There’s a\u00a0Christmas tree shortage\u00a0this year, so that means higher prices.\u00a0 And in some places . . . it means INSANELY higher prices.<\/p>\n
Apparently in New York City, some larger Christmas trees are selling for as much as $6,500.\u00a0 And people are actually buying them.\u00a0 A tree lot in Manhattan selling 20-foot trees for that price says they sold out.<\/p>\n
They say that price DOES come with some perks, though:\u00a0 Four decorators come to your house to help you out, 9,000 lights are included, plus ornaments, a custom tree skirt and topper . . . and free delivery.<\/p>\n
______________________________________________________________________________<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n The bat used by Babe Ruth to hit his 500th home run was auctioned on Saturday for more than $1 million. Ruth hit his 500th homer on Aug. 11, 1929, in a game against the Cleveland Indians. According to SCP Auctions, the ball cleared the right-field wall at League Park and rolled down Lexington Avenue.<\/p>\n Ruth was the first of just 27 Major League Baseball players to reach that mark.<\/p>\n He gave the autographed bat to his friend, former Suffern, New York, Mayor Jim Rice, in the 1940s. It has been in the family for nearly 75 years.<\/p>\n Another Ruth bat used to hit the first home run out of Yankee Stadium in 1923 sold for nearly $1.3 million in 2004.<\/p>\n ______________________________________________________________________________<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n ENTERTAINMENT<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n “Jumanji: The Next Level”\u00a0<\/strong><\/em>raked in $60.1 million at the box office in its first weekend, easily making it the #1 movie at the box office.\u00a0\u00a0“Frozen 2”<\/strong><\/em>\u00a0was a distant second, making another $19.2 million in its fourth week.<\/p>\n Clint Eastwood’s\u00a0<\/strong>“Richard Jewell”<\/strong><\/em>, tanked, with only $5 million.\u00a0 It’s one of the worst openings in his career as a director.<\/p>\n —————————————————————–<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Danny Aiello passed away last Thursday, after a brief illness.\u00a0 He was 86.\u00a0 Some of his memorable movies were: “Moonstruck”, “Do the Right Thing”, “Once Upon a Time in America”, “The Godfather Part 2” and “Harlem Nights”.\u00a0 He also had a pivotal role in Spike Lee’s “Do the Right Thing”.<\/p>\n _____________________________________________________________________________________<\/p>\n <\/p>\n TODAY IS\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026.<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n _____________________________________________________________________________<\/strong><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n COUNTRY MUSIC NOTE<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n 2003 [16] Shania Twain becomes the first woman with three Diamond albums when her fourth album, \u201cUp!\u201d is certified with 10 million in sales. Her second and third albums, \u201cThe Woman in Me\u201d (1995) and \u201cCome On Over\u201d (1997) also went Diamond.<\/p>\n _____________________________________________________________________________<\/strong><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n MAN WHO SLAPPED REPORTER’S BUTT SAYS HE GOT ‘CAUGHT UP IN THE MOMENT’ <\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n The 43-year-old Georgia man who slapped a female reporter on the butt as he ran by while she was on TV live covering the race he was in is now speaking out, telling\u00a0Inside Edition\u00a0<\/em>that he got, quote, “caught up in the moment.”<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Video of the incident involving Tommy Callaway during the Savannah Bridge Run went viral, with stunned reporter\u00a0Alex Bozarjian\u00a0<\/strong>pausing for a moment before going on with her report.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Callaway, a married father of two, told\u00a0Inside Edition,<\/em>\u00a0“There was a misjudge in character and decision-making. I touched her back. I did not know exactly where I touched her. . . . I just kept on running, and if I did see her facial reaction, I would have been embarrassed. I’d have felt ashamed, and I was have stopped, turned around and went back and apologized to her.”<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Bozarjian called Callaway out on Twitter before he’d been publicly identified, and she said on\u00a0CBS This Morning<\/em>\u00a0Tuesday that she’s filed a police report and supports criminal charges being brought. She said, “It’s not okay to help yourself to a woman’s body just because you feel like it. It’s not playful. He hurt me, both physically and emotionally.”<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Callaway’s attorney said he’d acted, quote, “out of character”<\/p>\n \u00a0_________________________________________________________________________________________<\/strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n GOOD NEWS <\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n A guy in San Diego named Brad Keiller co-owns a shop called Nomad Donuts.\u00a0 And last month, he got a one-star review on Yelp that had to do with a homeless guy who likes to hang around outside.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n His name is Ray Taylor, and he’s 58.\u00a0 Brad’s been letting him loiter for about a year, because he’s nice and never bothers anyone.\u00a0 People do sometimes give him donuts, but he never asks for food or money.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Anyway, the Yelp person complained that it was annoying to see him there all the time.\u00a0 And Brad posted the best response.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Quote, “I know I probably lose some business . . . possibly yours too . . . because of my choice not to chase him away.\u00a0 But I WON’T. \u00a0He’s not looking for handouts and he tries not to bother anyone. \u00a0If you stop and talk with him, maybe you’ll come to like him too.”<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The story’s slowly gone viral over the past two weeks.\u00a0 And Brad’s seen a huge BOOST in sales because of it.\u00a0 A lot of people have stopped in to thank him for being so nice.\u00a0 And the person who posted the one-star review ended up taking it down.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Meanwhile, Brad also started a GoFundMe\u00a0campaign\u00a0to try and put some cash in Ray’s pocket.\u00a0 And people have now donated over FIVE GRAND.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Obviously Ray’s excited about the money.\u00a0 But he told a reporter that just having someone stick up for him also meant a lot, because it’s been a long time since anyone has.<\/p>\n ______________________________________________________________________________<\/strong><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/u><\/strong>\u00a0<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n BIRTHDAYS <\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n [56] Benjamin Bratt, San Francisco CA, TV actor (\u201cStar\u201d 2016, \u201cPrivate Practice\u201d 2011-13)\/movie actor (\u201cDoctor Strange\u201d, \u201cMiss Congeniality\u201d)<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n ____________________________________________________________________________<\/strong><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n CAN\u2019T SEE THE FOREST FOR THE TREES:<\/u><\/strong> <\/p>\n There are fewer of them being grown than 10-15 years ago, but more people are buying them.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Why are there fewer being grown? Because of the recession 10 years ago. Unlike most manufactured goods and even most crops, there\u2019s a huge lag between the time Christmas trees are planted and when they\u2019re ready to be sold. That means the trees you see now are actually a product of the economy in which they were grown years ago.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n In 2008-09, sales of Christmas trees were so slow that tree growers couldn\u2019t harvest their trees, and when they can\u2019t cut trees, they don\u2019t have the space to grow more. It takes about 8-10 years to grow a Christmas tree. But don\u2019t worry.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The National Christmas Tree Association in the US assures us that despite the shortage, there are still enough to go around.<\/u><\/p>\n \u00a0________________________________________________________________________________________<\/u><\/strong><\/u><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n There’s Been a Huge Jump in Head and Neck Injuries Because of Cell Phones<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n If you’ve ever been walking down the street, staring at a text message on your phone, and walked headfirst into a lamp post . . . well, you’re DEFINITELY not the only one.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n There’s a new report in a medical journal about a STEEP rise in head and neck injuries in the past 20 years.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n And the doctors behind it say it’s a DIRECT result of people tripping, falling, and slamming into things when they were distracted by their phone.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n An estimated 76,000 people in the U.S. between January of 1998 and December of 2017 hurt themselves so badly while they were distracted that they had to go to the hospital.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n And the rate of those injuries went way up after 2007, when the smartphone revolution really started kicking in.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Most of the injuries are pretty mild, but there have been some people who’ve wound up with traumatic brain injuries.\u00a0 There were also people who had broken noses because they were in bed, looking at their phone, and dropped it on their face.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The doctors say the study is a good reminder to, quote, “Be self-aware.\u00a0 Answer a text message, fine, but you shouldn’t be walking around reading articles on your phone.”<\/p>\n ______________________________________________________________________________________________<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n MONDAY DECEMBER 16TH<\/sup> \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n TODAY\u2019S BIRTHDAYS <\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n [56] Benjamin Bratt, San Francisco CA, TV actor (\u201cStar\u201d 2016, \u201cPrivate Practice\u201d 2011-13)\/movie actor (\u201cDoctor Strange\u201d, \u201cMiss Congeniality\u201d)<\/p>\n ——————————————————————————————————————————-<\/p>\n <\/p>\n WPG 7 – PHI 3 \u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 CHI 5 – MIN 3 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 LAK 4 – DET 2 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 VGK 6 – VAN 3<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Clint Eastwood’s\u00a0<\/strong>“Richard Jewell”<\/strong><\/em>, tanked, with only $5 million.\u00a0 It’s one of the worst openings in his career as a director.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n She’s been charged with retail theft.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n No winning ticket was sold for the $31 million jackpot in Friday night’s Lotto Max draw.<\/p>\n The jackpot for the next draw on Dec. 17 will be approximately $40 million.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n A ticket holder in Quebec won the $9-million jackpot in Saturday night’s Lotto 649 draw.<\/p>\n The draw’s $1-million prize went to a ticket holder in Ontario.<\/p>\n The jackpot for the next Lotto 649 draw on Dec. 18 will be approximately $5 million.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n BRETT YOUNG EXCITED TO SPEND FIRST CHRISTMAS WITH BABY GIRL <\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n Brett Young\u00a0<\/strong>and his wife,\u00a0Taylor<\/strong>, are thrilled to celebrate their first Christmas as parents to infant daughter\u00a0Presley<\/strong>. Although the baby clearly has no concept of the holiday, Brett tells us she will have her fair share of presents under the tree.\u00a0[<\/strong>“She’s gonna be a little over a month old Christmas this year and she doesn’t know yet but it still doesn’t matter. We’re excited! We’re gonna buy her stuff she doesn’t need just because we’re excited about it so, I think just to be on the other end of it, to be able to share this with Taylor who we have such a long story with. We’re both just really excited.”]<\/p>\n Brett continues on the road, playing his last show of the year on Saturday (Dec. 14th) in New York state.<\/p>\n His latest single, “Catch,” continues climbing the country charts.<\/p>\n _____________________________________________________________________________________<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n LADY A’S HILLARY SCOTT’S GIRLS OLD ENOUGH TO EXPERIENCE THE ‘MAGIC OF CHRISTMAS’ <\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n Christmas is less than two weeks away, and for\u00a0Hillary Scott<\/strong>\u00a0of\u00a0Lady Antebellum<\/strong>, this year is going to be very exciting. She tells us:\u00a0[\u201cSo, this will be the first year that all three of my girls are running around like mad. Last year, the twins were a little smaller and not as mobile as they are now. So, it\u2019ll be awesome. I think they\u2019ll be able to understand a little bit more the magic of Christmas.\u00a0 And my oldest, Eisele, is 6 and so she\u2019s in like full blown, like, \u2018How many days until Christmas?\u2019 She\u2019s getting so excited, so I think it\u2019s going to be really special.\u201d]<\/p>\n Lady Antebellum head into the holidays with their latest single, \u201cWhat If I Never Get Over You,\u201d which sits inside the Top 10 and climbing on the country charts. The song is featured on their new album,\u00a0Ocean<\/em>.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n GARTH BROOKS BREAKS RECORD WITH TICKET SALES IN CINCINNATI – (12\/16\/2019)<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n Garth Brooks<\/strong>\u00a0continues to break records. He sold out Cincinnati, Ohio in the shortest time yet. 65,000 tickets were sold in less than an hour. It was the most people to ever show up for ticket sales. FAST FACTS<\/strong><\/p>\n This will be Garth’s first time playing at\u00a0Paul Brown Stadium<\/em>\u00a0and the only Ohio, Kentucky and West Virginia date on The Stadium Tour.<\/p>\n Garth Brooks is the 7-time\u00a0CMA Entertainer of the Year<\/em>, a first for\u00a0any artist.<\/p>\n Garth is the #1-selling solo artist in U.S. history, certified\u00a0by the RIAA with over 148 million album\u00a0sales.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"December 16th ","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":11651,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"featured_img_display":"Yes","footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-11813","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-mornings"],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-04-18 09:51:50","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"react_link":"https:\/\/country929.com\/blogs\/mornings\/2019\/12\/on-todays-show-295\/","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/briwebapp.net\/cfcofm\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11813","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/briwebapp.net\/cfcofm\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/briwebapp.net\/cfcofm\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/briwebapp.net\/cfcofm\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/briwebapp.net\/cfcofm\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11813"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/briwebapp.net\/cfcofm\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11813\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11814,"href":"https:\/\/briwebapp.net\/cfcofm\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11813\/revisions\/11814"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/briwebapp.net\/cfcofm\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/11651"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/briwebapp.net\/cfcofm\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11813"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/briwebapp.net\/cfcofm\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11813"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/briwebapp.net\/cfcofm\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11813"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}\n
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\n<\/u>Weird time for the Christmas tree industry these days.<\/p>\n\n
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\n\u2022 \u201cNick Cannon\u2019s Hit Viral Videos \u2014 Holidays 2019\u201d (FOX): Cannon and celebrity guests Kelly Osbourne, Jeannie Mai and J.B. Smoove showcase the funniest and most unbelievable viral videos.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n
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\nGarth stated: “I\u00a0know this sounds crazy, but I\u00a0swear it feels like everything is starting to wake up. \u00a02020 is\u00a0off to the best start of any year in our career.”
\nThe concert will be Saturday, May 16th, at\u00a0Paul Brown Stadium<\/em>.<\/p>\n