Twang Town Lowdown - Monday, March 28th

 

WORKOUT PLAYLIST – THOMAS RHETT

Thomas Rhett has been partnered with the nationwide 24 hour gym and fitness center Snap Fitness as the brand's 2016 spokesperson. As the spokesperson, Thomas is hosting boot camps in select tour markets throughout the year to further promote his "I Feel Good" health initiative with them. People often cite their busy schedules as a reason why they don't exercise often, but Rhett wants everyone to know that it can be done -- and he's living proof. Thomas tells Taste of Country, "I'm trying to convince them that my schedule is super busy too and any way you can find a way to squeeze some of that stuff in, it helps you feel better and look better and helps them live a long, healthy life."

So, what helps Rhett pump up the intensity during his workouts? That would be music, of course. Thomas shares, "If we're doing a cardio day, it has to be all uptempo. Your 'Uptown Funks,' your 'Downtowns.' I put a couple of my songs in there, not that I listen to my music on a daily basis." He adds, "I feel like I made some of those tracks for me running on a treadmill." But for his weight training days, Rhett opts for slower songs like "Roses" by EDM duo The Chainsmokers or "Started From the Bottom" by rapper Drake. Some of the other songs that make Thomas' workout playlist include the Rolling Stones classic "Start Me Up," The Cadillac Three's "Get Your Buzz On" and Dierks Bentley's "Somewhere on a Beach." Rhett still has upcoming boot camps dates scheduled in Dallas on May 21, Minneapolis on June 11 and Columbus, Ohio, on June 18.

THE MOM HAIRCUT – CARRIE UNDERWOOD

Carrie Underwood's hairstyle has changed a lot since she was a contestant on American Idol more than a decade ago, and she's welcomed some of those changes. Carrie tells Elle that when she was on Idol, it was the first time anyone besides herself had fixed her hair. She says, "Even growing up, when we'd go to prom, I did my own and I've always done my own." And Underwood admits that her big hair days are in the past. She says, "There were some (looks) that I don't think I would do now–I had big hair. I had a lot of big hair. And I like big hair, but I wouldn't go back there again."

Now, Carrie is rocking a much shorter hairstyle and she has a good reason for doing so. She says, "Now that my hair is shorter, it's easier to fix, which was the whole point. Cutting my hair was a 'mom' move." Underwood washes her hair every day because she's constantly working out and sweating, and she says that shorter do equals more quality time with her son, Isaiah. She says, "I could spend half an hour to blow it dry and have it be super long, or I could spend that time playing with my son, and I'd much rather do the latter."

HARMONICAS FOR HEALTH – CHRIS JANSON

Chris Janson has teamed up with ACM Lifting Lives and the Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disorder (COPD) Foundation to start a program called Harmonicas for Health. The health initiative is part of the COPD Foundation's Pulmonary Education Program (PEP) and works to encourage COPD patients to exercise their lungs and improve their lives through the power of music. As the spokesperson for the initiative, Janson recently paid a visit to patients at Saint Thomas Rutherford Hospital in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, to see their progress as they learn to play the harmonica to treat COPD. Chris says, "I can attest to the healing power playing the harmonica provides. As an asthmatic, harmonica playing has helped me overcome my breathing problems and make some damn good music." The COPD Foundation's goal is to have 25 Harmonicas for Health programs launched at various hospital PEP locations nationwide by September.

The D.A. Of The Day - Monday. March 28th

 

YOU REALLY SHOULDN’T HAVE ALCOHOL ON YOUR BREATH WHEN ….

 

During an event at a local coffee and yogurt shop called “Coffee With A Cop,” Charlene Kranitz was unfortunate enough to wander into the restaurant to get a cup of yogurt.

Unfortunate, because a police officer noticed that she was stumbling as she came into the shop and went to the machine. When she walked past him, he smelled alcohol, so when she left the shop, he followed her outside. She went to her car, which was parked against a light pole.

The policeman gave the 66-year-old woman a sobriety test, which she failed. After he established that she was the sole person in the car and intended to drive it, he arrested her for DUI.  

When asked if she had noticed that there were police officers in the shop when she entered it, the woman replied no and said she had no idea the Coffee With A Cop activity was going on there.

WOMAN REFUSED ENTRY INTO NEW ZEALAND FOR CARRYING LEMONS

 

A woman was refused entry into New Zealand after trying to smuggle in six lemons in her pants. Border officials caught her at Auckland Airport, where she was arriving on a flight from Hong Kong.

The lemons were hidden in her trousers, but they were sniffed out by a biosecurity dog, according to the “New Zealand Herald.” The woman had not declared any food items on her arrival card. She explained to officials that they were good for her health, but that didn’t set very well with them, as it would be possible to endanger New Zealand’s horticulture industry by bringing in food that could have pests or diseases on it.

The woman was refused entry to New Zealand, and returned to Hong Kong on the next available flight.

Security commented that they hope to send a strong message to smugglers who show contempt for the country’s bio-security rules.

MAN TRADES TOOLS FOR BOY AT WAL-MART

 

A man in West Norriton Township, Pennsylvania, stole tools from Wal-Mart, but he left an 11-year-old boy in trade.

The man was caught in the act of taking the tools, and when confronted by a security person at the store, he ran and left the boy in the store. Once out the door, he went to a silver sedan with New Jersey plates and fled, making no attempt to take the boy with him.

The youngster was able to tell them how to contact his mother, who told police the man was watching her son for her. She claimed not to know his full name.

Police released the boy back to is mother, but contacted Children and Youth services for a followup investigation.

The HOTLIST - Monday. March 28th

 

HUGH JACKMAN - REAL LIFE HERO

Hugh Jackman is best known for playing super hero Wolverine in the X-Men series of films, but on Saturday things got REAL as he did some real life rescuing at Bondi Beach in Sydney. When several swimmers got caught in a severe riptide, Hugh sprang into action and helped to retrieve the swimmers. One of which happened to be his teenage son Oscar.

BATMAN V SUPERMAN HITS JACKPOT AT BOX OFFICE

 

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“Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice” did very well at the box office its first weekend out. The movie grough in $170.1, placing it in history books as the sixth biggest opening every in North America for a movie, according to “The Hollywood Reporter.”

The film, which stars Ben Affleck as the Batman and Henry Cavill as Superman, had the biggest opening weekend of any DC Comics film.

The film opened in more than 4,000 theaters, with a 66 percent male audience. The largest age group was 18 and 34 years old, “Variety” reports.

Also in the movie are Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman, Amy Adams as Lois Lane and Jesse Eisenberg as Lex Luthor.

NEW BABIES FOR CELEBRITIES

Donald Trump is a grandpa again. Daughter Ivanka had a third child, a boy, named Theodore James Kushner, on Sunday. Mom and dad, Jared Kushner, are doing fine. Big brother Joseph and sister Arabella are anxious to meet the newcomer.

Seth Meyers and wife Alexi Ashe Meyers are proud parents of their first child, a son, born Sunday. They have not yet revealed the child’s name, but word has it that viewers will find out more on Tuesday night’s “Late Night with Seth Meyers” over NBC.

Twang Town Lowdown - Friday, September 25th

 

RORY FEEK: INDIANA STARTS SCHOOL

Rory Feek has been trying to cope after Joey's death. 

He says, "[We are trying to adjust] to the empty chair at our table and pillow on the other side of my bed, desperately missing Joey and carrying her in our hearts with us everywhere we go." 

Their two year-old daughter Indiana, who has Down Syndrome, just started at High Hopes developmental center, where she will learn to walk and talk. Rory says, "I can hardly imagine how special it will be when the time finally comes that she can walk beside me and talk with me."

Joey died on March 4th from cervical cancer. 

KENNY CHESNEY: TURNS 48 THIS WEEKEND:

  

Happy early birthday Kenny Chesney! He turns 48 Saturday. The party essentials for an ultimate Kenny birthday include:

• Booze -- Either Blue Chair Bay rum drinks or Corona will do.
• Grace Potter -- Kenny has said her song “Apologies” set him on a new creative direction.
• The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway -- it’s Kenny’s favorite novel.
• Red velvet cake -- meet Kenny’s kryptonite. Before 2012’s Brothers of the Sun tour with Tim McGraw, Tim sent Kenny a dessert every day at rehearsals as a prank to test Kenny’s willpower. Kenny nearly caved when a whole red velvet cake was delivered. 
• Bare feet -- because duh! No shoes, no shirt, no problems!

BY THE NUMBERS: CARRIE UNDERWOOD STORYTELLER COSTUME CHANGES

  

Carrie Underwood packs a major wardrobe every night on the Storyteller tour. The show has at least five costume changes, but that’s not all the stage outfits Carrie has on the road.

Designer Marina Toybina tells People, “We made over 25 costumes! Before each performance, she goes through what we call ‘the Wardrobe Bible’ and then decides which mix of outfits to wear.”

Marina spent a week-and-a-half bedazzling Carrie’s white dress with 50,000 opal, pearl and white crystals. The tour continues Saturday in Lincoln, Nebraska.

The D.A. Of The Day - Friday, March 25th

 

DAD AND BUNNY GET INTO SCUFFLE AT MALL

 

A man who was playing the part of an Easter Bunny at a mall in Jersey City, New Jersey, got into a fight because a man’s daughter fell off a chair while sitting beside him.

The fight broke out after the 15-month-old girl fell off a chair while she was having her photo made with the Easter Bunny, 22-year-old Kassim Charles. The girl’s father, Juan Jimenez-Guerrero, 44, allegedly verbally and physically attacked Charles after she fell. The two had to be separated by mall security, and were taken to a local hospital where they were treated for minor injuries.

They have both been charged with aggravated assault and disorderly conduct. Jimenez-Guerrero has a lengthy criminal history and is wanted on a fugitive from justice warrant, the newspaper reported. Charles has two prior arrests and was wanted on a Jersey City warrant for a light rail violation.

REMEMBER, TAKE WHAT YOU BROKE IN TO GET AND LEAVE

Justin Stansfield, a British heroin addict and thief, broke into a garage to try to find something he could steal and sell in order to buy his next fix.

While in the garage looking around, he found a freezer full of cold beers and Popsicles, so Stansfield thought, why not have a few beers and some popsicles before I leave?

All that would have been great, because no one came home to catch the burglar while he was enjoying his brief break from crime. Unfortunately for him, he made one major mistake – he took out his false teeth while indulging in the food, and forgot to put them back in.

Yep, the police used the teeth to identify him. That brief spell of forgetfulness cost him sixteen months behind bars.

MAN SWALLOWS HEROIN, GETS SICK FROM CARRYING IT

A man who brought 27 bags of heroin into the country from the Dominican Republic had to go to the hospital after one of the bags broke open in his stomach. Police reported that doctors at a Salem, Massachusetts hospital removed the bags after Miguel Rodriguez became sick with symptoms of an overdose.

Bags were removed from his stomach, intestines and rectum after he checked into the hospital. Police were there to count the bags and examine their contents. Apparently Rodriguez swallowed the bags in order to be able to bring them back in to the U.S.

 Rodriguez was charged with drug trafficking and pleaded not guilty at his arraignment at the hospital on Thursday. Don’t know how that’s going to go for him as there was ample evidence to the contrary taken from his body.

The HOTLIST - Friday, March 25th

 

GARRY SHANDLING: DIED FROM MASSIVE HEART ATTACK

 

Garry Shandling died from a massive heart attack Thursday. 

The comedian reportedly called 911 himself, but passed out while on the phone. When paramedics arrived, they had to kick in the door.

Though sources have stated that the 66-year-old appeared in good health, Garry did talk about various health problems on a recent episode of Jerry Seinfeld's web series Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee. The episode was titled “It’s Great That Garry Shandling Is Still Alive.”

Garry got his start by writing an episode of Sanford and Son in the late '70s. He went on to become a regular guest host for The Tonight Show and headline two TV series, It's Garry Shandling's Show and The Larry Sanders Show. He recently appeared in

Iron Man 2 and Captain America: Winter Solider in a non-comedic role.

AMANDA BYNES: NOT INVITED

 

Amanda Bynes has put showbiz in her past, and it looks like showbiz has done the same to her.

The oft-troubled former child star says she wasn't invited to Nickelodeon's upcoming All That reunion -- and that she found out about it when she saw a trailer. She got her start on the '90s sketch comedy show, which catapulted her to her own The Amanda Show.

Former stars who will be there include Kenan Thompson, Kel Mitchell, Danny Tamberelli, Lori Beth Denberg and Josh Server. But it's no matter to Amanda, anyway -- she says she would have declined if asked because she's 100 percent focused on her fashion career. 

SARAH PALIN: THE NEXT JUDGE JUDY?

 

Sarah Palin wants to be a TV judge.

The former Alaska governor has signed a deal to shoot a pilot for a Judge Judy-type show, which she hopes to sell to a TV syndicator. According to Gossip Cop, the "basic gist is that Palin, who is not an attorney, would preside over disputes and use her no-sense judgement to render decisions." The series may air as early as next year. 

This wouldn't be her first TV series. She did the reality show Sarah Palin's Alaska on TLC and Amazing America With Sarah Palin for The Sportsman Channel.

MAN WHO CLIMBS TREE IN SEATTLE WON’T LEAVE JAIL

 

The man who perched near the top of an 80-foot sequoia tree in a downtown shopping district in Seattle for more than a day refused to leave a jail cell for his first court appearance Thursday.

Cody Lee Miller was arrested on suspicion of malicious mischief after climbing down from the tree on Wednesday. A judge found probable cause to hold Miller while prosecutors decide whether to file charges and rescheduled a bail hearing for Friday.

While in the tree, Miller refused to come down and threw apples, pine cones and tree branches at responders. Damage to the tree is nearly $8,000.

Miller was arrested him for false reporting because he initially gave a fake name, the report said.

The D.A. Of The Day - Thursday, March 24th

 

NORTH CAROLINA MAN ARRESTED FOR ...

A North Carolina man says he was arrested for not returning a videotape cassette tape he rented 14 years ago.

James Meyers Jr., a single dad from Concord, said he was driving his 10-year-old daughter to school at around 7:30 a.m. Tuesday when police pulled him over for a broken brake light. Meyers gave the police officers his driver’s license and was shocked when they said there was a warrant out for his arrest for not returning a VHS rental, "Freddy Got Fingered," from 2002, he said.

"They were chitchatting with me and talking about how ridiculous this is," Meyers told ABC News today. "Then they arrested me.

"Because I had my daughter in the car and we were on the way to school they said that I could take my daughter to school and go to work and then find a babysitter, and then come into the police and turn myself in."

He did so, and was processed at the Concord Police Department on a charge of "failure to return hired property" before being transferred to Cabarrus County Jail, where he was released on a written promise, according to a police arrest report. Meyers, who said he has no idea what became of the tape, is scheduled to appear in court next month.

The arrest warrant had been issued on Feb. 28, 2002, police said in a news release.

Meyers, a drum and bass musician, said he had never been arrested before, and said the ordeal was very humiliating. "They took my belt, I was trying to hold my pants up while trying to sign papers,” he said. “It was very embarrassing."

"It scared my daughter,” he said. “She thought I was going to jail for a bad brake light."

Meyers rented the VHS from J&J Video in Salisbury, North Carolina, according to police. "The store has been closed for about 10 years now, if I'm not mistaken,” he said.

Meyers said Tom Green, the writer, director and star of "Freddy Got Fingered," reached out to him from his stand-up comedy tour in Australia when he heard the news, in addition to tweeting his reaction to the news about his 2001 action-comedy film: "I just saw this and I am struggling to believe it is real."

"I got a phone call from Australia, so I just happened to randomly answer," Meyers said. "Tom Green called and started singing to me on the other end of the phone. He said not to worry, and he can help anyway he can, and please keep in contact with him and keep him updated.

"He was so cool, he was a class act. It made me feel a lot better because of all the stress that is going on."

The HOTLIST - Thursday, March 24th

  

ZAT YOU DAVID LETTERMAN???

 

David Letterman sure does look....different since he retired 10 months ago. It's looking more like he is getting ready to don a red outfit and hitch a ride on a sleigh pulled by reindeer this December..Whatever floats your boat or pulls your sleigh...

SAY YES... TO A COURT APPOINTED INJUNCTION..

A bride-to-be has taken legal action against the TV show Say Yes to the Dress. Alexandra Godino claims she had a deal with producers to air her episode after her May wedding so she could surprise her husband. 

Apparently they ignored her, because the episode is set to air on Friday. Alexandra is now asking a judge to step in and block TLC from airing the show until after the ceremony.

THE FORCE IS LEAKING...



Blu-ray-quality copies of Star Wars: The Force Awakens have leaked online. About 250,000 people downloaded the blockbuster within the first 12 hours, according to Torrent Freak. The movie is set to be released on home video on April 1st and Blu-ray on April 5th.

MORE STARPOWER FOR BATTLE OF THE SEXES...


Sarah Silverman has joined the cast of Battle of the Sexes. The movie, starring Emma Stone and Steve Carell, follows the competition between tennis pros Billie Jean King and Bobby Riggs in 1973.


WEDDING BELLS...

Hilary Swank has gotten engaged to Ruben Torres, a former pro tennis player. She broke the news on Instagram with a photo of her engagement ring. She wrote that Ruben proposed while they were hiking. Hilary was married to Chad Lowe from 1997 to 2007.