My New Year's trip to San Diego has been an adventure, even before I get there tonight.

My friend, Shark, was supposed to have joined me to broadcast two Platteville Pioneers men's basketball games, but was unable to make the trip.

Then, my mom, who was going to drive over to see her sister, went into the hospital on Christmas Eve and almost forced me to cancel the trip altogether. Thankfully, she was released yesterday and insisted I fly over and enjoy myself.

However, the part of the trip I'm really looking forward to, besides watching the Packers on Sunday at yet another Hooter's, is having dinner at a special restaurant and jazz club featuring the music of a famous late musician, run by his widow. I plan to write a full review of the music and food when I return, but to tantalize your curiosity, I will withhold the name of the establishment until then.

The only clues I will afford are:
1. She was a member of The Rumrunners.
2. He attended Villanova University.
3. They moved to San Diego in August 1973.
4. He died in Natchitoches, Louisiana.

Number 4 should be the one that gives up his identity. I'm confident that someone (Shark, jb, Jeff or another music expert) will correctly guess the name of this South Philly native. Did I just give another hint?

Have a Happy New Year!

As I was thinking about Christmas this year, my mind wandered to my record collection and I remembered an album my parents gave me called "The Great Songs of Christmas." This vinyl classic is circa 1967 and number eight of a nine record set. It features 14 great artists, including Andy Williams, Robert Goulet and Carol Lawrence, Tony Bennett, and The New Christy Minstrels. I thought it would be a nice gift to track it and share it with you. Merry Christmas!

R.I.P. Dan Fogelberg. You will be missed.

About a week ago, one of my employees asked me to make her a cd of music. Her list was filled with urban hip/hop and r&b. I knew most of the artists, but few of the songs. After I listened to the tunes, I really got into it and decided to make a podcast out of it. I call it Alicia's Mix.

BTW, I think R. Kelly has the right idea on "Double Up." ;)------

The Material Girl is about to become a Hall of Famer. The ever-evolving Madonna was announced as a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee on Thursday along with John Mellencamp, The Ventures, Leonard Cohen and The Dave Clark Five. A panel of 600 industry figures selected the five acts to be inducted at the annual ceremony, to be held March 10 in New York.

Breaking news...Ike Turner is dead. Tina can sleep better at night. More info as it becomes available.

Last night, I tuned into WWE RAW for the first time in a very long time. I used to be a huge wrestling fan. The three reasons I watched were: Stone Cold Steve Austin, Trish Stratus, and Sunny.

I can't say enough about Sunny. She has been away from the WWE for almost a decade, but Tammy Lynn Sytch, her real name, just celebrated her 35th birthday and scorched my TV screen in her brief appearance.

If the WWE brought back Sunny, Trish or Stone Cold full time, I might return as a fan.

Check out the Edison Music Research company's list of most- and least-liked Christmas tunes:

Most
1. The Christmas Song / Nat King Cole
2. White Christmas / Bing Crosby
3. Do You Hear What I Hear / Johnny Mathis
4. Holly Jolly Christmas / Burl Ives
5. Little Drummer Boy / Harry Simeone Chorale

Least
1. Jingle Bells / Singing Dogs
2. O Holy Night / Cartman
3. Grandma Got Run Over By A Reindeer / Elmo & Patsy
4. Santa Claus Is Coming To Town / Jackson 5
5. Jingle Bells / Barbra Streisand

Feel free to leave a comment about your thoughts on Christmas music.

Between work and school, I'm taking online courses to complete my Business degree at UW-Platteville, my schedule has prevented me from posting more often. After watching part of Christmas Vacation yesterday, I knew I couldn't go through the holiday season without at least one offering of songs. Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, whatever trips your trigger. Remember, this isn't your parents' Christmas music. Or is it?

If you'd like to enjoy last year again, here's Christmas 2006.

(A quick note about "You're A Mean One Mr. Grinch." It was recorded by Thurl Ravenscroft, better known to many as the voice of Kellogg's Corn Flakes icon Tony the Tiger. The late Ravenscroft was also an active member of The Johnny Mann Singers.)

Don't be a blockhead. Check out A Fufu Stew Thanksgiving. You'll be glad you did.

Happy Thanksgiving to all my family and friends.

Go Packers!

While it may not rival "Who Shot J.R.?", Neil Diamond has revealed the identity of "Sweet Caroline."

You've sang it at countless weddings ("So good! So good! So good!"), and now Neil Diamond has finally revealed the real-life woman who inspired his song "Sweet Caroline." And the lucky woman was... President John F. Kennedy's daughter Caroline. "I've never discussed it with anybody before – intentionally," according to the 66-year-old singer-songwriter. "I thought maybe I would tell it to Caroline when I met her someday." He did just that, performing the song via satellite at Caroline Kennedy's 50th birthday party. Diamond said he got the idea when he came upon an "innocent, wonderful" picture of Caroline in a magazine. "I'm happy to have gotten it off my chest and to have expressed it to Caroline. I thought she might be embarrassed, but she seemed to be struck by it and really, really happy."

Another mystery solved.

Sad news for fans of Rosanne Cash. She was one of the first artists I played when I was one-half of "The Sunrise Guys" in the early '80s at WGLR in Lancaster, Wisconsin. Two of my favorite songs by Rosanne were recorded in August of 1980, "Seven Year Ache" and "My Baby Thinks He's A Train."

Get well soon, Rosanne!

Here's a baker's dozen worth of tunes to help soothe your Halloween Hangover.

BTW, I stopped in at Trader Vic's late last night and didn't see any werewolves drinking pina coladas. :)

This past Saturday, I went to a concert where Sugar Ray was the featured performer for a "100 Day Countdown to the Super Bowl." I thought Mark McGrath and the boys were pretty good. They did lots of different sampling.

The highlight of the experience was a gathering of Hall of Fame football stars who gave out free autographs. There was Larry Wilson, Tony Dorsett, Seth Joyner, Earl Edwards (who I played golf with about 12 years ago), and the one man who I stood an hour in line to speak with and sign my Super Bowl hat. Elected to the HOF in 1982, from the Los Angeles Rams, one-fourth of the famed "Fearsome Foursome", #74, Merlin Olsen.

I had time to ask Mr. Olsen (yes, that's how I addressed him) one question and since broadcasting has always been in my blood, I wanted to know, "Why did you leave the broadcast booth?" His answer, "I got tired of living out of a suitcase." Not the greatest question in the world, but it was something I wanted to know and never read about, considering he left at the height of his broadcasting career.

Olsen, along with his NBC play-by-play partner Dick Enberg, formed the best team to broadcast NFL football in the 1980s. His soft-spoken, insightful comments are in stark contrast to John Madden and other analysts of today.

I also mentioned how I had a Rams-logo shower rug for 40 years that I recently was forced to permanently retire. Olsen seemed slightly amused. Before I left the area, he reached across the table and we shook hands again, the same as we had when I first approached his table.

This was a day I will long remember with great fondness. I met one of my sports heroes and he was every bit as nice as I could have hoped.

I'm not big on causes, most are self-serving. In today's email, I found this important announcement I had to share with you from the SaveNetRadio campaign. It's been slightly altered to apply to everyone who cares about Internet radio.

On Wednesday morning, the Senate Commerce Committee will meet to hold a hearing on the future of radio in the United States. Representatives from broadcast radio, music industry, and Internet radio will testify before the committee about the current state of the radio industry and how royalty fees and other issues, like competition and innovation, affect the future of the industry. This is an unprecedented opportunity for Internet radio to explain its value to Congress, and we need your help to make sure they are listening.

Please take a moment to call and ask each Senator to attend this important hearing. The Internet Radio Equality Act is still pending in the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives. This hearing will give members an opportunity to learn more about this legislation.

Here is a list of the members and their direct lines of the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation:

Democrats:
Chairman Daniel K. Inouye (HI) (202) 224-3934
John D. Rockefeller, IV (WV) (202) 224-6472
John F. Kerry (MA) (202) 224-2742
Byron L. Dorgan (ND) (202) 224-2551
Barbara Boxer (CA) (202) 224-3553
Bill Nelson (FL) (202) 224-5274
Maria Cantwell (WA) (202) 224-3441
Frank R. Lautenberg (NJ) (202) 224-3224
Mark Pryor (AR) (202) 224-2353
Thomas Carper (DE) (202) 224-2441
Claire McCaskill (MO) (202) 224-6154
Amy Klobuchar (MN) (202) 224-3244

Republicans:
Vice Chairman Ted Stevens (AK) (202) 224-3004
John McCain (AZ) (202) 224-2235
Trent Lott (MS) (202) 224-6253
Kay Bailey Hutchison (TX) (202) 224-5922
Olympia J. Snowe (ME) (202) 224-5344
Gordon H. Smith (OR) (202) 224-3753
John Ensign (NV) (202) 224-6244
John E. Sununu (NH) (202) 224-2841
Jim DeMint (SC) (202) 224-6121
David Vitter (LA) (202) 224-4623
John Thune (SD) (202) 224-2321

When calling, give the following information:

* I am an avid Internet radio listener calling to ask that as a member of the Senate Commerce Committee, the Senator attend Wednesday's hearing on the future of radio.

* Internet radio has been a revolutionary force in the music industry since its creation and now empowers artist, consumers, and music lovers of every kind. The Copyright Royalty Board's unprecedented and ill informed decision to increase royalty fees for Webcasters by more than 300% has threatened to bankrupt this important industry and we need the Senator's help.

* The real future of radio for music lovers, artists, and the music industry as a whole is online. To save this industry and allow it to prosper, there must be parity and equality between webcasters, satellite radio, and broadcast radio. Today, Internet radio pays a recording royalty fee more than twice that of satellite radio, and terrestrial radio pays none at all. To fix this unfair and inexplicable inequality, please co-sponsor The Internet Radio Equality Act, S. 1353, which is pending in the Senate.

Please make the calls and ask each Senator to attend this important hearing. Thank you once again for your support of the SaveNetRadio campaign. This issue could not have gotten the attention it has without your support and cannot move any further without your continued efforts.

Why did I move to The Valley of the Sun? Give us a kiss...

BTW, football and partying ramp up to the next level when ASU travels to Madison to play the Badgers in 2010. In 2012, the Badgers return the favor and make the trip to the Grand Canyon State to face the Sun Devils.

My son, Danny, turns 26 on Monday and I know he thinks I only listen to tunes from artists like Elton John, Billy Joel, and Ted Nugent. Well, I must admit, my preference is '70s and '80s rock, but I get into Country, Jazz, and even Hip-Hop/Rap.

My latest set is just for him from the Ol' Man. Happy Birthday Danny!

(Holla at you later Eric (Bears fan), Becky (dug your tats), and all of Danny's friends I hung with in Madtown last weekend. We'll party again real soon.)

Wednesday turned out to be John Records Landecker's last show on True Oldies WZZN in Chicago. Without a new contract in place, Records was relieved of his duties, his bio removed from the station website, and Scott Shannon replaced him on Thursday and, presumably, Friday.

This is truly a classless move by the Citadel suits in New York. I've got two words for you, "BITE OFF!"

Watch out Scott Mackay and Dick Biondi, you will be next.

Is the end near for Records at True Oldies in Chicago? You'll know when I know. His contract with Citadel expires after Friday's show.

Just what we need, more New York-based Scott Shannon on that station. As it is, he voice-tracks nearly every shift and weekends, too!

Headphones off to Larry Lujack who will be inducted in April 2008 into the National Association of Broadcasters' Hall of Fame.

This is Uncle Lar's third major honor in recent years, following his induction in the Radio Hall of Fame in 2004 and the Illinois Broadcasters Association's Hall of Fame in 2002.

After being informed of his pending induction, Lujack had these comments for Robert Feder of the Chicago Sun-Times, "As this will be my third and probably last Hall of Fame induction, I've decided, in my acceptance speech, to dump the phony gracious and fake humility bit and just be truthful for a change. I was, still am and always will be incredibly good, and frankly, I'm more than a little disappointed that it took the NAB this long to recognize that fact! Further, I am deserving of this honor because I've always subscribed to the NAB Code of Responsible Broadcasting. I have no idea what it's about -- but I've always subscribed."

This is the wit and wisdom that made Uncle Lar...Superjock!

I may have to beg, borrow or steal a ticket to the NAB Show in Las Vegas for this blowout.