TGIF-9/25/08

Thanks so much for hanging out with Carolina Country Cruizin with Matt and Dee this morning and make sure to head back here on Monday with more chances for you to win and we always promise lots of fun! Keep it rolling on Wheelz 100.5!

A Hamilton, Ohio, mother says her 13-year-old son is being discriminated against by school officials who have banned him from wearing makeup to school. Mindy Ball said her son, Matt Allsup, was confronted by administrators at Garfield Middle School after he showed up for classes wearing black eye makeup, lipstick and fingernail polish. “They’re gender stereotyping. He’s being sexually discriminated against. Nowhere in the rules does it say that males can’t wear makeup” Ball said. The principal told Ball that Matt’s black makeup was “distracting” to the other students. Ball plans to take her son’s case to court.

Country and Southern rock collide at the "CMT Crossroads."  The next episode, airing Saturday, features Trace Adkins and the group .38 Special.  The pre-taped show will feature Adkins and the band trading licks on his tunes "Honky Tonk Badonkadonk," "Chrome," and the tender ballad "You're Gonna Miss This."  The guys also get down on .38 Special's "Rockin' Into the Night," "Caught Up In You," and "Hold On Loosely."  Adkins tells CMT that he and his band are big .38 Special fans and were, quote, "excited like little kids" at the prospect of jamming with the band.  Adkins adds that he can't think of a time when he's had more fun since he's been in the music business. .38 Special lead singer Donnie Van Zant has dabbled in country. He and his brother, Lynyrd Skynyrd frontman Johnnie Van Zant, make up the country-rock duo Van Zant.

Brad Paisley has gotten a bunch of his guitar-playing friends to help him with his new single, “Cluster Pluck.” The tune features James B urton, Vince Gill, Albert Lee, John Jorgenson, Steve Wariner, session musician Brent Mason and Redd Volkaert from Merle Haggard’s band The Strangers. “Cluster Pluck” is available now on iTunes. Paisley’s new album, “Play,” comes out November 4th.

Lady Antebellum will be performing “Lookin’ For A Good Time” from their No. 1 self-titled debut album on the “Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson” tonight. The trio will hit the road with Jason Aldean for “CMT On Tour ‘08,” kicking off October 8th at Western Carolina University and continuing through November 22nd with stops scheduled in 20 cities across the country.

Jason Michael Carroll really does live by the lyrics of his current hit, "I Can Sleep When I'm Dead." When he isn't opening for Martina McBride on the Wake Up Laughing Tour, he's flying home to North Carolina to be with his four children. For the country newcomer, he wants to make the most of the opportunity he's been given. He tells Fredericksburg, Virginia's Free Lance-Star, "It's really how bad do you want it, and what do you want. If you're going to make a comment like 'I want it all,' then be prepared to take it all."

Phil Vassar may be the proudest dad in country music as he watches his daughters discover their own musical talent. He tells Richmond-dot-com, "Both of them are freaky good. My five-year-old is taking keyboard lessons and my 10-year-old sings and dances. I want them to have the opportunity to do what they want to do. That's what a father wants for his daughters." The country star also doesn't want to rush the process. "At some point they're going to grow up. You just want them to stay as innocent and cute as they can." Right now the girls are in school and Phil is on the road with stops in Lakeville, Pennsylvania tomorrow night and Durham, Connecticut Sunday.

Early Shoppers

More than one in three holiday shoppers – or 62.3 million adult consumers – report they begin holiday shopping before Thanksgiving, according to new data from Mediamark Research & Intelligence. Just under 36% of holiday shoppers say they begin shopping between Thanksgiving and December 15^th and close to 26% start their shopping between December 16th and 23rd. Approximately 2% of holiday shoppers don’t begin their holiday shopping until Christmas Eve or Christmas Day.

Hot Dogs Cause Bomb Scare

The Phillie Phanatic inadvertently sparked a bomb scare at the Philadelphia Phillies’ ballpark Wednesday night. Hours before the Phillies-Atlanta Braves’ game, a film crew shot a commercial of the mascot shooting heavily wrapped hot dogs from a launcher. But someone left three of the duct taped hot dogs outside the ballpark, sparking security fears. Stadium employees were evacuated and the bomb squad was called in. Only after the packages were blown up did authorities realize what it really was. After the detonation, the game went on as scheduled.

Fake Popups Risky For Computer Users

Researchers at North Carolina State University have found that most Internet users cannot distinguish between genuine popup warning messages and fake ones. The study shows the inability to distinguish between fake and real popup messages continues to exist, even after repeated warnings. The researchers examined the responses of undergraduate students to real and fake warning messages while they conducted searches on a computer connected to the Internet. The real warning messages simulated local Windows operating system warnings, while the fake messages were popup messages emanating from an exterior source via the Internet. Participants were fooled by the fake messages 63% of the time, hitting the “OK” button in the message box despite being told some of what they would be seeing would be false.

Live Space Talk Now Available 24/7

Conversations between astronauts aboard the International Space Station and flight controllers on the ground now are available for the public to hear live, 24 hours a day, seven days a week on NASA’s Web site, www.nasa.gov The streaming audio of space-to-ground communications includes NASA commentary during specific station mission events and regularly scheduled space station commentary on NASA Television Monday through Friday at 10 a.m. [CST]. NASA already provides this space-to-ground communication with commentary during space shuttle missions.

Kirk Cameron has an interesting take on romantic scenes in movies. He won’t kiss anyone but his wife. For his new role in the film “Fireproof,” Cameron’s actual wife served as a stand-in for his onscreen wife for kissing scenes. “I have a commitment not to kiss any other woman,” the former child star of “Growing Pains” said. The film makers dressed his wife, actress Chelsea Noble, like the movie’s female lead and shot the scenes in silhouette.

Super Bowl XLIII Commercial Contest

The Doritos brand is once again giving complete control of its Super Bowl ad air time to its fans. But this time, Doritos is raising the stakes. In addition to airing one fan’s self-made Doritos ad to a captive audience of millions, Doritos will give the talented winner $1 million if their ad takes down “the big guys” and becomes the first-ever consumer-created commercial to claim the No. 1 ranking in USA Today’s annual Ad Meter. Five finalists will be announced in January. Then fans will vote for their favorite ad and determine the winning Doritos spot to air during the Super Bowl XLIII broadcast on

February 1st on NBC. Each of the five finalists will win $25,000 and a trip to Tampa Bay, Florida, to attend Super Bowl XLIII in a private luxury suite at the game. Get all the details at www.snackstrongproductions.com

Movies this weekend

“Choke” (Wide) (R)

Stars Sam Rockwell, Anjelica Huston, Kelly MacDonald and Joel Grey.

“Eagle Eye” (Wide) (PG-13)

Stars Shia LaBeouf, Michelle Monaghan, Rosario Dawson and Billy Bob Thornton.

“Miracle at St. Anna” (Wide) (R)

Stars Derek Luke, Michael Ealy and Omar Benson Miller.

“Nights in Rodanthe” (Wide) (PG-13)

Stars Richard Gere, Diane Lane, Christopher Meloni and Mae Whitman.

“How do I get my computer’s coffee-cup holder to come out again?” That may sound like a baffling request, but for seasoned help desk professionals, it’s not out of the ordinary. In a new survey by Robert Half Technology, CIOs (Chief Information Officers) identified the most unusual requests they or their support staff have fielded. Responses included:

- “Why isn’t my wireless mouse connected to the computer?”

- “My laptop was run over by a truck. What should I do?”

- “Can you rearrange the keyboard alphabetically?”

- “My computer is telling me to press any key to continue. Where is the ‘any’ key?”

- “Can you reset the Internet for me?”

- “There are animal crackers in my CD-ROM drive.”

- “Can you build me a robot?”

- “Can you get the mice out of the ceiling?”

- “A server went down, and I found a lizard had crawled into it and died.”

- “A skunk ate my cable.”

- “How can I block e-mail from my manager?”

- “Can I open the bank safe using my computer?”

- “Can you install cable TV on my PC?”

- “Can you order joysticks so that we can play video games?”

- “I’d like to stop receiving e-mail on Fridays.”

- “Can you come and install my car stereo?”

- “Where can I locate dry ice?”

- “Can you fix my typewriter?”

- “How long does it take to bake a potato in a microwave?”

- “My daughter is locked in the bathroom, can you pick the lock?”

- “Can you tell me the weather forecast for next year?”

- “The elevator is broken.”

- “How do I wire a robotic turkey?”

- “Where can I get software to track UFOs?”

- “Can you repair my motorbike?”

Dierks Bentley and his wife Cassidy are not likely to follow the Hollywood trend of tagging their baby-to-be with an obscure name. Dierks tells us, "I named my dog Jake and I named the other dog George. I'll pretty much more just pick a regular dude name. If it's a boy! If it's a girl, I don't know." The couple's friends threw a baby celebration "because dudes don't go to showers" and Dierks found out there was more he didn't know. He says, "My stage manager brought a big box full of random stuff I would never even think of like some device you use to get snot out of the baby's nose. We don't know what we're getting into is basically what I'm trying to say."

Faith Hill has shot a live performance of each song on her upcoming Christmas album Joy to the World. The clips will air on the P-B-S series Soundstage starting Thanksgiving week. Joined by a 31-piece orchestra and a nine-voice choir, Faith performs her version of holiday classics as well as the C-D's first single, "A Baby Changes Everything." The special will air repeatedly throughout December.

Blake Shelton premiered the video for his single "She Wouldn't Be Gone" for 24 hours on Yahoo Music this week.

James Otto has been added to the line-up for the American Freedom Festival October 25th in Fairfax, Virginia. Alan Jackson and Trace Adkins have previously been announced as performers.

Tracy Lawrence and Phil Stacey have been added to the list of performers at this year's Inspirational Country Music Awards, October 16th in Hendersonville, Tennessee. Collin Raye hosts the event

Aaaargh -- you can't keep a good pirate down. Johnny Depp has signed up for another trip as "Captain Jack Sparrow" in a fourth Pirates of the Caribbean film. Before he ships out, however, he'll be playing another pair of iconic figures -- "Tonto," the faithful Indian sidekick, in a new Lone Ranger movie, and the "Mad Hatter" in Tim Burton's 3-D take on Alice in Wonderland.

Have a wonderful weekend and make sure to join us on Monday morning for Carolina Country Cruizin with Matt and Dee to get your week started right and keep it rolling with Wheelz 100.5!

*Information from Premiere, Jones and Metro Networks*

Friday Eve-9/25/08

What a wonderful Thurday we had haning out on your radio! Make sure to join Carolina Country Cruizin with Matt and Dee tomorrow when we kick off your weekend with more fun and winning! Keep it rolling with Wheelz 100.5

15 Jobs That Pay $50,000 – And Might Be Hiring

According to CareerBuilder.com, there are 15 jobs that pay between $50,000 and $59,000 – and may be hiring despite a bad economy. With the annual median salary for full-time workers in the U.S. at $33,634, these careers will help you earn well above the average.

1. Accountants and auditors: $57,060

2. Audiologists: $57,779

3. Compensation, benefits and job analysis specialists: $52,180

4. Conservation scientists: $56,150

5. Detectives and criminal investigators: $59,930

6. Environmental scientists and specialists, including health: $58,380

7. Insurance appraisers, auto damage: $51,500

8. Insurance underwriters: $51,264

9. Landscape architects: $50,843

10. Librarians: $50,970

11. Sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing: $50,750

12. Subway and streetcar operators: $50,520

13. Surveyors: $51,630

14. Teachers, postsecondary: $56,120

15. Urban and regional planners: $53,967

A man who took his pants off before going out for doughnuts at a shop in Yorktown, New York, has pleaded guilty to public lewdness. John Greco admits he exposed his bits in February while placing an order at a Dunkin Donuts drive-thru. Greco will be sentenced December 11th after pleading guilty last week.

Love/Hate Relationship With E-Mail

A study published yesterday by the Pew Internet and American Life Project shows that workers have mixed feelings about increased use of e-mail and the Internet in the past few years. The survey found that 96% of Americans use e-mail, the Internet or cell phones. Of them, 80% said these technologies have improved their ability to do their jobs, and 58% said these tools have given them more control over when to work. But 46% also said the devices increase the demands that they work more hours, and 49% said that the technologies make it harder to disconnect from work after hours. Half said they check their e-mail on weekends, and 22% checked it “often” on weekends. Checking work e-mail is considered much more important for people making more than $75,000 a year than it is for low earners.

Getting Ready For Flu Season

Flu-shot season officially began yesterday with a call for a record number of Americans to be inoculated – including 30 million more school-age children. There’s 143 million to 146 million doses available this year, more than ever before manufactured. Unlike last year when a surprise new influenza strain emerged, this year’s vaccine is a good match and should offer plenty of protection. Flu kills about 36,000 Americans each year, and hospitalizes about 200,000. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends 261 million Americans get vaccinated. But last year only 113 million of the 140 million doses were used. For the first time, the CDC is advising that every child age 6 months to 18 years be vaccinated, unless they have a serious egg allergy.

One New Jersey farm has a special attraction to go with the season's hay rides and corn mazes -- a giant pumpkin catapult. A group of middle school students who became obsessed with the medieval weapon asked northern New Jersey farmers Anthony and Heidi Lentini if they could use physics to fling the big orange squash. The couple, who have corn mazes on their Newton farm to attract customers, agreed. The half dozen boys, farmers and a technology teacher from HalstedMiddle School began work in August and finished building the giant catapult this weekend. It cost about 12-hundred dollars. The Lentinis paid for construction. The farmers say the device is up and running and covering the farm with the smashed remains of damaged pumpkins.

Aerosmith's Steven Tyler is taking legal action against some Internet bloggers he claims are posing as him and his girlfriend Erin Brady, online.  In a lawsuit filed in Los Angeles Wednesday, the singer says unknown individuals have been revealing "intimate details" about him at Blogspot.com.  So far this year 31 posts have gone up on pages that also feature his picture, while seven entries have been attributed to "Brady."  The personal information includes statements about Tyler's mother's death, which he notes in his lawsuit are, quote, "perhaps most hurtful given that she recently passed away."  Tyler's accusations include public disclosure of private facts, making false statements, and misappropriation of likeness.  He also wants an injunction against the bloggers to keep them from pretending to be him again.

Despite being known for his laid-back lifestyle, Kenny Chesney says it's important to plan for natural disasters before they strike.  This year's leading Country Music Association Awards nominee was approached in 2007 by Mississippi native Morgan Freeman to serve on the board of his Plan!t Now organization.  The singer says he accepted because he was amazed by the impact of Hurricane Katrina.  He says being ready means being safe, getting out alive, and being okay if you can stay.  Chesney says Plan!t Now emphasizes that it's always better to be in a position to take care of yourself and your family if disaster strikes.  He adds that many of the crew members on his recently-wrapped "Poets and Pirates" tour had homes or family in the eye of the various storms during the last few weeks on the road, which he notes really brings the reality of such devastation into focus. Chesney explains that there's a big difference in knowing you're ready and thinking "it can't happen to me."

The new stage production “Conway Twitty. The Man, The Music, The Legend ... The Musical” will debut October 12th in Nashville. The production will follow Twitty’s career from a rock ‘n’ roll teen idol through his extensive country career. Conceived as a touring attraction, the Twitty musical will be directed by Randy Johnson and has been endorsed by Twitty’s daughters, Joni and Kathy Twitty.

Trisha Yearwood appears on the cooking stage at Taste of Atlanta October 11th. The Georgia native will be joined by her mother and sister -- together they will prepare recipes from her popular cookbook, George Cooking in an Oklahoma Kitchen.

The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum welcomes two new exhibits this fall. Johnny Cash - Man in Black opens September 30th and Gene Watson - 14 Carat Voice opens October 7th. The exhibits, which run through next spring, feature performance attire and memorabilia from both superstar's legendary careers.

Lighting and staging isn't Jason Aldean's only concern when he headlines the upcoming C-M-T Tour. He doesn't want to miss his third ranked University of Georgia Bulldogs play a single game, so he's arranging for some fun game-day festivities. He tells us, "I think we decided that on Saturdays we're going to have a big barbecue by the buses and have a big T-V outside that they got to watch, so it's going to be fun." The C-M-T Tour doesn't start until October 8th in Cullowhee, North Carolina. Jason is sure to be watching his Dawgs play the University of Alabama Crimson Tide this Saturday from his show in Petosky, Michigan

America’s Most Dangerous Jobs

Fewer people are dying on the job in the United States, according to Forbes. Last year, work-related fatalities dipped 6% to 5,488, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ National Census of Fatal Occupation Injuries report. That’s the lowest fatality rate since the government started keeping track in 1992. However, workplace safety experts say the decline in fatalities was due in part to lower employment nationwide, particularly in the construction and manufacturing industries. Improved safety standards have helped as well. Here are America’s most dangerous jobs for men and women,

according to Forbes:

Men:

1. Transportation and material-moving occupations (Total deaths: 1,367)

2. Construction and extraction occupations (Total deaths: 1,141)

3. Management occupations (Total deaths: 470)

4. Installation, repair and maintenance occupations (Total deaths: 370)

5. Protective service occupations (Police, Firefighters, etc.) (Total deaths: 314)

6. Sales and related occupations (Total deaths: 263)

7. Production occupations (Total deaths: 247)

8. Farming, fishing and forestry occupations (Total deaths: 244)

9. Building and grounds cleaning and maintenance (Total deaths: 233)

10. Office and administration support (Total deaths: 73)

Women:

1. Office and administrative support occupations (Total deaths: 59)

2. Transportation and material moving occupations (Total deaths: 36)

3. Sales and related occupations (Total deaths: 48)

4. Management occupations (Total deaths: 41)

5. Health care practitioners and technical occupations (Total deaths: 30)

6. Personal care and service occupations (Total deaths: 24)

7. Protective service occupations (Police, Firefighters, etc.) (Total deaths: 23)

8. Food-preparation and serving-related occupations (Total deaths: 18)

9. Production occupations (Total deaths: 17)

10. Building and grounds cleaning and maintenance occupations (Total deaths: 17)

David Blaine's latest stunt left fans scratching their heads.  But not because they couldn't figure out how he did it.  Instead, the big finale of Blaine's "Dive of Death" TV special ended in a bizarre manner.  Blaine was supposed to jump from a five-story scaffold after hanging upside-down for 60 hours.  However, his "dive of death" was simply David free-falling most of the way with a cable attached to his back.  After he floated above the ground for several seconds, he was pulled up in the air, disappearing into the blackness.  Fans who had gathered on the ground were noticeably stunned at stunt's conclusion.  Internet posters have already begun filling the Web with speculation that stunt was botched, and fans weren't supposed to see the cables.  Blaine's camp has yet to comment.  Also on last night's ABC special, Blaine caught a 22-caliber bullet in his mouth with a metal cup, and he took two punches in the stomach from mixed martial arts fighter Kimbo Slice.  The show aired live from New York City on ABC. * http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gqRi4QAcJWI or http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=49WZfX5sLJc

Gas Supplies Lowest Since 1967

U.S. gas inventories shrunk to the lowest level since 1967 after Hurricanes Gustav and Ike shut Gulf Coast oil refineries, but the Bush administration said there is still no need to ask for emergency fuel supplies from European allies. The drop in fuel supplies has caused long lines a gas stations in southern cities. Many gas stations have run out of fuel. U.S. gas stocks fell 5.9 million barrels last week to just under 179 million barrels, down almost 19 million barrels from a year ago, according to the government. That leaves the U.S. with the lowest fuel stocks since 1967, when America’s gas demand was just 5 million barrels a day, almost half its current daily consumption of 9 million

South Charleston police have charged a man with battery after they say he intentionally passed gas on an officer while under arrest for suspicion of drunken driving. Police say they were fingerprinting Jose Antonio Cruz, 34, at police headquarters Tuesday when Cruz moved near Patrolman T-E Parsons, lifted his leg and passed gas "loudly" on the officer, according to a criminal complaint. Cruz then waved the air in the direction of Parsons, who was preparing a breath test machine nearby. The complaint says, "The gas was very odorous and created contact of an insulting or provoking nature with Patrolman Parsons." Cruz was charged with D-U-I, battery on a police officer and obstructing justice.

The Greatest Movies Of All Time

“The Godfather” has been named the greatest movie of all time in a new poll by Britain’s Empire magazine. More than 10,000 movie fans, critics and filmmakers took part in the poll. The top 10 greatest films of all time:

1. “The Godfather”           

2. “Raiders of the Lost Ark”       

3. “Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back”        

4. “The Shawshank Redemption”        

5. “Jaws”     

6. “Goodfellas”      

7. “Apocalypse Now”       

8. “Singin’ in the Rain”    

9. “Pulp Fiction”    

10. “Fight Club”

Holding A ‘Secret Job’ At Your Real Job

Many Americans are squeezing two jobs into one shift – moonlighting by day – as a hedge against a sagging economy or to maintain their style of living. While hard data on this below-the-radar employment is hard to come by, experts say there has definitely been an increase in the number of U.S. workers who are doing it. Shoehorning a second career into the same shift as your primary job is tricky – and ethically questionable. Some workers do it with the approval of their employer. But many do it in defiance of company policy.

Darius Rucker has the No. 1 country album and the No. 1 country single this week. “Don’t Think I Don’t Think About It” is the lead single from his first solo album, “Learn to Live,” which was released on September 16th. Rucker replaces last week’s No. 1 country album, Jessica Simpson’s “Come On Over.”

You can catch Jimmy Wayne singing the national anthem at the Pittsburgh Steelers game on Monday as they take on the Baltimore Ravens at Heinz Field. Kickoff is scheduled for 8:30 pm [ET] on ESPN.

Ronnie Dunn says he’s offered to “fly in a redneck SWAT team” to help pal Keith Urban and wife Nicole Kidman keep the paparazzi at bay. The couple are constantly swarmed by photographers when they go out with new daughter Sunday Rose. Dunn tells People magazine that Urban says every time they get in a car “there’s a rubber hailstorm from paparazzi cameras hitting the car.”

While Texas area oil refineries recover from the devastation of Hurricane Ike, gas supplies to Nashville all but dried up last Friday. Caught in the crunch, Joe Nichols was forced to siphon gas in order to get to work. Joe said he was scheduled in the studio to record some new material for his next album, but the gas tank on his “good car” was on empty, and gas stations throughout Nashville were dry. So Nichols siphoned gas out of his old, dilapidated farm truck, a 1975 orange Chevy Silverado named “Rusty.” “Usually I wouldn’t mind driving my old truck into town,” Nichols said. “But I couldn’t risk running out of gas AND the sides of the truck falling off on the interstate. She’s called Rusty for a reason – the rust is about all that’s holding her together!”

Nick Hogan Set For Early Release

Nick Hogan will be released three months earlier than expected from Pinellas County Jail in Florida, thanks to credit for good behavior. Hulk Hogan’s son will serve just five months of the eight-month sentence he received last May. The punishment was handed down after he pleaded no contest to one count of reckless driving involving serious bodily injury for a 2007 high-speed DUI crash that left his passenger, John Graziano, severely injured.

Thursday is almost gone and the weekend starts tomorrow with the Friday version of Carolina Country Cruizin with Matt and Dee. Make sure to come back and enjoy a morning full of fun and winning! Keep it rolling with Wheelz 100.5!

*Information from Premiere, Jones, and Metro Networks*