no more or less likely to have tendencies towards homosexuality. The research was conducted jointly by Birkbeck College in London and Clark University in Massachusetts. One theory for the results is that with same-sex couples children cannot be conceived accidentally-- parents must make an active decision to adopt or find a sperm donor. (Telegraph)
You're Kidding Right Mr. Corrupt Policeman? - In Stoughton, Massachusetts, former police sergeant David M. Cohen has filed for over $100,000 in compensation from the town for overtime and time spent away from his job in court. Of course the reason he was in court was because he was on trial for attempted extortion! Cohen, who was released from prison on a stay of his sentence last month, filed the request through his attorney. He's seeking $113,000, which includes 87 accrued vacation days, 125 unused sick days, 144 hours of compensation time accrued for not using sick time, 152 hours of supervisor comp time, 481 hours for court appearances related to his criminal case, 280 hours of overtime to prepare for his case, at least 61 percent education incentive pay for 2007, and 61 percent for accrued stipends and benefits. Cohen was found guilty on four criminal charges in Norfolk Superior Court stemming from his role in the 2002 arrest of a former Stoughton businessman to collect a debt as a lawyer for a friend. Town Manager Mark S. Stankiewicz said he has received the letter from Cohen's lawyer and "we will reject the man's request." (The Enterprise)
That Must Be Some Darn Good Whiskey! - The Whyte & Mackay beverage company of New Zealand is going to quite a bit of effort and expense to recover two crates of vintage whiskey. They've hired a team to drill through Antarctica to recover the booze that has literally been on ice for 100 years. The two crates of McKinlay and Co. whiskey were shipped to the Antarctic by British polar explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton as part of his abandoned 1909 expedition. Workers from New Zealand's Antarctic Heritage Trust will use special drills to reach the crates, frozen in Antarctic ice under the Nimrod Expedition hut near Cape Royds. Restoration workers found the crates under the hut's floorboards in 2006. At the time, the crates and bottles were too deeply embedded in ice to be dislodged. Richard Paterson, Whyte & Mackay's master blender, said the Shackleton expedition's whiskey could still be drinkable and taste exactly as it did 100 years ago. If he can get a sample, he intends to replicate the old Scotch and put McKinlay whiskey back on sale. (myway.com)
Another Why Didn't I Think of That? - In China, 67-year-old Li Rongbiao sold his apartment to fund his dream of creating a wheelchair that can climb stairs. And he's done it! Li came up with the idea after his wife broke her leg and was confined to a wheel chair. He says, "It used to take us a good half an hour to walk downstairs from our fifth floor apartment to the ground floor after her injury." So, despite a complete lack of mechanical knowledge, Li bought a lot of books, spent half a year to learn the computer designing, and then another half a year to design the wheelchair. With one charge, his foldable electric wheelchair can climb nearly 3,000 steps-- the equivalent of 50 floors. The prototype requires somebody to use minimal force to help maneuvered it but Li says the next version will be able to climb stairs unassisted. He has already been awarded two patents for his invention and is now looking for partners to help him market it commercially. (West China City Daily)
It's My Lord and Savior's Fault! - In Louisville, Kentucky, police were performing a home check on Craig A. Dunn, who was under house arrest, when they found a tube of aluminum foil burnt on one end and a spoon with burn marks and possible drug residue. When questioned about the items, Dunn said they weren't his-and told police that the spoon and foil belonged to Jesus, who he maintains is trying to set him up. Amazingly officers didn't buy the story and Dunn now faces more charges of possession of drug paraphernalia. No charges have been filed against the Lord. (AHN News)
TOP FIVE SIGNS YOUR NEIGHBORS WORK IN THE CIRCUS
1. The most obvious sign -- bearded Avon lady
2. Kids always outside walking on telephone wires
3. During winter, posts sign that says, "Greatest snow on earth!"
4. That clown family that visited them last night and that little teeny car
5. Elephant droppings in the front yard
HUNTER'S HUMOR by Tim Hunter
The movie "2012" was a huge box office hit over the weekend... just like the ancient Mayan calendar predicted.
The Who is going to perform during halftime of the next Superbowl game, February 7th. They do a medley of "CSI show" theme songs.
Santa is already showing up at a lot of the malls. Last Wednesday, he was even in a few places wearing his red flack jacket for Veterans Day.
President Obama is in China to meet with that country's leaders. In other words, it's a stockholders meeting.
I'm planning to watch an old episode of "Bonanza" tonight, because it's the one show on TV this week where Sarah Palin doesn't appear.
SLUMBER SPEAK REVEALS PERSONALITY
The way you and your partner sleep together reveals a lot about your love life. "The positions couples adopt during their slumber speak volumes about their level of intimacy and the style and quality of their love making," says psychologist Dr. Karl Bosuns. He bases his conclusions on an ongoing study he conducted through the years centering on the personalities, sex lives and sleeping positions of over 700 couples.
Too hot to handle -- Couples who sleep back-to-back without touching each other, strangely enough, tend to be the wildest and most passionate in their lovemaking. "They exert so much energy and produce so much heat they don't normally cuddle," says Dr. Bosuns, a family and marriage counselor for 30 years.
Bottoms up -- In this position, the man normally sleeps face down with his arms spread "as if he's embracing the whole world. The woman adopts a tuck position, preserving the warmth she feels in the center of her body. "They fall asleep feeling like they've got the world by the tail," says Dr. Bosuns.
Spoons -- "Lovers who sleep in this position, I've found, are the kind of people who are extremely tactile they love to touch so much that they fall asleep in maximum body contact."
Her leg over his -- This could have two meanings, according to Dr. Bosuns: "either she's unfulfilled and left wanting more, or she's totally satisfied and is simply trying to prolong the afterglow."
His leg over hers -- "Men aren't generally left unsatisfied in their lovemaking, so there's little question what this position means for the man he's feeling very affectionate and adopts a posture that preserves his afterglow," says Dr. Bosuns.
On to ROCK NEWS –
BOB DYLAN DANCES IN NEW CHRISTMAS VIDEO…Bob Dylan's video for "Must Be Santa" -- the lead single from the new Christmas In The Heart collection has made it's way online. The holiday clip, which features Dylan wearing a series of long wigs under his hat, shows a festive Christmas party complete with mass drinking, laughter, singalongs -- and yes -- Bob Dylan dancing.
CHEAP TRICK ANNOUNCES INITIAL WINTER DATES…Cheap Trick has just announced the initial dates for its upcoming winter trek. The band kicks things off on December 3rd at Nashville's legendary Ryman Auditorium, and so far will wrap things up on December 27th in Miami Gardens, Florida at the Land Shark Stadium. Cheap Trick has also announced its first date of the new year, with a February 5th gig scheduled for Windsor, Ontario at Caesars Windsor "The Colosseum."
Bandleader Rick Nielsen feels that the secret to Cheap Trick's longevity is that in an era when bands became so huge so quickly, they were able to retain their fan base while still working regularly: "I think we're a lot of people's fifth favorite band. They might not like everything we do, but they respect the fact of, y'know, the hard work, and, y'know, we've had ups and we've had downs, and guess what -- we keep getting back up."
Cheap Trick tour dates (subject to change):
December 3 - Nashville, TN - Ryman Auditorium
December 9 - Milwaukee, WI - Northern Lights Theater
December 10 - Rosemont, IL - Allstate Arena
December 12 - Red Rock, OK - 7 Clans Paradise Casino
December 27 - Miami Gardens, FL - Land Shark Stadium
February 5 - Windsor, ON - Caesars Windsor "The Colosseum"
PAUL McCARTNEY SET FOR LIBRARY OF CONGRESS HONOR, RELEASES 'GOOD EVENING NEW YORK CITY' TODAY…Paul McCartney will be awarded the U.S. Library of Congress' third Gershwin Prize for Popular Song, according to Billboard. Librarian of Congress James Billington announced the honor on Monday (November 16th), and said that "it is hard to think of another performer and composer who has had a more transformative effect than McCartney."
The library houses the manuscripts of the songwriting team George and Ira Gershwin. McCartney follows previous honorees Stevie Wonder and Paul Simon.
An all star tribute is planned for the former Beatle in January in Washington, D.C., but no further details were announced.
Released today (November 17th) is McCartney's sixth solo live album Good Evening New York. The collection features performances taped live in concert at New York's Citi-Field on July 17th, 18th and 21st.
The album is available in two formats: a two-CD, one-DVD "standard edition," and a four-disc -- two CD, two-DVD -- "deluxe version" featuring expanded packaging and a bonus DVD including McCartney's July 15th performance in New York City on top of The Ed Sullivan Theater marquee. The DVD includes the bonus numbers not aired on The Late Show With David Letterman broadcast.
The tracklist on Good Evening New York City is: "Drive My Car," "Jet," "Only Mama Knows," "Flaming Pie," "Got To Get You Into My Life," "Highway," "The Long And Winding Road," "My Love," "Blackbird," "Here Today," "Dance Tonight," "Calico Skies," "Mrs. Vanderbilt," "Eleanor Rigby," "Sing The Changes," "Band On The Run," "Back In The U.S.S.R," "I'm Down," "Something," "I've Got A Feeling," "Paperback Writer," "A Day In The Life/Give Peace A Chance," "Let It Be," "Live And Let Die," "Hey Jude," "Day Tripper," "Lady Madonna," "I Saw Her Standing There," "Yesterday," "Helter Skelter," "Get Back," and "Sgt. Pepper (Reprise)"/"The End"
McCartney, who directed the concert film featured as part of Good Evening New York City, says that ultimately when it comes to his work the only person he aims to please is himself: "People said to me, 'You know, watch out for the critics, 'cause they'll have their pencils sharpened for you.' They're ready for someone like me, but I'm not really too worried. I've never been worried about critics. They've always damned me for anything I've done. We did 'She Loves You' -- they hated that. We did Sgt Pepper -- they hated that. So I'm kind of used to being hated, and I don't really care."
McCartney kicks off his eight-date European mini-tour on December 2nd in the "Fab Four's" old stomping grounds of Hamburg, Germany.
THE WHO TO RELEASE NEW HITS COLLECTION NEXT MONTH…Set for release on December 22nd is the new 19-track hits compilation The Who - Greatest Hits. As with most of the band's compilations, their early '80s catalogue is only touched upon by two tracks -- 1981's "You Better You Bet" and 1982's "Eminence Front." Their most recent album, Endless Wire is represented with the rarely-heard single "It's Not Enough."
The tracklisting to The Who - Greatest Hits is: "I Can't Explain," "My Generation," "The Kids Are Alright," "Substitute," "Happy Jack," "Pictures Of Lily," "I Can See For Miles," "Magic Bus," "Pinball Wizard," "Behind Blue Eyes," "Baba O'Riley," "Won't Get Fooled Again," "Love, Reign O'er Me," "Who Are You," "Squeeze Box," "You Better You Bet," "Eminence Front," "Real Good Looking Boy," and "It's Not Enough."
"Real Good Looking Boy," the Who's 2004 studio reunion track is both one of the highlights of the band's recent tours and the new Greatest Hits album. Pete Townshend says that he wishes the song, which references Elvis Presley, could delve further into Presley's state of mind: "The tragedy of Elvis and the tragedy perhaps of the way that it's being presented onstage by the Who, which is, it's the tragedy that's being presented. Which is that there's this beautiful, beautiful man and if we wanted to carry it to its conclusion, what we should be doing is we should be looking at whether or not Elvis ever had any pleasure, or fun, or serenity, or contentment in the last couple of years of his life. But the appearance is that he didn't."
That’s it for now, as always, if you can’t be good, be good at it and don’t get caught!!
Jonathan
On this date in 1794, Eli Terry took out the very first patent on a clock. It was about time!
In 1869, the Suez Canal opened. It got it's name from everyone asking "Su... ez... dis da canal?"
On this date in 1940, the Green Bay Packers became the first NFL team to travel by plane. They flew to New York to play the Jets, but since jets hadn't been invented yet, they just flew back to Green Bay.
In 1959, synthetic diamonds were made for the very first time. Of course, with them came the creation of artificial karats. Or, they ended being a girl's best fake friend.
On this date in 1968, NBC infuriated football fans when they cut away from a Jets-Raiders game to show the movie "Heidi." The Raiders ended up coming from behind and winning the game. Millions of people were in disbelief: the Raiders won a game?
TODAY IS
Thanksgiving is just one week from Thursday!
Rupaul turns 49 today. He'll blow out the candles on his cake using a cross-draft.
Danny Devito turns 65 today. C'mon, Danny stand up and take a bow. Oh, you are standing up... well, then take a bow!
Take A Hike Day -- Doctors say walking is the most important part of a healthy life! If you could manage to take 10,000 steps a day -- and you're most likely taking 5,000 steps already -- you will lower your blood pressure and significantly improve your overall health. And get this -- if you take a brisk 30-minute walk several times a week and your memory will improve even as you get older. Regular cardiovascular exercise and maintaining a healthy weight actually reduce the amount of brain tissue that is lost as we age. And losing less tissue may mean keeping more memories.
THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW
Rosie O'Donnell admits her former partner, Kelli Carpenter, had moved out of her house two years ago.
Who's going to take over for Diane Sawyer on "Good Morning, America"? Word is that George Stephanopoulos has the inside track.
Now we're hearing there are at least 30 nude photos and eight sex tapes (total) of former Miss California Carrie Prejean floating around out there.
November 23 is the final... and I do mean final... episode of "Jon and Kate Plus 8."
Alicia Keys, Leona Lewis and Barry and Robin Gibb of the Bee Gees, will perform tonight on "Dancing with the Stars."
US Weekly says the hottest stars in Hollywood these days are Jenna Fischer, Chris O'Donnell, Adam Lambert, Eliza Dushku and the cast of Fox's "Glee."
Edward Woodward, famous for his roles in "The Wicker Man" and "The Equalizer" has died at age 79.
Courtney Cox says she'll be back for "Scream 4"... in the works, as we speak.
WHERE ARE THE WORST LOVERS IN THE WORLD -
The worst lovers live in Germany. That's the word from a survey conducted by the global research Web site OnePoll.com, which asked 15,000 women from 20 countries to rate the men from those 20 nations on their ability in bed.
The world's worst lovers ranked:
1. Germany, too smelly
2. England, too lazy
3. Sweden , too quick
4. Holland, too dominating
5. America, too rough
6. Greece, too lovey-dovey
7. Wales, too selfish
8. Scotland, too loud
9. Turkey, too sweaty
10. Russia, too hairy
The world's best lovers ranked:
1. Spain
2. Brazil
3. Italy
4. France
5. Ireland
6. South Africa
7. Australia
8. New Zealand
9. Denmark
10. Canada
WEIRD NEWS
Let's Play The Family Feud! - So how much fighting goes on in your house? A new study by research company Uinvue says the average family will spend 91 hours a year fighting and arguing. Fights flare up as much as three times a day, usually lasting for around five minutes. The most common arguments are over household chores, children "treating the house like a hotel", and couples taking each other for granted. 3,000 families took part in the research and it was interesting to note that the mother seems to still play the most pivotal role within the family when it comes to resolving conflicts. However the results do show that dads are getting far more involved. Daughters were most likely to slam doors during an argument, while fathers preferred to go for a long drive to cool off. But it's not the arguing that tears families apart -- it's how they deal with their disagreements. Families who promote healthy resolve to conflicts can actually realize a positive effect on family members. On the other hand, one in ten of the families surveyed said they were not on speaking terms. (Telegraph)
The Latest H1N1 Victims: Hand Puppets! - Looks like the stuffed animals and hand puppet industry may be the latest casualty of H1N1. In Minneapolis, Hennepin County libraries say plush toys and hand puppets will no longer be available for checkout or play, partly because of H1N1 flu concerns. Puppets have been available at less than half of the 41 libraries in the suburbs and in Minneapolis and some are allowed to be checked out. And while there's no way to know if anyone has gotten ill through the puppets, the libraries are sensitive to the real threat and public sense that puppets might be germy. So for now the kids will only have toys that can easily wiped down. (The Post Bulletin)
Shocker: Kids of Lesbians Better Off Than Kids of Heterosexuals! - This will be quite a surprise for some. The National Academy for Parenting Practitioners has new research that shows children from lesbian couples do better in life than the offspring of heterosexual couples. Director Stephen Scott said flat out, "Lesbians make better parents than a man and a woman." His controversial position draws backing from research that suggests children with two female parents aspire for more than those with opposite-sex parents. The study also says kids of lesbians are no more or less likely to have tendencies towards homosexuality. The research was conducted jointly by Birkbeck College in London and Clark University in Massachusetts. One theory for the results is that with same-sex couples children cannot be conceived accidentally-- parents must make an active decision to adopt or find a sperm donor. (Telegraph)
You're Kidding Right Mr. Corrupt Policeman? - In Stoughton, Massachusetts, former police sergeant David M. Cohen has filed for over $100,000 in compensation from the town for overtime and time spent away from his job in court. Of course the reason he was in court was because he was on trial for attempted extortion! Cohen, who was released from prison on a stay of his sentence last month, filed the request through his attorney. He's seeking $113,000, which includes 87 accrued vacation days, 125 unused sick days, 144 hours of compensation time accrued for not using sick time, 152 hours of supervisor comp time, 481 hours for court appearances related to his criminal case, 280 hours of overtime to prepare for his case, at least 61 percent education incentive pay for 2007, and 61 percent for accrued stipends and benefits. Cohen was found guilty on four criminal charges in Norfolk Superior Court stemming from his role in the 2002 arrest of a former Stoughton businessman to collect a debt as a lawyer for a friend. Town Manager Mark S. Stankiewicz said he has received the letter from Cohen's lawyer and "we will reject the man's request." (The Enterprise)
That Must Be Some Darn Good Whiskey! - The Whyte & Mackay beverage company of New Zealand is going to quite a bit of effort and expense to recover two crates of vintage whiskey. They've hired a team to drill through Antarctica to recover the booze that has literally been on ice for 100 years. The two crates of McKinlay and Co. whiskey were shipped to the Antarctic by British polar explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton as part of his abandoned 1909 expedition. Workers from New Zealand's Antarctic Heritage Trust will use special drills to reach the crates, frozen in Antarctic ice under the Nimrod Expedition hut near Cape Royds. Restoration workers found the crates under the hut's floorboards in 2006. At the time, the crates and bottles were too deeply embedded in ice to be dislodged. Richard Paterson, Whyte & Mackay's master blender, said the Shackleton expedition's whiskey could still be drinkable and taste exactly as it did 100 years ago. If he can get a sample, he intends to replicate the old Scotch and put McKinlay whiskey back on sale. (myway.com)
Another Why Didn't I Think of That? - In China, 67-year-old Li Rongbiao sold his apartment to fund his dream of creating a wheelchair that can climb stairs. And he's done it! Li came up with the idea after his wife broke her leg and was confined to a wheel chair. He says, "It used to take us a good half an hour to walk downstairs from our fifth floor apartment to the ground floor after her injury." So, despite a complete lack of mechanical knowledge, Li bought a lot of books, spent half a year to learn the computer designing, and then another half a year to design the wheelchair. With one charge, his foldable electric wheelchair can climb nearly 3,000 steps-- the equivalent of 50 floors. The prototype requires somebody to use minimal force to help maneuvered it but Li says the next version will be able to climb stairs unassisted. He has already been awarded two patents for his invention and is now looking for partners to help him market it commercially. (West China City Daily)
It's My Lord and Savior's Fault! - In Louisville, Kentucky, police were performing a home check on Craig A. Dunn, who was under house arrest, when they found a tube of aluminum foil burnt on one end and a spoon with burn marks and possible drug residue. When questioned about the items, Dunn said they weren't his-and told police that the spoon and foil belonged to Jesus, who he maintains is trying to set him up. Amazingly officers didn't buy the story and Dunn now faces more charges of possession of drug paraphernalia. No charges have been filed against the Lord. (AHN News)
TOP FIVE SIGNS YOUR NEIGHBORS WORK IN THE CIRCUS
1. The most obvious sign -- bearded Avon lady
2. Kids always outside walking on telephone wires
3. During winter, posts sign that says, "Greatest snow on earth!"
4. That clown family that visited them last night and that little teeny car
5. Elephant droppings in the front yard
HUNTER'S HUMOR by Tim Hunter
The movie "2012" was a huge box office hit over the weekend... just like the ancient Mayan calendar predicted.
The Who is going to perform during halftime of the next Superbowl game, February 7th. They do a medley of "CSI show" theme songs.
Santa is already showing up at a lot of the malls. Last Wednesday, he was even in a few places wearing his red flack jacket for Veterans Day.
President Obama is in China to meet with that country's leaders. In other words, it's a stockholders meeting.
I'm planning to watch an old episode of "Bonanza" tonight, because it's the one show on TV this week where Sarah Palin doesn't appear.
SLUMBER SPEAK REVEALS PERSONALITY
The way you and your partner sleep together reveals a lot about your love life. "The positions couples adopt during their slumber speak volumes about their level of intimacy and the style and quality of their love making," says psychologist Dr. Karl Bosuns. He bases his conclusions on an ongoing study he conducted through the years centering on the personalities, sex lives and sleeping positions of over 700 couples.
Too hot to handle -- Couples who sleep back-to-back without touching each other, strangely enough, tend to be the wildest and most passionate in their lovemaking. "They exert so much energy and produce so much heat they don't normally cuddle," says Dr. Bosuns, a family and marriage counselor for 30 years.
Bottoms up -- In this position, the man normally sleeps face down with his arms spread "as if he's embracing the whole world. The woman adopts a tuck position, preserving the warmth she feels in the center of her body. "They fall asleep feeling like they've got the world by the tail," says Dr. Bosuns.
Spoons -- "Lovers who sleep in this position, I've found, are the kind of people who are extremely tactile they love to touch so much that they fall asleep in maximum body contact."
Her leg over his -- This could have two meanings, according to Dr. Bosuns: "either she's unfulfilled and left wanting more, or she's totally satisfied and is simply trying to prolong the afterglow."
His leg over hers -- "Men aren't generally left unsatisfied in their lovemaking, so there's little question what this position means for the man he's feeling very affectionate and adopts a posture that preserves his afterglow," says Dr. Bosuns.
On to ROCK NEWS –
BOB DYLAN DANCES IN NEW CHRISTMAS VIDEO…Bob Dylan's video for "Must Be Santa" -- the lead single from the new Christmas In The Heart collection has made it's way online. The holiday clip, which features Dylan wearing a series of long wigs under his hat, shows a festive Christmas party complete with mass drinking, laughter, singalongs -- and yes -- Bob Dylan dancing.
CHEAP TRICK ANNOUNCES INITIAL WINTER DATES…Cheap Trick has just announced the initial dates for its upcoming winter trek. The band kicks things off on December 3rd at Nashville's legendary Ryman Auditorium, and so far will wrap things up on December 27th in Miami Gardens, Florida at the Land Shark Stadium. Cheap Trick has also announced its first date of the new year, with a February 5th gig scheduled for Windsor, Ontario at Caesars Windsor "The Colosseum."
Bandleader Rick Nielsen feels that the secret to Cheap Trick's longevity is that in an era when bands became so huge so quickly, they were able to retain their fan base while still working regularly: "I think we're a lot of people's fifth favorite band. They might not like everything we do, but they respect the fact of, y'know, the hard work, and, y'know, we've had ups and we've had downs, and guess what -- we keep getting back up."
Cheap Trick tour dates (subject to change):
December 3 - Nashville, TN - Ryman Auditorium
December 9 - Milwaukee, WI - Northern Lights Theater
December 10 - Rosemont, IL - Allstate Arena
December 12 - Red Rock, OK - 7 Clans Paradise Casino
December 27 - Miami Gardens, FL - Land Shark Stadium
February 5 - Windsor, ON - Caesars Windsor "The Colosseum"
PAUL McCARTNEY SET FOR LIBRARY OF CONGRESS HONOR, RELEASES 'GOOD EVENING NEW YORK CITY' TODAY…Paul McCartney will be awarded the U.S. Library of Congress' third Gershwin Prize for Popular Song, according to Billboard. Librarian of Congress James Billington announced the honor on Monday (November 16th), and said that "it is hard to think of another performer and composer who has had a more transformative effect than McCartney."
The library houses the manuscripts of the songwriting team George and Ira Gershwin. McCartney follows previous honorees Stevie Wonder and Paul Simon.
An all star tribute is planned for the former Beatle in January in Washington, D.C., but no further details were announced.
Released today (November 17th) is McCartney's sixth solo live album Good Evening New York. The collection features performances taped live in concert at New York's Citi-Field on July 17th, 18th and 21st.
The album is available in two formats: a two-CD, one-DVD "standard edition," and a four-disc -- two CD, two-DVD -- "deluxe version" featuring expanded packaging and a bonus DVD including McCartney's July 15th performance in New York City on top of The Ed Sullivan Theater marquee. The DVD includes the bonus numbers not aired on The Late Show With David Letterman broadcast.
The tracklist on Good Evening New York City is: "Drive My Car," "Jet," "Only Mama Knows," "Flaming Pie," "Got To Get You Into My Life," "Highway," "The Long And Winding Road," "My Love," "Blackbird," "Here Today," "Dance Tonight," "Calico Skies," "Mrs. Vanderbilt," "Eleanor Rigby," "Sing The Changes," "Band On The Run," "Back In The U.S.S.R," "I'm Down," "Something," "I've Got A Feeling," "Paperback Writer," "A Day In The Life/Give Peace A Chance," "Let It Be," "Live And Let Die," "Hey Jude," "Day Tripper," "Lady Madonna," "I Saw Her Standing There," "Yesterday," "Helter Skelter," "Get Back," and "Sgt. Pepper (Reprise)"/"The End"
McCartney, who directed the concert film featured as part of Good Evening New York City, says that ultimately when it comes to his work the only person he aims to please is himself: "People said to me, 'You know, watch out for the critics, 'cause they'll have their pencils sharpened for you.' They're ready for someone like me, but I'm not really too worried. I've never been worried about critics. They've always damned me for anything I've done. We did 'She Loves You' -- they hated that. We did Sgt Pepper -- they hated that. So I'm kind of used to being hated, and I don't really care."
McCartney kicks off his eight-date European mini-tour on December 2nd in the "Fab Four's" old stomping grounds of Hamburg, Germany.
THE WHO TO RELEASE NEW HITS COLLECTION NEXT MONTH…Set for release on December 22nd is the new 19-track hits compilation The Who - Greatest Hits. As with most of the band's compilations, their early '80s catalogue is only touched upon by two tracks -- 1981's "You Better You Bet" and 1982's "Eminence Front." Their most recent album, Endless Wire is represented with the rarely-heard single "It's Not Enough."
The tracklisting to The Who - Greatest Hits is: "I Can't Explain," "My Generation," "The Kids Are Alright," "Substitute," "Happy Jack," "Pictures Of Lily," "I Can See For Miles," "Magic Bus," "Pinball Wizard," "Behind Blue Eyes," "Baba O'Riley," "Won't Get Fooled Again," "Love, Reign O'er Me," "Who Are You," "Squeeze Box," "You Better You Bet," "Eminence Front," "Real Good Looking Boy," and "It's Not Enough."
"Real Good Looking Boy," the Who's 2004 studio reunion track is both one of the highlights of the band's recent tours and the new Greatest Hits album. Pete Townshend says that he wishes the song, which references Elvis Presley, could delve further into Presley's state of mind: "The tragedy of Elvis and the tragedy perhaps of the way that it's being presented onstage by the Who, which is, it's the tragedy that's being presented. Which is that there's this beautiful, beautiful man and if we wanted to carry it to its conclusion, what we should be doing is we should be looking at whether or not Elvis ever had any pleasure, or fun, or serenity, or contentment in the last couple of years of his life. But the appearance is that he didn't."
That’s it for now, as always, if you can’t be good, be good at it and don’t get caught!!
Jonathan
Monday, November 16, 2009
Monday - November 16, 2009 -
ON THIS DAY
It's said that it was on this date back in 2348 BC that the huge flood ended... allowing Noah and his family to finally leave the ark. Pity the poor family member who was the first to suggest they go to the zoo.
On this date in 1901, three cars broke the 60 mile per hour barrier for the very first time. For the record, all three pizzas arrived piping hot!
In 1914, the 12 Federal Reserve Banks opened... one for each day of Christmas.
On this date in 1926, Ohio State named a Holstein Cow as their homecoming queen. Yep, it was an ugly year. Of course, the big question: where the hell do you pin on the corsage?
In 1965, plans were announced to build Disney World. Up until that time, when you won the Superbowl, you could only say you were going to one place.
TODAY IS
November 16th! We're over half-way done with this month already!
Olympic figure skater, Oskana Baul hits 32 today. Tonight, she'll probably blow a 3-2.
Lisa Bonet, one of the Cosby's kids on the old TV show, turns 42 today. She was once married to Lenny Kravitz and it was very hard on their friends: they had no way to tell which one was weirder.
Marg Helgenberger from "CSI" is 51... according to the forensics lab.
David Leisure... who, for a while, became famous as "Joe Isuzu," turns 59 today. His career pretty much went the way of the Isuzu.
THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW
ABC is looking at putting a new "Charlie's Angels" in their fall line-up next year. They've ordered a pilot from Sony and producer Drew Barrymore.
The American Music Awards will open on November 22nd with a medley of songs from Janet Jackson, who will include her own hits and some of brother Michael's.
Rihanna is doing a show in London, and according to a backstage source she has demanded that pizza, french fries and doughnuts, be stocked in her dressing room. Also included were potato chips, microwave lasagna, fried noodles, chicken drumsticks and an apple.
The stripper that claims to have had a night of passion with Fergie's husband, Josh Duhamel, is apologizing to Fergie for the incident.
ABC cancels the comedy "Hank" marking two failures in three years for Kelsey Grammer. His Fox series "Back to You" was also cancelled.
Someone hacked into Britney Spears' Twitter account and starting sending out Satan-worshiping type Tweets.
Among the celebs with a case of Swine flu: T-Boz from TLC.
Jon Gosselin has filed a $5 million claim against TLS, saying its representatives damaged his reputation and career by preventing him from working with other media outlets.
Playboy magazine stock is going up, following reports the magazine is about to be sold.
Goodyear is raising their tire prices by 6%, they say, to cover costs.
The director of the Twilight movies confirms that Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart are in a relationship.
Someone tried to extort money from Cindy Crawford and her husband, but police nabbed the guy.
WEIRD NEWS
People Want Bernie Madoff's Stuff! - Turns out Bernie Madoff can still make a buck -- even from jail. At a well publicized auction held this Saturday in Manhattan, Bernard and Ruth Madoff's belongings fetched several times their estimated values for a total of about $1 million bucks! The fallen financier's blue satin New York Mets baseball jacket with Madoff stitched on the back sold for $14,500. Madoff's Hofstra College ring went for $6,000 and a set of golf clubs went for $3,600. The New Jersey fund manager who bought the golf clubs said, "I just wanted Bernie's name on the clubs. But I don't want his vibes to be transmitted -- my fund is doing better than his." Two pairs of Ruth Madoff's diamond dangle earrings sold for $70,000 each and the most highly prized item in the sale, one of Bernard Madoff's 17 Rolex watches, fetched $65,000. The auction was organized by the U.S. Marshals Service, which seized the couple's property. Ruth Madoff has not been charged with any crime but agreed to give up her possessions in return for a promise that federal prosecutors wouldn't pursue $2.5 million not tied to her husband's fraud. Proceeds from the auction will be divided among Madoff's victims. (Yahoo News)
Vegas Stripper Truck: The Continuing Story! - Maybe you remember our story last week about the truck cruising the Las Vegas strip with live strippers on the back. Well the advertising gimmick turned out to be too racy even for sin city. Larry Beard, marketing director of Deja Vu Showgirls, said Friday that he's taking his lawyer's advice and parking the truck. He explained, "We're going to respect the opinion of the folks that are against it. We're going to be good citizens and take it off the street." Earlier Beard had said he was prepared to fight county leaders and others who thought the moving truck promotion was unseemly or unsafe. The truck rolled for 13 nights along the Las Vegas Strip from 10 p.m. until 2 a.m., trying to lure customers to the club. Three sides had windows that weren't tinted, offering views of the strippers dancing around a stripper pole. Actually the girls weren't really stripping, just pole dancing in bikinis. And why are we even hearing about this anyway? I thought what happened in Vegas was supposed to stay in Vegas. (myway.com)
So How Much Is a 50-Year-Old Library Fine? - Georgette Bordine is the librarian at Camelback High School in Phoenix and just had something happen that doesn't happen every day. A former student at the school returned two overdue books that had been checked out 51 years ago! The student also sent along a money order for $1,000 to cover any overdue fines. Bordine says the two Audubon Society books had been checked out in 1959 and the returner wanted to remain anonymous. He also included a letter that explained that his family moved to another state and the books were mistakenly packed. The letter said the money order was to cover fines of 2 cents per day for each book. That would total about $745. The letter says the extra money was added in case the rates had changed. Bordine says the money will buy more books, and the overdue books will be returned to the shelves. Great little rock 'n' roll trivia here. Camelback High School is where drummer Neil Smith from the original Alice Cooper Group went to high school and graduated from. The school is referenced in the song "Alma Mater" from the "School's Out" album. (myway.com)
How Extremely Low Can You Go? - Rather amazing just how low some people can sink to. In Anchorage, Alaska, 27-year-old Cheng Saelee robbed his own mother at gunpoint because she wouldn't give him money to help pay a $430 parking ticket! The Anchorage district attorney said that Saelee was also convicted of illegally contacting his mother from jail and trying to get her to drop the charges. Saelee was arrested after he became angry during an argument with his parents, got a handgun from his room and pointed the weapon at his mother's head. He has been scheduled to be sentenced on February 19 and faces up to 12 years in prison. He may also be deported back to Thailand after he serves his sentence. By the way, the original parking ticket was for abandoning a vehicle-- a decision that turned out to be much more life altering than one would think. (Anchorage Daily News)
74-Year-Old Tagger! - Police in Los Angeles say 74-year-old John Scott is the oldest graffiti vandal ever captured in Los Angeles County. Grandpa Scott was arrested Friday after deputies spotted him on a stairwell at a downtown Metro Center subway station sticking black-and-orange bumper stickers which read: "Who is John Scott?" Stickers used in such a way are referred to as "slap tags" by those in the law enforcement community. They can be adhered to public property in a second or two but are difficult to remove. Scott now faces at least one felony vandalism charge. Up until him, the oldest suspect in L.A. arrested for tagging was 36. (Los Angeles Times)
If You Have a 1,500-Pound Civil War Cannon -- Vallejo Police Would Like A - Word! In Vallejo, California, someone has stolen a 1,500-pound Civil War-era cannon from a local cemetery. The Naval Dahlgren cannon was discovered missing last week from its spot near three others in the Sunrise Memorial Cemetery. The remaining cannons have since been removed and stored in an undisclosed location. Veterans of Foreign Wars member Fred Knoll said he was at Sunrise to prepare for Veterans Day when he noticed the cannon had disappeared. The cannon thieves left behind an engine hoist, which they apparently used to pull the cannon off its pedestal. The cannons are made of bronze and brass which mean they have a big value on the scrap metal market. Drug addicts and a worsening economy have been blamed for an increase in the metal theft trend in the area. (The Oakland Tribune)
I Can't Do the Dishes -- I'll Damage My Sperm Count! - Head's up men -- we've got the ultimate out for you when it comes to housework. According to a new study, household chores – including using a vacuum cleaner or microwave oven – could reduce a man's chances of having children. Researchers at Stanford University exposed male volunteers to electromagnetic fields – high doses of which are produced by all electrically charged objects, including refrigerators and vacuum cleaners – and found such exposure could double the risk of having poor-quality sperm. Fertility expert Dr. De-Kun Li said his work provides the first evidence of a link between electrical goods and declining male fertility. The research will be published in January in the journal Reproductive Toxicology. (Daily Express)
Man Picks Pig Over His Home! - In Southwest Ranches, Florida, Rob Falk must really love his pig. Town officials ordered him to get rid of his 300-pound Yorkshire pet pig named Strawberry, but Falk says he'd rather leave town than give up the animal. City Council members cited Falk's landlord for a code violation in July. Last week, officials gave Falk 30 days to remove Strawberry from the home, saying that the town allows only one Vietnamese pot bellied pig per household. Officials are also worried that the pig will get bigger and grow large tusks. Falk says his family will move because "the pig is like one of our children." ( South Florida Sun-Sentinel)
TOP FIVE CREATIVE WAYS TO GET RID OF THE LEAVES IN YOUR YARD
1. Night drops in your neighbor's yard
2. This year for Christmas, give them the gift of leaves
3. Write a new book called "The Incredible Leaf Diet"
4. Place sign in yard: "Leaves Half Price"
5. Conduct wind-tunnel experiments in the direction of your neighbor's yard
HUNTER'S HUMOR by Tim Hunter
Rebecca Gayheart and husband Eric Dane are expecting their first child together. The good news: the "making of the child" video is already made.
Sarah Palin's new book, "Going Rogue," comes out on Tuesday. It's big enough to be someone's front porch.
The AMA is urging the federal government not to classify marijuana as a dangerous drug and to do more research. Party at the test crew's offices!
Ex New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer -- yes, the guy who was forced to resign because he used prostitutes -- delivered
RULES ARE RULES
Maxim came up with a list of Man Rules... so we decided women need a set of rules of their own.
The Man Rules (according to Maxim):
1. Never redo a high-five. If you mess it up, let it go.
2. The "shotgun rule" is always in effect.
3. If you're white, never leave the sticker on your New Era hat.
4. Only call your girlfriend once a day.
5. Never use the term love-making, except when you're trying to get laid.
6. Men should never, in any way, feed each other.
7. Never dis Chuck Norris.
The Woman Rules
1. Never wear a jean jacket with jeans.
2. Never take your friend's last tampon.
3. It's okay to borrow a razor, but not to use for your naughty parts.
4. Never wear shorts or short skirts without shaving your legs.
5. Don't date another friend's sloppy seconds...it was sloppy for a reason.
6. It's sister before misters... always.
7. In the presence of your mother-in-law, she always knows more than you, but only in her presence.
8. You're forbidden to look hotter than your son's girlfriend.
9. Never use the "C" word or the "P" word.
10. If you plan on getting drunk, remember to wear your panties.
11. Never use another woman's compact without asking.
12. Put the brush down and walk away slowly, don't tease your bangs.
13. Don't wear strappy sandals with crusty feet.
14. Never share your panties with your friends, or purchase from Goodwill.
15. Should never tell a man you love him first.
16. And never sleep with a man on the first date. (that's just NOT RIGHT!!)
On to ROCK NEWS -
STING SLAMS UK 'AMERICAN IDOL'…Sting took time to out to slam Simon Cowell and his British TV show The X Factor -- which is the UK counterpart to our American Idol. In an interview with London's Evening Standard, Sting said, "I am sorry but none of those kids are going to go anywhere, and I say that sadly. They are humiliated when they get sent off. How appalling for a young person to feel that rejection. It is a soap opera which has nothing to do with music. In fact, it has put music back decades. Television is very cynical."
He added: "I was looking at televised karaoke where they conform to stereotypes. They are either Mariah Carey or Whitney Houston or Boyzone and are not encouraged to create any real unique signature or fingerprint. That cannot come from TV."
Sting went on to say, "The X Factor is a preposterous show and you have judges who have no recognizable talent apart from self-promotion, advising them what to wear and how to look. It is appalling... The music industry has been hugely important to England, bringing in millions. If anyone thinks The X Factor is going to do that, they are wrong."
BEATLES NEWS ROUNDUP…Ringo Starr will release his 16th solo album, called Y Not on January 12th. Starr's representatives would not confirm the exact date for the new album, but said than an announcement would be coming soon. (examiner.com)
Earlier this year, we reported in an exclusive that among the high profile guests taking part in the album's sessions were Paul McCartney, Joe Walsh, the Eurythmics' Dave Stewart, Gary Wright, Edgar Winter, and Billy Squier.
Unconfirmed reports claim that Jeff Lynne has also been involved on at least one track on the album.
Although the Beatles are reportedly earning upward to $1 billion this year thanks in part to the success of their Rock Band game, Viacom CFO Tom Dooley says that the company itself is just starting to earn money on the game. Dooley explained, "Rock Band was a negative contributor to margins in the third quarter. We expect it to break even or be slightly profitable in the fourth quarter from a margin point of view. It really depends on how many units we sell in the holiday season."
According to sources, the reason the band has failed to earn a substantial profit is due to the expensive Beatles facsimile instrument/controllers which have been eating into the actual game's profits. (Vintage Vinyl News)
Yoko Ono is thrilled with the prospect of a whole new generation learning to create music directly because of The Beatles: Rock Band: "It's great, I really think it's fantastic. Now, y'know, all the kids are gonna learn how to make music. The first revolution was the fact that they learned to love music, and now they're going to make music themselves. And this whole planet is gonna be covered with music, which is a healing power. We need to heal this planet, and y'know, that's what we're gonna do."
Harmonix and MTV Games announced that the remaining eight songs from the Beatles' Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band album will become downloadable for Rock Band on the Xbox 360 and Wii starting tomorrow (November 17th) and on Thursday (November 19th) for PlayStation 3 players.
The new Sgt. Pepper tracks available for The Beatles: Rock Band are: "Fixing A Hole," "She's Leaving Home," "Being For The Benefit Of Mr. Kite," "Within You Without You," "When I'm Sixty Four," "Lovely Rita," "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band," (Reprise)," and "A Day In The Life." (gamespot.com)
A new line of menswear inspired by John Lennon's artwork will be available this holiday season. The new line Designs Inspired By the Art Of John Lennon by English Laundry, "features colors, silhouettes and collar shapes based on Lennon's own wardrobe from the '60s and '70s... with detailing derived from his artwork." (Abbey Road Best)
ROGER DALTREY CONSIDERING WRITING HIS AUTOBIOGRAPHY…Roger Daltrey says that he's finally at the point where he's seriously considering writing his memoirs. Daltrey, who's currently on the road with his Use It Or Lose It solo tour, explained that the time seems right to get it all down: "I'm thinking about a biography now. It's probably time. Just the story of my life and the things I've done, y'know, it's kind of interesting. And when I look at the juxtapositions of things -- y'know, like being the singer in the Who to being a fish farmer, and being a film star to being a beef farmer... There's all these swings and round-a-bouts in my life that are so juxtaposition-ed. There were interesting times, they were interesting times. And it wasn't all fun, but there was an awful lot of fun. The only trouble is, the people usually want the salacious crap and I don't know if I'm prepared to dig that, y'know?"
During Friday night's (November 13th) show in Atlantic City's Borgata Hotel and Casino, Daltrey joked about the Who's upcoming Super Bowl half time appearance. Daltrey said that although he loved the macho aspects of American football, it was no match for Britain's rugby, which usually involved at least someone breaking something before the game is over.
Roger Daltrey performs tomorrow night (November 17th) in Red Bank, New Jersey at the Count Basie Theatre.
U2 FINED FOR NOISE POLLUTION…U2 and concert promoters MCB were fined the equivalent of $53,000 in U.S. dollars by the Dublin City Council for excess noise levels during their concerts at the city's Croke Park in July. According to Ireland's Evening Herald, the council brought the penalties due to the quartet exceeding volume levels a dozen times during the band's three shows. But the fine was called "paltry" by a number of media outlets when compared to the $30 million the band earned from the stadium gigs.
The shows also caused controversy with local residents because of the 44 straight hours it took to tear down the band's massive "Claw" stage set-up.
U2 performed in Germany two weeks ago to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall.
The band will return to North America in 2010 for more dates in support of its latest album, No Line On The Horizon.
MICHAEL ANTHONY SAYS EDDIE VAN HALEN 'HAS IT IN FOR HIM'…Five years after parting ways, Michael Anthony says that Eddie Van Halen still bears him ill will. In an in depth interview with undercover.com.au Anthony shed substantial light on his split with Eddie and Alex Han Halen.
When asked pointedly about the status of his relationship with Eddie, Anthony said, "There is no relationship... Eddie had it in for me ever since I buddied up with Sammy Hagar again which I couldn't understand because Sammy had asked me sometime back if I would like to come and guest on some shows. This was when Van Halen was going through a period where Eddie was dealing with some of his own demons. He had the cancer thing he was dealing with and his marriage. As far as I was concerned, I was going out there waving the Van Halen flag to say, 'we didn't go away, we are still here.' Unfortunately, he didn't see it that way."
Anthony added: "He never liked me hanging out with Sammy and I can't understand why because Van Halen was my band. They didn't see it that way so they chose to not have me participate (in the reunion with David Lee Roth).
He went on to explain the chain of events following the band's last tour with Sammy Hagar, recalling, "We finished out reunion tour in 2004 and I probably knew that nothing was going to happen after that, also because of the physical and mental state that Eddie was in at that time. That tour did not end very harmoniously I guess you could say... Back in 2007 when they announced their reunion tour with David Lee Roth, I found out about it like all the other fans did. I saw it in the press and found out like everyone else did. That didn't hurt me as much as when they relaunched their website and took my image off a couple of the album covers. That upset me that they would go so far as to try and erase me out of the history of the band."
Anthony spoke about how Roth and the Van Halen brothers missed a historic opportunity when they all chose to sit out the band's 2007 induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: "Unfortunately... from what I heard after talking to Slash, Dave wanted to do certain things that would steal the show and when he couldn't have it his way he didn't want to show up. For whatever reason, Eddie and Alex didn't show up. It sucked. (Sammy and I) were the two people who weren't even in the band anymore but there was no way I was going to miss that... I remember sitting at the table while R.E.M. were playing and I turned to Sammy and said, 'This would have been great. We would have kicked this thing right in the ass.' Nobody would have ever forgotten this induction ceremony if all of us were getting along and went up there."
When asked how he felt about Eddie replacing him in the band by his teenage son Wolfgang, Anthony said, "That's his son. He is a teenager but he is a decent bass player. I think that was also part of the reason to do it, to spite me."
Earlier this month, Chickenfoot -- featuring Anthony, Hagar, Chad Smith, and Joe Satriani -- was named the best new band of 2009 at the annual Classic Rock Magazine Awards in London.
Van Halen is believed to be gearing up for a 2010 album and tour.
That’s it for now, as always, if you can’t be good, be good at it and don’t get caught!!
Jonathan
It's said that it was on this date back in 2348 BC that the huge flood ended... allowing Noah and his family to finally leave the ark. Pity the poor family member who was the first to suggest they go to the zoo.
On this date in 1901, three cars broke the 60 mile per hour barrier for the very first time. For the record, all three pizzas arrived piping hot!
In 1914, the 12 Federal Reserve Banks opened... one for each day of Christmas.
On this date in 1926, Ohio State named a Holstein Cow as their homecoming queen. Yep, it was an ugly year. Of course, the big question: where the hell do you pin on the corsage?
In 1965, plans were announced to build Disney World. Up until that time, when you won the Superbowl, you could only say you were going to one place.
TODAY IS
November 16th! We're over half-way done with this month already!
Olympic figure skater, Oskana Baul hits 32 today. Tonight, she'll probably blow a 3-2.
Lisa Bonet, one of the Cosby's kids on the old TV show, turns 42 today. She was once married to Lenny Kravitz and it was very hard on their friends: they had no way to tell which one was weirder.
Marg Helgenberger from "CSI" is 51... according to the forensics lab.
David Leisure... who, for a while, became famous as "Joe Isuzu," turns 59 today. His career pretty much went the way of the Isuzu.
THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW
ABC is looking at putting a new "Charlie's Angels" in their fall line-up next year. They've ordered a pilot from Sony and producer Drew Barrymore.
The American Music Awards will open on November 22nd with a medley of songs from Janet Jackson, who will include her own hits and some of brother Michael's.
Rihanna is doing a show in London, and according to a backstage source she has demanded that pizza, french fries and doughnuts, be stocked in her dressing room. Also included were potato chips, microwave lasagna, fried noodles, chicken drumsticks and an apple.
The stripper that claims to have had a night of passion with Fergie's husband, Josh Duhamel, is apologizing to Fergie for the incident.
ABC cancels the comedy "Hank" marking two failures in three years for Kelsey Grammer. His Fox series "Back to You" was also cancelled.
Someone hacked into Britney Spears' Twitter account and starting sending out Satan-worshiping type Tweets.
Among the celebs with a case of Swine flu: T-Boz from TLC.
Jon Gosselin has filed a $5 million claim against TLS, saying its representatives damaged his reputation and career by preventing him from working with other media outlets.
Playboy magazine stock is going up, following reports the magazine is about to be sold.
Goodyear is raising their tire prices by 6%, they say, to cover costs.
The director of the Twilight movies confirms that Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart are in a relationship.
Someone tried to extort money from Cindy Crawford and her husband, but police nabbed the guy.
WEIRD NEWS
People Want Bernie Madoff's Stuff! - Turns out Bernie Madoff can still make a buck -- even from jail. At a well publicized auction held this Saturday in Manhattan, Bernard and Ruth Madoff's belongings fetched several times their estimated values for a total of about $1 million bucks! The fallen financier's blue satin New York Mets baseball jacket with Madoff stitched on the back sold for $14,500. Madoff's Hofstra College ring went for $6,000 and a set of golf clubs went for $3,600. The New Jersey fund manager who bought the golf clubs said, "I just wanted Bernie's name on the clubs. But I don't want his vibes to be transmitted -- my fund is doing better than his." Two pairs of Ruth Madoff's diamond dangle earrings sold for $70,000 each and the most highly prized item in the sale, one of Bernard Madoff's 17 Rolex watches, fetched $65,000. The auction was organized by the U.S. Marshals Service, which seized the couple's property. Ruth Madoff has not been charged with any crime but agreed to give up her possessions in return for a promise that federal prosecutors wouldn't pursue $2.5 million not tied to her husband's fraud. Proceeds from the auction will be divided among Madoff's victims. (Yahoo News)
Vegas Stripper Truck: The Continuing Story! - Maybe you remember our story last week about the truck cruising the Las Vegas strip with live strippers on the back. Well the advertising gimmick turned out to be too racy even for sin city. Larry Beard, marketing director of Deja Vu Showgirls, said Friday that he's taking his lawyer's advice and parking the truck. He explained, "We're going to respect the opinion of the folks that are against it. We're going to be good citizens and take it off the street." Earlier Beard had said he was prepared to fight county leaders and others who thought the moving truck promotion was unseemly or unsafe. The truck rolled for 13 nights along the Las Vegas Strip from 10 p.m. until 2 a.m., trying to lure customers to the club. Three sides had windows that weren't tinted, offering views of the strippers dancing around a stripper pole. Actually the girls weren't really stripping, just pole dancing in bikinis. And why are we even hearing about this anyway? I thought what happened in Vegas was supposed to stay in Vegas. (myway.com)
So How Much Is a 50-Year-Old Library Fine? - Georgette Bordine is the librarian at Camelback High School in Phoenix and just had something happen that doesn't happen every day. A former student at the school returned two overdue books that had been checked out 51 years ago! The student also sent along a money order for $1,000 to cover any overdue fines. Bordine says the two Audubon Society books had been checked out in 1959 and the returner wanted to remain anonymous. He also included a letter that explained that his family moved to another state and the books were mistakenly packed. The letter said the money order was to cover fines of 2 cents per day for each book. That would total about $745. The letter says the extra money was added in case the rates had changed. Bordine says the money will buy more books, and the overdue books will be returned to the shelves. Great little rock 'n' roll trivia here. Camelback High School is where drummer Neil Smith from the original Alice Cooper Group went to high school and graduated from. The school is referenced in the song "Alma Mater" from the "School's Out" album. (myway.com)
How Extremely Low Can You Go? - Rather amazing just how low some people can sink to. In Anchorage, Alaska, 27-year-old Cheng Saelee robbed his own mother at gunpoint because she wouldn't give him money to help pay a $430 parking ticket! The Anchorage district attorney said that Saelee was also convicted of illegally contacting his mother from jail and trying to get her to drop the charges. Saelee was arrested after he became angry during an argument with his parents, got a handgun from his room and pointed the weapon at his mother's head. He has been scheduled to be sentenced on February 19 and faces up to 12 years in prison. He may also be deported back to Thailand after he serves his sentence. By the way, the original parking ticket was for abandoning a vehicle-- a decision that turned out to be much more life altering than one would think. (Anchorage Daily News)
74-Year-Old Tagger! - Police in Los Angeles say 74-year-old John Scott is the oldest graffiti vandal ever captured in Los Angeles County. Grandpa Scott was arrested Friday after deputies spotted him on a stairwell at a downtown Metro Center subway station sticking black-and-orange bumper stickers which read: "Who is John Scott?" Stickers used in such a way are referred to as "slap tags" by those in the law enforcement community. They can be adhered to public property in a second or two but are difficult to remove. Scott now faces at least one felony vandalism charge. Up until him, the oldest suspect in L.A. arrested for tagging was 36. (Los Angeles Times)
If You Have a 1,500-Pound Civil War Cannon -- Vallejo Police Would Like A - Word! In Vallejo, California, someone has stolen a 1,500-pound Civil War-era cannon from a local cemetery. The Naval Dahlgren cannon was discovered missing last week from its spot near three others in the Sunrise Memorial Cemetery. The remaining cannons have since been removed and stored in an undisclosed location. Veterans of Foreign Wars member Fred Knoll said he was at Sunrise to prepare for Veterans Day when he noticed the cannon had disappeared. The cannon thieves left behind an engine hoist, which they apparently used to pull the cannon off its pedestal. The cannons are made of bronze and brass which mean they have a big value on the scrap metal market. Drug addicts and a worsening economy have been blamed for an increase in the metal theft trend in the area. (The Oakland Tribune)
I Can't Do the Dishes -- I'll Damage My Sperm Count! - Head's up men -- we've got the ultimate out for you when it comes to housework. According to a new study, household chores – including using a vacuum cleaner or microwave oven – could reduce a man's chances of having children. Researchers at Stanford University exposed male volunteers to electromagnetic fields – high doses of which are produced by all electrically charged objects, including refrigerators and vacuum cleaners – and found such exposure could double the risk of having poor-quality sperm. Fertility expert Dr. De-Kun Li said his work provides the first evidence of a link between electrical goods and declining male fertility. The research will be published in January in the journal Reproductive Toxicology. (Daily Express)
Man Picks Pig Over His Home! - In Southwest Ranches, Florida, Rob Falk must really love his pig. Town officials ordered him to get rid of his 300-pound Yorkshire pet pig named Strawberry, but Falk says he'd rather leave town than give up the animal. City Council members cited Falk's landlord for a code violation in July. Last week, officials gave Falk 30 days to remove Strawberry from the home, saying that the town allows only one Vietnamese pot bellied pig per household. Officials are also worried that the pig will get bigger and grow large tusks. Falk says his family will move because "the pig is like one of our children." ( South Florida Sun-Sentinel)
TOP FIVE CREATIVE WAYS TO GET RID OF THE LEAVES IN YOUR YARD
1. Night drops in your neighbor's yard
2. This year for Christmas, give them the gift of leaves
3. Write a new book called "The Incredible Leaf Diet"
4. Place sign in yard: "Leaves Half Price"
5. Conduct wind-tunnel experiments in the direction of your neighbor's yard
HUNTER'S HUMOR by Tim Hunter
Rebecca Gayheart and husband Eric Dane are expecting their first child together. The good news: the "making of the child" video is already made.
Sarah Palin's new book, "Going Rogue," comes out on Tuesday. It's big enough to be someone's front porch.
The AMA is urging the federal government not to classify marijuana as a dangerous drug and to do more research. Party at the test crew's offices!
Ex New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer -- yes, the guy who was forced to resign because he used prostitutes -- delivered
RULES ARE RULES
Maxim came up with a list of Man Rules... so we decided women need a set of rules of their own.
The Man Rules (according to Maxim):
1. Never redo a high-five. If you mess it up, let it go.
2. The "shotgun rule" is always in effect.
3. If you're white, never leave the sticker on your New Era hat.
4. Only call your girlfriend once a day.
5. Never use the term love-making, except when you're trying to get laid.
6. Men should never, in any way, feed each other.
7. Never dis Chuck Norris.
The Woman Rules
1. Never wear a jean jacket with jeans.
2. Never take your friend's last tampon.
3. It's okay to borrow a razor, but not to use for your naughty parts.
4. Never wear shorts or short skirts without shaving your legs.
5. Don't date another friend's sloppy seconds...it was sloppy for a reason.
6. It's sister before misters... always.
7. In the presence of your mother-in-law, she always knows more than you, but only in her presence.
8. You're forbidden to look hotter than your son's girlfriend.
9. Never use the "C" word or the "P" word.
10. If you plan on getting drunk, remember to wear your panties.
11. Never use another woman's compact without asking.
12. Put the brush down and walk away slowly, don't tease your bangs.
13. Don't wear strappy sandals with crusty feet.
14. Never share your panties with your friends, or purchase from Goodwill.
15. Should never tell a man you love him first.
16. And never sleep with a man on the first date. (that's just NOT RIGHT!!)
On to ROCK NEWS -
STING SLAMS UK 'AMERICAN IDOL'…Sting took time to out to slam Simon Cowell and his British TV show The X Factor -- which is the UK counterpart to our American Idol. In an interview with London's Evening Standard, Sting said, "I am sorry but none of those kids are going to go anywhere, and I say that sadly. They are humiliated when they get sent off. How appalling for a young person to feel that rejection. It is a soap opera which has nothing to do with music. In fact, it has put music back decades. Television is very cynical."
He added: "I was looking at televised karaoke where they conform to stereotypes. They are either Mariah Carey or Whitney Houston or Boyzone and are not encouraged to create any real unique signature or fingerprint. That cannot come from TV."
Sting went on to say, "The X Factor is a preposterous show and you have judges who have no recognizable talent apart from self-promotion, advising them what to wear and how to look. It is appalling... The music industry has been hugely important to England, bringing in millions. If anyone thinks The X Factor is going to do that, they are wrong."
BEATLES NEWS ROUNDUP…Ringo Starr will release his 16th solo album, called Y Not on January 12th. Starr's representatives would not confirm the exact date for the new album, but said than an announcement would be coming soon. (examiner.com)
Earlier this year, we reported in an exclusive that among the high profile guests taking part in the album's sessions were Paul McCartney, Joe Walsh, the Eurythmics' Dave Stewart, Gary Wright, Edgar Winter, and Billy Squier.
Unconfirmed reports claim that Jeff Lynne has also been involved on at least one track on the album.
Although the Beatles are reportedly earning upward to $1 billion this year thanks in part to the success of their Rock Band game, Viacom CFO Tom Dooley says that the company itself is just starting to earn money on the game. Dooley explained, "Rock Band was a negative contributor to margins in the third quarter. We expect it to break even or be slightly profitable in the fourth quarter from a margin point of view. It really depends on how many units we sell in the holiday season."
According to sources, the reason the band has failed to earn a substantial profit is due to the expensive Beatles facsimile instrument/controllers which have been eating into the actual game's profits. (Vintage Vinyl News)
Yoko Ono is thrilled with the prospect of a whole new generation learning to create music directly because of The Beatles: Rock Band: "It's great, I really think it's fantastic. Now, y'know, all the kids are gonna learn how to make music. The first revolution was the fact that they learned to love music, and now they're going to make music themselves. And this whole planet is gonna be covered with music, which is a healing power. We need to heal this planet, and y'know, that's what we're gonna do."
Harmonix and MTV Games announced that the remaining eight songs from the Beatles' Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band album will become downloadable for Rock Band on the Xbox 360 and Wii starting tomorrow (November 17th) and on Thursday (November 19th) for PlayStation 3 players.
The new Sgt. Pepper tracks available for The Beatles: Rock Band are: "Fixing A Hole," "She's Leaving Home," "Being For The Benefit Of Mr. Kite," "Within You Without You," "When I'm Sixty Four," "Lovely Rita," "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band," (Reprise)," and "A Day In The Life." (gamespot.com)
A new line of menswear inspired by John Lennon's artwork will be available this holiday season. The new line Designs Inspired By the Art Of John Lennon by English Laundry, "features colors, silhouettes and collar shapes based on Lennon's own wardrobe from the '60s and '70s... with detailing derived from his artwork." (Abbey Road Best)
ROGER DALTREY CONSIDERING WRITING HIS AUTOBIOGRAPHY…Roger Daltrey says that he's finally at the point where he's seriously considering writing his memoirs. Daltrey, who's currently on the road with his Use It Or Lose It solo tour, explained that the time seems right to get it all down: "I'm thinking about a biography now. It's probably time. Just the story of my life and the things I've done, y'know, it's kind of interesting. And when I look at the juxtapositions of things -- y'know, like being the singer in the Who to being a fish farmer, and being a film star to being a beef farmer... There's all these swings and round-a-bouts in my life that are so juxtaposition-ed. There were interesting times, they were interesting times. And it wasn't all fun, but there was an awful lot of fun. The only trouble is, the people usually want the salacious crap and I don't know if I'm prepared to dig that, y'know?"
During Friday night's (November 13th) show in Atlantic City's Borgata Hotel and Casino, Daltrey joked about the Who's upcoming Super Bowl half time appearance. Daltrey said that although he loved the macho aspects of American football, it was no match for Britain's rugby, which usually involved at least someone breaking something before the game is over.
Roger Daltrey performs tomorrow night (November 17th) in Red Bank, New Jersey at the Count Basie Theatre.
U2 FINED FOR NOISE POLLUTION…U2 and concert promoters MCB were fined the equivalent of $53,000 in U.S. dollars by the Dublin City Council for excess noise levels during their concerts at the city's Croke Park in July. According to Ireland's Evening Herald, the council brought the penalties due to the quartet exceeding volume levels a dozen times during the band's three shows. But the fine was called "paltry" by a number of media outlets when compared to the $30 million the band earned from the stadium gigs.
The shows also caused controversy with local residents because of the 44 straight hours it took to tear down the band's massive "Claw" stage set-up.
U2 performed in Germany two weeks ago to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall.
The band will return to North America in 2010 for more dates in support of its latest album, No Line On The Horizon.
MICHAEL ANTHONY SAYS EDDIE VAN HALEN 'HAS IT IN FOR HIM'…Five years after parting ways, Michael Anthony says that Eddie Van Halen still bears him ill will. In an in depth interview with undercover.com.au Anthony shed substantial light on his split with Eddie and Alex Han Halen.
When asked pointedly about the status of his relationship with Eddie, Anthony said, "There is no relationship... Eddie had it in for me ever since I buddied up with Sammy Hagar again which I couldn't understand because Sammy had asked me sometime back if I would like to come and guest on some shows. This was when Van Halen was going through a period where Eddie was dealing with some of his own demons. He had the cancer thing he was dealing with and his marriage. As far as I was concerned, I was going out there waving the Van Halen flag to say, 'we didn't go away, we are still here.' Unfortunately, he didn't see it that way."
Anthony added: "He never liked me hanging out with Sammy and I can't understand why because Van Halen was my band. They didn't see it that way so they chose to not have me participate (in the reunion with David Lee Roth).
He went on to explain the chain of events following the band's last tour with Sammy Hagar, recalling, "We finished out reunion tour in 2004 and I probably knew that nothing was going to happen after that, also because of the physical and mental state that Eddie was in at that time. That tour did not end very harmoniously I guess you could say... Back in 2007 when they announced their reunion tour with David Lee Roth, I found out about it like all the other fans did. I saw it in the press and found out like everyone else did. That didn't hurt me as much as when they relaunched their website and took my image off a couple of the album covers. That upset me that they would go so far as to try and erase me out of the history of the band."
Anthony spoke about how Roth and the Van Halen brothers missed a historic opportunity when they all chose to sit out the band's 2007 induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: "Unfortunately... from what I heard after talking to Slash, Dave wanted to do certain things that would steal the show and when he couldn't have it his way he didn't want to show up. For whatever reason, Eddie and Alex didn't show up. It sucked. (Sammy and I) were the two people who weren't even in the band anymore but there was no way I was going to miss that... I remember sitting at the table while R.E.M. were playing and I turned to Sammy and said, 'This would have been great. We would have kicked this thing right in the ass.' Nobody would have ever forgotten this induction ceremony if all of us were getting along and went up there."
When asked how he felt about Eddie replacing him in the band by his teenage son Wolfgang, Anthony said, "That's his son. He is a teenager but he is a decent bass player. I think that was also part of the reason to do it, to spite me."
Earlier this month, Chickenfoot -- featuring Anthony, Hagar, Chad Smith, and Joe Satriani -- was named the best new band of 2009 at the annual Classic Rock Magazine Awards in London.
Van Halen is believed to be gearing up for a 2010 album and tour.
That’s it for now, as always, if you can’t be good, be good at it and don’t get caught!!
Jonathan
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)