Hello, 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 Levine) that set off the Anti-Defamation League. That led to CBS issuing this statement: "Based on the totality of Charlie Sheen’s statements, conduct and condition, CBS and Warner Bros. Television have decided to discontinue production of Two and a Half Men for the remainder of the season."

"Two And a Half Men" has been the #1 comedy on television and one of CBS's cash cows for years, and there's no way CBS is going to get rid of that anytime soon even though is already earned way enough seasons to gain rerun immortality. But Lorre already has his hands full with "The Big Bang Theory" and "Mike & Molly", both also on CBS. Replacing Sheen could be costly, which reminds me...what's Ted McGinley doing these days?

Charlie Sheen has been the backbone of "Two And A Half Men", and you cannot continue without a backbone. I think the show should be put on a permanent hiatus, though the theme song with only one word sung throughout ("men") is already tiring.

Now...in less than 48 hours and change, it'll be Oscar time. However, telecast producers Bruce Cohen and Don Mischer -- the latter also pulling double duty as director after that piss-poor job last year by Hamish Hamilton -- should be watching The Weather Channel during rehearsals because the forecast on Sunday may be calling for some natural glitter on the red carpet...SNOW! But don't worry, the area's tented just in case.

"The King's Speech" comes in as the film to beat with 12 nominations, though "The Social Network" was originally favored to take Best Picture after their Golden Globes win. That changed when a few other awards including SAG and BAFTAs were already tilted in "King's Speech" favor, leaving the other eight Best Picture nominees -- "127 Hours", "Black Swan", "The Fighter", "Inception", "The Kids Are All Right", "Toy Story 3", "True Grit", and "Winter's Bone" -- high and dry.

Colin Firth is guaranteed Best Actor, unless Javier Bardem, Jeff Bridges (going for back-to-back Oscars), Jesse Eisenberg, or James Franco say otherwise. And for Best Actress, it's all about Natalie Portman vs. Annette Bening, with Portman already having a wide advantage after Golden Globe, SAG, and BAFTA victories. In other words, Natalie may have this won come Sunday...that is, unless there's a tie. By the way, the other three nominees -- Nicole Kidman (who got that same award "The Hours" in 2003), newcomer Jennifer Lawrence, and Michelle Williams (in her second nod) -- will have to just sit back and enjoy the ride.

But win or lose, Franco will be enjoying the show like no other, as he and Anne Hathaway will be keeping things civilized as hosts. Among the presenters lined up: Oprah Winfrey, Scarlett Johansson, 2009 host Hugh Jackman, Matthew McConaughey, Jude Law, Mila Kunis, Robert Downey Jr., Josh Brolin, past winners Tom Hanks, Hilary Swank, Halle Berry, Reese Witherspoon, Marisa Tomei, Cate Blanchett, and last year's Best Actress Sandra Bullock.

Okay, now comes the part you've been waiting for: Whose lives will change forever after those five famous words, "And the Oscar goes to...", is read? Here are my picks:

SUPPORTING ACTOR: Christian Bale
SUPPORTING ACTRESS: Originally I was going for Melissa Leo, but based on history of this category, it has always went to somebody young; case in point: Tatum O'Nell and later Anna Paquin. Hailee Steinfeld at 14 should end that 17-year drought.
BEST ACTOR: Colin Firth (who else?)
BEST ACTRESS: If it was Hilary Swank for "Conviction", then Annette Bening would have the advantage. Bening (being the veteran she is) will get her due alright...but not this time. This year, with a baby on the way as well as hitting 30, it's all about Natalie Portman.
BEST DIRECTOR: David Fincher ("The Social Network")
BEST PICTURE: The keyword here is "theme" when it comes to Best Picture. "The Hurt Locker" has a war theme; "The Departed", a mob theme; "Slumdog Millionaire"; an ethnic theme; "Schindler's List", a holocaust theme"; "Gladiator", a medieval theme; and "No Country For Old Men", a western theme. All of them have won Best Picture in the past, so in the case of "The King's Speech", there's a royalty theme.

But...remember when "Shakespeare In Love" won over the heavily favored "Saving Private Ryan" thanks to some behind-the-scenes bribing from the Weinsteins? Well, the Academy voters have learned their lesson from last time, and keeping up with those changing times I'm going to say that "The Social Network" will have a chance to pull it off this year!

We'll see what happens when the 83rd Annual Academy Awards comes our way this Sunday, and since they'll be aired LIVE here in Alaska at 4:30 pm (yes, no more spoiling ourselves online on who already won!) I'll be live tweeting during the show, so follow me on Twitter @jonathanallen. I hope Franco and Hathaway finish up in time so I can catch "The Amazing Race" at 8:00.

And of course, on Monday I'll have my complete wrap-up, so so long and stay strong.

Hello 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 Album, but not before she went Gobbledygooker on us, making her grand red carpet entrance inside an egg (look at old YouTube videos for yourself to see what I'm talking about)!

Unfortunately, Grammy night was sour for Justin Bieber, who lost Best New Artist to Esperanza Spalding (which ultimately did not sit well with legions of his fans) to go along with his "Never Say Never" #2 in the box office behind Adam Sandler's and Jennifer Aniston's "Just Go With It." And even with her grandmother as her good luck charm, it was bad luck as Katy Perry also went home empty handed.

An Aretha Franklin tribute kicked things off, as 26.5 million viewers were focused on Christina Aguilera just one week after verbally stumbling at the Super Bowl. However, at the end of her performance, she physically stumbled off the stage as the cameras pulled away.

As I tweeted earlier today, my best dressed belonged to Katy Perry, Lea Michele, Eva Longoria, Heidi Klum, and leggy Jennifer Lopez; Nicki Minaj, Natasha Bedingfield, and Justin Bieber should've looked at their mirrors before they left.

But of course...before music's biggest night, it was Egypt's biggest night last Friday as Hosini Mubarak finally stepped down after 30 years of rule. On Thursday, Mubarak made a speech in which we thought the time would come, but the ever increasing crowd at Tahrir Square in Cairo weren't holding on to his words and they were chanting "Get out!" in Arabic while holding a shoe in their hand. Anger became jubilation in a span of 24 hours as the scene was reminiscent of New Year's Eve in Times Square with fireworks and dancing throughout. All that was missing was Dick Clark to sink it all in.

But during those eighteen days, the scene was nothing but chaotic, as journalists including CNN's Andersoon Cooper was caught in the crossfire and they had to find their own way to get out of dodge and into safety.

So...what now as the old Egypt is already no more and the new Egypt has begun under military control? For one thing, there is a lot of straightening out to do as the parliament have all but completely dissolved. It may be the power of the social network that led to the beginning of the end of the Mubarak regime, but with the Academy Awards now less that two weeks away, we have already heard the last king's speech. So long and stay strong.

Cheeseheads 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 his defeat let the city down. Well, there was one other person that grew up in Steel City who also shares the same sentiment: Christina Aguilera!

In what was pretty much a tribute to the late Leslie Nielsen's Frank Drebin character in "The Naked Gun" movies, Aguilera for some stupid reason screwed up the national anthem when she substituted "what so proudly we watched" for "o'er the ramparts we watched." Afterwards, she told the Associated Press, "I can only hope that everyone could feel my love for this country and that the true spirit of it's anthem still came through."

Okay...really???? Let's see: Your last album tanked; you're a single mom after divorcing Jordan Bratman; and your first film "Burlesque" with Cher bombed. Christina, my dear, you butchering the Star Spangled Banner live in front of a billion people on the biggest stage in American sports is not really the end of your career right there, but wasn't one of your songs called "Fighter"? You'll fight through this, I'm sure.

I've live tweeted the game and noticed that one of the trending topics was "Femme Fatale", which happens to be the next album by Britney Spears coming in March. Even though Christina Aguilera's career appears to be in jeopardy after that Super Bowl snafu, Britney's is still flourishing.

However, due to a fire hazard, thousands of fans did see the game alright...outside Cowboys Stadium, as 1,250 temporary seats weren't ready by game time. The NFL apologized for that and said they will invite those disappointed fans to a future Super Bowl and will issue $2,700 in refunds.

The Super Bowl was also couples' night, as Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta Jones, Harrison Ford and Calista Flockhart, Cameron Diaz and Alex Rodriguez, Ryan Seacrest and Julianne Hough, and even former President George W. Bush and Laura Bush. Also in attendance: John Travolta, Keith Urban (both minus their spouses), and Jennifer Aniston.

By the way: The game was watched by 111 million viewers, which is enough to eclipse Super Bowl XLIV last year (won by the New Orleans Saints) as the most-watched television broadcast of all-time by five million!!!

"Glee's" Lea Michele prior to Aguilera's foul-up did "America The Beautiful", and Fergie stay true to her word by not pulling a Janet Jackson while she and the rest of the Black Eyed Peas along with Slash and Usher rocked halftime. Apparently, the only malfunction Fergie suffered was an audio malfunction, as her microphone shorted out while performing. Overall, it was Usher who overshadowed the Peas.

And then, of course, were the additional bits of entertainment between the game we call "commercials". There are so many of course, so here are:

My top ten favorite commercials from Super Bowl XLV

10. Mini's "Cram It In The Boot" (I'd rather cram this down my throat!)

9. GoDaddy with Danica Patrick (of course), Jillian Michaels, and Joan Rivers as the new face of GoDaddy.co (excuse me while I puke at the sight of the latter when you realize that the body double is that of Tabitha Taylor)

8. Snickers with Roseanne and Richard Lewis (We love Betty White; Betty White has been a television icon for generations young and old...sorry, Roseanne, you're no Betty White!)

7. Pepsi Max's "Love Hurts" (hurts so much that that couple should be arrested for hitting that blonde in the can)

6. Best Buy featuring Ozzy Osbourne and Justin Bieber (looking forward to the sequel in which Ozzy asks, "What's a Ke$ha?")

5. Kia Optima's "One Epic Ride" ('nuff said)

4. Kim Kardashian for Skechers Shape-Ups (okay...this has to be the sexiest Super Bowl ad ever, blowing Cindy Crawford (Pepsi) and Ali Landry (Doritos) out of the water! And why is that? It's Kim Kardashian, dammit!!!)

3. Bud Light's "Dog Sitter" (Talk about who really let the dogs out! By the way, it was also tied for #1 in "USA Today's" Ad Meter)

2. TIE: NFL's "Best. Fans. Ever." (I even tried to keep count of how many shows they featured in the ad)/Volkswagen's "The Force" (which has gotten over 15 million views on YouTube and counting)

The other #1 in "USA Today's" annual Ad Meter also belonged to Doritos for its "Pug Attack" spot, but this is my #1 favorite commercial from Super Bowl XLV:

1. Chrysler's "Imported From Detroit"
(Let's face it: Car ads dominated this year, and Chrysler's with Eminem was proof that the American automobile industry is back and stronger than ever)

Coca-Cola once again doesn't make my top ten, but I did like "Border" and "Siege." Mercedes Benz's "Welcome" featuring Sean "Diddy" Combs also gets an honorable mention as well. Some of the ads were already on YouTube a few days before they aired during the Super Bowl, which explains the immense buzz.

The Green Bay Packers returned home Monday with a victory rally to follow Tuesday at Lambeau Field. But there's one person from one area who would love to bring that trophy home for all to see, and that is North Pole's Daryn Colledge. Sure, the Stanley Cup will be coming here for public display later this month, but I would rather plant my lips on the Vince Lombardi Trophy instead of drinking from the Stanley Cup. You talk about a hometown boy really making good? We have it. So long and stay strong.

Hello, 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 husband, astronaut Mark Kelley, was watching from her bedside.

During the speech, Obama said America was facing a new "Sputnik moment", as just like the showdown for space between the U.S. and the former Soviet Union, the economy and jobs are in dire need for an boost to keep up with the other countries. Though his approval rating is back up again after months of decline, the president also called for a replacement of No Child Left Behind, which hasn't been working as far as our education is concerned.

Another thing that was touched on: Energy, as he wants 1 million electric vehicles on the road by 2015 and 80 percent of clean electricity from clean energy sources such as wind, coal, and even solar. Obama also went on the defensive of his health care overhaul law, saying he's mustering to improve it.

By the way...though Rep. Don Young was in attendance in his first State of the Union in 37 years, Sen. Lisa Murkowski had to leave during the speech as her youngest son was in the hospital for appendectomy surgery. Also, the seating arrangements had an unusual twist: Republicans and Democrats sitting together.

Now...presidential speeches are not award-worthy, but earlier this morning, it was about "The King's Speech" as it leads the 83rd Academy Awards nominations with 12 including Best Actor (Colin Firth), Supporting Actress (Helena Bonham Carter), Supporting Actor (Geoffrey Rush), and, along with "Black Swan", "The Fighter", "Inception", "The Kids Are All Right", "127 Hours", "The Social Network", "Toy Story 3", "True Grit", and "Winter's Bone", Best Picture of 2010.

Speaking of "The Social Network", it picked up Best Actor (Jesse Eisenberg), Director (David Fincher), and Adapted Screenplay (Aaron Sorkin) nods as expected. And fresh off both her Golden Globe win and "No Strings Attached" tops at the box office, Natalie Portman is also up for Best Actress in "Black Swan", though she'll be in for a showdown with Annette Bening ("The Kids Are All Right"), newcomers Jennifer Lawrence ("Winter's Bone") and Michelle Williams ("Blue Valentine"), and 2003 winner Nicole Kidman ("Rabbit Hole") for that prize.

But then there were those whose phones weren't ringing, like Leonardo DiCaprio ("Inception"), Mila Kunis ("Black Swan"), Andrew Garfield ("The Social Network"), Gwyneth Paltrow ("Country Strong", though it picked up Original Song) or Julianne Moore ("The Kids Are All Right").

"The Social Network" seemed to be the early favorite to take Best Picture after their Golden Globes victories, but it may or may not be the case now as "The King's Speech" came away the winner at the Producers Guild of America awards. But at the Oscars, there are no guarantees; see 2006 when heavy favorite "Brokeback Mountain" lost to "Crash" in an upset.

We'll see which film is liked the most when Anne Hathaway and Best Actor nominee James Franco front the 83rd Annual Academy Awards on Sunday, February 27. So long and stay strong.

Hello, 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 Version") and Annette Bening ("The Kids Are All Right", also Best Picture winner) on the Comedy-Musical side. And yes, unlike last year, everybody -- including the cameramen -- were on their best behavior...everybody except for host Ricky Gervais, of course.

On the television front, "Glee" repeated their victory for Comedy-Musical Series with "Boardwalk Empire" taking the Drama prize. Jane Lynch, Jim Parsons, and Claire Danes all added Supporting Actress ("Glee"), Best Actress (Miniseries/Movie, "Temple Grandin"), and Best Actor (Comedy/Musical, "The Big Bang Theory") respectively to the Emmys they already picked up months ago.

Now there may have been snow all over the country except Florida, but the red carpet prior to the show made us melt. There was pregnant Natalie Portman pretty in Viktor & Rolf, Lea Michele peachy in Oscar de la Renta, Angelina Jolie vivacious in green Versace, Kelly Osbourne and Eva Longoria both donning Zac Posen, and Heidi Klum and Halle Berry not afraid to show some leg.

So...who were the night's show-offs? Have to say Olivia Wilde (a princess in Marchesa), Anne Hathaway (Armani), cleavy Longoria and 'Access Hollywood's" Maria Menounos, who totally rebounded from that unfortunate bikini malfunction she suffered in Miami a few weeks back. Yeah, what better way to say goodbye to 2010 and hello to 2011 than with Maria providing us a little more "Access" to her lower body!

As for Helena Bonham Carter in a hairdo that would make Snooki proud as well as mis-matched shoes? She should be shown the door!

Just like the WWE Royal Rumble in which the winner gets a title shot at Wrestlemania, this year's Golden Globe winners like Firth and Portman are already given an express ticket to the Academy Awards. In the case of Portman, this could be shaping up to be quite the year for her with two possible new members of her family: an Oscar and a baby on the way. But let's not get ahead of ourselves.

Like I said, "The Social Network" won big on Sunday night, and if you scoped the scene inside the International Ballroom at the Beverly Hilton while watching the Globes, the stars were social networking on their tables. If you check out my Facebook page, you notice that I have a handful of celebrity friends like Portman, Danes, and Hathaway, as well as local ones like my good old friends Glen "Glenner" Anderson and Jerry Evans, plus of course my high school buddies.

So I'm asking you: Which celebrities would you like to see on Facebook and/or Twitter? Contact me facebook.com/johnnyafairbanksak or twitter.com/jonathanallen and I'll post some of your responses on my next blog.

Recently, we had the first rags-to-riches story in quite a while in Ted Williams (no relation to the former Boston Red Sox player), the homeless guy with a voice that would make Don LaFontaine, Johnny Olson, and Charlie O'Donnell proud up above. Within days after a newspaper reporter discovered him slumming on the streets of Columbus, Ohio and putting the video on YouTube, he got offers left and right including a Kraft Macaroni and Cheese commercial he did.

But then, we learned a dark secret: Since mid-2008, he became sober, but started drinking again after the worldwide media attention. He was admitted to a drug rehab facility in Texas arranged by Dr. Phil McGraw in the hopes to better himself. Hmmm...with Lindsay Lohan out and Ted Williams in, rehab is pretty much the celebrity hot spot these days.

In all seriousness, we have lost some great voices over the last 25 years including those I already mentioned. Ted Williams would be a breath of fresh air, though I don't know if the pipes are strong enough to belt out "In a world..." or "Come on down!" So long and stay strong.

We'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 2010

20. 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 12th consecutive appearance because we still love her so much. Britney Spears (let's move on)

17. Tiger Woods (as somebody tweeted earlier this year, the Masters promos would've been more enjoyable if Jim Nantz narrates those text messages)

16. Ke$ha (her hits this year: money in the bank!)

15. 3D televisions on the market (Bring on laserdisc! Oh, wait...)

14. Miley Cyrus and Selena Gomez (now that they're both 18, you can no longer feel guilty to pleasure yourself to them...that, or to the sight of Miley taking a hit)

13. Cheryl Cole (who may join Cat Deeley next year when she act to the States when our version of X Factor comes our way)

12. Lebron James's decision to join the Miami Heat (which should've been called "Cold In Cleveland")

11. More celebrities on Facebook (I'm trying to find out which ones are good at Farmville)

10. The Discovery Channel gunman standoff (apparently his demand is that Shark Week becomes Shark Month)

9. The iPad (imagine the Flintstones having loads of fun with that tablet)

8. Sandra Bullock, Christina Milian, and Christina Aguilera (all of them single MILFs and loving it!)

7. Lady Gaga (her "Little Monsters" have made her the queen of Twitter)

6. TIE: The BP oil spill and the Iceland volcano (one was tough to clean up, the other was tough to pronounce its name)

5. Betty White (still the object of male fantasies after so many decades...that is, if you're 80 to 100!)

4. Backstreet Boys and New Kids On The Block about to tour together (let's get ready to party like it's both 1989 and 1999!)

3. Wild weather across America (117 degrees in Los Angeles, an ice storm here in Alaska, and a post-Christmas blizzard on the East Coast...I feel like moving to Hawaii!)

2. TIE: Sarah Palin and Wikileaks (one was the darling of the Tea Party movement and had a daughter on a hit show, the other was not a darling of governments everywhere)

And the #1 thing that was trending in 2010 and will continue to be in 2011...

1. Justin Bieber (like him or not, you can be sure that even with his rumored romance with Selena Gomez, we'll be hearing much more from him next year than this year!)

With that, that's the AllenBlog's 2010 Year In Review. So long, stay strong, and HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!

Entertainment and Celebrities

From 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 become the top-grossing movie of all-time both domestically and worldwide, but at the 82nd Academy Awards, it would be "The Hurt Locker" leaving him blue-faced taking six awards including Best Picture of 2009 and in an historic first...Best Director for ex-wife Kathryn Bigelow. Meanwhile, Jeff Bridges easily collected Best Actor for "Crazy Heart" while Sandra Bullock took Best Actress for "The Blind Side." But she would be blindsided herself as far as her marriage was concerned, which I'll get to later.

Only two of the four shows continued their winning streaks at the 52nd Primetime Emmy Awards ("Mad Men" and "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart"), but for "The Amazing Race", they're now 7-1 as "Top Chef" put that to an end. And not even "Glee" or even "30 Rock" could stop "Modern Family" taking Best Comedy, though "Glee" itself was the year's top breakout TV hit with episodes featuring the music of Lady Gaga, "The Rocky Horror Picture Show", Britney Spears, and others. Not even a little scandal (the provocative "GQ" photoshoot) couldn't hurt them!

In other 2010 TV highlights: Simon Cowell saying goodbye to the ailing "American Idol", Oprah Winfrey kicking off her 25th and final season by surprising her audience they're going to Australia with her (which they recently did), the end of "Lost" though Daniel Dae Kim would immediately find work with the new "Hawaii Five-O", Larry King signing off after 25 years of "Larry King Live", Katy Perry alongside Elmo too R-rated for G-rated "Sesame Street", and "Entertainment Tonight's" Mary Hart and Canadian news anchor Lloyd Robertson about to call it a career next year.

But it was "Dancing With The Stars" that outshined them all this year, thanks to headliners like Kate Gosselin, Pamela Anderson, Apollo 11 astronaut Buzz Aldrin, David Hasselhoff, and one that either delighted or pissed off loyal viewers (one of them even had to go Elvis Presley on his TV)...Bristol Palin! In the end, the mirror ball trophies ended up in Nicole Scherzinger's and Jennifer Grey's living rooms.

The social networking universe, fueled by Twitter and Facebook, spread like wildfire this year like never before; there were more tweets than blogs, especially from yours truly. As far as Facebook was concerned, it was a pinnacle year with membership now topping 500 million, "The Social Network" starring Jesse Eisenberg and Justin Timberlake garnering critical and even Oscar buzz, and the icing on the cake: The man behind it all, Mark Zuckerberg, being named "Time" magazine's Person of the Year.

In gadgets, Apple's Steve Jobs was that person of the year with the iPhone 4 and the iPad, setting off a wave of similar smartphones and tablet computers hitting the market this year in a bid to out-do him. E-readers of various kinds including Barnes & Noble's Nook were out for the Amazon Kindle's blood...or make that a share of the booming sales. And remember WebTV from 15 or so years ago? That's now a dinosaur compared to the new ways we can access the Internet on our TVs, and upgraded Blu-ray players and Google TV made that happen when they went on the market this year.

3D got a 21st century enhancement to go along with vinyl records already making a return presence, especially on TV and at the box office. And speaking of which, there were hits that were more enjoyable in either 3D or 2D, like "Toy Story 3", "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1", "Inception", "The Twilight Saga" Eclipse", and "Shrek Forever After." And what did "MacGruber", "Jonah Hex", "Green Zone", and "Scott Pilgrim vs. The World" have in common? They were also crowd pleasers...in 1D!

The music world throughout this year had the wackiest cast of characters the side of Looney Tunes, with the latest from Ke$ha, Rihanna, Lady Gaga (whose dress at the MTV Video Music Awards had Rob Reiner calling her "Meathead!"), Taylor Swift, Black Eyed Peas, the aforementioned Katy Perry, and some guy named Justin Bieber.

Along with Brett Favre and Wikileaks, there were other scandals that topped the headlines in '10, with Mel Gibson and Lindsay Lohan being the biggest ones of them all.

First, Gibson with those series of expletive-laden voicemails attacking ex-girlfriend Oksana Grigorieva making the rounds. And to rub salt in the wound ever further, he was out of "The Hangover" sequel with Liam Neeson in. Here's hoping "The Beaver" next year (directed by his good friend Jodie Foster) will be his comeback.

And then there's Lohan, who has always had one share of drama after another year after year; this time, she was admitted to the Betty Ford Center.

Among the year's "I Do's": Katy Perry and Russell Brand, Carrie Underwood and Mike Fisher, Emily Blunt and John Krasinski, Harrison Ford and Calista Flockhart, Oscar winners Penelope Cruz and Javier Bardem, Chelsea Clinton and Marc Mezvinsky, Nicole Richie and Joel Madden, "True Blood" co-stars Anna Paquin and Stephen Moyer, Orlando Bloom and Miranda Kerr, and Jane Lynch and Lara Embry. And as of publish time, Natalie Portman and Reese Witherspoon were engaged.

And then there are those who said "I Don't": Christina Aguilera and Jordan Bratman, Eva Longoria and Tony Parker, Christina Milian and The-Dream, Al and Tipper Gore, Kate Winslet and Sam Mendes, Courteney Cox and David Arquette, Scarlett Johansson and Ryan Reynolds (as of publish time), and yes, Sandra Bullock and Jesse James.
So...what was the one entertainment story in 2010 that had everybody talking? It was the 2000's version of the late night shuffle involving Conan O'Brien, Jay Leno, and troubled NBC.

When O'Brien took over as "Tonight Show" host last year, it lost a substantial amount of ratings to David Letterman. Leno's 10:00 gamble, on the other hand, also lost to "The Mentalist", "Private Practice" (starring Sexiest Woman of 2010 winner Kate Walsh), and the local news on most Fox/CW/independent stations. Then earlier this year, NBC considered Leno returning to 11:35 with Conan to follow at 12:05. Conan didn't want any part of it, and the network offered him a deal to take the money and run. He accepted it, and after the Olympics, "The Jay Leno Show" became "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno" once again in its regular time slot.

While Conan was taking his act across North America, he also shopped for a new TV home. In the end, TBS made him an offer he couldn't refuse, and he signed on the dotted line with him at 11:00 moving "Lopez Tonight" to midnight and his new competition being Jon Stewart, Stephen Colbert, and Chelsea Handler (nobody cares about Mo'Nique). But it was ABC's "Nightline" that emerged as the quiet late night victor in the wake of all this.

"Time" may have their Person of the Year, but for the first time, I have my Entertainer of the Year: Betty White! With the Snickers commercial that led to hosting "Saturday Night Live" thanks to a successful Facebook campaign (and winning another Emmy for it) as well as "Hot In Cleveland" and "You Again", it's no wonder why at even in her late 80's, this living legend won't be pushing up daisies anytime soon.

Like I said in the news recap, the April wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton will be one major entertainment story we'll be watching in 2011. But what else could be on tap? Anne Hathaway and James Franco will be hosting the Academy Awards; will one or both of them be nominated for "Love And Other Drugs" and "127 Hours" respectively? Britney Spears has been in the recording studio recently, and as she's about to approach the age of 30 you know her upcoming album (when it comes out) will show those young "whippersnappers" like Gaga, Perry, and Bieber how it's done. No matter who the cast will be next season, will "Dancing With The Stars" finally unseat "American Idol" as the year's #1 show? What will be the next old school technology to make a new school revival? And after her stint in rehab, could Lindsay Lohan follow Robert Downey Jr.'s lead the pull off the biggest comeback ever? These questions and many more will be answered within the next 52 weeks.

Next time...we wrap up the Year In Review with the Top 20 Things That Were Trending in 2010!

It 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 rescues of miners in Chile, while the U.S. government experienced a leak.

The year when there were (i)Pads, Nooks, and Kindles of all shapes and sizes.

The year when "Toy Story 3", "Inception", and "Harry Potter" were epic successes, while "MacGruber" and "Jonah Hex" were epic fails.

The year when one prince brought us a royal engagement that would make his mother proud.

The year when one TV show "Dance"-d their way to the ratings...and sometimes into a little conspiracy.

The year when the time was "White" for one octogenarian to prove a point she's still got game, while one person decided to take his game to someplace sunny.

The year when football provided a whole lot of body language.

And, it was the year when the late night community had us asking, "Whose side are you on?"

That year was 2010.
Join the AllenBlog as we look back at another unpredictable year.

Looking back at 2010, we experienced thrills, spills, and chills of every proportion in every corner of the globe.

And we began that year with, of course, the massive 7.0 earthquake that rocked the nation of Haiti. With the death toll over 230,000, it was also the deadliest on record, prompting all of us to help out in more ways than one. That would be followed by another earthquake in Chile, which led nearly 500 lives perished in a Pacific tsunami. But there was one other story in that country that made major headlines this year, which I'll get to later.

In Super Bowl XLIV, the New Orleans Saints routed the Indianapolis Colts 31-17; for New Orleans, MVP Drew Brees's hoisting of the Vince Lombardi Trophy signaled the completion of five years of recovery from Hurricane Katrina that nearly destroyed the city and the Mississippi Gulf Coast. Over 106 million viewers tuned in for all this, which was enough to eclipse the "M*A*S*H" series finale as the most-watched television broadcast of all-time.

Vancouver played host to the 21st Olympic Winter Games in February, kicking off with hockey legend Wayne Gretzky lighting the torch. Throughout those two weeks, highlights included Shaun White and Evan Lysacek grabbing golds in snowboarding and men's figure skating respectively, while host country Canada got some hockey redemption beating the U.S. for the hockey gold.

South Africa was the site for the FIFA World Cup this year, and even though they're in a Southern Hemisphere country where it's winter there, the action was a mixture of hot and cold: hot because the high kicks and low scoring that make soccer famous...and cold because thanks to those annoying vuvuzelas, the venues have become artificial beehives! Anyway, we saw the United States keeping their hopes alive thanks to a last-minute goal against Angola...that is, until Ghana knocked us out before they were knocked out themselves. In the end, it was Spain that outscored them all.

Besides the Olympics and the World Cup, other 2010 sports highlights included: Duke and Connecticut taking the men's and women's Final Four titles, Alabama becoming the national champions of football, the NBA championship still in possession of the Los Angeles Lakers, the Chicago Blackhawks's first Stanley Cup since the Kennedy administration, Phil Mickelson the "Master" of his domain while Tiger Woods roared in his comeback to the green (though he faltered big time at the British Open), the San Francisco Giants winning the World Series pennant, and Fairbanks' own Lance Mackey making it four Iditarods in a row. Oh yeah, there was also LeBron James trading in the coldness of his hometown Cleveland for the Miami Heat, pissing off loyal Cavaliers fans.

The NFL had their share of drama both on and off the field, with Mexican TV sports reporter Ines Sainz being the center of more than just attention in the wake of a sex harassment scandal involving the New York Jets, and Brett Favre allegedly sending cell phone pictures of his genitals to another female sports reporter.

The entire Gulf Coast -- not just New Orleans and Mississippi -- would face another disaster that would last longer than Katrina: The BP oil spill with practically no end in sight; it started when the Deepwater Horizon oil platform exploded off the coast of Louisiana, killing 11. Millions of gallons floated into the waters non stop, threatening the tourism and seafood industries. After numerous attempts including the "Top Kill" method, cement was finally pumped into the well to put the summer-long nightmare (longer than the Exxon Valdez in 1989) to an end.

30 years after Mount St. Helens, volcanic ash from a series of eruptions in Iceland had air traffic disrupted throughout most of western Europe, including Britain. The only other thing newsworthy about it? We can't even pronounce the volcano's name!

You know the song "Dirty Little Secret"? Well, Wikileaks disclosed tons of them this year, including over 90,000 reports about the U.S.-led involvement in the Afghan war, and perhaps the biggie that put Julian Assange in the spotlight: 250,000 diplomatic cables.

The U.S. automotive industry made a huge comeback this year (probably thanks to slews of recalls by Toyota), with General Motors no longer in government control while unveiling the all-electric Chevrolet Volt as well as saying goodbye to the Pontiac brand. Meanwhile, Ford is bidding Mercury adieu after 70 years, and Chrysler? Along with Ford, they kept quiet while raking in huge profits.

Back to Chile: In August, 39 miners were trapped at the San Jose mine near Copiapo, Chile. At first it was thought they would be all be rescued around Christmas, but 69 days later, one by one they all met the surface once again. Just like Baby Jessica 23 years prior, the entire world were overjoyed by this miraculous turn of events.

While we continued to embrace newer faces lighting up the scene in 2010, there were some old faces we had to say goodbye to, including: Leslie Nielsen, Gary Coleman, J.D. Salinger, former U.S. envoy Richard Holbrooke, James MacArthur (Danno on the original "Hawaii Five-O"), former International Olympic Committee president Juan Antonio Samanranch, Olympic cinematographer Bud Greenspan, singer Teena Marie, Dennis Hopper, Peter Graves, Lynn Redgrave, Rue McClanahan, John Forsythe, fashion designer Alexander McQueen, basketball star Manute Bol, "Gumby" creator Art Clokey, Robert Byrd, Corey Haim, Tony Curtis, Stephen J. Cannell, Teddy Pendergrass, George Steinbrenner, Elizabeth Edwards, Pernell Roberts, Lena Horne, broadcast journalists Daniel Schorr and Edwin Newman, Art Linkletter, Eddie Fisher, Jill Clayburgh, Robert Culp, television announcer Charlie O'Donnell, film director Blake Edwards, Tom Bosley, Barbara Billingsley, Gloria Stuart, "Dandy" Don Meredith, and one that really hit home here in Alaska...former senator Ted Stevens.

The year's biggest story had something to do with tea, and not the sipping or iced kind.

When President Obama signed the health care bill into law in March after passing both houses of Congress, we knew we would be one step closer to universal healthcare in this country...or so it seemed. With the economy still in shambles and nationwide unemployment rates at their highest ever, many of us realized the fact that change came a little too prematurely.

Enter the Tea Party Movement, with former Alaska governor Sarah Palin leading the charge and endorsing some unknowns like Sharron Angle, Christine O'Donnell, and Joe Miller with one goal in mind: put some of the longtime incumbents out of a job in Washington. The Democrats, meanwhile, went all out in an attempt to save their hides. In the end, the Republicans took back control of the House with Nancy Pelosi out and John Boehner in as their speaker, though the Democrats barely held on to the Senate.

O'Donnell, Angle, Carly Fiorina, and former World Wrestling Entertainment CEO Linda McMahon all conceded defeat, but not Joe Miller...yet. After making the biggest mistake in our lives by voting for him in the August primaries, we gave Lisa Murkowski a second chance after launching an unprecedented write-in campaign. It definitely worked with Scott McAdams already throwing in the towel, but Miller still hasn't budged, taking his case to the courts. By the time the new Congress is sworn in in January, the results would finally be certified and Murkowski will have secured her seat.

In December, the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" act was repealed after 18 years, allowing gays to finally be in the military; at the same time, tax rate cuts that were orginially carried over from the Bush administration were approved.

But we were not the only country that had political firestorms this year. Britain went to the polls in May with a hung parliament as the end result and Gordon Brown handing over the keys to 10 Downing Street to David Cameron, while Australia saw its first ever female Prime Minister in Julia Gillard.

So...what can we expect in 2011? President Obama's administration will be put to the ultimate test as the Republicans will be in charge of the House, while a host city for the 2018 Winter Olympics will be chosen. A U.S. city may step up to the plate for their bid, will it be Anchorage in its third attempt? And of course, there will be some royal wedding over in England; I'll have more on that in the Year In Entertainment.

But as always, you may never know what else will transpire in the new year; we'll have to wait till the clock strikes midnight on January 1 to find out.

Tomorrow, entertainment and celebrities as the 2010 Year In Review continues.

Hello 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 havoc in both Anchorage and Fairbanks, leaving roads deserted with little to no traffic and closing down schools. Now we have been used to the other way around every winter (i.e., sub-zero temperatures), but this has been ridiculous.

But the worst is far from over, as temps will be dropping to the single digits by this weekend. If I were you, I would be better off avoiding the stores at the crack of dawn Friday morning.

Now...the countdown to what could be the wedding of the century. Prince William, after two decades of living the single life, popped the question to Kate Middleton...but not before the couple went public on it in a televised interview. And now we've learned that the date and place are now set: April 29, 2011 at Westminster Abbey.

So...who is Kate Middleton? She's 28 years old, her parents were in the airline industry before they started a mail-order party supply business, and is a fashionista. She met William while they were both attending the University of St. Andrews in Scotland, and the two have been on-again, off-again, and then on-again in the years since.

This is shaping up to be the one royal wedding that is estimated to be viewed by close to 3 billion people worldwide, as opposed to the 750 million that tuned in to the Prince Charles/Lady Diana Spencer wedding in 1981...which, ironically, also happened on the 29th (July 29, 1981). In three months prior to the 30th anniversary of those fractured nuptials, this royal wedding will not only be bittersweet for Prince William at the very same site for his mother's funeral, but a celebration and tribute as he and future Duchess Kate Middleton continue to upgrade the Royal Family for a new generation. The Queen now on Facebook was just the beginning.

Well, one thing we should all be thankful for is that the coveted mirror ball trophy on "Dancing With The Stars" this time ended up in the hands of Jennifer Grey and -- in a three-peat -- Derek Hough rather than Bristol Palin; she and Mark Ballas finished third behind Kyle Massey and Lacey Schwimmer. Of course the show was pretty much "Everybody Hates Bristol" because thanks to her, underdogs like Rick Fox, Florence Henderson, David Hasselhoff and others were shown the door.

But I tell you, folks: When Brandy was unceremoniously booted off last week putting Bristol in the finals along with Jennifer and Kyle, millions of viewers especially loyal "Dancing" fans were pissed off like never before. They bitched and moaned on the show's message boards, on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube; even ABC's switchboard was flooded with complaints. Can you say "conspiracy theory"?

And then we finally pinpointed the mastermind behind all this: Kevin DuJan, conservative blogger for HillBuzz.org. He was 100% responsible for Bristol staying alive throughout the season, urging us to keep voting for her multiple times by creating as many phony e-mail addresses as possible. So in the case of the finals, the time was come to fight fire with fire to ensure that Jennifer and Kyle would keep Bristol at bay...and in the end, it worked.

The controversy surrounding Bristol proved to be a ratings bonanza, as 24 million viewers watched the finale and the show pulling in monster ratings for ABC, which will continue when "Dancing" returns in the spring as they hope to finally unseat the ailing "American Idol" as the year's #1 show. By the way, Sarah Palin was in the middle of her book tour when she learned that her daughter wouldn't be bringing the mirror ball trophy home to Wasilla, though she tweeted her congratulations to everybody saying that "competition is good."

So...what does the future hold for Bristol now? Like I said before, win or lose "Dancing With The Stars" has already set you for life...well, except for Season 9 contestant and former embattled Congressman Tom DeLay, who was convicted on Wednesday for money laundering and may be part of a new show: "Dancing With The Inmates"! By the way, foot injuries forced Tom to pull himself out.

One other footnote: Ratings for Sarah's TLC show "Sarah Palin's Alaska" dropped 40% from last week's debut. Guess the only thing we'll be seeing from the Palin house will be a cancellation notice!

And last but not least...as part of her farewell season, Oprah Winfrey pulled out all the stops for her last "Favorite Things" extravaganza. Among the items in the gift list of all gift lists: The Apple iPad, Andre Walker Haircare Products (Andre Walker being Oprah's longtime hairdresser), UGG boots, the Herb Savor, a five-year Netflix membership, Baker's Edge baking pans and Ghiradelli brownie mix, the Nikon D3100 digital camera, a Sony 3-D TV, even a seven-day cruise to the Caribbean aboard Royal Caribbean's mammoth "Allure Of The Seas", and perhaps the biggest kicker of them all...the keys to a 2012 Volkswagen Beetle...which will be out in May!! The total value for all of these: $36,837!!!

For years, "Oprah's Favorite Things" has been called "the hottest ticket in television", but next week Ellen DeGeneres will try to do one better with her "12 Days of Giveaways." And let me tell you: The neat swag this year will cause Santa's elves to work overtime making sure your Christmas tree will be fuller than ever with your stocking stuffed to the brim! So long, stay strong, and happy Thanksgiving!

Can 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 a brand new kind of cancer that's been spreading for some time on "Dancing With The Stars"...and that cancer, of course, is BRISTOL PALIN!!!!!! For weeks, you have all been wondering to yourselves, "When will Jonathan finally offer his own two cents on this???!!!", Well, the time has arrived.

For those of you just back from a long trip to the moon, Bristol is Sarah Palin's older daughter who has been on a reign of terror as of late. Thanks to her, a lot of names have been dropping like flies: Florence Henderson, Audrina Patridge, Mike "The Situation" Sorrentino, Rick Fox, Michael Bolton, and Kurt Warner to name a few. Now she along with Kyle Massey and heavy favorites Brandy and Jennifer Grey are in the semi-finals, which has either delighted or angered millions of viewers tuning in to the hit ABC show.

So now we cue up the "Unsolved Mysteries" theme music and ask the question: Who is behind all this???? Well, it can be summed up in three simple words: Tea Party Movement! It helped the Republicans win back the House from the Democrats in the mid-term elections (leaving President Obama bloodied, but not physically), and it is already helping Bristol. Closer to home, Anchorage radio DJs Bob and Mark are leading the charge as well, though they have been kissing the Palins' asses for several years they need a lifetime supply of Chap Stick to keep their lips moist.

Okay, here comes the part you've been whetting your appetite for for so long:

Well, some show called "American Idol" has been ruling the TV ratings, even if portion of Season 5 was briefly called "The Sanjaya Malakar Show" before he got the boot. And after so many years, with Paula Abdul and later Simon Cowell out, we have finally had enough of the craze and wanted out.

Last season's "Dancing With The Stars" was headlined by the likes of Pamela Anderson, Apollo 11 astronaut Buzz Aldrin, and Kate Gosselin. They finally beat "Idol" in the ratings thanks to that lineup; but in the end, "Idol" held on to become the #1 show for the sixth straight year, surpassing "All In The Family" and "The Cosby Show."

This season, it's all about expecting the unexpected. One side tells me America has had enough of Bristol and really wants her out, but there's another side that says something worth repeating again: "Dancing With The Stars" is doing anything it takes to be the one show that will finally end "American Idol's" long reign, and Bristol Palin may be one of their secret weapons. Of course she won't win (I'm pulling for either Brandy or Jennifer), but it'll sure help.

Let's face it, folks: ABC hasn't had a #1 show since "Who Wants To Be a Millionaire?" was red-hot. I think ten years is good enough. But then again, the Tea Party supporters rooting for Bristol Palin have already drunk way too much Kool-Aid. So long and stay strong.

Hello, 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 got a three-way showdown for Senate, with Democrat Scott McAdams, Republican Joe Miller, and incumbent/write-in candidate Lisa Murkowski.

Murkowski lost to Miller in the August primaries, but for the last month or so, Lisa has been on the move showing the true meaning of perseverance as her seat is still on the line. McAdams is suddenly becoming the underdog, while Miller? Hate to say it, but his supporters are already turning their backs on him and going either way to ensure the Tea Party-backed candidate won't reach Washington.

In the gubernatorial race, it's incumbent Sean Parnell (who inherited the reins from Sarah Palin last year) vying for a full term vs. Ethan Berkowitz. The forecast may call for a Parnell victory, but like all other elections, there are no guarantees.

All 435 House seats are up for grabs today as well as 37 Senate seats, 38 gubernatorial races, and hundreds of state and city mayoral races to be decided. For Palin, she may be the one person crossing her fingers hoping Miller or Christine O'Donnell (no relation of course to Charlie O'Donnell, the longtime announcer of "Wheel Of Fortune" and other shows who died on Monday at 78; I tweeted that sad news) may pull off a last-minute miracle.

But whichever way you do it, do your duty as a citizen and vote. And when the polls start closing across the country at 8:00 in all time zones...let 'er rip, 'cause that's when the waiting begins! Because after all...it's your choice. So long, stay strong, and get out and vote!!!

(By the way...I'll be posting updates throughout the night on both Twitter and Facebook, so make sure you follow me)

Hello, 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 pages of "GQ" magazine featuring Cory Monteith, Lea Michele, and Dianna Agron. In one photo that really raised eyebrows, Michele spread her legs while sitting vertically on a bench in her underwear and knee-high socks.

It didn't take long when the outrage started to pour all over the pics, especially this from the Parents Television Council: "It is disturbing that GQ, which is explicitly written for adult men, is sexualizing the actresses who play high school-aged characters on 'Glee' in this way. It borders on pedophilia. By authorizing this kind of near-pornographic display, the creators of the program have established their intentions on the show's direction. And it isn't good for families." GQ editor-in-chief Jim Nelson fought back: "The Parents Television Council must not be watching much TV these days and should learn to divide reality from fantasy. As often happens in Hollywood, these 'kids' are in their twenties. Cory Montieth's almost 30! I think they're old enough to do what they want."

As far as the participants are concerned, Agron on her blog now regretted her part, saying: "In the land of Madonna, Britney, Miley, Gossip Girl, other public figures and shows that have pushed the envelope and challenged the levels of comfort in their viewers and fans…we are not the first. Now, in perpetuating the type of images that evoke these kind of emotions, I am sorry. If you are hurt or these photos make you uncomfortable, it was never our intention. And if your eight-year-old has a copy of our GQ cover in hand, again I am sorry. But I would have to ask, how on earth did it get there?

I’m moving forward from this one, and after today, putting it to rest. I am only myself, I can only be me. These aren’t photos I am going to frame and put on my desk, but hey, nor are any of the photos I take for magazines. "

The general public, including yours truly in a brief comment that landed on "Entertainment Tonight", have their own two cents on the controversy. Personally, I absolutely don't see anything wrong with these pictures whatsoever. Even though Monteith, Agron, and Michele all play high school students on "Glee", in actuality, they're 28 and 24 respectively with years and years of experience; Michele, for example, starred in "Les Miserables" and "Spring Awakening" on Broadway.

But the racy GQ pictorial starring "Glee" is the latest in a long line of photoshoots that have crossed the line over the last 20 years.

Flash back to 1991, when a very pregnant Demi Moore posed naked for the cover of GQ's sister publication, "Vanity Fair." Shot by Annie Leibowitz, that started the trend of nude pregnancy photos done in a good fashion; case in point: Christina Aguilera for "Marie Claire", who was pregnant with her son Max. By the way, the following year came the sequel, "Demi's Birthday Suit." I'm sure a young Ashton Kutcher must've spent good times pleasuring himself to that cover.

In 1997, it was Toni Braxton's turn to push the envelope in more ways than one when "Vibe" had her wearing nothing but a blanket on the cover, while inside the pages, black panties and a very see-through top exposing her breasts. It was her way to sex up and enhance her image with a Las Vegas gig and "Dancing With The Stars" to follow, though just recently, she filed for her second bankruptcy. And with "Baby One More Time" already making her a household name, Britney Spears's 1999 "Rolling Stone" cover got a lot of flak from another family values group, though Britney (17 at the time) defended it. I remember offering my own take on the matter when my commentary piece on the former "Allen Report" was called "The Bottom Line."

In 2008, "Vanity Fair" and Annie Leibowitz made headlines once again when she infamously snapped then-15-year-old Miley Cyrus backless. Like I said recently, that would eventually sprout to Miley shedding her wholesome "Hannah Montana" image as she toured the world performing in eye-popping wardrobe to the delight of older fans. Boy, I can't wait till what she has in store come November 23; that's when she turns the big 1-8!

Earlier that same year came Bert Stern's re-creation of "The Last Sitting" for "New York" magazine this time starring Lindsay Lohan (who has been sentenced to rehab once again in lieu of jail), while Jennifer Aniston a couple months before she hit 40 had on nothing but a necktie for GQ. In between those, a Calvin Klein perfume commercial was banned for television because a little bit more of Eva Mendes was shown.

Now, it's "Glee Gone Wild", though we have seen those words before when "Rolling Stone" did a cover piece on them. I am not one of those "Gleeks" myself, but the only way that could get me tuned to the show is if Jane Lynch dons a dominatrix outfit.

And last but not least, a clarification: Last time, I mentioned that the two Burger Kings we have at Fort Wainwright and Eielson are off limits to us civilians and that we have to drive all the way to Wasilla for the nearest one. Well, I've come to realize all along that if you have proof of vehicle insurance and some form of identification like a driver's license or state ID, you can get a day pass to the military bases and still get your Whopper fix. On that note, so long and stay strong.

(Oh yeah...after teasing you for so long, the starting field of 30 for Sexiest Man of 2010 is finally out and voting in Round 1 begins November 1. To find out who they are, go to my Twitter page.)

Hello, 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 shortly after 7:00 pm Alaska Time with Florencio Avalos being the first one out, and ended 22 hours later with Manuel Gonzalez.

Not since Baby Jessica (which I'll get to in a bit) has there ever been worldwide jubilation over all the miners coming out alive and well, though one of them, Yonni Barrios, claims to have had a mistress. But nonetheless, they're already instant celebrities, and from magazines to "60 Minutes" to Oprah Winfrey, everybody wants a piece of all this so we can learn more about the ordeal in their own words.

Now I tweeted that the rescue is reminiscent of Jessica McClure's in 1987, when she was trapped inside an abandoned well in Midland, Texas and we were on pins and needles right in front of our TVs hoping and praying they would get her out alive. Now Jessica Morales, she's married with a kid and they still live in Midland.

However, the same thing couldn't be said for Kathy Fiscus 38 years prior to that. Fiscus fell down a 14-inch-wide well outside of Los Angeles and reporter Stan Chambers covered every moment of the ordeal round-the-clock for KTLA. Sadly, Fiscus died before rescuers would reach her, and grief was spread not throughout Southern California, but around the country as well.

Chambers recently retired from KTLA after spending almost a lifetime there, but his non-stop reporting of the Fiscus tragedy was the watershed event for the fledgling medium even though radio was still king in the late '40s.

A lot of lessons have learned from Kathy Fiscus, Baby Jessica, and now the Chilean miners over the course of the last 60 years.

Well, it didn't take long to shift subjects from that to another war of words on "The View" as Whoopi Goldberg and Joy Behar briefly stormed off the show over guest Bill O'Reilly's take about a mosque being placed near Ground Zero. Now CBS's "View" clone "The Talk", premieres on Monday, and here's hoping we won't be seeing any walk-offs right at the start.

It was a week of two unexpected celebrity breakups: First, Courteney Cox and David Arquette followed by Christina Aguilera and Jordan Bratman with Aguilera filing divorce papers just a short while later.

For Aguilera, she knew how to handle it very quickly, as she and son Max were out and about at a pumpkin patch with Christina later in Hawaii. But what led to the couple being no more?

Poor sales for her recent album "Bionic" plus the cancellation of her summer tour are likely to blame, but remember: she did shoot "Burlesque" with Cher which comes out next month, and like I said in the "2009 Year in Review", this could be Christina's chance to come back on top this time without Jordan's help.

And last but not least: When I moved back to Fairbanks for the second time in 1985 after 1 1/2 years in Phoenix, we felt it had it all: an Arby's, a Baskin-Robbins, a Nordstrom's, JCPenney, two Burger Kings, a Sizzler, even a Dairy Queen. Well, flash forward to 2010...we have none of these anymore!

Okay, we still have Burger Kings in Fort Wainwright and Eielson, but they're off limits to us civilians. The remaining Fairbanks BK closed down in 2007 and if you still want a Whopper, the nearest one is in Wasilla -- 350 miles down the Parks Highway! And except for Sizzler (which left Fairbanks by the time I returned in '92), the same can be said for all the other eateries an additional 50 miles in -- you guessed it -- my hometown, ANCHORAGE!!!!

Recently, Carl's Jr. opened up their second Fairbanks location on my side of town across the street from Taco Bell, but let's face it: Burger King and Arby's are still missed here. Of those two, Burger King may come crawling back here sometime soon; my best bet is between 2011 and 2012.

As for breakfast? Even though IHOP is also eight hours away in Anchorage, our best bets here are Sam's Sourdough Cafe and The Cookie Jar. Applebees? I ate there for lunch while in Mississippi a decade ago, but if I want to do it again, there's two of them in Anchorage for my disposal. And the next time I want to go on another DVD shopping spree at Best Buy...ah, you know.

With all of us already spending our PFD money to go along with whatever else we have in our bank accounts, Anchorage has always been the one place to blow it on. Like I said on this blog before, we're doing most of our upscale shopping there even if we have two Fred Meyers and a Walmart. But don't worry, folks: Fairbanks is hosting their second Alaska Federation of Natives convention next week, and for businesses large and small, this is their moment to shine. But if they want to "Have It Their Way"...forget it! So long and stay strong.

Hello, 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, but with our economy once again in the dumps with the elections near, some of us might put our spending plans on hold.

While we're on the subject of elections, Sen. Lisa Murkowski is continuing her do-or-die quest to keep Joe Miller and Scott McAdams at bay in her write-in bid. Since launching it last weekend, Murkowski has regained support from those who had mistakenly voted for Miller in last month's primaries. Okay, we'll admit it: we did that just to test Lisa's nerve temporarily. And in other good news: Murkowski has regained her post on the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee.

But next week, the Tea Party Express will be on the prowl here to ensure Miller will take over Murkowski's seat for good as they'll be launching a new campaign. In other words, they are out to destroy everything in their path, and we don't want that to happen. As for McAdams? He's pretty much the only person sitting back and enjoying all this...for now.

Former Gov. Sarah Palin, who's leading the charge for Joe Miller, is these days leading a different charge for daughter Bristol as far as "Dancing With The Stars" is concerned with David Hasselhoff suddenly being the first to pack his shoes and go. With the rest of this season's lineup including "Brady" Mom Florence Henderson, basketball player turned actor Rick Fox, reality sexpot Audrina Patridge, former NFL star Kurt Warner, Mike "The Situation" Sorrentino from "Jersey Shore", and R&B singer Brandy among others, they're doing whatever it takes to be the one show that will finally dethrone "American Idol" (even with new judges Jennifer Lopez and Steven Tyler joining Randy Jackson) as the season's #1 show. But now that the Hoff is off, I'm now pulling for the Fox.

Meanwhile, Ashton Kutcher and Demi Moore are trying to pull their marriage together as "Star" magazine published a bombshell report about Ashton and alleged mistress Brittney Jones exchanging some sexy text messages and even having a one-night stand with the actor. On Thursday, the couple put those rumors to rest as they appeared at the Clinton Global Initiative conference in New York on a very serious front: jumpstarting their "Real Men" campaign against child sex slavery.

Before they married each other, Ashton and Demi had a slew of lovers before: Ashton, January Jones and the late Brittany Murphy; Demi, marriages to Freddy Moore and later Bruce Willis. As for Jones? We have learned a few details about the 21-year-old, that she's a gold digger who has fallen out with the mother and sister and likes to party hard.

In other words, she was out there to break up a now five-year marriage. To borrow a title from one of Demi's films, it was an indecent proposal that may have been backfired.

And last but not least: Once upon a time, it was "C Is For Cookie". But now in the case of Katy Perry, Cookie Monster's famous anthem should be "C Is For Cleavage!"

A remix of "Hot & Cold" featuring Elmo that Katy did some time ago has been pulled from an upcoming broadcast of "Sesame Street" because parents have complained about Katy showing a little too much on the chestal area. However, the video is already a worldwide hit on YouTube, and it was quite a way to cap off an incredible summer for Perry with her new album "Teenage Dream" topping the charts and her impending nuptials to Russell Brand.

Personally, I don't see anything wrong with the video, as "Sesame Street" over the last 40 years has had celebrity guests interacting with their Muppet characters. And after all...except for Bert and Ernie, aren't Elmo, Big Bird, and others totally nude?

By the time this blog is put to bed, Katy will have appeared on "Saturday Night Live." But as far as this latest controversy is concerned? I guess "Sesame Street" will no longer be brought to us by the letters T and A! So long and stay strong.

Hello, 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 spoke to the crowd at the Dena'ina Civic and Convention Center in Anchorage and with $1 million left in campaign funds, it ain't going to be easy as Miller and now Christine O'Donnell are riding in a wave fueled by Palin following Tuesday's primaries.

But even though the endorsements for Miller have been locked in, does Murkowski still have what it takes to pull it off? In 1954, Strom Thurmond's write-in campaign won him the U.S. Senate seat in South Carolina; but Robin Taylor's didn't get him the Alaska governor job in 1998, losing to incumbent Tony Knowles.

It was also that year we started filling in the ovals as our voting system went from punch cards to Accu-Vote, meaning the fastest results possible. In the case of Murkowski, it'll be all about writing in her name (spell it M-U-R-K-O-W-S-K-I) and filling in the oval.

We Alaskans made a mistake in voting for Joe Miller a few weeks ago and I think it should be rectified. I hope on November 2, it won't be deja vu as it'll be Miller vs. Murkowski: Round 2. If only Lisa could afford Michael Buffer to get us pumped for it...

The NFL season is already underway, but there was one story away from the field that has made more headlines than the games themselves: A sexy female sportscaster in the center of a sexual harassment scandal.

Ines Sainz, a reporter for Mexico's TV Azteca and former beauty pageant contestant, claimed that while interviewing quarterback Mark Sanchez, she was subjected to catcalls and verbal harassment by several New York Jets players because of the way she dressed as well as a coach throwing footballs in her direction. Team owner Woody Johnson issued an apology to Sainz, while the Jets in their season opener were walloped by the Balitmore Ravens 10-9 on Monday.

You know, looking at some of the pics of Sainz, she has a backside that could rival Kim Kardashian. But as far as her recent drama is concerned...well, I guess she has or hasn't heard of a certain person named Erin Andrews. Maybe Ines could take a few pointers from her next time when she's on the field.

As I said on Monday, Oprah Winfrey kicked off the farewell season of her show by taking her entire audience of 300 to Australia in December where she'll tape a couple of shows from the famed Sydney Opera House. Now we've learned more details as the Australian government is footing the $2.8 million bill.

Oprah coming Down Under was the shot in the arm, as slumping global economies have crippled tourism industries around the world including Australia. But you know...since the 1980's with Men At Work and later "Crocodile Dundee", America has had a fascination with Aussie pop culture, with words like "G'Day" and "vegemite" becoming part of our lexicon. Australia has also bred some hot lookers like Nicole Kidman (who was actually born in Hawaii to Australian parents), Russell Crowe, Kylie Minogue, and Hugh Jackman; Kidman and Jackman co-starred in 2008's "Australia" which was a box office success. Oh, by the way, Kidman was also the Sexiest Woman of 2001 winner.

Anyway, Oprah will have plenty of company when she comes to Australia near the end of the year, and with John Travolta in the Qantas cockpit while spending almost a day in the air, you can't go wrong. Get the vegemite and didgeridoo ready!

And last but not least: The new season of "Dancing With The Stars" begins Monday, and since taking part last season, Kate Gosselin has continued to keep busy with raising her eight kids solo...while bettering her body at the same time!

In the latest "People" magazine out now, Kate showed off her new figure, all thanks to staying away from any plastic surgery possible. As far as her love life is concerned? She's still 100% single, but my younger brother Lawrence is already taken. But like it or not, her 15 minutes of fame has already been extended, and even though Oprah offered the ultimate Australian adventure of a lifetime, Kate Gossein is already the ultimate MILF. So long and stay strong.

Hello, 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 themselves...with envy!

Justin Bieber got Best New Artist, while Rihanna took time out from shooting her first movie "Battlefield" in Hawaii to return to the mainland to open the show with Eminem. Bieber and Taylor Swift also performed in their first VMAs; Swift, a year after Kanye West almost made her night sour. And speaking of Kanye...nah, I won't go there.

I will go there on the white carpet fashions, especially by Katy Perry, Audrina Patridge, and Ciara. And what about Cher? At 64 years old (yes, 64!!!!), you talk about early promotion for "Burlesque" as she dusted off that bodysuit from the "Turn Back Time" video. I was hoping it would look good on Betty White, but that would be a major turn-off.

Monday was the 25th and final season premiere of "The Oprah Winfrey Show", as Oprah pulled out the biggest surprise since that Pontiac G6 giveaway: by sending her entire audience of 300 to Australia on an eight day, seven-night trip in December! As always, the audience went nuts like if it was the end of the world.

Of course, when Oprah signs off for the final time after this season, it'll no doubt be the daytime equivalent of Johnny Carson's last "Tonight Show." At least unlike Johnny, Oprah will still be in the spotlight.

And last but not least...It is definitely no surprise itself, but next Tuesday, the year-long wait will be over as Gov. Sean Parnell will announce the amount of the 2010 Alaska Permanent Fund Dividend. Last year's payout was $1,305, and projections show this year's check may be a bit lower. I as always will have it within seconds on Twitter and Facebook, and speaking of which...I want to know what do you think the PFD will be? Hit me up on my Facebook page and I'll have some of your best guesses next time. Till then, so long and stay strong.

Hello, 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 and Best Comedy respectively. The Lead Acting honors went to:

• COMEDY: Edie Falco ("Nurse Jackie") and Jim Parsons ("The Big Bang Theory")
• DRAMA: Bryan Cranston ("Breaking Bad") and Kyra Sedgwick ("The Closer)"
• MINISERIES/MOVIE: Al Pacino ("You Don't Know Jack") and Claire Danes ("Temple Grandin")

"Glee" didn't go home empty handed; Jane Lynch collected Supporting Actress-Comedy while Guest Actor-Comedy went to Neil Patrick Harris at last week's Creative Arts awards.

Also at that aforementioned ceremony, Betty White as expected added another Emmy for "Saturday Night Live" while Jeff Probst picked up his fourth straight Reality Program Host for "Survivor."

Now this year's awards were broadcast live from coast-to-coast for the first time including Alaska and Hawaii, but in the case of the lively red carpet, it was awashed in blue. That color looked good on January Jones (Versace) and birthday girl Lea Michele (Oscar de la Renta) though there were other colors on the rainbow including Glenn Close in green, Kim Kardashian and leggy Brooke Burke in white, Kate Gosselin in simple black, and Sofia Vergara in yummy yellow.

So...who was the most colorful of them all? Their show may have lost to "Modern Family", but "Glee's" dynamic duo of Michele and Dianna Agron (the latter in Carolina Herrera) sang my praises as best-dressed. And January Jones and Christina Hendricks...if you're reading this blog, I have a spinoff show for you: "Drab Women"!

Like I said, it was all about the streak as a couple shows kept theirs while two others came to an end. All in all, it was a "Mad"-ly "Modern" night at the Emmys.

Now of course, everybody has been Tweeting while watching all this transpire, and some of this year's nominees like Vergara and Michele as well as Agron have Twitter handles. Of course this year's Emmy host Jimmy Fallon infused some tweets into the show. But they all do not have millions of followers unlike Lady Gaga, who recently surpassed Britney Spears among celebrities with 5.9 million compared to Britney's 5.78 million. And to celebrate that milestone, she put out a thank-you video to her "little monsters".

This was going to be my third Celebrity Twitter/Facebook Wish List, but I couldn't think up of any who are without those two. Maybe next time though.

Five summers ago, I vacationed in North Carolina (for what would be my last visit with grandmother Mildred and later the Mississippi Coast. For the latter, it would also be the last time I would see the coast as we know it.

This weekend was the fifth anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, which left parts of New Orleans and the Gulf Coast into ruins. Over those years, the area was rebuilt both financially and emotionally, and it all culminated with the New Orleans Saints' Super Bowl XLIV victory which resulted in being the most-watched television broadcast of all time.

The entertainment industry helped out in a big way, with movies and shows like "True Blood" and "Treme" being shot in Louisiana thanks to the state's tax credits.

So, what have we learned in the last half-decade. Just like New York City when they fully recovered from their wounds suffered by the September 11 attacks, Louisiana and Mississippi knew how to heal from Katrina with as much resources possible even if George W. Bush's administration dropped the ball on federal aid with several humanitarian organizations stepping in. I remember reading a picture book showing the Mississippi coast post-Katrina with the words "The Coast will be back!" at the end, and yes, the Coast is back...though they have dodged a bullet this year with the BP oil spill.

And last but not least...last Tuesday we had the primary elections, where the attention was focused on Lisa Murkowski's job security in the Senate, with Joe Miller about to take it. At last count, Miller was leading over Murkowski by 2,000 or so votes. By the way, it'll be incumbent Sean Parnell vs. Hollis French battling it out on November 2 for the big job, and early polls show that if the election was held now, Parnell would still be earning an additional four years as our governor.

The absentee and question ballots will now decide if Sarah Palin's gambit will either pay off or backfire, and we'd have 100% of the votes in this week. If I was Murkowski, I better start praying for a miracle right now; otherwise, those prayers will go Joe's way. So long and stay strong.

Hello, 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 crash site and are now turning their attention to eyewitnesses, hoping to create a concise timeline.

The plane, a 1957 De Havilland DHC-3T, was owned by GCI; one of its executives, Dana Tindall, was among the five perished in the crash. The site was being 800 to 850 feet up a hillside and had slid uphill about 100 feet before stopping. The pilot also didn't file a flight plan with the Federal Aviation Administration before takeoff, and the plane was reported overdue by GCI early Monday evening.

Because of its age, the De Havilland was missing a technology which allowed pilots to to see cockpit displays and weather information, though there were upgrades to the plane. But unlike most planes, it wasn't equipped with a black box.

Stevens of course was the biggest loss of them all, and a funeral is set for Wednesday at Anchorage Baptist Temple followed by a separate memorial the following Tuesday at All Saints Episcopal Church also in Anchorage. Both events will be open to the public and I'm sure a lot of dignitaries will be in attendance to help say their final goodbyes to a senator who knew how to walk the walk and talk the talk representing this very state he loved.

By the way...the last plane crash Ted was involved in, he survived that but his first wife didn't. That was at Anchorage International Airport in 1978.

Now Ted Stevens, like all other high-profile politicans, has always flown first class. I should know because Sen. Lisa Murkowski and I were on the same flight one time while heading to North Carolina for Grandma Mildred's funeral, though a curtain separated us between first class and coach.

And thankfully, it was on Northwest, where their flight attendants have always been cordial. Now why am I bringing this up? Two words: Steven Slater!

Yes, we're talking about the JetBlue flight attendant who literally went gung ho following a flight from Pittsburgh to New York earlier this week by spewing a series of expletives over the loudspeaker, announcing "I quit!", snatched a couple of beers, and slid down the rescue chute at JFK Airport. From there, he headed to his car and went home where he was arrested for criminal mischief, reckless endangerment, and criminal trespassing in various degrees. And there have been other accounts according to passengers that Slater may have one too many before the flight.

So, who is this guy? From what we've learned, his career started in 1994 working for three different airlines including TWA and Delta before joining JetBlue. Since the little incident, Slater has gained a cult following on Facebook with over 160,000 likes and counting. Most of them have applauded Steven for going Peter Finch (well, his character in "Network") on us.

The only times I hear the words "I quit!" are in wrestling matches. But in the case of Steven Slater, this one wasn't fake.

And last but not least...once upon a time, Sonny Bono after years of making music --while making love with Cher -- put all that aside and headed to politics, first as mayor of Palm Springs and later in Washington on the House floor. At the same time, actor Clint Eastwood pulled double duty running things as Carmel, California mayor. Oh, yeah...let's not forget Jesse Ventura and Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Well, guess who's the next celebrity to follow their lead now? Levi Johnston!! That's right; the father of Bristol Palin's baby is back on the market again wants to run for mayor of Wasilla, Alaska -- yes, Sarah Palin's pre-gubernatorial job -- in 2012. But there is one problem: He's 32, and doesn't have a high school diploma!

Levi's also shooting a reality show, "Loving Levi", which so far doesn't have a buyer. As far as wanting to be Wasilla mayor is concerned, you have to start your political career from the ground up; starting with a city council or borough seat, THEN mayor. But if you really want to go all the way, continue with a state house or senate position, followed by the same thing in Washington; and if you think you're qualified enough...THE WHITE HOUSE!!!!!!

It would be the ultimate nightmare if Levi Johnston takes the Oath of Office on the steps of Capitol Hill, and if he does...well, I'm staying right here in Fairbanks; forget about moving to another country! So long and stay strong.

Hello, 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 that crash.

Stevens was one of the longest-serving senators representing Alaska from 1968 until losing to Mark Begich in 2008 in light of the indictments that put a serious crimp on his career. This is truly a sad day for Alaska, but Ted Stevens din indeed leave behind a legacy shared by all.

I'll have more on this later this week; so long and stay strong.

Hello, 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 speculation, but crushed the hearts of an entire city as well as he announced he's leaving his beloved Cleveland Cavaliers for the Miami Heat, joining Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh.

For Miami, this will prove to be quite a boon to the team and its city's economy; but for Cleveland, it was a whole different story. Within moments after the announcement, Cavs fans took to the streets burning their LeBron jerseys. Even owner Dan Gilbert in an open letter to his team's fans says it was "bitterly disappointing" and that he guarantees that his Cavaliers will win an NBA title before LeBron wins one for the Heat.

But don't feel bad for Cleveland. They still have the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, hometown boy/soccer nut Drew Carey yelling "Come on down!", and now a hit cable show starring the world's most popular octogenerian being set there (though they actually film it in Los Angeles), but in the end, Will Smith and Glenn Frey sure are ecstatic as LeBron James is bringing his act to Miami. The Heat will really be on alright!

The heat is also on for Mel Gibson, as an expletive-laden outburst directed at ex-girlfriend Oksana Grigorieva has hit the Internet, costing the actor his representation with William Morris Endeavor Entertainment. In the 30-minute audio posted by RadarOnline, Mel streamed a river of serious death threats against Oksana; he even went as far as telling her, "I will bury you in the rose garden." And now comes the news that the Los Angeles Sherriff's Department is investigating a domestic violence incident between Mel and Oksana; if convicted, he may face up to four years in prison.

Now this is not the first time we've experienced this from the Oscar winner. In 2006, Mel was arrested for DUI and made anti-Semitic remarks to the officer; the mug shot plus my take on all of it was on this blog. And now comes the latest chapter as Mel Gibson's reputation may be tarnished forever. We'll see what happens next.

But for both Mel and LeBron, it's too late for Emmy consideration as the nominations for the 62nd Primetime Emmy Awards were out with "Glee's" 19 nods leading the charge. What is surprising though is that Conan O'Brien's short-lived "Tonight Show" is also up, but not "The Jay Leno Show." It doesn't matter anyway, even though the last time "The Tonight Show" won was in 1995.

Also up: "True Blood" (its only nomination for Outstanding Drama), Julianna Margulies ("The Good Wife"), Julia Louis-Dreyfus ("The New Adventures of Old Christine"), Oscar winner Jeff Bridges ("A Dog Year"), Martin Short ("Damages"), and "Saturday Night Live" (Variety, Music, or Comedy Series and no surprise at all...Betty White for Guest Actress/Comedy; at 88 she would be the oldest Emmy winner).

The 62nd Primetime Awards will be handed out August 29 on NBC, and just like the Golden Globes, it will be live all over the country including here in Alaska at 4:00 pm! Maybe CBS should think about airing the Grammy Awards live from coast-to-coast next year as well, with "60 Minutes" to follow on the West Coast. That way, we in the West won't have to worry about any Twitter spoilers.

And last but not least...it's starting to become the norm every two years: Big-name celebrities ascending here to Fairbanks.

First, it was John Leguizamo and the "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" crew in 2006; Elton John in 2008; and now in 2010...it'll be Snoop Dogg's turn to take over the Golden Heart City with a show at the Blue Loon (guess the Carlson Center was already booked) on August 13! Owner Adam Wool told the Daily News-Miner that for years he tried to get Sheryl Crow and even the B-52s to play his place, but brick walls came in the way.

Since the Carlson Center opened 20 years ago, it has played host to numerous acts including WWE, the Harlem Globetrotters, David Copperfield, B.B. King, Ozzy Osbourne, Megadeth, 98 Degrees, The Judds, Toby Keith, the aforementioned Elton John, and the swearing-in ceremony of Sarah Palin. The Sullivan Arena in Anchorage, on the other hand, has always brought out even bigger names; I won't even go into their rap sheet although comedian Dane Cook sold out the place last fall. Heck, I wouldn't be surprised if they get Kathy Griffin!

But fo' shizzle, you will better believe that the Dogg Pound will be out in full force next month. And in case you're wondering whether or not I'm going...up to $120 for tickets??? Forget it! So long, stay strong, and stay cool!

(By the way...as for Lindsay Lohan? I'll save her for a special commentary next week called "The Self-Destruction of Lindsay Lohan" to go along with the regular blog)