Folks LOL and OMG each other all the livelong day, but ask them to decipher the XLVI of this year's Super Bowl and you might as well be talking Greek. Gerard Michon isn't much of a football fan but he keeps a close eye on Super Bowls over at Numericana.com, where he dissects math and physics and discusses the Roman system ad nauseam. Starting with Super Bowl XLI in 2007, he has been getting an abnormal number of game-day visits from football fans with a sudden interest in Roman numerals. On the day of last year's Super Bowl XLV, so many people visited that Michon's little server crashed. When the dust cleared, he had logged 15,278 hits, more than 90 percent landing on XLV. He said, "Last year was total madness, because so many people were wondering why VL isn't a correct replacement for XLV." When the Super Bowl started, the games were assigned simple Roman numerals "that everybody knows," he said. Now "it looks kind of mysterious." Super Bowl XLVI -- 46 -- is coming up Sunday with kick off right around 3:30.

Ah yes, the Super Bowl ... a time for parties, touchdowns, and tutoring for one Brooklyn guy in desperate need of some serious football schooling. According to the Huffington Post, he's willing to pay five-hundred dollars or more for the right teacher. The bewildered non-footballer placed an ad on Craigslist seeking someone with knowledge of the game, “Preferably from someone who was a quarterback in college or the pros, but at the very least someone who knows a lot about quarterbacks.” So, why the panic over the pigskin? Apparently, the guy told a little fib to his girlfriend's ex, saying he played college football, when in fact, he did not. Now, he must attend a Super Bowl party with said girlfriend and her ex and try not to appear two passes short of a touchdown. The eager student-to-be also states in his Craigslist ad that he would be willing to pay an extra hundred bucks if the respondent would text good comments to say during the game.

Today is Backward Day, a day to do everything backward. Today is Inspire Your Heart With the Arts Day. Tonight is Play An Old Game You Haven’t Played in Years Night. Maybe Yahztee, Scrabble, Monopoly, or Canasta. Today is Scotch Tape Day, marking the birth of the sticky stuff to 3M Company's Richard Drew on this date in 1928.

Calendar notes: On this date in 1949, the first TV daytime soap opera, These Are My Children, was telecast from NBC in Chicago. The show’s creator, Irna Phillips, would later produce As the World Turns and The Guiding Light. In 1961, a chimpanzee named Ham became the first US animal sent into space. Ham traveled 158 miles above the Earth in the Mercury-Redstone-2 space capsule. In 1990, McDonald's opened its first fast-food restaurant in Moscow. In 1999, the Denver Broncos repeated as NFL champions, defeating the Atlanta Falcons 34-19 in Super Bowl 33.

Glee airs its Michael Jackson episode tonight.

More than four million people watched a cryptic 10-second teaser featuring Matthew Broderick after the clip's release last week, revving up the rumor mill that there may be a Ferris Bueller sequel. Eventually the true point of the clip was revealed: Matthew Broderick's Bueller is selling Hondas. Yesterday, Honda gave us a taste of its upcoming weekend ad magic, one that will cost around $3.5 million for a mere 30 seconds of airtime. Which is probably why they put the 2 minute, 25 second video on YouTube.

According to a new study out just in time for Valentines Day, nearly a quarter of the couples surveyed say their love life suffered when their bed was over 10 years old. It should be pointed out that the survey was commissioned by a mattress chain.

How cool is this? An Olympia High School counselor from Shelton is one of six finalists for the national school counselor of the year award. The American School Counselor Association announced yesterday that Dave Forrester was selected from more than 270 elementary, middle and secondary school counselors nationwide. He's known as the Spider Man at OHS for his ability to collaborate and establish a web of student support services. According to a news release, Forrester is traveling to Washington, D.C. tomorrow for three days of celebratory events. The finalists are meeting with their members of Congress, attending a congressional briefing, touring the White House, participating in a briefing at the Office of the Vice President. They're then being recognized at a black-tie gala.

It was just announced that Coldplay is the UK's Biggest Selling Rock Act of the last 12 months. Their disc, Mylo Xyloto, has sold over 908-thousand copies in Britain. The guys are about to be very busy. They are appearing at playing at next month's Grammy Awards. Then they are playing at Amnesty International’s Secret Policeman’s Ball fundraiser in New York. That event takes place on March 4th at Radio City Music Hall and also features appearances by Russell Brand, Jon Stewart, and Stephen Colbert.

The Fray's new album, Scars and Stories, comes out February 7th. That’s only a week away.

According to People.com, British actor Ian Abercrombie died on Thursday at the age of 77. The actor had previously been diagnosed with lymphoma, and passed away due to complications from kidney failure. The Seinfeld regular started his career as a dancer, and went on to have roles in Young Frankenstein and Army of Darkness, before his best-known work as Elaine's excessively picky boss, Mr. Pitt.

Adele, Rihanna, and Justin Bieber won awards at the NRJ Awards, which are the French equivalent of the Grammy Awards, over the weekend. The event took place on the French Riviera. Adele won two awards, taking home International Revelation of the Year and International Song of the Year for Someone Like You. Rihanna won International Female Artist. Shakira won the NRJ Award of Honor, and Bieber took home the male version of the award.

Kate Middleton was named Hat Person of the Year by the Headwear Association. I’ve never heard of the award or the organization, but the Duchess of Cambridge captured nearly 90 percent of the public's votes to win the honor. Hit up UsMagazine.com to check out a collection of Kate’s finest hats.

Trivia Answer: Terry Kath, who was born on this date in Chicago, Illinois, in 1946. It was 5 o'clock the afternoon of January 23rd in 1978, after a party at roadie/band technician's home in Los Angeles, Kath took an unloaded .38 revolver and put it to his head, pulling the trigger several times on the empty chambers. Kath had been warned several times to be careful. Kath then picked up a semiautomatic 9 mm pistol and, leaning back in a chair, said, "Don't worry, it's not loaded". After showing the empty magazine, Kath replaced the magazine in the gun, put the gun to his temple, and pulled the trigger. There was a round in the chamber, and he died instantly. He left a widow, Camelia Emily Ortiz (whom he married in 1974), and a daughter, Michelle, born in 1976. Camelia was later married to Kiefer Sutherland from 1987 to 1990.

While everyone was playing at half-speed and ready to extend their Hawaiian vacation, Brandon Marshall played as if it was his last game. The Miami Dolphins wide receiver caught six passes for 176 yards and a Pro Bowl-record four touchdowns, and the AFC used a second-half surge to beat the NFC 59-41 yesterday. The 59 points by the AFC set a Pro Bowl mark, and the 100 points scored by the teams combined was the second highest, a touchdown shy of the 107 scored in 2004. We get to back to serious football Sunday with the Super Bowl. Kickoff at about 3:30 Sunday afternoon.

In the NHL All Star game yesterday, the floodgates opened late with Team Chara scoring six goals in the third period to beat Team Alfredsson 12-9. Tim Thomas earned his fourth straight All-Star win

When the Houston Astros join the Mariners in the American League West Division in 2013, they may not be the Astros at all. The team's owner is mulling a name and uniform change for his struggling Astros, The Associated Press reports. In fact, the team is "highly considering" a change. The owner, Jim Crane, says, "We're going to study the information both from the fans and from all sorts of marketing people. I'm not saying we're going to change. We haven't made the decision yet whether we’re going to change."

The snow and ice storm of won’t only be remembered for its knee-deep snow and lengthy power outages, but for its downed trees and resulting debris that piled high on yards throughout the city. The City of Olympia opened two debris drop-off locations Saturday -- one at the city's maintenance center on Eastside Street and the other at Yauger Park on Olympia's west side -- and the floodgates opened. The maintenance center drop-off location opened at 9 in the morning and soon car after car, truck after truck, were lined up ready to drop off huge collections of tree limbs, branches, twigs and other damaged tree and plant life. By the end of the day, more than 580 vehicles dropped off debris loads at the two locations. Dan Daniels is the director of waste resources for the city. He said more than 100 vehicles were there before noon at the maintenance center site. Longtime waste-resources driver Ken Dobler said some showed up before 9. Daniels, too, was on site Saturday, helping to direct traffic and toss debris into 30-yard-long containers. Once full, those containers were trucked to a site behind the old City Hall and emptied, creating a mountain of tree debris. Eventually, all that wood is being fed into a chipper. The resulting wood chips, he said, are to be used to retrofit the city’s stormwater ponds, according to Daniels. Wood chips help to create a solid seal for a stormwater pond. The centers are going to be open again this upcoming weekend and beyond.  They're open Saturday and Sunday from 9 to 4, except for Sunday, Feb. 5th, when the centers are closing at 2:00.

The remaining schedule:

•Saturday, February 4th  - 9am to 4pm
•Sunday, February 5th  - 9am to 2pm (NOTE: early closing time)  
•Saturday, February 11th  - 9am to 4pm
•Sunday, February 12th  - 9am to 4pm

Griffin Athletic Fields (parking lots) at 6924 41st Avenue
 Burfoot Park (front entrance parking lot) at 6927 Boston Harbor Road
Kenneydell Park (ball field parking lot) at 6745 Fairview Road 
Waste and Recovery Center (WARC) at 2418 Hogum Bay Road 
Rainier (vacant lot behind Rainier Market) at the corner of Minnesota and Rochester Streets
Sargent Road Gravel Pit at 6500 Sargent Road

All of the sites are open for drop-off of material through Wednesday, February 29th. WARC is operating on regular business hours, Monday to Friday 7 to 5; Saturday and Sunday 8 to 5. All other sites are operating 8 to 4 seven days a week.

Today is National Inane Answering Machine Message Day. Today is National Flirt A Little Bit Day. Today is BWAD, Bubble Wrap Appreciation Day, a day to celebrate the joy Bubble Wrap brings to our lives. Today is Yogi Bear Day, marking debut of the Yogi Bear Show on this date in 1958. Yogi had first appeared as a cartoon extra on Huckleberry Hound in October '57. Today is National Write to Congress Day. Today is National Croissant Day. Today is National Yodel at Your Neighbors Day.

Calendar notes: On this date in 1936, major-league baseball’s Boston Braves changed their name to the Boston Bees, thinking possibly the team’s name was contributing to its losing record. They did win more games the next two years, but then started losing big again. So in 1940 the Bees became the Braves again. In 1994, the Dallas Cowboys repeated as NFL champions by defeating the Buffalo Bills, 30-13, in Super Bowl 28. It was the fourth straight Super Bowl loss for the Bills. In 1996, Kevin Eubanks became official leader of The Tonight Show Band. In 2003, President Bush put allies on notice that diplomacy would give way to a decision on war with Iraq in "weeks, not months." World leaders and congressional critics urged patience and demanded proof of Iraq's weapons of mass destruction. In 2007, Alexa Rodriguez decided she'd had enough of the gridlock and made her appearance in her parents 4Runner. Alexa was the second baby born that week to moms stuck on I-5 near Seattle, and the 4th during January. Actually, three arrived on I-5 and one in a restaurant parking lot. State troopers reported all moms and babies were doing well. A WSP spokesman simply attributes it to coincidence saying, "Who wants to have their baby in their car on the freeway?"

Came across an interesting quote over the weekend: Dignity is the ability not to say what we should never have been thinking in the first place.

Lady Gaga is nominated for three Grammy Awards including Best Pop Solo Performance for Yoü and I, Best Pop Vocal Album and the coveted Album of the Year for Born This Way. Gaga will be on hand at the 54th annual Grammy Awards, which February 12th on CBS.

Madonna is previewing her first new music video in more than three years on American Idol Thursday night. The preview comes three days before Madonna headlines the Super Bowl halftime show in Indianapolis.

Trivia Answer: Tapestry from singer-songwriter Carole King. The lead single featured It's Too Late backed with I Feel The Earth Move. Tapestry was No. 1 on the Billboard 200 for 15 consecutive weeks, and held the record for most weeks at No. 1 by a female solo artist for over 40 years until surpassed by Adele's 21 this year Tapestry still holds the record for most consecutive weeks at No. 1 by a female solo artist. The album has been listed on the Billboard 200 for over 300 weeks between 1971 and 2011, the longest by a female solo artist.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, NFL players are allowed to tweet during the Pro Bowl in Hawaii on Sunday. The players can't use mobile phones during the game, but the NFL is setting up computers on the sidelines so players can tweet about the game. The NFL's regular policy for games bans the use of Twitter 90 minutes before a game, and lasts through the post-game interviews.

Rumors are swirling that Madonna is set to have quite a few collaborations during her halftime performance at the Super Bowl. Nicki Minaj is expected to be on hand and now word comes that she could be joined by Cee Lo Green. Meanwhile, Billboard is reporting that LMFAO is joining Madge for the festivities. Black Eyed Peas frontman will.i.am reportedly said he's heading to Indianapolis to see "my group LMFAO perform with Madonna." The Super Bowl kicks off around 3:30 on NBC on Sunday, February 5th.

A mysterious Super Bowl teaser popped up on YouTube yesterday, with Matthew Broderick bringing back his role as Ferris Bueller, 26 years after his fateful day off. Bueller ... er Broderick ... seems to be in a hotel room so perhaps he's selling for a hotel chain?

Robert Hegyes, who played a Jewish Puerto Rican wisecracking student in the 1970s comedy Welcome Back, Kotter, died yesterday. Paramedics took him to John F. Kennedy Medical Center in Edison, New Jersey. He was in cardiac arrest when he arrived and was pronounced dead at the hospital. He appeared alongside John Travolta and Gabe Kaplan in Welcome Back, Kotter from 1975 until 1979. Hegyes' character, Juan Epstein, was short with big hair, and sported a tough demeanor and pride in his Jewish and Puerto Rican heritage. Hegyes was of Italian and Hungarian descent. He said on his website that he modeled his character Epstein on Chico Marx, of the famous Marx Brothers. After Welcome Back, Kotter, he went on to have a recurring role as Detective Manny Esposito in the 1980s police series Cagney & Lacey. In all, Hegyes had over 20 television and film acting credits during his career, and was also active in theater. Robert Hegyes was 60.

Today is Listen to Classical Music During Lunch Day. Today is National Preschool Fitness Day. Today is Laverne & Shirley Day, marking the debut of the sitcom on this date in 1976. A spin-off from Happy Days, the show starred Penny Marshall and Cindy Williams.

Calendar notes: On this date in 1880, inventor Thomas Alva Edison of Menlo Park, New Jersey, patented the incandescent electric lamp. In 1956, RCA released its first record by Elvis Presley. Heartbreak Hotel hit #1 on both the pop and country charts and reached #5 on the R&B charts. In 1971, British musician David Bowie arrived in America for the first time. He didn't perform, but got lots of publicity in Texas and Louisiana for wearing dresses. In 2001, actress Beverley D'Angelo gave birth to twin girls, making actor Al Pacino a father again at age 60.

Demi Moore is out of the hospital. She was released yesterday after a three-night stay to recover from, well, any number of ailments or drugs, depending on what gossip blog you choose to believe.

Employees at Disneyland can finally enjoy bearded freedom. Since 2000, the park has not allowed employees to grow beards, only mustaches. The Associated Press reports that the ban will be lifted beginning February 3rd. That’s not the only good news for park employees. Workers who don’t interact with customers will celebrate casual Fridays around the offices.

Longtime Wheel of Fortune host Pat Sajak says he used to host the popular game show drunk. Says Sajak, "When I first started and was much younger and could tolerate those things. We had a different show then." The 65-year-old, who has hosted Wheel of Fortune since 1981, says he and right-hand woman Vanna White used to go to a local Mexican restaurant in Burbank during their two-and-a-half hour dinner breaks. That break gave the duo more than enough time to knock a couple margaritas back before the night tapings. "Vanna and I would go across and have two or three or six and then come and do the last shows and have trouble recognizing the alphabet. They're really great tapes to get a hold of. I had a great time. I have no idea if the shows were any good, but no one said anything, so I guess I did OK."

You don't have to be smart to be a criminal. The evidence mounts each and every day:

A 38-year-old Chicago area man is accused of calling 911 and requesting a fight. John R. Pacella was arrested after 911 received a call from him saying he "wanted to see an officer because he wanted to fight with them." Police officers obliged the request for them to come, but didn't start a fight. However, Pacella did, allegedly shoving the officers, according to police reports. He is charged with aggravated battery, resisting a police officer and battery with intent to provoke or insult. No word on whether or not the man had been drinking, but he does have a criminal record.

Armed robbers fled from a Chinese restaurant when the owner attacked them with a feather duster. The owner of the restaurant says the bamboo handle can act like a whip. He retaliated after one of the men pointed a pistol at his wife.

A would-be bank robber in Mexico City has ditched the usual getaway car for a new mode of transportation. Police say Sergio Ledesma was arrested after two failed robbery attempts using a skateboard. At the first bank, the man whispered his threat to the teller so low that they were able to act like they couldn’t even understand him. So he skated to the next bank, where the teller set off an alarm to let police know there was trouble. The Associated Press reports that the robber was still patiently waiting for the teller to count out the money to him when police showed up to arrest him ... and to confiscate his skateboard.

Police have arrested a Florida woman after she allegedly obliterated a man's pink flamingo. Amanda Goss allegedly destroyed the lawn ornament by banging it against the man's front door at 2 in the morning. The Treasure Coast Palm reports that the 29-year-old became irate when she tried to enter the home and the man that lived there wouldn't let her in. According to the police report, Goss is responsible for approximately ten dollars worth of damage. She was arrested and charged with trespassing and criminal mischief.

Police say the manhunt for an escaped prisoner in Germany was brief. The search began when wardens went to check in on a 50-year-old inmate after he didn't show up to breakfast, only to find the bars of his cell window were sawed off and he was gone. The prisoner was found hiding in the prison's attic.

Police in Thailand apprehended a thief with more than a thousand pairs of women's underwear in the trunk of his car. They later found more than ten thousand pairs at his home.

A five-year-old girl in Massachusetts got a visit from the police after her library books were deemed overdue. According to the CBS TV affiliate in Boston, little Hailey Benoit had two books from the Charlton Public Library that were supposed to be turned in months before. Her mom, Shannon, said the police stunt was "overboard" and caused her daughter to burst into tears, afraid of being arrested. Apparently the public library decided to crack down on around four-thousand dollars in fines owed to the library by sending police door-to-door. One of the police officers admitted that he thought it was a little much and the officers didn’t necessarily want to be involved, but state law says not returning books is a crime. Needless to say, Hailey gave her books back and no one was arrested.

Trivia Answer: Anthony Cris Collinsworth who turns 53 today. In April of 2009, Cris was named the replacement for John Madden on NBC's Sunday Night Football. In a Sports Illustrated poll of NFL players conducted last month, Collinsworth was voted the worst football commentator on television. Regardless, next weekend he'll be on board for the NBC broadcast of this year’s Super Bowl. As Al Michaels calls his eighth Super Bowl this year, Cris will be in the booth with him.

This weekend, it's the Pro Bowl: AFC vs NFC. It's happening Sunday afternoon at 4 on NBC.

Then a week later, it's Super Bowl time with the New England Patriots and New York Giants meeting up at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.

The 14th Annual Mariner FanFest is this weekend. It runs from 11 until 4 both Saturday and Sunday at Safeco Field. Adults $10; kids $5; those 5 and under are free.

Tonight is Wipeout Night in West Virginia, marking this night in 1960 when Burnsville wiped out Widen in basketball 173 to 43. Burnsville’s Danny Heater scored 135 points. Today is Dukes of Hazzard Day. The TV series premiered on this date in 1979, starring John Schneider and Tom Wopat as Bo and Luke and Catharine Bach as Cousin Daisy. Today is National Peanut Brittle Day. Today is Military Spouses Day, to recognize and honor the real backbone of the military.

Calendar notes: On this date in 1784, in a letter to his daughter, Benjamin Franklin complained about the choice of the eagle as America's symbol, saying he preferred the turkey. In 1984, Michael Jackson was hospitalized with scalp burns after a spark ignited his hair during filming of a Pepsi TV commercial. In 2003, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers won their first NFL championship, routing the Oakland Raiders 48-21 in Super Bowl 37. In 2005, confirmed by the US Senate, Condoleezza Rice was sworn in as secretary of state.

President Barack Obama is heading for the Northwest next month. White House officials said Obama arrives in Seattle on February 17th, but they did not release details about his schedule or exactly what topics he would discuss. Obama last visited Washington in September. If you have any friends with small aircraft, let them know to stay on the ground on the 17th. We don't need the jets from Portland scrambling with their sonic booms again.

The President's State of the Union speech scored at an eighth-grade readability level, according to the University of Minnesota. His three State of the Unions all rank among the six lowest scoring ones ever and are, on average, "more than two grades lower than the 10.7 grade average for the other 67 addresses written by his 12 predecessors."

Actor James Farentino, whose television acting career began in the early 1960s, has died at Cedars-Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles. No other details about Farentino's death could be released because of federal health privacy laws, according to a hospital spokeswoman. The Brooklyn, New York, native won the 1967 Most Promising Newcomer Golden Globe. He was nominated for a best supporting actor Emmy in 1978 for his portrayal of Simon Peter in the TV mini-series Jesus of Nazareth. His 50-year acting career included more than 100 TV roles, including as the father of George Clooney's character in ER. Farentino also appeared on stage and the big screen, including the military science-fiction film The Final Countdown in 1980. James Farentino was 73.

Back in September, John Travolta had his 1970 Mercedes-Benz 280-SL stolen off the street in Santa Monica. Police have found it … well, most of it … it’s in pieces. Ffity-eight year-old Michael Green and 52-year-old D.L. Rayford were taken into custody in December by members of a law enforcement task force investigating a sophisticated car-theft ring. Santa Monica police Sergeant Richard Lewis said, "Two individuals were identified as suspects relating to the theft of Mr. Travolta's Mercedes, and were arrested by investigators from the task force." Lewis said leads developed following the theft led investigators to a "chop shop," where stolen vehicles were found, including parts of the actor's car. Lewis said. "We have numerous pieces recovered but not the entire car." He said the arrests were not announced earlier to avoid compromising a larger investigation into the car theft ring.

A former Late Night With Jimmy Fallon employee is taking on Jimmy and NBC Universal for discrimination, claiming he was fired from his position as first stage manager back in 2010 and replaced by a “totally incompetent woman.” Per Perez Hilton, disgruntled ex-staffer Paul Tarascio says Jimmy “prefers to take direction from a woman,” and claims Jimmy’s director, David Diomedi, “knowingly fabricated alleged performance issues,” which he believes ultimately led to his firing. The man is reportedly seeking “punitive damages and lost wages.”

Adele’s latest, Set Fire to the Rain, climbs one spot to number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. It marks Adele’s third number one single off her six-time platinum album 21.

Kelly Clarkson. Foo Fighters, Bruno Mars, Nicki Minaj and more are all set to perform at the 54th annual Grammy Awards next month. More performers and presenters are being announced in the coming weeks. The 54th annual Grammys air live from Los Angeles on February 12th.

People are still discussing what they thought of Steven Tyler’s rendition of the National Anthem at Sunday’s AFC Championship game and now, the singer’s Aerosmith bandmate, Joe Perry, is chiming in. The guitarist told the National Post that the Star-Spangled Banner is “a bitch,” adding, “They should just get one guy, like an opera singer, who delivers the song exactly the same way ... so no one messes with it. Why can’t somebody interpret it the way that they want?” Joe went on to explain that Tyler flew to Massachusetts from LA, after attending two funerals, to sing the Anthem before the game.

Speaking of Steven, American Idol is back again tonight. The auditions continue. This time out they're in Houston.

A new survey of bar managers in the US found the most popular mixed drink nationwide. It's the Margarita. The Martini finished second, and Rum and Coke placed third.

The Zebra Pen Corporation took a survey of more than 25-hundred adults in the US to find out which famous singers they’d like to receive a love note from this Valentine’s Day. The poll, conducted online, showed that 45 percent of the females surveyed would most enjoy a Valentine from Keith Urban, while 24 percent said Bruno Mars, 19 percent picked Steven Tyler, six percent chose Jay-Z and five percent picked Justin Bieber. For the men, 34 percent would prefer a note from Katy Perry, 29 percent chose Taylor Swift, 21 percent picked Beyoncé, nine percent went for Lady Gaga and six percent for Adele.

According to another new survey, 44% of couples intend on dining out this Valentine's Day. The average expected dinner tab comes out to $147 per couple, compared to the regular check for two of around $43.

Jim Beam whiskey and Doritos aren’t something you would expect to see on the budget at a police department, but that’s what the Florida Department of Law Enforcement purchased recently as part of an educational exercise. The Herald Tribune reports that the department paid several employees to drink alcohol on the job in order to test a breathalyzer. The agency used the results to prove whether or not the machine’s results were accurate. A 300 dollar budget was allocated for the alcohol and snacks used in the experiment, and the tests reportedly cost eight-thousand bucks to complete.

Trivia Answer: Mammoth. In 1972 in Pasadena, California, the Van Halen brothers formed a band called Mammoth featuring Eddie as lead vocalist and guitarist, Alex on drums, and Mark Stone on bass. They initially rented a sound system from David Lee Roth but decided to save money by letting him join as lead vocalist even though his previous auditions had been unsuccessful. By 1974 the band decided to replace Stone, so Michael Anthony, bassist and lead vocalist from local band Snake was auditioned. Following an all-night jam session, he was hired for bass and backing vocals. The band later changed its name to Genesis, then discovered the name Genesis already was being used. So in 1974 Genesis officially changed its name to Van Halen. According to Roth, this was his brainchild. He felt it was a name that had power, like Santana. They played backyard parties and on a flatbed truck at Hamilton Park. Van Halen played clubs in Pasadena and Hollywood to growing audiences, increasing their popularity through self promotion: before each gig they would pass out fliers at local high schools. In addition to being recognized for success, the band is known for the drama surrounding the exits of former members. The multiple exits of lead singers David Lee Roth, Sammy Hagar and Gary Cherone were surrounded in controversy and mass press coverage, including numerous conflicting press statements between the former singers and the band. Eddie and David recently kissed and made up ... again ... and on December 26th, Van Halen announced a tour for 2012, and the release their first album in 14 years, A Different Kind of Truth, which comes out February 7th. Van Halen plays the Tacoma Dome on May 5th with special guests Kool & The Gang. Tickets go on sale Saturday morning at 10.

The Seahawks' star running back, Marshawn Lynch, is headed to the Pro Bowl. He'll be doing Beast Mode as the fifth Seahawk on the NFC Pro Bowl roster, replacing San Francisco's Frank Gore, who won't be playing in Honolulu on Sunday due to an illness. On Monday, two other Seattle players made the Pro Bowl squad as alternates. Strong safety Kam Chancellor is replacing Dashon Goldson of the 49ers, and cornerback Brandon Browner stands in for Carlos Rogers, also of the 49ers. Even though San Francisco is not playing in the Super Bowl, Goldson and Rogers are sitting out the Pro Bowl because of injuries, according to the Seahawks. Lynch, Chancellor, and Browner join free safety Earl Thomas and fullback Michael Robinson at Aloha Stadium this weekend. Robinson was named to the squad last week after Green Bay's John Kuhn pulled out due to injury. Thomas was the only Seahawk voted to the Pro Bowl as a non-alternate. The Pro Bowl is Sunday afternoon at 4:00 on NBC.

Here's some news for any Mariner fan who was still holding out hope that Prince Fielder would come to Seattle. First, really? Second, doesn’t look like it’s happening. Reports are that he's agreed to a nine-year, $214 million deal with … the Detroit Tigers.

A new episode of American Idol is on tonight. The auditions continue in Aspen, Colorado.

Today is Speak up and Succeed Day, time to face your fear of public speaking and speak out anyway. Today is A Room of One's Own Day, for anyone who knows or longs for the bliss of having a private place. Today is Mac Day, marking introduction of Apple's Macintosh computer on this day in 1984.

Calendar notes: On this date in 1959, American Airlines opened the jet age in the US with the first scheduled transcontinental flight of a Boeing 707. In 1964, The Beatles reached #1 on US music charts with I Want to Hold Your Hand. In 1993, President Bill Clinton appointed his wife Hillary to lead a task force on health-care reform. Also in 1993, Sears announced that, after 97 years, it was closing its catalog sales department. The Sears Catalog was gone.

Demi Moore was taken to the hospital Monday night after having a reported substance abuse issue. Other sources say she was taken to the hospital for treatment for exhaustion. Later reports, however, say Demi was hospitalized after paramedics were called to her Los Angeles home, and now she's seeking "further professional assistance." That according to TMZ.com. Demi, of course, recently split from husband Ashton Kutcher. Her representative states, "Because of the stresses in her life right now, Demi has chosen to seek professional assistance to treat her exhaustion and improve her overall health. She looks forward to getting well and is grateful for the support of her family and friends."

Brad Pitt released a statement following his Oscar nominations for Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role and for producing Moneyball. The actor said it is an "extraordinary honor" and that he is "dizzy with joy." Moneyball also scored a nomination for Best Motion Picture. Johan Hill's performance in Moneyball scored him a nod for Best Supporting Actor and the film is also up for Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Film Editing and Best Sound Mixing. Pitt ended his statement writing, "pancakes for everyone."

Adele is lashing out at the likes of Us Magazine and the UK's Daily Mail for reporting that her new boyfriend, Simon Konecki, is still married. The 23-year-old took to her blog to emphatically deny those reports, saying that Simon has been divorced for four years.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Electronic Arts has struck a deal with Katy Perry for its game franchise, The Sims. In collaboration with Katy, The Sims Studio plans to develop multiple games within the franchise that feature special Perry-themed content and virtual goods, including clothing, hairstyles, furniture, and more. The partnership kicks off with a special Collector's Edition for The Sims 3 Showtime, launching in March. Katy is also being featured in advertising and marketing campaigns for the brand.

Lady Gaga is the queen of social media. Gags is the first person to reach 18-million followers on Twitter. The milestone comes less than a year after she surpassed the 10-million followers mark. Gaga wrote on the site, "Can’t believe I have 18,000,000 TwitterMonsters, really rad, was just a few years ago I had barely any."

Facebook Timeline is officially coming to all users within the next few weeks. According to a Facebook blog post, Timeline will automatically be enabled for all Facebook users.

Italian researchers say that contagious yawning occurs at a faster rate among friends and family than strangers.

A man in India expected to find about two-hundred dollars in his bank account when he checked it online over the weekend, but instead it was loaded with 9.8-billion bucks. The BBC reports Parijat Saha went to a nearby ATM to confirm the amount and it was still there. No, he didn’t take the money and run. He called the State Bank of India who said it was an unexplained error and that he couldn’t have withdrawn the money if he tried. The school teacher, who typically earns around seven-hundred dollars a month, says the bank is still investigating.

A giant butter sculpture has people turning heads at the annual Pennsylvania Farm Show. The star of the show is a 1,000-pound depiction of a young boy showing a prize-winning calf at the fair. It’s not all art, though. According to NPR, one farmer will actually put the butter to work once the show is over, using it to power his house and farm. Apparently, when mixed in a large pit of manure, butter will be transformed into methane gas, which can be burned in an engine or converted to electricity. The power produced from the butter breakdown project will be enough to power a farm for three days.

A man pronounced dead by doctors in India gasped for breath moments before his funeral was supposed to start. The family of the man was moving his body from the morgue to a funeral van when they noticed him breathing.

Trivia Answer: Steve Roland "Pre" Prefontaine who was born in this date in 1951. He and his contemporaries Frank Shorter and Bill Rodgers inspired the "running boom" in the 1970s. Prefontaine gained national attention and appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated at the age of nineteen. Over his career, he won 120 of the 153 races he ran (78 percent). Prefontaine liked to say, "To give anything less than your best is to sacrifice the Gift." On May 30th of 1975, returning from a party and after dropping off friend and distance champion Frank Shorter, Prefontaine was driving down Skyline Boulevard, east of the University of Oregon campus, when he swerved to avoid crashing into an oncoming car and hit a rock wall along the side of the street. Prefontaine is buried at Sunset Memorial Park in Coos Bay. His life story has been detailed in two films, 1997's Prefontaine and 1998's Without Limits, as well as the documentary Fire on the Track.

There were still some school issues this morning but not nearly the volume of the last few days. This morning, North Thurston and Tumwater were both two hours late but busses were on regular routes. SPSCC gets back open on all campuses this afternoon at 4.

With 94 percent of the Puget Sound Energy customer outages now back on line, crews today are expected to complete their power restoration work in the North King County and East King County and then join the effort to bring the lights back on in parts of South King County, Pierce County, and here in Thurston County. As of 6 this morning, approximately 24,000 customers were still without power. Since last week’s snow and ice storms, PSE crews have restored power to more than 386,000 customers in Western Washington. The 280 crews are assigned to 311 power-outage jobs. PSE has been and will continue to work around the clock until every customer is restored. PSE spokesperson Andy Wappler says that since the outages began popping up, crews have repaired 53 high voltage transmission lines and 70 sub stations. They've also strung 70 miles of new wire, replaced 250 downed or damaged poles, and made 28,000 wire splices.

Coming up Sunday, it's the NFL Pro Bowl (yawn) at the AFC and NFC match up. The following Sunday, it's the big kahuna -- the Super Bowl -- with New England meeting New York Giants.

Before even playing his first game in Seattle, Jesus Montero is already being touted as the middle-of-the-order answer to the Mariners' offensive woes. The New York Yankees hope Michael Pineda does the same for their pitching rotation. The Mariners and Yankees finalized their four-player trade yesterday – a trade that sends Pineda, an All-Star in his rookie season, to the Yankees in exchange for Montero, one of the top young slugging prospects in baseball. Seattle also sent 19-year-old pitching prospect Jose Campos to New York with 24-year-old pitcher Hector Noesi coming back to Seattle. The trade was completed after all players completed physicals with their new teams.

American Idol is back tonight. However, it's the same episode that aired Sunday night after the NFC Championship game. It's the auditions from San Diego.

Also tonight, it's the State of the Union from President Obama. It's on at 6.

In case you weren't watching TV or using the Internet in the past week (maybe your power and/or cable was out?), President Obama, caused quite a stir with his rendition of Let's Stay Together by Al Green. Check it out:

Today is Social Sipping and Nibbling Rehearsal Day, a time to practice cutting a piece of cake with a plastic fork on a paper plate while holding a cup of punch, a napkin, and some mints. Memorize something clever to say if you drop it all on the carpet. Today is Global Belly Laugh Day, a day to celebrate the great gift of laughter. At 1:24 this afternoon (local time) smile, throw your arms in the air, and laugh out loud. Today is National Compliment Day. Compliment at least five people today. Today is National Peanut Butter Day.

Calendar notes: On this date in 1952, the NFL New York Yankees turned up in Texas as the Dallas Texans, to become history’s worst pro football team. They were run out of Dallas after only four games and had to play eight games on the road, finishing 1-11. In 1955, major league baseball announced that during the new season the rule requiring a pitcher to deliver the ball within 20 seconds after he received it would be strictly enforced. It’s still the rule, but is never enforced. In 1962, Brian Epstein signed to manage the Beatles, swapping their leather jackets for matching suits and a smarter stage show. In 2003, the new Department of Homeland Security officially opened as its director, Tom Ridge, was sworn in.

The Oscar nominations were announced this morning. Silent-era throwback film The Artist and Martin Scorsese's Hugo led the pack, including nods in the best film category. Hugo, Scorsese's 3D film exploring the magic of moviemaking, earned the most nominations with 11 overall, including one for him in the director category. The Artist, which has swept through the awards season this year taking many pre-Oscar honors, had 10 nominations in total. The Oscars are given out by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. This year's winners are being named at a gala ceremony in Hollywood on February 26th.

Meanwhile, word is The Razzies, which hand out awards for the worst films and performances, will now take place on April Fools Day. The annual awards show, which usually takes place the day before the Oscars, has been moved to the more appropriate April 1st. Razzies founder John Wilson said the move allows "additional time to see the dreck they will eventually nominate."

Aretha Franklin has called off her wedding, saying in a statement to People magazine that she and her "forever friend" William Wilkerson decided they were moving too fast and that there will be no wedding at this time. Earlier this month, Aretha and Willie announced they had planned to get married this summer. The Queen of Soul says she will not comment any further on the matter.

Heidi Klum and Seal are separating after seven years of marriage, a parting the pair termed amicable in a statement over the weekend. The statement said, "While we have enjoyed seven very loving, loyal and happy years of marriage, after much soul-searching we have decided to separate. We have had the deepest respect for one another throughout our relationship and continue to love each other very much, but we have grown apart." Heidi and Seal married in 2005. They have four children ranging in age from 2 to 7. Signs of trouble in their marriage surfaced over the weekend on celebrity magazine websites, surprising fans of the couple who had seemed to enjoy a stable relationship.

Things are getting ugly between Russell Brand and his soon-to-be-ex Katy Perry. A source tells HollywoodLife.com that Russell has basically cut off all communication with Katy, and refuses to discuss the situation outside of blaming her for their split. The source goes on to reveal that Katy is “depressed and confused,” and that Russell is “very bitter,” for reasons unknown.

Orrin Gilkison, a college student from Lakeland, Florida, set a new world record for Most T-Shirts Stuffed Into a Microwave. The previous record was 33, set by Art Hoffman of Louisville, Kentucky. In a video posted at RecordSetter.com, Gilkison stuffs 38 adult-sized tees into a microwave and closes the door with no excess fabric hanging out. He doesn’t actually start the microwave. You can check out some of the other bizarre records set on the website including Farthest Distance to Throw a Vinyl Record, Largest Cardboard Fort, and Most Toasted Marshmallows Stuck on One Face.

 If you're among the 200 richest people in the world you can join the exclusive new social network TopCom. According to Esquire, TopCom is a highly secure private social network, a sort of "combination Facebook, Twitter, e-mail, texting, and Skype" for "the people who run the world."

Have you ever wondered what happens to your Facebook account after you die? Now you may have a little more control over that with a new app called If I Die. The Facebook app gives you a chance to write your final status update in advance. Once you install the free app, you designate three friends that are “trustees” for verifying your death. Once the trustees confirm your death, your message will be posted, or you can set a number of messages to be posted at various dates. According to GigMag.com, no one can see your messages until they’re posted, not even the company that created the app.

Burger King restaurants are rolling out a new delivery service at select stores in Maryland and Virginia. Bloomberg News reports that the fast-food chain also has delivery service in several other countries, including Mexico and Brazil. In areas of the US where delivery is being tested, the service is available between 11 in the morning and 10 at night, and requires a minimum order of between 8 and 10 dollars. Plus, BK is tacking on a two-dollar fee for deliveries. Your order arrives warm and on time. They're only delivering to locations within 10 minutes of the Burger King and food is packed in a thermal-insulated bag. One catch: they won't deliver coffee, milkshakes, fountain drinks or breakfast items.

Is tweeting at the dinner table taboo? Blogger Brian Perez thinks so, and has invented a game that stifles social media habits and encourages face-to-face conversations while dining. The game goes like this: all diners stack their phones Jenga-style in the middle of the table before starting their meal. If someone reaches for their phone before the bill comes, they are the loser and pay the entire tab. If all participants go phone-less for the entire meal, all win and each pay their own bill. The game is going viral and has been well received by most that have heard about it.

Trivia Answer: Mary Lou Retton who turns 44 today. Inspired by watching Nadia Comăneci on television, Retton took up gymnastics in her hometown of Fairmont. West Virginia. She later moved to Houston, Texas, to train under Romanians Béla and Márta_Károlyi, who had coached Nadia Comăneci before their defection to the United States. Retton soon began to make a name for herself winning the American Cup in 1983 and placing second at the US Nationals that same year. Retton missed the World Championships in 1983 due to a wrist injury. Nevertheless, Retton won the American Classic in 1983 and 1984. The 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles were boycotted by the Soviet bloc nations except for Romania. Retton engaged in a close battle with Ecaterina Szabó of Romania for the all-around title. Trailing Szabó (after bars and beam) with two events to go, Retton scored perfect 10s on floor exercise and vault to win the all-around title by 0.05 points. At the same Olympics, Retton won four additional medals: silver in the team competition and the horse vault, and bronze in the floor exercise and uneven bars. For her performance, she was named Sports Illustrated magazine's Sportswoman of the Year. She appeared on a Wheaties box (the first female to do so), and became the cereal's first official spokeswoman. In 1997, Retton was inducted into the International Gymnastics Hall of Fame. Today, Mary Lou is back in West Virginia. She is married to former Houston real estate developer Shannon Kelley, who now works for the Fairmont State University athletic department. Together they have four daughters. 

Roxy stayed on the air for the duration of the snow and ice storm.  It wasn't easy but we did it and were happy to do it for you.

A different story at the Hart home. Finally got the power back yesterday at noon. Seventy hours with no power. The temp inside the house was at 47 before the power came back. It just confirms that I am not Little House on the Prairie material. Major kudos to the crews from PSE. They had a long, tough weekend and I'm guessing got very little appreciation. Now the clean-up is underway here in the South Sound and around the Northwest. Listen closely and you can hear the roar of chainsaws. What a week.

I don't mean to brag but I'm a great uncle. Zach and Lisa welcomed Wyatt to the world last night at 11:11 -- all 6 pounds and 9 ounces of him -- at Capital Medical Center. Zach is my nephew. How's that for stress. Lisa was due about the time the storm hit last week so it was worrying about whether the roads would be clear, whether there'd be power, and the like all week long. As is so often the case, though, alls well that ends well.

The New England Patriots beat the Baltimore Ravens 23-20 yesterday to take the AFC title. Then later the New York Giants beat the San Francisco 49ers 20-17 in overtime to take the NFC title and advance to Super Bowl XLVI. The Giants play the Patriots in the big game coming up Sunday, February 5th.

Former Penn State college football coach Joe Paterno died yesterday at age 85. The cause was lung cancer.

Today is National Pie Day. Today is National Handwriting Day, always on the birth date of John Hancock, flamboyant signer of the Declaration of Independence. Which means National Handwriting Analysis Week begins today. Today is Cold, Cold, Cold Day! The coldest temperature ever recorded in the United States was at Prospect Creek Camp, Alaska, in 1971: a record 79.8 degrees below zero Fahrenheit. National Nuclear Science Week begins today. Today is Snowplow Mailbox Hockey Day, time for snowplow drivers everywhere to see how many rural mailboxes they can knock over. Clean out Your Inbox Week begins today.

Calendar notes: On this date in 1977, the most watched TV program in history began on ABC-TV. It was a mini-series based on the Alex Haley novel Roots. In 1985, O.J. Simpson became the first Heisman Trophy winner to be elected to pro football’s Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio. In 2004, the television program Friends filmed its final episode in front of an invitation-only audience. In 2005, former Tonight Show host Johnny Carson dies at age 79.

Underworld: Awakening topped domestic box office charts and brought in an estimated $38.8 million around the world over the weekend. In second place, World War Two story Red Tails opened with $19.1 million domestically. Opening Friday are The Grey, Man on a Ledge, and One for the Money.

Coldplay is performing with Rihanna at the Grammy Awards next month. The band and the singer are teaming up for their first ever live performance of the song Princess of China. The track is off Coldplay’s latest album, Mylo Xyloto, which came out back in October. The band’s songs Paradise and Every Teardrop is a Waterfall are up for awards for in the Best Pop/Duo Group Performance and the Best Rock Song categories. Rihanna is up for Album of the Year and Best Pop Vocal Album.

An Italian woman was rushed to the hospital after collapsing with laughter while watching a funny show on TV. The woman fell off her chair when she started laughing at a joke. She lost consciousness and was treated for shock. Docs gave her some sedatives and are still wondering what was so funny.

Then there's the Illinois mother that took her five-year-old son with her as she and her boyfriend held up a bank. The Chicago Sun-Times reports Brandon Stancliff and Lauri Ruble armed themselves with a knife and bandanas, then put the young child into their car and drove to the bank. The mother allegedly left the boy in the car while the robbery took place. Ruble went in first to scout out the tellers, and then Stancliff went inside and stole 48-hundred dollars while she waited outside. The two were arrested and child welfare officials are looking into the crime.

Trivia Answer: Daniel Paul Federici who would have been 62 today. On November 21st of 2007, it was announced that Federici would take a leave of absence from Springsteen and The E Street Band's ongoing tour to pursue treatment for melanoma. Springsteen stated at the time: "Danny is one of the pillars of our sound and has played beside me as a great friend for more than 40 years. We all eagerly await his healthy and speedy return." Federici made his only return to the stage on March 20th of 2008 when he appeared for portions of a Springsteen and The E Street Band performance at Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. Federici died on April 17th of 2008 in New York having suffered for three years with melanoma.

All should return to normal -- or at least what passes as normal in these parts -- on Monday.  

  -- 0 --

The snow began falling again here in Olympia between 2:00 and 4:00 this morning and continued through lunch time. Schools in Thurston, Mason, Grays Harbor, and Lewis Counties were closed for the day. Some other highlights from throughout the morning:

• 5:30 - Intercity Transit is operating Severe Weather Detours. Most routes are affected and some are canceled.
• 6:54 - Snow amounts as reported by National Weather Service spotters: 13 inches in Napavine, 4 inches in Federal Way, 7 inches in Shelton, 9 inches in Lacey
• 7:00 - Grays Harbor PUD dealing with an outage impacting 2,800 customers.
• 7:15 - The City of Olympia reports ALL HILLS ARE CLOSED except State and 4th on the East Side, and Harrison on the West Side. Crews are consistently evaluating it to ensure it is safe for drivers.
• 7:37 - Because of continued weather conditions and forecasts, Mason Transit suspends all service.
• 7:35 - Washington State Patrol Trooper Guy Gill says troopers are dealing with 20 collisions in Thurston and Pierce Counties spread out on I-5 and other state highways.
• 8:23 - The City of Tacoma says drivers with two-wheel drive vehicles are advised to stay off hilly roadways
• 8:52 - Grays Harbor PUD responding to an outage impacting 6,700 customers of Ocean Shores.
• 10:23 - Power restored to most of Ocean Shores.
• 10:43 - Officials say state troopers responded to 736 collisions in the previous 24 hours. In the same 24-hour period last year, they responded to 83 collisions.
• 12:00 - Traffic is moving through Downtown Olympia on State and 4th; north to Lacey on Martin Way and Pacific; south to Tumwater on Capitol Way. Harrison Avenue and Cooper Point on the Westside are open. Lilly Road to St. Peter’s Hospital is open. Yauger Way to Capital Medical Center is open. Boulevard to Yelm Highway is open.
• 1:45 - The National Weather Service compiles list of snow totals they've received. Chehalis is the "winner" with 17.0 inches of new snow. The list below reflects 24-hour snowfall totals from Tuesday night and Wednesday's snow. The reports are received through Skywarn spotters and the CoCoRahs volunteer spotter network. This summary includes reports received between 7 am and noon.

The forecast for tonight is for a little more snow, possibly mixed with rain, mainly after 4 tomorrow morning. The snow level at 200 feet and a low around 28. New snow accumulation of less than a half inch possible. Tomorrow, they say rain and snow, becoming all rain after 10 in the morning. The snow level moving up to 600 feet with a high temp of 36. Little or no snow accumulation expected. Thursday through at least Tuesday, it looks like plain old rain. We, of course, will have the latest for you -- the forecast, school closures and delays, and the like -- first thing in the morning on 94.5 Roxy!

The Seattle Mariners are honoring former pitcher Randy Johnson and catcher Dan Wilson by inducting the pair into the team's hall of fame in July. The Mariners made the announcement yesterday. The guys are being honored before the Mariners face the Kansas City Royals on July 28th. Some other Mariner news: the Ms have re-signed three pitchers: All-Star closer Brandon League, starter Jason Vargas and reliever Shawn Kelley. The team did not disclose the terms of their one-year contracts. With the transactions, the Mariners are finished dealing with their arbitration-eligible players. The 2012 Seattle Mariners Caravan was scheduled to be in the South Sound this afternoon. The stop at St. Martin’s, however, has been canceled because of the weather. By the way, Mariners pitchers and catchers report February 11th.

The Conference Championship round of the Super Bowl tournament is coming up this weekend. Sunday at noon, in the AFC title game, it’s Baltimore at New England. CBS has the coverage. The NFC title game follows at 3:30 on Fox with the NY Giants at San Francisco. The Super Bowl is coming up Sunday, February 5th on NBC. Interesting to note that more than a third of Super Bowl ad spending in the past decade has come from just five companies: Anheuser-Busch InBev, Pepsico, General Motors, Walt Disney, and Coca-Cola.

Today is Thesaurus Day. Today is Pooh Day, marking the birth of writer A.A. Milne on this date in 1882. He, of course, created Winnie the Pooh. Today is Hair Dryer Appreciation Day. Today is UFO Day, marking the first reported sighting of a UFO in America by Pilgrims in Boston. The year was 1644. Tonight is National Lay Awake and Whisper in the Dark Night.

Calendar notes: On this date in 1973, Pink Floyd began recording Dark Side of the Moon, which would set a record by staying on the Billboard album chart for over 14 years. In 1989, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in New York City inducts The Rolling Stones, Otis Redding, Stevie Wonder, The Temptations, and Dion. In 1996, Lisa Marie Presley files for divorce from Michael Jackson after 20 months of marriage, citing irreconcilable differences. In 1996, Australian scientists who claimed to have contacted life on other planets stumbled on the real source of the signals -- a microwave oven in the kitchen of their laboratory.

American Idol kicks off a new season tonight. Tonight, it’s auditions in Charlestown and Savannah, Georgia.

Coldplay won two awards this week at the Festival Awards Europe 2011. The band took home Best Headliner and Festival Anthem of the Year for Viva La Vida. The group is set to bring their new album, Mylo Xyloto, stateside when they kick off a US tour in April. They're in Seattle at the Key on April 25th.

So, have you gone to Wikipedia or Google today? 

Over 7,000 websites -- including Wikipedia and Google -- are protesting anti-piracy legislation currently making its way through Congress. Sites in opposition to the measures have either "gone dark" or have posted information to educate visitors about bills H.R. 3261, the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA), and S. 968, the PROTECT IP Act (PIPA), two pieces of legislation meant to curb copyright infringement. While many may support the bills' intentions, opponents and civil libertarians are worried that their passage would give the government powerful censorship tools that could threaten free speech. Find out more and decide for yourself.

Trivia Answer: Alvin Davis, Dave Niehaus, Jay Buhner, and Edgar Martinez. Randy and Danny are being honored before the Mariners face the Kansas City Royals on July 28th. Wilson played 12 of his 14 major league seasons for the Mariners and caught a franchise-record 1,281 games and was an All-Star in 1996. Johnson pitched for Seattle from 1989 to 1998, winning the Cy Young Award with the Ms in 1995 when the team won its first AL West title. He was a five-time All-Star in his tenure with the Mariners.

Well, for those who wished for a white Christmas, there ya go, albeit about three weeks late. As Maxwell Smart used to say, "Missed it by that much." We're got a Winter Weather Advisory in effect until 4 this afternoon, then a Winter Storm Warning kicks in at midnight and runs through midnight tomorrow. Most schools here in the South Sound had the day off today. YouTube is full of videos showing why we in the Northwest don't (or maybe shouldn't) drive when there's snow on the road.

The scary part of it all is that it appears what we've had so far is just the appetizer. The National Weather Service has posted a Winter Weather Advisory on their website. The posting indicating that snow showers continue today. We get a break this evening and then a major winter storm is expected to move into Western Washington from the south last tonight and tomorrow. The statement indicating that "significant" snow accumulations are expected late tonight through tomorrow night. How significant? They're saying anywhere from 4 to 14 inches with the lower amounts along the central coast and the higher amounts in the southwest interior -- right in our lap. Again, a huge thanks to Kris Marshall -- he of the 4x4 mobile unit -- for getting me to the radio ranch this morning.

The Washington Huskies have announced quarterback Nick Montana, son of Hall of Fame QB Joe Montana, has been released from his scholarship so that he can transfer. Montana just completed his redshirt freshman season with the Huskies. The school announced the decision last night. Montana landed at Washington with much fanfare as one of the jewels in coach Steve Sarkisian's second recruiting class. But Montana was beaten out for the starting role by Keith Price last spring and Price threw for a school record 33 touchdowns this season. Montana made one start when Price was injured at Oregon State. Montana was 11 of 21 for 79 yards and two touchdowns. He saw action in six games and threw three TDs and two interceptions.

Today is Ditch New Years Resolutions Day. Today is Make Your All-Time Top Ten Favorite TV Characters List. Go ahead. Will you include Lucy, Fonzie, Barney, Latka, Reverend Jim, Kramer, Boss Hogg, Corky, Gomer, Georgette,  Meathead, Bart Simpson?  Today is Kid Inventors Day, honoring the 500,000 kids and teens who invent gadget and games each year to make our lives easier and more fun. Today is Judgment Day, a day to see how you measure up, a day to look in the mirror. Today is Rid the World of Fad Diets and Gimmicks Day, featuring announcement of the 22nd annual Slim Chance Awards for the worst weight-loss products of the year. Today is National Professional Boxer's Day, always on the birthday of Muhammad Ali.

Calendar notes: On this date in 1972, Bellevue Street in Memphis was renamed Elvis Presley Boulevard. All the new street signs immediately disappeared. In 1983, Ham the chimpanzee died at age 26. He was America's first space pioneer and a member of the Space Hall of Fame. In 1984, the US Supreme Court ruled 5-4 that using a home video recorder to tape movies and TV shows for non-commercial purposes did not violate federal copyright law. In 1994, Donny Osmond and the Partridge Family's Danny Bonaduce fought in a charity boxing match in Chicago. Bonaduce won a split decision.

The founder of the Cracker Barrel Old Country Store chain, Dan Evans, has died at 76. Evans opened his first restaurant in Lebanon, Tennessee, in 1969.

In one of her interviews with ABC, Madonna was asked about the similarities between her song Express Yourself and Lady Gaga's Born This Way. Madonna called the tune "reductive" and when the reporter asked her if that was a good thing, Madge told the woman to "look it up."  Well, we did. Reductive means simplified or crude, so I'm thinking Madonna wasn't bestowing grand praise on Gaga and her song.

On Glee tonight, you can check out the crew taking on Maroon 5’s Moves Like Jagger.

There's an online movement to get Barbie to go bald. A Facebook page titled Beautiful and Bald Barbie aims to get toy maker Mattel to create a bald Barbie in support of children with cancer.

Pakistan's Telecommunications Authority has banned more than 16-hundred words from being sent through text messaging. The "blacklist" contains several words the government proclaims as "offensive." While some of the words may actually be offensive to some in English as well, others are a little strange. Some of the words that have been banned from text messages include: "athlete's foot," "glazed donut," "tongue," "hostage," "quickie," "fairy," "Jesus Christ" and "flatulence." According to the Huffington Post, Pakistan is using technology to filter the messages.

A dog warden in Ohio did something he wouldn’t normally do -- he admitted a pot-bellied pig as a guest into the dog pound. Apparently, a woman had been watching the pig for someone else who kept it as a pet. But after a while, the owners wouldn’t take him back. The warden told the Toledo Blade that she wouldn't have helped, but she felt bad for the woman because she was elderly and unable to care for the animal. At the dog pound, the 14-week-old pig, named Bacon Bits, was fed pig feed and French fries. Last week, Bacon Bits said goodbye to his canine pals and moved to a rescue farm.

Trivia Answer: Andrew Geoffrey Kaufman -- Andy Kaufman -- who was born on this date in 1949. The band R.E.M. refers to Andy Kaufman, his Elvis impersonation and other facets of his life in their song Man on the Moon from the 1992 CD Automatic for the People. One of Kaufman's routines would involve him speaking in a fake accent, saying, "I would like to imitate Meester Carter, de President of de United States." He would continue in the same voice: "Hello, I am Meester Carter, de President of de United States. T'ank you veddy much." He would often impersonate a whole series of different celebrities in his Foreign Man persona, the comedy arising from Foreign Man's obvious ineptitude at impersonation. At some point in the performance, usually when the audience were entirely used to Foreign Man's inability to perform a single convincing impression, Foreign Man would announce, "And now I would like to imitate the Elvis Presley," turn around, take off his jacket, slick his hair back, and launch into an Elvis Presley impersonation which Elvis himself once described as his favorite. Like Presley, he would take off his leather jacket and throw it into the audience ... Kaufman would then immediately ask for it back. After, he would take a simple bow and say in his Foreign Man voice, "T'ank you veddy much!" The Foreign Man character eventually became Latka Gravas on Taxi. He appeared in 79 of 114 episodes from 1978 to 1983. The producers of Taxi had seen Andy's Foreign Man act and, according to producer Ed Weinberger, "We weren't considering Andy for the show before we saw him. Then we wrote a part for him." Friends and family said that Kaufman almost never smoked, did not drink regularly, and was also a vegetarian. At Thanksgiving dinner with his family on Long Island in November 1983, several family members grew concerned over Kaufman's persistent coughing during the dinner, and openly expressed worry about it. Kaufman claimed to them that he had the cough for nearly a month, but also claimed that an initial visit to his doctor told him that nothing was wrong. After returning to Los Angeles, Kaufman consulted a physician where he checked himself into Cedars-Sinai Hospital for a series of medical tests and a few days later, he was diagnosed with a rare type of lung cancer. Despite his doctor's prognosis that there was no hope for recovery, he was committed to fighting the disease until his death. After audiences were shocked by his gaunt appearance during his performances in January 1984, Kaufman acknowledged having an unspecified illness, which he hoped to cure with "natural medicine" including an all-fruit and vegetables diet, among other measures. Kaufman received palliative radiotherapy, but by then the cancer had rapidly spread from his lungs to his brain. His last resort was "psychic surgery", a debunked procedure that includes the use of sleight of hand, performed in Baguio, Philippines, in March 1984. Kaufman died in a hospital in Los Angeles on May 16, 1984 of kidney failure, caused by metastasized large cell carcinoma. He was 35 years old.

A Winter Storm Watch is now in effect for all of Western Washington for Wednesday to indicate potential for a widespread snow event. Forecast models are still very inconsistent on the path and behavior of this storm, which will make a great difference in when the changeover from snow to rain occurs. It's possible several inches of snow could fall before the changeover, and amounts will vary depending on the storm's track. To help with the forecast, NOAA sent a plane out over the Pacific Ocean to drop some weather instruments where the storm is developing. If conditions are right, they're saying we could get 4 to 8 inches of snow tomorrow night into Wednesday. That's on top of whatever we get betwixt now and then.

Got an interesting note from the City of Olympia regarding what it is they put on the streets when things freeze up on us. Generally, when snow is predicted, a salt brine anti-icing agent is applied to Olympia’s lifeline roads and hills before the snow begins to fall. This helps to keep snow and ice from sticking to roadway surfaces for easier removal. The salt brine is a combination of whey, salt, and molasses. Whey is used in place of water because it contains salt naturally, which requires less of a salt additive. Molasses is used to help adhere the solution to the road surface. The molasses causes some temporary staining, but it washes away as the snow and ice melts. Remember Little Miss Muffet who sat on a tuffet eating her curds and whey? Curds and whey is an old-fashioned name for cottage cheese. Whey, by the way, is the liquid remaining after milk has been curdled and strained.

Another weekend of evidence that my decision not to bet on sports was a good one. I didn't see the Packers being sent packing, or the Saints go marching home. Eli Manning threw three touchdown passes and the Giants shocked the Packers 37-20 in an NFC divisional playoff game yesterday. If style points and offensive fireworks meant anything, the Baltimore Ravens wouldn't stand a chance of making it to the AFC championship. Playing defense and protecting the football are what they do best, and that formula led to a 20-13 victory over the Houston Texans yesterday, putting Baltimore in the AFC title game against the New England Patriots. Saturday saw one of the greatest football fourth quarters ever. It ended spectacularly when San Francisco 49ers quarterback Alex Smith connected with tight end Vernon Davis for the game-winning touchdown. San Francisco downed the New Orleans Saints, 36-32. Saturday’s other playoff game turned out not to be a game at all. The superhuman New England Patriots snapped the playoff spell of feel-good Denver Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow, 45-10. That all sets up this upcoming weekend’s action – the Conference Championship round – of the Super Bowl tournament. Sunday at noon, in the AFC title game, it’s Baltimore at New England. CBS has the coverage. The NFC title game follows at 3:30 on Fox with the NY Giants at San Francisco.

Going into the weekend, Jimmy Fallon put Tim Tebow and David Bowie together. The result? Tim Tebowie. (Thanks for the tip, Kris Marshall!) Enjoy ...

A baseball note: the Mariners are reportedly trading pitcher Michael Pineda to the Yankees in a four-player deal including catcher Jesus Montero, a hot-item rookie with little major-league experience but great potential. MLB.com's Greg Johns reports that the M’s are sending Pineda and minor-leaguer Jose Campos to the Yankees, in return for Montero and pitcher Hector Noesi. The teams have not yet confirmed the reported trade.

Weather permitting, the 2012 Seattle Mariners Caravan is in the South Sound this week. The caravan is scheduled to be at Marcus Pavilion at St. Martin’s University in Lacey this Wednesday afternoon from 4:15 to 5:45. Scheduled to appear: Shawn Kelley, Chris Gimenez, Dave Sims and Julio Cruz. By the way, Mariners pitchers and catchers report February 11th.

Today is MLK Day. Martin Luther King, Jr. was born on January 15th, 1929 in Atlanta, Georgia. He attended Morehouse College in Atlanta before getting married and becoming a minister. His grandfather began the family’s long tenure as pastors of the Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, serving from 1914 to 1931; his father had served after him. King, a member of the executive committee of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, helped to organize the first great Negro nonviolent demonstration of contemporary times in the United States, the Montgomery bus boycott, which lasted 382 days until December 21st, 1956, when the Supreme Court of the United States declared unconstitutional the laws requiring segregation on buses. During these days of boycott, King was arrested, his home was bombed, he was subjected to personal abuse, but at the same time, he emerged as a Negro leader of the first rank. Later in his life, he was elected president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, an organization that was crucial in fighting for blacks during the civil rights movement. He mirrored his operational techniques for running the organization after Gandhi. He planned numerous black voter registration drives and directed the peaceful March on Washington, D.C., where over two 250-thousand people gathered to hear him deliver his timeless address, the l Have a Dream speech. King was named Man of the Year by Time magazine in 1963 and at the age of 35, became the youngest man to have received the Nobel Peace Prize. When notified of his selection, he announced that he would turn over the prize money to the furtherance of the civil rights movement. On the evening of April 4th, 1968, while standing on the balcony of his motel room in Memphis, Tennessee, where he was to lead a protest march in sympathy with striking garbage workers of that city, he was assassinated. The third Monday of every January is a federal holiday, set aside to celebrate the birth, life and dream of Dr. King. It, however, has only been a holiday for the past two decades -- it took 15 years to sign the holiday into law. According to InfoPlease.com, Michigan Congressman John Conyers first introduced legislation for a commemorative holiday in 1968, four days after King was assassinated. After the bill was stalled, petitions endorsing the holiday containing six-million names were submitted to Congress. Congress passed the holiday legislation in 1983, which was then signed into law by President Ronald Reagan.

Calendar notes: Today is Appreciate a Dragon Day, celebrating fictional dragons as memorable characters. Today is Civil Service Day. On this date in 1883, the Pendleton Act created the federal civil service system and the US Civil Service Commission. Today is Religious Freedom Day and, for the non-religious, it’s National Fig Newton Day. Today is National Nothing Day, a day to not celebrate anything.

On this date in 1920, the US outlawed alcohol and went "dry," a year after states ratified the 18th Amendment. Fourteen years of "prohibition" followed. In 1957, the Cavern Club opened in Liverpool. Originally a jazz club, it became famous as the first home of the Beatles. In 1973, Bonanza aired its final episode after 14 seasons on NBC. It starred Lorne Greene, Michael Landon, Dan Blocker, Pernell Roberts, and Victor Sen Yung. In 1987, red M&Ms returned for the first time in 11 years after being banned because the original red dye used in the candy had caused cancer in laboratory rats. In 1991, boxer George Foreman’s wife Joan gave birth to yet another George, George the 5th. The couple already had three sons: George the 2nd, George the 3rd, and George the 4th. Dad is George the 1st.

Two decades of nostalgia were no match for Mark Wahlberg and a gun this weekend as Wahlberg's Contraband bested the 3-D re-release of Beauty and the Beast at the box office. Contraband collared $24.1 million. The debut beat projections by $6 million and gave the crime drama a surprise victory for the weekend. Many analysts expected the 3-D remake of 1991's Beauty and the Beast to take the top spot, though its $18.5 million haul marks a strong start and met most projections. Mission: Impossible -- Ghost Protocol dropped to third. The only other major newcomer, the Dolly Parton-Queen Latifah comedy Joyful Noise, took fourth place. Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows rounded out the top five.

The stage production of Green Day's American Idiot is Northwest bound. The show is at the Paramount in Seattle coming up June 5th through the 10th.

A failed Russian Mars probe came crashing back to Earth yesterday in a death plunge over the Pacific Ocean.

FedEx delivered a pair of Chinese pandas to France yesterday on time and without any problems. A chartered jet carried Huan Huan and Yuan Zi from China to Paris where they will be on display for anxious crowds of Frenchmen for the first time in more than 10 years. The pandas make their public debut February 11th.

A man who tried to rob a Walgreens in Florida got nothing because a clerk was so stunned by what was going on she couldn't react. Surveillance cameras show a man trying to rob the store late yesterday morning. He picked up a few items before giving the cashier a note, which implied he had a gun. The clerk was so scared stiff the suspect fled without any money.

Betty White's 90th Birthday: A Tribute To America's Golden Girl is on NBC tonight. The all-star special pays tribute to the best Betty on the planet. Guests include Mary Tyler Moore, Hugh Jackman, Jay Leno, Amy Poehler and Carol Burnett.

Trivia Answer: Kate Moss who turns 38 today. Moss was discovered in 1988 at the age of 14 by Sarah Doukas, the founder of Storm Model Management, at JFK Airport in New York City, after a holiday in the Bahamas. Moss's career began when Corinne Day shot black-and-white photographs of her, for British magazine The Face when she was 16. Moss then went on to become the "anti-supermodel" of the 1990s in contrast to the "supermodels" of the moment, such as Cindy Crawford, Elle Macpherson, Claudia Schiffer, and Naomi Campbell, who were known for their curvaceous and tall figures. Moss was voted 9th in Maxim's 50 Sexiest Women of 1999. She was presented on the November 1999 Millennium cover of American Vogue as one of the "Modern Muses". She made her first appearance in the British women's Sunday Times Rich List in 2007, where she was estimated to be worth £45 million. During her "waif" period, Moss was featured in a highly publicized campaign for Calvin Klein which prompted much speculation over her weight, When questioned about her weight, Moss commented, "It was just the time. It was a swing from more buxom girls like Cindy Crawford and people were shocked to see what they called a 'waif'. What can you say? How many times can you say 'I'm not anorexic'?"

Ah, Friday the 13th. Triskaidekaphobia (from Greek tris meaning "3", kai meaning "and", deka meaning "10" and phobia meaning "fear" or "morbid fear") is fear of the number 13; it's a superstition and related to a specific fear of Friday the 13th, called paraskevidekatriaphobia or friggatriskaidekaphobia. The actual Greek word for the number 13 is "dekatria," rather than "triskaideka." With all that said, today in particular, don't walk under a mirror or break a black cat.

This weekend, we cut the remaining contestants in the Super Bowl tournament in half. Eight teams start the weekend. Only four will still be around on Monday. It's Divisional Playoff playoff weekend. Tomorrow afternoon at 1:30, it’s New Orleans is at San Francisco, followed at 5:00 with Denver at New England. Sunday morning at 10:00 Houston plays at Baltimore, and at 1;30, it's the New York Giants and the Packers at Green Bay.

The first Super Bowl was played 45 years ago Sunday. The Green Bay Packers defeated the Kansas City Chiefs 35-10.

Kelly Clarkson is performing the National Anthem at the Super Bowl next month. The NFL announced in December that Madonna is performing at halftime.

Today is Radio Day, marking the first public radio broadcast on this date in 1910 when tube inventor Lee DeForest broadcast the voices of Metropolitan Opera stars to several receivers in New York City. Today is Blame Someone Else Day. Today is New Year's Day, according to the old Julian Calendar. It's still observed in Belarus, Ukraine, and some communities in Russia. Today is National Peach Melba Day. Today is Make Your Dreams Come True Day.

Calendar notes: On this date in 1981, 11-year-old Donna Griffiths of Pershore, England, caught a cold and started sneezing. She sneezed about every 30 seconds until September 16th of 1983, 978 days later. Yes, it's the world sneezing record. In 1987, the Supreme Court ruled that states could require employers to grant unpaid leaves of absence to pregnant women. On this date in 1999, Michael Jordan, regarded by many as the greatest basketball player ever, announced his retirement. He had led the Chicago Bulls to six NBA championships.

Ricky Gervais is hosting the Golden Globes this Sunday, and any actor thinking about thanking God for their win, better not around the host. In a new interview with Esquire, Gervais called the act of thanking God, "pretty arrogant" considering there is war and famine.

Former Journey singer Steve Perry plans to work on new music soon. He told Billboard.com that he’s finishing building a studio in his California home, just south of San Diego, and once that's up, he’ll get in it. He explained, "I've written a whole bunch of ideas and directions, all over the map, in the last two, three years," and he'll start "trying to track" them when the studio is built. Steve was also asked if he would ever reunite with Journey for something like the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame to which he replied, "I don’t know. I'm not a big fan of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. It's just a personal thing, not an ego thing. I think that, honestly, Journey doesn't need to be in the Hall of Fame. With everything we accomplished, we've had our Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, you know?"

OneRepublic just donated a ton of money to charity. The guys played a set at the Denver Acoustic Christmas and because of the donations from fans who attended, the band was able to give over 75-thousand dollars to several charities.

You knew your long commute sucked, but did you know it could destroy your relationship? ScienceDaily found that long-distance commuters are more likely to break up than others. And not just by a little bit -- the study found that long-distance commuters run a 40 percent higher risk of separating.

It's estimated that Facebook will sign up its 1 billionth user in August (according to projections from digital marketing agency iCrossing).

Trivia Answer: We know him as William Hung. He turns 29 today. Originally from Sha Tin, Hong Kong, Hung moved to Camden, New Jersey in 1993 and ended up graduating from high school in Los Angeles. He was a student at University of California, Berkeley, and later dropped out to pursue his music career. While studying civil engineering at the University of California, Berkeley, Hung auditioned for the third season of American Idol in San Francisco in September 2003. He was the final auditioner on the January 15, 2004, installment, the coup de grâce of an hour-long episode that showcased other would-be pop stars, mostly lacking in talent. Appearing on Idol, Hung said, "...you know, I have no professional training of singing and dancing," eliciting mock surprise from Simon Cowell, who replied, "No? Well this is the surprise of the century." Hung was not admitted through to the next round. Hung rapidly gained a cult following. A William Hung fan site, set up by realtor Don Chin and his wife Laura, recorded over four million hits within its first week. Hung subsequently appeared on several television programs including Jimmy Kimmel Live!, On Air with Ryan Seacrest, Entertainment Tonight, The George Lopez Show, The Late Show with David Letterman, Countdown with Keith Olbermann, The Ellen DeGeneres Show, Dateline NBC, Arrested Development, and CBS's The Early Show. Hung was featured in several national magazines and newspapers; he was parodied on Saturday Night Live and appeared on Celebrity Deathmatch (where he battled Ricky Martin). William was offered a $25,000 advance on a record deal from Koch Entertainment in 2004, and released three albums on that label in 2004 and 2005. The albums mainly consisted of covers of pop and rock songs, including She Bangs.

It's Divisional Playoff playoff weekend in the NFL. Saturday afternoon at 1:30, New Orleans is at San Francisco. That's followed at 5:00 with Denver at New England. Sunday morning at 10:00 Houston plays at Baltimore. Then at 1;30, it's the New York Giants and the Packers at Green Bay.

The 2012 Seattle Mariners Caravan is on the road. The South Sound stop on this year's caravan is coming up on Wednesday (the 18th) afternoon from 4:15 to 5:45 in Marcus Pavilion at St. Martin's University in Lacey. Scheduled to appear: Shawn Kelley, Chris Gimenez, Dave Sims and Julio Cruz. By the way, Mariners pitchers and catchers report February 11th.

Stars of TV, film and music marched down the red carpet to collect their fan-awarded trophies last night at the People's Choice Awards at the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles. The 38th annual awards were handed out after a record-breaking 230-million-plus online votes at the website and via Facebook and Twitter. It turns out that Katy Perry is in the popular clique now. Katy won the most awards. Perry was absent from the ceremony, but she was honored in five categories, including favorite female artist, tour headliner, song of the year, music video for Last Friday Night, and TV guest star for How I Met Your Mother. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 followed behind Perry with four wins for favorite movie, action movie, book adaptation and ensemble movie cast. Johnny Depp and Emma Stone each picked up two trophies.

Now on to the Golden Globes. Jessica Biel, Robert Downey, Jr., Jimmy Fallon, Ashton Kutcher, Adam Levine, Rob Lowe, Katharine McPhee, Michelle Pfeiffer, Mark Wahlberg and Reese Witherspoon have been added as presenters at the 69th Annual Golden Globe Awards. They join previously announced presenters Antonio Banderas, Jake Gyllenhaal, Salma Hayek, Nicole Kidman, Clive Owen, Melissa McCarthy, and Natalie Portman. The show is being hosted by Ricky Gervais Sunday night on NBC.

Ricky Gervais, by the way, is on with Conan O'Brien tonight.

Today is National Pharmacist Day. Today is Batman Day, marking Batman's TV debut on this date in 1966. The campy series starred Adam West as Bruce Wayne and Batman and Burt Ward is Dick Grayson and Robin. Some 120 episodes are still in syndication. Today is HAL's Birthday. According to Arthur C. Clarke's book and movie, 2001: A Space Odyssey, the HAL 9000 computer was brought to consciousness on January 12th of 1997 in Urbana, Illinois. HAL stands for a heuristically-programmed algorithmic computer. Today is Little League Girls Baseball Day. Girls were first allowed to play Little League baseball on this date in 1974. Ironically, today is Rejection Day, marking this date in 1915 when the US House rejected a proposal to grant women the right to vote. Today is Eat Crackers and Try To Whistle Day, just to see if it's still as much fun as it was when you were a kid.

Calendar notes: On this date in 1970, the Boeing 747 jetliner made its maiden voyage. In 1971, the first episode of All In The Family aired on CBS-TV, featuring the first toilet flush on network television. In 1985, after a record 24 weeks as the #1 album in the nation, Prince's Purple Rain was knocked off by Bruce Springsteen's Born In the USA.

A woman who the Washington State Patrol says was "highly intoxicated" drove for 17 miles going the wrong way on Interstate 5 before she was finally stopped by troopers using spike strips early Tuesday. Trooper Guy Gill said the 60-year-old woman got on I-5 near Tumwater going north in the southbound lanes. Troopers followed her from the northbound lanes and tried flashing spotlights at her, but she didn't stop. Gill said at times she was reaching speeds over 100 miles an hour. Troopers shut down the southbound lanes of I-5 in Tacoma to keep more drivers from heading into the woman's path. They then placed spike strips along the freeway near the main gate of Joint Base Lewis-McChord to bring the woman's car to a stop. The woman was arrested for investigation of DUI and several other charges. Trooper Gill said, "She probably had no idea what was going on."

Steven Tyler might be a rocker who has had some wild days, but when it comes to nudity and profanity on TV, he's totally against it. Steven telling the Associated Press, "There's a certain charm and passion and magic in not showing full-frontal nudity" or using profanity and he wants the Supreme Court to listen to him about it. Tyler, who feels "it's really hot when you only show a little," hopes the judges, who are looking at a First Amendment case on the regulation of the airwaves, keep bad language and graphic nudity off TV. Speaking of Steven, the members of Aerosmith seemed a little perturbed when he decided to become a judge on American Idol without consulting them and they wanted to focus more on music. It seems, however, things worked out in the end. Not only has the band been able to log studio time with Steven on their upcoming album, but according to Tyler, sales of their earlier efforts are high and it's all because of his Idol stint. Steven telling Access Hollywood that the show has "brought younger kids to our music" and sales are up 260 percent. The latest season of American Idol with Steven as a judge premieres Wednesday night.

Adele once again tops the Billboard 200 chart this week. This is the fifteenth week that her second album, 21, has topped the chart

Madonna has revealed the title of her 12th studio album: M.D.N.A. An exact release date hasn't yet been announced for the effort, although it is expected to be out in late March.

Red Hot Chili Peppers are postponing the start of their upcoming US tour due to multiple foot injuries sustained by frontman Anthony Kiedis. The singer just underwent surgery to remove a crushed sesamoid bone and correct a flexor tendon in his foot. He is expected to make a full recovery.

Trivia Answer: Thomas Dempsey who turns 65 today. He was a former placekicker for the New Orleans Saints (1969–1970), Philadelphia Eagles (1971–1974), Los Angeles Rams (1975–1976), Houston Oilers (1977) and Buffalo Bills (1978–1979). Unlike the "soccer style" approach used by nearly all place kickers today, Dempsey used a straight approach to kick the ball. Prior to 1974, the goal posts in the NFL were on the goal lines instead of the end lines. With time running out in the game, the Saints attempted a place kick with holder Joe Scarpati spotting at the Saints' own 37-yard line. The snap from Jackie Burkett was good, and Dempsey nailed the field goal with a couple of feet to spare. The win was one of only two for the Saints in that otherwise-forgettable season. Dempsey's kick shattered the old mark of 56 yards set in 1953. Dempsey was born without toes on his right foot and no fingers on his right hand. He wore a modified shoe with a flattened and enlarged toe surface. This generated controversy about whether such a shoe gave a player an unfair advantage. When reporters would ask him if he thought it was unfair, he said "Unfair eh? How 'bout you try kickin' a 63 yard field goal to win it with two seconds left an' yer wearin' a square shoe, oh, yeah and no toes either." In 1977, the NFL added a rule, informally known as the Tom Dempsey Rule, that "any shoe that is worn by a player with an artificial limb on his kicking leg must have a kicking surface that conforms to that of a normal kicking shoe." Today, Dempsey is retired and lives with his wife Carlene, who teaches history at a private school in Louisiana.

Today's Trivia: He is the former chairman and CEO of NBC, co-founder of MTM Enterprises, and a television producer. He was known as "the man who saved NBC" during his tenure at the network. Who is he?

It's Divisional Playoff playoff weekend in the NFL. Saturday afternoon at 1:30, New Orleans is at San Francisco. That's followed at 5:00 with Denver at New England. Sunday morning at 10:00 Houston plays at Baltimore. Then at 1;30, it's the New York Giants and the Packers at Green Bay.

John Parr has updated his 1985 #1 hit St. Elmo's Fire to honor Denver Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow. Check it out ...

The Oakland Raiders fired coach Hue Jackson yesterday after just one season at the helm in the first major move since Reggie McKenzie was hired as general manager. The decision to get rid of Jackson came four days after the team announced the hiring of McKenzie as the team's first general manager since the death of longtime owner Al Davis in October. McKenzie is the first Raiders executive to hold the title of GM. Owner Mark Davis, Al's son, made the decision to bring in McKenzie last week and gave him the authority over the coaching staff. McKenzie will now get to pick a new head coach, providing the Raiders a fresh start in their first full season without Al Davis involved since 1962. Since 2002, the Raiders have had six different head coaches and all have lasted fewer than three full seasons. Since the start of the 1996 season, the Raiders have had nine different head coaches, the most of any team over that span, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. When reached by CSNBayArea.com, an angry Jackson said, "(McKenzie) is going to gut this place. He wants to bring in his own guys. No job is safe right now."

Word is that Baylor quarterback Robert Griffin III has decided to enter NFL draft.

Ex-Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney won the first-in-the-nation New Hampshire Republican primary yesterday, with Rep. Ron Paul of Texas capturing second place and ex-Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman placing third. With 95% of precincts reporting, Romney received 40% of the vote in Tuesday's balloting. Paul received 23%, and Huntsman garnered 17%. Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich got 10%, former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum came in with 9%, and Texas Gov. Rick Perry had 1%. The race now heads into South Carolina, where the next presidential primary takes place on January 21st.

Today is International Thank You Day, time to thank someone who did something nice for you. Today is National Step In A Puddle and Splash A Friend Day. Today is Smoking May Be Hazardous to Your Health Day. US Surgeon General Luther Terry issued the first government report saying smoking might be hazardous to your health on this date in 1964. Cuckoo Dancing Week begins today, remembering the comedy team Laurel & Hardy, whose theme song was The Dancing Cuckoos.

Calendar notes: On this date in 1922, at Toronto's General Hospital, 14-year-old diabetic Leonard Thompson became the first person to be treated successfully with the drug insulin. In 1973, American League baseball team owners voted to adopt the designated-hitter rule on a trial basis. In 1984, the Denver Nuggets beat the San Antonio Spurs 163-155: The combined 318 points representing the most ever scored in an NBA game without overtime.

The concert scene is heating up again as we proceed here in the new year. Rise Against is at ShoWare Center in Kent on April 19th. Tickets go on sale Friday morning at 10. Radiohead plays Key Arena on April 9th and Elvis Costello is at The Paramount in Seattle on April 12th. Those tickets go on sale Saturday morning at 10. Nickelback is coming to Tacoma. Saturday, June 23rd, it's Nickelback with special guests Bush, Seether, and My Darkest Days in the Tacoma Dome. Those tickets go on sale at 10:00 the morning of Saturday the 21st.

In a poll conducted early this week, 78% of Americans think Beyonce and Jay-Z's baby's name -- Blue Ivy -- is "annoying".

Here's another one of those stories that gets distributed nationally and I end up having to defend our little corner of the world to friends and family across the country. An Olympia man was arrested Monday night in Oregon after he had struck a deer on I-5. An Oregon State Police trooper was conducting a separate traffic stop along I-5 when he heard a car crash into a deer. The driver kept going without stopping to inspect for any damage, which piqued the interest of the nearby trooper. The trooper left to follow the driver, eventually catching up with him and pulling him over seven miles away from the crash site. Further investigation during the stop revealed the driver had 23 pounds of marijuana in his trunk, worth about $57,000 according to troopers. The driver has been identified as 26-year-old Christopher Goheen. He was arrested and booked into the Douglas County Jail on drug-related charges.

Would you clone your pet if money wasn't an object? A woman devastated by the loss of her little dog Trouble traveled to South Korea and paid $50,000 to have her beloved dog cloned.

It's possible to die of a broken heart. The risk of a heart attack is 21 times higher the day after the loss of a loved one. Researchers, who interviewed 2,000 subjects over 5 years, said during the week after the death, the risk is 6 times greater than usual, and it stays higher than normal throughout the month.

Duchess Kate Middleton celebrated her 30th birthday on Monday and according to Us Weekly, she kept the partying to a minimum, holding a "quiet gathering with family and friends." Kate, Prince William and others dined on a multi-course meal prepared by one of her favorite chefs. The Palace won't reveal what Kate received for her birthday, but said some of the gifts given to Kate from fans throughout the past year included CDs, wines, games, jewelry, hats and shoes.

British Prime Minister David Cameron said despite his large workload, he still finds time to play Angry Birds and Fruit Ninja on his iPad. Cameron said that he has finished Angry Birds and his son introduced him to Fruit Ninja.

Katy Perry has taken to Twitter to announce that she will not be attending the People's Choice Awards tonight. The singer has seven nominations at the annual show, including Favorite Female Artist. It would've been her first public appearance since the announcement of her divorce from Russell Brand. Brand filed for the split in December, citing irreconcilable differences. While Katy won't be there plenty of other celebs will be. Kristen Bell, Cuba Gooding, Jr., Neil Patrick Harris, Robert Pattinson, Josh Radnor, and more will be on hand. Other celebs planning to be there are Jason Biggs, Ellen DeGeneres, Morgan Freeman, Julianne Hough, Adam Levine, Ewan McGregor, Cory Monteith, and Emma Stone. The People's Choice Awards are set to air on CBS tonight.

Adele has been taking it easy as she recovers from her November vocal cord surgery. She could make a big comeback at the Grammy Awards next month. According to RadarOnline.com, Adele is in talks to perform at the big show. She is nominated for six awards including Record and Song of the Year for Rolling in the Deep and the coveted Album of the Year for 21.

Trivia Answer: Grant Tinker who is 87 today. Tinker is the former husband of television actress Mary Tyler Moore. Tinker married Moore in 1962, and in 1969 they formed the television production company MTM Enterprises. While creating MTM Enterprises, Tinker hired Room 222 writers James L. Brooks and Allan Burns to create and produce the company's first television series, The Mary Tyler Moore Show. MTM Enterprises would later produce series such as Rhoda, The Bob Newhart Show, WKRP in Cincinnati, Hill Street Blues and St. Elsewhere. After his divorce from Moore in 1981, Tinker left MTM Enterprises to become the chairman and CEO of then perennial last-place television network (in terms of Nielsen ratings and profits) NBC. During Tinker's tenure in NBC's top position -- from 1981 to 1986 -- the network regained ratings and produced popular shows like The Cosby Show, Family Ties, The Golden Girls, Cheers, Night Court, and Hill Street Blues. Tinker left the network in 1986, shortly after its parent company RCA was bought by General Electric. After leaving NBC, Tinker tried to repeat his success with MTM Enterprises by forming GTG (Grant Tinker-Gannett) Entertainment but the business venture failed and the company closed in 1990.

No. 2 Alabama clobbered No. 1 Louisiana State University last night, winning college football's Bowl Championship Series 21-0. The Rematch of the Century, it wasn't. They played in New Orleans, and this time, there was more at stake than just bragging rights. The showdown for the BCS title came two months after the two giants battled in a tense Southeastern Conference matchup. Both teams went into that November 5th game undefeated. College football pundits dubbed it the Game of the Century. Alabama, playing at home in Tuscaloosa, lost 9-6. For the Crimson Tide, last night was a chance at redemption -- and to settle the debate, once and for all, who is the best team in college football. The Crimson tide posted the first shutout in the 14-year history of the BCS, relying on Jeremy Shelley's right leg for most of the points -- he made a bowl record-tying five field goals -- and letting its defense do the rest. The Crimson Tide romped to victory for its second BCS title in three years.

The Denver Broncos' victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers Sunday turned into a nice payoff for quarterback Tim Tebow in more ways than one. Tebow has an escalator of $250,000 in his contract for each playoff victory assuming he participated in at least 70 percent of Denver's plays during the requisite season. Being that he played 73 percent of Denver's plays this season, Tebow cashed in on a quarter-million salary escalator after his latest shocker -- an 80-yard touchdown pass on the first play of overtime Sunday to beat Pittsburgh 29-23 in the wild-card playoffs. The play, according to Twitter, spawned a record 9,420 tweets per second. Tebow could earn another $250,000 with another victory Saturday night at New England against the Patriots in a divisional-round game. Saturday's other game has the New Orleans Saints in San Francisco to face the 49ers. Sunday's action features the Houston Texans in Baltimore against the Ravens, and the New York Giants at Green Bay facing the Packers.

Barry Larkin was elected to baseball's Hall of Fame yesterday with plenty of room to spare. The former Cincinnati Reds shortstop was chosen on 495 of 573 ballots (86 percent) in voting announced by the Baseball Writers' Association of America, well above the necessary 75 percent. Larkin was on the ballot for the third time after falling 75 votes short last year. He'll be inducted July 22nd in Cooperstown along with the late Ron Santo, elected last month by the Golden Era Committee. By the way, Edgar Martinez received 36.5% in Hall of Fame voting. Up from 32.9% in 2011 and 36.2% in 2010.

Today is National Cut Your Energy Costs Day. Today is Woman's Suffrage Day, marking the introduction of the Susan B. Anthony Amendment into the US Senate on this date in 1878. The amendment was signed into law ... 42 years later. Today is National Peculiar People Day. Today is Bittersweet Chocolate Day. Today is National Sturdy Flat-Heeled Shoes Appreciation Day.

Calendar notes: On this date in 1917, Buffalo Bill Cody died in Denver at the age of 70. Some 25,000 viewed the body, and the Colorado National Guard marched in the funeral procession. In 1955, both the star, Jane Russell, and the audience showed up for the Silver Springs, Florida, premiere of the film Underwater in swim suits, scuba tanks, and swim fins for the first (and probably only) movie ever to debut underwater. In 1990, the San Jose, California, library displayed a 30-foot banner which was supposed to say "Welcome" in 27 languages. It didn't. In 26 languages it said "Welcome," and in native Filipino it said "Circumcision." They took down the sign.

Voters in New Hampshire's first-in-the-nation primary have begun choosing their GOP candidates. The voters of Dixville Notch -- all nine of them -- have spoken. Very briefly. The polls opened in the small vallage at midnight and closed less than a minute later, and the tally was final by 12:05. On the Republican side, Mitt Romney and Jon Huntsman tied, with two votes each. Newt Gingrich and Ron Paul each got one vote. President Obama received his very first live votes of confidence — three of them. In Hart's Location (gotta love that name), another village that traditionally votes minutes after Dixville Notch, Romney was a clear winner. There, the former Massachusetts governor took five votes to four votes for Paul. Huntsman took two votes, Texas Gov. Rick Perry took one and Gingrich took one. New Hampshire election law permits unincorporated towns of fewer than 100 residents to open for polling at midnight. Polling stations elsewhere across the state are open as late as 5 this afternoon, our time.

A man who had some packages stolen from the front of his home saw them returned two days later with an apology note attached. Mike Valloney's Staten Island home is equipped with security camera, and the former police officer noticed that some presents delivered to his house were taken from his front door. A couple days later, a bag with the presents showed up on Valloney's doorstep, complete with a note that said, "This is all I took. I'm so sorry and Happy New Year. I just want to do right for this New Year." Valloney told CBS News he believes the thief had a change of heart after seeing the video on the local news. He said he forgives the thief and would like to meet him.

In what can be considered the most bizarre Christmas stocking stuffer on the planet, a plastic surgery-obsessed mother reportedly gave her seven-year-old daughter a liposuction voucher worth 11-thousand dollars this past holiday. The mother, Sarah Burge, is widely known in the media as the "Human Barbie" and is confident her daughter will be very happy using the gift one day in the future. In fact, Burge's self-proclaimed diva of a daughter was reportedly thrilled with her gift, and equally as excited as she was last year to receive a voucher for breast augmentation when she turns 18, if she wants it. Though many question her habits, the mom defends her gifts, arguing that it makes her daughter happy. She recently told a UK tabloid, "Girls don't want ‘Snow White' and ‘Cinderella' anymore...I'm just supporting her and making her dreams come true."

For the third year in a row, The Beatles' classic 1969 album, Abbey Road, is the top-selling vinyl record. According to Nielsen SoundScan, the album moved 41-thousand copies in 2011, which is more than the 35-thousand units it moved in 2010 and the 34,800 sold in 2009.

Antonio Banderas, Jake Gyllenhaal, Salma Hayek, Nicole Kidman, Clive Owen, Melissa McCarthy, and Natalie Portman are set to present at the 69th Annual Golden Globe Awards this weekend. The show is being hosted by Ricky Gervais. The Globes beam out live from the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, California Sunday night.

Are you suffering from feedback fatigue? Feedback fatigue is caused by too many email requests from companies asking you to rate their service. If you did any holiday shopping online, you're likely getting bombarded.

Struggling to keep your New Year's resolution? Think about this: While you may be struggling, you haven't quit yet. You may stumble but as long as you're still trying to be a better father, drink fewer sodas, or take a short walk every day, you're still hanging on to your resolution. It's important that you keep trying because, according to a survey, nearly 80% of us who failed at keeping a resolution say in retrospect they "gave up too easily." I recently saw a reader board -- at Vetter Dental on State here in Olympia -- that said My New Year's resolution: 1980 X 1080

Tomorrow, Nickelback announces the tour dates for their Here And Now Tour 2012.

Dish Network announced a DVR on steroids at the Consumer Electronics Show yesterday. One of the features: It can record all three hours of primetime on the four major networks at the same time -- in HD -- and then store the shows for up to a week.

Trivia Answer: Ray Bolger who was born on this date in 1904. He died in January of 1987. Back in the day, Bolger's MGM contract stipulated that he would play any part the studio chose; however, he was unhappy when he was cast as the Tin Man in The Wizard of Oz. The Scarecrow part had already been assigned to another lean and limber dancing studio contract player, Buddy Ebsen. In time, the roles were switched. While Bolger was pleased with his new role as the Scarecrow, Ebsen was struck ill by the powdered aluminum make-up used to complete the Tin Man costume. The powdered aluminum badly coated Ebsen's lungs, leaving him near death. Ebsen's illness paved the way for the Tin Man role to be filled by Jack Haley. Whenever asked as to whether he received any residuals from telecasts of the 1939 classic, Bolger would reply: "No, just immortality. I'll settle for that."

The NFL's Wildcard Weekend saw the New York Giants dispatch Atlanta 24-2. Denver eliminated Pittsburgh in overtime -- all of one play in overtime -- 29-23. Those games were yesterday. Saturday Houston beat Cincinnati 31-10 and New Orleans blew by Detroit 45-28. That all sets up this coming weekend's Divisional Playoffs. Saturday afternoon at 1:30, New Orleans is at San Francisco in the NFC. Saturday at 5, Denver is at New England in the AFC. Sunday morning at 10, Houston is at Baltimore in the AFC. The NFC is at 1:30 Sunday and has the New York Giants in Green Bay.

In College Football, we wrap up the Bowl Season tonight with the Allstate BCS National Championship Game at the Superdome in New Orleans. The No. 1 LSU Tigers vs. the No. 2 Alabama Crimson Tide at 5:30 tonight. ESPN has the coverage and will be using 30 cameras to bring us the action.

A baseball note: rumor is that New York Yankees catcher Jorge Posada is planning to retire. Word is that the 40-year-old Posada is trying to determine the right time to make an announcement, which is expected to be in the next two weeks. Posada, shortstop Derek Jeter, closer Mariano Rivera and pitcher Andy Pettitte compiled the core group -- the so-called Core Four -- that helped the Yankees win five World Series championships between 1996 and 2009. Pettitte retired after the 2010 season. Only Bill Dickey and Yogi Berra have caught more games in pinstripes than Posada.

Today is National Clean Off Your Desk Day. Today is National Static Cling Day. Today is National Stuffed Animal Laundry Day.

Calendar notes: It was on this date in 1902 that New York State introduced a bill to outlaw flirting in public. In 1935, actor Bob Denver was born. The mailman and high school teacher became Maynard G. Krebs, the first television beatnik on The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis. Later he was the star of Gilligan's Island, one of TV's most popular shows. Denver died in 2005. In 1959, CBS-TV premiered Rawhide, starring newcomer Clint Eastwood as Rowdy Yates. In 1993, responding to a sensor alarm, Mission Control at Cape Canaveral scolded space shuttle Endeavor astronauts to please remember and put the toilet seat down.

Beyonce gave birth to a baby girl in New York City on Saturday night. EOnline is reporting the baby's name is Ivy Blue Carter. It's the first child for both Beyonce and Jay-Z.

Low-budget horror movie The Devil Inside scared up a surprisingly strong $34.5 million in North American ticket sales to take the weekend box office crown. The film was expected to take in around $8 million. The better-than-expected performance for Devil, coming despite terrible reviews and poor reactions from some filmgoers, knocked Tom Cruise's two-time champion Mission: Impossible -- Ghost Protocol to second place. In third place for the weekend was detective sequel Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows. Rounding out the top five were adult thriller The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and family film sequel Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked.

After a brief hiatus following the Words With Friends plane skirmish in December, 30 Rock star Alec Baldwin is back on Twitter in full force posting about politics, conversing back and forth with his yoga teacher girlfriend @hilariathomas, and opining on his Super Bowl picks. On Saturday, he quietly tweeted "Back on Twitter" and since has resumed a steady pace of comments, retweets, and self-promotion.

The Fox television network said yesterday there are no plans for a spin-off of Glee and that there will be changes to Simon Cowell's The X Factor after the show's first season on US television. Fox said it reached the top spot for the No. 1 reality series overall with The X Factor, despite the new singing competition's rocky start not quite living up to creator Simon Cowell's predictions with a show that underwhelmed critics. Fox says it was "thrilled" with the show's standing in the crowded singing competition market alongside such shows as American Idol and The Voice, but did reveal that there were going to be some changes from the "relentless" Cowell. A change of host is one of the loudest rumors.

Ryan Tedder is feeling a lot better after dealing with a bout of food poisoning. What helped the OneRepublic frontman recovery? Well, he thanked smoothie company Jamba Juice, saying one of their concoctions made him feel much better than eating saltines and drinking 7-Up. Ryan wrote on Twitter that he got Ecoli after eating some infected lettuce. His illness caused a number of missed performances including in Seattle.

Trivia Answer: Richard Alan Enberg -- Dick Enberg -- who turns 77 today. His trademark exclamation is "Oh, my!" Enberg has garnered many awards and honors over the years, including 13 Emmy Awards (as well as a Lifetime Achievement Emmy), nine National Sportscaster of the Year awards, the Pro Football Hall of Fame's Pete Rozelle Award, the NBA's Curt Gowdy Award, and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Enberg is the only sportscaster thus far to win Emmys in three categories (broadcasting, writing, and producing), and in 1973 became the first U.S. sportscaster to visit the People's Republic of China. In the 1970 opening conference game in Pauley Pavilion, Oregon went into a stall against the UCLA Bruins. Enberg had run out of statistics and began to fill his radio broadcast with small talk. The movie Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid had just been released, and he was humming the tune to Raindrops Keep Fallin' On My Head, but didn't know the words. Two nights later, at the Oregon State game, many students brought the lyrics to the song. He promised that he would sing the song if UCLA won the conference championship. He sang the song following the final game of the season. In December 2009, Enberg was hired as a television play-by-play announcer by the San Diego Padres, signing a multi-year deal. Enberg teams with Mark Grant and Tony Gwynn on the Padres' telecasts.

It's Wild Card Weekend in the NFL. Eight go in and only four are still around come Monday.  The AFC has Cincinnati at Houston tomorrow afternoon at 1:30, and Pittsburgh at Denver Sunday afternoon at 1:30. For the NFC, Detroit is at New Orleans tomorrow afternoon at 5, and Atlanta is in New York with the Giants Sunday morning at 10.

Tomorrow night on Saturday Night Live, NBA great Charles Barkley hosts with musical guest Kelly Clarkson.

Today is National Smith Day, marking the birth of Captain John Smith in 1580, but honoring everyone named Smith, including the 2.4-million North American Smiths. Today is Schoolhouse Rock Day. In 1973, the animated lesson series Schoolhouse Rock premiered on ABC-TV. Today is Wheel of Fortune Day, marking the debut of The Wheel, hosted by Chuck Woolery, on this date in 1975. Pat Sajak became host in 1981, assisted by Vanna White. Former President George H.W. Bush and Barbara celebrate their 67th wedding anniversary today. They married when George was 20, Barbara was 19. Today is National Cuddle Up Day.

Calendar notes: On this date in 1976, Ted Turner purchased the Atlanta Braves for a reported $12-million. In 1989, Madonna and Sean Penn announced they were getting divorced. In 1994, figure skater Nancy Kerrigan was clubbed on the right leg by an assailant at Cobo Arena in Detroit. Four men, including the ex-husband of Kerrigan's rival, Tonya Harding, were sentenced to prison for the attack. In 2003,a 20-ounce hamburger debuted New York City's Old Homestead restaurant, the first burger ever on the menu at the 135-year-old steakhouse. At $41, it was the most expensive hamburger in the city. It should be pointed out that it came with fries.

Sunday, by the way, is Argyle Day. We're invited to bring some brightness to winter by wearing an argyle print -- not just socks: anything with the diagonal diamond pattern.

A teenager on a flight to Tulsa from Phoenix fell asleep and woke up in the wrong city. Fifteen-year-old Erik McBee apparently dozed off, wearing headphones, and slept through the plane's landing in Tulsa. In fact, when he finally woke up, the plane had already taken off again and had landed in St. Louis. The boy was quite confused when he exited the plane and realized where he was. With no money and no cell phone, he told a local TV station that he wandered the city looking for help. McBee says when he called 911, they told him they were not a taxi service and hung up on him. Eventually, a good Samaritan helped him get in touch with his family. The airline apologized to the boy's grandmother and refunded his ticket. They also promised to check their policies regarding children on planes.

Adele is nominated for six Grammy Awards this year including for Record and Song of the Year for Rolling in the Deep and the coveted Album of the Year for 21. She won two Grammys back in 2009 for Best New Artist and Best Female Vocal Performance for Chasing Pavements. See if Adele adds to her Grammy collection when the big show beams out live from the Staples Center in Los Angeles on February 12th on CBS.

Meantime, it looks like Adele may have gotten herself a man. While heartbreak has paid off for the singer, Spinner.com is reporting that Adele was seen kissing a guy named Simon Konecki at Florida's Everglades National Park recently. So who is this guy? UK paper The Sun reports that Simon runs the English charity Drop4Drop, which is working towards solving the world's water crisis.

Despite what you may have heard, Maria Shriver and Arnold Schwarzenegger are not getting back together. People magazine has confirmed that Shriver is not having second thoughts about divorcing the actor and former governor.

Brad Pitt was spotted leaving a salon in Beverly Hills Thursday with a cane. Pitt told photographers that he tore a ligament in his knee.

A man from Maine will continue on with this year's Redneck Olympics, despite a plea from the actual Olympics. Last year, Harold Brooks held the event on his property, which included tire popping, bobbing for pig's feet, mud runs and toilet seat horseshoes. Brooks drew heat from the USOC, the committee that organizes the official Olympics, which challenged his use of the word "Olympics." They say he can't use it, but Brooks isn't stopping. He told WCSH-TV that this year his Redneck Olympics will be three times the size of last year's event. Brooks plans to make t-shirts that read "Redneck _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ " and when the USOC asks what goes in the 8 blank spaces, he'll say it's "Bull****."

Trivia Answer: John Zachary DeLorean who was born on this date in 1925. He died in March of 2005. He was an American engineer and executive in the automobile industry, and founder of the DeLorean Motor Company. The muscle car he developed was the Pontiac GTO. He also developed the Pontiac Firebird. The sports car was the DeLorean DMC-12, which, of course, was later featured in the movie Back to the Future. His high profile 1982 arrest on charges of drug trafficking apparently grew out of an attempt to raise funds for his struggling company -- the DeLorean Motor Company -- which declared bankruptcy that same year. He successfully defended himself against the charges, showing that his alleged involvement was a result of entrapment by federal agents. In the summer of 1982, DeLorean received a phone call from James Hoffman, a former drug smuggler turned FBI informant. DeLorean met with Hoffman on July 11th in 1982 to discuss an investment opportunity to help save his company. Over the course of the next three months, Hoffman slowly explained his intricate plan involving cocaine smugglers, a bank for laundering money, and the specifics of how much money DeLorean would be required to front to procure the deal. DeLorean went along with these discussions, planning to trade DMC stock for the seed money for any deal that would benefit the company, but leaving the drug-smuggler investors with stock in a company completely controlled by the British government. On October 19th, before going to meet the investors to consummate the deal, DeLorean wrote a letter to his attorney and sealed it, with instructions to open it only if he did not return. The letter explained the situation he was in and his fear for his family's safety if he tried to back out of the deal. On October 19th of 1982, DeLorean was charged with trafficking in cocaine by the US government. Before the trial began, the FBI's videotape of the sting was leaked to the media by Hustler Magazine publisher Larry Flynt. In the videos, when arresting DeLorean, an FBI agent is shown asking him whether he would rather defend himself or have "his daughter's head smashed in." This prompted the judge to postpone the trial until the following year because of undue bias from the leaked tape. DeLorean successfully defended himself with a procedural defense, arguing that the police had asked him to supply the money to buy the cocaine. His attorney stated in Time in March of 1984) "This was a fictitious crime. Without the government, there would be no crime." The DeLorean defense team did not call any witnesses. DeLorean was found not guilty due to entrapment on August 16th of 1984.

It's Wild Card Weekend in the NFL. Saturday's AFC game has Cincinnati at Houston at 1:30. At 5, the NFC contest has Detroit at New Orleans. Sunday starts with the NFC game at 10 in the morning with Atlanta in New York to face the Giants. Pittsburgh is at Denver in the AFC game Sunday afternoon at 1:30.

Just as Marshawn Lynch became the Skittles-loving face of the Seattle Seahawks, he could just as quickly be leaving town. Or he could remain part of the foundation that led to the Seahawks' turnaround in the second half of the season. Lynch tops the list of 18 unrestricted free agents that the Seahawks must make decisions on this offseason. The list features seven starters from Seattle's season finale last Sunday in Arizona, plus a few former starters who missed all or parts of the season with injuries. Coach Pete Carroll said this week, "Our first concern is to take care of our team and take care of the guys that are unrestricted on our football team and fit that back together." It starts with Lynch. Coming off the finest season of his career, Lynch is at the peak of his NFL financial prospects. He's 25, has just rushed for 1,204 yards and 12 touchdowns and embodies the attitude Carroll wants the rest of his roster to emulate. Lynch also showed a maturity this season that might have been absent in the past. Not far behind on Seattle's priority list is locking up Red Bryant. Before Carroll took over in 2009, Bryant appeared to be on his way out of the NFL, unable to find his way as a defensive tackle. But Carroll and defensive coordinator Gus Bradley shifted Bryant to defensive end and he's become the anchor of a Seattle defensive line that's been successful each of the past two seasons at stopping the run with Bryant starting. Bryant said earlier this week that he doesn't have the desire to see what he could get in free agency. His loyalty to the Seahawks goes beyond finding a role where he could thrive; he's the son-in-law of former Seahawks defensive end great Jacob Green. Things to watch this off season.

Today is All My Children Day. The popular soap opera debuted on his date in 1970. One of the original characters was 15-year-old Erica Kane, played by actress Susan Lucci. The program just went off the air this past September. Today is Review Your Wrestling Holds Day, a day to try to get someone to let you practice all the wrestling holds you learned as a child: the hammerlock, half-nelson, flying scissors ... don't try the sleeper. Today is Turn Up the Heat Day. Today is National Whipped Cream Day. Elvis' birthday celebration begins today in Memphis and runs through January 8th..

Calendar notes: On this date in 1643, in the first legal divorce in the American colonies, Anne Clarke of the Massachusetts Bay Colony was granted a divorce from Denis Clarke. She accused her husband of adultery. In 1971, the New Jersey Reds defeated the Harlem Globetrotters 100-99, raising the Reds' career record against the Globetrotters to 1 win and 2,495 losses. It was the Globetrotters' first loss in nine years. In 1990, TV Guide gave its Phoney Baloney Award to the impostor who duped ABC's 20-20 by claiming to be Buckwheat from the Our Gang comedies. The real Buckwheat, Billy Thomas, died in 1980. In 1998, Sonny Bono, the 1960's pop star-turned-politician, was killed when he struck a tree while skiing in South Lake Tahoe, California. He was 62. In 2004, after 14 years of denials, Pete Rose admitted publicly he had bet on baseball games involving his own team.

Apparently NFL coaches aren't the only ones getting the ax. The Sacramento Kings today fired coach Paul Westphal after a 2-and-5 start

According to the Associated Press, the NFL is announcing the annual league awards, including Most Valuable Player, in a two-hour primetime special called NFL Honors on NBC, the night before the Super Bowl. The show is being hosted by Alec Baldwin. It features a live performance from Lenny Kravitz and appearances from NFL Hall of Famers Jerry Rice, Barry Sanders, Shannon Sharpe, Steve Young and Deion Sanders. Other awards handed out during the prime-time show include Coach of the Year, Comeback Player, Defensive Player, Defensive Rookie, Offensive Player and Offensive Rookie of the Year.

Donald Trump has revealed the cast of the next season of Celebrity Apprentice. The contestants include former American Idol contestant Clay Aiken, TV host Arsenio Hall, Victoria Gotti, Twisted Sister frontman Dee Snider, actress Tia Carrere, reality star Aubrey O'Day, radio host Adam Carolla, The Incredible Hulk star Lou Ferrigno, magician Penn Jillette, Star Trek actor George Takei, racer Michael Andretti, Paul Teutul Sr. from American Chopper, Cheryl Tiegs, Debbie Gibson, comedian Lisa Lampanelli, and supermodel Dayana Mendoza. The new season begins February 12th on NBC.

The IRS is giving us two extra days to get our taxes turned in this year. While Tax Day typically falls on April 15th, the IRS announced yesterday that it's pushing back this year's filing deadline to Tuesday, April 17th. The extension was granted because April 15th falls on a Sunday this year, and Monday is Emancipation Day, a holiday in Washington D.C. that celebrates the freeing of slaves in the district. Last year, Tax Day was extended until April 18, also thanks to Emancipation Day.

Trivia Answer: He was Westley Allan Dodd -- a convicted serial killer, child molester, and pedophile. He was executed by hanging at 12:05 a.m. on January 5th of 1993 at Washington State Penitentiary in Walla Walla. Dodd grew up in Richland, in what has been described as a loveless home. He was often neglected by his parents in favor of his two younger brothers. He has stated that he was also ostracized in his school environment and deprived of or denied any emotional growth. Dodd began sexually abusing children when he was a teenager; his first victims were his own cousins. All his victims (over 50 in all) were children below the age of 12, some of them as young as two. Dodd's sexual fantasies became increasingly violent over the years. He killed brothers Cole and William Neer (aged 10 and 11) in Vancouver, Washington in 1989, and tortured, raped and murdered four-year-old Lee Iseli. After he was arrested for trying to abduct a boy from a movie theater, the police found a homemade torture rack in his home, as yet unused. He was arrested by police in Camas and interviewed by task force detectives. Portland Police Bureau Detective C. W. Jensen and Clark County Detective Sergeant Dave Trimble obtained Dodd's confession and served the search warrant on his home. Dodd was sentenced to death in the Neer brothers and Lee Iseli cases in 1990. Less than four years elapsed between the murders and Dodd's execution. He refused to appeal his case or the capital sentence. By Washington state law, Dodd had to choose the method of his execution, and state law gave Dodd two options: lethal injection or hanging. Dodd chose hanging. His execution was witnessed by 12 members of local and regional media, prison officials, and representatives of the families of the three victims.

The Seattle Seahawks are set to pick 11th or 12th in the NFL Draft. The Hawks have selected 17 times among the top 12 picks in the NFL draft. They've found some great ones, but only two remain in the roster. With the NFL's regular season concluded, the top 20 teams in the first round of the draft have been set. Indianapolis gets to choose whether Stanford's Andrew Luck or Baylor's Robert Griffin III, the Heisman Trophy winner, will succeed Peyton Manning as the Colts' quarterback. The Seahawks will pick either 11th or 12th. The exact order is being determined by a coin flip with the Kansas City Chiefs at the NFL scouting combine in late February. The Seahawks have not had the 11th overall pick in the first round since 2003, when they used it to select cornerback Marcus Trufant of Washington State. Trufant, a one-time Pro Bowler -- back in 2007 -- is still with the team, although he spent much of 2011 on injured reserve. Trufant represents Seattle's only No. 11 pick. The Seahawks have never owned the 12th overall pick. Since their inception in 1976, the Seahawks have had a top 12 pick 17 times, most recently in 2010, when they drafted offensive tackle Russell Okung at No. 6 overall. Seattle's top 12 picks:

• 2010: Russell Okung, OT, Oklahoma State (6) 
• 2009: Aaron Curry, LB, Wake Forest (4) 
• 2003: Marcus Trufant, CB, Washington State (11) 
• 2001: Koren Robinson, WR, North Carolina State (9) 
• 1997: Shawn Springs, CB, Ohio State (3) 
• 1997: Walter Jones, OT, Florida State (6) 
• 1995: Joey Galloway, WR, Ohio State (8) 
• 1994: Sam Adams, DT, Texas A&M (8) 
• 1993: Rick Mirer, QB, Notre Dame (2) 
• 1992: Ray Roberts, OG, Virginia (10) 
• 1990: Cortez Kennedy, DT, Miami (3) 
• 1983: Curt Warner, RB, Penn State (3) 
• 1982: Jeff Bryant, DT, Clemson (6) 
• 1981: Kenny Easley, S, UCLA (4) 
• 1980: Jacob Green, DE, Texas A&M (10) 
• 1978: Keith Simpson, CB, Memphis (9) 
• 1976: Steve Niehaus, DT, Notre Dame (2)

It's Wild Card Weekend in the NFL. On the AFC side, Cincinnati is at Houston Saturday afternoon at 1:30, while Pittsburgh is at Denver at 1:30 Sunday afternoon. For the NFC, Detroit is at New Orleans Saturday night at 5, and Atlanta is in New York to face the Giants Sunday morning at 10.

There's baseball news today. Joe Torre quit his job with Major League Baseball to pursue ownership of the Los Angeles Dodgers. That announcement coming from the league today. Torre was named executive vice president for baseball operations in February and took the lead for on-field discipline and umpiring, among other duties. Torre turns 72 in July. He managed the Dodgers from 2008 to 2010 after 12 years as skipper of the New York Yankees, a run in which he won six pennants and four World Series titles. The Dodgers sought bankruptcy protection in June after Selig rejected a new TV deal with Fox that Dodgers owner Frank McCourt was counting on to keep the franchise solvent. The Dodgers ultimately reached an agreement with the league that calls for a sale of both the team and the media rights. The team must be sold by April 30th. A number of groups have expressed interest in buying the Dodgers. Former team stars Steve Garvey and Orel Hershiser headline one group, Lakers legend Magic Johnson leads another, while former Dodgers owner Peter O'Malley has put his name in the ring. The team will be sold in a bankruptcy auction, similar to how the Rangers were sold last year. Mavericks owner Mark Cuban came in second in that bidding and has also said he would be interested in the Dodgers at the right price. Initial bids for the team are due by January 23rd. The price likely will break the record for a baseball franchise, topping the $845 million paid by the Ricketts family for the Chicago Cubs in 2009.

Mitt Romney has defeated Rick Santorum in the Iowa caucuses by eight votes, clinching what appears to be the closest-ever margin of victory in a Republican presidential contest according to the state Republican Party. Ron Paul finished a close third. Texas Governor Rick Perry, who placed fifth, said late yesterday that he would return to his home state to consider whether his campaign would continue. Today Perry Tweeted, "And the next leg of the marathon is the Palmetto State...Here we come South Carolina!!!" Later in the morning today, Michelle Bachmann announced her exit from the race. The Minnesota congresswoman drew only 5% of the vote in her native state last night. Bachmann telling supporters this morning, "Last night, the people of Iowa spoke with a very clear voice, so I have decided to stand aside." The focus of the race now shifts to New Hampshire, which holds its primary election next Tuesday. The next state to vote after New Hampshire is South Carolina, where the Republican primary is scheduled on January 21st.

Now, a word from Iowa … actually, a few choice words …

Coldplay is starting the year off on a high note. The band scored the first number one single of 2012 in the UK with Paradise. The track was released ten weeks ago and marks the group's second-ever number one in the UK. In 2008, Viva La Vida made it to the top spot.

Today is Eat An Oreo Cookie, Look at Your Teeth, and Remember to Floss Day. Today is Short People Day, marking the birthday of General Tom Thumb on this day in 1838. Today is Dimpled Chad Day, commemorating all the dimpled chads left over from various contested elections. Today is Trivia Day. Today is National Spaghetti Day.

Calendar notes: On this date in 1965, CBS bought the Fender Guitar Company from Leo Fender for $13 million. In 1981, the Broadway show Frankenstein opened ... and closed ... on the same night. The reported loss was $2 million. In 1994, the 104th Congress convened, the first Republican Congress since the Eisenhower era. Newt Gingrich was elected speaker of the House. In 1999, former professional wrestler Jesse Ventura took the oath of office as Minnesota's 37th governor.

Elton John recently received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Original Song in a Motion Picture for the tune Hello Hello from Gnomeo & Juliet. Elton also recently revealed that there's a biopic being made about him. Now, Sir Elton is saying who he'd like to see play him. Elton wants Justin Timberlake to portray him in the flick, which is called Rocketman. As for the movie, Elton explained it will be a "surreal look" at his life and not ‘just a factual" portrayal, adding it will be "more in the manner of a Moulin Rouge." No word yet on when it's coming out.

Demi Moore has been cast in the new flick about former porn star Linda Lovelace. It was announced this week that Moore is taking on the role of feminist and activist Gloria Steinem. Amanda Seyfried has been cast as Lovelace in the film and Peter Sarsgaard will play her ex-husband, Chuck Traynor. Apparently, Moore only has a short cameo in the biopic, which is called Lovelace and is currently being filmed.

Reports are that Adele may be gracing the cover of Vogue this year. Word is the singer could be the face of the March 2012 issue. Adele has already been featured on the covers of British Vogue and Cosmopolitan. Last year Lady Gaga graced the cover of the March issue.

Trivia Answer: Nancy Patricia D'Alesandro Pelosi. Today, she's the Minority Leader of the United States House of Representatives. She served as the 60th Speaker of the United States House of Representatives from 2007 to 2011. She was the first woman to hold the office and to date, has been the highest-ranking female politician in American history. A member of the Democratic Party, Pelosi has represented California's 8th congressional district, which consists of four-fifths of the city and county of San Francisco, since 1987. She served as the House Minority Whip from 2002 to 2003, and was House Minority Leader from 2003 to 2007, holding the post during the 108th and 109th Congresses. Pelosi is the first woman, the first Californian, and the first Italian-American to lead a major party in Congress. After the Democrats took control of the House in 2007 and increased their majority in 2009, Pelosi was elected Speaker of the House for the 110th and 111th sessions of Congress. On November 17th of 2010, Pelosi was elected as the Democratic Leader by House Democrats and therefore the Minority Leader in the Republican-controlled House for the 112th Congress.

Oregon's incredible offense busted up Wisconsin and the record books on the way to the Ducks' first Rose Bowl victory in 95 years. Darron Thomas passed for three touchdowns, De'Anthony Thomas scored on runs of 91 and 64 yards, and the Ducks earned their first bowl victory under coach Chip Kelly, holding off Wisconsin 45-38 last night in the highest-scoring Rose Bowl ever played. The Ducks are ranked No. 5 in the BCS and at No. 6 by the AP. The Granddaddy of Them All had never seen this many points, beating the record 80 scored by Washington and Iowa in 1991.

A person familiar with the move says Tennessee defensive coordinator Justin Wilcox and linebackers coach Peter Sirmon have accepted jobs on Washington coach Steve Sarkisian's staff. ESPN, citing anonymous sources, first reported the moves, which come just days after Sarkisian fired defensive coordinator Nick Holt, linebackers coach Mike Cox and safeties coach Jeff Mills. Last Thursday, Washington gave up 777 total yards and 67 points against Baylor in the Alamo Bowl. Wilcox is expected to serve as the Huskies' defensive coordinator. He has spent the past two seasons as Tennessee's defensive coordinator, while Sirmon joined the staff for the 2011 season.

Chris Polk wanted to own all of Washington's records for running backs by the time he left school. He doesn't have every one, but he's got plenty of accolades to put on his resume for NFL teams. Washington made the expected announcement yesterday that Polk will forgo his senior season and enter the NFL draft, leaving the Huskies as the No. 2 rusher all-time in school history trailing only Napoleon Kaufman. Polk's Husky career ended last Thursday night in the Alamo Bowl when he posted his 21st 100-yard rushing game, one of his many school records. Polk ran for 147 yards on 30 carries and one touchdown in the Huskies' 67-56 loss to Baylor. In a statement, Washington coach Steve Sarkisian said, "Chris had a terrific career at Washington and deserves the opportunity to move on to the next level. We wish him nothing but the best in what I'm sure will be a great professional career."

The post-season bloodletting in the NFL continues. The Indianapolis Colts fired team vice chairman Bill Polian and his son, Chris, the Colts' general manager. Owner Jim Irsay announced the moves yesterday, one day after the team finished the year 2-and-14. Coach Jim Caldwell was retained, but Irsay said that evaluation was still ongoing. Then today, the Chicago Bears relieved general manager Jerry Angelo of his duties.

Iowa today becomes the first state in the nation to have a formal say in picking a Republican challenger to face President Barack Obama next fall. Today's Iowa caucus kicks off the GOP's 2012 presidential caucus and primary season.

Today is National Chocolate Covered Cherry Day. Today is Apple Day, marking incorporation of Apple Computer on this date in 1977. New Year's Resolutions Week begins today.. Make good ones you can keep. Today is Alaska Admission Day. Alaska became the 49th U.S. state on this date in 1959. Today is Drinking Straw Day. Marvin Stone of Washington, D.C., patented the paraffin-covered paper drinking straw on this date in 1888. Today is National Write to Congress Day, to tell them how best to represent us during the coming year.

Calendar notes: On this date in 1938, the March of Dimes campaign to fight polio was organized. In 1973, CBS sold the New York Yankees to a syndicate headed by George Steinbrenner for $10 million. In 1983, Michael Jackson's Thriller album was released. In 1987: Aretha Franklin became the first woman to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. In 2000, the final new daily Peanuts comic strip by Charles Schulz ran in 2,600 newspapers.

LeBron James proposed to his longtime girlfriend Savannah Brinson over the weekend. The Miami Heat star dropped to his knee in front of several of his teammates and friends during a New Year's Eve party on Saturday night. According to the Associated Press, the party was also a belated celebration for James' 27th birthday. LeBron and Savannah are high school sweethearts and have two boys together.

Add Aretha Franklin to the list of those engaged. The Queen of Soul says she's ready to tie the knot with longtime friend William "Willie" Wilkerson. Franklin said yesterday that the pair is considering a summer wedding, perhaps in Miami Beach, Fla. Aretha wants to follow the ceremony with a reception on a private yacht. The 69-year-old Frankliln says, "No, I'm not pregnant." Franklin has been married twice before.

Trivia Answer: Dabney Coleman who turns 80 today. Coleman is a character actor who has a wide range, with over 60 films to his credit. He is often typecast as a comic relief villain, the smarmy, devious foil to the main character. Coleman's fate in these types of roles was cemented with roles such as that of Franklin Hart, Jr. in 1980's Nine to Five, a sexist boss whose murder is fantasized about by his office employees (Jane Fonda, Dolly Parton and Lily Tomlin). In a role running counter to the comic relief villain, he played military computer scientist John McKittrick in WarGames in 1983. Coleman also worked on the TV series Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman where he played Fernwood's mayor, Merle Jeeter. In 1987 he received an Emmy award for his role in the TV Movie Sworn to Silence.

The Arizona Cardinals and Seattle Seahawks finished their season. The Cardinals win, in overtime of course. A 28-yard field goal by Jay Feely gave the Cardinals a 23-20 victory over the Seahawks yesterday, Arizona's fourth overtime victory -- all at home -- in the last nine weeks of the season. The four overtime wins in a season are an NFL record. Seattle finishes the year at 7-and-9; Arizona at 8-and-8. Marshawn Lynch's string of 11 straight games with a touchdown came to an end. Seattle's Doug Baldwin became the first undrafted rookie free agent to lead his team in receptions and yards receiving since Bill Groman of did it for the Houston Oilers in 1960.

Now that the NFL regular season is concluded, here come the pinks slips for those less than successful head coaches. Today, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers fired coach Raheem Morris. In St. Louis, the Rams not only fired coach Steve Spagnuolo but also released general manager Billy Devaney today.

Nick Holt arrived at Washington with the fanfare -- and salary -- usually reserved for head coaches. It set a level of expectations Holt never matched, and on Saturday he was fired after three years as the Huskies' defensive coordinator. The dismissal came two days after Washington gave up 777 total yards and 67 points against Baylor in the Alamo Bowl. It was the most yards allowed in school history and second-most points surrendered. What's more, the embarrassment came on a national stage, the defensive shortcomings exposed for all to see. After the loss, Washington coach Steve Sarkisian said all aspects of his team would be evaluated. It didn't take long to determine an overhaul on defense was needed. Along with Holt, the Huskies fired linebackers coach Mike Cox and safeties coach Jeff Mills. The firings represent the first major changes since Sarkisian took over. He'll be replacing his entire defensive staff -- in addition to the three firings, secondary coach Demetrice Martin is joining Jim Mora's new staff at UCLA.

Former American Idol finalist James Durbin married his girlfriend Heidi Lowe on New Year's Eve, People reports. The ceremony took place in a chapel in Santa Cruz, California in front of around 85 guests and their 2-year-old son, Hunter, who was the ring bearer. Celebrity guests included fellow Idol finalists Haley Reinhart, Stefano Langone and Casey Abrams. During the ceremony, Queensrÿche frontman Geoff Tate performed the band's 1984 classic Take Hold of the Flame.

The first American Idol Kelly Clarkson is performing on Saturday Night Live this Saturday.

Today is National Cream Puff Day. Today is No-Fault Divorce Day. The first no-fault divorce law became effective in California in 1971. Today is National Run It Up the Flag Pole and See If Anybody Salutes It Day. Today is National Motivation and Inspiration Day. Today is National Thank God It's Monday Day. Some Day We'll Laugh About This Week begins today.

Calendar notes: On this date in 1910, the first junior high school in America opened in Berkeley, California. In 1936, Burma Shave erected roadside signs throughout the U.S. promising, "Free! Free! A Trip to Mars For 900 Empty Jars." Arliss French collected 900 jars and demanded the free trip. He finally settled when Burma Shave supplied a space suit and flew him to Mars (Moers), Germany, a small town near Dusseldorf. In 1965, the New York Jets signed University of Alabama quarterback Joe Namath for a reported $400,000. In 1980, after 25 years as host of the Miss America Pageant, Bert Parks was fired. In 1983, the musical Annie, based on the Little Orphan Annie comic strip, closed on Broadway after a run of 2,377 performances. In 1989, some 200,000 baseball trading card packs were recalled after an obscenity was discovered painted on infielder Billy Ripken's bat handle.

Bowl Season continues. The action today includes the Big Kahuna, the Rose Bowl with Wisconsin and Oregon, coming up at 2 in Pasadena.

Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol spends a second week at #1 at the box office, bringing in $31.3-million over New Year's weekend. Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows raked in $22.1-million at #2. Not far behind is Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked at #3, grossing $18.3-million over the weekend. War Horse at No.4 and The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo at No.5 round out the Top Five.

Russell Brand called it quits on his 14-month marriage to Katy Perry on Friday, filing for divorce on the grounds of irreconcilable differences. The 36-year-old Russell met the 27-year-old Katy in 2008 and they married in October of 2010 at a lavish wedding in India. They seemed like an unlikely match, but they quickly became one of the most high-profile couples in the entertainment industry. In recent weeks however, celebrity media reported that their marriage was in trouble. They spent the Christmas holidays apart, with Brand being photographed in England, and Perry spotted in Hawaii -- both without their wedding rings. After filing divorce papers in Los Angeles Superior Court on Friday, Russell released a statement saying, "Sadly, Katy and I are ending our marriage. I'll always adore her and I know we'll remain friends."

Brad Pitt has been named the Top Money-Making Star of 2011, according to an annual survey of movie theater owners. Quigley Publishing Company asked theater owners and film buyers to vote for their top 10 box office generators and this year exhibitors credited Pitt with bringing in more traffic than any other celebrity due to his acting and/or vocal appearances in Moneyball, The Tree of Life, and Happy Feet Two. Coming in at number two was George Clooney for both The Ides of March and The Descendants, and last year's winner, Johnny Depp, fell to third with The Rum Diary, Rango, and Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides. Rounding out the group were Leonardo DiCaprio at four with J. Edgar and Matt Damon at five.

The new year may bring us a kinder, gentler Twitter as celebrities may want to resist the urge to send a stream of consciousness after so many of them tweeted their way into trouble on everything from boxer briefs to breast-feeding in 2011. NASCAR driver Kasey Kahne became the latest celebrity to blunder on Twitter, when he had to apologize for a tweet critical of public breast-feeding. But Kahne has been far from alone in discovering Twitter's pitfalls. The year 2011 saw congressman Anthony Weiner resign in a scandal that began with an errant tweet, and the musings of Hollywood stars such as the tech-savvy Ashton Kutcher and comic Gilbert Gottfried generated public controversy. As a result of those and other scandals, 2011 may be seen as a turning point when more celebrities and politicians saw the dangers of Twitter and quit sending unfiltered messages, according to pop culture experts. Handlers of celebrities are likely to play a larger role in managing the stars' Twitter accounts. Probably the greatest self-inflicted Twitter wound was suffered by Anthony Weiner. He was an influential Democratic congressman from New York until June when he tweeted a photo of his bulging underwear to a female college student. At first Weiner claimed his Twitter account had been hacked but later admitted he was responsible and resigned from office. Comedian Gilbert Gottfried did not have his career ruined by Twitter but it cost him a lucrative gig. Gottfried fired off several joke tweets in March about the devastating earthquake and tsunami in Japan. In one message, he said: "Japan is really advanced. They don't go to the beach. The beach comes to them." Gottfried was roundly criticized in the media and insurance company Aflac Inc fired him as the voice of its iconic duck in television commercials. Kutcher had been a master of Twitter before his miscue, becoming the first tweeter to have a million followers. He also created the online production company Katalyst and embarked on lucrative promotion campaigns for such products as Popchips. In November, Kutcher created a public uproar when he tweeted a defense of revered Penn State football coach Joe Paterno, who was fired in the fallout from a sexual abuse scandal involving one of his assistant coaches. Kutcher apologized in a blog post and said he did not know about the abuse scandal when he sent the off-the-cuff tweet that read, "How do you fire Jo Pa?" He also pledged to have his staff at Katalyst manage his Twitter account, as opposed to posting on his own as he had done before. Other notable Twitter controversies of 2011 include film critic Roger Ebert's tweet, "Friends don't let jackasses drink and drive," which was sent in response to the impaired-driving death of Jackass star Ryan Dunn. Actor Charlie Sheen became a Twitter sensation with millions of followers as he ranted about "winning" during a spree of wildness that led to him losing his job on the hit television comedy Two and a Half Men. In a less inflammatory Twitter misfire, Charlie Sheen in December revealed his phone number, in an apparent attempt to send it privately to teen singer Justin Bieber.

Discovery News reminds us that in 2002, British social scientists set out to find the funniest joke in the world. Researchers from the University of Herfordshire started a LaughLab program to test jokes in a cross-cultural context across all demographics. They asked people around the world to submit jokes — and to rate how funny they found jokes submitted by peers. The winner worldwide? This little gem submitted by a psychiatrist in Manchester, England. It involves hunters in New Jersey -- maybe British hunters just aren't as funny.

A couple of New Jersey hunters are out in the woods when one of them falls to the ground. He doesn't seem to be breathing, his eyes are rolled back in his head. The other guy whips out his cell phone and calls the emergency services. He gasps to the operator: "My friend is dead! What can I do?" The operator, in a calm soothing voice says: "Just take it easy. I can help. First, let's make sure he's dead." There is a silence, then a shot is heard. The guy's voice comes back on the line. He says: "OK, now what?"

This one was most popular among Americans:

A man and a friend are playing golf one day at their local golf course. One of the guys is about to chip onto the green when he sees a long funeral procession on the road next to the course. He stops in mid-swing, takes off his golf cap, closes his eyes, and bows down in prayer. His friend says: "Wow, that is the most thoughtful and touching thing I have ever seen. You truly are a kind man." The man then replies: "Yeah, well we were married 35 years."

Today's Trivia: He was a breakdancer for Lionel Richie. His first job as a professional entertainer was as a breakdancer performing with singer Lionel Richie at the closing ceremonies of the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. Richie performed the song All Night Long (All Night) at the closing ceremonies. Today, Cuba is an actor, perhaps best known for his Academy Award-winning portrayal of Rod Tidwell in Cameron Crowe's 1996 film Jerry Maguire. Cuba Gooding, Sr. was the lead vocalist of the soul group The Main Ingredient. The group had a hit single with Everybody Plays the Fool in 1972.

For a lot of people, 2011 was one of those years you just want to be over and done with. Once you take a look at this two minute look back with the very clever JibJab Guys annual retrospective, it's not too hard to understand why.