We'll continue with the Year In Review in a bit, but first, the very latest on the suicide attack that killed Benazir Bhutto earlier today in Pakistan.

As I broke it to you this morning, the former Pakistani Prime Minister and opposition leader was shot twice in the neck and chest and undergone emergency surgery before she died at 6:16 p.m. local time (4:16 a.m. Alaska Time). Riots across Pakistan immediately broke out upon news of her death, and her body was flown to Sindh for burial on Friday.

Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf condemned the attacks; three days of mourning are in effect with schools, businesses, and banks closed. However, rival and fellow former PM Nawaz Sharif says his party is boycotting the upcoming elections on January 8 and is calling for Musharraf's resignation. Meanwhile, the worldwide reaction was quick, with President Bush offering his condolences to the whole country and United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon saying he was "shocked and outraged" by Bhutto's assassination. Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper called it "an abhorrent act of terror" while it was "an attack against democracy and against Pakistan" according to European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso.

What does it all mean now? As we head into 2008, the stakes in the war on terror will be increased several notches. And I am pretty much fearing for the worst when Pakistan goes to the polls in a few weeks.

And shifting gears now to a far less different story than Bhutto...Actress Mischa Barton was arrested for DUI and drugs also early Thursday morning in Los Angeles before being released a few hours later. There's no need for me to post the mug shot here, but talk about another messed-up crackhead!

Anyway, with those out of the way, on to a much more lighter change of pace...

It has always become a year-end tradition since 1991 and online since seven years later. I present to you:

20 (and in her NINTH STRAIGHT APPEARANCE!!!). Britney Spears (I don't know why I've included her year after year after year since '99. Maybe Chris Crocker must've been hot for her after his "LEAVE BRITNEY ALONE!!!!!!!" video)

19. Lindsay Lohan (her recent film packed in only 20 people at the theaters; but after her rehab stints she's turning over a new leaf)

18. "Are You Smarter Than a Fifth-Grader?" (ask Miss Teen South Carolina Lauren Caitlin Upton)

17. Kristen Bell joining the cast of "Heroes" (thank the gods at still fourth-place NBC for putting her in a bikini in one of the episodes)

16. Justin Timberlake (no comment)

15. The New England Patriots' undefeated winning streak (don't worry, the Seahawks may whup them in Super Bowl XLII)

14. Sanjaya Malakar (the awful voice, the different hair-dos, his boyish-looks...Justin Guarini, watch out!)

13. "The Simpsons Movie" (and who says the movie version is better than the TV series?)

12. Marie Osmond collapsing on "Dancing With The Stars" (as did all 300 other Osmonds)

11. "Hannah Montana" (we already had someone similar years ago: Hilary Duff!)

10. "High School Musical 2" (if Ashley Tisdale strips naked in "High School Musical 3" like Vanessa Hudgens did, I'm there!)

9. The iPhone (causing more traffic accidents than any cell phone/MP3 player hybrid)

8. TIE: "Knocked Up" (no, not the Katherine Heigl film, but Jamie Lynn Spears' pregnancy)/Paris Hilton in jail (wonder if her cellmates were "hot" for her)

7. "The Sopranos" finale (after that, men did a different kind of whacking, but to pics of Jamie-Lynn Sigler)

6. Carrie Underwood (forget "American Idol", she's a "Country Idol")

5. The Beckhams now in America (aka Britsh Invasion 21st Century style)

4. The Anna Nicole Smith baby daddy drama (it would've been better if Maury Povich handled it instead of that Judge Judy wannabe)

3. Idaho Senator Larry Craig (just imagine if the person in that restroom stall was Chris Hansen of "Dateline")

2. The writer's strike (which is leaving our late nighters dry of jokes and us racking our brains thinking of any jokes)

And the #1 thing that was abuzz in 2007 and will still be in 2008...

1. The presidential campaign underway one year early (and every candidate with their own master plan to forget what Bush did these last eight years!)

Tomorrow, the "Year In Review" continues with Fill In The Blank quiz. I may have to think of those questions right on the fly.

BREAKING NEWS: Ex-Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto assassinated

Former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, who served from 1988-90 and again from 1993-96 and was educated at Oxford and Harvard universities, was assassinated today in a suicide attack in Rawalpindi, Pakistan as well as 20 others during a campaign rally.

According to her security adviser Rehman Malik, Bhutto was shot twice in the neck and chest by the attacker, who later blew himself up. She was immediately rushed into the hospital where she would be pronounced dead at 6:16 p.m. local time.

News of the assassination immediately sent shockwaves around the world. The U.S. State Department as well as British, Russian, and French governments all condemned the attack while President Bush in his Crawford, Texas ranch was informed about it and will address the situation later this morning.

Once again, former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto assassinated today in a suicide attack nearly eight miles south of Islamabad. More developments later to come.

From very brief jailtimes for Lindsay Lohan and Nicole Richie, to the misadventures of Paris and Britney, to the end of a hit show leaving us in blackout, to the "High School Musical"/"Hannah Montana" craze (the former nearly tarnished by scandal), to "Spider-Man 3" and "The Simpsons Movie" raking in the "d'oh", and to the latest writers' strike that had us cracking our own jokes on the news during late night; 2007 in the world of entertainment made us want to go to rehab following all these but we said "no, no, no!"

After six straight losses, the 79th Annual Academy Awards was culminated with Martin Scorsese finally bagging the Best Director prize for "The Departed"; the film picked up three more awards including Best Picture of 2006 while lead and supporting acting honors went to Forrest Whitaker/Helen Mirren and Alan Arkin/Jennifer Hudson.

The much-anticipated series finale of "The Sopranos" may have left us in the dark, but its light was shone when it took Best Drama at the 59th Primetime Emmy Awards; Tina Fey's "30 Rock" was honored with Best Comedy while "The Daily Show" and "The Amazing Race" both extended their streak to 5-0. But it was the Fox censors blacking out Katherine Heigl and Sally Field that had all of us heading to YouTube to see and hear what they really mouthed off.

"Heroes" may have left the Emmys empty-handed, but its second season with the addition of Kristen Bell ("Veronica Mars" herself) attracted millions of us to the show...for at least eleven episodes during its second season; it would end prematurely due to the writers' strike, which I'll get to later. Now the show's tagline may be "Save the Cheerleader, Save the World"; but in the case of star Hayden Panettiere, she tried to replace "Cheerleader" with "Dolphins" by attempting to stop the annual dolphin hunt in Japan with a group of surfers. It failed, and the sight of Hayden back on the shore bawling would be seen around the world.

But "American Idol" remained the top remote-stopper, with Sanjaya Malakar's reign of terror and a "What if?" duet between Celine Dion and Elvis Presley as the top highlights and Jordin Sparks out-singing them all in the end; Fox also had another runaway hit with "Are You Smarter Than a Fifth-Grader?". ABC's "Dancing With The Stars" had its own share of drama, brought to us by Marie Osmond with her collapse and the death of her father. And still number-one CBS had another controversial reality hit on their hands with "Kid Nation", while the still unwatchable My Network TV relied on cheaply produced shows to save themselves from extinction.

The biggest TV stories of the year belonged to the Disney Channel, as "High School Musical 2" was the all-time cable ratings grabber with 17.2 million viewers...until it was recently eclipsed by the 17.5 million that tuned in for the New England Patriots-Baltimore Ravens on ESPN's "Monday Night Football" (go figure; they're both owned by the same company). But the franchise was briefly marred by scandal as nude photos of star Vanessa Hudgens taken a few years ago were the hit of the Internet, and Hudgens would take the brunt of scrutiny as she had to regret all that.

"Hannah Montana" was also another hit for Disney, with Miley Cyrus picking up where her once-famous dad Billy Ray left off. And when news of her first tour broke, fans' parents were doing anything they can -- and I mean anything -- to get ahold of any good tickets left. Maybe it's because it the reunion tours of The Police and the Spice Girls were sold out within minutes. And speaking of the Spice Girls, it was Victoria Beckham who got all the attention with a reality TV special and a steamy photo shoot with David in "W" magazine.

And oh yeah...Bob Barker called it a career after 50 years; 35 of them were spent on "The Price Is Right." The extensive search for his successor ended when Drew Carey signed on the dotted line. And being a longtime viewer for years and years and years, I think he literally feels right at home there.

Since I didn't cover this in the news section, Al Gore had a pretty good year himself with his "An Inconvenient Truth" claiming the Documentary Feature and Best Song Oscars, his series of Live Earth concerts around the world, and to cap it all off...the Nobel Peace Prize.

In movies, "Spider-Man 3" was the new opening weekend record holder, while "The Simpsons Movie" proved that fans still love the franchise after 20 years. "The Bourne Ultimatum", "Transformers", "Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End", "Hairspray", "300", "Wild Hogs", "Shrek the Third", "Ratatouille", and "American Gangster" were all supergood, while "I Know Who Killed Me", "Good Luck Chuck", and "Norbit" were, well...superbad!

Music wise, Sparks winning "Idol" didn't translate to success as her debut album tanked; we were better off watching Carrie Underwood continue to fill up her mantle with award (Best New Artist plus two more at the Grammys) after award (three Academy of Country Music awards) after award (two CMA awards) after award (three American Music Awards)! Justin Timberlake, Beyonce, and Rihanna continued to scorch up the charts; Amy Winehouse did an anthem about rehab; and it was Kanye West vs. 50 Cent round two, in which Kanye won.

Scandals, nuptials, and splits were of course the talk of 2007. Rosie O'Donnell and Elisabeth Hasselbeck really heated up "The View" when the two exchanged verbal blows about the war in Iraq; immediately thereafter, Rosie quit and Whoopi Goldberg took her spot. Videos of a drunken, shirtless David Hasselhoff struggling to eat a cheeseburger and Miss Teen South Carolina Lauren Caitlin Upton's bone-headed answer about why a fifth of us can't find the U.S. on a world map literally burned up YouTube. Though not also covered in the news part, there was Idaho Senator Larry Craig's adventures at a Minneapolis airport restroom with another man. And just recently, "Boy Meets World" hottie Danielle Fishel was arrested for DUI. Imagine what her mugshot is going to be!

In couples, the year's "I Do's" included Eva Longoria and Tony Parker, Rebecca Romijn and Jerry O'Connell, Katherine Heigl and Josh Kelley (who'll be married by the time this blog gets published), Elizabeth Hurley and Arun Nayar, Usher and Tameka Foster, Pamela Anderson and Rick Salomon (the two would be divorced sixty-odd days later, but they had second thoughts), and Kate Walsh and Alex Young. As for hook-ups, Reese Witherspoon and Jake Gyllenhaal were the hottest couple; the Oscar winner and the "Brokeback Mountain" hunk found love while filming "Rendition." The film may have flopped, but there were lots of sparks flying between the two after the director said "That's a wrap!"

Meanwhile, it was over for Cameron Diaz and Justin Timberlake, Kate Hudson and Owen Wilson, Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams, Heath Ledger and Michelle Williams, and Drew Barrymore and Fabrizio Moretti.

And then, there are Lindsay Lohan, Paris Hilton, and Nicole Richie. We start with Hilton, as the image of her in tears after being hauled to a police car bound for jail would be front page news for the papers...and a gold mine for the late night jokesters. Her ordeal ended after only a few weeks. Lohan's 2007 started with a visit to rehab in January, then two DUI arrests later in the year with two more stints in rehab. In mid-November, she did go to jail...but for only over an hour. And Richie too spent time in jail, but only for 82 minutes in July for her 2006 DUI arrest. At the same time, she announced she's expecting a little bundle of joy with boyfriend Joel Madden.

Richie's not alone; others who have buns in the oven include Halle Berry, Christina Aguilera, and Jessica Alba.

Of course, the year's drama queen was still Britney Spears. From shaving her head bald after a day-long stay in rehab (followed by going gung ho on the paparazzi with an umbrella as a weapon), to a nasty custody battle, all the way down to flaunting her portly figure during her disastrous performance at the MTV Video Music Awards (though her album "Blackout" did get favorable reviews and sales), we tried so hard not to follow her move every step of the way. And to rub salt in the would even further...little sister Jamie Lynn is now pregnant!!!

In the end, the year's biggest entertainment story that'll continue through 2008 is the ongoing writer's strike, as compensation over new media as well as an increase in residuals from DVD sales are the main focus. So far, two series of talks fell through and many of our favorite shows have shut down production. Even the late night shows felt the pinch, and we had to crack our own jokes on current event without their help. But recently, Jay Leno and Conan O'Brien said they will be back on in January minus the writers, while David Letterman's show will return to full strength (i.e., with his writers) also in the new year. As for the major awards shows like the Golden Globes and Academy Awards: Jon Stewart may have been tapped to host the latter, but the stars may or may not walk the red carpet at both; the Grammys appear to be strike-free as it is a music awards show.

When we head to 2008, will we see an end to the strike; dunno if it'll last longer than the 1988 one? Will Jamie Lynn Spears not follow in her big sister's footsteps when it comes to caring for her new baby? And will Oprah Winfrey on Barack Obama's side pay off during the presidential campaign. We'll have the answers to those questions and others more then.

The "Year in Review" continues tomorrow with the Top 20 Things That Were Abuzz in 2007!

The AllenBlog's
It was the year when the death of a blonde bombshell would lead to a paternity battle too hot for Maury Povich.

The year when a 400-plus page report would blow the lid off the great American pastime as to who got juiced.

The year when the "What happens in Vegas..." term didn't apply to O.J. Simpson this time around.

The year when over 30 people were gunned down to death in the bloodiest school massacre since Columbine.

The year when the sequels to "Spider-Man", "Shrek the Third", and "Pirates of the Caribbean" hit pay dirt, while "Norbit" and two Lindsay Lohan films (and her in general) hit rock bottom.

The year when a beauty queen gave "dumb blonde" a whole new meaning.

The year when America got knocked up...or in that case, the sister of a one-time teen pop queen. And speaking of which, the year when her reputation would be put on the line with a new album.

The year when the Presidential campaign would prematurely get into overdrive, with a former President on one candidate's side and a talk show icon on the other.

And it was the year when there were two different blackouts: The "Sopranos" ending and the writer's strike.

That year was 2007.
Join the AllenBlog as we take a look back at yet another tide-turning year.

The 2008 election underway...deadly mass shootings in Virginia and Nebraska...attempts to pull our troops out of Iraq as more of them die...a scathing name-dropping report that lists which baseball stars were juiced...and a mortgage crisis sending the stock market into a free-fall...you can't script all these in 2007; they were happening right before our eyes.

We began with a fond farewell to the last major person to die in 2006, as former President Gerald Ford was laid to rest in his home state of Michigan. Days after Nancy Pelosi took over the gavel as the Speaker of the House, a series of devastating storms including Hurricane Kyrill takes many lives in Europe. Microsoft's Windows Vista is unleashed to the public, while a winter tornado kills 20 in Florida.

In college football, it was the Florida Gators over Ohio State in the national championship game, while on the pro side at Super Bowl XLI, the Indianapolis Colts shuffled over the Chicago Bears. Kevin Harvick may have taken the checkered flag at the Daytona 500, but perhaps the biggest winter sports story of the year belonged to David Beckham; he announced he was taking his act to this side of the pond with the L.A. Galaxy. We'll get to wife Victoria in the Year in Entertainment.

The Chinese Correction in February caused stock markets worldwide to plummet, while a suicide attack at a military air base where Vice President Dick Cheney visited killed 23. And Illinois Sen. Barack Obama announced he's in as far as the 2008 election is concerned, but I'll have more on that later.

Lance Mackey overcame cancer and became the first dog musher to clinch both the Yukon Quest and Iditarod races in the same year; Florida remained the men's NCAA basketball champions while Tennessee claimed the women's crown; at the Masters, Zack Johnson out-putted all others to wear his first green jacket; and at a rain-shortened Indianapolis 500, Dario Franchitti got his first swig at the congratulatory bottle of milk. Too bad he didn't share it with Ashley Judd; if she chugged it down the photos would be all over the papers and Internet.

Mass murders once again were in the headlines, from five people killed at a Utah mall in January to recently in Nebraska at eight slain followed by the gunman. But the Virginia Tech massacre in April was the worst of them all, with Seung-Hi Cho pulling the trigger on 32 people and later himself, making it the deadliest school shooting in U.S. history since Columbine in 1999.

In May, a deadly tornado wipes out nearly the entire town of Greensburg, Kansas, while four people were charged in a terrorist attempt to blow up JFK Airport in New York. On the sports side, the Anaheim Ducks cop the Stanley Cup; San Antonio claims another NBA championship; and one of the tragic stories of the year took a gruesome twist as WWE wrestler Chris Benoit and family were found dead by murder-suicide. Also, Tony Blair passes the torch after ten years as British Prime Minister to Gordon Brown while a massive heatwave crippling Greece and claiming 11 lives leads to a series of wildfires ablaze around the country.

Several floods break out through Great Britain in July, while in Phoenix, two TV news choppers collided in mid-air killing both crews. 13 people were killed after the Interstate 35W Mississippi River Bridge in Minneapolis collapses; another collapse happened at the Crandall Canyon Mine in Utah, trapping six miners. That would be followed by yet another bridge collapse, this time in China with 22 lives lost and almost 40 missing.

The Dow Jones market had quite a wild 2007, starting with their first close above 13,000, followed by hitting the 14,000 mark. But it would all come to ahead later in the year, as the mortgage crisis would send the numbers tumbling up and down in the weeks to come. Guess my hard drive wasn't the only thing that crashed!

Over 500 were perished as a result of an 8.0 earthquake in Peru, while Hurricanes Dean and Felix take over Mexico and Central America respectively. In October, former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto returns to her native homeland, only to be met by a suicide bombing killing 136; thankfully, Bhutto was unharmed. And back in the States, wildfires all over Southern California destroyed over 1,600 homes and evacuated over a million people.

Two minor sports scandals made headlines in the fall. Marion Jones had to relinquish all five of her Olympic medals she won in 2000 after admitting she took steroids. And Floyd Landis was stripped of his 2006 Tour de France title after tests revealed he was doping; Spain's Oscar Pereiro was the official champion (This year's was Alberto Contador, also from Spain).

But the biggest ones belonged to Michael Vick and O.J. Simpson. First, Vick: The Atlanta Falcons quarterback was indicted for running a dog fighting ring in Virginia and would be sentenced to almost two years in prison. And in September, Simpson would be charged in a robbery attempt in Las Vegas and will be facing trial yet again next spring.

And there was baseball in 2007, from Barry Bonds breaking Hank Aaron's home-run record to the Boston Red Sox sweeping yet another World Series over the Colorado Rockies. However, the sport's biggest story was in the off-season, as former U.S. Senator George Mitchell released a 409-page report that blew the whistle on former and current Major League Baseball players who allegedly used steroids in their careers. Among the famous names listed: Roger Clemens, Andy Pettite, Eric Gagne, and the biggest surprise of all...Barry Bonds.

So, what was 2007's biggest story that will continue to roll over to 2008? The premature kickoff to the presidential campaign, with showdowns between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama on the Democratic side and Rudy Giuliani and Mitt Romney on the Republicans. And this time around, there's backup, with former President Bill Clinton stumping for his wife and talk show icon Oprah Winfrey on the Obama bandwagon.

Some of the faces we've said goodbye to in 2007 included: Art Buchwald, Norman Mailer, Merv Griffin, Richard Jeni, Tom Poston, Wally Schirra, Charles Nelson Reilly, Jerry Falwell, former women's professional wrestlers Sherri Martel and Lillian "The Fabulous Moolah" Ellison, Joel Siegel, Tammy Faye Messner, newscaster Hal Fishman, television pioneers Augie Hiebert and Roger King, Leona Helmsley, Jane Wyman, Luciano Pavarotti, Joey Bishop, Evel Knievel, Benny Parsons, professional wrestlers Bam Bam Bigelow, Brian Adams, and Arnold Skaaland (Chris Benoit was already covered); Calvert DeForest (Larry "Bud" Melman), Kurt Vonnegut, Don Ho, former Russian president Boris Yeltsin, Kurt Waldheim, Liz Claiborne, former First Lady Lady Bird Johnson, Beverly Sills, Phil Rizzuto, Sidney Sheldon, Yvonne De Carlo, jazz musician Oscar Peterson, and the one death which continued to make news just weeks after and making us all sick...Anna Nicole Smith.

Other than the election, what else will 2008 bring in store for us? Pope Benedict XVI's first U.S. trip is one of them, plus we've got the Summer Olympics in Beijing. And it will be an end of both eras for the New York Mets and Yankees, as their last games will be played at Shea Stadium and Yankee Stadium respectively...unless one of both teams make the playoffs and/or the World Series. But like I said in the first paragraph, there'll be no scripting in what will transpire in the new year; all we have to do is see for ourselves.

Tomorrow as the Year in Review continues, a look back at the biggest entertainment and celebrity stories of 2007.

Hello, everybody. We're into the holidays and there's lots of ground to cover as always, so on to it.

First up...the latest on the writers' strike, and it appears it ain't going to be a very Merry Christmas after all as the latest talks which resumed after Thanksgiving fell through again. But on the upside of things, Jay Leno has been plundering through his "Tonight Show" vaults and airing assorted old episodes from the days when Edd Hall was the announcer, Branford Marsalis was bandleader, and Kevin Eubanks had something on his head: HAIR! Oh, those were the days.

Conan O'Brien meanwhile is also enjoying plenty of free time during the strike; he even sported what he calls a "strike beard". And I don't know how the other late night hosts have been holding up; but I'm sure they've been out and about in the stores and malls on their holiday shopping with the money they've made.

But because of the strike, we've been deprived of jokes about what's in the news as of late, including the CIA admitting in 2005 they destroyed videotapes of interrogations made in 2002 of two al-Qadea suspects. 2005? I'm thinking they've taped over those interrogations with episodes of "Desperate Housewives."

Here at home, a series of wolf attacks outside Fairbanks have been making news. I tell you, those are the kind of predators we'd rather keep an eye out for instead for the ones we usually see on "Dateline."

Now you know of the transatlantic TV show "How Clean Is Your House?", in which two English grannies scour through the nastiest, filthiest homes known to mankind and afterwards, briefs the residents on what they saw (and smelled) and orders them to clean house? Well, for one complex of buildings in Fairbanks, a good name for it should be "How Clean (and Old) Is Your Apartment?", and here's why:

For weeks, there has been talk about whether or not the Fairview Manor apartments on Airport Way -- which have been around since the '50s -- should be demolished to make way for a more modern apartment building in its place. On November 7, the Daily News-Miner ran an editorial saying they should...and days later, I wrote a "Letter to the Editor" in agreeance:

To the editor:

In response to your Nov. 7 editorial about Fairview Manor, I agree that it should be demolished, imploded, whatever to keep Fairbanks fresh.

Here's why: Sure, they've been around since the 1950s but as Fairbanks would grow and prosper in the decades since, the buildings would become a total eyesore both inside and out. From the torn carpets to little or no air conditioning/heat in some apartments to even the 1997 fire, I have no idea why they've managed to last so long in the face of modern and more energy-efficient apartment buildings springing up all over town.

I hope the Fairbanks City Council does the right thing and sees that that decrepit complex known as Fairview Manor should be done away with forever. And if they finally start the demolition, it would get more news here than that ongoing writers' strike in Hollywood.

Fairview Manor has remained the same for over 50 years, going back to when they were Army housing on the old Weeks Field. But now, the time should come to be given its last rites, because when I first lived in Fairbanks for a time in 1983, again from 1985-89, and since moving back for good in 1992, they've always stood there! Now that Fairbanks has a new city mayor (Terry Strle), it's time for them to step up their game face and do something about those old buildings...before the "How Clean Is Your House?" grannies make the long trip to England and shows the City Council what "spring cleaning" is really all about!

And before I go...a sign that we're nearing the end of 2007 is that soon, I'll be working on my special series of blogs recapping the year, from the top news, sports, entertainment, and celebrity stories to my Top 20 list on the things that were abuzz to new this year...the "Fill In The Blank" quiz. Yes, it's the AllenBlog's 2007 Year In Review, and you'll be seeing that here after Christmas. With that said, so long and stay strong!

Hello, everybody. It's almost the end of Week 1 of the writers' strike, and already, things have already gotten a bit nasty as more shows are shutting down production.

What are they striking for, you ask? I forgot to mention that last blog, but compensation over new media such as webcasts and iTunes downloads as well as residuals from DVD sales are the reason why the picket lines continue to increase every day so far.

And it's not just the writers who are walking the lines; many stars of your favorite TV shows are stepping up the plate too. From the casts of ABC hits "Desperate Housewives", "Grey's Anatomy", and "Ugly Betty", to late night jokester Jay Leno, to even Ray Romano and Patricia Heaton in a brief "Everybody Loves Raymond" reunion, they have been doing everything in their power to make sure the 2007 strike won't be like 1988's (when it lasted five months) all over again. But so far, no talks have been scheduled and the forecast may call for the strike to head into 2008. Looks like it ain't going to be a very happy holidays after all.

The strike has also had an impact on the other side of the coast; in New York, Robin Williams, Tim Robbins and Susan Sarandon, Julianne Moore, and Tina Fey are joining in.

But as we head into week two, a lot of shows have been shutting down production as a result. "24", "Back To You", "The Office", "Housewives", and "Grey's" are a growing number of them that have wrapped for the season with possibly more to come. Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson was supposed to host his third "Saturday Night Live" this weekend while his super-sexy "Southland Tales" co-star Sarah Michelle Gellar was due to appear on Letterman next week, but they'll have to do their promotions for the film somewhere else now (Ryan Seacrest's radio show?) as all the late night shows are relegated to reruns.

So, what now? Unlike the previous strikes I mentioned last time, we do have countless alternatives to tide us over this time around, from YouTube to our increasing DVD libraries. And while the writers and celebs continue to walk the picket lines, we'll be providing our own entertainment as well as cracking our own jokes of current events without the help of Leno, Letterman, Conan, SNL, or Jon Stewart. But if the strike goes on to New Year's Eve, it would be the picketers outnumbering the revelers in Times Square hoping and praying for a resolution.

Now...Britney Spears thought she had a #1 album with her make-or-break "Blackout"; but thanks to an eleventh-hour change by "Billboard" as well as the help of a certain retailer with a smiley face as their mascot, it's the Eagles who soared to the top of the charts.

The Eagles' "Long Road Out of Eden" with 711,000 copies eclipsed "Blackout" to #2 with 290,000, and it's all due in part to that album being an exclusive to Wal-Mart. Yes...WAL-MART!! To me, that's pretty much a slap in the face to those who think that Britney should've deserved the top spot after all.

Just another reason as we inch closer to the holiday shopping season that I don't trust Wal-Mart at all, even if it's on the other side of town with Fred Meyer (where I shop all the time) being close to my house. At least the $5 DVD bin is the only thing good about them; everything else is pure shit. And oh yeah...they may dispute this claim all they want, but "Blackout" is the real #1.

"Save Money, Live Better" as their new slogan? More like "Waste Money, Live Cheap!" And with that...so long and stay strong.

Prelude to a Strike?

Hello, everybody. There are three simple signs we're about to head into the homestretch of 2007: Fairbanks has went back to normal after hosting the Alaska Federation of Natives convention last week; the Boston Red Sox are once again the World Series champions after sweeping the Colorado Rockies off their feet...and Hollywood is about to go on strike.

Yes; as November sweeps get underway this week, the entertainment community is well on its way into going to strike mode as talks between two unions (the Writers Guild of America one of them) are falling through with their contracts about to expire. And this proves to be good news for the networks, as new shows like "Samantha Who?" and the "Bionic Woman" revival aren't pulling in viewers, and popular hits like "Grey's Anatomy", "House", and "CSI" are working feverishly to put their upcoming episodes in the can.

Reality shows will no doubt be affected, so expect the five-Emmy-winning "Amazing Race" to scoop up huge ratings when their new season begins next Sunday. And we dunno about how the late night shows will deal with another strike, but they might tough it out this time. Besides, the guests have projects to plug!

Now we're glad that it's the UNIONS -- not the networks -- that are going on strike, and it has been felt before in the past decades. In 1967, the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (AFTRA) went on strike, with CBS airing old drama anthologies in lieu of daytime soaps and some guy named Arnold Zenker playing the role of Walter Cronkite on the "CBS Evening News."

Twelve years later in 1979, British network ITV went into strike mode knocking them off the air for two months with the two BBC channels as the only television to watch; there no other alternatives as this was before cable. However, one of the ITV stations managed to stay on the air during the network-wide strike by airing anything they could find, like old movies, cartoons, even kinescoped reruns of some U.S. shows. But back in the States, 1980 was the biggie, lasting several months and delaying the start of the fall TV season till mid-season or so. Even the 32nd Annual Primetime Emmy Awards felt the pinch, with Dick Clark being one of the hosts and almost nobody in the audience.

Gilda Radner was scheduled to host the season finale of "Saturday Night Live", but the 1988 Writers Guild strike ended that season prematurely and the cancer would later spread to Gilda's body; she would die the following year. However, that strike would lead to a new show premiering on the fledging Fox network which is still on the air almost 20 years later: "COPS."

And now, we're in the midst of another strike. But even though they'll be on the picket lines, everything unlike 1988, 1980, or 1967 will be all right. It's just that Drew Carey may have to pump out his first "Price Is Right Million-Dollar Spectacular" as fast as he can!

With that said...so long, and stay strong.

The Natives invade Fairbanks...and we're ready!

Hello, everybody; I apologize for the lateness, but there was too much stuff going around me other than spending part of my Permanent Fund Dividend on a new camcorder (my third one, and it's DV) and other necessities.

Now, two years ago when we last hosted them, it was a huge success; and this year, we're doing it again. Yes, the Alaska Federation of Natives returns to Fairbanks this week for its 2007 convention at the Carlson Center, and all of Interior Alaska is once again rolling out the welcome mat for the 4,000 or so delegates and visitors from all over the state who are making landfall on the Golden Heart City.

As for the local businesses around town, you can expect them to be on their best behavior at least financially as millions of dollars will be pumped into the economy.

Of course, hosting big-name events in Fairbanks is not new. Pope John Paul II and President Ronald Reagan briefly met at Fairbanks International Airport in the spring of 1984, and it was worldwide news. The annual Top of the World college basketball tournament since 1996 has attracted seven of the best teams from around the country up here to face our Alaska Nanooks. The Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race made history when they had the 2003 restart at Pike's Landing (where I work). And of course, there was this guy named John Leguizamo...ah, you know.

And now, it's our second AFN convention. I don't know if any of the delegates have blogs like these, but if they're reading this one...I hope you enjoy your time here in Fairbanks. Now if I can find ways to say "So long, and stay strong" in one of our Alaska Native languages...

Breaking News: 2007 Alaska Permanent Fund Dividend announced!!!

Just moments ago, Governor Sarah Palin announced the amount of this year's Permanent Fund Dividend check; and ladies and gentlemen, here it is:

$1,654.00

That's $547.04 more from last year's payout of $1,106.96, and $113.12 more than the closest amount which was $1,540.88 in 1998. Those who've applied early will see their checks in their bank accounts on October 3 while direct deposits will be on October 17. Some who want their checks in the mail will have to wait a little longer starting on November 17.

Once again...$1,654.00 is the official amount of the 2007 Alaska Permanent Fund Dividend. So long, stay strong, and let the spending plans begin!

Going out with a Bada-Bang at the Emmys!

Hello, everybody. Just like "Everybody Loves Raymond" when it picked up its final awards shortly after the series ended, "The Sopranos" at the 59th Primetime Emmy Awards on Sunday picked up its last award for Best Drama just a few months after they ended. Tina Fey's "30 Rock" picked up Best Comedy honors.

On the acting side, Sally Field may have won Lead Actress-Drama for "Brothers and Sisters", but it was her anti-war remark during her speech that had the Fox censors in blackout mode. The same thing happened earlier in the show when Supporting Actress-Drama winner Katherine Heigl ("Grey's Anatomy") uttered "shit" when realizing she won. Other winners include America Ferrera (Lead Actress-Comedy), Jaime Pressly (Supporting Actesss-Comedy), James Spader (Lead Actress-Drama), Robert Duvall (Lead Actor-Miniseries/Movie), and the absent Ricky Gervais (Lead Actor-Comedy...in which "The Office's" Steve Carell accepted on his behalf in a mini-reunion with his old "Daily Show" buddies Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert!

Speaking of "TDS"...both that and "The Amazing Race" CANNOT BE STOPPED!!!! 5-0 now in their respective Variety/Music and Reality-Competition categories!!! But it was Tony Bennett who took the most haul with seven Emmys for his "An American Classic" special, and his duet with Christina Aguilera (who I think may be showing some kind of baby bump) was dynamite -- as was the "Sopranos" tribute with the entire cast in a final bow as well as the cast of "Roots" reuniting 30 years after the epic miniseries had all of America not moving a muscle for eight nights. And one person omitted from the "In Memoriam" montage was Augie Hiebert, who brought television to Alaska in the 1950's with its first stations in Anchorage and Fairbanks; he died last week at the age of 90.

However, the one real buzz on the red carpet prior to the show was the arrest of O.J. Simpson in Las Vegas for armed robbery. You can sure bet that it's worth a million more jokes to the late nighters, especially Conan O'Brien whose "Late Night" finally won the Variety Series Writing award! Oh yeah, there were the fashions, brought to us by Ferrera, Heidi Klum, Julia Louis-Dreyfus (Narcisco Rodriguez), Eva Longoria (Kaufman Franco), and Kristen Bell.

As for who dressed best? Well, she may have she also starred in "Knocked Up," but Katherine Heigl was a knockout in her white Zac Posen. The worst-dressed? I thought Hayden Panettiere was going to go all out, but she looked pregnant in her gown. But all the talk was about Heigl's "Grey's" co-star Ellen Pompeo's hair-do. Is she channeling her Amy Winehouse or something?

So the final scoreboard: HBO as usual took the most bounty with 21 awards, followed by NBC (19), ABC and CBS (10 apiece), PBS (9), and Fox (7).

Oh, a note to the Emmy producers: Even though he did great, don't make Ryan Seacrest host ever again! And bring back the traditional stage setup next year for your 60th show; this ain't the MTV awards!

Now that "Who's gonna win the Emmy?" has already been answered for the 59th time, the question is now, "How much free money will Alaska get this year?" On Wednesday afternoon at around 2:00 pm Alaska Time (all other time zones, you do the math), we will all find out as Governor Sarah Palin will announce the amount of the 2007 Alaska Permanent Fund Dividend to the world. Last year's check was $1,106.96, and I'm predicting this year's will be between $1,232.84 and $1,391.01. And just like last year, I will have the amount here on this blog the second it's official, so be watching.

And with that...so long and stay strong!

Britney Spears' career: 1999-2007

Hello, everybody. On Sunday, as the new NFL season got underway, we mourned the loss of a once popular career who died after her much anticipated "comeback performance". A career who once sold millions of albums and packed venues around the world and was on the minds of horny young boys long before Hayden Panettiere and the girls of "High School Musical" (especially Vanessa Hudgens after that nude photo scandal). And a career who hit the skids after marrying some loser who knocked her up not once, but twice. Sunday, we mourned the death of the career of Britney Jean Spears.

Yes, at Sunday night's MTV Video Music Awards in Las Vegas, Britney opened the show with her performance of her new single "Gimme More." Well, it was more like "Gimme the Remote", because it was more like a trainwreck than a comeback. Right from the first few seconds, everything fell out of place. Looking out of shape and out of practice, Britney stumbled several times; she even forgot the lip-sync. The audience at the Palms Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas -- where the awards were held -- were stonefaced at what has transpired.

Now this was a far cry from 2000, when her performance in a flesh-colored suit literally had the whole world talking (including yours truly in a "Plain Truth" on the old Allen Report)...or was I thinking of her liplock with Madonna three years later?

But Britney's disaster wasn't the only bad thing coming out of the VMA's. Pamela Anderson's exes, Tommy Lee and Kid Rock, exchanged fisticuffs off-camera while Alicia Keys performed; that video is on MTV.com.

But aside from the overall mess...it is an awards show, and there were moonmen to be handed out. Justin Timberlake collected the most with four including Male Artist of the Year (to go along with an Emmy he won at the Creative Arts awards for "Penis In A Box"; can't say the real title), while Video of the Year honors went to Rihanna's "Umbrella." And the only sensible performances of the night belonged to Alicia Keys and Chris Brown, who channeled his Michael Jackson.

Back in the day, it was the Video Music Awards that served as home to the most outrageous and once-in-a-lifetime moments you won't see on other awards shows. But in the last few years, ratings for the show (and MTV in general) have been dropping, and this year's was cut back from the usual three hours to two. It was way better when everything was all on one stage, but after what we've seen on Sunday, I've completely given up on the VMAs as I'm pushing 30. Let's hope that the Emmys next Sunday, even with Ryan Suckrest -- I mean, Seacrest -- as host, won't meet the same fate.

As for Britney now, whose much-anticipated return album drops in November? After what we've seen lately, this is one CD that won't be in my iPod (even if I decide to replace my current one with the 160-gig Classic that's now out) anytime soon! Is her career dead on arrival? Find out on November 13. I know I won't. So long and stay strong!

RATINGS UPDATE (9/12): Despite Britney's sluggish performance as well as the overall poor execution of the show, Sunday's VMAs drew 7.1 million viewers -- a 23% increase from last year. It was also the highest-rated cable program of the year in the 12-34 age group.

The beginning of the end for Michael Vick? Plus...why so many teenage men are hot for Michelle Pfeiffer

Hello, everybody. Today, Atlanta Falcons star Michael Vick pleaded guilty in a Richmond, Virgina courtroom over charges of dog fighting. As you already know, Vick has been suspended indefinitely from the Falcons as the new NFL football season is just weeks away.

For almost all the late night guys, it is perfect timing as they're back to work after two weeks of reruns, and you know they're going to come out swinging with Vick jokes left and right. But opinion wise, I have no respect for Vick whatsoever over the dog fighting investigation. Facing possible jail time, he'll be joining alongside Mike Tyson, Ben Johnson, Pete Rose and O.J. Simpson in the ranks of the most disgraceful athletes in North America. As for a second chance? I doubt it.

Last Sunday was the Teen Choice Awards, in which the big story remains "High School Musical 2." Hot off the heels of an all-time cable ratings record (17.24 million viewers, which is like the broadcast television equivalent of around 50 million viewers), it picked up surfboards for Choice TV Movie, Choice Male Hottie (Zac Efron, who I think is "Sexiest Man of 2007" material when that poll gets underway in November), and Choice Female Breakout Artist (Vanessa Hudgens).

Another winner from last night was "Hairspray" for Choice Summer Movie (Comedy/Musical), and speaking of which...last blog, I talked a whole lot about the return of one of its main stars, Michelle Pfeiffer, after a four-year break from movies and that it has generated a new bunch of younger fans who are tired of anything pertaining to Lindsay Lohan, Paris Hilton, or Britney Spears and wanted to see some old school talent. On the actress' IMDB board, I asked the question to teenage fans if they find Pfeiffer sexy now that she's back. The response was astounding; here's what they're saying:

"I'm turning 20 in a few months so I guess that's qualify me as a teenager. And yes, she sure is sexy. And at the age of 49 (how strange it sounds) she is still the most beautiful woman on the rock."

"I'm 19 and I think she's one of the hottest actresses of all time. I don't care that she's almost 50. I bet I'll still think she's hot 20 years from now."

"I'm not a teenager. I'm 28 years old but I find her very beautiful & damn sexy. It's not surprising to see all the younger men here have the hots for her."

"I'm 15... And was pissed when I learned she was married. Michelle Pfeiffer is -- and will be forever -- the most gorgeous woman on the face of the planet. In fact, I would say she's even more beautiful now than fifteen or twenty years ago."

"I'm 17, and I really think she's sexy."

"I'm 19 and I have a spank to her now and then" (Whoa, a bit too much information!)

"I've thought this for about 10 or 11 yrs. (I'm now 20). She is smokin!"

"I'm 19 going on 20 and I think she's one of the most beautiful women on the planet...she is HOT!"

"I'm a teenager - and even though she is older than my mother, I find her incredibly sexy. I always had a thing for older women though."

"I'm 19 and I've thought for years that she's smexxi (smokin' & sexy). I was surprised at how thin she was in Hairspray though."

"I'm 15, and yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. I saw Stardust and I was rooting for her to carve out that stars heart and eat it and be beautiful again! Which might not have been what the story was supposed to make you feel, but Michelle was so unspeakably beautiful when she turned young (which happened to be her real life beauty), that i had to root for her. And in hairspray, she looked amazing as well."

"I am absolutely in love with Michelle Pfeiffer and I am only 18!!! I love everything about her. Especially that Dark Ash Blonde Hair and those gorgeous blue eyes of hers. She also has a nice body!!!!"

"Yeah I'm 17 and I think she's even sexier these days than she was in the 90s."

"I'm not surprised that all you younger men find her attractive. She's so beautiful & yes, very sexy. Just watch Hairspray to see her beauty & how sexy & seductive she is."

"Lets put it this way...I'm 15 and completely find Michelle Pfeiffer sexy. Ever since I saw her in that catsuit [in Batman Returns]...DAMN!"

"I'm a teenage boy and I've loved her since i was 7. Batman Returns baby!"

"I'm 17 and I must say that Pfeiffer has aged unbelievably well. She is approaching fifty but she looks thirty, which is quiet a feat. And not only that, I also find her very attractive, especially keeping in mind her age. She is much more beautiful than today's "stars" like Paris Hilton etc. It makes me depressed to be living in such an artificial era where everything is fake and false. There is no class in today's young Hollywood unfortunately."

"I just finished 5th grade and was 11 going on 12 when Batman Returns came out and I agree. [Julianne] Moore, Pfeiffer, and others like them put the skanks around my age to shame and I'm not just talking about looks."

"Well, I'm a teenager. Fourteen to be exact. And i find Michelle Pfeiffer sexy. Oh btw. I'm a girl. AND I'm not a lesbian. I don't feel weird that I'm saying this. I'm a teen girl who finds a woman sexy. period. Michelle Pfeiffer is like a goddess. She gives the guys (AND girls) of any age the hots for her fully clothed or with just a stare. She can make a gay guy straight and a straight woman gay for all I know. And yes, I do agree with all the other posts here saying that she tops all the young stars of today. Stars like Lindsay and Paris have sex appeal that scream out "trashy" but with Michelle's .. I feel as if hers says "CLASSSSSY" and it is to be honest. Like Jonathan said, 'Pfeiffer's old school.'"

The feedback was so immense that I even tried to ask the same question on YouTube...but so far, nobody went on their webcams to state their case on Pfeiffer's sexiness. Maybe because this video from Friday's Miss Teen USA pageant is the talk of YouTube right now. I mean, talk about taking a page out of the old "Common Knowledge" skit from Saturday Night Live!

And as far as Sexiest Woman of 2007 is concerned...I broke the news on the newsgroups that Pfeiffer will be added to Round 3 along with the two 20 vote-getters from Round 2. And I have a good feeling that Pfeiffer is going to go all the way and hopefully win this year. By the way...you only have a few days left to vote in Round 2 because it ends on Labor Day, and then we'll find out which 20 will join La Pfeiffer as the second half of the annual poll gets underway in October. And make no mistake about it, folks: The battle for the top ten slots in the final round is going to be as brutal as ever!!!

Finally...because I babbled so much about Michelle Pfeiffer, I didn't get to offer my goodbye to Curtis Thomas, who has been a longtime friend of mine for give or take 20 years as well as a familiar face to the community. Thomas recently left Fairbanks after a few years at Aleyska Pipeline to take up a job at BP in Colorado, and when I heard about the news I thought to myself, "Oh no, he died?!" That would've been a more painful loss.

But yes, Curtis and I do go way back to when we first met at Barnette Elementary (now Barnette Magnet) School in 1987; I was in the third grade and Thomas was covering some wheelchair race at the school gym for KTVF Channel 11. He was at the station until the mid-'90s when, after doing video production work, he went to rival stations KFXF and KXD to anchor their news before joining Aleyska in 1999.

Last year, I outpaced him by half an hour in the Midnight Sun Run; and the last time we met was at the annual Golden Days parade in July in which he returned to his old stomping grounds at KTVF to work the camera.

Curtis Thomas may have left his home sweet home at the Golden Heart City for a new venture in Colorado, but don't be surprised if he returns here. If he does, it would be old times again. And Curtis, if you reading this blog (that is, if you didn't mind avoiding the Michelle Pfeiffer stuff), we hope you're having the best of luck so far in your new home.

And with that...so long and stay strong.

Merv Griffin remembered, and the return of a Pfavorite

Hello, everybody. After the losses of talk show host Tom Snyder and longtime Los Angeles newsman Hal Fishman in the last couple of weeks, it was entertainer and entrepreneur Merv Griffin who was the next to go on Sunday at 82 from prostate cancer.

Merv may have been known as a singer as well as a successful talk show host (in which he interviewed everybody from Martin Luther King to Robert Kennedy to rising comedians Jay Leno and Jerry Seinfeld), but it was his two game show creations -- "Wheel of Fortune" and "Jeopardy!" -- that made him a household name. His other television work included host of "Play Your Hunch" as well as producer of "Dance Fever" (aka "Dancing With The Amateurs") and "Click", which introduced America to a young Ryan Seacrest.

After Griffin sold the rights to "Wheel" and "Jeopardy" to what is now Sony Pictures Television in the mid-'80s for $250 million, Merv's next step was into real estate, including purchasing the Beverly Hilton Hotel (home of the Golden Globe Awards), the Resorts Hotel and Casino, and St. Clerans Manor in Ireland. His last project, "Merv's Griffin's Crosswords", debuts this fall in syndication.

Tributes from friends and colleagues immediately trickled in upon news of Griffin's death. President Bush remarked that he was "a man of innovation and energy who greeted challenges with laughter and determination", while former first lady Nancy Reagan said, "Merv meant the world to me. I will miss him - and his brilliant smile, his wonderful voice, and the twinkle in his eyes - every day for the rest of my life." "Jeopardy!" host Alex Trebek commented that "he became a giant in many facets of our industry -- music, television talk shows, game shows, casinos, hotels and most recently, horse racing,", and "Wheel's" Pat Sajak says that he "dealing with deep sadness and the realization that I will never hear that wonderful laugh of his again." And from California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger: "Merv was a highly successful businessman and committed philanthropist, and he dedicated his life to giving back to his community and helping others. He loved to see people become successful, and his ambition, drive and incredible passion for life should serve as an inspiration to people everywhere."

Merv Griffin will be missed by all who've followed him over the decades, and his legacy will continue for generations to come.

Now, onto a lighter note: Griffin hired Vanna White to be "Wheel of Fortune's" new letter-turner in 1982; five years later, her popularity began to peak as America was in a wave of "Vannamania", with personal appearances and even the cover of "Newsweek."

But during that time, there was another kind of mania hitting the big screen; and just like Vanna, it too made the cover of "Newsweek"...and several other magazines including "People's" inaugural "50 Most Beautiful People in the World" issue in 1990, not to mention getting loads of honors left and right along the way: Pfeiffermania! And now, after a four-year hiatus...SHE'S BACK!!!!!!!

That's right! Four years after her last film, Michelle Pfeiffer is indeed back and in full force with three films and last week, immortalization on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. And at the age of 49, she still looks magnificent than she was 10 years ago or even in her peak years almost 20 years ago.

But perhaps the real reason why Michelle returned is because for the last few months, Hollywood was on, shall we say, Red Alert. And why is that? Well, Britney Spears, Paris Hilton, and Lindsay Lohan have been on the trail of terror around Hollywood, with the high points being Britney going bald and ballistic, Hilton jailed for drunk driving, and Lohan busted for DUI and possession of cocaine. After Lindsay's latest film -- which should be renamed "I Know Who Killed My Career" -- tanked big time in the box office to go along with her other flops, we who were so fed up with the constant shenanigans knew we had to call on somebody to help clean up the mess left behind by those three. That someone was Michelle Pfeiffer.

Let's face it: Pfeiffer has attracted a new legion of fans -- some even as young as 14 years old who I think have had enough of anything "High School Musical" -- thanks to "Hairspray" and "Stardust"; the latter was the #4 film over its opening weekend and "I Could Never Be Your Woman" is coming up this fall. And also, they too have been sick and tired of the Lindsay/Britney/Paris trifecta and decided to see real, original talent in Michelle.

Me? I'm not new in all this. Seeing "Batman Returns" at the theater in 1992 while living in South Dakota (I didn't move back to Fairbanks until later in August), I was mesmerized and overtaken by her beauty while playing what I thought was no doubt the sexiest Catwoman in the history of the Batman franchise (sorry, Halle Berry or any from the '60s TV series)...and I was only 13 years old!!! At least the sight of Pfeiffer's body in that skin-tight suit have caused frequent stirrings in my pants at the time.

But yes, she made the annual "50 Most Beautiful People" roster four straight years from 1990-93, and again in 1996 and '99. It's no wonder why when it comes to raw sex appeal, Pfeiffer compared to Lindsay, Paris, and Britney is old school. By the way, I remember one of my friends having an encounter with Michelle while in Los Angeles on vacation in 1993. I dunno what transpired or if she had an entourage with her, but this was before she married big-name television producer David E. Kelley...which I thought devastated many of her male fans.

Perhaps the one thing we want to know about Michelle is: What does she do (or what has she been doing over the last four years) for kicks, other than raising her two kids and helping pay the bills with Kelley? I don't know if she owns an iPod/iPhone or a BlackBerry, but I could imagine Michelle cranking her car volume to "Umbrella", "Beautiful Girls", "Girlfriend", or even "Party Like A Rock Star" while cruising down...I don't know where the hell she lives.

Anyway...it has been quite a while, but Michelle Pfeiffer is back and better than ever; and like it or not, there's nothing you can do about it! So long and stay strong!

Raking in the D'oh!

Hello, everybody. The 18-year wait for a feature film version of a still-running television show was definitely worth it as "The Simpsons Movie" opened at #1 with an incredible $71.8 million haul. And the only catch? It was made with a $65 million budget!

Now I saw the film on Friday afternoon and let me say, it was a laugh riot from the beginning and Ralph Wiggum trying to sing along to the 20th Century Fox fanfare to the end credits with that pimple-faced teen "cleaning up" the theater. I won't give much away, but the sub-plot involves the Simpsons starting a new life in Alaska until they found out what would happen to Springfield next (the New Grand Canyon).

And speaking of Alaska...two former Fairbanksans who work as animators on the "Simpsons" series -- Charles Ragins and Eddie Rosas also had a hand at the movie as well. That could explain the nearly $72 million take. Not since the 1966 "Batman" (which came out after its first season and was also released by Fox) have we ever seen a movie based on a show still on the air after all these years make so much money in its first weekend.

While "The Simpsons Movie" had audiences flocking to the theaters in droves, Lindsay Lohan's "I Know Who Killed Me"? Well, it had NOBODY flocking to the theaters in droves. In her fifth straight flop (thanks to other than her DUI arrest), the film bombed in 9th place with $3.4 million. Forget Oscar; it's a Razzie that Lindsay and that film could be smelling next year! Perhaps a good name for this should be "I Know What Movie Will Be DVD- or Pay-Per-View-Bound in a Few Weeks."

No wonder why I replaced Lohan with Brittany Snow as far as Sexiest Woman of 2007 is concerned, and we're at Round 2 in which the top 20 votegetters from the field of 43 advance to Round 3. If you haven't cast your vote yet, then there's still all the time in the world to do so. We're going to be in the dog days of summer, and things won't really go into high gear until late October when the polling resumes with Round 3.

We've got three Jennifers (Aniston, Garner, Love Hewitt), two Jessicas (Alba and Biel), two Marias (Menounos and Sharapova), two "High School Musical" girls (Ashley Tisdale and Vanessa Hudgens), two "Hairspray" co-stars (Snow and Amanda Bynes), two "Idols" (Katharine McPhee and Carrie Underwood), two Oscar winners (Halle Berry and Angelina Jolie), and 28 other ladies who all want a stab at taking on last year's winner Sarah Michelle Gellar in the final round for the Sexiest Woman of 2007 title.

So if you're a fan of any of the remaining gals, then it's never too early or too late to cast your vote for them and see if they'll earn enough to head to the third round. And like I've said time and time again...ANYTHING COULD HAPPEN!!!!! An underdog or two can come from behind and could pretty much pull off an upset, especially in the final round. It happened with Lauren Graham in 2005 when she won, and it may do so again.

And with that in mind...so long and stay strong.

Drew Carey, come on down!!!

Hello, everybody. When Bob Barker announced to the world last fall that he's calling it a career after 35 years of doing "The Price Is Right" (and 50 years in television), the cattle call for a successor would begin as to who would inherit the famous microphone. From Mario Lopez to "Entertainment Tonight's" Mark Steines to even Todd Newton, it was a tough decision to make. Even Rosie O'Donnell seemed interested, but thankfully she backed down.

Well, the search came to an end when Drew Carey on "Late Show with David Letterman" made it official on Monday: He's going to pick up where Barker left off! Yes, he may be hosting "The Power of 10", but now Carey's going to helm the granddaddy of game shows as well. And hopefully, there could be some changes around "Price Is Right" that could suit him, like bringing back foreign vehicles, Clock Game finally going digital, and maybe using the set, opening graphics, and jazzy theme music from the 1994 nighttime version with Doug Davidson (which was also used on "Bruce's (Forsyth) Price Is Right" in Britain).

But the big question now is this: Will he make it work?! "Price" has gained a following among college students since that Barker-Adam Sandler (whose "I Now Pronounce Chuck & Larry" is the #1 movie) fight scene in "Happy Gilmore", and many of them can relate to Carey; after all, he has come a long way from starting his career as a stand-up comedian in his hometown of Cleveland, Ohio, not to mention his own show and the U.S. version of "Whose Line Is It Anyway." And now, Drew Carey is about to make his mark by continuing the "Price is Right" legacy post-Bob Barker, and you can bet he's going to do quite swell. Just give him time to learn the ropes, and he'll be raring to go. Oh yeah...since Drew's way younger than Bob, you can say goodbye to Wilford Brimley and Scooter Store during the breaks, and hello to...well, it's a daytime show, so maybe more food ads.

By the way: Is it just me or has "Wheel of Fortune" and "Jeopardy!" seem to be heavy on the drug ads? Sure, they may be the #1 and #2 top-rated syndicated shows, but leave the advertising of them to the network newscasts!

How will Drew Carey really do when he says "COME ON DOWN!" for the first time? Come "The Price Is Right's" 36th season this fall, we'll find out for ourselves.

Now the last time I had a cholesterol count some years ago, it was 79. And 79 was an extremely good number. Last week after taking my first physical in years, I've found out that my current count is 93, i.e., very normal because the range is 50 to 200.

I guess less fatty foods as well as eating less portions at those "all-you-can-eat" buffets -- not to mention commuting to work on my bike as well as running the Midnight Sun Run last year -- have contributed a lot to my cholesterol being 93, even though it's been up from the 79. As you get older, your cholesterol gets higher, and very high cholesterol may lead to heart attacks. I do have other secrets of keeping me healthy, but I don't want to share them with you.

Like I said last blog, so long, stay strong...and REALLY stay fit!

Turning up the...coolness

Hello everybody as America gets its last slices of our birthday cake from last week...and trying to find the nicest shade possible while at it!

Before I begin...usually around the Fourth of July, I would do my annual "Fill In The Blank" quiz which has been a staple since 1995 (and 2000 online). Because I couldn't think up of any questions, I've decided to save FITB for the "Year In Review" in December. I apologize for the inconvience.

Now then...as we blew out the candles for the 231st time last Wednesday, the Western part of the country has had natural fireworks of their own. Temperatures have hovered between 100 and 110 degrees, and there's still no end in sight as the heatwave will now be heading East.

But over the weekend, millions have found the best way to stay cool by going to the movies. "Transformers" may have opened at the top with $67 million ($152 million if you count the preview screenings since Monday), but I decided to go see a far real film: "Sicko", the new documentary by Michael Moore.

Yes, the guy behind "Bowling for Columbine" and "Fahrenheit 9/11" is at it again; the target this time? The health care system in the United States and its corruption that led to many of us heading to Canada or even Europe for better services.

The film started with the story of a man who accidentally sawed the tops of his middle and ring fingers while working in his garage. With no insurance, the hospital gave him two options: Reattach his middle finger for $60,000, or the ring finger for a measly $12,000. He chose the ring finger, while the middle end is now at a landfill.

But let's flash forward to the differences between the American and Canadian health care systems. The waiting lines on some larger hospitals, particularly in Toronto, Montreal, and Vancouver may last for hours, while drugs are somewhat cheaper because of the Canadian Dollar.

And then there's Europe, mostly in Great Britain and France. Britain's universal health care system is the National Health Service, or NHS; while France has a 24-hour house-call service. That latter is kinda like a throwback to the old days when you're bed-ridden and had to call your doctor to come by your house.

The last scene takes us to Cuba, where a few 9/11 rescue workers got better treatment after our government denied to pay for their care. And best of all: IT WAS FREE!!! Yeah, take a 90-minute boat ride from Miami to Communist Cuba for free health care!

I can't imagine why Britain has a universal health care system like the NHS and the United States don't. Possibly because providers like Aetna, CIGNA, and Blue Cross/Blue Shield have all been in bed with the politicians for years, and that's making a lot of us sick.

What we need right now is a complete, head-to-toe overhaul of the U.S. health care system. That may mean some free services, especially for those in Rural Alaska communities where they can't have access to our hospitals in Fairbanks and Anchorage. Oh yeah, not to mention bi-annual physicals.

Speaking of which...the last time I got my physical years ago, my cholesterol count was 79. I wouldn't be surprised if it has doubled since then. And with everything out of the way, so long and stay strong...and healthy!

Hello, everybody. I'll get to the reunion in a bit, but first, the latest on the mysterious death of WWE wrestler Chris Benoit and his family:

We have learned that it was the result of a double murder-suicide. TMZ.com and the Associated Press have reported that Benoit may have strangled his wife Nancy with an electrical cord on Saturday, suffocated his son Daniel with a bag in his bed the next day, and then hanging himself in the weight room of their home outside Atlanta. Also, steroids were believed to be found in the residence and whether or not it played a role in the deaths remains unknown.

Benoit's death has immediately brought back memories of Owen Hart, whose life was ended during a WWE pay-per-view in 1999, and Eddie Guerrero, whose end came in 2005 due to acute heart failure. Shortly after that, the WWE imposed a new drug policy after its first one in the early '90s was out the window after Vince McMahon stood trial for distributing steroids to his wrestlers. Despite Hulk Hogan testifying against his former boss, McMahon would be acquitted on all charges.

Now with Benoit joining Guerrero in wrestling heaven, it is another huge blow to the WWE hot off the heels of the discontinued storyline involving the "death" of Mr. McMahon (Vince's in-ring character) from a limousine explosion. They may have crossed the line countless times, but loyal wrestling fans like myself are quoting Owen Hart, "enough is enough, and it's time for a change!" No wonder why the only wrestling I watch regularly these days are "TNA Impact" and Lucha Libre; at least their storylines aren't too demeaning.

And now, on a much lighter note...

For the first time since we took the walk and threw our caps in the air on May 28, 1997, me and the rest of the West Valley High School Class of 1997 reunited together over the weekend for two days of reflection, reminiscing, and playing a little catch-up on ourselves.

It actually started late Friday night at the Red Fox bar just a few minutes from my house, where fellow alum Averi Beckner had a little pre-reunion party. The two of us talked about where we are now (Averi's husband Chris works for the FBI), and then I went into storytelling mode, talking about running my first Midnight Sun Run last year, my two weeks of R&R in the South, and then my double date with Britney Spears in 2000.

When the time reached close to 1:00 am, I had to call it a night, but not before we took a photo of me and Averi together. And make no mistake...she may look like a blonde Alyson Hannigan, but she still looks amazingly gorgeous in '07 than in '97!

On Saturday night, it was the big event at the Annex Art Gallery outside Fairbanks. I was expecting 100 or so to show up, but the turnout wasn't that bad; about 30 to 50 of us were there and I didn't keep count. Of course many like Victoria Cox (Giralt) had other commitments to fulfill somewhere in the world, and couldn't make the long flight up to Fairbanks to join us.

The first person to greet me just outside the building in was Chioke "Ben" Brent; he has returned to town after some college in a few places. When I came in after I got my name tag and updating my contact info, the scene there was pretty much low-key. Music from 1994-97 (the years when we were at West Valley) as well as a video of the 1997 graduation were played throughout as food, desserts, and drinks (booze and lemonade) were scattered all over the gallery. I even brought in my own yearbook with a few pictures of myself and a memento from the prom as well as a microfilm copy of the "News-Miner" coverage on our graduation for everybody to share.

There was even a small area devoted to Lyndsay Thomas, Matt Dullian, and Luke Sulkosky, who've all departed over the last ten years. Matt was the first to go after a car crash, followed by Lyndsay from another car accident, and then Luke's life was taken following a fatal accident on a construction site.

But even though the three have attended the reunion in spirit, the rest of us enjoyed the time of our lives. Some like myself and Jessica Helmers have remained in Fairbanks, while others like Jessica Lissow (formerly Mensik) now have sweet jobs somewhere in the country; Lissow works at the Queens Zoo in New York. And a few like Carl Tape and Tasha Fouts have attended college; Tape at a community college in Massachusetts and Fouts at the University of Illinois Chicago. And Tasha still looked hot in a short, low-cut gray dress that showed off her cleavage. I remember getting aroused at the sight of Tasha in short skirts and dresses that showed off her legs very nicely, and I couldn't wait till after school to...well, you know.

Anyway, as we were getting our last bits of food for the night, we gathered around like in the pre-YouTube days to watch a tape of one of our Airband competitions. I even cracked a joke about how it would look if it was shot in HDTV, but that technology was in its embryonic stages during our four years attending West Valley. Keely Buchanan -- who was our Senior class president and the HWIC (head woman in charge) behind the reunion weekend -- cringed when she saw herself in a cheerleader outfit emceeing the Airband. Maybe Hayden Panettiere's parents were taking notes.

Oh yeah...while all this was going on, the annual Midnight Sun Run took place back in town. West Valley scored a one-two punch in the race as 2005 graduate Tony Tomsich took the men's title at 32 minutes, 17 seconds while future Senior Crystal Pitney at 38:32 did a three-peat on the women's side. As for "that guy in those elaborate costumes", Sean Purucker? He and Hun Tak were the Atomic Arctic Cactuses this year.

Back to the scene at the Annex: As the night would down, me and the other alums who've stuck around gathered together for a group photo. It was truly memorable.

After a good night's sleep from all this, we now move to the next afternoon and the picnic at Pioneer Park where all the remaining food from the previous night were there. Again, the atmosphere was low-key (typical for a picnic), but a couple hula performances provided the entertainment for us.

During the weekend, a two-DVD set of the Airbands from '94-'97 as well as a CD of those years' top songs were sold for $5 each; sales would go to planning for the 20-year reunion set for 2017. I'm hoping we would hold it at the Riverboat Discovery this time...if it'll still be around in 2017!

The reunion was capped off with a few photo ops of me with Keely, Chioke, Carl, and others. I hope I'll be seeing all or some of them ten years from now.

But yeah, things have changed over that decade; I already told you about it on Thursday in my preview. Ten long years and some body changes later, the West Valley High School Class of 1997 were indeed reunited...and believe me folks, it felt so good!

By the way, I took so much photos from the weekend that a gallery of them is now up. There are some others I took that are too personal to show, if you know what I mean.

And so, with my complete wrap-up on everything that transpired over that incredible weekend...so long and stay strong!!

CHRIS BENOIT: 1967-2007

Hello, everybody. Tonight's blog was supposed to be all about the ten-year West Valley High School Class of 1997 reunion from over the weekend, but I'll have that for you tomorrow as there is very sad news from the professional wrestling world to report:

The family of WWE wrestler Chris Benoit, which includes his wife Nancy and son Daniel, were all found dead in their Georgia home today. As of now, there are no information as to the cause of their deaths.

Benoit started his wrestling career in his native Canada in the mid-1980's before heading to New Japan Pro Wrestling at the end of the decade and winning his first championship there. A few years later, he joined World Championship Wrestling, Extreme Championship Wrestling, and then WCW again where he was a member of the "Four Horsemen". During his time at WCW, he was World Heavyweight Champion, two times United States Champion, Tag Team Champion twice, and World Television Champion three times.

He would later head to the WW(E)F in 2000, and four years later at Wrestlemania XX, became the World Heavyweight Champion. Other belts he won there included the U.S. Championship (three times), Intercontinental Championship (four), and Tag Team Championships (four). Just recently, he was drafted from the "Smackdown" brand to ECW, and his last match was last week against Elijah Burke.

Benoit will be missed by those who've followed his career over the years, and his sudden passing came just almost two weeks after Sherri Martel's. But for the last few weeks, the WWE came under fire over their storyline involving the "death" of Vince McMahon's on-screen character. Now with the real-life deaths of Martel and now Chris Benoit, that angle has been discontinued.

Once again...because of this, I'll have everything that transpired at my class reunion tomorrow. So long and stray strong.