"30 Rock" rocks at the Emmys!

Hello, everybody. "30 Rock" dominated the 60th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards on Sunday, taking top honors for Best Comedy and Lead Acting for Tina Fey and Alec Baldwin; the latter last week brought down the house with her dead-on Sarah Palin on "Saturday Night Live."

On the drama side, AMC's "Mad Men" got Best Drama honors; the first for a basic cable series (HBO and Showtime have won numerous awards, but they're premium networks). In acting, Bryan Cranston ('Breaking Bad", also AMC) and Glenn Close (FX's "Damages") also won big. Other acting winners include Jean Smart (Supporting Actress-Comedy, "Samantha Who?"), Jeremy Piven (Supporting Actor-Comedy, "Entourage"), Zeljko Ivanek (Supporting Actor-Drama, "Damages"), Dianne Wiest (Supporting Actress-Drama, "In Treatment", and 82-year-old Don Rickles for "Mr. Warmth: The Don Rickles Project", which also got Variety/Music/Comedy Special.

And there's absolutely no stopping "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart" and "The Amazing Race", as they're both 6-0 now in their respective wins (Variety/Music/Comedy Series and Reality-Competition Program)!!!!

All five Reality-Competition Program Host nominees -- Tom Bergeron, Heidi Klum, Howie Mandel, Jeff Probst, and Ryah Seacrest in his second stint -- shared hosting duties this time around, with "Survivor's" Probst taking that prize. The night's big highlights were courtesy of Josh Groban and his medley of TV themes (which I know is already a hit on YouTube), and Christina Applegate in her first public appearance since battling breast cancer.

Speaking of Applegate, she was dressed to the nines on the red carpet, along with Klum (Giorgio Armani Prive), Nicollette Sheridan (Angel Sanchez), Brooke Shields (Badgely Mischka), and Mariska Hargitay (Carolina Herrera). Applegate and Hayden Panettiere (the latter who looked much better than last year) both get my choice for best-dressed of the night, while "House's" Lisa Edelstein? She was not a heart-stopper herself, so were Lauren Conrad and Jennifer Love Hewitt.

After all was said and done, HBO as always took the most Emmy loot with 26 awards, followed by ABC (12), CBS, NBC, and PBS all with 10 each, AMC (8), Showtime (5), and Fox with four.

The 60th Primetime Emmy Awards may have been on ABC and coming to us from the Nokia Theatre in downtown Los Angeles (right next door to the Staples Center), but it was indeed a night for AMC in the end. Who knew that a cable channel who used to run classic movies around the clock would end up winning big on television's biggest night? That befuddles me.

Now like I said, Tina Fey's return to "SNL" as Sarah Palin had the entire world talking, and it's another example why the rest of America have been crazy for Palin in the last few weeks. What's up with that, and most of all...are we getting sick of it? Thursday in my 30th birthday blog, I'll try to get into the epicenter of this whole mess with a special commentary I call "Palinmania: Have We Had Enough?" Till then, so long and stay strong.

It's Britney's redemption, bitch!

Hello, everybody, as I'm once again in beautiful (and rural and tiny) Rocky Mount, Virginia for the rest of the week before returning home to Fairbanks on Friday. I'll get to my final goodbye to Grandma Mildred over in North Carolina in a bit, but first...

A year after we were mortified over her so-called "comeback performance", Britney Spears at last night's MTV Video Music Awards from the Paramount Studios in Los Angeles (yes, they've returned to California for the first time in ten years) didn't even sing or dance this time around. She was there with a purpose: to finally collect her first moonmen after years of losses, which she did; three including Video of the Year for "Piece of Me". And you can tell the Britney we've known, loved, and lusted has returned: she decked out in a shiny silver gown.

But the person to still feel sorry for after last year's show? Kanye West, who went home with no awards but had something to be proud about as he closed the show after Britney's third award.

I have seen portions of it (I am out of town, but you know MTV will repeat the whole damn thing gillions of times this week), but I'm sure things went smoothly for the VMAs this year after that Las Vegas mess, all thanks to Britney Spears still well on her way to being Britney Spears yet again.

It looks like we're not the only ones heading to the polls this fall to decide a new leader. Canada's getting in on the fun as well as Prime Minister Stephen Harper yesterday set the election date for October 14 in an attempt to strengthen his rule in the wake of a dying economy here. Whatever the outcome will be, this will no doubt be a preview to our big one in November...except that there's no attention-grabbing politician from some cold U.S. state who's still getting all the glory after last week's Republican National Convention and her daughter's pregnancy and that she's not related to one of the cast members of "Monty Python"!

And last but not least...me and the rest of the Allen family bid a final and fond farewell to our grandmother Mildred on Saturday with a funeral at the Red Bank Baptist Church in Germanton outside Winston-Salem. I was among one of the pallbearers handling the casket.

The funeral -- a "homegoing service", according to the church's pastor -- started out quietly, but became a bit more livlier than Larry Conley's Fairbanks funeral later on (and looking back, it was very serene). Of course I had something to say about grandma, stating that in the 87 years of her life, she was indeed the glue that bonded our family together. I even ended my remarks with the "so long and stay strong" phrase that I always close this blog with.

After the funeral, burial at the nearby cemetery, and some food and fellowship back at the church, it was over to Sue's house back in Winston-Salem (Sue being Mildred's daughter) where, after a change of clothes, we really let loose! I don't want to go over the details.

I was hoping there would be little threat by Hanna as I was watching the weather, but the final goodbye to Mildred Louise Forrest Allen still went without a single drop. The sky was clear that Saturday afternoon...clear enough for Grandma to see forever in heaven. So long and stay strong.

And the Permanent Fund Dividend amount is...

Hello, everybody, as I come to you from Winston-Salem, North Carolina, where the funeral of my grandmother Mildred is tomorrow afternoon.

Sarah Palin may have one heck of a week headlined by the Republican National Convention, but back in Alaska, there's a bit of business to tend to. Earlier tonight, the amount for the 2008 Alaska Permanent Fund dividend was announced by Lt. Governor Sean Parnell, and with the additional $1,200 tacked in to help with the ongoing gas price hike, this year's payout was indeed a biggie. Without further ado, here it is:

$3,269.00

Minus the $1,200 bonus, that comes to $2,069, up $415 from last year's $1,654 check we received. And instead of waiting till early October to see whether or not your bank account will increase when dividends become direct deposited, try next Friday on the 12th. Or if you're old school, start checking your mailbox on September 30.

Once again, $3,269 is the amount of this year's Permanent Fund Dividend. Spend it wisely. Till next time when I'll be back in Virginia with a full recap of my final goodbye to Grandma, so long and stay strong.

Palin's Big Moment!

Hello, everybody as I come to you from Rocky Mount, Virginia on the eve of my grandmother's funeral in Winston-Salem.

Well, as you already know by now, last night was Sarah Palin's night to shine at the Republican National Convention in St. Paul. I didn't see the speech on television, but I've heard some excerpts from it and the response afterwards: Just like the late Heath Ledger's performance in "The Dark Knight"...good. Very good.

Palin spoke to a packed Xcel Energy Center and to millions more watching around the world, and it couldn't come at such a trying time for Alaska's Governor/Vice Presidential nominee with her daughter Bristol being pregnant. Speaking of which...it was indeed a gold mine for all the late night hosts, and I still can't wait to see what the big dog of them all, "Saturday Night Live", has up their sleeves when Mr. Beijing Olympics Michael Phelps fronts the 34th season premiere next Saturday.

Tonight is John McCain's turn, but will this mean a bump in the polls? A bit unlikely, as Barack Obama have been sharpening their attacks even after Palin's big moment. All those chants we heard for Palin last night may help, but in the end, it may not be enough. The debates are later this month; we'll find out then. From rural Virginia, so long and stay strong.

Hello, everybody. There's been a whole lot happening as I get ready to head to North Carolina this week for one final goodbye to my grandmother, so let's get to it.

First up...the attention immediately turned from the aftermath of Alaska Governor Sarah Palin as John McCain's running mate to Hurricane Gustav, as it made landfall on Louisiana today leaving 1 million residents without power. And unlike Katrina three years ago, New Orleans and the Mississippi coast were at the ready this time.

Gustav of course put a minor crimp to the Republican National Convention, which is already underway in Minneapolis with a scaled-back first day. But the big story away from the convention once again belongs to Palin, as her 17-year-old daughter Bristol is now pregnant. You can bet the late nighters will be striking comedy gold with that one all this week.

Like I told you on Saturday, I'll be flying down to North Carolina on Wednesday for my grandmother's funeral on Friday which I'm sure will be one of the saddest and most emotional days of my life. And to paraphrase Billy Graham from three years ago, Mildred Allen has been looking forward to her death with great anticipation. I probably won't consider it a funeral, but a celebration of her life.

Of course, I know there'll be a computer nearby, so I'll be blogging from either North Carolina or Virginia next time with a recap and whatever else that transpired from the Twin Cities. Till then, so long and stay strong.