More in the Morning: July 2010

Friday, July 23, 2010

Open For Business In Auburn, California, Danger In Disneyland & Aquapalooza

It's hard to believe that it's Aquapalooza time again, but sure enough, the world's largest water party is back tomorrow. We have a change in venue this year. Tim's I in Dunfries is the site for this year's event. Our headline performer this year is national recording star Matt Stillwell.

And, of course, I'll be out there along with all the other Thunder air personalities, the Thunder crew, and hopefully, YOU'LL be there too.

A programming note: on Monday morning's show, in the eight o'clock hour, I will be joined in the studio by 9-year-old Megan Robertson and her mother, Heather. Megan (from Stafford) made national news last week when she had the opportunity to get up onstage and dance with Tim McGraw at Jiffy Lube Live. It's a great story. Megan has had some health issues in the past, and when she was rehabilitating, she would listen to Tim's music. So, this was truly a dream come true for her and we'll get the whole story on Monday.

Twenty-nine-year-old Travis Kevie of Newcastle, California is a very enterprising young man. Unfortunately, his enterprising nature got him arrested. Kevie broke into a shuttered, close-down bar in Auburn, California, called the Valencia Club, reopened it, and started selling drinks to unwitting customers. Auburn Police Detective Jim Hudson became suspicious after reading about the Valencia Club's re-opening in a local Auburn newspaper. The article even featured a picture of Kevie and identified him as the new "owner/operator.

Not only had Detective Hudson had previous run-ins with Kevie, but he also happened to know that the Valencia's liquor license had been surrendered. Sure enough, when Detective Hudson went to the bar to investigate, he found it was open for business with customers at the bar. Kevie quickly went from behind the bar to behind bars.

So, here's just another example of small business being stifled by the government.

Here's a story I had to laugh it when I read it this morning: Disneyland has closed down it's Alice In Wonderland ride while workers install new safety equipment recommended by the California work-safety inspectors. Have you ever been on the Alice In Wonderland ride?

You have better odds of being injured in Disneyland or Disney World by a senior citizen driving one of those Rascal scooters.

And yes, it's true. The Golden Girl, Taylor Swift has been nominated to be inducted into the Bowling Hall of Fame. The Bowling Proprietor's Association recently announced the list of nominees who, according to the association, helped contribute to the enduring popularity of ....................bowling. Aside from Taylor, some of the other notables nominated include Bill Murray, Jeff Bridges, Jimmy Fallon, Paris Hilton and Kim Kardashian (those last two make even less sense than Taylor Swift). You are invited to vote online at http://www.gobowling.com/ . If Taylor wins, watch for Kanya West to interrupt the induction ceremony complaining that Beyonce is a better bowler.

What's next for Taylor Swift? Nomination for the Nobel Peace Prize?

posted by Denny # 6:45 PM 0 Comments

Wednesday, July 14, 2010

Wine And Whiskers, Bubble's Thoughts & The Y

He's a great American, an incredible musician, and a legend in the country music world, and he's coming to Fredericksburg. I'm talking about the great Charlie Daniels.

He'll be appearing at Celebrate Virginia Live this Friday night. I've been giving tickets away all week, and tomorrow morning, another chance to win tickets when we play More's Mystery. Tomorrow, we'll be looking for a person......a person who could easily be described as the Jerry Springer of his day. I'll have two more clues for you tomorrow morning a little after our 7 o'clock news.

It's hard to believe, but it's Wine & Whiskers time again, and again this year, I'm happy to be hosting the festivities at Lake Anna Winery this Saturday night. Not only is this a great way to spend a Saturday night, but it's a chance to help support the Fredericksburg SPCA at the same time. There'll be wine-tasting, great food, a live band, a silent auction, and all in all, a lot of fun. I hope to see you there. For more information, go to http://www.wineandwhiskers.com/ .

In case you have not heard, the YMCA is now officially known as just "The Y". The Chicago-based, non-profit organization announced Monday that it is changing it's logo and name to "The Y". Research showed that the name "YMCA" was confusing to most people, and that most people usually referred to the organization as "the Y" anyway. For now, the new name applies to the group nationally, with individual locations still being referred to as YMCAs. However, the transition is under way, and within five years, the 10,000 YMCAs across the country will be known simply as "The Y". Why is this important and why is this good news? Because now, that annoying Village People song will be 75% shorter.

I've talked about the Jackson family on numerous occasions. They are without a doubt an iconic family in our society, and Michael was without a doubt one of the greatest entertainers of all time. However, this doesn't change the fact that the entire family is nuts. Here's the latest:

In an interview with News of the World, La Toya Jackson claims Michael spent thousands of dollars in trying to teach his pet chimpanzee, Bubbles........to talk. This is NOT hard to believe. La Toya says Michael spent thousands of dollars on research to see if Bubbles could undergo a medical procedure that would give him the ability to speak. She says, "Michael wanted to give Bubbles vocal chords and asked doctors, 'Can I give him an operation so that I can know what his thoughts are?" But after spending an enormous amount of money and years of research, he finally gave up on the idea. Besides, he probably figured if he really wanted to know what Bubbles' thoughts were...........

........he could just talk to La Toya.

posted by Denny # 5:48 PM 0 Comments

Wednesday, July 7, 2010

Back To Work, The F.B.I. & A Six-Year-Old On The "No-Fly" List

It's back to work this week after a very nice and very relaxing week off. My thanks to Brian Strobel for filling in.

Coming up tomorrow morning, joining me in the studio, Vicki "The Victorious" Berkshire from right here in Fredericksburg.

At the age of 29, Vicki's dream is to be a MMA cage fighter, and indeed, this Saturday night, she will step into the cage for the very first time at The Virginia Sports Complex in Ruther Glen. Hopefully, we'll find out a little about the thought process that went into making the decision to do this.

Remember, Blake Shelton is coming to town this Friday night, and every morning this week, I'll have chances for you to win tickets. Here's the first of three clues to tomorrow morning's More's Mystery: This left-handed smoker once worked as a limo driver while pursuing an acting career.

Watch for the More In the Morning weekly poll question coming soon to this website.

We have a special announcement to make about my buddy, Kristin Nash. We'll be making that announcement this Friday morning during the Walk Down Music Row segment.

In the "better late than never" department: My thanks to the Federal Bureau of Investigation at Quantico for inviting me to participate in their F.B.I. Citizen's Academy. If you're like me, you probably didn't even know there was such a thing. The F.B.I.'s Citizen's Academy is a special unit for civilians. It's an eight-week course which breaks down some of the myths of the F.B.I., and gives people like me a little behind-the-scenes look as to how the Bureau works. It's a very "hands-on" course. I'm very much a homebody kind of guy. Give me my wife, my dog and some wine and I'm a happy guy. So, when the F.B.I. called, I really didn't know if I wanted to commit myself into taking the course. But I must tell you, and I mean this, it was one of the most fascinating things I've ever done in my life. It was interesting, riveting and, because it was so hands-on, it was a lot of fun. I met a lot of great people too. Unfortunately, this is not something you can sign up for. You sort of have to be nominated to get in. If, by chance you ever have the opportunity to do it, I'd HIGHLY recommend it. Again, my thanks to everybody at the F.B.I.

While I was out last week, Britain's Sun Tabloid claimed they got a sneak peek at the secret divorce deal between Tiger Woods and his wife, Elin.

It is a record settlement for a celebrity divorce case with $750 MILLION going to Elin. However, in return, she must agree to never talk about Tiger or their marriage, even if he dies first. If she does, she forfeits the money. She also gets custody of both kids, and to keep them away from porn stars, Tiger is not allowed to bring any single woman into the children's presence, unless he is engaged to marry her.

My question: Knowing what we know about this guy, what woman would be dumb enough to marry him? Heather Mills, maybe.

Finally, an off-beat story about a 6-year-old girl, who for some unexplained reason, has found herself on the U.S. Government's No-Fly list. Dr. Santhosh Thomas of Cleveland, Ohio, along with his wife and six-year-old daughter, Alyssa were getting ready to fly from Cleveland to Minneapolis, when the ticket agent at the Continental counter informed them that Alyssa was on the No-Fly list. The agent suggested they call Homeland Security to straighten the matter out. When Dr. Thomas did that, he received a letter from the federal government confirming that his six-year-old daughter WAS indeed on the No-Fly list, and that her file WOULD NOT change.

The F.B.I. will confirm that a such a list exists. However, for security purpose, they will not discuss who is on it or why.

In the F.B.I.'s defense, and as someone who flys alot, I'll say this: I know many frequent fliers who would argue that ALL six-year-olds should be on the No-Fly list.