Call it a figure of "Speech" at the Oscars!

Hello, everybody. "The King's Speech" was crowned the big winner at the 83rd Annual Academy Awards on Sunday with four Oscars including a guaranteed Best Actor for Colin Firth, Director (Tom Hooper), and Best Picture of 2010. Meanwhile, a pregnant Natalie Portman claimed Best Actress for her harrowing role as a ballerina in "Black Swan", one that earned almost every major award in the galaxy from a Golden Globe to a Screen Actors Guild to BAFTA to an Independent Spirit Award 24 hours prior to the big one. Christian Bale and Melissa Leo collected Supporting Acting honors for "The Fighter" (Leo accidently mouthed off during her speech), while me? After two straight years of clean sweeps, I only hit it on Firth, Portman, and Bale this time.

"Toy Story 3" picked up Animated Feature and Original Song (his second for Randy Newman); "The Social Network", Adapted Screenplay, Film Editing, and Original Score; "Inside Job", Documentary Feature; "Alice In Wonderland", Art Direction and Costume Design; and "Inception", Cinematography, Visual Effects, Sound Mixing, and Sound Editing.

Like I said before, the awards were broadcast live here in Alaska for the first time since 1996, and during those 3 hours and 15 minutes, everybody including myself were social networking throughout the show, especially how hosts Anne Hathaway and James Franco handled things. As the youngest ever (Hathaway at 28 very young), I thought they did a more wonderful job than Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin last year as they kept their promise not to do what Ricky Gervais did at the Golden Globes: get a little salty.

The highlights for me: Hathaway's solo song-and dance number while Franco in drag as Marilyn Monroe couldn't hesitate to crack a Charlie Sheen joke (wish his and Lindsay Lohan's careers were included in the "In Memoriam" piece); "The Twilight Saga: Eclipse", "Toy Story 3", and "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" being given the auto-tune treatment; and the PS22 chorus from Staten Island closing out the show.

But before all of that, there were some highlights on the red carpet; though snow blanketed small parts of Southern California over the weekend, Halle Berry, Hailee Steinfeld (both in Marchesa), Jennifer Hudson (Versace), Hilary Swank (Gucci Premiere), and Penelope Cruz (L'Wren Scott) made us all melt.

So...who gets the best dressed prize? No doubt, it was Natalie Portman showing off her baby bump in Rodarte, followed by Hathaway's stunning arrival in red-hot Valentino. As for the booby (worst dressed) prize? They go to Helena Bonham Carter (Mark Bouwer), Florence Welch (Valentino), Annette Bening (Naheem Khan), and Russell Brand.

Anne Hathaway's presence at the Oscars, whether it was as presenter or nominee (for Best Actress two years ago) was always a treat, but hosting the show itself was a whole different animal. And with the help of James Franco, she didn't disappoint one single bit as to go along with her upcoming turn as Catwoman, this was truly the high point of her career that started on television with "Get Real" followed by "The Princess Diaries" before "The Devil Wears Prada" would eventually put her on the map. Of course, she doesn't mind showing a little skin here and there (see "Havoc", "Love And Other Drugs", and that very brief robe scene in "Get Smart"), but even fully clothed, this Oscar night with Hathaway as the scene stealer is totally one she'll never, ever forget.

But without question or debate, it was ultimately an unforgettable night for a woman who was born Natalie Hershlag in Israel, raised in New York City, and started her incredible journey in 1994 with "The Professional." And yes, she would quickly become just that, with "Beautiful Girls", "Mars Attacks!" (with fellow Best Actress nominee Annette Bening, who will finally get her due one day), "Star Wars Episodes 1-3", "Closer", a bald turn in "V For Vendetta", "Brothers", and just recently, "No Strings Attached" with Ashton Kutcher with "Thor" coming up next. Over those 17 years she has been a queen, a stripper, a president's daughter, an anarchist, and a ballerina, but the woman currently named Natalie Portman will now and forever be known as three simple words: ACADEMY AWARD WINNER! And to go along with her baby on the way, you can better believe that 2011 is already becoming her watershed year.

They may have brought back that life-changing phrase "And the Oscar goes to..." after a one-year absence, but in case of the 83rd Annual Academy Awards and a film about a king trying to overcome a struggling verbal obstacle ruling the night, it was all about a figure of "Speech." So long and stay strong.

(RATINGS UPDATE (3/2): Ratings for Sunday's Oscarcast were down 10 percent from last year, though reviews were mixed as far as James Franco's and Anne Hathaway's hosting were concerned)

Hello, everybody. Preparations continue for Sunday's 83rd Academy Awards; I'll have that in a bit but first up...

It appears that Charlie Sheen's latest verbal blow-up has cost him and CBS "Two And A Half Men"...at least for the season. In a radio interview with Alex Jones, Charlie went off against producer Chuck Lorre, including calling him "Chaim Levine" (a variation on his real name, Charlies Levine) that set off the Anti-Defamation League. That led to CBS issuing this statement: "Based on the totality of Charlie Sheen’s statements, conduct and condition, CBS and Warner Bros. Television have decided to discontinue production of Two and a Half Men for the remainder of the season."

"Two And a Half Men" has been the #1 comedy on television and one of CBS's cash cows for years, and there's no way CBS is going to get rid of that anytime soon even though is already earned way enough seasons to gain rerun immortality. But Lorre already has his hands full with "The Big Bang Theory" and "Mike & Molly", both also on CBS. Replacing Sheen could be costly, which reminds me...what's Ted McGinley doing these days?

Charlie Sheen has been the backbone of "Two And A Half Men", and you cannot continue without a backbone. I think the show should be put on a permanent hiatus, though the theme song with only one word sung throughout ("men") is already tiring.

Now...in less than 48 hours and change, it'll be Oscar time. However, telecast producers Bruce Cohen and Don Mischer -- the latter also pulling double duty as director after that piss-poor job last year by Hamish Hamilton -- should be watching The Weather Channel during rehearsals because the forecast on Sunday may be calling for some natural glitter on the red carpet...SNOW! But don't worry, the area's tented just in case.

"The King's Speech" comes in as the film to beat with 12 nominations, though "The Social Network" was originally favored to take Best Picture after their Golden Globes win. That changed when a few other awards including SAG and BAFTAs were already tilted in "King's Speech" favor, leaving the other eight Best Picture nominees -- "127 Hours", "Black Swan", "The Fighter", "Inception", "The Kids Are All Right", "Toy Story 3", "True Grit", and "Winter's Bone" -- high and dry.

Colin Firth is guaranteed Best Actor, unless Javier Bardem, Jeff Bridges (going for back-to-back Oscars), Jesse Eisenberg, or James Franco say otherwise. And for Best Actress, it's all about Natalie Portman vs. Annette Bening, with Portman already having a wide advantage after Golden Globe, SAG, and BAFTA victories. In other words, Natalie may have this won come Sunday...that is, unless there's a tie. By the way, the other three nominees -- Nicole Kidman (who got that same award "The Hours" in 2003), newcomer Jennifer Lawrence, and Michelle Williams (in her second nod) -- will have to just sit back and enjoy the ride.

But win or lose, Franco will be enjoying the show like no other, as he and Anne Hathaway will be keeping things civilized as hosts. Among the presenters lined up: Oprah Winfrey, Scarlett Johansson, 2009 host Hugh Jackman, Matthew McConaughey, Jude Law, Mila Kunis, Robert Downey Jr., Josh Brolin, past winners Tom Hanks, Hilary Swank, Halle Berry, Reese Witherspoon, Marisa Tomei, Cate Blanchett, and last year's Best Actress Sandra Bullock.

Okay, now comes the part you've been waiting for: Whose lives will change forever after those five famous words, "And the Oscar goes to...", is read? Here are my picks:

SUPPORTING ACTOR: Christian Bale
SUPPORTING ACTRESS: Originally I was going for Melissa Leo, but based on history of this category, it has always went to somebody young; case in point: Tatum O'Nell and later Anna Paquin. Hailee Steinfeld at 14 should end that 17-year drought.
BEST ACTOR: Colin Firth (who else?)
BEST ACTRESS: If it was Hilary Swank for "Conviction", then Annette Bening would have the advantage. Bening (being the veteran she is) will get her due alright...but not this time. This year, with a baby on the way as well as hitting 30, it's all about Natalie Portman.
BEST DIRECTOR: David Fincher ("The Social Network")
BEST PICTURE: The keyword here is "theme" when it comes to Best Picture. "The Hurt Locker" has a war theme; "The Departed", a mob theme; "Slumdog Millionaire"; an ethnic theme; "Schindler's List", a holocaust theme"; "Gladiator", a medieval theme; and "No Country For Old Men", a western theme. All of them have won Best Picture in the past, so in the case of "The King's Speech", there's a royalty theme.

But...remember when "Shakespeare In Love" won over the heavily favored "Saving Private Ryan" thanks to some behind-the-scenes bribing from the Weinsteins? Well, the Academy voters have learned their lesson from last time, and keeping up with those changing times I'm going to say that "The Social Network" will have a chance to pull it off this year!

We'll see what happens when the 83rd Annual Academy Awards comes our way this Sunday, and since they'll be aired LIVE here in Alaska at 4:30 pm (yes, no more spoiling ourselves online on who already won!) I'll be live tweeting during the show, so follow me on Twitter @jonathanallen. I hope Franco and Hathaway finish up in time so I can catch "The Amazing Race" at 8:00.

And of course, on Monday I'll have my complete wrap-up, so so long and stay strong.

Hello everybody, as I'm sure you're enjoying or already enjoyed your Valentine's Day.

It was indeed a sweet night as Lady Antebellum owned the 53rd Annual Grammy Awards Sunday picking up three awards including Song of the Year, Best Country Album, and Record of the Year for "Need You Now" while Album of the Year went to Canada's Arcade Fire ("The Suburbs"). Lady Gaga collected Best Pop Vocal Album, but not before she went Gobbledygooker on us, making her grand red carpet entrance inside an egg (look at old YouTube videos for yourself to see what I'm talking about)!

Unfortunately, Grammy night was sour for Justin Bieber, who lost Best New Artist to Esperanza Spalding (which ultimately did not sit well with legions of his fans) to go along with his "Never Say Never" #2 in the box office behind Adam Sandler's and Jennifer Aniston's "Just Go With It." And even with her grandmother as her good luck charm, it was bad luck as Katy Perry also went home empty handed.

An Aretha Franklin tribute kicked things off, as 26.5 million viewers were focused on Christina Aguilera just one week after verbally stumbling at the Super Bowl. However, at the end of her performance, she physically stumbled off the stage as the cameras pulled away.

As I tweeted earlier today, my best dressed belonged to Katy Perry, Lea Michele, Eva Longoria, Heidi Klum, and leggy Jennifer Lopez; Nicki Minaj, Natasha Bedingfield, and Justin Bieber should've looked at their mirrors before they left.

But of course...before music's biggest night, it was Egypt's biggest night last Friday as Hosini Mubarak finally stepped down after 30 years of rule. On Thursday, Mubarak made a speech in which we thought the time would come, but the ever increasing crowd at Tahrir Square in Cairo weren't holding on to his words and they were chanting "Get out!" in Arabic while holding a shoe in their hand. Anger became jubilation in a span of 24 hours as the scene was reminiscent of New Year's Eve in Times Square with fireworks and dancing throughout. All that was missing was Dick Clark to sink it all in.

But during those eighteen days, the scene was nothing but chaotic, as journalists including CNN's Andersoon Cooper was caught in the crossfire and they had to find their own way to get out of dodge and into safety.

So...what now as the old Egypt is already no more and the new Egypt has begun under military control? For one thing, there is a lot of straightening out to do as the parliament have all but completely dissolved. It may be the power of the social network that led to the beginning of the end of the Mubarak regime, but with the Academy Awards now less that two weeks away, we have already heard the last king's speech. So long and stay strong.

Cheeseheads tower over the Terrible Towels in Texas!

Hello, everybody. With the help of MVP Aaron Rodgers, the heavily favored Green Bay Packers prevented the Pittsburgh Steelers' chances of a seventh Vince Lombardi Trophy as they possessed their fourth with a 31-25 victory in Super Bowl XLV Sunday. It was their first win since the Brett Favre era in 1997.

Pittsburgh's Ben Rothlisberger said that his defeat let the city down. Well, there was one other person that grew up in Steel City who also shares the same sentiment: Christina Aguilera!

In what was pretty much a tribute to the late Leslie Nielsen's Frank Drebin character in "The Naked Gun" movies, Aguilera for some stupid reason screwed up the national anthem when she substituted "what so proudly we watched" for "o'er the ramparts we watched." Afterwards, she told the Associated Press, "I can only hope that everyone could feel my love for this country and that the true spirit of it's anthem still came through."

Okay...really???? Let's see: Your last album tanked; you're a single mom after divorcing Jordan Bratman; and your first film "Burlesque" with Cher bombed. Christina, my dear, you butchering the Star Spangled Banner live in front of a billion people on the biggest stage in American sports is not really the end of your career right there, but wasn't one of your songs called "Fighter"? You'll fight through this, I'm sure.

I've live tweeted the game and noticed that one of the trending topics was "Femme Fatale", which happens to be the next album by Britney Spears coming in March. Even though Christina Aguilera's career appears to be in jeopardy after that Super Bowl snafu, Britney's is still flourishing.

However, due to a fire hazard, thousands of fans did see the game alright...outside Cowboys Stadium, as 1,250 temporary seats weren't ready by game time. The NFL apologized for that and said they will invite those disappointed fans to a future Super Bowl and will issue $2,700 in refunds.

The Super Bowl was also couples' night, as Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta Jones, Harrison Ford and Calista Flockhart, Cameron Diaz and Alex Rodriguez, Ryan Seacrest and Julianne Hough, and even former President George W. Bush and Laura Bush. Also in attendance: John Travolta, Keith Urban (both minus their spouses), and Jennifer Aniston.

By the way: The game was watched by 111 million viewers, which is enough to eclipse Super Bowl XLIV last year (won by the New Orleans Saints) as the most-watched television broadcast of all-time by five million!!!

"Glee's" Lea Michele prior to Aguilera's foul-up did "America The Beautiful", and Fergie stay true to her word by not pulling a Janet Jackson while she and the rest of the Black Eyed Peas along with Slash and Usher rocked halftime. Apparently, the only malfunction Fergie suffered was an audio malfunction, as her microphone shorted out while performing. Overall, it was Usher who overshadowed the Peas.

And then, of course, were the additional bits of entertainment between the game we call "commercials". There are so many of course, so here are:

My top ten favorite commercials from Super Bowl XLV

10. Mini's "Cram It In The Boot" (I'd rather cram this down my throat!)

9. GoDaddy with Danica Patrick (of course), Jillian Michaels, and Joan Rivers as the new face of GoDaddy.co (excuse me while I puke at the sight of the latter when you realize that the body double is that of Tabitha Taylor)

8. Snickers with Roseanne and Richard Lewis (We love Betty White; Betty White has been a television icon for generations young and old...sorry, Roseanne, you're no Betty White!)

7. Pepsi Max's "Love Hurts" (hurts so much that that couple should be arrested for hitting that blonde in the can)

6. Best Buy featuring Ozzy Osbourne and Justin Bieber (looking forward to the sequel in which Ozzy asks, "What's a Ke$ha?")

5. Kia Optima's "One Epic Ride" ('nuff said)

4. Kim Kardashian for Skechers Shape-Ups (okay...this has to be the sexiest Super Bowl ad ever, blowing Cindy Crawford (Pepsi) and Ali Landry (Doritos) out of the water! And why is that? It's Kim Kardashian, dammit!!!)

3. Bud Light's "Dog Sitter" (Talk about who really let the dogs out! By the way, it was also tied for #1 in "USA Today's" Ad Meter)

2. TIE: NFL's "Best. Fans. Ever." (I even tried to keep count of how many shows they featured in the ad)/Volkswagen's "The Force" (which has gotten over 15 million views on YouTube and counting)

The other #1 in "USA Today's" annual Ad Meter also belonged to Doritos for its "Pug Attack" spot, but this is my #1 favorite commercial from Super Bowl XLV:

1. Chrysler's "Imported From Detroit"
(Let's face it: Car ads dominated this year, and Chrysler's with Eminem was proof that the American automobile industry is back and stronger than ever)

Coca-Cola once again doesn't make my top ten, but I did like "Border" and "Siege." Mercedes Benz's "Welcome" featuring Sean "Diddy" Combs also gets an honorable mention as well. Some of the ads were already on YouTube a few days before they aired during the Super Bowl, which explains the immense buzz.

The Green Bay Packers returned home Monday with a victory rally to follow Tuesday at Lambeau Field. But there's one person from one area who would love to bring that trophy home for all to see, and that is North Pole's Daryn Colledge. Sure, the Stanley Cup will be coming here for public display later this month, but I would rather plant my lips on the Vince Lombardi Trophy instead of drinking from the Stanley Cup. You talk about a hometown boy really making good? We have it. So long and stay strong.