Heeeeers Johnny.......Again!

As a Stephen King fan, I was really jazzed when I heard this news: After 30+ years, King is publishing a sequel to his 1977 classic, "The Shining". I read it when it came out in '77 and it's still one of the scariest books I've ever read. The book, along with his other early hit, "Carrie" really propelled him into literary stardom. And who can forget Jack Nicholson as Jack Torrance in the 1980 film adaptation. And here's a bit of trivia: Stephen King never really like the film's treatment of his book. But, geez, when Nicholson does his "Heeeers Johnny" bit? Yikes! Reports are that the new story centers on Danny Torrance, the little boy from the first story. Now middle-aged, Danny uses his psychic abilities to help hospice patients who are near death, and then he encounters....well, you can click here to check out more! The book is due in Spetember of 2013. Can't wait! Any other King fans out there? What's your favorite Stephen King book? Drop us an email and let us know: johnandjacklyn@cc1063.com

Hanson Covers Taylor Swift!

Check this one out! remember the'90s boy band Hanson? You know, "Mmm Bop". Well, they recently got together to cover Taylor Swift's monster hit,  "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together" and posted the video to YouTube. The video even caught the attention of Taylor herself who took to Twitter to express her excitement about the cover. Swift tweeted, "1) Hanson covered 'We Are Never Getting Back Together'. 2) I didn't just watch the video of it 8 times in a row. 3) #2 might be a lie."

Now Rice Is Dangerous!

 I love rice. Can't get enough of it, seriously. I could eat rice with any meal and never get tired of it. That's why I couldn't believe it when I heard about the report in Consumer Reports that we should limit our consumption of rice because of elevated levels of arsenic! That's right: arsenic as in the poison. And arsenic has been shown to possibly result in cancer, and as a cancer survivor myself, I started paying attention. The theory is the since rice is grown in water it absorbs more arsenic out of the soil, both naturally occurring and from the use of pesticides. They tested more than 60 different rice products and have determined that babies shouldn't have more than one serving of rice cereal a day, that kids under 5 not drink rice milk on a regular basis and that older children not have more than a cup-and-a-half of rice cereal like Rice Krispies in a week. Then the hammer really dropped on me: The reports says that we adults should have no more than 2 regular servings a week! Man, I'm way over that mark! You're probably saying we hear these warnings all the time, that you'd really have to eat a lot of rice, that the testing was done on mice or something. You're probably right, and it sure gets frustrating when you hear about all the things that could cause cancer. Here's what I'm wondering: Do you pay attention to these types of warnings? Would you change your diet or that of your children based on something like this? Email us at johnandjacklyn@cc1063.com. And let's face it, if they said tofu causes cancer, I wouldn't care because I don't eat tofu. But one of my favorites like rice? Lord help me if they start saying nasty things about beer! Here's a link to an article on the report if you'd like to read more.

And here's a report from ABC news:
Arsenic in Rice: New Report Finds 'Worrisome Levels' - ABC News

Keith Urban New Idol Judge!

Well, it's official: Keith Urban is in as the new American Idol judge. He joins fellow newcomers Mariah Carey and Nicki Minaj and veteran judge Randy Jackson. While we think it's cool (and about time!) that Idol tapped someone from country music to be a judge, we can't help but wonder why Keith is only worth a 3-5 million dollar paycheck and Nicki Minaj will pull down 10-12 mill? Hmmm. So are you more interested in watching Idol now that Keith Urban will be a judge? Email us with your thoughts: johnandjacklyn@cc1063.com, or go to our Facebook page and post there.

Nail-Biter Games

The weekend was filled with some serious nail-biting games for the midwest. As a Viking fan, I have grown accustomed to disappointment, so when we lost the lead with 20-seconds left in the game--I was not surprised--just sick. But this time, my team did not fail me! They came back with an overtime win! However, both of my hands are now without fingernails, as I chewed them all down to the nubs, during that stretch of time.

I'm not a Packer fan, but I have plenty of friends who are and I was feeling for them, (the ones that aren't jackwagons to me on a regular basis) during that game against the 49ers. There were some ridiculous calls and missed calls by the replacement referees. That was pretty much the consensus during all of the NFL games, judging by both my Twitter and Facebook feed.

It begs the question: Did the Packers lose because of the replacement refs horrible calls, or their own horrible play? Or was it a combination of the two?  Feel free to chime in on our Facebook page HERE.

The New IPhone? Ho hum.

So the new IPhone 5 is due next week from Apple. Wahoo. This is going to surprise anyone who knows how much of a gadget geek I am, but so what? Yes, it's probably going to be the greatest thing since white bread, but didn't we just get the latest and greatest IPhone last year? Honestly, I love tech stuff as much or more than anyone I know, but after a while it just feels like these companies are just turning these updates out to snag more of our money. It's like they count on the segment of the population that just has to have the very latest IPhone, IPad or whatever. There are people I know who will get this phone just because it's the newest. I don't mean to just pick on Apple either. There are plenty of tech giants who do the same thing. I got my Samsung Stratosphere a year ago, and now they have the Galaxy 3, and I'm sitting here thinking, "Man, that is cool! Maybe I need to get one." Agggghh!  Resist, resist! I'm sure there's some truth to it when they say they're just "keeping up with rapidly changing technologies" that we consumers demand, but geez wouldn't it be nice to go for more than a year without feeling like you're behind the times because you got last year's model? Let me know how you approach these things. Do you have to have the latest and greatest? How about your kids? Drop me an email at johns@lacrosseradiogroup.net.

And The Nominees Are....

Here they are! The Major nominees for the 2012 CMA awards!



Entertainer of the Year:

Jason Aldean, Kenny Chesney, Brad Paisley, Blake Shelton, Taylor Swift

Male Vocalist:

Jason Aldean, Luke Bryan, Eric Church, Blake Shelton, Keith Urban

Female Vocalist:

Kelly Clarkson, Miranda Lambert, Martina McBride, Taylor Swift, Carrie Underwood

Vocal Group:

Eli Young Band, Lady Antebellum, Little Big Town, The Band Perry, Zac Brown Band

Vocal Duo:

Big & Rich, Love and Theft, Sugarland, The Civil Wars, Thompson Square

New Artist:

Lee Brice, Brantley Gilbert, Hunter Hayes, Love and Theft, Thompson Square

Music Video:


"Come Over" -- Kenny Chesney, "Over You" -- Miranda Lambert, "Pontoon" -- Little Big Town, "Red Solo Cup" -- Toby Keith, "Springsteen" -- Eric Church

And the artist who snagged the most nominations? Eric Church!

The awards will be handed out Thursday, November 1st. So who are your favorites? As usual, we'll make our picks on awards day.