THURSDAY 9/24

Today's BRAIN DRAIN:

THE LIFESPAN OF ONE OF THESE IS JUST ABOUT 10 DAYS. WHAT IS IT?

-A TASTE BUD (WINNER)

Debi Mazar sports a neck brace as Dancing With the Star's latest casualty.

SIX "WEIRD" SLEEP HABITS THAT ARE VERY NORMAL

1. Talking in your sleep: 56% of women polled say they've done it. (And 11% have sleepwalked.)

2. Needing help to doze off: 22% of women use things like prescription or over-the-counter meds or alcohol a few times a week to fall asleep faster.

3. Feeling sadder on less sleep: "The last hours of sleep, which usually get cut off, help regulate negative moods," says sleep expert Rosalind Cartwright, Ph.D.

4. Waking up in the middle of the night every night: 30% of women do.

5. Hitting the snooze button more than once: 39% of women say they usually do it two or three times each morning. 16% say they do it four times or more!

6. Cuddling up with an old friend: 27% of women say they still sleep with a stuffed animal.

GETTING YOUR WIFE OR GIRLFRIEND TO LOVE FOOTBALL

Fall is a great time of the year. Saturdays are wall-to-wall college games -- and Sundays are wall-to-wall NFL.

Unfortunately, most women don't think this is so great. In fact, many women hate it.

To them, football is boring and doesn't make any sense. To them, 22 guys hitting each other is pointless.

Trying to convince the wife or girlfriend to sit down and join you in watching a game is not an easy task. But it is possible -- football does need to divide the sexes. It can bring us all together.

Here are some things to consider when trying to get your wife or girlfriend interested in football:

1. Treat her well -- She's going to need to be in a positive frame of mind if you're going to have any luck, so offer a helping hand. Maybe do a little housework without her asking. Maybe fix that dripping sink she's been nagging you about. You could even cook a meal to really relax her.

2. Dress her up -- All women love to dress up, so surprise her with a jersey. Getting her name embroidered on the back of the shirt would really show you care.

3. Make it a date -- If your girlfriend is up for watching football, she probably sees it as an excuse to spend time with you. So use this to your advantage. Make sure it's just the two of you in front of the TV. Take time out to talk during commercials.

4. Booze her up -- Show some generosity by mixing girly drinks or buying a bottle of her favorite wine. She should be much more interested in the game once she's a little tipsy.

ON THE TUBE: Thursday(Posted 3:00 AM, 9/24/2009)

Regis & Kelly (synd) -- Laurence Fishburne (C-S-I) Ellen DeGeneres (synd) -- Christina Applegate (Samantha Who) The View (ABC) -- Michael Moore (Capitalism: A Love Story) Jon Stewart (Comedy Central) -- Disgraced politician Rod Blagojevich Jay Leno (NBC) -- Rush Limbaugh David Letterman (CBS) -- Craig Ferguson Conan O'Brien (NBC) -- Joel McHale (Community) Jimmy Kimmel (ABC) -- Rob Lowe (Brothers and Sisters) Craig Ferguson (CBS) -- Jason Schwartzman (Bored to Death) Jimmy Fallon (NBC) -- Megan Fox (Jennifer's Body) A-B-C opens a new season of Grey's Anatomy. The Mentalist and C-S-I return for new seasons on C-B-S.

HAVE A GREAT THURSDAY!
RC