RANDOM RICK-NESS

I’m counting on YOU! I need 178 of you to donate 5 bucks to my Salvation Army kettle. The Salvation Army entrusted ME with raising 963 dollars for them and I am WOEFULLY short! I only raised 70 bucks so far and TIME IS RUNNING OUT! Maybe it’s because I don’t have a Facebook page to spread the word. If you do, would you post this on it, or a link to my kettle? For each 5 dollar donation, you are automatically entered for a drawing to win a trip for two to Cancun. Money raised feeds people in St. Louis. It gives housing to the homeless. It gives gifts to kids for Christmas. It helps people who are living in a crisis mode RIGHT NOW.

P-l-e-a-s-e don’t let THEM down. Be one of the 178. Just be one! Can you do it now? Right now? www.k-hits.com/kettle

MORNING MUSINGS

Morning Show Musings for Wednesday, December 22nd

How much football are you watching? The NFL is drawing more viewers this year, according to the "New York Times," claiming 18 of the 20 highest rated shows on TV this season. NBC's Sunday night games and CBS's Sunday afternoon games are up 10% in viewership, Fox games are up 2%, ESPN's ratings are in line with last year's record-breaking season, and the top 13 cable broadcasts this season were all NFL games.

The question is: why? Some think it's the players' stories this season. Brett Favre and Michael Vick have both brought the drama, with Favre's inappropriate texting and conclusion of his consecutive game streak and Vick's return to the gridiron after a prison sentence for dog-fighting, not to mention his amazing playing. Some think high-def TV and better camera lenses have led to a more enjoyable football watching experience. And others believe that the estimated 20 million fantasy football fans have led to increased viewership of the real thing. Click HERE

Didja catch the Beef 'O' Brady Bowl at Tropicana Field last night? Louisville outlasted Southern Miss, 31 - 28, but all I can think about is how yummy a big bowl of beef o brady would be right now...  Click HERE

When your phone rings, how would you like it to sing "Katmandu" to you? Bob Seger is offering a FREE ringtone of that hit from his 1976 multi-platinum-selling double album "Live Bullet" to kick off his ringtone-palooza of Seger songs. Other Seger classics now available as ringtones include "Against the Wind," "Feel Like a Number," "Hollywood Nights," "Mainstreet," "Old Time Rock and Roll," "Turn the Page," "We've Got Tonight," "Like a Rock," "Rock and Roll Never Forgets," "Her Strut," "The Fire Down Below," "Still the Same," "Night Moves" and "Ramblin' Gamblin' Man." (Um, I love Seger, but PLEASE don't use a ballad as a ringtone, 'kay?) You can purchase these ringtones at all mobile service providers.

But if you want "Katmandu" for free, visit here by January 10th: Click HERE

Okay, what would it take for you to, um, be intimate with Gene Simmons? I really can't think of anything - not money, not torture, not blindness nor a hearing impairment. But I'm obviously in the minority, because the 61-year-old says he's bedded close to 5,000 women during his 37 years on the road with KISS, and he can prove it! He has a Polaroid collection featuring each of these lovely ladies holding up the key to the hotel room she shared with him. Simmons is sharing his pearls of wisdom on the A&E reality series "Gene Simmons Family Jewels." The Sunday night show centers on Simmons' life with his two children and their mom, former Playmate of the Year, Shannon Tweed. What is she thinking?!

Have you been meaning to catch up on Gene's Family Jewels? Here ya go:

Gene isn't the only rocker doing reality TV. Bret Michaels reportedly popped the question to his longtime girlfriend, Kristi Gibson, on his VH1 show "Bret Michaels: Life As I Know It." Gibson is the 39-year-old mom to Michaels' two daughters, Raine and Jorja. Click HERE

And if this isn't enough behind-the-scenes rock relationship trauma for you, there's always this: Click HERE

Missouri's Attorney General wants to make sure that when you give your hard-earned money to a charity, the organization uses your donation wisely.

See the attorney general's list of Missouri's 15 worst charities here: Click HERE

Who thought a Broadway musical about Spiderman would be a good idea? Well, a lot of people did...and they were WRONG! The show isn't even out of previews, and already four performers have been injured. An actor doing a Spidey stunt fell 30 feet last night during an elaborate flying sequence and was rushed to the hospital. The New York Times reported that 31-year-old Christopher Tierney suffered broken ribs and internal bleeding. The $65 million dollar show's official opening has been delayed four times, and Bono and The Edge have even been called back to New York to rework the show's music. Normally, you tell performers to break a leg, but I don't think that would be a good idea with this cast.

Now some actors are speaking out against the show's director and producers:

*Warning, this transcript was edited for colorful language, but you can totally tell what words were edited. Click HERE

All week, we've been giving away the new Elton John/Leon Russell CD "The Union," which is getting raves and Grammy nominations.

If you missed Russ Mitchell's piece on the pair on "CBS Sunday Morning," here's a bit of the transcript: Click HERE

If you'd like to see my reviews of "Cirque Dreams Holidaze" at the Fabulous Fox, check out "Drama Queen" on our morning show page.

Or, if movies are more your style, I have reviews for "True Grit" and "All Good Things," opening today. Find those at "Mac at the Movies."

El Monstero performs at the Pageant through December 26th. If you're a Floyd fan, you don't want to miss this! But shows are selling out quickly, so get those tix today at Ticketmaster or The Pageant Box office. Click HERE

The annual "New Year for the Strays Trivia Night" is January 8th at the Hilton St. Louis at the Ballpark! The event benefits Stray Rescue of St. Louis, along with several spay/neuter programs that are such an important part of contributing the animal rescue efforts in the city of St. Louis. Event hosts expect another sellout for the second-largest trivia night in all of St. Louis, so they recommend that you register early.

Tables of 10 are $300, and corporate table for $500 includes 2 valet parking passes, a VIP gift bag and a personal runner/server for your table. And, thanks to the St. Louis Cardinals, the first 150 people who donate a bag of Purina dog food will receive a voucher good for 2 tickets to a 2011 Cardinals regular season home game – vouchers are limited so be sure to arrive early!

To register a table or as an individual, please go to: Click HERE

This is our last week for online Salvation Army kettles and our faboo auction items. (This week it's $500 worth of yummy restaurant gift certificates!) If you'd like to donate to the Salvation Army here on our website, then you can walk confidently past the real live kettles while you're doing your last-minute shopping and feel good knowing that if you don't stop and hunt up some change to toss in, you've still done something very good for a very good organization! (And a chance at a Funjet vacation doesn't hurt a bit! For every $5 you donate to our online kettles, you get one entry into the Funjet vacation contest!) Thank you so very much to all of the kind, generous people who have donated this year! We all know what a challenge it is right now for everyone to come up with a few extra dollars to give to charity, and we thank you so much for your selflessness!!!