tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-63331652012-01-26T00:26:09.401-09:00The AllenBlogWhat's up in the news, what's up in pop culture, and what's up in my life.
Formerly known as "The Allen Report" site from 1998-2004.johnnya2k4noreply@blogger.comBlogger2641100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6333165.post-44690470015104218192012-01-24T20:24:00.002-09:002012-01-24T20:24:58.712-09:00
Hello, everybody. In what could be his last State of the Union address of either his first term or as President, Barack Obama on Tuesday night made jobs the center of attention as his re-election campaign is already underway. In the 1 hour and 10 minute speech before Congress (including retiring Rep. Gabrielle Giffords of Arizona) and a worldwide television audience, Obama said that America's johnnya2k4noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6333165.post-88654026723685450232012-01-15T21:29:00.001-09:002012-01-15T21:29:22.761-09:00Hello everybody, and welcome to my first blog of 2012.
The big question asked throughout the 69th Annual Golden Globe Awards on Sunday was: Was Ricky Gervais on his best behavior the third time around? I'll have that later, but first:
"The Artist" and "The Descendants" were the top winners, claiming Musical-Comedy and Drama Best Picture respectively, with George Clooney earning Best Actor-Dramajohnnya2k4noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6333165.post-5595871543604471022011-12-29T19:24:00.000-09:002011-12-29T23:50:48.099-09:00
It's a tell-tale sign we're getting closer to the end of the year, so without further ado and for the 22nd time...
The Top 20 Things That Were Trending in 2011
20. The HP TouchPad becoming a colossal flop (still usable as a paperweight or a small serving tray)
19. Chris Paul joining the Los Angeles Clippers (yeah, like if they would have a chance!)
18. Weinergate (imagine if Andrew johnnya2k4noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6333165.post-30953685486691934632011-12-27T17:47:00.002-09:002011-12-30T11:10:25.901-09:00
Part 2: Pop Culture and Technology
Let's all raise our glasses for a great 2011 in the world of pop culture: Couples of British royalty and teen royalty becoming the center of attention, a song about the joys of the last day of the work week becoming the latest YouTube sensation, erratic behavior from someone who thinks he's "winning" while dousing on some tiger blood, the end of one box johnnya2k4noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6333165.post-74551894912295666432011-12-25T23:56:00.000-09:002011-12-27T17:50:26.827-09:00
It was the year when scores of people worldwide were, as the Doobie Brothers song went, taking it to the streets.
The year when a devastating earthquake and tsunami nearly had the land of the Rising Sun into a meltdown.
The year when we had to look to more than just FreeCreditScore.com for our credit rating.
The year when moviegoers liked the last "Harry Potter" film, while those johnnya2k4noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6333165.post-4578520218719144772011-10-07T21:25:00.003-08:002011-10-09T21:00:59.688-08:00Creative to the coreHello everybody, as I'm sure you already know that the biggest story of the week was the death of a dreamer and an innovator.
At first it was going to be either Amanda Knox experiencing freedom again after four years of hell in Italy, or former Alaska governor Sarah Palin finally putting those rumors to bed saying she's not running for President after all, but they were overshadowed when Steve johnnya2k4noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6333165.post-44267374939856935562011-09-19T00:27:00.002-08:002011-09-19T00:27:40.657-08:00
Another "Mad" and "Modern" night at the Emmys!
Hello, everybody. The first line in LL Cool J's "Mama Said Knock You Out" was "Don't call it a comeback", but in the case of the 63rd Primetime Emmy Awards on Sunday, it was "Don't call it an upset." But first...Despite tough competition from the likes of "Boardwalk Empire" and "The Good Wife", "Mad Men" still held on strong to claim their fourth johnnya2k4noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6333165.post-68478619066655004922011-08-06T14:32:00.000-08:002011-08-06T14:33:30.390-08:00Hello everybody, as we're already into August and the dog days of summer.We begin first up with the economy in turmoil yet again. It started when President Obama signed the twice-modified debt relief bill into law earlier this week, only to receive a very bad 50th birthday present from Wall Street on Thursday: The Dow Jones dropping 512 points, the worst in nearly three years. That was followed johnnya2k4noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6333165.post-76680613033077246652011-07-16T20:39:00.000-08:002011-07-16T20:39:56.886-08:00Hello, everybody; and yes...it's been quite a while, so let's get right to it!First up...on Friday came the shocking news that after seven years, Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony are done with each other. The couple said in a joint statement: "We have decided to end our marriage. This was a very difficult decision. We have come to an amicable conclusion on all matters. It is a painful time johnnya2k4noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6333165.post-49789875795959399362011-05-01T19:37:00.000-08:002011-05-01T19:37:52.361-08:00BULLETIN:Osama Bin Laden confirmed deadIt is the news we've been waiting for since the day that traumatized America forever: Osama Bin Laden, the man who was solely responsible for the September 11, 2001 attacks against our country, is dead according to sources late Sunday night. The U.S. is believed to have had possession of his body and President Barack Obama will have addressed the nation and johnnya2k4noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6333165.post-63523529701446401862011-04-28T05:30:00.000-08:002011-04-28T17:30:15.724-08:00Hello, everybody. We'll get to the royal wedding in a bit, but of course, there has been far more serious news here at home as tornadoes ripping through the South has claimed close to 250 lives stretching from Virginia to Mississippi. The latest one was Wednesday in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, destroying everything in its path; President Obama on Friday will be there to survey the damage and meet with johnnya2k4noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6333165.post-31796209493114375132011-03-27T12:11:00.000-08:002011-03-27T12:11:34.208-08:00Hello, everybody. We begin first up with the news that Geraldine Ferraro, who in 1984 made history as the first female U.S. vice presidential candidate, died Saturday morning at age 75 from blood cancer at a Boston hospital.Ferraro ran alongside Walter Mondale in the 1984 presidential election against incumbents Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush; in the end, Reagan won every state except johnnya2k4noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6333165.post-39582085222436271942011-03-15T18:23:00.001-08:002011-03-15T18:24:47.985-08:00Hello, everybody. It took him 8 days, 18 hours, 46 minutes, and 39 seconds with an average speed of 5.33 miles per hour to bring Lance Mackey's four-year dominance to an end, but Kotzebue's John Baker in that record time was the first to cross the Burled Arch in Nome Tuesday morning to win the 2011 Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race; he's also the first Alaska Native musher since Gerald Riley in 1976 johnnya2k4noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6333165.post-334134993358245172011-03-12T11:52:00.000-09:002011-03-12T11:52:47.374-09:00Hello, everybody. I'm sure most of you have already saw the devastation and aftermath of the horrific 8.9 earthquake that has engulfed Japan Friday afternoon. That would be followed by a 23-foot tsunami that put the entire Pacific including Alaska and British Columbia, Canada on alert, though waves were not as bad as expected.The massive quake shook several cities and villages including Tokyo, johnnya2k4noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6333165.post-34375282527489218712011-03-05T15:25:00.003-09:002011-04-17T01:22:16.854-08:00Hello, everybody. We've got a ton of stuff to get to including the 120 vying for the Sexiest Woman of 2011 title, so let's get to it.First up...Charlie Sheen's latest adventures may have cost "Two And A Half Men" the remainder of the season, but that didn't prevent him from shutting up. Earlier this week he launched his Twitter page which got 1 million followers after the first day, and the johnnya2k4noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6333165.post-77412957389827191262011-02-28T09:39:00.003-09:002011-03-02T02:08:22.713-09:00Call it a figure of "Speech" at the Oscars!Hello, everybody. "The King's Speech" was crowned the big winner at the 83rd Annual Academy Awards on Sunday with four Oscars including a guaranteed Best Actor for Colin Firth, Director (Tom Hooper), and Best Picture of 2010. Meanwhile, a pregnant Natalie Portman claimed Best Actress for her harrowing role as a ballerina in "Black Swan", one that earned johnnya2k4noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6333165.post-38728576642196399542011-02-25T19:55:00.000-09:002011-02-25T19:56:08.991-09:00Hello, everybody. Preparations continue for Sunday's 83rd Academy Awards; I'll have that in a bit but first up...It appears that Charlie Sheen's latest verbal blow-up has cost him and CBS "Two And A Half Men"...at least for the season. In a radio interview with Alex Jones, Charlie went off against producer Chuck Lorre, including calling him "Chaim Levine" (a variation on his real name, Charlies johnnya2k4noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6333165.post-18319529487885931302011-02-14T19:40:00.001-09:002011-02-14T19:40:41.807-09:00Hello everybody, as I'm sure you're enjoying or already enjoyed your Valentine's Day.It was indeed a sweet night as Lady Antebellum owned the 53rd Annual Grammy Awards Sunday picking up three awards including Song of the Year, Best Country Album, and Record of the Year for "Need You Now" while Album of the Year went to Canada's Arcade Fire ("The Suburbs"). Lady Gaga collected Best Pop Vocal Albumjohnnya2k4noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6333165.post-7042650898185770882011-02-07T18:59:00.001-09:002011-02-07T19:06:10.390-09:00Cheeseheads tower over the Terrible Towels in Texas!Hello, everybody. With the help of MVP Aaron Rodgers, the heavily favored Green Bay Packers prevented the Pittsburgh Steelers' chances of a seventh Vince Lombardi Trophy as they possessed their fourth with a 31-25 victory in Super Bowl XLV Sunday. It was their first win since the Brett Favre era in 1997.Pittsburgh's Ben Rothlisberger said that johnnya2k4noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6333165.post-47106173891263560742011-01-25T19:41:00.001-09:002011-01-25T19:42:30.965-09:00Hello, everybody. The keyword in President Barack Obama's State of the Union Address Tuesday night was "civility", as he urged a divided Congress to "move forward together or not at all." Of course, he noticed that one empty chair usually reserved for Rep. Gabrielle Giffords of Arizona, who is still recovering in Texas from that horrific assassination attempt in Tucson a few weeks ago. Her johnnya2k4noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6333165.post-24538679417269459892011-01-16T20:49:00.000-09:002011-01-16T20:50:04.256-09:00Hello, everybody. We begin my first blog of 2011 with, what else, the 68th Annual Golden Globe Awards on Sunday where they liked "The Social Network" so much, it claimed Best Motion Picture-Drama, Director (David Fincher), and Screenplay (Aaron Sorkin). Meanwhile, Colin Firth ("The King's Speech") and Natalie Portman ("Black Swan") picked up Drama acting honors with Paul Giamatti ("Barney's johnnya2k4noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6333165.post-25259777821946438792010-12-30T18:10:00.001-09:002010-12-30T18:11:51.361-09:00We're very, very close to the end of 2010 and the beginning of 2011, so without further ado, I present to you for the 20th time...The Top 20 Things That Were Trending in 201020. Brett Favre (imagine if those cell phone pics of "Lil' Brett" were sent to Erin Andrews instead)19. Simon Cowell leaving "American Idol" (to quote Will Ferrell's Alex Trebek, the show has reached a new low)18, and in her johnnya2k4noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6333165.post-62218993752067882372010-12-28T19:17:00.000-09:002010-12-28T19:17:50.722-09:00Entertainment and CelebritiesFrom the latest late night brouhaha that had Johnny Carson spinning in his grave to "Dancing With The Stars" spinning in the ratings, from 3D making a more-than-ever comeback, to more and more stars in the social networking galaxy, 2010 in the world of entertainment had us crooning "Baby, Baby, Baby" on our iPads.James Cameron's "Avatar" may have shattered records to johnnya2k4noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6333165.post-22894272798151408192010-12-27T18:29:00.000-09:002010-12-27T18:30:15.156-09:00It was the year when we drank more tea than Kool-Aid as far as politics were concerned.The year when the name of a massive volcano erupting in Iceland was too tough for any spelling bee.The year when an oil spill in the Gulf required more than just Shamwows to clean up.The year when thanks to some instrument, soccer's world championship were abuzz.The year when we experienced joy over the rescuesjohnnya2k4noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6333165.post-49129328241999863092010-11-24T20:47:00.001-09:002010-11-24T21:27:38.809-09:00Hello everybody, as I'm sure you're setting up the dinner tables for Thanksgiving.We begin my feast first up with the one weather story that's been heavily ignored in the news (thanks a lot, TSA airport pat-downs!), unless if you happen to be in a certain part of the country: The Great Alaska Ice Storm of 2010!This week, unexpected temperatures in the 30s combined with freezing rain has wreaked johnnya2k4noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6333165.post-31774336656681053122010-11-13T12:11:00.002-09:002010-11-13T12:15:14.642-09:00Can Bristol Palin be stopped?????Hello, everybody.Three years ago on this very blog, I finally had something to get off my chest when I took John Dean's famous quote from the Watergate hearings about a cancer growing on the presidency of Richard Nixon and substituted "Sanjaya Malakar" and "American Idol" for Nixon. Well, some weeks later, that cancer was finally removed.But now in 2010, we have ajohnnya2k4noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6333165.post-13652811694500172452010-11-02T01:15:00.000-08:002010-11-02T01:15:55.688-08:00Hello, everybody.By the time this blog is put to bed, America will be going to the polls in this mid-term election. For the Republicans, this could be their chance to be like 1994 all over again in an attempt to gain full control of Capitol Hill; for the Democrats, it's all or nothing in a fight for survival with the slumping economy once again high priority among voters.Here in Alaska, we've gotjohnnya2k4noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6333165.post-11377228675251363472010-10-23T00:28:00.001-08:002010-10-23T00:34:40.162-08:00Hello, everybody.Bristol Palin may have survived another week on "Dancing With The Stars" with Florence Henderson in a shocker being the latest to hang up her dancing shoes, but that has already taken a back seat to this week's big entertainment story: The latest celebrity photoshoot that had us singing a bad tune.Yes, we're talking about the cast of Fox's hit show "Glee" going wild for the pagesjohnnya2k4noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6333165.post-17893703783603914102010-10-17T21:43:00.000-08:002010-10-17T21:43:38.584-08:00Hello, everybody. There has been so much happening this week, and you know where we start with: the Chilean miners' rescue.The attention of the entire world was focused on that one country and the San Jose Mine in Copiapo as a billion television viewers held their breath watching, in 15- to 30-minute intervals, all 33 miners seeing the light for the first time after 69 days in the dark. It began johnnya2k4noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6333165.post-64536783669101789882010-09-25T19:30:00.000-08:002010-09-25T19:31:42.139-08:00Hello, everybody. There's a whole lot of ground to cover, so consider this blog to be my 32nd birthday gift to you. First up...As I broke it to you on Tuesday, $1,281 was announced by Gov. Sean Parnell as the amount for this year's Alaska Permanent Fund Dividend, down only $24 from last year's $1,305 payout. And for the first time, both direct deposits and checks will be distributed on October 7,johnnya2k4noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6333165.post-56557391550503116492010-09-18T12:14:00.000-08:002010-09-18T12:14:34.085-08:00Hello, everybody. Four weeks after losing in the primaries to Sarah Palin-backed "Tea Party" candidate Joe Miller, Sen. Lisa Murkowski showed the true meaning of perseverance as on Friday night, she has launched a second chance write-in campaign in the hopes of preventing Miller and Democratic candidate Scott McAdams from taking her seat.With "Let's Make History" as her battle cry, Murkowski johnnya2k4noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6333165.post-82070956491771460162010-09-13T18:12:00.000-08:002010-09-13T18:13:07.301-08:00Hello, everybody. In a span of two weeks, the Nokia Theatre in Downtown Los Angeles has played host to the Primetime Emmy Awards and Sunday's MTV Video Music Awards, aka The Night Everybody Went Gaga for Lady Gaga as she collected eight Moonmen including Video of the Year for "Bad Romance"...all while changing outfits three times including the now infamous "meat dress" that had PETA going gaga johnnya2k4noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6333165.post-53361034474450462462010-08-29T22:17:00.000-08:002010-08-29T22:17:16.217-08:00Hello, everybody. The theme song for Sunday's 62nd Primetime Emmy Awards should've been Ray Stevens's "The Streak", as "Mad Men" continued theirs with three Best Dramas in a row while "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart" is now 7-0 on the Variety, Music, or Comedy Series side.But for "The Amazing Race" and "30 Rock", it was over thanks to "Top Chef" and "Modern Family" claiming Reality-Competition johnnya2k4noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6333165.post-69532400841143245242010-08-14T21:32:00.000-08:002010-08-14T21:33:08.285-08:00Hello, everybody. I'm back in business after two weeks with a brand new computer (and with Windows 7!), so let's get right to it.We begin first up with, of course, the investigation into the fatal plane crash in Dillingham late Monday night that killed former Sen. Ted Stevens and four others with former NASA head Sean O'Keefe among the survivors. The NTSB have finished their investigation at the johnnya2k4noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6333165.post-11232295344350663102010-08-10T09:28:00.000-08:002010-08-10T09:28:52.296-08:00Hello, everybody. I haven't updated this blog in quite a while, but I have to because of this breaking story:Former U.S. Senator Ted Stevens and former NASA chief Sean O'Keefe were among the nine passengers on board a plane that crashed late Monday night in Dillingham. Sadly, we have learned moments ago that according to former aide and family friend Dave Dittman, Stevens was in fact killed in johnnya2k4noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6333165.post-52528398632015924582010-07-09T20:50:00.002-08:002010-08-27T01:33:29.623-08:00Hello, everybody. It has been scorching, but here I am to cool things off.First up...Betty White may be back on the beat with "Hot In Cleveland" and an Emmy nomination for hosting "Saturday Night Live" (which I'll get to in a bit), but in the case of one person, the title should be "Banned In Cleveland." Why is that? Because on Thursday, LeBron James in an ESPN special not only ended the johnnya2k4noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6333165.post-42696379114723318102010-07-02T15:53:00.001-08:002010-07-02T15:54:26.695-08:00Hello everybody, as we're about to light up and blow out 234 candles on America's birthday cake this Fourth of July weekend!First up...with the Elena Kagan confirmation hearings making news here, there was already one heavily ignored political story that happened last week on the other side of the hemisphere, as Kevin Rudd was forced out and Julia Gillard stepping in to history as Australia's johnnya2k4noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6333165.post-20072716279573853562010-06-25T20:22:00.001-08:002010-06-26T16:13:08.163-08:00Hello, everybody, on the one-year anniversary this weekend of the deaths of two iconic entertainers: Michael Jackson and Farrah Fawcett. More on that in a bit, but first up...Call it the goal seen 'round the world! Facing premature elimination, Landon Donovan's last minute goal against Algeria has kept the U.S. team's hopes alive in the 2010 World Cup so far; next up for them is Ghana as they johnnya2k4noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6333165.post-41272016825330233412010-06-19T20:09:00.000-08:002010-06-19T20:09:51.560-08:00Hello, everybody, on this Father's Day weekend (which is always boring compared to Mother's Day weekend).First up...in his first primetime address to the nation from the Oval Office, President Obama on Tuesday night literally went toe-to-toe with BP, vowing to make them pay for the continuing oil spill that has left the Gulf Coast waters in ruins on the 57th day.Obama said, "We will fight this johnnya2k4noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6333165.post-56564141432359725792010-05-30T20:45:00.000-08:002010-05-30T20:45:29.081-08:00Hello, everybody. A lot to get to this Memorial Day weekend, so first up...On Friday, the sudden death of former child star Gary Coleman at 42, who was best known as Arnold on "Diff'rent Strokes" where he coined the show's catchphrase "Whatchu talkin' bout, Willis?" Coleman died after suffering from a brain hemorrhage for a couple days at his home outside Salt Lake City and was taken off life johnnya2k4noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6333165.post-9464400888427736652010-05-12T00:05:00.000-08:002010-05-12T00:05:41.309-08:00Hello, everybody.We begin first up with a change in power, as Gordon Brown's resignation as British Prime Minister has led to David Cameron taking the top job as of Tuesday. This comes in the wake of last Thursday's general elections that resulted in a hung parliament, meaning neither of the three main parties (Labour, Conservative, Liberal Democrats) received 326 seats for a majority johnnya2k4noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6333165.post-9137391418046569532010-05-05T01:15:00.000-08:002010-05-05T01:16:30.035-08:00Hello, everybody. As always, there's so much to get to on this Cinco de Mayo, so first up...We have been learning new developments into the Times Square bomb plot from last weekend as Faisal Shahzad, a naturalized U.S. citizen born in Pakistan, was arrested on charges of terrorism and weapons of mass destruction for rigging an SUV with explosives and trying to blow it up at the famed New York johnnya2k4noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6333165.post-39646110607929477682010-04-17T19:56:00.002-08:002010-04-18T00:21:03.246-08:00Hello, everybody. We've got tons of territory to cover, so enough with the bull and let's get on with it!First up...For the eighth time, Larry King is headed to divorce court. On Wednesday, the 76-year-old CNN talk show host has filed for divorce from his seventh wife Shawn after 13 years citing, of course, irreconcilable differences. At the same time, Shawn filed her divorce papers as well and johnnya2k4noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6333165.post-34012867004172688152010-03-26T21:06:00.003-08:002010-03-30T00:13:37.529-08:00Hello, everybody. Of course a lot of things have happened this week including the aftermath of the health care reform bill now into law; but as promised, this is a very special blog as when it's springtime, it could mean only one thing: Sexiest Woman of 2010!!!That's right! For the last few days, I've been creating the modifying the starting field of 90 for this year's tournament. In light of johnnya2k4noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6333165.post-36753463884909674702010-03-22T19:30:00.001-08:002010-03-22T19:32:10.805-08:00Hello, everybody. Well, I don't know what was even more nail-biting on Sunday: The road to the Sweet 16 in the NCAA basketball tournament or the road to the Sweet 216 on Capitol Hill as that number was all it took to pass a make-or-break health care reform bill that was over a century in the making. And by God, it did pass 219-212. I tell you...I was on the edge of my seat keeping an eye on the "johnnya2k4noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6333165.post-85806800888452583152010-03-20T15:26:00.000-08:002010-03-20T15:27:03.940-08:00Hello everybody, as we are on the verge of what could be a monumental turn of events in the history of American politics. By the time this blog is put to bed, we would be hours away from the House's do-or-die vote on the the health care reform bill Sunday...one that is over seven decades in the making, though we tried an attempt before.For the last few days, President Obama has been working the johnnya2k4noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6333165.post-32864642333147148952010-03-16T18:30:00.000-08:002010-03-16T18:30:16.068-08:00Hello, everybody. 8 days, 23 hours, 59 minutes, and 9 seconds with an average speed of 5.15 miles per hour was all it took for Lance Mackey to breeze through the Burled Arch in Nome at close to 3:00 pm Alaska Time this afternoon to claim his fourth Iditarod title in a row and in near record time! His rewards were the same as the last three times: $50,000 and a new Dodge truck.Hans Gatt of johnnya2k4noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6333165.post-11398766798870828082010-03-15T19:53:00.000-08:002010-03-15T19:53:23.633-08:00Hello, everybody. Not much going on, but as I tweeted earlier today, Kate Winslet and director Sam Mendes are calling it quits after seven years of marriage.Winslet won an Oscar last year for "The Reader" while Mendes has an Oscar himself for directing "American Beauty"; he also directed Kate in "Revolutionary Road", reuniting her and "Titanic's" Leonardo DiCaprio. A rep for the couple says in a johnnya2k4noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6333165.post-35410881510860089162010-03-13T13:57:00.002-09:002010-03-13T20:31:05.112-09:00Hello, everybody.First up...the sudden death of Corey Haim early Wednesday morning at age 38 that took everybody by surprise.The Canadian-born former teen heartthrob rode high in the 1980's with "The Lost Boys" (alongside another Corey -- Corey Feldman) and "License To Drive" (which introduced the world to Heather Graham, a decade before "Boogie Nights" and others to come including last year's "johnnya2k4noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6333165.post-25144638553844917082010-03-08T17:45:00.000-09:002010-03-08T17:46:05.358-09:00"Hurt Locker" leaves "Avatar" blue-faced at the Oscars!Hello, everybody. As always, they were not broadcast live at 4:00 pm here in Alaska, but for 3 hours and 37 minutes the 82nd Annual Academy Awards on Sunday with hosts Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin kept things lively for every moment.And in the case of "The Hurt Locker", it was a very lively affair for them as the big winner of the night withjohnnya2k4noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6333165.post-61784720084319915872010-03-05T19:57:00.002-09:002010-03-22T00:24:42.257-08:00Hello, everybody. The preparations continue down in Hollywood for Sunday's Academy Awards (which I'll get to in a bit), but first up...Meet your new cast of "Dancing With The Stars", headlined by Kate Gosselin! Yes, the mother of eight will be showing the world if she have what it takes on the dance floor, and Kate's not alone. Joining her will be ESPN sportscaster Erin Andrews (who had her sharejohnnya2k4noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6333165.post-28757914835770433772010-02-20T19:53:00.001-09:002010-02-20T19:54:37.389-09:00Hello, everybody. There's so much to get to; let's get on with the show!First up...on Friday, Tiger Woods faced the press and the world for the first time in months since his infamous car accident/infidelity affairs in a 15-minute news conference. For support, only his mother was right by Tiger's side; no sign of wife Elin and their children.During the press conference at PGA headquarters in johnnya2k4noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6333165.post-10458604812366959932010-02-08T19:47:00.002-09:002010-02-08T19:49:22.938-09:00Hello, everybody.Well...what can I say? The New Orleans Saints came from behind to wallop the Indianapolis Colts 31-17 in Super Bowl XLIV on Sunday with its quarterback Drew Brees as MVP. What did it for them? A fourth quarter interception by Tracy Porter for a 74-yard touchdown.And if you were among the 106.5 million Americans who tuned in for all this, congratulations; you have made television johnnya2k4noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6333165.post-7025517468731006912010-02-02T09:44:00.002-09:002010-02-02T09:55:21.744-09:00Who's going to Hollywood's big dance?Hello, everybody. Earlier this morning, and as you saw on my Twitter, nominations for the 82nd Annual Academy Awards were announced, and leading the way are "Avatar" and "The Hurt Locker"; both with nine nominations including Director (ex-couple James Cameron and Kathryn Bigelow) and Best Picture of 2009. Those two films are among the ten up for that prize, johnnya2k4noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6333165.post-34589470342762368972010-02-01T20:09:00.002-09:002010-08-27T01:17:35.237-08:00Hello, everybody. It was ladies' night Sunday at the 52nd Annual Grammy Awards, as Beyonce earned a record-setting six awards -- the most for any female -- including Song of the Year for "Single Ladies" and Best female Pop Vocal Performance for "Halo" while Taylor Swift picked up four including Album of the Year honors for "Fearless". Meanwhile, Kings of Leon's "Use Somebody" received Record of johnnya2k4noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6333165.post-25774736430224925992010-01-23T19:41:00.000-09:002010-01-23T19:41:14.388-09:00Hello, everybody. Friday night was the "Hope for Haiti Now" telethon to benefit the earthquake relief effort, broadcast on various networks around the world. This was George Clooney's fourth multi-network telethon after "America: A Tribute to Heroes" following 9/11, "Tsunami Aid" (which was only on the NBC Universal networks), and "Shelter from the Storm" after Hurricane Katrina. The broadcast johnnya2k4noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6333165.post-60465562686772890452010-01-17T21:14:00.001-09:002010-01-18T19:02:51.996-09:00Hello, everybody. Tonight was the 67th Annual Golden Globe Awards in Beverly Hills hosted by Ricky Gervais, and for the film winners, the road to Oscar begins right there.James Cameron's "Avatar" (which has now surpassed "Star Wars" to become the third top-grossing film of all time) took the Motion Picture-Drama honors, while "The Hangover" beat out "Nine" for the Comedy or Musical prize. And johnnya2k4noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6333165.post-17683865233121777782010-01-16T19:11:00.000-09:002010-01-16T19:11:53.980-09:00Hello, everybody. Like most of you, I have been following the latest developments coming out of that devastating 7.0 earthquake in Haiti that has left Port-au-Prince in ruins. In the last few days now, relief organizations from all over the world have descended on the country to help pick up the rubble and the bodies in which the estimated death toll could run up to hundreds of thousands. Not johnnya2k4noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6333165.post-15037097102187217602010-01-10T18:50:00.000-09:002010-01-10T18:50:50.813-09:00Hello everybody, and welcome to my first blog of 2010!We begin up front with what is already the new year's first biggest entertainment story. No, not James Cameron well on his way to beating his own box office record with "Avatar" now at the $1 billion mark, but the biggest shakeup in late night TV since Johnny Carson leaving "The Tonight Show."After only a few months, it looks like Jay Leno's johnnya2k4noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6333165.post-37477677861351150952009-12-31T00:31:00.003-09:002009-12-31T00:37:45.126-09:00It's getting to be the tail end of the year, so enough fooling around and let's get on to my annual tradition since 1991 (and 1998 online)...The Top 20 Things That Had the Whole World Talking in 200920. Cheryl Cole (okay, outside of Britain...who the hell is she?!?!?)19. MTV's "Jersey Shore" (since a guy punched Snookie in the face, why not a girl punching The Situation -- whoever he is -- right johnnya2k4noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6333165.post-56641073487771564972009-12-28T18:59:00.003-09:002009-12-28T19:07:49.111-09:00Entertainment and CelebritiesFrom scandals featuring Jon and Kate, Tiger Woods, and Balloon Boy; to Susan Boyle and the cast of "Glee" singing their praises; to a "Twilight" zone Rod Serling would appreciate without suffering from a "Hangover"; to one young lady who Swift-ly rose to the ranks of the music biz before and after she was so rudely interrupted...no question about it, it was a party johnnya2k4noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6333165.post-78642241537755488132009-12-27T01:23:00.002-09:002009-12-27T01:32:06.597-09:00The AllenBlog'sIt was the year when change for America would slowly begin with a brewski summit and then trying to play health care catch-up.The year when everybody was all a-Twitterin' while trying to find out what Mafia Wars on Facebook is.The year when a major outbreak put Porky Pig, Miss Piggy, and the pig from "Green Acres" on edge.The year when "Twilight: New Moon", "Paranormal Activity", johnnya2k4noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6333165.post-90329233387424228472009-12-20T19:36:00.000-09:002009-12-20T19:36:32.859-09:00Brittany Murphy: 1977-2009Hello, everybody. I know I'm still hard at work on the "Year in Review" which you'll see next week, but as you already know, there is some sad news up front.Brittany Murphy, the actress whose credits include "Clueless" (with Alicia Silverstone), "Uptown Girls" (with Dakota Fanning), "Girl, Interrupted", "Don't Say A Word", "8 Mile" (with Eminem), and "Sin City" among johnnya2k4noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6333165.post-36678598925612651242009-12-13T21:11:00.000-09:002009-12-13T21:11:59.708-09:00Hello, everybody. There's a whole lot of territory to cover as always, so let's go!First up...what else? Week 2 of the Tiger Woods scandal as there were more fresh developments and more ladies stepping forward to tell the world they've spent some Tiger time themselves. And now comes breaking news that the billion-dollar golfer is taking some time off from the sport indefinitely.One of the allegedjohnnya2k4noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6333165.post-42301549559741007412009-12-05T19:52:00.001-09:002009-12-05T19:52:14.717-09:00Hello, everybody.There's a lot to get to as we've got a few weeks left of 2009, so we begin with, you guessed it...Tiger Woods!The world's #1 golfer had a bit of a fender bender last weekend outside his Florida home...or so we thought. It turns out that Tiger was secretly on the prowl behind wife Elin Nordegren's back, having an alleged affair with not one, or two, but three women!One was johnnya2k4noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6333165.post-34321345985158067092009-11-23T19:36:00.001-09:002009-11-23T19:37:07.640-09:00Hello, everybody. So much to get to as always, so on with the show!First up...the announcement heard 'round the world, as Oprah Winfrey on Friday told her audience that she's ending her show in 2011 after 25 years. This comes just a few days after her one-on-one with Sarah Palin (who'll I get to in a moment) aired, and Winfrey actually broke the news to her Harpo staff a day before she went johnnya2k4noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6333165.post-76943213366306399992009-11-14T12:04:00.001-09:002009-11-14T16:09:11.903-09:00First up (oh, and hello everybody; there has been so much going on this week -- and for the case of one newsmaker, it was one to remember -- that I really wanted to get to this blog rather quickly, so my apologies)...we never saw this coming. On Wednesday, CNN's Lou Dobbs announced to his viewers that after nearly 30 years, he's leaving the cable news channel to focus on his radio show.Dobbs has johnnya2k4noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6333165.post-5677001836945371812009-10-17T15:29:00.000-08:002009-10-17T15:29:51.640-08:00Hello, everybody.Like the rest of you on Thursday, I sat glued to my TV during the drama that was "Balloon Boy." For those not yet in the know, a homemade balloon with what we thought to be a six-year-old boy inside apparently set loose high into the skies of Colorado with the entire world holding their breaths every moment for two hours. After the balloon -- which was in the shape of a Jiffy Popjohnnya2k4noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6333165.post-41857691725392456702009-10-11T19:10:00.000-08:002009-10-11T19:11:22.804-08:00Hello, everybody.Well, President Obama may have failed in bringing the Olympics back to America and in Chicago, but at least he got an unexpected consolation prize: The 2009 Nobel Peace Prize on Friday. He is the third sitting U.S. President after Theodore Roosevelt and Woodrow Wilson and fourth in general after Jimmy Carter to be awarded humanitarian's highest honor.According to the Norweigan johnnya2k4noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6333165.post-15812096831706167242009-09-23T19:23:00.000-08:002009-09-23T19:23:21.276-08:00Hello, everybody. That number you see at the top is the amount of this year's Permanent Fund Dividend, as Governor Sean Parnell announced it to all of Alaska Wednesday night; as promised, I broke it to you on Twitter within seconds.The $1,305 payout is $764 less than last year's record $2,069 (not counting the one-time $1,200 energy bonus). Those who requested their checks to be direct deposited johnnya2k4noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6333165.post-49267849740955937502009-09-21T18:09:00.000-08:002009-09-21T18:09:46.306-08:00Hello, everybody. At the 61st Annual Primetime Emmy Awards on Sunday, it was deja vu for "30 Rock" and "Mad Men" as both shows repeated their respective Comedy and Drama Series wins.But in the case of individuals...Alec Baldwin repeated his crown, but not Tina Fey; Toni Collette ("United States of Tara") took Outstanding Actress-Comedy. On the drama side, Bryan Cranston ("Breaking Bad") and Glennjohnnya2k4noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6333165.post-47709218141450049912009-09-17T00:49:00.001-08:002009-09-17T10:07:30.307-08:00Hello, everybody.As I broke it on my Twitter page Monday afternoon, Patrick Swayze, best known for his work in "Dirty Dancing" and "Ghost", died at age 57 after a year-long bout with pancreatic cancer.Though his co-stars were Jennifer Grey and Demi Moore respectively, Patrick's co-star for life was always his wife of 34 years, Lisa Niemi. But till the end, he's been working on the A&E drama johnnya2k4noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6333165.post-75131187421779429722009-09-13T21:30:00.000-08:002009-09-13T21:31:04.805-08:00Hello, everybody; let's get on with the show!First up...on Wednesday shortly after the House and Senate returned to work after the August recess, President Obama in another joint session address laid out the blueprint for health care reform. This comes after a month of turmoil at various health care town hall meetings all over the country.However, one person really had something to say during thejohnnya2k4noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6333165.post-43679900776999648302009-09-06T17:09:00.000-08:002009-09-06T17:09:21.447-08:00Hello, everybody. A lot has happened as we're into Labor Day weekend, so let's get to it!First up...California is in flames once again as a wildfire has threatened Los Angeles, especially Mount Wilson where all the broadcasting transmitters reside. At last report, over 150 fire crews were dispatched to that area to keep the fire at bay. And Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger even helped out the johnnya2k4noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6333165.post-21338051829887440962009-08-29T23:43:00.000-08:002009-08-29T23:44:14.257-08:00Hello, everybody. On Thursday as I broke it to you on Twitter, we've lost the last of the Kennedy brothers as Edward "Ted" Kennedy, the third longest-serving senator in U.S. history who represented Massachusetts for 46 years, died at age 77 after a year-long bout with brain cancer. A funeral mass for him was held in Boston this morning with President Obama and the other living presidents except johnnya2k4noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6333165.post-34275234280727795102009-08-25T22:16:00.000-08:002009-08-25T22:16:24.637-08:00Edward Kennedy dies at age 77Senator Edward Kennedy of Massachusetts, the third longest-serving senator in U.S. history, died late tonight at age 77 at his home in Hyannis Port after a year-long bout with brain cancer.Kennedy represented his state in the Senate for 43 years, and he came from the prominent Kennedy family which included his brothers John F., Robert, (both gunned down by assassins' johnnya2k4noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6333165.post-3769882235732535572009-08-22T22:21:00.000-08:002009-08-22T22:21:38.486-08:00Hello, everybody. We begin this week's blog with the latest on the health care reform crisis and President Obama taking a page out of Joe Namath's Super Bowl III playbook guaranteeing us the bill will pass.But...will anyone buy it? Unlike the Clintons' attempt in the early '90s, this time around it's a very serious matter as most of the world's finest health care has belonged to Europe and Canadajohnnya2k4noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6333165.post-91486378240361774432009-08-08T19:58:00.000-08:002009-08-08T19:58:55.648-08:00Hello, everybody. There's been a lot happening, so let's get right with it!First up...the week's biggest story was former President Bill Clinton's successful plan to release journalists Euna Lee and Laura Ling from North Korea. The two were sentenced to 15 years of hard labor in the communist country, but Clinton knew the circumstances and decided to fly out to North Korea in an attempt to work johnnya2k4noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6333165.post-4557332521828048902009-08-01T11:06:00.000-08:002009-08-01T11:07:07.333-08:00Hello, everybody.Well, Alaska under the Sean Parnell regime is now almost a week old, as he was appointed our 12th governor last Sunday afternoon during the annual Governor's Picnic at Pioneer Park here in Fairbanks. The turnout of course was immense: over 5,000 including countless media documenting the change in power.The transition was seamless starting with Sarah Palin giving the crowd and johnnya2k4noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6333165.post-41665227372184703862009-07-25T20:31:00.000-08:002009-07-25T20:31:55.481-08:00From Palin to ParnellHello, everybody. In just a matter of hours, a changing of the guard will transpire as Sarah Palin hands over the reins to Sean Parnell as he'll be officially anointed Alaska's 12th Governor.Now this will happen at the annual Governor's Picnic here in Fairbanks tomorrow afternoon (Sunday), and Pioneer Park will no doubt be packed to the max as over 5,000 people are estimated johnnya2k4noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6333165.post-35803447837226177062009-07-20T20:40:00.000-08:002009-07-20T20:41:22.119-08:00Hello, everybody, on the 40th anniversary today of what was one of the proudest achievements in all mankind: Man on the moon.On July 20, 1969, astronaut Neil Armstrong made a footprint into history while saying, "That's one small step for man; one giant leap for mankind." A few days earlier, the rocket carrying Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and Michael Collins lifted off from Kennedy Space Center with johnnya2k4noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6333165.post-82175715431989757972009-07-17T22:30:00.000-08:002009-07-17T22:30:23.562-08:00Hello, everybody. We have some very sad news to report, and one that we've been expecting for quite some time.Four weeks after we unexpectedly lost Michael Jackson comes the loss of a great television icon who was once known as "The Most Trusted Man in America." Walter Cronkite, the longtime anchor of the "CBS Evening News" who for 19 years (1962-81) gave America a front row seat to the most johnnya2k4noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6333165.post-29898989463993748132009-07-07T20:41:00.000-08:002009-07-07T20:42:02.958-08:00Hello, everybody.The Staples Center in Los Angeles on Tuesday transformed from just your ordinary venue that served as home to the Lakers, Kings, the Grammy Awards, the 2000 Democratic National Convention, and WrestleMania 21, into the ultimate and final performance home for Michael Jackson as his public memorial service took center stage.Over 19,000 fans filled the venue to near capacity while johnnya2k4noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6333165.post-85303989738204551812009-07-03T23:10:00.001-08:002009-07-03T23:12:14.642-08:00Hello, everybody. We may be firing up the grill and lighting 233 candles on our birthday cake this Fourth of July weekend, but the fireworks have already started prematurely!First up...as I broke it to you on my Twitter page, Alaska Governor Sarah Palin will be throwing in the towel after only 2 1/2 years in office. The stunning announcement came late Friday morning during an impromptu news johnnya2k4noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6333165.post-16675986455559228732009-06-27T11:01:00.002-08:002009-06-27T11:02:21.054-08:00Hello everybody...again. We're now zipping forward to my regular blog after the special one on the passings of Farrah Fawcett, Michael Jackson, and Ed McMahon; and yes, there was other news to report!First up...here we go again!!!! Last year it was Eliot Spitzer, now it's South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford. We now know why he was missing from office for a while without any notice: He got quite johnnya2k4noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6333165.post-70180500151163077032009-06-27T00:48:00.001-08:002009-06-27T00:48:44.297-08:00Hello, everybody.On Thursday, June 25, 2009, the world said goodbye to not one, but two entertainment and pop culture icons within hours of each other: Farrah Fawcett and later Michael Jackson. Fawcett was the first to go, but the news of her death would be suddenly overshadowed by Jackson's, and his made much more news worldwide than Farrah's.Jackson suffered cardiac arrest early Thursday johnnya2k4noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6333165.post-32053814732978588512009-06-25T15:08:00.002-08:002009-06-25T15:09:02.899-08:00BULLETIN:Michael Jackson dies at age 50The Associated Press according to a source has confirmed the sad news that Michael Jackson, who has been known the world over as the King Of Pop, has died this afternoon at the age of 50 at UCLA Medical Center after suffering cardiac arrest.Jackson was rushed to the hospital at around 12:30 pm Pacific Time (11:30 am Alaska Time) after paramedics performed johnnya2k4noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6333165.post-89535121103153263602009-06-20T10:48:00.000-08:002009-06-20T10:48:52.623-08:00Hello, everybody.First up...The eyes of the world this week were focused on Iran, where alleged discrepancies following its elections that apparently led to a landslide victory for incumbent Mahmoud Ahmadinejad have caused turmoil throughout the country. His opponent, Mirhossein Mousavi, smelled something rotten and may have claimed victory thanks largely in part to rigging of the ballots tilted johnnya2k4noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6333165.post-47929141289875671592009-06-12T15:51:00.000-08:002009-06-12T15:51:38.610-08:00Goodbye, Farewell, and Amen...to analog television!Hello, everybody. The day has arrived and it's the end of an era as after over 80 years, analog television broadcasting in the United States will be just a faded memory and digital broadcasting will be here to stay forever. So far already, many stations have already shut off their analog transmitters for the last time with little or no fanfare, johnnya2k4noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6333165.post-89447829574380688832009-06-06T09:54:00.000-08:002009-06-06T09:55:52.848-08:00Hello, everybody. As always, a lot to get to, so let's get cracking!First up...HEEEEEEEEEEEERRRRRREEEEEE'S CONAN!!! With Jay Leno now spending his summer vacation doing shows across the country, Conan O'Brien was officially being handed "The Tonight Show" baton this week and at its new home at Universal Studios. Ratings for his first night were astounding: 7.1, winning the night overall (johnnya2k4noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6333165.post-46516656827885923412009-05-30T13:54:00.000-08:002009-05-30T13:55:10.364-08:00Hello, everybody. Lots of stuff to get out of the way, so on with it!First up...as you saw on Friday, Jay Leno has wrapped up his 17-year reign as host of "The Tonight Show." But unlike Johnny Carson's last hurrah, it was be more like a hearty "see you this fall at 10:00!" than a "very heartfelt good night", because Jay will be spending his summer on the road before settling down at his new home johnnya2k4noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6333165.post-20172848955216070482009-05-16T13:54:00.002-08:002009-05-16T13:55:32.226-08:00Hello, everybody. It's the weekend, and it's time to get my blog on!First up...the U.S. automakers' woes never end. This week, General Motors and Chrysler announced they're closing down a total of 1,900 dealerships by late next year. According to the National Automobile Dealers Association, those combined cuts will put 100,000 more out of a job; and now GM is preparing to file for bankruptcy johnnya2k4noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6333165.post-49897501056581993122009-04-30T20:25:00.000-08:002009-04-30T20:25:32.743-08:00Hello, everybody. Lots of ground to cover tonight as always, so on to it!First up...the U.S. auto industry may be down for the count, but not out. Today, Chrysler announced they are filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection as the government are still trying to be their savior. This comes almost a week after General Motors' bombshell news that after 83 years, they are discontinuing the Pontiac johnnya2k4noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6333165.post-79255801073975185112009-04-01T20:49:00.000-08:002009-04-01T20:50:03.697-08:00Hello, everybody. Lots of stuff to get out of the way, so let's get cracking.First up...the Justice Department today reversed the conviction of former Alaska Sen. Ted Stevens. As you know, Stevens was indicted and later found guilty for lying about receiving gifts and home renovations, and he lost his bid for re-election last fall to Mark Begich.In a statement, Stevens said "I always knew that johnnya2k4noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6333165.post-38447625624038879212009-03-18T18:13:00.001-08:002009-03-18T22:00:10.160-08:00Hello, everybody. After spending 9 days, 21 hours, 38 minutes, and 46 seconds on the trail with an average speed of 4.76 miles per hour, Lance Mackey has officially settled in Nome for the third straight time as Iditarod champion, crossing the Burled Arch earlier today at 11:38 am Alaska Time. And just like last year and the year before, he gets $69,000 and the keys to a new Dodge truck.Meanwhilejohnnya2k4noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6333165.post-27648183837272560542009-03-17T19:10:00.000-08:002009-03-17T19:11:00.369-08:00Hello, everybody. As I said on my Twitter preview, there are two major stories I'm following on this St. Patrick's Day: Natasha Richardson clinging to life and Lance Mackey clinging to his Iditarod lead as he's still miles away from Nome.First, Richardson. The Tony-winning actress, daughter of Vanessa Redgrave and wife of actor Liam Neeson is in a New York hospital after suffering from a johnnya2k4noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6333165.post-72334594529549132812009-03-16T18:30:00.000-08:002009-03-16T18:30:11.788-08:00Can Lance Mackey be stopped?Hello, everybody. I Twittered this morning with news that Lance Mackey left Shaktoolik and was on to Koyuk as the 2009 Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race is in its second week. Well right now, he is in Koyuk with 123 miles to go. But watch out for Sebastian Schnuelle; he's on Mackey's tail, exiting Shaktoolik at 10:00 am Alaska Time.Lance is well on his way to becoming the johnnya2k4noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6333165.post-86138541489046569822009-03-13T20:19:00.001-08:002009-03-13T20:19:34.989-08:00Hello, everybody; we've got a very filled-to-the-brim blog tonight, so here we go!First up...For stealing millions of dollars that led to hardships for many who've invested their money to him, Bernie Madoff on Thursday got his just desserts: 150 years behind bars!He has lived the good life in a penthouse overlooking the New York skyline, but his new home for the rest of his life will be anything johnnya2k4noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6333165.post-56870733078478108272009-03-08T23:09:00.000-08:002009-03-08T23:10:12.617-08:00Hello, everybody. As always, a whole lot to cover, so here we go!First up...the unemployment rate for February released Friday rose to its highest in over a quarter-century: 8.1% as 650,000 jobs during that month were lost. And since the recession began in 2007, over 4.4 million Americans have been out of a job.Now this comes as job fairs all over America are happening, and like I said before, johnnya2k4noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6333165.post-61843442952513368542009-02-23T17:20:00.002-09:002009-02-23T18:10:58.810-09:00Bollywood meets Hollywood at the Oscars!Hello, everybody. With an official running time of 30 minutes past the promised three-hour mark, the 81st Annual Academy Awards on Sunday under the direction of producers Laurence Mark and Bill Condon and host Hugh Jackman was given a whole new life.And life was very good for "Slumdog Millionaire", the big winners of the night with eight Oscars including johnnya2k4noreply@blogger.com