Trending This Mornin'
 
Look familiar?
It's Friday!  Let it snow.  1 - 3 inches this afternoon.  Much lighter and easier to shovel.  The morning commute should be fine.  Snow should hold off until after lunchtime in most areas.  It should start in the Roanoke area between 1 and 3. Lynchburg 2 and 4.  
Amounts: 1 -3 Roanoke.  Lynchburg - up to 2".  Alleghany Highs 2-4".  Southside - coating to 1".
Snow is gone by Saturday, but still cold and windy.  High Saturday 39, with sunshine. Continued sunny Sunday, a bit warmer. Around 40.  Monday 47,  around 57-60° Tuesday and Wednesday.  Then, back to winter.

Ernie’s served its last potato cake yesterday.  The downtown Roanoke eatery closed and signed the business over to the owner of a Harrisonburg restaurant, Jack Brown’s Beer & Burger Joint.

Zac Brown Band tonight, Cat Show at the Holiday Inn on Ordway Drive, and the Kid's Winter Carnival at the Salem Civic Center.  

Hoops:   Virginia 74, Va Tech 58

 

Lookin' Back

This is January 25th is the 25th day of the year.  54 days until Spring.   Today is Opposite Day

1870, the soda fountain was invented

1947, Al Capone died

1961, John F. Kennedy presented the first live presidential news conference from Washington, DC. The event was carried on radio and television.

1971, Charles Manson was convicted of murdering 7 people

1981, the 52 Americans held hostage by Iran for 444 days arrived back in the United States

1993, Sears announced that after 97 years it was closing its catalog sales department


Cuttin' Cake Today

pop star Alicia Keys (32)   former WWE star The Honky Tonk Man (60)

Joke of the Day
Which food is essential to good music?  ans - the beet
 

 
 
Weird News This Mornin'
Doggie poo is a problem at a Plano, Texas, apartment complex. Management is going to "poo-print" to keep their residents' dogs' DNA on file. Dogs must have their mouths swabbed for DNA. Any droppings not picked up can be traced back to the dog's owner, who will face a $250 fine.
 
This past Monday in Spain, an 11-year-old was FREAKED OUT that his parents were  meeting with his teacher.  So he FAKED HIS OWN KIDNAPPING.   After a  two-hour search by police that included roadblocks,  the youngsters dad  found him hiding.   There's no word on legal action . . . or when the  parent-teacher conference will happen.  As for the 11 year old, he's grounded for LIFE.

 

 
Smarter Than Question
One in 12 have done this at the office.  What is it?  Ready?  (Drum roll..."taken someone's lunch").    Did you know over 3% say they REGULARLY steal coworkers lunches.

 
 

 
Entertainment Buzz
Night 2 of American Idol - calling Baton Rouge last night.   The city produced fewer Hollywood contestants than either Chicago or New York.  
 


Dustin Watts - Baton Rouge Audition - American... by IdolxMuzic 
 

However,  Baton Rouge showed us at least a half-dozen serious contenders. Among them:Megan Miller, who postponed surgery on an infected leg so she could wow the judges with her take on Etta James' Something's Got a Hold on Me; singing doctor Calvin Peters, who can probably handle the stress and long hours of Hollywood week without batting an eye; a 17-year-old named Maddie Assel; and country hunk Dustin Watts, who is, of all things, a fireman. (Video above)
Fleetwood Mac will play Time Warner Cable Arene in Charlotte on June 24.  Tickets go on sale Friday, Feb 1 at 10 at Ticketmaster.com.

BEYONCE'S SUPER BOWL SONG LIST _ Us Weekly has gotten its hands on her rumored set list.

  • Crazy in Love
  • Bills Bills Bills
  • Survivor
  • Nuclear
The Bethenny Frankel/Jason Hoppy divorce is about to get REALLY messy, a he files divorce motions.  Jason is asking for the exact same things Bethenny filed for. He wants primary custody of their 2-year-old, daughter, Bryn, child support, and wants Bethenny to foot the bill for medical and dental insurance as well as related expenses for himself and Bryn.  
Russell Crowe has gotten a lot of flak for his singing in "Les Miz," but the cast loves him. Anne Hathaway says Crowe was "the glue" that held them together.
Sources confirm J.J. Abrams will direct the next Star Wars film for Disney. Argo director Ben Affleck was also in contention.
 
Michael Buble, has confirmed that he and his wife, actress Luisana Lopilato, are expecting their first child.

After Erin Andrews departed ESPN last year, reporter, Rachel Nichols became one of the strongest female reporters that the Sports network had on the air.  Now, Rachel has ended her tenure with ESPN and his heading to CNN.

NEW IN THEATERS THIS WEEKEND _ Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters (R); Movie 43 (R); Parker (R)

 

NEW ON DVD THIS WEEKEND _  End of Watch (Jake Gyllenhaal); The Paperboy (Nicole Kidman, Matthew McConaughey, John Cusack, Zac Efron); Universal Soldier: Day of Reckoning (Jean-Claude Van Damme, Dolph Lundgren)

TV TONIGHT
ABC: Reruns

CBS: Reruns

NBC: Dateline is new

FOX: Kitchen Nightmares is new

CW: Nikita is new
 

 
News from Nashville
 
(Photo: Getty Images)

 
Zac Brown Band at Roanoke Civic Center tonight.  Showtime 7p.
 

Gary Allan is on track to score his first #1 album on the overall Billboard 200 chart next week with the release of "Set You Free".

Dierks Bentley, Miranda Lambert and Carrie Underwood have joined the performance lineup for the Grammy Awards on Feb. 10.  Dierks and Miranda will perform together.  They share the cover of the latest "Country Weekly".

Kenny Chesney will wave his 'Pirate Flag' proudly next week as he releases the first single from his upcoming studio album to all digital outlets on Jan. 31.  Chesney’s yet-to-be-titled studio album is expected to be released on April 30.

Hunter Hayes has 3 Grammy nods and he's reportedly in the studio working on some material for his next album.


Paul Jolley - Baton Rouge Audition - American... by IdolxMuzic

As I mentioned in the Buzz (above) American Idol's stop in Baton Rouge, produced a few good ones.  Paul Jolley - 22 - honored his late grandfather by singing the Rascal Flattshit ‘I Won’t Let Go,’ wowing the judges with his polished vocal skills and genuine spirit.



 
Lar's This & That
 
SUPER BOWL SUNDAY WING SHORTAGE 
The National Chicken Council has announced that there's a shortage of chicken wings. The NCC estimates wing consumption on Super Bowl Sunday will hit 1.23 billion, 12.3 million less than last year. Blame corn prices, says the NCC.

 
SUPER BOWL 47 PREVIEW
Both the San Francisco 49ers and the Baltimore Ravens are in big game mode. The teams' websites have plenty of background on their players and the road to the Super Bowl in New Orleans. On the Ravens site, you can learn about legendary linebacker Ray Lewis' fascination with lions. The Niners have a countdown clock, ticking off the seconds until kickoff. Online:  49ers       Ravens
 

 
 
COLD ENOUGH FOR YOU?

Temps around the nation have been a tad cool lately. So cold that doctors are warning to be wary of frostbite and hypothermia. Both can sneak up on you if not careful. Here's how you know frostbite has set in:

Starts with a burning sensation and redness 
Progresses to numbness and tingling 
Skin may look white or gray 
You feel 'clumsy' 
The best thing to do is stick your fingers under your armpits for warmth. Next, use warm water (not hot water!). Using a hairdryer, stove or fire can cause damage to your skin.


Hypothermia (low body temp):

You feel tremors or shakes 
Difficulty using hands 
Feeling confused 
The best thing to do (obviously) is get into a warm room. 15 minutes is all you need, unless it's a child, then get them to a doctor.

How to avoid frostbite and hypothermia

Dress warm, but in layers. Take off clothes if you feel yourself sweating. 
Keep your face and fingers covered -- those are the first parts affected by frostbite 
Wear a hat 
Avoid alcohol and smoking 
Avoid metal or water

 

 

6 PASSIVE AGGRESSIVE PHRASES TO AVOID

Check out these 6 phrases... how many times have they been uttered by you?

"Fine, Whatever!" 
"I'm NOT angry!" 
"I didn't realize you wanted it done now" 
"I didn't know you wanted it done like that" 
"Can't you take a joke?" 
"I'm just saying" 
According to Psychology Today, those are passive aggressive statements you need to recognize and stop saying. They're designed to "get back at another person without that person recognizing the underlying anger."

 

more

 

 

PRODUCT OF THE DAY

Someone's FINALLY figured out a way to actually get you EXCITED to send out  thank-you cards.  You can now buy notecards with envelopes that have  CHOCOLATE-FLAVORED SEALS.   No more paper-and-glue flavor, when you lick them, they taste like chocolate.  A set of 10 costs $12.99 at ThinkGeek.com.  (Gizmodo)

 

 

HAPPY FRIDAY!  REALLY.

Wednesdays are the WORST days of the week for a lunch date. Experts say that women look their oldest at 3:30pm every Wednesday. 12% of women say their most stressful day of the week is Wednesday. But things are a-okay once you get past Wednesday, life is good. Researchers say that Thursday is the day women are most likely to have sex, which may explain why women are at their happiest on Friday. 60% of women say Friday is their happiest day of the week. 

 

I CAT RESIST

There's actually a SCIENTIFIC REASON why you can't resist sharing cat videos or  photos of your baby.  A new study out of Yale found that when we see  something CUTE, our bodies are wired to LOSE CONTROL.  You're filled with a  biological urge to share the cuteness . . . and that urge is so strong it  overrides your usual inhibitions.       Story

 

Good News Story  

Who knew a hashtag could wield this much power? This one -- #OperationGetKaylaToMeetTaylorSwift -- worked so well, it brought Kayla Kincannon to Nashville for lunch with Taylor Swift.

Kincannon has been fighting brain cancer and brain tumors since 2011 but has been a Swift fan for much, much longer. So the suburban Detroit teenager's family and friends had started a social media campaign to get her to meet Swift.

It had to seem like a longshot, but it worked.  Taylor and Kayla had lunch in Tennessee.

After lunch, her family posted on Kincannon's website, "This was no quick meet and greet photo opp." Lunch with the Swift women lasted two hours.   But the memories of that lunch? I'm pretty sure those will last forever.   Indeed.   That's the Taylor Swift story I love to hear.

 

Lar's Thought of the Day 

"Happiness is not something you postpone for the future; it is something you design for the present."