Nancy Jay talked to Drew Barrymore about Whip It about her debut role as director. 

Check out this week’s other video uploads: Legion

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In the spirit of being a part of the online military community, this blog will spread the word about other military family inspired programs and initiatives.

We’ve made it through the hustle and bustle of the holiday season, and now many are starting to find the bills from it piling up in their mailbox. If you are in this boat and stressed about it, you may want to check out Military OneSource. In fact they’ve got all sorts of resources for many different financial situations. There’s budgeting tips in case you are focusing on smarter spending for the new year. There’s also info for those facing bankruptcy or foreclosure. You don’t have to be in a predicament to utilize this site though…there are planning materials as well.

Just in time for tax time, Military OneSource will offer free filing for the 2009 tax year. Then find details on tax planning and preparation.

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Nancy Jay sits down with Tobey Maguire and Natalie Portman, and they discuss the many dimensions in Brothers. Tobey also talks about the time he spent with Marines while working on this film.

Here’s Tobey’s shout out:

Check out today’s other video uploads: The Princess and the Frog.

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For the third straight year, Military Spouse magazine will name the “Military Spouse of the Year” (MSOY) on Military Spouse Appreciation day. As past winners have, the military spouse of the year will represent the sacrifice, patriotism, professionalism and altruism that embody this community of 1.1 million current and 20 million former military spouses.

Voting is underway now for the top 25 to represent each branch. You can vote through February 10th and the 5 branch winners will be announced on 1 March.

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Get to know your customer day is tomorrow. Seriously? Did you even know there was such a day?

I’ve read tons of ‘09 recaps already and seen gobs of editorials chock full of hopeful changes for 2010. Although I’ll do neither of those here, I thought this would be a perfect time to solicit your feedback. So keeping with the spirit of the day set aside for tomorrow, what would you like to see different in this blog over the next year? How can we make it better?

The focus for 2010 for AAFES will be customer service. We want you to know that we are listening and hear you. So feel free to let us get to know you better and tell us what you want.

(Image courtesy aussiegall)

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Nancy Jay sits down with Paul Schneider of Parks and Recreation, Away We Go, and, of course, Bright Star.

As in the words of Nancy Jay regarding Bright Star…”This is Twilight without the vampires.”

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In the spirit of being a part of the online military community, this blog will spread the word about other military family inspired programs and initiatives.

I could not have said it better myself than what they have already written.

Comfort. Stability. Routine. Fun!
All children need these ingredients to thrive but especially those who have a parent deployed in military service to our country or recovering from injury at home.
Along with the sacrifice of having a parent away in service for months at a time, many Guard and Reserve families are so financially stretched they cannot afford the fees for sports, fine arts, or tutoring programs so crucial to their children’s sense of well-being. Children of severely injured service members face similar financial difficulties along with the challenges of learning to adapt to the physical, mental, and emotional changes in a loved one. Our Military Kids, founded in 2004, stepped in to fill these gaps with a simple grant program that pays for children’s activities. Eligible families apply for a grant and within days of receipt in the Our Military Kids office, a packet is sent to the child thanking them for their service to our country and notifying them of the award, then a check is sent directly to the service provider.  Our Military Kids helps families who often fall outside the parameters of established support programs – the families of National Guard and Reserve service men and women who have been and are continuing to sacrifice so much for our country. Working with a team of volunteers, a dedicated staff, Board of Directors and Advisory Board, Our Military Kids has distributed grants to children in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and most U.S. territories. From its pilot program in March 2005 in Winchester, Virginia, Our Military Kids has extended its reach to families nationwide.
Our Military Kids provides tangible support to children of deployed National Guard and Reserve personnel as well as to children of severely injured service members through grants for enrichment activities and tutoring. Such activities help these children cope with the stress of having a parent in a war zone or recovering from injury at home. Our Military Kids grants are made to honor the sacrifices that military families make and to ensure that their children have access to sports, fine arts, or academic tutoring programs.

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We have no celebrity spotlight for you this week but I do have free downloads (for those authorized)!

Singer-songwriter John Ondrasik’s annual gift to military Families is playing it for laughs this year as “CD For the Troops III” offers a free compilation of comedy routines to Soldiers, Airmen, Sailors, Marines and their families.

“I’m proud to present the third edition of the ‘CD for the Troops’ project ‘Stand Up For Troops,’” said Ondrasik. “This year we’ve gone for laughs with bits from world class comics; Chris Rock, Ray Ramano, Jeff Foxworthy, Dana Carvey, Adam Sandler, Dennis Miller and more!”

As part of an ongoing partnership between the Grammy-nominated artist who goes by the stage name Five for Fighting, TriWest Healthcare Alliance, Aware Records and the Army & Air Force Exchange Service, all active duty military members and veterans with valid military identification can log on to AAFES.com and download the comedy routines as well as an Ondrasik song from the award winning documentary “Brothers at War.”

“This is the third time we’ve partnered with Mr. Ondrasik to provide a secure, global platform to share the tracks he has worked to freely provide to the military community,” said AAFES’ Chief of Staff Col. Virgil Williams. “The timing of this latest offering is really terrific as service members logging on to the Exchange Online Store to purchase a present for a loved one will be pleasantly surprised to find a gift earmarked just for them.”

The complete track list of free songs available at http://music.aafes.com/? as part of “CD For the Troops III” are as follows:

Chris Rock – “The Big Piece of Chicken”
Dennis Miller – “The Week in Review”
Adam Sandler – “Lunch Lady Land”
Ray Romano – “Bachelor Party/Juice/Potato Chips”
Jeff Foxworthy – “Have Your Loved Ones Spayed or Neutered”
Dana Carvey – “Parenting”
Matt Iseman – “Dungeons and Dragons/Like a Good Neighbor”
Kevin Nealon – “Shut that Party Down”
Kevin James – “Greeting Cards”
John Ondrasik – “Brothers in Arms”

“I’d like to thank AAFES, TriWest Healthcare Alliance and Sony Manufacturing for being great partners in this endeavor,” said Ondrasik. “I’ve also included my song ‘Brothers in Arms’ from the great documentary ‘Brothers at War.’ As always the CD for the Troops is a free download for military members at AAFES.com with 200,000 hard CDs shipped to troops overseas. Thanks to all the comedians who donated their talents to this compilation. Our troops and their Families are both the steel and the heart of our nation. The ‘CD for the Troops’ is a continuing thank you to those who protect our freedoms and secure the future of our children and grandchildren.”

In addition to the free downloads, 200,000 CDs will be arriving at military bases, Armed Services YMCAs, USO Centers, Fisher Houses and other locations around the world.

“This compilation is a tribute to America’s military families to thank them for their service,” said TriWest President and CEO David J. McIntyre, Jr. “We are proud to continue our partnership on this project and are exceptionally grateful for John, the comedians and AAFES who are driven to thank our troops in memorable ways.”

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From London, Nancy Jay brings you an interview with Sherlock Holmes director, Guy Ritchie, and stars Robert Downey Jr and Jude Law.

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