THE SUNDAY COLUMN

It was nearly a year ago when BRITNEY SPEARS decided to go crazy (again) and randomly shave her head. Of course BRITNEY's antics have given us plenty of material to talk about on the radio and this was no exception. When talking about her latest TMZ moment, I blurted out, "I don't know what the big deal is, many people are bald". That quickly turned into a challenge where I was getting my head shaved on live television the next day. I secretly had always wanted to try the cleanly shaved look and actually embraced it....who knew, that days later I would be asked to introduce BARACK O'BAMA at a rally at TRI-C???? Who knew, at the time, that he was really gonna end up the next President of the United States of America?!?!?! Having a photo-op with The President is impressive...unless you look like a chunky Mr. Clean in the dead of winter in Cleveland, Ohio!
It was pretty cool hosting the rally and something I won't soon forget. Spending a couple of minutes talking to him after his speech, it was clear that he had "IT". That something special that makes a person magnetic. That genuine vibe where you are convinced the person really enjoyed meeting you. Recently, WILL SMITH had the "IT" factor when he stopped by the show. That little extra something special.
I'm really glad to have had the opportunity to meet the next President, I only wish BRITNEY shaved her head the following week....

FEE FEST 41 in this week. I always embrace my birthday and try to stretch it out to a week-long celebration. I believe a birthday is a celebration of life and I look forward to it each year. Last year, it was THE BIG 4-OH! I loved it! Overall, turning 40 was, and is, great. A lot of self realization...good, and not so good. I plan to celebrate life this week and EVERY day after. I have so much to be thankful for...expecially this year....

Without question, I have so much to be thankful for this Thanksgiving weekend. I am most thankful for my Mother's full reocovery from open-heart surgery early in the year. After rushing out to California to be near her for the surgery, I was relieved to see that her sense of humor was intact and that she was blessed with great care. What started as an urgent trip out West, quickly turned into a wonderful mini-vacation with my Mother, Father and Brother Ian. Today, my Mother is doing great! She is a strong Irish woman who can handle anything. I credit my Mother for my sense of humor and I'm very thankful that she is stronger than ever.

Some randoms...

Since my crazy predictin that The Cavs would win the NBA Championship in 6 games over the Lakers, they have rolled to a still-unbeaten home record...

Charles Barkley recently said LeBron James was not doing right by his teammates by hinting he may leave the team after his current contract in 2010. LeBron answered by calling Barkely "stupid". I agree with Barkely, be a leader and let your play do the talking. Win the title, then talk. LeBron keeps the door wide open for us to all speculate. Is that his ego talking? Why not say he won't talk contract until it's time. And why not rise above any negative comments and refrain from publicly calling anyone "stupid". This is a case of WWJD...What Would Jordan Do?

Musical tip...JAMES MORRISON. Look him up on YOUTUBE. He's awesome. His latest duet with NELLY FURTADO/BROKEN STRINGS is powerful!

be@peace. ~a

THE SUNDAY COLUMN

Without question, meeting WILL SMITH was the highlight of the week. It was truly an honor to meet him and talk with him on the show. It's a gift to be able to walk into a room and energize it the way he did. When he said his grandmother taught him to make everything he touches better, it was an awesome life lesson. There is no doubt in my mind that everyone who met him this week is a better person for it.

FRANK CALIENDO is one of my favorite comedians. He genuinely makes me laugh. His JOHN MADDEN, GEORGE BUSH, LENO and AL PACHINO voices kill me. It's amazing when he has all of them talking to each other. He's very talented and very funny. His show on Friday at PLAYHOUSE SQUARE was awesome!

Even though I knew most of his material from inerviews I have done and seeing his TV appearances and his show, he still had me rollin'. You know a comedian is good when you can feel the audience get to the punchline before he does and they still laugh. Frank is that good. He is one of my favorite guests on the show, because he makes us sound funny and he can turn nothing into something better than anyone.

On Friday, the band I was in for the FOX 8 rock band battle won the whole thing! I still can't believe it. I was sure our band would finish last for many reasons. In the end, our band blew away the band consisting of my co-host REBECCA and ROVER from WMMS. I can't believe how many people texted or called me after seeing the videos on TV. Who says you need talent to be a rock star? : )

CHANNEL 5 stopped by the show on Wednesday for some live shots and interaction with the anchors. Being on TV still cracks me up. It's hard for me to take those appearances seriously. It's amazing how an ear-piece can make you feel much more important than you really are.

SPORTS. As we predicted on the show Friday, the BUCKEYES rolled over MICHIGAN on Saturday. We said that OSU would win "by at least 3 touchdowns" and they did. Not surprising based on MICHIGAN having its worst season all time. It was actually disappointing to have such a bad game. Even the hype for the game was minimal. I would prefer to have a good MICHIGAN team come to Columbus for an instant classic. If MICHIGAN doesn't get its act together soon, the "greatest rivalry in sports" will become just another game. That's FIVE straight for OSU....

Like most sports fans, I make a lot of predictions. I remember when I'm right on and seem to forget when I was dead wrong. Since predicting the CAVS would win the NBA Finals in 6 games over the LAKERS, the team has lost once and remains unbeaten at home. LeBRON JAMES has been player-of-the-week in back-to-back weeks...I'm just sayin'.

Tuesday's SECONDHAND SERENADE show at HOUSE OF BLUES was surprising on a couple of levels. I had no idea there would be so many tattoos in the crowd and that the band would have such strong stage precense. I admit, I only know the band from the one song we play on Q104, so I didn't have much to go on. I expected the band to be more teeney-bop and not much to them. Instead, I was surprised at how good they were and how well they interacted with the crowd.

It's a short week with the Thanksgiving Day holiday. This is a time where I look back on the year and look ahead to the next. From as far back as I can remember, I have naturally done that this time of year. With my birthday in early December, I have always used this time to take stock in where I am and where I am going. It'll be a busy week of reflection and goal setting...

COMING THIS WEEK: Meeting the next President of the United States.

be@peace. ~af

Being on TV always cracks me up. It always makes me laugh when I look back on any TV appearance that I'm asked to do. This morning, channel 5 stopped by for a couple of live-shots from our studio. The split-screen conversation with the anchors with ear-pieces appeared to be so important. I often say that "we get to play radio"....playing radio on TV is even more fun. As out of place as it feels, I love the comedy of it all. When I'm asked why the TV station had me on, I often respond, "I'm not sure..."

WILL SMITH.

WILL SMITH is everything you expect and want him to be. He is as genuine and energizing in person as he is on screen. It was truly a pleasure to have him in studio on our show. In every interview I have seen him in, he manages to go above and beyond all expectations. There is always something to take away from what he says.

During our interview on Thursday morning, he talked about a great lesson he learned from his grandmother. She had always told him to "make everything you touch better". As simple as that sounds, what a great lesson to pass down. He talked about how much he loved people and how much he enjoys making them laugh, helping them and somehow make their day better. It's great advice to suggest that every time you are around people, you are somehow there to enhance your life and theirs. If we all took that approach to life, the world would be a much better place.

The world would indeed be a much better place if there were more WILL SMITH's in it.