Writer Keith

Hey everyone! Sorry it's been a while. With the holidays, a pregnant wife, a break-in to my house, making said house into Ft. Knox, and throwing my back out from laughing so hard after the Yankees gave $500 million to a guy who only pitches well in contract years, a first baseman that has never finished higher than 6th in the MVP race, and a pitcher who may hit 450 pounds before his contract is up, my plate has been full.

Keep your Super Bowl faux pas-free this year. Writer Keith tells you how!

I am not sure if you have heard it or not. but there is a pretty big football game this weekend. It's Super Bowl Sunday! From the game to the commercials to the Boss singing at halftime to the pre-game show that started sometime last Wednesday, most of you have some sort of plan for the game.

Some of you may head to a tavern to catch the game, but many of you will probably watch the game at your house or a friend's house. Well if you are headed to or hosting a Super Bowl Party, I have a list of what you can do to make your Sunday Super.

Make Football Squares and Make Ridiculous Sidebets
Now we here at the Morning Express do not condone bookmaking, but making simple bets with friends makes the game fun–even if your team isn't in the game. You know what I am talking about. It's a 10 by 10 grid of 100 squares. You sell each square for a buck, people put their name in the squares, you pick out numbers 0-9 at random for the two teams and after each quarter someone wins. We did this at my Uncle Pete's place for Super Bowl XXVIII. I ended up with Bills 3 and Dallas 6. After the 1st quarter it was Dallas 6 Bills 3. $25 for me. Then the Bills scored a touchdown in the 2nd quarter then kicked a field goal to go into the half Bills 13-10. Big winner again: ME!

Ridiculous sidebets are also fun. You can bet a friend on the coin toss, how long the national anthem will be, if Little Stevie Van Zandt will have a wardrobe malfunction...anything. It is always a pick-me-up, especially if the game stinks.

Gather Canned Goods, Bottled Water, and build a Panic Room
Sunday's game features the Pittsburgh Steelers against the Arizona Cardinals. The Arizona Cardinals. Let's put it this way: If the historically lousy Cardinals win in the same 12 month span as the Tampa Bay Rays go to the World Series, Mickey Rourke became an Oscar contender, Bret Michaels had so much trouble scoring with strippers in a house that he had to put them on a bus, and the New Kids on The Block released a new album, frogs may actually fall out of the sky. Didn't Nostradamus warn of this? I'm expecting my dog Barrett to fill out my tax return at this point.

Have themes at your party for both teams
When the Patriots were in the game, I made Clam Chowder. This year you could make faux Primanti Brothers sandwiches for the Steelers (a sandwich of meat, tomato, cole slaw, and french fries on thick Italian bread). I am not sure what the big food is out in Arizona, but if you wanted to give a shout out to many of it's residents you could pull your pants up to your armpits.

Make sure you know a little bit about the game, even if you hate football
Here's a crib sheet: "Big Ben" is the Steelers quarterback because it's easier to say than "Roethlisberger." The guy that is jumping 15 feet in the air to catch the ball on the Cardinals is Larry Fitzgerald. That guy with the big, bushy hair who is next to him is Troy Polamalu. He's been next to him since Fitzgerald pulled into the parking lot. And of course, if you've watched the show over the past three months, Rafer Weigel told you that the quarterback for Arizona Kurt Warner used to work in a grocery store. He also won a Super Bowl and played in another before this year, but I digress.

Make sure you have enough meat, snack treats, and booze.
Unless you are one of those creepy vegans or if you are on the wagon this is important. If you make too many meatballs, put them in the fridge and make spaghetti and meatballs for dinner the next night. If you run out of meat, good luck. To paraphrase Homer Simpson: If I went to a Super Bowl party and they ran out of meat I'd be like "Hey goober, where's all the meat?" Same goes for booze and snack treats. One little tip in class. If you go to a party with a six pack and you drink three, the three stay with the house. Sorry. Would you bring a bag of Cool Ranch Doritos and walk out with half a bag. Your friends were nice enough to put you up, cheapskate.

So that's my list. I have no idea who is going to win this game. The NFL this year has been too wacky. Tyler Thigpen brought Senior Writer Jeff to the finals of our fantasy league, Chad Pennington won the Comeback Player of the Year for a 2nd time in three years, and people in New England thought for 5 seconds that we should trade Tom Brady. It's like bizzaro NFL season. So what are you doing for a perfect party? Everyone could use the help.

Posted by: super bowl, Writer Keith
Filed under: Extras • Sports

Senior Writer Jeff

For this week’s New Music Tuesday segment, we gave you a taste of Bruce Springsteen’s new album, “Working on a Dream”. His “Born to Run” and “Born in the USA” are considered to be 2 of the greatest albums in rock history. So, here’s a list of my favorite Springsteen albums that don’t start with “Born”. What are your favorites?

You know you love him.

5) The Rising (2002)
Springsteen copes with the tragedy of 9/11 and seeing his hometown in shambles. But, somehow, “The Rising” finds a way to be uplifting.

4) The River (1980)
The ideas were overflowing. The 2-record set is a masterpiece of joy and pain. How are the title track and “Hungry Heart” on the same album? Amazing.

3) Nebraska (1982)
Springsteen’s always been a folk singer in disguise. The title track, “Atlantic City”, “Johnny 99” and “Highway Patrolman” are dark, empty, and unforgettable. He decided to make his next album more listener-friendly, and we all know how that went.

2) Greetings From Asbury Park (1973)
His debut album. I still pull out the vinyl every so often to get that 1973 vibe. It has this feeling like.. whoever this Springsteen kid is, he’s going somewhere special, and I want to go, too. I never get tired of “Growin’ Up”, “Hard to Be a Saint in the City” and “Spirit in the Night”.

1) Darkness on the Edge of Town (1978 )
It came right after “Born to Run”, so you know expectations were high. It’s hard to believe looking back 30 years that there really weren’t any hits. “Badlands” and “The Promised Land” are on the short list of my favorite Springsteen songs.

Which Springsteen albums do you love? Any favorite lyrics? Tell us in the comments field below.

Posted by: Bruce Splringsteen, Senior Writer Jeff
Filed under: Extras • New Music Tuesday

Producer Aimee Puvak

There’s been a lot of last minute wheeling and dealing as President Barack Obama tries to get this $825 billion dollar economic stimulus package passed. The House will vote on the plan today. Obama has called for bipartisan cooperation on the bill. He courted both Senate and House Republicans Tuesday, to try to sway some of them in favor of the plan.

Leave your comments and tell us how the stalled economy is affecting you.

Democrats have the numbers to get it passed since they have the majority in the House. But one of the GOP’s big concerns is whether the package could revive the economy quickly enough.

The $825 billion package includes things like a middle class tax cut, investments in renewable energy and modern construction projects.

Obama says it could help create between 3 and 4 million jobs.

We want to know what do you want most out of the stimulus plan? Is it more job opportunities or maybe a break on your taxes? How has the recession impacted you and your family? And how can the government help?

Send us your comments!

Filed under: Extras • Your Money

Business Correspondent Jennifer Westhoven

If you’re trying to save your money these days, you can score some high-end makeup for free!

Free perfume! All the glamour, none of the price.

(And this isn’t just for the ladies, guys, you might make your honey extra-happy on Valentine’s Day with a romantic gift like perfume.)

Starting today: Stores are giving away $175 million dollars worth of cosmetics. The makers are settling allegations that they conspired to never offer discounts, and they want to make that antitrust lawsuit go away.

Where to go: Macy's, Dillard's, Saks Fifth Avenue, Nordstrom and Nieman Marcus.

What you can get: One from this list ...
- Moisturizing creams from Clarins, Estee Lauder, Clinque and Lancome;
- Shower gels from Calvin Klein, Sarah Jessica Parker, Ralph Lauren and Giorgio Armani;
- Mascara from Lancome;
- Perfume from Boucheron, Chanel, Dior, Guerlain and Givenchy.

You won’t need a receipt, but you will have to sign something, and you may have to wait in line.

I also bet they may be those little travel sizes but hey, it’s something for nothing!

Posted by: Business Correspondent Jennifer Westhoven, free makeup
Filed under: Your Money

Anchor Robin Meade

This is the day … an historic event for the United States. The nation’s first African American president will be sworn in. I think it’s fair to say, no matter who you voted for in the election, this is indeed a monumental occasion.

Are you in D.C.? Are you there in spirit? Share your thoughts on this momentous occasion.

All morning, we’ll bring you the latest on the pre-inauguration events. Then, starting at 11am eastern here on HLN, I’ll be anchoring special coverage, including the live swearing-in.

I’d like to know your thoughts today about the inauguration of Barack Obama.

Does it carry a certain meaning for you … for your family?

As you watch today’s coverage, what will you be looking for? The people? Maybe the faces … the expressions in the crowd?

Or perhaps it’s Obama’s speech that’ll capture your attention?

And … what do you want to tell President Obama today?

I’d love to read your comments on the air - so post away below! And if you’re watching the inauguration … from work, from home, or perhaps if you’re there in person … we’d love to SEE your reaction. Send in your iReports to cnn.com/robin

Posted by: Anchor Robin Meade, Inauguration, Obama
Filed under: Election Connection • Your Turn

Business Correspondent Jennifer Westhoven

These are some tough numbers out today. More than 70 cities across the United States could see unemployment top 10% by the end of year, according to a study that was put together for the U.S. Conference of Mayors.

New York is among other cities expected to suffer huge job losses in the first quarter of 2009.

Sure, there’s Detroit and Cleveland and some of the Rust Belt states (Ohio, Illinois, Michigan and Indiana) … but there were also cities in Colorado, South Carolina, Washington and Florida. And there were many, many cities in California, reeling from the housing collapse.

The heaviest job losses will be in New York City, Los Angeles, Miami and Chicago – but these cities have enough jobs in other industries to cushion the blow a bit, so they may not end up at more than 10% unemployment this year. It’s often the smaller cities that depend on just a few companies or industries that can get hurt the most.

The cities that may see the least damage: Ithaca, New York; St George, Utah; and Anchorage and Fairbanks Alaska.

To find your city’s prospects, you can read the report yourself.

Warning: it’s a little hard to read the table, but try it, near the end of the report. Good luck!

See a partial list of cities that will see unemployment top 10% after the jump Read the rest of this entry »

Posted by: Business Correspondent Jennifer Westhoven
Filed under: Your Money

Business Correspondent Jennifer Westhoven

Go ahead, what's the worst that can happen? It's not like you'll get fired.

Peru's top court has ruled that workers cannot be fired for being drunk on the job, according to reports. The Constitutional Tribunal ordered that the town of Chorrillos reinstate a street cleaner his job back! He was fired for excessive drinking.

The court sided with Pablo Cayo, saying he didn’t offend or hurt anyone. The janitor argued he was not drunk, he just smelled of alcohol, after attending a wake the night before.

Peru’s government is very upset about the ruling – saying it set sa dangerous precedent – imagine if drivers showed up drunk for work?

Posted by: Business Correspondent Jennifer Westhoven
Filed under: Your Money

Business Correspondent Jennifer Westhoven

Looking for ways to monitor or improve your credit score? Here are some helpful tips:

Where can I get my credit report for free?

You're entitled to a free copy of your credit reports from the Big 3 credit bureaus (Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion) once a year. The place to get these is www.annualcreditreport.com. Select your state and request the report. You will have to put in some personal information.

You can keep even closer tabs than once a year if you want to. Since you are entitled to one report from each credit company a year, you can space them out. (The reports tend to be fairly similar). Order from one credit bureau, first. Four months later, you can check in with the second company, and four months with the third company. Write a note in your calendar so you’ll know who you ordered from and when.

How can I check my credit score?

This will cost you something.
No Frills: If you want to spend as little as possible and just get a general sense of your score: order it from one of the bureaus on www.fico.com. It's about $16. You don't need to sign up for any ongoing "services".

If you are going to be applying for a big loan, like a mortgage, you may want to check your scores with all three of the bureaus. It will cost a little more, and then you may want to check out the different packages that are offered.

Does checking my own credit hurt my credit score?

It depends.

Applying for new credit definitely can hurt you. When an OUTSIDE company runs a credit-check on you, it's a sign that you are seeking more debt. So don't sign up for store credit cards or smaller loans if you're going to be applying for a mortgage or a car loan in the near future.

If you run your own credit through these websites, or through the three major credit bureaus, that will not hurt your score. That's a "soft" inquiry. Those mass inquiries, such as when banks check thousands of people to send out those "pre-approved" offers are also "soft" pulls that will not hurt your score.

But here's where things can be tricky - if you sign up for credit monitoring by an outside service, not listed here, there are cases where they count as "hard" inquiries that can hurt your score. Make sure it's YOU checking your credit, not an outside service.

Do you have any questions that you'd like Jennifer to answer? Leave them in the comments field below.

Posted by: Business Correspondent Jennifer Westhoven
Filed under: Uncategorized • Your Money

News Correspondent Richard Lui

2 questions to talk about.

1. Is this about Burris or about Blagojevich?

Roland Burris has spent decades in Illinois politics, is well respected, and was the first African American male to hold a statewide elected office. He competed against Rod Blagojevich for the governorship, but lost. Burris then became an ally of Blagojevich, leading the new governor’s transition team. So appointing Burris might appear reasonable.

Burris: At the heart of the storm.

But Blagojevich is under investigation for allegedly trying to sell President-Elect Barack Obama’s Senate Seat to the highest bidder. That development has now cast doubt over his ability to govern, and tainted his selection of Burris to fill the seat. Burris says that Blagojevich’s problems have nothing to do with him and the appointment is legal. Illinois House lawmakers have put together a special panel to determine if impeachment proceedings against the governor should be taken. So is this more about Blagojevich, or about Burris?

2. Should Burris be allowed to sit in the US Senate?

He showed up at 1030am, January 7, 2009, like hundreds of other new lawmakers, but his trip was different. He was swarmed with a frenzy of media. Everybody wanted to know if Burris was going to make it to one of the 100 wooden desks that the most exclusive club in the world uses daily.

He had to make it past the sign-in desk, then past the sergeant at arms at the chamber door, and then finally get to his seat on the US Senate floor for swearing in. Those were the steps. But he only made it to the desk, where he was turned away because his certificate from the state of Illinois didn’t have the Illinois Secretary of State’s signature.

At 1050am he was back on the street telling reporters he was not allowed in. US Senator Diane Feinstein broke ranks on Burris-mania yesterday. She says the by rejecting him, it casts doubts on gubernatorial appointments nationwide. Do you agree with her? Should he have been let in or was the right decision made to keep him out? And do you want to hear more from President Elect Obama on Burris?

Let us know what you think about these questions and any other thoughts you have. We’ll be posting them here and getting them on Morning Express! See you then.

Posted by: News Correspondent Richard Lui
Filed under: Election Connection

Business Correspondent Jennifer Westhoven

If you just got laid off, or you’re looking for a job … how’d you like to work for the FBI?

"FBI" looks great on a resume.

The agency says it’s going on one of its largest hiring blitzes in its history – calling it “mega hiring” – and we’re not just talking about special agents either. In addition to 850 new agents, the FBI says it plans to fill over 2,100 staff jobs.

It wants language specialists, computer experts, intelligence analysts, finance experts and people with experience in nursing, security and auto mechanics. There are even clerical jobs available.

You can put your hat in the ring and apply at the FBI’s website.

Good Luck!

Posted by: Business Correspondent Jennifer Westhoven, FBI, jobs
Filed under: Extras • Your Money