David Magee

There's talk, according to a story from the Hollywood Reporter, that the 37-year-old Seacrest won't be renewed at his current high pay with American Idol. That means the upcoming American Idol season could be his last.

The SEC powerhouse teams that happen to play in the same conference division -- the SEC West -- will square off in a rematch of their regular season game that LSU won 9-6 in overtime. The Tigers ended up undefeated, effectively obliterating opponents outside of the close game with the Crimson Tide, while Alabama lost only to the Tigers.

The Lions-Saints game promises to be one of the most entertaining Wild Card weekend games in years, as the two offenses are potent -- and not afraid to use it. The Lions might be the NFL turnaround team of the year, notching 10 wins, but the Saints are still a heavy favorite, and undefeated at home this season. Saints quarterback Drew Brees broke NFL records, passing for 5,476 yards and 46 touchdowns this year.

The new Savannah Smiles Girl Scout cookie flavor, launched for the organization's annual cookie sale getting underway and in conjunction with the Girl Scouts 100th anniversay, is a lemony delight.

Barnes & Noble, Inc. often gets an unfair rap. With the demise of Borders and the advancement of Amazon, it is easy to suggest that America's larget bookseller is ultimately doomed.

The earthquake occurred in Dallas at 12:11 a.m., registering a 2.0 magnitude, the USGS reported. The Dallas earthquake was centered off Northwest Highway, north of Dallas Love Field, and west of University Park in the area known as Preston Hollow.

The times and trends are always changing, and some benefit consumers while others do not. But the shopping Web site dealnews did a good job in recent days noting things that will be less expensive and more expensive in 2012. Among the items that will get cheaper in 2012, according to dealnews, is wine and homes.

The latest government report shows that robust hiring activity in December -- better than expected -- pushed unemployment to its lowest level in three years. The Labor Department said December unemployment was 8.5 percent in America, and level we haven't seen since February 2009.

Seculert said Ramnit has recently started targeting user accounts at Facebook, the world's largest social network with some 800 million users. Ramnit has apparently taken sensitive login details from 45,000 Facebook users throughout the world -- with most in Europe.

Westphal will be replaced by assistant Keith Smart.

There's value in the Nook for BN, America's largest bookseller, but there's also a lot of cost. Prices are coming down in the e-reader and tablet spaces, thanks in part to BN competitor Amazon, which launched its new Kindle Fire tablet at a losing proposition against hardware costs to gain immediate market share. Amazon has also slashed prices on its Kindle e-readers, putting further pricing pressure on BN's Nook products.

As one analyst said, the U.S. market isn't the cash cow it once was, but it's still a mature and profitable market, as opposed to more volatile emerging markets, or stagnant ones in Europe, said Rebecca Lindland, an analyst with the consulting firm IHS Automotive, according to The New York Times.

Girl Scout cookie date more than 80 years back, and have been a vital part of the organization. This year the Girl Scouts are launching the new Savannah Smiles flavor, to join 10 others on the annual sale roster.

The bite-size cookie will come with a dusting of confectioner's sugar and the taste of a lemony twist. The Girl Scouts describe the new cookie like this: Celebrate the anniversary of the Girl Scouts with these bite-sized, lemon-wedge cookies dusted in powdered sugar and bursting with lemon flavor. Enjoy these delightful treats, remember where Girl Scouts began...and smile.

Pepsi employs about 300,000 workers around the world, including 2,000 in Purchase, New York at company headquarters. The job cuts will involve some employs working in Purchase, according to The New York Post.

The price of oil has been rising due to mounting tensions between Iran and the United States and other western countries. On Wednesday the pressure on Iran continued to ratchet up, as European Union governments agreed on to ban imports of Iranian oil.

The EU governments in the 27-nation bloc agreed on the Iranian oil embargo, but now need to plan a timetable for implementing the move. France has suggested a date for beginning the embargo is set at a scheduled Jan. 30 meeting of the EU foreign ministers.

The game kicks off at 8:30 p.m. ET on Wednesday at Sun Life Stadium in Miami. Clemson, 10-3, of the ACC set school records for passing yards, total yards, and scoring this season. West Virginia, 9-3, of the Big East are 17th in the nation in total offense and seventh in the nation in passing.

The Corporation for National an Community Service (CNCS) leads Americans throughout the country who want to honor Dr. King's legacy and spirit of racial equality achievement by helping neighbors and their community. The MLK Day of Service involves thousands of projects, including those big and small, and reaches across all 50 states in the U.S.

Cars and trucks are typically the focus on the North American International Auto Show. But the Detroit auto show 2012 will take a different angle this year as the first tractor is featured.

Thompson has been president of PayPal, the online payments processing company, since 2008 after previously serving the company as its chief technology officer. According to AllThingsD, Yahoo and PayPal refused to comment on the story. PayPal, owned by eBay, processed $29 billion in payments in the third quarter of 2011, according to records.

In the Sugar Bowl, defense has ruled so far, though the offenses did perk up just a bit before the half -- Wolverine style. Michigan scored its first points on a touchdown pass with just 49 seconds remaining in the half, and added another another field goal as time expired for the half after a crazy string of plays to take a 10-6 lead into the locker room. Denard Robinson threw the touchdown pass, while balancing on one foot, to Junior Hemingway for 45 yards and a score.

Romney and Paul were tied in the GOP presidential nomination caucus in entrance polls taken Tuesday. It's the first race in the 2012 presidential primaries.

The Bruins were playing Richmond on Dec. 23 at the Honda Center in Anaheim. UCLA's Mistletoe Cam focused on a couple at courstide. The man reached into his pocket with the camera on him, pulled out a ring and said, according to Yahoo, I knew that I was going to do this since the first day that I met you, and I figured now was as good a time as any.

The game features two of the better defensive teams in the country. Virginia Tech is ranked 13th in the nation, allowing just 313.9 yards per game, while Michigan ranked 18th in defense nationally, giving up 317.6 yards per game.

Higher ranked teams were passed up for the Sugar Bowl 2012, but try telling #11 Virginia Tech and #13 Michigan they don't belong. The Sugar Bowl committee opted to go with the two teams that give in the long run the best opportunity to put together a match-up that will provide a very exciting football game, said the bowl's CEO, and the teams say they want to deliver.

The latest threat comes days after U.S. President Barack Obama signed into law sanctions against Iran's central bank which processes most of the country's oil-export payments. Obama and other leaders, including European Union foreign ministers set to meet in Brussels on Jan. 30 to consider a oil-export ban on Iran, hope more sanctions will slow the country from further developing its nuclear weapons program.

The latest promotion is for one-way fares for as low as $39. Tickets must be purchased by Jan. 5 (before 11:59 p.m. on Jan. 3), and a seven-day advance purchase is required.

Buildings reportedly swayed from the jolt in Tokyo, but the Daily Mail reported that the quake did not disrupt the final of the Emperor's Cup football tournament being played at the National Stadium.