Hello, everybody. There's a whole lot of territory to cover as always, so let's go!

First up...what else? Week 2 of the Tiger Woods scandal as there were more fresh developments and more ladies stepping forward to tell the world they've spent some Tiger time themselves. And now comes breaking news that the billion-dollar golfer is taking some time off from the sport indefinitely.

One of the alleged mistresses in the cast of characters, Jamie Jungers, told "Dateline NBC" that she first met Woods in 2005 after marrying wife Elin, and that the affair lasted 18 months.

Meanwhile, Tiger's latest announcement continued to shock the golfing world. PGA Tour Commissioner Tim Fincher said in a statement, "We fully support Tiger's decision to step away from competitive golf to focus on his family. His priorities are where they need to be, and we will continue to respect and honor his family's request for privacy. We look forward to Tiger's return to the PGA Tour when he determines the time is right for him."

As for the sponsors? Gatorade and Gillette may have stepped back from him for now, but Nike continues to stand up for Tiger; according to a company rep: "Tiger has been part of Nike for more than a decade. He is the best golfer in the world and one of the greatest athletes of his era. We look forward to his return to golf. He and his family have Nike's full support." However, as of Sunday, Accucenture was the first to want out.

Now we are still in the middle of the holiday season with less than three weeks till Christmas. Tiger Woods may be no Ebenezer Scrooge, but he has known the true meaning of Christmas. It's just that right now, the only ghost he may be visiting may be the Ghost of Golf Future.

In non-Tiger news: After 53 years, CBS announced this week they're pulling the plug on "As The World Turns". This news came a few months after "Guiding Light" ended after 72 years on radio and later television.

"As The World Turns" not only introduced Meg Ryan, Dana Delany, Julianne Moore, and Martin Sheen to the world, but it also has a footnote in American history as well.

It was November 22, 1963; the show was live at 1:30 Eastern Time and things started to go smoothly as planned. But immediately after Helen Wagner (as flagship character Nancy Hughes) said her line, "And I gave it a great deal of thought, Grandpa..." just a minute or so into the broadcast, the CBS News Bulletin slide popped up with Walter Cronkite telling the world that President Kennedy has been shot in Dallas. He broke the news from an audio booth because the studio cameras and lights at the time took a lot of time to be turned on, warmed up, and be in place, as opposed to today's modern equipment which can be turned on and on the air within seconds.

Meanwhile, the program soldered on as usual, not realizing what has just transpired in Dallas. After that, there would be no more regular programming for four days straight, as the JFK assassination and its aftermath were the only thing on all three networks. It would be the same case almost 38 years later, with coverage of the September 11 attacks blanketing all programming for five days.

With "As The World Turns" about to be gone next September, that will leave "One Life To Live" as the only soap left in New York; all others -- "The Young and the Restless", "Days Of Our Lives", "The Bold and the Beautiful", "General Hospital", and soon "All My Children" -- originate in Los Angeles, which is becoming the new soap opera capital of the world.

But there was a time generations ago when soap operas were appointment TV for women all alone at home while the husband was at the office and the children at school. Cable would arrive in the early 1980's; more women would get out of the house and get jobs themselves; and that would be followed by alternate programming like talk and courtroom shows to come in later years.

The biggest test would come with the O.J. Simpson trial in 1995, and its true, unscripted drama would draw millions away from the soaps. After it was all over, the long healing process began. The good old days of soap operas with sappy storylines set to organ music may have been long gone, but they are still a break from the talk and courtroom shows filtrating the airwaves. At least the men tune in to see what female characters strip to their lingerie. Now that's sudsy action!

And last but not least...unless breaking news warrants, this is the last regular blog of 2009, as all next week I'll be working on my special series of blogs recapping the year. It's been an annual staple since 1998, when we look back at the biggest newsmakers and newsbreakers, as well as my Top 20 list. Come around Christmas weekend, watch for the AllenBlog's 2009 Year in Review; till then, so long, stay strong, and happy holidays!!!