Join me this Saturday for The 4th annual Doubles Bowling Tournament to benefit Edna B. and Joyce Fay Washington Breast Cancer Foundation at AMF All-Star Lanes, 3640 Williams Boulevard in Kenner. As many of you may already know, Bowling is my passion, and like you I have someone in my family who’s been affected by Breast Cancer, so that is why I am participating in this event. If you’re not doing anything this Saturday, or if you can spare a few hours out of your weekend, your participation would be greatly appreciated. Here’s the info for you…

Entry fee (includes shoe rental): Adults $25.00 per person
Children 12 and under $12.00 per person

Date: Saturday, June 4, 2011
Where: AMF All-Star Lanes
3640 Williams Boulevard
Kenner, LA
(404) 443-5353
 www.amf.com

Time: 12:00pm Registration / 1:00pm – 4:00pm Tournament

Team and Individual Awards will be given away

Information contacts:
Bobby Spruille (504) 583-7429
Carl Stewart (601) 455-8974
The Washington Foundation (601) 304-5656
 washingtonbreastcancer at yahoo.com

 Saturday I’ll be at the Lowes in Hammond from 12-2 so stop by and register for Taylor Swift concert tix and get some FREE t-shirts from Amdro.  Remember Monday is not just about parities and family get together’s please take time to remember out veterans who have served and sacrificed. Fly the fly, thanks a veteran on facebook, visit the WWII museum in the Warehouse district, anything to remember what Memorial Day is really about.

 Talk to ya Tuesday.

From her diets to Tom Cruise’s antics, the queen of daytime TV has kept viewers talking

Oprah Winfrey is a kind of teacher. Since 1986, via her classroom called “The Oprah Winfrey Show,” she’s taught us it’s OK to cry, OK to share our problems, OK to give away cars to an entire audience and OK to love books. In return, she has earned the uniquely American honor of being known by her first name only, and according to Forbes magazine, became the first female black billionaire.  With the launch of her cable channel OWN in January, Oprah has already metaphorically left the stage, but she’ll be doing so for real on May 25. So here, we take a look back at some of the biggest moments from the show that made this woman and her big heart a giant star.

• Oprah and her little red wagon (1988) Oprah’s ongoing battle with the bulge has kept her human and sympathetic in many viewers’ hearts. She’s living proof that all the money in the world can’t buy you a size 6 body if your body ain’t having it. But in 1988 she knocked everyone’s socks off by wheeling out 67 pounds of fat in a little red wagon, the amount of weight she’d lost by going on Optifast and essentially eating nothing for four months. (Oh, and her bod was pretty rockin’, too.) Sadly, she ruined her metabolism with the diet and has been going up and down ever since.
• Interview with a mass murderer (1989) Oprah and crazed killers are hardly unfamiliar company, though she’s more likely to bring in victims or relatives of the dead to speak about their experiences. (Examples: Jim Jones Jr. and John Wayne Gacy’s sister). Maybe she learned her lesson from this never-aired segment: While interviewing a man who had killed eight people and some of his victims’ families, she called a halt to the proceeding, deciding this was not the direction she wanted to go. Reclusive and already a bit odd in 1993 (though not yet an accused child molester), Michael Jackson rarely gave interviews. But when he decided to sit down for a free-for-all chat, he picked Oprah to do the questioning. She visited Neverland Ranch and went over just about every rumor that had been thrown at him, including his gradually whitening skin and whether he owned the bones of John Merrick (aka the “Elephant Man”). The 90-minute show was Oprah’s most-watched, with 100 million people tuning in.
• Mad cows and the doctor (1996) Oprah didn’t want to know where the beef was in this segment — she wanted to know what was in the beef. After learning about mad cow disease from expert Howard Lyman, she stated she’d never eat another burger. Texas cattlemen saw their industry torpedoed by that opinion and sued — and lost. But another beefy result emerged from the trial: Oprah hired Phil McGraw’s company, Courtroom Sciences, to assist in jury analysis. She liked the owner so much she started having him on her show regularly.  In 2002, Dr. Phil got his own series. So far, it’s been working pretty well for him
• Reading is fundamental (1996) Book lovers can’t understand a world where someone has no interest in reading, but Oprah knew there were potential readers out there who just needed to be reached. In 1996, she launched her book club to spotlight one book each month — the first was “The Deep End of the Ocean” — and in the process created superstar best-sellers of her choices, and almost her own genre. Despite the massive publicity and sales that would ensue from a mention on her show, not every author was happy to be chosen. Jonathan Franzen was embarrassed to have his “The Corrections” on her list. But whatever you may think of her choices, Oprah gets millions to read.
• Philosopher, poet, boy of peace (2001) Though only 11 when he came on her show, Mattie Stepanek was a marvel of the human spirit beyond anything Hollywood has ever tried to capture on film. Confined to a wheelchair due to his diagnosis of a rare form of muscular dystrophy, Stepanek had three wishes: To have his poetry published, to meet his hero Jimmy Carter to talk about world peace, and to meet Oprah. All came true. Stepanek’s numerous “Heartsongs” books hit the top of The New York Times’ best-seller lists, and he met Carter and Oprah — both of whom who attended his funeral in 2004.
• Heads blow up! Even people who didn’t watch Oprah wanted the golden ticket to her annual smorgasbord giveaway of stuff — which is why these shows were never announced in advance. Starting in 2002, Oprah began giving away all sorts of gifts to her audience en masse, everything from food items to beauty products to top-of-the-line high tech gizmos. The only thing an audience could expect was the unexpected: One year she gave away prizes to an audience of teachers, and one year to volunteers of the Hurricane Katrina cleanup. She skipped 2009 (“For the last couple of years, it just wasn’t feeling right,” an executive producer had said), and then went overboard in 2010 with two days of “ultimate favorite things.” Clearly, there’s always a way to top yourself — even if you’re Oprah.
• Everyone get’s a car! And then there was the car giveaway. The episode started interestingly, with a highly promoted Pontiac car. Then Oprah brought 11 audience members to the stage and told them they’d each be getting one of the vehicles. Mayhem ensued. Tears were shed. Then she let the cat out of the bag: Under everyone’s seat was a gift box, and inside one of those boxes would be a key to a 12th car. Nope! Each box had a key, and everyone in the audience got a brand-new car. Pandemonium ensued — plus the memorable sound of Oprah also losing it, shouting, “Everybody gets a car!” over and over. Of course, the episode was probably much more fun for those in the audience than the folks eating lunch on their La-Z-Boy recliner.
• Cruise takes the couch (2005) For a long while, Tom Cruise’s sexuality had been under question in the press. When he met Katie Holmes, everyone shrugged. Well, Cruise was not going to have any of that. When he went on Oprah for a chat, her mere query about his new squeeze drove him over the edge. He began gesticulating and kneeling, then got up and jumped up and down on the couch in what felt oddly like a planned display of overenthusiastic joy. Cruise never got an award for it, but in many ways it was Cruise’s most memorable performance.
• James fray (2006) Having placed James Frey’s “A Million Little Pieces” “memoir” on her book-club list, Oprah was completely behind Frey when she brought him on her show in October 2005 in a segment called “The Man Who Kept Oprah Awake at Night.” The book was propelled into bestseller nirvana — until The Smoking Gun revealed that Frey must have made up multiple segments of the book. Frey confessed, and then even more strangely went back on Oprah’s show in January 2006, where she berated him for lying to the public. She apologized later — not that she needed to — and in a final coup de grace, Frey has been announced as one of her final guests, making another appearance before the May 25 finale of her show.

Written by Randee Dawn is a freelance writer based in New York, and was born with a remote control in her hand. She is the co-author of “The Law & Order: SVU Unofficial Companion

WDW= Wine Down Wednesday.

Looking forward to unwinding after work with you today. Invite some friends or co-workers for Wind Down Wednesday tonight at Copeland’s in Elmwood (6-8).  That’s means drink specials and prizes to WIN!  Happy Hour extended until 8pm with Half Price selected Mixed Drinks, House Wine, Domestic Beer, $5 Martinis and $5 selected Appetizers! Plus win a pair of tickets to the SOLD OUT Taylor Swift concert on 10/5/11 at the New Orleans Arena ($139) or a Pair of tickets to Michael Jackson “The Immortal World Tour” by Cirque du Soleil on 2/15/12 at the New Orleans Arena ($350) or Sound Oasis Sleep Sound Therapy System w/Sound Card ($70) or $50 Copeland’s Gift Cards (valid at all Copeland’s and Copeland’s Cheesecake Bistro locations. Card cannot be redeemed for cash and cannot be replaced if lost or stolen.) $30 The Little Pastry Shoppe gift card (Exp 11/30/11, no cash value)

Coffee drinkers get ready for a jolt… not from the another cup but at the at the supermarket. The company that sells Folgers and Dunkin’ Donuts brand coffees announced its second double-digit price increase this year. Starting today the price for most of its coffee products will go up 11 percent, on average, because costs keep rising for unroasted beans. The increase also includes Smucker’s Millstone and Folgers Gourmet Selections packaged coffees. It’s the latest in a series of coffee price hikes announced by Smucker because of higher coffee costs.   The Orrville, Ohio, company said in early February it was raising coffee prices by an average 10 percent. Last August, it announced a 9 percent price hike, which followed a 4 percent increase in May 2010.

The New Orleans Wine and Food Experience

When: Tuesday, May 24 through Saturday, May 28

What: A five-day festival of wine and food that benefits more than a dozen local charities.

Where: This year, the floor of the Hall J at the New Orleans Convention Center will be filled with 1,000 wines and 75 dishes. Held on Friday and Saturday, the tastings lasts three hours each day.

The New Orleans Wine and Food Experience is, perhaps, the largest local festival totally devoted to food and spirits. It was established as a nonprofit, and over two decades it has raised more than half a million dollars for local charities.

I’ll drink (“I mean sip”) to that.

WHAT: Call for Volunteers for Graffiti Cleanup  

WHEN: Saturday, May 21^st,   9:30 – 11:30 a.m. cleanup

WHERE: LaTrobe Park in the French Market, 1000 Decatur 

May 17, 2011  New Orleans, LA- As many are aware, the French Quarter Business Association (FQBA), along with other prominent French Quarter groups have implemented an effort dubbed Vieux Carre Graffiti Abatement Program or VC-GAP. 

 We need help!

This is our call to action to all those passionate about making the French Quarter graffiti free.  We are reaching out to concerned citizens willing to participate in a “hands-on” positive neighborhood beautification effort.  To get involved in this effort, please join us on Saturday, May 21^st.    

How can you participate? 

There are opportunities as group leaders as well as hands on workers to participate in this community wide cleanup. 

 How does it work?

Volunteers receive a work t-shirt (while supplies last) and all cleaning products and tools for the cleanup. With the tools and instructions in hand, volunteers spread out through the quarter and remove as many marks as possible. With this initiative the French Quarter community hopes to spark a neighborhood and city wide perspective that the graffiti problem is not as insurmountable as once presumed.  It is a real community issue that businesses, activists, residents and volunteers are willing to face head on.  Over one hundred volunteers took to the streets last summer on two separate cleanup days.  They not only removed unsightly graffiti, but also had an enjoyable time exploring the streets of our historic neighborhood with old friends and new friends.  They went with a passion to eradicate some of the unsightly marks that offend our visitors, businesses and residents. Our effort is solely a community action plan to eradicate graffiti from the Vieux Carre.  This event is generously supported by Bevolo Gas & Electric Lights, Café Du Monde, French Market Corporation, French Quarter Citizens & Pat O’Brien’s.  

To volunteer or donate contact the FQBA office at 504.309.1423 or email  graffiti at fqba.org. For more information, please visit our website www.fqba.org. Donations to the effort are also graciously appreciated.  Everyone can help!

Get ready for alot of doomsday talk. I’m sure you’ve heard the end of days is soon, like in the Movie (2012) or as it’s called the upcoming days of reckoning. You know how the ancient people predicted 2012 as the end of the world.  But now I’m confused because some people are saying the end is as early as May 21, and then there’s Dec. 21. The former is a 2011 doomsday as predicted by 1,000 billboards worldwide; the latter is a 2012 doomsday as supposedly foretold by the ancient Mayan calendar.  According to my fellow broadcasters at Family Radio, May 21 (aka this Saturday) will merely be the beginning of the end. On that day, and each day thereafter, up until about a month into the fall…God will completely destroy this earth and its surviving inhabitants.”  So is this it? Or do we have more time?