Get a fresh start to 2013 with your :60 Wellness Report from Sunny 99.9's Wellness Expert, Karen Powell at: www.nurturingnetworks.com

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

WEIRD NEWS: Take a Hike!

An Australian man who went hiking in the New South Wales Blue Mountains with only potatoes and bread was fined for being ill prepared.

The 29-year-old began his hike in the rugged mountains on Wednesday afternoon and told his friends it would take him three days to reach his destination. The friends contacted police when he failed to arrive on Saturday, launching a search involving two police helicopters.

Rescue workers located the hiker, who had suffered a minor ankle injury.

The man declined treatment and was taken to the Katoomba police station, where he was slapped with the fine.

"We believed the 29-year-old placed himself and the search teams at risk through his lack of planning and preparation, and through carrying inadequate provisions," NSW Police Force Rescue commander Brenton Charlton said. "The man had with him a kilo of potatoes and naan bread." (The Sydney Morning Herald)

WEIRD NEWS: DU-Irony

A Massachusetts man is facing drunk driving charges − after driving on to the lawn of a Vermont home once owned by the co-founder of Alcoholics Anonymous.

Vermont police say 55-year-old Donald Blood III thought he was pulling into a parking lot, but actually it was the lawn of the historic Wilson House, once owned by AA co-founder Bill Wilson.

The Wilson House, which describes itself as a "place of sanctuary where people can come to give thanks to God for their new lives," still hosts several AA meetings each week. (NJ.com)

DONALD TRUMP: Miss Pennsylvania Ordered to Pay $5 Mil for Defaming Miss USA Pageant

Beauty pageant contestants are known for saying dumb things, but in former Miss Pennsylvania Sheena Monnin's case her verbal gaffe is going to cost her big bucks.

A judge has ordered Sheena to pay Donald Trump’s company $5 million for accusing the Miss Universe Organization, which also runs Miss USA, of rigging competitions. On her Facebook page, the 27-year-old wrote, "When I stated my opinion that the Miss USA pageant was rigged. I was not aware of the clause in the Miss USA contract which says that the Miss Universe Organization, Donald Trump and others have the legal right to choose the top five and the winner."

Sheena said she was "shocked" by the ruling. She plans to fight it.

SOURCE: NY Daily News

NEW YEAR: Low-Fat, Low-Carb Diets Are Out

According to a survey of registered dieticians, low-fat, low-carb diets are out and natural, unprocessed, gluten-free foods are in for 2013.

51 percent of dieticians felt that the trend was for consumers to choose natural, simple, minimally processed foods, compared to 46 percent who thought so last year. 

The dieticians predicted that gluten-free would be a popular diet trend in 2013, while weight loss programs such as Weight Watchers and Jenny Craig would continue to have popularity in the new year. (PRN Newswire)

Kate Winslet surprised everyone with her super secret wedding to Ned Rocknroll, but even more surprising than their nuptials are their honeymoon plans. Richard Branson, the owner of Virgin and Rocknroll's uncle, has gifted the couple with a flight on the Virgin Galactic, which travels to space.

For $200,000 a ticket, you get a two-hour flight 60 miles above earth, and you can experience weightlessness and view the curve of the planet. (WetPaint)
 

EDIBLE WRAPPER

Ever get so hungry for that first bite of fast food that you accidentally eat part of the wrapper? Well if you live in Brazil, that shouldn't be a problem.

A burger chain there called Bob's is proud to offer a burger with an edible wrapper.

Customers were a little freaked out at first, but according to reports, not a single edible wrapper was left on the table after the meals! (Oddity Central)
 

THE NO-TEXT CHALLENGE

If you think you can go a week without texting someone, we'd like to invite you to try.

In fact, there's a woman online who has taken a pledge to put down the keyboard on her phone for one whole month. She's been blogging about it and she's had her good days and bad days, but one thing is certain: For most of us, it's way harder than it looks. (College Candy)

WOULD YOU BUY A $1500 BAG FROM J. CREW?

J. Crew, the popular chain clothing store, has been re-inventing itself as a more fashion-forward label, ever since Jenna Lyons took the reins at the company.

They may have gone too far, too fast, however. At their flagship store on Madison Avenue in NYC, they are selling an alligator purse with a price tag of $1500. This isn't Louis Vuitton or Fendi − it's J. Crew! (Styleite)

KIDS DON'T DO CHORES

There was a time, not so long ago, when chores were a part of every kid's daily life. Not anymore.

According to new research out of UCLA, chores and responsibility are only for parents nowadays. The study explains that in the 19th century, children were valued for their help in the family, but today children are "economically useless, but emotionally priceless." This has created a situation where the parent stops behaving like an authority figure and instead becomes a valet for their child. (AskMen)

Just Asking ... Do you require that your kids perform daily chores to contribute to the household? Why or why not? Do you think it's important to teach children responsibility through work – or should they learn that lesson later and spend their childhood being kids? Were you required to do chores when you were a kid?
 

THE LIFE OF LIVELY

Blake Lively − she's gorgeous, successful, and married to Ryan Reynolds. What more could a girl want?! Well, if you weren't jealous enough before, how about when you find out that she eats whatever she wants − and never drinks water or works out? In an interview with Us Weekly she admitted that she loves to eat cupcakes and ice cream and she doesn't pay a lick of attention to calories or diet. So not fair. (JaneDough)

Just Asking ... Do you believe that she really eats whatever she wants and never works out? Do you know someone like that? Are you someone who can eat, drink, and never work out ... and never gain a pound? How is this possible??
 

MAGIC-ER  MIKE
Mr. rock hard abs, Channing Tatum, was photographed recently with his arms firmly around his wife's baby bump, proving that – not only is he excited to be a dad, but that he thinks his wife looks awesome with the little pooch.

FREEZE OFF THOSE HOLIDAY POUNDS

Did you pack on a few extra pounds over the holidays? Have no fear! You can freeze off your fat with the new "CoolScultping" procedure.

Seriously, the procedure involves clamping a gel patch to your problem area, which freezes the fat cells beneath the skin at sub-zero temperatures. The dead cells are then "flushed" away by your body after a couple months. The treatment, which was approved by the FDA in 2010, has seen a surge in popularity recently, because it's pain free, can be done virtually anywhere, and is much less invasive than liposuction.

Just remember, though, even if fat cells are removed from one area of your body if you continue to make poor food choices the fat cells will expand in other places. (Cosmo)
 

SCENT OF A CHEATER

According to a new study by the cheating website AshleyMadison.com, women who have a fear of monogamy or have cheated on boyfriends and spouses have similar tastes in perfumes. Here are the top 5 scents preferred by cheaters:

1. J'adore by Dior: 31 percent of adulterers interviewed preferred this scent.

2. Obsession by Calvin Klein: This spicy scent got 22 percent of the vote

3. Light Blue by Dolce and Gabbana: 19 percent picked this scent.

4. No 5 by Chanel: No 5 was the cologne worn by 15% of the unfaithful.

5. Romance By Ralph Lauren: This popular scent comes in 5th with 10 percent of cheaters preferring it. (SheKnows)

TAYLOR SWIFT: Skype Helps Keep Harry Close

Transatlantic lovebirds Taylor Swift and Harry Styles burned up the Internet to keep in touch through the holidays. The couple used Skype to stay close during the few times they were apart -- even using the technology to introduce their families to each other.

Word is that Harry is in New York City to see his love perform tonight (Monday) on ABC's Rockin' New Year's Eve With Ryan Seacrest.

WEIRD NEWS: Chicken Saves the Coop

A Wisconsin couple say they have a chicken to thank for saving them from a fire in their home.

Dennis Murawska said their pet chicken "Cluck Cluck" alerted them to the fire when she woke his wife, Susan, with loud clucking from her cage. "The chicken gets quite vocal when she gets excited," he said.
Murawska said he didn't know about the fire because the smoke alarms hadn't gone off.

The couple saved Cluck Cluck from a nearby farm, where she was no longer of use because she couldn't produce any eggs. Looks like she paid them back ... (AP)

DIET & EXERCISE: Worst Convenience Foods for Your Wallet and Waistline

Two of the most popular New Year's Resolutions have to do with losing weight and saving money. If that's the case in your life, you might want to stay away from these convenience foods that are both expensive and fattening:

• Movie Theater Popcorn – A container of expensive theater popcorn has 1,200 to 1,600 calories and 100 to 126 grams of fat. That could lead to a weight gain of five pounds if you went to the movies just once per month.
   
• Coffee Shop Treat – Muffins, scones and flavored coffee drinks are loaded with hundreds of calories. Better to brew your own coffee and have breakfast at home.
   
• Sports Drinks – Vitamin water and Gatorade are drinks that people reach for because they think they're healthy. But, a 16-ounce bottle of vitamin water has 120 calories and 30 grams of sugar, which is about the same as a can of soda.
   
• Nutrition Bars – While these are supposed to be a healthy alternative to a meal, one of the first ingredients can often be high fructose corn syrup. If you're thinking about reaching for one of these bars on the go, grab a banana instead.
   
• Beef Jerky – Most contain monosodium glutamate (MSG) and sodium nitrate – and are high in sodium. (WalletPop.com)

MADONNA: Rakes in the Big Bucks

Madonna made a lot of money playing concerts around the world in 2012. Pollstar, the concert trade publication, says she raked in $296.1 million from 88 shows around the world. Coldplay came in fourth with $171.3-million, and Lady Gaga landed at number-five with $161.4-million.

NEW YEAR: Belly Ballot Predicts 2013's Popular Baby Names

Roll call: Looks like the future will have more kids in school with names like Hashtag, Tweet and Android. The baby-naming website Belly Ballot predicts 2013’s hot baby names will be …

• Tech inspired names like Kindle.
   
• Multiple first names like Uma Thurman’s daughter Rosalind Arusha Arkandina Altalune Florence Thurman-Busson.
   
• Grandparents’ names like Olive, Roy, Charles, Frank, Albert and Bertha.
   
• Surnames as given names like Grant, Kennedy, Hayes, Townes, Fletcher, Sutton and Copeland.
   
• Traditional names with unusual spellings like Jaxon, Avah, Xakery, Josilyn and Braedyn. (UPI)

NEW YEAR: What Consumers Can Expect in 2013

In the New Year, consumers will be faced with higher grocery bills, lower mortgage rates and cheaper gas. Here are a few predictions consumers can expect in 2013:

Anticipated Price Hikes:

• Grocery bills: The U.S. Department of Agriculture predicts grocery bills will rise 3-4 percent in 2013, due to higher feed costs.
   
• Overdraft fees:  Banks are looking for ways to raise revenue without inciting customer backlash, meaning higher overdraft fees and charges for using out-of-network ATMs.
   
• Luxury items: Smartphones, cars and other luxury goods will also be more expensive in the New Year.
   
• Copper: Prices on copper could rise, causing a ripple effect because it’s used in several consumer products like wire, pots, residential water pipes and industrial equipment to brew beer.

Bright Side:

• New regulations on debt collectors: As of January 2nd, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau will regulate the country’s large debt collectors, an industry widely criticized for harassment, deception and other illegal tactics to get people to pay.
   
• Good news for home buyers: Mortgage rates are expected to remain low in 2013.
   
• Gas: Gas prices should continue their slow decline. The average is expected to be $3.43 per gallon, which is down from 2012’s average of $3.63. (Today)

TRENDS: E-Reading Is Up

Books are out and e-readers are in. That's according to a new survey by Pew Internet Research Center, which found that the number of people choosing e-readers over traditional books is up.

• Americans age 16 and older who read an e-book grew from 16 percent in 2011 to 23 percent in 2012.
   
• Readers of traditional books dropped from 72 percent to 67 percent.
   
• The number of people owning an e-reader, like a Nook, Kindle, or tablet, jumped from 18 percent to 33 percent. (NBC News)

BRITNEY: All About Music in 2013

Britney Spears is apparently diving back into her music career after a season as a judge on The X Factor. Spears did a Twitter chat with fans on Sunday evening, and she wrote that she's "working hard" on her next album and "really focused on my music right now" and that she is "collaborating with some new inspiring producers." This news comes just a few days after reports that Simon Cowell was forcing her out of The X Factor for next season.

LADY GAGA: Get on the Bus

Lady Gaga will help fans out on her upcoming Born This Way Ball
 dates with a traveling therapy center called the Born Brave Bus. Gaga announced via Twitter that the bus will be parked outside venues before her upcoming tour dates and take the stigma out of getting help. She tweeted, "For those wondering about the 'counseling' at the pre-show, it will be a fun tailgating experience for monsters to unite. At the Born Brave Bus you have access to professional private or group chats about mental health, depression, bullying, school and friends." The Born This Way Ball tour kicks off on January 11th in Vancouver.

ADAM LAMBERT: Les Miserable Singing

Adam Lambert isn't happy with much of the live singing in the movie Les Miserables. The onetime American Idol runner-up tweets that while the idea of recording the actors performing the songs live instead of lip-syncing to a track they'd previously sung in a recording studio is "cool," most of the film's "great actors" couldn't pull it off.

While praising the vocals of Anne Hathaway, Aaron Tveit, Helena Bonham Carter and Sacha Baron Cohen, Lambert feels the score "suffered massively" from the rest of the cast not having been "studio recorded and sweetened." Despite his misgivings, he says, "DO go see it for Anne Hathaway's performance. It was breathtaking." Lambert concludes by saying, "OPINIONS!!! We all got 'em! Keep Calm and Discuss!"

WEIRD NEWS: Hammer Time

A New Jersey woman was nailed by police after allegedly attacking her boyfriend with a hammer ...  because he wouldn't pay for her laundry.

Police in Jersey City say they arrived at an apartment to find a man locked in a bathroom while his girlfriend pounded on the door with a hammer.

Jazmin Duran, 24, was arrested on a number of charges including aggravated assault, criminal mischief, domestic violence, possession of weapon, and resisting arrest.

The 49-year-old boyfriend told police that Duran flipped out when he told her he didn't want to give her money to do her laundry.

The man said Duran smashed a mirror and put holes in a TV screen before charging at him with the hammer. (UPI)

HEALTH: Venting Is Good for You

Have you ever heard that bottling up your anger is bad for your health? Well, it's true. In fact, venting your anger can make you live longer. A new study in Germany found that people who aired their rage lived an average of two years longer than those who kept it locked up. The theory being that bottling up your anger increases anxiety and your heart rate, thus increasing the risk of high blood pressure and heart disease. (NY Daily News)

PSY: Time to Move Beyond "Gangnam Style"

Psy wants to move beyond "Gangnam Style." Preparing for his appearance on ABC's New Year's Rockin' Eve, he tells MTV, "The song became too popular, and so you start to have some concern about its life period... I'm really working hard on a new single right now, and I'm not saying ['Gangnam'] is ending on 'Dick Clark' -- I still have a lot of invitations to perform it -- I'll be in Paris, and in February I got invited to perform in China, and I've still got to do [promotion]. So let me say that in America I need a new single because 'Gangnam Style' got too popular, so I've got to write a new single."

He'll soon return to Korea after the holiday to work on the new music. Still, capping the year when his pop smash may have been the biggest dance sensation since "The Twist," Psy is nothing but proud. "Being in Times Square on New Year's Eve is already special -- it's the biggest stage in the universe -- plus it's my birthday, so, with all that, it may be the ending of 'Gangnam Style.' I mean, what better way to do it? It's my biggest and most meaningful birthday."

CELEBS TWEET IN THE NEW YEAR

Celebs tweet in the new year.

• Ryan Seacrest: "[New Year's Eve] is dedicated to the man who started it all -- Dick Clark.”
• Whoopi Goldberg: "Happy Mew Year my dears, bringing in the new year with Coldplay and Jay-Z and my crazy wonderful family."
• Tom Arnold: “Last New Year’s Eve my wife made me write down my dreams and we threw them in the ocean. Apparently one was ‘gain 30 pounds.’”
• Neil Patrick Harris: “My New Year’s resolution – under-indulgence."
• Aziz Ansari: “Apparently the Psy I booked [for my party] is ‘Sy Abrams,’ old guy with a bunch of decrepit puppets, wont leave ‘til I pay him.”
• Anderson Cooper: “I want to apologize in advance to anyone Kathy Griffin pokes fun of, makes out with, strips down in front of, punches."
• Lisa Lampanelli: “Hope you're all doing something fun this New Year's Eve! Actor Nick Stahl will be celebrating with a stroke at midnight!”
• Rob Lowe: “Let’s make 2013 a Mount Rushmore of love, health, laughs and achievement.”

TRENDING NOW

Pregnant Kim Kardashian, football and hangover remedies are trending on Twitter and Google.

• Kim Kardashian: Mom manager Kris Jenner is already looking for offers to show Kim’s baby bump on a magazine cover story.
• Georgia Tech: They beat USC 21-7 in the Sun Bowl.
• Dallas Cowboys: Insiders say Tony Romo is outta there after his three interceptions against the Washington Redskins.
• Norv Turner: The San Diego Chargers fired the coach on Monday after missing the playoffs for the third straight season.
• Hangovers: People have been searching for remedies online.
• Justin Bieber: The Bieb and Selena Gomez are South of the Border to ring in the new year in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.
• Fiscal Cliff: Looks like we're going over.
• Dick Clark: The new year was rung in with remembrances the world over.

LOOPER: New to Video (audio)

Looper is new to video on Tuesday. A time-traveling hit man gets stuck in the past in the thriller with Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Bruce Willis, Emily Blunt, Paul Dano and Jeff Daniels. Extras include commentary, deleted scenes and the featurettes "Looper: From the Beginning," "Scoring Looper" and "The Science of Time Travel."

The third season of the FX series Justified is also available. It comes with deleted scenes, outtakes, commentary and three making-of featurettes.

KATHY GRIFFIN, ANDERSON COOPER: New Year's Knees

Kathy Griffin spent much of New Year's Eve on her knees -- pretending to give co-host Anderson Cooper oral favors live on CNN.

Kathy, who has been co-hosting CNN's New Year's Eve coverage for six years, claimed that David Letterman dared her to attempt to perform the stunt. Anderson seemed to laugh off her attempts, at one point fending off Kathy's advances with a sign that reminded the host that nudity and swearing were not allowed on the show.

Source: TMZ

POT SMOKING CLUB: Opens in Denver

A new members-only marijuana club opened on New Year's Eve in Denver, but not all pro-pot advocates are celebrating.

Club 64, named after Colorado's Amendment 64 that legalized marijuana there for recreation use, opened at 4:20 p.m. on New Year's Eve. It drew about a dozen people over the age of 21 who paid a $29 membership fee to bring their own pot and smoke it on the premises.

But some pro-pot advocates worry that the club is sending the wrong message. Said one anonymous marijuana advocate, "Much of our success with Amendment 64 was making the soccer moms comfortable. This is not the fight we want to have right now."

Although new laws in Colorado and Washington state legalized small amounts of pot, it's still against federal law.

Source: CNN

SNOOKI: Tweets and Deletes Marriage Request to Jionni

Snooki wants to get married real soon -- or does she?

On New Year's Eve the Jersey Shore star tweeted, "LOVE U! Ur amazing and you made my 2012 AMAZING! Thank u for giving me Lorenzo, I love my family. NOW LET'S GET MARRIED!"

Yet the tweet that was directed at Jionni LaValle, her fiance and father of her first child, has since been mysteriously deleted.

Source: HollywoodLife.com

FISCAL CLIFF: House Approves Senate Bill to Avert It (audio)

After lots of back-and-forth drama, the House of Representatives finally voted on Tuesday night to approve the bill that'll stop us from going over the dreaded fiscal cliff.

Earlier on Tuesday, the Democratic-led Senate easily approved the measure that maintains tax cuts on individuals who make less than $400,000 and couples earning less than $450,000, but raises rates on the rich. It also prevents large cuts of spending on defense and other government programs.

However, several Republican representatives were making noise that the Senate bill didn't do enough to cut spending, but they were ultimately outvoted by their peers, with 85 Republicans joining 172 Democrats to pass the bill 257 to 167.

The bill is expected to generate about $600 billion in revenues over the next decade, according to estimates.

Source: CNN