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Local Actor Featured on Hit Show 'Glee' Tonight

If any of our Checkered Flag fans haven't had a chance to catch an episode of the hit show Glee yet, tonight would be a good night to try.  That's because tonight's episode, which revolves around Michael Jackson hits no less, features a young local actor from Norfolk.  Check it out!

Article and image source:[pilotonline.com]

More 'Glee' time for Norfolk actor Grant Gustin
By Rashod Ollison

Grant Gustin hardly ever knows what his day will be like.

Since the Norfolk actor started appearing on the popular Fox TV hit "Glee," his schedule has been filled with dancing and singing. A day on the set can stretch up to 14 hours, as Gustin performs one or two moves over and over again for different camera angles.

Sometimes, he sits for hours in his trailer, trying to stay focused, while the crew prepares production numbers.

"It's fun and scary all at the same time," said Gustin, 22, in a phone interview from Los Angeles. "I'm still not used to it, but I'm adjusting."

On tonight's episode, featuring the music of Michael Jackson, Gustin receives more camera time.

As Sebastian Smythe, a gay member of the rival Dalton Academy Warblers glee club, he will perform in three numbers: "Smooth Criminal," a duet with Santana, a cheerleader played by Naya Rivera; "Bad," an ensemble production; and "I Want You Back," with the Warblers.

It will be the most air time yet for Gustin, who has appeared in two episodes as a member of the Warblers, the all-male glee club that competes against the show's main characters, who sing at the fictional McKinley High.

Gustin's first episode, which aired Nov. 8, introduced his shady character, who sets out to come between couple Kurt and Blaine.
Tonight's show was filmed about two months ago. The process was taxing.

"While filming 'Smooth Criminal,' in between takes, I'd run to another room to rehearse 'I Want You Back,'" Gustin said.

"The next day, we shot 'I Want You Back,' and that was a 14-hour day. That's typical. By the end of the day, my knees and ankles are killing me."

Also around that time, Gustin shot an episode of the CBS high-tech crime show, "CSI: Miami," which aired Sunday. He played twins, one of whom was suspected of murdering their father.

His role on "Glee" may develop after tonight's show.

"In this episode, Sebastian isn't pursuing Blaine anymore as a potential boyfriend," Gustin said. "Sebastian is separating himself from the love triangle, which is a step toward the character developing on his own instead of being an appendage of Blaine and Kurt."

Despite online reports, Gustin says he still isn't a permanent member of the cast.

"Nothing has been signed," Gustin said. "It's a wait-and-see sort of thing."

In the meantime, he's adjusting to a new life in Los Angeles, where he lives with two roommates. The transition hasn't been easy.

"Everybody's like, 'Oh, you're out in California. It must be amazing,' " Gustin said. "The weather's beautiful, and I'm a working actor in Los Angeles, so it's a dream come true. But I am so far away from family, and it gets kind of difficult sometimes. All of this cool stuff is happening to me, and my family and friends are halfway across the country."

He speaks with his mother, Tina Haney, almost every day.

"We were shocked that he got the role as quickly as he did," said Haney, a pediatric nurse who also teaches at ECPI University in Virginia Beach. "He was in the right place at the right time doing the right thing. My prayer was always, 'I just hope the kid will work.' "

Haney said she spotted Gustin's artistic talent early on.

"I tell my students all the time, 'Just watch your children and see what they are good at and encourage them,' " said Haney, 49.

Haney suggested dance classes when Gustin was about 9, and he was resistant.

"He thought tap dancing was for girls. I told him, 'If you don't like it, I won't mention it again.' He loved it."

Gustin, a Granby High graduate, studied musical theater at The Governor's School for the Arts in Norfolk and appeared in local productions with The Hurrah Players. He aspired to be the consummate performer who could dance and act.

But "he couldn't sing," Haney said. "He came out of the womb dancing, but when he was growing up, he worked his pants off on his voice with vocal coaches. So for me, watching him on television singing, and knowing how hard he worked on his voice, really amazes me."

 

Haney said her other children - Tyler, 23, a senior at Old Dominion University; and Grace, 17, a senior at Maury High School in Norfolk - have been supportive of Gustin, who was home during the holidays. She doesn't worry about him too much in the City of Angels.

"He's responsible. He was a fun kid to raise," Haney said. "His father and I always told him to be sure to take care of himself. I know that he's sleeping and eating well. I know he sounds like he's this perfect kid. He's not a perfect kid. But he's made good choices growing up."

While working on "Glee," especially during the long stretches between numbers, Gustin has befriended a few cast members. He said he immediately bonded with Kevin McHale, who plays Artie Abrams on the show. Gustin said he's looking at other projects but wouldn't divulge details. He has filmed another episode of "Glee," and the work has been rewarding, despite the erratic schedule.

"On a big show like 'Glee,' producers don't know how much filming is going to get done in a day," Gustin said. "So you're sitting around for a long time sometimes. But you don't take it personally. You just go with the flow. I'm new to this, so I'm always watching and always learning as much as I can."

End of article.

Keep tuned in to CheckeredFlag.com, your source for new and used cars in Hampton Roads, for more local stories.

Get ready, Checkered Flag fans. Your favorite distraction from the daily office humdrum is here.  Eagle Cam is back in action! 

But, some are very concerned about its future at the Norfolk Botanical Gardens.

Link to Eagle Cam Norfolk:  Eagle Cam at Norfolk Botanical Gardens

Article source: [wvec.com]

As Eagle Cam launches its 2012 season, safety concerns loom

NORFOLK - The same day WVEC.com launched the Eagle Cam for the 2012 season, officials with the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries announced it has pulled its partnership with the Eagle Cam.

It has to do with safety concerns.  A DGIF spokesperson says the nest, which is located inside the Norfolk Botanical Garden, is too close to Norfolk International Airport.

Last April, two eagles were hit and killed by airplanes.  One of them was the adult female from the nest.

"As eagle populations have rebounded, we are seeing an increase in the rise of eagle/airplane strikes and the need to address this concern," Becky Gwynn of DGIF wrote in an e-mail.

Federal wildlife and airport safety officials are in the midst of discussions regarding the future of the nest, which is active.

Tuesday morning a pair of eagles was seen mating.  There are no eggs yet.

DGIF's involvement with the Eagle Cam has been important, especially with highlighting the educational aspects which has raised awareness of the recovery of the bald eagle population in our region.  Thousands of school children in Virginia and around the U.S. have watched the eagles in their classrooms and science teachers have used it as an educational tool.

DGIF helped make Eagle Cam possible by providing camera equipment when the project first started in 2006.
For now, WVEC.com will continue its Eagle Cam which has become world famous.

End of article.

Well, we certainly wish the bald eagle couple good luck on their family-building and cannot wait to see those baby birds!  Keep tuned in to your favorite Norfolk and Virginia Beach new and use car website, checkeredflag.com, for Eagle Cam updates throughout the season.

This is one time Hampton Roads can truly root for the home team on Super Bowl Sunday!

One local man is sure to be paying more attention to the commercials running on the jumbo-tron than the game taking place on the field in front of him.  That's because while the guys in helmets are running around trying to snag that Super Bowl ring, the Virginia Beach resident will have his eyes on a million dollar prize.  Read more about it in the following article from The Virginian Pilot and view the video of the ad.

The video should appear here.  If you are having difficulty viewing the video on this page, simply choose the following link and scroll down to this article.  Link:  Virginia Beach Man's Best Friend Super Bowl Ad



Virginia Beach man's Doritos ad could fetch a million
By Roy Bahls
The Virginian-Pilot January 13, 2012

Jonathan Friedman will be sitting so pretty at this year's Super Bowl that he won't really care who wins the Feb. 5 game in Indianapolis.

He'll be kicking back in some prime real estate: a suite near the 50-yard line. It's a prize he's won, along with $25,000, courtesy of Frito-Lay.

More is at stake.

The self-employed graphic designer from Virginia Beach could take home $1 million in a TV commercial contest for Doritos. Friedman's homemade spot, "Man's Best Friend," is one of five finalists out of 6,000 entries nationwide. *

Two will be chosen by online voting to run during the Super Bowl. The commercials that air during the game will be eligible for the $1 million prize if they are ranked as the best Super Bowl commercial by either a USA Today panel or voting in the USA Today and Facebook ratings.

Friedman will be checking the TVs in the stadium suite on game day to see whether he's in the running.

"I won't know until then," he said.

In Friedman's commercial, a man witnesses his dog covering up a crime, and the pet tries to keep his owner quiet by plying him with Doritos.

Starring in the commercial is Huff, a 120-plus-pound Great Dane owned by Joe and Betsy DiJulio of Virginia Beach. L. Derek Leonidoff plays the Doritos-loving owner; Friedman's brother, Matthew, is assistant director and "dog wrangler."

Friedman said it took four hours and cost about $20 to shoot the 30-second spot. The other finalists are from Los Angeles and Denver. Friedman notes that his ad is the only finalist east of the Rocky Mountains.

"So if you are east of the Rockies," he said, "we are the home team."

End of article.

Keep an eye out for Super Bowl weekend events happening at your favorite Hampton Roads new and used car dealer, Checkered Flag.

Here we go again!  After weeks of dealing with high-volume shopping situations, it's no surprise that the no-kids-allowed movement is making headlines again this month.  Let's take a look back at one of our most controversial topics of 2011.

There's a new form of discrimination happening across our country, and surprisingly, there's a whole lot of people behind the movement. 

Article source: [Shine Yahoo Parenting]

The no-kids-allowed movement is spreading 
By Piper Weiss  July 27, 2011

What's the matter with kids today and why doesn't anyone want them around? In June, Malaysia Airlines banned babies from many of their first class cabins, prompting other major airlines to consider similar policies.

Lately, complaints about screaming kids are being taken seriously, not only by airlines, but by hotels, movie theaters, restaurants, and even grocery stores.

Earlier this month, McDain's, a Pittsburgh area restaurant that banned kids under 6 became a mascot for the no-kids-zone movement.

According to a Pittsburgh local news poll, more than half of area residents were in favor of the ban. And now big business is paying attention.

"Brat bans could well be the next frontier in destination and leisure-product marketing," writes Robert Klara in an article on the child-free trend in AdWeek.

Klara points to Leavethembehind.com, a travel website for kid-free vacations, with a massive list of yoga retreats, luxury resorts and bargain hotels around the world that ban children.

"Call me a grinch, a misanthrope, a DINK (dual-income-no-kids), or the anti-cute-police, but I hate (hate a thousand times over) ill-behaved children/infants/screaming banshees in upscale restaurants (ok, anywhere, really, but I don't want any death threats)," writes Charlotte Savino on Travel and Leisure's blog. She lists a slew of a popular destination restaurants with kid-free areas and policies for travelers looking for quiet vacation dining.

Traveling is one thing, but what about in kids' own hometowns? Should kids been banned from local movie theaters, like they were at a recent adults-only Harry Potter screening? In Texas, one cinema chain has even flipped the model, banning kids under six altogether, except on specified "baby days".

Even running errands with toddlers may be off limits.  This summer Whole Foods stores in Missouri are offering child-free shopping hours and in Florida, a controversy brews over whether kids can be banned from a condominium's outdoor area. That's right, some people don't even want kids outdoors.

When did kids become the equivalent of second-hand smoke? Blame a wave of childless adults with money to spare. "Empty nesters continue to wield a huge swath of discretionary spending dollars, and population dips in first-world countries mean more childless couples than ever," writes AdWeek's Klara.

Catering to the child-free community may be good for business but is it good for parents? It could help narrow choices and make kid-friendly environments even kid-friendlier.  And let's be honest, babies won't miss flying first class. They won't even remember it. But their moms and dads will.

Most parents with young children have self-imposed limits on spending and leisure. This new movement imposes limits set by the public. And the public isn't as child-friendly as it used to be.  As businesses respond to their new breed of 'first-class' clientele, are parents in danger of becoming second-class citizens?

End of article.

Alright, Checkered Flag fans, I know many of you will have opinions on this topic.  Our Norfolk and Virginia Beach new and used car dealers are known for being kid-friendly, and we are proud of it. 

But, are there times you wish you could visit a local restaurant or store and not have to worry about screaming fussy little ones?  What about the idea of restaurants having separate seating sections for families with little ones (please Cracker Barrel, please)? 

Is this all outrageous nonsense?  Would you stop visiting a certain restaurant or grocery store if they began offering "tot-free" hours?  What about teen restrictions on local movie theaters and malls?

I'm interested to hear from all of you.  Drop a comment down below, but please, keep it clean.  Checkered Flag is, of course, still kid-friendly at all times!

Wondering why your trash didn't get picked up today or where the heck the mailman is?  Well, it could be because some lucky Hampton Roads residents have been given a much-deserved extra day off for the holiday.  Here's a list of some very important holiday closures for today, December 26th, from our friends at The Virginian Pilot.

The Virginian-Pilot
© December 26, 2011

Courts and municipal offices

Chesapeake, Norfolk, Portsmouth, Suffolk and Virginia Beach Most city offices and courts will be closed today.

Financial institutions

Most banks and credit unions will be closed today. Contact specific institutions.

Garbage collection

Chesapeake Christmas trees can be placed curbside for disposal starting Jan. 3. Trees placed curbside between Tuesday and Jan. 2 will be collected but not recycled.

Norfolk Christmas trees can be placed curbside for disposal starting Tuesday.

Portsmouth Today's collection will be picked up Wednesday. Christmas trees can be placed curbside for disposal on normal collection days.

Suffolk Christmas trees can be placed curbside for disposal Tuesday through Friday and from Jan. 3 through Jan. 6 and will not count against yearly special collections.

Virginia Beach The city landfill will be closed today.

Hampton Roads Transit
Today, buses will operate on a Saturday schedule, with no service on route 960. Light rail will also operate on a Saturday schedule but will end at 11 p.m. Customer service will be open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. today. 222-6100.

Postal service

Closed today with no regular mail delivery.

Public libraries

Chesapeake, Norfolk, Portsmouth and Virginia Beach Closed today.

Suffolk Closed today. The Bookmobile and the Chuckatuck Branch will be closed through Dec. 30.

Public schools

Chesapeake, Norfolk, Portsmouth, Suffolk and Virginia Beach Closed through Jan. 2.

Recreation centers

Chesapeake, Norfolk and Virginia Beach Closed today.

Suffolk Most centers will be closed today. Contact specific centers for additional holiday hours.

State offices

DMV All Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles customer service centers will be closed today and will reopen Tuesday. Service for many common transactions is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week at www.dmvnow.com and 888-337-4782.

Of course, all of our Checkered Flag locations are open for your Hampton Roads new and used car shopping pleasure.  Call any Checkered Flag store at (757)490-1111 to set up a test drive today.

Checkered Flag would like to remind all of our drivers about the wonderful program offered again this holiday season by AAA Tidewater, Anheuser-Busch, and Hoffman Beverage Co..  For 8 years now, AAA Tow to Go has been keeping Hampton Roads drivers safe by offering free tow and rides home throughout the holidays!

Article courtesy of AAA Tidewater Virginia-edited for length

The goal of the program is to provide a safe alternative to drinking and driving on area roads. The service will be available in the Greater Hampton Roads area from now until 6:00 a.m. on January 1, 2012.

Motorists, bartenders, restaurant managers, party hosts or passengers of a drinking driver can call (757) 631-1700 or 1-800-AAA-HELP between these dates and request a free Tow To Go home during this holiday season. Callers simply tell the dispatcher, "I need a Tow To Go," to receive both the free tow and ride home.

Callers need to keep in mind that the service excludes rides for passengers, is restricted to a one-way, one-time ride for the driver, and the destination is limited to the driver's residence. Reservations are not accepted, and the tows are available within the greater Hampton Roads area.

The Tow To Go program is open to any driver; AAA membership is not required. This service is provided free of charge to prevent alcohol-related car crashes. This marks the 8th year that AAA Tidewater Virginia is offering its free Tow To Go service to the public during the holiday season.
Full Details:

The program is in effect beginning at 9:00 PM on Saturday, October 29, 2011, until 6:00 AM, Sunday, January 1, 2012.
The program is available to AAA members and non-members at no charge.
The program is not a substitute for designated drivers.
Service will be provided to the requesting individual only, no stand-ins.
No reservations allowed.
The requesting individual must be with the vehicle at time of service and have the keys to the vehicle.
The only service that is to be provided under the Tow to Go is towing to the individual's residence. No light service will be provided under Tow to Go.
AAA and our contractors will not provide service in situations involving law enforcement, i.e. DUI accident tows unless requested to do so by law enforcement.
This program provides towing within the Greater Hampton Roads area only which includes the Cities of Virginia Beach, Norfolk, Portsmouth, Chesapeake, Suffolk, Newport News, Hampton, Poquoson, Yorktown and Williamsburg, VA.
Service will be provided to "regular" vehicles only - no large trucks or RV's.
Convenience tows are not covered. For example, if an individual wants the vehicle towed from one bar to another or from a bar to a shopping center, etc. (towing to residence only).
A bartender may call on behalf of an individual who needs to be towed.
The tow truck will only allow the owner/driver of the vehicle and one other rider in the tow truck.

End of Article

The Tow to Go program is a fantastic service to our Tidewater community.  All of our Checkered Flag Winners should take a moment to jot down the Tow to Go phone number (757)631-1700.  Even if you do not think you will need it for yourself, you could need it for a friend.  And, it never hurts to be prepared just in case you happen to find out too late that that egg nog you've been sampling is made with a little more than nutmeg!

Ride the Tide for FREE this Wednesday!

The Hampton Roads Transit Tide transported its 500,000th passenger this past Saturday. 

To celebrate the milestone, HRT is offering FREE rides on the Tide all day this Wednesday, December 21st.  

The free offer applies to the Tide light-rail only.  Normal bus and ferry charges apply.

We've got another great opportunity for our Checkered Flag fans to give back to our community while also knocking out some much needed holiday shopping!

This coming Friday, December 9th, the Secep Reach Program, which benefits local students who have intellectual disabilities and complex health needs,  will hold a special Annual Holiday Bazaar and silent auction.  We're encouraging all of Checkered Flag fans to attend!

Where:  St. Mary's Home for Disabled Children -  Atrium
When:  Friday, Dec. 9th, 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.
What:  Shopping Extravaganza

Secep Reach Program will be holding their Annual Holiday Bazaar featuring handmade items, baked goods &silent auction of gift baskets.
          
Also, Sea Gals (Roxane Ward) will return with her exquisite line of beautiful full season glass beaded jewelry, belts and bags.  She will also have quality sterling silver & her new assortment of fine scarves and neck wear.  Sea Gals will be donating ALL proceeds to help in purchasing 38 new bookbags for the girls and 38 new bookbags for the boys.

Karen Hibbard and Nancy Wilcox will be here representing and selling a fantastic line of Neal's Yard Remedies, one of the top organic skincare companies in the UK, Japan and Dubai, with direct selling channels in the UK and US.  Home Grown in England.

Please join us for a day of true Holiday spirit!

And don't forget, at your local Virginia Beach Volkswagen store, Checkered Flag Volkswagen, you can pick up raffle tickets for a 2012 Volkswagen Beetle that we donated to St. Mary's Home for Disabled Children earlier this year.  All raffle sales benefit St. Mary's Home!  For more information, choose the following link:  St. Mary's Home VW Beetle Raffle

Alright, Checkered Flag fans, are we ready to get into the holiday spirit?

Well, this weekend is full of special Hampton Roads holiday events.  There's no time to waste, so let's hop right in!


Photo source: [beatcrave.com]

Tonight, head out to the Ted Constant Convocation Center at ODU for the 96X Winter Meltdown concert featuring nine bands including Cake, Bush, Foster the People, and awesome up-and-comers, Young the Giant.  The show kicks off at 5:30p.m., so start faking sick now to sneak out of work early.  Tickets are $45.



Tomorrow, borrow someone's children or take your own to the most magical place in Hampton Roads.  "Winter Wonderland-The Coleman Collection" kicks off its first seventh season weekend at the Courthouse Galleries in downtown Portsmouth.  Many of our Checkered Flag fans will joyfully recognize the Winter Wonderland displays that we visited as a child at Coleman Nursery.  Make sure to bring a camera to catch those priceless moments of Christmas wonderment!  Weekend hours are Friday and Saturday 9am to 9pm and Sunday noon to 8pm.  Admission is $3.00 per person. 

Sunday afternoon, pack up the clan and scoot up to Colonial Williamsburg for a day full of Grand Illumination festivities.  If you can only make it to one holiday event in Hampton Roads, this is the one to catch.  Get there early enough to grab a good parking spot, shop the local stores, grab lunch at The Cheese Shop, then, head back into the 18th century to grab your spot for all of the traditional performances and fireworks!  Performances kick off at 5:15pm with the fireworks show starting at 7pm. 

Also, don't forget about our great sales, including Honda Days at Checkered Flag Honda in Norfolk, going on all weekend at our Norfolk and Virginia Beach locations.  Call any Checkered Flag Virginia Beach new or used car location at (757)490-1111 to set up your weekend test drive.

I couldn't pass posting this article I came across today.  While searching for Hampton Roads holiday events, I came across a very interesting recipe from local foodie Lorraine Eaton of The Virginian Pilot.  Yes, it's awful silly, but, I bet that won't stop some of our Checkered Flag fans from trying it.  Especially if you're sampling wine while you're cooking this Thanksgiving! 

Article source: [pilotonline.com] edited for length


Well, a couple of years ago, I got tired of the same old turkey with frills on his feet. So I made this beach babe instead.

I got the idea from some spam that someone zinged my way. The picture was obviously doctored up with a perfectly even tan and slender neck and directions that simply said to fashion an aluminum foil bikini on your bird, roast it and it's a wrap.

Yeah, right. Still, I thought it was doable. And it is, although it took me two turkeys to get it right.

Here's how.

You can follow your own cooking method. We brined our bird and then cooked it at 375 degrees until the thigh meat reached 175 degrees. The only difference is that you must not baste the areas that are to be covered by the "bikini."

You'll need a bird, a roasting pan that it can fit into, a heavy cotton napkin that you can cut up, straight pins, scissors, butter and perhaps a bit of molasses.

1. Assess your bird's build. They're pretty barrel-chested. You'll want to position the bikini top right on the top part of the breast. We found that if the bathing suit slopes downward toward the neck, the tan marks won't be pronounced.

2. For the bikini bottoms, Place the corner of the napkin between the legs. Cut the napkin into a triangle. Make it a pleasing cut. Our bird was more of a hottie when we gave her a French bikini of sorts. Use the edging of the napkin to make straps to go over the hips and save some for the straps on the top.

3. To make the bikini top, fold a piece of napkin in half and cut out a pair of circles. They don't have to be very big. This 12-pound bird's cup size was about the diameter of a small jelly glass.

4. Dress the bird before you put it in the oven. Press the cloth top and bottoms onto the raw skin using straight pins to hold the fabric in place and to keep the fabric absolutely flush with the skin.

5. If you want, poke a small, shallow hole in the skin for an inny belly button.

6. Be sure to slide your gal onto the lowest rack in the oven so that her belly doesn't get scraped by the top heating element.

7. Baste the babe every 20 minutes. Think of basting as putting on suntan oil. Use a small paintbrush to maneuver around the edges of the swimsuit.

8. You'll also need to soak that fabric every time you baste. I, of great improvising skill, doused it using a foam brush dipped in water and it worked just great.

9. Along the way, you'll need to loosely cover areas that have fully browned with aluminum foil. Keep foil and scissors nearby.

10. About a half hour before you plan to take the bird out of the oven, you'll need to do a little manhandling to get the laid-back, hands-behind-the-head look. Using a kitchen towel, grasp the wings one at a time and force them back behind the neck.

11. When she's sizzling hot, (indicated when a meat thermometer inserted into the thigh reads 175 to 180 degrees) remove her from the oven.

12. For underdone spots, turn the oven to low broil and with the door open position the pale parts directly under the broiler while you watch. Do not walk away from the oven at this point or you will burn the bird. We also touched up ours with a bit of molasses, just to make the tan lines more pronounced.

13. Remove the "bikini" and voila!

14. If you really want to have fun, lay your beach babe out on a striped or flowered placemat or napkin for a beach towel. Garnish with small beach balls, maybe even a frilly drink.

15. Got a favorite athlete? You could use this technique to emblazon the number on the breast of the bird.
End of article.