Hello, everybody. It has been quite a while, but there's a whole lot of territory to cover as always so here we go!

First up...last week with the economy continuing to be in trouble, American Airlines grounded thousands of MD-80s in their fleet for inspections and canceling thousands of flights as a result; this comes just after Frontier Airlines and ATA both went under. Meanwhile, Delta, Midwest, and Alaska Airlines canceled their flights as well, but in way smaller numbers than American.

And now, with increasing gas prices putting serious crimps on the airline industry as we inch closer to summer, there is word that merger talks between Delta and Northwest have picked up again with an announcement to come this week. Around 2 1/2 years ago, both airlines -- which provide seasonal service to Fairbanks; Northwest took over from Pan Am in 1978 -- filed for bankruptcy protection; and now, things may come ahead for these two as the merger may or may not become a done deal.

Another major story from last week: the Olympic torch relays marred by protests aplenty, and for those who were expecting to see the torch in person on Tuesday when it made its way to San Francisco in its only North American stop, they were ultimately disappointed. With the games now four months away, it is unknown whether or not it could be like 1980 and Moscow all over again when numbers of countries including the United States boycotted those games.

Also last week, there were rumors swirling around Katie Couric, as a "Wall Street Journal" article reported that she may be out as "CBS Evening News" anchor because she was not pulling in the ratings as expected. But in true fashion, CBS and Couric herself downplayed those rumors saying that despite the slump, she's still doing her job. And even though I rarely watch the network news (CBS' and NBC's news come on at 6:30 opposite "Wheel of Fortune" here in Fairbanks), I do agree.

Now this reminds me of Walter Cronkite, when after he was sacked from the 1964 Democratic Convention for CBS (Robert Trout and Roger Mudd were in his place), there were rumors that he was heading to NBC, where Chet Huntley and David Brinkley had the dominant newscast on television. In the end, those rumors were denied, Trout and Mudd were a disaster, and Cronkite reclaimed his position at the anchor desk.

And last but not least...once upon a time, there was the paparazzi taking snaps of celebrities out and about, staked out in their own vehicles in the heat or in a nearby building waiting for the money shots. In the mid-'90s with the new generation of entertainment news shows like "Extra" and "Access Hollywood" as well as a fledging new medium called the Internet, video camcorders were added to the paparazzi's arsenal. And now with the explosion of YouTube, the demand for video footage of celebrities is greater than ever.

The two major players in the videorazzi game right now are TMZ and Hollywood.tv. TMZ started out as a website and doubles as a TV show; Hollywood.tv is already becoming the fastest-growing source for celebrity videos with not only a standalone site, but an additional home on YouTube as well.

But for the last few months I've been comparing the two, and make no mistake...they have different styles when it comes to covering the stars. TMZ, run by Harvey Levin, has a brashier attitude compared to the always tame Hollywood.tv...except that the latter's content are seen by major outlets like CNN, ABC, CBS, NBC, Associated Press, and BBC; print media including "The New York Times" and "The Washington Post"; all three U.S. morning news shows; and the big dog of entertainment news shows: "Entertainment Tonight."

It has been 4 1/2 years since my special "Safe Route, Sleazy Route" commentary, but when it comes to the videorazzi, Hollywood.tv seems to take the "Safe Route" while TMZ goes the "Sleazy Route" path. For example: the TMZ TV show usually calls Zsa Zsa Gabor's husband Freddy von Anhalt "Von A-Hole", while Hollywood.tv's video let it speak for itself with no narration or editing effects like TMZ's ruining the fun.

Of course, I've had my share of capturing celebrities twice; John O'Hurley at the 2002 Iditarod start in Anchorage and John Leguizamo here in Fairbanks four years later. But when it comes to doing the very same thing in Hollywood, it's more prudent to leave that job to the pros...unless of course you feel like putting up your video on YouTube.

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