Hi gang, AP Grayson here.

One of my duties is to check out the blog comments and emails you send to "News To Me." You DO write to us. Not as much as you write to Robin Meade I suspect. But we DO get a fair amount of email and blog comments from all of you, and we appreciate it! Who doesn't like to get mail... right? This week's "News To Me" Thursday Three are a few of our recent favorites.

For example:

From Sharlene in Crivitz, Wisconsin:
"I am sick of watching cnn and others with all the stuff on the bottom of the screen so when you put a message on i can't read it cause you have the other stuff on the screen"

Good news Sharlene! As part of the network's recently announced name change (CNN Headline News is now simply called HLN) you'll start seeing more streamlined graphics on the bottom of the screen, including an updated "ticker" that has changed from a constant crawl, to more of a "flip." Take a look and let us know what you think!

Secondly we have an ominous comment submitted to the blog from Chris:
"I feel so helpless and uninformed of the things that place an end world threat to the people of our time, and to make things worst it is said that our government is far from being in the dark on matter. I have been informed that there is a tenth planet on the far edge of our solar system and will very soon cross paths with our small planet causing us to STOP SPINNING for a short period of time, with this comes an array of natural diasters. Why isnt our government taking charge or if they are why aren't they informing the population this is sad.As a concerned citizen and a deep believer in Christ I would jus like to hear these topics addressed to us as a people, Obama promised us change i believed him and he won my vote so i ask of our new government to either debunk these outrageous RUMORS, or, prepare us and let us know of what is to come."

Thanks for that uplifting letter Chris! Perfect for the Holidays! In 2005 NASA did in fact acknowledge the discovery of a "10th Planet". Since then the object has been downgraded to a "dwarf planet" and has been given a name: Eris. As for it's possible interaction with the Earth, and our coverage of such an event all I can do is quote Ted Turner from the speech he gave at the launch of CNN, "...we will cover the end of the world, live, and that will be our last event... and when the end of the world comes, we'll play 'Nearer, My God, to Thee' before we sign off."

Finally, an update from Joe Pyrek the team captain of "The Rolling Cones." That's the crew "News To Me" is rooting for in the coming Mongol Rally. Here's an update on their progress:

Photo by Joe Pyrek of the step van that will become their Ice Cream Truck

"When we last left you, our trusty (okay, not so trusty yet) steed was stuck in an area of Richmond known as Scott’s Addition, for reasons relating to the fuel pump.

All that said, honestly, we are in a great spot and further along on all fronts that we thought we’d be at this point. Early next year the fun with visas starts. Yippee!!"

That's our Thursday Three for this week... keep those cards and letters coming!

Coming up this weekend we'll be going from "three" to "six," as in Six Degrees from Kevin Bacon! Kevin will be on "News To Me" to talk to Eric about his new site SixDegrees.org.

Our weekly glimpse into what's been coming across our desks here at "News To Me." This week we're going to give you a sneak peek into what is coming up on future shows. Without giving too much away of course. Let's just say that these three sites and the people behind them are all scheduled to appear on "News To Me" soon! Some sooner than others!

The Scary City:
This experience was created by the woman behind the Executive Producer of "LonelyGirl15." That viral hit was a low budget flash in the pan compared to "The Scary City." It's a $5.2 million dollar multimedia thrill ride designed to engage, involve and scare the crap out of you!

SixDegrees.org:
This holiday season you can give a gift card... or you can give a GOOD card! SixDegrees.org is a foundation created by a guy you know really well. It's a site that links you to over a million charities worldwide. Through the "Good Card" program sixdegrees.org is enabling you to give the gift of giving. Explore the site today and then meet its founder on "News To Me," Saturday December 20th.

Ideas by Chuck:
Hungry after kicking around the footbag with your friends? Crack open your Hacky Snack! – Tired of brushing? Chew some toothpaste gum! – Hate everything on prime time TV? Maybe an episode of "Chuck Dickens, Illiterate Trucker" will turn you around. Those are all ideas thought up by Chuck. Chuck doesn't have the time, the funds or the energy to turn his ideas into reality... so he's giving them away on his blog! Chuck is going to join us on "News To Me" early next year... that is, if someone hasn't already taken one of his ideas and made him a millionaire!

...so there are three little teases to let you know what were working on for future "News To Me" episodes. See you this weekend!

It's been a busy week here in the palatial "News To Me" compound located in the long abandoned and forgotten Ted Turner cryogenics lab buried deep in the red Georgia clay beneath CNN Center. Email has been flying fast and furious about possible stories to cover... here are three that caught our collective eyes this week:

The Mongol Rally:
We've got our eyes on a team who is working on a plan to make a run at completing the 2009 Mongol Rally: a trek from London, Madrid or Milan, to the Mongolian capital Ulaan Baatar. The journey doesn't even START until July... but it's never too soon to start rooting for a favorite, right? We've decided to track a team that will attempt the Rally in an ice cream truck. They call themselves "The Rolling Cones." Will they make it or melt?

Hardcore Sitting:
No, we're not talking about what you do on your sofa on Sunday. "Hard-core sitting" is what Aaron Fotheringham calls the incredible skatepark stunts he performs in his WHEELCHAIR. Join the over 600,000 other people who've watched him perform his signature trick... a full backflip, chair and all!

In-flight movie fail:
This one's from the folks over at Failblog.org. Now that you are home safely from your Thanksgiving travels, check out this clip. Speaks for itself.

Happy Thursday!!! We'll see you this weekend!

Associate Producer Charles behind the shades

What Up NTM World? Associate Producer Charles here. Every Thursday a different "News To Me" staffer is going to suggest three things on the web he or she thinks is something you might get a kick out of. This week, I’m on deck with my Thursday Three.

I think I need to mention that I am the youngest guy on this show. I’m only 25. That being said, I watch a ton of TV. Like you know you watch too much TV when you Tivo 2 things and then go into another room to watch something else at the same time. And while I can’t watch TV at work, I do take time out of my busy schedule to watch some of my favorite Web shows. So here are three shows that are in my “Web tivo” queue:

Up Stairs Girls
Two Words… “Working” Girl. Don’t worry, it’s all PG, but it’s damn funny.

Down Stairs Guys
These guys remind me of my roommates and my frat brothers when I was in college. I don’t know if that’s a good thing or a bad thing.

Hooking Up
Facebook, college life, and some of my favorite vloggers all in one place. It’s like having a huge bowl of jambalaya… just a bunch of good stuff all thrown together.

So now you know what’s in my Web show queue. Tell me what’s in yours. Have a site you think we should be considering? Leave it in the comments and we’ll check it out!

I'm Teague Kennedy and I approve this picture

Every Thursday a different "News To Me" staffer is going to suggest three things on the web he or she (right now, we're all "he's" but that could change) thinks is something you might get a kick out of.

This week it's "News To Me" "silent partner" Teague Kennedy's turn. "Silent" only in terms of his visibility to you, the home viewer. He's anything but silent behind the scenes! Regular blog readers have seen his name, and even his picture occasionally here. Teague is also a producer, editor, writer and the videographer on "News To Me."

He may be all those things, but he is not a blogger. While he may not have written this entry, he DID email me his list of links. So without any further ado (or kissing up) here are Teague Kennedy's "News To Me" Thursday 3:

... watch this it will make you laugh: Dog Malfunction

... you can test your memory at this site: short term memory checker
I'd tell you Teague's score but he freely admits that his short term memory is about as strong as his attention span... he didn't finish the test. We'd love to know YOUR scores though!

... great Gary Busey website here: Craziest Gary Busey Moments
If you think he's a trip on "Dr. Drew's Celebrity Rehab" check out what led to him checking in!

OK kids... that's your glimpse into what Emmy™ Award winning TV producer Teague Kennedy's bookmarks file looks like. Have a site you think we should be considering? Leave it in the comments and we'll check it out!

By the way, big show this weekend... we're going to solve the mystery of a video found inside an abandoned shipwreck! See you then!

Hi gang, Grayson here.

As if we don't have enough on our plates already ("News To Me" covers the Internet... that's a BIG beat) we're going to try out a new feature here on the blog:

The "'News To Me' Thursday 3". Every Thursday one of us who works on the show will offer up three links. Maybe were working on putting them on the show, maybe they link to something that didn't quite make it on the show (yet) or maybe they're just something we think deserves a little spotlighting.

My picks this week:

1 – iPhone, SCHMYphone... check out "the Pomegranate | NS08" the new all-in-one device that will revolutionize the way you communicate, caffeinate and even depilitate. Or maybe it will just pique your interest in Nova Scotia.

2 – Halloween may be over... but the memories will last a lifetime... especially the ones of you freaking out your neighbors.

3 – My favorite iReport lately. It's a low budget look at what one viewer thinks drives the CNN newscycle. Here's the funny part... he's not THAT far off!

So, that's the first "'News To Me' Thursday 3". All we need now is a logo for our new feature. Feeling creative? Maybe you are a professional graphic artist, maybe you just like to doodle on the back of printer paper in the recycle bin. Why not try your hand at a logo for this feature? Maybe we'll just pick one, or maybe we'll rotate through a bunch... either way, surf over to the special "News To Me" page at iReport.com, upload a picture of your "News To Me" Thursday 3 logo and then be sure to come back here and leave us a comment to let us know!

Later!