Ahhh … one of the highlights of the year — World Fitness Day … that and more in today’s High 5:

WORLD FITNESS DAY: How are you planning to celebrate World Fitness Day today? I will admire those who run five miles, do 100 push-ups, 500 leg lifts, swim three miles at the YMCA and play racquetball unil they drop. But me? I plan on buying a dozen chocolate- and maple-frosted doughnuts and chugging a few Mountain Dews.

INTERESTING: USA Today released its “Celeb Heat Index” for April and the big names who drew the most interest from readers were: 1. Sandra Bullock, 2. Angelina Jolie, 3. Kate Gosselin, 4. Kim Kardashian, 5. Jesse James, 6. Brad Pitt, 7. Jennifer Aniston, 8. Kourtney Kardashian, 9. Heidi Montag and 10. Knox Jolie-Pitt. (What’s the deal with Kim only being No. 4? This is Kim Kardashian’s world and we are simply walking through it.)

FOUND ON FACEBOOK: “Why is it called beauty sleep when you wake up in the morning looking like crap?”

SONG THAT SHOULD BE A CLASSIC BUT IS NOT: “Carrie Anne,” by the Hollies. (Allan Clarke had some of the most memorable vocals of that era and this song highlighted his talent as much as any Hollies release ever. My favorite line is I played the janitor, you played a monitor. Great memories.)

WHATEVER HAPPENED TO?: Duke Sims.

Do bugs make you cringe, especially if they are in your house? Then call “Billy the Exterminator” … all that and more in today’s High 5:

BILLY AT HIS BEST: OK, who saw Wednesday night’s episode of “Billy the Exterminator” on A&E? Part of the program dealt with Billy having to get rid of 20 years’ worth of cockroaches in some rundown Louisiana home. It was so-o-o-o-o-o disgusting and so-o-o-o-o-o-o-o entertaining. Billy showed this woman, who had lived in this squalor (with her son) for two decades, the cockroaches’ “fecal matter” that was all over the dishes, utensils … even the toilet paper in the bathroom. The bugs were running all over the house. How could you let this go for two decades? DECADES!! (Good news for “Billy” fans. There will be a “Billy the Exterminator” marathon next Wednesday evening on A&E. You can catch up on any missed episodes.)

SONG THAT SHOULD BE A CLASSIC BUT IS NOT: “Love Takes Time,” by Mariah Carey. (It’s hard to believe she is now 40 years old. Forty!)

A NEW OLD RIVALRY?: The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports Sarah Palin isn’t the only person to come out of the 1984 Miss Alaska competition longing for a career in politics. Maryline Blackburn, who beat Palin in the 1984 beauty contest, is taking aim at a seat in the Georgia Legislature. Blackburn, a Democrat, told the New York Daily News in 2008 that she remembered Palin as “very nice, but very calculating. … You could tell she was always thinking, ‘What’s going to be my next move?’ ” That year, Blackburn became the first African-American to win the Miss Alaska contest. Palin, according to People, was named Miss Congeniality.

FOUND ON FACEBOOK: “Next month’s report: Global warming causes bad hair days, irritable bowel syndrome, Satan-worshipping squirrels, and ‘Ishtar’ marathons on TNT.”

WHATEVER HAPPENED TO?: Jerry Stack.

Barry Pepper, from "Saving Private Ryan".

The History Channel steps outside the box in 2011 with what sounds like a promising concept … all that and more in today’s High 5:

THE KENNEDYS: For those fascinated with the Kennedys, take note. Greg Kinnear and Katie Holmes will star in The Kennedys, the History Channel’s first scripted miniseries, scheduled to be shown on yet-unannounced dates in 2011. Kinnear will play President John F. Kennedy, and Holmes will portray first lady Jacqueline Kennedy in the eight-hour program about the famous family. Barry Pepper is set to play Robert Kennedy, who served as U.S. attorney general in his brother’s administration. Pepper could steal this series. He’s one of the most underrated character actors of the current generation. Some of his best-known work came in Saving Private Ryan and *61.

HMMMM … : Not sure if it is the result of all the rain much of the country has had recently, but the No. 1 search on Yahoo! Tuesday night was “Noah’s Ark.”

FOUND ON FACEBOOK: “Was about ten feet away as the Prez gave his talk in Quincy today. While his policies are easily debated, the man can own a crowd. Dude is Elvis, without the swivel, but with a jumpshot.”

SONG THAT SHOULD BE A CLASSIC BUT IS NOT: “Again,” by Janet Jackson.

THE No. 1 SONG A YEAR AGO TODAY WAS:  Boom Boom Pow” by the amazing Black Eyed Peas. Here are the No. 1′s on this date in:
1993: “Freak Me,” by Silk (Ummm … I think I must have missed this one.)
1988: “Where Do Broken Hearts Go,” by Whitney Houston.
1978: “Night Fever,” by the Bee Gees.
1974: “The Loco-Motion,” by Grand Funk Railroad.
1966: “Good Lovin’,” by the Rascals.

Bob uecker

Here’s hoping one of the world’s funny men has a speedy recovery … all that and more in today’s High 5:

HURRY BACK: Just about everyone is — or has been — a fan of Bob Uecker in some respect, be it as a comedian, television personality or baseball broadcaster for the Milwaukee Brewers. So that means he will have a ton of people pulling for him as he preapres to undergo heart surgery. Uecker has made a 40-year career out of delighting fans with his self-deprecating sense of humor. “I’m looking forward to getting it done and getting back to work,” Uecker said. The 75-year-old funny man will have his aortic valve replaced Friday morning, and will be away from the team for up to three months while recovering. “I’ve been in baseball 55 years,” Uecker said. “This is all I know. Or want to know, for that matter.” (I had a chance to meet Uecker once, about 30 years ago, and he is exactly the same in person as he is on TV or on the radio.)

IN THE HEADLINES: Actor Aaron Johnson, 19, is receiving a lot of attention on two fronts. His Kick-Ass movie is one of the spring’s big box-office hits, and his relationship to British artist Sam Taylor-Wood is also grabbing headlines. At 43, Taylor-Wood is 24 years older than Johnson and is carrying his child. She is already a mother of two from a previous 11-year marriage. Despite the age difference and existing family, Johnson is madly in love. “I’ve got a wonderful woman,” he told People.

NEW WORD: I saw this the other day on one of the Yahoo! sports blogs I was reading: “cramazing”. The author explained it was a combination of “crazy” and “amazing”. Kinda cool, eh?

FOUND ON FACEBOOK: “It’s almost 9:30 at night. My neighbor thinks that’s a good time to mow his grass.”

SONG THAT SHOULD BE A CLASSIC BUT IS NOT: “Whose Bed Have Your Boots Been Under,” by Shania Twain.

This is what I want, a hamburger with nothing on it, especially cheese. (The lettuce doesn't count)

I give up. I simply give up when it comes to ordering a plain burger … you’ll see why in today’s High 5:

TRY, TRY AGAIN: For months I had sworn off drive-thrus at fast-food restaurants because of the — I don’t know know any other word for it except — stupidity of those taking my orders. You might remember that I had an ongoing feud with one particular national chain because every time I would try and order a plain hamburger I would get the question, “Would you like cheese on that?” I finally just said the heck with it, went to the supermarket, got some meat and buns and made own sandwiches. But the other day was I was hankering for a particular kind of fast-food burger and couldn’t resist, so I made the junket to the drive-thru from Hades. When the voice from the other side of the box asked she could help me, I politely and slowly replied, “I would like a No. 1 combo and I would like the sandwich plain, no cheese, no nothing on it. Just plain. Northing on the sandwich.” After a slight pause, the voice asked me, “Would you like cheese on that?”I just stared at the little box for about 10 seconds and finally said, “Sure … put some cheese on it.” Unbelievably, and I kid you not, she then said, “OK, sir, that’s a plain sandwich with cheese, correct?” By that point, I didn’t have any idea what I had ordered and just said, “Yes.” After I had paid and was on my way home I reached in the bag for the sandwich, opened the wrapper and it most certainly had cheese on it … and everything else, too. I think I am cursed. I wound up throwing the sandwich away and eating the fries. At least they were plain.

Remember when Whitney Houston was ... Whitney Houston?

SONG THAT SHOULD BE A CLASSIC IS NOT:  ”Let Me Love You Tonight,” by Pure Prairie League.

WHATEVER HAPPENED TO?: The Pousette Dart Band.

FOUND ON FACEBOOK: “Well so much for things not getting any worse.” (The person who wrote this must have ordered a plain burger, too.)

SAD STORY CONTINUES: At one time, she ruled the music world, but Whitney Houston’s latest comeback attempt turned into another embarrassment. Hundreds in the audience walked out of a Sunday concert in London as the singer once dubbed “The Voice” missed high notes, cut short her songs and apologized for her shortcomings. Houston sang just one or two verses of hits such as Greatest Love of All. She paused during songs to catch her breath and panted heavily in between. In many songs, her backup singers carried the melody, Houston chiming in with lines here and there. The concert “is rubbish. She can’t even complete a song,” said one concert goer. Another in attendance said, “I remember her 20 years ago. She’s not a patch on what she was.” Two decades of battling drug addictions and the rocky relationship with Bobby Brown have ruined one of the greatest artists of not only the 1980s, but arguably of all-time. At her height, who didn’t love Whitney Houston?

The Durantula

LeBron James will soon have company in the discussion about who the most exciting player in the NBA might be … read all about it in today’s High 5:

BEST NICKNAME: One of the best sports nicknames I’ve heard in recent years has been applied to budding superstar Kevin Durant of the Oklahoma City Thunder of the NBA. The do-it-all Durant, whose team is currently tied 2-2 with Los Anegles Lakers in their best-of-seven, first-round playoff series, is known as “The Durantula.” Durant’s long arms and legs and ability to go end-to-end in the blink of an eye have contributed to his growing legend. next to LeBron “King” James of the Cavaliers, Durant is the most entertaining player in the league. (Kobe Bryant, you ask? Sorry, the aging Bryant is now yesterday’s news.)

LIP SMACKIN’ GOOD: I discovered a great new snack Sunday. I made a quick run to the supermarket to get stocked up for a full day of NASCAR viewing and decieed to try a new chip from Frito Lay — the “Tangy Carolina Barbecue.” Oh my … I highly recommed this new offering. It possesses a subtle bite to it, but will leave your lips tingling about two minutes afterward.

FOUND ON FACEBOOK: “Stick with the Mick Jagger look. It works for you.”

PEOPLE I WOULD LIKE TO MEET: Barry Zito, Zoe Girl, Barlow Girl, Len Barry, Guy Lapointe, Guy LaFleur, Don Ho, Duane Kuiper, Mike Krukow, Happy Hairston, Ed Farmer, Harry Chappas, Natalie Merchant.

YOUR 15 MINUTES ARE UP: Baltimore Orioles. (The O’s, who won two games over the first three weeks of the MLB season, can be considered the first team eliminated from the the 2010 pennant races.)

It’s no wonder when I ask my son what he’s listening to on those head phones his reply is usually, “You wouldn’t like it.” … now I know why. All that and more in today’s High 5:

GENERATION GAP: So, I’m looking at the top 20 “active rock” songs in the nation this week, compiled by Mediabase. Included on the list are “Odd One” by Sick Puppies, “Your Betrayal” by Bullet For My Valentine and “Stoned” by Puddle of Mudd. What? Who? Whatever happened to the Who, the Tremeloes and Junior Walker and the All-Stars?

IN CASE YOU WERE WONDERING … : I think the steal of the NFL draft may have gone to the Cleveland Browns when they took quarterback Colt McCoy in the third round. The kid could wind up owning Cleveland, whose fans are so-o-o starved for a winner. It would be great to see one of the NFL’s flagship franchises return to its former glory. And it’s also great to see the Facebook movement “Keep Art Modell Out of the Hall of Fame.” For those who forget — or simply don’t care — it was Modell’s behind-the-scenes dealing that moved the Browns to Baltimore in the mid-1990s. Modell will always be considered a slimeball in Ohio, which is sad, because for so many years the Browns fans thought he was just stupid. Little did we, err … they, know what a creep he truly was.

Colt McCoy

FOUND ON FACEBOOK: “Between kids, my wife, and jeeps i dont know which drives me more crazy!”

WHATEVER HAPPENED TO?: Baseball stirrups. (I keep waiting for some player to bring back the stylestarted by Frank Robinson, Willie Mays and others of that era. Now, that was a cool baseball look.)

SONG THAT SHOULD BE A CLASSIC BUT IS NOT: “Guantanamera,” by the Sandpipers. (Not to be confused with the Sandpebbles.)

Could you deal with a day without e-mail, Facebook and Google searches? … all that and more in today’s High 5:

KIND OF SCARY: “The fact that I was not able to communicate with anyone via technology was almost unbearable,” said an unidentified college student who participated in a University of Maryland study in which students unplugged from all media and electronic communication for 24 hours. Many participants in the study described their dependence on media by using terms of addiction. (In a way, it’s a rather sad commentary on our modern society, but I know very well how hard it is for me to go a day without a computer. Heck, it’s tough to go more than an hour. The first thing I do when I when I get home in the evening is sit down at my computer and check e-mail, fantasy baseball teams, etc. That comes after spending most of an eight-hour day sitting in front a computer at work. Why kid ourselves? We are addicted.)

FOUND ON FACEBOOK: “Do your mom and dad eat coconut?”

SONG THAT SHOULD BE A CLASSIC BUT IS NOT: “Love Power,” by the Sandpebbles.

SIGN OF THE TIMES: Archie Comics will welcome its first openly gay character in September to join the antics of Archie, Veronica, Reggie and Jughead at Riverdale High, according to the publisher.”The introduction of Kevin is just about keeping the world of Archie Comics current and inclusive,” says said Archie Comics co-CEO, Jon Goldwater. “Archie’s hometown of Riverdale has always been a safe world for everyone. It just makes sense to have an openly gay character in Archie comic books.”

WHATEVER HAPPENED TO?”: Spring and fall. We only have summer and winter anymore.

Long live the Internet and stay away from big boats … all in today’s High 5:

YOU HAVE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME: The LiveScience.com website contends that behind every Google search or ESPN score update, computers use electricity that was generated somehow, often by the burning of fossil fuels, so those functions become pollutants. The Internet is a significant contributor to yearly carbon emissions, the report claims. A (controversial) calculation by Harvard physicist Alex Wissner-Gross concluded that two Google searches puts as much carbon dioxide into the air as boiling a kettle of water for a cup of tea. There’s much more to this report, but I think you get the idea. I’m warning these guys right now … if they even think of trying to take my Internet access away it could be war.

FOUND ON FACEBOOK: “Hmmm…I always pegged you as a boxers kind of guy.”

IT’S A BREES: USA Today reports it’s official. New Orleans Saints quarterback and Super Bowl MVP Drew Brees is the cover athlete for Madden NFL 11. The game is due Aug. 10 for PlayStation 3, XBox 360, Nintendo Wii, PS2 and PSP, as well as the iPhone and other mobile phones. Brees won out over Minnesota Vikings defensive end Jared Allen and Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Reggie Wayne in EA Sports’ first fan voting campaign to choose the cover athlete.

WHATEVER HAPPENED TO?: Rohrk Cutchlow?

AND YET ANOTHER REASON … : Several British news outlets are reporting that Britain’s Fred Olsen Cruise Lines has ordered an early end to a Mediterranean cruise this week after a massive outbreak of what is believed to be norovirus. (I don’t even know what norovirus is, but I know it’s reason enough not to get on a ship that will be going over a large body of water. I’ll say it again, if you can’t drive there, it ain’t worth goin’ to.)

U.S. auto sales are up more than 24 percent from a year ago, and Americans actually like American-made cars again … all that and more in today’s high 5:

BUY AMERICAN: I never thought I would see numbers like this again in my lifetime, but more Americans now say the United States makes better-quality vehicles than Asia does, with 38 percent saying U.S. cars are best and 33 percent preferring autos made by Asian companies, according to an Associated Press-GfK Poll. The Associated press suggests those numbers are largely fueled by a plunge in Toyota’s reputation and an upsurge in Ford’s. The poll was conducted in March, when Toyota was being hammered by nightmarish publicity over its recall of more than 8 million vehicles around the globe and allegations that it responded sluggishly to safety concerns. Though the U.S. advantage is modest, it marks a significant turnabout for American automakers battered by recession and relentless competition from foreign manufacturers. When the same question was asked in a December 2006, an AP-AOL poll indicated 46 perscent said Asian countries made superior cars, while just 29 pecent preferred American vehicles, reflecting a perception of U.S. automotive inferiority that began taking hold about three decades ago. (Let’s be honest. The U.S. automakers asked for the mess they found themselves in, becoming fat cats and doling out inferior products. When Americans wised up and began buying better foreign-made autos at cheaper prices it was too late to close the barn door. As a result, the U.S. auto industry needed decades to not only heal itself, but its relationship with American car buyers. The Toyota debacle was the opening U.S. automakers needed and now the tide has turned and it’s the foreign automakers who have to play catch-up.)

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY: This month marks the 30th anniversary of the invention of the Post-It note. Seriously, buy a cake or something. Where would be without those things?

FOUND ON FACEBOOK: “Does Elvis have a tiller?”

FLAVORFUL: Among Ben & Jerry’s new ice cream flavors for 2010 are Boston Cream Pie, Peanut Brittle and Pomegranate Sorbet. In case you were wondering, some of the new flavors are only available in pints; some, like Bonnaroo Buzz, are only served in Ben & Jerry’s shops. In addition to full-time flavors, there are also seasonal ones — this year’s includees Hannah Teter’s Maple Blondie, named after the 2006 Olympic gold medalist. (Next to working as a newspaper guy my whole life, which was always my ambition since I was about 7 years old, my second choice for a profession was coming up with names for different kinds of ice cream. Taste-testing that ice cream would rank high, too. Real high.)

SONG THAT SHOULD BE A CLASSIC BUT IS NOT: “Do Ya,” by ELO.