By Howie Nave

Hello fans of the humor. Whatever your feelings regarding late night television I can tell you that comedians everywhere are enjoying the mess on NBC happening as you read this.

Whether you’re team — Letterman, Leno or Conan — NBC is the one looking like the biggest loser here.

One thing for sure, O’Brien will go down in TV history as the shortest reigning host of “The Tonight Show”. Whoever gets to be the new host one day better have the most iron clad contract in network history that’s for sure. Until then, comics will offer up the best (if a little mean and caustic) insights as this whole scenario plays out. Enjoy the latest comedic schedule.

Improv schedule at Harveys Stateline

Jan. 27-Jan. 31 Kivi Rogers and David Gee

Feb. 3-7 Vince Morris and Kyle Kinane

Feb. 10-14 Steve White and Graham Elwood

Feb. 17-21 Judy Gold and Gary Canon

Feb. 24-Feb. 28 Willie Barcena and Scott Henry

March 3-7 Will Durst and Jim McCue

March 10-14 Scott Kennedy and Erin Foley

March 17-21 Jackie Flynn and Kevin Flynn

Mar 24-28 Greg Travis and Steve Mazan

March 31-April 4 Billy D. Washington and Don McEnery

April 7-11 Rocky LaPorte and Jay Philips

April 14-18 Jeremy Hotz and David Gee

April 21-25 Mike Pace

April 28-May 2 Scott Record and Carrie Snow

May 5-9 Chris Spencer

Howie Nave is the host/emcee for all shows.

Incline Village’s Bev Vuilleumier will compete in the Snowboard Slopestyle competition at Winter X Games 14 on Jan. 28-31 in Aspen.

The finals will be live Jan. 31 on ESPN at 11am.

People traveling to Lake Tahoe are looking for a deal and have no problem sifting through data to get what they want.

It’s not that visitors to Lake Tahoe are unique in this respect; it’s just that a study about the basin was released this week.

Rentalo.com, the online lodging directory, performed what it calls an intensive market analysis on its database of 17,951 opted-in travelers who visited the Lake Tahoe area from July 2008 to January 201.

Lake Tahoe draws people to the region. Photo/Kathryn Reed

“In an effort to educate the travel industry, the lodging website has decided to perform and publicly share Lake Tahoe travel demand studies so experts and industry participants may fully understand the dynamics and consumer habits,” according to a press release.

The study shows 63.71 percent of the travelers looking for South Lake Tahoe vacation rentals showed an interest in comparing offers from other accommodation types like hotels and bed and breakfasts.

More than half (54.31 percent) also wanted to receive offers from nearby destinations like Kirkwood, Lake Tahoe, Genoa, Glenbrook, Tahoma, West Shore, Woodfords and Gardnerville.

Just less a third of those looking for South Lake Tahoe vacation rentals sent inquiries three or more months in advance of their stay, 42.37 percent did so within 30 days prior to the arrival date and 24.84 percent was looking one to two months in advance.

South Lake Tahoe is considered a destination for big groups because 49.64 percent of the inquiries were for groups of four or more people. Thirty-six percent were families with children, 11.98 percent were couples and there were no solo travelers.

North Lake Tahoe vacation rentals seekers also like to do comparison shopping, as 67.84 percent of those inquiring accepted to receive offers from hotels and bed and breakfasts. Truckee, Tahoe Vista, Kings Beach, Donner Lake and Olympic Valley were of interest to 37.44 percent of people planning a trip.

Last minute trips are popular in North Lake Tahoe as 53.50 percent of the inquiries for this destination were received 30 days prior to arrival, 21.77 percent were received three or more months in advance, while 22.14 percent were one to two months in advance.

Families traveling with children accounted for 42 percent of the inquiries while 18.01 percent were from couples looking for a romantic getaway, and 39.96 percent were for large groups with four or more people traveling.

Stats on Tahoe City reveal that 58.54 percent of travelers looking for Tahoe City vacation rentals were also interested in comparing offers from hotels and bed and breakfasts.

About 42 percent started looking for accommodations within 30 days prior to arrival, 28.21 percent three or more months in advance and 25.31 percent one to two months in advance.

Tahoe City can be considered a family destination as 46.10 percent of the inquiries were for families with children, 10.53 percent for couples and 43.15 percent for family reunions and big groups of more than four people.

On the Nevada side of Lake Tahoe, 52.28 percent of the travelers looking for vacation rentals also like to compare offers from hotels and bed and breakfasts. About 11 percent also inquired about nearby destinations like Tahoma, Gardnerville, Carson City, Tahoe City and others.

Those planning a trip a month in advance were 37.93 percent of the travelers, 33 percent planned three or more months in advance and 23.38 percent took one to two months.

According to this study, the East Shore can be considered a family vacation destination since 43.01 percent of the inquiries were from families with children. 21.83 percent from couples looking for romantic getaways and 35.07 percent are from people planning family reunions and larger groups with 4 or more adults and children.

Yoga-Full Moon Ski on Feb. 28 fro 6-8:30pm at Tahoe Cross Country.

Join local yoga instructor Emily Williams, for an hour and a half long yoga class in the Tahoe XC yurt. Stretch and expand in your yoga practice while you are warmed by the wood fire. The yoga class will focus on a blend of Ashtanga and Iyengar practices, and is suitable for all levels.

The yurt is situated right on the cross country ski trail, giving you a special and beautiful spot to practice yoga. After an invigorating practice we will head out the door and ski or snowshoe on a gentle trail in the full moon with long time Tahoe XC instructor Tim Hauserman to the yellow hut about 1km away where hot drinks and the power of the moon await.

Don’t hesitate to ask Tim for any skiing tips.

Just $20. The yurt only holds 20 people, so RSVP to Tim Hauserman at writeonrex@yahoo.com to reserve your spot.

Participants must bring their own yoga and skiing gear, including a yoga mat and any props that are needed, as well as all your skiing gear.

KITZBUEHEL, Austria -– Alpine World Champions Bode Miller (Franconia, NH) and Lindsey Vonn’s (Vail, CO) race bibs from this weekend are up for auction. In a grassroots effort driven by the Audi FIS Alpine World Cup athletes. Both men’s and women’s race bibs from Kitzbuehel, Austria and Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy – two of the season’s biggest races – are now available to the highest bidder on eBay with all proceeds going directly to the earthquake relief effort in Haiti.

Bibs from Friday’s super G in Cortina, which was won by Vonn, are already up for auction at www.ebay.com (Keyword: cortina haiti), while men’s bibs from Saturday’s 70th running of the famed Hahnenkamm downhill in Kitzbuehel, captured by Swiss Didier Cuche, go online at www.ebay.at (Keywords: haiti startnummer).

In early bidding, start numbers from U.S. skiers Vonn, Miller, and Ted Ligety (Park City, UT) are proving to be the most valuable.

“This is such a huge disaster and it just seems right to do something,” said 2006 Olympic gold medalist Julia Mancuso (Olympic Valley, CA), who spearheaded the auction on the women’s tour. “I’ve realized that little things can make a big difference. We’re living our dream and inspiring others to do the best that they can. So having a bib in a lot of ways is getting a piece of the excitement.”

Two summers ago, Mancuso and British racer Chemmy Alcott raised over $40,000 for Right to Play by raising money through an ascent of Mt. Kilimanjaro in Tanzania. Each season, all of Mancuso’s bibs are auctioned for charity through her website.

“When you’re racing, you feel like there are so many things that you can control,” said Vonn following her super G win Friday. “But really, there’s so much in the world you can’t control and unfortunately those things affect a lot of people. It’s important for everyone to do what they can and I hope our little bit helps.”

For each side of the tour, there is an athlete working group made up of leaders from each national team. The men’s working group met Thursday and Downhillers for Haiti became the most important message of that voice.

“It’s really cool, it’s from the athletes,” said Scott Macartney (Crystal Mountain, WA), the U.S. Ski Team representative in the men’s working group. “We’re very far away and in a different world, but we’re all thinking about it and trying to do what we can to help support it.”

Each auction closes this weekend, so bid early and bid often.

“Kitzbuehel is the coolest bib we have all season. They’re already personalized with our names, but now they each have our signatures on them as well. Guaranteed, some of these guys are going to be Olympic gold medalists next month.”

Women’s bibs from Cortina are up now at www.ebay.com (Keyword: haiti cortina), and men’s bibs are online at www.ebay.at, (Keywords: haiti startummer). Auctions close Saturday morning.

Publisher’s note: Below are snippets gathered while LTN has been on assignment in Whistler.

By Kathryn Reed

WHISTLER, British Columbia — Guys on one of the lifts talked about businesses in the Whistler-Vancouver region having 25cm (9.84 inches) days – meaning if it snows that much, it’s a ski day, not a workday.

Most Whistler employees live 20 miles away in Pemberton because many houses in the ski town cost seven figures.

Buses are free, comfortable and easy to use in Whistler. Photo/Kathryn Reed

The ski map, aka the atlas, for Whistler-Blackcomb gives tidbits about dining options at the base of the resort, not just on-mountain choices. And it dispenses information like Skiing magazine ranked Garibaldi Lift Company the best mountain bar and Forbes Traveler ranked it in the top 10 for après ski.

Locals say Whistler will be closed to traffic during the Olympics unless you can prove you have lodging accommodations. People are going to be bused from venue to venue, but some worry they won’t make it to events in time.

Roads are already closing in Vancouver. One skier said it’s no big deal – it means having to ride his bike to work.

Bring lots of money – one U.S. dollar equals one Canadian dollar. Many places take both currencies.

The report from riders and employees is that Whistler-Blackcomb set a record for single-day passes sold during the Martin Luther King Jr. weekend, which is celebrated in the States – not Canada. It was even busier than Christmas.

BC Transit, the bus system through the area, is free. It takes skiers to the base lodge of Whistler and Blackcomb. A bus symbol is on the sign, the routes are posted and the shelter is covered – probably why it’s called a shelter.

Vancouver is the most expensive housing market, according to a report published Jan. 25. The Demographia International report looked at 272 metropolitan markets in Canada, United States, United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand and Ireland. The conclusion was based on comparing median housing sale values to median household incomes.

Cloudy with scattered snow showers is the forecast, but it feels more like rain. Curtis Fong, the Guy from Tahoe, delivers his ski report.

By Kathryn Reed

Assuming new vegetation along the Upper Truckee River near Lake Tahoe Airport is stable, work will continue next summer on this portion of the river.

The South Lake Tahoe City Council gave the go-ahead for the work to be completed even if the California Tahoe Conservancy doesn’t have the money in hand to reimburse the city.

A water filled berm keeps the Upper Truckee River out of the new channel near Lake Tahoe Airport. Photo/Kathryn Reed

Even though the state sold bonds in October, the money has not been distributed.

“We are still waiting to see if any (bond money) will be for our projects,” Bruce Eisner, CTC program manager said. “We don’t have a time frame when the bonds appropriated to us will be funded.”

City Manager Dave Jinkens had suggested the council take the money from the capital improvement fund until CTC can reimburse the city. Councilmembers Bill Crawford and Hal Cole were the most vocal about that being a bad idea. They were not about to take more money from roads and the like. Already in the last fiscal year $1 million was cut from that budget, which instead of leaving a monetary hole allowed potholes in South Tahoe to proliferate and grow in size.

The council unanimously agreed to borrow the $536,709 from reserves if the CTC is not flush with cash when construction resumes.

Work on this reach of the Upper Truckee River started in summer 2008 and is expected to be complete in 2010.

The idea behind the various projects on the river, which is the largest tributary into Lake Tahoe, is to restore the river to its natural flow. Years ago it was straightened in various places, which has caused erosion problems, meadows to deteriorate, overgrowth of conifers in some locations and detrimental affects to wildlife.

As the walls of the river became steeper, it meant the natural flooding of meadows has ceased to occur.

“Before the airport was built, the floodplain encompassed the airport so it had a wider area to meander through,” explained Robert Erlich, South Tahoe engineering supervisor.

A new channel was built in 2008 that has a more natural curve. Vegetation was planted. A large water filled berm is keeping the river from flowing into the new channel. Footprints can be seen in the snow covered berm. A bear has punctured it in places, necessitating some patch work.

The plan is to gradually release the water into the new channel, which is closer to the airport, and then fill in the old channel with dirt.

This is just one of many sections of the river where work will be done. Above the airport section the river runs through Washoe Meadow State Park and the golf course that sits on state property. The environmental document for that section should be out in 2010.

Near Elks Club Road is the old Sunset Stables property that CTC now owns. Environmental review on that section is also expected next year.

Downstream from the airport the river runs through U.S. Forest Service land, private property and more CTC land. Environmental documents on all of those sections could come out this year.

“If we find the money, there should be an awful lot of work going on on the river,” Eisner said.

Did water skiing play a role in your family’s history at Lake Tahoe?

The Tahoe Maritime Museum in Homewood is developing an exhibit to highlight the history of water skiing at Lake Tahoe which will be unveiled in the summer.

Officials are interested in hearing from people who are past water ski champions at various competitive levels, individuals who would like to share their oral history, old home movies, memorabilia, historic photographs and memories of water skiing on the lake, and from those who own historically accurate ski boats representing the evolution of the boat side of water skiing.

Contact a museum staff member at (530) 525.9253 or at Info@TahoeMaritimeMuseum.org.

Do you need to work on your dangle, toe drag or grinding in the corners? If so, the South Lake Tahoe Ice Arena has a Skills and Drills program that to improve your ability and understanding of the game of hockey.

Skills and Drills is offered Wednesdays from 6:15–7:45pm beginning Jan. 27.

You can sign up for the full four-week session or drop in on individual classes.

For more information, call (530) 542-6262, or come by the South Lake Tahoe Ice Arena at 1176 Rufus Allen Blvd., South Lake Tahoe