Hello, everybody. Lots of stuff to get out of the way, so on with it!

First up...as you saw on Friday, Jay Leno has wrapped up his 17-year reign as host of "The Tonight Show." But unlike Johnny Carson's last hurrah, it was be more like a hearty "see you this fall at 10:00!" than a "very heartfelt good night", because Jay will be spending his summer on the road before settling down at his new home weeknights at 10:00 in September.

But the big question is: With Conan O'Brien taking possession of the desk and couch on Monday, will the racier stuff he used to do one hour later carry over to 11:35? We don't know. What we do know is while Conan's guests for his inaugural week in that time slot include Will Ferrell, Tom Hanks, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Ryan Seacrest, Letterman when he returns to work next week will have Bill Cosby, Jack Hanna, Elvis Costello, and Paris Hilton.

Some loyal "Tonight Show" fans who think Conan's brand of humor won't fly at 11:35 might be switching over to Letterman to tide themselves over until Leno at 10:00. Speaking of which, it will almost be like his late night show, with the usual stuff like "Headlines" and "Jaywalking" all being there; Kevin Eubanks and announcer John Melendez will still be on board and it'll still originate from the same Studio 3 at NBC in Burbank (which was formerly used for "Laugh-In" and "CPO Sharkey"; the latter famously invaded by Carson when he confronted Don Rickles for accidentally breaking his cigarette box).

Now "The Jay Leno Show's" doubts came into question one time, when Boston NBC affiliate WHDH originally thought about airing a 10:00 news in lieu of Leno, thinking he wouldn't work. They said it would be an hour, though many were thinking a half-hour with Leno airing on a delay at 10:35 followed by Conan (both happen to hail from Boston, by the way). NBC threatened to strip WHDH of their affiliation if they went ahead, but in the end, the station thankfully backtracked and said they're going to air Leno after all.

And when Leno returns at 10:00...boy, he's gonna have some competition every night over on ABC and CBS (local news or programming on Fox and CW)! Take a look:

• Monday: Castle (ABC), CSI: Miami (CBS)
• Tuesday: The Forgotten (ABC), The Good Wife (CBS)
• Wednesday: Eastwick (ABC), CSI: New York (CBS)
• Thursday: Private Practice (ABC), The Mentalist (CBS)
• Friday: 20/20 (ABC), Numb3rs (CBS)

NBC, being buried in fourth place longer than the last time they were in dead last 30 years ago, is relying on Leno for their survival. Besides, "Sunday Night Football" was the only show that cracked the season's Top 10, and I have faith that Leno will make it as well. We'll find out in September.

The week's other big story was President Obama's historic nomination of Sonia Sotomayor to the U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday, replacing David Souter; historic because if confirmed, she would be the first ever Hispanic justice to serve.

We never thought it would happen, but it did: the H1NI outbreak, known as swine flu, has made our way to Alaska...and here in Fairbanks. On Wednesday, an unidentified woman who has never made any contact nor has traveled to Mexico -- the virus' birthplace -- became the first confirmed case. I remember spending some time in Nogales, Arizona, which was a border city; but that was in the early '80s and even in my young age, seeing Spanish text especially on a tube of Crest toothpaste was very new to me. In fact, I never even set foot on Mexican soil!

A few weeks after photos and videos of him with another woman blew the whistle on his celibacy, Father Alberto Cutie has switched denominations from the Catholic Church to the Episcopal Church. This latest religion scandal comes over 20 years after Jim Bakker and Jimmy Swaggart, but both have already learned their lesson and I'm sure Cutie will learn his.

And last but not least...a few weeks ago, Miley Cyrus soaked up the sun in the Bahamas, and we were treated to an eyeful with some hot bikini shots of the "Hannah Montana" star.

Now this is the first time she's showed some skin since the infamous backless photo Annie Leibowitz took of Miley in "Vanity Fair" just last year, proving that at the age of 16, Miley is well on her way to leave her Disney persona behind...that is, if she finishes one more season of her show.

Zac Efron, Vanessa Hudgens, and Ashley Tisdale -- the backbone of the "High School Musical" franchise -- have already left, though Hudgens herself was embroiled in scandal in 2007 over nude photos of her leaked onto the Internet. And this week, I've read some tabloid report that Efron now wants Hudgens to take it all off. I don't know, but it's somewhat risky. Tisdale meanwhile, was caught by paparazzi in bikinis in Hawaii last summer; that was when she had blonde hair and it's back to natural brunette.

I think it's no secret that Hudgens, Tisdale, and Cyrus all have great bodies that would make Uncle Walt wish he lived longer enough to experience the joys of Viagra. So long and stay strong.

Hello, everybody. It's the weekend, and it's time to get my blog on!

First up...the U.S. automakers' woes never end. This week, General Motors and Chrysler announced they're closing down a total of 1,900 dealerships by late next year. According to the National Automobile Dealers Association, those combined cuts will put 100,000 more out of a job; and now GM is preparing to file for bankruptcy themselves in June.

Thankfully, Gene's Chrysler Dodge Jeep of Fairbanks won't be among those cut, as well as Aurora Motors and Chevrolet Cadillac of Fairbanks (the latter formerly Tip Top Chevrolet, run by Robbie Giinther and whose commercials have graced our TV screens for years). And Seekins Ford Lincoln Mercury is located far away from Cushman Street, on Old Steese Highway with their next door neighbors being Wal-Mart, Home Depot, Fred Meyer, Lowe's, Old Navy, Barnes & Noble, and now Sports Authority. So they're pretty much in very good company there.

We don't know what's her annual salary as Governor of Alaska, but Sarah Palin's bank account will soon be fatter...how about $7 million fatter! That's what she'll get as she's signed a book deal with HarperCollins to pen an autobiography that would be coming our way in 2010, when she's up for re-election.

But wait a minute...isn't HarperCollins owned by Rupert Murdoch? And doesn't Murdoch also happens to own Fox News?!?!? Something tells me that Palin's book ain't going to sell like hotcakes like Bill Clinton's "My Life" (published by Random House, who's owned by Bertelsmann), but we'll see what happens. Maybe we could be seeing a chapter lashing out at Tina Fey and Katie Couric making a mockery out of her.

Now Sarah was busy back here dealing with the flood victims in Eagle, leaving husband Todd to be at the White House Correspondents Association's annual dinner in Washington last weekend. If you think the Golden Globes are billed as being "the party of the year", we are proved wrong as the likes of Sting, Natalie Portman, Al Sharpton, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Kate Walsh, Lauren Conrad, Jon Bon Jovi, Mariska Hargitay, Stevie Wonder, Kevin Bacon, Dwayne Johnson, Chris Tucker, and many more showbiz superstars get to dine with President Obama and the rest of Washington's power players while being entertained with the comedy stylings of Wanda Sykes.

And last but not least...on June 1, there'll be a transition in late night as Jay Leno hands over the "Tonight Show" reins to Conan O'Brien. Over the last 17 years, there have been some great moments from the Leno era; not as great as Johnny Carson's, but those that still had everybody talking the next morning. As the torch will be passed in a few weeks, it's time to count down...

My Top Five Favorite Moments from Jay Leno's "Tonight Show"
(five because I couldn't think of ten)

5. "The Tonight Show Unplugged" episode (2002)/Jaywalking

4. The Dancing Itos making a mockery out of the O.J. Simpson trial (1995)

3. Arnold Schwarzenegger announcing his candidacy for California governor (2003)

2. Barack Obama as a guest, becoming the first sitting U.S. President to appear on a late night show (just recently on March 19)

And my #1 favorite moment from Leno's "Tonight Show" over the last 17 years is the one that cemented him to the top of the late night ratings...

1. Hugh Grant's appearance following his brief stint with a hooker and Jay asking him "What the hell were you thinking?" (1995)

Of course, Jay will have plenty of time to wind down between June and this fall, when he returns with a new show at 10:00 pm. So long and stay strong!

(By the way...if you want to comment on this blog, reply to me on Twitter)

Hello, everybody. Lots of ground to cover tonight as always, so on to it!

First up...the U.S. auto industry may be down for the count, but not out. Today, Chrysler announced they are filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection as the government are still trying to be their savior. This comes almost a week after General Motors' bombshell news that after 83 years, they are discontinuing the Pontiac brand.

Now why would they get rid of the brand that was famous for the GTO and Trans Am, and infamous for Oprah Winfrey giving away a parking lot full of G6s on her show one time. Their slogan used to be "We Build Excitement", but the recent models Pontiac have been churning out weren't all that exciting. After this model year, GM will have only Chevrolet, Buick, Cadillac, and GMC as their flagship brands left, while Saturn, Hummer, and Saab are still, to quote a term from the recent NFL Draft, "on the clock."

And what about Ford? Despite their $1.4 billion loss in the first quarter, they continue to be bailout-proof. But if they were to sacrifice a brand in order to stay alive, it would have to be Mercury.

The other big story dominating the news along with Chrysler's bankruptcy and President Obama now past his first 100 days in office with his third primetime news conference (and three is starting to be a tad too much, but what can you do?), but the pandemic known as H1N1, otherwise known as the Swine Flu outbreak. Originally started in Mexico and spread to several other parts of North America with the first U.S. death in Texas, it's now a worldwide problem as it has affected Europe, New Zealand, and Asia. And everywhere you look, face masks have been the hottest spring fashion being sported.

Is there an end to this? We don't know, but one thing's for sure: Cinco de Mayo's going to be extremely tough this year, and pork products are still safe to eat.

And last but not least...the one entertainment story I've been following is not that question Perez Hilton posed to Miss California at the Miss USA pageant about same-sex marriages that cost her the crown, but the saga of Susan Boyle.

For those of you not in the know, Susan Boyle is this 48-year-old woman from Scotland whose rendition of "I Dreamed A Dream" on "Britain's Got Talent" has been burning up YouTube and making us forget all about the remaining finalists on "American Idol." And now, the whole world wants a piece of her, from Simon Cowell (who happens to judge both shows, by the way) to Donny Osmond.

But have we had enough of her already? Probably not, as Boyle immediately caught attention of the worldwide media, with "South Park" quickly jumping on the bandwagon. I have a feeling that with all the Lady Gagas and Taylor Swifts of the world, Susan Boyle is well on her way to becoming the biggest sensation of 2009...and were only 1/3 into the year! So long and stay strong!

(By the way...tell me what you think! If you have something to say about whatever I've covered on this blog, don't be afraid to hit me up on Twitter)