Tulsa soldier takes ‘PokerStars.net Million Dollar Challenge’ Sunday on Fox
Two good reasons to tune in to “PokerStars.net Million Dollar Challenge” at 3:30 p.m. Sunday (Oct. 18) on Fox:
(1) Oklahoma Army National Guard Sgt. 1st Class Denny Luna, who is based in Tulsa, will be playing for a chance to win $1 million. His first round opponent is 2008 Playmate of the Year Jayde Nicole.
(2) Twice during the show, viewers at home will be invited to enter an online poker tournament and play for $20,000.
So make that three good reasons to watch the new poker game show that airs right after NFL football action on Fox.
In Sunday’s installment of the 5-episode series, which premiered Oct. 11, Sgt. Luna is featured quite prominently. Nicknamed “Lunatic” by friends and fellow soldiers, Luna, wins a sizeable sum (tune in to find out just how much). And the 38-year-old, who graduated from Northeastern State University in Tahlequah and has 20-plus years in the military, is still in the running for the million.
The remaining telecasts will air Nov. 22, Dec. 13 and Dec. 27. In the finale, players will have to play back-to-back heads up matches against four-time World Series of Poker bracelet winner Daniel “Kid Poker” Negreanu.
And Sunday, be sure and watch for the two passwords that will allow viewers to enter an exlusive online poker tournament where $20,000 will go to the winner.
Best of luck to Sgt. Luna, an Iraq war veteran who has won the Battalion Soldier of the Year and Global War on Terrorism Medal. And good luck to viewers everywhere.
–Penny TV
Pictured above: Sgt. Denny Luna, left, on the set of “PokerStars.Net Million Dollar Challenge” with Daniel “Kid Poker” Negreanu, host Chris Rose and 2008 Playmate of the Year Jayde Nicole. (Photo credit: Ray Mickshaw/PokerStars.net.)
Pictured below: Sgt. Luna gets Negreanu to do pushups. (Photo credit: Ray Mickshaw/PokerStars.net.)
Oklahoman Danny Cahill still dropping weight on ‘Biggest Loser’
Danny Cahill from
Broken Arrow has lost 58 pounds in five weeks on “The Biggest Loser.”
Better yet, he is off all his medications. And at 372 pounds (down from 430 when he started the show), he is feeling good — both physically and mentally.
“This week for the first time, I actually have gone a little above what my mind said I could do,” Danny said during Tuesday’s telecast of “The Biggest Loser” (7 p.m. Oct. 13 on NBC). “I’m ready to choose my direction instead of letting my direction choose me.”
Liz, his former teammate, did help boost his spirits a bit. After his new black-shirt crew lost a reward challenge, Liz opted to give him her reward she won as a member of the new blue team. It was a video from home.
And in another surprising turn of events, Liz and the blue team decided not to vote out Tracey when the opportunity arose. Tracey, after all, is the one who split up several teammates in deciding who would wear blue, who would wear black and who would train with whom (Danny is training with Jillian).
Coach Mo, Tracey’s former partner, went home instead. He convinced the blue squad that he was too hurt to help the team in upcoming challenges.
Danny, by the way, helped his team by dropping 10 pounds at the Week 5 weigh-in. His week-by-week totals since arriving at the “Biggest Loser” ranch are as follows:
Week 1 — dropped 24 pounds (went from 430 to 406)
Week 2 – dropped 12 pounds (went from 406 to 394)
Week 3 – dropped 4 pounds (went from 394 to 390)
Week 4 – dropped 8 pounds (went from 390 to 382)
Week 5 – dropped 10 pounds (went from 382 to 372)
Way to go, Danny.
–Penny TV
Pictured above: THE BIGGEST LOSER — Episode 806 — Pictured: Danny — NBC Photo: Trae Patton
Tickets to “Mad Money” taping at OU available Oct. 13 and 14
CNBC’s “Mad Money With Jim Cramer” will broadcast from the University of Oklahoma on Friday, Oct. 30.
Student tickets to the taping, which are available on a first-come, first-served basis, will be handed out today (Oct. 13) from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the Clary Lounge (first floor of Pierce Hall) and Wednesday (Oct. 14) from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the first floor lobby of the Oklahoma Memorial Union.
“Mad Money” will tape the broadcast in front of a live audience of students at OU’s Donald W. Reynolds Performing Arts Center. The show airs at 5 p.m. weekdays on CNBC with a rebroadcast at 10 p.m.
“I am very excited to get back on the road for the ‘Mad Money Back to School Tour’ at the University of Oklahoma,’” Cramer said in a press release. “I have found that now, more than ever, there is a need and a desire, on the part of Americans, to understand the market and investing. And, what better place to focus my energy than college campuses across the country where I can teach and interact with the next generation of investors.”
Cramer, who believes that there is always a bull market somewhere and he wants to try to help viewers find it, started making the “Back to School Tour” rounds in 2006. Previous stops include Georgia Tech, the University of Southern California, Harvard Law School, the University of Michigan, Boston College, Georgetown University, the University of Virginia, the University of Texas at Austin, Indiana University, Penn State University and the University of Iowa.
For more information call the Price College Office of Alumni and Development at 325-2500.
–Penny TV
Carrie Underwood returns to Fox for holiday special
During the 2004 holiday
season, Checotah native Carrie Underwood was dreaming about her first appearance on Fox Television. Now, she is bringing a dream line-up to Fox for an upcoming holiday special.
She will headline a two-hour musical event tentatively titled “Carrie Underwood: An All-Star Holiday Special” that is scheduled to premiere at 7 p.m. Monday, Dec. 7, on Fox. She will perform new music from her upcoming album (”Play On” to be released Nov. 3), as well as previous hits and holiday classics.
And joining Underwood for the variety special will be David Cook, Dolly Parton and Brad Paisley. Additional guest stars and performers will be announced soon.
Underwood’s first performance for Fox took place in August 2004 at the St. Louis auditions for “American Idol.” She was picked for the show that started airing in January 2005, and she was crowned the Season 4 winner four months later.
One of her holiday special guests had a similar experience. Cook, who was living in Tulsa at the time, drove to Nebraska to audition for “American Idol” in August 2007. He won Season 7 in May 2008.
Underwood is the best-selling “American Idol” winner in the U.S. with album sales of more than 10 million. She is a four-time Grammy Award winner, the 2009 Academy of Country Music Entertainer of the Year and the reigning Country Music Association (CMA) and Academy of Country Music (ACM) female vocalist of the year.
She will also co-host the 43rd annual CMA Awards Nov. 11 with Paisley, another of her holiday special guests.
–Penny TV
Pictured above: Carrie Underwod performs at the “American Idol” Top 2 Performance Show May 19, 2009. (Photo Credit: Frank Micelotta / FOX).
Oklahoma Alert: Flaming Lips, Rascal Flats, Toby Keith on TV talk shows Oct. 13-16
Several musical atists with Oklahoma ties are making appearances on TV talk shows this week.
The Flaming Lips, the Grammy-winning rock band that was formed in Oklahonma City in 1983, will perform on Tuesday’s edition of “The Tonight Show With Conan O’Brien” airing at 10:35 p.m. (Oklahoma time) on NBC.
Rascal Flats, the country music trio featuring guitarist Joe Don Rooney from Picher, will perform on Wednesday’s edition of “The Tonight Show With Conan O’Brien” airing at 10:35 p.m. (Oklahoma time) on NBC.
Toby Keith, who was born in Clinton, grew up in Moore and lives in Norman, will perform on three talk shows — “Jimmy Kimmel Live” at 12:06 a.m. Thursday morning on ABC, “The Bonnie Hunt Show” at 1 p.m. Thursday afternoon on KFOR-4 and “The Late Late Show With Craig Ferguson” at 11:37 p.m. Friday night on CBS.
–Penny TV
Pictured above: Toby Keith performs “Unwound” at the ACM Artist of the Decade All Star Concert in honor of George Strait on Monday, April 6, 2009, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Oklahoma Alert: Terry Bradshaw on “The Jay Leno Show” Friday (Oct. 9) on NBC
Former Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Terry Bradshaw, who who makes his home on a ranch in Thackerville, will appear on Friday’s edition of “The Jay Leno Show” airing at 9 p.m. (Oklahoma time) on NBC.
Bradshaw, now a football analyst and co-host of “Fox NFL Sunday,” will show off his driving skills in Leno’s “Green Car Challenge.” The car used in the challenge is a version of the electric Focus that Ford will sell in North America in 2011. It features two batteries (one in the cargo area and the other replacing what would normally be the fuel tank), a roll bar and a five-point racing harness.
–Penny TV
Pictured above: Terry Bradshaw, former football quarterback and current sports commentator, laughs during an interview in New York, Feb. 11, 2006. Bradshaw also is a featured actor in the new movie “Failure to Launch.” (AP Photo/Frank Franklin)
Oklahoman still a contender on ‘Biggest Loser’
Danny Cahill from Broken
Arrow dropped eight pounds during Week 4 at “The Biggest Loser” ranch in California. Only one contestant lost more (Rudy), but Danny and teammate Liz, who only lost three pounds for the week, were up for elimination.
But viewers who were paying attention knew it wasn’t going to be Danny and Liz even before the votes were revealed. Going into commercial break with 15 minutes to go in the show, the announcer said, “Coming up, ‘The Biggest Loser’ transformation moment. See how the eliminated player looks today.”
Since Danny and Liz were up for elimination against Julio, he was obviously the “eliminated player” the announcer was talking about.
That’s good for Danny, because he has been doing good every week. He dropped 24 pounds during the first week, 12 pounds for the second week and four pounds for the third week. He started the show at 430 pounds and finished Week 4 at 382 pounds.
For those who want “The Biggest Loser” weight loss results without the cameras rolling, consider attending “The Biggest Loser Resort at Fitness Ridge” in Ivins, Utah. The weight loss resort provides guests with structered, week-long programs filled with fitness, education, recreation and fun. For more information, visit www.biggestloserresort.com.
–Penny TV
Bravo begins “Top Chef” contestant search
Oklahoma City native Rick Bayless won “Top Chef Masters.” So the show’s producers knows that there are culinary stars in the Sooner state.
But the only way to let them know who and where is to try out for Season 7 of “Top Chef.” So plan a road trip to an open casting call in either San Francisco (Oct. 18th), Miami (Oct. 25th), Chicago (Oct. 26th), Washington D.C. (Nov. 4th), New York City (Nov. 8th) or Dallas (Nov. 11th).
Or better yet, audition in your own kitchen. Send a 5-minute videotape of your cooking skills to Magical Elves, Top Chef Cycle 7, P.O. Box 13005, Los Angeles, CA 90013. Applications must be submitted by Nov. 16 and application forms are available at www.bravotv.com/casting.
Who knows? You could become the next chef-testant from Oklahoma to appear on cable television’s top-rated food show.
“Top Chef” is currently in its sixth season on Bravo (9 p.m. Wednesdays).
–Penny TV
Pictured above: Rick Bayless in Episode 110 of “Top Chef Masters” (Bravo Photo:Kelsey McNeal)
Oklahoma Alert: Toby Keith performs on “The Tonight Show With Conan O’Brien” Wednesday (Oct. 7)
Country singer Toby Keith, who lives in Norman, is the musical guest on Wednesday’s edition of “The Tonight Show With Conan O’Brien” airing at 10:30 p.m. (Oklahoma time) on NBC.
Keith’s newest studio album, “American Ride,” was released Oct. 6. The title track has already reached No. 2 on Billboard’s Top Country Songs chart.
Other guests on Wednesday’s show include Jason Bateman (”Arrested Development”) and Selena Gomez (”Wizards of Waverly Place”).
–Penny TV
Pictured above: Toby Keith performs “Unwound” at the ACM Artist of the Decade All Star Concert in honor of George Strait on Monday, April 6, 2009, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Oklahoma Alert: Miranda Lambert performs on “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” and “The Bonnie Hunt Show”
Country singer Miranda Lambert,
who lives in Tishomingo, is the musical guest on Tuesday’s edition of “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” (9 a.m. Oct. 6 on KOCO-5) and on Wednesday’s installment of “The Bonnie Hunt Show” (1 p.m. Oct. 7 on KFOR-4).
Lambert’s third studio album, “Revolution,” was released Sept. 29. She wrote or co-wrote all but three of the album’s 15 tracks.
Other guests on Tuesday’s “Ellen” show include Rob Lowe (”The Invention of Lying”) and Juliette Lewis (”Whip It”). Also guest starring on Wednesday’s “Bonnie Hunt” show are Patricia Heaton (”The Middle”) and Jeff Lewis (”Flipping Out”).
–Penny TV
