Your WX

-Patchy frost before 9am. Mostly sunny, high 70. 
-Wednesday Mostly sunny and breezy.  high 87. 
-Thursday:  A slight chance of midday showers.  Then a slight chance of showers and thunderstorms after 3pm. Partly sunny, high 82. 
-Friday A chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny, high near 80. 
-Saturday A chance of showers. Mostly sunny, high near 78. 
-Sunday Partly sunny, high near 81.

Salem City Council is considering "doubling" the cigarette tax.   If the tax per pack jumps from its current 20 cents to a possible 45 cents, it would produce an additional $690,000 in revenue for the city.   Roanoke’s tax is 54 cents.

Roanoke City Council voted to postpone a vote on a proposed 28.5 percent pay increase for council

Gov McDonnell has recognized Fincastle Presbyterian Church. They're celebrating their 250th anniversary, as it dates back to 1763.

Gas prices are heading up as we get closer to the summer vacation season.

Nearly 700 people thus far have registered to run for president of Iran. [And you thought our presidential debates were too long.]

The Drew Expo opens tomorrow night at the Roanoke Civic Center.  There will be more police presence  this year after a fight broke out in 2012.

Sports

Miami Heat beat Chicago Bulls 88-65 Monday in Game 4 of second-round playoff series

Myrtle Beach 8, Salem 3.     Lynchburg 7, Carolina 4.   TONIGHT: Salem @ Carolina.  Red Sox return home Friday.  Hillcats host Frederick tonight at 6:05.

Bassmaster Magazine ranks Smith Mountain Lake 25th in its list of the best bass lakes nationwide. 

VMI Athletic Director Donny White has announced his retirement after 30 years of service at the institute

Sprint Cup All-star Race this Saturday at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

More horsepower in Baltimore this Saturday with the running of the Preakness.

The Dish

Actress Angelina Jolie revealed in a New York Times op-ed on Tuesday that she quietly underwent a preventive double mastectomy after discovering she carried the BRCA1 gene, which sharply increases a woman's risk of developing breast cancer and ovarian cancer.

"My chances of developing breast cancer have dropped from 87% to under 5%," Jolie writes. "I can tell my children that they don't need to fear they will lose me to breast cancer."

She says she feels "empowered that I made a strong choice that in no way diminishes my femininity."

Jolie salutes her partner, Brad Pitt, who she says was with her during her surgeries at the Pink Lotus Breast Center.

Jolie's mother, Marcheline Bertrand, died at age 56 after a nearly decade-long battle with ovarian cancer.

It was the Dancing with the Stars semi-finals last night as four stars scored perfect 10's and two dances.  

Here's the leaderboard:

Aly Raisman & Mark Ballas - Scores: 10, 10, 10    Scores: 10, 9, 10 = 29 Total: 59

Jacoby Jones & Karina Smirnoff -  Scores: 10, 10, 10 = 30   Scores: 10, 9, 10 = 59 

Kellie Pickler & Derek Hough - Scores: 10, 10, 10 = 30   Scores: 9, 10, 9 = 28 (The crowd booed, since Bruno showed a 10 paddle, but he quickly scrambled to pull out the 9.) Total: 58

Zendaya & Val Chmerkovskiy -  Scores: 8, 8, 9 = 25   Scores: 10, 10, 10 = 30 Total: 55

Ingo Rademacher and Kym Johnson -  Scores: 8, 8, 8 = 24   Scores: 9, 9, 9 = 27 Total: 51

On The Voice last night - the final 12 sang for survival.   It was a night of HOT performances...part of that could have been because the studio air conditioning wasn't working.  

Highlights included:  Vedo - a true Usher protege' - had the best moves.   The biggest note goes to Holly Tucker from Team Blake as she sang Martina McBride's "Broken Wing".  The Swon Brothers paid homage to George Jones.  Garrett Gardner - from team Shakira - may have made the wrong song choice by doing Backstreet Boys.  Sarah Simmons hit one out of the park for Team Adam.  Sasha Allen "wowed" the audience with Heart's "Alone".  America's votes alone determine which two, regardless of team, are sent packing tonight.  Catch it tonight at 8p on NBC.

OBIT:  Famed American psychologist, advice columnist and TV personality Dr. Joyce Brothers died Monday in New York.  She was 85.

Take that John Mayer.  Katy Perry tweeted a photo of herself with Mick Jagger after she sang with the rock icon during a Rolling Stones concert in Las Vegas. They performed "Beast of Burden" during Saturday night's show.

Beyonce is pregnant with her second child by her husband, music mogul Jay-Z.

Angie Everhart's publicist says the actress and model has been diagnosed with thyroid cancer and is scheduled to undergo surgery today.  We wish her well. 

Today" co-host Savannah Guthrie announced Monday Michael Feldman, her boyfriend of four years, proposed to her during the weekend.

Ryan Seacrest reportedly bought Julianne Hough a luxurious $3M break-up mansion. She sold her Nashville condo and moved into the stunning new home that Ryan purchased. Before their three-year relationship ended, Julianne had been living with Ryan in his $34M estate.   BTW:  If you thought Julianne was good in "Footloose" check out the movie "Safe Haven" with Julianne and Josh Duhamel. 

 Whoever wins "American Idol" will sing the national anthem at the National Memorial Day Concert in Washington. She'll also perform at the Fourth of July concert in DC.  Katherine Jenkins of "Dancing With the Stars" will sing on Memorial Day, as well as Chris Mann, who was a finalist on "The Voice." Ed Harris will also take part. The concert will be televised May 26 on PBS.

On DVD Today:  Cloud Atlas (Tom Hanks),   Texas Chainsaw 3D

On TV Tonight

ABC: Wipeout, DWTS, and Body of Proof are new
CBS: Finale's tonight of NCIS, NCIS: Los Angeles, and Golden Boy
NBC: The Voice and Grimm are new
FOX: Premiere of So You Think You Can Dance, followed by finales of New Girl and The Mindy Project
CW: Leap Year (2010)

Did your favorite show make the cut?

Take a look below to find out...

Cancelled so far on ABC:
Body Of Proof
Happy Endings
How To Live With Your Parents
Last Resort
Malibu Country
Red Widow
Zero Hour
Family Tools

Cancelled on CBS so far
CSI NY
Golden Boy
Rules Of Engagement
Vegas

Cancelled on NBC so far
1600 Penn
Up All Night
Whitney
Deception
Smash
The New Normal
The Office
30 Rock
Deception

News from Nashville

Sick Bay:  Ray Price has entered the hospital for a case of severe dehydration, according to a post on his official Facebook page on Monday.

Keith Urban will give his new song "Little Bit of Everything" a live spin this Thursday night during the American Idol finale.

New Girl is literally bringing in a new girl for their season finale tonight on FOX.  It's Taylor Swift.

Billboard Music Awards this Sunday - 8P - ABC.

Darius Rucker - has his 47th birthday behind him - and now he's heading out on his "True Believers" tour.   Catch him - May 30 - Greensboro, North Carolina, at the Greensboro Coliseum Complex - with Justin Moore and Jana Kramer.  June 1 - Va. Beach.  His album "True Believers" is out next Tuesday.

Phoenix, Arizona born Dierks Bentley is ready to "Tip It On Back" with his own bar in Scottsdale.  He plans to open his own watering hole called "Whiskey Row".  It's a throwback to 1920's style saloon with a new country vibe and Arizona's "most technologically advanced bar," with a 24 foot TV screen on the back wall.

Kenny Chesney's Life on a Rock has debuted at No. 1 on both Billboard's Top 200 and Country charts, after selling 152,800 copies. Not bad for an album Kenny originally thought was just for his family and friends. He says he carried the songs and stories of island life around in his backpack, collecting them for years.

Hunter Hayes, Little Big Town, Luke Bryan, the Pistol Annies and Taylor Swift are on the initial list of artists scheduled to perform at the 2013 CMT Music Awards.     Hosted by Jason Aldean and actress Kristen Bell, country music's first fan-voted awards show will broadcast from Nashville's Bridgestone Arena on June 5 at 8 p.m. ET

Today in country music history:

2006 - Craig Morgan broke his right leg in a motorbike race in Vanleer, Tennessee, just six week after breaking his wrist in another competition. He finished the race but had to perform in a wheelchair or on crutches for the next two months.

2002 - Toby Keith and Martina McBride received three nominations each for the first CMT Flameworthy Video Music Awards.

2001 - Faith Hill was listed among People magazine's 50 Most Beautiful People in the World.

1991 - Alan Jackson's album Don't Rock the Jukebox was released.

1984 - Julio Iglesias and Willie Nelson scored a gold single with "To All The Girls I've Loved Before."

1984 - Alabama won Entertainer of the Year, Top Vocal Group and Album of the Year for The Closer You Get at the ACM Awards.

1957 - Elvis Presley was rushed to a Los Angeles hospital after swallowing a porcelain cap from one of his front teeth, which then lodged itself in one of his lungs.

Could you own Jeff Gordon's place in Manhattan

Jeff and his wife Ingrid purchased the Upper West Side Manhattan condo for just under $10 million dollars just about 6 years ago, and have now put it on the market for $30 million!

(Photo: MLS) 

It overlooks Central Park in what the listing agent Halstead Properties calls “Manhattan’s most coveted condominium."   Jeff and Ingrid reportedly spent millions flipping it and decorating it.  It has three bedrooms, three baths plus a formal dining room and office in just over 3,400 square feet.

Let's not leave out the black granite sushi bar, ceramic Italian tile in the kitchen, and Brazilian cherry or mahogany floors throughout the rest of the home.  The master suite comes with a dressing room, a two person shower and a soaking tub.

Residents of the building’s 20 units can also enjoy a rooftop lap pool, a fitness center and wine storage facility.  BTW: Monthly homeowner’s fee is $7,221.80.

Things men THINK women don’t like them but THEY DO.

Guys have you ever wondered what women REALLY like? We have the top 3 things

#1.) That Men Don’t Talk Much. Men according to women you just have to be a good LISTENER and make a lot of eye contact. Women apparently don’t care if you’re that talkative . . . because it lets THEM talk.

#2.) Body Hair. This one kind of depends on age. But once girls get past the Justin Bieber phase, most of them actually LIKE a hairy chest.

#3.) Your Obsession with Electronics. They might make fun of you for it or complain every now and then. But according to the founder of dating site YourTango.com, they secretly RESPECT you for it. It shows some intelligence.

What's in a name

According to The Ladders, you are more likely to get paid a higher salary if your name is four to five letters as opposed to six or more letters. Their study showed that on average, for every letter after five, your yearly pay drops $3,600.

If you do have a long name, use a short nickname instead: the study also says that people who go by a short nickname also get paid more. For example: Steve Jobs of Apple, Mark Zuckerberg of Facebook and Meg Whitman of HP.

The Ladders paired 24 full names and nicknames and in only one pairing (Larry vs. Lawrence) the longer name ended up earning more.

Your cell phone may be ruining your dating life
Even though you may not have it up to your ear, or even on, the mere presence of your cell phone while talking to a stranger makes your conversation less meaningful. An interesting study discovered you're less trusted when your cell phone is within view.

This is a real downside when trying to meet someone new at a party or bar.

"It kind of sends a message that I could stop talking to you at any moment and start another conversation," a researcher told Live Science.

Here's an easy fix -- turn off the phone and hide it. I know, torture, right?

story

America’s 10 Most Popular Stores from 24/7 wall st.

10. Target

9. Taco Bell

8. CVS

7. Walgreens

6. Wendy’s

5. Starbucks

4. Burger King

3. Subway

2. Walmart

1. McDonald’s

Can't get a raise? Try this...

Here are 9 office perks you may be able to score (or didn't even know you had!)...

Data plan discount -- Head to your cell phone carrier and find out if there's a discount for your company. You may be surprised.

More vacation. If they won't give you more money, then some more time at the beach may be doable.

Get an advanced degree. Many employers will pay, or help pay, for advanced degree college courses.

Head to Vegas! Ask your boss to send you to a conference -- a nice break from the daily grind.

Save on food. Like cell phone discounts, your employer may offer a discount on lunch, groceries, or even pet food from approved vendors.

Snag a subsidized field trip. Military personel get free entry into more than 1800 museums nationwide. Does your company have any sort of discount on museums or other destinations?

Let them pay for your good health. Many employers will pay for, or offer significant discounts, on gym memberships, smoking cessation programs, or stress reduction programs.

Grow your wealth. 90% of large companies offer some sort of financial planning help. This could grow your money down the line.

more

Number of the day...

Number of the day: 78,000

The number of people that have applied to become residents of Mars. The Mars One projects wants to give four people a one-way ticket to Mars to start a permanent colony. 78,000 are perfectly fine with leaving earth forever.

Tech Savvy or Plain Lazy

Do you believe technology is truly advancing our lives or ultimately making us lazy?

Texts, emails, and messages help us avoid exerting any type of energy to communicate. We could sit on our couches all day fiddling our thumbs, and never feel the need to interact face-to-face; one day we may never leave the house. Today, people are proposing on YouTube and breaking up via texts, making once intimate situations almost robotic. The horror!

Lookin' Back

 Ready to do the Chicken Dance together?  Today is Chicken Dance Day.

Just in case you need instructions of doing the "chicken dance". 

In 1643, King Louis XIV, who would be known as "The Sun King," became ruler of France at the age of 4.

In 1804, one year after the United States doubled its territory with the Louisiana Purchase, the Lewis and Clark expedition left St. Louis on a mission to explore the Northwest from the Mississippi River to the Pacific Ocean.

In 1904, the Olympic Games were conducted in the United States for the first time, in St. Louis.

In 1942, the U.S. Congress established the Women's Auxiliary Army Corps for World War II duty.

In 1973, the United States launched Skylab, its first manned orbiting laboratory.

Cuttin' Cake

Miranda Cosgrove (20)

NFL star Clay Matthews (27)

Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg (29)

Cate Blanchett (44)

Danny Wood of New Kids on the Block   (44)

Milli Vanilli star Fabrice Morvan   (47)

George Lucas (69)

Joke of the Day

A man went into a dentist and said "how much will it cost to have teeth taken out?"

"$90," said the dentist.

"That’s ridiculous," said the man.

"I could lose the anesthetic and it would cost $60."

"That’s still to expensive,” said the man.

"If I don't use any anesthesia I could knock the price down to $20".

"Still to much" said the man.”

Well one of my students can do it for $10" said the dentist.

"Perfect," said the man. "Book my wife for next Tuesday".

Weird News Today

Seafood lovers can get pretty excited about an unlimited spread of crab meat, unfortunately, the spread is all over a Salt Lake City highways.  Some 37 tons of frozen crab meat spilled out  when a tractor-trailer driver botched a turn the truck hit a metal guard rail, the trailer split open, leaving  crustacean chunks all over I-15. It took a while — but apparently no cocktail sauce — to clean up the mess.  Sorry Charlie.

A lot of things are better off kept out of the microwave — barbecued ribs, Thanksgiving turkey, rolls of toilet paper.

A Foothills, Ariz., man found that out when he nearly burned down his housing complex trying to dry a soggy roll of TP by microwaving it.

The roll caught fire, causing several hundred dollars in damage

Smarter Than Question 

The average woman spends one year of her life doing this. What is it?  Congrats to Rhonda, she got it.  The answer is "deciding what to wear".

Tell Me Something Good  

Getting pulled over by cops is the best thing that ever happened to this guy.

After Christian Felix, 18, was stopped late at night by a Phoenix cop who thought he was violating curfew, the officer found out the teen was just making the nine-mile walk home from work.

Sgt. Natalie Simonick was so moved she gave him a ride home — and then bought him a bike.

Larry's Thought of the Day 

The shortcut that's sure to work, every time:  Take the long way.  Seth Godin

Expect traffic delays in Roanoke.   As part of the Route 221 construction project in Roanoke County, traffic on Route 688 (Cotton Hill Road) will be reduced to one lane during the day near its intersection with Route 221 beginning Monday, May 13. The work will take approximately three weeks, weather permitting.  Traffic on Route 688 will be reduced to one lane from 8:30 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. each day.

Britain will be ready to really, really party.  Duchess Kate's royal baby is due July 13, right in the midst of the celebration for the 60th anniversary of its great-grandmother queen's coronation.

Hey Grandpa, what's for breakfast?  Taco Bell is testing a waffle taco. The waffle taco has been spotted on the breakfast menu of at least one Southern California Taco Bell location. The breakfast of the future appears to be an Eggo-like waffle folded into a shape like that of a hard taco shell. It's lined with a sausage patty -- also folded into a taco shape -- then filled with scrambled eggs. It comes with a packet of syrup.

Sports

BASEBALL: Myrtle Beach 4, Salem 3.   Sox on the road tonight with MB, then Carolina before returning home Friday against Frederick at 7:05.   Hillcats 11, Carolina 4.  Lynchburg @ Carolina tonight.  Hillcats return home tomorrow night at 6:05.

Sergio Garcia  choked on the 17th at the Players Championship.  Tiger Woods wins his 78th PGA victory and second players title.

Matt Kenseth passed his Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Kyle Busch with 13 laps to go to win his first Southern 500 on Saturday night at Darlington, S.C.

TRUE HORSE POWER:  Kentucky Derby winner Orb will be the star attraction when the horses take to the track at Pimlico for the 138th running of the Preakness, the second leg of racing's Triple Crown, this Saturday in Baltimore, Md..

The Dish

The Great Gatsby gave Iron Man 3 a great scare at the Box Office this weekend.   "Iron Man 3" won the No. 1 spot at the box office for the second weekend in a row with $72.4 million.  Second place went to "The Great Gatsby (2013)," starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Tobey Maguire, taking in $51.1.  "Pain and Gain" was a distant third with $5 million.   Opening Thursday: Star Trek Into Darkness.

A winner was crowned on Survivor:  Fans vs Faves: Cochran sweeps the jury vote. Dawn and Sherri split second place.

Barbara Walters will announce her retirement today on The View.  Cn you imagine 50 years in the same job today?

With Randy Jackson announcing his retirement from American Idol last week,  Alicia Keys says she's sad to hear of his retirement, but she's not sure if she'd want to be his replacement. Don't miss Idol finals this Wednesday and Thursday on FOX.

NBC is cancelling "Rock Center," its hourlong news magazine hosted by Brian Williams.  It will air its final show June 21. Meanwhile, Seth Meyers is the peacock's newest talk show host.  SNL's head writer and Weekend Update anchor will transition to the talk show when Jimmy Fallon takes over Tonight from Jay Leno in late February.

Not exactly a shocker here - Vogue Magazine calls Supermodel Kate Upton - "the hottest supermodel on Earth".     Duh!  I could have don't 'em that and I'm not expert.

OBIT:  The man who created the Monkeemobile has died. The Los Angeles Times reports car customizer Dean Jeffries died in his sleep Saturday at his home in Los Angeles. He was 80. Jeffries modified a 1966 Pontiac GTO convertible in just ten days for use on "The Monkees" TV show. He also created the "Black Beauty" for "The Green Hornet" TV show. 

10 celebrities with unusual features

Megan Fox - A clubbed thumb
Taye Diggs - Born with polydactyly (an extra finger on each hand -- later removed)
Ashton Kutcher - webbed feet - and proud of it
Carrie Underwood - a third nipple, which was removed before auditioning for American Idol
Andy Garcia - Born with a co-joined twin attached to his shoulder - later removed
Karolina Kurkova (model) - No belly button
Halle Berry - Extra toe
Kate Hudson - Extra toe
Mark Wahlberg - Third nipple
Gemma Arterton (Clash of the Titans, Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters) - Born with twelve fingers

TV Tonight

ABC: Dancing With the Stars, Castle (finale)
CBS: How I Met Your Mother (finale), 2 Broke Girls (finale), Mike and Molly (NEW), Hawaii Five-O (NEW)
NBC:: The Voice and Revolution are new
FOX: Hell's Kitchen is new
CW: 90210 (finale)

News from Nashville

Kenny Chesney performs on Katie today at 3P on WSET.  He'll be playing songs off "Life on a Rock" too.

Eric Church may have produced the BEST Mother's Day gift to outdo us all.  He credits his Mom for his musical talent and success.  Eric says he got from his mom "a lot of the qualities" he's needed to get where he is today, "not only as a musician, but as a man."

Lady Antebellum performs tomorrow night on The Voice as the field narrows to 8.  Set your DVR for tonight, they're on Chelsey Lately.

The Band Perry performs on American Idol - the finale' - this Thursday.  They perform with "just ousted" Janelle Arthur.  Who will the next Idol be - Candice or Kree?

Surprise!!!!  Blake Shelton and Miranda Lambert married two years ago on May 14, and to celebrate the big anniversary a few days early, Shelton surprised his wife onstage in Bakersfield, Calif. last Thursday.  According to Radar Online, as Miranda was wrapping up,  Blake shocked the crowd and perhaps his missus by waltzing onto the stage and yelling “Surprise.” He then sang his new single, ‘Boys ‘Round Here.'  The video that features his wife and her band, the Pistol Annies.

Miranda Lambert is on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno.

Happy Birthday to Darius Rucker (47) (Fast Fact: As a child, Darius, his mom, her two sisters, his grandmother and 14 other children lived in a three-bedroom home. At one point, he wanted to be a Walton.  Wait, that's NOT right...he wanted to be a professional hockey player because he was an avid ice skater. Rucker is a Miami Dolphins fan, and has a tattoo of their logo.) 

Taylor Swift is Lucky 13 on Maxim's Hot 100 list. There are only two country stars on the list, Kellie Pickler is the other  at #96..

Can you believe Carrie Underwood is celebrating 5 years as an Opry member?

George Strait's new album "Love Is Everything" is out tomorrow.  His 40th studio album.

Canceled. That's the status of Reba McEntire's new sitcom 'Malibu Country,' which aired on Friday nights on ABC. 

Meanwhile, ABC has renewed 'Nashville' for a second season.  

Tim McGraw says he would love to collaborate with British boy band One Direction.  He loves Pink's voice and thinks sh'e FANTASTIC.   A duet with Bruce Springsteen would be a big home run for him.  But don't look for him to do a duet with Justin Bieber. He's afraid he'd embarrass his girls with his dance moves or be the "coolest" dad on the planet.

Kellie Pickler may be busy on the dance floor, but she's also in the studio working on a followup to '100 Proof'.   The new record will have some of her own songwriting, some collaborations with her husband Kyle Jacobs and some songs from outsider writers.  She's considering performing a George Jones song as a tribute to the legend.  She hopes to release the album this fall.  Good luck to Kellie and Derek this week on Dancing with the Stars. 

Great to have Sheryl Crow over on the country side.   Check out her video for "Easy".

Headed to Charlotte for NASCAR racing this week?  Josh Turner will be performing Saturday at the pre-race concert at Charlotte Motor Speedway. 

Today in country music history:

2005 - Jason Aldean performed "Hicktown" and "Why" during his first Grand Ole Opry appearance.

2005 - Rascal Flatts got their second double-platinum album for Feels Like Today.

2003 - Joe Nichols picked up his first gold album for Man with a Memory.

2000 - Kenny Rogers went to number one with "Buy Me a Rose" with Alison Krauss and Billy Dean joining him on background vocals.

1997 - Lee Ann Womack's self-titled debut album was released.

1989 - Randy Travis scored a number-one hit with “Is It Still Over?”

1986 - Hank Williams Jr.'s Greatest Hits Volume Two was certified gold.

1977 – Linda Ronstadt denied reports saying she had been offered a million dollars to be photographed nude for a Hustler centerfold.

1975 - Bob Wills died of pneumonia at age 70.

1972 - Tanya Tucker made her chart debut with “Delta Dawn.”

1967 - Merle Haggard debuted on The Grand Ole Opry.

1960 - Freddy Fender was arrested for marijuana possession in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

1958 – Jerry Lee Lewis was granted a divorce from his second wife six months after marrying his third wife, Myra.

1955 - Elvis Presley's clothes were torn off during his performance in Jacksonville, Florida. It was the first of many times the big E caused an audience to go mad.

Birthdays:

Lari White - singer, "That's My Baby"

Darius Rucker - lead singer, Hootie & The Blowfish, country artist, "Alright," "Don't Think I Don't Think About It"