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.