If you’re obsessive about Lost (are you reading this Rob, Monica, and Shawn?), then check out Dark UFO, the ultimate website for great quality Lost screencaps.

Anything you can possibly want a Lost screencap for is posted there within minutes of the episode airing.

This works out perfect whenever there’s a shot that flashes by lightning fast and you’re sure is something of monumental importance to understanding Lost (a frequent occurrence).

Lost Media is another site to check out, featuring completely different screencaps.

As I sit tanned, relaxed, and still not quite in back-to-work mode, I’m happy to say our Florida vacation was the perfect remedy for the seemingly endless Western New York winters. Last year it snowed from October to April, and we couldn’t get away until June, when it was already pretty nice here! This year, we planned a nice mid-winter break to visit family in the Sarasota area, to break out of our hibernation; click on my happy son below for a slideshow.

Having lived in the city, in the mountains, and near the water, it is obvious to me that I am a water person. The sound, sight, and smell of the ocean calms my soul in a way nothing else does. As JFK said, the need to return to the sea is strong:

“We have salt in our blood, our sweat, and in our tears. We are tied to the ocean. And when we go back to the sea, we are going back from whence we came.”

Amen.

–Brian

Every night during Cardio Radio, we now feature Young Stars like Miley Cyrus, Jonas Brothers, anyone from High School Musical, and a bunch of others – all by request.

And tonight during the Night Nights at Nine, we heard from Miley Cyrus (aka Hannah Montana)!

If you missed it, don’t worry. You can hear the entire interview as it aired on Star 102.5 on my interview page.

As always, if you’re having trouble getting the file to play, try opening the website with Internet Explorer and it should play fine. If you still have problems, e-mail me and let me know and I’ll try to come up with another solution for you.

There’s rumors that Paula Abdul isn’t happy with her new video “Dance Like There’s No Tomorrow”. In fact, some reports say that if Randy Jackson wasn’t involved, she’d really be complaining about it.

While it isn’t terrible, it’s definitely not as fun as her early 90’s videos were. There’s nowhere near as much dancing and quite a few themes and set-ups are repeated heavily throughout it.

For some strange reason, this is the closing shot for the video. Doesn’t fit in at all with the rest of it, but it does bring more attention to American Idol I guess.

See the full video plus a “making of” feature at the FOX website.

Earlier today, I got to talk with Jason Wade, the lead singer of Lifehouse.

We talked mostly about the new CD “Who We Are”, learning what Jason’s favorites from it are and what the next single will be.

You can hear the interview here. (If you’re using AOL and / or having trouble getting the file to play, try opening the website with Internet Explorer and it should play fine.)

After hearing the interview, if there’s a question you come up with, ask the group on their website. They’ve got an Ask Lifehouse section set up where the group themselves answers your questions (occasionally, the record label answers something tour related).

We’re headed to Florida for a week’s vacation, and catching a 6am flight to get down there. Phew! For some reason my kids are very excited about getting up before the sun rises. Connor, especially, is really looking forward to seeing the sun rise – I hope it’s not too cloudy for my little guy.

Before I go, I thought I’d share a few tidbits I talked about recently on the air:

Wednesday @ 8:40pm there will be a complete lunar eclipse!
Basically what we’ll see, if it’s clear enough, is a red moon. The earth is going to be directly in front of the sun, so the moon will be covered in “earth shadow,” giving it an eerie coppery color (as pictured). It’s supposed to last from 8:40pm to about midnight.

We Love….Spam?
When Spamalot came to Shea’s last year, one of the things they gave the radio station was SPAM. I had it in my cupboard for a few months, and decided to fry it up over the weekend. Heather declined, but Connor and Darcy LOVED it! It’s funny how we cook great healthy meals for the kids: vegetable stir fry, delicious stews from scratch – they don’t want that, but I open up a can of SPAM and they go bananas.

Florida Family Flyaways
If you missed the Star Rewards Club email that told you about the three trips to Florida we’re giving away in March, stay tuned: when I get back I’ll have details about how your Winter Poem can win a family trip for 4 to Tampa. I’ll scout out the area first, and give you a complete rundown next week!

–Brian

Last night, to end the weekend, I thought I’d just relax and watch a reality show I’ve been meaning to see for a while now.

You wouldn’t think a reality show featuring people in solitary confinement could possibly be interesting for more than twenty minutes. But Solitary definitly was. I only planned on checking out the first episode – I ended up watching the entire first season.

What an amazing show! The players competed more with the loneliness of solitary than with the other contestants. One even went a little crazy.

As for the show’s host – it’s a computer voice named Val. She didn’t just guide the contestants along. She was also their only companion – at times giving light encouragement and then at other times being really obnoxious. What an awesome reality show host.

Solitary originally aired almost two years ago on the Fox Reality channel. You can watch most of the episodes for free at Myspace Primetime (the third episode is the only one not available there and isn’t needed to enjoy the series). And if you do watch it there, make sure you don’t read the comments first, as there’s lots of spoilers.

Season two (Solitary 2.0) has also already finished airing. Hopefully, Fox Reality will rerun it soon as I’m anxious to see it.

How To Stop Unwanted Mailed Catalogs

The Buffalo News recently ran an Associated Press article highlighting websites that will help stop all those unwanted catalogs from entering your home. Kind of a DO NOT CALL registry for the US MAIL. Here’s where to go for specific needs. Good Luck…I’ll be logging onto some of these too!

The World Privacy Forum has developed a how-to list on opting out of mailings titled the “Top 10 Opt Outs” that’s posted at www.worldprivacyforum.org . Consumers also can write to the DMA at Mail Preference Service, P.O. Box 643, Carmel, N.Y. 10512-0643 to get off mailing lists. A $1 fee applies.

The other major source of unwanted mail, prescreened credit and insurance offers, can be addressed through the Web site www.optoutprescreen.com or calling the toll-free number 888-5OptOut (888-567-8688).

The Ecology Center in Berkeley, Calif., has its Catalog Choice site at www.catalogchoice.org . Consumers indicate which catalogs they don’t want to receive, and the service for free notifies the companies to stop mailings.

Another ecologically minded service is www.41pounds.org , based in Ferndale, Mich. It takes its name from the estimated weight of the junk mail each household receives each year. Households pay $41 for a five-year membership, and some of the profits are shared with environmental groups.

It’s the ultimate in reality TV. Last season, Wedginald grew up and eventually moved out.

If you missed any of the excitement, catch up with a 60-second time-lapse video of the entire first year of Cheddar Vision TV.

After these crazy cold, below-zero wind chill days, I thought I’d give you something to look forward to a few months from now.

With the addition of MotoCoaster to Darien Lake this coming May, Buffalo will now be completely surrounded by new roller coasters this year!

North of Toronto, Canada’s Wonderland will open their mega coaster, Behemoth, in May.

A few hours south of us, Knoebels in Elysburg, PA will debut the one-of-a-kind Flying Turns most likely in April (assuming the final testing on this experimental coaster goes smoothly).

And just west of us, there will be the long awaited Ravine Flyer II at Waldameer Park in Erie, PA.

The original Ravine Flyer was also a wooden roller coaster that was at Waldameer Park from 1922 – 1938.

In 2000, Walameer Park opened the Ravine Flyer 3, a kiddie coaster. But they saved the “II” and this new coaster appears to be the reason why.

Of all the new wooden roller coasters in the US this year, Ravine Flyer II will be the biggest. Check out a simulation of the ride made by The Gravity Group, the same people making the coaster. It’s available here.

The park opens May 10th, but the new roller coaster is still under construction. With luck, it’ll be ready by opening day. I’ll let you know when I hear anything…

As I watched the Grammys last night, the wind was shaking the house, the temperature read “2″ and the wind chill was 20 below zero. This is the kind of cold that people from the South just can’t comprehend.

Pull on some snow boots, put on a cap, and you’re ready to go out!

10) You can actually use your fireplace. How often can you use a beautiful gas fireplace in the Carolinas? We have ours on 6 months of the year here!

Auto Show Great, Convention Center Not So Much

As I sit here taking in the Buffalo Auto Show I can’t help but think how good a job the NFADA does with such an awful building. The Buffalo Convention Center has so much become an example of misbuilding in our city.
The building itself is nothing to be proud of starting with the outside facade.
Starting from just outside with the decrepit electronic message board in the square across from the main entrance. I can’t believe that year after year goes by and still it sits in horrible disrepair. Inside, the convention center is poorly laid out and confusing, though the powers that be have done as good a job as possible in making it more user friendly.

In the bottom level ceilings are too low…you feel closed in. There are too many cookie cutter nooks and crannies. Upstairs, the main hall is still no better than a glorified gym with carpeting. Perfect for a wild beer bash, not so good for classy events the city is trying to attract.

I still can’t believe the county turned down that late 90’s offer from the Seneca Nation to use the convention center for a casino, and in return build the city (or at least give is the money to build) a new convention center. Remember all the drawings of a new center near the corner of Oak and Genesee? That area would be buzzing right now instead of still being a rehab project. Another in the long line of downtown mistakes. Even though I wasn’t a proponent of another Casino, that would’ve solved a major problem. But we missed out again.

But let’s end on the positive…the NFADA has done a great job this year in an industry that corporately doesn’t look at Buffalo as strongly as it used to. And if you like this auto show, you will LOVE Toronto’s. Find more info at www.autoshow.ca

Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T

Earlier tonight (yeah, I’m posting this late), I interviewed Kathleen, a castaway fan featured on the 16th season of Survivor, airing Thursday nights at 8pm on CBS (DVR it like me, so you don’t miss the 80’s At 8).

You know the deal – the full interview is now online on my audio page.

Something everyone has been asking me (including KB, as she likes to be called) – of all the contestants (and I was able to pick from all of them who I wanted to interview), why KB? With no one from our area this season, I chose KB for three reasons…

One: KB seemed the one contestant that would most connect with a Star 102.5 listener. That’s definitely important for someone who’s going to be on-air for an extended break. I don’t ever want to give anyone a reason to tune out.

Two: Based on all the contestant bios, she would be the most fun to interview. And she definitely was.

And three: She’s who I’d like to win this season. I’d like to see a “fan” win as opposed to a “favorite” – the “favorites” already had their chance on the show. And of all the “fans”, I just think KB has the best chance of winning.

Now I’ve never been right picking the winner right from the start. But let’s hope that changes this time, because based on my conversation with her, she really is a fun person and deserves the million dollar prize.