Hello, everybody. As always, lots of stuff to get to, so here we go.

First up...I ran my second Midnight Sun Run on Saturday night, and even though my goal was to finish one minute less than last time (56 minutes, 40.8 seconds in case you're wondering), I didn't do that bad second time around: 1 hour, 9 minutes; how many seconds? We'll find out when the official results will be out next weekend. As always, I had a nice clean start weaving past the other runners, but my legs would immediately start to get sore and I alternated between walking and running to keep my pace.

But who really kept theirs better? For the men, it was Sam Bedell at 33 minutes, 55.8 seconds; Crystal Pitney once again dominated the women's field at 38:51.6. And for the non-serious runners like myself, it was more like a Fun Run than a Sun Run, especially the costumes. Some I saw include Energizer Bunnies, a couple who were "Running With The Stars", the Phantom of the Opera, Danica Patrick, Marge Simpson, and the Jolly Green Giant. Unfortunately, Sean Purucker couldn't think of any blowout costume to outdo his previous ones, so he chickened out this year. I was hoping at the last minute he would go as Amy Winehouse.

So even though I fell way short of still finishing by under an hour, Fairbanks' amazing race that is the Midnight Sun Run was still amazing for me to be a part of. Next year I'll try to do a little better thanks to one of those 5-hour energy drinks.

Last weekend, we learned of the sudden death of comedian George Carlin at age 71. Carlin literally broke all the rules when it comes to edgy comedy, especially that "Seven Words You Can't Say on Television" routine that got him into trouble...all the way up to the Supreme Court.

Now this was in the 1970's, decades before the one true incident that completely turned the entertainment world upside down: Justin Timberlake and Janet Jackson getting nasty during the Super Bowl XXXVIII halftime show! Life has really moved on for the two (especially Timberlake, whose "The Love Guru" with Mike Myers tanked in the box office), but the wardrobe malfunction that led to the FCC cleaning house in 2004 had everyone in the world talking -- including yours truly.

In a "Plain Truth Extra" on the February 3, 2004 "NewsBeat", I had something to say about all this. Here it is again as we celebrate ten years of The Allen Report/AllenBlog this summer:

The Super Bowl is the most-watched television event of the year followed by the Academy Awards. While all of the on-field action and drama of the game -- as well as the commercials -- were rated PG, one moment from Super Bowl XXXVIII on Sunday thanks to Janet Jackson and Justin Timberlake was rated R.

Right at the end of the halftime show as Timberlake ended "Rock Your Body" with the line "I'm gonna have you naked by the end of this song", he ripped off Jackson's top exposing her right breast and a pierced nipple ring. Immediately afterwards, the two stormed off the field, but that was just the beginning. Telephone lines at CBS (who broadcast that along with the game) were jammed with complaints, and apologies from that network, sibling company MTV (who produced the show), the NFL, Timberlake, and yesterday Jackson herself began to flow.

On the Internet, it was a whole different story as video stills, assorted clips, and higher-quality wire photos began to pop up just moments later. Even TiVo set a record for the most instant replays on their DVR recorders due to the pop-out.

But still, there are many unanswered questions about the incident: Was it unintentional? Accidental? A publicity stunt for Janet as her upcoming CD drops next month? Or did Timberlake do it on purpose to get back at Britney Spears after her kiss with Madonna at the Video Music Awards and that short-lived marriage? With February sweeps in full swing, Justin must've been thinking to himself, "Hey, this is sweeps; this the Super Bowl; and this is my revenge at Britney right HERE!" as Janet gave her peek-a-boo performance. By the way, before the second half kickoff a streaker came on the field, but it got little news.

After seeing all the stories about this as well as reading lots of comments left and right, I think it was time for Janet to be in the spotlight again now that her brother Michael is in trouble, and the Super Bowl was the right place to do it. But exposing a breast in front of almost a billion people watching around the world? Well, she is part of the Jackson family; they're notorious for making headlines.

As for Timberlake? Last year at a music awards show prior to the Grammys, he felt up Kylie Minogue's butt during their performance; now, it was the Super Bowl and Janet. Put his gasp at Britney/Madonna as the meat in between those two slices of bread, and you've got one hot sandwich worth biting into.

Oh, and that Super Bowl moment that'll be forever burned in our memories despite the "We're sorrys" and utter complaints? Miss Jackson may be too nasty for her own good that night, but as one of her songs stated, she was definitely in "Control."

Of course, several other wardrobe malfunctions have happened after Janet, from Tara Reid to Lindsay Lohan. And like I said, there were assorted videos of that infamous crime being all over the Internet, though YouTube was only two or so years away.

And last but not least...while shopping at a Fred Meyer the other week, I spotted the soundtrack album to "Juno" headline the shelves. After taking a more advanced glance, I found out it was indeed an album! Believe it or not, if you thought they were dead and gone forever in the wake of CDs and iPod's...VINYL LIVES AGAIN!!!!!!!!!

Okay, the true story according to a "News-Miner" feature was that the shipments for those vinyl records to Fred Meyer were somewhat of an accident. And according to Nielsen (the same folks behind the TV ratings), vinyl sales were up 70% over 2007 numbers for the first three months of 2008.

Now I came to this world 30 years ago this fall, when vinyl and cassette tapes were still king while 8-tracks were on the way out. I have no idea in my old age that there's still some demand for vinyl even in 2008. What's next...LaserDisc coming back in an attempt to reclaim all the glory left behind by DVD and Blu-Ray? Yeah, and pretty soon you'll be seeing this blog in newsletter form. You wish! So long and stay strong.

Hillary to be out, but "Vanity Fair" puts Bill back in the news!

Hello, everybody. Just 24 hours after Barack Obama clinched the Democratic Presidential nomination, Hillary Clinton announced that she's finally throwing in the towel this weekend in favor of endorsing Obama. And now there's rumors that the words "running mate" may be in her vocabulary.

It has been quite an epic battle in the race for 2,118 delegates over the last five months, but in the end, Obama after the last primaries on Tuesday scored enough delegates to reach above the target number. The final score: Obama 2,158, Clinton 1,956.

So, what now? When the presidential campaign started last year, the one issue in the minds of voters was an immediate end to the war in Iraq. But with the troubled economy making headlines every day (especially with news about General Motors closing four truck/SUV plants as well as the possibility of discontinuing their Hummer brand, and also that Ed McMahon may be homeless as the mortgage crisis has hit him), that became the primary focus. The Iditarod is also hit by the economy, as rising fuel costs have forced them to up the entry fee to $4,000 for next year's big race. But the big question is: Will we still see $2,000 Alaska Permanent Fund Dividend checks or not?

Anyway, this may shape up to be quite a clash for the keys to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue as Barack Obama may be making history. As for John McCain? He was history!

Now...the news of Hillary Clinton suspending her presidential bid is nothing compared to husband Bill as of late, as he is making news himself thanks to an article in probably the most dangerous publication in the world.

In the July issue of "Vanity Fair" out soon, writer Todd Purdum scribbled that the former President has had affairs with a few other women behind Hillary's back; one of them is actress Gina Gershon of "Showgirls" fame...and boy, is she steaming mad! Gershon's lawyers have now released a letter saying those allegations are false and demands a retraction and correction from the magazine.

Well, that's "Vanity Fair" for you...the very same magazine who last issue brought us Annie Leibovitz' photo of a backless Miley Cyrus, and that too made worldwide headlines -- not to mention criticism. But over the years, the publication has made all sorts of headlines over their pictorials and articles.

The identity of "Deep Throat" was a mystery even after the Watergate scandal, until the May 2005 revelation that it was W. Mark Felt. And other than Cyrus, it was the pictures themselves that told the story, from a nude and pregnant Demi Moore on the cover in August 1991 to one of Mike Myers dressed as a Hindu in 1999; the magazine and photographer David LaChapelle apologized for that after all the flack surrounding it. By the way, Myers' new movie "The Love Guru" -- in which, ironically, he plays a Hindu-like character -- comes out on June 20.

Any press is good or bad press for "Vanity Fair", and that has been the case since Conde Nast Publications brought it back in 1983 after a 47-year hiatus (it was first published from 1913 to 1936). But when it comes to running the most provocative pictures and articles that would make Hugh Hefner cry uncle, a more appropriate title would be "Vanity Un-Fair." So long and stay strong!