And the winner is...

MUMFORD & SONS!!

I know - you're thinking, "What is she talking about?" I'm afraid I can't deliver much with regard to last night's Academy Awards. I DVR'ed it and popped in here and there, but the show just didn't interest me at all. I'd seen 6 of the 10 Best Picture nominees so I should have cared. I couldn't connect with Anne Hathaway and James Franco - she's cute and perky but seemed to be trying too hard, and he didn't seem to be trying at all! I guess she was overcompensating for a co-host who looked stoned most of the time.

I know, I know - that's just him, right?

Anyway, I bring up Mumford & Sons because a Grammy performance paid off big time for the group from the U.K. They didn't win either award for which they were nominated, but sales for their nearly year-old album (Sigh No More) exploded after their February 13th appearance. They topped sales by Eminem, Lady Antebellum, Arcade Fire, and even Justin Bieber!

Mix 94.5 is now playing Mumford & Sons - "Little Lion Man." You can't miss the song because it's waaay different than anything else on the air! The band/song title don't sound familiar? You'll say, "Oh yeah!" as soon the video starts:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=lLJf9qJHR3E

Odds and Evens

I'm old enough, I must admit, to remember the era of "Odds and Evens" in the late 70s. My family was at Disney World and while I recall very little about the park (which still makes my dad mad because IT WAS AN EXPENSIVE VACATION!!!), I do remember waiting in long lines at the gas station on the day that our license plate allowed us to get gas. The last number of the plate - odd or even - determined when you could buy. People would freak if that happened again, but times are strange right now and no one is certain what we could face in the very near future.


I'm not even going to attempt to blog about what's going on in Libya and the Middle East. I watch the news, listen to occasional talk radio (WLS), and am online all day - but I'm never confident discussing affairs in that part of the world. Still, everyone these days has a sense of what's going on and knows that it's going to have a serious effect on the world as a whole. I read today that oil prices have jumped nearly $13 a barrel in just three trading days. Prices are over 50 cents higher than they were this time last year. We just heard that Gaddafi may be ordering attacks to sabotage Libya's oil fields.

I think people are really starting to worry. When I was driving home this afternoon I saw many stations in Champaign that had raised their prices to $3.25/gallon (what is it with this part of the state and 20-30 cent jumps?!?). But a couple on Mattis were still at $3.09, so you can bet that even though I had 3/4 tank left, I turned around and went back...to wait in line. Yikes. Lines at a gas station are a scary sight for people. Unless there's a crazy promotion going on, lines are never, ever a good thing. Are we overreacting? Is the media stoking the flames? Will we really, finally, see gas at $5 a gallon this summer (or sooner)?

I'm thankful that (when it warms up) I can hop on my 49-cc scooter that gets 100 mpg. If one of those is a feasible purchase for you, I couldn't recommend anything else MORE. It's fun, easy to ride, perfect for everywhere in C/U, and obviously a smart financial move. Heck, maybe I could dust off my bike (which retired to the back of the garage after the arrival of the scooter) and actually get some exercise! I know those options aren't for everyone, especially if you have a car full of kids or drive in from another town. I can only imagine how closely you're watching those gas prices these days.

Simply not meant to be

I'm not meant to be a Twilight fan. I realize that many Mix listeners are crazy in love with the books and/or movies, and that's great! I appreciate anything that fosters a passion for reading! And I've had my serious crushes and hangups and obsessions, so I'll never judge. I watched the first movie, but couldn't make it through the second. It's just not my thing.

But beyond that, there are forces simply standing between me and Twilight. Because I love to read I thought I would give the books a chance - you can't criticize something you've never read, right? So I requested the first book from our fabulous Champaign Public Library (one of MY obsessions), as all the copies were out. Well, waiting for me was the graphic novel version of book one...the comic. I just wasn't really down with that (no offense this time to fans of THAT genre). I had a ton of other stuff to read so I put it out of my mind...and have never been back.

Tonight I went to pick up what I believed would be the soundtrack to Twilight: Eclipse. I'd requested it because I'd heard the soundtracks were pretty awesome. Yeah...I ended up with sheet music for piano, guitar, and vocals. I laughed out loud and put it right into the book return. While I play some guitar, I don't see myself plunking out "My Love" by Sia anytime soon. (Sia "Breathe Me" - AMAZING song from Six Feet Under finale) I really think it's not meant to be between me, Bella, Edward, and Jacob. I'll stick to my latest fix, Stephen King. He's not nearly as cute but I really dig his writing.

One thing I got right tonight at the library: Toy Story 3!!!

You are not the Biggest Loser

I don't think NBC will ever cancel The Biggest Loser - hell, it's been on forever and the two-hour weepfest episodes are pretty much all the network has to offer (until April, when Friday Night Lights comes back, anyway).

I'll probably keep watching cause I just do. I have to say that I DON'T particularly like the new trainers and the vibe is just bad. I'm sure as a viewer I'm being manipulated to feel that way, but I'm loyal to Bob and Jillian. If they're all actually getting along, I may have missed that while fast forwarding furiously. I do a lot of fast forwarding with that show. "So what hurts? What caused your life to fall apart?" Tears? Hugs? Jennie-O Turkey? OOH - grab that remote!

I did break up with Desperate Housewives this season, however. Not only was it awful, it was like Groundhog Day with the same awful over and over and over. I've known that for the past few seasons, but tried to hang on. I could tell this season that it was only getting worse, and that I was wasting my life. Susan makes me want to scream, and I couldn't handle the Brian Austin Green/Bree plotline. I closed my eyes and hit "delete" on the DVR, and got rid of the series recording after, what, seven years? Don't miss it.

I have my fingers crossed that next to go will be Brothers and Sisters. I've watched since day one and have grown to love the Walkers, even while they drive me crazy...which they do at least half of the time. It's part of their charm. I'm an only child and even when they're insane, I'm envious. There are moments when the cast is amazing; those arguments at the dinner table are like watching ballet and you have to appreciate how great the cast really is. I love that Scottie and Kevin are both groundbreaking AND ordinary. But their recent fostering (or is it already ADOPTION?) of a girl they met last week is a perfect example of the silly and implausible plots that are rife on B&S these days. Wasn't their relationship rocked like 3 weeks ago by earth shattering infidelity? I know I'm extra sensitive due to my career, but Sally Field cannot practice with a potato masher then walk into a radio station and get a job!! Holly gets PARTIAL amnesia (hello, Days of Our Lives) then leaves the show? Where is the villain? Justin goes to medical school? Of course that didn't work. Has he EVER had a job? How can these people drink around an addict all the time? Green-topia? Could Uncle Sol (or is it Sal?) be any more pretentious? Why is anything involving Calista Flockhart tedious? Where is her son? You expect some nonsense in a soapy drama, but the plots have grown increasingly ridiculous - insulting to the talented actors portraying these people. I keep watching, though, because despite it all I am attached to the characters. I want the show to get cancelled so that I don't have to break up with it myself. How passive aggressive is that?

Entertainment Weekly predicted a list of shows that they believe will or COULD BE canceled:

Here's the magazine's 'Danger Zone' list:

Detroit 1-8-7 (ABC)
Human Target (Fox)
Lie to Me (Fox)
Live to Dance (CBS)
Million Dollar Money Drop (Fox)
No Ordinary Family (ABC)
One Tree Hill (The CW)
Perfect Couples (NBC)
The Event (NBC)
V (ABC)

And here's EW's 'Could Go Either Way' list:

Brothers & Sisters (ABC)
Chuck (NBC)
The Defenders (CBS)
Fringe (Fox)
Law & Order: L.A. (NBC)
Outsourced (NBC)
Supernatural (The CW)

These shows have already been canned:

Chase (NBC - I don't even remember this one)
The Good Guys
Lone Star (FOX) - the fall's first casualty, actually, after 2 episodes
Medium (5 seasons NBC/2 on CBS) - I never got this show and gave up after a few shows. No matter how many cases she solved, her husband never believed her. Did that ever change?
My Generation (ABC)
Outlaw (CBS)
Running Wilde (wow, what a disappointment this was, since it starred Will Arnett)
Smallville (10 yrs. on CW)
Undercovers (sorry, JJ Abrams)
The Whole Truth (ABC)

Video of the Week

Have you SEEN this little girl? If the video hasn't gone viral, it will soon. 10 year-old Maria Aragon is from Winnipeg, Canada, and her cover of "Born This Way" is burning up the web. After just two days, it has nearly one million views.

Lady Gaga tweeted, " I can't stop crying watching this. This is why I make music."

www.youtube.com/watch?v=xG0wi1m-89o

Livin' on a prayer (to be caller 9)

Bon Jovi was the world's top grossing concert in 2010, earning more than $146.5 million!! An even more impressive stat was released in 2009 - the band was #9 on Top 25 list of the decade's performers. They sold out 244 out of 249 shows!!

But enough of all that. The big news is that YOU can see Bon Jovi at the United Center in Chicago on Wednesday, March 8th! Mix 94.5 will be giving tickets away all next week, when we play Mix Doubles.

Listen for any two Bon Jovi songs, back-to-back. When the second song STARTS, call 351-9494. The 9th caller wins a pair of tickets.

As a member of the Mix E-mail Club, you'll have a bonus chance to win. Not a member? Sign up BEFORE MONDAY at http://www.mix945.com/.

Hot Topics

I don't really have anything worth writing about today, so here are a few of the biggest stories being shared around the water cooler (does that cliche apply anymore?):

Lady Gaga claims she stayed in that egg for 72 hours prior to the Grammys, so that she could be "born on stage". Do you believe her? Read the story HERE.

American Idol proves that "the show must go on" - and HAS gone on - without Simon Cowell. As they whittle the Hollywood crowd down to 10 over the next few weeks, it seems plenty of people are still watching TV's biggest hit.

Billy Ray Cyrus has spoken to GQ about his achy-breaky heart. He blames Disney's Hannah Montana for ruining his marriage, destroying his family, and corrupting Miley. BUT - Celebrity Rehab's Dr. Drew Pinsky tells Billy Ray that he needs to take a look in the mirror.

Three days after his Grammy win (and INCREDIBLE performance) Bruno Mars plead guilty to cocaine possession. He made a deal that avoids prison time, and if he pays the fine and completes community service and drug treatment, the conviction will be removed from his record next year.

Blah

I'm blah today. Everything sort of hurts and I have zero energy, which is pretty atypical. I credit some seriously poor nutrition over the weekend into yesterday - red wine, birthday cake, biscuits and gravy at Perkins (OMG!), more cake, and pizza last night. It's no wonder I could barely get moving at PiYo yesterday (strength training and core conditioning, blend of Pilates and Yoga), and just prayed for the hour to end. Really, I feel awful. Is that reflected in my voice today? Hope not. Usually when I'm sick or depressed or just not in the mood, I have a better radio show because I'm overcompensating. If you're in customer service (and who isn't, really?), you can relate.

Because I feel so awful (and know that it's MY fault), I'm going back to the gym tonight and I'll push through it. It'll surely make me feel better (I hope?), and besides - I have a 9:45 volleyball game at the Leonhard Center and have to do SOMETHING to stay awake and motivated til then.

Zing Zang Zoom!

All this week, you can win a family four-pack of tickets to see the Ringling Brothers Barnum & Bailey Circus at the Assembly Hall. Their "Zing, Zang, Zoom Gold Edition" show is coming to town March 18-20, and we want your family to be right in the middle of all the excitement.

We'll play every day this week between 8 and 5. When you hear the Zing, Zang, Zoom "Fanfare" (followed by us saying, "be caller nine now!" live), call 351-9494. Caller nine wins the four-pack of tickets and goes into the drawing to become our Circus Celebrity. That winner will have dinner before the show at Jupiter's at the Crossing, then will actually become PART OF THE SHOW with super-close "Circus Celebrity Seats" at the Assembly Hall. Kevin and Sarah will give the grand prize away Monday the 21st, just after 7am.

Do Not Annoy

Rihanna agreed to soften the terms of the restraining order against Chris Brown, just in time for the Grammys (both attended). "Do Not Annoy" - it means the pair are allowed to contact each other, after a judge approves. The original terms from 2009 forbade the couple from any contact, and ordered them to "maintain their distance" if they ended up in the same room.

Happy Valentine's Day.

MIXCLUSIVE PREMIERE TODAY!!

Lady Gaga's new song, "Born This Way," premiered today. It's the title track to her much-anticipated sophomore album....and you can hear it on Mix 94.5 just before noon today! We'd love to know your thoughts. Is it a copy of Madonna's 1989 hit, "Express Yourself"?? Is it (to quote Elton John) "the gayest song ever"? "Born This Way" is expected to top iTunes by the end of the day, if not sooner.

Friday's New Mix Music

We add the new music we've chosen for Mix every Friday morning, and this week is no exception.


Cee-Lo Green "Forget You" - this was a hit on the Top 40 charts, but it took Gwyneth Paltrow's rendition on Glee (and Cee-Lo's SNL appearance) to bring it back for our Hot Adult Contemporary format. The song was originally "F*** You," and written with no intention of being released to radio. It became "Eff You" and finally, "Forget You." I wish it had been the last version from the start - it deserves to be the massive hit we're hoping it becomes, now that stations are FINALLY playing it!


Taylor Swift "Back To December" Her latest nominations are for the Kids' Choice Awards - Taylor is up for Favorite Female Singer and Favorite Song ("Mine"). Tell your kids they can vote at http://www.nick.com/ starting March 1, and that the awards show is on April 2.

And for grownups...Taylor has topped a Yahoo! OMG poll as the singer most adults (especially men under 35 - duh) would like to serenade them on Valentine's Day. Doubt they'd choose "Back to December" as the song she'd sing, as it's filled with longing and regret. Rumor has it Taylor wrote it for ex Taylor Lautner; her music is consistently inspired by real guys and real events. I would have to say that if most kids her age wrote song lyrics, that would be the case.


Linkin Park "Waiting for the End" This is a different sound for the rock/rap metal band best known for their 2001 hit "In the End." You'll find it on their latest album, A Thousand Suns, which came out in September 2010. Fringe fans may recognize it from commercials for the Fox show, and gamers have downloaded it for Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock.

The Best Show Nobody Watched

Friday Night Lights wrapped up its miraculous 5-year run last night on DirecTV's T101 channel. "Miraculous" is my word of choice for two reasons:

• Based on ratings, the show shouldn't have survived its first season. Devoted fans were shocked that it continued to come back, and will be forever grateful that DirecTV partnered with NBC to give us the last two seasons. We could watch forever, but we're happy to have gotten what we did - it was more than we expected. Too bad something like this didn't happen with Freaks and Geeks or My So-Called Life...

• FNL was an amazing show - critics have raved through its entire run, many calling it one of the best ever. Perhaps this article from Time explains its power and beauty best. Characters, plot, realism...I can't do it justice with mere words. The show sagged a bit during its second season due to the writers' strike AND a failed attempt to draw viewers with a bit more sensationalism. But with that exception, FNL only seemed to get better as time passed. Characters graduated and actually LEFT (which makes sense in the real world), but were replaced by equally compelling people. That shark was a long, long way from jumping.

My fellow fans and I have talked ourselves blue in the face, desperately trying to convince our friends to give the show a chance.

"It's not just about football!"
"It's nothing like the movie or the book!" (enjoyed book, didn't care for movie)
"The characters and stories are PERFECT! Just watch a few episodes..."

But they didn't. Most of the time my begging was met with blank stares, so I gave up. Fine - it's my treasure, and their loss. ABC Family attempted to air reruns, but that didn't work. For a reason I'll never understand, the show failed to appeal to the masses...even though it was as true a portrait of small-town America as I've ever seen.

Even though I have DirecTV, I'm a few episodes behind, and am avoiding ANY press about last night's finale. My friend Nicole (the only other fan I know) and I are overdue for one of our viewing parties, so the episodes are waiting on my DVR. Next week. It's sort of reminiscent of my approach to the show throughout its run - I've put off watching episodes because (1) I wanted to savor them, and (2) I knew each one I watched would be one less to see. Honestly, I don't even want to watch the finale, which Slate has described as "perfect." Doing so will be admitting that it's really over.

Well, thank God there's still Mad Men.

Ted Williams Update

I didn't see the show but just read an article about Ted Williams, the homeless man with the golden voice. Seems he appeared on CBS' Early Show today (they asked him to be on), where he spoke openly about how his sudden fame was "too much, too fast." I can't believe they had him doing phone-in interviews from rehab! The poor guy seemed destined to fail, as his addictions, pressure from every direction, and the obnoxious glare of the spotlights crushed him.

I hope he finds success this time. He claims that he has slowed down and is focusing on what's important. It's no surprise many job offers dried up when he fell apart, but he says he still has the chance to do some voice work (and perhaps regain the trust of those who've bailed) as long as he stays in a sober-living house.

Those of us in radio were fascinated by the story, but struggled to refrain from cynicism as we watched this man get yanked off the street and catapulted to fame. Yes, he's got a beautiful voice and it would be a wonderful story if he turned his life around. We're pulling for him. But we also remember thousands of our peers (and people from every profession) who have lost their jobs through the bad economy and corporate downsizing over the years. It's hard not to grumble, "But what about THEM?"

Are you filled with GLEE?

The force behind Glee just announced their spring/summer tour dates for 2011, and it looks to be huge. The show has moved from theaters to arenas, including the Allstate Arena in Chicago on June 3. Click HERE for the article and list of dates.

Tickets go on sale February 19th - if you have an American Express card you can buy them on Feb 11th.

The show scored its highest ratings ever after the Super Bowl, with 27 million viewers sticking around. That's 10 million lower than last year's post-Bowl show, CBS' Undercover Boss. Are you watching? I've enjoyed this season, once they chilled on the theme shows. I'm probably the only Gen X-er who didn't like the Madonna episode AT ALL. Glee's plot is often just mediocre, but I think the music has been great lately. Of course if you're like my friend who said yesterday, "I tried to watch that show but all they do is sing, sing, SING" it's probably not the show for you. LOL I just let the weak moments pass me by and enjoy it for what it is. On some levels, it's groundbreaking television. On the surface, I love it when they sing, sing, SING.

According to the Hollywood Reporter, the top 5 Glee downloads are:

1. "Don't Stop Believing" (Journey) 1.1 million
2. "Forget You" (Cee Lo Green) 466,000
3. "Teenage Dream" (Katy Perry) 407,000
4. "Halo/Walking on Sunshine" mashup (Beyonce/Katrina & the Waves) 332,000
5. "Somebody to Love" (Queen) 331,000

Give her a break

For God's sake, it's time to drop the Christina Aguilera persecution. Yes, she screwed up the lyrics - honestly I found her vocal acrobatics more annoying than the sentence she made up when she "got lost." Plenty of people have messed up the national anthem! It's difficult to sing and the words aren't exactly user-friendly. It's not like she screamed the words, grabbed her crotch, and spit...remember THAT?

Christina claims she has sung the Star Spangled Banner hundreds of times. But this time it was in front of a record crowd (a whole other story) in person and on television. In fact, this Super Bowl was the most watched television program in American history, with 111 million viewers. (It beat M*A*S*H's series finale, which held the record from 1983 til 2010). She's a veteran and one of the most talented vocalists of this era - she can still make mistakes. She didn't lip sync although she could have. When she screwed up, she kept going and didn't show any reaction. She has apologized and I'm sure she is embarassed. Let it go.

Focus instead on how awful the Black Eyed Peas were.

Super Day

Well, here we go! Apologies to Bears' fans for the huge disappointment, but it's looking like today's game will be a great matchup. I really don't know or care much about football, honestly, but my dad said the Packers are favored by 2.5. They must be expecting a close game, and that'll be fun.

We're all in it for the party, right? I'm going to "Grilling of the Meats," an annual gathering of my co-rec softball friends where a fantastic amount of amazing meat is the centerpiece. Today we'll have 13 to try - I'm taking garlic & herb chicken (thanks to Old Time Meat and Deli). The whole event sounds crazy, I know, but it's really a blast. I'm looking forward to trying the alligator.

The commercials look promising this year. Several news outlets have aired a smattering of them, and you can find most online, as well. You Tube, Facebook, and Twitter have given advertisers WAY more bang for their ($3 million for 30 seconds) buck. The early favorite, which has already gone viral, is the Volkswagon ad with mini-Darth Vader.

You can read about, and watch, the best commercials HERE.

Whatever you do today, be safe...there's a chance for more snow tonight.

No, not Groundhog Day

I've spent my whole life telling people, "No, my birthday is the day AFTER Groundhog Day." I suppose it's a good reference point although the whole Feb. 2nd affair seems pretty stupid (not to mention unreliable) to me. Punxatawney Phil saw his shadow and predicts and early spring for 2011. WHERE?

Funnier - NYC's Mayor Bloomberg was caught on tape cursing the groundhog who bit him in 2009:

http://tinyurl.com/4svbea6

Apparently the Mayor and "Charles C. Hogg" got along much better this year.

So yeah, today is my birthday. The fun includes rehearsal for the Parkland Concert band (I play french horn) and a trip to the vet to learn how to give my newly-diagnosed diabetic cat insulin injections (twice a day). I'm not complaining, though. It's been a great day and I'm happy, healthy, and blessed in many, many ways. I don't believe for a second, however, that WE will be blessed with an early spring.

Snowprah Wintry

Well, when better to start a new blog than (1) on my second sick day and third day stuck in my house and (2) on the evening of the biggest storm in YEARS?? Many names have been given to the nasty squall affecting 100 million Americans this week, but the title of this entry is my absolute favorite. Thanks to my friend, WIXY's Nicole Beals, for passing it on.

I loved when Jennifer Ketchmark (WCIA) taped two of those Snow Bear rulers together to measure the snow we're gonna get in Central Illinois tonight. The weather folks are PUMPED about this, and I can't really blame them. It's honestly an exciting time to be in the media. Adrenaline is flowing, the message is critical, and people are hanging on your every word (well, most of them). So being sick at home is truly a drag, even though I haven't had to be out in the bad weather...or spend the night at the radio station as several of my coworkers are doing right now. We don't get snow days, no matter what.

I'm happy to head in tomorrow (may change my mind when I wake up and see the damage). The plows never seem to find my neighborhood and the ice I hear slamming into my windows is pretty freaky, but it doesn't matter. We'll be live on the air as we are every day. But like everyone else in Central Illinois, my fingers are crossed that my power won't go out.

Can't say I've paid much attention to pop culture while I've been sick, but I HAVE watched a lot of bad TV. Right now I'm watching The Biggest Loser LIVE...I never, ever watch it live. There's a reason. But I'm just that bored.