9/30/09-Here's what we talked about this morning:
- The Wisconsin Tourism Federation has changed their name to the Tourism Foundation of Wisconsin. Why? People were making jokes about their abbreviated name WTF. If you don't know what that acronym stands for, ask any teenager.
- Gunsmoke and Rawhide have been acquired by Encore Westerns, a premium movie channel. No word yet as to whether this will affect their runs on cable (Gunsmoke airs on TV Land and Rawhide airs locally on ME TV.) Encore has aired such classics as "Bat Masterson", "The Rifleman", "The Big Valley" and "Cherokee" in the past on it's former Movie Plex Channel.
- Model Kathy Ireland is the latest contestant to get booted from "Dancing With The Stars."
9/29/09-Here's what we talked about this morning:
- Happy Nation, al Coffee Day! Is there a Hallmark card for that?
- If you want to go to Minnesota next Monday night to see the Packers play the Vikings,it may not cost you as much as you think.
- Singer Aaron Carter was the big winner on "Dancing With The Stars" last night.
- Happy Birthday to our own office superstar Wendy who turns, um, well if I told you, she'd have to kill me.
9/28/09-Here's what we talked about this morning:
- Some poor person with a g-mail account was accidentally sent a sensitive spread sheet by a bak employee. A judge has ruled that the account must be suspended until the spreadsheet can be retrieved. Hopefully, the person sent the spread sheet has more than one e-mail , account.
- News from Hollywood: We're a week into the new TV season and we already have a cancelation: The CW has pulled the plug on "The Beautiful Life." And, the USA Network confirms mass changes in the cast of "Law & Order: Criminal Intent." Leaving the show are cast members Vincent D'Onofrio, Kathryn Erbe, Eric Bogosian and Julianne Nicholson. Saffron Burrows will be joining the cast.
- If you stayed up late Saturday Night, you may have heard some&nbs, p;harsh language on "Saturday Night Live" as cast member Jenny Slate let loose an "f-bomb." This is hardly the first time this has happened on SNL. Here are a few more salty moments.
9/25/09-Here's what we talked about this morning:
- A prisoner in Iowa has been granted a special release...to attend a baseball game. I thought prison was about being DENIED privledges.
- Actor/Commercial Voice Over Artist Randy Quaid and his wife have been arrested after skipping out on a $10,000 hotel bill. Quaid claims that Clark Griswold was supposed to pick up the tab.
- Miley Cyrus had one of the most exclusive restaurants shut down for a private after concert party. Miley didn't want to have to dea, l with the public, so she bought all 100 seats at Katsuya. No telling what it cost, but to someone as successful as Miley, it was probably like you and I holding a party at Chucky Cheese.
- Some ad guy in Milwaukeethinks the Packers logo needs an upgrade. Yeah, right after we redo the American flag. . .
9/24/09-Here's what we talked about this morning:
- Have you always wanted to see Wayne Newton in Vegas? The quintessential Vegas lounge act will be performing a limited run at the Tropicana next month?
- Bad hotel guests beware: Austrailia now has a "guest behaving badly" blacklist. Guests who trash rooms, smoke in non-smoking areas or commit other acts of mischief may find it hard to book a room in the future.
- The first two casualties on "Dancing with the Stars" were announced last night. Ashley Hamilton and Macy Gray were both voted off the show last night.
9/23/09-Here's what we talked about this morning:
- Consumer Reports says 84% of all American drivers are now wearing seat belts. Which leads me to ask: What are 16% of you thinking?
- A couple of Italian girls were stopped by security at a British market when they squeezed a couple of muffins in the bakery department to see if they were fresh. The store took the girls into custody, claimed they were "contaminating food" and threatened legal action if there was a future occurrence. This grocery store probably would have threatened Mr. Whipple with life imprisonment.
- The big winners last night on Dancing with the Stars? Joanna Krupa and Kelly Osbourne. Tonight, eliminations begin.
9/22/09-Here's what we talked about this morning:
- The home of the original Caesar salad has closed it's doors for good. The Caesar Restaurant in Tijuana, Mexico, tossed its last bowl of romaine last week. The first Caesar salad was constructed in the 1920's when an Italian immigrant named Caesar Cardini was trying to put some leftovers to use. The salad is named after him and not Julius Caesar or Caesar Milan.
- Looking for something expensive to snack on? Try the new , White Truffle cupcake at More Cupcakes in Chicago. They only cost $75 a cupcake.
- Lots of great TV premiers last night. New episodes last night included a two hour episode of "House", "Heroes", "Castle" and of course, "Dancing with the Stars." Tonight, DWTS continues while "NCIS", "NCIS: Los Angeles", "Hell's Kitchen" and "The Biggest Loser" have new shows.
9/21/09-Here's what we talked about this morning:
- The world's biggest hamburger? A 185 pounder cooked up at a bar in Southgate, Michigan. Wimpy would have to pay you Tues, day, Wednesday and Thursday for this one!
- A couple from Alabama paid $63,000 for the privilege of dining with Sarah Palin. I'll bet you could have had dinner with Tina Fey for half that amount!
- Here are your winners from last night's Emmy awards. The biggest upset last night? Toni Collette winning for best actress in a comedy series over Tina Fey.
9/18/09-Here's what we talked about this morning:
- A driver in New Zealand was let off with a warning after crashing a car into a local cafe. The dri, ver was a dog.
- Kate Winslet and Michelle Obama were among the list of People magazine's 10 best-dressed women of 2009.
- A motorcycle rider in Florida was arrested for DUI while riding around naked. He says the last thing he remembers is drinking at a Hooter's Restaurant.
- We keep telling you Facebook can get you into trouble and here's a case where it,
. A burgler in West Virginia logged into his Facebook account befor, e leaving a hom, e with two diamond rings. He forgot to log out and was arrested by local police a short time later.d, id
9/17/09-Here's what we talked about this morning:
- We've lost a trio of famous Americans in the last 24 hours. Henry Gibson, who was a member of the cast of Laugh In and in later years a wonderfully gifted character actor on shows like "Boston Legal" was 73. Mary Travers, the Mary in Peter, Paul and Mary was 72. PP &M was a 60's folk froup that hat a huge hit with
"Puff the Magic Dragon." And, Myles Brand, the President of the NCAA has passed at 67. Brand was a hero to nerds everywhere when he stood up to the bully who kept taking his lunch money, Bob Knight, and fired him as Indiana's basketball coach. - Martha Stewart has inked a deal wi, th Home Depot. You'll be able to buy her patio furniture there. Her deal with K-Mart expires in January.
- Burt Reynolds is in rehab due to his dependence on pain killers.
9/16/09-Here's what we talked about this morning:
- The economic situation in Pennsylvania is so bad, Philadelphia is about to close its libraries.
- A couple of weird criminals this morning. The first is a guy in West Virginia who was stealing survellance cameras. Best to unplug them first, dude. Our second one is a fake cop in Louisiana who pulled over a motorist. The motorist happened to be the Mayor. Ooops. Busted.
- A customer service rep, who was signing people up for credit cards, helped Seattle police break up an identity theaft ring. How? A woman who was signing up for a card was using her identity.
- WEB BONUS MATERIAL: W, ant to see what McDonalds serves their customers overseas? Here you go (with lovely photographs.)
9/15/09-Here's what we talked about this morning:
- Your five minutes of zen in the shower may be bad for your health. Scientists say your shower head may be spraying you with bacteria. E-you. For best health, change your head at least once a year. And if you have any kind of problems with your immune system, take a bath instead of a shower.
- Jay Leno must be living right. The night after rapper Kanye West ripped the microphone from the hand of Taylor Swift and made, as President Obama said, a "jackass" of himself, West was booked on Leno's first show in primetime. Leno, to his credit, pulled no punches and West showed contrition.
- Patrick Swayze has left us at 57 from cancer. He is remembered as a man who combined a raw masculinity with a sensitive side.
9/14/09-Here's what we talked about this morning:
- If you are planning on visiting Chicago, you may want to visit the new ESPN display which will have a virtual quarterback throw a ball to you. Of course, you should wear your Packer jersey because if it's a virtual Jay Cutler, it will only complete passes to those wearing a Packers uniform.
- Kanye West was totally rude and socailly unacceptable at last night's MTV awards.
- Maine has set a $500 fine for any driver operating a vehicle while distracted. That includes texting, talking on a non hands free cell phone or watching something on your PC while driving. Nicely done, Maine.
9/11/09-Here's what we talked about this morning:
- A bear in Colorado has become an expert at breaking into cars. The Ranger is not going to like this, Yogi.
- "Saturday Night Live" will introduce two new cast members this fall.
- Not everyone is happy that Ellen is the newest judge on "American Idol." Take Paula Abdul for instance.
- WEB BONUS MATERIAL: Today is the eighth anniversary of 911. I don't know what you were doing, but I spent mine in an editing studio for seven hours cutting sound bytes for local coverage and didn't even know what was going on (I couldn't watch TV). It was a strange day. And, I hope it never, ever happens again.
9/10/09-Here's what we talked about this morning:
- A baby born in LaCrosse yesterday (09/09/09) at 9:09am weighed 9 pounds, nine ounces. I hope the parents have a lottery ticket!
- There's a new judge on "American Idol." Ellen DeGeneres has been hired to replace Paula Abdul. Ellen says she's a big fan of the show and will judge contestants like an average fan would.
- Want to have , dinner with Sarah Palin? Auction prices start at $25,000. For that kind of money, I hope the dinner would be held at her house so you could look at Russia while dining.
9/9/09-Here's what we talked about this morning:
- If you had planned on attending Baconfest in Chicago this October, you are going to have to change your plans. It's been delayed until April of next year.
- The two living Bee Gees, Barry and Robin are about to tour for the first time since the death of brother Maurice Gibb six years ago. I wonder why. It's not like they need the money.
- News from Hollywood, don't expect to see Captain Picard on the big screen again. Actor Patrick Stewart says he's happy with his legacy and isn't really interested in sitting in the big chair again. Also, Jon Gosselin let it loose on Good Monring America yesterday, saying he "despises" his ex-wife Kate. Duh. She's your ex-wife.
- Happy Birthday today to our very own Murphy A. Dogg, who is three. Murphy is twenty-one in dog years and wants to celebrate at a bar. Only if Butkus D. Dogg drives.
Murphy A. Dogg-He's three!
9/8/09-Here's what we talked about this morning:
- NASA is a little squeemish about nakedness. Why else would they ask a Sweedish student to reword his question about being naked in space?
- Bueller? Bueller? Bueller? A Chicago writer will try to recreate Ferris Buehler's day off in real time this Saturday. His itinerary includes a parade and a Cubs game. Shake it up, baby. Twist and Shout!
- Kudos to Jerry Lewis who raised $60 million for MDA despite the down economy.
9/7/09-Today we celebrate Lab, or day with a tribute to the Jerry Lewis MDA Telethon. Princess and I watched a little bit last night and I've got to tell you, Jerry looked pretty good for a guy who is almost 84. And the work that he's done over the years has been extraor, dinary.
9/4/09-Here's what we talked about this morning:
- Happy Birthday to the Internet, which was born September 2, 1969.
- Soldiers in Iraq raided a house and found a naked lady. Actually, it was a picture of a naked lady. Painted by Pablo Picasso and worth ten million dollars.
- A chef, who claimed that her shoes were stolen by "American Idol's" Simon Cowell, has brought legal action against him and his ex-girlfriend for the cost of the shoes, the $500 insoles and the gas money it took to drive to his house and audition to be his personal chef. I guess this makes her a Sous Chef. . .MR PEABODY!,
9/3/09-Here's what we talked about this morning:
- Consumer news: If you enjoy Eggo Buttermilk waffels for breakfast, Kellogg's is recalling some product because of Listeria. For exact UPC numbers, click here. Also, have you noticed how long your receipts are getting, even when you only buy a couple of items? Many stores are using them for marketing purposes like coupons or to announce sales. There is no truth to the rumor that the stores are trying to make receipts hard to put in your wallet, thus making losing them easier to prevent you from returning things.<, LI>
- Katherine Heigel won't be complaining about the 17 hour days on the set of "Grey's Anatomy." That's because she'll miss five episodes while shooting her latest movie. Her absence will over lap with co-star Ellen Pompeo's maternity leave, so Seattle grace may be understaffed for a while!
9/2/09-Here's what we talked about this morning:
- How powerful is Oprah? Only Oprah could get the Magnificent Mile shutdown for three days so she could tape a show.
- A woman in Indiana, Pennsylvania was cited by law enforcement for cursing at her 10 year-old daughter. Indiana, Pennsylvania is the hometown of screen legend Jimmy Stewart, by the way.
- In what may be a scene out of "Boston Lega, l" or "Raising the Bar", a judge in Ohio grew tired of a defendant disrupting his courtroom so he ordered the baliff to shut the man up...by duct taping his mouth. David E. Kelley and Stephen Bochco are both racing to their typewriters even as we speak.
9/1/09-Here's what we talked about this morning:
- Star Trek has inspired a new line of fragrances. I'd stay away from the Kingon scent if I were you.
- The Farmer's Alamanc is predicting a long, cold, winter. This on the heels of cooler summer has Al Gore very depressed.
- A WOMAN IN NEW ZEALAND WAS FIRED FOR SENDING E-MAILS WRITTEN IN ALL CAPS. WHY ARE YOU YELLING AT ME?