Morning News

Hollywood - Collective Soul
Glamorous - Fergie
Jump - Van Halen
Violet Hill - Coldplay
Float On - Modest Mouse
So What - Pink
Brand New Day - Sting
Let It Will Be - Madonna

Out The Window... The snow yesterday didn't turn out to be as bad as it looked like it was going to be yesterday. But today, it's cold. No, 19 degrees isn't that cold for a Chicago winter. Subzero wind chills are nothing either. But when you haven't broken out your winter coat for the season yet, you notice. And I think it's going to be another week or two before I trade my stylish brown suede late fall-early winter jacket for my big, sloppy, cumbersome, skid row-chic winter coat with hat, gloves and flyers, receipts, etc. from last year. Fashion still trumps practicality for now.

Yesterday, we had advice for the guys on what to buy the ladies. Now it’s time to turn the tables.
Just what do you buy a guy? We’re really not that hard to shop for. Honestly, we’re not. But don’t be lazy and buy us a tie. Your dad and your uncle and your grandfather didn’t like that either. Don’t buy us power tools unless there is actual evidence that we need them. If I tried to use most power tools, I would probably be typing with only my thumbs by now. Buy us something elegant, yet practical instead.
Like, say, a Lamborghini LP640. Mir Imad of Bentley Lamborghini Gold Coast says it’s a "high performance car. Definitely something that is on Santa's list for the men," Imad said. Sure, it costs $275,000, but we’re important to you, aren’t we?
  Suzanne Le Mignot found out what some guys are wanting from their significant others this holiday season. And some lucky guy is, in fact, getting a Lamborghini.

So how about it, ladies and/or gentlemen who are shopping for your beau? Get him a Lamborghini LP640, or even better, a Bugatti Veyron for a steal at $1.9 million, and he’ll love you forever. And he’ll love you even more if as part of the gift, you promise to pay every time his new car gets a ticket when the parking meter expires. Those costs are going to be adding up soon.

(Photo: AP)
Some people say being a famous world-class celebrity is not as much fun as it’s cracked up to be, and that life in the fishbowl can drive you insane. I’m not so sure.
I really think it would be terrific to have my very own bus and dressing room, in which I could demand two bottles of Zinfandel and Pinot Grigio from every winery in Sonoma County, California; 10-gallon spigot-jars of pineapple-coconut, jalapeno, lychee, and rosemary-cashew-infused vodka; a dozen Italian beef and sausage combo sandwiches all made with Kobe beef; a spread of freshly-made dishes from every country in the world beginning with the letter I (before you dismiss that as silly, think about it – you get your Irish bacon and cabbage, your Indian rogan josh, your Italian antipasto tray, your Iranian koubideh skewers and your Icelandic whale blubber all at once); and exactly six Raisinets. All for me. And if I didn’t get it, I wouldn’t sign the contract.
So come on, people. A spread of dishes from every country beginning with the letter I. Right now. Give it to me.

Of course, I'm being laughed at right now. But famous world-class celebrities can ask for things like this and get them with no problem.

You might remember that Van Halen used to demand that the brown M&M’s be removed from their candy bowls backstage. They’re not doing that anymore, but they’re still pretty demanding, with backstage celery “to be trimmed, but not peeled,” or “fourty assorted man-sized sandwiches, condiments on the side (not soggy).” That’s right, “fourty.” Not therty-nyne or fourty-won.
 Here’s Van Halen’s current contract rider in all its glory, from the Smoking Gun.
 And Bill is off today, but in today’s entertainment report, we learn things aren’t really too great among the members of Van Halen. Lead singer David Lee Roth is demanding that his room be as far as possible from all the other band members.

CBS News correspondent Kimberly Dozier has been through an experience that makes most of us shudder just to imagine.
As you might remember, back on Memorial Day 2006, Dozier was in Iraq, reporting on American soldiers who were working with Iraqi security forces, when she was the victim of a car bombing. Her photographer, Paul Douglas, and her soundman, James Brolan, were both killed, as were U.S. Army Capt. James Alex Funkhouser and his Iraqi translator, “Sam.”
Dozier was critically injured, but following multiple surgeries and months of physical therapy, she has made a full recovery. In fact, she ran the 10K portion of the Marine Corps Marathon a few weeks ago.
Dozier’s story is an inspiring one, to be sure, and she has chronicled it in a new book, Breathing the Fire. The book recounts her injury and the long and sometimes troublesome recovery process, and on Amazon.com, 60 Minutes’ Lesley Stahl calls says, “What (Dozier) did to survive is remarkable; her account of it is raw and riveting. You can't put it down.”
 Kimberly Dozier joined Don and Susan this morning to talk about her experience and the book.
You can meet Kimberly Dozier today at the Union Club, 65 W. Jackson Blvd. She will sign her book starting at 11:30 a.m., and at noon, she will be part of a presentation and luncheon moderated by our Anne State.
 Kimberly Dozier’s CBS News Bio

Ray of Light - Madonna
Stay with You - Goo Goo Dolls
No One - Alicia Keys
Umbrella - Rihanna
Footloose - Kenny Loggins
Rain Fall Down - The Rolling Stones
Sweet Escape - Gwen Stefani
Who Says You Can't Go Home? - Bon Jovi
Every Day Is a Winding Road - Sheryl Crow

Out The Window... It's overcast, but not horribly cold out right now. But we all know what's going to happen later today. We're going to get clobbered with up to 5 inches of snow, just in time for one of the few occasions every month that I actually have to drive somewhere. And it's even worse if you have to park on a side street now.

Gentlemen – do you know how to shop for women?
Maybe you do. Maybe you have immaculate tastes and an eye for all things aesthetic. Maybe your house or apartment looks like it should be in a magazine even if it’s small and cheap. Maybe you actually listened when Carson, Thom, Ted, Kyan and Jai spoke.
But then again, maybe not.
Just ask Kyler Uphaus, who says she’s gotten some weird gifts over the years, such as clothes that are three sizes too big. Really guys, what are you trying to say with gifts like that? And a frying pan – Kyler says she likes to cook, but she already had one. Why would you buy a frying pan for someone who already has one? Maybe to bop you over the head with for being such a dolt?
 Vince Gerasole recently met with Macy’s personal shopper Frank Nichter, with some advice on presents men should avoid.
Here’s one of Frank’s tips – he says quit with the lingerie. And he’s right. You’re thinking about yourself, not her.
Really now, how would you like it if year after year, your girlfriend bought you another pair those tight, uncomfortable men’s underwear that look sort of like athletic supporters? Wouldn’t that get old after a while?
And besides that, you’ll be red-faced when your wife or girlfriend doesn’t like the lingerie and turns it into rags, then asks you to clean the bathroom with said rags. Maybe if you buy lingerie, you should just prepare yourself for the inevitable and buy some cleanser and Pine Sol to go with it.
 Read more, and get out there and shop.

Do you like to slap a fresh fillet of trout or tilapia in a pan and enjoy it with a little lemon? Does the idea of fish tacos and fish sausage appeal to you? (yes, there is such thing as fish sausage). Did you look forward to it when they served fish sticks in the cafeteria in elementary school? (if so, you are insane).
Well, maybe it’s about time to level the playing field and have the fish eat you instead.

You’ve probably heard about the latest trend in pedicures, in which you dunk your feet into a tank and let the fish dine away on your dead skin. Proponents say the fish, called doctor fish or garra rufa exfoliate your skin and leave you with nice, smooth, healthy feet.
 Want to try one yourself? We got a rundown on how it works this morning from Mya Doan, the owner of Cat’s Scratch Nails in Aurora. We even found out what happens if you have a fungal infection on your feet when you get the treatment.
Cat’s Scratch Nails is located at 75th Street and Route 59 in Aurora. They have 400 fish for the treatments, which last about 30 minutes. A treatment costs $45, and includes a regular pedicure.
Contact Cat’s Scratch Nails at (630) 898-2805.

So What - Pink
Better Together - Jack Johnson
Bang the Doldrums - Fall Out Boy
Hey Santa - Ashanti
The Way You Move - Outkast
No One - Alicia Keys
Shake It - Metro Station
Girl - Beck
Look After You - The Fray
We Are Family - Sister Sledge

I haven’t actually gotten to look at everything they put up in Daley Plaza yet. From the vantage point of our windows, there’s a perfect view of the Nativity Scene, and those cute little Christkindlmarket kiosks that advertise folk art and ornaments, and remind concession stand patrons that there is an “only pancakes line” and an “only bratwurst line.” What, no bratwurst in a pancake bun?
Down the way where the fountain is located in more temperate months, there are some smaller trees done up in blue, white and green lights, and a tableau that includes a model train set and some figurines that are apparently animatronic. What’s next , is Christmas at House on the Rock going to set up a satellite exhibit?

You might Keri Russell from “Felicity,” or you might remember her from “Waitress.” But me, I remember her from “Honey, I Blew up the Kid.” Do not tell me that you don’t remember “Honey, I Blew up the Kid.”
How could you forget a movie featuring a giant toddler who goes on a rampage that puts both Godzilla and the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man from Ghostbusters to shame, and who is blown up to giant size the second of two times while watching a Richard Simmons “Sweating to the Oldies” video? (OK, fine, I had to look that part up to jog my memory, but that’s pretty hilarious). And really, has Rick Moranis ever done a bad movie?
Keri Russell was the babysitter in “Honey I Blew up the Kid,” and today she is starring in the fourth sequel in that series, which started back in 1989 with “Honey, I Shrunk the Kids.”
Ladies and gentlemen, please sit back and enjoy, “Honey, I Blew up the Christmas Tree.”
Starring: Keri Russell, Mayor Richard M. Daley and Bill Zwecker, among others.
Coming soon, to a public square near you.
The blown up Christmas tree is already there, and Keri Russell will light it as part of the 95th annual tree lighting ceremony. Bill will be there too, and Mayor Daley, and a lot of others. Come down to Daley Plaza at noon, shop around at Christkindlmarket, and see the tree in all its lovely brilliance.
 Keri took Ed by surprise when she showed up across from our studio window.
 She talked with Bill about her latest movie, “Bedtime Stories” and her project with Underwriters Laboratories Inc. to spread the word about keeping children safe during the holidays.
 Russell and UL have put together this Web site, safetyathome.com, with tips for keeping your kids safe.
 More About The Tree Lighting
And by the by, Keri Russell will also be doing the voice “Wonder Woman” in a movie coming out next year. Who’d have thunk it? The inattentive babysitter who let a kid blow up to dozens of times his natural size has grown up to be “Wonder Woman.” Top that, Lynda Carter.