Finally Friday - November 14, 2008 -

ON THIS DAY

William of Orange was born on this date in 1650. English poets almost pulled a muscle trying to rhyme his name. The best they could come up with was "door hinge."

On this date in 1832, the very first horse-drawn streetcar appeared in New York. The next day, the streetcar had been hijacked and the horse was found up on blocks.

In 1851, "Moby Dick" was published for the first time. Many were surprised that a great white whale could even write.

On this date in 1896, the power plant at Niagra Falls was turned on. Very handy for those honeymoon couples suffering a power outage.

In 1910, an airplane took off for the first time from the deck of a ship.... this, the day after it had landed on one for the very first time. The only thing that could have made the occasion greater was to have planned it that way.

On this date in 1968, Yale University went co-ed. Up until that time, women weren't allowed in the school, only in the dorms.


TODAY IS

Hard to believe we're exactly three months away from Valentine's Day.

Patrick Warburton turns 43 today. He was "Puddy" back on Seinfeld. But over the years, he's hardened.

Condoleezza Rice is 54 today. She's one of the smartest women in government. To show how smart she is, she has turned down going hunting with Dick Cheney five times!

Prince Charles turns 60 today. As a special treat, his wife -- Camilla Parker Bowles -- will take that sexy nightgown in her drawer....and leave it there.

Wendy Carlos turns 69 today. The synthetic keyboardist started out as Walter Carlos when he first did "Switched on Bach." Then, he switched himself.


THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW

· Mitch Mitchell, drummer for the Jimi Hendrix Experience, and the group's last surviving member, was found dead in his hotel room early Wednesday of natural causes. He was 61.

· Billy Joel and Elton John will reprise their co-headlining concerts beginning in March. John confirmed the duo would work again together, during an appearance on "The View."

· After 14 years, Fox has canceled "Mad TV." The producer vows the show will continue somewhere on cable.

· The town of Silverton, Oregon, has elected a transgender mayor. Stu Rasmussen has been in local politics for two decades, but this time, he ran after getting breast implant surgery.

· Lindsay Lohan referred to President-elect Barack Obama as the country's "first colored president" in an interview on "Access Hollywood."

· Rihanna has canceled a concert scheduled for Friday in Indonesia over security concerns.
· Michael Jackson has given up the title to his Neverland ranch, transferring the deed to a company he only partly controls.

· A woman stalking Sandra Bullock has been given three years probation to get her act together.

· NBC will bring out the big guns for the 76th lighting of the Christmas Tree at Rockefeller Center. Beyonce, Tony Bennett, the Jonas Brothers, Harry Connick Jr., David Cook and Rosie O'Donnell will all be on hand, along with host Al Roker. It'll air on Wednesday, December 3rd.

· Authorities are investigating battery allegations against Brad Garrett ("Everybody Loves Raymond") in an incident involving a photographer in West Hollywood.

· Victoria Beckham is considering a move... even just temporarily... to Milan to protect her interests in David Beckham while he plays soccer there.

· It turns out that the reason Britney's youngest son had to be rush to the hospital the other night is because he's allergic to fried chicken. Wait a minute... this is the two-year-old, right?

· Paul McCartney's ex, Heather Mills, has been seen as of late in the company of theater producer, Marc Sinden.

· One of the newest tourist attractions in Chicago: Barack Obama's home.

· Jesse McCartney will perform during halftime of the Tennessee Titans-Detroit Lions Thanksgiving Day game at Ford Field.

· "Pushing Daisies" is said to be a dead show walking. Should be canceled within the week. Also, NBC is pulling the plug on "My Own Worst Enemy" and "Lipstick Jungle."


THINGS THAT MAKE YOU GO.....DUH!!!!

Men think about sex more than women do. Well, duh. That's the conclusion of a recent study that proves the adage: Men have sex on the brain. Researchers put 43 pairs of men and women, ages 18 to 22, in a room with the instructions to talk about college life. The subjects believed the scientists were measuring "conversational smoothness" and were later asked to rate themselves and their partners as far as being friendly, attractive and flirtatious. Afterward, many of the men were convinced there was a sexual attraction between them and their female partner when there wasn't any. The men were also more likely to put sexual comments and hints in their conversations with the women, says lead researcher Professor Maurice Levesque of North Carolina's Elon University.


You are sure your keys are on the counter, but they're not. You're certain you see a pal at the mall, but end up waving to a stranger. If that sounds familiar, relax - researchers at the University of Florence in Italy have found that people in messy or crowded locales are likelier to think they've seen something or someone when they haven't. Isn't it nice to know you're not going nuts?


When women choose a husband, they most often desire a man who looks like their father. And it works the other way around, too. Men seek women who look like their mother. The BBC News reports that researchers from the University of Pecs in Hungary have found even more evidence for this long-recognized phenomenon, which is called sexual imprinting. Previous studies have shown that women use their fathers as a kind of template for choosing a mate -- even if they're adopted. That has led some to conclude that sexual imprinting is controlled by experience and not just genes. But when women do not have a good relationship with their dad, the sexual imprinting link is lost. In this latest study on sexual imprinting, there were significant correlations between the young men and their father-in-law, especially in the central area of the face, including the nose and eyes, reports the BBC. Women most resembled their mother-in-law in the lower face, especially the lips and jaw.


Tips from a Police Officer - What to do when you are pulled over:

1. Always stay in the car.
2. Pull over as soon as it is safe to.
3. The most important rule to follow is to pull over in a safe area.
4. Keep your hands on the wheel as the trooper or officer approaches your vehicle.
5. It's ok to complain but don't use profanity. In some states it can get you arrested for disorderly conduct.


WEIRD NEWS

Just Set Me Down On That Whale - 42-year-old David Sheriden just had a close in counter with the whale kind! Dave was kite surfing off the shores of Valla Beach in Australia when a large whale whacked him lightly on the head with its tail after he unknowingly scooted over it with his surfboard. He said, "At first I thought it was the shadow from my kite. But I quickly realized it was a whale. Next thing I felt was its tail come up and hit me on the back of the head." But just as Dave was worrying about what could happen next, the giant whale dove down into deeper waters and he surfed away with his legs shaking. (myway.com)

Princess the Pigskin Picking Camel - Jets fans won't like this. Despite having Brett Favre and a three-game winning streak, the New York Jets won't have what it takes to pass the New England Patriots atop the AFC East. At least according to Princess, a pigskin-picking camel who has a perfect 10-0 record so far this year handicapping NFL games. She also correctly predicted that the Pats would fall to the New York Giants in the Super Bowl last February. John Bergmann, general manager of Popcorn Park Zoo, where Princess has lived since 2004 said, "If I was a gambling man, I'd look to Princess before I placed a bet." As for her method, Bergmann will choose a game at random, place a graham cracker in each hand, and use a marker to write the two team names, one on each hand. Whichever hand Princess nibbles from first is her "pick" for that week. (myway.com)

Anybody Got Any String? - Jim Kotera of Highland, Wisconsin, says he got the idea almost 30 years ago. He says he heard of people claiming to have amassed the largest ball of twine in the world and decided he'd beat them all. He told an area online newspaper, The Daily Telegram, that he started his twine ball on April 3, 1979 and it now stands about as tall as he does. He's weighed all the twine he's collected from friends and neighbors before adding it to the giant ball which he estimates now weighs just under 20,000 pounds. If it could be unraveled, he claims it would stretch from northern Wisconsin to the Wyoming border. (The Daily Telegram)

Pastor Issues Sex Challenge - In Dallas, Reverend Ed Young is the pastor and the founder of the nondenominational Fellowship Mega Church which draws about 20,000 people each Sunday. And he's issuing a sex challenge to all his congregation's married couples -- to have sex for seven straight days--and he plans to practice what he preaches. Reverend Young, who has four children with his wife of 26 years, said, "We're going to give it a try." He explained the idea by saying he believes society promotes promiscuity and he wants to reclaim sex for married couples. Sex should be a nurturing, spiritual act that strengthens marriages, he said. Young said he will deliver his seven-day sex challenge while sitting on a bed in front of his Dallas-area church campus. (myway.com)

No Mother of the Year Awards Here - Police have arrested an Omaha woman who also lost custody of her four children after it was learned she left her 12-year-old daughter and 10-year-old son at home alone to fend for themselves while she went to Kentucky. A few days later she ordered her youngest 6-year-old daughter to lie in the back of the family car while she worked an eight-hour shift at the hospital. The little girl told authorities that she was left unattended in the car on two consecutive days -- Oct. 13 and 14. The mother gave her water and ordered her not to look out the car window -- otherwise, she might be seen and placed in foster care. That is in fact what has happened with all four children as mom faces a variety of child abuse charges. (World Herald)

Mailing My Way To Freedom - In Germany, 42-year-old drug dealer Hans Lang escaped from prison by mailing himself to freedom in a giant FedEx box of dirty laundry. He hid in the laundry room after other inmates had finished work there and bundled himself up in dirty bed sheets in the large box. The package was then loaded onto a van and driven through the prison gates. He waited until the driver made his next stop before getting out of the box, picking the lock on the back of the van and running off into nearby woods. Prison officials only discovered that he was missing after the driver saw the empty box and realized the lock to his van had been picked from the inside. Police are looking but so far, no Hans. (Ananova)

Stupid Ways To Die - We've got a trio of winners from our "Stupid Ways to Die" file this morning. First is the burglary suspect who was being chased by police on San Francisco's Telegraph Hill. He jumped over a 3-foot wall, not realizing that on the other side was a 200-foot drop. He died at the scene. Then there's the 22-year-old woman who stopped on the busy LBJ Freeway in Dallas to take pictures of an accident scene. While she was busy taking pictures, she was struck and killed by another motorist. And finally we have a 54-year-old road-rager in London who decided to ram the car in front of her for going too slow. The crash brought both cars to a stop but also managed to cause the road-ragers car to burst into flames. She burned alive in the car. (Sky News)


TOP FIVE SIGNS YOUR GUARDIAN ANGEL DOESN'T LIKE YOU

1. Wearing white robe that says, "I'd rather be watching Oprah"
2. Every appointment in your Outlook says "accident"... "accident"... "accident..."
3. Some practical joker keeps putting piranha in the bathtub
4. While driving, tiny voice keeps saying "You're gonna crash"
5. Says he's too busy to watch you now. He'll DVR you.


And with the new James Bond movie comin out, I submit the following -

TOP FIVE SURPRISES ON THE WAY IN THE NEXT JAMES BOND MOVIE

1. The worst thing you could imagine: a hybrid chase scene
2. Cost-cutting Bond Girl: RuPaul Galore
3. Unfortunate invention from the lab: the Bluetooth suppository
4. One of the bad guys is Jaws' son: Retainer
5. Kidnappers demand ransom be paid in Euros, not dollars


HUNTER'S HUMOR by Tim Hunter

Michigan became the latest state to legalize medicinal marijuana on Tuesday. The fact that voters approved it a week after the election makes me think they've already started using it.

A very conservative Republican congressman from Georgia says he's afraid President-elect Obama is going to create a dictatorship. How dare he say that against our anointed-one!

Scientists have discovered 18,000-year-old bones in the islands of Indonesia that belonged to a Hobbit-like people. The scientists believe these may be direct ancestors to Danny DeVito.

The drummer for the Jimi Hendrix Experience has been found dead at age 61. It was said that he was despondent because after all these years, no one knew his name: just that he was the drummer for the Jimi Hendrix Experience.


SECRETS TO MARRIAGE

Scott Haltzman, author of "The Secrets of Happily Married Men," says that men can succeed in marriage by treating it like a job. Halzman, a psychiatrist and professor at Brown University, believes that men need a different approach than conventional therapy, because... men and women are different. Here are his eight "Secrets" of Happily Married Men:

1. Make Marriage Your Job -- Men do have tools: their work skills and habits. These can be applied to marriage with the right "job description."

2. Know Your Wife -- Do your research. Observe how she behaves and interacts in various situations, and keep a record. You may just discover the person you married.

3. Be Home Now -- "To build a lasting marriage, you have to be there, in person, day by day, Mr. Regular, at home, in the building -- and that's that." The payoff includes everything from love, support and peace of mind to sexual satisfaction and intimacy.

4. Expect Conflict & Deal With It -- Guys are inclined to dig in and fight to the death, but with a few tips like "softening your tone," Haltzman suggests you can stop this instinct in its tracks.

5. Learn to Listen -- Listening may not be instinctual, can be learned, to great benefit.

6. Aim to Please -- "In the workplace men are masters of relationship-building. So... bring that skill home! The most important people in your life are not at the office.

7. Understand the Truth About Sex -- This may come as a surprise, but men and women are different! Halzman uses a car transmission metaphor -- basically, learn to operate the gears.

8. Introduce yourself -- Time to let her know "this is who I am; this is what I need.


THINGS ONLY MEN CAN DO

(Men's Health) Sure, women can claim gender advances in so many areas that it may indeed seem like men are obsolete on paper, that is. In the real world, their bugs need killing and fence lines need fixing, it's a different story and one worth telling to women:

· A man shuts up when nothing more needs to be said.
· He hears that knock in the engine as if it were a voice speaking only to him.
· He provides shoulders broad enough to carry a child at a fair, a woman at a concert, and the whole world the rest of the time.
· He shows a son what it takes to be a good man.
· He lets the women and children go first.
· He digs the Panama Canal and, later the same day, assembles a swing set.
· A woman can defend herself from an attacker, but a man walking next to her keeps her from feeling afraid in the first place.
· He keeps score at a ballgame and remembers what Grudzielanek did in the second inning. In 1998.
· He makes the world safe from Oprahfication.
· He receives and truly enjoys a $6 haircut.
· He eats cold pizza any day, anytime.
· He finds a way to fit her 17 bags in the car for a trip to the pool.
· He forgives and forgets.
· He works the remote without looking at it while toggling back and forth between two football games, a Bond film, and a CSI rerun, without missing a key moment in any of them.
· He puts naked women in movies.


Now on to the good stuff – ROCK NEWS –


NEW PROJECT FEATURING LED ZEPPELIN MEMBERS WON'T USE BAND NAME ..A spokesperson for Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page told RollingStone.com that the new project featuring Page, Zeppelin bassist John Paul Jones, and drummer Jason Bonham will not use the name Led Zeppelin. The spokesperson from Page's management company said, "Whatever this is, it is not Led Zeppelin. Not without the involvement of (Zeppelin vocalist) Robert Plant." Page, Jones, and Bonham recently confirmed that they are considering going on the road without Plant and have rehearsed with several different singers, including Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler and Alter Bridge vocalist Myles Kennedy.

Although Tyler was reportedly never under serious consideration and got together with the trio just for fun, the collaboration with Kennedy seems more likely to stick.

Alter Bridge guitarist Mark Tremonti hinted in a recent interview with Music Radar that Kennedy was the frontrunner for the gig, which could also leave the other members of Alter Bridge, who made up three-quarters of Creed, free for a reunion of that group as well.

Speculation about a full-blown Zeppelin reunion tour has been fierce ever since the band regrouped for a charity performance last December in London. But Robert Plant has indicated that he has no plans to tour for at least two years.

Other names that have surfaced as potential singers for the new project include Sammy Hagar, Chris Cornell, Jack White and Dave Grohl.


EX-GUNS N' ROSES GUITARIST A FAN OF 'CHINESE DEMOCRACY' ..Former Guns N' Roses guitarist Izzy Stradlin hasn't heard all of the band's new album, Chinese Democracy, but he likes what he has heard. Stradlin, who quit the group in 1991, told punk.bz, "I have listened to some tracks off the record and I enjoyed them." As for whether his former bandmate and sole remaining original Guns member Axl Rose was responsible for the break-up of the classic lineup, Stradlin said, "Axl is a very complicated guy, but very talented."

Stradlin, who has continued to perform and record as a solo artist since leaving Guns, opened up about why he quit the band, explaining, "Our lifestyle was very self-destructive. I was seeing how my friends were dying, and after some time of that I decided that I'd had enough. I didn't want to continue being a part of that. Now we're all clean, and that's great."

The guitarist says he "never imagined" that Guns N' Roses would reach the heights of success that it hit following the release of its 1987 debut album, Appetite For Destruction.

Stradlin added that he has remained friends with the other former members of Guns N' Roses. Bassist Duff McKagan played on his most recent album and he also speaks with guitarist Slash, although a planned show together fell through. Stradlin also made a guest appearance at a Guns N' Roses gig in New York City two years ago.

Chinese Democracy goes on sale November 23rd exclusively through Best Buy.

In related news, Wired.com reports that the lawyer for Kevin Cogill, the Los Angeles man arrested on federal charges for leaking nine songs from Chinese Democracy on his website, has made a plea deal with prosecutors that will allow him to avoid doing jail time. Attorney David Kaloyanides told Wired, "We're looking at straight probation as a result of taking this deal."


METALLICA DRUMMER SELLS PAINTING FOR $12 MILLION …A painting owned by Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich went for $12 million on Wednesday (November 12th) at an auction held by Christie's on Wednesday (November 12th). According to the New York Times, the 1982 painting by late artist Jean-Michel Basquiat, called "(Untitled) Boxer," was purchased by an unnamed buyer over the telephone for a total of $13.5 million, including $1.5 million in commissions. The picture, a highlight of a 2005 retrospective of Basquiat's work held at the Brooklyn Museum, was expected to fetch between 12 and 16 million.

Although the economy has been on a steep downward slide recently, Ulrich told the Times last month, "I have a lot of faith in the art market."

Ulrich continues to purchase art, although he now mostly buys the work of up-and-coming artists instead of collecting famous painters.

Ulrich sold five paintings at a Christie's auction in 2002, including a Basquiat that earned him $5.5 million. The artist died of a drug overdose in 1988 at the age of 27.

Metallica is touring behind its latest album, Death Magnetic, and next plays on Monday (November 17th) in St. Louis.


SIXX A.M. REISSUING DEBUT ALBUM WITH BONUS LIVE EP …Sixx A.M. will release a deluxe edition of its debut album exclusively through Best Buy on November 25th that will come with a bonus EP featuring eight live tracks. The EP, titled Live Is Beautiful, can also be purchased separately by those who have previously bought the album. The original CD, recorded by Motley Crue bassist Nikki Sixx along with producers and songwriters James Michael and DJ Ashba, served as the "soundtrack" to Sixx's memoir of his days as a drug addict, The Heroin Diaries: A Year In The Life Of A Shattered Rock Star. The album featured the hit single "Life is Beautiful" and the trio hit the road this past summer to a strong response as part of the first Crue Fest package tour.

James Michael told us that Sixx A.M. had no idea that the album would create such a devoted following: "When we were making this record, we knew that we were doing something that was important to us, but I don't think that we really had a sense of how important it was going to be to the audience. And it's just staggering how many people have come up to us and shared their personal experiences with us, and that for us is what makes us so happy."

Live Is Beautiful features concert versions of several songs from the Sixx A.M. record, including "Life Is Beautiful," "Tomorrow," "Pray For Me," and "Accidents Can Happen."

The Sixx A.M. album has sold 270,000 copies since coming out in the summer of 2007. A portion of proceeds from the sales has gone to Running Wild in the Night, a fundraising initiative started by Nikki Sixx for Covenant House.

Sixx A.M. is working on material for their second album, although the band has not revealed whether it will be a conceptual project like the first one.

Motley Crue is scheduled to announce dates on Friday (November 14th) for an early 2009 tour that will also feature Hinder and Theory Of A Deadman.


NEW JERRY GARCIA BIOPIC TO FOCUS ON PRE-GRATEFUL DEAD YEARS ..A new Jerry Garcia biopic focusing on his early life in the Bay Area is currently in preproduction, according to Billboard. The film will shed light on Garcia's pre-Grateful Dead life, including his time in the U.S. Army, "a life-changing car accident, and his first creative encounters with members of the Northern California music scene such as future Dead bassist Phil Lesh."

The production is being based on author Robert Greenfield's book Dark Star, which featured first-person recollections of Garcia by friends and family who knew him best. Music rights to the still unnamed project are still being ironed out. No title or release date has been announced.

Last week it was announced that Bob Dylan, Neil Young and the Jefferson Airplane have signed on to provide music for an upcoming Grateful Dead biopic also in preproduction, based on roadie Steve Parish's 2003 memoir Home Before Daylight: My Life On The Road With The Grateful Dead. Bob Weir has signed on to supervise the music for the film.


THE EAGLES ADD 2009 DATES …The Eagles continue to expand their current tour well into 2009, announcing a further four January dates in Hampton, Virginia; Charlotte, North Carolina; North Charleston, South Carolina; and Birmingham, Alabama.

The Eagles updated tour dates (subject to change):
November 15 - Dallas, TX - American Airlines Center
November 16 - Memphis, TN - Fed Ex Forum
November 18 - Cincinnati, OH - U.S. Bank Arena
November 20 - Washington, DC - Verizon Center
November 21 - Pittsburgh, PA - Mellon Arena
November 23 - Hershey, PA - Giant Center
November 25 - Philadelphia, PA - The Wachovia Center
November 26 - Worcester, MA - DCU Center
December 1 - Houston, TX - Toyota Center
January 12 - Hampton, VA - Hampton Coliseum
January 14 - Charlotte, NC - Time Warner Cable Arena
January 16 - North Charleston, SC - North Charleston Coliseum
January 17 - Greensboro, NC - Greensboro Coliseum
January 19 - Greenville, SC - Bi-Lo Center
January 21 - Knoxville, TN - Thompson-Boling Arena
January 23 - New Orleans, LA - New Orleans Arena
January 24 - Birmingham, AL - BJCC Arena
January 26 - Sunrise, FL - Bank Atlantic Center
January 28 - Jacksonville, FL - Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena
January 29 - Tampa, FL - St. Pete Times Forum
January 31 - Orlando, FL - Amway Arena

In other Eagles news:

Former Eagles guitarist Don Felder has announced a handful of dates for the new year. Felder, who played a key role in writing such Eagles classics as "Hotel California" and others was ousted from the band in 2001.

Don Felder tour dates (subject to change):
February 20, 21 - Niagara Falls, ON - Fallsview Casino Resort
March 23 - Calgary, AB - Jack Singer Concert Hall
April 10 - San Diego, CA - House Of Blues - Delta Room
April 11 - Coachella, CA - Spotlight Showroom

He recently published his memoir Heaven And Hell: My Life As An Eagle, in which Felder claims that, although he was a partner in the group, he was powerless when it came to band decisions, and was paid less than the band's co-founders Don Henley and Glenn Frey.


That’s it for now, as always, if you can’t be good, be good at it and don’t get caught!!

Jonathan