KFLAG COUNTRY MUISC UPDATE

There was a ton of smoke but no fire on a plane carrying singer Dwight Yoakam home from a private concert for a lottery winner this past weekend.
That plane made an emergency landing outside Los Angeles over the weekend, and no one on board was injured, TMZ reports.
Seems
a woman from a small village in Canada won more than seven million
bucks. So she hired her favorite singer, Dwight Yoakam, to come to her
place for a 50th birthday bash.
Dwight and his band and crew were on the way home on a twin-engine Hawker 800 when pilots reported lots of smoke.
Emergency crews flocked to the runway, but the plane touched down safely. Yes, there was a bunch of smoke, but no fire on board.
CHECK IT OUT:

A lot has changed in a year or so, what with Jake Owen having a baby girl and getting married and all.
Those changes include what Jake does before he hits the stage.
Jake tells us: "It
used to be I was on one bus with all the guys in the band. And
thankfully to the year I had last year, I now have my own bus. Instead
of the pre-show with all the guys on the same bus, cheers, maybe a beer
or something, I now give my daughter a bath and I now kiss my wife. And
that’s just as good for me, really."
Jake, his baby and his wife hit the road again February 7th in San Antonio, Texas.
CHECK IT OUT:

Jack Daniel's rolled out a barrel so Kellie Pickler could have a barrel of Yuletide fun.
The
Tennessee whiskey maker dropped off an entire barrel of whiskey for
Kellie and her hubby. And they were even nice enough to drain the
whiskey and put it into bottles for them.
Guess how many -- the answer is more than 280 bottles! That should last 'em til 2015.
Kellie's latest single is "A Little Bit Gypsy" from her new album The Woman I Am.
CHECK IT OUT:
Justin Moore's Christmas plans include a return trip to Disney with his wife and two little girls.
Justin tells us: "Oh
yeah, we did all the autographs. Yeah, We had the little book and got
everybody's autograph. I don't even know if we made it home with it. But
I'm sure we'll do it again this year. Ella is all excited about the
Bippity Boppity boutique. I think I said that right. Where they make you
up to be a princess, whatever princess you pick. She's all excited
about that. Because you had to be three to do it. And she didn't get to
do it last year. So she's all excited about that."
Justin goes back on the road Jan. 23 in Greensboro, N.C.
CELEBRATING BIRTHDAYS
- Little Jimmy Dickens (country singer) (93)
- Janie Fricke (country singer) (66)
- Jake Gyllenhaal (actor) (33)
- Alyssa Milano (actress, Who's the Boss?, Charmed) (41)
- Tyson Beckford (model, TV personality) (43)
- Jennifer Beals (actress, Flashdance) (50)
- Tim Reid (actor, WKRP in Cincinnati) (69)
ON THIS DAY
- Lady Antebellum's Dave Haywood gets engaged to music industry exec Kelli Cashiola at her home in Nashville in 2011.
- The Gary Allan album Tough All Over goes gold in 2005.
- Alan Jackson goes No. 1 at country radio with "She's Got The Rhythm (And I Got The Blues)" in 1992.
- Johnny Paycheck shoots Larry Wise at the North High Lounge in Hillsboro, Ohio, after Wise asked if he'd ever eaten turtle meat in 1985.
- Steve Wariner lands his first ever No. 1 at country radio with "All Roads Lead To You" in 1981.
- The first Dolly Parton movie, "9 To 5," debuts in 1980.
- Loretta Lynn hits No. 1 at country radio with "Coal Miner's Daughter" in 1970.
'DUCK DYNASTY' STAR PHIL ROBERTSON SUSPENDED OVER ANTI-GAY REMARKS
A&E cable network has suspended Duck Dynasty star Phil Robertson indefinitely over explicit anti-gay remarks he made to GQ in their January issue.
Phil
told the magazine, "Start with homosexual behavior and just morph out
from there. Bestiality, sleeping around with this woman and that woman
and that woman and those men. Don't be deceived. Neither the adulterers,
the idolaters, the male prostitutes, the homosexual offenders, the
greedy, the drunkards, the slanderers, the swindlers -- they won't
inherit the kingdom of God. Don't deceive yourself. It’s not right. It
seems to me, a vagina -- as a man -- would be more desirable than a
man's anus. That's just me. I'm just thinking: There's more there! She's
got more to offer. I mean, come on dudes! You know what I'm saying? But
hey, sin: It's not logical, my man. It's just not logical."
A&E
said in a statement that the network is, quote, "extremely
disappointed" in those remarks, and went on to say that the network has
always been a strong supporter of the gay community.
Phil also
made race-related comments about his upbringing in pre-civil-rights-era
Louisiana, saying, "I never, with my eyes, saw the mistreatment of any
black person. Not once. Where we lived was all farmers. The blacks
worked for the farmers. I hoed cotton with them. I'm with the blacks,
because we're white trash. They're singing and happy. I never heard one
of them, one black person, say, 'I tell you what: These doggone white
people' -- not a word!...Pre-entitlement, pre-welfare, you say: Were
they happy? They were godly; they were happy; no one was singing the
blues."
- GLAAD responded to Phil's comments, saying,
"Phil and his family claim to be Christian, but Phil's lies about an
entire community fly in the face of what true Christians believe. He
clearly knows nothing about gay people or the majority of Louisianans --
and Americans -- who support legal recognition for loving and committed
gay and lesbian couples. Phil's decision to push vile and extreme
stereotypes is a stain on A&E and his sponsors who now need to
reexamine their ties to someone with such public disdain for LGBT people
and families."
- Robertson released his own statement
following the backlash, but before his suspension, which said, "I myself
am a product of the '60s; I centered my life around sex, drugs and rock
and roll until I hit rock bottom and accepted Jesus as my Savior. My
mission today is to go forth and tell people about why I follow Christ
and also what the bible teaches, and part of that teaching is that women
and men are meant to be together. However, I would never treat anyone
with disrespect just because they are different from me. We are all
created by the Almighty and like Him, I love all humanity. We would all
be better off if we loved God and loved each other."
The Duck Dynasty cast just made a Christmas album with several big country music stars, called Duck the Halls.
CELEBRITY GOSSIP

PRINCE HARRY AND FELLOW ADVENTURERS LEAVE THE SOUTH POLE: Prince Harry, Alexander Skarsgard, Dominic West,
and their teammates were forced to leave their expedition at the South
Pole on Wednesday (December 18th) due to a major Antarctic storm in the
area. The group was sent back to Cape Town, South Africa even though
they were initially supposed to stick it out for a few more days. Harry
and co. are expected to make it back to the UK by December 23rd.
ORLANDO BLOOM DISCUSSES GOING FULL FRONTAL FOR UPCOMING FILM: Orlando Bloom doesn't seem to be the least bit shy about his upcoming full frontal nude scene for the film Zulu. The actor discussed showing it all off to ELLE
magazine saying, "I got in the best shape of my life for that movie. It
was quite amusing walking around set and seeing the crew avert their
eyes at first. Then there were a few more people watching playback. I
got so comfortable with it I could brush up behind someone and go, 'Oh,
excuse me.'"
HEIDI KLUM EXPLAINS HER SIX CHRISTMAS TREES: America's Got Talent judge Heidi Klum
recently got a lot of attention from the paparazzi leaving a Christmas
tree lot with a bundle of trees but she has a perfectly good explanation
for it. The mother of four told People, "This year for the first
time the kids each have their own tree in their room. That's a lot of
trees, I know. They were taking photos of us when we left the lot, and
they were like, 'Oh my gosh, they've got the whole forest!' But it's
because I have so many kids!" She went on to reveal what her kids can
expect as gifts from her saying, "They don't watch a lot of TV, so when
they do they're so mesmerized by the commercials. They love all these
silly things like glowing pet pillows. I actually got them all
unicycles."
DERMOT MULRONEY ADDRESSES CONFUSION WITH DYLAN MCDERMOTT: Dermot Mulroney recently chatted with the Huffington Post to promote his role in the new film August: Osage County where he also addressed his long-running problem of people confusing him with Hostages actor Dylan McDermott.
Dermot explained, "People don't think we are each other, they just mess
our names up. People don't confuse me for being the guy that did any of
his jobs, they just mix up the letters in the names. It's like a
collective dyslexia. But, it is a thing. And the thing that shocks me is
that it's yet again a new thing -- it's been through three full cycles
in the last 25 years."
INDUSTRY NEWS

HBO TO AIR JAMES GANDOLFINI TRIBUTE: HBO has announced plans to air a 35-minute TV special honoring the late James Gandolfini. James Gandolfini: Tribute To A Friend
will air on December 22nd and feature two dozen friends and colleagues
sharing memories of the actor who passed away back in June at age 51.
The tribute will also feature clips from his work as well as
behind-the-scenes footage.
'BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER' AND 'VERONICA MARS' GET NEW LIFE: Pivot, a new cable channel for millenials, has announced plans to air reruns of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Veronica Mars.
Both shows will debut with back-to-back episodes starting on January
13th and airing Monday through Friday at 10 and 11 pm. Network president Evan Shapiro said in a statement, "Buffy and Veronica Mars are
enormously entertaining and celebrated TV shows with significant
cultural and social relevance. Both focus on smart, strong, young women
dealing with critical issues from class struggles to gender roles --
challenges facing a great many of our viewers."
NATIONAL FILM REGISTRY ADDS 25 MOVIES: The
National Film Preservation Board announced on Wednesday (December 18th)
that they have chosen 25 films to add to the National Film Registry to
be preserved for their cultural, historical, or cinematic significance.
The films include: Mary Poppins, Pulp Fiction, The Right Stuff, and Michael Moore's documentary Roger and Me. This year's additions span from 1919 to 2002.
NEW TV SERIES IN DEVELOPMENT ABOUT THE BIRTH OF TWITTER: The Wrap is reporting that a new TV series is in development about the birth of Twitter. The show will be based on Nick Bilton's book called Hatching Twitter: A True Story of Money, Power, Friendship, and Betrayal. The show's executive producer, Allison Shearmur, said in a statement, "‘Hatching Twitter will go behind the scenes of a groundbreaking Silicon Valley company in a way that’s never been captured before on television."
'POWERPUFF GIRLS' RETURING TO TV: Cartoon Network is bringing back Powerpuff Girls
for a one-night special on January 20th. The special called "Dance
Pantsed" reunited the original voice actors and special guest Ringo Starr. The network will also air a 10-episode marathon the day before. Powerpuff Girls ran on Cartoon Network from 1998-2005.
SHIA LABEOUF PLAGIARIZES APOLOGY FOR PLAGIARIZING

Nymphomaniac star Shia LaBeouf
appears to be caught in another controversy while trying to apologize
for his previous one. The actor has been called out for plagiarizing a
tweet that he wrote to apologize for plagiarizing a comic by Daniel Clowes to create his recent short film.
A Twitter user by the name Andrew Hake pointed
out that Shia's tweet on Tuesday (December 17th) that said "Copying
isn't particularly creative work. Being inspired by someone else's idea
to produce something new and different IS creative work." was actually
lifted from a Yahoo! Answers page posted to the site four years
ago. Shia has since spent the past two days on the social media site
trying to offer a more in-depth apology. He wrote, "In my excitement and
naiveté as an amateur filmmaker, I got lost in the creative process and
neglected to follow proper accreditation. Im embarrassed that I failed
to credit @danielclowes for his original graphic novella Justin M.
Damiano, which served as my inspiration. I was truly moved by his piece
of work & I knew that it would make a poignant & relevant short.
I apologize to all who assumed I wrote it. I deeply regret the manner
in which these events have unfolded and want @danielclowes to know that I
have a great respect for his work. I f***ed up. I have let my family
down, and I regret those transgressions with all of my heart. I was
wrong, terribly wrong. I owe it to future generations to explain why. It
starts with this...I'm sorry @danielclowes."
- Shia's film HowardCantour.com
had screened at dozens of festivals over the past year without any
credit given to Clowes before it was revealed to be eerily similar to
his 2007 comic called Justin M. Damiano.
- Clowes reacted to the news to Buzzfeed
on Monday (December 16th) saying, "The first I ever heard of the film
was this morning when someone sent me a link. I've never spoken to or
met Mr. LaBeouf. I've never even seen one of his films that I can recall
-- and I was shocked, to say the least, when I saw that he took the
script and even many of the visuals from a very personal story I did six
or seven years ago and passed it off as his own work. I actually can't
imagine what was going through his mind."
- Shia previously copied an apology he wrote to Alec Baldwin after an incident rehearsing their Broadway show Orphans earlier this year. He was called out for lifting his words from an essay written for Esquire magazine by Tom Chiarella entitled "What Is a Man?"
CHECK IT OUT:
HowardCantour.com (Teaser) from Dilated Pixels on Vimeo.
JENNIFER LAWRENCE THINKS CALLING SOMEONE FAT ON TV SHOULD BE ILLEGAL
Jennifer Lawrence
has come to the defense of heavyset people everywhere by once again
calling out the members of the media who think it is acceptable to make
fun of someone else's appearance -- especially their weight. The American Hustle actress opened up about the issue while chatting with Barbara Walters during her interview as one of The 10 Most Fascinating People of 2013.
Jennifer
told Barbara, "Why is humiliating people funny?. I get it, I do it too.
We all do it. But I think when it comes to the media, the media needs
to take responsibility for the effect that it has on our younger
generation, on these girls that are watching these television shows and
picking up how to talk and how to be cool. So then all of a sudden being
funny is making fun of the girl that's wearing an ugly dress." The
23-year-old added, "And the word fat! I just think it should be illegal
to call somebody fat on TV. I mean, if we're regulating cigarettes and
sex and cuss words because of the effect it has on our younger
generation, why aren't we regulating things like calling people fat?"
- Back in November, Joan Rivers responded to Jennifer's public shaming of shows like Fashion Police
by tweeting, "It's funny how Jennifer Lawrence loved @E_FashionPolice
during Awards Season when we were complimenting her every single
week...But now that she has a movie to promote, suddenly we’re picking
on all those poor, helpless actors. WAIT! It just dawned on me why
Jennifer Lawrence fell on her way up to the stage to get her Oscar. She
tripped over her own arrogance."
CHECK IT OUT:
NEW TWENTIETH CENTURY FOX THEME PARK IN MALAYSIA
Mickey Mouse
is about to have some stiff competition in Asia. Twentieth Century Fox
has broken ground on a new theme park that they are calling Twentieth
Century Fox World.
The Prime Minister of Malaysia paid tribute to the studio's hit Ice Age films by sticking a giant acorn into a fake glacier to kick off the start of construction. According to Variety, the park will have over 25 rides and attractions from Fox films such as Ice Age, Rio, Night at the Museum, Planet of the Apes, and Alien vs. Predator.
- The park is expected to open in 2016.
CHECK IT OUT:
HEADLINE NEWS
TASK FORCE URGES LIMITS ON NSA SURVEILLANCE: A
presidential advisory panel released a report yesterday (December 18th)
that recommends sweeping changes to U.S. government surveillance
programs, including limiting the bulk collection of Americans' phone
records, and having greater scrutiny of decisions to spy on friendly
foreign leaders. But while the 46 recommendations call for more
oversight of the government's spying network, it only proposes that a
few programs be ended. Task force member Richard Clarke,
a former government counterterrorism official, said, "We're not saying
the struggle against terrorism is over or that we can dismantle the
mechanisms that we have put in place to safeguard the country. What we
are saying is those mechanisms can be more transparent." President Obama authorized the panel as part of the response to revelations from NSA leaker Edward Snowden,
however Obama isn't obligated to implement its recommendations. The
White House is conducting its own intelligence review, and the president
is expected to announce his decisions next month.
BUDGET LEGISLATION PASSES CONGRESS, GOES TO OBAMA: Congress passed budget legislation and sent it to President Obama yesterday
(December 18th) for his expected signature, a rare bipartisan
accomplishment that lawmakers in both parties hope will reduce repeated
budget brinkmanship and prevent future government shutdowns. The
legislation passed the Senate on 64-36 vote, one week after the House
approved it 332-94. The measure negotiated by Democratic Senator Patty Murray of Washington and GOP Rep. Paul Ryan
of Wisconsin scales back the across-the-board sequester cuts on both
domestic and military programs, offsetting the cost with additional
savings from elsewhere in the budget.
FED TO PULL BACK A BIT ON STIMULUS: The Federal Reserve yesterday (December 18th) sent a signal of confidence in the U.S. economy, with outgoing Chairman Ben Bernanke
announcing a long-expected pullback in stimulus spending in his final
news conference before leaving next month. The pullback isn't a large
one, however, with the Fed to reduce its $85 billion a month in bond
purchases by $10 billion starting in January. At the same time, Bernanke
made clear that the Fed will keep supporting the economy with low
interest rates. The Fed's action comes after encouraging reports that
show the economy is speeding up.
DEAL COULD ALLOW UP TO HALF OF GITMO DETAINEES TO BE SENT HOME: A
bipartisan deal reached by Congress as part of a compromise defense
bill could allow up to half of the the 160 terror suspects still being
held at Guantanamo Bay to be sent to their home countries. The bill was
passed by the House last week and is awaiting final passage by the
Senate. The deal would lift the toughest restrictions Congress had
previously imposed on detainee transfers overseas. However, the Obama
administration has been blocked by Congress from bringing any detainees
to the U.S. for imprisonment or trial, meaning those considered too
dangerous for release will stay at Guantanamo.
TODAY'S FYI:
GEORGIA WOMAN IS ONE OF TWO WINNERS OF $648 MILLION LOTTERY: A
56-year-old Georgia woman was announced Wednesday (December 18th) as
one of the two winners of Tuesday night's $648 million MegaMillions
drawing, the second-largest lottery jackpot in U.S. history. Georgia
lottery officials said that Ira Curry of Stone Mountain bought just one
ticket and used family birthdays and lucky Number 7 to pick her numbers.
Curry, who didn't appear at the news conference, will take home a lump
sum of $123 million after taxes. The other winning ticket was sold at a
gift shop in San Jose, California, but that person has yet to come
forward.
U.S. TEENS SMOKING MORE MARIJUANA: U.S.
teenagers are smoking more marijuana and fewer see the drug's regular
use as harmful, according to a report out yesterday (December 18th) from
the National Institutes of Health. On the positive side, however, the
survey also found that teens are using less of other drugs like cocaine
and heroin, and also binge drinking less. The report said that some 6.5
percent of high school seniors smoke pot daily, compared to 6 percent a
decade ago and 2.4 percent 20 years ago, and nearly 23 percent of
seniors said they'd used the drug in the last month. The NIH report said
easier access to marijuana provided by state laws allowing medical
marijuana may be a factor. Of the 12th graders surveyed, slightly less
than 40 percent said they see regular pot use as harmful, down from 44.1
percent a year ago.
'TIME' INFOGRAPHIC RANKS THE MOST POPULAR CHRISTMAS SONGS: http://ti.me/1bRoYHq
NEW OBAMA AIDE PODESTA APOLOGIZES FOR CALLING HOUSE GOP A CULT: John Podesta hasn't even begun his new job yet as senior adviser to President Obama,
which begins in January, but he's already angered Republicans by
comparing the House GOP to the Jonestown cult. Podesta, who served as
President Bill Clinton's chief of staff from 1998 to 2001, told Politico in
an interview done earlier this fall that the White House needed to look
at what Obama could do without Congress because of Republican
opposition. In the remarks, which were published yesterday, Podesta
explained, "They need to focus on executive action given that they are
facing a second term against a cult worthy of Jonestown in charge of one
of the houses of Congress." Cult leader Jim Jones infamously
had more than 900 of his followers commit mass suicide in 1978 by
drinking cyanide-laced Kool-Aid. A spokesman for House Speaker John Boehner
was among those who reacted, telling reporters, "If this is the
attitude of the new White House, it's hard to see how the president gets
anything done again." Podesta apologized later yesterday on Twitter:
John Podesta ✔
@johnpodesta
Follow
In an old interview, my snark got in front of my judgment. I apologize to Speaker Boehner, whom I have always respected.
TRAILER FOR UPCOMING NETFLIX BEHIND-THE-SCENES DOC ON MITT ROMNEY'S PREZ CAMPAIGN:
DICTIONARY.COM NAMES 'PRIVACY' WORD OF THE YEAR: Dictionary.com
announced yesterday (December 18th) that it had chosen "privacy" as the
word of the year for 2013, which beat out other finalists including
"cronut," "sequester," "shutdown," "Obamacare" and "3D printing."
Dictionary.com, which defines "privacy" as "the state of being free from
intrusion or disturbance in one's private life and affairs," says it
chose the word in part because of the debate over government
surveillance programs in the wake of the Edward Snowden
leaks. Other privacy-related events this year cited by Dictionary.com
were complaints over TSA security procedures and the arrival of Google
Glass.
SPORTS:
OFFICIALS SAY READY FOR SNOWY SUPER BOWL: If
Mother Nature decides to dump a whole lot of snow on this year's
first-ever outdoor, winter-weather Super Bowl at MetLife Stadium in New
Jersey, officials say they're ready. Game organizers held a press
conference yesterday (December 18th) to assure the public that snow
won't stop the February 2nd game, saying the stadium has several snow
melters than can clear the field quickly, and removable snow chutes that
can funnel snow out of the seating and concourse areas. The New Jersey
Department of Transportation also assured that they had enough trucks
and salt to clear the roads that people would need to travel to get to
the game in the event of a snowstorm. The officials said they would only
consider rescheduling the game in extreme circumstances, but noted
that's the case with every Super Bowl.
CHECK IT OUT:
- AccuWeather
launched a website yesterday that forecasts whether or not it will snow
for the Super Bowl, and which will be updated daily. As of early this
morning, the prediction was for a 31 percent chance of snow on February
2nd. http://www.willitsnow.com/
(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 (repeat)
- THE CRAZY ONES (repeat)
- TWO AND A HALF MEN (repeat)
- ELEMENTARY (repeat)
NBC
- THE SING-OFF - The groups perform songs.
- SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE CHRISTMAS (repeat)
FOX
- THE X FACTOR - (season finale) Mario Lopez announces the winner; One Direction, Mary J. Blige and Leona Lewis perform.
ABC
- A CHARLIE BROWN CHRISTMAS (repeat)
- THE YEAR - Celebrities, newsmakers and special guests reflect on the events of 2013.
CW
- THE VAMPIRE DIARIES (repeat)
- REIGN (repeat)
DAY TIME TALK SHOW
THE ELLEN DEGENERES SHOW - Amy Adams, Mary J. Blige, Michael B. Jordan, Ellie Kemper THE VIEW - Meryl Streep, Judy Gold, Jax Taylor, guest co-host Mario Cantone
LATE NIGHT TALK SHOWS
THE LATE SHOW WITH DAVID LETTERMAN (CBS) - Steve Carell, the Saint Johns THE TONIGHT SHOW WITH JAY LENO (NBC) - Sylvester Stallone, Judd Apatow, Libera JIMMY KIMMEL LIVE (ABC) - Will Ferrell, Adam Scott, Christopher Cross THE LATE LATE SHOW WITH CRAIG FERGUSON (CBS) - Cuba Gooding Jr., Emily Wickersham LATE NIGHT WITH JIMMY FALLON (NBC) - (repeat) LAST CALL WITH CARSON DALY (NBC) - (repeat) THE DAILY SHOW WITH JON STEWART (COMEDY CENTRAL) - Jonah Hill THE COLBERT REPORT (COMEDY CENTRAL) - Ben Stiller, the Blind Boys of Alabama CONAN O'BRIEN (TBS) - Christina Applegate, Skylar Astin, Young the Giant THE ARSENIO HALL SHOW (CW) - Meagan Good, Clay Aiken, TNT, Chance thr Rapper
OFF BEAT BRIEFS
WALTER WHITE GETS 12 YEARS FOR DEALING METH: A
California man who dealt meth out of his home will be spending more than
12 years in federal prison. 53-year-old Walter Jack White was sentenced
on Monday (December 16th) on a meth possession and a firearms
conviction. White was responsible for 32-pounds of meth and ended up
getting shot by his son. Brandon Jay Joseph White shot his father over a
drug debt in front of their house. (Billings Gazette)
MAN USES VIDEO GAME TO PROPOSE:
An Oregon City man created a video game to propose to his girlfriend.
Video Game Artist Robert Fink asked Angel White to try out the "Knight
Man, A Quest For Love". The game took Fink and two friend five months to
create, but took an unexpected turn when a proposal came on the screen
that said "Angel White, will you do me the honor of sharing your life
with me?" She accepted via a final screen asking her to select "yes" or
"no" (FOX)
POPE SUPPORTS BREAST FEEDING IN PUBLIC: http://on.today.com/1fFK1OO
THE BIGGEST, FATTEST, HAIRIEST WORLD RECORDS OF 2013: http://huff.to/1cbUJ0v
MAN PROPOSES WHILE HANDCUFFED:
An Oklahoma woman whose boyfriend proposed to her while he was arrested
says that her fiancé is misunderstood. 32-year-old Justin Harrel was
preparing to propose to Elaina Rios when he was arrested on unspecified
warrants. Police helped Harrel complete the proposal and retrieved the
ring from the handcuffed man's pocket before carting him away to jail.
(News9.com)
MAN STOLE TRUCK FOR RIDE TO COURT:
California man accused of stealing a truck told officer he took the
vehicle because he needed a ride to court for another car theft case.
69-year-old John Westberg called police when saw his 1989 Ford Ranger
start up and take off About 20 minutes later. Michael Heller was pulled
over by the Redding Police Department. (CBS)
EXPENSIVE STARBUCKS GIFT CARD: The
website Gilt dot com was swamped by demand when it issued a metal
"Rose-gold" Starbucks gift card. The gift cards sold out in almost six
seconds. Only 1,000 of the metal gift cards were made. The cards were
originally sold for $450 and only charged with $400. Starbucks has said
on the record that the consumers are paying for the quality of the card
and not the "gold level" perks which include free shots and syrups. Some
of the cards that have shown up online are being sold for $4,300.
(Telegraph)
MAN WEARING NAZI UNIFORM FACES 2,065 FINE TO BACHELOR PARTY:
A British man who wore a Nazi uniform to a bachelor party at a French
Ski resort is facing a fine of $2,065. Mark Fournier wore the uniform on
December 3rd, 2011 to a party at French Ski resort. Wearing the Nazi
uniform and insignia is illegal in France. The defense lawyer maintains
that Fournier wore the uniform as a joke and not out of any political
allegiance. (Daily Mail)
SANTA PARKOUR:
THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW
CLAIMS OF U.S. VIRGIN BIRTHS NEAR ONE PERCENT: A
fair amount of U.S. pregnant women claim they are virgins, according to
new research. Based in interviews, 0.8-percent of over five-thousand
women who became pregnant reported that they conceived independent of
men. That figure does not include pregnancies that result from in vitro
fertilization or other assisted reproductive technology. The findings
were reported in Britain's BMJ medical journal, each year the journal
publishes a special Christmas edition filled with untraditional science
papers. Of the 45-women and girls who claimed to be virgin mothers,
31-percent said they had signed chastity pledges, and all were more
likely than non-virgins to say their parents never or rarely talked to
them about sex and birth control. Researchers also noted that while the
so-called virgin mothers were more likely to have boys than girls, and
to be pregnant during the weeks leading up to Christmas, neither
similarity to the Virgin Mary was statistically significant. (Fox)
"SLIGHTLY HAUNTED" HOUSE FOR SALE: http://yhoo.it/1fF2Od2
STUDY: PEOPLE LIKE TO EXPRESS THEIR OPINIONS; BE RIGHT:
It turns out women aren't significantly happier when they are "yes'd"
to death. To find this, researchers had a group of husbands agree with
every opinion and request expressed by their wives without complaint,
even if they thought their wife was wrong. Researchers from New Zealand
say the men's quality of life dipped from 70% to just 30% in only 12
days. The impact was so "severe" that the study was actually abandonded.
Researchers say that the wives in the study were only slightly happier
when being "yes'd" constantly, and say, "It seems that being right is a
cause of happiness, and agreeing with what one disagrees with is a cause
of unhappiness. Many people in the world live as couples, and we
believe that it could be harmful for one partner to always have to agree
with the other. (Daily Mail)
KIDS EAT MORE FRUITS AND VEGGIES AT SCHOOL IF PAID:
Not surprisingly, new research finds that kids will eat more fruits and
vegetables at school if they are paid to do so. Researchers from two
universities ran a week-long experiment with 15 different schools in
which they offered students a nickel, quarter or raffle ticket for
eating a serving of fruit or vegetable. The raffle ticket was for a
chance to win a larger prize, and researchers found that offering the
small rewards increased fruti and vegetable consumption by 80-percent,
and decreased food waste by 33-percent. Researchers say when the study
was over the students went back to the same level of fruit and vegetable
consumption as before, but they are not studying whether extending the
experiments over three to five weeks might yield lasting behavior
changes. (UPI)
TOYS"R"US AND KOHL'S STAYING OPEN 24 HOURS A DAY UNTIL CHRISTMAS:
Since Thanksgiving fell on November 28th, the holiday shopping season
was six days shorter than usual, and now Toys"R"Us and Kohl's say
they'll be open many extra hours to compensate. Toys"R"Us says it will
be open 24-hours a day from 6 AM on Saturday December 21st until 9 PM on
Christmas Eve. Kohl's announced similar hours, the department store
says it will be open 24-hours a day from tomorrow, December 20th, until
Christmas Eve. Other stores including Macy's, Nordstrom, Target,
Bloomingdale's and Kmart have also announced extended store hours ahead
of the holiday. A Macy's spokesperson says, "Not everybody works the
traditional 9-to-5 hours, but they still need to buy something. The
Christmas shopping seasons is much shorter this year. Extending those
hours is aboslutely a customer service initiative." (Daily Mail)
TV CAN TRANSFORM YOUR SENSE OF TASTE:
It may sound like a scene out of Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory,
but new research finds that TV can affect your sense of taste. To find
this, British researchers asked 50 participants to rate wines, beers and
brandy while watching classic Christmas TV shows. Participants were not
told that that each type of drink remained the same no matter what show
they watched. The results revealed that participants reported the
flavors and characteristics of their drink changing significantly
depending on which show they were watching. The TV show Downtown Abbey
produced the stronget response, with people rating their drinks as more
elegant and refined while they watched. Participants drinking wine were
also more likely to pick out tradtional English flavors from their wine
while watching the period drama. Researchers say, "What we are seeing
here is cognitive priming theory where the stimulus, in this case the TV
program, sets up our brains and in turn our taste buds to respond in a
certain way." (Daily Mail)
NAIL POLISH SALES ARE DOWN:
It seems the obsession with nail art is on the decline, and as a result
nail polish sales are down. A new report from Ad Age says tht sales of
nail polish have significantly slowed. Coty, the parent company for
brans such as OPI and Sally Hansen reports a four-percent decline in
sales in the third quarter of 2013, while L'Oreal's nail polish sales
have dropped 10-percent and Revlon's dipped 13-percent in October and
November. The executive vice president and artistic director of OPI,
Suzi Weiss-Fischmann, says that after so many years of nail polish
flying off the shelves at increasing rates it's no surprise it's now
dropping off. Weiss-Fischmann says that despite the decline she believes
nail polish is still popular and that innovations like gel polish, a
more expensive chip-resistant formula, have invigorated the industry.
She also says that trends in nail color seem to be shifting back into
classic colors, and this can be seen on celebrities on the red carpet as
well as on the runway. (Yahoo)
THE WORST CHRISTMAS GIFTS OF 2013: http://yhoo.it/1c1cLAS
FOOT NUMBING SPRAY MAY TAKE THE PAIN OUT OF WEARING HEELS:
Women may grin and bear it in order to walk around in sky-high heels,
but a new invention may take the pain out of the fashion. Biochemistry
has invented a foot-numbing spray called Heel No Pain. The spray claims
to relieve foot pain for up to three hours and will be released in the
U.S. just in time for New Year's Eve. The plastic surgeon who invented
the spray says, "The pain simply dissipates and [this] lasts two to
three hours. It's certainly enough to get you through a red carpet
event." The inventor explains that the spray is a painkiller with heat
treatment that is able to penetrate the skin. The stuff is FDA approved,
and will cost you 15-bucks for one ounce. (Daily Mail)
WATER COOLER TALK
Nearly Half Prefer 'Happy Holidays,' 'Merry Christmas' Close Behind
Whether
stores should greet customers with "Happy Holidays" or "Merry
Christmas" has become increasingly politicized in recent years, with
some conservative pundits charging that using "Happy Holidays" is part
of a secular "war on Christmas." A new poll from the Public Religion
Research Institute asked Americans which they prefer, and found that
just under half, 49 percent, favored "Happy Holidays" or "Seasons
Greetings" out of respect for people of different faiths, up from 44
percent in 2010, while close behind at 43 percent were those who prefer
"Merry Christmas." Responses split along political lines, with
Republicans favoring "Merry Christmas" and Democrats the other two, and
generationally, with two-thirds of young adults okay with "Happy
Holidays" or "Seasons Greetings" compared to just 39 percent of seniors.
Holiday Sales Below Expectations So Far
There's
less than a week to go until Christmas, and sales so far have been
disappointing for retailers, coming in below expectations. That comes as
the amount of discounts stores are offering are up 13 percent from last
year, the highest level since 2008, according to BMO Capital Markets.
Shoppers got used to big discounts during the Great Recession, and now
expect to see those markdowns before they spend money, which cuts into
retailers' sales and profits. Even with the discounts, fewer shoppers
are turning out, with ShopperTrak saying the number of shoppers from
November 1st through Sunday dropped 16.5 percent compared with last
year. Despite that, both ShopperTrak and the National Retail Federation
are standing by their sales forecasts for the holiday season, knowing
that six of the season's top 10 spending days are still left.
Britain Latest Country to Make Switch to Plastic Currency
Britain
on Wednesday (December 18th) announced that it will begin printing its
currency, the British pound, on plastic bank notes, switching from the
cotton-based paper that's been used for 300 years. More than two dozen
other countries have already made the switch to plastic currency,
including Canada and Australia, although the U.S. isn't expected to join
them. Although plastic wears better than paper, a main reason countries
are switching is because the plastic notes are a lot harder to
counterfeit. There have been some complaints about the plastic notes,
however, in countries that have adopted them, chiefly that the bills are
slippery and difficult to fold.
KFLAG COUNTR MUSIC UPDATE
Chris Young will be part of the 15th annual Home For The Holidays With Celine Dion TV
special airing tonight (Wednesday, December 18th) at 8 p.m. ET on CBS.
The special features inspirational stories about children adopted from
foster care into loving families.
Chris tells us that he's happy to be a part of this hour of TV for several reasons. It's really a cool opportunity for me to be part of the Home For The Holidays special
because not only is it two people that I have a lot of respect for,
artistically, in Celine Dion and Ne-Yo, but it's being able to do a
holiday special that's not just themed around country music and they're
having a country artist, so I was really, really excited to be a part of
it and get a chance to do it, on top of all of the cool musical side to
it and everything else it's bringing the focus to adoption at a time
where a lot of people are making those holiday memories with family, so
it's a great tie-in and I think it's a special that people will enjoy
the music and it'll also make 'em think."
Chris will debut his new single, “Who I Am With You,” during the show. The song heads to radio this week.
FAST FACTS
- Chris will return to Brad Paisley's Beat This Winter tour on January 9th in Greenville, South Carolina.
Parmalee holds the Number One spot on the Mediabase/ Country Aircheck
chart for the second consecutive week with “Carolina.” Co-written by
all four members of the band, "Carolina" first topped the charts the
week of December 9th, the same week their debut album, Feels Like Carolina, was released.
Matt Thomas tells us these major feats happening at one time is almost more than the group can believe. ["We are flippin' out. It's unbelievable. We don't know how to act. (It's) the pinnacle of our career."] SOUNDCUE (:06 OC: . . . of our career.)
Also this week, “Carolina” was certified gold by the RIAA for sales of more than 500,000 copies.
Parmalee recently visited with FOX & Friends in New York City where they performed their hit single.
CHECK IT OUT

The members of Lady Antebellum
are definitely in the Christmas spirit now that last week's American
Country Awards are behind them and they are officially off the clock
until next month when their Take Me Downtown tour kicks off.
The Christmas tree is up in Hillary Scott, Dave Haywood and Charles Kelley's respective homes and they all agree on one thing -- fake is better.
They tell us: "(Dave/Hillary) "Fake tree! (Charles) I would love to have a real tree, and we used to have it and I always wondered why I couldn't breathe. (laughs) Dave and I share, we're allergic to everything in this world, so we have to have fake trees. (Hillary) They're not as messy. (Charles) And who wants their house to burn down accidentally? (Hillary) They still kinda shed anyway like a real tree, but I don't know, I just feel like the sap and everything, it gets on my floor. (Dave) Which some people love, but for me it's just a little too much maintenance at Christmas time. I'd rather focus on (Hillary) The family. (Dave) Presents, family, food . . . (Charles) And drinking. (Dave) So then the tree just pops in the attic for good. (Hillary) Pre-lit tree. (Charles) Omigosh, you're going super laziness. (Dave) You at least need to put some lights on. (Charles) At least string the lights up."
Lady A's 2012 Christmas CD and DVD, On This Winter's Night, are both in stores.
The trio hits the road on January 10th in Peoria, Illinois with special guests Kip Moore and Kacey Musgraves.
Chris Cagle
was arrested in the early hours of Sunday (December 15th) morning near
Greenville, Texas and charged with driving while intoxicated. According
to the Texas Department of Public Safety, Cagle was pulled over after
running a red light.
The singer lives in Marietta, Oklahoma.
His hits include "I Breathe In, I Breathe Out," "Laredo" and "What A Beautiful Day."

The Foundation for a Better Life, a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting "positive behavioral values," has adopted Kenny Chesney's song, "Spread The Love," for its new PSA campaign.
Radio
and television networks and individual stations will begin receiving
the 30 and 60-second Public Service Announcements today (Wednesday,
December 18th), which show real life images and remind people about the
things that truly matter.
When Chesney finished writing “Spread the Love,” finishing a song the Wailers had started many years earlier, he’d hoped to capture the love, grace and acceptance the music Bob Marley had embodied.
Kenny
said, “When I wrote the song, I just wanted to capture the truth that I
find in the Wailers’ music. It’s very simple things: love people, share
and embrace each other. The Wailers were a very powerful force of how
people look at the world and each other, how we should treat each other.
I wanted to carry that forward.”
This is the second time the Foundation has come to Kenny: they’ve also used his hit “The Good Stuff.”
Known for their “Pass It On” billboard campaigns, The Foundation for a Better Life has celebrated the achievements of Nelson Mandela, Ghandi, Muhammad Ali, Winston Churchill, Mother Theresa, Albert Einstein, Mozart, Jane Goodall and the Wright Brothers, as well as Oprah Winfrey, Wayne Gretzki, Whoopi Goldberg, Kermit the Frog and the Mona Lisa.
Other artists who’ve participated in the Foundation's Pass It On PSAs, which air in over 200 nations globally, are Aretha Franklin, the Black Eyed Peas, Amy Grant, Jon Bon Jovi and Frank Sinatra.
CHECK IT OUT: http://bit.ly/1jglsNp
CELEBRATING BIRTHDAYS
- Cowboy Troy (43)
- Cledus T. Judd (country comedian, radio dj) (49)
- Randy Houser (38)
- Katie Holmes (actress, Dawson's Creek, Batman Begins; ex-wife of Tom Cruise) (35)
- Christina Aguilera (singer, judge on The Voice) (33)
- Keith Richards (Rolling Stones guitarist) (70)
- DMX (Rapper) (43)
- Tara Conner (Miss USA) (28)
- Brad Pitt (actor, Interview With The Vampire, Fight Club, Ocean's Eleven, Troy, Ocean's Twelve, Babel, Inglorious Basterds) (50)
- Steven Spielberg (director, Jaws, E.T., the Indiana Jones movies,Jurassic Park, Schindler's List, Saving Private Ryan, War Of The Worlds, War Horse) (67)
- Ray Liotta (actor, Field Of Dreams, Goodfellas, Hannibal, Identity) (59, disputed)
- "Stone Cold" Steve Austin (professional wrestler, real name Steven Williams) (49)
- Rachel Griffiths (actress, Six Feet Under, Brothers & Sisters) (45)
- Bobby Keys (saxophonist, longtime Rolling Stones sideman) (70)
- Elliot Easton (lead guitarist, the Cars, Creedence Clearwater Revisited, the New Cars) (60)
- Sam Andrew (guitarist, Big Brother & the Holding Company) (72)
ON THIS DAY
- Blake Shelton's team finished first as Cassadee Pope won the NBC competition The Voice in 2012.
- Carrie Underwood returned to the U.S. after performing for American troops in Iraq and Kuwait during her first USO tour in 2006.
- Tim McGraw's "Back When" went to Number One in Billboard in 2004.
- Reba McEntire earned a Golden Globe nomination for best actress in a musical or comedy series for her work in the WB's Reba in 2003.
- Trace Adkins entered Cumberland Heights Alcohol and Drug Treatment Center in Nashville to treat alcoholism in 2002.
- Tim McGraw's Greatest Hits album was certified gold and platinum on the same day in 2000.
- Martina McBride appeared alongside Smokey Robinson on NBC-TV's Brooke Shields-hosted special Christmas In Washington in 1998.
- Faith Hill made her Grand Ole Opry debut in 1993.
- Buck Owens sang "I've Got A Tiger By The Tail" in an episode of the CBS series The Dukes Of Hazzard in 1981.
- Johnny Paycheck earned his first gold album for "Take This Job And Shove It" in 1978.
CELEBRITY GOSSIP

SOBRIETY SAVED BRADLEY COOPER'S CAREER: Bradley Cooper appears in the January issue of GQ
where he discusses how the decision to get sober has made all the
difference for his career. The actor admits to being in a bad place with
drugs and alcohol before finally deciding to give it all up. Now at 38,
he tells the magazine, "If I continued it, I was really going to
sabotage my whole life. Of course it hindered the work. I was doing
these movies, and I got to meet Sandra Bullock and meet these people and
work with them. And I'm sober, and I'm like, 'Oh, I'm actually myself.
And I don't have to put on this air to be somebody else, and this person
still wants to work with me? Oh, what the f*** is that about?' I was
rediscovering myself in this workplace, and it was wonderful."
ORLANDO BLOOM STILL BELIEVES IN LOVE: Orlando Bloom has not given up on love even though his marriage to model Miranda Kerr came to a close earlier this year. He explains in the January issue of Elle,
"I'm completely in love with the idea of love. Maybe I'm all misty
about it because I'm playing Romeo. But I really believe in, you know,
that sort of heart-to-heart connection." Despite breaking up, he and his
ex-wife have been photographed together on several occasions spending
time with their three-year-old son Flynn.
'FIFTY SHADES' ACTOR WELCOMES BABY GIRL: Fifty Shades of Grey actor Jamie Dornan welcomed a baby girl with his wife Amelia Warner late last month. A rep for the actor recently confirmed the news to People saying,
"The couple are delighted to announce the birth of their daughter, born
at the end of November." Dornan and his wife were married back in April
and revealed they were expecting a child back in June.
KYLIE JENNER DENIES HAVING A BOYFRIEND IN 'SEVENTEEN PROM': 16-year-old Kylie Jenner
may have enough money to get pretty much anything she wants but cash
can't really buy her what she really desires. The youngest of the
Kardashian/Jenner clan recently told Seventeen Prom magazine,
"I don't have a boyfriend, but I do really want that boyfriend prom
experience. I would want to go with someone who's not afraid, or doesn't
think that he's too cool, to show up at my house with a rose corsage.
It would be nice for the guy to come over and be respectful and nice
while my mom takes prom pics. But if I couldn't find a boyfriend, I
would want to go with one of my best guy friends, like Jaden Smith. I know I'd have fun with him – he makes me laugh and he is a great dancer."
FAITH IS IMPORTANT TO MARK WAHLBERG: Mark Wahlberg opens up about the importance of religion in his life during a new interview with Parade
magazine. The 42-year-old reveals, "It's the most important part of my
life. I don't try to push it on anybody and I don't try to hide it. If
the kids are good, I'll have doughnuts for them at 6:30 in the morning,
and I'll say, 'You guys gotta let Mommy sleep in!' I'll go to church at
7:30 and everybody will be eating breakfast when I come home. Then we'll
go to church again at 10:30, if things aren't too hectic. Or if one of
the kids has a game we'll watch them play. It's a nice family day."
INDUSTRY NEWS

CORY MONTEITH'S BAND TO RELEASE EP: Cory Monteith's band, Bonnie Dune,
is planning to release a new EP containing the music they were working
on prior to the actor's untimely death over the summer. The band's lead
singer Justin Wilczynski told Just Jared, "We had recorded the EP Miramar
this last year working around Cory‘s hectic Glee schedule, tracking his
drums and background vocals whenever he had free time. We were planning
on touring the US and Canada summer 2014 promoting our new EP. We never
could've imagined something so tragic and devastating could happen to
our bandmate, and more importantly, our close friend. Unsure of how to
move on after losing Cory, we have taken our time to finish this album.
We know he is an irreplaceable part of Bonnie Dune, but we will continue
to make music, something he loved to do and will start playing shows
again in 2014, where we made some of our greatest memories together." Miramar will be released on February 4th.
JULIA ROBERTS ISN'T AFRAID TO COMPETE AGAINST OPRAH FOR A SAG AWARD: Julia Roberts revealed at the L.A. premiere of August: Osage County that there is no tension between herself and Oprah Winfrey even though they are competing against one another for the Best Actress SAF award. Julia told E! News,
"We've spoken. We're good. We're fine. We're going to get through this
just fine. Honestly, not to speak for her -- Oprah Winfrey, she' so
fabulous --but we're both just thrilled. This is such a beautiful
moment."
WARNER BROS ADAPTING 'GILLIGAN'S ISLAND': Warner Bros is planning to make a film adaptation of the 1960s TV series Gilligan's Island. The project is being eyed as a starring vehicle for Josh Gad -- best known for Book of Mormon and Disney's Frozen. Gad will co-write the script with Benji Samit and Dan Hernandez.
HARD ROCK HOTEL DUMPS BRANDI GLANVILLE: The Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Tampa, Florida has nixed a deal for Beverly Hills housewife Brandi Glanville
to host a party there this Saturday (December 21st) after Bravo aired a
racist comment that Brandi made to a fellow castmate. The casino
president said in a statement, "As a company who prides itself on its
core values of 'Love All, Serve All,' we have decided to proceed with
the planned party without Ms. Glanville's appearance due to recent
developments that include remarks towards African Americans made by Ms.
Glanville on her hit Bravo TV show Real Housewives of Beverly Hills.
Until this situation is behind her, our organization feels it's best to
reinforce our culture and values at this time, which consist of love
and respect for all."
NBC ORDERS FOLLOW-UP TO 'THE BIBLE': NBC has given a green light for a 12-hour miniseries that will act as a sequel to the successful History channel show The Bible. The series is being called A.D. and is expected to premiere in the spring of 2015. NBC chairman Robert Greenblatt released a statement saying, "Last year when Mark Burnett was launching The Bible on
cable, I told him, without hesitation, that if he wanted to tell more
of the story, we'd love to do it at NBC. We are firmly in the 'event'
business and nothing has more event potential than A.D. as it continues immediately after The Bible ended."
THE ROCK IS 2013'S HIGHEST-GROSSING ACTOR

Forbes has named Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson as the top-grossing actor of 2013. The actor beat out Robert Downey Jr., Steve Carell, and Fast & Furious co-star Vin Diesel to nab the top spot.
The Rock's combined box office take for the year was $1.3 billion due in large part to Fast & Furious 6 and G.I. Joe: Retaliation. The 41-year-old also acted in two smaller films which helped him edge ahead of Downey Jr.
- Sandra Bullock and Jennifer Lawrence
were the only females to crack the top 10. Bullock's box office take
was $862 million -- landing her in fifth place. Lawrence came in 10th
with $700 million.
CHECK IT OUT:
COLIN FARRELL REVEALS ROMANCE WITH ELIZABETH TAYLOR

Colin Farrell appeared on Ellen on Monday (December 16th) where he revealed that he had a close relationship with Elizabeth Taylor before her death. The actor explained that they met after he ran into her assistant at the hospital after his son was born.
Colin told Ellen,
"I said, 'Will you tell her I said hello, she probably won't know who I
am.' And they go, 'No, she knows who you are,' and I went, 'Wow, cool.
Well, tell her I said hello and I wish her the best,' and they said,
'Will do.' So I got home a few days later with Henry and I was thinking
about Elizabeth and how she was doing, and I called my publicist and I
said, 'I bumped into some people of Elizabeth Taylor's...could I send
her some flowers?' And my publicist said...'That's funny because I'm
looking at an orchid from Elizabeth Taylor for you.' I said, 'Wow,
that's amazing. Well, send that bad boy over to the house and can I
still get the flowers?' And it came with a hand written note from her. I
then cheekily about a week later said, 'Listen is there any chance I
can go...and see her?'" The Saving Mr. Banks actor continued, "I got to
have an audience with her and that was the beginning of a year and a
half or two years of what was a really cool...it was kind of like the
last -- it feels like in my head, not her, I'm projecting, but the last
kind of romantic relationship I had."
- The 37-year-old
went on to say that the relationship was never consummated but the pair
had many late-night phone conversations. He also joked about her many
husbands saying, "I wanted to be number eight, but we ran out of road."
- There was a 44 year age gap between Colin and Elizabeth.
- Taylor passed away in 2011.
CHECK IT OUT:
SCARLETT JOHANSSON IS ALMOST READY TO START A FAMILY

Scarlett Johansson may still have a red hot career but the 29-year-old may be taking a break soon to take on the role of motherhood. The Avengers actress recently chatted with UK's Daily Mail about fiancé Romain Dauriac and her plans to start a family with him.
Scarlett
revealed, "I would like to have my own family, that would be nice. They
say it's never the right time and I am sure that's true, but I think
you have to plan it like anything else." She added, "At some point it is
something I look forward to. I am fortunate in that I have had a long
career -- 20 years -- that has been very diverse. So, you know, picking a
time to plan a family feels like something that I could do and not feel
as though I was missing out."
- Johansson was previously married to Ryan Reynolds from 2008-2011.
CHECK IT OUT:
LEONARDO DICAPRIO SAYS HIS VACATION FROM ACTING IS ALMOST DONE

Between The Great Gatsby and the upcoming Wolf of Wall Street, it seemed like Leonardo DiCaprio had quite the busy year but he was actually mostly on vacation. The 39-year-old was promoting Wall Street to E! News when he revealed his plans to step back in front of the cameras in the coming year.
Leo
explained, "I think it's more of a vacation or a hiatus. I've already
taken a lot of time off." He added, "You know this film wrapped in
January, so I'm probably going to be looking for something to do soon.
But hopefully it'll be as exciting as a film like this. I don't know if I
can find one."
- During his down time from promoting
the two big projects, DiCaprio was photographed enjoying time at the
beach. Earlier this month, he was spotted surfing and jet-skiing in
Miami.
- Leo was nominated for a Golden Globe last week in the Best Performance by an Actor, Musical or Comedy category for his work in The Wolf of Wall Street. It's his 10th nomination.
CHECK IT OUT:
MOVIE OPENING: 'ANCHORMAN 2: THE LEGEND CONTINUES'

Opening today (Wednesday December 18th) is the highly anticipated sequel to the 2004 hit, Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues, starring Will Ferrell, Paul Rudd, Steve Carell, David Koechner, Christina Applegate, Kristen Wiig and James Marsden. The film follows the gang who, after getting back together, help Ron take the nation's first 24 hour news channel by storm.
- Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues is rated PG-13 and has a running time of 2 hours.
- Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues was directed by Adam McKay.
HEADLINE NEWS
SNOWDEN TELLS BRAZIL WILL HELP IT PROBE NSA SPYING IN EXCHANGE FOR ASYLUM: NSA leaker Edward Snowden
wrote an open letter that he addressed to the people of Brazil in which
he offered to help the South American nation investigate National
Security Agency spying on its soil in exchange for asylum. Snowden,
who's living under temporary asylum in Russia, said he couldn't fully
participate in such investigations without Brazilian asylum because the
U.S., quote, "will continue to interfere with my ability to speak." The
documents Snowden stole revealed that NSA spying in Brazil has included
the monitoring of President Dilma Rousseff's cellphone
and hacking into the internal network of state-run oil company
Petrobras. An angry Rousseff canceled an official visit to the U.S. in
October that was to include a state dinner over the
revelations. Brazil's Foreign Ministry and the presidential office
didn't have any immediate comment on Snowden's asylum request.
GUNMAN KILLS ONE AT RENO HOSPITAL BEFORE SHOOTING HIMSELF: A
gunman killed one person at a Reno, Nevada, hospital complex yesterday
(December 17th) and critically wounded two others before fatally
shooting himself. The shooting at the Renown Regional Medical Center
doesn't appear to have been random, according to Reno Deputy Police
Chief Tom Robinson, who said, "I wouldn't say they were targeted, but I
don't think it was just a random [incident where the shooter decided]
'I'm going to go up there and start shooting.' Robinson told reporters
after the shooting that they didn't have an identity yet of the
attacker.
TODAY'S FYI:
TWO WINNING TICKETS FOR $636 MILLION MEGA MILLIONS DRAWING: There
were two winning tickets for last night's (December 17th) $636 million
Mega Millions drawing, the second-largest lottery prize in U.S. history.
Lottery officials said the winning tickets were sold in San Jose,
California, and in Georgia, with the numbers: 8, 14, 17, 20, 39; Mega
Ball: 7. Mega Millions changed its rules in October to help increase the
jackpots by lowering the odds of winning the top prize.
CANTOR FITZGERALD REACHES $135 MILLION 9/11 SETTLEMENT: Financial
services firm Cantor Fitzgerald, which lost 658 people in the 9/11
attacks, two-thirds of its New York workforce, revealed to a judge
Tuesday (December 17th) that it had reached a $135 million settlement
with American Airlines and insurance carriers. That agreement avoids a
trial that was scheduled for next month, and closes the final
airline-related 9/11 case from claims of wrongful death and injury. U.S.
District Judge Alvin Hellerstein said that because there will be no
trial, there will be no public airing of questions such as how the
hijackers got through security, the best way to stop terrorists, whether
there was wrongdoing and negligence, and how best to preserve our
freedoms amid terror threats, stating, "All this will remain a mystery."
HOME REMEDIES APPROVED BY DOCTORS: http://bit.ly/19RpHW1
FORMER MICROSOFT EXEC TAKING OVER HEALTHCARE.GOV REPAIR EFFORT: President Obama
has chosen former Microsoft executive Kurt DelBene, who was president
of the company's Office division for nearly three years, to head up the
effort to finish the repairs on the the health insurance website, taking
over from Jeffrey Zients. Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius
said of DelBene, "Kurt has proven expertise in heading large, complex
technology teams and in product development." Obama and Sebelius have
been criticized for not assigning responsibility for the HealthCare.gov
website to a single person with experience running similar projects.
'ANARCHIST COOKBOOK' AUTHOR SAYS IT SHOULD BE TAKEN OUT OF PRINT: In the wake of The Anarchist Cookbook being
tied to another perpetrator of violence -- last week's Colorado high
school shooter Karl Pierson, who left a fellow student in a coma and
killed himself -- the author of the infamous how-to book of murder is
saying it should be taken out of print. William Powell wrote the 1971
book as a 19-year-old opponent of the Vietnam War who believed violence
was justified if it could prevent greater violence, a position he's
since renounced. He told NBC News in an e-mail that, quote, "it is no
longer responsible or defensible to keep [his book] in print." The book
has been linked to the perpetrators of, among other incidents: the
Oklahoma City bombing; the Columbine High School shooting; the London
public transportation bombings in 2005; the Arizona shooting that
targeted Gabrielle Giffords; and the Boston Marathon
bombing. Powell, who's now an educator who lives in Malaysia, has even
posted a warning to would-be buyers on Amazon.com's page for the book.
But Billy Blann, the founder of Delta Press who bought the rights to The Anarchist Cookbook in
2002 has no intention of pulling the volume, which is the biggest
seller among his catalogue of similar death-peddling titles. He told NBC
News, "I just don't think we need to start banning books in America."
9 SOCIAL MEDIA HOAXES WE FELL FOR THIS YEAR: http://on.mash.to/1i0iqv7
SPORTS:
NFL HEAD OF OFFICIALS SAYS HIT ON HUBER WAS ILLEGAL: Dean Blandino, the NFL's head of officials, said last night (December 17th) that the hit on Cincinnati Bengals punter Kevin Huber Sunday that broke his jaw and cracked vertebrae in his neck was illegal. Pittsburgh Steelers return team blocker Terence Garvin blindsided Huber with the hit as the punter was trying to seal a hole during Antonio Brown's
first-quarter punt return. Blandino said on NFL Network, "Huber, he's a
punter. And the key is he's defenseless throughout the down. Even
though he's pursuing the play, he still gets defenseless-player
protection. You can't hit him in the head or neck, and you can't use the
crown or forehead parts of the helmet to the body." No penalty was
given, but Blandino said Garvin she have received one for a personal
foul. Garvin likely will be fined by the league for the hit.
(Headline News, FYI and Sports stories were compiled in part from reports by the Associated Press and Reuters.)
ON THE TUBE
CBS
- A HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS WITH CELINE DION - Celebrities present inspirational stories of adoption; musical performers include Ne-Yo and Chris Young.
- CRIMINAL MINDS (repeat)
- CSI: CRIME SCENE INVESTIGATION (repeat)
NBC
- THE SING-OFF - The groups perform songs from movies.
- MICHAEL BUBLE'S 3RD ANNUAL CHRISTMAS SPECIAL - Mariah Carey, Mary J. Blige and Cookie Monster join the singer to perform Christmas classics.
FOX
- THE X FACTOR - The remaining acts perform.
ABC
- THE MIDDLE (repeat)
- THE GOLDBERGS (repeat)
- MODERN FAMILY (repeat)
- BARBARA WALTERS PRESENTS THE 10 MOST FASCINATING PEOPLE OF 2013 - The journalist interviews some of the year's top newsmakers.
CW
- THE iHEART RADIO JINGLE BAL 2013 - Scheduled performers at Madison Square Garden in New York include Miley Cyrus, Robin Thicke, Pitbull and others.
DAY TIME TALK SHOW
THE ELLEN DEGENERES SHOW - Julia Roberts, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Martha Stewart THE VIEW - Bill O'Reilly, guest co-host Mario Cantone
LATE NIGHT TALK SHOWS
THE LATE SHOW WITH DAVID LETTERMAN (CBS) - Ben Stiller, Brett Dennen THE TONIGHT SHOW WITH JAY LENO (NBC) - Christina Applegate, Kevin Nealon, the winner of The Voice JIMMY KIMMEL LIVE (ABC) - Tim Robbins, Bill Simmons, Jalen Rose, Haim THE LATE LATE SHOW WITH CRAIG FERGUSON (CBS) - Natasha Lyonne, Michael Connelly LATE NIGHT WITH JIMMY FALLON (NBC) - (repeat) LAST CALL WITH CARSON DALY (NBC) - (repeat) THE DAILY SHOW WITH JON STEWART (COMEDY CENTRAL) - Steve Carell, Will Ferrell, David Koechner, Paul Rudd THE COLBERT REPORT (COMEDY CENTRAL) - Keanu Reeves, Aaron Neville CONAN O'BRIEN (TBS) - Jennifer Lawrence, Bob Odenkirk, Bad Religion THE ARSENIO HALL SHOW (CW) - The cast of VH1's Singles Ladies, Kevin Smith, Bernard Hopkins, Prentice Powell
OFFBEAT BRIEFS
MAN TRIES TO TRADE ALLIGATOR FOR BEER: A man
tried to trade a live four-foot alligator for beer at a Miami
convenience store. Fernando Caignet Aguilera was cited after he tried to
trade the gator for beer. Aguilera found the alligator at a nearby
park, trapped it and brought it to the store. He approached the clerk
with the trade proposal, but the clerk called authorities. The alligator
was released back into the wild. (Huffington Post)
GREATEST TWITTER RANT: http://bzfd.it/1kfydpi
NUDIST ACTIVIST PLANS NAKED WEDDING:
A San Francisco nudity activist said she plans to get naked during her
wedding on the steps of City Hall. 44-year-old Gypsy Taub and fiance
Jaymz Smith are planning their wedding on the steps of City Hall. Taub
said she will shed her clothes throughout the ceremony and expects to be
arrested as a result of her public nudity. (San Francisco Chronicle)
CANADIAN LOTTO WINNER PLANS TO DONATE $37 MILLION TO CHARITY:
An Alberta man who won $37-million said he plans to donate every cent
to charity. 64-year-old Tom Crist plans to donate his jackpot from May's
Lotto Max to charities including the Tom Baker Cancer Center which
treated his wife prior to her death. He said the donations will be
spread out over the course of several years and he has not yet selected
the organizations. (Calgary Sun)
DIAL-A-CAROL IS A HOLIDAY TRADITION AT UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS: A
student run project called Dial-a-Carol is a bit hit at the University
of Illinois. The hotline is for people that prefer holiday music sung by
a choir of students. Students received 3,450 total calls through
Tuesday (December 17th) afternoon, coming in from all 50 states and 17
countries. The hotline was started in 1960 by a former hall secretary.
The lines are open until just before midnight Wednesday(December 18th).
Call 217-332-1882 for a carol. (Yahoo)
PROSTHETIC LEG CONFUSED FOR "PEEPING TOM":
Sixty school children in the United Kingdom were forced to evacuate a
pool changing room after a prosthetic leg was mistaken for someone
lurking. Teachers from Kings Hill Primary School in Kent responded to a
"peeping Tom" alert during a school outing. A foot was spotted poking
out behind a cubicle where children were changing. The "suspect,"
however, turned out to be a prosthetic leg left behind in the changing
room while the owner went swimming. (Mirror)
OFFBEAT EXTRAS:
CAT ATTACKS WOMAN:
MAID OF HONOR LOSES HERSELF:
FAMILY'S VIRAL CHRISTMAS CARD:
THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW
MANY AMERICANS PREDICTED TO TRAVEL THIS HOLIDAY SEASON:
Are you headed to grandmother's house this Christmas? AAA predicts that
nearly thirty-percent of Americans will travel 50-miles or more from
home sometime this holiday season. That's about 94.5-million people
traveling between Saturday, December 21st and Wednesday, January 1st.
More than 90-percent of those travelers are expected to drive, which is
an increase from last year. AAA says this is the fifth straight year
that travel volume has increased, but that one area they expect to see
fewer people traveling via airplane. AAA's CEO Marshall Doney says the
the consistently heavy traffic of the year-end holiday seasons shows
Americans are refusing to let economic conditions dictate their plans
for celebrating the holidays. (Fox)
GOOGLE TRENDS: WHAT THE WORLD SEARCHED FOR IN 2013: http://bit.ly/18x5eul
PARENTS PERCEIVE THEIR YOUNGEST CHILD AS SMALLER THAN THEY ACTUALLY ARE:
The youngest child may always be considered the "baby" of the family,
and new research reveals parents actually always perceive their youngest
as smaller than they actually are. To find this, researchers surveyed
nearly 800 mothers about the heights of their children. They found that
mothers routinely underestimated the size of their youngest oe only
children. Additonally, more than 70-percent of the moms reported their
first child seeming suddenly larger when their second child was born.
Researchers call this the "baby illusion" and say that it could be
beneficial to the youngest as they will receive more resources from the
parents, and that the research may help prove the idea that birth order
helps shape personality. (Fox)
COMPANY LETS DRIVE-THRU CUSTOMERS PAY WITH E-ZPASS:
If you've ever searched for a quarter in your car to pay at the
drive-thru window of your favorite fast food joint, you'll be glad to
know some restaurants are accepting E-Zpass to make payments. iDriveThru
is independently using E-ZPasses as a payment method at five New York
drive-thru restaurants. Customers who choose to use the service just
have to sign up with iDriveThru and link their credit, debit or prepaid
card to their E-Zpass. When going through the drive-thru, the tag's data
is read by sensors, which take the customer's payment automatically.
Frequent customers can earn reward points for every dollar spent, and
iDriveThru claims the service cuts service time by an average of
15-seconds for those who have registered for the program. (Fox)
TWITTER'S WORKING ON AN "EDIT" BUTTON:
Make a typo on your tweet? You may soon be able to fix it. Sources say
Twitter is planning to add an "edit tweet" button in the near future.
Twitter employees say the edit button will only be available for a
limited time after a post has been submitted, and that users are limited
to one edit per tweet. All changes will be reflected in any retweets
made via the "retweet" button. Twitter will supposedly only allow small
changes, and an algorithm is reportedly being developed that will
prevent users from overhauling their tweets completely. (Digital Spy)
FACEBOOK MESSENGER OFFERS A "DISLIKE" SYMBOL:
Facebook users have been begging for a "dislike" button for a long
time, and now they have one, but only for messenger. So far the
"dislike" option is a "sticker" available in a new set developed for
Facebook Messenger. In order to access the new slew of stickers users
will have to download it from the Sticker Store inside the Messenger
app. Recently Facebook said it would not put a "dislike" button on all
posts since it is so negative, and they are considering creating a
"sympathize" button. (Fox) CHECK IT OUT: The new Facebook Messenger stickers: http://bit.ly/1dkUugi
SHARKS PREFER TO SWIM UP BEHIND HUMANS:
Sharks prefer to swim up behind humans, new research finds. Researchers
from the Shark Research Institute in Florida say their study findings
back up anecdotal evidence from divers and surfers who say sharks like
to approach people from the rear. Researchers say, "It doesn't mean they
sneak up in a way of having a vicious thought; mainly, they are curious
but at the same tiem cautious." Researchers say the findings were
surprising because they weren't sure if sharks could differentiate the
front of a person from the back of a person. (Newser)
TERRIFYING CHRISTMAS MEAL: http://dailym.ai/18OYvae
THIS NOVEMBER WAS THE WARMEST ON RECORD SINCE 1880:
This November was really warm, in fact it was the warmest Novmber on
Earth since 1880. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
(NOAA) says land and ocean temperatures were 1.4-degrees Fahrenheit
above the average 20th century global temperature of 55.2-degrees
Fahrenheit. Researchers say Russia had its warmest Novmber since 1880,
with temperatures 14-degrees Fahrenheit above average. The Climate
Prediction Center says 2014 will not be cooler due to raised odds of El
Niño conditions, in which warm sea water in the tropical Pacific raises
global temperatures. Researchers say if El Niño conditions prevail, they
would be the first since the hottest year on record-- 2010. (NBC News)
WATER COOLER TALK
Dennis Rodman Still Going to North Korea Despite Execution
The world was shocked by the news last week that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un had
executed his uncle, who'd been the second-most powerful person in the
totalitarian nation, reportedly having him killed by a firing squad that
used machine guns and flame throwers. But that hasn't deterred former
NBA star Dennis Rodman, who's still planning to go back
to North Korea this week for his third visit this year. Paddy Power,
the Irish online betting company sponsoring the trip, told Reuters,
"It's certainly safe, even when there is a bit of disruption like there
is now -- a bit of trouble or chaos -- there's even more need for
cultural or sporting exchanges." Rodman, who has called Kim a, quote,
"friend for life," plans on this visit to train the North Korean
basketball team in preparation for a game against former NBA players
next month. Rodman said a few weeks ago that it's up to him to, quote,
"break ground with North Korea" and its dictator.
Automatically-Playing Ads to Appear in Your Facebook News Feed
Get
ready for another Facebook change designed to get you to open up your
wallet, with the debut tomorrow (December 19th) of ads in users' news
feeds that will automatically begin playing, although the sound will be
off. It's not clear how long the ads will be, although the Wall Street Journal
reported in August that Facebook planned to offer video ads of up to 15
seconds. Also not known is how much Facebook will charge for the ads,
but it's likely to be expensive, with the social media company
describing it as a "premium advertising format."
KFLAG COUNTRY MUSIC UPDATE
Garth Brooks
has confirmed his plans to tour the world in 2014, but so far, no dates
have been announced. Garth says that's because at this point, he
doesn't know that himself.
The superstar tells us exclusively that his tour itinerary is very much in the hands of his fans. "Everybody's
been very sweet on the announcement of the world tour. They've been
very, very nice, but the truth is the only time you're really gonna know
is when those tickets go on sale, so we always let the people decide if
we're in a city for one night, we'd be very lucky, and if they want to
do five shows, four shows, 10 shows, whatever it takes, we'll just get a
hotel and stay there because we love playing music, and then how many
cities, how many countries, that all depends on the demand, so we're
gonna find out. We'll find out as you find out, I guess."
Garth also clarified that he is co-headlining this tour with his wife, whom he always refers to as "Ms. Yearwood." "You
know, if anybody thought this was Garth Brooks with special guest
Trisha Yearwood I have miscommunicated. This is the Garth Brooks/Trisha
Yearwood World Tour, and I cannot tell you how lucky I am to be with
that woman 24/7 playing music."
Garth's new boxed set, Blame It All on My Roots: Five Decades of Influences, debuted at Number One on the Billboard albums chart. The collection of eight discs is exclusively available at Walmart.
Florida Georgia Line's Brian Kelley is a married man! The singer quietly tied the knot yesterday (Monday, December 16th) at his Nashville area home with Brittney Cole,
his girlfriend of seven months. The couple said their vows at sunset
during an outdoor ceremony attended by 40 family members and close
friends, including Brian's Florida Georgia Line partner Tyler Hubbard.
Brian,
28, and Brittney, 23, first met three years ago while each was in a
relationship. They began dating seriously when they found themselves
single at the same time.
Brian told people.com, "The whole
process has been non-traditional. There was no official proposal or
exchanging of rings. We had just fallen in love, and I knew I couldn't
live without her. It sounds like a terrible cheesy movie, but when you
know, you know!"
The newlyweds are planning a tropical honeymoon.
They also say they will quickly expand their family with the addition of a puppy in the new year.
Jake Owen has big plans for 2014. He tells us the new year will definitely include a headlining tour. ["Oh yeah, I've been waiting a long time to go on a headline . . . I headlined the CMT Tour
last year. It was kind of a smaller theater-type headlining tour, but
it's our year to get out and get our feet wet especially after the last
record, Barefoot Blue Jean Night, and with the release of the new album. We're excited. It's gonna be the Days of Gold tour,
and we haven't announced who's our support acts yet but they're great
and we're gonna put that out soon. I've learned so much from so many
people and pulled so many different (inaudible) from each person's show that I really admired that I'll probably put to use in mine as well this year."
Jake recently released his new Days of Gold CD, featuring the Top 20 title track.
Last week, he performed "Days of Gold" on Jimmy Kimmel Live.
CHECK IT OUT
Justin Moore
and his family are headed to Florida to visit Mickey and the gang this
Christmas. Justin took his wife and two young daughters in 2012, and he
tells us they plan to make it a tradition. "We're going to
Disney World. We did that last year for the first time with the girls.
My wife and I had been there a couple times as kids and we decided to go
last year even though we thought the girls might be too young, but they
had a blast and they remember a lot of it which is surprising, so it
seems like -- this is the second year -- but it seems like that's kind
of becoming our tradition, and we take Mom and Dad and Grandma and Aunt
and Uncle and cousins and everybody so it'll be fun this year. Kennedy
is a little older so I think she'll get to do more and enjoy more than
last year so . . . "
Justin will resume his tour on January 23rd in Greensboro, North Carolina with special guests Randy Houser and Josh Thompson.
FAST FACTS
- Justin's new single is called "Lettin' The Night Roll."
- It's the follow-up to his Number One hit, "Point At You."
Zac Brown
is expecting his fifth child and first son this spring. As the father
of four daughters under the age of six, Zac intended to keep having
babies until he got a boy. Now that that's about to happen, Zac told the
Country Vibe that he will likely be getting a vasectomy to keep
his family at a manageable size. He said, “I’m done. I’m ready, I’ll go
under the knife whenever the time will allow now.” The new addition is
due in early May.
The Band Perry was hailed
the hardest working country band of 2013 and one of the hardest working
acts across all musical genres this week by Songkick.com, one of the
world’s most comprehensive databases of concerts and tours. The Band
Perry shares the list with artists such as P!nk and The Lumineers, among others. The only other country act to make the Top 20 hardest working acts of 2013 is Willie Nelson.
Kid Rock will join Travis Tritt
for the Travis Tritt & Friends acoustic concert taking place on
January 13th at the historic Franklin Theatre in Franklin, Tennessee.
This marks Travis' first Nashville-based concert since 2002 and his
first ever all-acoustic performance in Nashville. Travis will also
perform there on the 14th with special guest James Otto and Marty Stuart. The shows commemorate Travis' 25th anniversary of his career.
Chris Young will be part of the 15th annual Home For The Holidays With Celine Dion TV
special airing on Wednesday (December 18th) at 8 p.m. ET on CBS. The
special features inspirational stories about children adopted from
foster care into loving families.
Chris said, “I'm so happy
that I get to be a part of this TV special. Christmas has always been
one of my favorite times of year and my Christmas traditions revolve
around being with family. I’m excited that this show will enable kids to
make those memories for themselves, and that I get to be a part of it.”
Chris will debut his new single, “Who I Am With You,” during the show. The song heads to radio this week.
Home For The Holidays will also feature a performance by Ne-Yo.
FAST FACTS
- Currently, there are more than 400,000 children in foster care in the United States.
Martina McBride has
joined the ever-growing list of entertainers who are canceling their
appearances at SeaWorld in Orlando, Florida as part of the venue's
Bands, Brew & BBQ event. She was scheduled to perform there in
March. Martina posted a message to fans on her Facebook page
writing, "I've decided that given all the issues that have been aired
recently, the time isn't right for me to play at SeaWorld . . ."
Martina is the seventh act to bow out of the lineup in the wake of the controversial documentary, Blackfish, which alleges mistreatment of the animals at SeaWorld. Barenaked Ladies, Willie Nelson, Heart, Cheap Trick, Trisha Yearwood and REO Speedwagon have all canceled their Bands, Brew & BBQ performances.
SeaWorld
released a statement to Orlando's ABC affiliate which read in part:
"While we're disappointed a small group of misinformed individuals was
able to deny fans what would have been great concerts at SeaWorld, we
respect the bands' decisions. Martina McBride has cancelled and we
expect that other artists will be targeted in this campaign. The bands
and artists have a standing invitation to visit any of our parks to see
firsthand or to speak to any of our animal experts to learn for
themselves how we care for animals and how little truth there is to the
allegations made by animal extremist groups opposed to the zoological
display of marine mammals . . ."

Country Music Hall of Famer Ray Price
died yesterday (Monday, December 16th) at the age of 87 in his home in
Mt. Pleasant, Texas. He died from complications of pancreatic cancer,
with which he has suffered for the past two years.
Price's death was erroneously reported on Sunday (December 15th) when his son, Cliff Price, prematurely posted the news on Facebook.
Late last week, Price ended his treatments and left East Texas Medical Center to receive hospice care at his home. The Tennessean reports that his wife, Janie Price,
delivered what she said was his final message: “I love my fans and have
devoted my life to reaching out to them. I appreciate their support all
these years and hope I haven’t let them down. I am at peace. I love
Jesus. I’m going to be just fine. Don’t worry about me. I’ll see you
again one day.”
Price was a staple of country music in the
1950, '60s and '70s. He had hits such as “Crazy Arms,” “City Lights,”
“My Shoes Keep Walking Back To You” and many others.
CHECK IT OUT
Ashley Judd says that it's her sister, Wynonna Judd,
who put a tracking device on the actress' car to keep track of her
comings and goings. According to legal documents filed by Ashley, the
tracking device was traced back to a private investigator who works for
Wynonna.
The investigator reportedly gave the device to Wynonna, who then gave it to her ex-husband, Arch Kelley,
to place on Ashley's car. According to Ashley, she and Wynonna are
involved in an ongoing custody feud, although there's no information as
to whom the feud is over.
Wynonna claims she had the device put on the car to keep tabs on her teenage daughter who often drives Ashley's car.
COUNTRY TRIVIA
Q. In 1984, Dolly Parton recorded a multiplatinum-selling Christmas album called Once Upon A Christmas with which fellow artist? A. Kenny Rogers
ON THE TUBE
THE HITS: JOE NICHOLS/GAC 9:00AM (ET)
THE HITS: KENNY ROGERS/GAC 10:00AM (ET)
THE HITS: KEITH URBAN/GAC 11:00AM (ET)
THE VIEW/ABC 11:00AM (ET) Danielle Bradbery
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