Monday...YAWN..back to work - November 17, 2008 -

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, artificial diamonds were created. Of course, 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

RuPaul turns 48 today. That's one queen who will never appear on any money.

Danny DeVito turns 64 today. He and wife Rhea Pearlman represent the Lollipop Guild.


THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW

· With six kids to watch over, supper sexy star Angelina Jolie told the BBC she plans to fade away from acting to spend more time raising her family, but she stopped short of pledging to quit altogether.

· Mexico City is going to start giving out free erectile dysfunction drugs to men 70 and older.

· Thomas Beatie, the controversial "pregnant man" who gave birth to a daughter earlier this year, has told Barbara Walters that he's pregnant again with his second child.

· If you want to take care of your heart, brush your teeth. Poor dental hygiene increases the risk of both heart attack and stroke, according to researchers from the University of Bristol in Great Britain.

· President-elect Obama sat down with Steve Kroft of "60 Minutes" and chatted away last night.

· What does Kanye West think of himself? "I realize that my place and position in history is that I will go down as the voice of this generation, of this decade, I will be the loudest voice."

· Speaking of... West was arrested after a fracas outside a London nightclub but released without charge, British media reported Friday.

· One report has Barack Obama considering Hillary Clinton for Secretary of State.

· Hilary Duff has signed a talent and development deal with NBC to come up with a new series for her to star in.

· Whoopi Goldberg is going to produce a musical based on her hit movie, "Sister Act."

· Rosie O'Donnell is having her own one-hour network special, November 26th on NBC. So far, guests include Kathy Griffin, Jane Krakowski, Ne-Yo and Alanis Morissette.

· John Mayer hosting his own show on CBS? That's the rumor, saying that it'll be on the air by early next year.

· What does Madonna think of Alex Rodriguez? In her words, "he has the heart of a poet trapped inside an insanely gorgeous body."

· With Amy Poehler leaving "Saturday Night Live" after having her baby, the show has replaced her with two new people: Abby Elliott and Michaela Watkins.

· 27-year-old Natalie Portman is back home living with her parents.

· Vanilla Ice is trying a comeback. His new album contains 13 songs... one of which is "Ice Ice Baby" and 3 more which are... remixes of "Ice Ice Baby."

· Going to college and then working at a mentally-demanding job appear to protect the brain from Alzheimer's disease on memory, say researchers at San Raffaele University and Scientific Institute and the National Institute of Neuroscience in Milan, Italy.

· On a recent 3-day trip to London, Singer Mariah Carey and her husband Nick Cannon brought with them 20 suitcases.

· You think credit is tightening up here... down in Mexico, a Mexican Wal-Mart credit card comes with a 69.9% interest rate.

· There was a rumor that Sarah Palin was headed to a role on "Desperate Housewives." Just a rumor.

· Spencer Elden is the name of the baby who is featured on the cover of Nirvana's "Nevermind" album. He's now a 17-year-old high school student.


WEIRD NEWS

Times Square Goes Green - Times Square is about to unveil its first ever environmentally friendly billboard -- run entirely by wind and solar power. Granted, the 35,000-pound sign advertising Ricoh Americas Corp. might not be quite as dazzling as some of its high-powered neighbors, but should save around $12,000 to $15,000 in electricity costs. It'll be powered by 16 wind turbines and 64 solar panels and Ricoh, an office equipment and document storage supplier, estimates the sign will also keep 18 tons of carbon out of the environment. Company spokesman Ron Potesky said, "The point is that there are ways of being environmentally friendly to the planet, even on a billboard." A lighting ceremony for the 126-foot wide, 47-foot tall sign is scheduled for December 4. (myway.com)

World's Luckiest Man - So who's the world's luckiest man? We'd have to say a guy who got run over by a train, and lived to tell about it, is in the running. In Huntsville, Alabama, 61-year-old Arnold Romine was spotted lying across the train tracks by a train engineer. The conductor sounded the horn and tried to stop the train but by the time it had come to a halt, 8 rail cars had passed over Romine's body. Miraculously, he suffered what appeared to be only minor injuries. Nobody's quite sure how he survived or why he was lying on the tracks to begin with. (myway.com)

Come On Mom -- I'll Give Ya Five Bucks! - Police in Fort Pierce, Florida say an 11-year-old boy hit his mother in the head with a saw and then offered her $5 bucks not to call police. The boy and his 41-year-old mother allegedly got into an argument while she was tried to get him to take his medication. Medication he apparently really needs we might add. The boy left and went to another home, where he began hitting a tree with a saw. When mom finally caught up with him, he allegedly hit her in the head with the saw, causing a minor laceration. He then began pleading with her not to call police and offered her a $5 bill. It seems that wasn't enough so mom did call 911 and her son now faces an aggravated battery charge. (The Stuart News)

Woman Wins Lawsuit Over Dirty Dancing - Six years ago, 64-year-old Rebecca Willis of Marshall, North Carolina decided to sue her town to make a point. She had been banned from a community dance hall because authorities said her "dirty dancing" style moves were too risque. That turned out to be a very bad decision on the town's part as they will now fork over $275,000 to her in a settlement. Rebecca argued that town officials violated her constitutional rights to freedom of expression and equal protection when they barred her from Friday night dances at the Marshall Depot in December 2000. Residents allegedly complained that she danced in a sexually provocative manner, wearing short skirts while "simulating sex with her partner who hunched on the floor." The settlement came after the U.S. Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals overturned a decision to dismiss her lawsuit, saying that it should be up to a jury to decide if the town dance hall committee was in the right. Rather than go through all that chaos, the town coughed up the dough -- but got a small victory. As part of the settlement, Rebecca still agrees to stay out of the dance hall. (The Citizen Times)

Zimbabwe Breaks Another Inflation Record! - Just to keep our economic woes in perspective, the country of Zimbabwe has amazingly set yet another current inflation world record. The country's new inflation rate is currently 13.2 billion percent! Along with the record-setting inflation rate and lack of merchandise, Zimbabwe is also suffering from a prolonged political crisis which has sparked street demonstrations and causes the country's economy to further deteriorate. If they stay at this pace, they should surpass Hungary's all time inflation rate record set back in 1946 when it was at an astounding 12.95 quadrillion percent inflation -- meaning prices basically doubled in that country every 15.6 hours. Somebody please explain to me why does anyone continue to live in Zimbabwe? (AHN News)

What Christmas Is All About - We're still a couple of weeks from Thanksgiving, but a secret Santa in the UK is already raising the bar for the true spirit of the Christmas season. An anonymous donor has handed over $13 Million dollars worth of Christmas toys to children in UK hospitals. Several truckloads have already arrived at Birmingham Children's Hospital and more will be delivered nationwide over the next few days. The mystery Santa has let it be known that he wants to guarantee poor kids stuck in hospitals have a good Christmas. (Ananova)

Divorce For Irreconcilable Mother-in-Law! - In Italy, 36-year-old Luca Rossi has been granted a divorce because his mother-in-law won't stop nagging him! Luca said his wife's mother didn't leave him alone for a single day throughout their four months of marriage, and finally he just couldn't take it anymore. After the hearing he said, "I'd never believed stories and jokes about mothers-in-law but my marriage was hell right from the moment we said 'I do' at our wedding until the moment we split, just because my mother-in-law interfered in every single thing in our lives." He added, "Next time I'm hoping to find a girl who's an orphan." (Ananova)


TOP FIVE SIGNS IT'S GOING TO BE A LONG HOLIDAY SEASON

1. Santa now charging by the wish
2. Salvation Army volunteers more aggressive; instead of ringing bells, using tazers.
3. Elf union has authorized a strike vote
4. Frosty the Snowman's soul less jolly
5. Three Wise Men requesting bailout money

HUNTER'S HUMOR by Tim Hunter

So it appears the transition is going quite well at the White House and it's all systems go. There should be absolutely no problems on January 20th when Barack Obama takes over for Dick Cheney.

President Bush is warning against too much government in markets. Hey, he's been at that job for 8 years. We better listen to him or things could go wrong.


ARE YOU NERVOUS?

According to Psycholgist Dr. Elayne Kahn, here's what your nervous habits reveal about you:

· Biting nails -- You're hearty, friendly and likable and you pat people on the back for a job well done. You also like to work with your hands, baking bread or doing yard work satisfies you.
· Coughing or throat clearing -- You want others to pay attention to you and what you say. You think carefully before giving advice to others. Words are important to you and you want to make sure they come out right. You are considerate and want others to like you.
· Doodling or playing with a pencil -- you're creative, artistic and have lots of energy. You're also well-organized and often make lists of things you need to do or buy.
· Grinding teeth -- you have a good sense of humor, and you laugh off irritations. You don't get angry when others are late and you're a good a listener.
· Knuckle cracking -- You are very independent and you like exercise, contact sports and dancing.
· Squirming & fidgeting -- If you can't sit still you're a person with a lot of different interests, a real go-getter eager to achieve what you want out of life. You pride yourself on being able to do two things at once - and do them both well.
· Twisting hair or running fingers through hair -- You want people to notice how you look. You're conscious of your appearance, especially your hair and face. You believe in exercise, night courses and other forms of self improvement.


THE CURSE OF BOND

(FHM) Just ask "Die Another Day"'s Halle Berry. Nothing kills a career faster than shagging 007.

· Ursula Andress, 1962: Set the Bond-girl standard as 007's first in "Dr. No." By going on to do nothing but Italian films and TV's "Manimal," she set the other one.
· Maud Adams, 1974 & 1983: Appeared in both "The Man with the Golden Gun" and "Octopussy." Perfect preparation for "Silent Night, Deadly Night 4: Initiation."
· Honor Blackman, 1964: Achieved world fame as "Goldfinger"'s Pussy Galore. Squandered it as the Mona character on Britain's version of "Who's The Boss?"
· Talisa Soto, 1989: After proving she was both lethal and lovely in "Licence to Kill," Soto not only landed a role in "Mortal Kombat," but also both sequels.
· Loise Chiles, 1979: To Bond fans she is "Moonraker"'s Dr. Holly Goodhead. To VH1 fans, she's a chick from the channel's TV movie "Warning: Parental Advisory."
The exception could be Teri Hatcher, when in 1997 the attention she won as Paris Carver in "Tomorrow Never Dies" gave her the power to work fulltime on those RadioShack ads. But now she has a new bond with Desperate Housewives."


Now on the good stuff – ROCK NEWS –


VELVET REVOLVER DROPPED BY RECORD LABEL, SAYS SOURCE ..Velvet Revolver has been dropped by its label, RCA Records, an inside source has told Blabbermouth.net. The band recorded two albums for the company, with its 2004 debut Contraband moving nearly two million copies, while the follow-up, 2007's Libertad, sold only 300,000. The group, which features former Guns N' Roses members Slash, Duff McKagan and Matt Sorum, also parted ways with vocalist Scott Weiland earlier this year and have yet to name a replacement.

Although Velvet Revolver has been auditioning new singers, Slash told us there are no plans to take the search to a reality series: "If we wanted to make a quick buck, that would be the way to go. There's such a huge lack of integrity in that process, be it putting a band together or finding a relationship or finding a new best friend, whatever the premise is. It's just a cheap way of doing things and I don't think that you can actually find the individual or the character or the quality or whatever it is that's important."

Weiland reunited with his former band, Stone Temple Pilots, for a recently completed six-month tour.

Velvet Revolver has yet to make any sort of statement about the reported split with RCA.

Slash and McKagan have both been working on solo projects, while Sorum recently opened a boutique in Hollywood.

Meanwhile, Slash and his wife, Perla Hudson, have posted a message on YouTube in which they speak out against California's recently passed anti-gay Proposition Eight.


MOTLEY CRUE REVEALS DATES WITH HINDER, THEORY OF A DEADMAN…Motley Crue has revealed the dates and venues for its upcoming North American arena tour, which will begin on February 9th in San Diego and finish up on March 18th in Portland, Maine. The bill will also include Hinder, Theory of a Deadman and The Last Vegas, winners of the first "Guitar Center On-Stage: Your Chance to Make Rock History" contest. Tickets for the road trip go on sale Friday (November 21st) in most markets, with prices ranging from $25 to $75. This will be the Crue's first North American trek since this past summer's Crue Fest package.

Motley Crue bassist Nikki Sixx told us that the band always has one goal whenever it goes onstage: "If we're the greatest we can be, that's exciting, and that's what I believe that Mick (Mars, guitar) and Tommy (Lee, drums) and Vince (Neil, vocals) all want too. They want to be the greatest rock band that Motley Crue can be. That's why we always try to come up with new, twisted versions of our production, and I think our shows are so potent and, I think, contagious. It's fun and it's horrifying all at the same time."

Many of the dates on the new tour will be in cities that Crue Fest did not reach. Another edition of Crue Fest is in the works for next summer.

Motley Crue is hitting the road in support of its latest studio album, Saints of Los Angeles, which has sold 236,000 copies since coming out last June.

Hinder and Theory of a Deadman are both supporting their most recent studio efforts.

In addition to their slot on the tour, the Last Vegas also won a recording deal with Eleven Seven Music, $25,000 in cash and another $20,000 in gear.

Motley Crue North American tour dates (subject to change):
February 2 - San Diego, CA - Cox Arena
February 4 - Reno, NV - Reno Events Center
February 6 - Las Vegas, NV - The Joint at Hard Rock Hotel
February 7 - Las Vegas, NV - The Joint at Hard Rock Hotel
February 10 - Omaha, NE - Quest Center
February 11 - Moline, IL - iWireless Center
February 13 - Grand Rapids, MI - Van Andel Arena
February 14 - Madison, WI - Alliant Energy Center
February 15 - Rockford, IL - MetroCentre
February 17 - Des Moines, IA - Wells Fargo Arena
February 18 - St. Paul, MN - Xcel Energy Center
February 19 - Green Bay, WI - Resch Center
February 21 - Nashville, TN - Sommet Center
February 22 - Birmingham, AL - BJCC Arena
February 25 - Greenville, SC - BI-LO Center
February 27 - Lafayette, LA - Cajun Dome
February 28 - New Orleans, LA - New Orleans Arena
March 3 - Miami, FL - Hard Rock Casino
March 4 - Orlando, FL - UCF Arena
March 6 - Atlantic City, NJ - Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa
March 7 - Erie, PA - Erie Civic Center
March 8 - Hershey, PA - Giant Center
March 10 - Ottawa, ON - Scotiabank Place
March 11 - Hamilton, ON - Copps Coliseum
March 13 - Uncasville, CT - Mohegan Sun Arena
March 14 - Baltimore, MD - 1st Mariner Arena
March 16 - New York, NY - Madison Square Garden
March 17 - Manchester, NH - Verizon Wireless Arena
March 18 - Portland, ME - Cumberland County Civic Center


SAMMY HAGAR HOPEFUL FOR OBAMA PRESIDENCY …Sammy Hagar says that he's adopted a policy of "wait and see" when it comes to politicians, but he can't help feeling hopeful for President-Elect Barack Obama's first term in office: "Let's put it this way; I hope he does everything he has said he's gonna do. And if so -- it'll be to my liking. It's been a long time since a presidential candidate has come along and did what they said they were gonna do, y'know? (President) George Bush is a prime example. I think the world is ready for a lot of those changes, and God knows, we need them."

Hagar made news earlier this fall when he went on record stating that he was happy that Sen. John McCain and the G.O.P. were using the Van Halen track "Right Now" at campaign stops, telling Rolling Stone at the time: "I got goosebumps from it -- my fur went up . . . I was honored that a potential President of the United States used those words in a positive sense, like, 'We gotta act now!'"

Out tomorrow (November 18th) is Hagar's latest album Cosmic Universal Fashion. The set features guest appearances by the Cult's Billy Duffy and Matt Sorum, along with Michael Anthony.

Sammy Hagar & the Wabos perform tomorrow night and Wednesday (November 18th and 19th) in Saint Louis, Missouri at the Pageant.


PAUL McCARTNEY WANTS TO RELEASE 1967 BEATLES 'FREAK OUT' TRACK …Paul McCartney wants to finally issue the Beatles' 1967 avant-garde recording commonly known as "Carnival Of Light." McCartney talked about the experimental untitled track which was recorded on January 5th, 1967 during sessions for the group's album Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Heart's Club Band. The track was created to be played over the P.A. later that month at the psychedelic "Be-In" called Carnival Of Light which was held at London's Roundhouse Theatre.

McCartney recalled the legendary, nearly 14-minute track, telling the BBC, "I like it because it's the Beatles free, going off . . . We were set up in the studio and would just go in every day and record. I said to the guys, 'This is a bit indulgent but would you mind giving me 10 minutes? I've been asked to do this thing. All I want you to do is just wander round all of the stuff and bang it, shout, play it. It doesn't need to make any sense. Hit a drum, wander to the piano, hit a few notes . . . ' And then we put a bit of echo on it. It's very free."

The tape of the piece resides in the vault at Abbey Road Studios, and according to Mark Lewisohn's 1988 book The Beatles Recording Sessions, it features distorted organ, lead guitar and drum sounds, someone gargling with water, along with McCartney and John Lennon dementedly screaming random phrases including "Are you alright?" and "Barcelona!"

McCartney says that he tried to get the piece included on 1996's The Beatles Anthology 2 but that George Harrison and Ringo Starr blocked its inclusion: "We were listening to everything we'd every recorded. I said it would be great to put this on because it would show we were working with really avant-garde stuff . . . But it was vetoed. The guys didn't like the idea, like 'this is rubbish.'"

He added that he still believes in the artistic value of the track: "The time has come for it to get its moment."

McCartney biographer Christopher Sanford says that it was McCartney who spearheaded the Beatles' more experimental music ideas: "I think the idea that Paul was the avant-garde one in the band, I mean musically, is an under-explored theme. Y'know, a lot of people have bought into the standard line which was that John was the envelope pusher, John was the one 'out there.' Paul was way more out there than John Lennon was when they were doing Revolver and of course Sgt. Pepper. It was Paul who was coming into the studio with tape loops and saying, 'Let's put these sounds on like seagulls shrieking,' and John looked at him . . . (laughs) 'Well, what's that?' Y'know?"

Tomorrow (November 18th), McCartney releases his latest experimental side project as the Fireman, called Electric Arguments.


BON JOVI BEGINS WORK ON NEW MATERIAL ..Bon Jovi has started writing songs that will likely appear on a greatest hits album due out next year. Guitarist Richie Sambora tells Billboard.com that he and Jon Bon Jovi are coming up with new material for a best-of set, as well as a brand new studio album. As for the sound, things are still up in the air. Sambora says it will stray from Bon Jovi's recent country-tinged Lost Highway album, adding, "We have to do something different. I don't know what that's going to be. As we get into the writing process and continue on, we'll see what that's going to look like." The greatest hits collection is expected to coincide with the 2009 release of a Bon Jovi documentary and live DVD concert.

Meanwhile, Sambora has been working on his own projects, doing recording sessions with Kid Rock and rapper T.I. He's also scoring some TV shows and movies, including The Tournament with Ving Rhames.

When asked if he's looking forward to the possibility of Bon Jovi getting inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum, he says, "I hope so. Time flies man, but yeah there's talk and rumors. Boy that would be nice. It's something certainly I've been shooting for all my life. I think if you have a career in the music business, you want to get inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum."


JOHN PAUL JONES SET FOR WARREN HAYNES' 'CHRISTMAS JAM'..John Paul Jones has signed on to perform at Warren Haynes' 20th annual Christmas Jam. Pollstar.com reported that for the first time, the charity shows will expand to two nights at the Asheville Civic Center in Asheville, North Carolina.

Haynes issued a statement which spoke about how he was able to secure the Led Zeppelin bassist for the gig, "John sat in with (Gov't Mule) at Bonnaroo and after seeing him at the Led Zeppelin concert in London, we spoke about him performing at the Christmas Jam and I'm thrilled he can make it."

Also on the bill is the Allman Brothers Band, Del McCoury Band, the Derek Trucks Band, Steve Earle, Ruthie Foster, Michael Franti Acoustic featuring Jay Bowman, Travis Tritt & Marty Stuart, Johnny Winter, Gov't Mule, Ivan Neville's Dumpstaphunk, and Joan Osborne, among others.

In addition to this year's Jam featuring daytime performances, the Christmas Jam By Day will feature "an art show, movie screenings and the first Christmas Jam Comedy Show."

All proceeds from the concert will again benefit Habitat for Humanity. Throughout the years, the annual concerts have raised over $650,000 for the charity.

Warren Haynes, who's been a member of the Allman Brothers Band since 1989, says he's proud of how the charity event has grown from year to year: "It started out in a small club, just as an opportunity for a lot of the local musicians to get together and jam at the one time of the year that everybody seems to be home. We thought, 'Well, let's take the money and put it to some charity,' and each year it got a little bigger and a little bigger."

For ticket info, log on to xmasjam.com.


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

Jonathan