Saturday, February 11, 2012

um....HI

I just want you to know....it's 7:05 AM and I COULD be sleeping right now! But no, I'm up to type this for YOU. So you better love it and enjoy it. Give it a hug even.
Don't kiss it, you have morning breath.



NEW WIZ KHALIFA...
A while back, WIZ KHALIFA said that his next album will be titled "O.N.I.F.C."...and now, he's explaining what it stands for.

He says, "It's [an acronym for] the Only [N-Word] In First Class. It's inspired by Prodigy's 'H.N.I.C.'. When he dropped that, I felt like that sounded so strong."

He adds, "I was just talking about me being a young rich dude and being black. It looks crazy to them when I walk up to them and show them my ticket or I'm going in priority seating...they're like 'You're sure?'

"It's a good feeling...and then it's like a bad feeling because it's like: 'Damn, why do you feel like that about me?'"

Wiz also has a CLEAN version of his album title, in which "O.N.I.F.C." stands for "One Night In First Class." The album doesn't have a release date yet.









REKINDLED
One of the new contestants on "The Voice" ...used to star on "The Mickey Mouse Club" with coach CHRISTINA AGUILERA. His name is TONY LUCCA. He chose ADAM LEVINE to be his coach from Sunday night's season premiere.

Christina supposedly didn't recognize him at first. But after he'd made his choice she went looking for him and introduced herself to his family backstage.










TEMPTATION...IS A PART OF LIFE...
Thanks to Corina for letting me use her 1992 hit...

If you can't fight the constant urge to check what's happening on Facebook or Twitter every waking moment of your miserable existence, you're not alone.

Researchers at the University of Chicago found that it's harder to resist the urge to check Facebook, Twitter, and email on your cell phone than it is for smokers and drinkers to resist cigarettes and alcohol.

The researchers gave BlackBerries to volunteers of all ages and told them to carry them throughout their normal day. Surprisingly, no one SMASHED their Blackberry!

Then they sent the volunteers messages at various points throughout the day asking if they had been tempted to check their Facebook, Twitter, or email messages in the last half hour.

Volunteers said they had a desire to check their messages 75% of the time.

.....now I'm just thinkin' here, wouldn't TELLING SOMEONE they should check one of these things...MAKE THEM WANNA DO IT?!

Based on previous studies, smokers and drinkers did a better job at fighting off their urges than the volunteers did with social media. The only urges harder to resist were urges to sleep and have sex.

Well good. At least we have our priorities down, LOL








LAST WEEKEND'S GAME...
Set a new record. It was the most-watched TV program EVER. The previous record-holder was LAST year's game. Prior to that, it was the series finale of M.A.S.H. in 1983.









KE$HA...
I love her. For real. Who this week said, "I destroy men on a weekly basis. It's like a hobby. I'm like a praying mantis. They [eff] me, and then I eat them."

She adds that when she's feeling down, she makes her assistant put on a PENIS COSTUME and dance for her. She says, "Who isn't amused by a giant, dancing penis?"









GET ITTTT
There's more sex going on in your office than you realize. So you might want to try getting in on that.

#1.) 11% of people, or one out of every nine of your coworkers, admit they've had sex in the workplace at least once.

#2.) 7% of people actually have sex at the office REGULARLY.

#3.) The most popular place for office sex is on your desk. A meeting room is second, and the parking garage is third.

#4.) The least popular places for office sex are in a bathroom stall or on your boss's desk.

#5.) 95% of office sex happens after hours...but that DOES mean that 5%, or one in 20 office sex sessions, happen ON THE CLOCK.









VALENTINE'S DAY AND FLOWERS...
If you're planning to give someone roses for Valentine's Day, you should really know what SECRET MESSAGE you're sending with them. That's right. The number of roses you give apparently carries a meaning you never realized. Here's a guide...

One rose is meant for early in a relationship, and means love at first sight.

Three roses represents a shared love, and should be a one-month anniversary gift.

Six roses symbolizes passion and infatuation.

Ten roses says you believe your love is PERFECT.

Twelve roses is perfect for Valentine's Day, and means "be mine."

Thirteen roses means you just want to be friends. (???)

Fifteen roses means you're SORRY.

Twenty-four roses is like SHOUTING "I'm yours." (Or it's really un-creative)

And forty roses means your love is truly genuine. And also you have a lot of money.

...who the HELL buys someone 40 roses?! That's just stupid! Besides, everything after 6 supposedly means the same thing, more or less.







POWER-FACEBOOKERS
Notice how your posts on Facebook always get likes and comments, even though YOU never like or comment on other people's posts?

That doesn't mean you're selfish, it means you're average.
A new study found the average Facebook user gets more likes, messages, and comments than they leave.

That's possible thanks to Facebook power-users who basically like and comment on EVERYTHING.









OWEN AND VINCE TEAM UP AGAIN...
"Wedding Crashers" co-stars OWEN WILSON and VINCE VAUGHN are teaming up again for a comedy called "Interns".

They'll play two guys who get laid off from their company and decide to become interns at a Google-type dotcom company...where they find themselves competing against much younger employees for advancement.









FLO RIDA STIFFED A GIRL...
One of FLO RIDA'S former assistants has filed a lawsuit against him. She claims he only paid her $3.08-an-hour for a 65-hour work week...and when she complained, he fired her.

Flo Rida has a different story though. His lawyers say she was never "hired"...instead, she was an unpaid intern, who was begging to work for him to get her foot in the door.

Flo helped her out every now and then with lunch and gas money...and now he wishes he hadn't. He says, "I gave someone an opportunity out of the goodness of my heart and now sadly I am being falsely targeted."










WOMEN SAY COMPLIMENTS ARE BETTER THAN SEEING US NAKED...
....well, yeah! These women have apparently seen me naked.

According to a new survey of married women by iVillage, almost ALL women say that sharing your loving feelings or giving her compliments are MUCH, MUCH bigger turn-ons than getting naked in front of her.

The survey also found...
80% of married women say they were in the mood to have sex at least once in the past month.

22% have sexted their husbands, 9% have had phone sex with him, 16% have watched porno with him, and 6% have had a threesome with him.

And 33% say they'd rather have sex with their husband than watch a movie, go to a spa, check Facebook, or talk to friends.








WHAT WOMEN WANT FOR VALENTINE'S DAY...
According to a survey of women ages 30 to 49, only 5%...that's one in 20...want sex MORE than an actual gift this Valentine's Day.

72% say they most want a day off housework. 14% want a special plan for dinner, and 9% want a material gift.

A separate study also found that, whatever you do for Valentine's Day, you should also include a HANDWRITTEN NOTE. 60% of both genders said that's a more romantic gesture than an expensive dinner.









"IN THE CAR, I JUST CAN'T WAIT..."
I thought it was pretty much a rule of thumb that you don't do a FIRST DATE on Valentine's Day. You're virtually GUARANTEEING awkwardness, unnecessary pressure, and premature discussions about feelings and the future.

Well, apparently, the vast majority of single people today don't care about any of that. They just really, really want to go on dates whenever they can get 'em.

A new survey found that 83% of single people would be open to going on a first date on Valentine's Day.

AND...70% say they'd be willing to take it a step further and be set up on a BLIND DATE on Valentine's Day.









ADELE DOES THE GRAMMY'S
ADELE will perform for the first time in four months this Sunday at the Grammys...after having vocal cord surgery in November.

In a "60 Minutes" interview with ANDERSON COOPER, which airs before the Grammys, Adele talks about the moment she realized something was wrong.

She says, "It felt like someone put a curtain over my throat. It felt like something popped in my throat."

Adele had it checked out...and the doctors discovered a polyp on her vocal cord that had hemorrhaged. She says, "I had laser surgery...

"[They] put lasers down your throat, cut off the polyp, and kind of laser your hemorrhage back together and fix it."

Adele has been cleared to perform at the Grammys...and at the Brit Awards later this month...but she doesn't want to push it yet. She says, "If I decide to go on a 200-date world tour, it would happen again."

Meanwhile, in an interview with "People" magazine, Adele comments on the Internet's relentless fascination with her weight. She says, "I've never wanted to look like models on the cover of magazines.

"I represent the majority of women and I'm very proud of that."









DEAL BREAKERS
A survey by CouponCabin.com asked single people what their biggest deal-breakers are on a date. Here are the top five things that will get you dumped.

#1.) Poor hygiene: 84% of people said that body odor, bad teeth or dirty hair would be a deal-breaker.

#2.) Using your cell phone too much: 75%.

#3.) Being rude to a server or hostess: 73%.

#4.) Talking too much about your ex: 70%.

#5.) Flirting with the server or host/hostess: 61%.

Well....yeah. HAHA!

Women were more likely than men to consider every bad behavior a deal-breaker, except for a date being too expensive, which one in three men said was a deal-breaker.








LADIES...IS THIS TRUE?
This is from a British survey, but I REALLY hope it applies over here too.

43% of women say that they carry an extra pair of panties in their purse...in case a date goes well, and they want to look sexier later.

As for why the women don't just WEAR the sexy underwear to begin with...it's supposedly because LESS sexy underwear is more comfortable, and shapes your body better.

And this is apparently something women are determined to keep men from finding out about. 60% of women said they'd NEVER admit it to a man, even if they were in a long-term relationship.

Of course, if a guy is looking at a woman in her panties, he's probably got other things on his mind...and 40% of men said they wouldn't care if she had comfortable underwear on instead of sexy ones. (I'd agree with that)








TOP PLACES FOR QUICKIES...
Valentine's Day falls on a Tuesday this year, which means it might be harder to find time for Valentine's Day SEX. So here's AskMen.com's list of the top eight places to have a quickie.

We're not suggesting you to do anything ILLEGAL. But if you WANT to, here's where to do it.

#1.) An Elevator. Unless you're REALLY quick, you won't have enough time between floors. So you have to stall the elevator completely.

Just make sure you don't trigger an alarm, or the fire department might hear you through the speaker.

The other thing to worry about is whether there's a security camera in the elevator...and whether there's a security guard watching you or not.



#2.) A Movie Theater. You have to be quiet and sit in the back, but it's definitely doable. Just don't try it at a movie that's PACKED.

You're better off in a theater that's somewhere between empty and half-full. So skip the most popular movies like "Chronicle" and "The Woman in Black", and go see "The Artist" instead.



#3.) The Back of a Club or a Restaurant. Wherever you are, it just has to be dark and noisy. If it's not, the bathroom is a safer alternative. Especially if you can lock the door.



#4.) A Stairwell. Pick one that doesn't get much traffic. We're all pretty lazy these days, but some people DO still take the stairs if they're only going a floor or two. Just remember, higher floors equal lower risk.



#5.) The Car. It's kind of the old standard when it comes to quickies. But if you've never tried it...or haven't tried it since high school...it can be pretty memorable.

Just make sure you pick a spot where you won't be caught. At night, cops tend to notice idling cars in places like public parks. Not that I would know. I'm just...guessing. Yeah. So choose carefully.



#6.) An Alley. Obviously not a FILTHY alley. But even a clean alley is pretty gross. So this one definitely requires you both to be standing up.



#7.) A Dressing Room. Some stores...like Victoria's Secret...won't let guys go in the dressing rooms, even if it's with their wife. But as long as you're quiet, most dressing rooms are somewhat safe.

Even if you DO get caught, the salesperson won't just walk in on you. But if they know what's up, you might still get in trouble. So make sure you're completely quiet.



#8.) Your Workplace. This is without a doubt the riskiest spot on the list

Tuesday, January 10, 2012

AT A BLOGGER SET FOR TWO

SAD NEWS OVER THE WEEKEND...
OK, maybe just for me. I suppose it's happy news for them.

HILLARY SCOTT, lead singer of LADY ANTEBELLUM, married her fiancé, drummer Chris Tyrrell, on Saturday in upstate New York. The happy couple posted a video on the LADY A website. (Try not to laugh at their matching gray T-shirts.)

http://ladyantebellum.com/news/message-hillary-and-chris-tyrrell







KELLY DOES "THE VOICE"
The contestants on the next season of "The Voice" will have even more famous singers to work with.

In addition to the mentors...CHRISTINA AGUILERA, ADAM LEVINE, BLAKE SHELTON and CEE LO GREEN...there will be "celebrity advisers" who will assist the mentors.

They will help out during the "battle rounds" phase of the competition, helping out each mentor's six contestants. Each mentor has chosen two advisers.

JEWEL and LIONEL RICHIE will work with Christina.

ALANIS MORISSETTE and ROBIN THICKE will help Adam.

Blake has tapped KELLY CLARKSON and his wife MIRANDA LAMBERT.

And Cee Lo will have NE-YO and KENNY "BABYFACE" EDMONDS

The second season of "The Voice" will premiere after the Super Bowl on Sunday, February 5th.








RIHANNA: ALL-TIME DIGITAL BEST-SELLER
She's sold 47.5 million digital downloads overall, which makes her the best-selling digital artist of all time, at least for now.

The BLACK EYED PEAS are next with 42.4 million, and EMINEM is just 100,000 behind that, with 42.3 million digital downloads.

LADY GAGA is fourth. She's sold 42.1 million digital downloads over the years...and TAYLOR SWIFT is fifth with digital sales of 41.82 million digital downloads.








THE TAX MAN COMETH...
Hey, here's some GOOD news about being POOR.

According to data from the IRS, your odds of getting audited are DRASTICALLY lower this year if you make small money than if you make big money.

Last year, the IRS audited 12.5% of people making more than $1 MILLION...that's one in eight. And they audited 4% of people making $200,000 and more...that's one in 25.

They only audited 1% of people making less than $200,000...that's one in one hundred.








KATY WON'T BE THERE!
KATY PERRY is NOT going to show up at the People's Choice Awards tomorrow night. Naturally, she would've been confronted with a lot of attention over her split from RUSSELL BRAND...and apparently she isn't ready for that.

Officially, she didn't give a reason for dropping out. It might also have to do with the fact that ex-hubby was UNinvited, awkwardly. She just Tweeted, "Unfortunately, I will not be able to attend the People's Choice Awards. I want to thank you all for voting for me, fingers crossed! #KATYCATS."

She's got 7 nominations total.







BZZZZT. YOU LOSE!
Did you smoke your first cigarette of the year yesterday? Skip your first workout? Drink your first liter of gravy? Yeah...so did just about everyone else who made a New Year's resolution.

According to a new survey, by today, 10 days into January, 75% of people admit they've broken their resolution.

And the average person says it's at least the FOURTH time they've made the same resolution...and failed.








"IT'S A LOVE STORY, BABY JUST SAY....YOU BITCH!"
In September, 33-year-old Julia Cross of Auckland, New Zealand was on vacation in Ibiza, Spain. While she was there, she spent one perfect night with the man of her dreams. He was from England, and she fell in love with him instantly. If I had to guess, it was probably the accent.

Before they went their separate ways, Julia gave him her number so they could keep in touch. Only she never heard from him...so she figured she accidentally gave him the wrong number. LOL...right, ya know. Cause that happens. Hahahaha!!! Anyway. She was quite torn up. ...over him not calling. Yeah.

So Julia decided to track him down. Because that's the normal, sane thing to do. She launched an Internet campaign, trying desperately to see if anyone could find him. And FINALLY, after five months, someone tracked him down.

Turns out he's 33-year-old Martin O'Kane, a software developer in London. Oh...AND he has a girlfriend. Oops.

Guess what? Julia HAD given him the right number (of course she had)...but he didn't call her because of the girlfriend thing. Although he says he didn't have a girlfriend when he was in Ibiza...they got together RIGHT when he got home.

Martin says he's, "flattered" by the whole thing (flattered is the new alarmed)...but his girlfriend, "feels a bit odd that there's a national campaign to set me up with someone else." (He's MY MAN, bitches!)

Sunday, January 8, 2012

THEY FREAKY WIT BIG OL' BOOTY'S

...nothing to do with the contents of this week's update, but shouts to PIT for the inspiration!

RIHANNA & CHRIS BROWN?!
WHAT? Next month it'll be three years since CHRIS BROWN viciously attacked RIHANNA the night before the Grammys. And now, it sounds like they're exchanging romantic Tweets.

Last week, Chris Tweeted, "Love U more than u know!" And just two minutes later, Rihanna Tweeted, "I'll always love you #1love."

Does it mean anything? I have no idea.








"ON FIRE AND I KNOW IT"...
REDFOO from LMFAO abruptly ended a DJ set in Honduras last Wednesday night after the venue's electrical system caught fire.

It wasn't a full-on LMFAO show. Singer SKY BLU is dealing with a "severe back injury," and is taking it easy for the next month. Their tour is scheduled to resume in February.

Fortunately, no one was seriously hurt...but 15 people were treated for smoke inhalation.

After the show, RedFoo Tweeted, "Epic concert tonight!!!! Everybody in Honduras, we set the place on fire!!!! Sorry for Party Rocking...yeah baby.

"They told us that there was a fire when we were on stage. Then we went to the dressing rooms and there was smoke in the halls.

"On a serious note: Hope everybody is safe from the fire tonight! Love you, Honduras!"

According to reports, the local authorities believe the fire may have been set intentionally...but there aren't any other details.









"NEVER LIKED IT ANYWAY"
Sometimes when you break up with someone, you need to get rid of ANYTHING that reminds you of them. Gifts, clothing, music, jewelry, wedding dress, whatever...you need it gone. And putting it on eBay just isn't enough.

So now there's a new website called NeverLikedItAnyway.com. It's a marketplace where you can sell all the painful items left over after a break up...AND tell your break up story to give the items some context.

And if you haven't recently been dumped, it's a good site to check out...because people are selling some pretty valuable stuff at good discounts just to get rid of it. You might as well cash in on their pain!!








BUT...YOU'RE AN AAAALIEEEEEENNNNNN...
DENNIS HOF is the guy who runs the Moonlite Bunny Ranch in Nevada...that's the brothel in that HBO series "Cathouse". And now he's starting a new brothel...with a twist.

It's called ALIEN CATHOUSE. Yep...all the hookers are going to dress up as aliens. He's still working out the details...like whether or not the hookers will be painted green.

Basically, he figures that a good target demographic for brothels are guys with science fiction fantasies. So if they want to dress up as Captain Kirk and take down an alien, he's making that easier than ever.

The place is scheduled to open in a few months.

It's located about 90 miles northwest of Vegas, next to a convenience store and gas station on U.S. Highway 95.

Prostitution in brothels is legal in Nevada EXCEPT in two counties: Washoe County, the home of Reno...and Clark County, the home of Las Vegas.








CLARKSON TALKS POLITICS, POPULARITY SKY-ROCKETS...
KELLY CLARKSON started a Twitter firestorm last week when she said she "loved" RON PAUL as the Republican nominee for President.

It began with this Tweet, "I love Ron Paul. I liked him a lot during the last Republican nomination and no one gave him a chance. If he wins the nomination for the Republican Party in 2012 he's got my vote. Too bad he probably won't."

Unfortunately, when you talk politics, the haters come out. People started Tweeting their angry disapproval of Kelly's political views...with some even accusing Ron Paul of being racist and homophobic.

Okay, here's the best part of the story. After all this chaos went down Kelly's record sales went up. Way up. To the tune of more than 440%! And her latest album, "Stronger", jumped from #38 to #7 on Amazon's sales list.








SORRY, REDS... :(
We've seen plenty of studies in the past few years about how men now seem to prefer BROWN HAIR to BLONDE HAIR. Well here's another study on hair color that finds the same thing...with a TWIST.

Men find brunettes more attractive...but when they want to get laid, they go for blondes.

Researchers at the University of Westminster in England had a woman go to different clubs in London. She'd go to each club three times...once with her hair dyed brown, once blonde, and once red.

The researchers counted how many times men approached the woman with each hair color. Then, they went back to the bars later and had men rate her on attractiveness and intelligence.

They found that men were most likely to approach and hit on the woman when she's blonde...but rated her most attractive and intelligent when she was a brunette. Red hair bottomed out in every category.

Isn't that because red-headed french women don't shave their pits? ::shudder::

The researchers believe that men were most likely to hit on the blonde because, quote, "Men were more likely to assume sexual intent on the part of our [woman] when she was blonde."

So when men want to get laid, they go for blondes...when they're looking to settle down with someone attractive and intelligent, they go for brunettes...and they never go for redheads. You're welcome.








AHHH, FACEBOOK RELATIONSHIP DRAMA...
One of the underrated side effects of Facebook is that it's a HOMEWRECKER. And its homewrecking powers just keep growing.

In December of 2010, a study found that Facebook was cited in one out of every FIVE divorces. Now, about a year later, it's increased to one in every THREE divorces.

There are three main ways Facebook plays into divorce proceedings...

#1.) Someone catches their spouse sending inappropriate Facebook messages to someone else.

#2.) One person posts negative comments about their soon-to-be-ex-spouse on Facebook.

#3.) The spouses defriend each other as their divorce is going on...and their friends report back to them about their spouse's behavior on Facebook. (LOL)








AS HEARD ON THE DELUCA SHOW...
Atlas Van Lines just released their annual study on migration patterns in the U.S. Basically, they analyze their state-to-state moves to figure out which states people are leaving, and which states people are moving to.

And the big finding is...people are getting the hell out of here!

Yes, Ohio had the biggest percentage difference in people moving out versus people moving in. Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, and Kansas also had more than 55% of their moves go outbound.

On the other end, Washington, D.C. had the highest percentage difference in people moving in versus people moving out.

Virginia, Maryland, North Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, New Mexico (??), North Dakota (!?), and Alaska (!?!?!) also had big positive swings.

California had the most total people move out, at 6,758...but they ALSO had the most people move in, at 7,803. They're one of 24 states that saw a pretty balanced ratio of inbound-versus-outbound moves.








THAT'S THE CHEATIN' SPOON!!!
Did you cheat on your husband or wife Wednesday?

I'm not sure if this is going to put your conscience at ease...or make JESUS any less angry at you...but you weren't the only one.

According to relationship experts, January 4th is the BIGGEST day of the entire year for cheating.

It's hard to find statistics to back up that kind of claim, but here's one. The cheating website IllicitEncounters.com reported that they got more than DOUBLE their normal amount of daily signups yesterday.

Here's why January 4th is big for cheating. The stress and intensity of the holiday season can put a big strain on relationships. But no one wants to break up over the holidays. So that frustration and anger just festers and grows.

By January 4th, everyone's been back to work for a couple of days, settled back into a routine...and now they can actually take active steps toward ending their relationship...or, ya know, getting some strange.








"GOOD THING I BROUGHT MY LIBRARY CARD..."
If you sign up for online dating with the goal of getting married as quickly as possible, here's some good news. Once you wade through the sea of lunatics, serial killers and creepers and find the right person...you guys will be married before you know it!

According to a new survey, the average couple that meets through online dating gets married in 18-and-a-half months.

For couples who meet offline, the average is 42 months...or three-and-a-half years.

In 2010, 17% of married couples...or one out of six...met on a dating site.

About 5.5 million of the 54 million single adults in the U.S. are now using online dating. About 20% have tried it. (Have you? I never have...don't think I would either)

Every user spends an average of almost 13 minutes per week on their online dating profile and correspondence...not counting the time spent on dates.







SKIP STARBUCKS, GET RICH...
If you buy one $4 latte a day, you're spending $1,460 per year on Starbucks. After five years, that's $7,300.

Let's say you invested that $4 every day instead, in an account with an average return of 9%. After 10 years, you could have enough to buy a car. And at 40 years, the money you saved from coffee would be worth $634,428.

But if you don't want to give up Starbucks, here's another alternative. You could buy bags of Starbucks French roast and brew them yourself. You can also add milk to make lattes.

That will reduce your budget to about $29-a-month...saving you $91 over going to an actual Starbucks.

Over 40 years, if you invested the difference, you'd have $481,108. Even if you don't invest it, just saving the $91-a-month would mean you'll end the year $1,092 richer...and have an extra $43,680 when you retire in 40 years.









JASON DERULO
JASON DERULO broke his neck while rehearsing for his European tour.

He posted a picture on Facebook of him lying down in a neck brace. He said, "I fractured my neck doing tumbling and acrobatics for tour! Always tryin' to push boundaries for YOU! Like my new chain? ;)"

The 'chain' line was a joke about the brace...and it's nice to hear that he has a sense of humor about it, because his doctors say he could've been PARALYZED if the injury was any more severe.

Jason's rep says he was rehearsing some kind of dance move when he landed directly on his head and suffered "an acute fracture of his vertebrae."

It seems like Jason will be OK...but he has to wear the brace for the next few months. That means he's had to cancel his European tour, which was supposed to begin on February 23rd.

Late last night, Jason released a statement saying, "The pain of letting you down cuts me way deeper than this injury I've sustained. My fans mean everything to me, so I'm praying for a speedy recovery in order to perform for you in the near future."









THE BLACK KEYS HATE NICKELBACK...
BLACK KEYS drummer and Akron native PATRICK CARNEY took a big shot at NICKELBACK in the new issue of "Rolling Stone"...but Nickelback isn't sweating it.

Patrick said, "Rock 'n' roll is dying because people became OK with Nickelback being the biggest band in the world...they became OK with the idea that the biggest rock band in the world is always going to be [crap]."

Nickelback responded on Twitter with this: "Thanks to the drummer in the Black Keys calling us the Biggest Band in the World in 'Rolling Stone'. Hehe."









VACATION AND FACEBOOK...
A new survey found the average person uploads vacation photos to Facebook within FOUR HOURS of getting home.

And 9% of people even upload them while they're still on vacation.








THE AVERAGE WORKDAY...
I don't have to tell you that the eight-hour, nine-to-five workday with an hour for lunch is DEAD. It's right there next to the VCR and freaking out over the cost of long distance.

I've got the results here from a new study that figured out the ACTUAL hours and lifestyle of the average worker. Check it out...

The average office worker starts at 8:09 A.M. and leaves at 5:22 P.M.

That means the average workday is now nine hours, 13 minutes.

The average person leaves home at 7:49 A.M. and has a commute that lasts 20 minutes and 41 seconds. The commute home takes 33 minutes and 46 seconds.

It takes 12 minutes before the first conversation with a coworker, at 8:21 A.M.

The average worker takes a 28-minute lunch break.

And spends an average of $5 on lunch.

Only 7% go outside for some fresh air during lunch.

The average worker drinks three cups of coffee a day.

We average one argument with a coworker daily.

The average worker sends 26 emails a day and receives 32.

And finally, the average worker spends 10 minutes and 15 seconds on Facebook during the workday.








GONNA FLY SOON?
The "Wall Street Journal" just released its annual rankings of U.S. airlines. We're down to just SEVEN major airlines in this country...and they STILL can't get everything right.

The rankings are based on how the airlines do in six categories: On-time arrivals, excessive delays, baggage handling, customer complaints, bumping passengers, and cancelling flights.

Alaska Airlines is the smallest major airline left...and they got the highest overall rank. Bigger isn't always better! They scored number one in three categories: On-time arrivals, fewest excessive delays, and fewest canceled flights.

On the other end, American Airlines came in dead last. They scored in the bottom three in all six categories. Here are the full rankings...

#1.) Alaska
#2.) Southwest (now merged with AirTran)
#3.) Delta
#4.) United (now merged with Continental)
#5.) U.S. Airways
#6.) JetBlue
#7.) American

Saturday, December 17, 2011

ONE MORE WEEK...

...til CHRISTMAS!

GOOD NEWS FOR THE ADELE HATERS
It's been eleven months since ADELE'S album "21" came out...and since then, she's been one of the biggest sensations in music.

That's despite the fact that she's had to cancel a lot of tour dates because of throat problems. Last month, she had surgery on her vocal cords. It was a success, and she expects to be able to perform again by February.

But Adele isn't planning on beginning work on her next album anytime soon.

She says, "I'm really looking forward to some time to do nothing...I imagine I'll be 25 or 26 by the time my next record comes out. I haven't even thought about my third album yet."

Adele is 23 now. She turns 24 in May...so if you really want to take her at her word, that means we probably won't see another Adele album until late 2013 or 2014.

She adds, "I'm just gonna lay some concrete, set up home and just 'be' for a bit. I'll disappear and come back with a record when it's good enough. There will be no new music until it's good enough and until I'm ready."









PFFFFT
Men might procrastinate on buying gifts. Men might not always buy the perfect thing. And men may not have a reputation for buying THOUGHTFUL Christmas gifts...But dammit...at least men are willing to drop some serious money.

A new survey found that men spend approximately 52% MORE on Christmas presents for their women than their women spend on them. Men spend an average of about $235, women spend approximately $155.








SNOOOOOOOOOOOOOP DOES THE PRICE IS RIGHT
Next month, we're going to find out if SNOOP DOGG has a handle on how much normal people's kitchen appliances cost...because he's going to be a contestant on "The Price Is Right".

Snoop is participating in the show's first ever celebrity week. He'll compete against regular, non-celebrity contestants on Monday, January 2nd. (The celebrity episodes have already been filmed.)

JENNY MCCARTHY will take on the contestants on Tuesday...NEIL PATRICK HARRIS will be the celebrity on Wednesday. Thursday will feature former "American Idol" star CHRIS DAUGHTRY, and HEIDI KLUM will be Friday's star.

Naturally, the celebrities will be playing for charities. Snoop's winnings will go to his Youth Football League.

Btw, it sounds like Snoop did pretty well. Producer Mike Richards says, "It was a lot of fun to watch these celebrities play our iconic games. Each one had their own unique strategy to win.

"Let's just say Snoop knows more about the price of grocery items than you might think!"









CHRISTMAS: WOMEN ARE IN CHARGE, BUT...
Women are in charge of Christmas. That's a fact. A survey last week found that 0% of couples say the man takes the lead for the holidays. But deep down, men secretly think they could do it better.

A new survey found that more than one-third of men think Christmas would be MUCH better if they ran the show. Here's what men say they would change...

#1.) People would be expected to spend less on gifts.

#2.) Family Christmas cards would become rare...more than half would stop sending them.

#3.) There would be NO visits from the in-laws.

#4.) They'd do whatever it took to make the holiday season LESS STRESSFUL.

#5.) And finally, instead of traditional Christmas dinner, they'd serve STEAK and FRENCH FRIES.

YEAH!!!







CHRISTMAS: BY THE NUMBERS
And now, Christmas by the numbers. The Postal Service will handle 16.5 billion cards, letters, and packages...

two billion candy canes will be sold...

220 million poinsettias will be sold...

Americans will buy 25 to 30 million real Christmas trees and 17 million fake ones...

and the average family will mail out 28 cards.

According to a new survey, the way the average family spends their time together on Christmas is...watching TV. Almost EIGHT HOURS of TV. About 20% of families say at least one argument breaks out over what to watch on Christmas. Movies, Christmas specials, and sports are the most common picks.








SHUT UP & FLY
You know what makes Christmas more fun? MATH. "The Atlantic" magazine ran the numbers on Santa's Christmas Eve journey and found the following: There are 526 million Christian children under age 14 worldwide. Santa needs to hit 22 million per hour, every hour. That's 365,000 kids per minute, or 6,100 per second.







BAD GIFTS AND WHAT TO DO WITH THEM
"Consumer Reports" released their annual holiday survey, and found that one in five people have gotten a lousy holiday gift. Which might seem kind of low, but that's 49 million people.

11% of people said that their in-laws give them the worst presents, and 5% blamed their grandparents. Here are the five most common things people do with a bad present. (People could choose more than one answer.)

#1.) Make the best of it: 44%

#2.) Keep it and store it someplace out of sight: 39%

#3.) Donate it to charity: 18%

#4.) Re-gift it: 13%

#5.) A tie between "throw it out" and "return it to the store": 11%

6% of people say they try to sell the bad gift. 2% give it back to the person that gave it to them, and 2% post a picture of it online to make fun of it.








KATY PREGNANT??
People keep trying to make KATY PERRY pregnant. Wait, that didn't quite come out right. Although I Know *I* would! People keep trying to SUGGEST that Katy is pregnant. There, that's better.

But Katy keeps denying it. There may be a little paunch there, but Katy swears it's all down to JUNK FOOD. (And can't we all relate!) On the BARBARA WALTERS special the other night, she specifically called out Taco Bell.

Katy wore a tight dress Wednesday while pimping her new perfume...and when the pictures hit the web yesterday, the chatter ignited yet again.









MTV's TOP 10 ARTISTS OF 2011
1.) Katy Perry
2.) Nicki Minaj
3.) Adele
4.) The Throne
5.) Lady Gaga
6.) Rihanna
7.) Beyoncé
8.) Lil Wayne
9.) Drake
10.) Justin Bieber









THE HOLIDAY POLL (POLE?)
Harris Interactive just conducted a huge holiday poll. Here are some of the results:

Favorite Christmas Movie: "A Christmas Story"...but not by much. 20% of people chose that one...while 19% went with "It's A Wonderful Life", which NBC is airing on Christmas Eve this year. TBS will have your hookup for "A Christmas Story".

What a RIPOFF. EVERYONE knows "National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation" is THE.BEST.CHRISTMAS.MOVIE.EVER. DUH!

Favorite Christmas Special: "How the Grinch Stole Christmas". This is the animated version, not the JIM CARREY movie. It was chosen by 23% of respondents.

This was another close one. "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" got 22%.









WOW, LADIES...WOW. SAD SAD SAD.
2,000 women were asked about their husbands and boyfriends...and NONE of them said their man was perfect. Not ONE.

The average woman rated her man as being about 69% perfect, which meant that they had a long list of things that needed to be fixed. Here are the five biggest complaints.

#1.) Not getting along with her family.

#2.) Using her toothbrush. (what? ewwwww)

#3.) Leaving the bathroom dirty.

#4.) Hating her friends.

#5.) Not being good with children.

Some of the classic complaints about men finished lower than expected. Driving complaints were #10. Being a mama's boy was #11. Burping and farting was #16. And watching too much sports was #19.

Thursday, December 15, 2011

THE NICKELBACK STORY...

...since people have asked, here's a quick run-down.

FEBRUARY 2010:
On a Saturday morning, I get tipped off by a friend that Chad Kroeger, lead singer of Nickelback, had been spotted at a bar in Salem, Ohio 2 nights prior. Understand, Salem is a small town (12,000), about 40 mins east of Canton, 20 mins SW of Youngstown.
I'm skeptical right away...sure he was! Pffft. Why is the lead singer of one of the biggest rock bands in the world...at a bar in SALEM, OHIO?!

When I say biggest, I MEAN biggest. 31 singles...21 went top 10, 11 went to #1. They've sold 50 MILLION albums in 10 years.

So I cautiously and skeptically go to the air with it. "Hey, supposedly Chad Kroeger has been around here recently, if you saw him I'd love to hear from you".
Well the phones lit up. People saw him having dinner. "My buddy saw him" at such and such a place. Within the hour, it came out that he was dating someone from the area and he was here to visit her. I let that part get out.

Well, you know how this is gonna go. EVERYONE that knows the girl or knows OF the girl starts to call in...I didn't air many of them. A few. I shy'd away from that angle of the story. I wanted to take the 'rockstar in small town' angle, which was the real story.

Monday afternoon, I took a recorder out to Salem and chatted with the bartenders and owners at Spanky's, the place where Chad had been seen 2 nights prior. That video is on Youtube.

One of the calls I had taken on Saturday afternoon was from someone who claimed to be a friend of the girl. She said the family had been aware that we were talking about it, but Chad had already left town. (I wanted to get him to the station)

Another of those calls that afternoon were from Mo. HE talked about it Monday evening and got MORE of the calls from people who knew the girl. He aired them, including one from her ex-boyfriend, who had a pretty heavy case of jealousy going on, as can be expected.

It went as far as our Program Director (our boss) getting a call from the management and record companies saying basically "You WILL stop talking about this". So, we stopped talking about it.

DECEMBER 2011:
Fast forward to last night, Mo is out at a bar in Canton...The Pub. Chad was in the bar last night with the girlfriend and someone who was there told him that Mo had come in. Chad walked up to Mo and asked to speak with him for a minute.

Chad told Mo that the girlfriend's family was very upset about the things that were said on the radio and were really hurt by them. Long story short, Chad says he's going to come on Mo's show the next night and clear the air. Mo doesn't believe that Chad will actually show, so Chad GAVE MO his personal credit card!
I held it in my hand...it's metal. An American Express Business card.

I heard about it like so many of you did, from The DeLuca Show this morning and via facebook.
I was at the station tonight...we were all kind of wondering if he was actually going to show up.

I was standing in the lobby of Q92 with our owner/GM Donnie, talking about whether he was going to show up or not. He said "well 2 cars just pulled in. Probably some listeners here to see if he shows up, or maybe it's Charlotte"...a few seconds later...Chad Kroeger, lead singer from Nickelback walked right in the front door of the station. Hand to God.

He said "Hi, I'm looking for Mo?"...funny, there were a few people standing around, NO ONE said anything like "omg he's here"...it was just silent. A few people followed Chad into the building. That was the girlfriend, her parents, I believe her brother and sister. I said "yep, he's right in there, I'll take you to him"...meanwhile Mo had seen them walk in and was coming around to meet Chad and his family.

They chatted in the lobby for a minute, Mo apologized to Chad's girlfriend's mom and dad and talked with them for a minute, invited Chad into the studio. If you were listening, you heard it all go down at that point. It all unfolded in a HURRY...

I never got a pic with Chad. They were on their way out to dinner tonight. I wanted to roll video on the interview and also wanted to make sure the news that Chad was about to be on was posted on our Q92 Facebook right away, this was happening in LITERALLY 90 seconds. So while he snapped a few pics with people, I was feverishly making sure everything was set.

If you missed the interview, here is a link.http://dl.dropbox.com/u/53549894/CHAD%20KROEGER%20from%20NICKELBACK%20live%20on%20Q92.mp3

I'm not too worried about the pic. We can get one next time he's in town. Including the "Hey, this is Chad from Nickelback and whenever I'm in town, I listen to Q92" liner....and it'll be 100% true!

Thursday, December 8, 2011

SOCKS (this has nothing to do with socks)

...unless you count me wearing some right now.

WORST CELL PROVIDERS:
"Consumer Reports" just released the results of their annual survey on cell phone service providers, and for the second year in a row, AT&T took its rightful spot in LAST PLACE.

But there's a difference. One year ago, they were the only ones with the iPhone. Now Verizon and Sprint both have it. So this time around, their bad rating COULD cost them customers who stuck with their bad service for the sake of the iPhone.

Verizon got the highest customer satisfaction ratings, just ahead of Sprint. T-Mobile was in third place...but significantly above AT&T.











ROCKIN' HO HO HO
"Rolling Stone" has put together a list of The Greatest Rock 'N' Roll Christmas Songs. There are 16 of them...but not all of them are "rock 'n' roll." In fact I would say, most are not.

Here's the list, which doesn't appear to be in any particular order:

"Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)", Darlene Love (1963)
"Happy Xmas (War Is Over)", John Lennon (1971)
"Santa Claus Is Coming to Town", Bruce Springsteen (1985)
"All I Want For Christmas Is You", Mariah Carey (1994)
"Little Saint Nick", The Beach Boys (1963)
"Run Rudolph Run", Chuck Berry (1958)
"The Chanukah Song", Adam Sandler (1994)
"Frosty the Snowman", The Ronettes (1963)
"Do They Know It's Christmas?", Band Aid (1984)
"Wonderful Christmastime", Paul McCartney (1979)
"Jingle Bell Rock", Bobby Helms (1957)
"The Night Santa Went Crazy", "Weird Al" Yankovic (1996)
"Christmastime for the Jews", Darlene Love (2005)
"Christmas in Hollis", Run-D.M.C (1987)
"Christmas in Harlem", Kanye West (2010)
"The Christmas Waltz", She & Him (2011)









KEEPING UP WITH THE JONES
Every year, Jones Soda releases special limited-edition holiday flavors. And usually they have some RIDICULOUS and DISGUSTING-SOUNDING flavor, like green bean casserole or smoked salmon.

But this year, they're all pretty boring.

There's no awful-sounding flavor...nothing even close. The four flavors are Candy Cane, Pear Tree, Sugar Plum, and Gingerbread. All of those sound like they'll immediately cause diabetes, but not repulsion.

If you're interested, they sell a pack with one bottle of each flavor at JonesSoda.com for $8. And stores like Target generally carry the holiday flavors too.








SMELL YA LATER
Apparently, the way you smell is giving out more clues about you than you realized. And I don't mean that it's telling people you like Axe body spray, or that you don't like showering.

In a new study out of Poland, researchers found that people could accurately predict someone's major personality traits just by smelling them.

By smelling people's T-shirts, the participants in the study were able to predict whether other people were outgoing and extroverted, or neurotic and anxious. And they were particularly good at predicting those qualities in the opposite sex.

In other words, when you meet someone and start sizing them up as someone to date, your sense of smell is more involved than you realize.

I'm gonna try that next time. "Hi, I'm Rob. Can I SMELL you? Just..yeah, lemme.......ahhhhhhh yeah"








GIMME THE KEYS PLEASE
Usually when a cop pulls you over and you don't get a ticket, it's your lucky day. But that's assuming he doesn't steal your car and wreck it.

A 28-year-old police officer named Enrique Gonzalez pulled over a drunk driver in Newark, New Jersey back on November 15th. He was off-duty, but was still wearing his uniform.

And instead of giving the driver a ticket, Enrique told him to get out of his Ford F-450 pickup truck and sober up.

The unidentified driver says Enrique told him, "I'm not going to arrest you. I'm going to leave the keys in the tailpipe. Come back and get it when you're sober."

The driver left, but when he came back to get his truck, it was gone.

That's because Enrique STOLE the truck...drove it to his estranged wife's house in the nearby town of Garfield...and used it to RAM her 2011 Hyundai.

Internal affairs finally worked out the details of Enrique's arrest on Friday, and he's been charged with criminal mischief and receiving stolen property. His court date is December 15th.








TWITTER BEEF, FEATURING NICKELBACK
If you love NICKELBACK...and you're willing to admit it to yourself...would you mind tossing them a bone? They could really use some support.

After being bullied by the haters before performing at the halftime show of the Thanksgiving game between the Lions and the Packers...Nickelback is now taking shots from the Atlanta Braves pitching staff.

Relief pitcher PETER MOYLAN recently dissed the band after seeing a FOO FIGHTERS show. He Tweeted, "Note to @Nickelback: Please attend a @FooFighters concert. That's how it should be done Chad."

NICKELBACK responded with: Quote, "Foos are killer for sure. We're doing just fine too, thanks...? For you Pete, is watching Kimbrel better from the bench or on TV?"

That's CRAIG KIMBREL, who's also a Braves reliever. He was the National League Rookie of the Year, while Peter was injured and missed most of the season.

Since this is so random, this pseudo-beef could've been AWESOME. But unfortunately, it seems like it's over already.

The next day, Nickelback Tweeted, quote, "There is no beef [with] @PeterMoylan. We both took shots. We didn't take it seriously. To each their own. No harm meant, all the best to him."

And Peter responded, quote, "@Nickelback nothing like lighting a fire in the Twitter world! Where would we be without [smack] talking?

"For the record, watching Kimbrel deal is fantastic from anywhere."









50 CENT SAYS WEEZY IS "TURNING INTO 50 CENT"
50 CENT says LIL WAYNE is probably going to start getting some backlash at this point in his career...when he's trying to find NEW success, now that's he's already found initial success.

This is territory that 50 says he's very familiar with.

He tells "XXL" magazine, "[Lil Wayne] is turning into 50 Cent. He's going through that process of being successful, 'til people go, 'You know what? Get the [eff] outta here. We don't want you here no more.' Because you're successful.

"For me, the music is an artistic choice. I'll say, from the very beginning, that I can care less about a critic or how someone judges me for the actual music.

"People understand within hip-hop culture that I'm passionate about actually trying to do something different. I want to make a change in a different way. This is about me personally feeling like I wanna mean more after I'm dead, when I'm gone."









HEADLINE
"38% of People are Already Done With Their Christmas Shopping"
My response:
"Bahahahahahaha"







BIGGER N BETTER
Women are incredibly skilled at making guys think their packages are the PERFECT size. At some point, EVERY woman learns the catchphrase, "It's the perfect size for ME...if it were any bigger, it would be PAINFUL."

Lies. All lies.

Lawrence Barraclough is a sexuality expert, and he compiled data from several surveys to figure out what women are hoping for in a sexual partner's penis size.

He found that the average woman describes the "ideal" length to be 7.25 to 8.25 inches in length, and 6.25 to 6.5 inches in girth.

BUT...the average penis size is 5.5 to 6.3 inches in length, and 4.7 to 5.1 inches in girth. So most women's "ideal" size is longer and wider than what 98% of men are packing. Only 2% of men have junk that fits into that "ideal" range.

His research also found that basically NO women described a penis less than five inches long as satisfying. There was no max, though...there were women interested in lengths of 11 inches and up.

As for girth, no circumference smaller than 4.5 inches or bigger than 7.25 inches was considered satisfying.









THE 'YEAR END LISTS'...
And, it begins. The impending onslaught of "Best Music of the Year" lists has officially commenced...and this year, first blood goes to MTV.

MTV.com's "Bigger Than the Sound" column has released its 20 Best Albums of 2011 list...and top honors go to the indie pop band GIRLS for their album, "Father, Son, Holy Ghost".

As usual, this list is a blend of stuff you've never heard...alongside mainstream albums that you may or may not feel comfortable calling "the best music of the year."

Here's the list:
1.) "Father, Son, Holy Ghost", Girls
2.) "21", Adele
3.) "Take Care", Drake
4.) "David Comes to Life", [Effed] Up (A Canadian hardcore punk band.)
5.) "Skying", The Horrors
6.) "Let England Shake", PJ Harvey
7.) "Bon Iver", Bon Iver
8.) "Watch the Throne", Jay-Z and Kanye West
9.) "In the Mountain, in the Cloud", Portugal. The Man ...A band originally from Wasilla, Alaska...a.k.a. the home of SARAH PALIN.
10.) "Born This Way", Lady Gaga
11.) "Slave Ambient", The War on Drugs
12.) "Nostalgia, Ultra", Frank Ocean...He's in the hip-hop group Odd Future.
13.) "Helplessness Blues", Fleet Foxes
14.) "House of Balloons and Thursday", The Weeknd
15.) "Ceremonials", Florence and the Machine
16.) "El Camino", The Black Keys
17.) "How to Get to Heaven from Jacksonville, FL", Gospel Music ...That's a band name. It isn't actually gospel music, it's "post-punk." For the record, this is an example of how you can choose an extremely un-Google-friendly band name.
18.) "Talk That Talk", Rihanna
19.) "We're New Here", A collaborative album featuring old-school soul singer and poet Gil Scott-Heron, who just died this year, and Jamie XX of the British indie pop group The XX.
20.) "4", Beyoncé

You can find their write-ups on each of these albums at MTV.com.

From the comments under the story, the big snubs seem to be BRITNEY SPEARS' "Femme Fatale" and LIL WAYNE'S "Tha Carter 4". But wasn't the last project better for BOTH of those artists?








CAR VS. GIRLFRIEND

This survey comes from England...but since American men are CLEARLY manlier than British men, it's GOT to be true over here too.

According to the survey, the majority of men...just over 50%...say that they find it easier to maintain their CAR than their relationship.

Here are some other things the survey found...

10% say they sometimes find themselves more captivated by the curves on cars than the curves on their partner.

14% talk more about their cars than their partner. Only 3% of women admitted the same thing.

Spending money on a car makes the average guy THREE TIMES HAPPIER than spending money on his partner.

And finally, if they had to get rid of their car or end their relationship...8% would choose their CAR over their partner.









SNEAK IT IN
The holidays are a time to reunite with family, which makes certain things tricky: Try having intimate relations with your wife when you have relatives sleeping on an air mattress in the next room.

Thankfully, we have four ways you can sneak in some vacation sex with your spouse over the holidays...courtesy of the good people over at Astroglide sex lube.

#1.) Long showers: You get some privacy when you're in the bathroom, so take advantage of it. When your guests hear the water running, they won't know the two of you are in there together.

#2.) Set the alarm: If both of you wake up in the middle of the night while everyone else is asleep...or before everyone gets up...you should be able to cut loose. Just don't get too crazy, or you'll wake people up and defeat the purpose.

#3.) Take a nap: After preparing a big meal for everyone, you can announce that you need to lay down for awhile. And your spouse can find an excuse to check in on you.

#4.) Bribery: Offer to pay for a big family outing to go bowling or see a movie. Then come up with a reason that you and your spouse have to stay home.

Sunday, December 4, 2011

SUNDAY NOT FUNDAY

um......here's some shtuff.

IF YOU *WANNA* GET WITH GAGA...
...cause I sure DON'T! But maybe you do.
LADY GAGA doesn't exactly seem to ooze sex appeal, but if you're someone who IS interested in her, here's what she's looking for:

According to Britain's "Sun" tabloid, Lady Gaga describes her type as, "[Ranging] from a really big [manhood] to a degree at Harvard."

She adds that she's also attracted to, "Talent and perseverance and pushing the boundaries of love and acceptance."

That being said, it's unclear how available she is. We've heard that Lady Gaga is hooking up with TAYLOR KINNEY from "The Vampire Diaries".








MIDNIGHT BLACK FRIDAY IS HERE TO STAY...
Stores posted all-time record sales on Black Friday and the ones that opened at midnight or earlier...including Walmart, Best Buy, Target, and Macy's...all reported enormous sales. SO...expect those early openings to be back next year.

Terry Lundgren is the CEO of Macy's. He says they LOVED the midnight opening because it brought a younger crowd they usually don't get on Black Friday. Then, around 4:00 A.M., the usual, older Black Friday crowd came as a second wave.








HOLIDAY STRESS? BLAME THE DECORATIONS!!
Now that Thanksgiving is behind us, a lot of people will be breaking out the Christmas decorations. But if you're not careful, apparently you can ruin the holiday season with poor placement.

Robyn Bentley says she's an expert on the proper placement of household items. From now I'm going to call myself an expert on frozen microwave dinners, how's that?

She also calls herself the Feng Shui Diva. I'm a guy so I don't even know what the HELL that is, let alone how to pronounce it.

She points out that many families have more sickness over the holiday season, people argue more, and feel more depressed...and she blames the decorations. So here are her decorating tips:

#1.) No red lights on the East or South sides of your house: According to Robyn, there's illness energy in the East and South sections of every house. And red lights add the "fire" element to your home.

Oh....Lord.

Obviously, you don't want such an intense element in areas of the house filled with illness energy. So use silver, white, and gold there instead. Obviously.

#2.) Don't create clutter or obstacles: First of all, squeezing past the talking, dancing snowman to get into the kitchen is just going to increase everyone's stress level. But clutter also slows the "chi flow" in your home.

The what? Is that something to do with Chicago?? I hate the White Sox too, maybe she's on to something with that.

#3.) Turn the Christmas lights off at bedtime: Too much light makes your body think it's daytime, and you won't get restful sleep. So turn off the holiday light display before hitting the sack.








SEASONS GREETINGS
I kinda like getting the Christmas cards in the mail.....hint hint!!! (especially when money is in them!)

According to a new survey, 63% of people say they plan to mail a holiday card this year, whether it's a Christmas card or letter to all of their family or friends or just a regular Hallmark card.

People also say they prefer hard-copy cards to e-cards, email, and phone calls.








HUGGERS UNITE!
HUGGING plays a way bigger role in your life than you ever quite realized.

According to a new study out of England, the average person wants a hug THIRTEEN TIMES a day. Each of those hugs averages 9.5 seconds. (That seems like a LOT of hugging for an awful LONG time to me...)

And every month, we spend one hour hugging. That means you spend somewhere around 40 FULL DAYS of your life hugging.

The study also found that 69% of people turn to their significant other for a hug. (And hopefully 100% turn to them for a 69.)

14% look to close friends when they want a hug...9% look to their parents.

About 14% said that they do their hugging in private because public displays of affection are inappropriate.

33% said it's inappropriate to hug in the workplace.









THE DREAM HOME
A new survey asked people to describe their dream house and, basically, the average person wants something that seems pretty obscure...an isolated, rural house on a lot of land that's also very convenient to work and shopping.

Here's the breakdown of the average dream house...

In a rural area, on at least a half-acre of land.

So isolated that you can get privacy without having to close the curtains.

BUT...less than 10 miles from work, less than five miles from the nearest town, and less than two miles away from school, the grocery store, and the doctor.

And despite the isolation, people want good neighbors who they're on a first-name basis with.

The only things people want from the house itself are four bedrooms, a study, a dining room, and a kitchen with a breakfast nook.

As for any "fantasy" elements of the house, there was only one that made the list...about half of the people polled wanted an indoor swimming pool.

About 10% of people surveyed said they were already living in their dream house. 25% of people say they're saving for it. The rest don't think they'll ever achieve their fantasy.








BURNING THOSE WINTER CALORIES
Chances are you gained a little weight this holiday season. or will soon. So here's something to keep you motivated: Four winter activities that can burn 500 calories in one hour.

#1.) Skiing and Snowboarding. It depends on how much you weigh, and how tough the slopes are. But you can generally expect to burn between 350 and 500 calories an hour.

#2.) Ice Skating. Just skating around in a circle for 60 minutes can burn between 400 and 500 calories.

#3.) Snowshoeing. Not like anybody DOES this. But if you want to strap on snowshoes and go for an hour-long hike, you can easily burn 500 calories or more.

#4.) Sledding. Obviously the actual sledding-downhill part doesn't burn that many calories. But the rest of the time, you're just walking uphill. So one hour of sledding can burn about 400 to 500 calories for the average person.









WEEZY & EMINEM DO A WORLD TOUR:
Peep the link: http://www.vibe.com/posts/lil-wayne-announces-world-tour-eminem









ANNND PLUMPING ON UP!
A new Gallup poll found that we're getting heavier, and we don't seem to care.

The average American is just under 20 pounds heavier than they were in 1990. Men weighed 180 pounds back then, and women weighed 142.

Now the average American male weighs 196 pounds, an increase of 16 pounds in 21 years. The average woman is up 18 pounds to 160.

Even our "goal weight" has increased over that time. Most people name a target weight that's ten pounds heavier than it was in 1990.

Back then, men said their ideal weight was 171 pounds. That's increased to 181.

The ideal weight for women went from 129 pounds in 1990 to 138 now, an increase of nine pounds.

And even though nearly 70% of American adults are considered overweight or obese by the CDC, just 39% think they're overweight. 56% of us think our weight is "just right."






OHIO STATE SAYS NO WAY!!!
We've all heard that men think about sex every seven seconds. According to a new study, that's a myth. Men don't think about sex THAT much. BUT...men DO think about sex more than women.

The study was conducted at The Ohio State University and had both men and women record how often they think about sex, food, and sleep on a daily basis.

The average man thought about sex 19 times per day. That's not once every seven seconds, obviously. To think about sex every seven seconds, you'd need to think about sex 8,000 times a day.

The average woman thought about sex 10 times a day...which is about half of what men reported.

The man who thought about sex the most in the study thought about it 388 times a day. That's about 24 times per hour. The woman who thought about sex the most thought about it 140 times a day, or almost nine times an hour. I'm pretty sure I know who that girl is.

NO ONE in the study of either gender had zero sexual thoughts per day.

The study also found that, in addition to 19 sexual thoughts, men think about FOOD 18 times a day and sleep 11 times. Women think about sex 10 times, food 15 times, and sleep about 8-and-a-half times.








72% OF GUYS...
This poll asked guys if they've ever used a pick-up line. 72%, or about three-fourths, said NO. 28% said yes. And here are some of the most popular lines they've used...

8% have said to a woman, "Is that a ladder in your pants or a stairway to heaven?"

7% have said, "You must be tired because you've been running through my mind all day."

And 5% have tried, "Did it hurt when you fell from heaven?"







RANDOM:
Two-Thirds of Expectant Parents Google Potential Names for Their Baby...To Make Sure It's Not a Stripper or Serial Killer's Name









NICKELBACK SAYS EFF THE HATERS
NICKELBACK says their fans always come out to support them, so they're not concerned about the haters. Specifically, the ones that supported an online petition to have them removed from the Detroit Lions' Thanksgiving game halftime show.

Singer CHAD KROEGER says, "We get [hate like] that all the time. We've never really been a critics' darling or anything like that...The people speak. We sell a lot of records and fill a lot of arenas, and we don't hear many complaints."

Well, I'll give them that.

The petition picked up over 55,000 supporters. But Chad is right...according to their label, Nickelback has sold over 50 million albums worldwide, and has had over a dozen hits on the "Billboard" charts.

Of course, "the people" started that petition, not music critics. Every band has haters...Regardless, Nickelback seems to take that in stride.








MUSICAL TURNOFFS:
Tastebuds.fm recently conducted a poll to determine the Top 10 Musical Turnoffs according to their users. The site defined these acts as, quote, "The bands you just can't stand...REALLY can't stand."

Perhaps not surprisingly, NICKELBACK came in at #1...followed by JUSTIN BIEBER. (OK, so Canada = Good at healthcare, bad at fostering good music.)

Here's the Top 10, which is filled with some predictable names:

1.) Nickelback
2.) Justin Bieber
3.) Lady Gaga
4.) Ke$ha
5.) Coldplay
6.) U2
7.) Creed
8.) Katy Perry
9.) Lil Wayne
10.) Britney Spears.







LADY GAGA...
...in the new issue of "Vanity Fair". She says: "I Have an Inability to Know What Happiness Feels Like with a Man. I think what it really is, is that I date creative people. And I think that's what intimidates them is not my purse, it's my mind.

"It starts out good. Then when I'm in these relationships with people who are also creative, or creative in their own way, what happens is the attraction is initially there and it's all unicorns and rainbows. And then they hate me.

"It's a hideous place to be in when someone that you love has convinced you that you will never be good enough for anyone."









DREADING THE HOLIDAYS: HERE'S WHY
I love this list because it's so not politically correct, and so HONEST. "Consumer Reports" surveyed more than 1,000 Americans and asked them what they're dreading about the holiday season. Here's the full top 11:

#1.) Crowds and long lines, 68%

#2.) Gaining weight, 37%

#3.) Getting into debt, 37%

#4.) Gift shopping, 28%

#5.) Traveling, 25%

#6.) SEEING CERTAIN RELATIVES, 24%

#7.) Nonstop seasonal music, 23% (none of that on Q92!)

#8.) Disappointing gifts, 19%

#9.) Having to attend holiday parties and events, 16%

#10.) HAVING TO BE NICE TO PEOPLE, 15%

#11.) Holiday tipping, 12%








SHOPLIFTING ON THE RISE...
When I look at the photos and watch the videos of the mob scenes from Black Friday, I wonder, "How do these stores keep people from stealing EVERYTHING?" And the answer is...they don't.

The National Association of Shoplifting Prevention just released some new statistics...and it turns out shoplifting is WAY bigger than you ever realized. Check this out...

Statistically, one out of every ELEVEN people who walks into a store shoplifts something. Seriously.

Retailers are set to lose $119 BILLION this year to shoplifting. That's 1.45% of total sales.

Only 3% of shoplifters are pros.

70% of shoplifters didn't go to the store planning to steal...but saw an opportunity and took it.

75% of shoplifters are adults, most of whom have jobs. And 35% have help from a corrupt employee.

Shoplifting is up 6% compared to last year.








AND WHAT ARE WE STEALING?
"Adweek" magazine surveyed store security pros from around the country and asked them what items are shoplifted the most from their stores. Here's the top ten:

#1.) Filet mignon. (LOL!!!!) "Luxury meat" thefts are up 21% since 2009 and are the most commonly stolen items from grocery stores.

#2.) Expensive liquors. Stolen more by alcoholics than underage kids.

#3.) Small electric tools. This covers everything from power drills to electric toothbrushes.

#4.) iPhones. iPhones, plus other small electronics, get stolen all the time. Approximately 100,000 laptops are stolen from stores every year.

#5.) Gillette Mach 4 razor blades. Razor blade thefts account for 2.7% of all store losses.

#6.) AXE body spray. AXE is the most stolen brand of deodorant, body wash, and body spray.

#7.) Polo. Polo is the most stolen designer brand, and Tommy Hilfiger is second. Clothing theft is up 31% since 2009.

#8.) Let's Rock Elmo. This Elmo toy, along with all the other hot toys for this Christmas season, are major targets.

#9.) Chanel No. 5. Designer fragrances account for 4% of losses in stores where they're sold.

#10.) Nikes.









I-O-WA!
The Good News: ASHTON KUTCHER returned to his hometown last week, and was swarmed by girls. The Bad News: Ashton's hometown is in Iowa. (I kid, I kid. I LOVE the cornfed Iowa girls! Seriously!)

Ashton and some friends hit a few bars in Iowa City, and a source says, "He was drinking beer, and girls kept coming up to him. He loved the attention. Girls were hugging him and shaking his hand.

"He was swarmed by girls. A few tried to convince him to go to a strip club...but he declined!"








FACEBOOK FTW!
Here's a great shot in the Facebook-versus-Twitter rivalry. Twitter only lets you post updates that are 140 characters. That's their signature characteristic.

Well...Facebook is going in the OTHER direction. Yesterday, they announced that they'll let you post a status update or wall post that's 63,206 characters.

In other words, their max is 451.5 times higher than Twitter's.

The previous max on Facebook was 5,000 characters, which they established in September. Before then, you could only post 500 characters.

The 63,206 characters basically means you'll NEVER hit the limit. To compare, a full-length novel is about 500,000 characters...which means it would only take you eight Facebook posts to put up an entire novel.