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NOW ON TO SOME QUIRKIE AMUSING STORIES FEATURED ON TODAYS SHOW IN CASE YOU MISSED EM WHEN WE TOLD EM OR YOU THOUGHT WE ALWAYS MADE EM UP    :)




13th day of 2009 352 remaining

Tuesday, January 13, 2009

Today is Radio Day, marking the first public radio broadcast on this date in 1910 when tube inventor Lee DeForest broadcast the voices of Metropolitan Opera stars to several receivers in New York City.

1981: 11-year-old Donna Griffiths of Pershore, England, caught a cold and started sneezing. She sneezed about every 30 seconds until Sept. 16, 1983, 978 days later. It's the world sneezing record.

1988: Residents dropped plans to build a 12-foot statue of Madonna in a bikini in the Italian village where her grandparents lived when the mayor objected.

1991: An unlucky thief was captured immediately after stealing a van in Lake Worth, Florida. He hadn’t noticed police officer Ulrich Navjoks on stake-out in the back of the van.

2007: A 7-year-old cat named Tama was named stationmaster at a railway station in Kinokawa, Japan. Two other cats were named deputy stationmasters at the unmanned Kishi Station. The railway paid the cats in food. Tama wore a special railway cap while on duty.

Pig catches fish

A pig in China has started to catch fish from a pond for its supper.

Han, the pig's owner, created a small pond for breeding tropical fish, at her home in Dahangou village, Zhenping.

She gave up on the venture when the market price for the fish dropped - but found she still had one eager customer.

"I was amazed to see that the pig I raised is helping himself to fish from the pond," she told the Eastern Asia Trade and Economic News.

"It steps into the shallow water, catches fish in its mouth and happily eats them on the spot."

Han said she was happy for the pig to help itself to the fish rather than let them go to waste.

"Maybe it just decided it wanted a bit more protein in its diet," she added.

TV presenter threw tantrum

A Romanian TV station has been fined after the presenter on a live phone in quiz show threw a tantrum when no viewers called in.

Presenter Adela Lupse started screaming at the camera, smashed the phone on the ground and then jumped up and down on it.

At the same time she screamed repeatedly at the camera: "I want the phone to ring now. Now. Call me now!"

Angry TV bosses fired her after the outburst on TV station National TV.

Ms Lupse, who has been the show's presenter for three years, said: "Maybe I was a bit over the top but I wanted to get people to call - there is a lot of pressure to get people to call in with the correct answer. It was a bad day."

Romanian TV watchdog, the National Audiovisual Council of Romania, failed to see the funny side and fined the station £1,000 for "unjustified violence".

It also ruled that the show be slapped with an X rating and only be broadcast after 10pm when children are in bed.

World's worst firemen?

Bungling German firemen have been branded the worst in the world after their own fire station burned to the ground.

All six fire engines perished in the £3 million blaze in Syke and it took 250 firemen from nearby towns to finally bring the inferno under control.

Investigators believe the fire fighters could have triggered the blaze themselves in a training exercise accident or that faulty wiring was to blame.

The weekend blaze was the second time the brigade has lost all its engines in a fire. The station was rebuilt in 1994 after being gutted by a fire.

"A fire service that can?t even keep its own fire station and engines safe doesn't exactly inspire confidence," raged one local.

Bride advertises for wedding guests

A bride from Eastern Europe who is marrying in London is advertising for 'decent' guests to fill her side of the church.

The Ukrainian woman's family are all at home, and only her parents can be at the ceremony, reports the BBC.

So the woman, whose identity has not been disclosed, has posted a free ad on classifieds website Gumtree looking for 30 people to sit with her.

She also wants bridesmaids, groomsmen and ushers.

The woman says in the advertisement: "I'm having a large mixed wedding of about 150 people.

"My partner has loads of family around to invite to the wedding. Unfortunately for me, my family are all in Ukraine so they all can't make it. Only my mum and dad will be there."

Volunteers have to send a photograph and write about themselves, but in return they get invited to the reception.

Gumtree trends analyst Trisha Routledge said: "For brides and grooms whose family live abroad, it must be tough not to have them there on the most special day of your life.

"It's great to see that they're finding other ways of filling the seats, whilst offering some lucky people the chance to go to a wedding for free - and you never know who you might meet."

One-armed surfer is a champ

A teenage surfer who refused to quit the sport after losing an arm to a shark has triumphed in the world championships.

Bethany Hamilton was 13 when a 15-foot Tiger shark mauled her while she was surfing in Hawaii in 2003.

But she refused to give up her dream and last week was runner-up in the ASP World Junior Women's Surfing Championships, reports the Daily Mirror.

Bethany, now 18, said: ?It never crossed my mind that I might never get on a surfboard again.

?I was sceptical about whether I would actually be able to do it or not. But before I even left hospital, I decided that I was going to surf.?

Unbelievably, Bethany, from Hawaii, was back on the waves three weeks after the attack.

She said: ?I had to work on my fear of sharks. Still to this day I get scared. But I thought ?This is not going to defeat me?.?

Man solves Rubik's Cube - after 26 years

A Hampshire builder has finally solved his Rubik's Cube - after 26 years of frustration.

Graham Parker had bought the puzzle in 1983 and wept with joy when he finally cracked it, reports The Sun.

Mr Parker, 45, from Portchester, who spent 27,400 hours playing with his toy, said: "I can't tell you what a relief it is. It drove me mad and took over my life.

"I missed important events to stay in and solve it, and lay awake at night thinking about it. Friends offered to do it for me but I had to do it myself.

"I had wrist and back problems from spending hours on it but it was all worth it. When I clicked that last bit and each face was a solid colour I wept."

His wife Jean, 47, said his fixation put a terrible strain on their marriage.

Jean said: "When we met he was already obsessed with the cube - spending hours on it every day. I was going to get rid of it but knew he wouldn't rest until he solved it."

The World Cube Association said it believed his epic effort was a record. The fastest time to solve it was 7.08 seconds, achieved by Dutchman Erik Akkersdijk.

Toy helicopter 'used in prison drug drop'

Prison officers say a miniature toy helicopter was used to try to drop drugs into a Kent prison.

Guards raised the alarm after the remote control toy was seen zooming over the walls of Elmley Prison at night time.

They spotted the 12-inch long craft on CCTV screens and saw it had a small load slung underneath the fuselage.

The Sun quoted a prison source as saying: "Using a mini-helicopter to get contraband into jails is unprecedented.

"It was pitch black and the officers were sweeping the area using special CCTV cameras when they spotted it. They nearly fell off their chairs.

"They sounded the alarm right away because the helicopter was heading straight for the accommodation blocks."

Staff at the Category C jail in Sheerness, Kent, rushed to the six accommodation blocks but found no sign of the toy or its cargo.

The Sun's source added: "It could have been drugs or a mobile phone in the package. It is possible it was a dummy run."

ON TO SOME ENTERTAINMENT NEWS YA ......

SONGS THAT WENT BIG ON THIS DATE :

January 13

1949Buttons and Bows - Dinah Shore
On a Slow Boat to China - The Kay Kyser Orchestra (vocal: Harry Babbitt
& Gloria Wood)
A Little Bird Told Me - Evelyn Knight
I Love You So Much It Hurts - Jimmy Wakely

1957Singing the Blues - Guy Mitchell
The Banana Boat Song - The Tarriers
Moonlight Gambler - Frankie Laine
Singing the Blues - Marty Robbins

1965I Feel Fine - The Beatles
She’s a Woman - The Beatles
Love Potion Number Nine - The Searchers
Once a Day - Connie Smith

1973Me and Mrs. Jones - Billy Paul
Clair - Gilbert O’Sullivan
You’re So Vain - Carly Simon
She’s Got to Be a Saint - Ray Price

1981(Just Like) Starting Over - John Lennon
Love on the Rocks - Neil Diamond
Hungry Heart - Bruce Springsteen
I Think I’ll Just Stay Here and Drink - Merle Haggard

1989Every Rose Has Its Thorn - Poison
My Prerogative - Bobby Brown
Two Hearts - Phil Collins
Hold Me - K.T. Oslin

Eastwood drama tops US box office

Clint Eastwood's Gran Torino has topped the US box office, taking around $29m (£19.3m) in its opening weekend.

The drama, about an ageing Korean war veteran who takes on a street gang, has set a new record for the 78-year-old actor and director.

His previous best opening weekend was science fiction comedy Space Cowboys, which made $18m in 2000.

Gran Torino has earned over $40m (£26.7m) since a limited opening release last month.

Despite praise from the critics, the film has been largely ignored this awards season so far, missing out on a Golden Globe with just one nomination for best original song.

But Eastwood's fortunes could be about to change with Academy Awards voters' nominations ballots due on Tuesday.

NORTH AMERICAN BOX OFFICE

• 1. Gran Torino $29m
• 2. Bride Wars $21.5m
• 3. The Unborn $21.1m
• 4. Marley & Me $11.4m
• 5. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button $9.5m

Source: Media by Numbers

This week's second highest entry was Bride Wars, starring Anne Hathaway and Kate Hudson as duelling brides-to-be, on $21.5m (£14.3m), followed by the modestly budgeted supernatural thriller The Unborn, at number three with $21.1m (£14.1m).

The drama Not Easily Broken made its debut at number nine with $5.6m (£3.7m), opening in just 724 cinemas.

Last week's number one movie Marley & Me, starring Jennifer Aniston and Luke Wilson, fell to number four with $11.4m (£7.6m).

Winehouse husband to seek divorce

Amy Winehouse's husband is seeking a divorce on the grounds of her alleged adultery, his solicitor has said.

Blake Fielder-Civil's representative Henri Brandman released a short statement confirming he had been instructed to commence proceedings.

The couple married in Miami in May 2007 but have had to deal with Winehouse's drug problems and Fielder-Civil's jail sentence for assault.

Fielder-Civil was sent back to prison in November after an appeal failed.

In July 2008 he was sentenced to 27 months for assaulting a pub landlord in Hoxton, east London in 2006. He also admitted perverting the course of justice.

"I can confirm that I have been instructed to commence divorce proceedings on the grounds of Amy's adultery," Mr Brandman said in a brief statement.

Winslet and Slumdog sweep Globes

Kate Winslet has won two awards at the Golden Globes in Los Angeles, winning best actress for Revolutionary Road and best supporting actress for The Reader.

"Is this really happening?" she asked as she collected her second prize.

Slumdog Millionaire was named best film drama, one of four awards Danny Boyle's Mumbai-set movie received.

Heath Ledger was given a posthumous supporting actor prize for The Dark Knight, while Mickey Rourke was named best actor in a drama for The Wrestler.

Other British recipients included Sally Hawkins, named best comedy actress for her role in Mike Leigh's Happy-Go-Lucky.

'Pulsating affection'

The Globes - which recognise both film and television - are often regarded as an indicator of the movies and actors who will go on to win honours at the Academy Awards.

Winslet had been expected to be named best supporting actress for The Reader, in which she plays a former Nazi prison guard who has an affair with a teenager.

But her second win for Revolutionary Road - in which she plays a frustrated housewife living in 1950s America - came as a surprise.

On Friday the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, which organises the Globes, mistakenly identified Anne Hathaway as the winner as best dramatic actress.

Winslet, 33, apologised to her fellow nominees for winning and paid tribute to her "spectacular" co-star Leonardo DiCaprio.

She also thanked her husband Sam Mendes for directing Revolutionary Road and "killing us every single day".

Boyle was named best director for Slumdog Millionaire, which also picked up prizes for Simon Beaufoy's screenplay and for AR Rahman's score.

The film is a rags-to-riches tale of an improbable 18-year-old winner of the Hindi version of the game show Who Wants to be a Millionaire?

"Your mad, pulsating affection for our film is much appreciated," said Boyle as he collected his individual award.

'Sadness and pride'

Ledger's honour was accepted by Dark Knight director Christopher Nolan, who said the late actor would be "eternally missed but never forgotten".

"All of us who worked with Heath accept with an awful mixture of sadness but incredible pride," he continued.

Irish star Colin Farrell was named best actor in a musical or comedy for his role as a hit man in black comedy In Bruges.

Woody Allen's Vicky Cristina Barcelona, meanwhile, was named best comedy, ahead of Happy-Go-Lucky and Mamma Mia.

Other winners include singer Bruce Springsteen, who received the best original song prize for his title track to The Wrestler.

The performer paid tribute to fellow nominee Clint Eastwood, saying it had felt "pretty good" to be competing against the veteran star.

Pixar's Wall-E was named best animated feature, while animated documentary Waltz with Bashir received the best foreign language film prize.

Writers' strike

But there were no awards for Doubt, Frost/Nixon and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, despite them having led the field with five nominations apiece.

Steven Spielberg was presented the Cecil B DeMille Award for his "outstanding contribution to the entertainment field".

The Oscar-winning director had been due to receive the prize at last year's ceremony before it was cancelled as a result of the Hollywood writers' strike.

John Adams was named best mini-series, with additional awards for lead actors Paul Giamatti and Laura Linney.

Their British co-star Tom Wilkinson was also recognised, winning a best supporting actor prize for his role as Benjamin Franklin in the epic biopic of America's second president.

Sitcom 30 Rock was another big winner, picking up the best TV comedy prize as well as gongs for its stars Tina Fey and Alec Baldwin.

Mad Men was named best TV drama ahead of serial killer thriller Dexter and medical series House.

Irish actor Gabriel Byrne was named best actor in a TV drama for In Treatment, with Anna Paquin winning the female equivalent for True Blood.

Golden Globes 2009: The winners

Here is the full list of winners at the 2009 Golden Globe Awards, held in Los Angeles on 11 January.

FILM CATEGORIES

Best film (drama)
Slumdog Millionaire
Also nominated: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Frost/Nixon, The Reader, Revolutionary Road

Best film (musical or comedy)
Vicky Cristina Barcelona
Also nominated: Burn After Reading, Happy-Go-Lucky, In Bruges, Mamma Mia

Best director
Danny Boyle (Slumdog Millionaire)
Also nominated: Stephen Daldry (The Reader), David Fincher (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button), Ron Howard (Frost/Nixon), Sam Mendes (Revolutionary Road)

Best actor (drama)
Mickey Rourke (The Wrestler)
Also nominated: Leonardo DiCaprio (Revolutionary Road), Frank Langella (Frost/Nixon), Sean Penn (Milk), Brad Pitt (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button)

Best actress (drama)
Kate Winslet (Revolutionary Road)
Also nominated: Anne Hathaway (Rachel Getting Married), Angelina Jolie (Changeling), Kristin Scott Thomas (I've Loved You So Long), Meryl Streep (Doubt)

Best actor (musical or comedy)
Colin Farrell (In Bruges)
Also nominated: Javier Bardem (Vicky Cristina Barcelona), James Franco (Pineapple Express), Brendan Gleeson (In Bruges), Dustin Hoffman (Last Chance Harvey)

Best actress (musical or comedy)
Sally Hawkins (Happy-Go-Lucky)
Also nominated: Rebecca Hall (Vicky Cristina Barcelona), Frances McDormand (Burn After Reading), Meryl Streep (Mamma Mia), Emma Thompson (Last Chance Harvey)

Best supporting actor
Heath Ledger (The Dark Knight)
Also nominated: Tom Cruise (Tropic Thunder), Robert Downey Jr (Tropic Thunder), Ralph Fiennes (The Duchess), Philip Seymour Hoffman (Doubt)

Best supporting actress
Kate Winslet (The Reader)
Also nominated: Amy Adams (Doubt), Penelope Cruz (Vicky Cristina Barcelona), Viola Davis (Doubt), Marisa Tomei (The Wrestler)

Best foreign language film
Waltz with Bashir
Also nominated: The Baader Meinhof Complex, Gomorrah, I've Loved You So Long

Best animated feature film
Wall-E
Also nominated: Bolt, Kung Fu Panda

Best screenplay
Simon Beaufoy (Slumdog Millionaire)
Also nominated: David Hare (The Reader), Peter Morgan (Frost/Nixon), Eric Roth (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button), John Patrick Shanley (Doubt)

Best original song
The Wrestler (The Wrestler)
Also nominated: Down to Earth (Wall-E), Gran Torino (Gran Torino), I Thought I Lost You (Bolt), Once In A Lifetime (Cadillac Records)

Best original score
AR Rahman (Slumdog Millionaire)
Also nominated: Alexandre Desplat (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button), Clint Eastwood (Changeling), James Newton Howard (Defiance), Hans Zimmer (Frost/Nixon)

TELEVISION CATEGORIES

Best series (drama)
Mad Men
Also nominated: Dexter, House, In Treatment, True Blood

Best series (musical or comedy)
30 Rock
Also nominated: Californication, Entourage, The Office, Weeds

Best mini-series or film made for TV
John Adams
Also nominated: Cranford, Bernard & Doris, A Raisin in the Sun, Recount

Best actor (drama)
Gabriel Byrne (In Treatment)
Also nominated: Michael C Hall (Dexter), Jon Hamm (Mad Men), Hugh Laurie (House), Jonathan Rhys Meyers (The Tudors)

Best actor (musical or comedy)
Alec Baldwin (30 Rock)
Also nominated: Steve Carell (The Office), Kevin Connolly (Entourage), David Duchovny (Californication), Tony Shalhoub (Monk)

Best actor (mini-series or film made for TV)
Paul Giamatti (John Adams)
Also nominated: Ralph Fiennes (Bernard and Doris), Kevin Spacey (Recount), Kiefer Sutherland (24: Redemption), Tom Wilkinson (Recount)

Best supporting actor (mini-series or film made for TV)
Tom Wilkinson (John Adams)
Also nominated: Neil Patrick Harris (How I Met your Mother), Denis Leary (Recount), Jeremy Piven (Entourage), Blair Underwood (In Treatment)

Best actress (drama)
Anna Paquin (True Blood)
Also nominated: Sally Field (Brothers & Sisters), Mariska Hargitay (Law & Order: SVU), January Jones (Mad Men), Kyra Sedgwick (The Closer)

Best actress (musical or comedy)
Tina Fey (30 Rock)
Also nominated: Christina Applegate (Samantha Who?), America Ferrera (Ugly Betty), Debra Messing (The Starter Wife), Mary-Louise Parker (Weeds)

Best actress (mini-series or film made for TV)
Laura Linney (John Adams)
Also nominated: Judi Dench (Cranford), Catherine Keener (An American Crime), Shirley MacLaine (Coco Chanel), Susan Sarandon (Bernard and Doris)

Best supporting actress (mini-series or film made for TV)
Laura Dern (Recount)
Also nominated: Eileen Atkins (Cranford), Melissa George (In Treatment), Rachel Griffiths (Brothers & Sisters), Dianne Wiest (In Treatment)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

THAT’S ALL FOR NOW FOLKS …TAKE PART IN THE CONTEST…HAVE A GREAT DAY AHEAD…FROM  ERIC THE HAND …NAVSTA…AND ME…GREENMAN  :)   :)   :)