Washington State football coach Paul Wulff was fired yesterday after four years during which his teams won only nine games. Athletic director Bill Moos said he hopes to hire Wulff's successor in two or three weeks. Wulff was 9-40 in his four seasons at Washington State, the worst winning percentage of any coach in the program's history. Wulff said he was leaving with a heavy heart. His voice thick with emotion, Wulff said, "The great thing about Washington State University and being a Cougar is we don't do it like everybody else. We stick together and don't eat our own. I believe the innocence of WSU has been lost today." Moos said at a news conference yesterday that WSU was at a "critical" juncture during which the program needed to either move forward or be content with being a league doormat.” He added, "I believe we can be a contender for championships, but we can't wait and embrace mediocrity."

You don't have to wait until Sunday to get your Seahawk fix this week. The Hawks host the Philadelphia Eagles tomorrow night at 5:20.

The Dow had its best day of the year today. Stock markets soared after the US Federal Reserve and other central banks unexpectedly announced a plan to make it cheaper for banks around the world to borrow US dollars -- a staple of global financial transactions. The aim was to not only lower the cost of short-term borrowing for troubled European banks, but also to keep the global economy out of an all-out credit crunch as in 2008. The move gave investors hope -- at least for the day -- that world leaders would continue to take necessary steps to avoid a market paralysis stemming from Europe's government debt crisis. The Dow Jones industrial average rose about 490 points, or more than 4%. The S&P 500 and Nasdaq composite also jumped more than 4% apiece.

The state Health Department says Jacob and Sophia were the most popular baby names in Washington in 2010, accounting for about 1 percent of the total. The department says Jacob was the first choice for boys this decade in every year but three. Sophia has been one of the top four names since 2007. Figures released yesterday by the department show 416 of the 44,247 boys born last year were named Jacob, and 474 of the 42,233 girls were named Sophia. The next most-popular names for boys were Alexander, Daniel, William, Ethan, Logan, Benjamin, Liam. Elijah and Noah. The next most-popular names for girls were Olivia, Isabella, Emma, Ava, Abigail, Emily, Elizabeth, Madison, and Chloe.

Today is Stay Home Because You're Well Day, a day to call in well. Today is Perpetual Youth Day, always on Dick Clark's birthday (82). Today is Computer Security Day, a time to remember to protect your computers, programs, and data at home and at work. Today is National Mousseless Day, a day to just let your hair do its own thing.

Calendar notes: On this date in 1887, George Hancock invented softball at the Farragut Boat Club in Chicago. At first, it was played indoors with a stick and a boxing glove. In 1974, Marva Drew of Waterloo, Iowa, completed typing from one to 1-million on a manual typewriter. It took her six years and 2,473 sheets of paper. In 1982, Michael Jackson's Thriller album was released. In 1999, in Seattle, protests against the WTO meeting by anti-globalization protesters catch police unprepared and force the cancellation of opening ceremonies. In 2001, in Renton, Gary Ridgway aka The Green River Killer is arrested.

It’s the lighting of one of the world’s most famous Christmas trees tonight -- part of an NBC special called Christmas in Rockefeller Center. Faith Hill, Justin Bieber, Michael Buble, Cee Lo Green, Carole King, Tony Bennett and Katherine McPhee are scheduled to perform at the event. This year’s tree is a Norway spruce, measuring 74-feet high, 46-feet in diameter and weighing in at 10 tons. Christmas in Rockefeller Center is on NBC tonight.

The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 1 has passed the half-billion dollar million mark. The film has grossed $508 million in global ticket sales since the its release on November 18th.

PETA is set to honor select Hollywood vegetarians by putting their faces on postage stamps. EOnline.com reports Natalie Portman, Paul McCartney and Steve-O are being featured on the first stamps released. Other celebrities included as later additions, Woody Harrelson, Ellen Degeneres and Leona Lewis.

Coldplay singer Chris Martin says he'll never go solo. The frontman tells Q magazine, “I’d just be terrible.” Martin believes that he couldn’t even get a show booked without his bandmates. Chris went on to say that his bandmates have dealt with his fame very well saying, “They’re very good friends to me because they know that, as the singer, and especially because I am married to Gwyneth Paltrow, I get eight times as much media as them. They know how much I need them, I just couldn’t do it on my own.”

Government regulators are sharing some alarming information about Facebook: They believe the online social network has often misled its more than 800 million users about the sanctity of their personal information. The unflattering portrait of Facebook's privacy practices emerged yesterday in a Federal Trade Commission complaint alleging that Facebook exposed details about users' lives without getting legally required consent. In some cases, the FTC charged, Facebook allowed potentially sensitive details to be passed along to advertisers and software developers prowling for customers. To avoid further legal wrangling, Facebook agreed to submit to government audits of its privacy practices every other year for the next two decades. The company committed to getting explicit approval from its users -- a process known as "opting in" -- before changing their privacy controls. Although Facebook didn't acknowledge any wrongdoing in the legal papers it signed with the FTC, Facebook co-founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg was more contrite in a blog post writing: "I'm the first to admit that we've made a bunch of mistakes," Zuckerberg wrote. "In particular, I think that a small number of high-profile mistakes ... have often overshadowed much of the good work we've done." Much of the FTC's complaint against Facebook centers on a series of changes that the company made to its privacy controls in late 2009. The revisions automatically shared information and pictures about Facebook users, even if they previously programmed their privacy settings to shield the content. Among other things, people's profile pictures, lists of online friends and political views were suddenly available for the world to see, the FTC alleged. The complaint also charges that Facebook shared its users' personal information with third-party advertisers from September 2008 through May 2010 despite several public assurances from company officials that it wasn't passing the data along for marketing purposes. The FTC also alleged that Facebook displayed personal photos even after users deleted them from their accounts.

Speaking of Facebook, what's the best way to scare a guy into using a condom? How about sending him a creepy Facebook friend request from the baby he might have if he doesn't use one? A Brazilian ad agency organized just such a campaign recently for Olla condoms. The agency apparently targeted specific guys and created actual Facebook profiles for their unborn children (by tacking "Jr." on to their names), who then attempt to friend Daddy.

Trivia Answer: He was Ken Jennings and the show was Jeopardy. Jennings holds the record for the longest winning streak on Jeopardy! -- 74 games -- and as being the all-time leading money winner on American game shows. His total earnings on Jeopardy! are $3,172,700, consisting of the $2,520,700 won over his 74 wins, a $2,000 second-place prize in his 75th appearance, a $500,000 second-place prize in the Jeopardy! Ultimate Tournament of Champions, as well as half of a $300,000 prize in the IBM Challenge. By the way, he was born in Edmonds, Washington, and now lives just outside of Seattle. He was a Utah resident during his initial Jeopardy! run.

It's a rare Thursday night game for the Seahawks this week. They host the Philadelphia Eagles Thursday night at 5:20. In fact, the Seahawks play their next 4 games on 4 different days of the week.  This week, Thursday with Philly; next, Monday with St. Louis; the following week, Sunday with Chicago; and the next week, Saturday with San Francisco.

Yesterday was apparently the day to unload college coaches with connections to the state of Washington. UCLA fired coach Rick Neuheisel after four disappointing seasons in charge of his alma mater. Neuheisel is being allowed to coach the Bruins in Friday's Pac-12 title game at Oregon. Offensive coordinator Mike Johnson takes over as the Bruins' interim coach if they receive a bowl berth. Arizona State, meanwhile, formally began the search for its seventh football coach since 1980 yesterday. The five-year Dennis Erickson era came to an end after four consecutive regular seasons of .500 or worse records. Vice president for athletics Lisa Love met with Erickson yesterday to finalize a parting that became necessary after Arizona State lost its final four games to fall to 6-and-6. The Sun Devils will still play in a bowl game, their first since 2007. Erickson will coach Arizona State in its postseason game -- probably the Sun or Las Vegas Bowl.

And it continued today as word came down about lunch time that Washington State football coach Paul Wulff was fired today after four years during which his teams won only nine games. In a statement announcing the firing, athletic director Bill Moos said, "I appreciate all that Paul has done for Washington State football. He was hired with the objective of rebuilding this program and establishing a solid foundation. For that I thank him." Wulff was 9-and-40 in his four seasons at Washington State, the worst winning percentage of any coach in the program's history. The Cougars went 4-and-8 this season, doubling their win total from 2010. They were just 4-and-32 in conference play under Wulff. Wulff had one year remaining on his contract and was guaranteed a year's severance pay of $600,000 if he was let go before the end of the five years. Moos added. "We will begin the process of naming the next head coach immediately. I will not be discussing details of the hiring process, only that I expect to name a successful candidate as soon as possible."

It turns out the coach firing frenzy is not limited to the college ranks. The Jacksonville Jaguars today fired coach Jack Del Rio.

One more football note. Ndamukong Suh of Detroit who stomped a Green Bay Packers player on national television -- and then tried to deny doing it -- has been suspended for two games without pay. The NFL suspended Detroit's All-Pro defensive tackle today for his actions on Thanksgiving Day. If the suspension holds, Suh will miss Sunday night's game at New Orleans and a December 11th home game against Minnesota. He won't be paid until he is reinstated December 12th. Suh this afternoon formally appealed the punishment. Art Shell will serve as the appeals officer. Appeals of discipline for on-field violations do not go to commissioner Roger Goodell. The league plans to expedite the hearing to make a decision before the Lions play the Saints.

Also today, a judge has gave Doctor Conrad Murray the maximum sentence, of four years in prison, for his conviction in the involuntary manslaughter of Michael Jackson. However, a new law in California, will actually prevent Murray from serving time in prison.  Instead, he'll end up staying in the Los Angeles County Jail for, at most, only two years of his sentence. Judge Michael Pastor also ruled that Conrad must pay an 800 dollar fine.

Total online sales on Cyber Monday were up at least 15% over last year.

US officials used Cyber Monday to announce court orders shutting down 150 domain names of commercial websites they say were selling "many millions" of dollars worth of counterfeit goods. Sports jerseys and uniforms, DVDs, shoes and handbags, golf sets and exercise equipment were among the more popular purchases of "knock off" versions of name brand products. Investigations show the majority of those engaged in defrauding rights-holding companies and consumers are from China, but the phony goods are also produced in other countries, according to top law enforcement officials. The officials say they conduct undercover purchases with the help of legitimate rights holders to confirm the goods are bogus. The operation announced yesterday was designed in part to educate consumers to be wary of websites that appear to be offering name brand products at substantially reduced prices. The government places banners on the seized websites explaining why they were shut down. Last year, the banners registered 77 million hits, so authorities are hopeful public awareness of the criminal nature of the problem is increasing. Officials also point out that "If the price is too good to be true, it probably is," adding consumers can help themselves by being on the lookout for misleading labels and spelling errors to avoid getting ripped off.

A woman named Ginger White says she first saw Herman Cain give a presentation in Louisville, Kentucky, in the mid-1990s. Before she knew it, she says, the two were meeting in Palm Springs and embarking on a 13-year affair. White says she's divulging the affair over Cain's aggressive reaction to accusations of sexual harassment. It bothered White that accusers "were being demonized, sort of, they were treated as if they were automatically lying, and the burden of proof was on them. I felt bad for them." The presidential candidate is denying the affair but a source close to the campaign said today that Cain is reassessing the future of his campaign. Cain held a conference call this morning with his senior campaign staff when he told them he is evaluating the viability of his campaign. Cain reportedly plans to continue his speaking schedule, including a speech in Michigan today. Yesterday, Cain denied the recent accusations in an interview with Wolf Blitzer on The Situation Room on CNN. He said, "I acknowledge that I knew the woman. I acknowledge that I have known her for about that period of time. But the accusation that I had a 13-year affair with her, no."

Today is Square Dance Day. Today is Electronic Greetings Day. Today is True Love Day, marking the November 29th, 1997 celebration when 30,000 members of the Unification Church married or renewed vows at RFK Stadium in Washington, D.C. Today is Strange Names Day, honoring Julia Roberts' twins, Hazel and Finneas, and all others with unique names.

Calendar notes: It was on this date in 1975 that Bill Gates chose the name Microsoft for the company he and Paul Allen had formed to write the BASIC computer language for the Altair, a microcomputer design based on the Intel 8080A processor unit. In 1981, actress Natalie Wood drowned in a boating accident off Santa Catalina Island, California. She was 43. In 2004, Godzilla received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

One more. Follow me on this. In 1936, in Iowa, in a double wedding, a father and son married sisters. The son thus became his father's and step-mother's brother-in-law. The father's wife became both her sister's mother-in-law and sister-in-law. When all was said and done, the son's wife was his step-mother's sister, sister-in-law, and daughter-in-law. Don't even mention the children. I'm think it's nothing years and years and years of therapy can't clear up.

The Red Hot Chili Peppers have announced the first leg of their North American tour. Starting in January, the band is taking their I'm With You World Tour stateside. They're playing Charlotte, North Carolina on the 25th. Then they hit cities in South Carolina, Georgia, and Tennessee with more dates set to be announced soon. Head to RedHotChiliPeppers.com for more.

Christian Bale says he'll never return to the Batman franchise after the release of the upcoming film, The Dark Knight Rises. Bale recently wrapped shooting for the movie and says he's taking the mask off for good. Director Christopher Nolan recently revealed that The Dark Knight Rises will pick up many years after The Dark Knight and shows "an older Bruce Wayne; he's not in a great state." The Dark Knight Rises is in theaters coming up in July.

Regis Philbin ended his run as host on ABC's Live! With Regis and Kelly earlier this month. Now, he's hoping to do a family-oriented talent show! He tells the New York Post's Page Six, it would be "a family competition" that is "sort of a talent show." The 80-year-old has a little experience in that arena, as he hosted the first season of NBC's America's Got Talent.

Kate Gosselin has a new job, but not a new face ... at least that's what she's saying. The new head blogger for CouponCabin.com wrote the following post: "With all of the buzz about me having had a facelift, I will confirm that I have not had one (I am only 36!!!)."

Trivia Answer: Rahm Emanuel who is 52 today. Emanuel resigned as Chief of Staff effective October 1st of last year in order to pursue a campaign to run for Mayor of Chicago pending the announced retirement of six term incumbent Richard M. Daley. On January 27th this year, the Illinois Supreme Court reversed a lower court's ruling that had cast doubt on Emanuel's candidacy; the court unanimously held that Emanuel did not abandon his Chicago residency by serving in the White House, thus affirming his eligibility to run for mayor. He won the Mayoral election on February 22nd with 55% of the vote. President Obama appointed William M. Daley, the brother of Emanuel's predecessor as mayor, as Chief of Staff to replace Emanuel.

The Washington Redskins ended their six-game losing streak much to the chagrin of the Seattle Seahawks. Washington got by Seattle 23-17 yesterday. The loss all but ended what little hopes the Seahawks had of getting back into the NFC playoff picture. Seattle plays Thursday night this week when they host the Philadelphia Eagles.

Saturday, Keith Price threw three touchdown passes to become Washington's all-time single-season leader in that category and Washington held off rival Washington State 38-21 in the 104th Apple Cup. The Huskies can now make plans for where they are going this postseason, while Washington State coach Paul Wulff is left to wonder if he still has a job. Athletic director Bill Moos has said he expects to make a decision on Wulff's future soon.

Vampires feasted at the Thanksgiving weekend box office, bringing the newest Twilight movie its second win in a row, over a strong comeback for The Muppets and other family fare that filled theaters. The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn: Part 1 delivered an estimated $113.5 million around the globe from Friday through Sunday. The film ranked No. 1 for the second straight week at US and Canadian theaters, where ticket sales hit $42 million for three days and $62.3 million over the five-day Thanksgiving holiday weekend. In second place, audiences welcomed the Muppets back to theaters for the first time in 12 years. The new Disney movie The Muppets with Kermit, Miss Piggy, and their puppet friends, took in a strong $29.5 million at North American theaters in three days. The five-day holiday weekend haul reached $42 million domestically. In third place for the weekend was dancing penguin sequel Happy Feet Two. Animated 3D movie Arthur Christmas finished in fourth place. Hugo, a 3D family movie, ended the weekend in fifth place.

According to early reports, earlier than ever store openings and steep discounts helped retailers notch record sales this Black Friday weekend, Total spending over the four-day weekend following Thanksgiving reached a record $52.4 billion, up 16% from $45 billion last year, according to a survey by the National Retail Federation released yesterday. A record 226 million consumers shopped in stores and online between Thursday and Sunday, up from 212 million last year. Individual shoppers spent more too, according to the the NRF. The average holiday shopper shelled out $398.62, up from $365.34 in 2010.

It wasn't all fun and games, though. Walmart shoppers across the country showed up looking for deals and were met with riots, shootings, and pepper-spray attacks. In fact, Black Friday violence at Walmart is rapidly becoming a new holiday tradition. From coast to coast, shoppers rioted and pepper-sprayed to get their hands on cheap waffle makers and Xboxes while, outside the stores, customers were shot over their loot. The goings on are being called a "grim reminder" of a Black Friday stampede in 2008 at a Walmart in Long Island, N.Y. that left one dead and sent a pregnant woman to the hospital. A rundown of some of this year's bargain brawls:

1. At a Walmart near Little Rock, Arkansas., a screaming mob of shoppers tussled over $2 waffle makers. The riot was caught on video and went viral. This "embodies everything awesome about America, including a horrible economy, aggressive consumerism, mindless violence and a complete lack of concern for one's fellow human beings," says Max Read at Gawker. "And let's not forget internet rubbernecking and smug class hatred."
2. At 10 Thursday night at a Los Angeles Walmart, a 30-something woman determined to buy a discounted Xbox 360 allegedly pepper-sprayed some 20 people also vying for a new gaming console. According to a police report, the pepper-sprayer managed to get her Xbox, pay for it, and left the store. The next day she turned herself in. Police have not yet decided if she'll be charged.
3. Things got bloody at a Walmart in Arizona when police arrested 54-year-old Jared Newman late Thursday night. According to Newman's grandson, he had grabbed a video game and tucked it under his arm to guard it from the swarming masses when police pulled him out of the crowd. A CNN reporter says Newman appeared to be cooperating when an officer suddenly slammed Newman face first into the floor, knocking the man out. "It was like a bowling ball hitting the ground, that's how bad it was." The reporter ays Newman was left lying unconscious in a pool of his own blood for about 10 minutes. Police have charged Newman with shoplifting and resisting arrest. Newman is still recovering from incident. "He is emotionally and mentally a wreck," his daughter says.
4. Black Friday shoppers were held up at gunpoint in Walmart parking lots from coast to coast. In San Leandro, California, a man and his family were crossing a store parking lot between 1 and 2 in the morning when a group approached and demanded they fork over their purchases. A fight ensued when the family refused and, according to police, one of the suspects pulled out a gun and shot the man, critically injuring him. In Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, a woman was shot outside a Walmart in an apparent robbery attempt.
5. At a Walmart in Rome, New York, two women were taken to the hospital for injuries they sustained while trying to get a $35 smartphone deal. "I was shoved down and... kicked in the face," says one of the woman, who sustained bruises and cuts on her face, arms, and hand. "It was just like a stampede. All you heard was just like a herd of animals coming through there."

Today is Cyber Monday -- and analysts are expecting an abundance of deals to bring in record online sales this year. Data tracking firm ComScore projects sales for the one-day shopping event to hit a record $1.2 billion this year. Lelah Manz is the chief strategist of commerce at Akamai. She cited the rise of tablet computers in the last year as a major game-changer in e-commerce. She says, "If you think about when the concept of Cyber Monday was first born, it was a time when people had dial-up access at home -- it was the office place or the workplace where they could access sites. Now everyone has broadband access. People have tablets, they're able to get online earlier and at home, and retailers are trying to capture that mind share."

Today is National Decorate Your Dog Day. Help your pooch get into the holiday spirit.

Calendar notes: On this date in 1974, appearing in concert for the last time, John Lennon joined Elton John at New York's Madison Square Garden to sing Whatever Gets You Through the Night and I Saw Her Standing There. In 1986, actress Phylicia Ayers-Allen accepted when NBC's Ahmad Rashad proposed during half-time at the Detroit Lions-New York Jets game. In 1991, a man in Waco, Texas, held up a Circle K store after first diverting the clerk's attention by putting a $20 bill on the counter and asking for change. When the register was opened, the robber pulled out a gun and demanded all the money. The clerk put everything in a bag and handed it to the robber -- all $15. The robber fled, leaving the $20 bill on the counter.

A group of scientists has developed robot prison guards. The five-foot robots run on wheels and will mostly be used at night during a testing period at a South Korean prison. The robots' sensors will enable them to detect abnormalities such as suicidal behavior and violence and report it to officers in charge.

As we all know, Frosty the Snowman was a jolly happy soul. But was he too jolly? Police in Chesterton, Maryland, believe so, and on Saturday arrested Frosty for disorderly conduct at the annual Christmas parade.

Dr. Seuss' How The Grinch Stole Christmas is on ABC tonight.

Lady Gaga is wasting no time in working on her follow-up to Born This Way. Half a year after she dropped the chart-topping album, she's already crafting the sound for the next one. Recently, Lady Gaga appeared on British talk-show host Alan Carr's Chatty Man and teased what fans should expect from her next effort. She announced that her next duet will be with Elton John, adding that she already wrote the song and "he really loved it." Gaga and Elton have a history together. The two recorded the track Hello Hello for the Gnomeo and Juliet soundtrack, and Gaga is the Godmother to Elton's son, Zachary.

The Black Eyed Peas deny rumors that they're breaking up but say they are taking a break from making music together for a while. Will.i.am told Ellen DeGeneres, in an interview to be aired today, that the band "always have two cycles of records and then we take a break. When we take breaks you know, we work on side projects and get our personal stuff in order to then come back and make beautiful music."

A handwritten letter Paul McCartney wrote to a mystery drummer in 1960 inviting him to audition for The Beatles recently went up for auction. While it was expected to go for 14-thousand dollars, it wound up being bought for 55-thousand bucks. No word yet on who the buyer was.

Amazon.com has announced its picks for Best Movies and TV shows of 2011. Chosen by Amazon TV and movie editors, The Social Network tops the list for best movie of the year with Walking Dead: Season 1 coming in as the best TV show of the year.

Trivia Answer: Leslie William Nielsen. Although Nielsen's acting career crossed a variety of genres in both television and films, his deadpan delivery in Airplane! marked a turning point in his career, one that would make him, in the words of film critic Roger Ebert, "the Olivier of spoofs." Nielsen enjoyed further success with The Naked Gun film series, based on an earlier short-lived television series Police Squad! in which he starred. His portrayal of serious characters seemingly oblivious to (and complicit in) their absurd surroundings gave him a reputation as a comedian. In the final years of his career, Nielsen appeared in multiple spoof and parody films, many of which were met poorly by critics, but performed well in box office and home media releases. He was recognized with a variety of awards throughout his career, and was inducted into the Canada and Hollywood Walks of Fame. In November 2010, Nielsen was admitted to a Fort Lauderdale, Florida hospital for treatment of pneumonia. On this date last year, Nielsen's nephew, announced that Nielsen had died in his sleep, due to complications from pneumonia. As a final bit of humor, Nielsen chose for his epitaph: Let 'er Rip.

In 1621, after an arduous first year in the New World, the Pilgrims' fall harvest was plentiful. They found that they even had enough food to put some away for the winter. The Pilgrims had beaten the odds. They built homes in the wilderness, they raised enough crops to keep them alive during the coming winter, and they were at peace with their Indian neighbors. Their Governor, William Bradford, proclaimed a day of Thanksgiving that was to be shared by all the colonists and the neighboring Native-American Indians. During the American Revolution, in the late 1770s a day of national Thanksgiving was suggested by the Continental Congress. President George Washington issued the first national Thanksgiving Day Proclamation in the year 1789 and again in 1795. By 1817 New York State had adopted Thanksgiving Day as an annual custom. By the middle of the 19th Century many other states also celebrated a Thanksgiving Day. Finally, in 1863, President Abraham Lincoln appointed a national day of Thanksgiving. Since then each president has issued a Thanksgiving Day proclamation. Congress declared Thanksgiving a national holiday in 1941.

The US Department of Agriculture says that 45-million turkeys are cooked and eaten in the United States on Thanksgiving. In a survey conducted by the National Turkey Federation, nearly 88 percent of Americans said they eat turkey at Thanksgiving. The average weight of turkeys purchased for Thanksgiving is 15 pounds, which means Americans feast on an estimated 690-million pounds of turkey on Thanksgiving.

Domesticated turkeys cannot fly. Wild turkeys, however, can fly for short distances at speeds up to 55 miles per hour. They can also reach speeds of 25 miles per hour on the ground.

The heaviest turkey ever raised weighed in at 86 pounds; about the size of a German Shepherd.

Turkeys sometimes spend the night in trees.

Turkey has less calories per serving than chicken or beef.

The famous turkey gobble is actually a seasonal mating call.

The drink that the Puritans brought with them in the Mayflower was beer.

Canada celebrates their Thanksgiving on October 2nd.

Beginning in 1966, the Dallas Cowboys have missed playing on Thanksgiving only twice; once in 1975 and again in 1977. Today, the Cowboys meet up with the Miami Dolphins at 1:15 on CBS.

The Detroit Lions have hosted a Thanksgiving Day game every year since 1934. Today, the Lions host the Green Bay Packers at 9:30 on Fox.

The Baltimore Ravens host the San Francisco 49ers on the NFL Network in the nightcap tonight at 5:20.

Happy Thanksgiving!

The salmon were swimming across Skokomish Valley Road in Mason County again yesterday morning. It's like the running of the Wild Rainiers.

Coming up Saturday afternoon, it's Apple Cup time. The Huskies and Cougars meet up at Century Link Field.

The Seattle Seahawks and the Seattle Sounders have announced plans to replace the playing surface at CenturyLink Field following the completion of the 2011 NFL season. The facility is getting new FieldTurf "Revolution" system turf with installation beginning in early February. The previous turf was installed in 2008 and has been used for MLS, NFL and college football games. Next season, the stadium will host home games for the Sounders, Seahawks and, for one season, Washington football while Husky Stadium is being renovated across town. The first major event expected to be played on the new surface will be the quarterfinals of the CONCACAF Champions League between the Sounders and Mexico's Santos Laguna in early March.

Coming up Sunday afternoon, the Seahawks host the Washington Redskins.

Police in Amsterdam say an argument about loud music could be the reason Seattle Mariners outfielder Greg Halman was stabbed to death. A police spokeswoman tells The Associated Press that loud music "appears to be the reason the victim walked downstairs," but police are still trying to piece together what happened after that.

Today is National Clean the Oven If Your Mother Is Coming for Thanksgiving Day. Today is Tie One On Day, a day for women everywhere, in the spirit of women in earlier generations and on the eve of Thanksgiving, to wrap a loaf of bread in an apron, tuck a prayer or note of hope in the pocket, and deliver the wrapped bread to someone in need. Today is Can You Find Your Old Rubik's Cube and Still Work It Day.

Calendar notes: On this date in 1936, the cover of the first issue of Life magazine carried a photo of a doctor slapping a newborn baby and the caption, "Life begins!" In 1976, rock-and-roller Jerry Lee Lewis was arrested outside Graceland in Memphis after waving a pistol and demanding to see "the King." In 1996, State Legislator Michael Burns and registered lobbyist Kimberly McCoy were married in Annapolis, Maryland. It wasn't easy. The bride had to get state permission to buy a wedding ring for the groom, and had to spend less than $25 per guest on the reception so other legislators attending didn't have to report it.

Katy Perry tops off what has been an incredible year by hosting Saturday Night Live next month. Katy is hosting on December 10th, with Swedish pop star Robyn serving as the show's musical guest. Robyn opened for Perry on tour earlier this year. This is Perry's first time hosting the show, but she was the musical guest last fall.

Jimi Hendrix has bee named the greatest guitar player in history by Rolling Stone magazine in a list compiled by a panel of music experts and top guitar players. The panel of experts recruited to vote for their favorite guitar players included musicians such as Lenny Kravitz, Eddie Van Halen, and Queen's Brian May, along with a selection of Rolling Stone's senior writers and editors. The Top 10:

1. Jimi Hendrix
2. Eric Clapton
3. Jimmy Page
4. Keith Richards
5. Jeff Beck
6. B.B. King
7. Chuck Berry
8. Eddie Van Halen
9. Duane Allman
10. Pete Townshend 

The full list is featured in a special issue with four special covers of Van Halen, Clapton, Hendrix and Page, and hits newsstands and online at www.rollingstone.com on Friday.

Glee's mash-up cover of Adele's Rumour Has It and Someone Like You is set to rocket up the Billboard Hot 100 chart this week. According to Billboard, the song looks like it could be one of the series' top tracks since the show began back in May of 2009. The single is on track to sell around 170-thousand copies.

The Salt Lake Tribune reports a Utah woman recently listed her video game-obsessed husband for sale on their website because she was tired of being ignored. Her ad was very upfront, though, calling him "easy to maintain, just feed and water every three-five hours." She also warned that the purchaser would need Internet service and space for gaming. As for the price, this desperate housewife was fairly reasonable, saying she'd even trade her husband for two years of an "acceptable replacement." However, the best offer to date was only a "blue bag of Skittles."

A Very Gaga Thanksgiving airs on ABC on Thursday. The 90-minute special features a Gaga interview with Katie Couric and performances. She's dueting with Tony Bennett on The Lady is a Tramp and is performing her latest single, Marry the Night, as well as You and I, The Edge of Glory and the holiday classic White Christmas, among other hits.

Take consolation in the fact that after cooking for two days before Thanksgiving, you generally don't have to cook for a week afterward.

Trivia Answer: Steve Landesberg who played Detective Dietrich on the ABC stcom Barney Miller. A role for which he was nominated for three Emmy awards. Steve credited with the quote "Honesty is the best policy, but insanity is a better defense." He would have turned 75 today but Landesberg died from colon cancer on December 20th of last year at the age of 74. Initial reports of Landesberg's death said he was 65. In acknowledging that he was actually nine years older, his daughter Elizabeth said he had provided varying birth dates over the years. "He got kind of a late start in show business," she explained, "so he tried to straddle the generations. He fooled the whole world. People were surprised to think he was even 65."

It's one of those Northwest traditions, isn't it? Right around Thanksgiving time, we have lots of wind, lots of rain, and potential flooding. Today's weather, it turns out, is right on schedule.

Saturday afternoon, Apple Cup: the Huskies vs Cougars meet at Century Link Field

Sunday, Seahawks host Washington.

It was Erma Bombeck that pointed out that Thanksgiving dinners take eighteen hours to prepare. They are consumed in twelve minutes. Half-times take twelve minutes. This is not coincidence.

Seattle Mariners outfielder Greg Halman was stabbed to death early yesterday and his brother was arrested as a suspect, according to Dutch police. Rotterdam Police spokeswoman Patricia Wessels said police were called to a home in the port city in the early hours of the morning and found the 24-year-old Dutch player bleeding from a stab wound. The officers and ambulance paramedics were unable to resuscitate Halman. Officers arrested Halman's 22-year-old brother. The spokewoman declined to give his name, in line with Dutch privacy rules. She says, "He is under arrest and right now he is being questioned. It will take some time to figure out what exactly happened." No charges have been filed in the case.

Today is National Stop the Violence Day. Today is National Go for A Ride Day. Today is Start Your Own Country Day. Today is the Feast Day of St. Cecilia, the patron of music and musicians.

Calendar notes: On this date in 1950, in the lowest-scoring game in NBA history, the Fort Wayne Pistons beat the Minneapolis Lakers 19 to 18. With no 24-second clock in those days, the Pistons stalled the entire game to keep the more talented Lakers from scoring. It worked. In 1955, Elvis Presley received a $5,000 bonus for signing with RCA records and spent it all on a new Cadillac, a pink one, for his mother. In 1995, Walt Disney's Toy Story opened throughout the US It was the first computer-animated movie.

Each year for nearly four decades, The Recording Academy has selected a set of recordings that exhibit qualitative or historical significance for induction into the Grammy Hall of Fame and they've just announced the 2012 crop. Making the cut are 25 pieces including Bruce Springsteen's Born in the U.S.A., Paul Simon's Graceland, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young's Déjà vu, The Rolling Stones' Exile on Main St. and Santana's Santana. Other 2012 selections include Dr. Martin Luther King's I Have A Dream speech, Bill Cosby's comedy bit I Started Out as a Child, Cole Porter's Anything Goes and Gloria Gaynor's I Will Survive. You can see the full list at Grammy.org.

Another calendar note. If you ask those of certain age where they were, they will know. It was on this date in1963, President John F. Kennedy, only 46 and in the third year of his first term, was assassinated during a motorcade in Dallas. Aboard Air Force One on the tarmac at Dallas Love Field, Judge Sarah Hughs swore in Vice President Lyndon Johnson as the nation's 36th president. Lee Harvey Oswald was arrested at the Texas Theater and charged with Kennedy's murder. He was killed on a basement ramp of the Dallas police station before he could go to trial.

A Very Gaga Thanksgiving airs on ABC on Thursday. The 90-minute special features a Gaga interview with Katie Couric and performances. She's dueting with Tony Bennett on The Lady is a Tramp and is performing her latest single, Marry the Night, as well as You and I, The Edge of Glory and the holiday classic White Christmas, among other hits.

Ricky Gervais is set to once again host the Golden Globe Awards for the third and, according to him, final time. Msn.com reports that after his controversial job hosting last year, Gervais was reportedly never going to be invited back, but this year he returns as host. It is likely to be a memorable show as Gervais has said he plans to "make sure their offense is completely justified." See what he means when the Golden Globes air on NBC on January 15th.

NBC has ordered a script for a comedy series that features puppets and according to The Hollywood Reporter, the single-camera project comes from Jim Henson Studios. While it's still in development, the show reportedly centers around a Palm Springs family and their puppet neighbors.

Finding the right babysitter or daycare facility is a daunting task for many parents. Parents and guardians usually look for someone who is responsible and authoritative but one Fort Worth, Texas woman found the exact opposite. Star-Telegram.com reports that when Eloise Cardenas went to pick her five-year-old daughter, Mia, up from daycare, the girl complained of her ears bothering her. When Cardenas examined the girl's ears she realized that she was wearing earrings -- which the girl didn't even own. Mia told her teacher that her ears had previously been pierced but closed up. So the teacher decided to re-pierce them for her. When Cardenas confronted Mia's teacher, the teacher responded with, "Mia said it was OK."

Trivia Answer: Toy Story, the computer-animated film released by Walt Disney Pictures. It was Pixar's first feature film as well as the first ever feature film to be made entirely with CGI. The film was directed by John Lasseter and features the voices of Tom Hanks and Tim Allen. Its executive producer was Steve Jobs. The top-grossing film on its opening weekend, Toy Story went on to earn over $191 million in the United States and Canada during its initial theatrical release and took in more than $361 million worldwide. Reviews were overwhelmingly positive, praising both the technical innovation of the animation and the wit and sophistication of the screenplay, and it is now widely considered, by many critics, to be one of the greatest and most revolutionary films in the history of animation. In addition to DVD and Blu-ray releases, Toy Story-inspired material has run the gamut from toys, video games, theme park attractions, spin-offs, and merchandise. View-Master released a three-reel set in 3D in 1995, prior to release of 3D films. The film was so successful it prompted two sequels; Toy Story 2 (1999) and Toy Story 3 (2010). Both sequels were instant hits and garnered critical acclaim similar to the first. Toy Story 3 is, to date, the highest-grossing film in Pixar's works. Toy Story was selected into the National Film Registry as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant" in 2005, its first year of eligibility.

The Seattle Seahawks opened the game with a 55-yard trick play followed by an interception by Tarvaris Jackson. In fact, it was hard to see an easy Seahawks win early on in yesterday's game against the Rams. St. Louis scored first. Tarvaris Jackson threw interceptions on his first two pass attempts. St. Louis blocked a punt. But when it was all said and done, the Seahawks defense assured that Seattle left St. Louis with a surprisingly easy 24-7 win, thanks in large part to five sacks and three takeaways. Marshawn Lynch scored for the fourth straight week, although he missed a third straight 100-yard game, finishing with 88 yards on 27 carries The Seahawks are now 4-and-6 and won on consecutive weeks for the first time, following up on an upset over Baltimore. The Hawks are home with the Washington Redskins on Sunday.

Oregon State beat Washington 38-21 Saturday. The Beavers beat the Huskies for the seventh time in their last eight meetings. Nick Montana struggled in his first career start, amassing 79 yards on 11 for 21 passing.

A 38-yard field goal in the first overtime propelled Utah past Washington State 30-27 on a snowy Saturday. The loss ended Washington State's hopes of becoming bowl eligible for the first time since 2006.

Now it's Apple Cup time. Coming up Saturday afternoon at 4:30, the Huskies and Cougars meet at CenturyLink Field.

WSU quarterback Connor Halliday may not make the Apple Cup. He's in stable condition at a Pullman Regional Hospital Sunday after suffering a lacerated liver. WSU officials say Halliday was admitted to the hospital for observation and imaging after Saturday night's loss to Utah. After the game, the quarterback approached WSU medical staff with significant pain. Officials say Halliday was immediately taken to the hospital and it was determined he suffered a lacerated liver. He will remain in the intensive care unit indefinitely.

The weather around here recently has certainly been, shall we say, adventurous. We had the wind last week. Then a dash of snow Saturday morning. Then it cooled a bit. Yesterday's high in Olympia was 37. Now standby for possible flooding and more wind. Periods of heavy rain over the Olympics and Cascades late today and continuing into Wednesday could cause flooding. A strong frontal system is forecast to stall over Western Washington late today into tomorrow night or Wednesday. The system has the potential to bring very heavy rains to the Olympics and, to a lesser extent, the Cascades. There's a good chance of flooding on the rivers flowing off the Olympics beginning tomorrow. The outlook is less clear for rivers flowing off the Cascades. For now, the heaviest rain and main flooding threat looks to be over the North Cascades but a small shift south in the location of where the front stalls alters the flooding scenario significantly. But wait. There's more. This afternoon, the National Weather Service issued a wind advisory. Damaging winds are expected along the coast and in the Northwest Interior this evening through tomorrow morning. Here in the Southwest Interior, there's also a wind advisory. It's in effect from 7 tonight through noon tomorrow.

The new Twilight vampire movie opened with a massive $283.5 million in worldwide ticket sales over the weekend as passionate fans filled theaters for the beginning of a two-part finale for the supernatural love story. The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn: Part 1 pulled in an an estimated $139.5 million in the United States and Canada. Internationally, Breaking Dawn added $144 million in 54 countries over the weekend. The domestic opening ranked as the year's second-highest, behind only the Harry Potter finale over the summer. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2 pulled in a record $169 million during its debut weekend in July. The Twilight phenomenon overshadowed all other movies over the weekend. Dancing penguin sequel Happy Feet Two earned $22.0 million, and finished second. Action movie Immortals, last weekend's box-office leader, finished in third place. Jack and Jill, starring Adam Sandler playing a brother and sister, placed fourth. Fifth place belonged to animated family movie Puss in Boots. New in theaters on Wednesday: The Muppets, Arthur Christmas, Hugo, and My Week With Marilyn.

Taylor Swift won artist of the year at the American Music Awards last night, nabbing the top trophy for the second time in her young career. She also won the awards for favorite country album and favorite country female artist. Nicki Minaj picked up two awards - favorite rap/hip-hop artist, and favorite rap/hip-hop album for Pink Friday. Adele had been the leading nominee with four awards. She was absent from the ceremony because she is recovering from recent throat surgery. She won the award for favorite pop/rock female artist, and favorite pop/rock album for her chart-topping 21. Other winners included Maroon 5 as favorite pop-rock band/duo/group, Bruno Mars as favorite pop/rock male artist, Lady Antebellum as favorite country band/duo/group, Beyonce as favorite soul/R&B female artist, Rihanna for favorite soul/R&B album for Loud and Hot Chelle Rae as new artist of the year. Katy Perry received an achievement award for getting five No. 1 singles from her album Teenage Dream. She's the first female artist to reach that milestone from a single album.

Today is World Television Day. Today is World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims. Today is World Hello Day, a day to promote peace by offering a friendly greeting to at least ten people. Today is Furniture Memory Day, a day to see if you can remember when and where you bought each piece of your furniture, how much you paid, and which is your most precious scratch. You could also dust it if you want to. Today is Gerard d'Aboville Day, marking his arrival in Ilwaco, Washington, on this date in 1991. He had left Choshi, Japan, four months earlier alone in a row boat, rowing across the Pacific Ocean on purpose.

Calendar notes: On this date in 1877, Thomas Edison announced he had invented the phonograph. In 1974, Congress passed the Freedom of Information Act, over-riding President Gerald Ford's veto. In 1980, having been cliff-hung for five months, an estimated 82-million Americans, 80% of all viewers, tuned in to see Who Shot J.R.? It was Sue Ellen's sister, the jilted mistress Kristin Shepard. In 1993, actor Bill Bixby died of cancer at age 59. His TV series were My Favorite Martian, The Courtship of Eddie's Father, and The Incredible Hulk.

People magazine reports that protestors have shown up outside their headquarters in New York City speaking out against the magazine's choice to name Bradley Cooper the Sexiest Man Alive. Occupy Sexy, as they are calling themselves, feel that Ryan Gosling should have been chosen and are even wearing masks of the Canadian star's face. An entire Facebook page has also been created in protest called The Pro-Gosling People Magazine Protest. Gosling was one of the magazine's 123 Sexiest Men Alive, but did not receive the top spot.

The Wall Street Journal is reporting that a growing number of people didn't outgrow their Lego building blocks. Calling themselves Adult Fans of Lego, these mature builders are finding their love for the Lego can have an adverse effect on their lives. There are reports of spouses becoming jealous of the bricks and children being envious of their parents' collections. However, there's a positive side as well -- one 47-year-old enthusiast earned 20-thousand dollars when he was commissioned by a developer to build a Lego apartment complex.

Do you have good Internet passwords? Most people probably think their passwords for computers, Facebook and Twitter are secure, but Yahoo.com issued a report on the top bad passwords people often use. Number one on the list is "password." Others include: "123456," "qwerty," "abc123," "monkey," "letmein," "trustno1" and "111111." Anyone currently using any of these passwords is encouraged to change them immediately. Other bad passwords on the list are "iloveyou," "master," "sunshine," "baseball," "ashley," "bailey," passw0rd" and "shadow."

Back in 2008, following their reunion tour, The Police announced that they were calling it quits, and it seems like that's how it is going to stay. Sting told Billboard that he can't imagine the trio getting back together, explaining, "I'm not sure there would be a reason to open it again except for nostalgic reasons, and I think we did that" in 2007 and 2008. He added, "I thought we did it very successfully… Everybody was happy to see us. So you know say, ‘Okay, let's close this book."

Trivia Answer: Goldie Jeanne Hawn who turns 66 today. Hawn's first husband was dancer (later director) Gus Trikonis, who appeared as a Shark in West Side Story. Her second husband was Bill Hudson, of the Hudson Brothers; the two divorced in 1980. They have two children, actor Oliver Hudson and actress Kate Hudson. Hawn is now and has been since 1983 in a relationship with actor Kurt Russell. The couple has a son, Wyatt Russell who was born in 1986. Hawn became a grandmother in 2004, when her daughter gave birth to a son. Hawn became a grandmother for a second time when her son Oliver and his wife, actress Erinn Bartlett, had a son, in 2007. Hawn became a grandmother again in 2010 when her son Oliver had another boy. Hawn announced it via her Twitter. Her daughter Kate gave birth to her fourth grandson, named Bingham Hawn Bellamy, in July 2011.

Huskie coach Steve Sarkisian said Wednesday that he wasn't going to announce to the public who his team's starting quarterback will be against Oregon State this week. He must have changed his mind. Sark tweeted from his official Twitter account that redshirt freshman Nick Montana is starting in place of the injured Keith Price this week. With Price still nursing a sprained knee, Montana took all of the reps with the first-team offense on Wednesday, so Sarkisian's decision doesn't come as much of a surprise. Montana is the son of NFL legend Joe Montana. The Huskies are in Corvallis tomorrow afternoon at 12:30.

The Cougars close out their home schedule hosting Utah Saturday afternoon at 2.

The Seattle Seahawks are in St. Louis to meet the Rams Sunday afternoon at 1:00.

Demi Moore is divorcing Ashton Kutcher. In a statement released to the Associated Press, Demi said: "It is with great sadness and a heavy heart that I have decided to end my six-year marriage to Ashton. As a woman, a mother and a wife there are certain values and vows that I hold sacred, and it is in this spirit that I have chosen to move forward with my life."

The Secret Service will start protecting Herman Cain on the campaign trail. He's the first GOP candidate to get the protection this election cycle, though neither the Cain camp nor Secret Service officials would specify whether any threats were made to the candidate. It my just be a coincidence but Cain is on with David Letterman tonight.

Regis Philbin's last show was today.

A new poll shows consumption of alcohol hit a 25-year high in 2010, when 67% of Americans reported drinking alcoholic beverages. A consultant to the study says the economy may be a factor in the increase. However, he says the bad economy doesn't drive people to drink, but it gives them more time to do it.

Lady Gaga's Terry Richardson-shot photo book arrives in stores on Tuesday.

Christmas came early for one Atlanta woman. Well, sort of. She arrived home from work to find firefighters hoisting a 17-year-old boy out of her chimney. ABC News reports that rather than deliver gifts to her home in the true spirit of Santa Claus, the not-so-nice teen was there to take them instead, in what he admits was an attempted robbery gone, well, unseasonably wrong. Rescuers were able to retrieve the bungled burglar, who was completely covered in soot after being stuck in the chimney for nearly 12 hours.

When facing a misdemeanor charge, it's not the best idea to try and wiggle your way out of it by committing a felony. According to the Dayton Daily News, after a 21-year-old woman in Middletown, Ohio was caught shoplifting with her 17-month-old daughter at a local retailer, she texted a friend for help. The shoplifter allegedly asked her knight in shining armor to call in a bomb threat to the store, which he did. The woman is lucky that police immediately deemed the threat a hoax. If even one person had left the store because of it, she would have been charged with a felony. Instead, she walked away with two misdemeanors, petty theft and making false alarms.

P!nk lends her voice to Gloria in the new movie Happy Feet Two. Happy Feet Two also features the voices of Robin Williams, Elijah Wood, Matt Damon and Brad Pitt. Happy Feet Two and The Twlight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 1 both open nationwide today.

Ski area operators are tickled when they can open before Thanksgiving. They're ecstatic today. Crystal and Mt. Baker opened today. Mission Ridge, the Summit, and Stevens Pass are planning on opening tomorrow. Late word this afternoon from White Pass where they plan on opening on Sunday.

As of this posting, down here in the lowlands, we're still waiting for the snow. They say it may still make it.

Trivia Answer: Jamie Moyer who turns 49 today. When asked about retiring after the expiration of his Phillies contract at the end of 2010, Moyer said, "You know, I'm going to leave that as an open-ended question because I don't know how to answer that. It could be (my last season). It potentially could be. But so could have last year. So could have two years ago, so could have five years ago." Moyer tore three muscles in his groin and lower abdomen while pitching against the Houston Astros on September 29th of last year. He missed the rest of the regular season, and was not on the Phillies' postseason roster. He had surgery on December 1st of last year in hopes to make a comeback in 2012. Moyer is one of only 29 players in baseball history to have appeared in Major League games in four decades. After the retirement of Ken Griffey Jr. in early 2010, Moyer, along with Omar Vizquel, were the last two active players in MLB who played in the 1980s. Jamie and Karen Moyer are philanthropists here in the Northwest with their work done through the Moyer Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to helping children in severe distress.

Washington coach Steve Sarkisian was non-committal yesterday about who the Huskies' starting quarterback will be Saturday. Redshirt freshman Nick Montana, the son of Hall of Fame QB Joe Montana, worked with the starting unit throughout practice. Season-long starter Keith Price moved around the sideline with a noticeable limp because of an injured left knee. He did not participate in drills. If not sooner, we'll find out Saturday when the Huskies are in Corvallis to meet Oregon State.

The Cougars close out their home schedule hosting Utah Saturday afternoon at 2.

Sunday, the Seahawks are at St. Louis.

The Mariners will make a run at free-agent first baseman Prince Fielder, Jon Heyman of Sports Illustrated tweeted yesterday. Heyman's tweet said, "mariners are hoping to be in on prince (but not pujols). Unsure if there's room in budget tho. But will give it a run." Fielder has spent his entire career with the Milwaukee Brewers. It's thought he's looking for about $25 million per year. He turned down a 5-year, $100 million offer from the Brewers last year. He also has a relationship with Mariners general manager Jack Zduriencik, who was the director of scouting for the Brewers before taking the job in Seattle. Zduriencik is largely credited for the Brewers' success in recent years.

Today is Homemade Bread Day, a day to make bread at home. Today is John Peter Zenger Day, marking his arrest on this date in 1734 for libel against the colonial governor. Zenger edited his New York Weekly Journal from jail and was acquitted, an early victory for freedom of the press in America. The Great American Smokeout is today. The American Cancer Society urges smokers to not smoke today. Today is National Take A Hike Day. Today is Public Restroom Hand Dryer Appreciation Day.

Calendar notes: On this date in 1973, President Richard Nixon told Associated Press managing editors in Orlando, Florida, "People have got to know whether or not their president is a crook. Well, I'm not a crook." In 1981, Laura and Luke were married on General Hospital. It was television's highest-rated daytime program until the O.J. Simpson verdict. In 1996, a Tampa packaging distributor introduced Biofoam, a new grain-based packing "peanut" more environmentally friendly than Styrofoam peanuts. Biofoam, which smells like popcorn, was originally developed as a snack food, but it didn't sell. In 2003, two weeks before her 22nd birthday, Britney Spears became the youngest singer to ever get a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Bruno Mars now has five-million followers on Twitter. He took time to tweet all his followers with thanks, saying welcome to "the party."

Ricky Gervais has been confirmed as the host of the 2012 Golden Globes by bosses at the Hollywood Foreign Press Association. The funnyman hosts his third Globes in January, despite initially dismissing the possibility of returning following the drama surrounding the last ceremony.

A British woman was forced to call 911 (or the British equivalent, 999) from her mobile phone after falling 20 feet into a sewer because metal thieves had stolen a drain cover. Firefighters hauled her back to the surface and treated her for cuts and bruises.

After coming in second in this year's American Idol competition, Lauren Alaina received a Shelby GT Mustang convertible. However, the then-16-year-old wasn't able to drive it because she'd never gotten around to getting her license. Now that she's seen her 17th birthday come and go, she scheduled her driver's test. One little hitch, though, she overslept --  twice. Lauren is performing the National Anthem at the NFL's Thanksgiving Day showdown between the Detroit Lions and the Green Bay Packers.

Adele's album 21 is the first record to sell a million copies on iTunes in Europe. The Telegraph reports that her second album has broken the European download record, even though it only came out on the continent less than a year ago. Adele has broke a record here in the US as well when 21 became the biggest selling digital album in US history. And that's not all.  He song Someone Like You is the first single to sell over a million copies in the UK.

Trivia Answer: Daisy Fuentes who turns 45 today. Daisy was born in Havana. When she was three, her family fled the island due to political turmoil and moved to Madrid, Spain. Fuentes learned to speak English while watching I Love Lucy episodes. Soon thereafter, she moved with her family to New Jersey. Fuentes joined MTV in 1993. With MTV she achieved name recognition as one of the network's more popular hosts and soon was courted by companies to be a spokesmodel. From 1994 to 1995, she hosted her own talk show, Daisy, on CNBC. She was the host of America's Funniest Home Videos from 1998 to 1999. Fuentes still considers Secaucus, New Jersey, as her home, even though her parents left New Jersey for Miami.

Today's Trivia:  This actress is best known for her role on a long-running NBC sitcom. On November 16th in 1987 -- 24 years ago today -- on her 20th birthday, she eloped with Lenny Kravitz in Las Vegas. Who is she?

Retiring Seattle Sounders star Kasey Keller has been voted Major League Soccer's goalkeeper of the year. The 41-year-old Olympia-born North Thurston graduate led MLS goalkeepers with 18 wins and 76 percent of shots saved, and he had nine shutouts. He received 73.97 percent of voting by media, players, and club officials announced earlier this week.

Saturday, the Huskies are at Oregon State while the Cougars are home with Utah.

Sunday, the Seahawks at at St. Louis.

The Houston Astros may soon be switching to the American League and joining the western division. That might be good news for the Mariners. The Astros lost 106 games last season. USA TODAY reports that Major League Baseball is about to approve a new owner for the Houston team and will also move it to the American League. The swap will give each league 15 teams and guarantee interleague play throughout the season, as well as other changes to the schedule. Starting in 2013, the Astros will likely start play in the AL West.

The NBA formally notified teams yesterday that it has canceled games through December 15rh, erasing a total of 324 games or 26 percent of the season. The news came only hours before players filed class-action antitrust lawsuits against the league in at least two states, moving pro basketball's labor dispute from the negotiating table to federal court.

Kudos to all of our Warren Miller fans that took our advice to THINK SNOW. Apparently it worked -- maybe too good as we may get some flakes down here in the lowlands toward the end of the week. Crystal Mountain says it intends to open on a limited basis from 9 to 4 Friday. Mount Baker has announced that they're opening Friday.

Olympia and Capital High Schools' school bands are hoping to rock their way to $10,000 in a Battle of the Bands competition sponsored by a pizza restaurant. Capital and Oly have both advanced to the finals and stand to earn as much as $10,000. Capital chose Bad Romance by Lady Gaga and Olympia went with 25 or 6 to 4 by Chicago. The contest invites bands from area schools to produce a video performance of a classic rock hit. You can vote by texting the school's code to 24300. Olympia's code is ROCK26 and Capital's is ROCK10. The winner is being announced December 17th.

Today is National Fast Food Day. Today is Famous San Diego Chicken Day, a day to honor anyone who ever slugged a purple dinosaur. Today is Birth of the Blues Day, marking the birthday in 1873 of bandleader W.C. Handy, the Father of the Blues. Today is National Guacamole Day. Today is National Educational Support Professionals Day, a day to honor all school support employees. Today is International Day for Tolerance sponsored by the United Nations.

Calendar notes: On this date in 1959, The Sound of Music opened on Broadway starring Mary Martin. In 1989, David Letterman beat up the Energizer Bunny with a baseball bat.

People Magazine announced their Sexiest Man Alive today ... and there's already a hubbub brewing. The winner is ... Bradley Cooper. That announcement caused Ryan Gosling fans across America to leave work early and head home to engage in a period of mourning which involved softly sobbing while rewatching scenes from The Notebook. Last year's Sexiest Man was Ryan Reynolds.

Coldplay continues to do press in support of their latest album, Mylo Xyloto. The guys were on Saturday Night Live last weekend. They return to our TV sets for a performance on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon on December 7th.

Apparently it was sexist survey week in England. To wit:

Everybody has that BFF that they share their daily or deepest gossip with. Most often the conversation begins with, "You have to promise not to tell anyone," and they unblinkingly reply, "of course." However, the DailyMail in the UK reports that researchers have found that women are so overcome by the desire to gossip that they cannot wait longer than 32 minutes before spilling the beans. A majority of the time, the first to hear the gossip are husbands, mothers or best friends, depending on who the gossip is about. A study of three-thousand women showed that one in 10 women admit to being unable to keep a secret – no matter how personal. While 85-percent said they relish hearing gossip from others.

Then according to some more British researchers, 70 percent of women require up to 20 minutes to decide whether or not to order dessert.

Then the ladies strike back ... or rather Gavin Rossdale surrenders. According to the Winnipeg Free Press, Gavin is letting his wife, Gwen Stefani, decide if they'll have more kids. Gavin, who has three children with Gwen, says, "Do I want more kids? You mean do I have any more plans to be an idiot? No, having more kids is down to Gwen. It's not really the male decision, it's just not right. I just say, ‘Sure, babe, whatever you want.' It's always the woman's decision."

In Glamour Magazine's December issue, Jennifer Lopez explains why she fired her former manager over a comment about her weight. The singer, who poses on the magazine as part of Women of the Year articles, shared, "I was just so infuriated that somebody said you couldn't have a little extra meat on you -- because I was by no means fat! That was so mean and closed-minded." She added, "I was like: 'No, this is who I am and this is the type of woman that I grew up with and it's beautiful. There's no reason to be anybody but myself.'"

Would you buy a product that you saw advertised on a trash can? How about on street lights? According to the Chicago Sun Times, Windy City residents will soon find out. Mayor Rahm Emmanuel's 6.3-billion dollar budget assumes that 25-million dollars in revenue will come from "municipal marketing," selling space on pay-and-display boxes, trash cans, street light boxes, etc. When asked if he was concerned that this move would turn the city into a giant billboard, the Mayor responded, "There are some places where advertising actually may be a beautification."

Trivia Answer: She was born Lisa Michelle Boney. In 1992, she legally changed her name to Lilakoi Moon. We, however, know her as Lisa Bonet who turns 44 today. She was Denise Huxtable on The Cosby Show. Lisa and Lenny had a daughter Zoë Isabella together in December of 1988. She and Lenny separated and eventually divorced in 1993.

The NFL's lone undefeated team is still undefeated. The Green Bay Packsrs moved to 9-and-0 with last night's 45-7 thrashing of the Minnesota Vikings on Monday Night Football.

Snapping a three-game losing streak with another surprising win over a division leader and getting a second straight 100-yard game out of running back Marshawn Lynch was overshadowed by Seattle's significant injury list. The biggest loss is rookie right guard John Moffitt, who is done for the season after tearing ligaments in his right knee. Along with Moffitt, the Seahawks saw wide receivers Sidney Rice and Doug Baldwin, and strong safety Kam Chancellor leave with concussions. Their availability for Sunday's game at St. Louis won't be known until later in the week.

Meanwhile, Huskie Coach Steve Sarkisian told reporters yesterday that quarterback Keith Price twisted his knee Saturday against USC. Price's knee was swollen after the game, and he is having an MRI. Nick Montana may get his first start Saturday for the Huskies against Oregon State.

The Cougars are home again this weekend. This time hosting Utah.

NBA players delivered a resounding but risky response to one more ultimatum from NBA commissioner David Stern: See you in court. The players' association rejected the league's latest proposal for a new labor deal yesterday and began disbanding, paving the way for a yet-to-be filed lawsuit and throwing the 2011-12 season into jeopardy. Negotiating went nowhere, so now the union is going away. And Stern said "nuclear winter" is coming. Union executive director Billy Hunter said, "We're prepared to file this antitrust action against the NBA. That's the best situation where players can get their due process." And that's a tragedy as far as Stern is concerned. Stern said, "It looks like the 2011-12 season is really in jeopardy. It's just a big charade. To do it now, the union is ratcheting up I guess to see if they can scare the NBA owners or something. That's not happening."

The state Transportation Department has closed Chinook and Cayuse passes for the winter because of avalanche danger. The department says strong winds yesterday drifted snow across both Highway 410 and Highway 123 on the east side of Mount Rainier. Access to the Crystal Mountain Ski Resort on Highway 410 remains open. Chinook and Cayuse typically close in November for the winter.

Today is Record Your Cat Purring Day, so you can play the recording on his birthday after he's gone. Today is National Bundt Day, time to get out the old Bundt pans and get ready to bake for the holidays. Today is America Recycles Day. Today is National Sing in Your Car Day. Today is Don't Try to Do Everything at Once Day. Today is I Love to Write Day. Today is Clean Out Your Refrigerator Day.

Calendar notes: On this date in 1926, the National Broadcasting Company debuted on 24 US radio stations. The first broadcast was a four-hour "NBC Spectacular." In 1965, The Rolling Stones did Get Off My Cloud on NBC-TV's Hullabaloo. In 1990, producer Frank Farian admitted that Fabrice Morvan and Rob Pilatus never sang a note on the Milli Vanilli album. The duo eventually returned their Best New Artist Grammy. In 1992, Richard Petty drove in the final auto race of his 35-year career. In 2005, the town council in Clark, Texas, north of Dallas-Fort Worth, voted to change the community's name to DISH. In return the town would get 56 satellite dishes -- one for each home and another for town hall -- as EchoStar Communications hooked up every home in DISH to the Dish Network satellite TV system, worth an estimated $4,500 each. The deal is to last ten years.

The headline "Denzel Washington Dies In Snowboard Accident" was floating around the Internet yesterday. According to one story, the actor was vacationing at a ski resort in Switzerland when he lost control of his snowboard and crashed into a tree. Global Associated News reported that the actor died. Not true. The site previously reported that Adam Sandler, Charlie Sheen, Owen Wilson and Luke Perry also met the same fate. Denzel is alive and well. Denzel's publicist says, "He is working on location in Atlanta." Washington's next film is the thriller Safe House with Ryan Reynolds. It arrives in theaters in February.

When a California man bought his used Chrysler minivan 15 months ago, he noticed that the window on the passenger side wouldn't roll down all the way. After a trip to his mechanic he knows why: The door panel was crammed with 19 bags of cocaine worth $500,000

The dress that Amy Winehouse wore on the cover of her Back To Black album is being auctioned off later this month in London. The dress is expected to raise 32-thousand dollars, with the proceeds going to the Amy Winehouse Foundation, a charity aiming to help young people live healthier, happier lives, especially those who suffer from addiction.

Piers Morgan is leaving America's Got Talent after six seasons. He announced that his schedule had become too hectic since he began hosting his nightly CNN talk show, Piers Morgan Tonight. Morgan wrote on Twitter, "Turned out that juggling's harder than it looks, so I'm going to focus on CNN."

Nickelback is teaming up with the United Way to perform the halftime show during the first game of the NFL's tripleheader on Thanksgiving Day. The band is appearing in the middle of the Detroit Lions and the Green Bay Packers' game. Season 10 American Idol runner-up Lauren Alaina kicks off the festivities, singing the National Anthem.

What's more important: paying your bills or access to Facebook? According to HotHardwire.com, one in three college grads say access to social networking sites is more important to them than salary. The study the site references also states that more than 50-percent of college grads said that if they were offered a job with a company that banned social media, they would turn it down. Also, 80-percent of these Millennials want to choose their own computers, phones and other electronic equipment that they'll use at work and have the companies reimburse them.

We're getting close to the holidays -- time to cheat. A relationship expert says the stress of the holiday season, along with excess alcohol, leads to more cheating spouses.

Kelly Clarkson is kicking off a 40-city-plus North American tour in January. Clarkson's Stronger Tour 2012, coming on the heels of the October release of her fifth studio album, "Stronger," opens at the MGM Grand Theater in Mashantucket, Connecticut on January 13th, with three months of dates through San Diego's Valley View Casino Center announced so far.  The trip does include a stop on March 22nd at  ShoWare Center in Kent.

Trivia Answer: Samuel Atkinson Waterston -- Sam Waterston -- who turns 71 today. Waterston has appeared in episodes of four different series with Richard Belzer: Law & Order, Homicide: Life on the Street, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit and Law & Order: Trial by Jury. He also made a popular cameo appearance on an episode of Saturday Night Live as himself, extolling the virtues of Old Glory Insurance, meant to protect the elderly from robot attacks. Waterston is regularly featured in television advertisements for TD Ameritrade. He replaced former Law & Order castmate Steven Hill as TD's spokesman. Waterston has appeared in a recurring segment on The Colbert Report, called "Sam Waterston Says Things You Should Never Believe In A Trustworthy Manner." The segments usually involve Waterston simply stating an obviously untrue film quote in a very convincing voice. Waterston narrates for Time-Life history specials. On January 7th of 2010, Waterston received the 2,397th Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Steven Hauschka matched a franchise record with five field goals, Marshawn Lynch scored Seattle's only touchdown on a 1-yard plunge, and the Seahawks forced three turnovers in a surprising 22-17 win over the Ravens yesterday. Lynch had 109 yards rushing -- going over 100 yards rushing for the second game in a row. It's the first time in his career that he's done that. Marshawn also became the first Seattle running back to record consecutive 100-yard rushing games since Julius Jones early in the 2008 season. Lynch had another 58 yards receiving as Seattle snapped a three-game losing streak. The Seahawks are in St. Louis next Sunday.

After Southern California lost to Washington on last-gasp field goals in each of the last two years, the 18th-ranked Trojans made sure the final seconds of the latest meeting didn't matter at all.

Marqise Lee caught a touchdown pass and returned the second-half kickoff 88 yards for a score in USC's 40-17 victory over Washington on Saturday. Next Saturday, the Huskies are at Oregon State.

Freshman quarterback Connor Halliday threw for 494 yards and four touchdowns as Washington State beat Arizona State 37-27 on a wet, snowy Saturday night. Washington State needed a win to stay in contention for a bowl and perhaps save coach Paul Wulff's job. Coming up Saturday, the Cougars host Utah.

Don't tell the Lake Stevens High football team anything is impossible. After what the Vikings accomplished Saturday night in a 21-17 victory over Olympia, it's questionable if anything really is impossible. With the victory, the Vikings move on to the state quarterfinals to face Eastlake. With a minute to go in the game, trailing 17-14, and facing a third down and 43 from their own 10-yard line, Lake Stevens quarterback Jake Nelson delivered one of the most thrilling plays in school history. He dropped back to pass, but the play broke down and Nelson was forced to take off running. At first it appeared Nelson was just trying to cut into the sizeable yardage the Vikings needed to stay alive, but then a funny thing happened – he would not go down. Nelson probably covered more than 100 yards as he bobbed and weaved all over the field before eventually being knocked to the ground after a gain of 59 yards. Then Nelson delivered again -- this time with his arm -- finding one of his favorite targets, Christian Gasca, on a corner route in the end zone to give the Vikings the lead with 12.7 seconds left.

The top-ranked Lynden football team hadn't faced adversity like this since, well, the last time they took on a highly ranked opponent in the first round of the Class 2A State Playoffs. That time didn't end up so well, as the Lions suffered their first loss of the 2010 season and Tumwater went on to win the 2A state crown that Lynden had claimed three of the previous four years. This time out they were facing fourth-ranked North Thurston. Turns out, the 2011 Lions aren't like their version of a season earlier. Lynden twice came back from second-half deficits to score a rain-soaked 29-26 first-round victory on Saturday at South Sound Stadium.

The Tumwater Thunderbirds faced Archbishop Murphy Friday night. The game turned out to be a startling reversal of the 2010 2A title game, when Tumwater handled Archbishop Murphy, 34-14. This year, Murphy dominated from the opening kickoff en route to a 41-6 victory against the defending Class 2A champions in a first-round playoff football game at Tumwater District Stadium.

Better news on the volleyball court. Two times the Olympia Bears have played in a state volleyball tournament at nearby Saint Martin's University. Both times have resulted in a state championship. Olympia captured its second state title in school history Saturday night, defeating Kentwood, 23-25, 25-18, 14-25, 25-6, 15-13, in the Class 4A championship match at Marcus Pavilion. In 1998, Olympia defeated Selah for the AA state championship on the same floor.

Today is Operating Room Nurse Day. Today is Leftovers Trading Day, a day to swap everything in your refrigerator to a friend for everything in their refrigerator. Today is Loosen Up, Lighten Up Day, a time to remind everyone of the benefits of joy and laughter. Today is American National Teddy Bear Day. Legend says President Teddy Roosevelt spared the life of a bear cub while on a 1902 big game hunt in Mississippi. Political cartoonist Clifford Berryman drew the incident and the "Teddy" Bear was born.

Calendar notes: On this date in 1954, Bill Haley's first hit record peaked at #7 on U.S. music charts. It was Shake, Rattle, & Roll. In 1980, Martin Scorsese's film Raging Bull opened in the US It starred Robert DeNiro as boxer Jake LaMotta. In 1995, a survey reported in George magazine indicated 75% of Americans believed the US government was involved in conspiracies; 50% believed there was life on other planets; 70% believed in angels; and 10% believed Elvis was still alive.

The action movie Immortals slayed its competitors at the weekend box office, taking the top spot domestically and pulling in an estimated $68 million around the world. The 3D movie's performance surpassed expectations and beat the new Adam Sandler comedy Jack and Jill plus another strong showing for animated film Puss in Boots. Immortals ruled the domestic box office with $32 million in ticket sales at North American theaters, plus an estimated $36 million from international markets. Jack and Jill reached the high end of studio expectations by ringing up an estimated $26.0 million domestically that earned second place for the weekend. Close behind in third place was another strong performance for Puss in Boots, the box-office champ the past two weekends. Action-comedy Tower Heist, starring Eddie Murphy and Ben Stiller, finished its second weekend in theaters in fourth place. J. Edgar, the new drama starring Leonardo DiCaprio as the late FBI chief J. Edgar Hoover and directed by Clint Eastwood, finished in fifth place. Happy Feet Two and the new Twilight flick open on Friday.

Black Sabbath announced Friday they are reuniting in their original four man line-up for their first new album in 33 years and a 2012 world tour. Singer Ozzy Osbourne, guitarist Tony Iommi, bass player Geezer Butler and drummer Bill Ward told a news conference at legendary Sunset Strip club Whisky a Go Go they would perform at the Download Festival in England in June of 2012, and then embark on a world tour. The four musicians, now all in their 60s, released their last studio album of all original material in 1978 with "Never Say Never." Rumors of a possible reunion of the band, regarded as one of the pioneers of heavy metal with hits like "Iron Man" and "War Pigs," had been swirling for months. Nothing has been recorded yet and no dates were announced on Friday for the world tour. Black Sabbath was inducted to the U.S. Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2006 and has sold more than 70 million albums worldwide.

Kelly Clarkson's latest album, Stronger, had another strong week on the Billboard 200, resting at number 10 on the latest chart. By the way, Kelly  has gotten her 13th tattoo. She is currently touring in England and revealed that she got some new ink while there. She also admitted to being addicted to the permanent skin art.

Justin Bieber, Tony Bennett and Cee Lo Green will be among the stars at the 79th annual Christmas Tree Lighting at Rockefeller Center. Michael Buble, Faith Hill and American Idol runner-up Katharine McPhee are also taking the stage at the November 30th celebration to light the tree. This year, there's a 74-foot Norway Spruce from Mifflinville, Pennsylvania set up in Rockefeller Center in New York City for the holidays.

Those 10 limited edition Ferrari FFs in the 2011 Neiman Marcus Christmas catalog have sold out. Buyers paid an additional $95,000 over the car's $395,000 price tag. The catalog buyers get their cars quicker than those who ordered through a dealership.

Men and women who bare more flesh are regarded as less intelligent. A study shows if we see someone wearing revealing attire we automatically assume they are less competent -- be it a man or a woman.

A recent survey conducted by market researchers Lot 42 shows that 33 percent of us have broken up with their beloveds by text, email, or Facebook.

Trivia Answer: Jack Sikma who turns 56 today. Sikma got that championship ring playing with folks such as Dennis Johnson, Gus Williams and an aging Paul Silas. Sikma always averaged double figures in points-per-game throughout his career, and after his stint with the Sonics, he maintained consistent numbers while playing with the Milwaukee Bucks in his final five seasons. For his career, Sikma scored 17,287 points and grabbed 10,816 rebounds. Sikma later served as an assistant coach with the SuperSonics. In June 2007 Sikma was hired by the Houston Rockets as an assistant coach to head coach, Rick Adelman. Among his duties were to tutor center, Yao Ming, in "big man" playing strategies.

The Huskies are at USC at 12:45 tomorrow afternoon. Then at 7:30 tomorrow night, the Cougars host Arizona State.

Sunday afternoon at 1:05, the Seahawks host Baltimore.

In what was widely presumed to be the league's last and best proposal in a labor standoff now into its fifth month, NBA commissioner David Stern yesterday offered his locked-out players a 72-game season that would start December 15th. Yet the league's latest pitch, according to sources briefed on its contents after adjustments were made last night, contained what the union regards as miniscule financial inducements for the players after nearly 24 hours of negotiations this week. And that clearly disappointed union leaders who were expecting more after they made a commitment earlier in the week, for the first time since the lockout began, to accept a 50/50 split of annual Basketball Related Income. Players Association executive director Billy Hunter struggled to mask how underwhelmed he was by the new proposal even as he was telling reporters that he would present it to the player representatives from all 30 teams as early as Monday as a possible prelude to a full vote from the union's estimated 450 members.

Well, here we are on 11-11-11, or as Funny Guy on the Prowl calls it 1-1-1-1-1-1. Some things to know regarding 11-11-11. It only happens once each century. The last 11-11-11 was November 11th of 1911. That day, by the way, marked a major cold snap in the US during which several cities in the Midwest set record highs and record lows in the same day. According to WeddingChannel.com, more than 24-thousand couples across the country plan to get married today. USA Today reports that the marriage license bureau in Las Vegas has increased staffing on this "special day." Veteran's Day commemorates the signing of the armistice that ended World War I, which went into effect on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month. Some believe 11 is a lucky number. Numerologists associate the number with balance. For the number fans amongst us, if a number is divisible by 11, reverse its digits and it creates another multiple of 11 (for example, 1,056 is divisible by 11 -- reverse it to 6,501, and that's also divisible by 11). While we're dealing with ones, here's a fun one-- or bunch of ones: 111,111,111 x 111,111,111 = 12,345,678,987, 654,321.

More people are betting on a dollar and a dream -- and thanks to today's lucky date, 11/11/11, ticket sales are booming. All those ones in a row are very attractive for lottery players, since that set of numbers won't roll around again for another 100 years. But good luck trying to buy a ticket full of ones at this late date. To ensure every winner gets paid, the lotteries typically cap sales of certain number combinations. In New York, for example, the Win4, which caps sales on any one number combination at $5 million, already sold out of 1-1-1-1 tickets for today's drawing a week ago, according to a spokeswoman for the New York Lottery.

Today is Veterans Day here in the US. It's Remembrance Day in Canada. Accordingly, this is National Hug a Veteran Week. Today is Washington Admission Day. Washington became the 42nd US state on this date in 1889.

Calendar notes: On this date in 1918, at 5:00 in the morning, French Army clerk Henri Deledicq finished typing the peace treaty that would end World War I. He had put the carbon paper in backwards. Ten minutes later, in a railroad car in France, military leaders signed copies of an armistice that were completely unreadable. In 1940, Willys Motors introduced the first Jeep. The name came from the initials "G-P" in "General Purpose" vehicle. In 1992, Harry Cunningham died in North Palm Beach, Florida, at the age of 85. Back in 1962 in Garden City, Michigan, as president of S.S. Kresge Company, he opened the first Kmart store.

Oscar organizers announced yesterday that they're bringing back Billy Crystal to host the film awards. The announcement coming after recent turmoil that led to the departure of one producer and his handpicked emcee Eddie Murphy. Crystal has hosted the widely-watched Hollywood telecast eight times. The upcoming Oscars for the movies of 2011 take place on February 26th

Determined to top retailers like Target, Macy's, Kohl's and Best Buy -- who are all opening at midnight on Black Friday -- Walmart has announced it will be opening at 10 Thanksgiving night. Walmart says its customers told them they would rather stay up late to shop than get up early.

Cops in California say a man walked into an unlocked home, passed an elderly couple watching TV games shows, and into the kitchen. They say the man grabbed two bottles of beer from their fridge and "a food object of some type" wrapped in foil, then left.

If your spouse asked you to build them a house, would they expect you to actually build it by hand? A Canadian woman is finding out just what lengths her husband will go to to make their dream retirement home. UPI reports that Bill Glennon is building a five-thousand square-foot, four-story, four-bedroom, five-bathroom house in Alberta. The house will include a media room, a workshop and a garage, and is made entirely out of 30 shipping containers. Oh, and Bill is building it himself, with the help of his 19-year-old daughter, as well as his brother and sister. Not to mention it will be completely off the grid with its own wind generator, solar-panel system and hot water heater. And Bill estimates that his palace will only cost him 625-thousand-dollars. Not too shabby.

Adele has unveiled a new trailer for her upcoming Live at the Royal Albert Hall concert film. The trailer opens with an onscreen message calling Adele's September performance at the famed venue, "a dream-come-true moment and the highlight of her record-breaking year with 21." The clip features the singer belting out songs like Set Fire to the Rain, Chasing Pavements, Someone Like You, which sees her tearing up as the audience sings the chorus, and, of course, Rolling in the Deep. She also jokes about dying her hair blond just for the show because she was "hoping to be treated a bit differently; but so far, not yet." The Royal Albert Hall CD/DVD is available in the US on November 29th and features behind-the-scenes interviews and her full 90-minute performance, including a cover of Bonnie Raitt's I Can't Make You Love Me.

The Syfy channel announced that it will air a marathon of 15 James Bond movies over the Thanksgiving holiday. You can see it now. The family sitting down for Thanksgiving dinner. They bow their heads and pray, "Lord, on this special day we want to give you thanks for Grandpa and Grandma, Little Jimmy, Aunt Frieda, and, of course, our license to kill."

Trivia Answer: Demi Moore who turns 49 today. She was born Demi Gene Guynes in Roswell, New Mexico. She took her professional name from her first husband, musician Freddy Moore. During the early 1990s, she was the highest paid actress in Hollywood. In 1980, at the age of 18, she married singer Freddy Moore, who is 12 years her senior. The marriage lasted for four years. In 1987, Moore met and married actor Bruce Willis. They had three daughters together: Rumer Glenn Willis, Scout LaRue Willis, and Tallulah Belle Willis. Moore and Willis divorced in 2000. In 2005, Moore wed actor Ashton Kutcher after dating for two years. Moore legally changed her last name to Kutcher two years after marrying Ashton. However, she continues to use Moore in her professional life.

Penn State trustees fired football coach Joe Paterno and university president Graham Spanier amid the growing furor over how the school handled sex abuse allegations against an assistant coach. The massive shakeup last night came hours after Paterno announced that he planned to retire at the end of his 46th season. But the outcry following the arrest of former assistant coach Jerry Sandusky on molestation charges proved too much for the board to ignore. One key question has been why Paterno and other top school officials didn't go to police in 2002 after being told a graduate assistant saw Sandusky assaulting a boy in a school shower. Paterno says he should have done more. Spanier has said he was not told the details of the attack. Sandusky has denied the charges.

Saturday, the Huskies are at USC while the Cougars host Arizona State.

Sunday, the Seahawks host Baltimore.

Despite meeting for nearly 12 hours yesterday, the NBA players union and owners were unable to reach a deal to end the lockout. NBA commissioner David Stern said "nothing was decided today," but both sides will return to the bargaining table today. Stern gave the players union until 5 yesterday afternoon to accept a deal that would give players between 49% and 51% of basketball revenues. If it didn't accept the offer, the NBA would offer another proposal that would offer players 47% of basketball revenues. The NBA season has been canceled through at least November 30, and the two sides are hoping they can reach a resolution before more games are called off.

You'll find colas, beer and wines at Costco and other stores, but you won't find any booze just yet. The initiative goes into effect in January, but privatization of liquor sales will take months of planning. Brian Smith is with the state Liquor Control Board. He says, "Beginning in January, we are going to be taking steps to turn our business over to the private sector by June 1st of 2012. He says right now the state doesn't even have a liquor sales license available for retailers. Some 1,400 stores are expected to apply.

Bil Keane, creator of the Family Circus comic strip, died yesterday. Keane started drawing the one-panel cartoon featuring Billy, Jeffy, Dolly, P.J. and their parents in February of 1960. Kean's son, Jeff, has been drawing Family Circus for the last few years as his father enjoyed retirement. Bil Keane was 89.

Today is Windows Day. Microsoft released its Windows computer operating system on this date in 1983. Windows 3.1, the version that would become popular in offices across the nation, was released almost nine years later. Tonight we will see the Beaver Moon, so-called by the New England and Great Lakes Native Americans because it's time for beavers to get serious about preparing for the coming winter. Tonight is Sleep Dangerously Night, a night to switch sides of the bed with your spouse. On the switch theme: Today is National Swap Ideas Day, to encourage the use of creative imagination. Today is National Toothpaste Appreciation Day. Today is Marine Corps Day, marking the creation -- the birth -- of the Corps as part of the US Navy on November 10th of 1775 -- during the Revolutionary War. Semper Fidelis -- shortened to Semper Fi -- Latin for "always faithful."

A set of twins from Madison, Wisconsin, have big plans for tomorrow: They're celebrating their 11th birthday on the 11th day of the 11th month of 2011. Betsy and Katie Overman are making plans: Maybe they'll go to school and stay for just 11 minutes. Perhaps they'll countdown to 11 minutes after 11 o'clock. A local paper reports that an aunt has already given them 11 bags, each containing 11 little presents.

Calendar notes: On this date in 1908, the first Gideon Bible was placed in a room in the Superior Hotel in Iron Mountain, Montana. In 1951, direct-dial, coast-to-coast telephone service began as Mayor Leslie Denning of Englewood, New Jersey, called the mayor of Alameda, California. Eighty-four area codes were assigned for areas in the U.S., Canada, and many Caribbean nations. In 1975, the ore-hauling ship Edmund Fitzgerald and its crew of 29 vanished during a storm on Lake Superior.

Back in March, some of the major labels joined together and released a compilation album called Songs for Japan to raise money for the country following their devastating earthquake and tsunami. Well since its release, the record, featuring 38 songs from the likes of John Lennon, Bruce Springsteen, Bob Dylan, U2, Elton John, Sting and many others, has gone on to raise over ten-million dollars. The money has all gone to the Japanese Red Cross Society

Last year, Lady Gaga beat Justin Bieber in a race to be the first to get to one-billion views YouTube.com. Well now, it's Bieber who reigns supreme by passing Gaga to become the first artist to rack up two-billion YouTube views, according to social-media stats service FameCount.com. While Bieber is now the first artist to amass two-billion YouTube views, in other places, he still trails Lady Gaga, who holds a sizable lead over Bieber in total Facebook fans (44-million to 37-million) and Twitter followers (15-million to nearly 14-million). Meanwhile, both Bieber and Gaga trail Eminem and Rihanna in terms of overall Facebook fans: Em counts 48-million fans, while RiRi has 46-million.

During a recent live show in San Francisco, Green Day debuted a new track titled Carpe Diem. The band premiered 15 new songs at the secret show on Tuesday. The group also performed a new Amy Winehouse tribute song called Amy.

Eddie Murphy won't be hosting the Oscars after all. One day after buddy Brett Ratner stepped down as producer for using a gay slur, Murphy announced that he wouldn't be part of the show. Murphy is one of the stars of director Ratner's new flick, Tower Heist. The 84th Academy Awards air live on ABC from the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood on February 26th.

Former president Bill Clinton was on hand to present Keith Richards with an award for his best-selling memoir, Life, earlier this week. The Rolling Stones legend accepted the Prize for Distinguished Biography from his pal Clinton at the Mailer awards in New York.

Police in West Yorkshire, England, are asking people to contact them if they are approached by anyone selling electrical goods on the streets. The reason? Someone was tricked into buying an iPad which turned out to be a bag of potatoes.

You know those latex gloves doctors wear? Apparently they're not as helpful as we'd like them to be. When doctors wear gloves they wash their hands less often. A new study on hospital hygiene shows that the usual hand-washing rate in hospitals is around 47.7 percent, but when doctors are using gloves it slips to 41 percent.

There are those that consider it an injustice that you can only get your hands on a box of Girl Scout cookies during one time of the year. Well, enter geniuses at Lip Smacker lip gloss and their latest creation: Girl Scout Cookie-flavored lip balm. They come in five flavors: Thin Mints, Coconut Caramel Stripes (Samoas), Chocolate Peanut Butter (Tagalongs), Peanut Butter (Do-si-dos) and Trefoils (Shortbread). Look for the moisturizers to hit stores early next year.

After more than a decade off the air, MTV's Beavis and Butt-Head are back. However, can the program, which celebrates stupidity, keep up with today's society? University of Buffalo professor Elayne Rapping says, "Poor Beavis and Butt-Head have been out-dumbed." She goes on to explain that the characters, who epitomized "low-level popular culture" that was "silly or stupid," now have to compete with mainstream culture and politics of the same degree. Pop culture commentator Brian Balthazar agreed, saying, "There was a shock that these two characters were on television. And now, ridiculous characters are the majority."

Introducing your significant other to your family is always nerve-wracking. And bringing both families together to ask – or in this case, pay – for the daughter's hand in marriage sounds downright terrifying. For one couple, it was disastrous. An expecting South African couple was going through the tradition of lobola --  where the groom's family pays for the bride's hand in marriage -- when the couple found out they were brother and sister. The couple's parents had a bitter divorce and the father raised the son while the mother raised the daughter, and never mentioned a word of the other. The two have ended their relationship but they will raise the child together.

Apparently, kids really do get switched at birth – at least in Russia. Pravada reports that two families learned 12 years after their daughters' births that they'd been mixed up. And they only discovered this by chance.  In the middle of a bitter divorce, the first couple had a paternity test done to prove that the mother hadn't been fooling around. Come to find out, it was actually the doctors at the hospital where their daughter was born who were in a mess. The families sued the hospital and will both be receiving 100-thousand-dollars for their troubles. However, there are no plans to switch the children back. Instead, once they get the money, the families plan to build houses next door to one another.

Trivia Answer: Greg Lake who turns 64 today. The organist and keyboardist is Keith Emerson. The drummer and percussionist is Carl Palmer. Emerson, Lake & Palmer. ELP became highly commercially successful in the 1970s with album sales totaling more than thirty million, and significantly contributed to the evolution of progressive rock. Lake contributed to many of ELP's songs but was particularly noticeable for his guitar-oriented and soulful ballads. For example, on their self-titled debut album, Lake included an acoustic song -- with a keyboard outro hastily recorded by Emerson -- called Lucky Man, which was based on a poem he had written at the age of 12. Lucky Man was released as a single in 1970. While the single only made it to number 48 on the Billboard Hot 100, the album made it to number 18 here in the states and to number 4 in the UK. After more than a decade, Emerson, Lake & Palmer reunited in the Summer of 2010 at the High Voltage Festival.

Saturday, the Huskies are at USC while the Cougars host Arizona State.

Penn State football coach Joe Paterno is retiring at the end of the season, his long and illustrious career brought down because he failed to do all he could about an allegation of child sex abuse against a former assistant. Says Paterno, "I am absolutely devastated by the developments in this case. I grieve for the children and their families, and I pray for their comfort and relief. I have come to work every day for the last 61 years with one clear goal in mind: To serve the best interests of this university and the young men who have been entrusted to my care. I have the same goal today. That's why I have decided to announce my retirement effective at the end of this season. At this moment the Board of Trustees should not spend a single minute discussing my status. They have far more important matters to address. I want to make this as easy for them as I possibly can." The Nittany Lions play their final 2011 home game Saturday vs. Nebraska.

Sunday, the Seahawks host Baltimore.

Growing fears about Italy's debt problems hammered stocks in the United States and around the world today. Stocks were hit hard from the open after Italian bond yields spiked above 7%, raising concern that Italy may be headed toward needing a bailout. European officials reportedly said later in the day that a rescue was out of the question, adding to the selling pressure. The Dow Jones industrial average sank 389 points while the S&P 500 fell 3.9%, and the Nasdaq dropped 3.6%. The day's sell-off puts the S&P 500 and Nasdaq back in negative territory for the year, while the Dow is up just 1.7% in 2011.

Nominations for the annual People's Choice Awards were announced yesterday, with popular films like the final Harry Potter and the latest Pirates of the Caribbean and their actors among nominees. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 and Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides will compete for favorite movie, alongside Transformers: Dark of the Moon, The Help and Bridesmaids. The final Harry Potter film in the long-running series was the most-nominated movie of all, with nine nods. Daniel Radcliffe, who plays British boy wizard Potter, and Johnny Depp, Captain Jack Sparrow in the Pirates films, will compete for favorite movie actor, along with Twilight heartthrob Robert Pattinson, Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman. Favorite movie actress nominees include Emma Stone, who starred in civil rights drama The Help, along with Jennifer Aniston, Julia Roberts, Anne Hathaway and Reese Witherspoon. The People's Choice Awards, take place on January 11th. Voting ends on December 6th.

After collecting data from the 100 most populous cities and tracking spending for a full year, Bundle recently discovered that Washington, D.C. is not just our nation's capital, but our nation's shopping capital. According to the survey, the average American spends $142.08 a month on clothes, shoes, etc., while the average D.C. resident spends $263 a month.

This winter you'll be seeing kids running around the neighborhood having old-fashioned snowball fights -- with a new-fashioned snowball weapon: The Snowball Blaster. It's a machine gun that fires snowballs up to a distance of 50 feet. Snow is loaded into three compartments in the top and then compacted into three balls that are ready to fire.

Graham Nash and David Crosby -- half of Crosby, Stills, Nash & sometimes Young -- played a brief concert yesterday for Occupy Wall Street protesters. The duo sang such hits as Teach Your Children and Long Time Gone for the protesters who are camped out in downtown Manhattan. Members of the crowd sang along. Between songs the duo led spirited chants of "Keep going!" and "Stay here!"

According to the New York Post, Saturday Night Live alum Dana Carvey, who is known for his impression of Regis Philbin, is actually being considered to replace Regis when he leaves his hosting position on Live with Regis and Kelly later this month. Mark Consuelos and Ryan Seacrest were also listed as potential replacements. Regis's final show airs on November 18th.

Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar of TLC's 19 Kids and Counting are expecting their 20th child this spring. Michelle told People magazine that they're "excited" about the news and that she is three-and-a-half months into her latest pregnancy. The Duggars are already parents of 19 kids who range between the ages of one-year-and-10-months to 23 years. They also have two grandchildren by their oldest son, Joshua, and his wife, Anna. The Duggar kids from oldest to youngest are Joshua, Jana, John-David, Jill, Jessa, Jinger, Joseph, Josiah, Joy-Anna, Jedidiah, Jeremiah, Jason, James, Justin, Jackson, Johanna, Jennifer, Jordyn-Grace and Josie.

Don't know if there were any Duggars involved in this story or not. In Toledo, Ohio, the city's mayor, Mike Bell, was driving home from a long day at the office when he noticed a young boy walking aimlessly in the dark. The boy told the mayor he had been left behind at a party at Chuck E. Cheese's and was trying to find his way home, which was eight miles in the opposite direction. Fortunately, the mayor was able to contact the boy's school and get in touch with the mother, who claims she had a car full of children and didn't realize the boy was missing until they got home.

Today is National Nibble Day. Today is Paul Is Dead Day. According to Paul Is Dead conspiracy theorists, Paul McCartney of the Beatles died on November 9th of 1966, from massive head injuries sustained in an auto accident. He was replaced by orphan Billy Campbell, a dead ringer for Paul. Today is Vietnam Veterans Memorial Day. The statue, dedicated on this date in 1984, faces a black granite wall with more than 58,000 names of Americans killed in the Vietnam war.

Calendar notes: It was on this date in 1963 that The Kingsmen entered the Billboard Hot 100 with Louie Louie, the dirtiest song never written. The song, about a bartender named Louie, actually was squeaky clean, but the lyrics were hard to understand and rumors spread that they were dirty. In 1989, Germans danced atop the Berlin Wall as communist East Germany threw open its borders, allowing citizens to travel freely to the West for the first time in 28 years. In 1993, actress Angie Dickinson became the first person in 500 shows to walk off the TV set of This Is Your Life. Angie said, "Not on your life!" In 1997, Detroit Lions running back Barry Sanders became the first player in NFL history to rush for over 1,000 yards in nine straight seasons. In the same game Sanders passed former Dallas Cowboy Tony Dorsett for third place on the all-time rushing list.

A new series based on Silence of the Lambs character Hannibal Lector is in the works for NBC. Reportedly it's being written by Bryan Fuller, a writer and producer for Pushing Daisies, and if the network likes the script, the show could be picked up for 13 episodes without a need for a pilot.

MGM announced earlier this week that the studio bought the rights to bring the Where's Waldo book series to the big screen. It's not yet been decided whether it will be made as an animated movie or a live action film.

According to Billboard, Adele underwent surgery in Boston this week to stop a recurring vocal hemorrhage. Her doctors expect her to make a "full recovery from her microsurgery." The singer was operated on by Dr. Zeiteis, who performed a similar surgery on Steven Tyler. Adele has been ordered to "rest her voice and completely recuperate before looking to schedule any work commitments." Adele was forced to cancel a recent US tour due to her health issues, but is expected to reschedule the trek in 2012.

Trivia Answer: Rolling Stone. The magazine was known for its political coverage beginning in the 1970s, with the controversial gonzo journalist Hunter S. Thompson. The magazine changed its format in the 1990s to appeal to younger readers, often focusing on young television or film actors and pop music. This led to criticism that the magazine was emphasizing style over substance. In recent years, the magazine has resumed its traditional mix of content, including in-depth political stories, and has seen its circulation increase. Rolling Stone magazine was initially identified with and reported on the hippie counterculture of the era. However, the magazine distanced itself from the underground newspapers of the time, embracing more traditional journalistic standards and avoiding the radical politics of the underground press. In the very first edition of the magazine, Wenner wrote that Rolling Stone "is not just about the music, but about the things and attitudes that music embraces." This has become the de facto motto of the magazine.

Saturday, the Huskies are at USC while the Cougars host Arizona State.

Sunday, the Seahawks host Baltimore.

Joe Frazier, the former heavyweight champion who handed Muhammad Ali his first defeat yet had to live forever in his shadow, died last night after a brief final fight with liver cancer. Frazier, who took on Ali in three momentous fights in the 1970s -- including the epic "Thrilla in Manila" -- had been under home hospice care after being diagnosed just weeks ago with the cancer that took his life, a family friend said. Smokin' Joe was a small yet ferocious fighter who smothered his opponents with punches, including a devastating left hook he used to end many of his fights early. It was the left hook that dropped Ali in the 15th round at Madison Square Garden in 1971 to seal a win in the so-called "Fight of the Century." Joe Frazier was 67.

Today is General Election Day, always on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November. Today is Cook Something Bold and Pungent Day. It's suggested that you use lots of cabbage and garlic. Today is National Parents as Teachers Day, a reminder that parents are the primary teachers of children ages birth to five. Today is National Young Readers Day. Today is Abet and Aid Punsters Day, a day to laugh at instead of groan at dreadful puns.

Calendar notes: On this date in 1887, frontier dentist Doc Holliday died of tuberculosis in Glenwood Springs, Colorado, at age 35. In 1913, Indiana's Clair Scott kicked football's worst punt. With the ball on the 3-yard-line, Scott punted from his own end zone. The wind caught the ball and carried it back into the end zone, where an Iowa player caught it for a touchdown. In 1995, Michael Jackson sold the ATV music catalog to Sony for $95-million. It included rights to most of the Beatles songs.

Speaking of Michael Jackson, Dr. Conrad Murray has been found guilty of involuntary manslaughter. Yesterday, the jury announced they'd reached a decision and the verdict was read out at 1:00 yesterday afternoon. The jury, made up of seven men and five women, had only been deliberating since Friday. Dr. Murray was accused of causing Michael's death on June 25th of 2009 after allegedly administering an overdose of of the drug Propofol. Dr. Murray looked nauseous and nervous as the verdict was read out and remained stone-faced the entire time. The judge called the cardiologist a "public safety hazard" and refused to let him free on bail while he waits for sentencing, which will take place on November 29th. That day, he will face anywhere from probation to four years behind bars.

Merry Christmas, Gleeks. You can listen to Glee The Music: The Christmas Album, Volume 2 now on AOL Music before you can buy it. Some of the tracks on the newest album from the FOX show include renditions of All I Want for Christmas is You, Santa Baby, Little Drummer Boy, Let it Snow, and Do They Know It's Christmas by the Glee cast. The album is officially out and available for purchase next Tuesday.

Remember William Hung? Back in 2004, Hung, then a student at U-C Berkeley studying civil engineering, auditioned for American Idol. The aspiring singer famously sang Ricky Martin's She Bangs and the video went viral, making Hung a star with a cult-like following. Now, Hung has found a new gig with the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department. Hung is working as a Technical Crime Analyst, meaning he is analyzing trends and patterns in crimes. This can help law enforcement deploy resources in a more effective manner, as well as playing a role in apprehending suspects, solving crimes, and formulating crime prevention strategies.

How would you like to smell a specific scent every time you get a Facebook notification? Olly is a "web connected smell robot" that converts tweets, Facebook notifications, RSS feeds -- whatever you want -- into smells. Olly has a removable section in the back which you can fill with any smell you like. It could be essential oils, a slice of fruit, your partner's perfume. Plug Olly into your computer's USB port, run some software and sniff away.

Even if you caught Saturday Night Live this past weekend, you may have missed Adam Levine's cameos in some of the skits. Besides performing with his band Maroon 5, the singer also appeared in several sketches, playing musician Yanni in a Greek god skit and appearing as a comedian named Adam 'Hawk Attack' Levine in another bit. Head over to Hulu.com to check out Saturday's episode featuring Levine and his band.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will honor Vanessa Redgrave on Sunday. The British actress will be honored in London, where she is currently starring with James Earl Jones in the stage production of Driving Miss Daisy. The 74-year-old actress has been nominated for six Academy Awards and won for her supporting role in 1977's Julia.

Remember Cabbage Patch Kids? Well some very special versions of the '80s fad are going up for bids on eBay to raise money for adoption awareness organization Children's Action Network. The dolls resemble celebrities, including Aerosmith singer Steven Tyler.

Being unfriended on Facebook is a big deal ... if you're 13. But apparently, to one adult in Des Moines, it really is the end of the world. PerezHilton.com reports that Jennifer Christine Harris and Nikki Rasmussen were planning an event together and it looked as if the party was going to be a bust, so Jennifer wanted to completely cancel the bash. Well, Nikki was having none of that and the two women became embroiled in a catty, verbal battle on Facebook. In an attempt to end the fight, Jennifer unfriended Nikki, which prompted the discarded friend to set fire to Jennifer's garage. Fortunately, due to a loud booming noise, Jennifer and her husband woke up and were able to escape unharmed.

Trivia Answer: Sesame Street. National Educational Television was an American educational television network in the USA from 1952 to 1970. It was replaced on October 5, 1970 by the Public Broadcasting Service. Sesame Street is a pioneer of the contemporary educational television standard, combining both education and entertainment. Sesame Street is well known for its Muppet characters created by Jim Henson. The show is produced by the non-profit organization Sesame Workshop, formerly known as the Children's Television Workshop. By 2006, there were independently produced versions, or "co-productions", of Sesame Street in twenty countries. In 2001 there were over 120 million viewers of all international versions of Sesame Street, and by the show's 40th anniversary in 2009, they were seen in more than 140 countries. By its 40th anniversary in 2009, Sesame Street was the fifteenth-highest rated children's television show in the United States. A 1996 survey found that 95% of all American preschoolers had watched the show by the time they were three years old. In 2008, it was estimated that 77 million Americans had watched the series as children. As of 2009, Sesame Street has won eight Grammy Awards and 118 Emmy Awards -- more than any other children's show. The new Muppet movie is in theaters on the 23rd.

Another tough weekend to be a Northwest football fan.

Tarvaris Jackson played his worst game as a Seahawk. The Hawks' defense allowed its first 100-yard rusher of the season. And once the Cowboys pulled ahead 20-6 in the second half, no thought existed that Seattle was going to be able to pull this one out. A late touchdown made the final Dallas 23, Seattle 13, although wasn't really that close. Sunday, the Seahawks host Baltimore.

For the second straight week it took Oregon a half to get rolling. Once the sixth-ranked Ducks did, they overwhelmed Washington for the eighth straight time. Washington lost for the third time this season to a Top 15 program, although this one didn't bring the accompanying embarrassment that the Huskies 65-21 defeat at Stanford did. Saturday, the Huskies are at USC

Meanwhile, Cal routed Washington State 30-7 on Saturday to move within one victory of becoming bowl eligible. Saturday, the Cougars host Arizona State.

Michael Jackson's personal doctor was found guilty today of involuntary manslaughter in the singer's death following a six-week trial. Dr. Conrad Murray had pleaded not guilty to giving Michael a fatal dose of the powerful anesthetic propofol, which was ruled as the main cause of Jackson's death on June 25th of 2009. Prosecutors had argued Murray was grossly negligent in administering the propofol to help Jackson sleep. Defense attorneys claimed Jackson delivered the fatal dose of propofol to himself. Murray did not testify at the Los Angeles trial. He was led away in handcuffs when the judge ordered him held in custody ahead of sentencing on November 29th. The doctor could face up to four years in prison. Murray swallowed briefly on hearing the verdict but otherwise looked impassive. Outside the court, more than 100 Jackson fans erupted in cheers.

Today is Republican Elephant Day, marking the debut of a cartoon elephant to represent the Republican Party on this date in 1874 in Harper's Weekly. Today is International Tongue Twister Day. Today is 4 Term Day, marking election day in 1944 when Franklin Roosevelt became the first and only person elected to a 4th term as US president. President Roosevelt died only 53 days into his 4th term, and Vice-President Harry Truman assumed the Presidency. Today is Stay Away from Anyone named Honest John Day.

Calendar notes: On this date in 1960, James Brett Jr. underwent successful hip surgery in Houston. He was 111 years old, the oldest surgical patient on record. In 1965, the Pillsbury Dough Boy debuted in television commercials. In 1973, New Jersey became the first US state to allow girls to play on Little League baseball teams. In 1991, Magic Johnson announced he had tested positive for the HIV virus and would retire from pro basketball. In 2000, Hillary Rodham Clinton became the first president's wife to win public office. The state of New York elected her to the US Senate.

Puss in Boots snatched the domestic box office title from a band of working-class thieves in the new Eddie Murphy action-comedy Tower Heist, according to studio estimates. Puss in Boots, the an animated spinoff from the Shrek movies, nabbed an estimated $48 million in global ticket sales during its second weekend in theaters. That included an unexpectedly strong $33 million from US and Canadian theaters, putting the 3D family film in first place domestically for the second week in a row. This week's win came as a surprise as industry watchers had forecast Tower Heist would steal the show but it placed second for the weekend with $25.1 million in North American ticket sales. In third place, pot-smoking duo Harold & Kumar underachieved with their holiday misadventures. A Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas took in $13.1 million domestically. In fourth place was Paranormal Activity 3. Fifth spot for the weekend belonged to science fiction thriller In Time starring Justin Timberlake. New in theaters this upcoming weekend are J. Edgar, Jack & Jill, and Immortals.

Andy Rooney so dreaded the day he had to end his signature 60 Minutes commentaries about life's large and small absurdities that he kept going until he was 92 years old. Even then, he said he wasn't retiring. Writers never retire. But his life after the end of A Few Minutes With Andy Rooney was short: He died Friday night, only a month after delivering his 1,097th and final televised commentary. Rooney had gone to the hospital for an undisclosed surgery, but major complications developed and he never recovered. His 60 Minutes colleague Steve Kroft said, "Andy always said he wanted to work until the day he died, and he managed to do it, save the last few weeks in the hospital."

Tomorrow the asteroid 2005 YU55 is passing near Earth between our planet and the moon. This is the closest an asteroid of this size has passed by our planet in 35 years. The trajectory of 2005 YU55 will miss Earth, coming within around 200,000 miles, slightly less than the distance from the moon to our planet.

ABC is airing a 90 minute Lady Gaga Thanksgiving special called A Very Gaga Thanksgiving. The show teams Gaga with Katie Couric, and features the singer performing eight songs in front of a small audience of her friends and family. Couric is also sitting down for an interview with Gaga at the singer's New York alma mater, Sacred Heart Catholic School, asking about the inspiration for some of her songs. In addition to You and I and The Edge of Glory, Gaga is also performing White Christmas and her duet with Tony Bennett, The Lady is a Tramp. A Very Gaga Thanksgiving airs on ABC on November 24th.

The Justin Bieber paternity claim took another turn late last week when the Los Angeles Police Department said it may investigate the woman making the claims for statutory rape. Bieber has vehemently denied the allegations made by 20-year-old Mariah Yeater that he is the father of her now three-month-old child. Yeater has filed a paternity suit against Bieber, claiming that the boy was born after the two had unprotected sex backstage after one of the singer's shows in Los Angeles last year. Now, according to The Associated Press, Los Angeles Police may investigate Yeater because if her story is true, she could be subject to statutory rape charges since Bieber was a 16-year-old minor at the time of the incident. Bieber sat down with Matt Lauer on The Today Show on Friday and said "none of the allegations are true."

The finalists for the 2011 Billboard Touring Awards have been announced and they include some big names. U2, Bon Jovi and Take That are the three groups vying for the Top Tour award, which is based on how much money the tours made, and the Top Draw award, which is based on how many people went to see the tour. U2 is up for the record-setting 360 Tour against Bon Jovi's Circle Tour and Take That's European tour. We find out who wins when the 2011 Billboard Touring Awards take place this week in New York.

Martin Kippenberger's sculpture, When it Starts Dripping from the Ceiling, must've been very "authentic and real-looking." Not only is/was it valued at $1.1 million, a cleaning woman doing her job inside Ostwall museum mistook a rain puddle at the bottom of this creation for real, then damaged it beyond repair trying to scrub up the mess.

Some might argue that all stars are overpaid, but Drew Barrymore and Eddie Murphy are in a league of their own, according to a survey conducted by Forbes and released yesterday. Top stars can make tens of millions of dollars on a single film, and the payout can be justified when a movie like Pirates of the Caribbean brings in several hundred million at box offices. But when their movies bomb, that's another story. Barrymore saw her 2010 romantic comedy Going the Distance earn just $17.8 million in ticket sales. Her 2009 movies Everybody's Fine and Whip It fared worse. Forbes said Drew returns just 40 cents for every dollar movie studios spend for her participation. By contrast Murphy's films returned $2.70 for each dollar he was paid. The magazine compiled the list from Hollywood's 40 top-earning actors, and based it on each star's compensation on his or her last three films and the operating income on those films. From that, Forbes derived a return-on-investment. Oscar winners were not immune from the dubious distinction of most-overpaid, either. Nicolas Cage, Nicole Kidman, Denzel Washington and Reese Witherspoon all made the top 10, Witherspoon largely owed her spot to her starring role in the James L. Brooks disaster "How Do You Know," which Forbes said cost an estimated $120 million to produce but brought in only $50 million worldwide. At least Will Ferrell can take consolation in not being first this time around, after owning the top spot for two years running. This year, he placed third behind Murphy. No. 4 Reese Witherspoon. No. 5 Denzel Washington. No. 6 Nicolas Cage. No. 7 Adam Sandler. No. 8 Vince Vaughn. No. 9 Tom Cruise. No. 10 -- for every $1 she's paid, her films return an average $6.70 -- Nicole Kidman.

Trivia Answer: Hiroshi Yamauchi who turns 84 today. As of 2008, Yamauchi was the third richest person in Japan and 149th richest in the world, having a net worth of approximately $7.8 billion.

After more than nine decades of hosting Husky football, NFL games, presidential speeches and commencement addresses, Husky Stadium is shutting down -- for a while anyway. The waterfront stadium with a setting nearly impossible to match in all of college football hosts its final game, a showdown between Washington and No. 6 Oregon tomorrow, before it's closed for a $250 million renovation. In less than two years, it will become a football-only facility -- a new Husky Stadium. Kick-off tomorrow night is at 7:30.

Meanwhile, the Cougars travel to San Francisco to face the California Golden Bears tomorrow afternoon at 3:30.

The Seattle Seahawks are in Texas this weekend. They meet the Dallas Cowboys Sunday morning at 10.

Jakob Dylan told Rolling Stone that he plans to make a new album with the Wallflowers this winter. The singer says the band, whose last album came out back in 2005, will get back into the studio in January to work on new music. So why did Dylan decide to get back together with the band? He said, "I miss it. I'm happy to put the acoustic guitar down. That was something I wanted to do, but I never planned on hitting the road and just being the guy with a guitar out there. That never has been exciting to me. I came up loving bands and I want to be in one."

Maroon 5 is the musical guest tomorrow night on Saturday Night Live.

New in theaters this weekend, Tower Heist and A Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas.

Today is Will Rogers Day in Oklahoma, marking his birth on this date in 1879. Today is Use Your Common Sense Day, always on Will Rogers' birthday. Rogers said, "Common sense ain't all that common." Today is Honeymoon Day, a day to celebrate honeymoon memories. Today is Reverse Bite Day, a day to tilt your head in the other direction to eat your taco. Today is National Candy Day.

Calendar notes: On this date in 1939, air conditioners in cars were introduced in Chicago by Packard Motor Company. In 1961, Bob Dylan earned $20.00 for his first concert at Carnegie Hall. Only 50 people showed up. Tickets were $2.00. In 1963, during a Beatles' appearance in the Royal Variety Performance in London, John Lennon cracked, "Those of you in the cheaper seats clap -- the rest of you can rattle your jewelry."

Walter Isaacson's biography of Apple co-founder Steve Jobs has shot to the top of bestseller lists in its first week in book stores, flying off shelves to the tune of 379,000 copies, according to Nielsen's BookScan. "Steve Jobs," which came out on October 24th from publisher Simon & Schuster, sold three times more copies than the next-bestselling book, John Grisham's The Litigators. In its first week alone the book became one of the year's 20 bestsellers.

If you own an iPad, iPhone or iPod Touch, tracking down a lost or stolen gadget is easy -- as long as you have Apple's free Find My iPhone app installed. But when a guy stole an iPad from an Ohio Walmart, the store quickly called police, who quickly tracked the thief down. Not because the iPad had the Find app installed, but because the man had left his debit card at the store.

It's a big, scary world out there. And when it comes to first dates you can't blame a woman for doing a little background checking on her potential Mr. Right, right? Now there's a woman out there making it easy for everyone to get the 4-1-1 on their date before going out. Maria Coder, a publicist, writer, and cyber-sleuth, created InvestiDate, a company that teaches women who use online dating sites how to find information on the people they are interested in dating.

Lady Gaga is launching the Born This Way Foundation, a non-profit organization focusing on youth empowerment and "issues like self-confidence, well-being, anti-bullying, mentoring and career development." Billboard reports that Gaga is working alongside the MacArthur Foundation and Harvard University on the project. Lady Gaga and her mother, Cynthia Germanotto, will be the directors of the Born This Way Foundation, which will be launched in 2012.

Want to live where Jon Bon Jovi once laid his head? Well, if you got a few extra bucks, you can. Jon is selling his New York apartment for a whopping 45-million dollars. The two-story, six-bedroom, six-bathroom condo is in SoHo and also features two kitchens, three outdoor terraces and an internal elevator. The 49-year-old rocker is worth between 200 and 350-million dollars. He also owns a 15-acre estate in New Jersey.

Julian Lennon, John Lennon's son with his first wife, Cynthia, is upset with Paul McCartney because he feels he's been snubbed when it comes to several recent Beatles events, including Paul's New York City wedding reception a couple weeks ago. The 48-year-old Julian went on a rant on his Facebook page, noting that he was snubbed at the wedding and its New York counterpart, the anniversary of Vegas' LOVE production and the premiere of the George Harrison documentary. He demanded to know the truth to why, writing, "I & My Mother will not be eradicated from history… how dare they?"

The 23rd film in the James Bond franchise is currently in production and now, its title has been announced. The is called Skyfall and star Daniel Craig described it at a London press conference this week as "Bond with a capital 'B.'" Skyfall comes out in October of 2012.

The New York Post is reporting that Ricky Gervais has been invited to host the Golden Globes for a third time. Nothing is official yet but it might surprise some people since the actor caught some heat for his controversial jabs at Robert Downey, Jr., Charlie Sheen and Johnny Depp at the last two ceremonies. The Golden Globe Awards air on NBC on January 15th.

Actor Leonard Stone died from cancer on Wednesday. He's best known for his role as the father of Violet in the 1971 movie Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. Stone had a successful career on Broadway and also appeared in TV shows like General Hospital, M*A*S*H, and Night Court. He would have been 88 years old on Thursday.

Trivia Answer: Ralph George Macchio who turns 50 today. It was not until 1984 that Macchio became known internationally as Daniel LaRusso in the Karate Kid movie. He continued this success with the film's sequels, Karate Kid Part II and III. With his boyish looks, Macchio became one of the most famous teen idols of the mid-1980s, his face appearing on the cover of many teen magazines such as Tiger Beat, 16, and Teen Beat. In 1992, Macchio starred opposite Joe Pesci and Marisa Tomei in the hit comedy, My Cousin Vinny, playing the part of Billy Gambini, who was wrongly accused of murder while passing through a small Alabama town. It was the first significant adult role of his career. On the Friends episode titled The One with Phoebe's Wedding, Italian character Joey Tribbiani mentions that he lost out on a part in a movie: "How could I not get that part? Stupid Ralph Macchio." Macchio is ranked #80 on VH1's 100 Greatest Teen Stars.

Seattle outshot Salt Lake 26-4 and finished with goals from Osvaldo Alonso and Lamar Neagle. But, alas, the rally fell short as Real Salt Lake advanced to the Western Conference Final on an aggregate total of 3-2. The Sounders most successful season -- and Kasey Keller's professional career -- both come to an end at CenturyLink Field last night.

Coming up Saturday, the Huskies host Oregon in the Husky Stadium finale. The Cougars are on the road at California on Saturday.

Sunday, the Seahawks are in Dallas to meet the Cowboys.

Today is National Sandwich Day. Today is Cliché Day. Urge everyone to use as many clichés as possible today. Today is National Housewives Day. Today is National Men Make Dinner Day, for non-cooking men only. Give the women a break. Barbecues not allowed. Today is Let Someone Have the Last Word Day.

Calendar notes: On this date in 1952, a supermarket in Chester, New York, offered history's first frozen bread for sale, using a Birdseye quick-freeze process. It didn't catch on, but Clarence's frozen peas, introduced the same day, are still selling. In 1972, James Taylor and Carly Simon were married in New York City. In 1998: Minnesotans elected former pro wrestler Jesse 'The Body' Ventura to be their governor.

You may not know the name Rovio, but you probably know Rovio's No. 1 product, Angry Birds. Yesterday the software company said Angry Birds had reached 500 million downloads -- and in less than two years since its launch.

Kate Gosselin has a new job. The Kate Plus 8 star is now blogging about coupons. Gosselin has scored a gig at CouponCabin.com. Her first blog post debuts on November 22nd about shopping for the holidays.

Oh yeah, it's really over. Not only did Kim Kardashian file paperwork for a divorce this week, she's no longer following husband Kris Humphries on Twitter.

Kim and Kris got plenty of expensive wedding gifts, but the couple, divorcing after just 72 days of marriage, aren't giving the presents back. Kim wrote on her blog that she's donating all the money from the gifts to the Dream Foundation, an organization that grants wishes for adults with life threatening illnesses. Kim went on to say that she "married for love" and "got caught up with the hoopla and the filming of the TV show that when I probably should have ended my relationship, I didn't know how to and didn't want to disappoint a lot of people."

The House of Representatives has passed a resolution reaffirming the national motto as "In God We Trust." Apparently it just beat out "OMG."

Lindsay Lohan was in court yesterday to face the judge after she allegedly violated probation by not attending her court-ordered community service and therapy sessions. The actress admitted to violating her probation and in sentencing, the judge decided to do what she called "putting the keys to the jail in the defendant's hands." Lindsay faces 300 days in jail but as a deal, the judge sentenced her to 30 days in jail to start in one week. Those have to be served in jail, so no house arrest, but once they are done, she would have over a month to do 12 days of community service at the LA Morgue and four therapy sessions. On December 14th, she'll appear before the judge and if she completed the work, then the remaining 270 days she still needs to serve will be stayed for another month. If she again does her required community service and therapy, it will again be stayed. That will continue to March 29th, when, if she has completed everything, the jail term will be permanently stayed. If she violates probation at any time though, a warrant will be put out for her arrest. In the meantime, she can't leave the country and can only leave California for work or family reasons. At the end of the hearing, Lindsay could be heard saying "Thank God" under her breath. Because of the less-than-serious nature of the crime, the LA Sheriff tells TMZ that Lindsay will only serve 20 percent of her sentence, or six days in jail. Lohan's probation officer did not want to work with her anymore so she was assigned a new one who the judge called "no nonsense."

Simon Cowell's new show, The X Factor, is returning for a second season on television. That announcement from Fox yesterday. Launched in September after almost a year of hype, The X Factor is watched by about 13 million viewers per episode. That's about half the audience of American Idol. But it's the top TV reality series in the fall season among the 18-49 age group most-prized by advertisers. The show offers an unprecedented $5 million prize and recording contract to a winner to be chosen in December. Fox reality programming chief Mike Darnell said the program was "a monumental success."

Yesterday, a federal appeals court upheld the finding that the FCC was wrong to fine CBS over Janet Jackson's wardrobe malfunction during the 2004 Super Bowl halftime show. CBS was hit with a 550-thousand dollar fine over the incident, saying CBS should have known it could have happened. CBS originally appealed the FCC fine in 2006.

On November 18th, Regis Philbin retires from his role as host of Live with Regis and Kelly and as yet, a replacement has not been named, however, there is a plan in place. The show will be called Live with Kelly and special guest hosts will join Kelly Ripa. First up will be Jerry Seinfeld who will co-host on November 21st, 22nd and 23rd. Together, Jerry and Kelly will chat with guests like Howie Mandel and Miss Piggy. Regis is retiring after 28 years as the show's host.

Things are getting nuts. CNN is reporting that you're going to have to start shelling out more cash for peanuts. Check your local grocery store and you'll notice that the price has already started to rise, but don't expect it to stop there. We have Mother Nature to thank. Peanuts are harvested in September and October, and this year was one of the worst harvests in recent memory.

Kelly Clarkson's fifth album, Stronger, debuts at number two on the Billboard album chart selling over 163-thousand copies, according to Nielsen SoundScan. Coldplay scores the number one album this week with Mylo Xyloto, which sold over 448-thousand copies.

College athletics are all about tradition. John Brown University might have the strangest in the land. For more than 30 years, fans of the small school in Siloam Springs, Ark., have celebrated the team's first points of the season by TPing the court. It results in a technical foul, but judging by the staff and trash bins on hand to clean up the mess, the school apparently feels it's worth it. John Brown is an NAIA school, so it's not subject to an NCAA ban on the tradition.

Trivia Answer: Dennis Miller who turns 58 today. In 2000, Miller landed the job as color commentator on ABC's Monday Night Football. His commentary was sprinkled with esoteric references. A common Miller-ism was after a Hail Mary pass fell incomplete, he would say "Hail Mary is denied -- separation of church and state." After two seasons, Miller and former San Diego Chargers' quarterback Dan Fouts (who worked alongside play-by-play man Al Michaels) were replaced by the veteran football commentator John Madden. In 2010, TV Guide listed Miller's stint at #12 on its list of the 25 Biggest TV Blunders. Miller has authored four books based on his stand-up comedy and television monologues: The Rants (1996), Ranting Again (1999), I Rant, Therefore I Am (2000), and The Rant Zone (2001). Miller married Carolyn "Ali" Espley, a former model from Vancouver, BC, in 1988. Espley is best known as the girl in Kajagoogoo's Too Shy music video. The couple lives in Santa Barbara. They have two sons, Holden (born 1990) and Marlon (born 1993).

A tough row to hoe for the Seattle Sounders tonight. It's the second leg of their Western Conference semifinal series with Real Salt Lake. The Sounders, they're essentially starting the match down 3-0. The Sounders need at least 4 goals to advance. First kick at CenturyLink field is tonight at 7.

Coming up Saturday, the Huskies host Oregon while the Cougars are on the road at California.

Sunday, the Seahawks are in Dallas to meet the Cowboys.

The Seattle Mariners have hired Chris Gwynn as their new director of player development after the current director was made the new manager at Single-A High Desert. Gwynn previously worked as the director of player personnel for the San Diego Padres. He is the younger brother of Hall of Famer Tony Gwynn.

The Red Hot Chili Peppers have just announced some UK shows and are expected to announce a US tour in the near future.

Jimmy Kimmel is set to emcee the 98th White House Correspondents Dinner. The dinner, which usually resembles a roast of the current presidential administration, will have Barack and Michelle Obama in attendance as well as other government officials. Previous hosts have included Stephen Colbert, Seth Meyers and Jay Leno.

It may seem early but Black Friday is just a little over three weeks away. Deals are starting to pop up already. In fact, Amazon announced yesterday that its Black Friday deals store is up and running now.

Today is National Refuse to Capitalize the First Letters in Your Name Day, always on singer k.d. lang's birthday. Her name is Kathryn Dawn, by the way. Today is Plan Your Epitaph Day, based on the premise that a forgettable gravestone is a fate worse than death. Today is Deviled Egg Day, a good day to take your lunch to work. Today is North Dakota Day and South Dakota Day. North Dakota became the 39th U.S. state on this date in 1889, South Dakota became the 40th state.

Calendar notes: On this date in 1958, Billboard magazine introduced a new chart that ranked the top 100 singles. In 1966, Paul Revere & The Raiders appeared on TV's Batman. In 1976, Georgia peanut farmer Jimmy Carter was elected President of the U.S.

Bank of America Corp. is scrapping its plan to charge a $5 monthly fee for debit card purchases. Duh.

Close Kim Kardashian friend Kathie Lee Gifford talked about Kim's divorce on yesterday's Today show. During the segment, Gifford said she noticed Kim and Kris Humphries didn't seem all that excited to be husband and wife, even before their big wedding. She explained that the two were at a small party of about fifty people, and Gifford didn't see the couple together at all.

A researcher at Microsoft Research examined why so many parents allow their children under the Facebook age limit of 13 to join the social network. The researcher found that parents don't have enough awareness about the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act, which restricts access to social network to kids aged 13 and older. The researcher found 55 percent of parents of 12-year-olds know their children have Facebook accounts, with 82 percent of those knowing when their kids signed up, and 76 percent assisting them in the process.

Could Steve Perry reunite with Journey? Probably not. The singer told the Associated Press, "It's like any emotional, committed relationship. At some point, they seem to all have a shelf life and bands are no exception." He added, "Life has moved us all on in different places in our lives." Additionally, Steve told MelodicRock.com that of the three singers that followed in his footsteps in Journey, he thinks Jeff Scott Soto was the most talented. He went on to say, "They should have stuck with him and continued to write music, but that might have required that they let him in emotionally a little more." Steve also revealed he is sketching out a new album.

A man in an Australian hospital (in Sydney) faces charges after he was found with a handgun in his prosthetic leg. Officers were called to the hospital Monday after a doctor spotted the firearm. The 66-year-old man was in hospital because he had his other leg amputated due to a medical condition.

ABC is launching a new game show, You Deserve It, on November 21st. Hosted by The Bachelor's Chris Harrison and co-hosted by Brooke Burns, You Deserve It features contestants who aren't out to win money for themselves but are playing for someone else -- someone they feel deserves it. The beneficiary, who is in another location under constant hidden-camera surveillance throughout the show, gets the surprise of a lifetime when family, friends, Brooke Burns and a camera crew burst in with life-changing news.

Adele wants everyone to to know that she does not have throat cancer, despite online rumors. According to Rolling Stone, she is having surgery on her vocal cords before the end of the year, but for a hemorrhaged vocal cord, not cancer.

From The Miami Herald: 

When it comes to getting to work on time, Miami Police Officer Fausto Lopez is special. While the rest of us have to obey traffic laws, he gets to hop on his white-and-blue-striped patrol car and speed -- really speed, like 120 miles per hour -- on the Turnpike, all the while zigzagging through traffic repeatedly to bypass slowpokes in their Hondas and Toyotas and those clunky rigs and tankers in his way. So unencumbered by the rules and speed limits was Lopez at 6:28 a.m. on Oct. 11 that he even whizzed by a Florida Highway Patrol trooper, who chased him for seven minutes -- blue lights flashing, siren wailing -- until he finally stopped 12 miles later. His driving, the chase, and his ensuing detention were caught by the camera on the cruiser of FHP Trooper D.J. Watts.

Trivia Answer: Daniel Boone who was born on this date in 1734. The real frontiersman, was not a big man and did not wear a coonskin cap. Boone was portrayed this way because Fess Parker, the tall actor who played Boone, was essentially reprising his role as Davy Crockett from an earlier TV series. That Boone could be portrayed as a Crockett, another American frontiersman with a very different persona, was another example of how Boone's image could be reshaped to suit popular tastes. Daniel Boone died of natural causes on September 26th of 1820. His last words were, "I'm going now. My time has come." 

Another Halloween season is over, which is good news for the folks working at haunted houses. The Huffington Post reports that most injuries that take place at haunted houses happen to the people working there. The most common affliction? Busted noses. Although, bites, twisted ankles and "haunted house throat" -- which comes from too much screaming -- are also common injuries. One employee says those who operate the chainsaws can also get muscle burns,

So with Halloween behind us, we welcome a new month. In Latin novem means nine. In ancient Rome, November was the ninth month. November's birthstone is topaz. Its flower is the chrysanthemum. November is National American Indian Heritage Month, National Adoption Month, National AIDS Awareness Month, Aviation History Month, American Diabetes Month, National Epilepsy Awareness Month, National Family Caregivers Month, Vegan Month, and Peanut Butter Lovers' Month. Today is the Day of the Dead in Mexico. Today is National Authors Day. It's National Cook for Your Pets Day. It's also National Family Literacy Day.

Calendar notes: It was on this date in 1913 that Notre Dame introduced the forward pass. Quarterback Gus Dorais completed 17 of 21 passes to receiver Knute Rockne to defeat a surprised Army team 35 to 13. In 1946, the New York Knicks defeated the Toronto Huskies 68-66 in the very first NBA game. Any fan taller than Toronto center George Nostrand got in free. In 1990, McDonalds announced it would replace Stryofoam burger boxes with heavyweight paper containers. In 1999, one of the NFL's all-time great running backs, Walter Payton, died of cancer at age 45.

A 30-yard field goal in overtime gave the Kansas City Chiefs a stunning 23-20 victory over the San Diego Chargers on Monday Night Football last night.

Real Salt Lake chalked up a 3-0 victory over the Seattle Sounders in the first leg of their Western Conference semifinals series Saturday night. Tomorrow night, the same two squads meet at CenturyLink Field. The Sounders need at least 4 goals to advance.

Coming up Saturday, the Huskies host Oregon while the Cougars are on the road at California.

Barring a setback, it appears as if Tarvaris Jackson returns to his role as the team's starting quarterback this week against Dallas. At least that's what Seahawks coach Pete Carroll seemed to say yesterday. The coach said, "He's definitely in my mind, he's starting unless he can't at this point." Sunday, the Hawks meet the Cowboys.

Former Mariners closer David Aardsma opted to become a free agent yesterday. Aardsma didn't pitch in 2011. He had hip surgery in January later injured his elbow during rehab. He had Tommy John surgery July 22nd. The right-hander recorded 69 saves in two seasons for the Mariners, fourth most in team history.

Coldplay's new album, Mylo Xyloto, has hit number one in every iTunes Store in the world. Their effort is at the top of all the album sales charts on all 35 iTunes Stores all over the world. The band took time out to thank all of their fans on Twitter. The group has decided to keep their newest album off sites like Spotify and Rhapsody. The band has expressed a dislike at their inability to control downloads of their music and the smaller royalty rates they receive using a streaming service. If you want to get Coldplay's new disc, head to a record store, iTunes, or Amazon. Apparently that's what a lot of folks have done. Mylo Xyloto is currently has the number one album in the UK. It's their fifth number one album in their homeland. The record is expected to go straight to number one on the Billboard 200 here in the US tomorrow.

After 72 days of marriage Kim Kardashian has filed for divorce from NBA player Kris Humphries. A source says the reason for the couple's impending split is location, location, location. Apparently Humphries wanted to settle in his home state of Minnesota while Kardashian did not. Another source says Kim simply didn't have time for her marriage, what with all the famous-person stuff she has to do.

Officials in Russia, China and India are all claiming the 7 billionth human was born in their country. Of course, the 7 Billionth Human badge is merely symbolic since a half-dozen population-tracking organizations can't agree on when Spaceship Earth will really get its 7 billionth passenger.

We now know Christmas has arrived. Justin Bieber and Boyz II Men perform a song from Bieber's Christmas album on tonight's Dancing with the Stars results show.

Each year in the US there are roughly 1,600 surgeries to reduce the size of what? Nipples

Jennifer Lopez graces the December cover of Glamour's annual Women of the Year issue. Lopez is being honored as an All-Star Woman for her numerous achievements this year in television, music, fashion and charity. The singer/actress/judge/fashionista was interviewed for the magazine by another inspiring woman, actress Jane Fonda. Lopez talks candidly about what she's learned about love and relationships over this past year. Lopez and 10 other lucky ladies are being honored in Glamour magazine's Women of the Year issue, which hits newsstands today.

When you're Jennifer Aniston, no news is news. The 42-year-old actress tells Hello! magazine that she is not engaged and not pregnant. The actress started dating Justin Theroux earlier this year and has been wearing a ring, but she said it's not an engagement ring. She also said that she quit smoking recently, so she's put on a couple of pounds, and that she is not pregnant.

Charlie Sheen returns to cable television in his new sitcom Anger Management, which is based on the Jack Nicholson-Adam Sandler movie. The FX Network won the rights to air the show after a bidding war with three other cable networks. Charlie plays the role of the therapist in the series. No word yet on when it might premiere.

Former Oasis man Noel Gallagher says he'd like to collaborate with U2 or Coldplay. He told the Sunday Mirror he would be happy to work with any artists who "sells 50-million albums." Noel just put out his first solo album, Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds.

According to UK tabloid The Sun, Lady Gaga is set to open an orphanage in India. Gaga is currently visiting the country and is reportedly using the trip to research opening a facility for orphans in the poor nation. Gags has allegedly visited two orphanages during her stay.

These days, with the ability to update your Facebook and Twitter status directly from your phone, miscommunication is inevitable. However, if you accidentally send your significant other a text that was intended to be a tweet, you won't be in too much trouble, most likely. Unfortunately, though, France's industry minister, Eric Besson, didn't fare as well. TheLocal.com reports that the 53-year-old accidentally tweeted an invitation to bed to his more than 13-thousand followers. The message read, "When I get home going to bed. Really tired. With You?" The site assumes that the message was intended for his 24-year-old wife.

Trivia Answer: Sophie B. (as in Ballantine) Hawkins who turns 44 today. That first hit was Damn I Wish I Was Your Lover. The second, As I Lay Me Down. Hawkins is a vegan and a long-time supporter of animal rights. In February 2008, Hawkins re-recorded her hit Damn I Wish I Was Your Lover as Damn, We Wish You Were President in support of presidential candidate Hillary Clinton. In November of 2008, she gave birth to a son, Dashiell Gaston Hawkins.