For the 16th year (and ninth online), it's the one year-end list that's a true original...unlike Letterman's stale Top Tens. It's...

20, (and in her EIGHTH STRAIGHT APPEARANCE!). The newly single Britney Spears (I would've ranked her higher if she put on some damn underwear!)

19. Vice President Dick Cheney shooting an unsuspecting man in the face (suddenly, it's 1986 and that "Duck Hunt" game all over again)

18. The Miami Heat winning the NBA title (and all over Florida, people were drunk on too many Metamucils)

17. John Leguizamo visiting Fairbanks to promote "Ice Age: The Meltdown" (now we know why "Basic Instinct 2" bombed)

16. "Heroes" reviving hopes for fourth-place NBC (I'll only start watching "Heroes" if Hayden Panettiere ditches her cheerleader outfit for a bikini)

15. The WB and UPN becoming The CW (while My Network TV still has a dedicated viewerbase -- all nine of them!)

14. "Crash" upsetting "Brokeback Mountain" for the Best Picture Oscar (moments later, riots at Pottery Barns escolated)

13. Mark Foley's sex-fueled online chats to a congressional page (just imagine if the page was one of those decoys from the "Dateline" predator stings)

12. The Seattle Seahawks almost winning Super Bowl XL (it's the Rolling Stones' fault!)

11. "Grey's Anatomy", "CSI", and "TNA Impact" in a three-way battle on Thursday nights (I'll take non-soap opera wrestling over McWhoever The Hell the Male Grey's Characters Call Themselves, please)

10. TIE: Katie Couric's new stint as "CBS Evening News" anchor (which I don't mind, but give me Peter Mansbridge!), and TomKat tying the knot (I had an invitation, but it was lost in Oprah Winfrey's mail)

9. The scandal involving Miss USA Tara Conner (imagine if it was Vanessa Williams...oh wait, it did, and she really moved on; see "Ugly Betty")

8. Zinedine Zidane's headbutt at the World Cup final (maybe "Hardball" should change its name to "Head Butt with Chris Matthews")

7. Michael Richards' racial rant at a comedy club (suddenly, Julia Louis-Dreyfus is laughing heartily)

6. YouTube (America's fastest-growing network...that is, if you just want to claim your 15 minutes of fame)

5. Rosie O'Donnell joining "The View", replacing Star Jones Reynolds (thanks to her takes on Clay Aiken and now Donald Trump, the show has become the WWE gone verbal)

4. Justin Timberlake back on the charts with "SexyBack" (did he compose that song just for Cameron Diaz or after his fantasies surrounding his Super Bowl incident?)

3. Mel Gibson's scandal after his DUI arrest (glad he didn't say anything about the Jews responsible for those child predator busts on "Dateline")

2. The Democrats cleaning House (which looks to be bad news for Bush even before 2008)

And the #1 thing that had the whole world talking in 2006, even if you don't live here...
1. Alaska Governor Sarah Palin
(suddenly, The Last Frontier is about to get a little hotter!)

Tomorrow...I conclude the "Year In Review" with the final results of Sexiest Woman of 2006 (nobody cared about the men's poll anymore) and my predictions for 2007!

From the second of the "Pirates of the Caribbean" trilogy scooping up lots of box office booty, to year two of Brangelina and TomKat, to two high-profile TV hits in a Thursday night showdown, to Justin Timberlake bringing the "SexyBack" to the charts, to two networks becoming one, to Mel Gibson and Michael Richards literally spewing their guts out, the theme of 2006 in the world of entertainment should be "Hollywood Gone Wild."

At the 78th Annual Academy Awards, "Brokeback Mountain" was the film to beat; in the end, "Crash" walked away with Best Picture. But the night ultimately belonged to George Clooney and the soon-to-be-single Reese Witherspoon, as they copped Supporting Actor and Best Actress for "Syriana" and ""Walk The Line" respectively. Philip Seymour Hoffman and Rachel Weisz got the other acting honors (Best Actor and Supporting Actress), but nobody cared about them.

Not even a new (and controversial) voting process couldn't stop "24" from taking Best Drama and acting honors for Kiefer Sutherland at the 58th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards. Julia Louis-Dreyfus officially ended the so-called "Seinfeld Curse" by taking Best Comedy Actress, while "The Office" took Comedy Series. And in their respective categories, "The Daily Show" and "The Amazing Race" despite heavy competition from "The Colbert Report" and "American Idol" both remained undisputed at 4-0. "Grey's Anatomy" on the other hand, received zero awards.

Speaking of "Grey's", it really gave "CSI" (and later "TNA Impact!" on Spike TV) a run for the ratings the moment they moved to Thursdays. With the adventures of McDreamy and McSteamy drawing them in, as well as other hits "Dancing with the Stars", "Ugly Betty", and a resurged "Desperate Housewives", ABC proved they are the real "Must-See TV". Well, at least they didn't run promos telling viewers to "Watch Grey's, tape/Tivo CSI" unlike back then. CBS meanwhile remained the top network despite a controversial "Survivor", while "Deal or No Deal", "Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip", "To Catch a Predator", and "Heroes" provided glimmers of hope for STILL fourth-place NBC. And then there's Fox, with powerhouses "American Idol" and "House" in the Top 10 almost every week.

After 11 years of living seperate lives as The WB and UPN, the two networks became one as The CW, with many shows like "Veronica Mars", "Gilmore Girls", "Friday Night Smackdown", and yes "7th Heaven" continuing the legacies left behind. MyNetworkTV on the other end of the dial were just two telenovelas...but was anyone watching?

Well, pretty not, because whenever there's something boring on, we have been watching something on our computers: YouTube! Throughout 2006, and since Google took over in the fall, that site has become the one-stop place for original videos (rants and raves done on a webcam, short movies, cartoons, music) as well as lots and lots of nostalgia (TV opens and promos, clips, episodes, music videos, and commercials from decades gone by). I during Election Night have contributed to the craze, and as a result "Time" magazine named You -- and me and everybody else -- as "Person of the Year".

2006 was also quite a memorable year as Hollywood came to Interior Alaska twice. In March, John Leguizamo and soon-to-be-outgoing governor Frank Murkowski helped open the "Ice Age: The Meltdown" ice park as part of the film's promotion. And in July, Ty Pennington and the "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" team brought Christmas to the Rogers family in North Pole, as their tiny home was transformed into an instant palace in a week's time.

At the box office, the year's biggest draw was "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest". In its opening weekend, it grossed $135 million...which is way enough to top 2002's "Spider-Man" for the all-time record. "Cars", "Casino Royale" (with Daniel Craig inheriting the James Bond role), "Little Miss Sunshine", "The Da Vinci Code", "Borat", and "Superman Returns" all had memorable moments worth reliving on DVD, while "Basic Instinct 2" and "Snakes On A Plane" had not-so-memorable moments we'd wish to forget. But Sharon Stone did rebound from her mess with "Bobby" later in the year, and the forecast for another Oscar nomination looks to be good.

In music, it was yet another banner year for "American Idol", both on and away from the show. Taylor Hicks and his "Soul Patrol" may have triumphed over Katherine McPhee for the title; Carrie Underwood may have gotten lots of praise and honors (including a Grammy nomination for New Artist) a year after she won; Kelly Clarkson may be globetrotting in her first world tour; Kellie Pickler, Chris Daughtry, and Bo Bice may have breakout hits even though none of them won...but in the end, it was Jennifer Hudson's performance in "Dreamgirls" that had the last laugh. With a Golden Globe nomination, it probably won't be long until she goes from "American Idol" to Oscar Idol.

After two years of exile over that infamous Super Bowl incident, Justin Timberlake was back with a vengenace with "SexyBack". And back to YouTube for a bit: A music video by an unknown group called OK Go which they performed on treadmills would later lead to a major record deal. Rihanna steamed up the charts, while Beyonce literally "Sounded The Alarm." And after declaring independence from each other, Nick Lachey had a hit and Vanessa Minnillo in his hands while Jessica Simpson's "Public Affair" wasn't anything but public.

But like in every other year, 2006 was indeed a year of makeups, break-ups, and scandals.

We start with the weddings: Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes may have tied the knot in Italy with a who's who including Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony, Brooke Shields, and Jim Carrey among them on the guest list (thankfully, no Oprah), but it was Cruise's ex Nicole Kidman who beat them to the altar months earlier by marrying country singer Keith Urban in June in their native Australia. Other " I Dos" of the year included Tori Spelling and Dean McDermott, Marcia Cross and Tom Mahoney, and Lisa Marie Presley and Michael Lockwood.

Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie though not married gave birth to Shiloh, while months after they starred in "The Break-Up", Jennifer Aniston and Vince Vaughn would later break up themselves.

Then there are the couples who said "I Don't", and in surprising ways: Reese Witherspoon and Ryan Phillippe, Denise Richards and Charlie Sheen, Hilary Swank and Chad Lowe, Heather Locklear and Richie Sambora (though the latter would shack it up with Richards), Paul McCartney and Heather Mills, Whitney Houston and Bobby Brown (must've been Brown still going over the "KISS MY ASS!!!!!" remark by Whitney on "Being Bobby Brown"), and the ultimate surprise of them all...Britney Spears and Kevin Federline, which I'll get to in a bit!

There were of course scandals galore this year; the biggest of them involved Mel Gibson and Michael Richards. In late July, Gibson after being arrested for DUI made anti-Semitic tirades, including the "Jews are responsible for all the wars in the world" quote. However, the apologies were indeed enough, and Gibson's latest project "Apocalypto" opened as the #1 movie in December.

And then there was Richards. In November, while performing at Los Angeles' Laugh Factory, a couple of hecklers interrupted Richards while performing, and he went through a stream of racial tirades including uttering the "N" word. The cell phone video from TMZ.com would be later broadcast around the world, and Richards' reputation despite apology after apology would be tarnished forever.

Other celebrity scandals of 2006 included: Sara Evans leaving "Dancing with the Stars" before divorcing her husband over accusations of an affair between him and a former nanny; Anna Nicole Smith's son Daniel's mysterious death just days after Anna Nicole gave birth to a baby boy, leading to a huge paternity battle; and though not covered in the "Year in News", embattled Florida Congressman Mark Foley's sexually explicit instant messages to a male page.

And just recently, reigning Miss USA 2006 Tara Conner was in danger of losing her crown after spending nights of hard partying and lesbian trysts with Miss Teen USA 2006. But in the end, pageant owner Donald Trump gave Conner another chance to clean it all up.

However, not everybody was supporting The Donald's decision. Rosie O'Donnell verbally lashed out against him on "The View", but it wouldn't take long for Trump to fire back. In the meantime, Miss Nevada USA Katie Rees was stripped of her title after photos of her really letting her hair down were all over the Internet.

But perhaps the biggest celebrity newsmaker of 2006 has to be an old favorite of mine: Britney Spears. Her year began with the paparazzi taking snaps of Britney's improper holding of Sean Preston, followed by that cringe-inducing "Dateline" interview with Matt Lauer, and giving birth to Jayden James. Oh yeah, not to mention that unkempt freak named Kevin Federline...and that infamous video that was all over the Internet which included Britney burping.

However, it all came to ahead in November, when just moments after popping up on David Letterman, Britney filed the divorce papers. In Toronto, Federline way trying to push his rap album (which sold what, seven copies?) until he learned of the news...via his Blackberry.

It didn't take long for Britney to become Britney once again, and she called on Lindsay Lohan and Paris Hilton to help. However, her partying ways got to the best of them, when on some occasions, there were shots of Britney without any underwear! She did admit on her website that she took her newfound freedom a little too far, and 2007 is hoping to be a comeback year.

What kind of happenings could 2007 bring in the world of entertainment? Could either "Spider-Man 3" or "The Simpsons Movie" surpass "Dead Man's Chest" as the all-time opening weekend record holder? Who will be fitting into Bob Barker's shoes on "The Price is Right" after he says "Come on Down!" for the final time? And which celebrity couples will be no more? We'll have to find out for ourselves in the new year.

Tomorrow...the "Top 20 Things That Had the Whole World Talking in 2006" as my Year in Review continues.

BREAKING NEWS: Former President Gerald Ford Dead at 93

I'll continue with the "Year in Review" tomorrow with the year in entertainment, but there is some very sad news to report:

Former President Gerald R. Ford died earlier tonight at the age of 93 in his home in Rancho Mirage, California. Ford was the 38th president in 1974 after Richard Nixon resigned in the wake of the Watergate scandal; prior to that, he was Vice President after Spiro Agnew resigned a year earlier. Under Ford, the Vietnam War finally ended in 1975; he was also the only president never elected to a national office, only to lose to Jimmy Carter in 1976.

Ford always had a great sense of humor, as "Saturday Night Live" poked fun at him thanks to Chevy Chase. However, his President Ford wasn't very straightforward, as it was more like a bumbling idiot than a president. And in a 1996 skit, Dana Carvey as Tom Brokaw did pre-tapes covering his apparent death.

President Bush said in a statement, "The American people will always admire Gerald Ford's devotion to duty, his personal character and the honorable conduct of his administration," while former first lady Nancy Reagan said she was deeply saddened over the news.

Once again...former President Gerald Ford dead tonight at 93.

The AllenBlog's
It was the year that a two-year master plan for the Democrats to win back Capitol Hill from the Republicans worked wonders.

The year that a former NSyncer would bring the sexy back to the charts, while a new Alaska governor would bring the sexy to Juneau.

The year when one popular Internet site became the real "Must-See TV."

The year when one former "Seinfeld" star broke the so-called curse by winning an Emmy, while another revived it in his own way.

The year that an Alaskan at the Winter Olympics tasted the thrill of victory, while a favored figure skater suffered the agony of defeat.

The year that a fourth-place network made a "Deal" with some "Heroes" to get them out of their ratings rut...well, sort of.

The year when a former Iraqi dictator would get the ultimate just desserts for running his country.

The year that the second "Pirates of the Caribbean" film was da box office bomb, while "Basic Instinct 2" was a bomb.

And the year that exposing Internet predators would be the craze...though one Congressman wasn't listening.

That year was 2006.
Join the AllenBlog as I take a look back at one phenomenal year.

All throughout 2006, we've seen winds of political change being blown in North America, more soldiers and civilians getting killed in Iraq while the Stryker brigade returned home to Fairbanks, and Saddam Hussein getting the ultimate punishment for his crimes. Oh, not to mention the Winter Olympics and other sports championships being handed out.

The year started with 13 coal miners being trapped underground in West Virginia. Days later, what we thought that 12 out of the 13 that were rescued proved otherwise; it was sadly the opposite way around.

In late January, Canadians headed to the polls in the wake of a scandal triggered by Prime Minister Paul Martin's Liberal party. In the end, the Conservatives took enough seats for a minority with leader Stephen Harper claiming the top job.

The Seattle Seahawks earned their first ever trip to the Super Bowl in its 40th annual game, but missed calls gave the Pittsburgh Steelers the Vince Lombardi Trophy 21-10. Weeks earlier, USC's chances for a third national title were dashed in the final few moments of the Rose Bowl thanks to Vince Young and his Texas Longhorns.

A dream came true for the late night jokesters as Vice President Dick Cheney accidentally shot friend Harry Whittington during a quail hunt in Texas. Meanwhile at the 2006 Winter Olympic Games in Turin, what was thought to be Bode Miller's moment to shine with five gold medals being his goal didn't come to pass; he was disqualified or did not finish in his events.

As for the rest of the games...Michelle Kwan's third and final attempt at gold ended abruptly as a groin injury withdrew her. It however opened the door for Sasha Cohen to take the figure skating gold for the United States, but it ended up around the neck of Japan's Shizuka Arkawa. Cohen settled for silver as a new scoring system was imposed in the wake of what happened at the last games. Alaska got its only medal as Rosey Fletcher earned bronze in snowboarding, while the U.S. women's hockey team received bronze as well; the speed skaters continued their medaling ways with Apolo Anton Ohno receiving gold and bronze in short track speed skating. After the torch was extinguished, Germany took the most medals with 29 including 11 golds followed by the United States (25 with nine golds) and Canada in fifth (24 medals, but 10 silvers and seven golds).

A mudslide in the Philippines killed 1,800 people, while all 65 miners trapped underground after another mine explosion perished, this time in Mexico. And in March, Tropical Storm Larry wreaked havoc on the Australian coast in Queensland while over half a million people took to the streets of Los Angeles demanding illegal immigration reform. The rest of the country would later follow on May 1 in the Great American Boycott. Also in early May, two miners trapped underground in Australia were rescued after two weeks in the Beaconsfield mine collapse.

In spring sports, Florida and Maryland took the NCAA men's and women's college basketball titles respectively, while after the Kentucky Derby, Babraro's chances of breaking a 27-year Triple Crown stranglehold were looking pretty good...until at the start of the Preakness Stakes, when he suffered a severe injury. And in one of the closest finishes in Indianapolis 500 history, Sam Hornish Jr. held off Marco Andretti by a hair.

An air raid in Iraq killed Al-Qaeda's Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, while Israel was to blame for the explosion on a Gaza beach that killed eight Palestinians. The South continued to be on top of the sports world thanks to the Miami Heat (NBA champions) and the Carolina Hurricanes (Stanley Cup champions), while Italy beat France for their fourth World Cup. Of course, the biggest story coming out of it was Zinedine Zidane being given a new nickname: Butt-Head!

After Floyd Landis carried on the Lance Armstrong legacy by winning the Tour de France, it was later revealed that he failed a doping test. However, Landis is still holding on to his yellow jersey. And there was a little sign of change coming to Cuba as Fidel Castro, after undergoing surgery, hands over power to brother Raul...at least for now.

In August, it was almost like after 9/11 all over again as a foiled terrorist plot in London to blow up planes bound for the U.S. using liquid explosives had many travelers emptying out their luggage at the airports, as liquids were banned from flights. After a scary few weeks, the ban was lifted. And near the end of the month, a Comair flight crashed and killed all but one person.

Three school tragedies made news in the fall. First, one was killed and 19 others injured outside Dawson College in Montreal; second, six female students were held hostage at a Colorado high school before the gunman pulled the trigger on himself; and in Pennsylvania, five female students were killed at a Amish school. And at the World Series, it was all St. Louis as the Cardinals took the title after nearly a quarter century.

The master plan for the Democrats to reclaim Capitol Hill from the Republicans worked, as they took both houses of Congress for the first time since 1994. Gubernatorial races were decided as well this year; one of them was here in Alaska, as 42-year-old Sarah Palin -- after dethroning incumbent Frank Murkowski in the August primary -- was elected as not only the first female and youngest governor in this state, but probably the hottest piece of political eye candy ever to grace America.

Of course, we always had to give our last rites to those we've lost in 2006. Among them: Robert Altman, Ed Bradley, Earl Woods (Tiger Woods' father), four-time Iditarod champion Susan Butcher, sportscaster Curt Gowdy, the "Crocodile Hunter" Steve Irwin, game show host Peter Tomarken, actor Peter Boyle, "Jumpin'" Gene Simmons (no relation to the KISS guy), Wilson Pickett, Mike Douglas, Don Knotts, golfer Byron Nelson, former Texas governor Ann Richards, former Cabinet member Caspar Weinberger, country musician Buck Owens, Kirby Puckett, Dana Reeve, Lou Rawls, Louis Rukeyser, Coretta Scott King, Billy Preston, television animation pioneer Joe Barbera, Jack Palance, and on Christmas Day, soul legend James Brown.

So...what could 2007 hold? Will Pope Benedict XVI be making his first U.S. visit two years into his reign? Will Barack Obama and/or Hillary Clinton finally be in or out in 2008 after months of speculation? Will Palinmania spread throughout America as they embrace and adore our governor? And will Saddam Hussein really be put to death as he was given the sentence? When the clock strikes midnight on January 1, 2007, these questions and millions more will be answered.

When "Year in Review Week" continues tomorrow...the biggest entertainment and celebrity stories of 2006.

CHRISTMAS 2006: The Final Countdown

Hello, everybody. With less than a week to go, it's the final push as many of us are deciding on our last-minute Christmas gifts. And malls and stores everywhere are keeping calm as far as customers are concerned...that is, unless if you're the New York Knicks and/or the Denver Nuggets.

Yes, in shades of two years ago, a brawl broke out between those two teams as they played each other Friday night at Madison Square Garden. It began after the Knicks' Mardy Collins hit the Nuggets; J.R. Smith after a drive into the basket with 1:15 left in the game and Denver about to win 123-100. No fans were involved unlike Pistons/Pacers, but Smith and another Knicks player fought and spilled into the seats. Moments later, Denver's Carmelo Anthony punched Collins in the face.

As a result, seven players from both teams were suspended, with Anthony receiving the sitffest amount: 15 games. Smith and Nate Robinson were suspended for ten; Collins, six; Jared Jeffries, four; and Jerome James, a one-game suspension. NBA Commissioner David Stern also fined each team $500,000. There goes their Christmas bonuses.

I don't know why, but with 2006 about to come to a close, this has to stop. I guess the lessons from last time haven't been fully learned yet.

Now last month as you recall, I made my Internet debut on YouTube covering the election as the returns filtered in throughout the night. And throughout 2006, everybody including yours truly have been broadcasting ourselves on that site. As a result, "Time" magazine named all of us their "Person of the Year!" And believe me...it is such an honor sharing that prestigious title with the rest of the world.

With just two weeks left until 2007, a crop of year in review specials are already filtrating our TVs. And perhaps one good sign this year is ending is right now, I'm working on my own wrap-up which you'll be seeing on this blog all next week. From the year's biggest news and entertainment highlights to my annual Top 20 list to my new year's predictions, I've got it all covered from top to bottom; I've been doing this since 1998 (when it was on the old Allen Report site of course)! That's the AllenBlog's 2006 Year In Review, all next week! And in case you're wondering...after a one-year absence, I'm bringing back the intro.

With all that said...so long and HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!!!!

PALINMANIA HAS OFFICIALLY BEGUN!

Good evening. Yes, it was another event in the Fairbanks history books today as Sarah Heath Palin was sworn in as Alaska's 11th governor...and at 42, the youngest in this state -- and probably the hottest in America.

Instead of the traditional Juneau, the inauguration took place at the Carlson Center to a packed house. Seats were reserved for 1,600 school children...only that they were in the balcony sections! The remaining were of course open to the public.

Since Palin is our first female governor, Libby Riddles -- the first female to win the Iditarod in 1985 before the late Susan Butcher -- served as mistress of ceremonies. The Fairbanks Red Hackle Pipe Band accompanied Palin and Lieutenant Governor Sean Parnell to the stage.

The reason why Fairbanks was because the University of Alaska Fairbanks served as the site of the Alaska Constitutional Convention in 1955; that of course paved the way to statehood four years later. Four of the convention's surviving delegates were in attendance, as well as former two-term governor Walter Hickel who addressed the crowd.

When the big moment came for Palin and Parnell to be sworn in by Judge Niesje Steinkruger, flashbulbs were popping like crazy! It was like John Leguizamo all over again. After Palin took the oath of office, the crowd went into a "Sarah! Sarah" chant. Parnell's inaugural speech was straightforward compared to Palin's, but I don't need to go there.

But where was outgoing governor Frank Murkowski? He was out of town, but Loren Leman was there to help pass the torch. Don Young, Ted Stevens, or Lisa Murkowski couldn't make it as they're still in session in Washington.

Of course, the local TV stations (including KTUU in Anchorage), PBS, and the print media covered the event; I was even interviewed by one of those stations sharing my thoughts on how Palin will do.

After the ceremonies came the reception, where we all get to mingle with the new governor face to face. And believe me...she seems really cozy taking Alaska's top job; very nice and interactive compared to Murkowski. In my first conversation with her while she signed my program and poster, I brought up the Palinmania remark and that I'm now a fan of two Sarahs: Palin and Michelle Gellar. Yeah, imagine if these two ever meet!

Anyway, it would be down to business for Sarah as far as getting the gas line production up and running is concerned. Since the voters who elected her last month feel Tony Knowles' campaign platform for all proposals being on his desk by the end of January if elected would be too immediate, Palin will be taking things easy as governor. We'll see what happens in the months to come.

First, it was Leguizamo at the Ice Park in March. Then in the summer, it was the "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" gang in North Pole. And now, on December 4, it was the inauguration of Sarah Palin as the third biggest event to take center stage in Interior Alaska in 2006! We all wish her well as Palin is about to bring the sexy back to Juneau (watch as husband and First Gentleman Todd is right now threatening to take this blog down for saying that).

All right...now that that's out of the way, it's time for me to play big-time catch up. First up...Britney Spears may be enjoying the single life now that she and Kevin Federline are no more, but has it become too much?

Last week, she has been spotted partying with Lindsay Lohan and Paris Hilton; the tabloids have been calling them the "Brit Pack". And to rub salt in the wound even further, the paparazzi have been snapping Britney showing way too much skin...on her lower body!! But hey, she turned 25 over the weekend, so I don't blame her...well, sort of.

If Britney Spears can really become Britney Spears once again, she has to stop flashing her privates in public. Then again, Paris Hilton did one time at Sean "Diddy" Combs' birthday two years ago, but was overshadowed by Tara Reid.

And two weeks later, we're still talking about Michael Richards and his profanity-laden remarks at the Laugh Factory. He has been apologizing left and right, but is it enough? Despite sales for the "Seinfeld" DVDs climbing high since the tirade, I think not. It's going to be quite a while till when Richards gets his groove back.

Man...I've talked so much and the holiday season is heating things up. That's it from me; from the home of now America's Hottest Governor, good night!

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ELECTION UPDATE (9:00pm Alaska Time):

ELECTION UPDATE (8:00pm Alaska Time):

IT ALL COMES DOWN TO THIS!!

Tomorrow, it will all come to an end. You've heard, seen, and read many sides from this year's mid-term election, and tomorrow, the final chapter will be waiting for us at the polls.

The Republicans have been in trouble these last few years with corruptions and scandals galore, and tomorrow could be a big day for the Democrats to turn all that around; they've been planning this since 2004, when we (unfortunately) re-elected President Bush. But the GOP may have something up their sleeves even at the eleventh hour. Could the Iraqi judge's recent verdict of Saddam Hussein given death by hanging be it?

All 435 House seats and 33 Senate seats will be up for grabs, while 36 gubernatorial races and thousands upon thousands of local and state races and ballot measures/propositions will be decided as well. For the Democrats, six Senate seats and 15 House seats are all they need to reclaim Capitol Hill from the Republicans.

Here in Alaska, we've got a three-way battle for the state's top job between Tony Knowles, Sarah Palin, and Andrew Halcro. No matter what the outcome is, there's history riding on this one. Knowles wants to be the first three-term governor since William Egan (who served from 1959-66 and again from 1970-74), while Palin and Halcro -- both at the age of 42 -- want to be the youngest; for Palin, she wants to be the state's first female governor, something Knowles' former lieutenant governor Fran Ulmer tried in 2002 but Frank Murkowski prevented that from happening.

We've also got one fierce House battle between Don Young and Diane Benson. Will 33 years of Young be enough as Benson hopes to pull off the upset of the night? This is definitely one hot race all of America will be eyeing on.

In my old stomping grounds on the Mississippi Coast, this will be their first general election (and New Orleans') since Hurricane Katrina. I'll be keeping watch on that to see whether or not Trent Lott will still have a job in Washington; several other local and state races there are at stake.

Locally in Fairbanks (for those who care, since this blog is being accessed around the world), we've got a State Senate showdown between Republican incumbent Ralph Seekins and Democrat Joe Thomas. After vising a website that breaks down what Seekins really did during his time in Juneau, I think he's better off selling cars. Nothing against him (though I actually live a couple miles close to him, and we're both at the same neighborhood), but I feel there's a wind of change blowing.

And then, there's two ballot measures; one is to reduce the legislative sessions from 120 days to 90; another is the gas pipeline tax. Will it be yes or no on either of them?

So...with everything going on, this is going to turn out to be one intense night. And yes...I'll be blogging here throughout the night, offering you my instant thoughts on the returns as they trickle in. If you have Yahoo! and/or AIM, you could chat with me live on the elections; my screenname on both is johnnya2k.

Will the Democrats be bringing the truth and ethics back to Capitol Hill (I was thinking of other ways to use the term "bringing the sexy back"), or will the Republicans continue their corruptive ways? Will Knowles, Halcro, or Palin make things work in Juneau? And after over three decades, will Diane Benson really be standing up for Alaska? Tomorrow, when we head to the polls and fill in those circles on our Accu-Vote ballots (well, that's here in Alaska; many states have different voting machines ranging from optical scan all the way to those old, bulky, they-should've-been-in-a-museum-years-ago lever machines), these questions and thousands more will be answered. And me, I'll be waiting till 8:00 pm (when our polls close; that's midnight on the East Coast or 5:00 am if you're in London) to see whether or not we made Alaska's and America's choices. See you back here tomorrow night.

Hello, everybody. No time to title my latest blog, because with the November 7 elections near, there's lots of ground to cover.

First up...it took the Boston Red Sox 86 years to win their World Series in 2004 and the Chicago White Sox 88 years for theirs last year, but for the St. Louis Cardinals on Friday, they clinched this year's World Series title for the first time since...1982?! Almost a quarter of a century?!?! Whether it was predictable or not, they did it in their new home field.

But I guess in economic terms, St. Louis won because they're the home of Budweiser, while Detroit has been in trouble because in recent years, the U.S. automakers lost lots of sales and revenue to Toyota, Honda, and others. Case in point: A few weeks ago, Ford announced they were discontinuing the Taurus after 20 years.

So congratulations to the St. Louis Cardinals, the 2006 World Series champions. I hope the people there celebrating their win weren't drunk on too many Budweisers.

And now that it's over (and I thought it was a pretty boring World Series with no anti-climatic drama), the attention now shifts to November 7. That's the day whether or not the Potomac River flowing through Washington will be turning blue under the Democrats, and the day when we'll be seeing either Tony Knowles, Sarah Palin, or Andrew Halcro usher in a whole new Alaska.

But thanks to the way the Republicans have been running things (or make that ruining things), we've been treated to without a doubt the nastiest political ads we've ever seen or heard or read since 1968 (when America, still reeling from the Robert Kennedy assassination, opted to give Richard Nixon another chance at the White House)! One ad that has been making lots of news was one targeting at Democratic candidate Harold Ford Jr. of Tennessee. The spot -- which pokes fun of Ford frolicking at the Playboy Mansion though he has never been there himself -- had to be pulled because of its racist overtones.

Here in Alaska, while Knowles and Palin have been exchanging verbal fisticuffs, independent gubernatorial candidate Andrew Halcro has been keeping quiet. But like I said a while back, this could be the sexiest race for Alaska's top job we've ever had. You've got the rugged looks of Knowles, the sex appeal of Palin, and the clean-cut boyish attraction of Halcro. Of course, the one thing all the candidates have on their minds is the gas pipeline. If elected, Knowles wants proposals on his desk by the end of January.

Speaking of which, Ballot Measure 2 which is about taxing for the pipeline has been getting lots of support...for its defeat. All three gubernatorial candidates are against it, as well as several Chambers of Commerces and the oil companies. But don't be surprised if it passes.

On the Congress side, we've got Republican incumbent Don Young vs. Democrat Diane Benson. With winds of change in Washington blowing the Democrats' way, we feel that 33 years of service is just enough for Young. Upsets do happen in these elections, and Benson could be one of them.

And of course, you've got lots of state races as far as who stays and who goes is concerned in Juneau. Since this blog is being read around the world, I'm not going to touch on that.

But...we've got one week to go, and things have kicked up lots of notches as we're in the final push. Believe me, ladies and gentlemen: As we've witnessed earlier this year in Canada, the Grand Old Party could be the Gone Old Party after November 7! With that, so long!

TWO PARTIES FOR THE PRICE OF ONE!

Hello, everybody. Tonight was the season premiere of "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition", starring the Rogers family and the good people of Interior Alaska. And what better way to celebrate the premiere episode than by throwing out a huge viewing party at the Carlson Center....which I attended, of course.

A quarter-hour or so before the show aired at 6:00, Betsy Rogers addressed the crowd for a few moments, knowing the episode couldn't come at a sad time over the recent passing of high school football coach Buck Nystrom. There were refreshments and lots of prizes to be given away, including hard hats signed by the "Extreme" team.

Of course, it was another busy night for VCRs and TiVos all over Fairbanks, as a not-so-packed crowd -- as well as several volunteers who helped build the home this summer -- enjoyed the two-hour premiere on the big screens in the brand new scoreboard the Carlson Center acquired. After all, it was Fairbanks' night to shine in front of millions of people tuned to ABC.

Now while the constuction took place, the Rogers vacationed at Disneyland. Why did I bring that up again? Because 24 years ago tomorrow in 1982, when Disneyland was just that...I CELEBRATED MY FOURTH BIRTHDAY THERE!!!

That's right! Not only it was a viewing party tonight, it also served double duty as my (unofficial) 28th birthday party too! So consider the season premiere episode of "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" as my early birthday present. I don't know how I'll really celebrate my birthday tomorrow, so so long!

BREAKING NEWS: ALASKA PERMANENT FUND DIVIDEND ANNOUNCED!

Good evening. Just moments ago, Governor Frank Murkowski announced the amount of this year's Permanent Fund Dividend, and here it is:

$1,106.96

That's $261.20 higher than last year's $845.76 payout, but only 60 cents lower than the $1,107.56 we got in 2003.

Many of us who asked for our dividends to be direct deposited into our bank accounts will be in there on October 4 (early bird) or October 19 (regular deposits). Others will have to start watching their mailboxes on November 14 to see if they'll get a little payday of their own.

Once again, $1,106.96 is the amount of the 2006 Alaska Permanent Fund Dividend. Let the spending plans begin. Good night.

BROADBAND HO(ME)!!!!!

Hello, everybody. There are many signs it's fall in America: School students are back hitting the books; football season is back with college and the NFL; all-new TV shows sharing the airwaves with all-old favorites; and at my household...I FINALLY HAVE BROADBAND!!!!!

Yes, nine years of dial-up access came to an end as I finally upgraded to high-speed Internet this week. But this is not new to me, as I've been accessing the net since early 1995 at school. At that time, 33.6 was the fastest connection possible. In 1997, months after I got wired myself, 56k was starting to be the speed of choice.

But in the coming years, many were about to make the move from dial-up to broadband thanks to the explosion of file-sharing systems like Napster (when it used to be free), Kazaa, and Limewire. I with my dial-up connection didn't mind to be behind.

I'd love to tell you more, but there's other stuff to bring up including...

The stingray attack that killed the "Crocodile Hunter" Steve Irwin last weekend. This news came as a shock to us all, because Irwin was like this generation's Marlin Perkins with his wife playing the Jim Fowler role. Irwin will be given a state funeral, while the video of the attack is now in the hands of authorities...probably never to be seen. Many people want the footage destroyed forever, and I agree.

However, one piece of tape that will be kept forever is of a TV reporter being attacked while the camera was rolling. John Mattes, an investigative reporter from San Diego Fox station XETV, was pummeled by one of the subjects of his pieces.

Mattes was interviewing a person who was the victim of a real estate scam, while out of nowhere, Rosa Baraza splashed some water into the camera lens and shouted obscenities while confronting Mattes and hitting him in the face with the water bottle. A while later, husband Sam Sulieman delivered some damage, striking Mattes in the face and head before putting him in a headlock. In fact, that couple was behind the scam.

Police arrived on the scene, and Mattes suffered cracked ribs, cuts to his face, and bite wounds and was sent to the hospital.

Now reporters getting mauled is not new. Remember John Stossel and a pro wrestler on "20/20"? Or when after a reporter got struck after she greeted Bjork at the Bangkok airport? I know they're risking their lives to get the story, but after what happened in San Diego, they should take precautions next time.

And last but not least...it looks like viewers are spending their evenings with Katie Couric just days after filling the anchor chair at the "CBS Evening News." In the first three nights, ratings have overpowered those of ABC and NBC. But will that stay for the long-term?

Sure, Walter Cronkite doing the opening spiel added a nice touch, but that alone won't stablize the numbers. Sometime soon, NBC and ABC will think of ways to put CBS back to third place; but until that happens, we'll be better off with Katie. And with all that said...so long and stay strong!

MTV VIDEO MUSIC AWARDS: 1984-2006?

Hello, everybody. After two years in Miami, the MTV Video Music Awards last night returned to their home sweet home in New York. But from what I've seen, the homecoming was a disappointment.

The main factor? The stage at Radio City Music Hall looks somewhat similar to the Europe Music Awards, as Hamish Hamilton (who has directed those shows) replaced usual VMA director Beth McCarthy Miller this year. Another reason why it sucked can be summed up in two words: JACK BLACK! Yeah, he may have hosted an MTV awards show before -- the 2002 Movie Awards with my favorite girl Sarah Michelle Gellar -- but he didn't seem to be right. Was Jimmy Fallon unavailable or something? And whoever booked Al Gore should be fired!

The performances? Only ones I cared about were OK GO (the guys in the treadmills) and Christina Aguilera; others including Beyonce's had viewers flipping over to something decent, like the U.S. Open. Despite that, some moonmen had to be handed out, like Pink for Best Pop Video ("Stupid Girls"), an absent Kelly Clarkson claiming Female Video, James Blunt's "Beautiful" winning Male Video, and Panic! at the Disco's "I Write Sins Not Tragedies" being honored Video of the Year. And as far as the fashions were concerned, Beyonce, Maria Menounos, Jessica Simpson, Justin Timberlake, and P.Diddy all looked dapper and dazzling.

Thanks to its cold atmosphere, this year's MTV Video Music Awards was a turn-off, simply because we awards show junkies already had our fix with the Emmys last Sunday. And THAT, my friends, was a million times better than the VMAs!

With that said...have a great Labor Day weekend.

THE EMMY AWARDS AND...PALINMANIA?!

Hello, everybody. Well, last night of course was the 58th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards, and there were lots of stuff to talk about from them.

First...the opening skit that raised lots of nerves, as a spoof of a plane crash which was meant to parody last year's drama winner "Lost" happened just hours after a deadly Comair Flight 191 crash in Kentucky killed 49 people. NBC (which telecast this year's awards) said in a statement that the timing was unfortunate, while that network's Lexington affiliate's general manager was "stunned and horrifed" over the bit; the "Los Angeles Times" called it "cringe-inducing."

Aside from that ill-fated skit, host Conan O'Brien in his musical number took a jab at his own network buried in fourth place. Of course, this is not new, as late night hosts have swiped at other networks' troubles in the past. Al Franken started all this on "Saturday Night Live" in 1980 when he babbled about Fred Silverman's failure to pry NBC out of then-third place while showing a list of the week's top ten shows in which eight of them were on CBS, two on ABC, and none NBC.

Anyway...other memorable moments of the night included Dick Clark's appearance, Farrah Fawcett, Jaclyn Smith, and Kate Jackson paying tribute to Aaron Spelling, and Bob Newhart clinging on to dear life throughout the show.

Oh yeah, there were Emmys to be handed out inbetween those. "24" took the Best Drama prize with Kiefer Sutherland grabbing Oustanding Drama Actor while Mariska Hargitay, who gave birth to new baby boy August months ago, added another new bundle of joy: Lead Actress Drama for "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit". On the comedy side, "The Office" nabbed the Series trophy, while Julia Louis-Dreyfus claimed Lead Actress ("The New Adventures of Old Christine"). And "The Daily Show" and "The Amazing Race" remained unstoppable in Variety and Reality-Competition Series as they're both now 4-0 in their wins.

Meanwhile, at the Creative Arts awards held the previous weekend, not even that controversial "South Park" episode that poked fun at Tom Cruise couldn't stop "The Simpsons" in getting the Animated Program statue, while former Fairbanksan Ben Grossmann was one of the winners for Visual Effects in the Sci-Fi Channel movie "The Triangle."

The excitement all started on the red carpet of course, as Katherine Heigl and Sandra Oh of "Grey's Anatomy" (which by the way, went home with zero Emmys) were heartstoppers in their gowns. Pregnant Heidi Klum glowed in red, as did Hargitay, Debra Messing, and Louis-Dreyfus.

The best-dressed has to go to Heigl, who flaunted her curves in her flesh-toned Escada. As for the worst? A three-way tie between Ellen Pompeo, Paula Abdul, and one of my favorite entertainment news show ladies even though I love her...Maria Menounos. After four straight years of knockout Emmy fashions from her, she really overdid herself in black. Vanessa Minnillo -- who did the Emmy beat for "Entertainment Tonight" -- looked way better.

The final tally after last night: HBO took 26 awards of the 95 they were nominated, followed by NBC (14), ABC (11), Fox (10), CBS, (9), and PBS rounding out with eight.

Maybe next year, the Emmys should go back to the traditional voting process. That new one nearly made this year's show a turn-off.

Now that this is out of the way...Last week in the primaries, Sarah Palin ended Frank Murkowski's re-election chances when she beat him and John Binkley to take the Republican gubernatorial candidacy.

I have done some deep thinking while going back to some history, but if Palin does get elected, we could not only be seeing both the first female governor and the youngest at 42...but probably the hottest since Pierre Trudeau was elected Canada's Prime Minister in 1968!

Yes, during an extremely heavy time for America (Vietnam, the assassinations of Martin Luther King and Robert Kennedy, everything blowing out of proportions at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago with Dan Rather getting punked), our neighbors to the North were in the wave of Trudeaumania, as a swinging and very single Trudeau had Canada heading to the polls in droves. At 48 (way too old to be a heartthrob), he was mobbed by screaming teenagers wherever he campaigned; he was like the Johnny Depp of Canadian politics. And since a mosh pit was a generation away, Trudeau was an instant kissing booth as the ladies were all over him.

Now flash forward 38 years later to now and Sarah Palin. Okay, she's happily married with four children, but I don't see any young males running to the polls to vote for her as the issues don't seem to be on their minds. But if she does beat Democrat Tony Knowles in an apparent landslide on November 7 (like hell it'll happen), don't be surprised if she becomes the only piece of eye candy in Juneau. I wouldn't be surprised if we see her among the "50 (or 100) Most Beautiful People" listing or if she makes guest appearances on Leno, Letterman, Daily Show, or Conan as they intro her as "The Hottest Governor in America."

Palin and Knowles (who looks kind of rugged) could be in for fight of their lives...which could result in the sexiest race for governor Alaska's had in a long time. But if Palin wins or loses, I'll always still be fond to the one Sarah I care about: MICHELLE GELLAR!!! (though she's married to, but...) So long!

IT'LL BE PALIN VS. KNOWLES IN NOVEMBER FOR ALASKA'S TOP JOB!!!

Good evening. Just tonight, the primary elections were held here in Alaska, and the big story coming out of it right now is that Frank Murkowski's attempt at four more years as our governor has come to an end.

In the hot three-way Republican race between him, Sarah Palin, and John Binkley, it was Palin in the end who pulled it off. With 60.4% of the statewide numbers in as of 10:50pm Alaska Time (2:50am on the East Coast), Palin grabbed 50.7% of the votes (35,809 in raw numbers) with Binkley in second with 30.1% (21,272) and Murkowski crashing to third (18.7%, 13,235 votes).

On the Democratic side, it was all Tony Knowles with 67.8% (24,052) followed by Eric Croft with 24% and 8,500 votes. Unlike the Republicans where those three were slugging it out UFC-style, the Knowles and Croft took things easy.

Meanwhile, despite lots of support for its defeat from businesses and local chambers of commerce, 52.8% said yes on Ballot Measure 2. And as for the Lieutenant Governors, Democrat Ethan Berkowitz took the Combined ballot with 59.5%, while 57.5% went to Sean Parnell for the Republicans.

To recap: Sarah Palin has ended Frank Murkowski's re-election chances in a big way, and it'll be her and Tony Knowles vying for the big job on November 3. For Palin, she will try to make history by being elected Alaska's first female governor, something Fran Ulmer attempted to do in 2002 but lost to Murkowski. For Knowles, he was our governor once from 1994 to 2002; will he be again in 2006? This is starting to shape up to be quite an amazing and interesting campaign to the end, and we'll be keeping watch between now and when we head to the booth to write the final chapter of this year's election by filling in that oval on our Accu-vote ballots. Good night.

FLYING THE FRIENDLY SKIES FAR FROM BECOMING FRIENDLY YET AGAIN

Hello, everybody. I'm sure you already know by now that due to a terrorist plot being thwarted to use liquid explosives to blow up several planes bound from Britain to the United States, airports around the world took no chances to up their security. As a result, you cannot bring these on your carry-on anymore:

• Beverages (including juices, water, and sodas)
• Toiletries (personal, oral hygiene, and hair and skin care products like shampoos or lotions)

But what you can bring is baby formula; it's just that you have to taste it yourself to make sure it's legit. Prescription medicine including insulin are also acceptable.

Now that's here, but in Britain, they're really upped the ante. Electronics like laptops, portable DVD players, mobile phones, and even iPods are now banned from carry-ons period. That means if they want to entertain themselves during the flight from now on, they're going to have to bring a book.

So, what do I make of all this? Well, you can still bring beverages with you, but that's after you go through security and that the gift shops near the gates still sell them. As for toiletries? You might have to put them in the checked luggage.

Looks like we're going to live by these new rules from then on. After all, with the five-year anniversary of 9/11 just weeks away, flying the friendly skies continue to be anything but friendly with every security measure they pull on us. So long.

MEL GIBSON'S MEL-ODRAMA

Hello, everybody. Alright, every person in the world has had their take on what has been up with Mel Gibson over this week; and now, finally, it's my turn.

To refresh your memory: Last weekend after a night of partying, Gibson was arrested for DUI in Malibu. Moments later, he would be spewing out anti-Semitic remarks saying that the Jews are "responsible for all the wars in the world" and even called a female police officer "sugar tits"; the latter was when he was at the police station. His blood alcohol content was 0.12, higher than the 0.08 limit. Here was his first statement just moments after his arrest:

"After drinking alcohol on Thursday night, I did a number of things that were very wrong and for which I am ashamed. I drove a car when I should not have, and was stopped by the L.A. County sheriffs. The arresting officer was just doing his job and I feel fortunate that I was apprehended before I caused injury to any other person.

I acted like a person completely out of control when I was arrested, and said things that I do not believe to be true and which are despicable. I am deeply ashamed of everything I said and I apologize to anyone who I have offended.

Also, I take this opportunity to apologize to the deputies involved for my belligerent behavior. They have always been there for me in my community and indeed probably saved me from myself. I disgraced myself and my family with my behavior and for that I am truly sorry.

I have battled the disease of alcoholism for all of my adult life and profoundly regret my horrific relapse. I apologize for any behavior unbecoming of me in my inebriated state and have already taken necessary steps to ensure my return to health."

Well, it didn't take long for the Jewish community to come out swinging at Gibson's remarks. The next day of course, it would be the talk of talk radio and the cable news discussion shows, not to mention the entertainment news and late night monologues as usual (except for Letterman; he was in reruns all this week). Mel issued a second statement a couple days later:

"There is no excuse, nor should there be any tolerance, for anyone who thinks or expresses any kind of anti-Semitic remark. I want to apologize specifically to everyone in the Jewish community for the vitriolic and harmful words that I said to a law enforcement officer the night I was arrested on a DUI charge.

I am a public person, and when I say something, either articulated and thought out, or blurted out in a moment of insanity, my words carry weight in the public arena. As a result, I must assume personal responsibility for my words and apologize directly to those who have been hurt and offended by those words.

The tenets of what I profess to believe necessitate that I exercise charity and tolerance as a way of life. Every human being is God’s child, and if I wish to honor my God I have to honor his children. But please know from my heart that I am not an anti-Semite. I am not a bigot. Hatred of any kind goes against my faith.

I’m not just asking for forgiveness. I would like to take it one step further, and meet with leaders in the Jewish community, with whom I can have a one on one discussion to discern the appropriate path for healing.

I have begun an ongoing program of recovery and what I am now realizing is that I cannot do it alone. I am in the process of understanding where those vicious words came from during that drunken display, and I am asking the Jewish community, whom I have personally offended, to help me on my journey through recovery. Again, I am reaching out to the Jewish community for its help. I know there will be many in that community who will want nothing to do with me, and that would be understandable. But I pray that that door is not forever closed.

This is not about a film. Nor is it about artistic license. This is about real life and recognizing the consequences hurtful words can have. Its about existing in harmony in a world that seems to have gone mad."

With that, apology accepted by the Anti-Defamation League. But to the public...is anyone buying them? Actor Rob Schneider, a half-Jew, isn't; he said he won't be working with the actor ever again, while one of Mel's "Maverick" co-stars, Jodie Foster, is standing up to him because he's "honest, loyal, and kind."

So, what do I think of all this? As we've learned many times from other celebrities who've broken the law (and have their mugshots displayed around the world, especially in "NewsBeat" on the old website), Mel can turn his life around. We've watched his career over the years from "Mad Max" to the "Lethal Weapon" series to "Passion of the Christ", and there's no way it'll be diminished anytime soon. Sure, his mugshot will join Hugh Grant's, Michael Jackson's, Tom DeLay's (why was he smiling in his?), and Glen Campbell's among others in the Celebrity Mugshot Hall of Fame; but when the dust is settled, Mel Gibson will be Mel Gibson once again...just like when Britney Spears used to be Britney Spears until she started seeing Kevin Federline and completely blew everything out of proportions, reputation and all!

Mel will definitely tough it all out, but it won't be an immediate process. If he does, let's hope he won't have another Mel-tdown ever again. So long.

AN "EXTREME MAKEOVER" TAKES OVER ALASKA

Hello, everybody. As you probably well know, over the last week Hollywood returned to the Fairbanks area again thanks to Ty Pennington and the "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" team.

A house occupied by the Rogers family of North Pole caught the eye of the hit ABC show, which came up here all last week after they looked at their application video. The story was that Betsy Rogers' marriage to husband Michael meant huge blows to the family financially and physically, and that their tiny home on Anton Avenue has become decrepit for years. So the producers decided to bring Christmas in July to them with the bus pulling up and Ty yelling out "GOOOOOD MORNING, ROGERS FAMILY!!!!" on his megaphone outside their house.

As the Rogers were rewarded with a trip to Disneyland, it was now time for the demolition to take place followed by bringing in hundreds of volunteers to help put together the new house. I was at the site on Thursday as the exteriors were already done and the interiors still underway.

While there, one person from the team filmed his portion: No, not Ty, but interior designer Michael Moloney. I'll get to that in a bit, but here's something that might interest you technically:

The production equipment was provided by Wexler Video based out of Burbank, and the four cameras used to tape the makeover are Sony XDCAM HD optical disk cameras, which CBS News and ABC News have already started using to shoot their material. It won't be long till other stations and broadcasters plan to make the transition to XDCAMs in the coming months, but I probably don't see KTUU in Anchorage becoming one of them anytime soon...unless if their budget allows them.

Anyway, back to Moloney: Of all the people in the team, he was the only person that has signed autographs and mingled and took pictures with the onlookers across the street after shooting his piece. He seemed very nice, not knowing for the fact he is gay!

And now we move 24 hours later to Friday, when the house is finished, the Rogers' return, and the big reveal is made...all within hours! As I returned in the afternoon and the Sadler's trucks full of furniture to be emptied, the ever increasing crowd got their first glimpses of Ty. Moments later, he and the North Pole and Eielson football teams filmed the part when they would help move the final pieces of furniture to the house...after trying again in the second take! Of course, you do have to get it right after all.

I also spotted fellow designer Paige Hemmis, who always dresses in pink to stand out against the guys. And here's a little something I didn't know about her: SHE SMOKES!!!!!!!! I don't know if Ty does as well.

After the North Pole High cheerleaders did a special cheer for the cameras ("Red - white - blue! We - thank - you! A - B - C! For - coming - through!"), they joined Paige inside the nearly-completed
house -- who might have probably put out her cigarette -- to film a scene with her.

According to the News-Miner (which covered the makeover from top to bottom all week of course), the crowd who had been indifferent to star sightings cheered whenever a designer was spotted around the site. HELLO!!! Star sightings in Fairbanks is not new; remember John Leguizamo last March?!

As the afternoon went into evening, so did the anticipation as the climatic moment was still hours away. Before 6:00, the big Marathon Coach bus pulled up in front of the house and the jib camera swooped around the crowd several times to get the best shots of us cheering. After all, we are going to be seen by millions of people.

The limousine also pulled up, but they used a few people as stand-ins for the Rogers to set up the shots. This was after Ty changed his wardrobe in one of those Star Wagons; we also saw him going over his script with the crew.

Finally, at close to 10:00pm, the big moment came as the limo returned, this time with the Rogers'. I couldn't hear Ty lecturing to the family, but the producers prompted us to do the "Move that bus!" chant. On the fourth take, the Rogers and the crowd said those three magic words together -- MOVE THAT BUS!!!!!! -- and the bus moved, revealing the new 4,800 square-foot home to the family of 13!! A short while later, the crowd went into a "907!" chant...907 being our area code, of course.

After spending nine hours -- NINE HOURS! -- from the final finishing touches to the moment we've waited a whole week for, it was finally over the moment it started raining as the Rogers were let in their new digs.

Believe me, this was the first time we've ever had a reality show come up to the Fairbanks area. Sure, the next-to-last legs of "The Amazing Race" were in Anchorage, but thanks to "Extreme Makeover" Home Edition", we played catch-up big time. And for the volunteers who gave up their time to help the Rogers family's dreams come true, it was indeed Christmas in July.

By the way...that episode will be the season premiere of "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition", set to air in late September on ABC.

Okay, we've had John Leguizamo; we've had Ty Pennington...who could be the next major celebrity to set foot on the Golden Heart City? As they always say, stay tuned to find out. It could happen during Golden Days this week; and you know I missed out on all the fun last year because of my two-week vacation in the South. So consider this year's Golden Days a huge make-up. So long!

THE EMMY NOMINATIONS: WHERE WAS EVERYBODY??

Hello, everybody. Well, the big news coming out of this year's Primetime Emmy nominations was that last year's headliners were out of line.

"Lost" who claimed the Best Drama prize last year, was shut out, and so were any of the "Desperate Housewives". For Drama, it's now "Grey's Anatomy", "House", "The Sopranos", "24" (series leader with 12 nods), and the already departing "The West Wing" pitting against each other; on the Comedy series side, we've got "Arrested Development", "Curb Your Enthusiasm", "The Office", "Scrubs", and "Two and a Half Men."

As for the individuals? In Best Comedy Actress, Julia Louis-Dreyfus ("The New Adventures of Old Christine") -- who co-presented the nominees with fellow winner Brad Garrett -- is the only person who still has a show on the air! The nominees from other shows -- Stockard Channing, Jane Kaczmarek, Lisa Kudrow, and Debra Messing -- have already left the air! The same can be said about Best Drama Actress; Mariska Hargitay and Kyra Sedgwick still have shows while Frances Conroy, Geena Davis, and Alison Janney no longer do.

On the men's side, Steve Carell is hoping to add a Comedy Actor Emmy for "The Office" to go along with the Golden Globe he already has, but he's got to go through Larry David, Kevin James, past winner Tony Shalhoub, and Charlie Sheen first. No need to bring up the drama field.

In Reality-Competition, "Dancing With The Stars" could bring "The Amazing Race's" winning streak to an end, while sister shows "The Daily Show" and "The Colbert Report" will be duking it out for the Variety, Music, or Comedy trophy.

HBO of course leads all networks with 95 nominations followed by ABC (64), CBS (47), NBC (46), and Fox (41).

It's going to be one wild night at the 58th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards, which will be handed out August 27 on NBC. Why August 27? NBC's got "Sunday Night Football", and the Emmys will be back to mid-September next year.

With that said...so long!

Hello, everybody. This Tuesday, 230 candles will be on America's birthday cake as we celebrate our independence. And that also means it's time my 12th annual news quiz I call:

Fill In The Blank

1. The Carolina Hurricanes held off the Edmonton Oilers to win the ______ Cup
A) Stanley
B) Kelly
C) World...oh wait, we sucked in the World Cup!!

2. Taylor Hicks became the Season 5 winner of "American Idol", beating ________
A) Katharine McPhee
B) Kellie Pickler
C) Connie Chung

3. A pregnant Britney Spears channeled her Demi Moore to pose nude for the cover of _________
A) "Harper's Bazaar"
B) "Vanity Fair"
C) "EWWWWWWW!!!!" magazine

4. I finished this year's Midnight Sun Run in __________
A) 56 minutes, 40.8 seconds
B) 57 minutes, 20.2 seconds
C) Enough time for me to get me away from Connie Chung singing and that Paris Hilton music video

5. ANOTHER BRITNEY QUESTION: The last time she was pregnant, at a movie premiere she wore a shirt which said _________ with an arrow pointing to her stomach
A) "I Have the Golden Ticket"
B) "Oh, Baby Baby"
C) "Future Trailer Trash" (followed by a sound of a baby coughing)

6. With President Bush's approval rate continuing its decline, the _________ are poised to take back Capitol Hill in November's election
A) Democrats
B) Republicans
C) People who've haven't watched anything on NBC

7. Instead of food and other necessities, diamonds, vacations, and even "Girls Gone Wild" videos were spent using debit cards provided by _________ for the Hurricane Katrina victims
A) FEMA
B) American Red Cross
C) Online child predators looking for underage sex and then get busted by "Dateline NBC"

8. In March, John Leguizamo visited Fairbanks to help open a kids' ice park devoted to ________
A) "Ice Age: The Meltdown"
B) "Cars"
C) Any film besides "Basic Instinct 2" that's not bound to
suck at the box office

9. This fall, The WB and UPN will be ceasing to become ________
A) The CW
B) My Network TV
C) A network determined to bury NBC to fifth place

10. Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt gave birth to Shiloh Jolie-Pitt in _________
A) Namibia
B) South Africa
C) Some African country we don't even give a damn about

11. James Frey wrote "A Million Little _______", but then admitted he fabricated it all up
A) Pieces
B) Stories
C) Lies That Would Make Oprah Tear Out Her Hair and Scold Him in Disgust, Just Like I Did With Two Of My Classmates Who Didn't Stick Around for John Leguizamo When He Visited Fairbanks In March!!!

Happy 4th of July, everybody!

56 MINUTES!!!

No, it's not a new "60 Minutes" spinoff, that was my finish time from last night's Midnight Sun Run! I said my goal was to complete the race between 45 minutes to an hour, and I met it when I crossed the finish line at Pioneer Park in 56 minutes; don't know how many seconds. Great job for a first race.

But as to who really beat me to the finish? For the men, it was defending champion Mike Kramer at 32 minutes, 48.9 seconds, followed by Fairbanks Daily News-Miner (main sponsor of the race) sportswriter Matias Saari at 33:06 even. Kevin Brinegar (33:33.1), David Dyer (33:48.5), and Ben Nelson (35:30) rounded out the top five.

Crystal Pitney dominated the women's field once again, finishing at 39:28.4, with Laura Johnson (41:02.6) coming in second. Maggie Callahan and Maria Bray took third and fourth respectively; their finish times and all others -- including mine -- will be in next Sunday's News-Miner.

Of course, there was a slew of activity at the starting line. This year's cavalcade of costumes ranged from the "Three Blind Mice", to a runaway bride, three young ladies with tattered dresses attending the Worst Prom Ever, a couple Playboy Bunnies, Britney Spears (probably fresh off that horrible Matt Lauer interview), a lady dressed as a snowflake, the Couch Potatoes, a couple from "The Da Vinci Code"...and of course, that guy I was talking about last time who always go all out in those elaborate costumes year after year; this time, he was a mythical tattered bird.

The Sun Run is fast already becoming a national (with over 30 states represented) and now worldwide event. Making up the international contigent were a group of 29 elderly men from Piacenza, Italy, and ten Marines from Japan.

At 10:00pm, the cannon was fired and the race was underway. As usual, I had a smooth start weaving past the other runners, and I never even thought of turning my back. While many runners had on their iPods to entertain and motivate themselves during the 6.2 mile route, I motivated myself by breathing in and out with my nose.

Alternating between walking and running (and downing cup after cup of water), things really began to pick up halfway through the race, as it made its way through Riverside Drive where there were cheering parties galore; there was even LIVE MUSIC at one tiny section!

There weren't any "GO, JONATHAN!" signs for me as expected, but I quickly spotted former car dealer Robby Giinther at his cheering squad. Across the street, a couple cups of Gatorade were standing by as we were nearing past Peger Road, and I took one.

When I saw the six mile marker at Pioneer Park, I knew this was the time to make my final push to the finish line just .2 away. It must be the Gatorade, because after 56 minutes, I finally finished my first Midnight Sun Run as a runner.

There was plenty of fruit and water available for us at the finish, sort of like you win the Indianapolis 500 and get that congratulatory bottle of milk at the winners' circle. But perhaps the biggest surprise was that my good friend Curtis Thomas crossed the finish line a half hour after me...AND I DIDN'T KNOW HE WAS RUNNING!!!

Unfortunately, I didn't stay around to see if that guy in the huge mythical bird costume finished; I'm sure he did after midnight.

But like I said...finshing at four minutes to the hour was pretty good the first time out; next year, I'll try to hopefully do a little better. I promise not to be like Mike Kramer and finish much faster, but improve myself at every mile...and every cup of water available to rehydrate myself...and every cheering section I see.

This, my friends, is what the Midnight Sun Run -- Fairbanks' Amazing Race -- is all about. So long!

GETTING READY FOR FAIRBANKS' AMAZING RACE

Hello, everybody. In 1995, Oprah Winfrey launched a month-long "Get Movin' With Oprah" spring training campaign on her show to get America in shape and lose weight for the summer with a regimen that included walking two to four miles and cutting fat out of their meals. Looking back, it was ridiculous because it seemed to be more like a women's thing. At least one little boy did give up candy during that campaign.

Now all this week, I have been getting in shape and cutting fat out of my meals, and for good reason: Twelve years after taking track once at West Valley High, I will finally be running in the Midnight Sun Run tomorrow night (Saturday) here in Fairbanks! In other words, I will be both running and walking, and my intention is to finish in between 45 minutes to an hour. The far more serious runners tend to finish around half an hour into the race, and I'm not one of those.

The Midnight Sun Run is a 10-kilometer, 6.2 mile race that starts at the UAF Patty Center and ends at Pioneer Park. This is sort of like Alaska's version of the Boston or New York City marathons, but it's more than that.

Bunches of participants get dolled up in costumes, making the race turn into a Halloween party or "Let's Make A Deal" (sans Monty Hall). Also, there are pre- and post-race festivities at the start and finish respectively, with a costume parade and Jazzercise warming up the runners before the race gets underway at 10:00pm. I will be warming up and stretching in the back away from Jazzercise by the way.

Speaking of costumes, one guy named Shawn usually goes all out every Sun Run with the most elaborate ones possible. One year he was dressed head to toe in a suit made of steamer baskets; the following year, a macrame suit; and another, dressed as a phoenix. Last year's race was all wet, but when he spotted me a few days later he told me his costume was a chicken-bird hybrid or something. We'll see what he has in store tomorrow night.

By the way...I'm bib number 898, and I'm expecting a lot of cheering on for me all throughout the race. So if you're reading this blog, make sure you have some "GO, JONATHAN!" signs ready to be waved because...well, I do have a circle of famous friends here including Charles Fedullo (of course), Curtis Thomas, Glenner and Jerry, and others; they have known and recognized me and for years.

The 2006 Midnight Sun Run is one of the biggest summer events of the year here, and this is one "Amazing Race" I would rather run. And trust me...rain or shine (though showers are expected tomorrow), I will not tire or fail. Of course I'll have a complete recap of all of this on Monday, so until then...

SEE YOU AT THE STARTING LINE!!!

Yes, remember that? On the old "Allen Report" site, this was the title of my weekend commentaries, though it started as "A Few Paragraphs from Jonathan Allen" from August-November 1998 and then "The Bottom Line" till the revamping in September 1999.

Since the only interesting things that were newsworthy this week were Brad and Angelina's new baby girl and Katie Couric kissing "Today" goodbye, I've decided dig through the archives (yes, I do keep all of the "NewsBeats" and "Plain Truths" dating back to October 2000; those prior to that -- including one from 1999 about the corporate renaming of event venues -- are gone forever) to bring you a couple of my greatest commentaries from "Plain Truth." The first one from March 13-14, 2004 was about how doing a lot of stuff while driving -- including talking on cell phones -- have become a lot distracting:

In the old days, the only thing worth doing while driving our vehicles is fiddling with the radio. Now, doing things while trying to keep our eyes on the road is becoming a nuisance.

Cell phones have of course started all this. 20 years ago when the first ones were introduced, they were expensive and the size of a brick. Nowadays, what they used to be luxuries are now considered vital, and the continuing growth of them worldwide have left payphones gathering dust for years.

But on cars meanwhile, it's really hard trying to get a call while driving, and too much talking may lead to life-threatening accidents. New York may be the only state with a permanent ban on cell use while driving, but Alaska and California (especially in Los Angeles, the freeway capital of the world) are among several states without a ban; others have partial bans. Around the world, many countries including Australia and those in Europe, Asia, the Middle East, Africa, and South America all have bans while in Canada, it varies.

Another thing we do on the road is eating. Then again, that's why we have rest areas along the interstates for! And now, we could watch TV or DVDs as well, and that is starting to irritate me. During our first and only road trip to the Lower 48 in 1988, the only thing I did on the road was schoolwork. Yes, I took some of my classes along with me, with a piece of paper detailing all the assignments I had to do.

I don't think these annoyances will go away anytime soon, especially the cell phone one. But if I would ever start learning to drive and later get a car, the only thing I would be doing would be -- what else -- listening to the radio!

Last summer during my two-week vacation in the South, I went on a Greyhound bus from Winston-Salem to Atlanta (though we had to change buses in Charlotte), and believe me...in an age when we can entertain ourselves with portable DVD players and iPods, the buses need a slight extreme makeover by putting in power supply outlets in every seat. It has happened on most new cars/vans/SUVs, why not Greyhound buses and planes (on domestic flights)?

On September 27-28, 2003, I commented on the excessive coloring of soft drinks. Due to the deaths of John Ritter and Johnny Cash a couple weeks earlier, I postponed it until later:

Sodas have been experimenting with different flavors for years and years now. Other than the regular cola flavors, we have vanilla, cherry, and lemon.

First, Pepsi. They started all this in 1975 when they came out with lemon-flavored Pepsi Light, followed by the "Wild Ones" line in 1991. Then there was Crystal Pepsi the following year. I tried it at one of their test markets in Denver while living in South Dakota, and when it became widely available months later reaction was mixed. Even "Saturday Night Live" spoofed it with Crystal Gravy, making Crystal Pepsi a laughingstock. The pain ended after a year.

Pepsi One came and went in the mid-'90s, featuring two people who really couldn't peddle soda too well: Oscar winner Cuba Gooding Jr. and later nutcase comedian Tom Green, whose late night show on MTV was canceled recently.

A couple of years ago, they debuted Pepsi Twist with a lemony flavor, followed later by Pepsi Blue and now Pepsi Vanilla.

As far as Coca-Cola is concerned? Well, we all remember New Coke being the "Gigli" of 1985, but Coke did clean up their act by introducing Cherry Coke thereafter. It was way more successful.

Coke resumed experimenting last year with Vanilla Coke. If you thought Cuba's Pepsi One ads were mute-button worthy, they were nothing compared to Chazz Palminteri hawking Vanilla Coke. I tried it once and it tasted more like cream soda than your usual Coke.

7up on the other hand came out with dnL several months ago, while Mountain Dew has Code Red and Livewire (the latter was a temporary thing), and Dr Pepper with Red Fusion.

In our household, we stopped drinking Coke and Pepsi altogether (unless at fast food restaurants) and now buy store brands without all the vanilla/colored/lemon junk. Generally, I drink water or Gatorade most of the time.

But for the last two decades, we have seen soft drinks colored themselves red, white, blue, green, and orange. I wouldn't be surprised if they come out with urine-flavored Coke; it would be the nastiest drink in history.

Several months ago, 7up launched 7up Plus with calcium and Vitamin C and its commercial starred "Desperate Housewives'" Marcia Cross and Nicollette Sheridan. In 2002, they had 7up Mint for Saudi Arabia; it was discontinued after a year because it tasted more like Scope mouthwash than soda. Cherry Vanilla Dr Pepper came out in 2004, the same year their Red Fusion was discontinued for the new drink.

As for Mountain Dew? After Code Red and Livewire, the experimenting continued with Pitch Black, Baja Blast (a Taco Bell-only flavor), Darth Dew (a 7-Eleven Slurpee flavor to coincide with the release of "Star Wars Episode III"), Pitch Black II, and MDX.

And just recently, Coca-Cola introduced a coffee-flavored version, Coca-Cola Blak. Actually, it debuted in France before making its way to the United States. Now I don't drink coffee (I'm into tea or hot chocolate), but I'm sure it tastes kinda nasty.

Anyway...that's our first trip down "Plain Truth" lane for now. Hope something better comes my way to talk about next time, so long!