GAS PRICES ARE ON THE RISE…AGAIN!
Gas prices are once again on the rise with some experts predicting that they'll hit the $4-per-gallon mark by summer, possibly as early as Memorial Day weekend. For now, the average price per gallon is $3.52, which is up 14 cents a gallon from a month ago and nearly 40 cents more per gallon from this time last year. There are several reasons for the price increase, including the continuing unrest in the Middle East and upgrades to refineries in the U.S.

 
I DON’T CARE WHO YOU’RE VOTING FOR, THIS IS COOL! THE FIRST LADY SURPRISED WHITE HOUSE TOURISTS YESTERDAY
While President Obama was off fund-raising in California for his re-election bid, First Lady Michelle Obama and First Dog Bo were pressing the flesh, surprising White House visitors yesterday (Thursday) with friendly greetings and hugs. While most encounters were warm and cordial, there was one awkward moment when a young man wearing a Ron Paul T-shirt made his way through the line. The First Lady offered him a handshake, but no hug.

 

THE ‘UNDERWEAR BOMBER’ JUST GOT HIMSELF LIFE IN PRISON, NICE
The man that became known as the underwear bomber after he attempted to blow up a commercial plane on Christmas Day 2009 with explosives stashed in his under garments was sentenced to life in prison yesterday. Umar Farouk AbdulMatallab was sentenced to life by U.S. District Judge Nancy Edmunds. He argued that the life sentence was unconstitutional and "cruel and unusual punishment," but Edmunds dismissed his argument. The 25-year-old Nigerian was called by prosecutors in their sentencing report "an unrepentant would-be mass murderer, who views his crimes as divinely inspired and blessed." AbdulMatallab said his bomb plot was "to avenge the killing of innocent Muslims."

 
WTF FLORIDA?? SENATE JUST OK’D SLASHING SERVERS AND BARTENDERS WAGES?
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INTERRACIAL MARRIAGE IS MORE ACCEPTED NOW MORE THAN EVER!
According to a new survey, the U.S. is more accepting than ever before of interracial marriages. The Pew Research Center study revealed that the number of interracial marriages in the country has climbed to 4.8 million — a record 1 in 12. Nearly two-thirds of Americans, or 63 percent, say it “would be fine” if a member of their own family were to marry someone outside their racial or ethnic group. Hispanics and Asians remained the most likely, as in previous years, to marry someone of a different race, while blacks are now substantially more likely to marry whites than before. More than four in 10 Americans, or 43 percent, say that more people of different races marrying each other has been a change for the better in our society, while 11 percent say it has been a change for the worse and 44 percent say it has made no difference. In 1986, only 33 percent of Americans surveyed viewed interracial marriage as acceptable for everyone.

 
HOW MANY TIMES DO WE HAVE TO GO DOWN THIS ROAD? A DRUNK OMAHA PILOT GOT BUSTED BOARDING TO FLY!
Federal authorities were investigating reports yesterday that a drunk pilot was stopped from boarding a flight in Nebraska. Frontier Airlines in Omaha reported the incident to the Federal Aviation Administration. The pilot didn’t make it through security after sparking the suspicions of airport police and Frontier employees. The flight, from Omaha to Milwaukee, was delayed for nearly two hours until a replacement pilot was found. The airline would not comment any further.

 

IF YOU’RE HAULING 40 LBS. OF WEED IN YOUR CESSNA, TRY NOT TO FLY INTO PRESIDENTIAL AIRSPACE, JUST SAYIN’
A small private plane that was carrying 40 pounds of marijuana chose to invade the wrong airspace yesterday morning. Just before President Obama was set to leave Los Angeles International Airport for San Francisco, the small plane entered restricted airspace and North American Aerospace Defense Command scrambled two F-16 fighter jets. The Cessna 182 was intercepted by the jets and was forced to land at nearby Long Beach Airport, where the pilots were met by U.S. Secret Service and local law enforcement, who determined they were no threat to the president, but there were in the possession of 40 pounds of pot. The pilots were handed over to Long Beach police and arrested.

 
LA-LA-LA-LA, JUST ANOTHER DAY AT THE OFFICE WHEN $1MIL WORTH OF GOLD COINS FALLS ON YOUR HEAD!
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JUST A REMINDER THAT YOU SHOULD ALWAYS GET YOUR CHICK SOMETHING FOR V-DAY…
Sometimes, love hurts! A woman in Ohio attempted to stab her boyfriend Tuesday after he forgot to get her a present for Valentine’s Day! Kierra Reed, 22, started fighting with her man over his lack of romantic spirit, then reached for a kitchen knife and threatened to cut him. He locked himself in the bedroom and when police arrived, they found Reed stabbing the bedroom door! She was arrested on a charge of aggravated menacing. To be fair, remembering flowers and chocolates isn’t all that hard.  We think Reed got her point across!

 
HOW ‘BOUT THE ONE ABOUT THE 2 YEAR OLD STUCK IN THE CLAW GAME MACHINE?
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IF YOU’RE GONNA SELL AN ANTIQUE SAFE ON EBAY YOU MIGHT WANT TO CHECK INSIDE FIRST BUDDY
If you’re going to sell a safe on eBay, make sure you check inside first. One guy in Tennessee learned the hard way. James Labrecque sold an old safe on the auction site for $122.93 – and the person who bought it ended up finding $26,000 inside! Labrecque didn’t have the combination to the safe and just figured it was empty, but after its new owner took it to a welder, the stacks of cash were discovered. Now Labrecque feels really, really dumb. "I feel like the stupidest idiot in the world," he admitted. He even asked the new owner for a cut of the money, but the buyer declined, more or less saying “finders, keepers.” Safe to say Labrecque will never make this mistake again!

QUESTION HOT SHOT: IF YOUR BUDDY WAS BITTEN ON THE BALL BY A DEADLY SNAKE, WOULD YOU SUCK OUT THE VENOM?
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HERE’S ONE WAY TO PUNISH A TEENAGER!
There’s nothing like a little public embarrassment to really teach a kid a lesson.  That’s what happened to one teenager in Tennessee who dared to steal from her aunt.  When Lauren Scales caught her 13-year-old niece stealing her debit card, she forced her to stand on a street corner at a busy intersection in Memphis holding up a sign that read, “I STEAL FROM MY FAMILY.”  It’s not the first time such shame tactics have been used as discipline- last year, a mom in Florida made her teenage son wear a sign bearing his poor GPA, and a man in the UK stood in a busy section of town wearing a sandwich board that said he’d cheated on his girlfriend (as an effort to apologize to her).  One thing’s for sure- this girl will never steal from her aunt again.  That, or she’ll run away from home the first chance she gets.

 
C’MON NANA, IT’S PROBABLY TIME TO STOP SELLING THE WEED
In Australia, a 74-year-old great-grandma has been convicted of selling marijuana, after she was arrested for having "a mound of individual-packed drug sachets in her handbag." Noelene Edwards told the court she had no idea how the drugs got in her bag. The judge, of course, didn't buy it -- and ended up sentencing her to two-years probation. Unfortunately for Noelene, she was busted by a police dog, who smelled the herb on her -- and alerted officers. Police searched her bag -- and she was toast.

BASEBALL GREAT GARY CARTER DIES AT 57 :(
Baseball Hall of Famer Gary Carter died yesterday from brain cancer at age 57. The exuberant, hard-hitting catcher spent 19 years in the major leagues, most famously with the 1986 champion New York Mets. His 10th inning single with two outs, no one on base and the Mets down by two in game six of the World Series, sparked a stunning rally that was capped by Mookie Wilson's grounder through Bill Buckner's legs -- forcing the Series to a seventh game, which the Mets won two nights later. Carter smacked 324 home runs in his career, and his 2,056 games behind the plate were the fourth-most of all time -- trailing only Ivan Rodriguez, Carlton Fisk and Bob Boone.

 
LINSANITY TOOK THE NIGHT OFF BUT THERE WERE 3 NBA GAMES LAST NIGHT…
Linsanity took the night off yesterday and so did pretty much the rest of the NBA. Only three games were played as the Derrick Rose-less Chicago Bulls used 23-point performances from both Carlos Boozer and Luol Deng to defeat the Boston Celtics 89-80; Blake Griffin’s 21 points and 14 rebounds helped the Los Angeles Clippers nip the Portland Trail Blazers 74-71; and Danny Granger’s 32 points paced the Indiana Pacers past the New Jersey Nets 93-88.

 
BUT THE LIN-STER DID GET HIMSELF ADDED TO THE ALL-STAR RISING STAR GAME!
It wouldn’t be a day that ended with a “y” if there wasn’t some mention of Jeremy Lin. The New York Knicks guard is the talk of the town, state, country and world and his run of riveting performances has landed him a spot in the Rising Stars Challenge game to be played on February 24 during All-Star weekend in Orlando. Lin has been invited to participate in the Sprite Slam Dunk Contest. The All-Star Game will be played on February 26.

 
WILL LEBRON GO BACK TO CLEVELAND??
The Miami Heat are in Cleveland to play the Cavaliers tonight and yesterday during practice, LeBron James was asked he could see any scenario that would lead to a return to the team and the fans he walked away from after making his famous “decision.” James said, “I think it would be great, it would be fun to play in front of these fans again. You can’t predict the future. I’m here as a Miami player and I’m happy where I am now but I don’t rule that out in any sense. If I decide to come back, hopefully the fans will accept me.”

The Lo Down:

Living Under a Rock Much?

Yet another testament to why you shouldn't walk and text:

KEVIN COSTNER’S GOING TO SPEAK AT WHITNEY’S FUNERAL…REALLY?
Whitney Houston's Bodyguard co-star Kevin Costner will be among the speakers at her funeral. Aretha Franklin, Stevie Wonder and Alicia Keys will sing at the invitation-only service, which takes place tomorrow (Saturday) at the New Hope Baptist Church in Newark, New Jersey. Clive Davis is also set to speak. Among those on the guest list are Oprah Winfrey, Chaka Khan, the Reverend Jesse Jackson, Antonio "L.A." Reid, Ray J and Brandy. The funeral will be streamed online. Whitney made her movie debut in 1992's The Bodyguard, in which she sang "I Will Always Love You." Bobby Brown won't perform at the funeral, but he will hit the stage after the service. Whitney's ex-husband -- who is expected to attend the memorial despite rumors that he was banned -- is set to perform tomorrow (Saturday) night with New Edition at Connecticut's Mohegan Sun Arena. Houston was found dead last weekend at the Beverly Hilton Hotel.

 
A-LIST CELEBS ARE ROLLING OUT THE RED CARPET IN O-TOWN FOR THE ALL-STAR WEEKEND!
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WHO KNEW SIR PAUL WAS SUCH A POTHEAD??
Sir Paul McCartney has had enough of cannabis. The 69-year old former Beatle has decided to stop smoking pot out a newfound “sense of responsibility” for the upbringing of his eight-year old daughter, Beatrice. McCartney told UK’s Daily Mail, “I smoked my share. When you’re bringing up a youngster, your sense of responsibility does kick in, if you’re lucky, at some point. Enough is enough – you just don’t seem to think it’s necessary.”

 
THE COLBERT REPORT MYSTERIOUSLY GOT SHUT DOWN!
Insiders say The Colbert Report halted production this week because of a family emergency. Comedy Central hasn't given an official reason for the sudden shutdown, only saying, "Due to unforeseen circumstances, the show will air repeat episodes on Wednesday, February 15th and Thursday, February 16th." Steve Albani, a spokesperson for Comedy Central tells Fox News, "Unfortunately, we're not providing any details beyond the only official statement." Fox points out that "Colbert, who typically updates his own social media, has not updated his Twitter account since Tuesday."

 
UFC OCTAGON GIRL BRITTANY PALMER GRACES THE COVER OF PLAYBOY FOR MARCH!
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EVEN KIM KARDASHIAN IS STRUCK BY LINSANITY!
You haven't really made it until you're linked to a Kardashian. Congratulations, Jeremy Lin -- you've made it! Kim reportedly had her publicist arrange a date between her and the basketball sensation. A so-called pal says, "She thinks [Jeremy] is cute, and she's good friends with [the wife of Jeremy's teammate Carmelo Anthony]. It's going to be a double date." Considering the fact that Kim has already dated most of the NFL and NBA, this isn't as farfetched as it seems.

LADY GAGA IS CREATING A NEW PERFUME AND SHE’S GOING FOR THE “EXPENSIVE HOOKER” SMELL, NO SERIOUSLY
Lady Gaga tweeted that she is shooting her perfume campaign this weekend, posting: "Looking forward to this weekend. Shooting my parfum campaign and commercial with Steven Klein. Will be edited to a special song." The photo shoot is already being buzzed about and supposed to be nothing short of amazing ... but the real question remains. What will her signature scent smell like? Turns out, she's going for "expensive hooker." Gaga said previously she wanted a "blood and semen" smell for her fragrance and planned to incorporate her own DNA into the scent via samples of her own blood. Now, she's upgraded her standards a little, hoping to recreate the scent of an "expensive hooker." Gaga is working with a Swiss fragrance company called Givaudan on the launch, which is slated for some time in 2012.
 

HARRY POTTER LEADS THIS YEAR’S KIDS CHOICE AWARDS
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2 is poised to be the big winner at the upcoming Kids' Choice Awards. The final installment in the series is up for four trophies -- including Favorite Movie. The Smurfs and Kung Fu Panda 2 are both up for three awards. Lady Gaga, Katy Perry, Tim Tebow, Johnny Depp and Kristen Stewart also have a shot at picking up an orange blimp. Kids will be able to cast their votes beginning March 1st. Will Smith will host the show, which takes place March 31st.
 

JESSICA SIMPSON JOINS BIGGEST LOSER! BUT IT’S NOT WHAT YOU THINK…
Jessica Simpson will drop by The Biggest Loser on March 13th to reward a challenge winner with a shopping spree. The contestant will be allowed to select anything from her clothing, handbag and skincare lines.
 

BLINK 182 ANNOUNCES 20TH ANNIVERSARY SHOW!
Blink-182 turns 20 this year and they are gearing up for an anniversary tour!  Blink announced 37 dates  ... spanning North America and Europe, including a headlining spot at New Jersey's annual Bamboozle festival. So far only a handful of North American shows have been announced, but more U.S. dates are expected to be added. Until then, here's where Blink will be. U.S. Tour Dates for Blink-182's 20th Anniversary Tour 2012:

• May 15 - Rochester, NY @ Blue Cross Arena
• May 17 - Manchester, NH @ Verizon Wireless Arena
• May 18 - Uncasville, CT @ Mohegan Sun
• May 19 - Asbury Park, NJ @ The Bamboozle
• May 20 - Bethlehem, PA @ Sands Bethlehem Event Center
• May 22 - Quebec City, QC @ Colisee Pepsi Arena

 
WONDER WHAT TO EXPECT FROM VAN HALEN WHEN THEY COME TO AMWAY ON APRIL 13TH?
Van Halen starts their first tour in five years Saturday night when they hit the road in Louisville, Kentucky in support of their new album, A Different Kind of Truth. Unlike the 2007 reunion tour with David Lee Roth, this will be their first tour in support of a new album since 1998 when they went out with Gary Cherone following the release of Van Halen 3. As for what you can expect, it will be a combination of the 17 songs they previewed at three warm-up shows in New York and Los Angeles, plus probably a few more. If you're going to one of the shows, David Lee Roth says it's "totally okay" for you to take photos or shoot videos. But don't expect to enter the arena with professional gear -- Roth means you can use small cameras or phone cameras. And though the band is okay with this, venue security might not be, so be forewarned. Songs Van Halen played over three warm-up shows in January and February -- one in New York and two in Los Angeles:

• "You Really Got Me"
• "Running With the Devil"
• "Somebody Get Me a Doctor"
• "Tattoo"
• "Everybody Wants Some"
• "Beautiful Girls"
• "China Town"
• "Dance the Night Away"
• "Hot for Teacher"
• "Blood and Fire"
• "Panama"
• "Jump"
• "Unchained"
• "The Trouble With Never"
• "Ice Cream Man"
• "Ain't Talkin' Bout Love"
• "She's the Woman"

SAMMY HAGAR, SLASH, CHRIS CORNELL AND MORE WILL BE AT ALI’S BDAY PARTY THIS WEEKEND!
Sammy Hagar will be on hand Saturday night in Las Vegas for legendary boxer Muhammad Ali's 70th birthday celebration. Hagar is no stranger to boxing, having done plenty of it as a kid. His father was a boxer and he wanted his son to follow in his footsteps. But after getting his bell rung as a teenager in a sparring match in Los Angeles, Hagar realized boxing wasn't for him. Also on hand Saturday night will be Joe Perry, Stevie Wonder, Slash, Lenny Kravitz, Chris Cornell and many others. Proceeds will benefit the Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health and the Muhammad Ali Center. Highlights will be shown on ABC February 25th at 4 p.m. ET and 2 p.m. PT, followed by ESPN2 that night at 10.

 
GREEN DAY’S BACK IN THE STUDIO (IN CASE YOU HADN’T HEARD)…HERE’S HOW DAY 1 WENT
Punk rock trio Green Day announced a couple of days ago that they spent part of their Valentine’s Day in the recording studio, starting work on their next album, the follow up to the band’s 2009 album 21st Century Breakdown. Yesterday, they released a short video clip of the day-one studio activity. Since it is such early days, there is no release date set for the as-yet untitled record.

 
KINGS OF LEON BOUGHT THEIR OWN STUDIO!
Kings of Leon have joined the list of artists looking to make an album in their own studio space. Drummer Nathan Followill tells MTV that the band recently bought "a rehearsal space-slash-studio in Nashville, so we're going to spend the next few months getting that up and running; kind of make it our little clubhouse to get there and just kind of goof off whenever we want to." As for when that might turn into recording an album, Followill adds, "I'd say within the next six months, we'll probably start kicking some stuff around."

 
SLASH’S NEW RECORD HAS A NAME AND SOME ART
Slash has titled his second solo album Apocalyptic Love. It's due out May 22nd, and his collaborators, Myles Kennedy and the Conspirators, get their own billing on the album cover. Slash and company will hit the road in support of the album on May 3rd in Baltimore.

DISTURBED FANS COULD BE WAITING A WHILE FOR THAT HIATUS TO END…
It looks more and more like Disturbed fans are going to be waiting for a long time for the band to return. Bassist John Moyer, who just joined the new band Adrenaline Mob, says he doesn't know how long their hiatus will be. He adds, "If and when Disturbed gets back together and wants to do something -- that's just not on my visual right now. That's so far out I'm not really thinking about that." Moyer expected to be on the road with Adrenaline Mob most of this year.
 

ZAKK WYLDE: THE AUTHOR?
Black Label Society frontman Zakk Wylde will publish his first book, Bringing Metal to the Children: The Complete Berzerker's Guide to World Tour Domination, on April 10th. He told us at Wednesday's Revolver Golden Gods Awards nominations that he's "been proofreading over the thing the other day," and that it's "just about ready to go." Zakk describes the book, which he wrote with Eric Hendrikx, as "ridiculous stories of the music business" he'd tell while "sitting at a bar, drinking or whatever." --Dave Schulps