Trending This Mornin'
Mostly sunny this Valentine's Day. Hi 54. Partly sunny tomorrow. Hi 56. Cold weekend. Saturday, snow flurries and breezy. Hi 37. Sunday, Partly sunny. Hi 36. Lo's in the 20s. Monday, sunshine. Hi 51.
U S Air and American plan to merge. American sought bankruptcy 15 months ago. The merger would make them the largest carrier in the world.
South African media are reporting that Paralympic gold medalist Oscar Pistorius has allegedly shot and killed his girlfriend after mistaking her for an intruder at his home early Thursday morning. He has been arrested and charged with murder.
Carnival Cruise Lines has canceled a dozen more planned voyages aboard the Triumph and acknowledged that the crippled ship had been plagued by other mechanical problems in the weeks before an engine-room fire left it powerless in the Gulf of Mexico. The company's announcement on Wednesday came as the Triumph was being towed to a port in Mobile, Ala., with more than 4,000 people on board. It should arrive today. The company said passengers were being given the option of boarding buses directly to Galveston, Texas, or Houston, or spending the night in a hotel in New Orleans, where the company said it booked 1,500 rooms. Those staying in New Orleans will be flown Friday to Houston. Carnival said it will cover all the transportation costs.
The Vatican says Pope Benedict XVI hit his head during his March 2012 trip to Mexico but denies it had any "relevant" role in his resignation.
Lookin' Back
1477- The world's first known valentine was sent to John Paston from his fiancée Margery Brews.
1859- Oregon was admitted to the Union as the 33rd state.
1870- Esther Morris became the world's first female Justice of the Peace.
1912- Arizona became the 48th state of the Union.
1920- The League of Women Voters was founded in Chicago.
1929- The St. Valentine's Day Massacre took place in a Chicago garage as seven rivals of Al Capone's gang were gunned down.
1962- First lady Jacqueline Kennedy took CBS newsman Charles Collingwood on a televised guided tour of the presidential residence.
1980- Walter Cronkite announced his retirement from the CBS Evening News.
1988- At age 50, Bobby Allison became the oldest driver to win NASCAR's premier stock car event as he beat his son Davey, age 26, in the Daytona 500.
Cuttin' Cake
Rob Thomas of Matchbox 20 - 41
Magician Teller of Penn and Teller – 65
The Insider host Pat O’Brien – 65
Florence Henderson (The Brady Bunch) – 79
Hugh Downs (20/20) – 92
Joke of the Day
What happened when the cat ate a ball of yarn? ans - It had mittens
Weird News Today
A Pittsburgh-area man tells police he was thirsty. Officers say that's the reason James W. Ohanlon gave them for his breaking into a bar. Castle Shannon police say a tavern's burglar alarm went off just before nine Tuesday morning. A few minutes later officers arrived and say Ohanlon emerged. Authorities add they found an open cold beer on the bar. Ohanlon now faces a number of charges, including burglary.
Smarter Than Question
This happens to the average person 3,000,000,000 times in their lifetime. What is it? Congrats to Carol Lou. Yep, has to do with the heart this Valentine's Day. The average person has 3 billion heartbeats in a lifetime.
Entertainment Dish
Tests revealed Wednesday that Lady Gaga tore her labrum -- a layer of muscle that helps hold the hip joint in place -- requiring her to undergo surgery and cancel the rest of her tour dates. Little Monsters who had tickets for the 21 dates remaining in the Born This Way Ball tour will get a refund beginning Thursday.
You saw some of the guys melt down during Hollywood Week, so how did the girls handle the pressure on "American Idol" last night. By the end of the night, some of the women -- including Angela Miller (whose Thursday solo performance got a big tease), Janelle Arthur, Rachel Hale and Candice Glover -- came out looking like strong contenders, possibly stronger than any of the guys at the same point last week.
"Survivor" returned last night with an edition of "Fans Versus Favorites." Ten fans will compete against ten of their favorite players from past seasons in Caramoan in the Philippines. Francesca was voted out.
TLC says there is "no truth" to the rumor that Mama June Shannon - from Here Comes Honey Boo Boo - is headed to Dancing with the Stars. The next cast of fleet-footed celebrities to compete on ABC’s Dancing with the Stars will be revealed Feb. 26 on Good Morning America
Kristen Stewart attended her "Twilight" co-star Taylor Lautner's 21st birthday party at Hollywood's Lucky Strike Lanes bowling alley.
Hello Viva Las Vegas. Celine Dion has booked 37 shows this summer in Vegas.
Josh Groban's "All That Echoes" is No. 1 on the U.S. album chart, Billboard.com..Coming in at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 is Tim McGraw's "Two Lanes of Freedom." It's his 14th #1 on the country album charts.
Miss America pageant will return to Atlantic City, NJ, from Las Vegas; contest was moved in 2006
Tonight on TV
The Big Bang Theory (CBS) Two and a Half Men (CBS) Person of Interest (CBS) Elementary (CBS)
Community (NBC) Parks & Recreation (NBC) The Office (NBC) 1600 Penn (NBC)
American Idol (FOX) Glee (FOX)
The Vampire Diaries (THE CW) Beauty and the Beast (THE CW)
Zero Hour (ABC - series premiere) Grey’s Anatomy (ABC) Scandal (ABC)
Project Runway (LIFETIME)
Movie Releases:
OPENING FEBRUARY 14
Beautiful Creatures (wide) (rated PG-13)
Set in the South, Beautiful Creatures is a supernatural love story that tells the tale of two star-crossed lovers: Ethan (Alden Ehrenreich), a young man longing to escape his small town, and Lena (Alice Englert), a mysterious new girl. Together, they uncover dark secrets about their respective families, their history and their town.
A Good Day To Die Hard (wide) (rated R)
Bruce Willis is once again playing John McClaine, and this time he’s in Russia to help out his seemingly wayward son Jack (Jai Courtney), only to discover that Jack is a CIA operative working to prevent a nuclear-weapons heist.
Safe Haven (wide) (PG-13)
Josh Duhamel and Julianne Hough star in another sap fest based on a Nicholas Sparks novel. In this one, Hough plays a young woman with a mysterious past, who lands in Southport, North Carolina where her bond with a widower (Duhamel) forces her to confront the dark secret that haunts her.
OPENING FEBRUARY 15
Escape From Planet Earth (wide) (rated PG)
Planet Baab’s most admired astronaut Scorch Supernova finds himself caught in a trap when he responds to an SOS from a notoriously dangerous alien planet. The film features the voices of Brendan Fraser, Sarah Jessica Parker and Ricky Gervais.
News from Nashville
22-year-old country singer Janelle Arthur progressed to the next round during Hollywood Week on 'American Idol' Wednesday night, performing the Hank Williams classic 'I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry'. The Dixie Chicks song "Sin Wagon" was quite popular last night. First, Raisin’ Cain, which included Morgan Leigh Boberg, Lauren Mink and Brandy Hotard performed it wearing cowgirl boots and country costumes that impressed the ‘Idol’ judges so much that they sent all four women through to the next round. Then came the Dolly Chicks, consisting of Brittnee Kellogg, Kree Harrison, Brandy Neelly and Haley Davis. All but Brandy made it through to the next round.
(Photo: AP/File)
Eric Church brought in the most ACM Award nominations on Wednesday morning (Feb. 13) with seven. Hunter Hayes followed with six nominations, while Miranda Lambert and Taylor Swift received five each.
(Photo: Twitter)
Brad Paisley and NCIS star, LL Cool J, are set to collaborate on Paisley’s new album, Wheelhouse.
(Photo: BradPaisley.com)
The album will also feature Dierks Bentley, Charlie Daniels, new-comer Hunter Hayes and Mat Kearney.
American Greetings has created a Taylor Swift app. It allows users to pick a card, customize it and send digital versions, based on its Taylor Swift paper greeting cards line. It's free and available now. There are versions for both Apple's iPhone and Google's Android devices.
Blake Shelton may be married to one of the most beautiful and most desirable women in country music - Miranda Lambert - but he hates Valentine's.
No parties for Taylor Swift after the Grammys. She tweets that she went home to her cat Meredith. She posted a photo of Meredith. Swift says she couldn't stay out late because she had an early video shoot the next morning.
Alabama announces their 40th anniversary tour. The Back to the Bowery Tour will kick off on April 5 in South Carolina and run through Oct. 12 before wrapping up in Oklahoma.
Lars This & That
Number of the Day
9.2: Days of vacation unused by the average person (American) in 2012.
Forget the chocolates this Valentine's
Can't decide on what to get your valentine? The Bronx Zoo has 58,000 Madagascar hissing roaches -- most with no name. For a $10 donation, you can name one for your sweetie and send your sweetie a certificate of honor. **Say it with a roach.
Last Minute Valentine's Day Facts
The worst time to buy last-minute flowers is 3:00 P.M., when flower shops hit their peak.
French restaurants, cupcake shops, and wineries are the most popular Valentine's Day date spots.
Washington, D.C. has been ranked as the U.S. city with the most extra-marital affairs.
Office romance, almost 40% of Americans do it! That’s right- four in 10 people have dated a coworker. Of them, 30% say their at-work romance led to marriage. The majority of office relationships are between peers, but three in 10 have hooked up with their boss or someone higher on the company totem pole. While most people say they were open about their office romance, 35% kept things under wraps.
Why Valentine's Is Scary for Guys
Dr. Gina Berreca in Psychology Today feels Valentines Day, the day for l-o-v-e, is as scary as Halloween. Especially for men... if you ask your man if he agrees with this, he'll tell you 'no'. Don't believe him:
For men, Valentine’s Day is filled horror. Is that really a surprise? They can’t win. For men, all they know is that they’re going to spend time searching for a way to spend money on who knows what for some woman who will, when she receives it, force that little tight smile, like a cat taking a poop, to indicate her insincere gratitude. He will fail. He has always failed. He’s like the guy Jack Nicolson played in “The Shining” who has always been at that hotel. This guy has always been in the endless aisle of greeting cards or in the lingerie area of a department store. He’s there until security removes him and he’s muttering “I think she likes mauve. But I don’t know what mauve is.”
Read the rest here
The gift you can't wrap
Why do we stress out over gifts for Valentines Day when research shows men and women both prefer a "shared experience" rather than chocolate or roses?
Here are 10 suggestions:
** Sing your heart out! Head to karaoke night and belt out some really cheesy ballads
** Feel the rush. Skydive! A shared harrowing experience, like something that gives you an adrenaline rush, creates mutual attraction.
** Roleplay. Pretend to be someone else and meet up in a hotel bar.
** Chill out. Bundle up and hit the slopes, start a snowball fight, or hold hands at a skating rink
** Spice up your life. Take a cooking class together. Chopping, dicing, kneading and baking will spice things up big time.
** Saddle up! Stay at a dude ranch and get your cowboy fantasy on. Ride on the open range and dine on delicious meals.
** Step out (with your baby). Sign up for some dance lessons and learn the samba or the heat of mambo.
** Spread the love. Do good for others by helping out at the local senior center or digging in at the community garden. Volunteering brings you closer together.
** Let yourself go. Get a couples massage, take a yoga class, or soak in a hot tub.
** Jump. Anything that gets you sweaty gives you an adrenaline rush...so head to a trampoline park.
Who's The Better Romantic?
A new survey found that almost all men, whether they like it or not, will celebrate Valentines Day. Not so much for women, though. 14.5% of men said they'll do nothing to celebrate Valentines Day. For women it was 21.5%. The survey also showed that men were more likely to buy flowers, chocolates, arrange for dinner at a restaurant, or buy a nice gift.
The results of this survey are truly shocking... if you've been living on another planet away from human life the past 2,000 years.
Parents, Missing Your ZZZZZs
According to a new study out of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, parents aren't really THAT much more sleep deprived than the rest of us. Every kid under age two only costs you 13 minutes of sleep a night . . . every kid age two to five costs you nine minutes . . . and every kid age six to 18 costs you four minutes. (Source: Today Show)
Good News Story 
Jackson, Michigan. Linda Ackley went to Allegiance Hospital Friday morning thinking she had a hernia. By Friday night, she had given birth to a 10-pound baby.
Not just a baby, a 10 POUNDER!
It's an amazing story when you hear about the couple. Linda and Mike are high school sweethearts that have been married 24 years and thought they were unable to have kids. Not only that, Linda contracted a bacterial infection that put her in a week-long coma 2-years ago. Doctors thought she wouldn't pull through.
Their apartment, as you would suspect, is not ready for a newborn, so family and local businesses sprang in to action donating car seats and clothing.
Best quote comes from hubby Mike: “Some people have nine months to prepare. I had (15) hours."
One More Thing...
I've been showing highlights from the Dowdy cruise. Here's the Royal Promenade on Freedom of the Seas, lined with shops and places to eat. Loved it! It was perfect for the Dreamworks parade on Saturday.
Lar's Thought of the Day 
Help others achieve their dreams and you will achieve yours. Les Brown
