RENEWED 'FISCAL CLIFF' TALKS HINTED AT BY WHITE HOUSE, GOP: Both the White House and House Republicans hinted yesterday (December 6th) that low-level private talks had resumed on the "fiscal cliff," but neither side would give any details.  Using nearly identical language, White House spokesman Jay Carney told reporters, "Lines of ommunication remain open," and Michael Steel, the spokesman for House Speaker John Boehner, said, "lines of communication are open." Meanwhile, President Obama continued his campaign-style efforts to build public support and public pressure for his line-in-the-sand position that the Bush tax cuts on the wealthiest Americans need to expire as scheduled, while the cuts for everyone else must be extended.  The president visited the home of a couple in Falls Church, Virginia, to illustrate how middle-class Americans would be affected if their tax cuts aren't continued. Republicans have insisted that all the tax cuts must be extended together.

MORSI REFUSES TO GIVE IN TO DEMANDS AFTER DEADLY DAY OF PROTESTS: Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi refused Thursday (December 6th) to call off a planned referendum next week on a controversial new constitution, one day after clashes between thousands of opponents and his supporters outside his Cairo palace left at least six people dead and 700 injured. Opponents are also demanding that he rescind decrees he issued
last month giving him near-absolute power. Speaking in a nationally televised address, an angry Morsi accused some in the opposition of serving the remnants of ousted leader Hosni Mubarak's regime and vowed he would never tolerate anyone working for the overthrow of
what he called his "legitimate" government. Morsi also invited the opposition for talks starting on Saturday, but opponents have already refused any engagement with him unless the decrees are rescinded and the referendum on the hastily-drafted constitution called off. Earlier yesterday, another of Morsi's advisers quit to protest his handling of the crisis, raising the number to seven who've done so. The violence continued last night, with protesters
attacking the Cairo headquarters of Morsi's Muslim Brotherhood.

PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN SPENDING TOPPED $2 BILLION: The final tally released yesterday (December 6th) of campaign finance filings showed that spending in the 2012 presidential campaign topped $2 billion, setting a new record. The record-breaking spending was fueled by unlimited donations to superPACs, allowed by the Supreme Court's 2010 Citizens United decision. The top donor in the 2012 race was billionaire Las Vegas casino magnate Sheldon Adelson, who, along with his wife, gave some $95 million to the campaign of Mitt Romney and other Republicans and superPACs supporting them. Of that total from
Adelson, $33 million of it was given in the final weeks of the campaign.

IOWA ARTIST'S PAINTING CHOSEN FOR WHITE HOUSE HOLIDAY CARD: The White House released its 2012 holiday card yesterday (December 6th), a black-and-white image of first dog Bo sporting a scarf as he frolics in the snow in front of the White House. The image painted by Iowa artist Larassa Kabel was chosen by First Lady Michelle Obama from submissions that had been sent in as part of a competition, with Kabel saying they'd been asked to do an interpretation of a photo of Bo. Although Kabel doesn't receive any compensation for the drawing, her and husband will get to attend the White House holiday party on December 18th.

CHECK IT OUT: The White House holiday card: http://tinyurl.com/b3bceuc

• In other holiday news yesterday, President Obama, the first lady, daughters Malia and Sasha, and mother-in-law Marian Robinson led the countdown to the lighting of the National Christmas Tree last night. The 28-foot-blue spruce sits in the Ellipse, a park between the White House and the National Mall. Actor Neil Patrick Harris hosted the 90th annual ceremony, with performers including Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds, Ledisi, Jason Mraz, Colbie Caillat, James Taylor and The Fray.

AURORA MOVIE THEATER TO RE-OPEN NEXT MONTH: The Aurora, Colorado, multiplex movie theater where 12 people were killed and 58 wounded in a mass shooting during a midnight showing in July of The Dark Knight Rises will be re-opening in January. In a letter sent to Aurora Mayor Steve Hogan, Cinemark president and CEO Tim Warner said the renovated theater will open on January 17th. But Cinemark will first allow victims, families and employees affected by the massacre to visit the theater on January 15th and 16th. Additionally, Warner wrote, "From January 18th through January 20th, we will, as part of honoring this special community, offer free movies."  The actual theater in the multiplex where the attack took place is being renovated into what Cinemark calls an "Extreme Digital" theater that will show movies on a large, IMAX-like screen.

NEW FANTASYLAND OPENS IN DISNEY WORLD: Disney World unveiled its renovated and expanded New Fantasyland in the Magic Kingdom on Thursday (December 6th), the largest
expansion in the park's 41-year history that doubles the size of the original Fantasyland. The new spaces are built on what was once the site of the 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea experience. New Fantasyland has two sections: Enchanted Forest, themed around Beauty and the Beast and The Little Mermaid, and Storybook Circus, inspired by the film Dumbo. The highlights include a ride called Under the Sea -- Journey of the Little Mermaid, and Enchanted
Tales with Belle, a walk-through experience that features a magical mirror and costumed characters. Two New Fantasyland highlights are still being created, however. A ride called Seven Dwarfs Mine Train will open in 2014, and Princess Fairytale Hall, where guests can meet all of their favorite Disney princesses at once, will open next year.

BRONCOS TOP RAIDERS 26-13: The Denver Broncos defeated the Oakland Raiders 26-13 last night (December 6th) in Oakland, notching their eighth straight win.  Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning was 26 of 36 for 310 yards with a touchdown pass, joining Brett Favre as the only quarterbacks in NFL history to reach 5,000 career completions, and earning his record 12th 10-win season as a starter. On the Raiders' side, quarterback Carson Palmer was 19 of 30 for 273 yards with two touchdown passes, as his team lost their sixth straight game.

NHL TALKS FALL APART AGAIN: After direct negotiations on Tuesday and Wednesday between NHL owners and players that seemed promising, talks between the two sides fell apart again on Thursday (December 6th). The two sides now won't meet again until Saturday at the earliest. As the lockout that began in mid-September continues without resolution, the league moves closer to having to cancel an entire season for the second time in the past decade, after the 2004-2005 season was wiped out because a labor deal couldn't be reached. All games through December 14th, along with the New Year's Day Winter Classic and the All-Star game, have already been canceled.

HALESTORM FOUND OUT ABOUT GRAMMY NOD ONSTAGE: Halestorm was nominated for a Grammy Award on Wednesday night (December 5th) for Best Hard Rock/Metal Performance, for the song "Love Bites (So Do I)." Singer and guitarist Lzzy Hale told Pulse of Radio that the band was in its natural state -- playing live onstage -- when they got the news: "It was
just in time for the piano ballad, so I'm just kind of sitting by myself and Joe (Hottinger, guitar) runs across the stage, he's like, 'We got nominated for a Grammy!' And I'm like, I mean, I must have had at least 30 seconds of just pure, like, shock on my face (laughs). 'Really? Are you serious?' I still can't wipe this stupid grin off my face, I'll tell you that.
But it was a very cool moment for all of us."

• Halestorm is up against Anthrax, Iron Maiden, Lamb Of God, Marilyn Manson and Megadeth in the category.
• "Love Bites" is taken from Halestorm's second album, The Strange Case Of . . .
• The song hit Number One, making Halestorm the first female-fronted act in history to top the Active Rock chart.

GODSMACK TAKING 2013 OFF, SAYS SINGER: Godsmack will take 2013 off, according to an interview with singer Sully Erna at Artist Direct.  The band spent much of 2012 on the road, both with the Uproar Festival tour and Mass Chaos trek, and Erna says that a break is in order. He explained, "We're going to take some time away now because we just ran for
the last two years. It's time for us to take a break and get away from the markets for a little bit so we don't overplay them. We're taking 2013 off."

Erna added, "Maybe towards the end of the year or early 2014, we may start getting into the studio and writing. Now, we're going to lay low. We may pop up once in a while to do a radio festival or something."

• That doesn't mean Erna won't stay busy himself.  He told us that he has a number of plans in the works for next year: "Godsmack's gonna take a break for a while, and I'm gonna continue to work as I always do. You know, really looking forward to 2013 and building more of a solo career. I'm gonna try to start looking more into film and TV again and things like that, along with, you know, writing some new music and trying to launch some new solo music."

PAPA ROACH FRONTMAN SAYS VOICE IS DOING GREAT: Papa Roach is currently on the road in Europe with Stone Sour for the band's first extended tour since singer Jacoby Shaddix had surgery on his vocal cords in September. Asked by the Armed Forces Network how his voice was holding up, Shaddix said, "Voice is great. I'm slaying it on the shows so far and I feel really good. I was definitely blessed to go to the right doctor and get my surgery performed by him. It was scary, but I'm good."

• Shaddix said that during his recovery, he got to spend some time with his kids and also learn the latest musical trends. He explained, "After my surgery I had some time at home so I was helping coach my son's tackle football team . . . I'd turn around and they're behind me doing the 'Gangnam' dance. I was like, 'Alright, we save that for after practice.'"
• Even before his vocal problems started, Shaddix admitted in several interviews that he came close to committing suicide earlier in the year as he struggled with both marital problems and falling off the wagon.
• Papa Roach and Stone Sour will tour the U.S. together in early 2013, on a co-headlining tour that begins on January 20th in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.

METALLICA JOINS SPOTIFY, MAKES PEACE WITH NAPSTER CO-FOUNDER: Metallica has made all nine of its studio albums, as well as various live material, singles, remixes and collaborations, available on the streaming service Spotify, according to Loudwire. The
move is significant because Sean Parker, who co-founded Napster, now sits on the board of Spotify. Metallica waged a battle with Napster more than a decade ago over the illegal sharing of the band's music, which resulted in both legal action and a battered public image
for the band.

At the press conference in New York announcing the Spotify deal on Thursday (December 6th), Parker and Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich appeared together and seemingly buried the hatchet. Ulrich said, "When [Parker} and I saw each other a few months ago. We could see that we had been put down as adversaries. We realize we had much more in common and
sitting down was long overdue . . . We were younger, maybe somewhat more
ignorant. We sat down and had a heart to heart."

• In a statement at its website, Metallica said, "We are extremely proud to be a part of Spotify, who not only has a proven track record, but is by far the best streaming service."
• Metallica is now able to make these deals directly since, as of last week, the band has complete control over the master tapes of all its audio and video recordings. The band has also launched its own label, Blackened Recordings.
• The first release for the new label will be the Quebec Magnetic DVD next Tuesday (December 10th), which showcases footage from two Quebec City live performances recorded in 2009.

CHECK IT OUT: See a picture of Ulrich and Parker together at http://tinyurl.com/bnx6eof

ROCK QUICK HITS:

• Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl was the guest host on Thursday night's
       (December 6th) edition of Chelsea Lately on the E! network. Filling in for host Chelsea Handler, Grohl was a natural in front of the camera, at ease with the audience, the guest panel and interview subject Ray Romano. Grohl has also been a guest on the show himself in the past.  Could a late-night TV gig be his when he finally decides to get out of the rock 'n' roll biz? (Loudwire)
• Saturday (December 8th) is the eighth anniversary of the death of Pantera and Damageplan guitarist  "Dimebag" Darrell Abbott, who was shot down by a
       disturbed gunman during a 2004 show by the latter band in Columbus, Ohio.
       ArtistDirect asked several artists to reflect on Abbott's memory, with Staind guitarist Mike Mushok calling him a "beautiful person" and Five Finger Death Punch's Ivan Moody saying, "I don't think there will ever be a band that
       compares to Pantera . . . what Dimebag did as a player (was) incredible." Read the entire article at http://tinyurl.com/audmvjw (ArtistDirect.com)

'THE HOBBIT' IS MAKING PEOPLE ILL: People have come forward claiming that watching The Hobbit has made them feel ill. The film's 48-frames-per-second format have
made some audience members feel dizzy and/or nauseous.

KRISTEN WIIG EYED FOR 'ANCHORMAN 2': The Wrap is reporting that Kristen Wiig is in negotiations to appear in the Anchorman sequel.  She would be playing a love interest for Steve Carell's character.

HBO GREENLIGHTS MIKE JUDGE SHOW: HBO has picked up the pilot for Mike Judge's dark comedy Silicon Valley. The show is about a group of people in Silicon Valley who are most qualified to succeed but also the least capable of handling success.

MATT DAMON WEIGHS IN ON 'THE BOURNE LEGACY': Matt Damon has revealed that he has finally watched the latest installment of the Bourne franchise and found it difficult to
see a place for him to return to the series. He confessed to being a fan and friend to Jeremy Renner but did not see how the story would work in the Bourne world.

STEPHEN BALDWIN ARRESTED: Stephen Baldwin has been arrested in New York City for repeated failure to file personal income tax returns. According to TMZ, the actor owes more than $350,000 in back taxes.

'PEANUTS' AUTHOR CHARLES SCHULTZ WROTE LOVE COMICS: Sotheby's will be auctioning off original drawings that Charles Schultz drew and sent to a young woman 23 years younger than him whom he was reportedly infatuated with.  The notes are expected to fetch $250,000 to $350,000 and feature the Peanuts gang.

ROGER EBERT HOSPITALIZED: Film critic Roger Ebert is in the hospital after breaking his hip. He tweeted on Thursday, December 6th, "Yes, fracture. But no surgery needed. Details
follow. :)." Ebert's wife of 20 years, Chaz Ebert fictitiously blamed the break on "tricky disco dance moves" and promised that her husband would "probably tweet."

• There's no word on how long Ebert will be out of commission. The writer previously lost his voice after multiple surgeries to combat papillary thyroid cancer.
• In addition to tweeting and writing his reviews, Ebert now communicates via an audible computer program.

HEARTWARMING: VIRGINIA TECH STUDENTS CARRY PARAPLEGIC CLASSMATE ON HIKE TO SEE WATERFALL: Twelve of Justin Graves' fellow students and friends made a stretcher to carry him on a four-mile round trip to see the Cascades waterfall in Giles County, Virginia. Graves said, "Not only was hiking the cascades on the Hokie bucket list, but it was on my personal bucket list as well. I never thought it would never come off." His friend, Scinju
Gadasmetty said he didn't want his friend to miss out on a Hokie tradition.  Gadasmetty said, "For me to take him up there and help him fulfill one the big parts traditions of being Hokie, was really great." Graves was shocked when they reached the top.  He said, "They set me down on the rock and I looked around at everybody.  That was the really big moment, because I have the best friends in the entire world, and they just did this for me. It showed not only is this the beauty of nature, but the beauty of friends also."

THE MOST POPULAR PET NAMES OF 2012 (Pawnation):

Most popular female dog names:

1. Bella

2. Daisy

3. Lucy

4. Molly

5. Lola

6. Sophie

7. Sadie

8. Chloe

9. Coco

10. Maggie

Most popular male dog names:

1. Max

2. Buddy

3. Charlie

4. Rocky

5. Cooper

6. Bear

7. Bentley

8. Duke

9. Jack

10. Toby

MEDIA MULTITASKING LINKED TO DEPRESSION: Researchers say people who engage in multiple media, such as watching TV and playing a computer game at the same time, are at higher risk of anxiety and depression. Lead researcher Mark Becker of Michigan State says he's unsure if media multitasking causes symptoms of anxiety and depression or if people who are already depressed and anxious are turning to media multitasking to distract themselves.
Researchers say the amount of time spent media multitasking by U.S. youth increased 120-percent in the past decade.(United Press)

CLEVER CHRISTMAS FOOD IDEAS: http://tinyurl.com/aeyh99y

APPLE TO MANUFACTURE A LINE OF MACS IN THE U.S.: In an interview that aired yesterday (December 6th), Apple's CEO Tim Cook told Brian Williams that the company is looking to bring jobs back to the United States. Cook said a line of Apple's Mac Computers will be made in America, but he did not say which line. Currently most of Apple's manufacturing takes place in China. (Huffington Post)

NOSTALGIA CAN MAKE US FEEL PHYSICALLY WARMER: Results of a new study suggest that recalling fond memories can help you keep warm, and be more tolerant of cold temperatures. Study researcher Dr. Tim Wildschut, of the University of Southampton explains that reminiscing allows the body to feel the mental effects of previous enjoyed states, including states of bodily comfort. In the study, researchers asked participants to recall a
nostalgic moment or an ordinary moment. People who recalled nostalgic moments
were more likely to say the room was a higher temperature than those who recalled ordinary moments. In a related study, researchers asked participants to keep a record of how many times they felt nostalgia for 30-days, and participants were more likely to report instances of nostalgia on colder days.  (Huffington Post)

STUNNING NIGHT-TIME VIEWS OF EARTH: http://tinyurl.com/al9zc4j

FEW COMPANIES HAVE EMPLOYEES SPECIFICALLY FOR SOCIAL MEDIA: Results of a recent survey conducted by Ragan Communication and NASDAQ OMX Corporate Solutions reveal that less than one-third of companies have employees whose only tasks involve social-media. The survey results indicate that 27-percent of companies have someone who only deals with social-media, and 65-percet of companies add social media on top of other
duties. The survey polled nearly three-thousand social-media professionals. (Mashable)

MEN CAN IDENTIFY CAR PARTS BETTER THAN THEIR OWN ANATOMY: New research from LloydsPharmacy Online Doctor indicates that of 15-hundred British men surveyed, 90-percent could locate a car's dipstick, and only 52-percent knew where their vas deferens, the
organ responsible for creating semen, was located on their body. In fact one-in-12 thought the vas deferens was located in the ear. Only six-percent of those surveyed could identify the common causes of erectile dysfunction, and two-out-of-five men could not spot the key symptoms of sexual infection. (Daily Mail)