IF YOU HATE IT NOW ... WAIT 'TIL YOU DRIVE IT

After a decade of learning how to replicate Hollywood cars, Gary Schneider wanted to do something different. So Schneider decided to recreate Clark Griswold's iconic station wagon from the 1983 movie "National Lampoon's Vacation." "I wanted something that was original and that nobody has ever seen," said Schneider, who spent more than a year creating a version of the fictional Wagon Queen Family Truckster.

What Schneider never dreamed was that his handiwork would be seen by about 100 million people as part of a Super Bowl commercial.

Vacation-rental Web site HomeAway, Inc. bought Schneider's Family Truckster and will use it as part of a multimillion dollar national advertising campaign based on the "Vacation" movie.

In a commercial that will be shown during the third quarter of Sunday's Super Bowl, Chevy Chase and Beverly D'Angelo have reprised their roles as Clark and Ellen Griswold. The 30-second spot is a mock movie trailer giving a sneak peek of a 15-minute film about the Griswolds' latest misadventures in traveling. The short film will be available to watch at Homeaway.com.

READ ENTIRE STORY HERE

VEGEMITE LAWSUIT

SYDNEY - Australian band Men at Work copied a well-known children's campfire song for the flute melody in its 1980s hit "Down Under" and owes the owner years of royalties, a court ruled Thursday.
"Kookaburra Sits in the Old Gum Tree" was written more than 70 years ago by Australian teacher Marion Sinclair for a Girl Guides competition, and the song has been a favorite around campfires from New Zealand to Canada.
The teacher died in 1988, and publishing company Larrikin Music owns the copyright to her song about the native Australian bird. Larrikin filed the copyright lawsuit last year.
"I have come to the view that the flute riff in "Down Under" ... infringes on the copyright of Kookaburra because it replicates in material form a substantial part of Ms. Sinclair's 1935 work," Federal Court Justice Peter Jacobson said.
He ordered the parties back in court Feb. 25 to discuss the compensation Larrikin should receive from songwriters Colin Hay and Ron Strykert and Men at Work's record companies Sony BMG Music Entertainment and EMI Songs Australia.
YOU BE THE JUDGE BELOW

Half-Assed Half Time Shows

Y'know something ... I'm getting sick and tired of pundits/critics talking about the "dinosaur rock" of the past few halftime shows - spurred on by this year's entertainment The Who.
Realize that it's because of the "hot, young, edgy and exciting talent" the producers tried to roll out on the field and the subsequent "nipple-gate" is why we're in this era of "safe" acts for the Super Bowl halftime show.
Will they get back to parading the American Idol/flavor of the week, over the top, pyrotechnic extravaganza act to center field... probably some time.... but until that time.... quit your bitchin' and thank whatever greater power you pray to that these cringe-inducing acts WON'T be disgracing the BIG game again.

• New Kids On The Block (above) (Super Bowl 25) -- Just what every red-blooded American football fan wanted to see ... a boy band. Oh Oh Oh Oh NO! The WRONG STUFF!
  

• Winter Magic Train Wreck (Super Bowl 26) -- One of the most infamous shows featured a "Winter Magic" theme, with Gloria Estefan and Olympic figure skaters Brian Boitano and Dorothy Hamill. About 25 million viewers switched it off to watch an episode of In Living Color on Fox.

• Aerosmith, 'N Sync and Britney Spears (Super Bowl 35) -- Tough to figure this one out. Britney Spears, wearing tube socks on her arms, rocking out with Aerosmith's Steven Tyler. They should have gotten the ORIGINAL Grambling State University marching band from Superbowl I to play instead.

• Janet Jackson (Super Bowl 37) -- The nipple flash that changed the world. We've never really recovered, have we?

For more on Halftimes of the past go to the ESPN LINK

The BIG (drinking) GAME

SUPER BOWL DRINKING GAMES

Super Bowl Sunday has become a national holiday that celebrates excess - lots of junk food, lots of booze.

Speaking of booze, here are some drinking games to pass the time:

• Drink at every Archie Manning sighting.
• Drink at every suggestion of Peyton Manning being "the best ever."
• Drink every time they play "When The Saints Go Marching In."
• Drink every-time a high-paid sideline reporter states the obvious like, "They did not want to turn the ball over" or "They did not want to give up a big play."
• Drink at the appearance of any talking animal, alien or Kardashian.
• Drink at every "they are the best ever mention of Manning or Favre."
• Drink at every John Madden sighting.
• Drink at every dumb zebra call. Drink double if it's a roughing the Passing Princess call.
• MANY MANY MORE at Source: BleacherReport.com

NO DICE

Seems that with every cartoon, video game and board game turned into movie and movie re-vamped for a "more modern" audience.... a bit of my childhood dies a little more every day. Here's the next nail in innocence's coffin.... the NEW Monopoly game.
Monopoly has now been updated for it's 75th Anniversary.
Fine. I can handle some updating but... REALLY?
You'll first notice that it's round instead of square.
The metal game pieces are replaced by plastic - I'm assuming a cadmium excuse is to follow.
The "boot" has gotten the boot and is no longer a part of the game pieces.
You collect $2-MILLION dollars for passing go - instead of the paltry $200 - this to reflect increasing allowances.
Here's the biggest change... instead of appointing someone the "banker" and having them doll out the money from the ca$h drawer - you now have plastic debit cards and an ATM that keeps track of your account! Great way to teach kids (and adults) to handle their money and get themselves into credit card debt. Half the gamesmanship of Monopoly was stealing or hording money from the rest of the players. I'm not bragging but there was NEVER a time when I was the banker that I lost a game of Monopoly. NEVER!!!! if you lost a game of monopoly when ypou were the banker you're stupid or weren't trying very hard.
Now, to this vile mix, add clips of "popular" songs from Rihanna and Beyonce and you have a game I refuse to play because if I grab a Community Chest "go to jail" card (if those exist) and hear"Umbrella" you may as well sent me down the Green Mile because I ain't comin' back for more.

The Madden Curse... You Choose!

This year the annual Madden Cover Curse will affect only one player on the Madden 2011 cover but YOU can choose which player will have a cursed year. Yeah!

You have three choices....

Reggie Wayne of the Indianapolis Colts
Drew Brees of the New Orleans Saints
Jared Allen of the Minnesota Vikings

Voting will continue through March 15, and EA Sports is expected to announce the winner sometime around the NFL draft in late April.

Now...as a life-long Packer fan... I am voting for the curse of the Madden cover to be placed squarely upon our NFC North division rival Minnesota Vikings and their star defensive end Jared Allen - not that they need help - but every vote counts.
Good Luck Jared - you're gonna' need it in more than one way.
LINK TO VOTE

FOR SALE: Former Lions Running Back

Former Lions running back Barry Sanders put himself on Ebay this week, auctioning off the "pleasure of his company" at Super Bowl parties to the highest bidder.

Sanders does have a good cause. All proceeds go to the V Foundation for Cancer Research.

Bidding ends at 1 p.m. Thursday. As of Wednesday evening, the price had topped $9,000. Along with Sanders' presence come complimentary food and beverages.

There's just one catch: Sanders has never struck us as having much personality. So unless you have an itch to donate or can get Sanders out in the backyard at halftime to show what he has left of his moves, $10,000 seems like a whole heck of a lot to pay. The Hall of Fame running back probably isn't going to be the life of the party.

PLACE YOUR BID HERE

LIVE FROM THE COMEDY QUARTER

.... COMEDIAN PAUL LYONS performing this week at the Comedy Quarter in Neenah. LIVE on the Afternoon Road Show TODAY at 4-ish.

BAM! WHAP! POW!

If EA Sports is right, Drew Brees will hoist the Lombardi Trophy this Sunday.

Using a video game simulation of Super Bowl XLIV with their football franchise Madden NFL, the publisher predicts the New Orleans Saints will upset the Indianapolis Colts by a score of 35-31.

According to the simulation, Saints quarterback Drew Brees snags MVP honors by throwing for 299 yards and three touchdowns. Saints running back Reggie Bush boasts a strong game with 78 total yards, one TD and an additional score off a punt return. Colts' QB Peyton Manning finishes with a solid performance - 322 yards, 3 TDs - in the losing effort.

Before you dismiss Madden NFL as a worthy prognosticator, consider the game's track record. EA says they have correctly predicted the Super Bowl champ five of the last six years. The lone slip-up: the Giants upset of the undefeated Patriots in Super Bowl XLII.

And It Begins Again.... Thanks Viking Fans!!!!!

Like a crying child...or quarterback in this case... if you ignore them and don't pick them up and coddle them they'll eventually fall asleep or retire. Apparently Viking fans are new to this whole experience. Hence the billboard.
WEBSITE
The mission of vikesfans4favre is to thank Brett Favre, for the tremendous year he gave us in Minnesota, and to get him back as "OUR" quarterback for 1 more year. Brett gave a new perspective to the game of football, and a new sense of hope to Vikings fans, old, and new. He is a natural leader, great mentor, and a genuine guy. These traits are what make him the great person we all fell in love with. That is why this site has been created. For the fans, by the fans. This is where they can speak, and their voices will be heard. Our job is to make everyone aware of what is going on, and how we can show, and tell Brett that we REALLY, REALLY want him back in Minnesota for 2010.
We have set up a donation button for fans to donate. Why are we asking for donations?
So, we, the fans, can purchase billboards in Brett's hometown of Hattiesburg. Also, in Minneapolis, Duluth, Wisconsin and possibly Miami. And, possibly televison. We also would like to run full color page ads. This challenge we face, can only be noticed nationally if all the fans do their part.
If there isn't enough money raised to purchase billboards, ads, and print ads, we will donate all of the money to Brett, and Deanna's Foundation.
www.deannafavre4hope.com

You Can't Spell "Hug" without UGH!

Alright guys... I realize that Valentine's Day is looming like grim death over the horizon and desperate times call for desperate measures BUT there's no form of female retribution that could EVER justify the purchase of (almost) most certainly the WORST Info-Product of ALL TIME - hyperbole? Maybe but judge for yourself.
Step aside Snuggie here comes the Hug-E-Gram - UGH!

Another NON Super Bowl Commercial

SUV + BP = DUI

Pay at the Pump or Inside the Store? It's a question we're faced with on a semi-regular basis. WE deal with it as normal, adjusted human beings do with grace toward our fellow man, woman or gas station attendant. HOWEVER it's rare when we take the conflict to extreme measures when we're required to pay INSIDE - no exceptions. Well... meet the exception to the rule from Montgomery, Alabama and the VIDEO of him ramming his SUV into the BP gas station. Salute!

He A Rocket Man.....

He's a Rocket Man....Rocket Man ....burning on a sled in his backyard.
Apologizes to Sir Elton John for that.
Another in a long line of Darwin Award Winning stories of gasoline and gunpowder fueled tragedy.
Almost.
A 62 year old Independence Township (OHIO) man was taken to the emergency room after the "rocket pack" he rigged to power him on a sled jump (drum roll) misfired!
Was this a scientifically-constructed rocket pack? No. It was an automotive muffler of which he filled with gasoline and... GUNPOWDER trying to get a, "rocket-launch type effect" - his words.
Well the only place it propelled him was into the Emergency Room/Burn Unit and scratched about 18% of his skin from his launch pad. And...you won't believe this... police believe he was drinking alcohol before he attempted to jump the snake river or whatever as a part of his Annual Sledding/Burning Party he holds in his back yard.
The man's name was not released - but the orange sled, motorcycle helmet he was wearing and the remains of the muffler were taken as evidence.
No confirmed word yet... but rumor is that next year's theme will be skin-graft night.

GRIM REA-Purrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

Here's a bit more info on Zalaski's "DEATH CAT" story.

When doctors and staff realized that a cat could sense when someone was going to die, the feline, Oscar, was portrayed as a furry grim reaper or four-legged angel of death.

But Dr. David Dosa, who broke the news of Oscar's abilities in a paper in the New England Journal of Medicine said he never intended to make Oscar sound creepy or his arrival at a bedside to be viewed negatively.

When Oscar was about six months old the staff noticed that he would curl up to sleep with patients who were about to die.

So far he has accurately predicted about 50 deaths.

Dosa recounts one instance when staff were convinced of the imminent death of one patient but Oscar refused to sit with that person, choosing instead to be on the bed of another patient down the hallway. Oscar proved to be right. The person he sat with died first, taking staff on the ward by surprise.

Dosa said he hopes his newly released book, "Making Rounds With Oscar: The Extraordinary Gift of an Ordinary Cat" will put the cat in a more favorable light as well as providing a book to help people whose loved ones are terminally ill.

"I wanted to write a book that would go beyond Oscar's peculiarities, to tell why he is important to family members and caregivers who have been with him at the end of a life."

Dosa said there is no scientific evidence to explain Oscar's abilities, but he thinks the cat might be responding to a pheromone or smell that humans simply don't recognize.

Oscar has even been thanked by families in obituaries for providing some comfort in the final hours of life.

"The first time I met Oscar he bit me. We have warmed over the years. We have moved into a better place," said Dosa.

The Announcement Packer Fans Have Been Waiting For

No. Not "him" ... Keith Lukawski.


Packers Fan Announces He Will Return To Drinking For Another Season

Rejected Superbowl Ad's Pt.2

I have a (conspiracy) theory that companies will intentionally make their Super Bowl ad's "controversial" so when they submit them to the network they're SURE to get rejected by the official television sponsor of the BIG game - on the basis of "not within the network's broadcast standards for Super Bowl Sunday" - Why? 1) they don't have to fork over the $3 million per :30 sec and 2) the "controversy" will make a lot of people seek it out and it will get seen nonetheless. Smart.
Here's another super Bowl XLIV Reject from Godaddy.com

GoDaddy.com's Rejected Super Bowl Ad | Viral/Other | SPIKE.com

In Your Eyes....

Making music mixtapes is fun, and so is listening to other people's mixtapes. And at 8Tracks.com, you can do both. Make up your own eight-song mix and share it with others, or listen to the creative mixes that others have created.

Battle of the Groundhogs

SUN PRAIRIE (WKOW) -- Wisconsin's own furry prognosticator is predicting an early spring.

Jimmy the Groundhog popped up at Cannery Square in Sun Prairie Tuesday but did not see his shadow through the light snowfall.

According to German tradition, if the hibernating animal sees its shadow on Feb. 2 -- the Christian holiday of Candlemas -- winter will last another six weeks. If no shadow is seen, winter will end early.

According to organizers, Jimmy has an 80 percent record of accuracy.

Here's what other groundhogs around the United States and Canada predicted:

2010	Early Spring	Jimmy the Groundhog	Sun Prairie, Wisconsin
2010	Early Spring	General Beauregard Lee	Snellville, Georgia
2010	6 More Weeks of Winter	Malverne Mel	Malverne, New York
2010	Early Spring	Staten Island Chuck	Staten Island (New York City)
2010	Early Spring	Woodstock Willie	Woodstock, Illinois
2010	6 more weeks of winter	Wiarton Willie	Wiarton, Ontario
2010	6 more weeks of winter	Punxsutawney Phil	Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania
2010	6 more weeks of winter	Spanish Joe	Spanish, Ontario
2010	Early spring	Dunkirk Dave	Dunkirk, New York
2010	Early Spring	Buckeye Chuck	Marion, Ohio
2010	6 more weeks of winter	Shubenacadie Sam	Shubenacadie, Nova Scotia

Nike Shoots Itself in the Foot

From Huffington Post.com

Kobe Bryant's latest Nike ad features a brazen gun reference, just after the NBA suspended two players (including star guard Gilbert Arenas) for the rest of the season after they brought guns into the Wizards locker room. In the new ad, Kobe Bryant and LeBron James are pictured next to a Nike logo accompanied by the slogan "Prepare for Combat." In the corner of the ad, near Bryant, is the text:

"I'll do whatever it takes to win games. I don't leave anything in the chamber."

The language is particularly striking because Javaris Crittenton, one of the two Wizards players suspended, pleaded guilty to a gun charge after he allegedly brandished a loaded gun and chambered a bullet during a locker room confrontation with Arenas.

Nike issued the following statement: "The Nike print ad featuring Kobe Bryant was intended to illustrate his all out play and commitment on the basketball court. It is a commonly used reference for shooting the basketball and no offense was intended." The NBA, meanwhile, is not happy about the ads. "We had no prior notice of this ad. We think it is inappropriate."

Stay Classy San Diego

A man who was busy robbing his elderly victim Saturday became so upset when a bystander tried to break up the crime by punching him in the face that he called police to report an assault.

Bad move.

Once they put two and two together, police officers located the 83-year-old victim, who confirmed the crime, and arrested the 43-year-old man for suspected elder abuse and robbery, said San Diego police Officer David Stafford.

Police were called at 4 p.m. to Akins Avenue at 62nd Street near a trolley station, where the robber had the elderly man pinned against a wall and was rifling through his pockets when the bystander interrupted the crime, Stafford said. No other information was available about the robber, or the 35-year-old man who came to the victim’s aid.

Not That There's Anything Wrong With That.....

Used to be you talked about the Super Bowl commercials AFTER the BIG game... welcome to the world we live in. C-B-S has rejected an ad from a gay dating site, ManCrunch.com. T-M-Z reports that the company wanted the spot to run during the Super Bowl, but C-B-S refused, saying it is "not within the network's broadcast standards for Super Bowl Sunday." The decision comes after the network gave the green light to an ad from a pro-life organization featuring college football star Tim Tebow. Check out the ManCrunch ad below. BTW. WHY the Packers and Vikings???