KFLAG COUNTRY MUSIC UPDATE
Taylor Swift
has peformed for millions of fans, but later this month, her audience
will include some members of royalty. The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge,
Prince William and Kate Middleton, will be among the 200
guests in attendance at the Centrepoint Winter Whites Gala at Kensington
Palace on November 26th. The black tie event benefits Centrepoint's
efforts in ending youth homelessness.
The bill also features co-headliner Jon Bon Jovi and pop singer James Blunt.
FAST FACTS
- Taylor takes her Red tour
to New Zealand for three shows beginning on November 29th, followed by a
few shows in Australia before wrapping up the year.
Lady Antebellum recall their days of trick-or-treating, and Charles Kelley, Dave Haywood and Hillary Scott each definitely have their favorites.
Charles tells us candy corn and raisins are big Halloween don'ts! "Candy corn's the most hated. Favorite would have to be Skittles. Love Skittles! (Dave) Yeah,
the candy corns and those candy corn pumpkins, like all the little
versions of that plastic-tasting candy corn stuff . . . (Charles) Candy's just gotten so good now. I mean, those things can't compete anymore. (Dave) Yeah, you got Sour Patch Kids in the market today. How can you compete with something like that? (Charles and Hillary laugh) (Charles) I
love that commercial where the boy goes, 'We can't go over to the
dentist's house. He's handing out floss!' I was like that's hilarious! I
remember there was a guy that always handed out raisins. It's like,
'Dude, come on! Raisins?!' (Dave) It's the one night a year you're supposed to just have some candy. What's the big deal? (Charles) The raisin guy! (Hillary) I love Nerds, too. (Charles) Yeah, those are good. (Hillary) Nerds."
Hillary's infant daughter, Eisele, may be too young to collect candy this year, but she tells us the baby will be dressed up. "We
have two outfits. Her daddy actually went and picked out a lion cub and
an elephant. I thought it safer to have two just in case she has an
accident, so either way she'll look really cute (laughs) ."
Lady Antebellum will release their Golden Deluxe CD featuring their current single, "Compass," on November 11th.
Their live DVD, On This Winter's Night, is in stores this week.
Jana Kramer seems to be back in the dating game since breaking off her engagement to Brantley Gilbert back in August. The singer has been spotted at a couple of her California tour dates recently holding hands with actor Scott Eastwood.
Jana and Scott, who is the son of Clint Eastwood, were reportedly together on October 26th and 27th in San Diego and Anaheim.
A source told Us Weekly,
"They are definitely into each other." A friend of the actor's
reportedly added, "It's not like Scott to commit so fast, but he's
really into her."
Jana and Brantley dated for about a year-and-a-half.
She is reportedly working on a new album.
Thomas Rhett
will kick off his headlining club tour tonight (Thursday, October 31st)
in Jacksonville, Florida. Thomas tells us he will definitely be in the
Halloween spirit when he takes the stage. "I think this is my first
year that I will play a show on Halloween, so I think my wife's gonna be
down there and I think we decided to dress up like Danny and Sandy from
Grease. My hair's getting to that point now where I could
probably do some sweet 70s slicked back and wear the leather jacket and
stuff so . . . I've always wanted to play a show in a Halloween costume,
so I guess this would be a good excuse to do it."
Today
also marks the beginning of an exciting football weekend in
Jacksonville. Thomas says that while he won't be there for the big game,
he's looking forward to the energy of the crowd. "That whole
weekend's gonna rock. You know, being in Jacksonville . . . Saturday is
the Georgia Florida game in Jacksonville, which is the biggest tailgate
party in the world, so there will probably be one or two people at this
show just kind of being there for the whole weekend partying, so that's
gonna be a lot of fun, especially being Halloween. People will all be
dressed up in costumes and me and the band will, too, so it will be
fun."
The tour
continues this weekend with shows on Friday (November 1st) in Atlanta;
on Saturday (November 2nd) in Chicago; and on Sunday (November 3rd) in
Minneapolis.
Thomas' debut album, It Goes Like This, was released on Tuesday (October 29th).
The title track sits at Number One for the third week in a row.
FAST FACTS
- Thomas will also headline the Taste of Country Christmas tour beginning on November 7th in Abilene, Texas and running through December 14th in Victoria, Texas.
Eric Church
has put his trick-or-treating days behind him, but he says there was
one Halloween in particular that really stands out to him. While he was
still living in North Carolina, he and a couple of friends went to
nearby Chapel Hill to visit with some friends who were students at the
University of North Carolina. The town's main street, called Franklin
Street, fills up with partyers every Halloween who are all decked out in
costumes.
Eric says he and his buddies were unaware that they
had to be in costume until they were already on the way, so they made a
quick stop to pick something up. He tells us: "We stopped at a
costume place in Greensboro, North Carolina. It's Halloween, so there's a
run on everything, and they had the full costume, Sesame Street
outfits. The real deal. The real ones (with) feathers and fur. We
were Elmo, Cookie Monster and I was Big Bird, and the Big Bird was the
actual Big Bird. It's about 7-foot-4, and you looked out of the body and
then you had these straps that went on since the head was a lot higher.
There's a lot of beer involved in Franklin Street, so we get down there
and as the night went on, my straps broke, so the head would
pivot. And so, I would be walking one way and the head would be facing
the other, and it just became this funny . . . I didn't know the head
was on backwards. I had no idea. I see out of the body, so I'm just
kinda walking around and people were talking to my ass-end. (laughs) The
whole time people would come up and start talking and go, 'Hey, turn
around.' And I'd turn around, and they'd go, 'No turn around.' It was a
mess."
Eric will participate in the tribute concert to George Jones, taking place on November 22nd at Nashville's Bridgestone Arena. The show is already sold out.
Billy Currington says that growing up, Halloween was the best time of year. He always dressed up, but he definitely had one repeat costume.
Billy tells us: "You
know, when I was a kid, I loved the trick and the treat. I loved
dressing up. I was always wanting to be Dracula. That was my favorite
guy. But, of course, who doesn't love going door-to-door and getting
these buckets of candy? [laughs] So, love, love Halloween."
Billy recently topped the charts with "Hey Girl," the eighth Number One of his career.
FAST FACTS
- "Hey Girl" has been certified gold for sales of more than half a million downloads.
- It's the debut release from Billy's latest album, We Are Tonight.
Joe Nichols and his family are in the Halloween spirit. Joe, his wife Heather, and their one-year-old daughter, Dylan, all plan on dressing up tonight (Thursday, October 31st).
Joe tells us about little Dylan's Halloween costume and how the holiday is a family affair. "We're thinking about maybe a spider. She's really into cats so we might do a cat, but definitely as a family (we) love
to dress up. Like I'll dress up, mom dresses up, baby dresses up, all
that stuff. We're very festive when it comes to the holidays. We really
go all out, and I enjoy most of it except for taking all the decorations
out of the friggin' attic. It usually takes like a month to get out of
the attic and then a month to put back in the attic and it's just a
nightmare. We've got stuff in the garage, it goes in the yard, it goes
in the trees, it goes everywhere, so we really do it up well but it
takes great effort."
Joe's Top 10 single, "Sunny And 75," is the debut release from his new album, Crickets.
CHECK IT OUT
 There's a new reality show about housewives, and this time it's coming from Music City. The new TNT show, Private Lives of Nashville Wives, gives a reportedly unscripted look inside the lives of a group of women, including Betty Malo, the wife of The Mavericks lead singer, Raul Malo; Sarah Davidson, the wife of award-winning songwriter Dallas Davidson; and Erika Page White, a former soap opera star on One Life to Live and wife of Bryan White.
The series is set to premiere on February 24th at 9 p.m.
CHECK IT OUT
Kenny Chesney will be spotlighted on CBS' Sunday Morning,
airing on Sunday (November 3rd)) at 9 a.m. ET. It has been eight years
since the superstar was profiled on the popular weekend show as he took
on his first handful on NFL stadiums. These days, Kenny can boast
playing 19 stadiums, and that's just this year on the No Shoes Nation tour which wrapped up in August.
Kenny
said, "I've grown a lot as an artist, as a person, and I think that was
something that maybe intrigued them. A lot of soul searching goes into
what we do, and I think that interested them as much as anything."
In addition to capturing the final weekend of the No Shoes Nation
tour - marking his 10th and 11th sell-outs of Gillette Stadium in
Foxboro, MA - the crew joined Kenny on an emotional tour of Boston
Medical Center, which partners with him for the Spread the Love Fund.
After visiting the Emergency Unit, Kenny also had the opportunity to
meet with several of the Fund's beneficiaries, to hear their stories,
share their courage and, especially, their optimism.
Kenny said,
"Watching what happened on TV, which the entire nation did, really
threw me, but to see these amazing people who're putting their lives
back together, to hear their stories and see the way they approach
getting their lives back . . . I was, well, moved beyond words."
Kenny will spend 2014 concentrating on his next album and skip touring.
FAST FACTS
- His latest album, Life On A Rock, was released in April.
 The lineup of acts has been finalized for the Playin' Possum! The Final NO SHOW concert to honor the late George Jones on November 22nd in Nashville, and it's a long one!
Here is the complete list in alphabetical order: Alabama,
Alan Jackson, Baillie & the Boys, Big & Rich, Bill Anderson,
Blake Shelton, Bobby Bare, Brad Paisley, Brenda Lee, Chad Warrix
(Halfway to Hazzard), Charlie Daniels, Collin Raye, Craig Morgan, Dailey
& Vincent, Daryle Singletary, Dierks Bentley, Eddy Raven, Emmylou
Harris, Eric Church, Eric Lee Beddingfield, Gary Morris, George Strait,
Greg Bates, Gretchen Wilson, Jamey Johnson, Janie Fricke, Jeanne Pruett,
Jeannie Seely, Jessi Colter, Jett Williams, Jim Ed Brown, Jim
Lauderdale, Jimmy C. Newman, Jimmy Wayne, John Conlee, John Michael
Montgomery, Josh Turner, Kathy Mattea, Kentucky Headhunters, Kid Rock,
Larry Gatlin, Lee Ann Womack, Lee Greenwood, Leona Williams, Lisa
Matassa, Little Jimmy Dickens, Lorrie Morgan, Lynn Anderson, Mandy
Barnett, Mark Collie, Martina McBride, Megadeth, Miranda Lambert,
Montgomery Gentry, The Oak Ridge Boys, Pam Tillis, Patty Loveless, Ray
Stevens, Reba McEntire, Rodney Atkins, Ronnie McDowell, The Roys, Sam
Moore, Shooter Jennings, Stonewall Jackson, Suzy Bogguss, T. Graham
Brown, Tanya Tucker, Teea Goans, TG Sheppard, Thompson Square, Tracy Lawrence, Travis Tritt, and Vince Gill.
Organizers also say there will be some surprise guests, which will likely include Garth Brooks.
The concert at the Bridgestone Arena is already sold out.
George died in April at the age of 81.
FAST FACTS
- November 22nd was originally set to be the last concert of George's career.
- His
best known hits include "I Don't Need Your Rockin' Chair", "Who's Gonna
Fill Their Shoes", "White Lightning" and "He Stopped Loving Her Today."
Dolly Parton has announced a New Zealand concert date as part of the Australian Blue Smoke World
tour on February 7th at Auckland's Vector Arena. This is the first time
in over three decades that the superstar has performed at that venue.
Dolly's new Blue Smoke CD will be released soon, although a date has yet to be announced.
Blake Shelton's mom, Dorothy Shackleford, has just released her first novel, called Time for Me to Come Home.
Inspired by real holiday memories, the book is described as a "sweet
and funny story that celebrates the spirit of Christmas and the true
meaning of finding your way back home."
Dierks Bentley and Brantley Gilbert
have been added to the list of performers at the 2nd Annual Taste of
Country Music Festival, taking place June 13-15 at Hunter Mountain
Resort in the scenic Catskills Mountains. They join the previously
announced headliner Brad Paisley. Festival tickets go on sale on Friday,
November 8th at 10 a.m. ET at tasteofcountryfestival.com.
Thursday, October 31, 2013
COUNTRY TRIVIA
Q. What was the name of Dolly Parton's first gold record in 1977?
A. Here You Come Again
ON THE TUBE
KENNY CHESNEY: NO SHOES NATION/GAC 10:00AM, 7:00PM (ET)
LADY ANTEBELLUM: OWN THE NIGHT WORLD TOUR/GAC 11:00AM (ET)
GHOST ADVENTURES: LORETTA LYNN/GAC 5:00PM (ET)
CELEBRATING BIRTHDAYS
- Darryl Worley (49)
- Mike Collins (Astronaut, the member of the Apollo 11 crew who stayed in the module while Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin walked on the moon) (83)
- Jane Pauley (Newscaster and former Today show co-host) (63)
- David Ogden Stiers (Actor, played Major Charles Emerson Winchester on M*A*S*H) (71)
- Piper Perabo (actress, Covert Affairs, Cheaper By the Dozen, Coyote Ugly) (37)
- Vanilla Ice (rapper, real name Robert Van Winkle) (46)
- Adam Horovitz (AdRock of the Beastie Boys) (47)
- Rob Schneider (comic actor, Deuce Bigalow, Male Gigolo, The Hot Chick) (50)
- Larry Mullen, Jr. (drummer of U2) (52)
- Peter Jackson (film director, the Lord Of the Rings trilogy, King Kong) (52)
- Dermot Mulroney (actor, Young Guns, My Best Friend's Wedding, About Schmidt) (50)
- Deidre Hall (actress, Days Of Our Lives) (66)
- Stephen Rea (actor, The Crying Game ) (67)
- Ron Rifkin (actor, Alias, Brothers & Sisters) (74)
- Dan Rather (former news anchor, CBS) (82)
- Adam Schlesinger (bassist, Fountains Of Wayne) (46)
- Brian Doyle-Murray (actor, Caddyshack, Saturday Night Live, JFK, Wayne's World, Groundhog Day; brother of Bill Murray) (68)
- Darryl Worley (country singer) (49)
- Russ Ballard (singer-guitarist, Argent) (68)
- Lee Grant (actress, Damian: The Omen II, won Best Supporting Actress Oscar for Shampoo) (87, disputed)
- Rogers Stevens (guitarist, Blind Melon) (43)
- Justin Chatwin (actor, Shameless, War of the Worlds, The Invisible) (31)
- Willow Smith (actress/singer, daughter of Will Smith and Jada Pinkett-Smith) (13)
ON THIS DAY
- George Strait's single "Love's Gonna Make It Alright" was released to radio in 2011.
- Trace Adkins earned a gold single for "You're Gonna Miss This" in 2008.
- Kellie Pickler's debut album, Small Town Girl, was released in 2006.
- Jamie O'Neal's debut album, Shiver, was released in 2000.
- Shania Twain's "Honey I'm Home" became her seventh Number One country single in 1998.
- SHeDAISY signed a recording contract with Lyric Street Records in 1997.
- Paulette Carlson announced she was leaving Highway 101 in 1990.
- Emmylou Harris recorded "If I Could Only Win Your Love" and her first single, "Too Far Gone," in 1974.
- Loretta Lynn's Number One single "Coal Miner's Daughter" charted in 1970.
INDUSTRY NEWS
ASHTON KUTCHER'S NEW GIG DESIGNING TABLETS: Ashton Kutcher
is teaming up witch tech company Lenovo to help design a new tablet
called the Yoga. According to a statement released by the company, the
actor is on board "to develop and market the Yoga line of tablets by
providing input and decision-making into design, specifications,
software and usage scenarios." Kutcher reacted to the news saying, "This
partnership with Lenovo brings together my love of technology and
design that makes your life better. I can't wait to dig in and help
Lenovo develop future mobile computing products, starting with the Yoga
Tablet. Lenovo is all about innovation and strong leadership.
Entrepreneurship is part of their DNA, and I couldn't ask for a better
fit."
CHANNING TATUM IS WORKING ON A REALITY TV PROJECT: Magic Mike star Channing Tatum
is developing a new hour-long reality pilot for A&E focusing on the
Saints & Sinners restaurant-bar on Bourbon Street in New Orleans.
Tatum and pal Keith Kurtz opened the establishment together last fall. It is not known whether the 33-year-old recent dad plans to appear on the series.
COMEDY CENTRAL RENEWS 'BRICKLEBERRY': Comedy Central has announced plans for a third season of the animated series Brickleberry. The show is executive produced by Daniel Tosh and airs immediately after his clip show Tosh.0 on Tuesdays. The 13-episode third season of Brickleberry will premiere in 2014.
BOB BARKER TO RETURN TO 'THE PRICE IS RIGHT': Bob Barker will celebrate his upcoming 90th birthday by returning as host of The Price Is Right
for one day on December 12th. The game show will also pay tribute to
the former host that entire week. Barker spent 35 years with the show
before retiring in 2007.
RICHARD GERE WANTED FOR 'THE BEST EXOTIC MARIGOLD HOTEL' SEQUEL: Deadline is reporting that Fox Searchlight is trying to recruit Richard Gere to join the cast of the planned sequel for The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel. Gere would join the original actors including Judi Dench, Bill Nighy, Penelope Wilton and Maggie Smith. The first film was released in 2011 and grossed $136 million worldwide but was made on a $10 million budget.
CELEBRITY GOSSIP

OPRAH DOES NOT HAVE JENNY MCCARTHY ON HER S**T LIST: Jenny McCarthy appeared on Watch What Happens Live on Tuesday (October 29th) and revealed that she is scared that Oprah
would beat her up and that she is probably on her s**t list. Winfrey
responded on Wednesday (October 30th) by tweeting, "@JennyMcCarthy don't
have a s--t list If I did you'd never be on it. Wishing you only good
fortune, love and light and watching @theview"
NATALIE PORTMAN ISN'T A JUDGY PARENT: After becoming a parent in 2011, Natalie Portman says she has become more open-minded about other people's parenting techniques. She recently told UK's The Telegraph,
"I love being a mom. I'm less judgmental than before I had a kid. The
biggest thing I've learned is that parenting is a totally different
experience for every person. Everything is cool, there are no rules -- I
mean, apart from not hurting your kid. Some people breastfeed until
their babies are 5, and some don't breastfeed at all. There are no rules
about what it means to be a feminist, or a good mother. For some, it's
going to be right to go back to work. For others, it's going to be right
to stop working completely."
MICHAEL FASSBENDER OPENS UP ABOUT HIS AWKWARD YEARS: Michael Fassbender may have established his position as a Hollywood hunk after several nude scenes in Shame and as a young Magneto in X-Men: First Class but he tells the UK version of Elle magazine
that it wasn't always so easy for him. The 36-year-old explains, "I've
never really thought of myself as good-looking. I think of myself as,
you know, all right. I used to have bad acne as a teenager, so all of
this is a bonus now, the fact that I don't have pimples anymore. And my
hair was also, you know, unfortunate. I had really long hair. I mean, I
tied it back most of the time, but I had all these frizzy bits coming
off the top." He goes on to discuss all of the new attention he gets
from women saying, "I'm not oblivious to it. It's not like I think I've
become more charming or good-looking overnight. But, no, I haven't lost
any respect for women. I'm an all right judge of character, so you can
figure these things out."
DAVID BECKHAM MAY BE STARTING A SOCCER TEAM IN MIAMI: Sports Illustrated is reporting that David Beckham is preparing to lay down $25 million to start up a Major League Soccer team in Miami. His wife, Victoria Beckham,
will reportedly lend a hand by trying to raise hundreds of millions of
dollars to help get the league off the ground. David told CBS4
over the summer, "I think bringing an MLS team here to South Florida
would be exciting. I think Miami fans are very passionate about their
sports and very passionate about winning."
NEIL PATRICK HARRIS SAYS COMING OUT IS AN INDIVIDUAL THING: How I Met Your Mother star Neil Patrick Harris may be living out and proud with his partner and their two children but he recently told Huffpost Live
that coming out is a "very individual thing." He adds, "I don't think
doing it in an exploitative way makes sense. I just feel like that whole
world is very personal. Here's a good analogy -- if you're going to
jump into the pool and you're not sure how to swim, it's probably not so
effective to just push someone into the pool...It's probably not the
best way." Harris discussed his own coming out saying, "For me, I fell
in love with a dude and started spending all my time with him. And
therefore, you don't want to be suppressive of that. As I started
working more frequently, with more eyes on us, I figured that that was
inevitability and the opposite would be, again, suppressive. I didn't
want to disrespect David. I didn't want to make David feel like he
didn't exist in my life and at the same time I didn't want David's
identity to be, 'The guy that's dating me.' It's a very individual
thing."
SOURCE CONFIRMS KERRY WASHINGTON IS PREGNANT
Reports say that Kerry Washington is definitely pregnant. Rumors have been swirling that the Scandal star was expecting her first child with hubby San Francisco 49ers star Nnamdi Asomugha, but there hadn't been any official word.
Yesterday (October 30th), a source told Us Weekly that Kerry is about four months pregnant. Another source told E! Online,
"She had planned to wait longer because the pregnancy is being well
hidden on Scandal with her trademark coats, but it will be pretty
obvious on Saturday Night Live this Saturday. So she decided to start
telling people now."
- So what will happen to her character Olivia Pope on her hit show Scandal?
Sources say that the network and executive producer Shonda Rhimes are
in the early stages of trying to figure out how to address Kerry's
pregnancy onscreen.
- Another inside said that it is "unlikely"
that Olivia will get pregnant, saying that it would "slow Olivia and
the show down." More than likely, Olivia's pregnancy will be hidden and
the production schedule may be altered as needed.
SIDE NOTE
- Kerry's rep hasn't confirmed or denied that she is pregnant.
- Kerry married Nnamdi back in June.
CHECK IT OUT
GEORGE CLOONEY IS OVER ALL OF THE ROMANCE RUMORS
George Clooney has developed a bit of a playboy reputation in Hollywood but his three latest rumored romances with Katie Holmes, Croatian model Monika Jakisic, and Amal Alamuddin are all fake according to the actor. The 52-year-old felt it necessary to put an end to all the stories by telling People, "Three different stories in three weeks. I should be an athlete. But, no of course, it's all made up."
Clooney's rep. Stan Rosenfield
also addressed the subject saying, "George wants this Monika crap to
stop. He wants Katie to get a break, and he wants Amal to be able to
prosecute cases without being hassled because she had one dinner with
George and four others...I even asked George if these rumors were true
and he said he never comments on his private life, but in the interest
of stopping the harassment of all three of these women, he felt he
should."
- A source close to the actor explained that he
hasn't dated Monika in several years, he was seen simply hugging Holmes
at a premiere, and that he is working with Amal on a surveillance
satellite program over Syria.
- He is supposedly not dating anyone at the moment. He was most recently linked to Stacy Keibler but they split up over the summer.
CHECK IT OUT:
KRISTEN STEWART AFFAIR STILL STINGS FOR LIBERTY ROSS
Liberty Ross, the ex-wife of the director that Kristen Stewart
had an affair with last year, is still dealing with the aftershock of
the scandal -- 15 months after the story broke. The model opens up in
the December issue of Vanity Fair about when she first found out about the photos and what her life has been like since.
Liberty claims she only found out about the pictures from then-husband, Rupert Sanders, 20 hours before they were on the cover of Us Weekly.
She tells the magazine, "I was able to be completely secluded. I just
visualized being this sort of Masai warrior. I was just going to stand
very still and very strong, and just let it all roll past me. I tried to
keep as far away from it as I could and to understand that this is my
family and it's the most precious thing to me." She also explains the
difficult decision to end their marriage saying, "It was horrible. It
was really the worst, really the worst. I'm not a quitter. I've done
everything I could to be the perfect wife and mother and really support
my husband. But I didn't have any more to give, you know? It's very
strange for me because my parents have been together for 50 years, so
divorce is something I never, ever thought I would do."
- The
35-year-old goes on to say, "I have no words to describe what we went
through. But I think, for me, something always has to completely die for
there to be a rebirth. And, for me, I feel like I'm going through a
rebirth."
- Liberty is rumored to be dating music producer Jimmy Lovine.
CHECK IT OUT:
NO RETIREMENT FOR JUDI DENCH
78-year-old Judi Dench
won't let her age keep her from doing what she loves. Despite a recent
knee-replacement surgery and dealing with deteriorating vision, the
Academy Award winner spoke with UK's Daily Mirror about her decision not to give up the acting game any time soon.
Judi
explained, "I'm not feeling my age at all. I am about 43, a tall,
willowy, blond 43-year-old with long legs. I don't want to slow down at
all. We don't say the word retirement in our house. Old and retired are
totally banned. Energy keeps me going. We are in the minority of people
who are doing a job we chose to do and can make a living at. Why aren't
we running to work every day?"
- Dench also opened up about
her recovery from her recent surgery saying, "When I had it done on
September 6, I said to my surgeon, 'On October 16, I will walk up a red
carpet unaided,' and so I did. You set your mind to a goal and go for
it."
- Her next film Philomena hits theaters on November 27th.
CHECK IT OUT:
KRISTEN BELL'S DECISION TO HAVE A SECRET WEDDING
Many celebrity couples try to outdo each other with star-studded lavish weddings but Kristen Bell and Dax Shepard are just happy to be married. Kristen discussed their decision to tie the knot in secret while promoting her new film Frozen to E! News.
When
asked how their lives have changed since their quiet ceremony on
October 16th, the 33-year-old responded, "It's slightly more exciting,
like it feels like we just had a holiday or something, but not much has
changed. But we've been waiting for a long time, and for very specific
reasons, and it was small and private and everything that we wanted."
Kristen went on to say that they have no plans to throw a party to
celebrate the marriage but their family and friends are welcome to. She
added, "I have no desire to. I'm happy."
- Dax appeared on Monday's (October 28th) Jimmy Kimmel Live
and joked about their lame wedding by telling Jimmy that it only cost
them $142 and he doesn't even have a ring yet. He told the host,
"Friends of ours came to the courthouse, and it was just Kristen and I
at this lonely courthouse, so they brought us this cake afterwards. 'The
World's Worst Wedding.' How many people can say they threw 'The World's
Worst Wedding'?"
- Kristen and Dax have a seven-month-old daughter named Lincoln.
CHECK IT OUT:
HEADLINE NEWS
HEALTH SECRETARY ON HOT SEAT: Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius
appeared before a congressional committee yesterday, to offer a public
apology for the technical difficulties that have plagued the national
healthcare database. She spent a hard three and a half hours answering
questions and criticisms leveled by opponents of the program.
Ironically, the website crashed while she was testifying. Sebelius
blamed that event, and similar service disruptions on Sunday and
Tuesday, on a subsidiary of Verizon Communications that is operating the
site under contract with the government.
On specific issues:
- Secretary
Sibelius refused repeated demands to estimate how many Americans have
successfully purchased insurance through the exchange. She said that the
numbers will not be available until mid-November, but that it will be
small because of the launch problems.
- Responding to claims
that many Americans are receiving letters canceling their current health
coverage, Sibelius said that plans are being discontinued only if they
do not meet the minimum consumer protections under the new law. She said
those plans can be replaced with better plans at a similar cost or
less.
- Intensive repairs to the website are underway. The
health care exchange is improving daily, and will be fully functional by
the end of November, Sibelius said.
OBAMA APPROVAL SLIDES: Only 42 percent of Americans approve of President Barack Obama's performance in office, according to the results of the latest NBC News /Wall Street Journal
poll. That is his lowest approval rating ever, and is down five points
from earlier in October. The pollsters say that no single issue is to
blame. It's an accumulation of issues. These include the allegations of
spying by the National Security Agency; the debate over chemical weapons
in Syria; the government shutdown, and, now, criticism of the flawed
rollout of the Obamacare health insurance exchanges.
- Congress
is even more unpopular. A full 63 percent of those polled would like to
see their own Congressional representatives kicked out of office.
CHECK IT OUT:
FED KEEPS RATES LOW:
The two-week government shutdown delayed and distorted some of the key
statistics on the health of our economy. That is one reason being given
for a Federal Reserve decision, announced yesterday, to continue to keep
short-term interest rates near zero for the foreseeable future, and to
keep stimulating the economy through purchases of Treasury securities.
The report was generally optimistic, citing growing strength in the
economy despite the impact of continuing cuts in federal spending.
- U.S.
stocks fell slightly on the news. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was
down 61 points, to 15,619 for the day. The Nasdaq was down 21 points, to
3,931. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index fell 9 points, to 1,763.
TODAY'S FYI:
THE RICHEST PERSON YOU MAY KNOW: Most of us can name the richest person in America. That would be Bill Gates,
chairman of Microsoft, at a net worth of $70 billion. But few of us can
name the richest person in the state in which we live. The website
Wealth-X has put together a list of the richest people in each of the 50
states. Forty-one states can now boast their own billionaire. But it
takes a mere $300 million to be the richest resident of Wyoming, and
$400 million to top the list of Alaskans. Many of the names on the list
aren't famous, though you may have heard of Warren Buffett, of Nebraska, and Michael Bloomberg, of New York State.
CHECK IT OUT:
SMOKING AGE RAISED TO 21:
Starting six months from now, you'll have to be at least 21 years old
to buy a pack of cigarettes in New York City. That's the result of a new
law passed by the City Council yesterday. Opponents argued that you can
drive, vote and fight in a war before you're 21. Supporters cited
evidence that people who start smoking at an early age are more likely
to become addicted. The youth smoking rate has declined by more than
half in New York City since Mayor Michael Bloomberg started pushing restrictions on tobacco use in 2007.
HOTTEST JOB SKILL:
If you want a good, steady job, learn to speak a foreign language
fluently. That's the job skill most in demand, according to the
Department of Labor. The U.S. Army, the New York City Police Department,
many Fortune 500 companies, websites, hospitals, schools and, of
course, the U.S. State Department are all looking for skilled
interpreters and translators. (Interpreters translate speech.
Translators focus on written language.) The median salary for such work
is currently $43,000 a year.
GOOGLE AGOG AT SPY REPORT: The head of the National Security Agency has flatly denied a report in The Washington Post
that the agency secretly tapping into data stored by Google and Yahoo
in order to spy on the private communications of foreigners. Both
companies said they never gave the government permission for such
access. A Google spokesman said the company was "outraged" at the
report. But Army General Keith Alexander, head of the NSA, said
it never happened. He said the agency can and does, with a court order,
request data from those companies as necessary, but does not have direct
access to their servers.
MONET PAINTING GETS PRICIER: A
British billionaire who bought a painting by Claude Monet at a London
gallery for $32 million has paid another $10 million to keep it, after
the work of art was discovered to be stolen. Hedge fund manager Alan Howard knew the painting had belonged to Imelda Marcos,
the one-time first lady of the Philippines who was famous for her
extravagant lifestyle. But he didn't know that the painting vanished
when the Marcos regime was overthrown in 1986, and rightfully is the
property of the Philippines government. A former Marcos employee is
currently on trial in New York on charges related to the theft.
- The
painting is "Japanese Footbridge Over the Water-Lily Pond," one of
Monet's beautiful views of his garden near Paris. It was painted in
1899.
RUSSIAN GOODIE BAGS WERE BUGGED: At least no
one can say that we're the only country spying on our friends abroad.
Two Italian newspapers reported yesterday that the goodie bags given by
Russian leader Vladimir Putin to 20 world leaders at an economic
summit in St. Petersburg last month were bugged. Items in the goodie
bags included USB drives and phone chargers. The president of the
European Union is a suspicious sort, so he had his techies check them
out. Sure enough, they were programmed to tap into emails, text messages
and phone calls, presumably to send that data right back to Moscow.
President Obama got a goodie bag, too, but he probably knows a spy
device when he sees one. The Russians deny the report. They say they're
shocked, shocked!
SPORTS:
RED SOX WIN WORLD SERIES WITH GAME 6 WIN OVER CARDINALS 6-1:
The Boston Red Sox are the champions of baseball after beating the St.
Louis Cardinals 6-1 last night (October 30th) to win the World Series 4
games to 2 for their third title in 10 years. Making it all the sweeter
for Boston, this was the first time they'd won the championship at home
in Fenway Park since 1918, and they earned the title after finishing in
last place last year, joining the 1991 Minnesota Twins as the only teams
to win the World Series one season after finishing in last place.
Shane Victorino got Boston on the board first with a three-run double in the third inning, then Stephen Drew got a solo home run in the fourth, followed by two RBI singles in the same inning by Mike Napoli and Victorino. The Cardinals' lone run came on an RBI single by Carlos Beltran
in the seventh inning off of Red Sox starter John Lackey, who became
the first pitcher to start and win a World Series clincher for two
different teams, having previously done it in Game 7 for the Los Angeles
Angels in 2002. The win was put away by Boston closer Koji Uehara on a Matt Carpenter strikeout for the final out. [Look in "Last Night's TV Audio" for sound from the game.]
- David Ortiz
was named the World Series MVP after batting .688 with two home runs,
six RBIs and eight walks. He is the only player remaining from the 2004
Red Sox team that broke the "Curse of the Bambino" by winning the
championship for the first time since 1918.
- After the Boston
Marathon bombings in April, the Red Sox have worn "Boston Strong" logos
on their left sleeves and put up a large emblem on the "Green Monster"
left field wall as a reminder of what the city went through and its
resilience.
CHECK IT OUT:
(Headline News, FYI and Sports stories were compiled in part from reports by the Associated Press and Reuters.)
ON THE TUBE
CBS
- THE BIG BANG THEORY (repeat)
- THE MILLERS - Nathan, Debbie and Adam take Mikayla trick or treating.
- THE CRAZY ONES - Sydney learns that her high school crush is nominated for a prestigious award, in direct competition with her father.
- THE BIG BANG THEORY (repeat)
- ELEMENTARY - Holmes and Watson look for the gunmen who invaded Gregson's home before he strikes again.
NBC
- SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE - SNL Halloween.
- SEAN SAVES THE WORLD - Sean pretends he has an injury to avoid pairing up with Lorna in a ballroom dance competition.
- THE MICHAEL J. FOX SHOW - When Mike and Annie go away for a charity golf tournament, Ian and Eve rent out the apartment to make some money.
- PARENTHOOD - Joel and Julia try to keep everything together.
ABC
- IT'S THE GREAT PUMPKIN, CHARLIE BROWN - Linus waits in the pumpkin patch for the elusive Halloween symbol to appear.
- GREY'S ANATOMY - Costumed patients create a challenge for the doctors.
- SCANDAL - The team investigates Rep. Josie Marcus; Jake and Huck close in on the truth about Operation Remington.
CW
- THE VAMPIRE DIARIES - Damon and Elena attend the Whitmore historical ball; Nadia shares her history with Katherine.
- REIGN - Mary asks King Henry for help when Scotland's borders are threatened.
DAY TIME TALK SHOW
THE ELLEN DEGENERES SHOW - Alison Sweeney THE VIEW - Theresa Caputo, Jeff Ross, Audra Kunkle & Wednesday Mourning, guest co-host Mario Cantone
LATE NIGHT TALK SHOWS
THE LATE SHOW WITH DAVID LETTERMAN (CBS) - Harrison Ford, Halloween costumes, Holy Ghost! THE TONIGHT SHOW WITH JAY LENO (NBC) - Matthew McConaughey, Eli Roth, the Fray JIMMY KIMMEL LIVE (ABC) - Mindy Kaling, Rob Zombie THE LATE LATE SHOW WITH CRAIG FERGUSON (CBS) - Ben Kingsley, Anne Rice LATE NIGHT WITH JIMMY FALLON (NBC) - Kerry Washington, Jason Schwartzman, Flynn McGarry, Amel Larrieux LAST CALL WITH CARSON DALY (NBC) - Robert Aguirre-Sacasa, Pierce the Veil THE DAILY SHOW WITH JON STEWART (COMEDY CENTRAL) - Mark Fainaru-Wada THE COLBERT REPORT (COMEDY CENTRAL) - Bill Bryson CONAN - Rachel McAdams, Norman Reedus
OFF BEAT BRIEFS
OVERWEIGHT TRICK-OR-TREATERS INSULTING LEAFLETS INSTEAD OF CANDY:
A woman has refused to give treats to children that she deems to be
overweight. A woman known as Cheryl called into a local North Dakota
radio station and explained her no candy for chubby children policy. She
hands out anti-obesity letters to those children instead. She tells
parents in the letter that their child is obese and goes on to asks
parents to "ration candy'" to their overweight children. (Metro)
SCIENTISTS INVENT ARTIFICIAL BLOOD:
Artificial blood has been created by scientists in Romania. Researchers
in Cluj-Napoca, Romania hope the creation of artificial blood will end
blood shortages and infections from donations. The researchers hope to
roll the artificial blood out in clinical trials involving human
volunteers within a year or two. The blood is still in the testing
stages. All previous attempts at artificial blood have failed, but tests
on mice have had positive results. (lowa Now)
MAN DRIVES ACROSS THE UNITED STATES IN 28 HOURS: http://tinyurl.com/lbacf4r
MAN WHO ATE DEBIT CARD CONVICTED IN FRAUD SCHEME:
A Dallas thief accused of eating a debit card in an attempt to conceal
evidence was convicted on 16 charges. Ogiesoba City Osula and four
accomplices were convicted on Friday (October 25th). Osula was arrested
in 2011, in possession of $300,000 in cash and money orders, in addition
to numerous debit cards, including authorities say he ate in an attempt
to conceal evidence. The criminals used stolen identities to file
fraudulent income tax returns and claim millions of dollars in refunds.
(Daily Mail)
TAINTED CANDY IS A MYTH: A
researcher said he could find no evidence of tainted Halloween candy
being given to trick-or-treaters in the past 25 years. Joel Best, a
University of Delaware professor, studied newspaper articles around the
country in search of the urban legend about a child collapsing after
eating poisoned Skittles. Best revealed that four reported incidents of
children harmed by tainted candy were later retracted by the newspapers
when further evidence emerged. (UPI)
WOMAN DRESSED AS ABUSIVE WIFE ARRESTED FOR DOMESTIC BATTERY: http://tinyurl.com/mw99wuu
NOKIA PHONE UNDERWATER FOR THREE MONTHS STILL WORKS:
A Swedish man recently found a Lumia 800 smartphone that was lost three
and a half months ago in a lake. Roger Nilsson posted on his Facebook
that he found the phone between two rocks in a lake. He cleaned it up,
disassembled the whole handset and kept it on a radiator to dry Much to
his surprise; Nilsson found that the Lumia 800 survived despite being
submerged underwater for over three months. (The Times Of India)
THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW
ALMOST ALL CHILDREN AND MOST ADULTS WILL EAT CANDY THIS HALLOWEEN:
What's your favorite Halloween candy? You're likely to eat some,
according to market research group NPD. NPD reports that four-percent of
all candy consumed in the U.S. will be eaten today, Halloween. Also,
almost every child and about 50-percent of adults will have candy today,
compared to just 24% of all adults and kids who consume candy on a
typical day. Researchers say adults prefer chocolate, while kids will
eat four hard or chewy candies for every one eaten by adults. The people
who eat the most candy are kids between the ages of nine and 12 (67%)
and adult men age 18 and over (54%.) (USA Today) THE REAL EXORCISM THAT INSPIRED THE EXORCIST: http://dailym.ai/1htbqF2
SMOKERS' SKIN MAY AGE FASTER:
If you're concerned about your appearance you may want to quit smoking,
according to new research. The new study finds that smokers are likely
to get bags under their eyes and wrinkles around their lips earlier than
non-smokers. To find this, researchers had a group of judges look at
photos of sets of identical twins in which one twin smoked and the other
did not. Judges deemed the smokers to be older 57-percent of the time.
Researchers from two universities worked on the study, and explain that
smoking can speed up the breakdown of collagen, protein that helps skin
maintain a younger appearance, and reduce the amount of oxygen going to
the skin. One researcher remarked that the findings just confirmed what
many already believed and that the hopes are that the results will
encourage others to quit smoking. (Fox) LULLABIES ARE BENEFICIAL TO BABIES:
Singing soothing songs to your baby can have big benefits, finds a new
study. To find this, British researchers monitored the heart rates and
signs of pain of 37 babies in a hospital as their parents sung them
lullabies. Researchers say the lullabies reduced the babies' heart rates
and the amount of pain they were in. Researchers say they think the
calming tones of the lullabies ease pain by distracting the children
from their illness. Previous U.S. research has shown that infants in
intensive care units put on more weight and were discharged more quickly
after being played lullabies. (Daily Mail)
HOW TO BLOCK ALL BITSTRIPS FROM YOUR FACEBOOK TIMELINE: http://tinyurl.com/mwuyzuv
EATING CARBS UPS DEPRESSION RISK:
Step away from the Halloween candy. New research from Harvard finds
that eating carbs can up your risk for depression. The twelve-year study
looked at 43-thousand women with no history of depression. The
participants were asked about their diets and researchers found that
women who consumed a lot of red meat, pasta and other carbohydrates were
29 to 41-percent more likely to develop depression. Researchers say it
was unclear whether carbs caused depression or the participants just
turned to carbs when they felt low. The results showed that people who
consumed olive oil, coffee, wine and fish are less likely to suffer from
bouts of sadness. (Daily Mail)
ZOMBIE WEDDINGS ARE ON THE RISE:
Zombie weddings are on the rise, no pun intended. A recent study
conducted by wedding website TheKnot found that 24-percent of couples
threw a theme wedding in 2012, and it seems many of them were horror
themed. Diane Forden, Editor-in-Chief of Bridal Guide magazine says,
"Couples don't feel as bound to tradition as they once did and are more
likely to incorporate personalized themes that reflect their joint
interests." She says other reasons couples may throw themed weddings may
be a feeling of competition with other couples, or because of finances.
Forden says when the recession hit the wedding industry experienced a
huge do-it-yourself movement, which made weddings more unique. Forden
says, "The zombie trend, for examples, may be a natural extension of
creating a unique wedding," but she cautions against bloody costumes for
your wedding saying, "In your golden years, do you really want to flip
through your wedding album and see blood?" (Yahoo)
VIDEO GAMES MAY CAUSE SOME TO LOSE TOUCH WITH REALITY:
Spending too much time in the virtual world of a video game may be bad
for your real life health. New Australian research finds that playing
video games may cause some players to ignore their vital health signs. A
number of experiments revealed that immersive games can actually lower
someone's response to pain and lead them to care less about others.
Researchers say video games can have this effect because the characters
in the games have become very advanced and leave players feeling
detached from their bodies. One researcher said the "mechanical
inertness, rigidity and lack of emotion and warmth" of virtual avatars
means that as people are exposed over time they become emotionally numb.
(Daily Mail)
HALLOWEEN AT THE ZOO: http://fxn.ws/1aTjo3V
BACKLASH AGAINST OFFENSIVE HALLOWEEN COSTUMES:
This Halloween there's evidence of backlash against certain costumes
deemed offensive. Pottery Barn stopped selling two children's costumes, a
kimono and a sushi chef costume, after the Asian Americans Advancing
Justice called the costumes out as offensive. A month ago Walmart pulled
a "Naughty Leopard" costume after an image of the outfit went viral and
was called out as being inappropriately sexy due to use of the word
"naughty." And several bloggers and websites are up in arms over a
Marvel Spider-Girl outfit they call horrifying, disappointing and
"gender conformist." One journalist from the Denver Post was inspired by
all of the offensive costume buzz and asked a professor who studies
stereotypes for advice on what costumes would not offend any one. The
professor told her, "Probably your safest bet is to dress as the devil."
(Time)
WATER COOLER TALK
Retire? Not So Fast!
Many
Americans hope that the money they save in their 401K or other
retirement savings will see them through a comfortable retirement. But
many are now finding that their debts are rising faster than their
retirement savings. A new survey by HelloWallet, a financial services
website, concludes that half of people between the ages of 50 and 65 are
spending 22 percent of their incomes just paying down debt. That's way
more than previous generations, who in mid-life generally had paid down
big bills like mortgage debt.
Stupid Halloween Costumes
Some
people just have no common sense at all in their choice of Halloween
costumes. Two Florida men posted a picture of themselves on the web,
costumed as slain teenager Trayvon Martin and the man who shot him, George Zimmerman.
The Trayvon Martin impersonator wore a blood-soaked shirt and
blackface. The picture "went viral," although the two have since tried
to remove it from their Facebook pages.
Fat Trick-or-Treaters
A
woman in North Dakota told listeners of radio station Y-94 that she
isn't giving out candy this year to Halloween trick-or-treaters that she
thinks are too fat. Instead, she's giving them letters to take home to
their parents with this message: "Your child is, in my opinion,
moderately obese and should not be consuming sugar and treats to the
extent of some children this Halloween season."
KFLAG COUNTRY UPDATE
Taylor Swift is the top nominee at the upcoming American Country Awards, taking place on December 10th in Las Vegas. Taylor received eight nods, followed by Florida Georgia Line and Blake Shelton who each earned seven nominations. The fan-voted award show will be hosted by Trace Adkins and NASCAR star Danica Patrick and air live on FOX from Mandalay Bay.
Voting
is now open to fans online once each day at theacas.com. Voting is open
until Tuesday, November 12th at 11:59 p.m. PT for all categories,
except for Artist of the Year, which closes on Saturday, December 7th at
11:59 p.m. PT.
Following is the list of categories and nominees for the American Country Awards:
ARTISTS Artist of the Year Jason Aldean Luke Bryan Florida Georgia Line Blake Shelton Taylor Swift
Artist of the Year: Male Jason Aldean Luke Bryan Kenny Chesney Eric Church Blake Shelton
Artist of the Year: Female Kelly Clarkson Sheryl Crow Miranda Lambert Taylor Swift Carrie Underwood
Artist of the Year: Duo or Group Lady Antebellum Little Big Town Rascal Flatts The Band Perry Zac Brown Band
Artist of the Year: Breakthrough Artist Lee Brice Hunter Hayes Randy Houser Scotty McCreery Justin Moore
Artist of the Year: New Artist Florida Georgia Line Kip Moore Kacey Musgraves Cassadee Pope Thomas Rhett
ALBUMAlbum of the Year Night Train, Jason Aldean Here's To The Good Times, Florida Georgia Line Two Lanes of Freedom, Tim McGraw Based On A True Story..., Blake Shelton Pioneer, The Band Perry
SINGLES Single of the Year "Cruise," Florida Georgia Line "How Country Feels," Randy Houser "Beer Money," Kip Moore "Better Dig Two," The Band Perry "One of Those Nights," Tim McGraw
Single of the Year: Male "Every Storm (Runs Out of Rain)," Gary Allen "One of Those Nights," Tim McGraw "The One That Got Away," Jake Owen "Wagon Wheel," Darius Rucker "Sure Be Cool If You Did," Blake Shelton
Single of the Year: Female "Easy," Sheryl Crow "American Heart," Faith Hill "Mama's Broken Heart," Miranda Lambert "Begin Again," Taylor Swift "Two Black Cadillacs," Carrie Underwood
Single of the Year: Duo/Group "Downtown," Lady Antebellum "Tornado," Little Big Town "Better Dig Two," The Band Perry "If I Didn't Have You," Thompson Square "Goodbye in Her Eyes," Zac Brown Band
Single of the Year: Breakthrough Artist "I Drive Your Truck," Lee Brice "All Over The Road," Easton Corbin "Somebody's Heartbreak," Hunter Hayes "How Country Feels," Randy Houser "Til My Last Day," Justin Moore
Single of the Year: New Artist "Did It for the Girl," Greg Bates "Don't Ya," Brett Eldredge "Redneck Crazy," Tyler Farr "Cruise," Florida Georgia Line "Beer Money," Kip Moore
Single of the Year: Vocal Collaboration "The Only Way I Know," Jason Aldean with Luke Bryan and Eric Church "Don't Rush," Kelly Clarkson and Vince Gill "Highway Don't Care," Tim McGraw featuring Taylor Swift and Keith Urban "Boys 'Round Here," Blake Shelton with Pistol Annies
TOURING Touring Artist of the Year Jason Aldean Luke Bryan Kenny Chesney Miranda Lambert Brad Paisley Rascal Flatts George Strait Taylor Swift Carrie Underwood Zac Brown Band
VIDEOS GREAT AMERICAN COUNTRY - Music Video of the Year "Cruise," Florida Georgia Line "Tornado," Little Big Town "Sure Be Cool If You Did," Blake Shelton "Begin Again," Taylor Swift "Better Dig Two," The Band Perry
Music Video of the Year: Male "Take A Little Ride," Jason Aldean "Every Storm (Runs Out of Rain)," Gary Allan "One of Those Nights," Tim McGraw "Wagon Wheel," Darius Rucker "Sure Be Cool If You Did," Blake Shelton
Music Video of the Year: Female "American Heart," Faith Hill "Mama's Broken Heart," Miranda Lambert "Someone Somewhere Tonight," Kellie Pickler "Begin Again," Taylor Swift "Blown Away," Carrie Underwood
Music Video of the Year: New Artist "Don't Ya," Brett Eldredge "Cruise," Florida Georgia Line "Crying On A Suitcase," Casey James "Beer Money," Kip Moore "Merry Go 'Round," Kacey Musgraves
Music Video of the Year: Group or Collaboration "Tornado," Little Big Town "Highway Don't Care," Tim McGraw featuring Taylor Swift and Keith Urban "Come Wake Me Up," Rascal Flatts "Better Dig Two," The Band Perry "If I Didn't Have You," Thompson Square
Song of the Year (award goes to the songwriter(s)): "Better Dig Two," Brandy Clark, Shane McAnally, Trevor Rosen • Recorded by The Band Perry "Cruise," Tyler Hubbard, Brian Kelley, Joey Moi, Chase Rice and Jesse Rice • Recorded by Florida Georgia Line "Hard To Love," Ben Glover, Billy Montana and John Ozier • Recorded by Lee Brice "Highway Don't Care," Mark Irwin, Josh Kear, Brad Warren and Brett Warren • Recorded by Tim McGraw featuring Taylor Swift and Keith Urban "I Drive Your Truck," Jessi Alexander, Connie Harrington and Jimmy Yeary • Recorded by Lee Brice "Like Jesus Does," Casey Beathard and Monty Criswell • Recorded by Eric Church "Mama's Broken Heart," Brandy Clark, Shane McAnally and Kacey Musgraves • Recorded by Miranda Lambert "Merry Go' Round," Shane McAnally, Kacey Musgraves and Josh Osborne • Recorded by Kacey Musgraves "Pontoon," Barry Dean, Natalie Hemby and Luke Laird • Recorded by Little Big Town "Wagon Wheel," Bob Dylan and Ketch Secor • Recorded by Darius Rucker
Rodney Atkins and his fiancee, singer/songwriter Rose Falcon,
plan to get married in the next couple of weeks. The couple are
currently touring together, and Rodney tells us exclusively that they
will return to a favorite destination to say their "I dos." "There's
a place where we were on the road at the end of last year and had a day
down that she was out with me, and I think I was doing some dates with
Alan Jackson. We had a day down, and we went fishing, and it was just a
little island down in the Gulf, and I think that's where we're gonna go
and tie the knot."
Rodney
says the nuptials will be a small affair, with just family and a few
close friends. He and Rose will be married by the 87-year-old man who
ran the Holston United Methodist Home for Children in Greeneville,
Tennessee from which Rodney was adopted as a baby.
This will be the first marriage for Rose, 28, and the second for Rodney, 44.
FAST FACTS
- Rodney's first marriage to Tammy Jo Atkins lasted 14 years and produced a son, Elijah, who is now 12.
- The
couple divorced last year after Tammy Jo accused Rodney of trying to
smother her with a pillow. He was arrested but later cleared of the
domestic assault charge.
Luke Bryan's Dirt Road Diaries
tour wrapped for the year this past weekend, bringing his total concert
attendance for 2013 to 1.3 million fans. Every show on the trek was
sold out, including his eight-city Farm Tour.
Luke's debut with his first major headline tour earned him two nominations at the upcoming Billboard Touring Awards in the Breakthrough and Eventful Fan Choice categories.
Luke will launch a new tour, the That's My Kind of Night tour, in January. He will perform 18 shows through early March with opening acts Lee Brice and Cole Swindell.
FAST FACTS
- Luke is up for four awards at the fan-voted American Country Awards taking place on December 10th in Las Vegas.
- He will open the CMA Awards
on November 6th with a live performance. He is also nominated for three
awards, including Entertainer of the Year. The show airs live from
Nashville on ABC at 8 p.m. ET.
Lady Antebellum's holiday DVD, Live: On This Winter's Night,
is in stores this week. The performance was shot during an intimate
live performance at the Schermerhorn Symphony Center in Nashville last
year. The trio performed live with a symphony orchestra of 11 holiday
songs, including "A Holly Jolly Christmas," "This Christmas," "I'll Be
Home for Christmas," "Blue Christmas," "The First Noel," as well as the
title track, "On This Winter's Night."
Hillary Scott tells us: "We're
so excited that it can be in people's hands and their homes and to
hopefully get them in the Christmas spirit, along with the record
itself, as well. It was really fun that night. We got to relive a lot of
Christmas memories of our childhood growing up and singing some of our
favorite songs with a 40-piece symphony behind us. (Charles jokes about growing up with a 40-piece orchestra.) But
then we also got to have the W.O. Smith School Children's Choir with
us, and I don't know about these two, but anytime there's a children's
choir mixed with Christmas songs, that's like getting wrapped up in a
warm blanket ready for the holidays. So, it was awesome."
Lady A has another new project on the horizon. The trio will release Golden Deluxe, a re-packaged version of their current CD featuring six additional songs, on November 11th.
FAST FACTS
- Here's the Live: On This Winter's Night DVD track list:
1. 'A Holly Jolly Christmas' 2. 'On This Winter's Night' 3. 'This Christmas' 4. 'I'll Be Home for Christmas' 5. 'Silver Bells' 6. 'Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow' 7. 'Blue Christmas' 8. 'The First Noel' 9. 'Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)' 10. 'Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas' 11. 'Silent Night (Lord of My Life)'
 Tickets to The Band Perry's Canadian leg of their We Are Pioneers World
tour go on sale on Friday (November 1st) at 10 a.m. local time. Ticket
on-sales for the U.S. leg of the tour will follow throughout November
and December. Citi cardmembers have access to presale tickets beginning
November 6th at 10 a.m. local time through Citi's Private Pass Program.
Neil Perry
said, "We are happiest when we are on stage sharing our music with the
fans. It's the time when we come together for one special moment in
time, creating memories that we will take with us down the road and
hopefully giving our fans a memory to hold forever as well. To share The
Band Perry experience all over the world is more than we had ever hoped
for." The We Are Pioneers World tour kicks off in
Gothenberg, Sweden on November 8th at Tradgam and will crisscross Europe
for five weeks before the band returns for the North American leg of
the tour in early 2014. The Band Perry will premiere the video for their latest hit, "Don't Let Me Be Lonely," on CMT on Friday during The Band Perry: VJ For A Day, where Kimberly, Neil & Reid will take over the CMT airwaves introducing their favorite videos.
CHECK IT OUT
Dierks Bentley
will premiere the video for his current single, "I Hold On," across
multiple CBS properties today (Wednesday, October 30th). The clip will
be shown at such outlets like Radio.com, MetroLyrics.com and
ACMCountry.com.
Shot in Nashville and over a weekend of tour
dates in Texas, the video follows a young musician balancing his climb
in the music business with keeping a firm grip on the values he holds
close.
Dierks said, "It was really important to me that this
video capture the story of this song . . . my story. But it also needed
to take on the more universal themes that the choruses cover. The lyrics
were written from such a real and emotional place, and I put a lot of
pressure on making sure this video held up to what Brett James
and I wrote that day. I hope when people listen to it, they raise their
beers up, but this time for the bigger idea of what we all stand for as
country music fans . . . faith, love and freedom."
"I Hold On" is from Dierks' upcoming album, Riser, due out next year.
FAST FACTS
- Dierks
will host his 8th annual "Miles & Music for Kids" celebrity
motorcycle ride and concert on Sunday (November 3rd) in Nashville with
special guests Luke Bryan, Jake Owen, Brett Eldredge, Easton Corbin and
Chase Rice.
Jerrod Niemann
is a last-minute shopper when it comes to Halloween costumes. The
singer says he's not necessarily a big fan of dressing up, but he finds
himself getting roped into the festivities.
He tells us: "Well, I can tell you what I'm gonna be for Halloween this year: whatever is left in the store the day of! (laughs) I've
never been one very good at preconceiving my Halloween costumes. I
usually say, 'I'm not bein' anything!' and then the day of, someone will
talk me into goin' to a Halloween party or somethin', and I'll be
picking between a drunk Santa and a Jedi knight warrior."
Jerrod's new single, "Drink To That All Night," is making its way up the charts.
It's the debut release from his upcoming album. No release date has yet been announced.
CHECK IT OUT
Loretta Lynn
has postponed two shows in Iowa because of exhaustion after her recent
Canadian tour. Her website includes a statement from one of the
legendary singer's reps saying, "Lynn started feeling poorly midway
through her three week tour. Loretta is a pro and wants to give her fans
the best show possible. She felt she Physically was unable to do that."
There is no word yet on when those shows will be rescheduled.
The Zac Brown Band
will host Sun, Sand & Southern Ground at the Hard Rock Hotel &
Casino in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic from March 23-27. The
all-inclusive event will feature performances by ZBB and other Southern
Ground label artists, as well as The Wailers. For more information, visit coolbreezeconcerts.com.
Wednesday, October 30, 2013
COUNTRY TRIVIA
Q. Before forming Rascal Flatts, in whose band did Jay DeMarcus and Joe Don Rooney play? A. Chely Wright's
ON THE TUBE
LADY ANTEBELLUM: OWN THE NIGHT WORLD TOUR/GAC 9:00PM (ET)
KENNY CHESNEY: NO SHOES NATION/GAC 10:00PM (ET)
CELEBRATING BIRTHDAYS
- T. Graham Brown (59)
- Kassidy Osborn (SHeDAISY) (37)
- Harry Hamlin (actor, L.A. Law) (62)
- Gavin Rossdale (singer of Bush and husband of Gwen Stefani) (48, disputed)
- Otis Williams (of the Temptations) (72)
- Kevin Pollak (actor-comedian, Casino, The Usual Suspects, The Whole Nine Yards, The Santa Clause 2; former host of Celebrity Poker Showdown) (56)
- Charles Martin Smith (actor, American Graffiti, The Untouchables, Deep Impact) (60)
- Henry Winkler (actor-director, Happy Days' "Fonzie," Night Shift, The Waterboy) (68)
- Eddie Holland (of the Motown songwriting team Holland-Dozier-Holland) (74)
- Nia Long (actress, Friday, The Best Man, Big Momma's House) (43)
- Snow (reggae artist) (44)
- Grace Slick (singer, Jefferson Airplane, Jefferson Starship, Starship) (74)
- Timothy B. Schmit (singer-bassist, the Eagles, Poco) (66)
- Chris Slade (drummer, Manfred Mann, AC/DC, the Firm, Uriah Heep, Asia) (67)
- Ivanka Trump (daughter of Donald Trump) (32)
- Matthew Morrison (actor, Glee) (35)
ON THIS DAY
- Trace Adkins
sang the national anthem at Nashville's LP Field in 2011, where the
Tennessee Titans beat the Indianapolis Colts, 27-10, in an NFL game.
- Last Chance For A Thousand Years - Dwight Yoakam's Greatest Hits From The 90's was certified gold in 2000.
- Martina McBride's contribution to the Runaway Bride soundtrack, "I Love You," hit No. 1 on the Billboard country chart in 1999.
- Diamond Rio's Jimmy Olander marries Claudia Fontenot in 1995.
- RCA released The Judds' Rockin' With The Rhythm album in 1985.
- Johnny Wright married Kitty Wells in Franklin, Kentucky in 1937.
INDUSTRY NEWS
BLAKE LIVELY STRIKES A DEAL WITH L'OREAL PARIS: Former Gossip Girl star Blake Lively has been named the face of L'Oreal Paris. The company made the announcement on their Instagram account
in French on Tuesday (October 29th.) The English translation reads,
"Exclusive announcement! We're excited to welcome the gorgeous and
talented Blake Lively, our new lady ambassador! She's definitely worth
it!"
DINA MANZO CONFIRMS RETURN TO 'THE REAL HOUSEWIVES OF NEW JERSEY': Dina Manzo officially confirmed on Tuesday (October 29th) that she is returning to The Real Housewives of New Jersey
after leaving during the second season. The 41-year-old tweeted, "Well I
guess the (hairless) cats out of the bag. Yes I'm back, Unlike the past
this time it felt "right" See you on Bravo my friends xo" Dina's
sister, Caroline Manzo, recently announced her departure from the series to focus on her Bravo pilot Manzo'd With Children.
ANDREW RANNELLS PROMOTED TO BECOME SERIES REGULAR ON 'GIRLS': Deadline is reporting that Andrew Rannells is likely to become a series regular on HBO's Girls if the show is picked up for a fourth season. Andrew played the gay ex-boyfriend of Lena Dunham's character in the first two seasons before landing the now-cancelled NBC sitcom The New Normal. The third season of Girls premieres on January 12th.
AMC RENEWS 'THE WALKING DEAD': AMC announced on Monday (October 28th) that The Walking Dead has been renewed for a fifth season. Network president Charlie Collier
said in a statement, "We are very happy to make what has to be one of
the most anti-climactic renewal announcements ever: The Walking Dead is
renewed for a fifth season. This is a show that has erased traditional
distinctions between cable and broadcast. Its expanding base of
passionate fans has grown every season, most recently -- and most
notably -- with the season four premiere earlier this month, which broke
viewership records for the series and became the biggest non-sports
telecast in cable history. On behalf of the incredible team on both
sides of the camera, thank you to the fans and here's to more Dead."
FIRST OFFICIAL TRAILER FOR 'X-MEN: DAYS OF FUTURE PAST' RELEASED: The first official trailer for X-Men: Days of Future Past has been released online. The film combines the cast from the original X-Men trilogy with the actors from the 2011 prequel X-Men: First Class. The story appears to revolve around Patrick Stewart's Professor X and Ian McKellen's Magneto sending Wolverine back in time to convince the younger Professor X, played by James McAvoy, to change the past. The film hits theaters on May 23rd, 2014. Take a look:
CELEBRITY GOSSIP
KELLY OSBOURNE APOLOGIZES TO LADY GAGA: Kelly Osbourne appears to be ready to let bygones be bygones with Lady Gaga. One day after she attacked the pop star on Twitter for her sub-par attempt to make peace with a birthday cake, the Fashion Police
co-host wrote on Monday (October 28th,) "@ladygaga I acted like a child
last night. Just not into publicity stunts call me & we will end
this like adults I dont want 2 fight anymore."
KATE UPTON ISN'T CONCERNED ABOUT BEING SEXY ON HALLOWEEN: Kate Upton revealed her thoughts about looking sexy on Halloween to E! News
while promoting her partnership with Gillette. The 21-year-old
explained, "I'm not sure what I'm going to do for Halloween yet, because
I'm going to be working. In the past, I think my favorite costume was
being a bottle of Tabasco. I felt like it was my most creative
moment...it was a lot of fun. I don't think that Halloween is about
being too slutty or too sexy. I think it's about committing to your
costume."
TORI SPELLING HAS A SEX TAPE: In another new excerpt leaked from her memoir Spelling It Like It Is, Tori Spelling reveals that a sex tape of her and husband Dean McDermott
almost leaked after making it on Valentine's Day in 2009. According to
Tori, the video sat as an unprotected file on their computer for two
years before one of her husband's friends found it, copied it, and then
tried to sell it to the highest bidder. It is unclear how they blocked
the release but the Beverly Hills 90210 actress writes, "We never heard from him again, and the incident went away."
PIPPA MIDDLETON'S CHRISTENING GIFT TO PRINCE GEORGE: Prince George's aunt Pippa Middleton reportedly gifted his parents with silver casts of the baby's hands and feet to celebrate his christening. According to People,
"The sculptures can be made in colored glass, lead crystal, bronze or
silver --which is the traditional christening metal. The price varies
depending on the material chosen and the size of the child, but
Middleton has reportedly spent about $11,000 on her gift." A British
company called Wrightson and Platt were supposedly used to create the
casts.
ALI LOHAN'S IS FOCUSING ON HER MUSIC CAREER: Ali Lohan is reportedly looking to put the modeling on hold to record a new album with her mom, Dina Lohan, in her corner as manager. A source tells Radar Online,
"She enjoys modeling, but she's ready for a change. She's a performer
at heart. Ali wants to be taken seriously and is ready to put everything
she has into this record. Ali wants her new sound to be Miley Cyrus meets Lana Del Rey."
Ali has previously released two holiday albums and her attempt to break
into the music industry was a major focus of the family's 2008 reality
show, Living Lohan.
LINDSAY LOHAN'S NIGHT OUT WITH MILEY CYRUS
Miley Cyrus says she can't stop and Lindsay Lohan
was court-ordered to do so but that allegedly did not prevent the two
former Disney stars from hanging out together on Saturday (October 26th)
at NYC club 1OAK. Page Six is reporting that the two girls
arrived at different times and sat at separate tables before they
started chatting -- eventually their two tables reportedly merged.
A source tells E! News,
"When Lindsay saw Miley she went over to her table and started chatting
to her. They were in great happy moods and enjoying the music." The
source maintains that Lindsay stuck to her sobriety and that 20-year-old
Miley wasn't drinking either. The girls were supposedly joined Magic Johnson's son EJ Johnson and Andrew Warren.
- Page Six also claims that the Miley and Lindsay hung out until 5 AM and then left together.
- Lindsay
also indicated how much she enjoyed their time together by responding
to Miley's tweet announcing her new tour by writing, "I mean..." with
several happy emojis. She also retweeted a message from a fan which
reads, "you gurls are my favorite bitches."
CHECK IT OUT:
CAMILLE GRAMMER GETS RESTRAINING ORDER FROM ABUSIVE BOYFRIEND
 Former Real Housewives of Beverly Hills cast member Camille Grammer has filed for a restraining order against her former boyfriend Dimitri Charalambopoulos over claims that he physically abused her in a Houston hotel room on October 16th. TMZ has obtained the declaration which documents Camille's recollection of the events that transpired earlier in the month.
According
to Camille, she and Dimitri started arguing after a woman started
texting and calling him at 1:30 AM. Her boyfriend allegedly grabbed her
by the hair and twisted it around his hand before repeatedly pulling her
head into the bed and headboard. He reportedly pulled out clumps of her
hair and smashed her iPhone when she tried to call for help. The former
Bravo star claims that the abuse went on for 40 minutes to an hour
while she feared for her life and begged him to stop. She added that
when he was about to leave he told her that he would knock her out if
she left the bed.
- The court has granted Camille a
temporary restraining order which states that Dimitri must stay 100
years from her and her two kids.
- The alleged abuse took place less than a week after the 45-year-old underwent surgery to treat early stage endometrial cancer.
ADDITIONAL FACTS:
- Two
days after the supposed incident, Camille tweeted, "If any of my
friends are trying to reach me on my phone. it is busted. Have to get a
new phone :/"
- Prior to TMZ posting the story, she
hinted at the story getting leaked by tweeting on Monday (October 28th,)
"Info will come out today that is jaw dropping. And women can't be
silenced after being physically abused! Getting my strength back now
that I am at home and wasn't able to deal with talking about it after my
cancer surgery or what had happened."
CHECK IT OUT:
WILL AND JADA LIVING SEPARATELY?
Rumor has it that Will Smith and Jada Pinkett-Smith are on a trial separation. According to RadarOnline, the two have been living separately, with Will in New Orleans since mid-September filming his new movie Focus, and Jada traveling to Paris and within the U.S. She has also reportedly moved into her brother's L.A. home.
In the past, Will and Jada have denied rumors of marital issues, saying that the marriage was solid.
- The two have been married for 15 years.
CHECK IT OUT
ABC APOLOGIZES TO ASIAN GROUP FOR JIMMY KIMMEL SKIT
A skit that recently aired on Jimmy Kimmel Live
featuring a young boy joking about killing Chinese people to get rid of
the national debt prompted a complaint from a pan-Asian-American
organization called 80-20. ABC has responded to the group's complaint in
a statement apologizing for the insensitive joke.
The network's
statement reads, "We offer our sincere apology. We would never
purposefully broadcast anything to upset the Chinese community, Asian
community, anyone of Chinese descent or any community at large. Our
objective is to entertain. We took swift action to minimize the
distribution of the skit by removing it from all public platforms
available to us and editing it out of any future airings of the show. We
hope our actions and our apology effectively address your concerns.
Thank you for bringing this to our attention."
- Time
is reporting that Asian Americans stormed the ABC building in San
Francisco on Monday (October 28th) to protest the skit while holding
signs depicting Kimmel with a Hitler mustache and a swastika by his
side. The protest leader said in a speech, "We have a sense of humor.
But not at the expense of killing all Chinese." He added, "Today's hate
speech becomes tomorrow's hate crime."
- Jimmy took some time on
his show on Monday to apologize to viewers saying, "I thought it was
obvious that I didn't agree with that statement. But apparently it
wasn't. I'm sorry. I apologize."
CHECK IT OUT:
- The 13 Creepiest Things a Child Has Ever Said To Their Parents: http://bit.ly/ZS8GJq
- The Original Kids Table Government Shutdown Skit:
NICOLE KIDMAN SAYS FAME IS INTOXICATING
Nicole Kidman reveals in the December issue of Vanity Fair that the level of fame she reached while married to Tom Cruise
was "intoxicating" for a time but she is now happier living a quieter
existence. The 46-year-old actress opens up to the magazine about both
of her marriages and how she never thought she would find the one.
When
asked about her rise to fame during her 11-year marriage to Tom, Nicole
explains, "There is something about that sort of existence that, if you
really focus on each other and you're in that bubble, it's very
intoxicating, because it's just the two of you. And there is only one
other person that's going through it. So it brings you very close, and
it's deeply romantic. I'm sure Brad and Angelina have that
-- because there's nobody else that understands it except that person
who's sleeping right next to you." She adds, "Having experienced extreme
fame and now getting to a place where it's not so dominating in my
life, I'm always surprised when I go somewhere and people know who I
am...it jars me again, because the kids ask, 'Why do they want a photo?'
and 'Why is that person saying hello to you when you don't know them?'
All of that stuff has to be explained to a five-year-old. So I see it
through a different perspective."
- The Moulin Rouge star also compares her first marriage to her current relationship with Keith Urban
saying, "With no disrespect to what I had with Tom, I've met my great
love now. And I really did not know if that was going to happen. I
wanted it, but I didn't want it for a while, because I didn't want to
jump from one relationship to another. I had a lot of time alone, which
was really, really good, because I was a child, really, when I got
married. And I needed to grow up."
CHECK IT OUT:
HEADLINE NEWS
MEDICARE CHIEF APOLOGIZES FOR ACA WEBSITE TROUBLES: The federal official closest to the troubled Affordable Care Act sign-up website, Medicare chief Marilyn Tavenner,
apologized yesterday (October 29th) for its problems in testimony
before a House committee and said things are getting better daily.
Tavenner also found herself having to answer questions about
cancellation notices some individuals who buy their own health insurance
are getting, pointing the finger of blame at insurers, saying, "In fact
the issuer has decided to change the plan; [they] didn't have to."
Under the ACA, insurers are no longer allowed to offer plans that don't
meet certain minimum levels of coverage. Administration officials are
saying people who get cancellation notices will be able to find better
replacement plans, in some cases for less. However, in some cases it
will cost more money, and not all of those people will be eligible for
the subsidies being offered to help pay for coverage because they earn
more than the income threshold. It's proving to be a PR black eye for President Obama, who repeatedly said while selling the ACA that people would be able to keep the plans they had if they wanted to.
INTELLIGENCE CHIEF DEFENDS U.S. SPYING: National Intelligence Director James Clapper
yesterday (October 29th) defended American spying on foreign allies as
necessary and said the surveillance of our allies -- and their
surveillance of us -- is common. Clapper told a House intelligence
committee hearing that during his five decades in intelligence, it's
been what he called a "basic tenet" to obtain confidential information
about foreign leaders that shows, quote, "if what they're saying gels
with what's actually going on." When asked if allies carry out the same
kind of spying against U.S. leaders, he answered, "Absolutely." National
Security Administration director General Keith Alexander also
spoke before the committee, and told them that the collection of
millions of European citizens' phone records in France and Spain was
carried out with the help of European governments, collected by NATO
allies and shared with the U.S. There has been anger in France, Spain
and elsewhere after recent stories based on documents from NSA leaker Edward Snowden
that disclosed the surveillance. He called the stories saying the U.S.
did this alone as, quote, "completely false." Amid the anger at home and
abroad over the NSA disclosures, congressional leaders are calling for a
review of the programs, something President Obama has ordered.
GOV'T SHUTDOWN CAUSES PLUNGE IN CONSUMER CONFIDENCE:
Consumer confidence plunged this month to its lowest level since April,
as many Americans worried about the effect of the 16-day government
shutdown, and the drop could weigh down spending and economic growth.
The Conference Board said Tuesday (October 29th) that its index of
consumer confidence dropped to 71.2 in October, down from 80.2 the
previous month. Consumer confidence is closely watched because
Americans' spending accounts for 70 percent of the nation's economic
activity.
TODAY'S FYI:
RALPH LAUREN UNVEILS MADE-IN-AMERICA WINTER OLYMPIC UNIFORMS:
Design company Ralph Lauren yesterday (October 29th) unveiled the
uniforms it designed for the U.S. 2014 Winter Olympics athletes, who'll
compete in Sochi, Russia, in February. The outfits for men and women
include a navy peacoat with a red stripe, a classic ski sweater with a
reindeer motif and an American flag, and a tasseled chunky-knit hat.
After there was an uproar in 2012 when it was revealed that most of the
uniforms Ralph Lauren designed for the American athletes for the London
Summer Olympics were made overseas, all of the uniforms this time around
were made in the U.S. by domestic craftsmen and manufacturers,
including the opening and closing ceremony uniforms and their Olympic
Village gear.
CHECK IT OUT:
BOOK: CHENEY WASN'T PULLING THE STRINGS IN BUSH WHITE HOUSE: A new book about the relationship between former President George W. Bush and former Vice President Dick Cheney
during their eight years in the White House debunks the idea that
Cheney was the power behind the throne pulling the strings. Peter Baker,
author of Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, told Yahoo! News and ABC's The Fine Print
that although Cheney did take advance of Bush's limited national
security experience early on, Bush eventually began to feel more
confident in his own judgments and rely less on advisers like Cheney.
Baker writes that the two were actually on opposite sides of many
issues, saying, "What I'm surprised by was just how far apart [they] had
drifted by the end of the administration," citing issues including
Iran, North Korea, Syria, Lebanon, Russia, federal spending, the auto
bailout, climate change, gun rights and gay rights. Because of those
differences, Baker says that Cheney offered to step down as VP three
separate times, and Bush seriously considered it, even choosing
then-Senator Bill Frist of Tennessee as a possible replacement.
Baker said that one of the reasons Bush seriously considered it was to,
quote, "show who was really in charge," saying, "Clearly, it rankled him
to suggest that he wasn't."
BIG WAVE SURFER MIGHT HAVE BROKEN RECORD: Brazilian big wave surfer Carlos Burle
may have broken the record for biggest wave ever ridden yesterday
(October 29th), with this video showing him surfing what some estimate
could be a 100-foot wave in Nazare, Portugal. The wave appears to be
higher than the world record of 78 feet, and many in the surfing world
believe it's the biggest wave ever surfed:
SANDRA DAY O'CONNOR PRESIDES OVER GAY MARRIAGE AT SUPREME COURT: Former Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor,
the first woman on the high court who retired in 2006, presided over a
gay wedding ceremony yesterday (October 29th) at the Supreme Court
building. The ceremony took place four months after the Supreme Court
issued two major rulings on gay marriage, one that struck down a federal
law denying federal benefits to legally married gay couples, and the
other that let stand a ruling that struck down a California law that
banned same-sex marriage. Yesterday's ceremony wasn't the first gay
wedding at the Supreme Court building, however. Over the weekend, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg presided over the wedding there of another same-sex couple.
- O'Connor was appointed to the Supreme Court by President Ronald Reagan in 1981.
KITTENS VISIT THE OFFICE: Car service Uber teamed up with the meme blog Cheezburger
to bring kittens to offices in New York, San Francisco and Seattle for
play dates yesterday (October 29th) in honor of National Cat Day. It
cost $20 for about 15 minutes, with all proceeds going to local animal
shelters. It proved to be popular, with many people reporting they were
unable to book play dates because the kittens were too busy. The
adorableness was, of course, duly documented on Twitter. Here's a few
photos:
SPORTS:
NBA SEASON GETS UNDERWAY:
The NBA's 2013-14 season got underway last night (October 29th) with
three games, including one between the reigning champion Miami Heat and
the Chicago Bulls. The Heat got their rings and raised the championship
banner before the game in Miami, and then went on to beat the Bulls
107-95. In the other two games, the Los Angeles Lakers beat their
crosstown rivals, the L.A. Clippers, 116-103, and the Indiana Pacers
downed the Orlando Magic 97-87. A full slate of NBA games is scheduled
for today.
CARDINALS FLIGHT TO BOSTON DELAYED SIX HOURS BY PLANE TROUBLE: In
what St. Louis fans surely hope isn't a bad omen for their team, the
Cardinals' flight to Boston for Game 6 of the World Series was delayed
for some six hours yesterday (October 29th) as their plane sat on the
tarmac with mechanical problems. The team's plane finally arrived in
Boston soon after 11 p.m. ET. St. Louis will be battling to stay alive
tonight, down 3-2 to the Red Sox, who'll by trying to clinch a World
Series title on their own field for the first time since 1918.
(Headline News, FYI and Sports stories were compiled in part from reports by the Associated Press and Reuters.)
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