Valentine S Day

Valentine's Day celebrations will probably be less fancy this year as a global recession spurs consumers to cut spending on their loved ones. U.S. consumers plan to spend an average of $102.50 on Valentine's Day items, 17% less than last year's $122.98, according to a survey by the National Retail Federation and BIGresearch. Total spending will reach $14.7 billion, they said. Consumers will buy less jewelry and send more greeting cards, according to the survey. More than a third of people will buy flowers, about the same as last year.

Channing Tatum and Rachel McAdams' big-screen love proved to be couples' top choice on Valentine's Day, as "The Vow" sold a record number of tickets on the romantic holiday. The tear-jerker released by Sony Pictures' Screen Gems label raked in an estimated $11.6 million on Tuesday. That's nearly double Tuesday's No. 2 film, the Denzel Washington thriller "Safe House," which collected $6.1 million. Since opening on Friday, "The Vow" has collected a very healthy $56.1 million.

Dtox Day Spa - Los Feliz The Valentine's weekend celebration at luxuriously tranquil Dtox includes spa treats, gifts, and a little bubbly. Promotions include the "Hot Chocolate Facial" (50 minutes; $95), the "Kissed by a Rose Organic Facial" (50 minutes; $125) the "Floating on Air 'dtoxygen' Facial" (50 minutes; $225), the "Choco-Delight Body Treatment" which includes a chocolate raspberry sugar body scrub and a hydrating organic shea butter body wrap and the "Aroma-Berry-apy Custom Massage" (both 50 minutes; single $95, couple $190)

Happy Valentine's Day. It's an occasion for romance and love, right? Yeah. But it's also an occasion for big business. The average American will pony up about $126.04 to mark the day, according to the National Retail Federation. That's up more than 8.5% from the $116.21 spent in 2011 (with guys shelling out about twice what ladies will pay). With that in mind, is anyone surprised that retailers routinely jack up prices for the spending spree? Have you checked out the prices at flower and chocolate stores?

To paraphrase that Southern philosopher Mama Gump, "Valentine's Day" is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you're going to get -- although I'm pretty sure ooey-gooey sweetness and absolutely no nutritional value is a given. Because the man handing out this particular box is Garry Marshall, definitely more a milk chocolate than dark bittersweet kind of guy, the hearts-on-sleeves sentimentality that saturates this romantic comedy won't come as a surprise. Funny-sweet terrain has proved a very good match for the director over the years, with "Pretty Woman" among his many nougats.

Let's face it, climate change is incredibly un-sexy. We don't care how many nude protesters are involved. But it's about to get worse. A new mini-report from the environmental group Climate Nexus points out that climate change is poised to wreck Valentine's Day, or at least change it significantly, by threatening chocolate production. That's right. Global warming is very bad for chocolate. As reported by The Times, research from the International Center for Tropical Agriculture found last year that as temperatures rise, the principal growing regions for cocoa could shrink, especially in Ghana and Ivory Coast, the sources of half the world's supply.

Roses are red Violets are blue On Twitter, men don't like Valentine's Day But the ladies sure do! And we've got a study to prove it. Ladies are twice as likely to tweet about Valentine's Day as men, according to NM Incite, a Nielsen McKinsey company that tracks social media trends. The company also reports that women are twice as likely as men to have positive things to say about the holiday. No major surprises there, but let's take a close look at the numbers.

Thanks for the spot-on review of Garry Marshall's pedestrian "Valentine's Day," which wasted an amazingly diverse cast's talents ["Sweet to Some, Saccharine to Others," by Betsy Sharkey, Feb. 12]. You could have put it more succinctly by saying: "An unsuccessful American remake of Richard Curtis' 'Love Actually,' but missing the acting, style, finesse and joie de vivre of the British original." Lee Moldaver Santa Barbara :: Who sneezed on Betsy Sharkey's See's Candies?

If you're trying to figure out how to make the best of Valentine's Day, or if you're just in love with a stubborn friend who won't come around, you might want to consider learning how to bake an aphrodisiac cake. Kiss My Bundt owner Chrysta Wilson has teamed up with self-professed aphrodisiac authority Amy Reiley , author of "Fork Me, Spoon Me: The Sensual Cookbook," to help you tighten up your game through the creation of your own "love cake." Life of Reiley Test Kitchen, L.A. (address will be disclosed upon reservation)

The Mandarin Oriental Las Vegas is, to me, an island of elegance in the city of seemingly endless hotels. The luxury brand in one of the Strip's shiny CityCenter high-rises snagged a five-star rating last year from  Forbes Travel Guide. And what better time to check in and check it out than Valentine's Day? The deal: I found a few deals for a mid-February stay, depending on how much you want to pay. Note that standard amenities at the Mandarin include free Wi-Fi, gym passes, free morning coffee and tea, and more.

SERIES Last Man Standing: Mike (Tim Allen) gets NASCAR champion Tony Stewart (himself) and his car to make an appearance at Outdoor Man in this new episode (8 p.m. ABC). Glee: On Valentine's Day, Will (Matthew Morrison) challenges the kids to come up with great romantic numbers and Rachel (Lea Michele) gets a visit from her two dads (Jeff Goldblum, Brian Stokes Mitchell) in this new episode (8 p.m. Fox). Cougar Town: In the season premiere, Grayson (Josh Hopkins) calls Jules' (Courteney Cox)

The Valentine's Day Google Doodle is pure sweetness. A one-minute animation, drawn with childlike innocence, it depicts a little boy trying to figure out what to get for his heart's desire - a little girl who jumps rope. He buys her flowers, and chocolates (via Google, of course), but she pays no attention. He tries clothes, and balloons, a pie and a television, a top hat, an old-fashioned submarine helmet, and still she continues to jump rope, oblivious to his overtures. As a last-ditch effort he walks over to her with his own jump rope clutched in his hands and starts to jump rope alongside her. And then -- she stops jumping.

It's just what I wanted for Valentine's Day! A one-day sale from JetBlue Airways and Frontier Airlines with really cheap spring airfares to Northern California, the East Coast and other destinations.  JetBlue Airways: The Love-A-Fare sale offers one-way airfare to New York's JFK Airport for $145 from Long Beach, Los Angeles and Burbank. Other one-way fares from Long Beach include $39 to Las Vegas; $50 to Sacramento, San Francisco and Oakland; $80 to Salt Lake City and Seattle; and $90 to Portland.

They say Valentine's Day is all about the love -- but it's also about the numbers. Take greeting cards: Folks will send about 150 million of them for V-Day this year, not including the packs of notes that children hand out at school, according to the Greeting Card Assn . The holiday is the second-biggest day for cards, topped only by Christmas. Valentine's Day is also one of the five most popular calling days of the year, at least for expats. International calls on Feb. 14 from Swiss-born U.S. residents, for example, are typically more than triple the volume on a normal day, according to calling services provider VIP Communications Inc. The only bigger calling days are Christmas, New Year's Day, Mother's Day and Father's Day. As for other ways to show you care, men will shell out an average of $168.74 on clothing, jewelry and other gifts this Valentine's Day, a survey by the National Retail Federation indicates.

President Obama today advised men everywhere to "go big" when it comes to Valentine's Day plans for their loved ones. Apparently for him, that includes a love tweet directed at the first lady. The president's campaign Twitter feed included this message this afternoon: "Hey, @MichelleObama: Happy Valentine's Day. " It was signed "-bo," which is meant to signify that the message was, indeed, from the commander in chief himself. Mrs. Obama hasn't responded yet. But she did post yesterday on her own account about the fact that Al Green's hit "Let's Stay Together" was on his campaign playlist this year.

Roses are red Violets are blue On Twitter, men don't like Valentine's Day But the ladies sure do! And we've got a study to prove it. Ladies are twice as likely to tweet about Valentine's Day as men, according to NM Incite, a Nielsen McKinsey company that tracks social media trends. The company also reports that women are twice as likely as men to have positive things to say about the holiday. No major surprises there, but let's take a close look at the numbers.

Looking to take your lady love or handsome paramour for a romantic meal this Valentine's Day? White Castle is there for you. Harold and Kumar's favorite burger joint plans to offer candlelit dinners with table service Tuesday. It's just one of many quick service chains angling for a piece of the estimated $3.4 billion that will be spent on holiday dining. Most of that money usually goes to fine-dining establishments. But with many consumers still price sensitive, fast-food eateries are betting that they can siphon some of the prix-fixe crowd.

Looking to take your lady love or handsome paramour for a romantic meal this Valentine's Day? White Castle is here for you. Harold and Kumar's favorite burger joint plans to offer a candlelit dinner with table service on Tuesday, just one of many quick service chains angling for a piece of the estimated $3.4 billion that will be spent on holiday dining. Most of that money usually goes to fine-dining establishments. But with many consumers still sensitive to price, fast food eateries are betting that they can siphon away some of the prix-fixe crowd.