I'm back! radio show prep - who's alive after 2012, how to achieve your new years resolution, and where do the most positive people in the world live?

ShowStarters Wednesday January 2nd, 2013

I hope you had a fantastic holiday! Back at it!  Here's an update to a project that will convert a closet into a radio production studio.  VIDEO

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• Kate Bosworth is 21
• Karina Smirnoff from DWTS is 35
• Taye Diggs turns 42

Birthday Quiz: Who turns 45 today? (PLAY) Answer: Cuba Gooding Jr.

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ABC: The Middle, The Neighbors, Modern Family, Suburgatory are all repeats. Nashville is new tonight.

CBS: Mike and Molly (2 episodes), Criminal Minds, and CSI are all repeats

NBC: All new tonight including Whitney, Guys with Kids, Law and Order: SVU, and Chicago Fire

FOX: Mobbed (2 episodes, both new)

CW: Arrow and Supernatural are both repeats

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Back to 2000, who is our one-hit-wonder? (PLAY)

Was it Mandi Moore, Lucy Pear, or Lara Fabian?

Answer:: Laura Fabian (more info)

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A woman was rushed into the hospital in an ambulance as she was just about to give birth to twins. At the hospital the lady was in such pain she had to be sedated. A couple of hours after the babies had been delivered, she woke up and asked to see her children. "Doctor, could you bring my babies to me so I can name them?" The doctor replied, "You don't need to worry about names, your brother has already named the "Why did you let him name them, he has no sense! What did he call the little girl then?" "De-nise!" replied the doctor. "Oh that’s not too bad, I thought u were going to tell me he'd named her something awful! So what did he call the little boy?" "De-nephew."

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The World Mood

We are a "glass-half-full" world. A new report from Gallup found 85% of adults around the world feel like they're treated with respect.

72% reported smiling or laughing yesterday and 72% say they're well rested.

Of course, not everyone is so cheery. Folks in Singapore seem to lack emotion and fell dead last on the list of happy countries. Singapore, by the way, also ranked #1 on Gallup's World's Least Emotional Country.

Here are the most positive countries:

1. Panama
2. Paraguay
3. El Salvador
4. Venezuela
5. Trinidad and Tobago

source

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6 trends the Huffpo wishes will go away in 2013:

1. Lies, lies and more lies. Of course, the election played a huge role in this one.
2. The total faith in smart technology. Suri doesn't know everything, especially when it comes to directions.
3. Businesses that pretend to be generous but aren't really. If a business wants to help the victims of Hurricane Sandy, then write a check. Don't offer 20% off all sales to the cause.
4. The expression "insanely awesome" coming out of the mouth of someone post 50.
5. Social media sharing that isn't. Stop posting pictures of your scrambled eggs. Share real stuff, like your kids or how your new job is working out.
6. Mean people. You know who you are. Stop it.

Source

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Getting it done in 2013

Making New Years Resolutions are easy, keeping them...that's the tough part. Psychology Today has a few tips on actually making it through the year while accomplishing your goal. They have 12 tips, here are the ones I found interesting:

Check the strength of your commitment: What do you gain? What do you trade off? Is the gain worth what you give up? If you choose something that is not that important, it's usually better to choose nothing.

Plan for success: Goals are easy, but they aren't achieved if we don't make a plan. If you want to lose weight, what should you do first, second, and third?

Watch out for the Wheedler: This is the part of your brain that whispers 'eat, drink and be merry for tomorrow we may die.' Ya know, the evil part of your brain. Flip things around. Beat the Wheedler at its own game: 'Let's start now for we can always play later!'

Reward yourself: Create incentives to support your progress along the way. Follow a designed plan with short-term rewards that are part of your daily routine, such as drinking coffee or reading the newspaper.

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Who made it through 2012?

Pop quiz: I'll give you three celebrities. Only one made it through 2012. You have to tell me which celebrity is still alive.

Who's alive?

• Dick Clark
• Donna Summer
• Liza Minnelli

Answer: Liza Minnelli! Dick died in April (82), and Donna died in May (63)


Who's alive?

• Abe Vigoda
• Whitney Houston
• Mike Wallace

Answer: Abe Vigoda! He's 91. We lost Whitney in February (48), and 60 Minutes reporter Mike Wallace in April (93)


Who's alive?

• Etta James
• Phyllis Diller
• Bob Barker

Answer: Bob Barker! Bob is 89. We lost Etta in January (73) and Phyllis in August (95)


Who's alive?

• Jack Nicholson
• Davy Jones
• Andy Griffith

Answer: Jack! Davy died in February (66), and Andy Griffith in July (86)



Other celebs that passed in 2012:

January – Etta James Dies at 73
February – Whitney Houston Dead at 48
February – Monkees Singer Davy Jones Dead at 66
April – Painter Thomas Kinkade Dead At 54
April – 60 Minutes Reporter Mike Wallace Dead At 93
April – Dick Clark Dies at 82
May – Beastie Boys' Adam Yauch Dies at 47
May – Donna Summer Dies at 63
May – Robin Gibb Dies at 62
June – Author Ray Bradbury Dies at 91
June – Nora Ephron Dead at 71
July – Television Icon Andy Griffith Dead at 86
July – Oscar Winning Actor Ernest Borgnine Dead at 95
July – The Jeffersons‘ Sherman Hemsley Dead at 74
August – Oscar-Winning Composer Marvin Hamlisch Dead at 68
August – Director Tony Scott Dead at 68
August – Legendary Comedian Phyllis Diller Dead at 95
August – Neil Armstrong: First Man On The Moon Dead
September – Michael Clarke Duncan Dead at 54
November – Dallas Actor Larry Hagman Dead at 81
December – Jenni Rivera Confirmed Dead After Plane Crash
December – Norah Jones‘ Father, Sitarist Ravi Shankar, Dead at 92
December – The Odd Couple Actor Jack Klugman Dead at 90
December – Charles Durning Dead At 89
(source)