New Orleans, Louisiana (CNN) — If you’ve never been to Mardi Gras, you may think it’s all about beads for boobs.

That’s pretty much what artist Cree McCree expected. But that was before the Crescent City transplant actually experienced it, in true New Orleans style.

“I was completely seduced by the magic of it,” she says.

There’s no doubt about it, the Mardi Gras spirit defines the soul of New Orleans and the event itself is the city’s top tourism draw, to the tune of hundreds of millions of dollars annually.

For Elvis Presley fans, 2012 promises to be a good year. There are exhibits, tours, special events, concerts, promotions and celebratory cruises in the works to commemorate the 35th anniversary of the King’s death, who would have celebrated his birthday on Jan. 8.

And a new museum housing a large private collection of memorabilia opened to the public last month in Düsseldorf, Germany. The Elvis Presley Museum Düsseldorf is possibly one of the largest such collections outside of the United States, according to the museum.

The anticipation of Christmas Eve is almost as great for Santa as it is for the children he delivers presents to. With the night looming, he is just finishing up squeezing in a few more kids at Woodgrove Centre to make sure every good child in Nanaimo gets what he or she wants for Christmas.

Like every year, it’s a busy one. In fact, with increasing global populations, every year is busier than the one before.

But delivering presents to all the children of the world is what Santa lives for.

I’ve found some incredible ones that have really inspired me! Heroes, stories of people who have overcome obstacles and inspirational videos will be the focus here. If you know of a good one Contact Me!

The Thousand-Hand Guanyin: (I found it over at Xtraordinary Living…thanks Rick!) From him, “Considering the tight coordination required, their accomplishment is nothing short of amazing, even if they were not all deaf. Yes, you read correctly. All 21 of the dancers are complete deaf-mutes.” WOW!

(CNN) — Country music singer Mindy McCready was hiding in the closet with her son when authorities took the 5-year-old boy into custody in Arkansas, officials said early Saturday.

Authorities found Zander McCready and his mother in a home in Heber Springs, Arkansas, according to David Rahbany, the chief deputy U.S. Marshal in eastern Arkansas.

“The child appeared to be in good condition when we found him … he was in the closet with his mother,” Rahbany said.

Local sheriffs and marshals had placed the home — believed to belong to the singer’s boyfriend — under surveillance for hours before they found the boy late Friday, he said.

SELIGMAN, Ariz. — Just after lunchtime in a town that is a monument to yesteryear, an old man is cruising down Route 66 using an eight-speed bicycle. He is tidily dressed in khaki slacks, a navy polo and a baseball cap that protects a mostly threadbare crown, save for a few strands of silvery white.

At 84 years old, he has an ever-so-slight hunch, a crinkled forehe

LONDON (Reuters) – A Canadian woman has become the first person in the world to graduate with a Masters degree in Beatles studies.

Former Miss Canada finalist, Mary-Lu Zahalan-Kennedy was one of the first 12 students to sign up for the Liverpool Hope University course on the Fab Four when it began in 2009 and was the first to graduate, the university said on Wednesday.

Tune into TODAY on Friday morning to watch an interview with Ted Williams, the man with the golden voice, and his mother Julia Williams.

Ted Williams, the homeless man-turned-star who wowed the world with his golden pipes, reunited with his mother, Julia Williams, on Thursday after about 20 years apart.

When he first approached her in a New York City hotel room, he repeated “Hi, Mommy!” He then kneeled down and embraced her as she cried in his arms.
Video: Man with golden voice, mom reunite after 20 years (on this page)

“I’m home, Mommy. I told you I was coming this year,” Williams told her.

“I love you,” she said, looking into his eyes. “Please don’t disappoint me.”

LOS ANGELES – Michael Jackson was made history by winning four American Music Awards on Sunday night, but he couldn’t beat Taylor Swift as the year’s favorite artist and the evening’s top winner.

The 19-year-old took the evening’s top award, giving Jackson his only loss of the night, and five trophies in all.

The victories came during a performance-filled show that closed with an S&M-themed, sexually charged performance by Adam Lambert (his performance included him shoving a male dancer’s face in his crotch).

Los Angeles, California (CNN) — The Internet’s most popular search engine should get smarter about music, as Google updates the algorithms that power its searches this week, a company spokesman said.

“You don’t have to know what you’re looking for,” Google’s Jennie Johnson said.

“If it looks like they’re looking for a song, we’re including in the regular search result links to hear songs from partners,” Johnson said.

Contrary to techie rumors, Google is not launching a music download service, but it will give music searchers a direct link to commercial sites that do offer songs for sale.