Getty Images, Tim Boyle

The school year is winding down, and I recently got into a discussion with my A.I.S.D. 6th grader, Nathan, about what he thinks is the most important subject in school. At first, he gave me the “make dad happy” answer, saying they are all equally important. But he soon caved and told me he thinks Math and Reading/English are more important than the other classes he takes.

Nathan doesn’t have the benefit of hindsight, but I have to give him credit. It’s hard to argue against Math, Reading and English being the most important subjects. After all, they are the “3 R’s”, right? Some schools “double block” these subject in order to focus twice the class time on Math, Reading and English.

At the same time, in recent years the President has gotten involved to stress the importance of physical fitness. Computers continue to overtake our everyday lives in Jetsons-like fashion. And celebrities are creating foundations in an effort to save the arts in our schools. So, there’s a real gray area here.

Which brings me to the following poll question. Just remember, this is not a pass/fail poll. There are no wrong answers. And, no need to use your No. 2 pencil, either!

Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

Everybody has a favorite drink just like they have a favorite car, food, tissue or fabric softener.  I personally like Coke, I’ll drink Pepsi if I have to and I’ll drink Dr. Pepper for a little change.  However, Coke is my favorite and I drink it for breakfast. 

I recently bought some drinks that were store brand, and you know what? They taste surprisingly like the name brand but they are half the price.  I won’t name names but some of my family refuse to drink them because they aren’t the name brand.  We even have a family friend that travels with her Dr. Pepper in her luggage.  Seriously, she will carry 2/ 6-packs in her luggage for fear they won’t have it where she’s going.  Are you someone who has to have the name brand and if so which one is your favorite?

flickr.com/bearbooandyumyum

Well it seems there is an official holiday for pack rats.  Those people who like to “collect” way too much of one thing or another.  I have to say I am one of these people.  I collect those plastic cups you get from restaurants, receipts from stores, phone books, clothes, shoes, CD’s, magazines, books well you see where I’m going with this….I’m a pack rat or as they are called these days “hoarder”.  Tomorrow is a special day set aside for pack rats.

Some of us collect one or two certain items, like stamps or coins, others just collect a lot of junk for no particular reason.  The latter would be me.

I have no idea how or where this day got it’s start but there are some simple rules that go along with celebrating the day.

In keeping with the intent of Pack Rat Day, here are some Do’s and Don’t's:

• Don’t clean your room, basement, garage or any other area today.
• Don’t discard anything today…It may be valuable.
• Don’t even empty the trash today. You might have accidentally thrown out something useful.
• Do keep an eye out for useful stuff being discarded by others.
• Do go to garage and rummage sales. They can be pack rat gold mines.
• Do look around your belongings and be thankful for what you have.
• Do spend time thinking of uses for your things. Justification for saving is satisfying

www.holidayinsights.com

I think these are pretty easy rules we can all follow.  I know for sure I can follow the first tip.  I need to have a garage sale but tomorrow I will not under any circumstance clean out anything in my garage or closets. Please join me in celebrating!

Are you a hoarder/pack rat?

Sony Pictures/The Weinstein Co./Warner Bros.

If you’re ready to bring action and adventure to the comfort of your living room, June 2012 is packed with new DVD and Blue-ray releases to suit your needs. From ‘John Carter’ to ‘Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows,’ we give you the run down of all the movies you’ll be able to take home this month.

June 5

‘Act of Valor’ – Directed by Mike McCoy and Scott Waugh. Starring Alex Veadov, Roselyn Sanchez, and Nestor Serrano. In this all-American actioner, real Navy SEALs were cast as an elite team on a mission to retrieve a kidnapped CIA operative.

‘John Carter‘ — Directed by Andrew Stanton. Starring Taylor Kitsch, Lynn Collins, and Willem Dafoe. A Civil War veteran is transported to Mars and embarks on a journey to save a princess and her people from a nefarious man and his army.

‘Journey 2: The Mysterious Island’ — Directed by Brad Peyton. Starring Dwayne Johnson, Josh Hutcherson, and Michael Caine. A boy teams up with his mom’s husband to find his missing grandfather on a magical and mysterious island.

‘Safe House’ — Directed by Daniel Espinosa. Starring Ryan Reynolds and Denzel Washington. An up-and-coming CIA agent goes on the run with the fugitive he’s supposed to be guarding.

June 12

‘Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance’ — Directed by Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor. Starring Nicolas Cage, Ciaran Hinds, and Idris Elba. Johnny Blaze returns in this follow-up to ‘Ghost Rider,’ that pits Blaze against the Devil one more time.

‘A Little Bit of Heaven’ — Directed by Nicole Kassell. Starring Kate Hudson, Gael Garcia Bernal, and Kathy Bates. Diagnosed with cancer, a woman uses her sense of humor to face and cope with the unexpected.

‘Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows’ — Directed by Guy Ritchie. Starring Robert Downey Jr., Jude Law, and Noomi Rapace. Sherlock Holmes and Watson return in this charming sequel that finds Holmes facing his most challenging, intelligent foe yet — the enigmatic Moriarty.

June 19

‘Big Miracle’ — Directed by Ken Kwapis. Starring Drew Barrymore and John Krasinski. When a group of whales become trapped and threatened by an ice formation, a reporter calls on his ex-girlfriend, a Greenpeace volunteer, to help save the day.

‘The FP’ — Directed by Jason and Brandon Trost. Starring Jason Trost, Lee Valmassy, and Art Hsu. Rival gangs battle for control of a park with a thrilling game of “Beat Beat Revolution” in this original comedy.

‘Jeff, Who Lives At Home’ — Directed by Jay and Mark Duplass. Starring Jason Segel, Ed Helms, and Judy Greer. After an unfortunate coincidence, Jeff leads his estranged brother on a day-long quest to see what else fate has in store for them.

‘Project X‘ — Directed by Nima Nourizadeh. Starring Thomas Mann, Oliver Cooper, and Jonathan Daniel Brown. Three high school teens throw the biggest party ever — a party to end all parties — in this found footage comedy from producer Todd Phillips.

‘Wanderlust‘ — Directed by David Wain. Starring Paul Rudd, Jennifer Aniston, and Justin Theroux. Unemployed and desperate, George and Linda venture to a free-spirited commune to find happiness and purpose.

June 26

‘21 Jump Street‘ — Directed by Phil Lord and Chris Miller. Starring Channing Tatum, Jonah Hill, Rob Riggle, and Brie Larson. Two mediocre cops are banished to an undercover program where they’re forced to return to high school in order to bust a drug operation.

‘The Artist’ — Directed by Michael Hazanavicius. Starring Jean Dujardin and Berenice Bejo. A silent film star is faced with the changing landscape of cinema, but soon emerges from his depression when he finds love with a dancing actress and star of talking pictures.

‘Mirror Mirror‘ — Directed by Tarsem Singh. Starring Julia Roberts, Armie Hammer, and Lily Collins. In this quirky twist on the fairy tale from visionary director Tarsem Singh, a princess must reclaim her rightful throne from an evil queen with the help of seven dwarfs.

‘Wrath of the Titans‘ — Directed by Jonathan Liebesman. Starring Liam Neeson, Sam Worthington, and Ralph Fiennes. Perseus’ saga continues in this sequel where he must rescue his father Zeus from the evil Hades.

Source: ScreenCrush.com

Flickr/moonlightbulb

The 23rd annual ‘Friends of the Abilene Public Library’ book sale at the Abilene Civic Center is scheduled for June 7-10. The sale includes over one hundred thousand books, videos and cassette tapes, DVDs, CDs, records and more.

If you’re a member of the ‘Friends of the Library’ you’ll get in first during the ‘Friends Only’ preview sale Thursday, June 7. A Friends memberships is only $15.00 and may be purchased at the door. The Public will be admitted starting Friday, June 8.  Prices on most items, including hardbound books, will be $1.75, while most paperbacks will be 75 cents each. Children’s books are sold by the inch, for $1.25.

Information

Dates

Thursday June 7
Friday June 8
Saturday June 9
Sunday June 10

Location

Abilene Civic Center 1100 North 6th Street Abilene, TX 79601

Times

Thursday, 5pm Until 8pm
Friday, 10am Until 8pm
Saturday, 10am Until 6pm
Sunday, 1pm Until 4pm

Admission

Free Friday through Sunday

Other Info

$15 to join the ‘Friends of the Abilene Public Library’.

The Sale

Benefits

The Friends of the Abilene Public Library Book sale is an annual event in which the proceeds from the sale will fund library materials, equipment, activities and staff training opportunities. Librarian Janis test said “The Friends of the Library will continue to accept donated items for the sale through Saturday, May 26th.”

Here’s Janis Test on the book sale

Jason Merritt, Getty Images/Twitter

If it’s possible to become addicted to adopting animals, Miranda Lambert definitely has an addiction — and she might need rehab for the kind-hearted. According to the sassy songstress’ Twitter feed, she has welcomed yet another stray pup into the Shelton household.

Apparently, the furry black and white pup she rescued from the streets just a month ago wasn’t enough to fill the ‘Over You’ singer’s heart. On Tuesday, the singer shared the photo of this adorable black dog that she found, which she appropriately named after one of country music’s most legendary females.

“New puppy I found last week. Loretta! She will go to a new good home soon I hope. : ) or maybe she is already. Hehe,” Lambert tweeted. Although dozens of her 953,280 Twitter followers replied that they would take the sweet girl off of the country star’s hands, Lambert hasn’t mentioned finding a home (other than her own) for the latest canine addition.

Of course, people are starting to wonder how Lambert ends up with all of these strays. She answered the question that’s been burning up all of our minds when she conversed with Pistol Annies bandmate Ashley Monroe. Apparently, it’s because she’s magnetic — pups just come to her.

“@ashleymonroe said I have “dogdar”. They find me,” Lambert told Monroe. “And I hope I never see the people that dump them. For [their] sake. It won’t be pretty,” she added.

Let that be a lesson to any of you who have been tempted to abandon an animal: If you’re near Miranda Lambert, she’ll probably make the castoff her newest furry friend. And if she finds you, you better watch out!

[button href="http://tasteofcountry.com/hillary-scott-cute-pets/" title="See the Cutest Pets in Country Music" align="center"]

Source: TasteofCountry.com

Warner Bros.

Tom Cruise has gone from mega 80s superstar to couch-jumping nutball over the course of his career. With his off-screen demeanor calming down a bit, he’s revived his career (see: ‘Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol’) and he’s back on top of the Hollywood mountain, especially with his upcoming role in ‘Rock of Ages.’ But has his career resurgence made him go a bit bananas again?

While playing the role of sexed up 80′s rock idol Stacee Jaxx in the upcoming film adaptation of the popular musical ‘Rock of Ages,’ Cruise decided his character needed a sidekick to play with him in his musical jungle of groupies and glam. In W Magazine, Cruise talked about an accessory he felt the character of Jaxx needed to have for the movie:

I was thinking about the character, and I said, ‘You know what? I need a monkey.’ [Director] Adam [Shankman] said, ‘What the f— are you talking about?’ And I said, ‘I’m serious — I need a monkey.’ When Stacee’s not onstage, he’s kind of sad. And I thought, This guy has to have a monkey that’s his best friend. Adam found this baboon. He sent me the baboon’s audition tape, and I said ‘The baboon’s name has to be Hey Man.’ Stacee Jaxx doesn’t work without Hey Man.

Want Tom Cruise wants, Tom Cruise gets. If he wants a giant elephant in the room dressed as the Red Baron then I’m pretty sure Shankman is going to ask the costume designer to get to work. Cruise’s last film, ‘Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol’ earned rave reviews, and his quirky characters like Les Grossman in ‘Tropic Thunder’ showcased just how crazy-fun he can get. We’re looking forward to Cruise’s part in this movie musical but we just hope he doesn’t monkey around too much (ahem) when it comes to his performance.

‘Rock of Ages,’ which also stars Julianne Hough, Diego Boneta, Russell Brand, Paul Giamatti, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Malin Ackerman, Mary J. Blige, Bryan Cranston and Alec Baldwin, rocks theaters on June 15th.

Source: ScreenCrush.com

booleansplit, Flickr

When you’re buying sunscreen, do you look for words like ‘waterproof,’ ‘sweatproof’ and ‘sunblock?’ If so, don’t bother — they may not be as bulletproof as they seem.

Last year, the FDA mandated that sunscreen manufacturers had to stop using the above descriptions because no product is truly waterproof or sweatproof, and even the best sunscreens don’t completely block harmful rays. And although the ban was supposed to be in place this summer, makers now have until this winter to comply.

Products claiming to be ‘waterproof’ or ‘sweatproof’ will have to prove it with standard testing and state exactly how long a product will stay on the skin after being exposed to water or perspiration.

In addition, terms like ‘sunblock’ will be replaced with ‘broad spectrum’ as long as a product has an SPF rating of at least 15 and protects the user from both UVA rays (associated with skin cancer) and UVB rays (which can cause sunburn).

That said, sunscreens on the shelves are still effective and the FDA encourages their use, saying, “The ingredients in FDA-approved sunscreens marketed today have been used for many years, and FDA has no reason to believe these products are not safe.”

[Time]

Mark Wilson/Getty Images

The 24th annual “Run For The Wall” is a bike ride, as in motorcycles, across the U.S. from California to Washington D.C. to show support, honor and respect for our military. There will be between 400-500 motorcycles passing through Abilene on I-20 this Saturday, May 19th.  This will be something special to see.

The riders will be on I-20 heading from Odessa to Grand Prairie on their trek across the U.S. to their final destination of the Vietnam Memorial in Washington, D.C. The group provides a safe, supportive and private environment for all VETS, families and friends. They invite everyone to come out and show your support to and for our troops serving in the military.

Information:

Date:

Saturday May, 19th

Time:

2:15- 2:45 pm (Approximately)

Location:

I-20 & Fulwiler Rd.

Other:

For more information on the organization and event please see the RFTW website or their Facebook.

Ethan Miller, Getty Images

Last week, boxing champ Manny Pacquiao reacted to President Barack Obama’s recent acceptance of gay marriage by allegedly quoting Bible verses against homosexuality. As a result, a Los Angeles-area shopping mall has banned the the WBO welterweight champion.

While Pacquiao’s representatives claim his quotes in a National Conservative Examiner article were taken out of context, The Grove, an outdoor shopping mall near Los Angeles, has banned the boxer and canceled a scheduled interview of Pacquiao with ‘Extra’ and host Mario Lopez in advance of his June 9 fight with Timothy Bradley.

…(Pacquiao) is not welcome at The Grove and will not be interviewed here now or in the future. The Grove is a gathering place for all Angelenos and not a place for intolerance.”

Pacquiao allegedly quoted Leviticus 20:13, which calls homosexuality “detestable” and advocates that gays “must be put to death.” Pacquiao says he’s never read Leviticus, nor quoted that verse. “I’m not against gay people … I have a relative who is also gay. We can’t help it if they were born that way.”

Regardless of his position on gay marriage, Pacquiao may find this still-developing controversy an unwanted distraction as he prepares for his fight against Bradley.

[NBC Sports]

Ethan Miller, Getty Images

In March, Lady Antebellum announced the tornado-ravaged Henryville High School in Henryville, Ind. as the lucky winners in the band’s Own the Night Prom Contest. Holding true to their word, the superstar trio heads to the Midwest today (May 16) to play a private concert for the students who are still trying to piece together a somewhat normal high school experience.

“Helping rebuild this community is our biggest priority right now,” says Lady A leading lady Hillary Scott. “We were so moved by the stories from Henryville High School, but also from the students at their rival schools who raised their hands and said they wanted to help. There has been so much national media attention and so many sponsors and volunteers are stepping forward to help. It’s going to be an amazing day!”

Outreach for the disaster relief has reached a fever pitch, with major media outlets covering the event, and ultimately getting #RebuildingHenryville trending on Twitter. The trio took to their official account too in hopes of garnering support for their goodwill effort.

“@Ladyantebellum is #RebuildingHenryville today! Help out here http://bit.ly/ladyaprom and RT to show your support!” the ‘Wanted You More’ singers tweeted.

“The whole community, especially the students, is excited about Lady Antebellum coming and performing for Henryville,” says the superintendent of the West Clark Community Schools, Monty Schneider. “They missed so much with the school being destroyed that things like this help them feel whole again. They will be talking about the tornadoes for the rest of their lives, but this event will give them something positive to reflect on about that time. It’s going to be a special moment for the entire community.”

The trio will perform a private 45-minute set for the juniors and seniors at the KFC YUM! Center as part of the school’s prom night, which will be followed by a full-fledged post-party concert that will be open to the general public in order to help raise funds to rebuild the town. Lipton Tea’s team has also come on board to help with the event in the spirit of their Drink Positive and Live Positive message, a campaign that Lady A already supports.

The band is on track to reach their donation goal of $250,000. All proceeds raised from the concert portion of Rebuilding Henryville will remain local through the New Hope/Indiana Bankers Association for the benefit of the disaster relief fund. Fans who are unable to attend Rebuilding Henryville can still get involved by making donations in any amount here.

Watch the Winning Submission to Lady Antebellum’s ‘Own the Night’ Prom Contest

Source: TasteofCountry.com

Quinn Rooney, Getty Images

Us girls are always getting gawked at when we’re trying to get our tan on at the beach, so when the rugby team from St Kilda, Australia needed to take an icy swim the other day, we got to return the favor.

Apparently the cold works wonders on helping repair an athlete’s muscles, which is why hotties Lenny Hayes, Rhys Stanley and the rest of the boys were freezing their nips off. Who knew, right? As tough as these guys are, you’ll get a kick out of them giggling and bouncing around in the waves.

Quinn Rooney, Getty Images

Quinn Rooney, Getty Images

Quinn Rooney, Getty Images

Quinn Rooney, Getty Images

Quinn Rooney, Getty Images

Quinn Rooney, Getty Images

Quinn Rooney, Getty Images

Pascal Le Segretain, Getty Images

Ever since we first reported about Josh Kelley‘s and Katherine Heigl‘s new baby, we’ve been dying to get more details. We’re happy to announce today that the wait is over! Mr. and Mrs. Kelley revealed more information about their new little family member to People, including her name: Adalaide Marie Hope.

“Her full name is Adalaide Marie Hope Kelley,” Heigl explains. “Adalaide because of my great-grandmother, Marie after my middle name, and Hope because that is what the process became.”

Before Kelley got engaged to his superstar wife, actress Katherine Heigl, both agreed that they wanted a family. And although the couple wants to have biological children one day, they started their family by adopting Naleigh — their now 3-1/2-year-old first daughter — from South Korea in 2009.

The tiny family was happy enough as a threesome, but earlier this year, both the country music singer and his wife hinted in interviews that they might have plans to expand their family unit. A few weeks ago, Heigl’s PR rep confirmed that the happy couple had added to their family by adopting a new baby.

Now, Naleigh has a new baby sister! The newborn baby was christened Adalaide Marie Hope, and she was adopted domestically.

With a new baby at home, the big-hearted couple spent a quiet Mother’s Day at their house. But the singer — whose brother is Charles Kelley of Lady Antebellum — still took the time to update Twitter followers about the family, writing, “HAPPY MOTHERS DAY !!!! Hope you dudes out there take care of your ladies. No skimping…” He even shared a photo of the breakfast spread he made for the mother of his children.

Although the Kelleys have just expanded their brood, the country crooner still plans to hit the road this summer. Surely, he’ll be belting out ‘Naleigh Moon,’ a song about his oldest daughter and the first single from his 2011 ‘George Clay’ album, at most of his upcoming shows.

[button href="http://tasteofcountry.com/category/baby-news/" title="Get More Country Babies News" align="center"]

Source: TasteofCountry.com

CBS

Being Upfront week, CBS is hard at work announcing and promoting its new series, as well as plotting out ways to incorporate them into the current schedule.  Today a big move for the network’s flagship comedy ‘Two and a Half Men‘ is in the works, but what does it mean for its other comedies?  Who’s getting a big promotion, and who will be joining the ‘Men’ trio on their new night?

Change has been omnipresent for CBS’ biggest comedy ‘Two and a Half Men,’ which has already endured a complete shake-up in its lead actor and executive producer this year, so what’s a little more?  Along with their Upfront presentation today, The Eye has announced that ‘Two and a Half Men’ will vacate its Monday time slot, joining CBS’ other major hit ‘The Big Bang Theory‘ on Thursday nights.

The unholy popular paring will fill out the 8-9 time slot, and will be followed by a second season of ‘Person of Interest,’ and CBS’ new modern-day Sherlock Holmes adaptation ‘Elementary.’

But that’s not all!  Someone’s got to fill the cherry spot vacated by ‘Two and a Half Men,’ and it would seem that Kat Dennings sitcom ‘2 Broke Girls‘ will fill the slot, a development appropriated by the crude field day its characters would have with the phrase “fill the slot.”  Yay.

Below is CBS’ full fall schedule, for your viewing pleasures:

MONDAY

8:00-8:30 PM How I Met Your Mother

8:30-9:00 PM PARTNERS (N)

9:00-9:30 PM 2 Broke Girls (NT)

9:30-10:00 PM MIKE & Molly

10:00-11:00 PM HAWAII FIVE-0

TUESDAY

8:00-9:00 PM NCIS

9:00-10:00 PM NCIS: LOS ANGELES

10:00-11:00 PM VEGAS (N)

WEDNESDAY

8:00-9:00 PM SURVIVOR

9:00-10:00 PM Criminal Minds

10:00-11:00 PM CSI: CRIME SCENE INVESTIGATION

THURSDAY

8:00-8:30 PM The Big Bang Theory

8:30-9:00 PM Two and a Half Men (NT)

9:00-10:00 PM Person Of Interest

10:00-11:00 PM ELEMENTARY (N)

FRIDAY

8:00-9:00 PM CSI: NY (NT)

9:00-10:00 PM MADE IN JERSEY (N)

10:00-11:00 PM Blue Bloods

SATURDAY

8:00-9:00 PM CRIMETIME SATURDAY

9:00-10:00 PM CRIMETIME SATURDAY

10:00-11:00 PM 48 Hours Mystery

SUNDAY

7:00-8:00 PM 60 Minutes

8:00-9:00 PM THE Amazing Race

9:00-10:00 PM THE Good Wife

10:00-11:00 PM THE Mentalist (NT)

Will you follow ‘Two and a Half Men’ to Thursday nights?  Will any other networks be able to compete with a block like that?  Thank goodness ‘Community‘ moved to Fridays!  Tell us what new shows you’re most excited to see in the comments!

Source: ScreenCrush.com

Paul Kane, Getty Images

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to hear Taylor Swift‘s ‘Mean’ performed from a male prospective? Thanks to a gender-bending performance of the No. 1 country song on last night’s (May 15) episode of ‘Glee,’ fans are now truly able to appreciate the tune from both sides of the spectrum.

McKinley High’s resident heartthrob Puck (Mark Salling) tackled an acoustic arrangement of Swift’s tune with a little help from Coach Beiste (Dot-Marie Jones) in the most recent episode, which also featured celebrity cameo appearances by actress Lindsay Lohan and celebrity blogger Perez Hilton.

‘Mean’ seems a likely candidate for recognizable cover tunes — and we’re surprised ‘Glee’ didn’t take it on earlier, considering the series recurring themes of self-acceptance and teenage angst in a high school setting. In the past, the show has tackled country covers in Dolly Parton’s ‘Jolene‘ and Toby Keith’s ‘Red Solo Cup,’ among others.

How does the new version measure up to Swift’s original recording? Watch below and voice your opinions!

Watch Taylor Swift’s ‘Mean’ as Performed on ‘Glee’

Source: TasteofCountry.com

Michael Loccisano, Getty Images

Following a successful television run with her self-titled sitcom ‘Reba,’ Reba McEntire is getting another crack at the small screen. The singer-turned-actress’ new series, ‘Malibu Country,’ has been picked up by ABC, after a pilot episode was given the greenlight earlier this year. Now, the first official trailer for the series has been released.

In the clip below, McEntire tells the dramatic story of how she and her kids found their way out to Malibu. Following a divorce from her cheating husband, the fiery redhead packs up the car and heads west with her brood — mom (Lily Tomlin) included — in tow. But like any good comedy show, you know things aren’t going to be as smooth as the singer had originally planned.

ABC’s official synopsis of ‘Malibu Country’ reads:

When Reba Gallagher (Reba) discovers that her husband, Bobby, (Jeffrey Nordling) a country music legend, has a cheatin’ heart, her world is turned upside down. Reba dreamt of becoming a country star herself, but put her career on hold to raise a family. Now she’s questioning all of that, big-time. With the ink on her divorce barely dry, Reba packs up her sharp-tongued mother, Lillie May (Lily Tomlin), her two kids and the U-Haul and heads for sunny California to begin a new chapter. Leaving Nashville in the rear view, they start over at their Malibu residence — the last remaining asset they have. Reba gets to know her new open and loving neighbor Kim (Sara Rue) and her son, Sage, but also discovers that relocation to Southern California is going to be quite an adjustment for a traditional southern belle: the West Coast seems like the polar opposite of Music City, and Reba feels like an outsider. Still, with the support of her family she sets about finding her voice, jump-starting her music career with the help of her new music agent, Geoffrey (Jai Rodriguez), and embracing this chance to begin again.

‘Malibu Country’ will air Fridays starting this November on ABC.

Watch the ‘Malibu Country’ Trailer Starring Reba McEntire

Source: TasteofCountry.com

The answer, which is “magic wand,” seems perfectly obvious to those of us watching at home, but the contestant repeatedly fails to provide the correct response. Instead, he guesses “magic hand,” “magic band,” “magic pand” (?) and a few dozen others. Once the buzzer sounds, he finally gets it, but by then it’s far too late.

“Uh, wow,” said a clearly stunned Pat Sajak. “It’s a weird game and you just never know. I’m really sorry.” Well, we’re not sorry. This guy just made us feel better about shouting answers at the TV during ‘Wheel of Fortune.’

Source: TheFW.com

YouTube

Carrie Underwood has really been making her rounds to promote ‘Blown Away,’ her newest album release. And while the entire album has received critical acclaim from the media, ‘Good Girl’ — the first single from the record — is her most performed song nowadays. On Tuesday night (May 15), Underwood took the soulful anthem to the stage on ‘Dancing With the Stars,’ where she was accompanied by four dancers who tore up the rug.

Underwood’s rocking performance took the ballroom stage by storm during the semi-final competition. With a full band including back-up singers, Underwood took her post by the microphone wearing a short and lacy purple and blue dress. If her vocals weren’t so powerful, her gorgeous getup and signature shoulder-length curly blonde hair would have stolen the show.

During the second verse, the ‘Good Girl’ hitmaker and her backup band were joined by four professional dancers, who twirled and displayed impressive footwork. The two duos flexed their dancing muscles by adding dips and swing moves into the mix.

After an intense round of dancing, one more contestant was eliminated from the 14th season of the show. Julianne Hough also performed with her ‘Rock of Ages’ co-stars.

Underwood has heard her smash hit single performed all over the country since its release in February. In April, the country superstar sang along with the 5th grade choir at PS22 in Staten Island, as they performed their own rendition of ‘Good Girl.’ Last week, a video surfaced of a toddler rocking out to the No. 1 single in her car seat.

Given the mega-popular status of ‘Good Girl,’ it’s not surprising that Underwood made history with her most recent album. ‘Blown Away’ landed Underwood in the books by debuting at No. 1 on Billboard’s Top Country Albums chart. This makes her only the second country artist in the 47-year history of the chart to have each of their first four albums debut at No. 1.

Currently, Underwood has five CMT award nominations under her belt, including Female Video of the Year, two for Video of the Year, Collaborative Video of the Year, and CMT Performance of the Year. Talk about being blown away!

Watch Underwood’s performance on ‘Dancing With the Stars’ to catch a glimpse of why this lovely lady is getting so much critical acclaim.

Watch Carrie Underwood Perform ‘Good Girl’ on ‘Dancing With the Stars’

Source: TasteofCountry.com

IKEA

IKEA specializes in affordable, streamlined and semi-stylish furniture that’s space-efficient, strangely named yet easy for just about anybody to put together. Oh, and their cafeteria has amazing Swedish meatballs. But the company is taking a bold step toward cornering the home-entertainment market with their latest “invention” – a combination TV stand and smart LED HDTV/Blu-ray player that reaches European markets this fall.

Named the UPPLEVA (of course), this device packages your home-entertainment needs into a relatively compact structure with a TV screen, built-in Blu-ray player, a cabinet, and a wireless subwoofer. Endgadget says the screens on the UPPLEVA will range from 24 to 46 inches, with prices for the unit starting around $960 overseas. After trial runs in Sweden, Italy, France, Poland, Denmark, Spain, Norway and Portugal, the UPPLEVA likely will expand to more markets – hopefully the U.S. – in the Spring of 2013.

That seems like a reasonable price for a smart TV with a Blu-ray player AND a storage unit. But will you buy this if it doesn’t fit the design of your place? IKEA furniture only fits certain styles, and the UPPLEVA matches that description. It won’t work for everybody, but for those who have limited space and a need for a combination unit, this could be ideal.

It also marks a step in the right direction for technology, as a whole. We just didn’t think IKEA would be one of those pioneers in the industry! So what do you think? Would you pick up this unit if it was available at your local IKEA?

Source: ScreenCrush.com