Enter to Win Target and Right At Home Gift Cards

Target is giving away 100 $25 gift cards everyday through November 27, 2010. You can enter twice each day by visiting Target’s Facebook page and clicking on the Black Friday tab. Then click on the red enter today button, allow their application to access your data and complete the entry form.

Then go to Twitter and enter the Target Black Friday Sweepstakes for a 2nd daily entry. Follow the simple directions to Tweet your entry.

Right At Home is also offering a daily chance to win a $100 American Express Gift Card now through December 31, 2010. Enter daily for a chance to win. Once you land on the confirmation page, don’t forget to click on “view all offers” to check for current coupons being offered.

L.A. County Passes Sweeping Ban on Plastic Bags

Image via Wikipedia

Care2 and the L.A. Times report that Los Angeles County has banned plastic grocery bags! With a 3-1 vote in favor of the measure, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors passed a sweeping ban on plastic grocery bags in unincorporated areas of the county.

The ban will affect nearly 1.1 million residents countywide and has been called one of the nation’s most aggressive environmental measures to date.

The official measure reads: “No store shall provide to any customer a plastic carryout bag.” Plastic bags that are used to hold fruit, vegetables or raw meat in order to prevent contamination with other grocery items will be exempt from the ban.

Grocers that continue to offer plastic bags will be required to charge customers 10 cents per bag, according to the ordinance. The revenue will be retained by the stores to purchase the paper bags and educate customers about the law.

Similar plastic bag bans passed in San Francisco and Malibu are less strict because they don’t involve a surcharge. Environmental advocates of banning plastic bags say these measures provide no incentive for consumers to switch to reusable cloth bags, the most eco-friendly option.

While it will be a challenge for those uneducated in the ways of recycling to get used to the plastic bag ban, L.A. County can draw on the recent experiences of the cities of San Francisco and Malibu who have already passed these ordinances. Consumers will become more aware of what they purchase and how they carry those items home.

For most consumers, I believe a small scavenger hunt around their homes and garages would easily reveal plenty of bags they can use for shopping, whether those are plastic bags from previous purchases, reusable cloth bags or even large gift bags. Those of us who already use reusable bags, often keep them in our cars, desks or somewhere handy in the home where they can easily be grabbed before one heads out the door to go shopping.

I hope consumers will learn to be more resourceful and use what they need instead of continuing to live in a society where everything is deemed disposable with little thought to the future of our planet and the creatures that inhabit it.

What was that noise? Did you hear it? Why yes, it was me shouting with joy from the rooftops! Please recycle, we’ve only got one Earth.

Linkin Park, My Chemical Romance and Thirty Seconds To Mars Reveal 2011 Tour Dates

Chester Bennington of Linkin Park

2011 is shaping up to be a busy year in rock music. Seriously, who needs socks in their stockings this Christmas when tickets to these great rock shows are available? I can see that my new Iron Man 2 calendar that Santa is sure to bring is rapidly filling up for next year! Who’s on your must see list for 2011?

Linkin Park will hit the road in the USA to support their latest release, A Thousand Suns, out now. The Prodigy,  Pendulum and Does It Offend You, Yeah? are slated to open select dates on the tour. Fan club pre-sale tickets are available now via Linkin Park’s site with public on sales scheduled for this weekend via Live Nation/Ticketmaster.

Dates for Linkin Park’s 2011 tour:

Jan 20 Sunrise, FL @ Bank Atlantic Center
Jan 22 Tampa, FL @ St Pete Times Forum
Jan 23 Atlanta, GA @ Phillips Arena
Jan 25 Detroit, MI @ Joe Louis Arena
Jan 26 Chicago, IL @ United Center
Jan 28 Minneapolis, MN @ Xcel Energy Center
Jan 29 Kansas City, MO @ Sprint Center
Jan 31 Philadelphia, PA @ Wells Fargo Center
Feb 1 Boston, MA @ TD Garden
Feb 4 New York, NY @ Madison Square Garden
Feb 7 Montreal, QC @ Bell Centre
Feb 8 Toronto, ON @ Air Canada Centre
Feb 10 Washington DC @ Verizon Center
Feb 11 Uncasville, CT @ Mohegan Sun
Feb 15 Houston, TX @ Toyota Center
Feb 17 Dallas, TX @ American Airlines Center
Feb 19 Las Vegas, NV @ MGM Grand – Garden Arena
Feb 20 San Diego @ Viejas Arena
Feb 23 Los Angeles, CA @ Staples Center
Feb 25 Salt Lake City, UT @ Energy Solutions Arena
Feb 26 Denver, CO @ Pepsi Center

Gerard Way of MCR

My Chemical Romance will launch Danger Days: The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys, on November 22nd with a record release party at the House of Blues on Sunset in Hollywood, CA. The sold out concert will be broadcast live on MTV. MCR will play a handful of Christmas shows across the USA, including the world famous KROQ’s Almost Acoustic Christmas before launching into their World Contamination tour in 2011. Pre-sale tickets are currently available to fans via the bands website with public on sales scheduled for this weekend via Live Nation/Ticketmaster.

 

 Dates for My Chemical Romance’s The World Contamination Tour:

APRIL
1                Portland, OR  @ Roseland Theatre
2                Vancouver, BC  @ Center for Performing Arts
3                Seattle, WA @ Showbox Sodo
5                Edmonton, AB  @ Edmonton Event Centre
6                Calgary, AB  @ MacEwan Hall
8                Salt Lake City  @ In the Venue
9                Denver, CO @ Fillmore
10              Des Moines, IA  @ Val Air Ballroom
12              Minneapolis, MN @ First Avenue
13              Milwaukee, WI  @ Eagles Ballroom
15              Chicago, IL  @ Aragon 
17              Cleveland, OH  @ House Of Blues
20              Montreal, QC  @ Metropolis
22             New York, NY @ Terminal 5

MAY
5               Boston, MA  @ House Of Blues
6               Philadelphia, PA @ Tower Theater
7               Sayreville, NJ   @ Starland Ballroom
10             Washington, DC @ 9:30 Club
11             Atlanta, GA @ The Tabernacle
17             West Palm Bch, FL  @ Revolution
18             Orlando, FL  @ House Of Blues
20             Houston, TX @ House Of Blues
21             Dallas, TX   @ House Of Blues

Thirty Seconds To Mars also announced their 2011 U.S. tour, presented by HP and Live Nation which will kick off in San Diego at the House of Blues on January 11th. Tickets will be available via Live Nation/Ticketmaster on November 19th.

Thirty Seconds To Mars Tour Dates

Jan 11 San Diego, CA House of Blues
Jan 12 San Diego, CA House of Blues
Jan 14 Pomona, CA The Fox
Jan 15 San Jose, CA San Jose Events Center
Jan 16 Davis, CA Freeborn Hall
Jan 18 Seattle, WA Paramount Theater
Jan 21 Denver, CO Fillmore
Jan 23 Dallas, TX House of Blues
Jan 24 Dallas, TX House of Blues
Jan 25 Austin, TX Austin Music Hall
Jan 26 Houston, TX Verizon Wireless Theater
Jan 28 Atlanta, GA Tabernacle
Jan 30 Louisville, KY Expo Five
Jan 31 Richmond, VA The National
Feb 2 Niagara Falls, NY Rapids Theater
Feb 3 Rochester, NY Armory
Feb 4 Clifton Park, NY Northern Lights
Feb 5 Wallingford, CT Oakdale

Win A Trip To The Island of Cyprus

Image by The Messy Chef via Flickr

Pom Wonderful is currently running a contest to win a 6 day/5 night trip for two to the island of Cyprus. The contest is free to enter on their website, no purchase necessary and runs until December 31, 2010. Entrants are also eligible to gain one additional entry by sharing the contest on their Facebook or Twitter accounts.

The grand prize includes: One (1) Grand Prize Winner will be randomly drawn from among all eligible entries received and awarded a Grand Prize trip to Cyprus consisting of: Round-trip coach air transportation for two (2) from the airport nearest the winner’s residence to the destination; five-star hotel accommodations for six (6) days, five (5) nights; spa and dinner for two (2); transportation to/from airport; and one (1) $1,000.00 USD AMEX gift card for travel expenses.

Robert Downey Jr. Drives Me Nuts – Peanuts That Is!

Robert Downey Jr. drives me nuts! OK, ok, so most Life On The Scene readers already know that, but literally, he’s gone nutty this time. Mr. Peanut will speak in a new ad campaign as Kraft Foods and Planters launch an image makeover with the Golden Globe® winning actor of  Sherlock Holmes and the Iron Man movies gives him a voice.

Robert Downey Jr

Kris Wixom, a creative director at Being, the advertising company behind the campaign, tells the New York Times that Downey, Jr. was chosen because of his “everyman suaveness” and because he has “a voice that could wear the top hat, monocle and cane and still feel contemporary and cool.”

“At Planters, we know how to throw a remarkable holiday party,” Mr. Peanut says in the ad. “Just serve classy snacks and be a gracious host — no matter who shows up.”

Mr. Peanut must fend off party guest Richard the Nutcracker. Fortunately, judging by his bandaged noggin, Mr. Peanut just a week earlier proved a tough nut to crack.

“Well, forgive and forget,” Mr. Peanut says before wielding his cane like a weapon — lodging it into Richard’s lethal mouth — and cracking wise as he escapes a social jam.

The animated commercials will begin airing on Tuesday and can be viewed on Mr. Peanuts Facebook page now.

I actually keep an antique glass Mr. Peanut jar in my bathroom at home to hold Q-Tips! Another chance to hear Robert Downey Jr.’s voice on a regular basis advertising a product I’ve always enjoyed is indeed a win-win scenario for me. He looks so cute as a peanut, I could just nibble him right up!

 

There is also a Seasons Greetings ad featuring Robert Downey Jr. as Mr. Peanut singing Chestnuts Roasting On An Open Fire.

Sunday Morning – Waffles and Maroon 5

waffle

by Cindy Robinson

Sunday morning is always a time we take to sleep in and relax, one of the few days of the week we have time to cook a big breakfast and enjoy it.  This time I went with a Sunday Brunch feel, using  just the supplies I had on hand. I whipped up some homemade waffles with a little help from my ever faithful Bisquick (their site is now offering a coupon for 50 cents off). I followed their basic waffle recipe, adding a touch of vanilla & a few sprinkles of cinnamon as I normally do with most baked goods.

When the waffles were ready, I added a generous scoop of Dreyer’s Vanilla Ice Cream, a handful of blueberries (I always keep a bag in the freezer from Costco) and drizzled Hershey’s Chocolate Syrup over the top. I served it with sides of breakfast meat – bacon & sausage (apologies to my vegetarian friends) are favorites in our household and tall glasses of Simply Orange orange juice. We added syrup to the mix as we dug in and devoured the tasty creation! It was a quick simple meal that was hearty & warm on a day that promises rain.

The critic, my 9-year-old daughter, said “I can imagine you making this every morning for breakfast”. Imagine being the key word! I think this meal was a winner. Do you have a favorite recipe to share? A weekend tradition? Send them in and we’ll share with Life On The Scene readers!

On a side note, we had the Dreyer’s Vanilla Ice Cream on hand to use with our Halloween candy. Vanilla isn’t typically the flavor of choice in our household but we’ve found it to be a fun & creative way to use up the Halloween candy – by mixing in chopped up Reese’s peanut butter cups or Snickers bars, just like the Blizzards you get at Dairy Queen!

Another bit of Sunday enjoyment is turning on some relaxing music and just letting it flow through the house. A favorite is Maroon 5 who have their latest release, Hands All Over,  available now via iTunes. Maroon 5 is currently finishing up a tour of the United States before they head to Europe next year. I’ll leave you with their classic, Sunday Morning. Enjoy!

Camp Freddy Reveal Christmas Residency Details

Camp Freddy, the Los Angeles based jam band consisting of Billy Morrison (Billy Idol/The Cult), Dave Navarro (Janes Addiction/The Panic Channel), Matt Sorum (Guns N Roses/Velvet Revolver), Donovan Leitch (son of legendary folk singer Donovan), and Chris Chaney (Janes Addiction/Alanis Morrisette), will once again take over the Roxy on Sunset for a string of Christmas dates during December. Today, the band announced they will play three shows, on December 3rd, 10th and 17th at the Roxy. Tickets go on sale this Friday, November 5th via the Roxy and Ticketmaster. Ticket prices are $20 per show + fees and there are a very limited number of VIP packages available for $90 + fees which admit you to all three shows, give you the opportunity to attend a soundcheck, and have a meet & greet with the band.

Recent special guests for some of Camp Freddy’s private gigs have included Sammy Hagar, Duff McKagan, Steve Stevens and Macy Gray. There hasn’t been any indication of ‘themed’ nights such as last year’s 70’s, 80’s & 90’s themed weeks or who the guests will be. Your guess is as good as mine but one thing is for certain, don’t delay in grabbing those tickets this Friday because they will go quickly!

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Billy Idol To Play KLOS Christmas Show

Billy Idol

There may still be a handful of tickets left for these upcoming Billy Idol shows across California! Why not treat someone to an early holiday gift or great night out?

Tickets are on sale now for all shows via Ticketmaster/Live Nation.

Singer Billy Idol will headline Mark & Brian’s annual Christmas Show for classic rock station KLOS 95.5 on December 16, 2010 at the Nokia Theater in downtown Los Angeles.

The KLOS pre-sale begins on Thursday, November 4th with the public on sale beginning on Saturday, November 6th via Ticketmaster. A portion of the proceeds will go to support the Eisner Pediatric & Family Medical Center.

Mark & Brian will open the show with their all-star band including Paul Rodgers, Steve Lukather, Peter Frampton, John Waite, Michael Anthony and Jason Bonham. Comedian Ron White will get the evening started. Tune in to Mark & Brian on KLOS 95.5 every morning as they are sure to have an interview with Billy Idol before the big Christmas show and likely to give away some great concert tickets to the event.

Billy Idol will close out 2010 with a handful of Holiday shows in mid December around California including:

• Wed 12/15 San Diego, CA: House of Blues 
• Thurs 12/16 Los Angeles, CA : Nokia Theater
• Sat 12/18 Ventura, CA: Ventura Theater
• Mon 12/20 San Francisco, CA: Fillmore
• Tues 12/21 San Francisco, CA: Fillmore

Tickets are on sale now for all shows via Ticketmaster/Live Nation.

Billy Idol also has his self-penned memoir, Dancing With Myself, in the works which is due out from Touchstone, a division of Simon & Schuster in late 2011 or early 2012. Idol has never shied away from the truth of his rock & roll lifestyle so this is likely to be a great tell all unlike many of the glossed over auto-biographies we tend to see.

Idol also debuted several new tracks during his summer 2010 tour including one called Love Is Strange. Expect a new album & tour by the end of next year as well.

FREE Cone of Renuzit Room Deodorizer on Facebook

Renuzit if offering a free adjustable cone of their holiday scented room deodorizers when you ‘like’ them on Facebook. The offer is limited to the first 70,000 fans who like them here. Hurry as this offer won’t last long! make sure your printer is ready and don’t forget to click the back button while it’s printing as you may get lucky and get a 2nd coupon too.

The coupon prints out as $1.00 off a single cone but Target and Wal-Mart usually have them for about $1.00 each and Safeway/Vons have them on sale this week for $1.00 each as well.

It’s Election Day America!

Today is Election Day in America and I hope that all of my fellow Americans are heading to the polls to exercise their right to vote! I hope you’ve familiarized yourself with the candidates, the propositions and measures on the ballots this time around.

Personally I feel one doesn’t have much room to complain about the officials elected to office unless you’ve actually gone out and voted, done your best to help make America a better place.

Please go out and vote America, vote to better your lives and the lives of those you love around you.

I will leave you with the video of Arcadia’s Election Day (a side project from members of Duran Duran in 1985).