Just a quick reminder that Act I of "The History of Howard Stern" kicks off tomorrow, December 17th at 6am on both Howard 100 and Howard 101.

Above is a poster Sirius created for the special. They also launched an interactive website featuring rare audio from Howard’s vault and a timeline of Act I.

Presidential candidate Senator Barack Obama will be making an appearance on Sirius Satellite Radio for an in-depth interview conducted by Sirius host Senator Bill Bradley on Monday.

Obama discusses a wide range of topics, including his relationship with his mother and father; his upbringing; his strong sense of patriotism, and his priorities if elected.

Here's some select Obama quotes from the Sirius interview:

"We have to send a clear signal that we are not going to be an occupying force, that we are not going to be maintaining permanent bases in Iraq, that we are going to initiate diplomatic efforts including with our enemies- countries like Iran."

"I would convene a conference within my first year just gathering together Muslim leaders from all around the world, to describe for them what our values and our interests are, to insist that they need to help us to defeat the terrorist threats that are there, but to also recognize that they are bound up with us and that we have an interest in making sure that their societies can prosper and that we're moving forward with them as partners with dignity and respect."

"I think we're in a defining moment right now in our history ... and people are starting to understand both because of Iraq but also because of Katrina, and some of the other things that have happened that ... we are really in this together. ... we are not simply a collection of individuals. And that if we're going to solve big problems ... then we're going to have to have a government that expresses those values [because] ... we can't have a government that is simply a protector of the wealthy and the powerful."

Senator Bradley's interview with Barack Obama will air on Monday, December 17th on Sirius Stars (ch 102) at 5am, 7am, 12pm, 2pm, and 11pm (all times ET).

Well, the wait is over. Bubba the Love Sponge has officially renewed his contract with Sirius Satellite Radio.

"We launched the radio revolution with Howard Stern, and I am grateful he brought me to SIRIUS," Bubba stated in the press release. "We will continue to do uncensored, groundbreaking radio on Howard 101."

"We are happy Bubba has renewed with Sirius," said Scott Greenstein, Sirius' President, Entertainment and Sports. "Bubba has steadily created an enthusiastic national fan base since he launched his show on Howard 101. That fan base will continue to expand on Sirius."

Terms of the contract, including the length that he's signed on for, were not disclosed. But for the time being, at least we know that BTLS isn't going anywhere anytime soon.

Related:

• Not just Sirius: Bubba returns to Regular Radio

We learned about this last month when Howard was featured in an AP story, but now Sirius has released more details on the upcoming "History of Howard Stern" special.

Set to debut on December 17th at 6am ET on Howard 100 and 6am PT on Howard 101, the epic series will air through December 21st.

Act I, entitled "The Early Years," spans Howard's birth through his days at WNNNNBC Radio in NYC. Act I will debut in five separate original parts, with one installment airing each day that week and replaying continuously all day and night.

"The History of Howard Stern" features a vast array of rare, never- before heard audio footage from Howard's personal vault plus interviews and commentary from Howard, Stern Show staff, friends, family, and former colleagues. Celebrities will also partake in the enjoyment, including a rare interview with legendary late night host, David Letterman. Other entertainers and Howard fans who contributed interviews include Foo Fighters' Dave Grohl, Jimmy Kimmel, Joe Walsh, Dee Snider, David Brenner and more.

"It's a complete retrospective of stuff you've never heard -- every piece of history of this show," said Stern. "'The History of Howard Stern' is an incredible listening experience. It's the kind of radio that competes with television and that you'd never hear on terrestrial radio."

Act II will pick up as Howard begins his legendary run at K-ROCK.

Encore broadcasts of Act I of "The History of Howard Stern" will air multiple times, including the weekends of December 22nd-23rd and December 29th-30th on Howard 100.

Check out the History of Howard Stern for more info (which includes a pretty cool interactive timeline).

While we're all sitting on the edges of our collective seats waiting for merger news, Sirius announced that The Catholic Channel (ch 159) will be celebrating a full year on the air and will kickoff of some special Advent programming.

The channel will also be doing its first-ever trip to lovely Rome to broadcast from the Vatican during the first week of Advent. The weeklong special starts today at 4pm.

The Catholic Guy, the daily radio show hosted by Lino Rulli, begins the week long Advent and Anniversary special from Vatican Radio with broadcasts every weekday from 4pm - 7pm ET (his regular broadcast times). The 36-year-old Rulli will take his listeners to St. Peter's Basilica, the Colosseum, and other sites for an insightful look at the Eternal City that only the Catholic Guy can provide.

It continues all week in Rome with tours of some of the world's most famous Catholic sites, including the Sistine Chapel, the Vatican Museum, and the prison of St. Peter and St. Paul.

Rulli will talk with Monsignor Roger Roensch, Director of the Bishops' Office for U.S. Visitors to the Vatican, about the importance of Catholics visiting the Holy See not as tourists, but as pilgrims. Later in the week, Rulli will speak with newly appointed Cardinal John P. Foley in the Vatican Radio studios about the significance of being a Prince of the Church.

Good stuff. Now get back to biting those fingernails as we await the DOJ's decision.