Monday - June 22, 2009 -

Welcome to the Blog -

Whether we know it or not, each of us lives a life governed by an internalized code of conduct. Some call it morality, others call it religion. I call it “The Bro Code”. It’s my hope that, with a better understanding of the Code, Bros the world over can put aside their differences and strengthen the bonds of brotherhood. It is then, and only then, that we might work together as one to accomplish perhaps the most important challenge society faces – getting laid.

- Barney Stinson – The Bro Code –

THE BRO CODE – Article # 22

“A Bro should not sing and dance at the same time”


ON THIS DAY

On this date in 1611, English explorer Henry Hudson, his son and several other people were set adrift in present-day Hudson Bay during a mutiny. The tribe had spoken.

The very first bank in New York City opened way back in 1797. Up until that time, bank robbers had nothing to do.

On this date in 1847, the donut was invented. Someone must have been sitting around and thought, "Hmmmmm... I wonder how I could make a donut more fattening!"

In 1868, Arkansas became a state for the second time. So far, the second marriage appears to be working.

Gangster John Dillinger was born back in 1903. He would have been 104 if he hadn't died from lead poisoning.

On this date in 1970, President Nixon lowered the national voting age to 18. That way, we had more people to blame for election results.


TODAY IS

Carson Daly celebrates another birthday today, #36. I wasn't going to get on the phone and wish him a happy one, but I'll give him one more LAST CALL.

Amy Brenneman turns 45. Hey... no judging Amy.

Meryl Streep celebrates a birthday today. Momma Mia -- she's 60!

Take Your Dog To Work Day -- Here's a unique way to give away some tickets. We had listeners bark and win. They either had to bark like their dog or bark their favorite Country song. It turned out to be pretty funny.


THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW

The Olive Garden won't say that it was connected to the off-color Sarah Palin joke, but they've canceled all of their advertising running on the Letterman show.

By the way, David Letterman did a ratings bump from that whole Sarah Palin thing, but the Tonight Show still beat him in the ratings for that week.

Sources have said that Katherine Heigl, aka Izzie, will return to "Grey's Anatomy" next season.

Rihanna will be in a Los Angeles court today to testify in the case against Chris Brown, but a judge ruled the proceedings will not be televised.

The father of last year's "American Idol" runner-up, David Archuleta, has pleaded no contest to patronizing a prostitute in Salt Lake City.

Remember Aunt Viv on Will Smith's comedy, "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air?" She's written her memoirs and is not to complimentary about Will.

American Idol singer Carly Smithson is joining the original guys of Evanescence, and creating a new hard-rock band called The Fallen. More at wearethefallen.com.

"Twilight" star Robert Pattinson was hit by a taxi in New York as he tried to run away from a crowd of hysterical teenage fans, but he was not seriously injured.

Congress is all about passing a "Cash for clunkers" bill that would give you up to a $4500 cash rebate to buy a newer, more fuel efficient car.

To show support for democracy in Iran, you're supposed to add a green tint to your picture on Twitter. Done.

OK, we just went from spring to summer and Sting is announcing that his next album, titled "If on a winter's night... " will come out in this fall. I think we've covered 'em all.

Susan Boyle canceled another concert appearance. Is she up for this fame thing?


NICE TO KNOW -

If food falls on the floor, pick it up within five seconds and you can eat it, right? Whatever germs are on the floor don't have time to adhere to the food that quickly. Or do they? A recent national survey by Kelton Research found that nearly 60% of Americans admit to eating food that has fallen on the floor. Would they continue doing that if they knew a typical home carpet has up to 4,000 times more bacteria particles -- even after vacuuming -- than toilet seats? This is the total number of bacteria particles found on one-inch square samples of different household surfaces. The independent tests were conducted by Dr. Charles Gerba, a microbiologist at the University of Arizona:

Toilet seat: 49

Kitchen counter: 1,686

Kitchen tile: 2,546

Bathroom floor: 18,025

Carpet: more than 200,000

So, does the 5-second rule work? No. Eat that cookie that falls on the floor, and you could also be ingesting a frosting of E. coli.


I CAN’T DRIVE 55 –

For those of us that like to drive fast, ( you know who you are) we've found out where you can drive the fastest in the U.S. Here are the Top Maximum Speed Limits:

80 mph -- Texas (on about 500 miles of Interstate 10 and 20 in southwest corner of the state)

75 mph -- Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas (in counties with less than 10 people per square mile), Utah, Wyoming

70 mph -- Alabama, Arkansas, California, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, South Carolina, }Tennessee, Washington State, West Virginia


WEIRD NEWS

Happy Father's Day -- NOT! - While you were busy yesterday telling your dad how great he is, 50-year-old William Ireland of Warwickshire, England, was dissing his dad big time -- by auctioning off his ashes on eBay! Mr. Ireland apparently carries quite a grudge against his deceased dad and says he was only six when his father, Ken Ireland, walked out on his mother and the family. William later tracked his dad down and they spent some time together before Ken died in 2006. But then William found out his dad left his entire estate to the woman he left his mother for. William got the ashes by paying for the funeral so to settle the score, he put them up for sale on eBay with an ad that reads: "Here are the ashes of my father, Kenneth Ireland, an adulterer who left a wife, two children with just 17 pounds in her pocket. He never paid a penny towards his kids' upbringing." His father's second wife and family are believed to want the ashes back. But obviously not enough to pay for the funeral! Happy Father's Day everyone! (Ananova)

Swine Flu I Do's! - The bride wore white -- and a face mask -- and latex gloves! So did the groom! In Highland, Park, Illinois, Ilana Jackson and Jeremy Fierstien decided to go ahead with their wedding after learning less than 48 hours before that they both had swine flu! But, just to be safe, the 26-year-olds kept a 10-foot distance from family and friends at all times, even walking around the gathering instead of down the aisle at a Highland Park synagogue. Jackson says they'd both joked about swine flu after they both experienced vomiting, achy limbs and fever -- but they never actually thought they really had it. So it'll probably be a hospital honeymoon and then hopefully they live happily ever after. (myway.com)

Lobster and Wine Thief Eats and Drinks His Way to Sleepy Time - Well at least he got a really good meal before he has to start enjoying prison food. In Portland, Maine, Paul Bruneau was arrested after he allegedly broke into the Portland Lobster Co. through a rear window and stuffed his pockets with cash before chowing down on the better part of 11 prepared lobsters worth about $300. He washed it all down with a white wine. He also left a refrigerator open, causing about $1,000 worth of food to be thrown out. It appears all that lobster and wine made him a little sleepy because employees found him asleep on a bench when they came in to work the next morning. (myway.com)

Mugged For a Bologna Sandwich? - How pathetic is this? In Oklahoma City, 24-year-old Roger Hamilton was sitting on a bus station bench, about to put mayonnaise on his bologna sandwich, when another man began staring at him. Hamilton told police that the man then punched him in the mouth and grabbed his sandwich and ran! Hamilton left with a swollen lip and his face was covered in blood when police arrived. The police report listed the value of the sandwich at 76 cents. The Bologna Bandit is still on the loose! (The Oklahoman)

Do We Really Need This? - Has society sunk so low that we now need dress codes that include wearing underwear and wearing deodorant? Apparently the city of Brooksville, Florida thinks so. The city council for the town just north of Tampa just approved a dress code that instructs employees to observe "strict personal hygiene" including wearing underwear at all times as well as deodorant. It also prohibits exposed underwear, clothing with foul language printed on it, "sexually provocative" clothes and piercings anywhere except the ears. And get this ACLU-- repeat offenders can be fired! Ironically, the single "no" vote came from Mayor Joe Bernadini who believes the underwear edict "takes away freedom of choice." Or maybe our good mayor just loves the ladies sans panties -- or goes commando himself! (The Tampa Tribune)

Our WWI Vets Are Almost Gone - There's another seriously endangered species you can add to your list -- living veterans of World War I. Did you know there are only two known vets of the first World War still alive on the planet? And one of them-- Henry Allingham of Brighton, England, just became the world's oldest living man. He turned 113 on June 6 this year and took over the oldest man title after Tomoji Tanabe of Japan died in his sleep last week. Tanabe was also 113 but was a full eight months older than Allingham. Allingham enlisted as a seaplane mechanic in 1915 during WWI after his mother died. After the war, he worked at Ford and retired in 1961. He was married for 50 years and has a great-great-great-grandchild. As for the secret to his longevity, Allingham said "to look after yourself and always know your limitations." (The London Times)

More Instructions on How To Get Into Hell! - Here's another installment from our continuing series of "How To Get Into Hell!" Police are looking for the person or persons who offered free office equipment to a group of African American churches in the Washington DC area. Turns out it was all a con. Several churches were offered computers that church staff were told would be paid for by a "sponsor." The staff was told to sign a lease for the equipment and deposit checks from the sponsor to cover the lease. However, the "sponsor" checks bounced and the equipment didn't work. Instead the con artists used the churches' banking information to withdraw money from their accounts. The scam is being investigated by the Federal Trade Commission who is taking it very seriously. You know there's a lot of people you can rip off -- but churches? Really? Seriously? Dude -- you are sooooo going to hell! (AHN News)

And Here's Me on Day 2,342! - This is interesting. 13-year-old Suman Bansal of Kent, England has become the world's first known teenager to have daily photos of herself since birth! She had 4,749 photos as of her 13th birthday on May 16, according to her father who took the pictures. Dad said, "I am taking daily photographs of my daughter Suman and son Jayl. If you want to see, Suman's father has created a Web site (earnyourname.net/SumanBansal) with every photo of Suman he has taken since birth until May 30, this year. Her younger brother, 10-year-old Jay, also has his own photo site. The family is planning to raise money from the story to build a school in India -- a school that will offer free education to children. (AHN News)


TOP FIVE BENEFITS OF BEING IRAN'S SUPREME LEADER

1. Reserved parking space. Now, if only we believed in cars...
2. Get to go to Supreme Leadership Camp
3. Great way to meet Supreme Chicks
4. You don't get lumped in with all those "regular" leaders
5. People always know what kind of gasoline you prefer


HUNTER'S HUMOR by Tim Hunter

Japan is warning the U.S. about a report that North Korea is planning to launch missiles at Hawaii on Independence Day. Someone get Will Smith on the phone!!!!

Thomas the Train is getting a makeover. Starting in January, you'll see a smother animated CGI Thomas, with a new voice from Martin Sheen. They were going to use the voice of Charlie Sheen, but he was too obsessed with cabooses.

The dad of American Idol runner-up David Archuleta has been busted for prostitution. OK Letterman, he's all yours!

In Japan, the world's oldest man has died at age 113. I tell you, that title is a curse.

PETA has sent President Obama a "Catch and Release Fly Trap," after the president was caught on camera last week killing a fly. If it were up to me, I'd have a coat made out of fly skins just to tick them off. Of course, that might take a while.

Prince Charles is complaining that the price of houses is way too high. How would he know? For that matter, when was the last time you paid for... oh, anything?

The New York Times just reported that Sammy Sosa tested positive for steroids in 2003. In an unrelated story, they're also reporting that President Bush may run for a second term.

It's all speed ahead for the FIFTH "Indiana Jones" movie. The working title for this one is "Indiana Jones and the Metamucil of Doom." Seattle's 29-dry spell has finally been snapped. Thank God -- we were getting really tired of having to water the Space Needle every day. Lindsay Lohan's mom has come to her defense and says there's no way that Lindsay could have stolen that missing jewelry from a London photo shoot. She also says that Ahmadinejad was the clear winner in Iran.


GET OUT OF BORING CONVERSATIONS

Ever gotten caught up in a conversation you just weren't interested in. Jeanne Martinet knows all about mingling with people. In fact she wrote a book about it. In the book she talks about getting out of boring conversation.

Shake and Break -- Simply smile and say, "It was so nice meeting you," while shaking their hand then turn and walk away without another word.

Offensive Escape -- Talk slowly, drop things, discuss the most uninteresting things and the person will leave you.

Human Sacrifice -- Introduce the person to someone who's passing by. Using "Have you met?" then gives you a short window to excuse yourself.


TOP REASONS WHY BAD WORKERS DON'T FACE THE AX

Have you ever wondered about someone who gave you bad service, or even a lazy co-worker: "Why don't they go ahead and fire this idiot?" The lousy employee may not face the ax because he might have friends in high places, says FabJob.com. The relationship could be romantic, family or even golf or drinking buddies with a senior manager. Here are some more reasons:

The boss may be afraid of the bad worker because he or she may know something embarrassing about the boss or the company.

A company supervisor may think the fired employee might sue or stir up all sorts of trouble, if they were to get the pink slip.

A lousy worker may still bring more value to the company than he costs.

Replacing someone with a hard to do task might make the hiring process for a new employee a nightmare and not worth the bother.

Supervisors could even believe the company might be even worse off if they were to find someone else for the job.

A bad employee may not actually be one - it could just seem to others they are slacking off, while carrying out vital duties no one is aware of.

A poor worker may be doing exactly what you think they are - pulling the wool over everybody's eyes and getting away with doing little or no work while charming the boss into thinking the company couldn't get along without them.


AND NOW A WORD FROM OUR SPONSOR -

- "Ugly Betty's" America Ferrera says it takes hours in makeup and wardrobe to achieve her ugly, homely look. Susan Boyle replied, "Boy am I lucky. All I have to do is roll out of bed and drag a comb across my face."

- Jack Black says his three-year-old son and his 13 month old boy are finally beginning to bond after not getting along well for the first two years. Black said, "I think the key was letting them go off on their own for that wild weekend at the 'Burning Baby' festival."

- On Thursday, a Continental Airlines pilot died after having a heart attack in midflight, and the plane had to be landed by copilots. The passengers on the flight weren't told until the plane was safely on the ground. And then they all had heart attacks.

- Because of the missile threat from North Korea, the U.S. military is sending more troops and missiles to Hawaii. In fact, they're changing their recruitment add to "Uncle Sam Wants You To Go To Hawaii."


INTERESTING – ON THIS DATE IN 1974 -

At an Elvis concert at LA's Forum, some fans who begged to meet him are brought backstage, the members of Led Zeppelin!


In ROCK NEWS –

ALICE IN CHAINS POSTS TRAILER OF NEW VIDEO…Alice In Chains has posted a short trailer of the band's upcoming new video, for the song "A Looking In View," at MySpace Music. The 17-second clip presents a series of images from the video, but more importantly, features the first sample heard anywhere of new music from the group's new album, Black Gives Way To Blue. The Seattle act's first collection of all-new material in 14 years is scheduled to arrive on September 29th and marks the recording debut of vocalist William DuVall, who joined in 2006.

Drummer Sean Kinney told us that making the band's first new album in more than a decade carried a special weight for all four members: "There was no reason to do it. You know, we didn't have to do it. We did it because we wanted to and it got to a place where it seemed like it was the right thing to do and we all felt good about it. So we just went in there and it was so important to just be there, and be so involved, instead of like, 'Hey, you know, cool, I'm done. Are we done yet?' It was really cool. I mean, I hadn't worked that hard on a record in my life."

The full "A Looking In View" video will debut at the Alice In Chains website in a few weeks.

Kinney, bassist Mike Inez and guitarist Jerry Cantrell regrouped in 2005 to perform at a benefit for victims of the Southeast Asian tsunami, then launched a full reunion tour the following year with DuVall on vocals.

Original singer Layne Staley died in 2002. Alice In Chains' last full studio album was a 1995 self-titled effort.

Alice In Chains will next perform on July 18th at Comerica Park in Detroit with Kid Rock.


JIMMY PAGE AND JACK WHITE TALK GUITAR PLAYING…Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page and White Stripes/Raconteurs singer/guitarist Jack White were in Los Angeles on Friday (June 19th) to speak with the press about It Might Get Loud, a new documentary about guitars and guitar playing starring both of them as well as U2 axeman The Edge. The film premiered at the Los Angeles Film Festival on Friday (June 19th) and will open in New York and Los Angeles on August 14th. The film showcases how the three guitarists came to play the guitar and develop their styles, and also features a jam session involving all three players.

Jack White told reporters how he approaches playing his instrument: "I try to make it a fight. I consider it a fight, a battle, that you have to win. If you're handed an instrument or you find yourself playing an instrument that's too easy to play, that's too nice and too in tune, I want to, you know, turn it upside down and make it out of tune so I can win that fight. I have to make a fight out of it. If I don't have a struggle, then I don't feel like I'm doing my job."

Page was asked what originally attracted him to playing the guitar: "It was just that whole thing of the transmission of ideas through the tactile quality of playing an instrument, you know, your steel, strings and wood, translating through the electric pickup through the amp, and that's really what it is for me. It's that, some magical quality, really. Some sort of alchemy, if you like."

It Might Get Loud was directed by Davis Guggenheim, who was also behind the camera for the Oscar-winning Al Gore documentary An Inconvenient Truth,

The movie follows White, Page and The Edge as they visit influential locations from their own personal histories, including the mansion where Led Zeppelin recorded "Stairway To Heaven" and the Dublin high school where U2 was formed and used to practice.


BEATLES NEWS ROUNDUP…Paul McCartney will perform at Fed Ex Field in Landover, Maryland on Saturday, August 1st. Tickets for the show -- which is so far the former Beatle's fifth open air gig of the summer -- will have an American Express pre-sale running from today (June 22nd) at 10 a.m. ET through Thursday (June 25th) at 10 p.m.

Public sale for the August 1st show starts in Friday June 26th at 10 a.m. ET.

AFP reported that both McCartney and Yoko Ono joined forces to wish Burma's liberation leader and Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi a happy 64th birthday. Kyi, who is the leader of the National League for Democracy, spent her birthday in Yangon's Insein Prison, where she awaits trial for an incident in which an American man swam to her home. Kyi has been under house arrest for 13 of the past 19 years, with the nation formerly known as Burma refusing to recognize her political party's 1990 victory.

McCartney posted a message ion the site 64forsuu.org saying, "Aung San Suu Kyi is an inspiration to her country and the rest of the world. I truly admire her infallible resolve and her determination to stand up for what she believes in. It is vital that Aung San Suu Kyi is released so that she can govern the people who elected her and give Burma back the freedom we all take for granted."

Ono's message simply exclained: "FREE Daw Aung San Suu Kyi NOW!"

Among the other celebrities showing support for her were Bono, George Clooney, Julia Roberts, and David Beckham.

George Harrison's widow Olivia Harrison told spinner.com that these days she mainly listens to informal recordings that George recorded at private parties, explaining, "I listen to a lot of really rough recordings, cassettes and demos. George seemed to have a tape recording going . . . The other night I listened to New Year's Eve, it must have been '87. There was Joe Brown -- a great musician, Dave Edmunds, Alvin Lee -- who was a neighbor, (and) Jon Lord from Deep Purple."

She went on to say, "We're all just hanging out. And then we're sitting around the piano, someone has a guitar. You can hear all the wives talking, the guys are playing and we're all singing along . . . I'm like, 'Wow, who had this tape going,' you know? And George would always end up putting it in his pocket, throwing it in a drawer, so I listen to things like that."

Out now is the new Harrison solo compilation Let It Roll: Songs By George Harrison. iTunes is offering the album with the previously unreleased Beatles-era demo of "Isn't It A Pity." Fans have been clamoring for the track's release since 1988 when its existence was first reported in Mark Lewisohn's watershed book The Beatles Recording Sessions.

The demo was recorded on Harrison's 26th birthday on February 25th, 1969 at London's Abbey Road Studios, along with solo runthroughs of future Beatles and solo classics "Something," "Old Brown Shoe," and "All Things Must Pass" -- all of which were included on 1996's The Beatles Anthology 3.


BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN QUICK TAKES…Max Weinberg says that having son Jay step into his shoes on the road with Bruce Springsteen is his proudest moment. Max told NPR.com that Jay rose to the occasion of subbing for his dad while busy with Tonight Show commitments, explaining, "Jay did it all himself. I mean, this is someone who just embraced the challenge, went for it, learned hundreds of songs and assimilated my style, and then threw it out to the audience, flavored by his own metal and punk style playing."

Max says that it's hard not to be emotional by how things have turned out: "You see your son, who's doing something he so loves doing, doing it with your band that you played with for nearly 40 years -- and in some cases, playing it better than me. As a dad, it is the greatest Father's Day I could have. It's an incomparable experience."

Clarence Clemons credits pilates and a rigorous workout regiment for helping him deal with his osteoarthritis on the road. Osteoarthritis develops when the cartilage between bones breaks down. Clemons, who was a college football player prior to hooking up with the E Street Band, has been battling pain frequently undergoing bilateral hip replacement in 1994, and having both knees replaced last fall.

Clemons, who was originally dealing with the pain with periodic epidurals and pain medication, decided early on to manage the pain naturally, telling arthritistoday.org, "Pilates has changed my life and made me stronger."

The "Big Man" added: "Bruce is such a high-energy person, if I didn't work out, I would die out there. I try to stay on top of it, be prepared, be ready to do my job."

Boston.com reported that the building that used to house Asbury Park, New Jersey's legendary club The Upstage will be sold for $1.1 million. The Upstage, which was an early breeding ground for Springsteen, the various members of E Street Bands, along with dozens of other Jersey Shore groups, including Southside Johnny and the Jukes, shut its doors back in 1971.


STEPHEN STILLS SAYS CROWDS THRILLED WITH CSN'S RECENT COVER SONGS…Stephen Stills says that Crosby, Stills, & Nash are getting an amazing response with the recent cover songs they've added to their nightly setlists. CSN are currently road testing cuts from their upcoming covers set which is being produced by Rick Rubin. So far, the band has surprised concert-goers with harmony-driven versions of the Rolling Stones' "Ruby Tuesday," James Taylor's "You Can Close Your Eyes," and the Grateful Dead's "Uncle John's Band."

Stills admits that he's getting off watching the crowd slowly realize what song they're covering: "Oh, it's really surprising. Nobody can believe it, but everybody goes, 'But of course! And this is so cool! 'Cause these are songs that I couldn't see them doing, like 'Ruby Tuesday' in concert.'"

Although the band is only about a third done with the album's sessions, they're playing the tunes live to gauge fan interest in what covers will make the final cut. Stills says that they've already dipped into the songbooks of Jackson Browne, Bob Dylan and other favorites: "'Reason To Believe' (the) Timmy Hardin song, and 'Lives In The Balance' and 'Girl From The North Country." at England's Glastonbury Festival. They'll kick off their next U.S. dates on July 25th in Portland, Maine at Merrill Auditorium At City Hall.


THE MOODY BLUES' 1970 ISLE OF WIGHT PERFORMANCE CHRONICLED ON NEW CD AND DVD…Out now on CD and DVD is The Moody Blues: Live At the Isle of Wight 1970, chronicling the band's legendary set on August 30th, 1970. The CD and DVD, which are sold separately, feature different songs due to the footage to several tracks not surviving the nearly 40 years since the festival. The DVD includes recollections by members of the Moodys' classic lineup featuring Justin Hayward, John Lodge, Mike Pinder, and Graeme Edge.

Justin Hayward, who remixed the sound on the disc from the master tapes, says that the band plays incredibly different now than they did nearly four decades ago: "The biggest difference was the kind of urgency and there was some kind of serious intention about the way that we played then. I think we were much more a separated from the audience than we are now. We were in our own little world a bit and I know personally, (laughs) I wouldn't speak for anyone else, personally I was very stoned and hadn't had much sleep the night before, and I'm amazed that we got through it as well as we did."

The tracklisting to The Moody Blues: Live At the Isle of Wight 1970 is: "Gypsy Sunset," "Tuesday Afternoon," "Minstrel Song," "Never Comes The Day," "Tortoise And The Hare," "Question," "Melancholy Man," "Are You Sitting Comfortably," "The Dream Have You Heard (Pt's 1 and 2)," "Nights In White Satin," "Legend Of A Mind," "Ride My See Saw."

The Moody Blues kick off their next series of dates on July 21st in San Diego, California at Humphrey's Concerts By The Bay.


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

Jonathan