The Oak Ridge Boys Improve Spirits–And Apparently Health!–Of Ailing Former President Bush Sr.

They say music has the power to heal--and in the case of George H. W. Bush, the adage seems to hold water. The former president, who has been hospitalized since November for bronchitis and related issues, was moved out of intensive care after being serenaded by country legends the Oak Ridge Boys on Friday.

The idea for the intimate concert came from former First Lady Barbara Bush, who called the band--one of her husband's favorites--and asked if they'd mind doing a special performance to cheer him up.

The Boys, who have been friends with the Bush family for years, were happy to oblige.  Although they were all on vacation at the time, they gathered in their office to sing together over the phone. "We asked what song he would like to hear," stated band member Joe Bonsall. "He said 'Elvira,'  so we blasted some oom pop a mau maus in the direction of Houston, Texas."Apparently, the gesture lifted Bush's spirits enough to actually improve his health. He was transferred to a regular patient room at Houston's Methodist Hospital the following day, and his camp released a statement saying the Boys' singing was a greatly appreciated "shot in the arm."

Bush, 88, was admitted to intensive care on December 23, suffering a lingering fever and other complications. As of Saturday, his spokesperson reported the positive news that he is continuing to do better.

If you don't remember Bush's requested tune, the Oak Ridge Boys' 1981 hit "Elvira," here's a video of the group performing it back in the day, complete with its well-loved "oom pop a mau mau"chorus.

Did referees miss Kentucky pulling a switcheroo at the free throw line?

A Kentucky spokesman denied that the Wildcats intentionally tricked referees and offered the following explanation via Twitter on Sunday afternoon.

"Our bench argued that Poythress was the shooter & the official notified the official scorer that #22 was the shooter," Kentucky executive associate athletic director for external operations DeWayne Peevy tweeted. "After seeing the tape, it might have been the wrong call but it wasn't a switch-a-roo. It was confirmed to the official scorer."

Even though Kentucky lost by three points at rival Louisville on Saturday, nobody can say the Wildcats didn't do everything possible to pull off the upset.

They even appear to have tried to reverse their poor free throw fortunes by switching foul shooters without referees noticing.When referees whistled Louisville's Russ Smith for a foul with 1:05 to go before halftime for hooking the arm of Nerlens Noel on an attempted steal, the Kentucky center initially goes to the foul line as expected. Noel then wanders off the line to get instruction from the Kentucky bench, allowing wing Alex Poythress to slip in unnoticed and replace him.Even though Poythress was only a mediocre 68.1 percent free throw shooter entering play on Saturday, that's still significantly better than Noel's 53.3 percent prior to the Louisville game. Poythress made the first and missed the second, a point that ultimately made no difference as the Cardinals held off a late Kentucky rally and won 80-77.

It's possible Poythress took the foul shots because he thought he drew a blocking foul on Montrezl Harrell as he drove baseline before dishing to Noel, but the majority of the evidence suggests that wasn't the call that was made. The referee who blew his whistle did so after Smith's foul and pointed directly at Smith. Plus, the play-by-play in the box score attributes the foul to Smith.If the switcheroo was intentional, perhaps karma ended up biting Kentucky. Poor foul shooting was one of the main reasons the Wildcats lost as they made just 11 of 23 free throws Saturday, with Poythress uncharacteristically clanking four of his six.

New Year's Eve celebrations around the world

The Most Anticipated Games of 2013

TOP PICK -- Grand Theft Auto V
Xbox 360, PS3
Release date: Spring 2013

A trio of playable criminals stars in Rockstar's next magnum opus, this time set in the sprawl of Los Santos. Said to be bigger than GTA San Andreas, Red Dead Redemption and GTA IV combined, it's already at the top of most gamer wish lists – including ours.

TOP PICK -- The Last of Us
PS3 
Release date: May 7

Sorry, Mayans -- the world actually ends in May, when this dark, humanistic take on the apocalypse from the developers of the critically-acclaimed Uncharted series arrives. Will the winner of countless Best of E3 awards live up to the hype? We can’t wait to find out.

Dead Space 3
Xbox 360, PS3, PC
Release date: February 5 (Feb 8 EU)

Isaac Clarke takes the fight to the Necromorphs on a frozen planet in Dead Space 3. Expect plenty of scares, but a new co-op feature means a buddy’s got your back this time.

Crysis 3
Xbox 360, PS3, PC
Release date: February 19 (Feb 22 EU)

The concrete jungle of New York city is more jungle than concrete in this first-person shooter sequel. Explore a Manhattan rainforest teeming with aliens as you blast foes with all sorts of heavy duty alien tech -- and one very wicked bow and arrow.

Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance
Xbox 360, PS3
Release date: February 19 (Feb 22 EU)

Leave the guns at the shop, because the next game in the Metal Gear saga is all about swordplay. Gamers will slice and dice as the cyborg ninja Raiden, using innovative sword controls to turn enemies into mincemeat.

Tomb Raider
Xbox 360, PS3, PC
Release Date: March 5

Lara Croft gets rebooted in this dark, intense action game. Players will watch the iconic star grow from a scared girl to a hardened adventurer while trying to survive on a dangerous island.

SimCity
PC 
Release date: March 5 (March 8 EU)

The franchise that put simulation gaming on the map returns in this impressive reboot. A beautiful new gameplay engine powers your city, which can be outfitted with all kinds of buildings, businesses, and, at last, curvy roads.

God of War: Ascension
PS3
Release date: March 12 (March 13 EU)

The angriest character in video games goes back to the beginning. Ascension takes place ten years before the original God of War, pitting Kratos against the three Furies. It's also packing a robust multiplayer mode, a first for the franchise.

StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm
PC
Release date: March 12 

Anxious for more StarCraft II? Blizzard is finally giving it to you with the anticipated second installment. Picking up where Wings of Liberty left off, it doles out over 20 campaign missions starring the insectoid Zerg as well as new multiplayer units and countless balancing tweaks.

Gears of War: Judgment
Xbox 360 
Release date: March 19

Thought Gears was finished? Hardly. Starring a handful of familiar Gears faces, the next installment in Epic's explosive series features a new campaign and several new multiplayer modes.

BioShock Infinite
Xbox 360, PS3, PC
Release date: March 26

The third entry in the critically-acclaimed BioShock series trades the undersea world of Rapture for the floating metropolis of Colombia, and it's looking like another amazing adventure. As Booker DeWitt, you'll rescue a girl with mysterious power over time and space while contending with a politically-charged conflict threatening to tear the city apart.

Injustice: Gods Among Us
Xbox 360, PS3
Release date: April 2013

Who'd win in a fight: Batman or Wonder Woman? You'll find out firsthand in this gorgeous DC Comics fighting game created by the minds behind Mortal Kombat.

Pikmin 3
Wii U
Release date: Spring 2013

It's been nearly a decade since Nintendo last released a full-fledged Pikmin game, but the obedient little plants will finally sprout again in 2013. New Pikmin types and GamePad touch control should make it a bountiful harvest for Wii U owners.

South Park: The Stick of Truth
Xbox 360, PS3, PC
Release date: Spring 2013

The foul-mouthed foursome are big fans of video games, but they've never starred in one quite like The Stick of Truth. Merging the art, humor and style of the show with a deep role-playing game system (it's created by RPG experts Obsidian alongside South Park masterminds Trey Parker and Matt Stone), it looks like a blast.

Splinter Cell: Blacklist
Xbox 360, PS3, PC
Release date: Spring 2013

Intrepid secret operative Sam Fisher returns to action in the sequel to the excellent Splinter Cell: Conviction. Improved movement mechanics should give the tried-and-true stealth gameplay a new twist.

Watch Dogs
Xbox 360, PS3, PC
Release date: TBA 2013

After making a huge splash at last year's E3 expo, this open-world action game has gone underground. Its focus on hacking and surveillance -- along with its jaw-dropping graphics -- has kept it top of mind, however. While it's yet to get a firm release date, it's still scheduled for 2013.

Beyond: Two Souls
PS3
Release date: TBA 2013

Oscar-nominee Ellen Page brings her talents to this psychological thriller, which lets gamers guide an emotionally disturbed girl -- and the ghost-like entity accompanying her -- through 15 years of her life.

Boy writes letter to LEGO after losing minifigure, gets awesome response

Seven-year-old Luka Apps spent his Christmas money on the LEGO Ninjago Ultra Sonic Raider set. A sound investment, if you ask us. But the thing about LEGOs -- those small pieces are easy to lose. They don't call 'em minifigures for nothing.

Against his father's recommendation, young Luka took his newly procured Jay ZX shopping. And then, wouldn't you know it, the figure went missing, never to be seen again.

Luka, not one to admit defeat, decided to write a letter to the good people at LEGO seeking a replacement.

ITV News has Luka's letter:

Hello.

My name is Luka Apps and I am seven years old.

With all my money I got for Christmas I bought the Ninjago kit of the Ultrasonic Raider. The number is 9449. It is really good.

My Daddy just took me to Sainsburys and told me to leave the people at home but I took them and I lost Jay ZX at the shop as it fell out of my coat.

I am really upset I have lost him. Daddy said to send you a email to see if you will send me another one.

I promise I won't take him to the shop again if you can.

– Luka

A short time later, Luka received a reply from Richard, a LEGO customer service representative. Richard wrote that he had spoken to Sensei Wu, a master from the  Ninjago line.

Luka, I told Sensei Wu that losing your Jay minifigure was purely an accident and that you would never ever ever let it happen ever again.

He told me to tell you, "Luka, your father seems like a very wise man. You must always protect your Ninjago minifigures like the dragons protect the Weapons of Spinjitzu!"

Sensei Wu also told me it was okay if I sent you a new Jay and told me it would be okay if I included something extra for you because anyone that saves their Christmas money to buy the Ultrasonic Raider must be a really big Ninjago fan.

So, I hope you enjoy your Jay minifigure with all his weapons. You will actually have the only Jay minifigure that combines 3 different Jays into one! I am also going to send you a bad guy for him to fight!

Just remember, what Sensei Wu said: keep your minifigures protected like the Weapons of Spinjitzu! And of course, always listen to your dad.

And that, ladies and gentlemen, is how companies score lifelong customers.

Texas gamers build real-life Mario Kart

It’s one of the best-selling video game franchises in the world, but what if you could play Mario Kart for real?

A group of Texas gamers/engineers from Waterloo Labs decided to give it a go, and the results are pretty amazing. This real-life Mario Kart racing track features actual power-ups, including mushrooms, lightning bolts and even those pesky turtle shells.

Let’s back up a little. The power-ups are a bit different than what you’ll find in the video game: racers pick up RFID tags, which communicate with the kart’s onboard computer and an array of servos and pneumatics.

That computer has control over the kart’s speed and brakes, so when racers choose to activate the power-ups, they either gain the appropriate advantage themselves or their opponents suffer a disadvantage. For example, racers who pick up a mushroom power-up get a real speed boost, while those who are lucky enough to drive snag a lightning bolt can engage the brakes on their opponent’s kart.

And since Mario Kart just isn’t Mario Kart without turtle shells, each kart comes equipped with a 120 psi cannon that can launch green turtle shells at other racers, causing them to wipe out.

As if this technological marvel wasn’t cool enough, the creators have posted a detailed look at how it was done and made the software that runs the system open-source, meaning anyone with a little engineering knowledge (and a few spare kart racers) can make their own home grown version of the game.

Mario Kart isn’t the first video game people have turned into a real world event. Pac-Man, most famously, was converted into a virtual-reality event in Singapore many years ago. New Yorkers recreated their own version of the game a few years later, calling it Pac-Manhattan.

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