Monday, December 29, 2008

It's the 11th time (18th in general since 1991) I rank what was on the minds of the world throughout this past year. I call it...

The Top 15 Things That Had the Whole World Talking in 2008

15.
Detroit's woes (Mayor Kwame Kirkpatrick behind bars, the Big Three automakers pleading for a government bailout, the Detroit Lions win-less season...the only two bright spots were the Red Wings winning the Stanley Cup and hometown girl Kristen Bell being voted Sexiest Woman of 2008!)

14.
O.J. Simpson finally going to jail (no comment, but I'm glad he got his just desserts)

13. Tricia Walsh-Smith's YouTube rants about her ex-husband (great, but not as exciting as...)

12. The old video of Bill O'Reilly mouthing off being leaked onto YouTube (sure beats Casey Kasem!)

11. The Jonas Brothers (nothing on them, it's just that their bodyguard Big Rob used to be Britney Spears' main protector back in the day. But does he suck at rapping or what?!)

10. Leona Lewis' "Bleeding Love" being the #1 song worldwide (eat that, Mariah!)

9. The Eliot Spitzer/Rod Blagojevich/Ted Stevens scandals (nothing, but at least we voted Stevens out of office)

8. Miley Cyrus (the "Vanity Fair" scandal didn't faze her, but being 16 never looked so good)

7. TIE: Lindsay Lohan getting naked for "New York" magazine (about damn time!)/"The Dark Knight" making box office history

6. Blu-Ray triumphs over HD-DVD (watch out, LaserDisc...oh, wait)

5. The New York Giants' upset win over New England in Super Bowl XLII (the Detroit Lions should take notes)

4 (in her TENTH STRAIGHT APPEARANCE!!!!!). Britney Spears (did I mention it was the biggest comeback of the decade so far?)

3. TIE: Michael Phelps (out-swam anybody else than any swimmer around)/The recession (how much do I have in my bank account...in the case hell freezes over?)

2. Sarah Palin (she may be our governor, she may have co-lost the election, but does she play a mean flute or what?)

And it comes to no surprise as to who #1 is...

1. Barack Obama (who re-wrote history on November 4, and will so again on January 20 as the 44th President of the United States!)

That's our look at 2008 through the eyes of the AllenBlog; till we meet in 2009, so long, stay strong, and HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!

Friday, December 26, 2008


The Year in Entertainment and Celebrities

A record-breaking box office...the Jonas Brothers packing venues worldwide...Hollywood taking part in the presidential election...celebrities unexpectedly going au naturel and raising eyebrows...scandals involving two governors...and the comeback of all comebacks after last year's false start...we kissed it all in 2008 and we liked it!

The 80th Annual Academy Awards drew the lowest ratings ever, not because of the aftermath of the writer's strike, but because of all four acting awards going to Europe: Best Actor (Daniel Day-Lewis, Ireland), Best Actress (Marion Cotillard, France), Supporting Actor (Javier Bardem, Spain), and Supporting Actress (Tilda Swinton, United Kingdom). Despite all that, "No Country for Old Men" did pick up three more Oscars including Best Picture of 2007. In response to the European sweep, the Americans have been fighting back hard this year with stellar performances by Anne Hathaway ("Rachel Getting Married"), Angelina Jolie ("Changeling"), Brad Pitt ("The Curious Case of Benjamin Button"), and Amy Adams ("Doubt").

2008 was Tina Fey's year to shine, largely thanks to her dead-on Sarah Palin on "Saturday Night Live" as well as her "30 Rock" claiming Comedy Series and Comedy Actress at the 60th Primetime Emmys. AMC's "Mad Men" became the first basic cable program to receive a top honor (Drama Series), while their winning streaks at 6-0 continued for "The Daily Show" and "The Amazing Race."

Also on the TV front this year: The "Battle of the Davids" on "American Idol" between Cook and Archuleta in which the former won it all; Kristy Yamaguchi, Kim Kardashian, and Brooke Burke displaying their fancy footwork on "Dancing With The Stars"; Showtime gaining some ground thanks in part to the theft of "Inside The NFL" from HBO...which, on the other hand, had a new hit in "True Blood; "Gossip Girl" and the new "90210" providing glimmers of hope for the ailing CW; and of course...NBC still buried in fourth place dropping shows left and right, but that could change next year when Jay Leno moves his gig to primetime.

Not even a dying economy couldn't slow down the box office, with "The Dark Knight" and the late Heath Ledger's last performance earned a record-breaking $158 million in its opening weekend. "Twilight", "High School Musical 3", and "Mamma Mia!" all had great moments worth seeing over and over again on DVD (or Blu-Ray), while "Meet Dave", "The Love Guru", "Leatherheads", and "Bangkok Dangerous" had moments worth seeing only once.

In music, we've had catchy tunes from newcomers Leona Lewis ("Bleeding Love") and Katy Perry ("I Kissed A Girl") to go along with the newest from Alicia Keys, Rihanna, and Coldplay, while Taylor Swift started climbing up the charts after getting a little publicity from the Jonas Brothers...who sold out venues all over and had us whipping out our earplugs because of the non-stop screams from fans.

Unexpected celebrities got naked or almost naked this year, and we haven't seen those coming. Lindsay Lohan did a titillating re-creation of Marilyn Monroe's "Last Sitting" photoshoot for "New York" magazine, which had many men blowing their loads like there was no tomorrow. There was also Eva Mendes, whose Calvin Klein commercial was banned in the United States (and a few other countries) because she showed a little extra. And in between those, we've got Miley Cyrus backless in "Vanity Fair." That photo got her in hot water for a while, but it as well as racy photos of her in a bra leaked onto the Internet didn't diminish her fanbase one bit as she was about to hit the Sweet 16.

Scandals aplenty also dominated the headlines in '08. The first big one was New York governor Eliot Spitzer, who was caught on a wiretap arranging to meet with a high-priced prostitute. He was forced to step down, handing the reins to David Paterson, while Ashley Alexandra Dupre (the woman at the epicenter) became a household name. We also had TV legend Barbara Walters admitting in her memoirs that she had an affair with a Congressman decades ago, Detroit mayor Kwame Kilpatrick's public service ended with a text-message affair, and ex-presidential candidate John Edwards also admitting to -- yep! -- having an affair.

In celebrity couples, John Mayer and Jennifer Aniston had everyone talking this year. Scarlett Johansson and Ryan Reynolds were one of the few who tied the knot, while Madonna and Guy Ritchie headed to divorce court...not before rumors of a fling between her and Alex Rodriguez began to surface.

Other entertainment newsworthy events include: The writer's strike ending but fears that the actors' may be next; Christina Applegate's breast cancer ordeal; videos of Bill O'Reilly during his "Inside Edition" days and New York newscaster Sue Simmons cussing up a storm making the YouTube rounds; a Paula Abdul fan bitter for not making "American Idol" taking her own life nearby Paula's house; O.J. Simpson being sentenced to up to 15 years in prison for his involvement in a robbery attempt in Las Vegas; and a very happy ending for "America's Most Wanted's" John Walsh when the case was finally closed as to who killed Adam Walsh: It was Otis Toole all along.

2008's instant celebrity was Alaska governor Sarah Palin, who was in the worldwide spotlight as John McCain's running mate in the election. Even though they lost to Barack Obama and Joe Biden, we have never seen this kind of craze since Geraldine Ferraro when she ran alongside Walter Mondale in 1984. But of course, she got skewered along the way, not just by Fey, but Katie Couric when she grilled her about reading any newspapers. Also, Palin decided to make Anchorage her home base for her gubernatorial duties instead of the usual Juneau because of her home in nearby Wasilla. And just a couple weeks after the election, while Palin was interviewed at a turkey farm, a turkey behind her...well, let's just say it was Butterball-bound.

And thanks to the almighty YouTube, Tricia Walsh Smith also became an instant celebrity this year when she used the site to lash out against her soon-to-be ex-husband.

Without any doubt, the biggest entertainment story of 2008 belonged to a person who has always delighted and surprised us with every move she's made over the last decade: Britney Spears!

After a botched start last year, she was indeed back in a big way with winning her first MTV Video Music Awards in September, followed by her new album "Circus" immediately reaching #1 all over the world. And coming in 2009, she'll be coming to a city near you during her latest tour starting in New Orleans (where I saw her back in 2000; I had a special report on it) and ending in London, where six shows at the O2 Arena have been booked.

Also in 2009: Will the Americans bring Oscar back to the homeland? Who will be the next celebrity couple that'll be the talk of the world? And will NBC's gamble finally pay off with Leno every night at 10:00? We'll find out then.

Next time when the Year in Review continues: My annual list of the Top 20 Things That Had the Whole World Talking in 2008!


Thursday, December 25, 2008

It was the year when a Sarah from Alaska became more popular than that Sarah from "Sex And The City" and that other Sarah from "Buffy The Vampire Slayer".

The year when one team made one "Giant" leap for sportskind.

The year when "Eight Is Enough" returned...minus those Van Pattens, but starring Michael Phelps.

The year when a 21st Century Great Depression would be imminent, with Wall Street getting crooked and the U.S. automakers crying out to Washington for help.

The year when "The Dark Knight" had moviegoers saying "Pass the popcorn", while "Meet Dave" and "The Love Guru" had them saying "Pass the Pepto-Bismol!"

The year when Katy Perry kissed girls and females trying to kiss the Jonas Brothers.

The year when one of our favorites after a false start last year made one of the biggest comebacks of the decade.

And of course, it was the year when an epic showdown for the keys to the White House ended up in the hands of a man whose intention is to forget eight years of turmoil and focus on up to eight years of cleanup.

That year was 2008.
Join the AllenBlog as I look back at another historic year.

The Year in News


From terrorist bombings in India, to deadly natural disasters in Burma and China, from a "Giant" upset in Super Bowl XLII, to Michael Phelps' historic Olympic gold rush, to slumping economies worldwide that led to businesses and individuals tightening our belts, all the way to an election for the ages that resulted into a change of power -- and race -- in the White House...yes, we did witness it all in 2008!

The year began with stock markets all over crashing hard in the aftereffects of the mortgage crisis of 2007. It of course would continue year-round, with the Dow dropping back to under 10,000 for the first time in a long time thanks to massive drops up to almost 800 points. More on this later.

The New England Patriots were well on their way to perfection going into Super Bowl XLII, but in the end, the New York Giants stopped all that beating them 17-14. The game was viewed by over 97 million people, making it not only the most-watched Super Bowl ever, but is also the second most-watched television program of all-time...behind the "M*A*S*H" finale but ahead of the "Who Shot J.R?" episode of "Dallas" (which is now #3)!!

The other big sports story of the year were all at the Summer Olympics in Beijing, headlined by Michael Phelps accomplishing his goal of eight gold medals, surpassing Mark Spitz. Meanwhile, while the Chinese gymnastics team claimed overall gold, Nastia Luikin and Shawn Johnson were a force to be reckoned with on the individual side and Team USA correcting their mistakes from 2004 to grab the men's basketball gold. And in track and field, it was all about Jamiaca's Usain Bolt who outpaced everybody else (including the Americans) and shattered world records in the 100- and 200-meter dashes. Talk about your cool runnings!

After all was said and done, the United States took the most overall haul of medals with 110; but when it came to golds, host country China had the advantage with 51 (100 overall) while the U.S. took 36.

Other sports happenings during 2008 included Lance Mackey's second straight trip to the Iditarod Burled Arch; Trevor Immelman becoming the "Master" of his golf domain; Brett Farve calling it a career after 17 years with the Green Bay Packers...that is, until he recanted and was traded to the N.Y. Jets; Kansas (men's) and Tennessee (women's) ruling the college basketball court; Scott Dixon holding fort at the Indianapolis 500, the Boston Celtics possessing their 17th NBA title; the Detroit Red Wings clinching another Stanley Cup; Tiger Woods claiming the U.S. Open immediately followed by knee surgery, ending his season; the Philadelphia Phillies grabbing ahold of the World Series trophy, and yes...the Detroit Lions not winning a single game.

But the Olympics weren't the only major story coming out of China this year. A series of earthquakes in Sichuan, Panzhihua, and Yingjiang rocked the country, with Sharon Stone's comments about the first one having her in hot water. Also, many popular toys made in Chinese factories had lead poisoning which kills children, and those health concerns also made news.

Pope Benedict XVI set foot in the United States for the first time, while 143 million pounds of frozen beef were recalled in California. Somalia was the piracy capital of the world, where German, Japanese, and Iranian cargo ships were seized off there. And in Los Angeles, a cell phone was to blame for a commuter train/freight train collision that killed 25.

Terrorist attacks and suicide bombings also made headlines this year. India was rocked with several of them in Jaipur, Bangalore, Ahmedabad, and the big one in Mumbai killing 164. In July, 48 were killed from bombs exploding in Baghdad and Kirkuk, Iraq, which followed 17 killed over two blasts in Istanbul, Turkey.

The weather was also the news, from Hurricanes Gustav, Ike, and Hanna, to a tornado outbreak claiming 58 lives in the Southern U.S., to over 133,000 killed by Cyclone Nargis and Typhoon Hagupit killing scores of people from China to Vietnam.

Back to the economy, which had a very awful year this year: Wall Street was hurt the most, with Lehman Brothers falling victim, Merrill Lynch bought out, and AIG bailed out by Washington. Also, the federal government took over control of Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae, who handle most mortgages. But the ones who were deeply wounded the most were the Big Three automakers, Ford, General Motors, and Chrysler, whose executives pleaded for a bailout themselves to prevent from going belly up...not before they were criticized for taking private jets to Washington. For their second attempt at wooing the lawmakers, they drove their own vehicles to Capitol Hill.

2008 of course was an election year, and not just here. In September, Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper set the 40th federal election date for October 14 in the hopes of a stronger government in the wake of a weaker economy. After all the polls were closed, Harper's Conservative party gained 144 seats, not enough for a majority (155 seats are needed).

But it was not over. The opposition parties didn't like what Harper was doing just 1 1/2 months after the election and formed a coalition with one thing in mind: to boot Harper out. In order to save his bacon, Harper decided to suspend Parliament.

And then of course, came the biggest story of 2008 with an historic ending: The U.S. Presidential election.

It started this spring with the Iowa caucuses, New Hampshire primaries, and Super Tuesday, in which Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama were in a showdown for the Democratic nomination with John McCain, Mike Huckabee, and Mitt Romney (who would later drop out) fighting for the Republicans. As the weeks went by, everybody but Obama and McCain threw in the towel, and the veepstakes began. Obama picked Sen. Joe Biden of Delaware, and we were in for the shock of our lives when John McCain's running mate would be none other than Alaska Governor Sarah Palin! Not since the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill have we seen Alaska make front page news!

The candidates introduced themselves to the world at the Democratic and Republican National Conventions in Denver and St. Paul respectively (Obama used Invesco Field for the last day to speak in front of over 80,000), and then the battle was really on. Obama's speech in Berlin in front of 200,000 had McCain's camp whipping out an attack ad comparing him to Britney Spears and Paris Hilton, while someone happened to find a long-lost tape called "Miss Alaska Pageant 1984" and put some very interesting portions of it on YouTube: Palin in the swimsuit competition and playing the flute in the talent portion. I'll have more on Palin's sudden popularity in the "Year In Entertainment."

That's followed by the debates, in which the Vice Presidential one between Palin and Biden had competition north of the border with the Canadian Leaders' debate. And at the third and final Presidential debate, McCain introduced a new secret weapon: Joe The Plumber. Obama, meanwhile, channeled his Ross Perot and broadcast a half-hour infomercial on CBS, NBC, and Fox attracting over 33 million viewers.

And last but not least, came the big night itself: Election Night, where it's winner take all. Thousands of voters stood in long lines for hours in every corner of the country all waiting to step inside the voting booth. McCain drew first blood when the first polls of the night closed; but in the very end, it was 47-year-old Barack Hussein Obama who wrote the final sentence in the 56th U.S. Presidential election that was two years in the making. Around the world, whether if they were staying up in the wee hours of the morning in Europe, enjoying their afternoon lunch in Australia, or gathering around in bars, hotel lobbies, community centers, or wherever else there's a TV at nighttime here in North America, the celebration was on as new chapters in both American history and Black history were written.

Of course, the Obama/McCain showdown wasn't the only story coming out of the election. Ted Stevens' 40-year reputation as Alaska's senior Senator was put to the ultimate test, as he was indicted over the summer and later found guilty on all seven counts of corruption charges. That opened the door wide open for Anchorage mayor Mark Begich, who had one thing in mind: Uncle Ted's job.

On election night, Stevens had the early advantage and thought he was going to hold it...until absentee ballots proved otherwise. When 100% of all the votes were tallied, Stevens raised the white flag and Begich broke out the bubbly.

Even though we've been introduced to new faces this year, we've spent some time to say our final goodbyes to the old. Among them: Heath Ledger, Jim McKay, Paul Newman, British television personality Jeremy Beadle, Suzanne Pleshette, Estelle Getty, Sir Arthur C. Clarke, film directors Anthony Minghella and Sydney Pollack, William F. Buckley Jr., Bo Diddley, Michael Crichton, Harvey Korman, Eddy Arnold, game show host Jack Narz, Tim Russert, George Carlin, Cyd Charisse, Yves Saint Laurent, Tony Snow, Bettie Page, professional wrestler Killer Kowalski, Bernie Mac, Isaac Hayes, world-famous voiceover actor Don LaFontaine, Charlton Heston, Studs Terkel, fashion critic Mr. (Richard) Blackwell, W. Mark Felt ("Deep Throat" from the Watergate scandal), Eartha Kitt; and one that really hit me...my beloved grandmother, Mildred Allen.

And now with 2008 about to come to an end, the stage is set for what will happen in 2009. How will President Obama fare in his first 100 days? Will this whole economic mess finally be resolved? And 101 years later, will the Chicago Cubs ever win a second World Series title? We'll find out when the clock strikes midnight on January 1.

Tomorrow, the "Year In Review" continues with 2008's biggest entertainment and celebrity headlines.


Sunday, December 14, 2008

Hello, everybody. A lot of stuff has been happening, so let's not waste any time getting those out of the way.

First up...Illinois has had a history of corrupt politicians, and that trend continued last week when Governor Rod Blagojevich was arrested by the FBI for trying to sell the Senate seat vacated by President-Elect Barack Obama. Obama is calling for Blagojevich to resign, but he is not budging one bit.

Of course the scandal was another bonanza for the late nighters including Jay Leno, and speaking of which...last week, it appears that Leno will remain on the NBC payroll after handing his "Tonight Show" reins to Conan O'Brien next year with a continuation of his show at a much earlier time: 10:00 weeknights. And at that slot, his competition will be "CSI: Miami" on Mondays, "Private Practice" on Thursdays, and other shows.

Leno's new show will almost be like the one he's doing now, but albeit a bit different. And with NBC still languished in fourth place...do they really still need him to get them out?

And last but not least...with two weeks left until 2009, that means it's my cue to hit the Notepad and work on my special blogs recapping 2008. I've been doing this every year since 1998, when we go over the year's news and trends as well as my Top 20 list. Look for the AllenBlog's 2008 Year In Review on Christmas weekend; and for the last time this year, so long, stay strong, and happy holidays!!!

Tuesday, December 02, 2008

Hello, everybody. If you thought you're full from your Thanksgiving meals, think again because I've got some extra helpings of my own!

First up...In just a matter of moments, Britney Spears' fifth album, "Circus", comes out worldwide on ironically enough, her 27th birthday. And over the Thanksgiving weekend, Britney as part of her comeback plan burned up Europe with performances at the Bambi Awards in Germany, on "Star Academy" in France, and on "X Factor" in Britain...which raked in a ratings record for the ITV network: Almost 13 million viewers, which translates to a 53% share.

Back here in the States, her heavily-promoted MTV documentary "Britney: For The Record" aired, in which she opened up about everything from her makeups and breakups to almost losing full custody of her two sons. And watching it, it opened my eyes to take a glance at the real Britney, not the one we see in the eyes of the tabloids and paparazzi.

I have a feeling that "Circus" is going to sell big, compared to "Blackout" last year which did so-so; I'll find out for myself when I get it later this week.

With over a month to go till he's sworn in as our 44th President, President-Elect Barack Obama as expected delivered the Secretary of State bait to Hillary Clinton...and she took it. Robert Gates will still be around as Defense Secretary, while Gen. Jim Jones is handed National Security Adviser.

But the slumping economy is still on everybody's minds as we're now into the holiday shopping season. Two weeks ago, executives of the Big Three automakers pleaded in Washington for a savior (bailout), but they were shown the door.

And now, as we're spending hundreds or thousands of dollars on gifts, some are taking some minor precautions this year by avoiding credit cards in favor of debit cards or good ol' cash. We don't know what is the most-have Christmas item to follow along with Tickle Me Elmo, Furby, or Playstation 2/3, but I'm thinking it's BluRay discs and players as costs are getting low.

Last but not least...Families regularly spend about $100 or more making holiday dinners, and that includes the meat. But being as someone who watches my wallet and wants to save hours slaving away at the kitchen, I buy one of those heat-and-serve holiday dinners at the stores.

Last year, I bought the turkey (Thanksgiving) and prime rib (Christmas) dinners at Fred Meyer and Safeway respectively; Fred Meyer's turkey was huge while Safeway's prime rib roast looked like a shriveled-up log. And for this Thanksgiving, I got the turkey dinner from Safeway, and let me tell you something: Their turkey was anything but! It looked more like a really young turkey than a Butterball-like turkey, but nonetheless, it was juicy. I can't wait to see what Fred Meyer's prime rib is like; I hope it's bigger than Safeway's.

Even though their holiday dinners cost a few bucks less, I'll never purchase another one from Safeway ever again...though I'll admit I did it just for the next set of Alaska Airlines miles. So long and stay strong!