I've got to get this out of the way fast before 2012 ends and 2013 begins, so in its 23rd year...

The Top 20 Things That Were Trending in 2012

20. Facebook going public (and millions of investors clicking "unlike")

19. The nut who tried to steal Webb Simpson's spotlight after just winning the U.S. Open (if this happens at Augusta, Jim Nantz will beat him senseless)

18. Tim Tebow traded to the New York Jets while Peyton Manning goes to the Denver Broncos (therefore exorcising the Mile High City from Tebowism)

17. Clint Eastwood and his invisible chair at the Republican National Convention (to be later joined by an invisible audience laughing at his invisible jokes)

16. "Ted" (somewhere, Teddy Ruxpin and Snuggle Bear were launching a vendetta against Seth MacFarlane)

15. Steve Harvey (the movie version of "Think Like A Man" was a hit, his talk show is becoming the anti-Dr. Phil, and "Family Feud" has been climbing in the ratings...Ryan who???)

14. Lance Armstrong being stripped of all his Tour de France titles (and who says he doesn't have the balls to defend himself?)

13. The iPhone 5 and the Samsung Galaxy S III (one had long lines stretching for miles, the other has you sharing videos you regret taking)

12. Nicki Minaj and Mariah Carey joining "American Idol" (stick a fork in that show...it's already been well done)

11 (and making her 14th consecutive appearance). Britney Spears (proving that she always had the "X Factor (sorry, Khloe Kardashian!))

10. "Call Me Maybe" (last year it was "Friday", and now, this?! God, no wonder why I'm getting old!)

9. Mitt Romney vs. Big Bird (a day after the first debate, Big Bird left a little "present" on Romney's campaign bus)

8. TIE: Lindsay Lohan and Amanda Bynes (no comment)/NFL replacement referees (more inept at their jobs than a small-market local news anchor)

7. The Olympics (or as we called it, "The Michael Phelps and Usain Bolt Show II featuring Ryan Lochte, Queen Elizabeth II on a parachute, and the Fierce Five!")

6. Adele cleaning up the Grammys (yeah, that'll teach those young punks a lesson! And speaking of which...)

5. One Direction (this decade's Beatles/New Kids/'NSync/Hanson/Jonas Brothers...so far)

4. TIE: Honey Boo Boo (another reason why our society is going down the crapper. But at least she outrated that comedy showcase which was the Republican National Convention!)/The General David Petraeus scandal (Dirty little secret? Yeah, right!)

3. TIE: Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes divorcing (the "Free Katie!" t-shirts finally paid off)/Pope Benedict XVI and Betty White on Twitter (now we're waiting on which one will fire off a sexy Instagram)

2. "Gangnam Style" (it was infectious, just like the Macarena)

And not even a little photo scandal or a nurse the victim of a prank call from Australian DJs couldn't hurt the #1 thing that was trending in 2012...

1. Duchess Kate's pregnancy (and already, baby naming games have begun)

And that's the AllenBlog's 2012 Year In Review. So long, stay strong, and HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

The Year in Pop Culture

What didn't kill us throughout 2012 in the world of pop culture made us stronger alright: A YouTube sensation causing more flash mobs than the Macarena, the box office avenged by superheroes and vampires, more exposure of William and Kate than we expected, a tween group and a very pre-pre-pre-pre-tween ruling the universe, two new rival singing competition shows duking it out for supremacy while another has pooped out, and a certain celebrity still keeping the tabloids' presses rolling...it was hard to put down "Fifty Shades of Grey" while jamming to the soothing beats of "Call Me Maybe".

The silent film "The Artist" spoke more than volumes at the 84th Annual Academy Awards; although it and "Hugo" each claimed five awards (including one for former Fairbanksan Ben Grossmann), "The Artist" came out as the big winner with Best Actor (Jean Dujardin), Director, and Best Picture of 2011. Meryl Streep's Margaret Thatcher in "The Iron Lady" won her Best Actress, which almost nobody saw coming after almost three decades. But host Billy Crystal was still a little rusty after the 2004 awards, and Seth McFarlane is hoping to shake that off next year.

Cable (with a side of network) ruled the 54th Primetime Emmys, as Showtime's "Homeland" scored a Drama trifecta: Series, Actor (Damian Lewis), and Actress (Claire Danes, who recently gave birth to a baby boy). "Modern Family" was still Best Comedy, "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart" continued their streak, and Tracy Morgan is still alive after falling for Jimmy Kimmel's "drop dead" stunt. For the first time ever, not one single network show was up for Best Drama, though the networks still reap the comedy honors.

While we're sticking with television, "The X Factor" (now with Britney Spears and Demi Lovato joining Simon Cowell and L.A. Reid) and "The Voice" (still with Christina Aguilera, but not next season) duked it out to become the new king of singing competitions with "American Idol" no longer the #1 show (NBC's "Sunday Night Football" ended their eight-year reign of terror), Aaron Sorkin -- fresh off his Oscar win for "The Social Network" -- returned to television with HBO's "The Newsroom"; the new generation of "Dallas" which also had Patrick Duffy, Linda Gray, and the late Larry Hagman from the old generation, "Gossip Girl's" revelation that it's actually Gossip Guy, Connie Britton and Hayden Panettiere proved they're a little bit country alright in "Nashville", and the year's most popular TV catchphrase: "Here comes Honey Boo Boo child!", as the pint-sized, plus-sized tot suddenly became a breakout star; she even outrated the Republican National Convention! Unfortunately, "Partners", "666 Park Avenue", and "Made In Jersey" were deleted from DVR drives' season passes. Not even "Two And a Half Men's" Angus T. Jones imploring us to stop watching his "filthy" show (he would later apologize for his remarks) couldn't stop it from scoring its highest ratings so far this season.

Action heroes ruled the box office with more than an iron fist, as "The Avengers" and "The Dark Knight Rises" each scored opening weekend records (one all-time, the other for a non-3D film) while "Twilight" closed out their run with "Breaking Dawn: Part 2". "The Hunger Games", "The Amazing Spider-Man", "Magic Mike" with "Sexiest Man Alive" Channing Tatum, the latest James Bond masterpiece "Skyfall" and potential Oscar contenders "Lincoln", "Les Miserables", and "Argo" have also kept us in our seats, while "Cloud Atlas", "John Carter", "Dredd", "Rock of Ages", and "Battleship" (proving that Rihanna should stick to music) had us bolting out of them. Even Tim Burton had a disappointing year himself with "Frankenweenie" and the feature film version of "Dark Shadows."

Rihanna, Bruno Mars, Carrie Underwood, Justin Bieber, Kelly Clarkson, and Taylor Swift churned out some new hits this year, but there were even newer sensations: fun., Carly Rae Jepsen with this summer's theme song "Call Me Maybe", and some quintet of young boys from England called One Direction. But perhaps the biggest story of them all was South Korean singer Psy, who's "Gangnam Style" became YouTube's most-viewed video ever (1 billion and counting) and the dance craze sweeping the entire planet.

Two other entertainment highlights also included: Disney buying the Lucasfilm studio for $4.05 billion, and the book "Fifty Shades of Grey" so hot, it was like Lifetime meeting Cinemax. And in September, Apple released the iPhone 5 and the new line of iPods including the iPod Touch now with Siri.

No year would be complete without our fair share of scandals, and boy, there were plenty! The biggie was Kate Middleton, as while she and Prince William were touring Southeast Asia, the French magazine "Closer" ran grainy photos of the royal couple sunbathing topless in France from a few months ago. A lawsuit couldn't stop an Italian publication from publishing the pics either, but in early December, we've found out that there will be a future King of England on the way. An Australian radio station cashed in on the news by prank calling the duchess's hospital in hopes of getting in touch with Kate, but the nurse who received the call would pay the ultimate price by committing suicide shortly thereafter. As a result, the two DJs were fired. Meanwhile, brother Prince Harry took the "Whatever happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas" motto a little too far as he was caught frolicking naked at a Las Vegas hotel.

Washington was rocked by two: the Secret Service appearing to be working behind President Obama's back as they were involved with prostitutes in Colombia, and general David Petraeus's extramarital affiair that cost him his job as CIA Director. Over in Britain, it was revealed that the late BBC personality Jimmy Savile had sexually abused pre-teens over 40 years ago, with 300 victims coming forward giving the world's #1 public broadcaster a black eye.

And there were more: Pics of Kristen Stewart and Rupert Sanders getting hot and heavy with each other behind Robert Pattinson's back left Twihards in a depression before things returned to normal, a new sex tape starring...wrestling legend Hulk Hogan (?????); and Kevin Clash, the man behind Elmo, quitting "Sesame Street" over a barrage of sexual allegations by him from underage boys

Plus of course you have the annual queen of scandals: Lindsay Lohan. Her return to acting as Elizabeth Taylor in the TV movie "Liz & Dick" may have bombed, but that was okay. It was all the same old, same old and now a judge has revoked her probation, meaning another trip to jail which could last 3-4 months (translation: 3-4 weeks).

In celebrity couples: Justin Timberlake and Jessica Biel, Anne Hathaway and Adam Shulman, Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds, Kate Winslet and Ned Rocknroll (as of publish time) and Matthew McConaughey and Camilla Alves among others had us singing "We Belong Together", while (back to Taylor Swift) "We Are Never, Ever Getting Back Together" were played for Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes, Heidi Klum and Seal, Bethenny Frankel and Jason Hoppy (as of publish time); and to no one's surprise, Justin Bieber and Selena Gomez...or so we thought? Oh yeah, and George Clooney and Stacy Keibler are still together.

The nurseries were quite busy as usual, as Reese Witherspoon, Drew Barrymore, Anna Paquin, and Sarah Michelle Gellar expanded their families, while room is being made for Kristen Bell and Channing and Jenna Dewan-Tatum, as well as (as of publish time) Jessica Simpson once again.

Adele may have been voted Entertainer of the Year by the Associated Press, but who was my selection this year? Well, not a person, but a thing: The tablet!

Okay, so we had a false start in 2011 with the very short-lived HP TouchPad, but during 2012, the iPad knew they weren't the only game in town anymore. Amazon unveiled their new line of Kindles including the Kindle Fire HD, rival Barnes & Noble had the Nook HD, Microsoft launched the Surface (with an actual attachable keyboard!), and Samsung and Google rolled out the Galaxy 2 and Nexus 7 respectively. In between all those, there were other, yet inexpensive tablets. To keep up, Apple unleashed the iPad Mini, and tablet usage this year, whether for business or pleasure, was on an immense rise that even the most popular apps like Instagram and Angry Birds had to be created for more than just Apple's iOS.

Two honoralble mentions go out to Eva Longoria and Maria Menounos, winner and runner-up of Sexiest Woman of 2012 respectively. Both of them had one hell of a year; Eva's was headlined by the end of "Desperate Housewives" and her successful campaigning for Prestident Obama as national co-chair. Maria's year was chock full, with "Dancing With The Stars", an brief match at Wrestlemania 28, and of course, "Extra." Oh yeah, she braved the cold -- and herself -- by doing her show in a bikini in Times Square as a consequence for her New England Patriots' Super Bowl XLVI loss to the N.Y. Giants.

But when it comes to what was the biggest entertainment story of 2012, you have to go back to Grammy weekend and the sudden death of Whitney Houston. She had been plagued with drugs and alcohol problems thanks to her ex-husband Bobby Brown, but her drowning from a hotel bathtub came as a shock to us all. Coroners later discovered that heart disease and cocaine contributed to her death, but aside from all that, her legacy will remain; "Sparkle" was an example.

As we're about to change calendars, what will 2013 bring to the table? We could be seeing Ben Affleck vs. Steven Spielberg at the Oscars, as "Argo" and "Lincoln" may be clashing for the top honors. With the "Twilight" franchise done, it'll be up to "The Hunger Games: Catching Fire", "Iron Man 3", and "Scary Movie 5" among others picking up the slack. A "Carrie" remake with Chloe Moretz is in the can, while Christina Aguilera will be taking a break from "The Voice" to tour the world. And oh yeah...there's also the late night return of Arsenio Hall. All other sorts of stuff will happen within the next 365 days, so we'll wait and see.

Next time...we cap it all off with the Top 20 Things That Were Trending in 2012!

It was the year when mass shootings large and small in places large and small have traumatized America like never before.

The year when our president won another term for the middle class, health care, and Big Bird.

The year when women everywhere had to indulge a hot, steamy book that was more piping than a latte.

The year when "The Hunger Games", "The Avengers", and the last of the "Twilight" films left us on our seats, while "Cloud Atlas" and "John Carter" got us out of our seats.

The year when we said goodbye to the world's oldest teenager while saying hello to the world's obnoxious pre-pre-pre-pre-pre-pre-teenager.

The year when there was still evidence of life on Mars...not just the planet, but also a singer.

The year when one man made one huge memorial leap into the desert for the person who did so for all mankind.

And yes, it was the year when everybody -- including naked royals and disappointed Mayans -- kicked it Gangnam Style!

That year was 2012.

Join the AllenBlog for a look back at another twisty and turny year.

From continuing unrest in the Middle East, to Superstorm Sandy almost turning the Big Apple into a core, from the Olympics in London while still no end to the debt crisis on the other side of Europe, to deadly shootings in Colorado and Connecticut, to President Obama denying Mitt Romney unlimited access to the White House...the Mayans had it all wrong about the world ending in 2012.

The continuation of the Arab Spring and the unrest in Syria kicked off the year, in which a change of power in Yemen as Ali Abdullah Saleh passed the torch to Abd Rabbuah Mansur Al-Hadi. But perhaps the true turning point came in September, when one little trailer for "The Innocence of Muslims" on YouTube sparked a wave of terrorist attacks at U.S. embassies worldwide; in Libya, ambassador Christopher Stephens was among the martyrs.

The New York Giants routed the New England Patriots 21-17 in Super Bowl XLIV; 111.3 million viewers made it the most-watched television broadcast ever. But the Patriots' loss proved to be one superfan's gain, which I'll save for next time.

The year's other big sports story was the Summer Olympics in London, where Michael Phelps and Usain Bolt weren't anything but rusty after Beijing. Phelps became the most-decorated Olympian ever, though he and fellow teammate Ryan Lochte fended off a challenge. Bolt, meanwhile, was still king of the track, with double amputee Oscar Pistorius of South Africa being the games's inspiration story even if he didn't medal. 

In other words, those games should've been called the Women's Olympics, as gymnastics' Fierce Five (Gabby Douglas and company), Missy Franklin, and Serena Williams (to add women's tennis gold in between her Wimbledon and U.S. Open trophies) led that charge like never before. After the cauldron was snuffed out, the United States took home the most haul: 104 with 46 of them gold; host country Great Britain did extremely well too with 65 (29 golds), with Tour de France champion Bradley Wiggins, Wimbledon champion Andy Murray, and Mo Farah among the contributors.

Other 2012 sports highlights include: The Los Angeles Kings' first ever Stanley Cup hoisting (though the NHL season is still in jeopardy with yet another lockout), the San Francisco Giants striking out Detroit for another World Series title, Bubba Watson Master-ful at Augusta, Dario Franchitti taking his third Indianapolis 500 checkered flag, a bounty scandal crippling the New Orleans Saints, Ernie Els kissing the British Open clarinet jug, Tim Tebow traded to the New York Jets with Peyton Manning headed to Denver, Lance Armstrong being stripped of all his seven Tour de France titles due to doping, Dallas Seavey making Iditarod history as its youngest winner ever at age 25, LeBron James and his Miami Heat bringing the NBA title back to South Beach, Kentucky and Baylor the kings and queens of college basketball, and Matt Kenseth dominating the twice-delayed Daytona 500. Also, the Penn State child sex abuse scandal reached its crescendo as after Joe Paterno's death in February, his statue would later be removed plus all 112 wins from his last 13 years were vacated. Jerry Sandusky, on the other hand, would face the ultimate consequence: 30 to 60 years behind bars.

In business and the economy, the debt crisis in Greece was still far from over, as in February, Eurozone finance ministers reached an agreement on another 130 billion Euro bailout. Over in China, the Foxconn factory where iPods, iPhones, and iPads are made were in the spotlight. And back here in the States, the auto industry once again saw sales pick up, while a bakers' strike shut down Hostess Brands. That sudden news led to supermarket shelves immediately running dry of Twinkies, Ding Dongs, Ho-Hos, and Wonder Bread, though there's word now that several companies including Wal-Mart and Kroger may give them another life after all.

In outer space, NASA's Curosity rover brought us fresh images from Mars, while Austrian daredevil Felix Baumgartner descended from space back to Earth in a daring jump that would make Evel Knievel proud. 

Rising floodwaters in New South Wales and Queensland, Australia forced tens of thousands out of their homes in February. But that pales in comparison to the year's biggest weather story: Superstorm (or Hurricane, whichever you prefer) Sandy, which killed 209 people in its path and racked up billions of dollars in damage, especially in the hardest-hit areas of New York and New Jersey. Before that, though, Hurricane Isaac threatened the Caribbean and almost the Florida coast, while the midwest U.S. would experience the second worst drought next to the 1930's Dust Bowl.

President Obama won an additional four years at the White House, defeating former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney in what was a very tense battle for power. There were two major pre-election victories, though: The Supreme Court ruling of the Affordable Health Care Act being constitutional, and Obama standing up for same-sex marriage.

In the end, it was a series of mass murders that landed on more front pages throughout 2012. The Denver area -- and especially the country -- would be traumatized by another tragedy 13 years after Columbine when James Holmes opened fire at a packed movie theater showing "The Dark Knight Rises" in nearby Aurora, but not before he set deadly booby traps at his apartment for the police, which would be diffused. In August, a White Supremacist turned a Sikh Temple in Wisconsin into a killing field; seven were slain including a police officer before committing suicide. And in early December at the height of the holiday shopping season, two people were shot dead at a mall outside Portland, Oregon before the gunman pulled the trigger on himself.

But a couple days later, the sleepy town of Newtown, Connecticut woke up to the sound of horror as Adam Lanza killed 27 people -- 20 of them children -- and then himself at Sandy Hook Elementary School in what was the second deadliest school shooting in U.S. history behind Virginia Tech. And although it got little news at the same time, 23 were injured at a knife attack in a Chinese school; no deaths were reported.

There may have been new faces in the crowd this year, but of course, we had to bid a fond farewell to most of the old faces: Mike Wallace, jazz musician Dave Brubeck, Richard Dawson, Don Cornelius, Whitney Houston, Larry Hagman, Etta James, Maurice Sendak, Phyllis Diller, film director Tony Scott, Ernest Borgnine, Alex Karras, Donna Summer, astronauts Neil Armstrong and Sally Ride, Andy Williams, Arlen Specter, Helen Gurley Brown, Andy Griffith, game show producer Bob Stewart, George McGovern, Ray Bradbury, Davy Jones, boxer Hector "Macho" Camacho, Robin Gibb, Rodney King, Gore Vidal, Sherman Hemsley, Vidal Sassoon, Nora Ephron, Sylvia Kristel, Charles Durning, Gary Collins, Ravi Shankar, Jack Klugman, and the World's Oldest Teenager himself...Dick Clark.

What could we expect in 2013? The beginning of President Obama's next four years in office won't be the one and only highlight as right now, we're heading into a fiscal cliff. There may or may not be an NHL season after all, and Prince William and Kate will celebrate their second anniversary with a little bundle of joy. But who knows what else is going to happen in this crazy world of ours; the only way to find out is when the clock strikes midnight on January 1.

Next time when the "Year In Review" continues...2012 in pop culture.

Hello, everybody, as we're getting closer and closer to Thanksgiving weekend.

First up...Washington is rocked by the latest scandal, and this time it isn't from the White House or Capitol Hill. CIA director David Petraeus resigned from his post last week in the wake of an extra-marital affair the FBI uncovered between him and his biographer Paula Broadwell, with salacious e-mail exchanges traced to June being the smoking gun. Marine Corps Gen. John Allen (absolutely no relation!) is also involved in this, as he has allegedly sent salacious e-mails to D.C. socialite and Petraeus family friend Jill Kelley, who has also received e-mails from Broadwell in May. And if things don't get interesting, we have a third man: Frederick Humphries, who according to sources, have sent shirtless photos of himself to Kelley.

On Friday, Petraeus in a closed-door hearing at the Capitol testified that al-Qaeda had something to do with the Benghazi, Libya attack in September. But back to the scandal for a moment: On a scale of Watergate to Lewinsky, I give it a Salahi (for those of you not in the know, they were the couple who were anonymously invited to a White House state dinner years ago behind security's back).

In about a week or so, we'll have the fifth and final round of Sexiest Woman of 2012. But in the meantime, "People" magazine this week named their Sexiest Man Alive for 2012: Channing Tatum, who drove female audiences wild  this year in "Magic Mike."

Now I know some of you ladies have mixed feelings about their decision, and there have been some worthy choices suggested like Gerard Butler, Chris Hemsworth, Justin Bieber, or even Robert Pattinson or Taylor Lautner. But there are also those from outside the box, like...

• Jimmy Kimmel (Adam Carolla told the Huffington Post that People should've looked at him because Adam looked at Kimmel naked some times)
• Justin Timberlake (who cares if he recently married Jessica Biel?)
• Austin Butler (Justin and Selena Gomez may be no more, but he still has Vanessa Hudgens!)
• Cristiano Ronaldo (he's like David Beckham minus the tattoos...and Victoria)
• CBS Evening News anchor Scott Pelley (He's more understandable and pleasing to watch than Brian Williams, even if he's #3 in the ratings)
• Any from "Dancing With The Stars" (with the exception of Len Goodman)
• Tom Bergeron (now there's a man who, unlike Mario Lopez on "The X Factor", knows how to ad-lib intelligently whenever things go wrong)
• Bruno Mars (okay, so he didn't make the cover spread, but his style and looks have won him some ardent gals)

So there you go. Oh, and by the way...the editors probably don't know who I am, which is why I got snubbed once again as well!

And last but not least...as we near the final month and a half of 2012, we have lost some greats that have held dear to our hearts; Dick Clark being the biggie. And right now, add Twinkie the Kid to the mix.

On Friday, Hostess Brands announced that they were ceasing operations effective immediately due to a Bakers Union strike and that they were going to sell off their assets, including their legendary snack cakes (Twinkies, Ding Dongs, Ho-Ho's, etc.) and Wonder Bread. As a result, 18,000 employees have already collected their last checks.

For generations like myself who gorged on these treats, this truly is the end of an era as supermarket shelves have been running dry of Hostess products, thinking this is it....or is it really? Since the news of Hostess' bankruptcy, some big companies have been named to pick up the remnants, including Kellogg's (which bought Pringle's from Procter & Gamble), Kraft Foods, ConAgra, Nestle, General Mills, and Unilever. So far...no takers.

I sure am going to miss the days of enjoying cream-filled bliss, though I wouldn't mind a Twinkie, Donette, or a Wonder Bread sandwich just one more time. So long and stay strong.

Hello, everybody. Well, another presidential election has come and gone, and our choice for the next four years was President Barack Obama, as he has defeated Mitt Romney for a second term in what was one of the tightest and heart-stopping battles I've ever seen. And on Saturday, he has also won Florida, as all 100% of the votes there were in. The final score (in electoral votes): Obama 332, Romney 206.

It was quite a see-saw battle, with Romney having the advantage winning much of the South (including Texas), the Dakotas, and the battleground North Carolina. But after polls closed in the Northeast (including Romney's home state of Massachusetts), parts of the Midwest (Iowa, Minnesota, and Illinois), and in the West (including Colorado, New Mexico, and California with its big 55 electoral votes), they were all Obama. It was all over the moment Ohio went into the President's inventory, and McCormick Place in Chicago went crazy. Okay, so it was a sharp contrast to Grant Park four years ago, but the volume of jubilation was the same.

Meanwhile in Boston, Romney had only a victory speech prepared in case of a last-minute Hail Mary by the voters, but ad-libbed his concession speech thanking wife Ann, Paul Ryan, and his supporters for a feasible 5 1/2 minutes. Shortly after that, it was Obama's turn to address the world on his second victory.

The Senate will remain under Democrat control, thanks to wins by Claire McCaskill (Missouri), Elizabeth Warren (Massachusetts, defeating incumbent Scott Brown), and Chris Murphy (Connecticut, defeating former WWE CEO Linda McMahon in her second chance); Republicans will still own the House. And in Colorado, they don't call themselves the Mile High State for nothing, as marijuana use has been legalized there.

About 67 million viewers watched it all unfold across various networks, though NBC was tops on the broadcast side and CNN having the #1 cable coverage. NBC had their usual cast of characters (Brian Williams, David Gregory, Chuck Todd, Tom Brokaw), ditto for CNN (Wolf Blitzer, Anderson Cooper, John King), and CBS (which I watched mostly) was headlined by Scott Pelley -- his first election night -- and Bob Schieffer.

And then, there was ABC, which probably stood for "Absolutely Buzzed Coverage" and for good reason: Diane Sawyer appeared to have stolen Tom Brokaw's Ambien and infused it into her Jack Daniels (she is from Kentucky, after all)! I mean, she became the Lindsay Lohan/Amanda Bynes of election night, with her alleged drunkenness burning up Twitter and even mispronouncing Obama's last name as "Orama-bama" one time. It's like watching Jessica Savitch and Anna Nicole Smith at the 2004 American Music Awards reincarnated into one!

Now, Diane's Twitter bio says that she likes her drinks caffeinated. I guess she had to make two quick runs to Starbucks and then the liquor store before hitting the air. Okay, seriously...it was sleep deprivation that made her seem a little off, and ABC wasn't saying anything either. And now that he and Selena Gomez are (finally) no more, let's not hope next time, Diane pulls a Pat O'Brien by leaving X-rated voicemails to Justin Bieber behind husband Mike Nichols' back.

So in the end, it was an election that was out of the ordinary. Romney did everything he could to earn four years, but President Obama with the help of the same tactics (as well as a slew of celebrity support, fueled by Eva Longoria as one of the campaign's national co-chairs) earned four more, vowing to continue to shape America for the better even if unemployment rates are still up and down all over the board. As for Mitt Romney, he is moving forward alright...into obscurity.

We are also moving forward as well...to the holiday shopping season. And one person who's so ready is Oprah Winfrey, as her "Favorite Things" is back after a one-year hiatus with a special on OWN November 18 with military spouses having no idea they were in for the treat of their lives.

On this year's list: A Jetson E-Bike, Julep nail polish set, the new Microsoft Surface tablet (powered by the new Windows 8), the Dyson Pedestal Fan, the Bose VideoWave II (at $5,000, the Cadillac of home theater systems/HDTVs), Beats by Dr. Dre Powerbeats earphones, gourmet pigs in blankets from Brooklyn Piggies, blue velvet cakes from Carousel Cakes, a month's supply of Dark Secret chocolates, tequilas from Cara Dragones and Milago that will be the hit at a certain news anchor's holiday party, and...truffle butter, truffle sausage, truffle oils, truffle pastas, and goat cheese with -- you guessed it -- black truffle! Maybe this "60 Minutes" piece on truffles must've gave Oprah some gift ideas.

But before you start maxing out your cards in advance, we still have Ellen DeGeneres and her "12 Days of Giveaways", which will be in December. I expect to be the Microsoft Surface, the iPad Mini, and the new Nintendo Wii U to be featured.

And last but not least...George Lucas' Lucasfilm studio, the home of Star Wars and Indiana Jones, was recently acquired by The Walt Disney Company for $4.05 billion. Now in light of this news...the Angry Birds are at it again!

Yes, the Pac-Man of smartphone/tablet games has come out with a "Star Wars" edition, and if you're like me, we have had enough of the Angry Birds craze with merchandise (toys, calendars, clothing, the whole nine yards) and even the spinoff game Bad Piggies. And why is that? Unlike other popular games like Where's My Water? (also by Disney) and Infinity Blade, they're not universal apps (i.e., made for iPhone and iPad).

Another is that with the fifth generation iPhones/iPod Touches and the latest iPad out, TV-based apps like GetGlue, IntoNow, and Zeebox are becoming more popular; I'm sure they were all used a whole lot during election coverage.

There will be some time before Angry Birds-mania is fizzled out. For now though, we can still enjoy sling-shooting those birds to our hearts' content...unless if we see a knockoff called "Angry Diane Sawyers" (okay, I'll stop)! So long and stay strong.

It's all over but the voting!

Hello, everybody.

Tomorrow...it all ends.

In less than 24 hours and change, the 57th Presidential election between incumbent Barack Obama and former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney will be over but the celebration on either side, and both candidates have been in the final mad dashes of their lives. Obama wants to earn an additional four years' paid rent at the White House, but Romney has been doing his damnedest to give the president the eviction notice.

For the last month, Obama and Romney have been in a see-saw-battle in numerous polls, though Mitt got a much deserved boost after the first debate. The economy is once again the main factor, with rising energy costs that have cost Fairbanks two longtime family-owned businesses this year: Hope Hallmark and Somethin' Special, though Pier 1 Imports have recently returned after nearly 30 years.

In the first four years, Obama has accomplished a lot of things, including complete withdrawal of our troops from Iraq with Afghanistan next, signing the Affordable Health Care Act, saving the U.S. auto industry from extinction, and of course, the permanent end of Osama bin Laden's reign of terror. Romney, on the other hand? His Bain Capital put legendary typewriter maker Smith Corona out of a business, but we can give you this: He help bring the 2002 Winter Olympics to Salt Lake City.

But there's more than just the highest office in the land that's at stake. The entire House (all 435 seats) is up for grabs, plus 33 Senate seats (including former WWE CEO Linda McMahon's second chance in Connecticut), 11 gubernatorial races, and hundreds of local and state races and issues to be decided all over the country. Among them are ballot measures ranging from marijuana legalization in battleground Colorado to even mandatory labeling of genetically modified foods in California.

In the end, it'll be either Obama or Romney with the X Factor. The forecast may call for Romney to win the popular vote, but the electoral vote is the only thing that matters. And with the help of early voting and grassroots campaigns in the crucial make-it-or-break-it states like Virginia, Ohio, and Florida, Obama may be reaching the 270 mark yet again, but not by much as compared to 2008.

So...after all the months of drama with Big Bird this and "Don't boo; vote!" that, the final chapter of this heated presidential election will be written in voting booths everywhere tomorrow. Because after all...it's your choice. So long and stay strong.

Hello, everybody. It has become a "Week of Weeks", where everything has went by so much it's best to break them down one by one.

First up...the third and final presidential debate on Monday, where Bob Schieffer grilled President Barack Obama and Mitt Romney on foreign policy. And then after that, with two weeks to go came the all-out final campaign push as early voting has started in several more states including Alaska (our three electoral votes won't mean diddly squat as it'll go to Romney anyway). Obama campaigned for 48 hours straight in his America Forward! Tour targeting Colorado, Florida, Virginia, and Ohio; those four states will no doubt decide the presidency. In between, he made a pit stop at "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno" and then cast his early vote ballot in Chicago.

Romney also hit the key states himself, and several polls show him either trailing behind Obama or gaining above. And now comes what was Donald Trump's "bombshell" announcement that if the president releases his college transcripts and passport applications, Trump promises to give $5 million to Obama's charity of his choice.

Well...we don't buy it, and so isn't Barbara Walters, who said openly to Trump that he is making a fool of himself and urges him to, in the words of Mike Ditka, "Stop it!" Meanwhile, major newspapers such as the Washington Post and the New York Times have ramped up their endorsements for Obama; Romney has yet to get one. With the debates already over and not a single day to lose till November 6, it's all or nothing as we could be headed for a race that will be tighter than, to paraphrase Dan Rather one time, the rusted bolts on a 1969 Plymouth. There is the off chance that Romney will win the popular vote, but it's all about the electoral votes that really matter: 270, and Obama may be expected to reach that number once again. But you may never know, because in elections like these, there are no guarantees; someone will victor, and someone will be vanquished.

Halloween may be next Wednesday, but already, retailers have started running the first commercials for the upcoming holiday shopping season. And on Tuesday, we got a head start on what will be on gift lists everywhere as Apple introduced the iPad Mini. This compact-size version of the world's #1 tablet comes in light of heavy competition with Amazon's new Kindle Fire HD and Samsung's Galaxy Note, and it will have the exact same features as its big brother. Pricing starts at $329 and is expected to be quite the ultimate stocking stuffer this year.

And last but not least...there was also Taylor Swift's new album "Red" dropping on Tuesday as well, but we here in Fairbanks closed off the week with Jerry Seinfeld performing to a packed Carlson Center Friday night; I was right there on the front row. And he was not alone, as Mario Joyner (who some of you may know from MTV's "1/2 Hour Comedy Hour") preceded him.

The master of his own comedy domain  -- even if he sounded hoarse -- had us in hysterics for a good hour or so, much like his hit show which continues to play in reruns around the world. He riffed on almost everything including 5-Hour Energy, smartphones, OnStar (sorry, he didn't touch Siri), drug ads filtrating the airwaves, and even social media like Twitter and Facebook. One joke that was already embedded into my brain: "If you want five hours of energy, go to sleep!"

I told you before that Seinfeld was a huge make-up for missing out on Elton John, though unlike him, it wasn't literally a sell-out as tickets continued to be available right up until showtime, with an almost capacity crowd a few minutes after 7:30. As for notable figures in attendance? I spotted my good friend Glen "Glenner" Anderson; not sure if Jerry Evans was there as well.

All in all, 13 years after I was humorously traumatized, Jerry Seinfeld was the sure antidote even if he didn't resort to crude language. And now that we've finally got an A-list comedian here, all I got to say is...BRING ON RAY ROMANO (hey, he had a hit TV show, too)!!!! So long and stay strong.

Hello, everybody. Well, the first Presidential debate between incumbent Barack Obama and Mitt Romney was the only thing that headlined this week's news. And oh, man, did Romney give Obama a lynching or what?

Or...despite all of the congratulatory "Romney deserves this debate fair and square" babble from the lamestream media, was it really the other way around? Okay, so the president (and on the 20th anniversary of wedded bliss with Michelle, nonetheless) wasn't really at his best while Romney shook off the cobwebs stemming from that hidden camera video released the other week and his "47 percent" complaint.

Now I know a lot of you have been X-raying the facts during the debate, though Jim Lehrer's head should've been X-rayed as well. He has been moderating these debates since 1988 (when the just established Commission on Presidential Debates took over from the League of Women Voters) and you could tell he was getting sick and tired. Obama and Romney talked and talked while Lehrer did his best to do what those NFL replacement refs couldn't: Keep things under control. Wish they got Bernard Shaw out of retirement instead.

But who was the real winner? Has to be PBS, thanks to Romney saying that as President, he will eliminate funding for it. That remark has made one certain "Sesame Street" character flapping his wings in anger: Big Bird! 

Sesame Workshop in response said that as the non-profit organization also behind "The Electric Company", "3-2-1 Contact", "Square One TV", and "Ghostwriter", they receive very minimal funding from PBS and that"We are a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization. We do not comment on campaigns, but we’re happy we can all agree that everyone likes Big Bird!"

PBS themselves went on the defensive: "The federal investment in public broadcasting equals about one one-hundredth of one percent of the federal budget. Elimination of funding would have virtually no impact on the nation’s debt." 

Like most of you, I grew up with PBS, even if their "Downton Abbey" won only one measly Emmy this year. How are we going to live without "Nova", "Antiques Roadshow", "Austin City Limits", "Arthur", "Nature", "PBS Newshour", or even Bob Ross (though he's been dead for dozens of years)? We don't want to be stuck with Honey Boo Boo as one of the new alternatives; the only ones that can help prevent Romney getting his grubby hands on PBS are, you guessed it...viewers like you! (Thank you.)

Anyway...Obama's wounds from debate #1 were quickly healed with his approval rating up to 54%, the highest in three years. That would be followed by the unemployment rate now at 7.8%, the lowest since he took office. Heh, so much for Romney's claims about 23 million out of a job when it's actually 12.5 million.

He may have had his butt handed to Romney on Wednesday, but come the second debate on October 16, Obama will come out swinging like never before. But before that, we have Joe Biden vs. Paul Ryan in the one and only Vice Presidential showdown this Thursday. With virtually one month to go now and early voting already underway in several states including the make-or-break Ohio, something's got to give. And in debates like these, the only thing that would aid you to either an additional four years' paid rent at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue or an unfortunate upset by the man who vows to end PBS as we know it is not a teleprompter, but your brain. So long and stay strong.

Hello, everybody. For four straight years, "Mad Men" always came out on top as the most-honored drama of all time; it proved to be unstoppable...that is, until now.

"Homeland" reigned supreme at the 64th Primetime Emmy Awards on Sunday night, claiming not only Outstanding Drama (Showtime's first), but Lead Acting honors for Damian Lewis and Claire Danes; "Mad Men", after all those four years, came up empty-handed. And though Bryan Cranston was denied another Emmy for "Breaking Bad", his co-star Aaron Paul received Supporting Actor while "Downton Abbey's" only main award went to Dame Maggie Smith.

On the comedy side, it was a three-peat for "Modern Family" as it also got Supporting Acting prizes for Eric Stonestreet and Julie Bowen; Jon Cryer ("Two And a Half Men") and Julia Louis-Dreyfus ("Veep") copped Lead Acting and her third overall. Other winners include "Game Change" (Miniseries/Movie and Lead Actress for Julianne Moore), Kevin Costner (Lead Actor-Miniseries/Movie, "Hatfields & McCoys"), "The Amazing Race" (their ninth Reality Competition Program), Tom Bergeron (Reality Competition Host, "Dancing With The Stars"), Louis C.K., and at 10-0..."The Daily Show with Jon Stewart", who didn't realize that the Emmy Awards are on network television, not cable!

Jimmy Kimmel presided over the ceremonies, and knowing that they were on opposite the New England Patriots vs. Baltimore Ravens on "Sunday Night Football", he even asked Tracy Morgan to play dead onstage. The stunt worked, resulting in a Twitter/Facebook flood. There were also some skits including "Breaking Bad" done "Andy Griffith Show"-style and an In Memoriam tribute to Kimmel himself (the real In Memoriam featured Griffith, Don Cornelius, Steve Jobs, and other departed notables ending with Dick Clark). But according to AddThis, over 75% of Emmy viewers following the show on social media platforms disagreed about Kimmel's monologue.

One thing that was easily agreed on: The red carpet. Prior to the show, there was Sofia Vergara in Zuhair Murad, Heidi Klum pulling off an Angelina Jolie in her Alexandre Vauthier, Julianne Moore in Raf Simons for Christian Dior, and "2 Broke Girls'" Kat Dennings ramping up the va-va-voom in J. Mendel.

In the end, it was Hayden Panettiere's Marchesa that sizzled the most, while Julianna Margulies (Giambattista Valli)? She fizzled!

We're not sure what the ratings will be for this year's Emmycast, but I know there were millions of views galore for hidden camera video of Mitt Romney being released last week by Mother Jones that may have cost him the election. Speaking at a private fundraiser in Florida in May, Romney went on a jag about the voters who supported President Obama, saying that we pay no taxes and that he thinks the government should foot the bill. And then he said this: 

"There are 47 percent of the people who will vote for the president no matter what. All right, there are 47 percent who are with him, who are dependent upon government, who believe that they are victims, who believe the government has a responsibility to care for them, who believe that they are entitled to health care, to food, to housing, to you-name-it. That that's an entitlement. And the government should give it to them. And they will vote for this president no matter what…These are people who pay no income tax."

47 percent? This is coming from the man who finally disclosed his tax returns and wants to boot Obama out? It turns out that the 47 percent happens to be...either a senior citizen (one-fifth), in college (most scholarships are not taxable), in a big corporation, in a combat zone, or even living in a Red State. Alaska is generally a red state when it comes to elections, but we are last among the non-filers.

In about a month or so, we'll see if those 47 percent will give Romney a taste of his own medicine...unless if he goes Joe the Plumber on us in the October debates. So long and stay strong.

Hello, everybody. A lot of stuff to get to as always, so we begin first up with the slew of protests that have turned U.S. embassies throughout the Middle East into war zones.

It all started when a 14-minute trailer for the low-budget, anti-Islamic film "Innocence of Muslims", hit YouTube in July and garnered over 150 million views. But it wasn't until last weekend when an Egyptian television station broadcast excerpts of the Arabic-dubbed trailer, which sprouted into a series of attacks on U.S. embassies, including the one on Tuesday (on the 11th anniversary of 9/11, nonetheless) in Benghazi, Libya that killed Ambassador Christopher Stevens and three other Americans. Other attacks happened in Egypt, Tunisia on Friday with three people killed, Yemen, and even Lebanon where a KFC restaurant was set ablaze. The Libyan attack was condemned worldwide, with President Obama ordering tighter security at U.S. diplomatic facilities.

Protests against the film were spread as far as Britain, where 200 people gathered outside the embassy in London, though there were no violent incidents.

Now, to the film in question: Believe it or not, it was produced right here in the United States and directed by Nakoula Basseley Nakoula using the pseudonym "Sam Bacille." We've also learned that it was shot with a $50,000-$60,000 budget at the Blue Cloud Movie Ranch. Sitting on 100 acres in the Santa Clarita Valley north of Los Angeles, dozens of scenes for TV shows and movies like "Iron Man" and "NCIS Los Angeles" were shot there because of its military and Middle Eastern-like settings. Its one and only screening was in June under another title, "Innocence of Bin Laden", to an audience of ten at the Vine Theater in Hollywood; one attendee gave it a very poor review about the poor acting and anti-Islamic stance.

I can't believe that one, poorly-produced, American-made movie would trigger so much turmoil against our embassies. And I know my cousin Equilla in North Carolina like -- who is Muslim herself-- like most of us is appalled at what's been going on.

Moving on now...here we go again! A few weeks ago, it was Prince Harry frolicking naked in Las Vegas; now, it's his brother's wife's turn. 
Prince William and Kate Middleton may still be touring the South Pacific right now, but back in Britain (and everywhere else in the world), they don't care about that. 

The French magazine "Closer" ran pictures of William and a topless Kate relaxing during a private getaway in the Provence region of France, and St. James's Palace is up in arms. They said in a statement, "Their Royal Highnesses have been hugely saddened to learn that a French publication and a photographer have invaded their privacy in such a grotesque and totally unjustifiable manner. The incident is reminiscent of the worst excesses of the press and paparazzi during the life of Diana, Princess of Wales, and all the more upsetting to The Duke and Duchess for being so. Their Royal Highnesses had every expectation of privacy in the remote house. It is unthinkable that anyone should take such photographs, let alone publish them."  

The magazine has reportedly pulled the pictures from their website, while the royal couple is taking "Closer" to court; its editor and the photographers responsible for those snaps could be facing a year in prison and a maximum fine of 45,000 Euros ($58,100 U.S.). Can you say "breach of privacy"?

By the way, this comes about a week or so after 91-year-old Prince Philip accidentally exposed his royal jewels in a kilt while sitting alongside Queen Elizabeth II during an event in Scotland. With Princes Harry and Philip and now the Duchess of Cambridge, forget "Girls Gone Wild"; it's now..."Royals Gone Wild"!

In 1999, we've seen these two duke it out for teen pop diva supremacy on the charts. Smash cut to 13 years and many relationships and problems and other matters later, and now, Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera are at it again...this time for control of our TVs!

New seasons of "The Voice" (with Aguilera) and "The X Factor" (with Spears and Demi Lovato now joining Simon Cowell and L.A. Reid) debuted this week, with the Emmy-nominated Voice already on a high after Season 2. NBC pulled no punches scheduling the third night opposite night one of X Factor's season premiere on Fox, which Cowell called it "mean-spirited." Well, Team Xtina triumphed over Team Britney, as The Voice won the ratings 7.1 to 6.3.

But despite the ratings loss (down 20% overall), some critics and fans are warming up to the presences of Spears and Lovato. "Entertainment Weekly's" Ken Tucker said that Britney rattled off "a variety of “No”s to the punching-bag mediocrities the producers let in for comic relief," while Lovato, according to "USA Today", "related well to the teenage contestants, complimenting them on their glitter, cuteness, lipstick and stage presence." One moment that made the night belonged to 19-year-old contestant Jillian Jensen, who was bullied in school and had the courage to sing it all away to the delight -- and tears, including Demi's -- of the audience.

"The Voice" may have drawn first blood, but wait till when "Dancing With The Stars" starts up again on September 24 with the All-Stars. As fox "X Factor"? Their competition once again will be "Survivor" when it returns next Wednesday.

As the season progresses, performances from both shows will be out on iTunes, and while we're at this...Apple this week announced the iPhone 5, which will be thinner than the iPhone 4S and with a brand spanking new design including larger display, lightning-fast wi-fi, and other features; it'll be out next weekend. At the same time, they also introduced the next generation iPod Touch, also with a new design but with colors, almost the same features as iPhone 5, and of course, Siri.

But you'll have to wait till October for that, which happens to be perfect timing because that's when a majority of Alaska Permanent Fund Dividends will be in our bank accounts. And speaking of which...this year's amount (expected to be lower yet again) will be announced this Tuesday at 11:00 am Alaska Time; I'll have it for you on my Twitter just seconds after.

And last but not least...six years ago on this very blog, I documented John Leguizamo's visit to Fairbanks, which the entire area turned out for. Two years later, Elton John came up here for those lucky enough (unlike myself) to snag a seat. And then two years after that, it was Snoop Dogg's turn to invade our turf.

Well, Jerry Seinfeld will be the fourth A-lister to carry on that tradition when he ascends to the Golden Heart City on October 26 at the Carlson Center; and making sure I wouldn't miss out just like I did with Sir Elton, I already got my tickets (which went on sale Friday morning)!

Okay, I originally said that after Bill Bellamy followed by the unexpected roasting I got from one of the BET comedians the one time, I would never see another comedian again...that is, until we heard that Seinfeld would be coming. And how could I not pass up on this golden opportunity? I could babble all I want about him having one of TV's #1 shows during the '90s and that afterwards, he returned to his roots performing stand-up -- this time at larger venues around the world -- as well as other projects including "The Marriage Ref" and the web series "Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee". 

To sum it up, Seinfeld will be my second big-name act here following B.B. King in 2001 (third if you count my double date with Britney Spears the previous year). I know that the man who had "the show about nothing" will always provide us more than something to laugh about next month. So long and stay strong and yadda, yadda, yadda.

Hello, everybody. They say that all good things must come to an end, and that was the case for the 2012 Summer Olympics in London on Sunday with plenty of company from the Spice Girls, One Direction, Madness, George Michael, Muse, Monty Python's Eric Idle, and Annie Lennox among others. With a $14 billion bill, those performers were each paid something that could be worth a small drink: $1.50!

Anyway, The Who closed the festivities off after the dousing of the Olympic cauldron, which followed the the 10,800 athletes all marching in as one plus remarks by International Olympic Committee President Jacques Rogge declaring the games over.

The United States had their best ever showing during those two weeks, coming home with the most medals haul with 104; 46 of them gold including the men's basketball team holding off Spain 107-100 in the finals. The host country, Great Britain, did well themselves: 29 golds, 65 overall (their largest since 1908).

There were some unforgettable moments throughout the games, including Michael Phelps capping off his career as the most decorated Olympian ever...not to mention passing the swimming hotness torch to Ryan Lochte, who will probably follow his lead at Rio in 2016. Mo Farah swept the 5,000- and 10,000-meter races to not just the roar of the hometown crowd at Olympic Stadium, but to the ecstatic BBC commentators calling them!

Females dominated these games, headlined by Gabby Douglas's and Missy Franklin's golds, the U.S. soccer, gymnastics, and basketball teams, and women's boxing making its Olympics debut.

Oscar Pistorius, the double-amputee track athlete from South Africa, may not have a medal around his neck, but was a champion to everybody's hearts. And yes, there was Usain Bolt...winner and still king of the track.

With the Games of the XXX Olympiad over and the other athletes still departing from Heathrow Airport with the ultimate souvenirs, it's now on to Sochi, Russia and the XXII Olympic Winter Games in 2014. For the United States and Canada, they will finally compete at an Olympics in Russia 34 years after they and 60 other countries boycotted the 1980 Summer Games in Moscow. But during those last two weeks in London, this year's Olympics sure lived up to their theme: "Inspire a generation."

And last but not least: Stacy Keibler has followed the Olympics while in Italy with George Clooney, and pretty soon, she's returning to television as host of a new Lifetime show called "Supermarket Superstars." As for "The X Factor"? She's still in the running for that hosting job

It's already been a year since she and Clooney as an item became front-page news around the world; and in the months since, we saw them stealing the show at the biggest entertainment events including the granddaddy of them all, the Oscars. There were even rumors about Stacy sprouting a baby George, but an Instagram pic of her toned abs put those to bed.

With Miley Cyrus and now Jennifer Aniston engaged, and Natalie Portman recently wed, what are the odds that wedding bells will ring for George and Stacy? One in about never! But if the two happen to become over after one year, then Stacy's next guy? Fellow Baltimoreian Michael Phelps...unless if   she cheats on him in the backseat of a Porsche with Ryan Lochte! So long and stay strong.

Hello, everybody. Week 1 of the Games of the XXX Olympiad in London is coming to an end, and has the United States been owning the podium or what?

Most of the bounty belonged to Michael Phelps, as he wraps up his stellar career has cemented his place as the most decorated Olympian of all time with 22 overall medals; 19 of them gold. Four of those 19 came over the course of the week: The 4x200m freestyle relay, the 200m individual medley; his last individual medal, the 100m butterfly on Friday; and to cap it all off: the 4x100m medley relay on Saturday. 

As a matter of fact, the men's swimming in these games should be called "The Michael Phelps and Ryan Lochte Show", as the two have been a duel starting with Lochte claiming gold in the 400m individual medley on Saturday (Phelps didn't medal, finishing fourth); Michael would outswim him a few days later with the 100m butterfly.

The women have also dominated in the water, with Alison Schmitt, Missy Franklin, Rebecca Soni, Dana Vollmer, and Katie Ledecky claiming golds themselves.

In gymnastics, call it the Fab Five as the women raked their first team gold since the Magnificent Seven in 1996; that would be followed by Gabby Douglas' gold in the all-around. At 16, she was also the youngest gold medalist in these games...well, for at least one day, when 15-year old Ledecky took that honor.

And on Saturday, it was advantage: Serena Williams as she beat Maria Sharapova for gold in women's tennis. The other major U.S. gold medalist this week was Kayla Harrison in women's judo (78kg), a first for us.

Great Britain is also doing impressive medals-wise, with their first golds in men's cycling time trials and rowing on Wednesday; the former thanks to this year's Tour de France champion Bradley Wiggins. 

The United States have not only taken the most golds so far with 26, but also the one-medal advantage overall over China (54-53) who has 25 golds; the host country is not far behind with 29 (14 golds) followed by Russia's 28. And Canada finally got their first gold in women's trampoline, but they have a lot of ground to make up with the nine others they already got.

The track and field events are already underway, and that's where Lolo Jones and Usain Bolt will shine. Other events to take center stage in week 2 of the Olympics: Wrestling, basketball, and indoor and beach volleyball.

Now...if infidelity was an Olympic sport, Kristen Stewart would easily get that gold. It's been a week since scandalous photos of Stewart and her "Snow White and the Huntsman" director Rupert Sanders allegedly getting more than cozy shocked Twihards around the world, and here's the latest:

Stewart and Robert Pattinson have both went into exile, with Kristen at her parents' house while Pattinson retreated to his "Water for Elephants" co-star Reese Witherspoon's home just up the highway in Ojai. The two were scheduled to present together at next month's MTV Video Music Awards, but that appears to be up in the air...at least for now.

In the risk of editorializing, I think that Kristen Stewart has made a mistake which may have not only cost her her relationship, but her career as well. But I wouldn't be surprised if her next guy could be...well, Ryan Lochte or Michael Phelps! So long and stay strong.

Hello, everybody. After seven years of planning, the Games of the XXX Olympiad kicked off in grand fashion Friday night in London with a spectacular production. 

This is their third Olympics after the 1908 and 1948 games, and the opening ceremony (under the auspices of Oscar-winning director Danny Boyle) was a concoction of rock and royalty rather than pomp and pageantry. Rowan Atkinson as Mr. Bean provided comic relief, appearing in a dream that he was in "Chariots of Fire" after trying to play the keyboard with his left hand while texting and doing some other things with his right.

The stadium became one giant jukebox with modern British music becoming the soundtrack, with Paul McCartney's "Hey, Jude" as the closer after a group of teenage athletes had the once-in-a-lifetime honor of lighting the Olympic cauldron, which explain the theme being "Inspire a Generation." That became a secret right up to that moment, though there were rumors that Roger Bannister or even David Beckham was going to do the deed.

Before that, the parade of nations featuring 204 countries and 10,500 athletes taking part in these games featured, for the first time, women in each delegation; 45 percent are represented.

After her adventurous descent to the stadium by James Bond, Queen Elizabeth II proclaimed the games open, and for the first time ever, all events -- including the marquee ones like swimming, track and field, and gymnastics -- will be live on various platforms besides television. NBC, among other broadcasters, allows you to watch the complete Olympics on your computer, smartphone, and/or tablet anywhere, anytime! It sure is a far cry from that Olympics Triplecast disaster 20 years ago in Barcelona (remember that?), only this time...it's FREE!!!

During the next two weeks, Michael Phelps and Usain Bolt will pick up where they left off in Beijing, while there will be some new legends being made in the blink of an eye. It all depends on which country's anthem will be played the most on the medals podium. Oh, and FYI: Wenlock and Mandeville are the games' mascots, though they reek Kang and Kodos from "The Simpsons".

By the way, NBC drew lots of flack for tape delaying their coverage of the opening ceremonies for primetime, and that led to loyal fans looking for an alternative way to watch them live via the BBC stream. I was among them despite the nine-hour time difference between London and Alaska, so in other words, we sodded off NBC because we preferred seeing them with very minimal commentary.

(UPDATE: Brazil and China picked up the first golds on Saturday with two apiece)

Now...Shawn Johnson picked up gold in Beijing, which was followed by a stint on "Dancing With The Stars." And speaking of which...she's returning this season as one of the All-Stars along with fellow medalist Apolo Ohno, Pamela Anderson, Emmitt Smith, Kirstie Alley, Pamela Anderson, Helio Castroneves, Bristol Palin, Melissa Rycroft, Joey Fatone, Drew Lachey, Gilles Marini, and inaugural winner Kelly Monaco. But where was Stacy Keibler, you ask? Well, she's still up for "The X Factor" hosting gig, which may be in jeopardy because names like Khloe Kardashian and Fox Sports' newest hire/DWTS alum Erin Andrews are also in contention. Stacy is definitely camera-friendly (read: WWE), but will that translate to seeing her once again on a weekly basis? We shall see in the weeks to come.

Even though the Olympics are in his home country, one person who doesn't care less about them right now is Robert Pattinson, and why? He's trying to buy out every issue of the latest "Us Weekly" because Kristen Stewart was caught getting freaky with married "Snow White and the Hunstman" director Rupert Sanders...and they have photographic evidence. Right away, Stewart issued this statement: "I'm deeply sorry for the hurt and embarrassment I've caused to those close to me and everyone this has affected. This momentary indiscretion has jeopardized the most important thing in my life, the person I love and respect the most, Rob. I love him, I love him, I'm so sorry." Sanders had this to say as well: "I am utterly distraught about the pain I have caused my family. My beautiful wife [Liberty Ross] and heavenly children are all I have in this world. I love them with all my heart. I am praying that we can get through this together."
 
This comes about a week or so after Katie Homes was finally free again after divorcing Tom Cruise, but as far as Robsten are concerned? Well, there are reports that the couple have moved out of the Los Angeles home they shared, which means they could be no more. That, or Fred Willard may be pleasuring himself to those scandalous photos right now.

And last but not least: With "Desperate Housewives" already over after eight years, one person you won't be catching dead at the unemployment line anytime soon is Eva Longoria, as she is keeping herself occupied with assorted ventures including executive producing "Ready For Love" this fall on NBC. But when "Housewives" began, she was labeled as a "media whore" for hogging the spotlight more than the other cast members.

Well, now we have who I think is America's latest media whore, and it's not Snooki, Kate Gosselin, or the Jacksons in the latest family feud. She's (drumroll please)...Maria Menounos, and let me explain:

Earlier this week, it was reported that Menounos will be the subject of her own reality show for Oxygen as cameras follow her every step of the way. Now let's face it: Everywhere you look, Maria's all over the place so far this year!

As a matter of fact, it started in New Year's Eve 2010 when, while frolicking in Miami Beach, Menounos exposed a little extra on her lower body. She loved being in bikinis so much, she returned to Miami for four more encore showings when 2011 ended and 2012 began; only this time, she came prepared. And after her New England Patriots lost to the New York Giants in Super Bowl XLVI, she had to woman up and do "Extra" -- which she joined from "Access Hollywood" last fall -- in a Giants bikini in Times Square.

That caught the attention of "Dancing With The Stars", who cast her last season pairing with Derek Hough. During her stint, she even competed at Wrestlemania 28 in a brief match. In addition to "Extra", Maria also created AfterBuzz TV, which specializes in in doing post-game podcasts for popular TV shows too many to list.

And now comes her Oxygen show. You know, this is probably too much Maria Menounos to handle for someone who's been in the business since her days at Channel One a dozen or so years ago, but I'll admit it: This Greek goddess all that...except for her laugh that would rival Fran Drescher's! So long and stay strong.

Hello, everybody. It was supposed to be a memorable night at the movies in screen #9 at the Century 16 Theaters in Aurora, Colorado outside Denver, but in a matter of moments, it would become a horrific nightmare.

At a midnight screening of the highly anticipated "The Dark Knight Rises", 24-year-old James Holmes dressed up at the Joker and opened fire inside the multiplex, claiming 12 lives and wounding 58 others; some of them are still in critical condition. His weapons of choice for what was one of the deadliest mass shootings in U.S. history: An AR-15 assault rifle, a Remington 12-gauge shotgun, and a .40-caliber Glock with another one stashed in his car.

But before he set out to do his dastardly deed, Holmes booby-trapped a third-floor apartment, which is four miles from the theater. According to authorities, the four guns used in the massacre were bought in the last two months at Gander Mountain and Bass Pro Shops.

So...who is James Holmes? He was a 2010 University of California Riverside graduate with a degree in neuroscience who was about to go to graduate school before he withdrew. A clean-cut athlete who also excelled in cross-country running and soccer, this shy and intelligent person as we've just learned had a missing Facebook account.

Among the victims was aspiring sports journalist Jessica Ghawi, whose last tweet before her life would be taken was "movie doesn't start for 20 minutes."

As the country's (and the world's) hearts remain heavy over this horrendous turn of events, as far as the film is concerned? It was originally poised to set an opening weekend record currently held by "The Avengers", while the Paris premiere set for Friday has been canceled. Also, theaters have beefed up security in New York and other parts of the country in light of the shootings. Here in Alaska (where there also happens to be two Century 16 theaters in Anchorage), it was no big deal whatsoever. 

Meanwhile, Warner Bros. in light of Friday's tragedy delayed the weekend's box office figures for "Dark Knight Rises" from Sunday to Monday, and in a statement, said "Warner Bros. and the filmmakers are deeply saddened to learn about this shocking incident. We extend our sincere sympathies to the families and loved ones of the victims at this tragic time."

Now Friday's shootings happened 13 years after the Columbine High School massacre in another Denver suburb, Littleton, except there is one comparison: The masterminds behind that, Dylan Harris and Eric Klebold, would later kill themselves. 

But this was not the first time movie theaters became unsuspecting killing fields. In 1988, a Stockton, California man was shot to death while waiting in line to see "Colors", which depicted gang life in South Central Los Angeles. Three years later in 1991, one man was killed at a New York theater showing "New Jack City", based on the real life of drug lord Nicky Barnes. And that same year during the opening weekend of "Boyz N the Hood", there were slews of actual violence happening at theaters nationwide; in Chicago, a 23-year-old man was killed.

And now over 20 years later, we have this surrounding "The Dark Knight Rises." I said in "Safe Route, Sleazy Route 2" (which was re-posted on this blog in 2008) that America, even in economic times, keep coming back for more and more violence, whether it's movies or video games. What happened early Friday morning in Aurora, Colorado is more than just a wake-up call, but a call to action. We go to the movies occasionally to draw ourselves into imaginary worlds, not draw ourselves into murder and mayhem. These days of course, I don't go often, but the shootings next time would think twice before I go out to the lobby and get myself some snacks. And of course, our hearts go out to the families of those 12 slain innocent souls while trying to be entertained by what was expected to be another box office blockbuster. So long and stay strong.