MORNINGMANIAC's Blog

It started in the OC...then moved to NY and each season I've watched closely to see how the other half lives... The lives of the super-rich..from self made millionaires to countesses to pro athletes to divorcees of rich men...The Real Housewives smash hit show on Bravo gives you a very personal look into the personal pleasures and sometimes the pain that people with an exclusive address go through...

The five ladies stopped by Good Day this morning--and they are talking about it all over the country--from the blogosphere--to the New York Post--to Mike and Juliet...These dynamic personalities come together for what appears to be a very memorable season!

Its got all the trappings--from personality conflicts--to drama--the all the spoils of living well!  Deshawn Snow--married to NBA star Eric Snow shows off their amazing home as they see it for the very first time--and it is amazing....Then you see how the dynamic duo of Ed and Lisa Hartwell keep their romance hot and alive as she tells the story of how they met--fell in love and were married in a whirlwind....And they also show how they do it when its time to compete in their home on their own personal bowling lanes.  Its a good life and if you have ever wondered how the other half lives--be sure to check it out--it ll be a great alternative to the debates!

She is known all across the world for working nine to five--But one of the greatest performers of all time is working overtime to keep those hits coming!  And her latest album is on store shelves now--its titled Backwoods Barbie and the new single is already making waves, Shinola is already got folks tappin their toes and moving their feet!

Much has been made of the internet rumors that Dolly Parton was no longer among the living--but sure enough we talked to our and unless she has been reincarnated and come back from above as the same bubbly and vivacious personality that we all know and love--Id say those rumors are false!

Hey look for Dolly coming to Chastain Park on October 24 and she promises she'll be singing her new hits and all your old favorites!  Be sure to say--Hello Dolly!

Coach K--you know him and love him (or hate him) as the legendary coach of the Duke  basketball program.  Did you know that before he was Coach K he was Capt. K...thats right a Captain in the US Army, and a graduate of West Point.  Thats why his recent Gold Medal win in Beijing was the greatest moment of his coaching career.  This was an opportunity of a lifetime as Coach K called it.  A chance to restore the US to its rightful place as the premier basketball nation on the globe.

But listening to Coach K--you quickly learn that this was more than just a basketball tournament.  This was a chance to represent your country and be a part of a delegation of the finest athletes in the world represent the greatest nation in the world.  The Redeem Team as they have come to be known, were also some of the best cheerleaders at the games.  Showing up at competition venues to cheer on their teammates.  They truly wanted this opportunity too--Coach K didnt have to deal with attitudes and spoiled overpaid athletes...he coached passionate patriots to victory.  and he lead by example because he was the perfect patriot for the job.

The only colored that mattered in Beijing was red white and blue.  Thats why the basketball gold is coming back to the US where it belongs.

Can't we just make trade or pick up a journeyman QB...Nope instead--we are gonna throw this 23 year old kid to the wolves and watch him get devoured by even the most average of NFL defenses.  Why--because its a different world out there!  The landscape of the NFL is far different than the roasted chestnuts that hover in the air in Chestnut Hill. NFL defenses are meat eaters and Matt Ryan is about to get served up on  a silver platter!  Yes he'll be a good maybe even a great QB but just not now and not for a few years to come! 

Hold on to your head Matt--because opposing defenses are gonna try to take it off!

Womens beach volleyball is my new favorite Olympic sport!  Surprise! Those arent the bathing suits I was referring to.  Im talking about the suits that we never saw because the governing body over synchronized swimming ruled they were too flashy!

Thats right the Spanish duo wanted to wear suits that resembled a Christmas tree with flashing lights--but the Law said No!  Huh?  The skimpy bikinis for beach volleyball are A-OK...But you cant add a couple of tiny flashing lights to your suit for synchronized swimming--Doesnt make much sense there does it??

And do it all in less than six months--It may be the greatest untold story of the Beijing games.  Keeth Smart first defeated a rare blood disease that almost killed him before going on to the Olympic games as a member of the US saber team and grabbing the silver medal right out of deaths' grip....The only way this could have had a better ending is if he had won the gold medal. 

Smart said its been a tough year--I'll say!  I think might be the understatement of the year!  Just as doctors told him his rare blood disease was within days of taking his life--he began to recover--and not long after he was well on his way to a miraculous recovery--his mom passed away from cancer.  Smart may have come up in second place in the Olympic games--but in the game of life hes one of the biggest winners I know--and now this lanky lefthander from Brooklyn will retire from competition and head to business school at none other than Columbia University--only  one of the  finest institutions on the planet will for one of the finest athletes on the planet.  Lets give it up for a performance thats out of this world!

We all remember when Muhammad Ali boasted about his amazing skill in the boxing ring...Well now Mr. Phelps can now proudly standup and say--I am the greatest!  And who could argue!  This run has been captivating...refreshing...and simply amazing...

Its refreshing because he is so humble and so amazing to watch.  He wins with skill and grace...not to mention Herculian effort....as we witnessed as he managed to fend off a competitor by one one hundredth of a second.  Thats determination--thats the will to win--thats what seperates ordinary from extraordinary...That's what seperates a good career from a legend.  Michael Jordan  had IT...Wayne Gretzky had IT....John Elway had IT...IT is the stuff legends are made of and Michael Phelps has IT too....

Theres a new superstar in the making! and his name is Sid the Kid!  The Red WIngs and Nik Lidstrom wrapped up the series with an exciting win in the Steel City!  Lidstrom became the first European captain to win the Cup.  But the underlying story among the Wings 11th Championship--is the emergence of Sidney Crosby and the next big superstar in all of sports! 

Folks he's got it--Poise--Amazing Skills and Dashing good loooks!  "The Kid" has ice running under his blades and through his veins...He's also surrounded with some of the best supporting talent in the league--Gina Malkin--Sergei Gonchar and the other stud making big plays through out the playoffs is goaltender Marc Andre Fleury...who singlehandedly stole game 5 from the clutches of the Wings.  He saw more rubber than a tire factory that evening and help the Penguins get back to Pittsburgh for last galant effort to fight off elimination and handing the cup over to the wings!

The great thing about the Pens is that they are so young! Malkin Crosby and Andre Fluery are all babies in the world of pro sports--bearly old enough to enter a club with the elder statesmen of the team!  Matter of fact Crosby just moved out of Mario Lemieux's basement!  But really all in their early 20's and have bright and amazing--possibly Hall of Fame futures in front of them...

GM and my buddy Ray Shero made some great moves picking up veterans like Peter Sykora and Marian Hosa from our Thrashers at the deadline but he may not be able to keep them because of salary restrictions--but he still has a solid foundation and great building blocks for the future!  Congrats to the wings but look out for the Penguins!

WOW! was all i could muster upon meeting Cindy Crawford--She was so cool and down to the earth--I was almost caught off guard.  We get all kinds of stars here at Good Day but you never know what kind of reception you ll get from them depending on what type of mood they are in...But she is one of the sweetest people we've ever had on Good Day--

She was warm and gracious and took pictures from people who came from all over the building--It is warm and refreshing to hear her talk about some of things she's done and she genuinely appreciates her success and her blessings!

In a word CIndy was refreshing!

OK we are all suffering and feeling the pain at the pump.  The price of bread eggs and milk all skyrocketing...Airline tickets thru the roof...the mortgage crunch--but heres where i draw the line!

Can you believe the prices at the vending machine have gone up by a nickel citing the rising cost of ingredients like the syrup that goes into your favorite beverage!  My daily diet coke now costs me .60 cents...and the goodies in the snack machine have increased in price as well.  Now thats what I call hittin' below the belt!  And to add insult to injury--say goodbye--to Mickey D's dollar menu...In Augusta GA Mcdonalds is selling some of its .99 items for a buck oh-9...What the?  This is outrageous and just flat out wrong!

Somebody--John?  Hillary?  Barack? Do something!

Thats right--now water has really gone to the dogs!  Who would have thought that we actually ever pay cold hard cash for bottled water--For the longest time I thought water was free!  It wasnt until I became an adult did I realize you had a water bill.

But if we'll pay for it for ourselves--we'll definitely pay for it for our dogs--A company is now selling water fortified with vitamins that they say is good for your doggie!  The water is called--get this-Fortifido! and its supposed to keep Fido's bones, skin and joints healthy...and it even comes in several flavors like parsley, lemongrass and spearmint...

Oh the price--$2.39 for a two liter bottle-Isnt your doggie worth it--after all whats he supposed to drink when he checks into the doggie spa or doggie hotel wearing his doggie sweater after riding there in his doggie-car seat thats been custom fitted to fit his doggie rear!

For any guy who's ever picked up a club--then you can relate to the great story told by Carl Hiaasen...The Downhill Lie is a funny story about a regular guy--like you and me--taking a hiatus from his golf game and then getting the bright idea to return to the course after 32 years off the links...

He was lucky enough to be in Barbados covering of all things the Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue when someone talked him into a round of golf ...and whammy just like that he was hooked again!   So he picked it up and started back out on the course regularly but finds himself stuck in hacker mode--just like the rest of us!

Golf will humble you very quickly--and just when you are ready to toss your sticks in the trash can...Bang you hit a shot that brings you back for more...Oh yeah that sweet shot and sweet spot addiction...Its a real high but there are many more lows for golfers like me and probably you too--go ahead admit--Carl does!

They are the original hip hop kings -- the Motown of the Hip Hop generation!  Rap royalty was in the house on Good Day Atlanta....Wow--Im a huge Old School Rap fan--I grew up in the heyday of rap music in NY--where it all began...And we had the pleasure of having some of my favorite old school artists on the show--and the official hip hop ambassador Fab 5 FREDDY...Kool Moe Dee and Chubb Rock all in the studio at one time...

Chubb Rock aka the "Chubbster" is an amazing story--Ivy league educated at Brown University--the Chubbster was taking his Medical School entrance exams when he was offered his first Rap tour...He managed to get a post graduate degree at Columbia but still chose to follow his other passion--music!  And the rest is history--hes one of the most recognizable voices in hip hop now and then a true legend--And he has atlanta ties with his 404 Music distribution deal...he's also a great dad with a child thats Yale bound....

Kool Moe Dee says hes been married to rap music for more than thirty years...From his humble beginnings wtih the Treacherous 3 to an amazing solo career...And he was the first rapper to ever perform on the Grammy's....A true pioneer and legend--with Songs like Wild Wild West and Rise and Shine-two of my favorites...

And dont forget Fab 5 Freddy...hip hops greatest ambassador--credited as the man who put hip hop on MTV with his first video with Blondie...He then went on to host Yo MTV Raps the show which all the other shows and networks copied...He now working on a website Placetobe.com an interactive networking site... Smart talented and driven he is one of hip hops true building blocks and the man who helped make hip hop a billion dollar industry...

Old School Hip Hop lives--and I love it!!!!! 

Runner up so what! He's having more success than many of the Idol winners!

Clay aiken is a multi platinum success story from the pages of A-I...He has just released his new album on my way here...The 29 year old Raleigh native is just as easy and fun to talk to as the guy next door...He has a real easy demeanor that lets you warm up to him right away....If this new album is anything like the 2003 smash hit double platinum debut measure of a Man and Merry  Christmas with Love which went platinum in just six weeks after its release! 

Clay is the real deal and so is his new album...I am sure his entire legion of fans will be heading out to pick up his new album right away....and by the way Clay hasnt been able to watch American Idol in the last three years...Huh?  you are kidding me--nope wow must be nice!!

Oliver North one of the most well known and controversial members of the Reagan Administration has written a new book--American Heros In the Fight Against Radical Islam....If you are a military buff or just an ordinary citizen--this book takes you inside the war in Iraq...

Oliver North takes us inside this continuing conflict and gives you an up close and personal look at the conditions the soldiers are dealing with in Iraq...From Fallujah to Baghdad the sandstorms--the intricate weapons and equipment to the all our firefights Mr. North reminds us of who the real heros are in our society and that we would be supporting every single soldier fighting for our protection...

Regardless of your political stance--the definition of hero from Mr. North is a person willing to put his life on the line for the benefit of others!  Thats each and every young man and woman fighting for a safer and secure US and a new and better life for the citizens of Iraq...