Hello, everybody. If you thought you're full from your Thanksgiving meals, think again because I've got some extra helpings of my own!

First up...In just a matter of moments, Britney Spears' fifth album, "Circus", comes out worldwide on ironically enough, her 27th birthday. And over the Thanksgiving weekend, Britney as part of her comeback plan burned up Europe with performances at the Bambi Awards in Germany, on "Star Academy" in France, and on "X Factor" in Britain...which raked in a ratings record for the ITV network: Almost 13 million viewers, which translates to a 53% share.

Back here in the States, her heavily-promoted MTV documentary "Britney: For The Record" aired, in which she opened up about everything from her makeups and breakups to almost losing full custody of her two sons. And watching it, it opened my eyes to take a glance at the real Britney, not the one we see in the eyes of the tabloids and paparazzi.

I have a feeling that "Circus" is going to sell big, compared to "Blackout" last year which did so-so; I'll find out for myself when I get it later this week.

With over a month to go till he's sworn in as our 44th President, President-Elect Barack Obama as expected delivered the Secretary of State bait to Hillary Clinton...and she took it. Robert Gates will still be around as Defense Secretary, while Gen. Jim Jones is handed National Security Adviser.

But the slumping economy is still on everybody's minds as we're now into the holiday shopping season. Two weeks ago, executives of the Big Three automakers pleaded in Washington for a savior (bailout), but they were shown the door.

And now, as we're spending hundreds or thousands of dollars on gifts, some are taking some minor precautions this year by avoiding credit cards in favor of debit cards or good ol' cash. We don't know what is the most-have Christmas item to follow along with Tickle Me Elmo, Furby, or Playstation 2/3, but I'm thinking it's BluRay discs and players as costs are getting low.

Last but not least...Families regularly spend about $100 or more making holiday dinners, and that includes the meat. But being as someone who watches my wallet and wants to save hours slaving away at the kitchen, I buy one of those heat-and-serve holiday dinners at the stores.

Last year, I bought the turkey (Thanksgiving) and prime rib (Christmas) dinners at Fred Meyer and Safeway respectively; Fred Meyer's turkey was huge while Safeway's prime rib roast looked like a shriveled-up log. And for this Thanksgiving, I got the turkey dinner from Safeway, and let me tell you something: Their turkey was anything but! It looked more like a really young turkey than a Butterball-like turkey, but nonetheless, it was juicy. I can't wait to see what Fred Meyer's prime rib is like; I hope it's bigger than Safeway's.

Even though their holiday dinners cost a few bucks less, I'll never purchase another one from Safeway ever again...though I'll admit I did it just for the next set of Alaska Airlines miles. So long and stay strong!