Trending This Mornin'
Get ready for a breezy Tuesday. Sunshine returns. Hi 55. Mostly sunny tomorrow. Hi 58. Rain likely Thursday. Hi 54. Friday, Partly sunny and breezy. Hi 39. Saturday, Sunday and Christmas Eve puts us back in the mid 40s. Lows in the 20s, as Winter arrives.
Investigators say a 1,000 gallon propane tank exploded at the Ambriar Shopping Center, near Amherst High School. One firefighter was hurt, but not seriously. The blast knocked out electricity to Sweetbriar College.
Virginia Sen. Mark Warner says the shooting rampage at a Connecticut elementary school has changed his supportive stand on assault weapons.
Governor McDonnell creates school safety task force in wake of Connecticut school shootings.
Just what Newtown, CT needs, some comfort dogs. Story.
About 2.1 million Americans will lose their extended jobless benefits on Dec. 29, if Washington doesn't renew them as part of a deal on the package of tax increases and spending cuts known as the "fiscal cliff."
Apple loses bid to ban Samsung. A judge Monday denied their request to ban the South Korean company from selling smartphones in the U.S..
You can hit "send" again. Cox Communications says the email problem is fixed.
Franklin County's Homestead Creamery expanding, adding 20 new jobs
For the first time in its 109-year history, the Elks National Home in Bedford will admit non-Elk members into its retirement community
NFL Monday: Tennessee Titans beat the Jets 14-10 to eliminate New York from postseason contention.
Lookin' Back
7 days until Christmas. Yesterday was the busiest mailing day of the season.
1719 "Mother Goose" is first published.
1849 The first picture of the moon is made through a telescope.
1865 The 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, abolishing slavery, is declared in effect.
1964 The Pink Panther, cartoon character, debuts.
1976 "Wonder Woman" debuts on ABC.
1996 The TV industry adopts a ratings system similar to the one used for movies.
1997 Chris Farley dies from a drug overdose.
Cuttin' Cake Today
Roger Smith (77 Sunset Strip: Jeff Spencer) -80; Keith Richards (Rolling Stones)-69; Steven Spielberg-66; Leonard Maltin (Movie reviewer)-62; Brad Pitt-49; "Stone Cold" Steve Austin-48; Cledus T. Judd-48; Katie Holmes-34; Christina Aguilera-32
Joke of the Day
Whats red, white and blue at christmas time?. - A sad candy cane!.
Smarter Than Question
According to a survey by Purina, 26% of dog owners do this at least once a day – every day. What is it? 26% of dog owners say "I love you" to their dog at least once a day. Sadly, that's the same percentage that does it once every day to their spouse or significant other.
Entertainment Buzz
(Photo: Tyler Golden/NBC)
The Voice started out with a candlelit stage, featuring all of the season's contestants returning to join coaches Blake Shelton, Cee Lo Green, Adam Levine and Christina Aguilera in holding name cards of those who were killed Friday at Sandy Hook Elementary, along with their ages, while singing Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah."
As for the Finals...
Nicholas David performed a fiery (literally) medley of Jerry Lee Lewis' "Great Balls of Fire" and Jimi Hendrix's "Fire."
Terry McDermott was next, performing his son's favorite song, "Broken Wings" by Mr. Mister. Though there was some shakiness at first, he recovered
Cassadee Pope, finished out the night with "Cry" by Faith Hill. Blake said, "I've never heard you sing as great as you did tonight." She may have nailed the win.
One of the highlights of the night may have been Adam rocking out on the guitar during Shelton and McDermott's duet to "Dude Looks Like a Lady." Yes, that's Adam Levine in the wig. Priceless.
The winner will be revealed tonight.
It appears that both LA Reid and Britney Spears will both depart X Factor, Brit, after just one year. Simon Cowell had hoped her appearance on the show would be a ratings boost.
(Photo: ABC/Nashville)
Hayden Panettiere plays ambitious country star Juliette Barnes on the hit ABC show "Nashville". Her character has performed on the Grand Ole Opry, dealt with the demands of a record label executive, written songs and tracked vocals in a recording studio. The 23 year old loves music, but the show has also helped her overcome stage fright.
Jenny McCarthy is showing off her flat stomach for Shape Magazine. She recently turned 40 and talks about her workout "musts"" in the magazine. Enjoy more Jenny on Dick Clark's Rockin' New Year's Eve with Ryan Seacrest on ABC. Jenny will be co-hosting with Ryan in NYC.
BTW: The Waterford crystal ball that will drop in Times Square to usher in 2013 will have 288 new crystal panels with doves chiseled into them to mark the theme "Let There Be Peace."
Cameron Douglas, the 34-year-old son of actor Michael Douglas, suffered a broken leg and finger in the Pennsylvania prison where he is an inmate.
Primetime Tonight
Charlie Brown Christmas (ABC) Happy Endings (ABC) Don’t Trust The B**** In Apartment 23 (ABC) Private Practice (ABC)
NCIS (CBS) NCIS: Los Angeles (CBS)
Raising Hope (FOX) Ben and Kate (FOX) New Girl (FOX) The Mindy (FOX)
The Voice (NBC)
Holiday Specials on tonight
News from Nashville
Josh Turner's "Time Is Love" is country's top single for the year. It never hit number one, but stayed on the charts 39 weeks. Taylor Swift's "Red" took the honor of album of the year.
Here's a list of Billboard's Top 10 country songs, albums and artists for 2012:
Country Songs
1. "Time Is Love," Josh Turner
2. "You Don't Know Her Like I Do," Brantley Gilbert
3. "Why Ya Wanna," Jana Kramer
4. "Cowboys and Angels," Dustin Lynch
5. "(Kissed You) Good Night," Gloriana
6. "Better Than I Used to Be," Tim McGraw
7. "Even if It Breaks Your Heart," Eli Young Band
8. "Lovin' You Is Fun," Easton Corbin
9. "Springsteen," Eric Church
10. "Drunk on You," Luke Bryan
Country Albums
1. Red, Taylor Swift
2. Tailgates & Tanlines, Luke Bryan
3. Tuskegee, Lionel Richie
4. Own the Night, Lady Antebellum
5. Blown Away, Carrie Underwood
6. My Kinda Party, Jason Aldean
7. Chief, Eric Church
8. Clear as Day, Scotty McCreery
9. Night Train, Jason Aldean
10. Uncaged, Zac Brown Band
John Mayer is putting on a thank-you show with friends Zac Brown and Clay Cook from the Zac Brown Band Jan. 16 in Bozeman, Mont., near the town of Livingston. John owns a house in the town that was saved by firefighters back in August during the Pine Creek Fire. That blaze destroyed more than 8,500 acres of forest and farmland, but only five houses were destroyed and no lives were lost. ZBB is in Roanoke on Jan 25 at the Roanoke Civic Center.
Luke Bryan plans to get his hands dirty this Christmas. He and wife Caroline are building a family farm, so they plan a little time there. The family will probably head to the Caribbean and chill and reboot the computer. He returns to the "Dirt Road Diaries Tour" Jan 17 in Evansville, Indiana with Thompson Square and Florida Georgia Line. They play JPJ Arena in Charlottesville on March 23.
The guys of Eli Young Band have big plans for 2013. Not only will the band set out to tour with Kenny Chesney next year, but they also plan to make time for the studio.
Country legend Charlie Daniels is recovering today after undergoing rotator cuff surgery Monday morning. The singer -- who is very active on Twitter -- let his fans know via his team that he's doing fine and he'd be back online soon.
Kimberly Schlapman of Little Big Town has had her cooking show renewed. Here's to another year of 'Kimberly's Simply Southern,' on GAC.
Wonder how Kelly Clarkson is going to like calling Reba her mother-in-law? Kelly told Ellen DeGeneres "we're going to elope because I'm not the kind of girl to plan a wedding.""
On Monday, Restless Heart announced its 30th Anniversary tour, 30 Years & Still Restless. A tour kicks off in January 2013 with more than 25 dates already on the books and around 80-90 dates anticipated by the year’s end
Lar's This & That
How Women Define the "Perfect Guy"
According to a new study, a woman's definition of the perfect man changes with her age: From 18 to 24, women want a guy who likes the same music and movies as them, and who her friends like. From 25 to 34, it's about physical attraction, sexual compatibility, and ambition. And from 45 to 54, it's about making money. (Yahoo News)
The Perfect Gift
How about the Twitten Mitten for lovebirds. Who needs mistletoe.
New Shopping Trend
A Harris Poll says "showrooming" – the nickname for a new trend in which shoppers try out a product up close in a store but then choose to buy it online – is on the rise. A survey last month suggests 43% of U.S. adults have showroomed. Best Buy and Walmart are the stores most often targeted by showroomers, followed by Target, Home Depot, Lowes and Barnes & Noble.
Thirty percent of men said Best Buy was their top showrooming location, while 27% of women said they examined products at Walmart before buying online. Not surprisingly, online retail giant Amazon is cashing in on the trend.
The majority of showroomers said they generally made their online purchases at Amazon (57%). Walmart.com and Ebay were distant seconds at 5% each.
Let's Call This Meeting To Order
I hope you're sitting down for this shocker. A new survey of upper-level executives and managers, say they admit 45% of meetings accomplish NOTHING. However, just over 90% of them say the meetings THEY run ALWAYS accomplish something.
Worst Baby Names of 2012
The website Babycenter.com put together a list of the most unusual baby names of 2012. Some of the worst girl names are Excel, Jagger, Monalisa, Rogue, Thinn, and Yoga. A few of the worst boy names included: Burger, Cello, Espn, Haven'T, and Hippo. (Babycenter)
Let's Wrap
Women tend to do a better job on wrapping than men. It all comes down to "time spent wrappin'". The average man wraps a present in less than one minute. The average woman spends THREE TIMES LONGER. Shocked?
America’s Top 10 Annoyances
Heavy breathers, slow walkers and loud neighbors are just a few of the top annoyances that irk Americans each day as discovered through a Twitter scan conducted by Florida Orange Juice.
The "Top 10 Annoyances":
1. Encountering typos and bad grammar via text message and email
2. Delayed text and email responses
3. Loud chewers and heavy breathers
4. Encountering rude and disrespectful people
5. Cell phone batteries dying
6. Bad drivers and traffic
7. Feeling sick or being among sick people who excessively sneeze and cough in public places
8. Loud and obnoxious people
9. Heavy walkers
10. Annoying song stuck in one’s head
(Source: buzzfeed.com/floridaOrangeJuice
AAA To The Rescue
As 84.4 million travelers take to the roads for the year-end holidays, AAA anticipates coming to the assistance of more than 1.2 million stranded motorists between December 19, 2012, and January 2, 2013.
The nation’s largest motor club will be busy with lockouts, battery replacements, jump starts, changing tires, extricating vehicles from snow, towing vehicles for repair and more. AAA projects its roadside problem-solvers will be able to remedy the issues of more than three out of five stranded motorists at the roadside and send them on their way, but the remaining travelers will still need a tow.
It is the most wonderful time of the year.
Weird, But True News
A fella in Poland was helping his wife with housework while he was off work for a few days when, at one point, he opened a beer and started ironing. He then turned on the boxing channel.
But when he became distracted from his chores, he mistook the hot iron for a phone and burned the side of his head. Ouch! He's going to be fine...after the ribbing from his wife and friends. Shirts are looking better too.
Staying Healthy Today 
Got Milk?
The average American drinks 20.2 gallons of milk every year, or about one seven-ounce glass a day. And that's WAY down from 1975, when we were drinking 28.6 gallons a year, or 10 ounces a day.
The Dairy Industry is looking to make a comeback by pushing smaller, more-convenient packages and health-oriented varieties, including protein-enhanced milk aimed at fitness buffs.
Good News Story 
A man in Virginia Beach picked up an unusual jogging partner when an emu began following him. Animal shelter supervisor Wayne Gilbert says Virginia Beach residents contacted the city after the emu showed up Thursday alongside the jogger in the Highgate Green neighborhood. It turns out the bird had merely drifted away from its home. Animal control officers located the bird, which was returned to its owner.
Lar's Thought of the Day 
"Two of the most valuable things we have are time and our relationships with other people. Find ways to maintain perspective and remember that life is brief and tender. Our shared spaces can better reflect what matters to us as individuals and as a community, and with more ways to share our hopes, fears and stories, the people around us can not only help us make better places, they can help us lead better lives." Candy Chang
(Source: Ted Talks)
