Add Ricky Gervais to the set of ‘Sesame Street’ and you come up with outrageous comedy. Check out outtakes from his interview with Muppet Elmo. The full episode airs this November when ‘Street’ opens with its 40th anniversary. (March 11)

2009 – Barbara Mandrell, Roy Clark and session musician Charlie McCoy are officially inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in Nashville.

2006 – The “Walk The Line” soundtrack goes platinum. The album features such Johnny Cash songs as “Ring Of Fire” and “Jackson” performed by Reese Witherspoon, Joaquin Phoenix, Shooter Jennings and Waylon Payne.

2005 – Tim McGraw’s “Live Like You Were Dying,” written by Tim Nichols and Craig Wiseman, wins Single Record and Song of the Year during the 40th annual Academy of Country Music awards, telecast on CBS from Las Vegas’ Mandalay Bay.

2001 – A new $37-million Country Music Hall of Fame opens in downtown Nashville. Among many on hand: Vince Gill, Brad Paisley, George Jones, Emmylou Harris, Diamond Rio, Martina McBride, Bill Anderson and ribbon-cutters Charley Pride, Brenda Lee and Kitty Wells.

1993 – Johnny Cash begins four days of recording in producer Rick Rubin’s living room in Los Angeles, backed only by his own guitar. It marks the start of work on his “American Recordings” album.

1983 – Bill Monroe is a guest at the White House, along with Frank Sinatra, as President Ronald Reagan recognizes Monroe as the only living American credited with originating an American music form.

1975 – Pop singer B.J. Thomas finds his way to the top of the Billboard country chart with one of country music’s longest song title: “(Hey Won’t You Play) Another Somebody Done Somebody Wrong Song”.

1967 – Glen Campbell records “Gentle On My Mind,” written by John Hartford and arranged by Leon Russell, at the Capitol Recording Studio in Hollywood.

1952 – Guitarist Pat Flynn born in Los Angeles, California. He joins the progressive New Grass Revival in 1981, eventually becoming a studio musician, where he plays on hits by Lee Ann Womack, Kathy Mattea, George Strait and Conway Twitty, among others.

yankee candle company

Breath in deep, guys, this scents for you.

Finally, we can throw out the lavender, heather, and cinnamon smelling candles.  The Yankee Candle Company is producing a line of candles for men, and wait ’til you hear the flavors. 

LAWN MOWER

The intensely summery scent of freshly cut grass.

2X4

The scent of freshly planed wood and sawdust evokes a sense of confidence and quality.

FIRST DOWN

This combination of orange, patchouli, vetiver and leather is as exciting as game day.  Okay…what the heck is patchouli and vetiver?  Are those alternate words for ‘smells like a gym locker’?

MAN TOWN

Escape to the man cave with this masculine blend of spices, woods and musk.   Would it be politically incorrect for me to say that I really don’t want to go to man town — ever.

The descriptions of these scents (without the side notes, of course) come straight from the Yankee Candle website.

Alright…here’s your homework, what ‘man candle scents’ do you think Yankee Candle has missed?  Maybe something like ‘BACHELOR’S FRIDGE’ – the unmistakeable pungent smell of last month’s milk, take out, and general jungle growth.

Let us know by Monday and we’ll talk about it on the Merrell in the Morning show.

SRA

Anglers from across the region and across the country will be converging onto Toledo Bend this weekend for the annual KICKS McDonald’s Big Bass Splash.

Granted, the fishermen who will win their share of the guaranteed $440,000 in cash and prizes will be the big story, but this tournament is  not just about catching bass.    The tournament headquarters will be at Cypress Bend Park, and if you’ve never been there, bring the family because they’ll be in for a treat.

SRA

The biggest draw for the kids is the beach with plenty of white sand.  Speaking of sand, there’s also a beach volleyball pit, playground, and a beautiful pavilion.

SRA

cypress bend resort

How ’bout some golf?  Just a couple of miles from the park is the Cypress Bend Resort and Spa which features a lavish 18 hole golf course at a very reasonable price.

Back to the fishing now, keep in the mind that registration is going on today (Thursday) until 8pm at Cypress Bend Park, and will begin again tomorrow morning at 5.

Ethan Miller, Getty Images

Disco legend Donna Summer has died after a battle with cancer, TMZ is reporting. She was 63 years old.

Insiders say she wanted to keep the disease quiet, and a friend said that as recently as two weeks ago, Summer seemed okay and was even finishing up work on a new album.

The five-time Grammy winner shot to fame in the 1970s with songs like ‘Love to Love You Baby,’ ‘Hot Stuff’ and ‘Bad Girls,’ and continued her reign on radio airwaves into the ’80s with hits including ‘She Works Hard for the Money’ and ‘This Time I Know It’s for Real.’

Summer was also the first artist to have three consecutive double albums reach No. 1 on the US Billboard chart.

[TMZ]

Ethan Miller, Getty Images

Kenny Chesney is gearing up to head back out on the road on his first major stadium run since last summer’s Goin’ Coastal Tour. Not only is he sharing the stage with his fellow country music superstar Tim McGraw, but also famed Nashville musician Kenny Greenberg.

Greenberg is the Academy of Country Music’s 2012 Guitarist of the Year and a veteran session musician in Music City who has previously collaborated with Bob Seger, Willie Nelson and Etta James. The legendary guitarist has frequently worked with Chesney on past musical projects, including the singer’s forthcoming new album ‘Welcome to the Fishbowl’ (in stores June 19) and his previous album, ‘Hemingway’s Whiskey.’

“Kenny is one of the best guitarists out there today, period,” Chesney says of his fellow Kenny, Greenberg. “He’s been a great friend and collaborator over the years, right through ‘Welcome to the Fishbowl,’ and it’s going to be amazing to have him at the party each night this summer.”

Greenberg will join Chesney’s already solid band of musicians, which includes Wyatt Beard (keyboards), Sean Paddock (drums), Steve Marshall (bass), Clayton Mitchell (guitar), Jim Bob Gairrett (steel guitar) and Jon Conley (guitar/fiddle).

The highly-anticipated Brothers of the Sun Tour, also featuring Jake Owen and Grace Potter, is set to kick off on June 2 in Tampa, Fla.

[button href="http://tasteofcountry.com/kenny-chesney-tim-mcgraw-2012-co-headline-tour-dates/" title="See Kenny Chesney Tour Dates" align="center"]

Source: TasteofCountry.com

USGS

In the last week there have been 807 earthquakes in the United States, and only two of those have been in Texas….East Texas!!!

What in the heck is going on!!??  This time a 4.3M shaker that was centered very near the last week’s 3.9M tremor near Timpson.

This appears to be one of those rare instances of an aftershock being stronger than the original quake.  After listening to several call-ins to the Merrell in the Morning show, it seems apparent that folks that went through both earthquakes definitely felt the difference in strength.  We had reports of broken dishes and pictures in and around the Timpson area.

I had the chance this morning to interview Amy Vaughn, she’s a seismologist with the United States Geological Survey (USGS).  She was able to shed some light on our earthquake and tremors in general.

Take a listen to the interview here.

Today, Shelton will go for his 7th straight win against the latest from Rascal Flatts – ‘Come Wake me Up’.

Here’s Blake Shelton with ‘Over’

Bryan Bedder/Getty Images

Here’s Rascal Flatts with ‘Come Wake Me Up’

Michael Loccisano/Getty Images for Big Machine Records

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The Hudson Lady Hornets, champions of District 18-3A have outscored their opponents by a combined 32-0 in post season play.  After drawing an opening round bye, Hudson has eased past China Spring and Central.

Their next opponent will be Huffman-Hargrave.  The best of three series will open on Thursday with a 7:00 game in Hudson and then they will shift to Huffman-Hargrave on Friday for a 6pm start.  A third game, if necessary, would immediately follow.

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In class 2A, the champions of district 22, the Central Heights Lady Devils have also been extremely impressive.  They took two straight from Buna (10-2, 3-1), before taking an 8-0 victory over Sabine in the 3rd round.

Central Heights will now face Mineola in a best of 3 series.  All games will be played at Brookhill Academy in Bullard.  The first game is set for 7 Friday night, with the 2nd game to be play at 2pm on Saturday.  A third game, if necessary, would immediately follow.

Meanwhile, in Class 1A Garrison will try to advance to the next round with a best of three series against Avery.  All games will be in Lindale with the first game on Friday at 6:30.  The 2nd game is scheduled for 1:30 Saturday.

Douglass will be taking on Beckville in a best of three series.  All games will be in Nacogdoches.  The first game will be Thursday at 6pm with the 2nd game on Friday at 5pm.

Nate Shron, Getty Images

Graduating seniors at Lufkin High School received $114,000 in scholarships from the Alumni Association Monday night at a ceremony at Tom Jack Lucas Auditorium. Big bucks! The LHS Alumni Association said that’s the highest dollar amount ever for them.

Contributions by other donors topped $3.1 million, and added up to hundreds of scholarships for 180 students. All that studying DID pay off. I know I thought all the hard work might never end, and then suddenly it did and then I wondered where all the time had gone. Scholarships are a nice way to ease the transition to college. They’re a pat on the back, and provide a financial boost in the fall.

We’ve highlighted some of the local winners here:

Valedictorian Ruth Watkins got the first ever John Mitchell Memorial Scholarship, named for the beloved teacher.

Morgan Elizabeth “Lizzie” Wallace and Amy Zhang were the winners of the Virginia and Bayo Hopper Memorial Scholarship. Wallace has spent much of this year in a battle with cancer, and the crowd supported her with an ovation and whooping applause Monday.

Conner Groom won the first ever Coach John Outlaw Memorial Scholarship.

Congrats to all, and toss that cap high at graduation! It won’t be long and you’ll be COLLEGE grads and you’ll be working 9 to 5 and married with 2.5 children and a dog. Enjoy the new beginning!

2009 – David Nail makes his Grand Ole Opry debut.

2006 – Kenny Chesney performs “There Goes My Life” and “Back Where I Come From” for president George W. Bush and Australian prime minister John Howard at the White House.

1998 – Faith Hill begins a three-week run at #1 on the Billboard country chart with “This Kiss”.

1989 – “Reba McEntire’s Greatest Hits” becomes the singer’s first platinum album.

1987 – Dolly Parton, Linda Ronstadt and Emmylou Harris score a #1 country single with a song written by pop record producer Phil Spector, “To Know Him Is To Love Him”.

1980 – RCA releases Alabama’s “Tennessee River”.

1979 – Waylon Jennings’ “Greatest Hits” goes gold.

1971 – Rick Trevino born in Houston. The Hispanic singer, signed to Columbia Records at age 19, develops a short string of 1990s hits, including “She Can’t Say I Didn’t Cry,” “Learning As You Go” and “Running Out Of Reasons”.

1969 – Merle Haggard records “Workin’ Man Blues” at the Capitol tower in Hollywood.

1966 – Scott Reeves born in Santa Monica, California. After working as a soap star on “The Young And The Restless,” he forms Blue County with Aaron Benward, earning a hit with “Good Little Girls” in 2004. He also co-writes Toby Keith’s “Made In America”.

1964 – Buck Owens nets a #1 single in Billboard with “My Heart Skips A Beat”.

TxDOT along with Polk County officials and law enforcement to hold kick off news conference to boost safety belt awareness during Click It or Ticket Campaign.  Activities will take place at the Southbound Safety Rest Area on U.S. 59 in Leggett, Texas 10:30 a.m., Wednesday, May 16, 2012.  Join TxDOT, Polk County elected officials, DPS, and area law enforcement agencies.  Uniformed law enforcement officers will line the front steps of the facility with their traffic vehicles and a seatbelt rollover convincer.  For more information check out www.texasclickitorticket.com.

ABC

With so many amazing contenders in the ‘Dancing with the Stars‘ semifinals, it was really anyone’s guess who’d leave after Tuesday night’s elimination show.

So which three couples will move on to next week’s big finale?

Hosts Tom Bergeron and Brooke Burke-Charvet, who was nice enough to introduce first-time viewers to her cleavage, kicked off the show by letting the judges choose an encore dance from performance night.

Len announced the honors would go to William and Cheryl’s samba, so the bronzed pair again took to the stage to showcase William’s bouncy backside to a grateful nation.

Then we got a backstage look at what exactly happened to Katherine after she flubbed the end of her second routine on Monday. Apparently a twinge in her back chose to make itself known at an inopportune time, and she was devastated — although it seemed she was more concerned about possibly costing Mark a spot in the finals than she was about herself.

Brooke’s cleavage called Katherine and Mark to the stage to learn their fate, and after they were told they were the first to make it to the finals, they jumped so high it honestly looked like they’d both been launched from ejector seats. Much rejoicing ensued, and we have to say we’re pleased we’ll get to see them next week.

Next up: Derek and Maria, who had a helluva night on Monday. But even though they were at the top of the judges’ leaderboard, they must have fallen short on audience votes because they were the first couple in jeopardy.

Then we got a peek at the upcoming ‘Rock of Ages‘ movie, only live on stage, featuring ‘DWTS’ vet Julianne Hough and the always-amazing Mary J. Blige. It was … well, see for yourself:

Donald and Peta were the next to be told they were in jeopardy, which course meant William and Cheryl moved on to the finals.

And in what many people will probably feel was a really shocking result, Maria and Derek were eliminated, even after getting one perfect score and one near-perfect score on Monday. Yeah, those audience votes do matter. (Is this a good time to say we predicted they’d come in fourth?)

But if Maria was surprised, she sure didn’t let it show. “I learned so many things,” she said about her time on the show. “I learned how strong I was. I learned to persevere.” Classy lady — and as we said, it really could’ve been anyone who went home.

See you next week, when we’ll finally find out who wins the coveted mirror ball trophy.

Source: ScreenCrush.com

Ethan Miller/Getty Images

In 2013, the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo will be one day longer than usual.  That’s because the one extra day will set aside for a full concert from George Strait, Martina McBride, and the Randy Rogers Band! 

The rodeo will run from February 25th through March 17th with King George taking the stage for the final night.  There will be no rodeo events happening on the 17th, however, the booths and events that happen outside Reliant Stadium will still be going full swing.

An official announcement of the rest of the performers for the Houston Rodeo is still months away, but it’s great to know that George will be coming back for his 21st rodeo appearance.

Christopher Polk/Getty Images

I’m always looking for local honey, since I’ve heard it’s good at helping with local allergies. Getting too scientific about it might make my head explode, but I’ve heard ingesting what the bees produce is supposed to help fight off seasonal allergies. I’m giving the kids a teaspoon a day and they don’t have many sniffles.

With the Farmer’s Market is open in Nac, you can not only get local honey, but just about anything else homegrown too.

The Farmer’s Market says it has baked goods, local organic beef, homemade candles, ceramics, Texas artisan cheeses, local organic chicken, free range eggs, local organic tilapia fish, flowers, various handcrafted items, herbs, local honey, jewelry, plants, preserves, local produce, homemade soaps and locally made fruit wines.

The Nacogcoches Farmer’s Market is open every Wednesday from 3-6pm, and Saturday’s from 8am-Noon. On Saturday’s they break out the breakfast burritos and tacos. Yum!  It’s located at the “hitch lot” at the corner of West Main and Pearl Streets. See ya there.

Today on the Country Clash, look who’s back together…the Mavericks, featuring Raul Malo on lead vocals.  Their new song is ‘Born to be Blue’.

Here’s Blake Shelton with ‘Over’

Bryan Bedder/Getty Images

And here are the Mavericks with ‘Born to be Blue’

Frazer Harrison/Getty Images for Stagecoach

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