Funny Business with Jane Wells

Friday, 1 Feb 2013 | 4:42 PM ET

Sick of Super Bowl Hype? Check Out the Puppy Bowl

Posted By: Jane Wells

Source: Animal Planet

One of this year's Puppy Bowl IX contenders.

Have you had it with Super Bowl hype? Are you gonna lose your lunch if one ... more ... person ... says "Harbowl"? (Sorry, I just said it.)

Perhaps the best alternative programming on Sunday will be Animal Planet's "Puppy Bowl IX." Hey, at least the kitties in the half time show won't lip-sync!

However, is the action on the field going to be as competitive as the real game? Well, if you tune in to the "live camera" right now in the Puppy Bowl locker room, the scene looks less like Ray Lewis' last dance and more like the unconscious aftermath of a frat house Super Bowl party.

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Thursday, 31 Jan 2013 | 9:49 AM ET

'The Rock,' America's New Milkman

Posted By: Jane Wells

The Rock on 'Got Milk'

CNBC's Jane Wells talks to The Rock, aka Dwayne Johnson, about his role in a Super Bowl commercial for the "Got Milk" campaign.

Milk does a body good. But Americans aren't buying it ... literally. We've "got" less "milk" according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Does milk need a super hero? Enter Dwayne Johnson, aka "The Rock," America's new milkman.

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Thursday, 31 Jan 2013 | 10:14 AM ET

Peter Berg on What It's Like to Direct a Super Bowl Ad

Posted By: Jane Wells

Peter Berg's 'Got Milk'

CNBC's Jane Wells talks to Peter Berg, who directed the "Got Milk" commercial that's going to be featured in this weekend's Super Bowl.

Peter Berg may be best known for bringing to life "Friday Night Lights." He first directed the story of a small town high school football team as a film, then he turned it into a hit television show.

Now Berg is playing in a much bigger football game — the Super Bowl.

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Monday, 28 Jan 2013 | 2:25 PM ET

San Francisco's Puppy Problem

Posted By: Jane Wells

M. Lorenz Photography | Flickr | Getty Images

Subscribing to newspapers digitally saves trees, cuts down on inky fingers, and is generally kinder to Mother Earth. No city in America is more concerned with going green than San Francisco.

Unfortunately, Animal Control officials say that's a bunch of dog...poo.

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Friday, 25 Jan 2013 | 5:17 PM ET

Sex or Sleep? You Gotta Ask the Question

Posted By: Jane Wells

B2M Productions | Photographer's Choice | Getty Images

After a day at the office, what are you most looking forward to? A hard day's night, or a good night's sleep?

Americans work hard, but maybe we don't have the energy left to play hard. (C'mon we're all adults here.)

Earlier this month Furniture Today pointed out a survey by the Sleep Council which said people prefer sleep over sex by a 3-2 margin (61 percent versus 39 percent). "It has been said that sleep is the new sex," claims the trade publication. "Sleep is such a precious commodity that it's even more highly valued than sex."

Think pillow talk without much talk.

Women prefer sleep to sex more than men--79 percent of women versus 42 percent of men (wait, that means only 58 percent of men prefer sex to sleep?).

The proof may be in the bottom line. Temper-pedic reported better than expected earnings this week, sending shares higher, while Select Comfort disappointed. An article last year inBarron's suggested that Temper-pedic beds, which mold themselves to the body, are not very conducive to anything other than, you know, sleeping.

Furniture Today suggests retailers keep that in mind. "Some bedding veterans don't believe that sex should be discussed on the sales floor...sales associates should talk about how a new mattress delivers a better night of sleep. That's what most consumers want."

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Friday, 25 Jan 2013 | 1:36 PM ET

Ackman Icahn Showdown: Twitter Reaction

Posted By: Jane Wells

Missed the Big Fight? Watch It Now

Bill Ackman and Carl Icahn square-off live and insult each other on CNBC's "Fast Money Halftime" over a past deal gone bad and disagreements about current investments in Herbalife. This is the complete, unedited conversation.

In what may have been the most epic smackdown of rich guys to ever play out in public, Bill Ackman and Carl Icahn confronted each other on CNBC's "Fast Money Halftime Report" over dealings going back to 2003. (Read More: Ackman, Icahn Hurl Accusations, Insults.)

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Friday, 25 Jan 2013 | 9:35 AM ET

Why Marriage Makes Women Drink More

Posted By: Jane Wells

Does Marriage Make You Drink More or Less?

CNBC's Jane Wells walks into a bar to find out first hand if, according to a report by Psychology Today, women drink more after they say, "I do," but men drink less.

Are you married? Does that make you drink more or less? The answer may depend on your gender.

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Friday, 25 Jan 2013 | 5:36 PM ET

Schmuck Insurance—So Easy Two Billionaires Can Do It

Posted By: Jane Wells

Getty Images

Bill Ackman and Carl Icahn

One of the most amusing comments to come out of the entire Bill Ackman-Carl Icahn spat was the revelation that the two agreed to "schmuck insurance."

Ackman wrote in a press release:

"On March 1, 2003, on behalf of my former fund, Gotham Partners, I entered into a contract with Carl Icahn, signed by him, to sell him a 15% stake in Hallwood Realty Partners. He paid my investors $80 per share and agreed to what he called 'schmuck insurance.' The agreement provided that he would pay my investors an earnout equal to 50% of his profit on Hallwood after he received a 10% annual return if he 'sold or otherwise transferred' his shares for value within three years."

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Thursday, 24 Jan 2013 | 4:33 PM ET

Delete This: The Never-Ending Fight for an Uncluttered Inbox

Posted By: Jane Wells

Source: mailboxapp.com

Apple's Mailbox

Welcome to my world:

"2013 Gastrointestinal Cancers Symposium Reveals New Advances for GI Cancers"

"Funding Inspires Florida Teens to Pursue STEM Manufacturing Education"

"South Africa: MPC keeps interest rate on hold in midst of higher inflation and lower growth"

Those are the subject lines from three of the 50 billion emails I get every day. This is what happens when postage is free. Mail floods in.

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Wednesday, 23 Jan 2013 | 8:57 AM ET

Women, Wine, and the NRA

Posted By: Jane Wells

Source: nrawineclub.com/

The NRA Wine Club.

Praise the Merlot and pass the ammunition.

The NRA has a wine club. No, really.

"Now you can support the 2nd Amendment with every wine you buy," said the club's webpage.

Selections cover a variety of varietals and price points, with everything from the 2010 Purple Cowboy Night Rider Merlot from Paso Robles for $12.99 to a 2003 Moet et Chandon Dom Perignon French Champagne for $139.99. Sound weird? Well, if you're going to go hunt for dinner, maybe you want it paired with the right wine.

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