Red, White & Blue Blog: December 2013

Thursday, December 19, 2013

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:

Celebrities Accused of Plagiarism: http://thebea.st/1cAR0Vg
Teaser for Shia's Short Film:

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:

10 Young Stars Open Up About Body Image: http://huff.to/1cAHMZd

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:

5 Insane Theme Parks You Won't Believe Were Almost Built: http://bit.ly/1bdJkqN

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.

9:04 AM - 18 Dec 2013

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.

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.

Wednesday, December 18, 2013

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