Wednesday - 1/18/12 

Elton John/Leon Russell documentary to premiere on HBO in February.  17-cd Judas Priest box set out next week. Ron Wood talks Jimi Hendrix. Sammy Hagar slams "Tattoo".  Father of 14 is a virgin. Mixing partners and friends. Optimism leads to selfishness. How to break up the right way. Healthiest cities for women.

ELTON JOHN/LEON RUSSELL

The Cameron Crowe-directed documentary on Elton John and Leon Russell's recent collaboration -- named -- like their album -- The Union, will premiere on HBO on February 2nd. The doc made it's debut at the 2011 Tribeca Film Festival, and in addition to Elton and Russell, the film includes appearances by producer T Bone Burnett, Elton's longtime lyricist Bernie Taupin, along with friends and musical contributors to The Union -- Neil Young, Brian Wilson, Booker T. Jones, Stevie Nicks, and Don Was.

Elton John told Ultimate Classic Rock: "I'm a great fan of HBO and their extraordinary programming. I'm particularly thrilled that they will be airing The Union."

At his 2011 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction, a very emotional and humbled Leon Russell accepted his honor: "But I have to tell you something that's also great, about a year ago, Elton came and found me in a ditch by the highway on the side of life. He took me up to the high stages with the big audiences and treated me like a king. And the only thing I can say is, bless your heart. Also, I want to say, thank you very much, I appreciate it and hallelujah. (Applause)" 

JUDAS PRIEST

Judas Priest will release a 17-CD box set on January 24th containing all 14 studio albums and three live sets recorded by the classic lineup of singer Rob Halford, guitarists Glenn Tipton and K.K. Downing, and bassist Ian Hill. Included in the package will be the first band-authorized remasters of its rare first two albums, 1974's Rocka Rolla and 1976's Sad Wings Of Destiny. Each individual album will be packaged in a replica mini-LP sleeve reproducing its original cover art and the box will also contain a 40-page booklet. The Complete Albums Collection will be available through Popmarket.com.

RON WOOD/JIMI HENDRIX

Ron Wood recalled seeing Jimi Hendrix the night before he died on September 18th, 1970. A pre-fame Wood briefly shared an apartment with Hendrix in London and told Absolute Radio UK, "Jimi was a really sweet, well-mannered boy, and I'm very honored to have shared a little space of time with him back in the late-1960's. . . I used to say, 'How was the gig tonight?' and he'd go, 'Oh, the guitar was okay, man, but my voice. . . I really can't sing.' I said, 'Look, you're not doing a bad job, man, don't worry about it.' I'd say, 'Look, it's all part of the side-effect. I think it goes great with the way you strum and play amazing guitar.'"

The Rolling Stones guitarist recalled seeing Hendrix only hours before he died: "I was with him at Ronnie Scott's (club) the night he died. He was walking down the stairs with his arm around this girl and I said to him, 'Jimi, say goodnight' -- and he didn't turn 'round, I said, 'Jimi, say goodnight!' and he turned round really slowly, out of his brain, and just gave me a little stoned wave. And that was the last the world saw of him. Very sad, very sad departure."

SAMMY HAGAR

Ex-Van Halen singer Sammy Hagar has slammed "Tattoo," the first single from Van Halen's upcoming album with original frontman David Lee Roth, A Different Kind Of Truth. Speaking with Cack Blabbath while on tour in Europe with Chickenfoot, Hagar said about the track, "I personally don't think that what they have just released, what I have seen and heard, is great at all. It should be better than it is but hey, it is what it is and at least they got together and at least they came out with something, that's all I can say, you know. God bless them but I was expecting a lot more."

Hagar was also asked if he thought the Van Halen reunion with Roth was motivated by money. He replied, "I'll tell you what, they waited so long and they're so not fan friendly, and as big as Van Halen was in the past . . . Why they're doing it now I have no idea, but I think it's about time."

Hagar said that he thinks the Van Halen brothers aren't very good at connecting with the world: "They're so out of it. They sit and they hide in their little closets, you know. They never get out. They never go around to other people. They never listen to the radio. They don't do anything to stay current or to just keep their hand on the pulse, you know."

36-YEAR-OLD SPERM DONOR, AND FATHER OF 14, IS A VIRGIN

A man who has fathered 14 children with his sperm donations has revealed he has never had sex. Trent Arsenault, who calls his sperm "organic" -- because it is "fresh, not frozen" -- said he expends 100% of his sexual energy "producing sperm for childless couples to have babies." The 36-year-old continued, "I will probably be the 40-year-old virgin -- except I'll have 15-plus kids." Arsenault was donating his sperm for free, out of his home, but has been ordered to shut down his sperm bank by the US Food and Drug Administration. Arsenault said, "I'm helping people in need. I'm not running a business here." (Ninemsn)

MIXING PARNTERS AND FRIENDS IS BAD FOR SEX

 Men whose girlfriends are too friendly with their guy friends suffer in the bedroom. A study by Cornell University found that older men who do all their socializing alongside their other halves are more likely to suffer from erectile dysfunction. The phenomenon was dubbed 'partner betweeness' -- where a romantic partner comes between a man and his friends. Partner betweenness supposedly undermines men's feelings of autonomy and privacy, which are central to traditional concepts of masculinity. (Daily Mail)

OPTIMISM LEADS TO SELFISHNESS

 Positive moods tend to cause selfish behavior: A study at the University of New South Wales engendered good moods or bad moods in 45 participants by giving them either positive or negative feedback on a cognitive test and gauged their moods with a questionnaire. They then gave the participants 10 raffle tickets for a $20 prize and suggested that they share them with the others. Happier people were more likely to keep the tickets for themselves. In further studies, people in a negative mood were more thoughtful and attentive, while happier people were more likely to make snap judgments. (AskMen.com)

HOW TO BREAK UP THE RIGHT WAY (YourTango.com)

1. Don't drag it out: As hard as you think breaking up will be, it will be even harder and more painful if you drag the relationship on for longer and then break up. If you think there is a real chance of making it work, then by all means take some more time to see it through. But if you've already made your final decision, DO NOT continue the relationship. If you do, you are just wasting the other person's time, allowing them to become more attached to you, and preventing them from moving on and finding their true love. They will probably be furious at you for doing it, and rightfully so. Don't let it come to that. When you know it's not going to work, let them know ASAP.

2. Pick the right time and place: When you do decide to break up, pick a time and place that is sensitive to the other person. Also, don't wait until the holidays or some special event to ruin someone's mood. Give them a little time to deal with things before having to face all of their friends and family. I guess the best, and maybe the only, way to gauge what the right time is for a breakup is to put yourself in the other person's shoes and ask yourself, "How would I feel if I were broken up with at that particular time?"

3. Give the person a sense of closure: Sometimes it's clear to both parties that a relationship is headed towards a breakup. In those cases, when the relationship finally does end, there's usually a sense of closure. Many times, however, the breakup comes as a complete shock to the other person. They are left dazed and confused, as if they were just hit by a speeding train and left lying on the tracks.

4. Space: Now that you've broken up and had a closure conversation, give the person the space they need to move on with their lives. If you happen to frequent the same venues, find another place to hang for a while so that your ex doesn't have to see you and feel the pain over and over again, especially if you've already started dating someone else. I can still remember the pain of being on the other end of a failed relationship and having to see my ex on a regular basis. Give them a chance to heal.

5. Move on with your life: You made the decision to break up and did the deed. You had the closure conversation. You are done. So why are you still calling them to chat or going out for coffee together? I know, you'd love to be friends with them because you really like them (just not as a spouse), but don't you realize that they probably still have feelings for you? Don't you understand that by continuing to interact with them in a close personal manner you are stirring up their feelings for you and possibly impeding them from wholeheartedly dating other people?

RALEIGH IS THE HEALTHIEST CITY FOR WOMEN

 Women's Health magazine compiled its latest healthiest cities for women list, naming Raleigh, North Carolina as the best place to live as a woman. Some newcomers to the annual list, published for the fourth year running, include Madison, Wisconsin; Burlington, Vermont and Portland, Maine.

TOP TEN HEALTHIEST CITIES FOR WOMEN

1. Raleigh, North Carolina
County: Wake
Population: 405,791
State Obesity Rate: 27.8 percent
State Life Expectancy: 74.48

2. San Jose, California
County: Santa Clara
Population: 964,695
State Obesity Rate: 24 percent
State Life Expectancy: 75.86

3. Madison, Wisconsin
County: Dane
Population: 235,626
State Obesity Rate: 26.3 percent
State Life Expectancy: 76.87

4. Boise, Idaho
County: Ada
Population: 384,656
State Obesity Rate: 26.3 percent
State Life Expectancy: 76.88

5. Burlington, Vermont
County: Chittenden
Population: 38,647
State Obesity Rate: 23.2 percent
State Life Expectancy: 76.54

6. Plano, Texas
County: Collin
Population: 273,611
State Obesity Rate: 31 percent
State Life Expectancy: 75.14

7. Virginia Beach, Virginia
Population: 433,575
State Obesity Rate: 26 percent
State Life Expectancy: 75.22

8. Portland, Maine
County: Cumberland
Population: 63,008
State Obesity Rate: 26.8 percent
State Life Expectancy: 76.35

9. Austin, Texas
County: Travis
Population: 786,382
State Obesity Rate: 31 percent
State Life Expectancy: 75.14

10. Minneapolis, Minnesota
County: Hennepin
Population: 385,542
State Obesity Rate: 24.8 percent
State Life Expectancy: 77.76

Thanks for listening to The Eagle while you work. Keep it fabulous, Houston!

xoxo,

Jennifer Tyler

Fabulous Mid-Day Diva