Garth Brooks

"Live From Las Vegas" bests a night of many repeats, though repeats of many holiday specials drop significantly from last year.

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Garth Brooks

CBS won the holiday weekend Friday with its two-hour Garth Brooks special. The singer'sLive From Las Vegas averaged a 1.8 rating among adults 18-49, easily locking up broadcast TV's best showing of the night. Lead-in specials Hoops & Yoyo Ruin Christmas (0.4 adults) andThe Elf on the Shelf (0.6 adults) were both down significantly from last year's showings. CBS took a 1.4 adults rating and 6.7 million viewers for the night.

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How the Grinch Stole Christmas (1.5 adults) andShrek the Halls (1.5 adults) also saw big year-to-year drops on ABC, as the specials moved from Tuesday to Friday. 20/20(0.9 adults) was off seven-tenths from last week, giving ABC a 1.2 adults rating and 5.1 million viewers for the night.

Dateline (1.2 adults) was up by a tenth of a point on NBC. Grimm (1.3 adults) shed three-tenths of a point from its last original, while Dracula (0.9 adults) held its most recent score. NBC took a 1.1 adults rating and 5.2 million viewers for the night.

After an encore of Bones, Fox aired back-to-back episodes of Raising Hope, each down two-tenths of a point for a 0.6 adults rating. Fox averaged a 0.6 rating with adults 18-49 and 2.3 million viewers.

Special Grandma Got Run Over By a Reindeer (0.4 adults) was slightly off from the previous year, while Nikita (0.2 adults) matched last week's return. The CW averaged a 0.3 adults rating and 1.1 million viewers.

Gap

Finnish government agrees more long-term welfare cuts

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HELSINKI (Reuters) – Finland’s government reached a deal on Friday on parts of a long-term plan to scale back welfare spending in order to protect its triple-A credit rating as its population ages and the economy slows.

The government, made up of six parties with varying views, agreed to start removing some obligations from municipalities, targeting long-term cost cuts in services such as dental care, hospital care for the elderly and the secondary school network.

Finland’s tight spending policies have kept it among the few euro zone countries that have held on to top credit ratings through four years of crisis in the bloc. But its economy slid into recession early this year as weak European demand hit exports of paper, machines and ships, dragging down tax revenue.

The Nordic country’s debt is expected to breach the European Union’s limit of 60 percent of gross domestic product next year.

“The credit rating agencies have trusted that Finland is capable of agreeing on sufficient reforms, and the package agreed today is an exact answer to this,” Carl Haglund, defence minister and the leader of the small Swedish People’s Party, told a news conference.

Friday’s deal was part of a broader government plan that includes a hike in the effective retirement age to 62.4 in 2025 from a current 60.9, measures allowing more consolidation of municipalities and health care reforms.

Many Finns take pride in their welfare system, which includes free, high-quality education and egalitarian childcare services, and negotiations over the changes have been fraught.

(Reporting By Jussi Rosendahl; Editing by Ruth Pitchford)

Victoria Secret

Taylor Swift comment gets Victoria's Secret model Jessica Hart axed

November 29, 2013

Jessica Hart will probably be very careful about what she says to the press from now on. According to a Page Sixarticle posted on Friday, Nov. 29, Victoria's Secret executives have decided to ax her from next year's fashion show because of her comments about Taylor Swift.

After walking the runway for the 2013 fashion show earlier this fall, Jessica was asked if she thought Taylor, who performed for the show, could pull it off as a lingerie model.

“No… God bless her heart. I think she’s great… But I don’t know, to me, she didn’t fit," Jessica replied.

Her comment was widely reported by the media, with many perceiving it to be a diss of the singer. Jessica later tried to limit the damage by telling Us Weekly that Taylor "is a true rock star" who "absolutely killed it the other night.”

Unfortunately for her, that just wasn't enough.

According to sources, furious Victoria's Secret execs have decided to not invite Jessica to next year's fashion show. Not only that, they've decided that she won't be appearing in any upcoming catalogs.

Yikes! Perhaps if Jessica Hart was more famous and integral to the lingerie brand, like Alessandra Ambrosio, Adriana Lima, Karlie Kloss, and Doutzen Kroes, the executives wouldn't have been so harsh on her. Considering that even the seasoned pros put themselves through a terrifying audition process every year in order to be included in the fashion show, it seems that Jessica really has no chance of recovering with the brand.

Do you agree with what Jessica said about Taylor Swift?

Apple Store

Black Friday 2013: U.S. Apple stores offer gift cards instead of discounts on iPad, Mac products

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Apple watchers woke up Thanksgiving morning to a new wrinkle in the company's typical Black Friday plans. Instead of the usual small discounts the company offered across most of its product lines in years past, the Australian Apple Store launched with gift cards being promoted for the purchase of many items instead. Then to confuse things more, European Apple Stores came online after midnight with the typical discounts, and not the gift cards.

What would Apple do in the U.S.? After the online store went down for a few hours this morning,it's returned with the same Black Friday gift card "deal" as greeted Aussie shoppers. In other words, there will be no sale prices for products sold at Apple stores this Black Friday, just gift cards.

If you're still willing to buy directly from Apple today, be prepared for further disappointment if you're planning to buy an iPhone 5c or 5s or the iPad mini with Retina display. That's because Apple isn't offering a gift for these popular new products. In comparison, Walmart will provide a $75 gift card if you pick up a 5c or 5s at its stores this weekend, and Target is offering a $75 card for an iPad mini with Retina display purchase.

You will receive a $75 Apple gift card if you buy an iPad Air, which is $25 less than what Target is offering on Black Friday if you purchase the tablet from that store. You can get a $50 gift card with the purchase of an original iPad mini or an iPad 2 -- Walmart offered a $100 gift card for an iPad mini purchase yesterday as part of its first round of doorbusters, while Best Buy matched it online earlier this week. Target is offering $75 gift cards for the first-generation iPad mini and $100 cards for an iPad 2.

Those looking for a new Mac can score a $150 Apple gift card, whether you're grabbing a new iMac or a MacBook Air or MacBook Pro. Note, however, that Best Buy is slashing the price on Macs for Black Friday, either by $150 or $200 depending on the configuration. Though a gift card is nice if you're planning on buying other in-store purchases, when it comes to systems, the lower price is probably preferable to most buyers.

The iPod is still around and kicking, and will be part of the Black Friday gift card fest. The iPod touch comes with a $50 card, while the latest iPod nano includes a $25 card. Some miscellaneous Apple products are also being offered with gift cards, ranging from the Apple TV ($25 card) to the AirPort Extreme and 2TB AirPort Time Capsule ($50).

Finally, there are some third-party accessories that Apple will sell with gift cards worth up to $75. Many will include a $25 card, such as the Nike+ FuelBand SE, Powerbeats by Dr. Dre headphones, and Mophie Juice Pack Air iPhone 5 battery case, while purchases of such items as the second-generation Nest Learning Thermostat, GoPro HERO3+ camera, and Beats by Dr. Dre Studio headphones will come with a $50 card. Buying the $499.95 Bowers & Wilkins A5 AirPlay wireless music system nets you a $75 gift card.

Small Business Saturday

President Obama: 'Nowhere to Go But Up'

President Obama speaks to ABC News' Barbara Walters at the White House on Nov. 22, 2013.

Official White House Photo by Pete Souza

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Despite facing a disastrous rollout of his health care plan, criticism over his policies and approval ratings that have plunged to an all-time low, President Obama said he remains confident that his signature health care law will be an important part of his legacy and things can only get better.

"I've gone up and down pretty much consistently throughout," Obama told ABC's Barbara Walters in an exclusive interview at the White House. "But the good thing about when you're down is that usually you got nowhere to go but up."

Barbara Walters' exclusive interview with President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama airs on a special edition of "20/20," "Walters at the White House," on Friday, Nov. 29, at 10 p.m. ET

Obama's Affordable Care Act,, which was meant to be a centerpiece of his presidency, has been hit with enormous backlash since its website, Healthcare.gov, went live in October and has continued to suffer from technical glitches. The race is now on for the tech-surge team to produce a fully functional website.

"I continue to believe and [I'm] absolutely convinced that at the end of the day, people are going to look back at the work we've done to make sure that in this country, you don't go bankrupt when you get sick, that families have that security," the president said of his health care law. "That is going be a legacy I am extraordinarily proud of."

Obamas Might Stay in Washington After Presidency Ends

But in the aftermath of the website's troubled rollout, reports surfaced that senior Obama administration officials expressed ongoing anxiety over the site not working properly months before it went live on Oct. 1, but seemed to have left the president in the dark about their concerns.

"Obviously my most recent concern has been that my website's not working ... and we're evaluating why it is exactly that I didn't know soon enough that [it] wasn't going to work the way it needed to," Obama said. "But my priority now has been to just make sure that it works."

Since the rollout, Obama has been front and center, apologizing for "fumbling the ball" and not executing the rollout better. But Republicans continue to pounce on what has now been called a "broken promise" to deliver affordable health care to the nation. According to a ABC News-Washington Post poll released last week, the president's job approval rating fell to 42 percent, down 13 percentage points this year and 6 points in the past month to match the lowest of his presidency. Obama is also at career lows for being a strong leader, understanding the problems of average Americans and being honest and trustworthy -- just 41 percent rate him as a good manager.

Even still, Obama brushed off the notion that the American people think he is untrustworthy.

"I got re-elected in part because people did think I was trustworthy and they knew I was working on their behalf," he said, noting that every president goes through rough patches. "Very rarely are the good things that happen get the same attention as the things that aren't working so well."

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President Obama's job approval rating roughly matches that of President George W. Bush at the same point in his second term, according to recent polling, but again, Obama pressed that he isn't finished yet.

"Every president in their second term is mindful that you've only got a limited amount of time, and you want to make sure you are squeezing every last ounce of energy that you have to try to deliver on the commitments you made to the American people," he said.

Even faced with a firestorm of criticism, and recent incidents of the president being booed or heckled during speeches, First Lady Michelle Obama joked that even though her approval ratings are higher than the president's, she too had been booed before and told Walters it is just "part of the job."

Ohio State Football

Ohio State Survives a Suddenly Feisty Michigan to Keep Its Record Intact

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Braxton Miller, left, the Ohio State quarterback, rushed for three touchdowns — including a 53-yard run — and threw for two more as his team defeated Michigan.

By TIM ROHAN

Published: November 30, 2013

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ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Michigan’s season had not gone according to plan, but with a victory against Ohio State, much would be forgiven. Now, having just scored, with 32 seconds left, needing only an extra point to tie the game, Michigan Coach Brady Hoke decided to go for the 2-point conversion, to try to salvage the season by dashing Ohio State’s dreams of an undefeated season and a national championship.

But quarterback Devin Gardner threw an interception, sealing No. 3 Ohio State’s 42-41 win, the Buckeyes’ ninth in the last 10 years in the rivalry.

Braxton Miller, Ohio State’s quarterback, accounted for five touchdowns. Carlos Hyde ran for 226 yards. And Coach Urban Meyer improved to 24-0 in two seasons at Ohio State (12-0, 8-0 Big Ten).

If not for the tattoo-parlor scandal, in which players received cash and tattoos in exchange for memorabilia, and the subsequent bowl ban issued by the N.C.A.A., Ohio State might have played in last year’s national championship game. To make it this year, the Buckeyes will have to beat Michigan State next week in the Big Ten Championship game and hope for stumbles by either No. 1 Alabama, which played rival Auburn in a later game Saturday, or No. 2 Florida State, which plays in next week’s Atlantic Coast Conference championship game. Michigan (7-5, 3-5) was supposed to be the least of Ohio State’s worries.

Instead, Michigan made the game interesting from the start.

When Jeremy Gallon took a screen pass 84 yards, setting up a touchdown, on Michigan’s opening drive, Miller responded with a 53-yard touchdown pass to Devin Smith. When Michigan scored again, Miller responded with a nifty 53-yard touchdown run. This Michigan team, which had been sort of sleepwalking all season only to wake up now, for Ohio State, then scored on a 17-yard pass to Gallon.

Michigan had lost four games entering Saturday, and easily could have lost three more — to Akron, Connecticut, and Northwestern. Then Jabrill Peppers, a prized recruit who had committed to Michigan, tweeted this week that he would take more official visits, apparently just in case Hoke was fired. Dave Brandon, the athletic director, felt it was necessary to make a statement, firmly backing Hoke.

If anything, Hoke, along with the arrival of Meyer at Ohio State, has reignited this rivalry. Hoke constantly refers to Ohio State as “Ohio.” And Meyer apologized when he accidentally said “Michigan” during a news conference, a word that is rarely uttered. His wife later tweeted a picture of a bar of soap, implying he had washed out his mouth.

On the ensuing kickoff after Gallon’s touchdown, Dontre Wilson, the Ohio State return man, got up and was surrounded by at least seven Michigan players. A few of Wilson’s teammates joined the scrum. Then someone started shoving, punches were thrown, four flags went flying, and an Ohio State helmet rolled away.

For Michigan, Royce Jenkins-Stone, a backup linebacker, was ejected. For Ohio State, Wilson, and the starting right guard, Marcus Hall, were ejected. As Hall walked up the tunnel leaving the stadium, he made a vulgar gesture to the crowd.

But the crowd was splotched with scarlet and gray. The Ohio State faithful groaned when Miller threw an interception after the fight, and cheered as Miller scrambled for a 21-yard touchdown just before halftime, tying the score, 21-21.

And this iteration of The Game, as it is called, was supposed to be a blowout, just another game to add to Ohio State’s undefeated streak. The Buckeyes had scored 48.7 points per game, third most in the country, behind only Baylor and Florida State. Each week, the blowouts seemed to get bigger. Ohio State needed to win, and win big, if it was to overcome a weak schedule and jump teams in the rankings.

In the third quarter, Miller jogged into the end zone, basically untouched, on a 3-yard touchdown run. He and Hyde kept running. Then Miller faked a handoff to Hyde and found Jeff Heuerman, wide open for a 22-yard touchdown to take a 35-21 lead.

Michigan slowly mounted a comeback in fourth quarter. Gardner found Drew Dileo for an 11-yard touchdown, and then Hyde fumbled, leading to another Michigan touchdown, a 2-yard pass to Jake Butt that tied the score, 35-35.

On the next play from scrimmage, Miller ran for 32 yards, and five plays later, Hyde scored the go-ahead touchdown. But more than two minutes remained. Gardner led Michigan on a 11-play, 84-yard drive capped by a two-yard touchdown pass to the tight end Devin Funchess. Then Michigan decided to go for the win.

Bound 2

NEWS/

Kanye West, Kim Kardashian "Bound 2" Video: "I'm Speechless," Says "Uh-Huh, Honey" Singer

Today 3:34 PM PST

Kim Kardashian, Kanye West, Bound 2, Brenda Lee

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Kanye West has a fan in Brenda Lee.

Lee is the former teen singer from the 1950s and '60s behind "Uh-huh, Honey," the infectious spoken word lyric from Lee's 1960 hit "Sweet Nothin's" that West samples 11 times in his song, "Bound 2."

"My first thought was how in the world does he know Brenda Lee?" Lee told me today from her home in Nashville. "But I understand that he's quite a smart guy and knows his stuff so I'm honored that he knew the song."

Lee hasn't seen the much talked-about video for "Bound 2," but she lets out a big laugh when she hears it features Kim Kardashian naked and straddling her fiance on a motorcycle.

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"I'm speechless," Lee said. "I never thought a Brenda Lee song would be used with somebody naked on a motorcycle! But you know that's what's so fascinating about this business—you never know what's coming around the next corner...I'm proud that [West] knows that people that came before him."

Just yesterday, Seth Rogen and James Franco released a parody of the video. Calling their version "Bound 3," Rogen and Franco presented a shot-by-shot remake of the video with themselves in the roles of Kim and Kanye. Yup, Rogen isn't only shirtless, but he and Franco also makeout in the vid.

Kardashian tweeted her approval yesterday.

"Nailed it! Sooo funny!" the E! reality star posted on her Twitter feed.

"Thanks!" Rogen wrote back to Kim. "Some of those positions were really uncomfortable. That s--t is harder than it looks."

West's "Bound 2" video has been viewed close to 8.3 million times on YouTube since its release seven days ago.

Kardashian tweeted today that West approves, too. "Kanye says what's up!," Kim tweetedRogen. "He loves u guys! He laughed so hard at this."