Brian Williams

Brian Williams and Dan Harris have unusual new side gigs as music bloggers. Williams' "BriTunes" — a name he quickly found was already in use by a 27-year-old blogger — launched last week with the NBC News chief anchor's talk with Deer Tick. That's the indie rock buzz band from Providence, R.I., not the insect whose bite can carry Lyme Disease.

ABC News' Harris has for the past few months operated "Amplified," a Web site that features his interviews with such artists as Superdrag, Neko Case, Amadou and Mariam, the Virgins and Bon Iver. They appear to be passion plays, rather than calculated attempts at reaching younger audiences. For anyone whose vision of a network anchor runs to Tom Brokaw or Walter Cronkite stateliness, the sight of Williams on camera comparing the styles of White Lies and Interpol is jarring. His current playlist includes Great Lakes Swimmers, Dead Weather, the Knux and Jason Isbell.

"Since my earliest memory, I've never been able to drive without music, write without music or be alone for too long without a song playing. This, I guess, is an extension of that," said Williams, whose plans this past weekend included taking in Green Day and Leonard Cohen concerts. Harris was hooked when the goth kid in his high school class handed him a tape of the Minutemen and Sonic Youth. Harris, 37, anchors ABC's "World News" on Sundays and is a general assignment reporter who spent six months in Iraq.

Pearl Aday

Pearl Aday teams up with Meat Loaf, her father, as contestants in the second season of Don't Forget the Lyrics which is hosted by Wayne Brady. The father-daughter tandem are in the contest to help raise money for the Painted Turtle Camp in California, a camp for seriously ill children. This season kicked off with Meatloaf and Pearl Aday as contestants. The duo was playing to raise money for the Painted Turtle Camp, a camp that helps seriously ill children.

Aday is Meatloaf's 35-year-old daughter and she is currently the lead singer of the band Mother Pearl. Aday started out singing back up for her father when she was in her early twenties and eventually became a member of his band, Neverland Express, before leading her own band. Aday is scheduled to release a solo album in the near future and she has huge shoes to fill. Her father's debut album Bat Out of Hell sold 43 million copies and supposedly stayed on the charts for years.

Fox's Don't Forget the Lyrics hosted by Wayne Brady returned to the airwaves tonight at 8 PM. Lyrics is one of those shows I only catch if I'm flipping through the channels and everything else I want to watch is on commercial. It's entertaining, but I'm just not driven to tune in every week. Fox has been trying to bolster the rates of the show by having celebrity guest appearances. Last season, they welcomed Boyz II Men, Kimberly Locke, and Kenny Loggins.

Turrets Syndrome

Tourette syndrome (TS) is an inherited disorder of the nervous system, characterized by a variable expression of unwanted movements and noises (tics). Tourette’s is no longer considered a rare condition, but it may not always be correctly identified because most cases are classified as mild. Between 1 and 10 children per 1,000 have Tourette’s;as many as 10 per 1,000 people may have tic disorders,with the more common tics of eye blinking, coughing, throat clearing, sniffing, and facial movements. People with Tourette’s have normal life expectancy and intelligence.

The exact cause of Tourette’s is unknown, but it is well established that both genetic and environmental factors are involved. Some believe that there may even be latent advantages associated with the genetic vulnerability. A controlled study on a small group of individuals with TS found that cognitive control may be enhanced in young people with Tourette’s because the need to suppress tics results in more efficient control of inhibitions.

Receiving a teaching award is what teachers hope for. One Georgia teacher received such an award despite odds being against him. His name is Brad Cohen, and after hearing his background you might have your doubts if he could really teach, let alone do it in a way that is so admirable.Cohen has Turrets Syndrome. Which meant that his days in elementary and middle school were unpleasant. Teachers and students would pick on Cohen. The reason being is that Turrets Syndrome causes him to make noises and sounds he cannot control.