Mutua Madrid Open - Wednesday Matches to Watch

Most of the top players in the world hit the blue clay on Wednesday.

Here's what to keep an eye on:

Men

Nikolay Davydenko vs. Rafael Nadal - Rafael Nadal makes his debut on the blue clay.

Roger Federer vs. Milos Raonic

John Isner vs. Marin Cilic - A lot is now expected of Isner on clay.

Ryan Harrison vs. Jo-Wilfried Tsonga - Harrison is due for a big win.

Women

Agnieszka Radwanska vs. Sara Errani - Errani has won 3 clay court events in 2012.  She's legit.

Victoria Azarenka vs. Ana Ivanovic

Angelique Kerber vs. Na Li

Sam Stosur vs. Petra Cetkovska

'Rock of Ages' Movie Trailer Hits Internet

'Rock of Ages" comes out June 1.

The offical movie trailer hits the internet.

Acupuncture Might Help People Quit Smoking

Acupuncture and hypnosis have been promoted as drug-free ways to help smokers kick the habit, and there they might just work, according to a research review that looked at 14 international studies.
Researchers, whose findings appeared in the American Journal of Medicine, said that there are still plenty of questions, including exactly how effective alternative therapies might be and how they measure up against conventional methods to quit smoking.

But the alternatives should still stand as options for smokers determined to break the habit, said researchers led by Mehdi Tahiri of McGill University in Montreal, Canada.

In general, smokers who want to quit should first try the standard approaches, which include nicotine-replacement therapy, medications and behavioral counseling, Tahiri said.

"But some people are not interested in medication," he said, adding that in many cases the standard therapies had not worked. "Then I think we should definitely recommend (acupuncture and hypnosis) as choices."

Researchers found that some studies showed that smokers subjected to acupuncture were more than three times as likely to be tobacco-free six months to a year later.

Similarly, across four trials of hypnosis, smokers had a higher success rate with the therapy compared to people who had minimal help.

But there were some caveats, researchers said. The success rate was not consistent in all the tests conducted, although the broad trends pointed to the benefits of alternate treatment.

A 2008 study that ran a few sessions of laser acupuncture on 258 smokers found that 55 percent who'd received the treatment quit the habit in six months, compared with four percent who were not given the treatment.

The "getting people to quit smoking" business is a billion dollar industry.  People want to quit smoking and they are always looking for help and looking for answers.

What the Hell is Going on? With Paul Thorn

A new album that comes out May 8, is the answer.

What The Hell is Goin On? Is exactly the question that many fans of songwriter and Billboard-charting recording artist Paul Thorn will be asking when they hear he s releasing an album made up entirely of cover songs.

Yes, these are cover songs, but most are obscure songs that we haven't heard.

I recently had the opportunity to talk to Thorn about his new release.

"The songs I chose are probably songs you've never heard," Thorn admitted. "These songs inspire me and my own writings, and it gives some exposure to these great songwriters."

For my piece on Thorn, you can go here:

http://www.examiner.com/article/paul-thorn-talks-elvis-americana-mcmusic-and-tech-as-he-heads-to-atlanta

It's a great new album not only for fans of Thorn, but people that might not know about this Tupelo, MS native or the Americana genre of music.

To order 'What the Hell is Goin on"   go here:

Donald Driver Hopes to Avoid Double Elimination

As a wide receiver, Donald Driver is used to double-coverage, but double elimination has to scare the crap out of him.

This week, it's going to be a Latin dance again, and then also a dance where Driver will get paired with another dance pro.  Looks like Karina will be doing a routine with No. 80.

Two unlucky couples will be gone after this week, let's hope DD makes the cut.