It’s almost Labor Day weekend! Have Monday off? If so, do you know which president you should be thanking for signing the holiday into effect? Find out who it was and why he did it here.

Like most Americans, you probably have big plans for this weekend: Heading out for the last hurrah of the summer. Or maybe you’re setting up the BBQ and plan to lounge by the pool. But life wasn’t always like this for us hard-working Americans.
The first Labor Day was unofficially celebrated in September of 1883, when a group of unionized workers in New York City staged a parade from Broadway to Union Square despite not having the day off.

The parade stemmed from the belief that workers should be recognized for their efforts in growing the country. But it wasn’t until June 28, 1894, that President Grover Cleveland signed the Labor Day holiday bill which designated the first Monday in September for the holiday.

*** Though this contest is over, you can still check out all the Sue Sylvesterisms below in the comments. Congratulations to our winner, Jessica Bradbury, who gets an exclusive Glee flyaway to see the cast perform live in Chicago! ***

Hey Gleeks! Want to see Glee live in Chicago? Share your favorite Sue Sylvesterism (like the Chuck Norris jokes) and you could be on your way!

One lucky Gleek will win a pair of tickets to see the Glee cast perform live in concert in Chicago on May 25th, complete with round trip airfare from Cincinnati to Chicago and an overnight hotel stay. We'll draw a winner Monday morning May 10th, so all entries must be in by Sunday night at 11:59 p.m. EST.

Sue Sylvester jokes are the new Chuck Norris jokes and we want to see yours! Leave a comment here on our blog, and we'll draw one winner at random.

Can't seem to get started? Here's a few of our favorites for inspiration:

- Lord Voldemort refers to Sue Sylvester as, "she who must not be named."

- Sue Sylvester's calendar goes straight from March 31st to April 2nd; no one fools Sue Sylvester.

- Sue Sylvester does not go "hunting," because that terminology implies failure. Sue Sylvester goes killing.

- Ozzy Osbourne bites the heads off of bats. Sue Sylvester bites the heads off of Siberian Tigers.

- Sue Sylvester doesn't mow her lawn. She just stands out in her yard, and dares her grass to grow.

- Sue Sylvester always knows the EXACT location of Carmen SanDiego.

- Sue Sylvester CAN believe it's not butter.

- On the seventh day God rested. Then Sue Sylvester took over.

- Sue Sylvester doesn't need a twitter account, she's already following you.

- Sue Sylvester has banned the sale of all cereals except Cheerios.

- Apple pays Sue Sylvester $1.29 every time she listens to a song.

Good luck! We can't wait to read what you come up with

Think this is real? Hard to tell, but pretty funny if it is ...

Check out Muse's new video for "Uprising" (from their latest album, "The Resistance") ...

Did you watch the memorable men's hockey final this afternoon? What a game!

How incredible was it when Team USA scored with 24 seconds left in regulation to send the game into sudden-death. Only to watch Sidney Crosby steal it away from them in the extra period.

Canada became the first men's hockey team to win Olympic gold on its home ice since Team USA accomplished that in 1980 (the "Miracle on Ice").

For the U.S., it's the second time in the past three Winter Olympics that we've lost to Canada in the final. The two teams met in the final in 2002 in Salt Lake City; Canada won 5-3.

Here are a few of the better items I've read about it ...

For a lighter/funny/offbeat look at the game from the upper deck of Canada Hockey Place, check out my friend Luke Winn's blog posts about the game.

Washingtonpost.com on how the game salvaged what would have been a very disappointing Winter Olympics for Canada.

NYTimes.com on the growing legend of Sidney Crosby.

Thursday will be a tough act to follow after a very entertaining women's figure skating competition, but here's what you won't want to miss ...

• UPDATE: Lindsey Vonn skied out of the women's slalom - her last event of the Vancouver Olympics - after straddling a gate in the first half of her run Friday.

She could not correct her line after her right ski slid away coming out of a left-hand turn.

She was racing with a splint protecting the non-displaced fracture in her right pinkie finger suffered in Wednesday's crash.

• UPDATE: Men's hockey semifinal: TEAM USA BEATS FINLAND 6-1! to reach gold-medal game (vs. Friday night's Canada-Slovakia winner - puck drops at 9:30 p.m. EST).

Americans got up 6-0 against Finland in the first period!

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From earlier: (Kiprusoff struggled badly, BTW, as score reflects

The U.S. and Finland have both gotten strong goalie play; Ryan Miller has given up just five goals in four games and Finland's Miikka Kiprusoff has allowed just four goals in three games. Finland earned silver in the 2006 Winter Olympics. And the Canadians, who are heavily favorite against surprise semifinalist Slovakia, may or may not be rooting for Team USA. Traditionally, they never root for the U.S. on Canadian ice, but Startribune.com points out that this time around that might not be the case - in part because Canada seeks revenge for the 5-3 defeat in the preliminary round.

BTW, the gold-medal game is at 3:15 p.m. EST on Sunday.

• Apolo Ohno was looking to add to his record Winter Olympic medal haul in the short track 500-meter race, but he was disqualified.

• Ohno did, however, earn a bronze medal as part of the U.S. squad in the men's short track 5,000 relay.

• U.S. speedskater Katherine Reutter won silver in the women's short track 1,000-meter race after setting an Olympic record by winning her heat in 1:30.508.

• Dutch speedskater Sven Kramer competes in the qualification round (3:30 p.m. EST) of the Men's Team Pursuit after his stunning disqualification in the 10,000 earlier this week. He and his Dutch teammates are favorites for gold in the event. The finals are Saturday.

• If you're among many fascinated by curling, the women's curling gold medal match between top-seeded Canada and second seed Sweden is at 6 p.m. EST.

Did you stay up to watch? What did you think? Pretty impressive, huh! Didn't it seem like there was A LOT less stumbling and falling down than there was in 2006? Anyway, here are some of the better items I've read Friday morning ...

• How great was it that Joannie Rochette medaled?! Nice feature about her effort on CNN.com by my friend Steve Almasy.

• I expected a little bit more complaining about how American Rachael Flatt got downgraded and ended up falling to seventh place. Seemed like a bunch of the experts quickly went from "she was amazing" to "well, the judges downgraded her here and here but oh well." Flatt hinted at it herself:

"They felt fine," Flatt said of her flips. "They felt normal. I’ll just have to take a closer look when I get home. ... As far as I can remember, I’ve never gotten it downgraded."

From the AP's Rachel Cohen:

The 17-year-old Flatt lost points on both her triple flips when she didn't complete the rotation. She said "they felt just fine to me" and acknowledged she was a bit surprised by her score.

Asked if that made her Olympic experience somewhat less fun, Flatt said, "A little bit."

"I wish that I could've gotten a better score, but you make do and just continue to improve," she said, then added with a laugh, "Got to make sure I fix those flips."

You won't find columns written about it or outcry though. I'd guess it has something to do with Flatt going into the long program in fifth and the girls ahead of her didn't exactly have flawed performances.

• SI.com on how dominant gold medalist Kim Yu-Na of South Korea was.

• NYTimes.com's blog featured analysis from three-time Olympian Todd Eldredge, who broke down each individual performance.

• ESPN.com on the future of Team USA women's figure skating, saying the podium absence (after we failed to medal for the first time since 1964) won't last long.

The free skate in women's figure skating is finally here! This is the night for which many of us clear our schedules and park our bottoms in front of the TV. And it should be a good one!

The standings after the short program:

Kim Yu-Na (South Korea) - 78.5
Mao Asada (Japan) - 73.78
Joannie Rochette (Canada) - 71.36
Mikki Ando (Japan) - 64.76
Rachael Flatt (U.S.) - 64.64
Mirai Nagasu (U.S.) - 63.76

All six will skate in the fourth and final group Thursday night. (The competition begins with the first group at 8 p.m. EST.) The order (selected randomly among top six) is Flatt, Ando, Kim, Asada, Rochette and Nagasu.

As we pointed out the other day, Americans Flatt and Nagasu are within reach - fifth and sixth place, respectively - after strong short programs.

Flatt's parents worked for Procter & Gamble in Cincinnati, and her grandfather lives in Anderson Township. Video of her short program here. San Diego Union-Tribune's Mark Zeigler about how Flatt is poised to make her move and from earlier this week about how her parents met in Cincinnati.

Here's the Denver Post on exactly what Flatt needs to do to medal.

And People.com has 10 things you didn't know about Flatt and Nagasu.

And we're pulling for Rochette (pictured above) as well, who lost her mother in Vancouver and has become an overwhelming sentimental favorite. Great features about her that you should check out from Toronto Star as well as Boston Globe.

And here are three more events you won't want to miss ...

• Canada vs. Team USA for gold in women's hockey at 6:30 p.m. EST. on MSNBC. Canada has won the last two Olympic medals; the U.S. has won the last two world championships.

• The second run in the Ladies' Giant Slalom - postponed Wednesday due to inclement weather - goes Thursday at 12:30 p.m. EST. Defending champ Julia Mancuso was in 18th place after being placed later in the race for her run because she was on the course when teammate Lindsey Vonn crashed. Sara Schleper is in 14th place after posting the best time (1:16.19) of any American, 1.07 behind the leader from Austria.

• The U.S. Nordic combined team looks to continue its unprecedented success in the Large Hill individual event. Jumping starts at 1 p.m.; cross-country begins at 4 p.m. Americans Bill Demong, Todd Lodwick and Johnny Spillane are among medal contenders.

We're approaching the home stretch; it's a day off for women's figure skating (after Tuesday's exciting short program) but it's a HUGE day for men's hockey.

• If you don't follow it closely, Canada vs. Russia (7:30 p.m. EST) is really a big deal. Even Team USA GM Brian Burke acknowledges that they're the best two teams in the tournament.

(Which doesn't mean that Team USA can't win They did surprise Canada the other night.)

The U.S. plays Switzerland in opening quarterfinal action at 3 p.m. EST. Team USA beat the Swiss 3-1 earlier in the tournament, but goalie Jonas Hiller was unbelievable against Canada, which needed a shootout to beat Switzerland.

Czech Republic vs. Finland at 10 p.m. EST (Finland favored with Jagr questionable), and Sweden vs. Slovakia at midnight EST (Sweden has looked outstanding so far). It'll be interesting to see how everything shakes out.

• Julia Mancuso, already the winner of two silver medals, and gold medalist Lindsey Vonn both compete in women's Giant Slalom. The first run is set for 1 p.m. EST; the second run starts at 4:15 p.m. EST. Mancuso won gold in this event in 2006. Vonn is considered a longshot; Giant Slalom isn't her strength. Kathrin Holzl of Germany currently holds the No. 1 ranking in the World Cup Giant Slalom.

• There are three American squads in the top 6 going into the conclusion of women's bobsled. Heat 3 begins at 8 p.m. EST and is followed by the final run. USA 2 (Erin Pac and Elana Meyers) is in second place, just .13 behind the Canadian team in first. USA 3 (Bree Schaaf and Emily Azevedo) and USA 1 (Shauna Rohbock and Michelle Rzepka) both have a total time of 1:47.09, just 0.49 behind third-place Germany 2.

• The men's 500 short track (opening heats start at 8:47 p.m. EST) could be Apolo Ohno's last shot at a medal (though he'll also compete in the men's 5,000 team relay). He won the 500 in Turin and seeks his record eighth Winter Olympic medal.

• Team USA is among favorites in the women's 3,000 relay. The final begins at 9:26 p.m. EST. Four relay skaters must complete 27 laps for 3,000 meters; each has to skate at least one and a half laps at a time.

I didn't realize until I heard it watching the Olympics Tuesday night but did you know American figure skating gold medalist Evan Lysacek and 2008 gymnastics gold medalist Nastia Liukin revealed to People.com that they are an item?

The couple met in October 2008 while performing on NBC's "Skating & Gymnastics Spectacular" and told the magazine they have been dating since last summer, when they attended the ESPYs together.

From People.com:

"We just became good friends and have become really close since then," Lysacek told People.

In August, Lysacek went to Dallas to cheer on Liukin during her gymnastics comeback at the U.S. Nationals. "It was cool but nerve-racking watching her compete – to be on the balance beam like that? For me, it's easier to do it then watch it," says Lysacek, 24.

Liukin was in Vancouver this week to root for Lysacek.

"To see his dreams come true was amazing," Liukin told People. "Even though we're not in the same sport, we got to connect at the same level because there's nothing like the Olympics. It was nice to be on other side of things and be the support system, but I was nervous."

Added Lysacek: "She's been so helpful to me. She has been through it herself. If I'm having a bad day, she tells me to have faith and to keep going. Sometimes your support system has more faith in you than yourself. And when she tells me things are going to be fine, I really believe it."

When they're together in L.A., says Liukin, "We hang out, go to dinner and movies, and lay low. We have similar personalities – we're both laid back."