Winter Blast Coming!

The past couple of weeks have been nothing short of spectacular for our area and the Southeast with an active pattern of storms with welcome rain. I've been asked if the recent rains are 'really' doing anything to help our situation out. You better believe it! Time of year is really on our side with a low sun angle and lower evaporation rates maximizing every raindrop across the area. As I'll always say, an inch of rain in December goes a lot further than an inch of rain in July or August. Unfortunately, we need about two to three months straight of this pattern to make a huge impact in the drought recovery. That will be difficult to do. In fact, signs of another pattern change with drier conditions are close.



We'll finish 2007 with another amazing soaker on Sunday. Everything still looks good for a general 1 to 2 inch rain for many areas as low pressure develops in the Southeast and moves toward the Carolina coast. Next up, a blast of arctic air with a strong and relatively dry cold front Tuesday. The air behind this front is some of the coldest we have seen in a long time. The attached panel shows the direct link to the Arctic with the cold air pouring all the way down through Florida!

This surge of arctic air will result in highs around the Charlotte metro in the 30s and 40s Wednesday and even Thursday struggles to get into the low 40s! Morning lows will be in the teens and 20s both mornings with 20s extending into Friday morning too. And I will say this, if you love skiing, make plans now for anytime from Tuesday through next weekend to hit the North Carolina resorts. Not only will the resorts have an easy time making fresh powder for the slopes, but natural snow will blitz many of the resorts from late day Tuesday into late Wednesday night. In fact, snow chains on tires and 4-wheel drive may be the way to get to those resorts with some of the snow squalls I can see developing. Pure arctic air in the form of a strong northwest wind into the mountains, a couple of upper air disturbances to move across and enhance snow squall activity will make for a significant snow. Look for more specifics from me by Monday of next week.

Merry Christmas Y'all!

I just wanted to take a second to wish everyone a Merry Christmas, Mele Kalikimaka , Feliz Navidad or whatever version you choose to say.

'Tis the season for joy, happiness and remembering what is most important.

We were talking before the show this morning about our plans for the Christmas break and about traditions for our family Christmas.

But we want to know what you do! What does your family do for Christmas that you think is special? Let us know.



PS - if you want, you can Track Santa tonight!

Weatherman Notebook - Do You See What I See?!

**Friday morning update... this system looks too weak right now Christmas day and with a marginally cold air mass to be much of a threat for Winter weather. Unless something changes in the days ahead, scattered showers or sprinkles with a few wet snowflakes possible for the higher mountains or counties near the Virginia stateline might be as good as it gets. But as said, we're still many days away and I'll be sure to update this entry should something change:) Otherwise, a nice active pattern for the next 10 days with bouts of storminess is excellent news in our drought. **


While on vacation this week, I continue to start my days off with a few cups of coffee and look over weather charts each morning. Unless I'm away from a computer, I never truly leave the weather behind. This helps me a great deal when I come back to work, I feel like I can get right back into my groove of forecasting on-air. I'll be back to work next week as my wife and I will celebrate Christmas together in Charlotte. Well anyway, for those of you visiting our morning show blog, you've already noticed I post occasional weather entries. This entry goes to all my fellow snowlovers with fingers crossed for something close to Christmas... read on:)

First off, I've noticed some major climate indices showcasing a possibility of a more typical Winter pattern over the next 10 to 14 days... at least normal to slightly below normal temperatures. No signs of brutally cold air but cold enough to where you need to monitor passing systems and their tracks. The first of which falls on Christmas day! Two medium to long range computer models are remarkably close in the basic ingredients for a system Christmas day. This boosts my confidence to some extent as two computer models with totally different solutions makes for less than stellar confidence.

This first panel is for late day Sunday of the upcoming weekend. You'll see a ribbon of rain (shades of pink, violet, blue) stretching across the Carolinas into New England. This is the cold front you've heard about coming through over the weekend. Notice the tailend of this front sags into the Gulf of Mexico where it goes stationary.







While this happens, upper level energy will be diving out of the Rockies toward the Gulf with a strong jet stream aloft (river of fast moving air). The combination of the two 'could' be enough to generate an area of low pressure off that old front in the Gulf then move it northeast through the Southeast. This is our more classic track for any hope of Winter weather in our area. This next panel shows the system moving across the Southeast into the Carolinas. We have high pressure to the north of the system with a source of 'just cold enough air' to work with.

This all said, I post this in the spirit of Christmas and to all those asking me about a white Christmas:) Understand, this is many days out and will require numerous tweaks. And honestly, while I won't post all the various charts I look over for space concerns on our blog, the above chart at "face value" features a mixed bag of precipitation across the region because the cold high to the north is marginally cold for a Winter weather event. Many other cooling processes would need to occur to make for frozen precipitation. **If the track of the low is further to the west, it would be more cold rain or pockets of freezing rain... more to the east, possibly more wintry weather. Either way, you just have to love how December is finishing with rounds of storminess coming through during our horrible drought. We're in the midst of an active storm track, so lets keep it coming!
So, lots to watch over the days ahead. They'll be fine tuning and yes, there is always a chance the storm might not materialize being this far out. But lets watch it... Stay tuned...

Weatherman Notebook - The Wedge

As an on-air meteorologist, I get a budget of roughly 2 minutes to give you a forecast in the morning with 20 to 30 seconds going to my 7-day forecast. Unfortunately, that leaves me little to no time to get deep into an evolving weather pattern for us with significant swings in the weather.

Coming off an incredible week of record highs including setting a new all-time record high at 80 degrees, today (Dec. 15th) as been nothing short of amazing with the difference in weather as we have 'wedged' in. You'll often hear meteorologists talk about a wedge, cool to cold damp air trapped against the eastern slopes of the big North Carolina mountains in a sharp v-shaped wedge appearance. Here's an example, this picture shows the wedge shape and notice the coldest temperatures or shades of light blue to blue hug the eastern sides of the mountains in the foothills to western piedmont. This is the heart of any wedge or cold air damming event.

You'll notice in the map, we're definitely chilly to cold on this Saturday. Colors in the yellow or orange range are 60s and even 70s. This map shows most of our region in a temperature range of 34 - 47. These are the weather scenarios that can raise eyebrows for a forecaster as a cold wedge about 8 to 12 degrees colder can bring wicked ice or sleet storms. Boy, how we just love those!!

This next map will show the source for a good classic wedge event, the massive high over New England.

Note the letter 'H' over New York with a pressure of 1037mb. That's a strong area of high pressure with a good supply of cold air over eastern Canada to tap into and drain it down the eastern side of the Appalachian mountains. You can get a sense of this happening by looking at the u-shape nature of the lines across the Carolinas (isobars). While this is happening, a large winter storm is moving up the Mississippi River Valley dragging good moisture into our area and yes, a potential soaking rain - hoooray! Rain into a cold wedge of air acts to cool the temperatures even more. This becomes an issue when the dew point temperature (how moist or dry the air is) is down into the 20s. We're very fortunate though to escape any risk of significant ice as the high over northern New England is not sliding over New York to New Jersey and anchoring in. It's moving steadily east. Because of this, we'll avoid a continuously strengthening high pressure bringing colder and colder temperatures into our area. Sort of a, brief shot of chilly air then gone. This was a close one for our area as the ingedients almost came together for a stronger wedge and possible bout of winter weather.

Incidentally, in this example chart, the pink shaded areas with blue, green... that's computer estimation of liquid in a rain guage over a 6 hour period. That light pink over us indicates really light rain or drizzle through 1pm Saturday. Brighter pinks and blues come in late in the day, or, soaking rain for us:)

Rockin' around the Christmas Tree at the Christmas party hop..

Okay, so there was no Christmas tree...or a hop, but the annual Morning Show Christmas Party was a big hit.

We had such a great time on Saturday getting together and celebrating with friends and loved ones.

This is my third year at the party, and it seems to get bigger every year. It was so big this year, that we had to move the party to outside of someone's house!

This year the party was at the PF Chang's at Phillips Place. It was a lot of fun.

Great food, good friends and of course, the cut-throat Chinese gift exchange.

That's the one where everyone draws a number, and you pick gifts in that order. You can either pick a new gift, or steal one that has already been opened.

Of course with our group, anything with coffee or cocoa was a HUGE hit - we are a MORNING group after all!

I took some pictures at the party with my phone, so they aren't the best quality, but here they are...hope you enjoy.

Lots of other people were taking pics as well, so maybe we can get more on later!

Merry Christmas y'all!




Lenise and Alexis

The Faris Family

Weatherman Notebook...

Here we are in the midst of a beautiful weekend in December! I can't believe I'll be going to our morning show Christmas party in short sleeves!!

All indicators support the warmth discussed from my prior post earlier this week about the big warm up coming. I've attached a visible satellite image taken at 10:31am Saturday. In this image, we're using the sun's light to illuminate various levels of cloudiness. In the image provided, most of the cloudiness is along or west of the North Carolina mountains into Kentucky and Tennessee and a small strip of clouds extend across Georgia into South Carolina. The absence of clouds across our area is because of those mountains. We have a predominant west to southwest wind from the surface up to around 6,000'. This is a hostile wind direction for clouds trying to move into our area as the wind flows over the mountains and dries out significantly. Notice the small strip of clouds in Georgia to South Carolina... the tall mountains of North Carolina only extend into a small portion of northern Georgia, so the west wind flowing across these clouds is not getting the benefit of downslope drying over the tall mountains and they're able to hold together a little better. In the image attached, you'll also see Lake Norman.

Everything is on track for a day in the 65 to 70 (* Update - Charlotte hit 74 for a high today) range across our area for this Saturday afternoon! More for Sunday... in the 60s & 70s although we'll have a mix of clouds and sun. How about this for Monday, with very warm air aloft around our big ridge of high pressure and a west to southwest surface flow to 6,000', the potential exists for a day of 73 - 78 degree weather!!! That would shatter the record of 73... stay tuned.

Enjoy this warm stretch into next midweek as next weekend looks much cooler with a strong cold front pushing across.

Frustrating Pattern for Snow Lovers

Ask any youngster from my many past school visits and they'll tell you about my passion for snow. It's what hooked me on weather in the 5th grade, and to be honest, that 5th grader still burns a fire inside of me every Winter. Of course I realize there are some folks (mainly adults) who rather see a minimal amount of snow for driving purposes or kids being off from school. And after all, we are in the South where the low frequency of winter storms dictates a certain unease every time a potential winter forecast develops. Just watch our highways and interstates bog down as soon as snowflakes are a flying or sleet pellets are bouncing off the pavement. I've never seen a busier man than our resident traffic expert Chuck Roads, trying to keep up with accidents around the region and the length of commutes blossoming every 10 minutes! It's something else...

So here we are this week where temperatures will run near normal to slightly below normal. Our 30 year climatological average high this time of year is 57 and we'll be either side of that high this week. But it was just a week ago where it looked as if the pattern this week could be even colder and more promising for snow lovers with a deep trough of cold air buckling all the way into the Southeast, with a decent storm track too. Not ideal but at least decent. The big area of low pressure over New England developed on cue (recall yesterday's chilly gusty winds) but instead of a remaining locked in position across southeast Canada with a constant drain of polar or even arctic air into the eastern half of the country, it's slowly going to move away since we do not have a blocking high to the east of the system. And here it comes...

There it is in our computer models in the medium range forecasts. The massive ridge of high pressure in the Southeast with a healthy supply of warm air while cooler weather develops in the western half of the nation with a big area of low pressure. As far as I can tell, this pattern develops over the weekend and may take us deep into next week. This will do two things... push temperatures a solid 10 to 20 degrees above average and limit our chances for rain as systems move over and around the ridge dragging weakened fronts across the Carolinas. And yes, a similar pattern to what we saw in August, September and even a chunk of October. It's the worst possible pattern change for a snow lover. Looking over some major indices and teleconnecting to the weeks ahead, it appears the ridge will cave with time and we can get back into something at least closer to Winter weather forecasting. Million dollar question, will this happen fast enough for those wishing for a White Christmas?? My enthusiasm is less than stellar but I refuse to close the door on the days before Christmas.

On the flip side, if you enjoy outdoor activities in 'short sleeves'... golf, tennis, mountain biking, hiking and even fishing, afternoon temperatures will be excellent! On cue this morning, John Carter asked me about a weekend round of golf as soon as he saw my 7-day forecast. And finally, don't forget about your heating bill. An above normal pattern of temperatures will reduce your heating bill, in a year in which heating rates figure to run high. Our home heats with gas, you better believe I'll look to save a few dollars with warmer weather. We felt that pinch this Summer with air conditioning utility bills, so a little warm weather this time of year is not all bad. So long as it doesn't stick around too long-hah!

John, how about tee-time around 8:00am Saturday morning?

Yeah I’m a moving on, I'm through with you....

Sheriff Jim Pendergraph.

Has a nice ring to it, at least for the rest of the day. Today is the last official day for the Sheriff, who is moving on to work with Homeland Security.

Sounds pretty cool.

The only possible concern...there is no replacement. No, not just no one to take over - they haven't even named a replacement!

On Monday night, there will be a meeting to discuss the fact that we need a replacement. However, the sheriff's department has enough checks and balances, that it won't fall apart (right away) without a Sheriff.

But is does raise the question - Do YOU feel less safe, knowing there is not a Sheriff in charge? Check out the poll and let us know!

So when is Too Early for Christmas Music?

We asked, and you answered!

In our biggest poll yet, we wanted to know - when is it too soon for Christmas music on the radio.

With all the retailers hitting stores earlier and earlier, it seems like Christmas starts in mid-October! (Not that I mind, I love Christmas music!)

Here is how the ratings broke down:

46% - Before Halloween is too early
51% - Before Thanksgiving is too early
8% - More than a Week Before Christmas is too early
0% - The Day of is the Only Time!

We love that so many people wanted to take part in the poll.

Look for future polls!

In the Holiday Spirit

Click on the picture for a good laugh!

Sounds like a good plan...

Such a simple idea, yet so hard to do.

Want to Win Hannah Montana Tickets?

Want to win a pair of tickets to the Hannah Montana "Best of Both Worlds" concert at the Bobcats Arena?



To win - be the first to E-MAIL your answer to inbox@wbtv.com.

This is a two-part question, and you must get both right to win.

In the Hannah Montana show, Miley has only had one serious boyfriend.
1 - How old was the boy Miley dated to make the boyfriend jealous?
2 - The boyfriend is a movie star, what was his "catch phrase" on the show?

The first person to email the right answer to inbox@wbtv.com wins a pair of tickets to tomorrow night's concert!

Good Luck

UPDATE!!!

We have a winner! Eugenia Mitchell from Rock Hill knew that the correct answers were:
1 - 11 and 3/4s
2 - "I've slayed you once and don't make me slay you again."

Are You Seriously Arguing With Me...Without an Actual Point?

Yes I'll admit it - Clemson and South Carolina fans will always argue and there doesn't always have to be a point. But sometimes its just ridiculous!

Clemson was in Columbia on Saturday for the 99th consecutive meeting of the in-state rivals. (We've actually played 104 games).

Anyways, Clemson was ahead most of the game, but USC pulled ahead in the last few minutes of the game. Clemson kicked a field goal as time ran out, winning 23-21.

That of course leads to "Who SHOULD have won" debates.

Case in point:

I was on my Facebook on Sunday, when I got a message from a girl I went to school with at USC. (Keep in mind, I'm Clemson fan who went to school at University of South Carolina)

Here's how the conversation went:

Her: cutting it pretty close there, huh?

Me: Yup, but a win is a win.

Her: But who wants a "barely" win?

Me: "Barely Winning" is better than "Barely Losing"

Her: No, its not...if you barely win that mean you almost lost. But if you barely lose that means you almost won and winning is great.

Me: Exactly. But almost only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades. So at the end of the day, whoever has the most points wins. Hence the fact that Clemson won. Like you said "winning is great."

Her: Everybody gets lucky once in a while.

Me: Wow. I'm astonished at how well thought out your arguments are. You should be a professional debater.

Her: haha thanks!!! hey it'll be your birthday soon and you'll be soo old.

Ummmmm...what?

Am I the only one who doesn't understand her logic?

It's Beginning to Feel a lot like Christmas...

Yes.

Yes, it is.

I couldn't help it, something just took over me today. Yes, I know its still the day BEFORE Thanksgiving, but I couldn't control myself.

For some reason I was just feeling the music in me, and had to play Christmas music all morning long. Luckily for me, K-104.7 lets you listen online, and they are all Christmas all the time right now.

But of course, you can't kick off the Christmas Season without a little music from the Trans Siberian Orchestra!



Yes, I'm guilty - but hey - I lasted 21 days after Halloween!

PS - Check out the new poll!

Help Find Kyle!

24 year old Charlotte man missing for more than a week now.



Massive search gearing up RIGHT NOW in Center City - an all day search is planned?

If you can't show up, you can still help from your own home! Spread the word, help bring Kyle home safe!

www.helpfindkyle.com

Myspace Profile
Myspace Group

And Facebook - Check it out

Even if you can do nothing else, help spread the word!

American Heroes - Behind the Scenes

I just wanted to follow up on what Chris Suchan was saying about Molly's packages this past week.

As a producer on the morning show, we write most of the stories for the shows - with the exception of stories done by reporters. So normally during the show, I'm in the control room doing other things, and not really paying attention to what John and Lenise are saying on air.

But when you can get a producer to stay still for 3 minutes and do nothing but watch your story - you are doing an EXCELLENT job. And that's what Molly and her photographer Trent did.

And behind the scenes - it was even more amazing.

Trent was having one of the hardest weeks of his life - his grandmother passed away early in the week and was buried on Friday. Now as a person who has lost all of his grandparents - the last two being this year within two months of one another - I was both amazing and impressed with Trent.

Trent, who is a former Navy guy, took such a strong interest and had such a connection with the Veteran stories that he came in every day to make sure he edited the stories. He wanted to make sure they were done the way he'd envisioned it.

And he did it well. This is a business where you don't just sit around, and when you can make two anchors, a weatherman and your producer stop everything and watch - you must be doing something right.

We spent a week saluting Veterans, and this morning - I'm saluting our former overnight photographer, Trent Faris.

Good job buddy!

American Heroes...

I started this week off as a very proud and thankful American as I took time to think about our veterans and those men and women serving our country today. During our morning broadcast on Monday, I took my opportunity to say thank you to our veterans and acknowledged my family members that have served in WWII, the Korean War and Vietnam War. I told Lenise and John, there is nothing quite like sitting with one of our veterans and listening to their stories. Stories of the ultimate courage, bravery, sacrafice as you hear not only about their personal accounts of battle but of their fellow comrades that fought alongside them and their battlefield stories too.

Well, I want to take a moment to thank my colleagues from the newsroom, anchor Molly Grantham and photographer Trent Faris, for a fine collection of stories they shared with all of us this week. Each day featured a different story and set of memories from one of our many military veterans. I just sat back in the weather center, stopped what I was doing and watched each report. I marvel at the detail of each set of stories shared but also can't help but get watery-eyed too. From talking about how their 'buddies' have passed on and they miss them... with a quivering sound of deep emotion. Another veteran told of how he heard the huge boom and then being told we had dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima... years later, he told of how radiation from the bomb forced he and his wife to adopt. A story of grabbing a rifle during the attack on Pearl Harbor and finding refuge in a bomb crater while shooting at the Japanese planes in desperation. Molly and Trent did such a wonderful job of finding lots of historical video to support each report. The entire series was so well done and I was very proud of their work.

So Molly and Trent, thank you for sharing their stories with all of us and a big thank you to each veteran that gave me a chance to hear their experiences. I just learned so much and feel better for knowing these stories as an American. I also want to end this by again thanking each of you for your service to our country and giving us all an opportunity to enjoy the freedoms this country has to offer. This goes to the men and women serving our country right now as well. You are all American heroes in my eyes:)

Massive search underway...can you help?

Friends and family will be out later today to search for Kyle Fleischmann. The 24-year-old man has been missing since early Friday morning, after he was last seen leaving Buckhead Saloon.

His friend, Daniel Scagnelli, came on the show this morning to ask for help in the search.



The group is meeting at Buckhead Saloon at 4 pm for a search and to pass out flyers.

If you can help, it will definitely be appreciated!

Losing the baby fat

Okay,

I felt the need to blog about this because SO many women have asked how I lost my pregnancy weight.

Yes, it's true, I gained 70 pounds during my pregnancy. If you don't believe it, just check out some of the old footage on our YouTube page.

Most women are beautiful during their pregnancy -- they get this wonderful glow. Sadly, that didn't happen for me. In fact the only glow I had was from sweating (yuck).

I still don't know how I gained so much. I didn't gorge myself with everything sweet and my son, only weighed 6 pounds 6 ounces. None the less, I was out of control -- no joke I looked like the Michelin Man aka Marshmellow Man from the movie Ghostbusters.

But today I am happy to say most of my baby fat is gone! I have yoga to thank for it! Hot yoga to be specific.

I have been practicing hot yoga (also called Bikram yoga) for years. I'll admit, hot yoga isn't for everyone. The room is a blistering 102 degrees but I find the sultry environment helps in melting the pounds away. The sweating also promotes detoxification, so you'll have great skin...the cardiovascular system gets a good workout too and I have even heard that practicing yoga speeds up your metabolism!

I had to take a break while I was pregnant but I was back in the studio right after I delivered. In just three months, I lost 45 pounds!

Another weight-lost secret is nursing. Oh, and all the running around trying to keep up with house work, being a good spouse and tending to your growing bundle of joy, helps to trim that waistline too.

To all my preggo moms and those looking to shed the baby fat -- I hope this helps.

Now if I could just get my producers to take that old video off You Tube so I don't have to be reminded everyday of all the weight I gained -- the world would be a better place :)

Help Find Kyle Fleischmann!

A 24-year-old man from Charlotte is missing this morning.

Kyle Fleischmann went missing late Thursday night/early Friday morning. e was last seen at Buckhead Saloon in uptown Charlotte, after a night with some friends.



Kyle did not return home or to his vehicle, he did not make it in to work on Friday. He called a few friends around 3:30 a.m, but did not leave any messages. He has not been in contact with any family or friends since.

Kyle's friends have started a Facebook group to help spread the word about his disappearance.

Kung Fu Baby...

Jackie Chan Who?

This baby could have given Bruce Lee a run for his money!

So Fido is a Fan of "Grease?"

Then he'll just LOVE this...

Man Bathes With Snakes; Christmas Tree Gets Stuck!

A man in Texas bathes in a tub with 87 rattlesnakes...and the tree bound for the Rockefeller Center get stopped because of an accident!

You Gotta See This!

Looking for a Movie this Weekend?

See what Sean O'Connell has to say when he stops by for the Reel Deal. He's taking a look at the newest movies - Fred Claus and Lions for Lambs.

That's One Expensive Ice Cream Dessert!

Police in Georgia catch an awesome crash on dashcam video and would you pay $25,000 for an ice cream sundae???

See what John and Lenise have to say during this morning's "You Gotta See This!"

A name is written on a polished rock...a broken heart that the world forgot

There is not much that gets to you more, in the news business, than having to report on a death involving domestic violence, especially when children are involved.

Like with most stories in the business, it seems to come in waves.

For example, right now - we are covering the Lisa Greene trial in Cabarrus County. Now police say she intentionally set her home on fire last year, which resulted in the deaths of her two children. The story started out as a woman trying to save her children, and then came out as a woman who intentionally set the fire and left her children to die.

Obviously, I'm not saying she did, or didn't do it - but she is on trial right now. In fact, later today a judge will have to decide if a mistrial is warranted. Lisa's attorneys are saying they weren't given some of the documents in time.

In the last week, there have been several other stories about violence involving children - one directly, and one indirectly.

Here in Charlotte, police say Selina Shiuli stabbed her two daughters (age 6 and 1) and then stabbed herself. The 6-year-old died that night, the one year old is still going through surgeries. Shiuli was taken from the hospital and put into Mecklenburg County jail on Wednesday.

And then last night, police in Gaston County tell us a man shot his estranged wife, at point blank range, in front of their 9-year-old daughter. The woman and daughter were in the parking lot of the Bi-Lo. Police say the man then ran off and disappeared.

He was found a couple hours later, with an apparent gunshot wound to the head. Police think he shot himself. Now, this 9 year old girl, is left with no parents and if what police say is correct, will have to live the rest of her life with the memory of her father killing her mother.

It's just a heartbreaking story, and now that it looks like he killed himself, she'll never get the chance to ask him "Why?"

Want Free Tickets to Southern Christmas Show?

All you have to do - be the one of the first 7 people to answer this question:

"What was the name of "The Skipper" on Gilligan's Island?" We are looking for the characters full name, not the actor!

E-mail your answer to inbox@wbtv.com

First seven people win a pair of tickets to the Southern Christmas Show!

UPDATE: We have our seven winners! We're are currently emailing the winners back - thank you to all the people who e-mailed in an answer.

The Answer: Skipper Jonas Grumby

More Kids Making Ya Laugh!

Yes, there is SOME mild language in these videos - but that's what makes it funny.

Kids are just too funny!

I love you too...but I don't like you all the time.

You can always count on kids to lay it out...nice and brutal.

This kid only likes his mom, when cookies are involved!

Where's the beef? And "O" No, Not Oprah!

John's been looking for the beef and Lenise finds a traffic problem because of Oprah's magazine.

You Gotta See This!

It sounds like 'rat' and 'patootie'. 'Rat-patootie', which does not sound delicious.

Here's the list of new movies hitting store shelves this morning.

"Ratatouille"
The summer animated hit comes to DVD. It's the story of a gourmet rat who teams with a bumbling human kitchen hand to whip up creations at a fine French restaurant. The DVD and high-definition Blu-ray releases include a handful of unfinished scenes with introductions from director Brad Bird.

The disc has the short Pixar film, an alien-abduction comedy, that preceded "Ratatouille" in theaters along with an amusing new short on the pros and cons of rats.

"I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry"
This comedy stars Adam Sandler and Kevin James. Sandler's a womanizing firefighter who works with his best buddy, a widower worried about providing for his children in
case he dies. So pal Sandler agrees to pose as his gay lover to insure that the kiddies will be eligible for life insurance.

Jessica Biel co-stars as the hot attorney defending their domestic-partner rights. Extras include deleted scenes with commentary from director Dennis Dugan.

"Sicko"
Oscar-winning documentary director Michael Moore takes the pulse of America's health-care system and finds it seriously ailing. Moore makes a pitch for universal coverage as he examines how corporations and government oversee health care, and
he travels to Canada, England, France and Cuba to look at the systems in those countries. The DVD has seven deleted segments and a batch of extended interviews.


TV on DVD
Dr. Who: The Complete Third Series
Flight of the Conchords (Complete First Season)
Full House: The Complete Series
Heeere's Johnny: The Definitive DVD Collecton From the Tonight Show
Martin (Complete Third Season)
Seinfeld: The Complete Series
The Best of the Colbert Report
The Cosby Show (Season 5)
The Cosby Show (Season 6)
The King of Queens: The Complete Series
Wildfire (Season 2)
Wings (Season 5)
X-Files: The Ultimate Collection


Older Movies Being Re-released
Cars (Blu-ray)
Deck the Halls
James Bond 007 (Ultimate Collector's Set)
Pixar Short Films Collection (Volume 1)
The Aviator

Why don't you vote?

I got on my high horse about voting on this morning's show.



For the life of me, I can't understand why people don't get out and vote! If you didn't vote...can you please explain.

Yes, there are a few legitimate reasons (illness, etc.) that may prevent you from voting. But come on...how do you explain a five percent voter turnout? Are you just lazy? Don't you care? Does it not matter to you that countless Americans have died to make sure you have the opportunity to vote? What about people in so many other countries that would give their all just for the chance to vote?

Yes...you do have the right to choose NOT to vote...but what the heck does that accomplish? We will never change the system...or have the best representation... until we have a significant voter turnout.

Sneak Peek at Mecklenburg County Ballot

Want to know what you're voting for?

We pulled a sample ballot from the Mecklenburg County Board of Elections website - so you can see the wording on two of the most important issues.

Take a look below, and make sure you understand the issues before you head to the polls.





Remember to make time, and get to the polls!

A Picture May Be Worth a Thousand Words...

...but I can only think of one - "Ouch!"

I'm Sorry to Tell You, You've Been Eliminated from the Race...

I can not even BEGIN to tell you how excited I am this morning.

The Amazing Race 12 kicked off last night. That's right, the 5 time Emmy award winning Amazing Race.



Now, most of you don't know me, but I don't watch a lot of tv. In fact, I don't get up early to watch ANY show - except the Amazing Race. It's my version of Lenise's obsession with 24, or John's obsession with... I don't know - Bonanza or something. Oh, like golf! That's it!

I got hooked on the Race about five years ago, and have been watching it ever since. Thank goodness for the Game Show Network, I've been able to catch up on the ones I missed the first time around.

If you haven't seen it, and plan to - this is your warning...I'm about to spoil it!

So the 11 teams of 2 started in Los Angeles and flew out to Ireland.

Of course, you can see some of the backstabbing and attitudes right off the bat, and as they were introducing the contestants - you sort of get a feel if your going to like them or not.

Right away I made a snap judgement about who I thought was going to be eliminated - sorta. I picked two teams, one got first place (wrong) and the other was eliminated. Woot woot.

The eliminated: Ari & Staella - Best Friends from California.

Can I just say, Thank God! I remember when they got off the plane in Ireland, they stole a cab and Ari said "Karma is a b*tch, but so am I." When he said that, I remember thinking - please, please prove him right.

Thank you Karma!

There were lots of twists and turns, wrong ways and of course, yelling. It was so awesome! If you're looking for a complete recap, CBS has one.

And if I ever see this donkey again - its on!

It's a Bird... it's a Plane... its a Ballet Class Doing Soulja Boy?

That's right... the popular song and dance has been hitting all kinds of places across the nation, and I mean ALL KINDS.

While emailing back some viewers and friends on our WBTV Morning Show Facebook... I saw this video was pretty popular in the Charlotte Network.

It's a group of young kids in a ballet class doing the dance.

It's Time to Spice Up Your Life!

We all knew it was coming...the tour, the CD, and now...

the music video.

It's true - the Spice Girls are back.

Found their "first" new video on YouTube.

Looking for a Good Laugh?

You can't beat a good Phone Scam!

Candy and Potter from 107.9 the Link has made a CD of their famous phone scams. Check out the pre-order of "F is for Phone Scam."

I'm thinking Christmas gifts!

Click the picture for details!

Ma'am...Ma'am... Ma'am - Look out for that *smack*

If you've ever run into a glass or screen door, you can relate to these people.

There's not window missing from this door, because it's not a door! See what happens when store windows are just TOO clean.

Why You Shouldn't Mess with the Cleaning Crew...

This is just funny, and should be a lesson to all!

Some door cleaners started getting upset with people leaving smudges on the door's glass, instead of just pushing on the handle.

So what do they do? The only sensible thing...remove the glass and record what happens!

Some of Our Favorites Halloween Pictures!

We asked, and you delivered! We got a ton of pictures from viewers with Halloween costumes, here are a few of our favorites. It wouldn't be Halloween, if we didn't show of a few pictures of our own ghouls and goblins. Enjoy!

Recent Trip to NC mountains

First off, this blog entry officially enters me into the wonderful world of blogging. I decided this blog would address my trip to Yancey County, NC last week... a truly relaxing week of soaking in the beauty of western North Carolina.

My wife (Kara) and I have always treasured the North Carolina mountains as a must stop several times a year. We had thought about a trip to the Outer Banks as Kara has never been there. This trip will continue to be a future goal of ours, now for 2008:) We had gone to the Blue Ridge Parkway last October and my gosh did we hit it right! The Fall foliage was sensational around every corner of the parkway. Views were breathtaking and we must have snapped several hundred digital pictures. We only made a weekend trip in 2006 and decided early this Summer to scrap the Outer Banks and rent a mountain cabin for a full week. Admittedly, in this horrible drought we're in I told Kara to lower her expectations of Fall color this October but we should still see some nice color. The projection could not have been more spot on!

We just caught the peak for the higher elevations but did note golden yellow was much more prevalent than red compared to last October. There were signs of drought stress but without a doubt, there were still many gorgeous pictures to be taken. I'll include a few we took... see for yourself! By week's end, higher elevations were losing their leaves and the best color was definitely working into the lower elevations of the mountains and foothills. If thinking about making a go of it this first weekend of November, you should still be in good shape. The parkway will likely be less of a show however.

Otherwise, the vacation featured a trip to Linville Caverns. This stop was one of the last for me to scratch off the list of must see sites in the central and northern mountains of North Carolina. They did not disappoint... certainly not as large as Luray Caverns in Virginia but two things made this stop standout from Luray. #1 the large trout swimming at the entrance of the cave (wish I could have cast a line-hah) and our tour guide turning the lights out so we could experience complete darkness in the back of the cave. Umm, that's quite the experience!!!

We enjoyed downtown Burnsville from the Hilltop Restaurant to the large number of stores featuring local art. We also checked internet frequently downtown where we could establish a wireless connection. There were important fantasy football scores to check on Monday, not too mention keeping up with weather charts during our vacation. It rained for a couple of days and I've never been so happy to see rain during my vacation!! The rest of the vacation featured fishing in the Cane River and relaxing around the cabin. Coming back to work, well I felt totally recharged and was happy to get back into my groove. No doubt though, this vacation was just what we needed and we'll be back!

FYI... pictures taken by my wife who does most of our family photography (obvious reasons). I'll paint a few of these in the months ahead with acrylic paint to canvas.

Ghosts and Goblins and Ghouls...Oh my!

The other day, we were talking about UFO's. Something was caught on tape in South Dakota - but what is it?



And did you know that 1/3 of American's believe in ghosts?

According to a poll by The Associated Press and Ipsos, that’s the same proportion who believe in unidentified flying objects! That's right UFOs...like the one in the above video????

48% believe in extrasensory perception, or ESP. But I'm guesing about half of you knew I was about to type that, right?

19% accept the existence of spells or witchcraft.

Nearly 1 in every 4 people say they have actually seen a ghost or believe they have been in one’s presence!

Now to put the numbers of ghost and UFO believers in perspective, it about the same as other AP polls, such as:
36% of people say they are baseball fans
37% say the U.S. made the right decision to invade Iraq
31% approve of the job President Bush is doing

What about you? Do you believe in ghosts?

Happy Halloween!

Hey Everyone!

Its Halloween and you know what that means! Its time for Suchan to pull out his Halloween costumes. The Invisible Man paid us a visit again this year, along with the Professor Suchanski. But wait...Chris drank some coffee and something strange happened to him! Great googly-moogly!

Watch the videos to see some of our Halloween fun!

Ode to Karl Rove...

Apparently President Bush REALLY misses Karl Rove and his tactics.

This is just funny...

Halloween Party Mixup!

If you plan to dress up and drink - watch out!

A guy in Germany dressed up, drank and passed out on a train in Germany. In an area that doesnt know much about Halloween. That's when other passengers spotted the man, and thought he'd been murdered!

Here's the story from Reuters.com:

Passengers on a German train mistook a Halloween reveler dressed up as a gore-covered zombie for a murder victim and called the police.

The 24-year-old man fell into a drunken slumber on his way home from a Halloween party in Hamburg, police in the northern town of Bad Segeberg said Monday.

Believing his hands and face were smeared with blood, passengers alerted police after getting no response from him.

A first aid team called to the scene soon cleared up the confusion. Police told the man to remove his make-up after which he was allowed to continue his journey.

"Bad Segeberg is in a rural area and Halloween isn't very well known there," police spokeswoman Silke Tobies said. "So people weren't expecting anyone to be dressed up in the train."

Think You're Having a Bad Day?

This Seattle-area cheerleader had just become Homecoming Queen and was making sure everything was perfect for the football players entrance....when BOOM! Can you say ouch?!?!

KOMO 4's Mike Ferreri picked the hit, as the Play of the Night. Gotta love how the camera is always there!

With great power...comes great responsibility...

Thats right Spiderman fans - its finally here!

We're taking a look at the new releases on DVD.

"Spider-Man 3"
This movie is now swinging onto DVD and high-definition Blu-ray disc. There's also a collection packaged with the two earlier installments of director Sam Raimi's comic-book franchise.

The main players return for the conclusion of the love triangle and friends-turned-foes saga among Spidey, Mary Jane and Harry. A single-disc DVD has commentary with cast and crew, while the two-disc DVD and Blu-ray releases are stuffed with extras on the cool effects and the stunt sequences, among others.

On a side note - you can also pick up "Spider-Man - The High Definition Trilogy." That's right, all three movies in one set!

"License to Wed"
This movie stars Robin Williams as a clergyman leading a couple through an outrageous pre-nuptial education course. The DVD has deleted scenes accompanied by commentary from the director (Ken Kwapis).

Along with the DVD release, the movie is available in a high-definition Blu-ray disc and a combination disc with both standard DVD and high-definition HD DVD versions.

"Talk to Me"
This movie has Don Cheadle playing Ralph "Petey" Greene, a former prison inmate who became an outspoken radio personality and activist during the civil-rights movement of the 1960s.

Cheadle leads a sturdy cast that includes Martin Sheen, Cedric the Entertainer and Mike Epps. The film is accompanied by deleted scenes, a featurette on Greene and his significance in black politics of the era. Another segment is on the movie's re-creation of 1960s and '70s style through music and fashion.

Other DVD film releases this week:
- El Cantante
- No End in Sight
- Looney Tunes: Golden Collection - Volume Five

TV on DVD

- Angel (Complete Series Collector's Set)
- CSI: Miami - The Fifth Season
- Everybody Loves Raymond (Complete Series)
- Family Affair (Season 4)
- Family Guy: Freakin' Party Pack - The Complete DVD Collection
- Magnum P.I. (Season 7)
- My So-Called Life: The Complete Series
- Mystery Science Theater 3000 Collection, Volume 12
- Scrubs: The Complete Sixth Season
- The Outer Limits (Original Series, Volume 3)
- The Real McCoys (Season 2)
- Twin Peaks: Definitive Gold Box Edition

Dads Help Carve Pumpkins

Near the end of our Great Pumpkin Contest, we had a teacher email us this great story.

First graders at Cherryville Elementary were able to bring their dads in to carve some pumpkins for Halloween. Debra Spangler sent us these pictures and they were just too cute - we had to share.

We love seeing dads getting involved with their kids, its so great!

Fantastic Pigskin Action!

The Carolina Panthers may not have done as well as we'd all like - especially John, but someone is hitting the field in style!

John follows the Gaston County Jaguars as they play at the Bank of America stadium during a recent Panther game.

These kids are the current national champions of the Pop Warner Junior Pee Wee Division! Go Jags!



And they aren't the only ones pulling some amazing moves on the field.

Trinity vs Millsaps College, with two seconds left in the game.

Trinity continues to lateral the ball...more than 15 times and is finally able to score and win the game! Just amazing!



Gotta love football season!

It's a Scary Good Laugh!

Found this video of News 10 Good Morning out in Sacramento, CA.

The group got quite a scare when some folks dressed in their Halloween creepiest came running out on set.

Keep your eyes on the ladies who book-end the desk. One jumps under the desk, the other runs across the studio!

Click here to watch the video!

Not The Time To Gloat

My first University of Tennessee game was a success. I had a great time with friends I hadn't seen in a while. I loved being around fans as enthusiastic as UT fans, especially when they got into it with South Carolina fans. And the win didn't hurt either.

After the game UT fans were excited and rowdy and USC fans... well you can imagine. And yet as we were soaking in a victory most didn't think we would have and USC was moping because of the loss, no-one would even imagine the tragedy the next morning would bring.

As I was walking out of the game, I couldn't wait to write a big "I told you so" blog. I was really going let all you USC fans who doubted UT have it! But after learning about Sunday's fire that claimed the lives of seven college students, six of which went to USC, football just doesn't seem that important anymore. It is hard to fathom how seven seemingly healthy, young, happy adults could suddenly be gone in the span of a morning. I can't imagine what their parents are going through right now. USC students, family members and friends were probably still talking about the football game Sunday morning. At that point no-one knew about the fire, and the loss of the football game was probably the worst thing on their minds. No-one could imagine the day would get a lot worse.

More than anything, I want to extend my condolences to the family and friends of those who lost a loved one on Sunday. I'm praying for everyone who goes to USC and Clemson, and for everyone who knew someone involved in the fire.

A Time of Tragedy

It's the kind of phone call that just hits you in the gut.

A massive house fire and anywhere between 6-13 people from your old college are dead. That's what I got on Sunday, when I was at home preparing to catch a nap before work.

Instantly - you go into panic mode. A lot of my friends still live in and around the campus area of USC. So I grabbed my cell phone and start calling people. That's when I realize, I need more information.

So I go online and start looking at the local papers for Columbia and Myrtle Beach. Thank goodness for online editions!

Even still, I went to places like Facebook and Myspace to see if anyone has posted anything at all... plans for the weekend, vacation plans or "Oh my God, did you see what happened?"

I was too nervous - I couldn't go back to sleep. I had to keep updated on everything that was coming out. Maybe it was the news guy in me, maybe it was the connection.

Its no secret that I don't like South Carolina Football, but the school - I loved. I met some of my best friends in classes, even if I didn't wanna be in class.

Even now, I still don't know. I haven't been gone that long from USC, some of those killed, I could easily know. Guess I'll have to sit - and wait.

I can't imagine being a parent right now, not knowing for sure.

My thoughts and prayers go out to those 7 students... and the family, who are just waiting on a call.

The Jekyll-Hyde Carolina Panthers!

Can anyone tell me what happened to the Carolina Panthers?

Their first drive of the game against the Indianapolis Colts actually gave a lot of us hope that they might give the Colts a real game. Then the mistakes began to happen...the fumbled punt return...the interception...the penalty on the great kick return...the John Kasay kickoff that went out of bounds...etc., etc.!

In the past, the Panthers always seemed to make great adjustments during halftime and would come out looking better in the second half. Nowadays, it seems the Panthers come out flatter and worse in the second half!

Why is that?

It just seems to me...that the Panthers seem to lack fire and heart much of the time. Does anyone else get that sense? I still support the team 110%, but it is incredibly frustrating to see them play so poorly and without much enthusiasm.

There's no shame in losing when you've given the effort your all...but I often get the sense that the Panthers aren't giving it their all. Is it a coaching thing? Players? What? Why did the team appear so different when it came out in the second half?

Biting off more than we can chew?

I was on my way to the gym this morning and couldn’t help but notice yet more land being cleared for development.

I remember when I first moved to Charlotte. I was so excited about all the building going on. I would tell my friends and family in Detroit; Charlotte is a city on the move! The city’s progression is incredible.

But now all this development has me wondering – are we biting off more than we can chew? I mean how much is too much development?

Every time I turn around there’s a new shopping plaza going up, another restaurant or nail salon opening and some new condo project.

Sure construction is a good thing. It means money is coming into the city. But it also leads to clogging roadways and crowding schools.

Getting back to that intersection that’s been flattened by bulldozers -- I miss the trees that were there and the shade/privacy they provided. I am sure as our city continues to grow this will become a more frequent sight. I can only hope our elected city leaders are thinking about the long-term and short-term benefits.

On another note…I can’t believe my Michigan State Spartans BLEW it against Iowa this weekend. They seemed one step closer to a bowl bid by the end of half time – but as one columnist put it – the game turned so decisively after that, you would have thought the teams exchanged jerseys.

We have to regroup for next Saturday's game against Michigan. Thank goodness the game is in East Lansing. I really want that bowl game.

Oh, and thanks for the hospitality in Cleveland county this weekend. My husbands company had their company picnic and we had a ball!

Until next time…

College Football Roundup

Okay...yesterday was just awesome.

It was nice to see college football back to its old reliable self - just a few upsets like any other year.

West Virginia at Rutgers - This was a blowout. WestVa showed its power and muscle and trampled all over Rutgers, at home! This is the 3rd time this season that running back Steve Slaton scored three touchdowns in a game.
Final Score: West Va 31 - Rutgers 3

North Carolina at Wake Forest - The Demon Deacons were on top of this one. They managed to score at least six in every quarter... and the Tar Heels were struggling to score at all!
Final score: WF 37 - UNC 10

Michigan State at Iowa - Michigan State started off strong, but Iowa came creeping back, and gave the Spartans quite a scare. In fact, the game had to go into double overtime before a winner was decided. Sadly, for Lenise, the Spartans were not on top.
Final Score: Iowa 34 - Michigan State 27

USC at Oregon - Ranked or not, Southern Cal just couldn't hold onto the ball. Three turnovers, including one on the last drive of the game as they tried to tie up the game and take it to overtime. Oh, how the mighty have fallen.
Final Score: Oregon 24 - USC 17

Florida at Georgia - Georgia's defense was really in this one. Even though Gator QB Tim Tebow was able to run in two TD's - the defense held him to minus 15 yards of rushing!
Final Score: Georgia 42 - Florida 30

Clemson at Maryland - The Clemson defense played well in this game, with a Maryland home game - the Terps can be intimidating. Maryland did make a nice 4th quarter run with 2 TDs. Clemson QB Cullen Harper was on point, with running backs Thunder and Lightning storming up the field! Good thing too, since running back James Davis publicly promised he would carry the Tigers to victory.
Final Score: Clemson 30 - Maryland 17

South Carolina at Tennessee - turnovers, turnovers, turnovers. Spurrier's all encompassing multiple QB plan just didn't work out. Click here for more.
Final Score: UT 27 - South Carolina 24 (OT)

Ohio State at Penn State - Ohio State just proved they are number one for a reason. They when into Penn State, and even a White Out couldn't stop the Buckeyes! Ohio State QB Todd Boeckman was on point, completing 19-of-26 passes for 253 yards and three touchdowns.
Final Score: Ohio State 37 - Penn State 17

Other Shockers You May Have Missed:
- No. 23 Connecticut beat No. 10 South Florida
Final Score: 22-15

- Unranked Mississippi State beat No. 14 Kentucky
Final Score: 31-14

- Unranked North Carolina State beat No. 15 Virginia
Final Score: 29-24

I Need a Fork and Salt...its Time to Eat My Words!

All I can say is "Wow!"

Before I even get started, just lemme say...this is the one time I don't mind being wrong. I've mentioned before that I'm a die-hard Clemson fan, and I - in no way - like University of South Carolina football.

With that said, last night during the UT vs USC game, I was blown away. The fact that UT got a 21 point lead and held it going into the half was just amazing - Colt Brennan did a great job.

But....with the Gamecocks having 5 turnovers, the Vols should have capitalized more. In fact, the first half was all Vols, but they let USC come back and take the lead in the second half. It took a last second field goal to tie it back up. The Gamecocks are a definite fourth quarter team.

The game should have never gone into overtime, at all.

So yes, I did say the Other Producer was crazy for thinking Tennessee would win. I still stand by that, because that was not the USC who played in the first six games of the season. I'm not sure who Steve Spurrier brought to Rocky Top, maybe it was Lou's old team...

Aye-aye Captain Conceited.. I mean, Kirk!

So the other day, Trent - our former Overnight Photographer, pointed out a part of this story to me.

The "crew" for the new Star Trek movie has been announced. Woot woot? I don't know, I'm not much of a Trekkie, but oh well. I didn't really care about this, until.....

"I couldn't believe it. I'm not in the movie at all. Leonard, God bless his heart, is in, but not me."

That's right, I knew William Shatner was NOT a part of the new movie, but who knew that he would be so sad about it.

In fact, Shatner went on to tell the Associated Press..."I thought, what a decision to make, since it obviously is a decision not to make use of the popularity I have to ensure the movie has good box office. It didn't seem to be a wise business decision."

WHAT?!?!?

When's the last time you heard anyone say "Oh wow, William Shatner's in that movie. Let's get in line early to make sure we get in!"

Ummm...yeah.

Beam me up Scottie, this is just getting weird!

By the way, if you care - TV Guide has a look at the new cast.

TopTen Creepiest Characters of All-Time

With Halloween, just days away, thought we'd take a look at who's making the list of the creepiest creatures from the movies!

10. The Spiders, "Arachnophobia"
Arachnophobia created a whole new generation of spider haters. No wonder, the little terrors are tiny, stealth and the definition of creepy crawlers. A feeling of helplessness lingered, when many realized that even the best exterminator could not take care of this problem.

9. Birds, "The Birds"
An entire generation was traumatized by this film. Alfred Hitchcock was a genius at taking seemingly harmless objects, like birds, and turning them into bloodthirsty monsters. Besides, if you’ve ever walked down the boardwalk with french fries in your hand, you know how aggressive birds can really be and that’s creepy!

8. The Shark, "Jaws"
Just admit it, the ocean has never been the same. Who can ever forget that creepy circling fin? Years later, a trip to the beach still conjures up fears of hungry sharks. It’s a movie character that has impacted many lives and recreational fun.

7. The Wicked Witch of the West and Flying Monkeys, "The Wizard of Oz"
Do you remember your heart pounding, saying “Run Toto” as the monkeys chased him? For many children, the Wicked Witch and her flying monkeys were the first introduction to the realm of creepy characters.

On a personal note: Uh yeah, monkeys should NOT be able to fly!

6. The Clown, "Poltergeist"
After watching this movie, anyone that was on the fence about clowns is now officially terrified. Whoever thought that clowns were fun and cute will most certainly change their minds and place any clown dolls under lock and key, so they cannot escape. This clown is as creepy as it gets.

On a personal note: Does anyone remember "IT"? I can't go near the circus or drains!! "BEEP BEEP Richie! They ALL float down here. When you're down here with us, you'll float too!"

5. Norman Bates, "Psycho"
Norman is that one socially awkward person seemingly ready to snap at any moment. We all know at least one person like Norman. He is creepy, because he is real.

4. Freddy Kruger, "A Nightmare on Elm Street"
"1, 2, Freddy’s coming for you…" Any character that can jump into your dreams and kill you while sleeping is creepy. Enough said!

3. Hannibal Lecter, "The Silence of the Lambs"
Just looking at this man will make your skin crawl. What makes Hannibal so creepy is he could be the guy next to you o n an airplane, or in an elevator. He is intelligent, articulate and well-versed; just standing next to him, you would never know about his atrocities.

2. The Child Catcher, "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang"
Seeing this character for the first time as an adult skews his horridness; however, see him through a child’s eyes and it opens up a world of scary possibilities. A stranger snatching children from their parents is not just a creepy character, it’s a horrifying thought.

1. Vampires
Starting with the first vampire from the 1922 silent film "Nosferatu, a Symphony of Horror," a character deemed so scary the movie was banned in Sweden for excessive horror, and continuing with Bela Lugosi as "Dracula." Vampires are the original creepy characters.

We got this list from TopTenReviews.com. Check it out!

Are You Ready for Some Football?!?!?

I love Saturdays in the fall. Why? College football!

Especially this season, it seems even more unstable than usual, with teams falling into an out of the Top 25 like nobody's business.

Now, "The Other Producer" mentioned in her previous post about the U.S.C. vs UT Game, that I'm a HUGE Clemson fan. It's true, I am - always have been, always will be. But I think a good thing about most Clemson fans, we know when things are going our way, be happy - theres a wall in your future. Yeah, sure, we hit the proverbial wall a little early this year, but its okay...

Now don't worry, I'm not going to do a whole post on Clemson football. That wouldn't be very smart in a Tar heel State, now would it? Go ACC! LOL.

But anyways, here's the games I'll be keeping an eye on throughout the day.

Noon

- West Virginia at Rutgers - both of these teams have been in the Top 25 this season, and both have had some good games, and some not so good ones. Should be a pretty good game.

- North Carolina at Wake Forest - Two ACC, in-state teams hitting the field? Of course I'm watching!

- Michigan State at Iowa - after the scare the Spartans gave Ohio State, this might be a good game.

3:00 PM

- USC at Oregon - these two ranked teams from the West Coast in action, you know its going to be a good game.

3:30 PM

- Florida at Georgia - SEC teams, rivals, and both doing pretty well this year - you'd be a fool to miss this one. Momma didn't raise no fool!

- Clemson at Maryland - I think this one speaks for itself...

7:45 PM

- South Carolina at Tennessee - this one should be fun. I don't agree with "The Other Producer." She thinks Tennessee is going to win, I think she's crazy. I don't like the Gamecocks, I hate Steve Spurrier even more, and I will NEVER pull for them, but I think they got this game. Kinda ironic, all this hatred - and its where I went to college!

8:00 PM

- Ohio State at Penn State - Number 1 vs Number 25. Normally, I would say its in the bag, but we've all seen how the season has gone - could be anybody's game. That's why I'm watching!

What about you??? What games are YOU watching?

I'm taking my Speedway and going home!

You know - I heard a great comparison the other day between children and the Bruton Smith/City of Concord problem the other day. It's like when little girls are playing with their Barbies, and one does something the other doesn't like. "Fine then, I'm taking my Barbies and going home!"

That's basically what is seems like Bruton Smith is doing with Lowes Motor Speedway. "You won't let me build my drag strip? Fine then, I'm outta here."

And a LOT of people have been talking about Concord's reaction since the incident. It was an almost immediate barrage of apologizes and offers of "What can we do for you?"

There have been campaigns launched such as SaveLMS.com, a plane with a banner saying "We love Bruton Smith," offers of tax breaks - and heck, they are even still talking about giving him the drag strip he wanted in the first place! Oh yeah, and lets not forget, they want NC DOT to approve the name change of Speedway Boulevard to Bruton Smith Boulevard!

After all that - Smith is still telling reporters in Georgia that he is 90% sure he's still moving the Speedway! Is this just crazy???

What do you think? Should Concord just cut its losses and move on - or do whatever it takes to save the Speedway?

Great Pumpkin Contest (Part Two)

Hey all.

The Great Pumpkin contest has been awesome! We've gotten some great pictures in, and just wanted to share a few more with you.

Hope you enjoy!

Check out some of the other pics here!

Abra Kadabra and Hocus Pocus

Okay, seriously.

I never watch the show, so I have no clue if its always this good, but I seriously doubt it.

I was shocked when I saw this video of "America's Got Talent" with magician Kevin James. This is one cool trick.

How did he do that? Even more impressive, David Hasselhoff doesn't look drunk!

Bloodthirsty SEC Football

This is not only my first blog on here but my first blog ever, so bear with me. This is a week for firsts, my first blog and more importantly my first University of Tennessee football game. Now although I didn't go to UT, I did live in Knoxville for a little more than a year. And while living there I admit I jumped on the bandwagon and became a fan.

At this point, you are probably wondering why you care? Well for anyone who knows anything about SEC football, you know there's a pretty big match up on Saturday.

UT takes on the University of South Carolina in Knoxville. I'm going to use this new blog technology to make a prediction on the game. Don't worry it isn't a bet, because that would be illegal, I think.

Anyway against my better judgement I'm predicting that UT is going to win. I know most of you are probably laughing at me right now. I know, I know. USC is ranked # 15 on the AP Poll, Tennessee isn't even in the top 25. Tennessee has already lost three games. I've heard it all, but when it comes down to it I think UT will have the fans, the tradition and the talent to win. Even if my co-producer thinks USC is going to trample the Vols. Ironically enough, he hates USC, being a Clemson fan and all.

Ok so enough rambling on, let's get to the good stuff the Final Prediction....

UT 28

USC 21