Chuck's Morning Bridge Blog

This was many moons ago... when Chicago played the Firefighters benefit at Fox Cities Stadium.... Barb still looks like the picture... me? Oh well!

President Barack Obama is set to appear on the daytime talk show The View on Thursday (July 29th) -- which will be the first appearance by a sitting U.S. president on a daytime TV talk show. According to Reuters, ABC released a statement saying that the appearance will be taped on Wednesday (July 28th) and Obama will be asked about jobs, the economy, the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico and family life inside the White House.

Barbara Walters said in the statement, "We are so pleased and honored that President Obama will be a guest on 'The View.' . . . This shows that both the president and first lady feel that our show is an influential and important source of information and news.

Walters will be returning to the studio for Obama's appearance for the first time since undergoing heart surgery in May. She reportedly will be returning to the show full-time in September.

In a world where much of people's "news" comes from chat shows like The View, Doctor Phil, Ellen, Oprah, etc., and websites like tmz.com and Perez Hilton.. what better place for the President of the United States to reach out to his constituents.

The most interesting mashup might be how Elizabeth Hasslebeck handles this segment. She is brilliant and beautiful, but she has not shown a lot of love for Obama in the past... hope she, unlike many right wingers, takes the high road!

Here is the story about the recall:

Click Here

Paul McCartney is looking for your opinions and recollections of his current tour. McCartney posted a message on his official website (PaulMcCartney.com) announcing that fans will finally get a chance to share their stories and photos worldwide.

McCartney posted: "Up And Coming Tour -- What Do You Think -- We want your reviews and pictures! We've seen the great reviews in the press but now it's your turn to let us know what you think of the Up And Coming Tour. We want you to send in your own concert reviews and photographs from any of the shows you have been to, or from any of the shows you are planning to go to. We'll sift through your entries and post some of the best quotes and pictures that you send in. The Up And Coming Tour wants to support Up and Coming writers, so now here's your chance."

TO SEND YOUR McCARTNEY TOUR PHOTOS OR STORIES: email: upandcoming@paulmccartney.com
(please keep the total email size under 3mb)

FOR TERMS AND CONDITIONS LOG ON TO: http://www.paulmccartney.com/terms.php

Inception, starring Leonardo DiCaprio, was the top movie at the box office for the second weekend in a row, holding off the Angelina Jolie action thriller Salt, which opened in second place. Salt stars Jolie as a CIA operative who has to elude her associates and try to save her family while trying to prove she's not a Russian spy. Liev Schreiber co-stars.

Opening in sixth place was the family comedy Ramona and Beezus, based on Beverly Cleary's children's books about a teenage girl and her little sister. Starring are Selena Gomez, John Corbett, Bridget Moynahan, Ginnifer Goodwin, Josh Duhamel, Sandra Oh and Joey King

THIS WEEKEND'S TOP TEN MOVIES -- JULY 23-25

Inception, $43.5 million
Salt, $36.5 million
Despicable Me, $24.1 million
The Sorcerer's Apprentice, $9.7 million
Toy Story 3, $9 million
Ramona and Beezus, $8 million
Grown Ups, $7.6 million
The Twilight Saga: Eclipse, $7 million
The Last Airbender, $4.2 million
Predators, $2.9 million

If you've suffered from kidney stones this summer it may be because you had too much iced tea.

The popular summertime beverage has high concentrations of oxalate -- a key chemical in the formation of kidney stones. Though hot tea also has oxalates, it's not as easily consumed in large quantities like its cold counterpart.

"For many people, iced tea is potentially one of the worst things they can drink," Dr. John Milner, assistant professor in the Department of Urology at Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine, said in a statement. "For people who have a tendency to form kidney stones, it's definitely one of the worst things you can drink."

Americans consume more than 2 billion gallons of iced tea each year, according to the Tea Association of the U.S.A. And its appeal might come from the belief that it's healthier than soda and beer.

But the best way to hydrate, Milner said, is to drink water or real lemonade (not the artificially-flavored kind). Lemons have large amounts of citrates, which help deflect the growth of kidney stones.

Milner suggests that those prone to kidney stones stay away from other foods high in oxalates like spinach, chocolate, rhubarb and nuts, and instead consume foods and drinks high in calcium which can reduce the amount of oxalates the body absorbs.

Click here for the full story from aolhealth.com

Tiger Woods' public image took a major beating this year, but he still comes out on top as America's Favorite Sports Star in the Harris Poll's survey, although he's sharing the Number One spot this year with L.A. Lakers star Kobe Bryant, after being all alone in first place since 2006. The full top ten list in the survey, which was taken last month, is:

    1. Tiger Woods
    1. Kobe Bryant
    3. Derek Jeter -- New York Yankees shortstop
    4. Brett Favre -- Minnesota Vikings' quarterback
    5. Peyton Manning -- Indianapolis Colts QB
    6. LeBron James -- Now with Miami Heat after leaving Cleveland Cavaliers
    7. Michael Jordan
    8. Tom Brady -- New England Patriots QB
    9. Drew Brees -- QB for Super Bowl champion New Orleans Saints
    10. Dale Earnhardt Jr. -- NASCAR driver

On the women's side, tennis-playing sisters Serena and Venus Williams hold the top two spots. The top 10 list for Favorite Female Sports Star is:

    1. Serena Williams
    2. Venus Williams
    3. Danica Patrick -- Race car driver
    4. Mia Hamm -- Retired soccer star
    5. Maria Sharapova -- Tennis player
    6. Anna Kournikova -- Tennis player
    7. Misty May -- Olympic gold medal-winning volleyball player
    7. Shawn Johnson -- Olympic gold medal-winning gymnast
    9. Lisa Leslie -- Retired WNBA player
    10. Billie Jean King
    10. Martina Navratilova

Apple is offering free cases for the iPhone 4 to solve the well-publicized
antenna problems with the latest generation iPhone, but CEO Steve Jobs
insisted at a press conference Friday (July 16th) that the so-called "death
grip" issue has been, quote, "blown so out of proportion, it's incredible." Jobs
didn't admit that there's anything wrong with the iPhone 4's external antenna,
and called the phone, quote, "perhaps the best product" Apple's ever made,
while conceding the lack of cases might have something to do with the
reception problems. Jobs also insisted antenna problems aren't unique to the
iPhone 4, and showed videos of how other makers' phones, including the
BlackBerry Bold 9700, also began losing reception when gripped, calling it a
challenge for the whole industry. Consumer Reports said last week it has
decided not to recommend the iPhone 4 because of the reception problem.

The Museum of Science and Industry Chicago is looking for someone to spend a month in the museum. If you win the nationwide search you'll live at the museum for 30 days, Oct. 20 to Nov. 18, and also walk away with a $10,000 cash prize.

Here's the story and how to enter: CLICK HERE

ESPN reporter Erin Andrews filed suit yesterday (July 15th) against Marriott
International and several hotels affiliated with it over the headline-making
scandal in which a man secretly videotaped her naked through hotel room peepholes and then posted the video online. Andrews is charging negligence, invasion of privacy, and emotional distresses, among other complaints, in her suit against the hotels for giving Michael Barrett her reservation information, including her room numbers, and then allowing him to check into adjacent rooms.

Barrett, who is also named in Andrews' lawsuit, would then modify the peepholes on the door of Andrews' room and secretly film her with his cell phone. Barrett was sentenced in March to 30 months in prison.

Jewel pulled one over on a crowd at a karaoke bar in Los Angeles recently. The singer went in wearing a dark wig, glasses, prosthetic nose and butt padding, and was dressed in a business suit. When she took the stage as her alter ego, "Karen,"

Patrons were stunned by her perfect rendtitions of Jewel's hits "Who Will Save Your Soul" and "Foolish Games."

The people cheered wildly, and according to reports, one person was heard
comparing Karen to "an American Susan Boyle."

Jewel, or Karen, as the case may be, was part of a stunt being filmed for
FunnyOrDie.com, the comedy video website co-founded by Will Ferrell and
Adam McKay. The video was posted yesterday (Tuesday, July 13th).

After performing as Karen, Jewel returned to the stage at the club, to entertain the crowd for a bit as herself.

Here's the link to FUNNY OR DIE... and Jewel's practical joke!

A ninety-something Los Angeles couple has become an Internet sensation with
their blog, "The OGs," which is short for "The Original Grandparents," in which they share their wisdom and the secrets of their happy 72-year marriage.

Harry and Barbara Cooper, who are 98 and 93 respectively and live in a retirement home, launched the blog in 2008 with the help of their granddaughters, who videotape the couple's chats, which are posted online.

In addition to talking about their life together, Barbara also does food reviews
and gives advice in an "Ask Grandma" video series, while Harry tells jokes and
sings songs he learned in the Army in a section of the blog called "PopPop's
Adventure Corner."

Click Here for the link to their blog!