Presidential Debate tonight - O vs R.
It's that time of year again. Open enrollment for Medicare coverage for area seniors. From October 15th through December 7th, seniors can change plans or get into a new plan. The Area Office on Aging is offering free help to seniors wading through the process. Call and make an appointment.
According to USA Today, Michael Vick has spent over $29 million since filing for bankruptcy, he's hardly living the high life. Court documents obtained by TMZ show that the Philadelphia Eagles quarterback has spent $29.6 million of the $31 million he's earned since 2008. The majority of non-tax spending has gone to creditors Vick owed after his 2008 filing. His lawyers and accountants have received $2.7 million.
Another downtown Roanoke restaurant is closing. Horizons will join a list of many other restaurants that have closed in Roanoke recently including Tudors Biscuit World, The Library and The Little Chef Restaurant. They closed because of the economy. In December, Horizons will close forever.
The average American eats this 350 times a year. What is it. Congrats to Carol, she got it. The answer is "pizza". The average American eats 350 slices a year. Really?
Entertainment Buzz
Going into Tuesday's Dancing With the Stars results show, Bristol Palin was way at the bottom of the pack with a low score of 18. The next celeb up on the leaderboard was Kirstie Alley, with 21. Those were judges points, but how about the viewers votes? Not the case in week 2. It came down to Helio or Joey. Who would get the boot? Joey Fatone!
Diva war on the set of American Idol during auditions in North Carolina the other day. Nicki Minaj went crazy on Mariah Carey. It all started when the two disagreed over a constestants performance. From there, there was swearing, Nicki stormed off, then returned, threatening to knock Mariah out. After that, came Nicki's tirade. **I hope Keith Urban's not stuck in the middle.
Who made more money last year in entertainment? Was it Britney Spears, Katy Perry or Taylor Swift? Check out the Forbes.com list of Entertainment's highest paid women
#1.) Oprah Winfrey, $165 million
#2.) Britney Spears, $58 million
#3.) Taylor Swift, $57 million
#4.) (tie) Ellen DeGeneres and Rihanna, $53 million
#6.) (tie) Lady Gaga and Jennifer Lopez, $52 million
#8.) (tie) Gisele Bundchen, Katy Perry and Judge Judy, $45 million
Hopelessly devoted to the holidays?
Grease stars John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John are going to make some beautiful music together. They plan a Christmas album, with 13 guest stars. Among them: Barbra Streisand, Tony Bennett, James Taylor, Chick Corea and Kenny G. This Christmas will be available Nov. 13. Proceeds will go to their charitable organizations.
(Photo: TLC)
The family of Honey Boo Boo received between $5,000 and $7,000 an episode at the beginning of the series. By the time the second episode rolled around, it was apparent to TLC they had a big hit on their hands, so network honchos approached the family and told them they were boosting their salary. Word is, they gave them somewhere between $15,000 and $20,000 an episode. **With that they can get Glitzy the pig and the rest of her barnyard friends. Not to mention a few large bottles of hot sauce.
Shakira tells a German network TV station she's expecting a boy.
Daniel Craig is set to serve as guest host of “Saturday Night Live” in New York this week. He's also on the cover of 'Vanity Fair' for November.
Jenny McCarthy has a TV show coming out in January on VH1.
abc: The Middle and The Neighbors are new
cbs: Survivor: Philippines is also new
nbc: new episodes of Animal Practice and Guys With Kids
fox: The X Factor is new
cw: Oh Sit!
Darius Rucker performed last night at the Grand Ol' Opry and received a visit from unannounced guest Brad Paisley, who surprised him with the invitation. The 46-year-old is the third black performer to hold Opry membership, joining Country Music Hall of Fame members DeFord Bailey and Charley Pride. Rucker will be inducted into the Opry on Oct. 16.
Yes, that is Taylor Swift in the new Macy's ad.
Blake Shelton's Cheers, It's Christmas is the singer's first holiday collection. Guests include Reba McEntire, Michael Bublé and Shelton's mother Dorothy Shackleford. It's out now.
Carrie Underwood performed several of her past hits and three tracks from her latest album, Blown Away, on VH1 Unplugged: Carrie Underwood Presented by State Farm last night. Hope you caught it.
Why did Toby Keith pass on the American Idol gig that instead landed Keith Urban? He says, "It's a great big TV show. Lucrative deal. Lot of money, but it's a lot of time." The new season of American Idol premieres in January with Keith Urban sitting next to new judges Nicki Minaj and Mariah Carey and returning judge Randy Jackson.
Lady Antebellum closes out their Own the Night World Tour Wednesday with the last of three sold-out shows at the Sydney Opera House in Australia. More than a million fans have seen their show in 11 countries.
Brantley Gilbert kicked off his first-ever headlining tour over the weekend playing for more than 14,000 fans in three cities with his "Hell On Wheels" tour.
Thompson Square will once again ride the Santa Train on November 17 distributing presents to children and families throughout Appalachia. Now in its 70th year, the Santa Train makes 14 stops on a 110-mile journey through Kentucky, Virginia and Tennessee.
Taylor Swift has signed on to perform at the MTV EMA 2012 ceremony in Frankfurt, Germany on November 11. She's up for five trophies.
Lar's This & That
Where are you on the cheap-o-meter?
If a one is 'in-debt-up-to-my-ears,' then a 10 is 'my-family-is-embarrassed-by-my-cheapness.' Where do you fall on the scale? Falling at an 11 or beyond are the people featured in TLC's upcoming show called Extreme Cheapskates.
The Best Things To Buy in October
According to LifeHacker.com, here are the best things to buy in October:
- Live Plants – Shrubs and bushes are being sold with huge discounts. It's worth buying plants now if you can store at a halfway decent temperature until spring.
- Big Appliances – Showrooms are moving out last year's models to make room for the new stuff. Refrigerators, dishwashers, stoves and other big items are looking good this time of year. It's also a good time to pick up minor scratch-and-dent pieces.
- Jeans – Clothing stores bought a whole lot of denim in the summer, in anticipation of the millions of students heading back to school. Now that they're done, you can pick up whatever they didn't take at a lower price.
- Cookware – While graduation and wedding seasons are big for cookware, October and November see a good number of promotions, too, as retailers shift their efforts toward the holidays.
- Toys and Games– To light a fuse on the holiday season, retailers will often push out early deals on toys.
Tonight's Debate Watch
Tonight during the Presidential Debate, it's not what they say, it's how much President Obama and Mitt Romney BLINK. An expert from Boston College says the candidate who blinks less during the debates has won every presidential election but one since 1980. The only exception was George W. Bush in 2000. (The Daily)
Just So You Know...
A new British survey finds one in three kids don't know who William Shakespeare was. 30% of kids between the ages six and 12 have not heard of Shakespeare and didn't recognize the names of his plays. And adults weren't much help either. One in four adults say they've never read one of Shakespeare's plays . . . 5% thought his most famous play was "Cinderella" . . . and 2% didn't know he was a real guy
Rules of Romance at the Office
Here are some important rules to follow:
- Make sure you have more than work in common – If all you have in common is your job, the relationship will get really stale, really quickly.
- When you're at work, you're at work – Maintain your regular office routines ... and that goes for email and phone use too. Even though you're feeling romantic, make sure to always take care of your business.
- Don't tell anyone about it until you're serious – Only let the whole office know what's going on when you're fully committed. Until then, try to keep it a secret.
- Avoid one-night stands – The workplace can get very awkward because of flings.
- Stay away from married co-workers – This one goes beyond rules for the office. The repercussions are not worth the risk.
What's hotel perk can't you live without during a company retreat?
Of the 6,897 votes so far, Wi-Fi is the clear winner so far with 58% of the vote.
The full results:
58% Wi-Fi
19% Breakfast
13% Gym
8% Late Check-out
2% Other
(Source: Linkedin)
I Leave You With This....
I can squat 300 + 12 pounds, 8 ounces....
Weird, But True News
Police in Florida said a man called 911 for help, then told responding officers he was planning to rob a bank and had previously robbed two others. St. Petersburg police said William Kane, 51, called around 10:15 a.m. Friday from outside a Wells Fargo Bank and told officers he was planning to rob the bank due to his drug addiction.
Police said Kane told them he was behind robberies at two other Florida banks over the last couple of days. Kane was arrested on two armed robbery charges. Investigators said he has several prior robbery convictions.
Staying Healthy Today 
Not Good News For Tanning Bed Lovers
A new study confirms earlier research establishing a link between indoor tanning and skin cancer. This study puts a number on the problem: 170,000 non-melanoma skin cancers in the USA per year. Those cancers include - two common types of non-melanoma skin cancers - basal-cell carcinomas and squamous-cell carcinomas, that aren't usually life-threatening, the study says.
Good News Story 
Kevin Hamlet of Lynchburg is being hailed a hero after he rescued a kitten stuck way up near the top of a tree. The little fella had been missing several days, but they believed he was in the tree the entire time.
This 5-month-old frisky, but adventurous kitten, may have let his curiosity get the best of him. Joy Barber - who helps care for him - found him 50 feet up a tree. When she called for him, he slipped...leaving him hanging by his paws around a branch. Joy and Skeebo's owner were under the treee with a tarp in case he fell, but he wouldn't let go. Finally got back on the branch and he went back towards the trunk of the tree where he was safer
Barber then moved to Facebook saying, 'help, cat stuck in tree.' That's when Kevin - who works at Billy Craft Honda - showed up with a bucket truck to save little Skeebo.
Though Skeebo came to him, Hamlet says the whole thing is not a big deal. He adds, "I wouldn't have done anything anybody else wouldn't do." BTW: Skeebo is back to his normal self and has not lost his sense of curiosity.
Lar's Thought of the Day 
"Small deeds done are better than great deeds planned." Peter Marshall (Jeff Miller thanks!)
