A FEW PRECAUTIONARY AND PREPAREDNESS ITEMS TO NOTE:

1. FOLLOW MANUFACTURERS INSTRUCTIONS WHEN OPERATING A GENERATOR OR
AXILLARY HEATER. ENSURE PORTABLE GENERATORS ARE ADEQUATELY VENTILATED.

2. TRAVEL CONDITIONS TONIGHT ACROSS THE REGION WILL BE EXTREMELY
DANGEROUS AND LIFE THREATENING. HELP YOUR LOCAL AND STATE
GOVERNMENT FIRST RESPONDERS AND TRANSPORTATION AGENCIES BY STAYING
OFF ROADS LATER THIS EVENING AND TONIGHT.

3. FOLLOW LOCAL AND STATE GOVERNMENT EMERGENCY DECLARATION ORDERS.
IF YOU ABSOLUTELY NEED TO TRAVEL IN AN EMERGENCY…DO NOT TRAVEL
ALONE. LET SOMEONE KNOW YOUR TIMETABLE AND YOUR PRIMARY AND
ALTERNATE ROUTES. CARRY WITH YOU A WINTER STORM SURVIVAL KIT WHICH
INCLUDES A MOBILE PHONE…BLANKETS…FLASHLIGHT WITH EXTRA
BATTERIES…HIGH CALORIE NON-PERISHABLE FOOD AND WATER…AND A
SHOVEL.

4. IF YOU GET STRANDED IN YOUR VEHICLE…DO NOT LEAVE YOUR CAR TO
TRY TO WALK FOR ASSISTANCE…YOU CAN QUICKLY BECOME DISORIENTED IN
WIND DRIVEN SNOW AND COLD. THIS STORM WILL SUBSIDE SATURDAY
AFTERNOON…SO WAIT IN YOUR CAR FOR EMERGENCY HELP TO ARRIVE.
PERIODICALLY RUN YOUR ENGINE FOR ABOUT 10 MINUTES EACH HOUR FOR
HEAT. ENSURE YOUR EXHAUST PIPE IS CLEARED OF SNOW AND ICE. CRACK
YOUR WINDOWS TO AVOID CARBON MONOXIDE POISONING. TIE A COLORED CLOTH
TO YOUR CARS ANTENNA TO BE VISIBLE TO RESCUERS. FROM
TIME-TO-TIME…MOVE YOUR ARMS…LEGS…FINGERS…AND TOES TO KEEP
BLOOD CIRCULATING.

5. AVOID OVEREXERTION WHEN SHOVELING SNOW. BREAK THE SHOVELING
DOWN INTO SMALLER JOBS AND TAKE FREQUENT BREAKS.

6. IN CASE OF POWER SUPPLY DISRUPTIONS…HAVE AVAILABLE FLASH
LIGHTS WITH EXTRA BATTERIES…EXTRA FOOD AND WATER…EXTRA MEDICINES.

7. ENSURE ANY PETS AND FARM ANIMALS HAVE PLENTY OF WATER…FOOD…
AND SHELTER.

James Cameron’s ” Avatar” has completed its three-part flight into history, surpassing a domestic box-office record that’s stood since the filmmaker’s “Titanic” completed its theatrical run in 1998. The 3D phenom previously shredded the international and worldwide b.o. records set by “Titantic.” On Wednesday, “Avatar” distributor Fox said the sci-fi epic had rung up $601.1 million in domestic b.o. through Tuesday. “Titanic” registered $600.8 million in U.S. and Canadian coin. So how high can “Avatar” fly? “I have no idea where we go from here,” Fox domestic distribution president Bruce Snyder said. “The only picture that has gotten this high was “Titanic,’ but ‘Avatar’ is coming off of a $30 million weekend while ‘Titanic’ was ending its theatrical run at the same point in the cume.” “Avatar” — which scored nine Oscar nominations Tuesday — boasts a foreign tally of $1.48 billion and counting, shaping a worldwide cume of $2.08 billion. A rise in ticket prices over the past decade-plus since “Titanic” gave “Avatar” a big advantage of its filmmaker’s last dramatic feature. And 3D ticket upcharges represent another revenue-padder for “Avatar.” Movie admissions are another matter. First released in 1939, “Gone with the Wind” is still rated the top ticket seller of all time. Meantime, News Corp. chairman and CEO Rupert Murdoch was asked about the prospect of an “Avatar” sequel on Tuesday and noted the Fox parent was “pushing for one.” Cameron also has noted he has a couple ideas about how to script any sequels. (Hollywood Reporter)

1. Grammy Awards CBS 25.87 M
2. American Idol-Wednesday Fox 25.71 M
3. American Idol-Tuesday Fox 24.45 M
4. NCIS CBS 20.22 M
5. NCIS: Los Angeles CBS 16.94 M
6. House Fox 14.21 M
7. Bones Fox 12.33 M
8. 60 Minutes CBS 12.32 M
9. Two and a Half Men CBS 12.07 M
10. The Big Bang Theory CBS 11.5 M
11. The Bachelor ABC 11.47 M
12. Desperate Housewives ABC 11.44 M
13. The Mentalist CBS 11.07 M
14. 24 Fox 10.81 M
15. Castle ABC 10.55 M
16. The Good Wife CBS 10.02 M
17. The Biggest Loser 9 NBC 9.71 M
18. CSI: Miami CBS 9.55 M
19. Human Target Fox 9.26 M
20. CSI: Crime Scene Investigation CBS 9.15 M

“I am big. It’s the pictures that got small.” Gloria Swanson in “Sunset Boulevard,” 1950

“It’s not the men in your life that counts, it’s the life in your men.” Mae West in “I’m No Angel,” 1933
“You had me at hello.” Renee Zellweger in “Jerry Maguire,” 1996

“Toto, I’ve a feeling we’re not in Kansas anymore.” Judy Garland in “The Wizard of Oz,” 1939

“I’ll have what she’s having.” Estelle Reiner in “When Harry Met Sally,” 1989

“After all, tomorrow is another day.” Vivien Leigh in “Gone With the Wind,” 1939

“Fasten your seat belts - it’s going to be a bumpy night.” Bette Davis in “All About Eve,” 1950

“I have a head for business and a bod for sin.” Melanie Griffith in “Working Girl,” 1988

“I’m just one stomach flu away from my goal weight.” Emily Blunt in “The Devil Wears Prada,” 2006

“You know how to whistle, don’t you, Steve? You just put your lips together… and blow.” Lauren Becall in “To Have and Have Not,” 1944

“You get what you settle for.” Susan Sarandon in “Thelma & Louise,” 1991

“You’re not to smart are you? I like that in a man.” Kathleen Turner in “Body Heat,” 1981

“As if!” Alicia Silverstone in “Clueless,” 1995

What’s the most unusual job you ever held? Peanut inspector? Horse wrangler? How about a backup dancer for a female impersonator? In a recent survey, CareerBuilder.com asked more than 2,450 workers to share the most interesting or unconventional jobs they held during their careers.

Actor for haunted house
Bingo announcer
Rodeo clown
Drawbridge tender
Eye glass buffer
Fingerprint analyzer
Glass sculptor
Hot rod builder
Interpreter for government agency
Jelly doughnut filler
Karate instructor
Lifeguard at nude beach
Military role player (played Iraqi citizen for military sensitivity training)
Note taker for college students
Ocean scuba guide
Phone psychic
Quiz writer for competitions
Rescue squad for pets
Stand-in bridesmaid (for weddings where the bride didn’t know enough people)
Telemarketer for a cemetery
Urinalysis observer
Voice-over specialist for movies
Window washer for skyscrapers
X-mas tree decorator
Youth boot camp instructor for juvenile offenders
Zoo artificial inseminator

LOS ANGELES—A law-enforcement official says prosecutors plan to charge Michael Jackson’s doctor with manslaughter rather than take the case to a grand jury.

The official told the Associated Press on Tuesday that prosecutors will file a criminal complaint against Dr. Conrad Murray in court.

The complaint would be the prelude to a hearing in which a judge would weigh testimony from witnesses to decide if there is probable cause to try him on an involuntary manslaughter charge.

Mr. Jackson died June 25 from an anesthetic overdose. Dr. Murray maintains nothing he gave Mr. Jackson should have killed him.

Feb 2 (Reuters) - The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced the nominations on Tuesday for the 82nd annual Academy Awards.

Following is a list of the main Oscar contenders. The awards will be handed out in Hollywood on March 7.

BEST PICTURE

“Avatar”

“The Blind Side”

“District 9″

“An Education”

“The Hurt Locker”

“Inglourious Basterds”

“Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire”

“A Serious Man”

“Up”

“Up in the Air”

BEST ACTOR

Jeff Bridges - “Crazy Heart”

George Clooney - “Up in the Air”

Colin Firth - “A Single Man”

Morgan Freeman - “Invictus”

Jeremy Renner - “The Hurt Locker”

BEST ACTRESS

Sandra Bullock - “The Blind Side”

Helen Mirren - “The Last Station”

Carey Mulligan - “An Education”

Gabourey Sidibe - “Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire”

Meryl Streep - “Julie & Julia”

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

Matt Damon - “Invictus”

Woody Harrelson - “The Messenger”

Christopher Plummer - “The Last Station”

Stanley Tucci - “The Lovely Bones”

Christoph Waltz - “Inglourious Basterds”

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Penelope Cruz - “Nine”

Vera Farmiga - “Up in the Air”

Maggie Gyllenhaal in “Crazy Heart”

Anna Kendrick - “Up in the Air”

Mo’Nique - “Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire”

BEST DIRECTOR

James Cameron - “Avatar”

Kathryn Bigelow - “The Hurt Locker”

Quentin Tarantino - “Inglourious Basterds”

Lee Daniels - “Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire”

Jason Reitman - “Up in the Air”

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM

“Ajami” - Israel

“El Secreto de Sus Ojos” - Argentina

“The Milk of Sorrow” - Peru

“Un Prophete” - France

“The White Ribbon” - Germany

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE

“Coraline”

“Fantastic Mr. Fox”

“The Princess and the Frog”

“The Secret of Kells”

“Up”

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

“The Hurt Locker”

“Inglourious Basterds”

“The Messenger”

“A Serious Man”

“Up”

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

“District 9″

“An Education”

“In the Loop”

“Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire”

“Up in the Air”

BEST ART DIRECTION

“Avatar”

“The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus”

“Nine”

“Sherlock Holmes”

“The Young Victoria”

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY

“Avatar”

“Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince”

“The Hurt Locker”

“Inglourious Basterds”

“The White Ribbon”

BEST COSTUME DESIGN

“Bright Star”

“Coco Before Chanel”

“The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus”

“Nine”

“The Young Victoria”

BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE

“Burma VJ”

“The Cove”

“Food, Inc.”

“The Most Dangerous Man in America: Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers”

“Which Way Home”

BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT

“China’s Unnatural Disaster: The Tears of Sichuan Province”

“The Last Campaign of Governor Booth Gardner”

“The Last Truck: Closing of a GM Plant”

“Music by Prudence”

“Rabbit a la Berlin”

BEST FILM EDITING

“Avatar”

“District 9″

“The Hurt Locker”

“Inglourious Basterds”

“Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire”

ACHIEVEMENT IN MAKE-UP

“Il Divo”

“Star Trek”

“The Young Victoria”

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE

“Avatar”

“Fantastic Mr. Fox”

“The Hurt Locker”

“Sherlock Holmes”

“Up”

BEST ORIGINAL SONG

“Almost There” from “The Princess and the Frog”

“Down in New Orleans” from “The Princess and the Frog”

“Loin de Paname” from “Paris 36″

“Take It All” from “Nine”

“The Weary Kind (Theme from Crazy Heart)” from “Crazy Heart”

BEST ANIMATED SHORT

“French Roast”

“Granny O’Grimm’s Sleeping Beauty”

“The Lady and the Reaper (La Dama

“Avatar” pulled in another $30 million to hold onto the top spot of the box office for its seventh straight week. That brings its U.S. total up to $594 million and has “Avatar” poised to break “Titanic’s” $600 million box office record within the next few days.

–Meanwhile, Mel Gibson’s new movie “Edge of Darkness” opened in second place, with a take of $17.1 million. Here are the Top 10 movies in the country . . .

1.) “Avatar”, $30 million (–Up to a total of $594 million in its 7th week.)

2.) (NEW) Mel Gibson’s “Edge of Darkness”, $17.1 million

3.) (NEW) Kristen Bell and Josh Duhamel’s “When in Rome”, $12.1 million

4.) The Rock’s “Tooth Fairy”, $10 million (–Up to $26.1 million in its 2nd week.)

5.) Denzel Washington’s “The Book of Eli”, $8.8 million (–Up to a total of $74.4 million in its 3rd week.)