Hello, everybody. We've got tons of territory to cover, so enough with the bull and let's get on with it!

First up...For the eighth time, Larry King is headed to divorce court. On Wednesday, the 76-year-old CNN talk show host has filed for divorce from his seventh wife Shawn after 13 years citing, of course, irreconcilable differences. At the same time, Shawn filed her divorce papers as well and she's seeking sole custody of their two children, Chance and Cannon.

Like I just said, this is King's eighth divorce, and he has had more marriages than Elizabeth Taylor! Now with the current one, this has the makings of one of Hollywood's nastiest divorces to go along with Burt Reynolds and Loni Anderson, Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston, and of course (even though they're far away from Hollywood), Jon and Kate Gosselin. Sandra Bullock and Jesse James may not be far behind, but we're keeping a watch on that.

Now Larry King has been a proud member of the Turner networks family for almost 25 years, but this fall there'll be a brand-new addition: Conan O'Brien! That's right, it was announced this week that he'll be taking his late night act to TBS in November, bumping George Lopez's show to midnight. Dunno if Andy Richter and Max Weinberg will join him, but I'm sure the popular comedy bits like "In The Year 3000" will return under new names (NBC owns the intellectual properties). We'll see what happens.

And speaking of Kate Gosselin...she is perhaps one of the reasons why "Dancing With The Stars" has become the weekly television event this season. It is so hot that for the second time, it has beaten the once-powerful juggernaut known as "American Idol" in the ratings! Kate does get to dance for another week, but despite juggling between rehearsals and his "Stars On Ice" tour, favorite Evan Lysacek is still coming on strong.

But of course, we're watching to see if Pamela Anderson really is wardrobe malfunction-proof, while Chad Ochocinco is doing all it takes to make his partner Cheryl Burke a three-time winner. So far, we've seen Shannen Doherty, Buzz Aldrin, and now Aiden Turner being kicked out of the dance floor; who will be next? Kate???

Now I'm old school when it comes to watching TV shows right on my television as it's airing, but of course watching it anywhere, anytime has become the way of life these days. There is now an ABC Player app for the iPad where you can watch its shows such as "Dancing With The Stars" anywhere there's a WiFi connection available.

Yes, Apple's new iPad is out and starting at $500, it's slowly but surely starting to sell like hotcakes...at least here in North America. In Britain, the launch date there has been delayed for some time. Maybe it's because of high demand here, or that some general election coming up on May 6 -- to see whether or not Gordon Brown will live a few more years at No. 10 Downing Street -- is more important than the iPad.

I've said last summer that the whole world's gone app crazy. There is already a growing number of apps that are made only for the iPad while most of them are compatible for that and the iPhone/iPod Touch. While some of those paid apps start at 99 cents, the iPad apps ain't cheap: they start at $10 a pop.

Of course, I'd love to get my hands on one of those iPads myself, but I better wait till a) my 32nd birthday, b) Christmas, or c) when I feel I have enough money to shell out for one.

And last but not least: Dove skin care products aren't for women anymore, as recently they've rolled out a men's line.

For the last few months now, we've seen the skin care aisles beefed up with Dove Men+Care, Nivea for Men, Neutrogena for Men, and Suave Men. With those products, the days of Old Spice are already long gone.

But what is it with those once only women's brands catering to men as well? Then again, one section at most stores is set aside to black hair care/skin care products that I buy on occasion.

I'm hunching that within a year or two, we'll be seeing Pantene for Men, Olay for Men, and god forbid, Crest for Men (Procter and Gamble, are you listening?). And in the case of Crest for Men...how are they going to promote it? So long and stay strong.

Hello, everybody. Of course a lot of things have happened this week including the aftermath of the health care reform bill now into law; but as promised, this is a very special blog as when it's springtime, it could mean only one thing: Sexiest Woman of 2010!!!

That's right! For the last few days, I've been creating the modifying the starting field of 90 for this year's tournament. In light of last year when Lisa Edelstein upset everybody in the final round that lasted only a couple days, this year I've decided to pull out all the stops to make sure we play things fair and square. Therefore, the field this year will be like no other, with dozens of brand new faces to go along with the old favorites we've known and loved for years.

Enough chitchat; on to the field starting with the Juniors:

Group A
Kristin Cavallari
Miley Cyrus
Dakota Fanning
Selena Gomez
Blake Lively (last year's top co-Junior)
Audrina Patridge
Rihanna
Kristen Stewart
Ashley Tisdale

Group B
Amanda Bynes
Kaley Cuoco
Ashley Greene
Vanessa Hudgens
Victoria Justice
AnnaLynne McCord
Lea Michele
Taylor Momsen
Hayden Panettiere
Emmy Rossum

Group C
Lauren Conrad
Miranda Cosgrove
Hilary Duff
Julianne Hough
Demi Lovato
Leighton Meester
Emma Roberts
Amanda Seyfried
Jessica Stroup
Taylor Swift (last year's top co-Junior)

And now, the Seniors...

Group D
Kristen Bell (2007 runner-up and 2008 winner)
Courteney Cox
Dana Delany
Stacy "Fergie" Ferguson
Lauren Graham (2005 winner)
Anne Hathaway
Stacy Keibler (2003 third-place finisher)
Mila Kunis
Jennifer Lopez (2001 runner-up)
Reese Witherspoon

Group E
Paula Abdul
Christina Aguilera (1999 runner-up)
Jessica Alba (2000 and 2003 winner)
Sandra Bullock (who has been in the news as of late as far as Jesse James is concerned)
Shannen Doherty
Mariska Hargitay
Jennifer Love Hewitt (2002 third-place finisher)
Beyonce Knowles
Eva Longoria Parker
Shakira

Group F
Christina Applegate
Jessica Biel
Mariah Carey
Jennifer Garner (2005 runner-up)
Teri Hatcher
Alicia Keys
Demi Moore
Britney Spears (1999 winner and 2000-2001 third-place finisher)
Olivia Wilde
Kate Winslet

And finally, the Underdogs...

Group G
Cheryl Burke
Marion Cotillard
Kim Kardashian
Diane Kruger
Olivia Munn
Nancy O'Dell
Stephanie Pratt
Zoe Saldana
Lindsey Vonn
Emma Watson

Group H
Cheryl Cole
Cat Deeley
Kara DioGuardi
Christina Hendricks
Samantha Harris
Stana Katic
Avril Lavigne
Sarah Jessica Parker
Karina Smirnoff
Alison Sweeney

Group I
Dianna Agron
Erin Andrews
Brooke Burke
Kristin Chenoweth
Tina Fey
Katharine McPhee
Marisa Miller
Katy Perry
Nicole Scherzinger
Kate Walsh (last year's top Underdog and third-place finisher)

(NOTE: The field may change at any time)

Now a lot of you are wondering, "Where is Jennifer Aniston?!" Well, as runner-up both last year and in 2006 (as well as finishing third in 2005 and 2008), she gets an automatic bye for the first two rounds.

Okay, here's how the whole show will go...

Top 60 ladies after Round 1 (20 Juniors, 20 Seniors, 20 Underdogs) advance to Round 2 where only 30 will remain (ten from each category). But when we get to Round 3 with Aniston joining the party, the categories are removed and it's anything goes from here on out as the field decreases to 20 for Round 4.

The top ten ladies after Round 4 will go on to face last year's winner Lisa Edelstein in the fifth and final round; if everything goes according to plan, that will be around mid-November!!!!

It's going to be very exciting with every vote, so mark your calendars for April 8 when the Sexiest Woman of 2010 tournament kicks off with the first round preliminaries! And oh yeah...unlike last year, there's no accompanying video on YouTube for this. So long and stay strong!

Hello, everybody. Well, I don't know what was even more nail-biting on Sunday: The road to the Sweet 16 in the NCAA basketball tournament or the road to the Sweet 216 on Capitol Hill as that number was all it took to pass a make-or-break health care reform bill that was over a century in the making. And by God, it did pass 219-212. I tell you...I was on the edge of my seat keeping an eye on the "Yes" votes waiting for that magic number to hit their way.

President Obama will sign the bill into law Tuesday, and it will take a few years to be put into effect. The bill will give 32 million Americans health insurance, which will put us a step closer into full universal health care with 95% coverage.

I have said on this blog in 2007 that the whole health care system in the United States has been broken for decades and is in need for a head-to-toe overhaul; otherwise, we would be fallen in line. What the Clinton administration couldn't do in 1993 (which led to the Republicans cleaning house the following year); the Obama administration did over the weekend. We have prayed for years for our country to be granted universal health care, and despite Bart Stupak being called "Baby killer!" after the vote, our prayers were finally answered. No more flatlines; there's a new pulse beating in America as we already experienced the real March Madness.

Spring has sprung, and that could mean only one thing that starts in spring: No, not the new season of "Dancing With The Stars", but something I've been doing since 1999: SEXIEST WOMAN OF 2010!!!!!!!

That's right! It's that time once again when we ask the question of all questions: Who will be crowned Sexiest Woman of the Year by year's end? If you recall, last year's finals was very short-lived when Kate Walsh at first had the lead, then Lisa Edelstein from out of nowhere did the impossible and scored the biggest upset in the 12-year history of the tournament and won with Jennifer Aniston once again coming close (Walsh finished third).

Also last year, we had the starting field of 120; this time, it's back to 90. Who will those 90 be as they have one chance to dethrone Edelstein for the title? You'll find out next week as I'll unveil the Juniors, Seniors, and Underdogs; and let me tell you this...it'll be a field like never before, and I want to emphasize the words "never before"! So long and stay strong!

Hello everybody, as we are on the verge of what could be a monumental turn of events in the history of American politics. By the time this blog is put to bed, we would be hours away from the House's do-or-die vote on the the health care reform bill Sunday...one that is over seven decades in the making, though we tried an attempt before.

For the last few days, President Obama has been working the phones and meeting face-to-face with our Representatives, especially the Democrats who want to hit the all-important target number of 216 votes needed to pass the bill. For those of you who have been in space and don't know what I'm talking about, here's what's at stake:

• The bill would expand health insurance coverage to 32 million Americans, giving us 95% full coverage
• Health insurance would be affordable to the middle class and small businesses
• Insurance companies would be held accountable to keep premiums down and prevent denials of care and coverage
• Medicare benefits would be improved with lower prescription costs for those in the "donut hole"
• And most of all, the deficit would be reduced by more than $100 billion to $1 trillion over the next two decades.

On Friday, Obama made what could be his final push for reform at a rally in Virginia, which was followed Saturday by a meeting with Democrats at the Capitol.

While victory may be guaranteed, the Republicans are saying otherwise. As we have seen in the last eight months or so, tea parties from all over the country have been helping send Obama the message. But we have already learned a lesson in the early '90s when Bill Clinton's health care plan crashed and burned, and we don't want to see deja vu all over again. Forget the NCAA tournament; the real March Madness will end on Capitol Hill Sunday with the one vote that could end a century of hell on earth in this country. The time for reform really is now!

You can tell that spring is the favorite time of year for CBS's Jim Nantz: first with the NCAA basketball tournament and after that, Tiger Woods returning to action at the Masters as that announcement was made this week. This comes as text messages from Tiger to alleged mistress Joslyn James from July to October 2009 were released; some of them are too explicit to even post here, but you can read them for yourself.

The Masters are the Super Bowl of golf, and even though ratings for this year's tournament are expected to be high with Tiger back on the green, the ad rates have already been locked in before his decision. That's because Augusta National Golf Club (which runs the Masters) stipulates that only four minutes of commercials must be run per hour, compared to 12 or so minutes at other tournaments including the U.S. Open, British Open, and PGA Championship.

Also, being right there to witness it all will be a challenge. A one-day pass could run up to $1,000, and cameras and mobile devices/phones are not allowed at Augusta National. But whatever; we'll see if the Tiger will really roar in his comeback bid for the green jacket as the Masters get underway on April 8.

And last but not least...earlier this week came the shocking news (which I reported on this blog) that Kate Winslet and Sam Mendes are separating after seven years of marriage; this comes after Kate attended this year's Oscars to present Best Actor to Jeff Bridges.

Kate picked up Best Actress last year for "The Reader", and now it appears that the fabled Oscar Curse has hit her successor, Sandra Bullock! Why is that? Bullock may have claimed her Oscar for "The Blind Side", but we have learned that she has been blindsided herself as tabloid reports boasted that while filming her movie, husband Jesse James was getting freaky with Michelle "Bombshell" McGee. The only difference: Jesse's and Michelle's bodies are loaded with tattoos; Sandra's isn't.

Sandra knew something was up as she canceled her trip to Britain to promote "The Blind Side" there (after all, movies with an American football theme rarely do well overseas) while James issued this apology: "The vast majority of the allegations reported are untrue and unfounded. Beyond that, I will not dignify these private matters with any further public comment. There is only one person to blame for this whole situation, and that is me. It's because of my poor judgment that I deserve everything bad that is coming my way. This has caused my wife and kids pain and embarrassment beyond comprehension and I am extremely saddened to have brought this on them. I am truly very sorry for the grief I have caused them."

Okay, I ain't buying this one bit. Over the years, Sandra has dated the likes of Tate Donovan to Matthew McConaughey, but what did she really see in Jesse? They may look happy together as evidenced at the Golden Globes and Academy Awards, but you know there is an opposite side we've never seen, and it was already exposed that Jesse is a cheater.

I don't know if Sandra will either forgive him to take him to divorce court, but one thing's for certain: Jesse James really is a dead man after all! So long and stay strong.

Hello, everybody. 8 days, 23 hours, 59 minutes, and 9 seconds with an average speed of 5.15 miles per hour was all it took for Lance Mackey to breeze through the Burled Arch in Nome at close to 3:00 pm Alaska Time this afternoon to claim his fourth Iditarod title in a row and in near record time! His rewards were the same as the last three times: $50,000 and a new Dodge truck.

Hans Gatt of Whitehorse, Canada would follow him to Nome arriving at 4:04, and four-time champion Jeff King was next just an hour ago at 5:22 pm. But right now, the most popular Lance in sports is not Armstrong, but Mackey as he has once again defied the odds as winner and still champion of The Last Great Race. So long and stay strong.

Hello, everybody. Not much going on, but as I tweeted earlier today, Kate Winslet and director Sam Mendes are calling it quits after seven years of marriage.

Winslet won an Oscar last year for "The Reader" while Mendes has an Oscar himself for directing "American Beauty"; he also directed Kate in "Revolutionary Road", reuniting her and "Titanic's" Leonardo DiCaprio. A rep for the couple says in a statement, "They are saddened to announce they separated earlier this year. The split is entirely amicable and is by mutual agreement. Both parties are fully committed to the future joint parenting of their children." And by their children, we're referring to son Joe and daughter Mia, the latter from Kate's first marriage to Jim Threapleton.

Now this comes just after Kate presented Best Actor to Jeff Bridges at last weekend's Oscars. But you also noticed that Sam wasn't present with her at that and the BAFTA awards a couple weeks prior; she was out there all alone. And according to sources, Kate has been "bored with Sam", and that the break-up took place last summer.

Kate and Leo got hot and heavy in two films, but I don't see them doing that in real life anytime soon. Also, this is part of what has been called "The Oscar Curse": Julia Roberts, Reese Witherspoon, Halle Berry, Charlize Theron, and now Kate Winslet have fallen victim to it, while Nicole Kidman and Gwyneth Paltrow remain curse-proof. Sandra Bullock better watch her guard!

Now...the latest on Iditarod 38, or as I like to call, "The Lance Mackey Show" as the defending champion remains on cruise control for a quadruple victory. He checked in at Elim at 12:51 Alaska time this afternoon and out 15 minutes later, with White Mountain as the next stop.

Meanwhile, it's already a battle for second place between Hans Gatt and Jeff King with Gatt still in front; Ken Anderson and Hugh Neff round out the top five.

Right now, Front Street in Nome is already rolling out the welcome mat for Mackey and the big finish is now estimated to be between Noon-3:00 pm Alaska Time tomorrow afternoon (4-7pm Eastern/1-4pm Pacific). I'll try to be able to watch the finish live online; if not, there's always the tweets followed by the full details on tomorrow's blog. So long and stay strong.

Hello, everybody.

First up...the sudden death of Corey Haim early Wednesday morning at age 38 that took everybody by surprise.

The Canadian-born former teen heartthrob rode high in the 1980's with "The Lost Boys" (alongside another Corey -- Corey Feldman) and "License To Drive" (which introduced the world to Heather Graham, a decade before "Boogie Nights" and others to come including last year's "The Hangover"). But in later years, his career and him in general took a turn for the worse, as he was plagued with drug problems. Also, according to Feldman, he attempted suicide numerous times though he had some projects under his belt.

Corey's death came just months after drugs killed Brittany Murphy and later heiress Casey Johnson. It's sad that one of "The Lost Boys" is now one himself.

Now, the latest on Iditarod 38, as Jeff King was first to the Yukon River early Friday morning reaching Ruby. His reward? $3,500 cash and an eight-course meal from the Millennium Hotel Anchorage which consisted of Alaskan king crab, bison stew, grilled halibut with citrus sauce, lemon sorbet, potatoes, brown sugar and carrots, and blackberry jubliee. This may be King's last Iditarod, and if he wants to end it on a high note with a fourth trip to Nome he better maintain his lead...or else.

And speaking of which, as of Saturday morning King is still in the lead exiting Kaltag but barely with Lance Mackey not far behind and Hugh Neff in third in Nulato. The big finish in Nome is expected to be between early Tuesday morning to Wednesday evening, so will King cling on to dear life to prevent Mackey from getting a four-peat? We'll find out.

(UPDATE: Mackey has just taken the lead exiting Kaltag with Hans Gatt now in second and Jeff King third)

Things went back to normal after last weekend's Academy Awards, as Mo'Nique was back to work on her BET talk show after claiming Supporting Actress. And here's one tidbit you don't know about: Usually, the Oscars the winners would pick up on stage would have to be taken back to the Academy to get them engraved. Not anymore; at the Governors' Ball, they would be done right on the spot! So first, you see Best Actress Sandra Bullock at the press room showing off her hardware to the world; then an hour or so later, it has the inscription on it for all times.

We all knew that that Oscar would belong to Sandra and it was well deserved. But in the case of one guy...well, let's just say it was like as if he won the lottery.

25-year-old filmmaker Brian Rowe of Los Angeles was watching the Oscars like everybody else, and with a T-shirt saying "I (heart) Sandra Bullock", his heart was pounding during the Best Actress segment. When the big moment came with Sean Penn saying "And the winner is...Sandra Bullock!", he totally went nuts all over the living room with screams of "Oh my God!!!" throughout; he literally couldn't contain himself! Hey, I was never like that when Halle Berry won!

Anyway, the video of all this is already a worldwide hit on YouTube, and I even e-mailed and later called Brian on Thursday about it asking if it was staged or was it all real. No need for a response, because knowing he's been a huge Sandra fan for much of his life, his reactions were 100% real. But what if it was Meryl Streep on stage instead of Sandra? He would've been bawling like there was no tomorrow!

And last but not least...In January, I had Sandra at the top of my first Celebrity Twitter Wish List as one of the many celebs I want to see on there. But last time on my Oscar recap blog, I said that husband Jesse James -- who has a Twitter handle himself -- has been getting all the congratulatory tweets on her behalf. Well, I have an open message to Jesse, and I hope he can relay this to his now award-winning wife:

GET SANDRA BULLOCK A TWITTER ACCOUNT OF HER OWN!!!!!!!

That's right!!!! Another devoted Sandra fan (not Brian Rowe, but somebody else) put up a Twitition some months ago demanding you, Jesse, to follow all the other celebrities' lead to get Sandy on Twitter herself. She has lots of free time between now and her next project, and you're pretty much paying the bills for her, so teaching Sandra the ropes might do the trick. A Facebook page might help in the process of getting it verified as well.

If everything goes according to plan, I can see about 30,000 to 50,000 followers after the first week compared to 21,800 compared to yours. Sandra Bullock is on top of the heap again with Oscar gold as the ultimate career highlight; now it's time for you, Jesse James, to step up to the plate and return the favor to her fans all over the world...especially of course that Brian Rowe guy.

By the way...Kevin Spacey is the most-followed Oscar winner on Twitter with over 1.6 million followers followed by Tom Hanks with 300,000 and Marlee Matlin with around 37,000 (Meryl Streep, who Sandra beat last Sunday for the big prize, has only 1,900). I'm sure Sandra can do better than that, and trust me...she will. So long and stay strong!

"Hurt Locker" leaves "Avatar" blue-faced at the Oscars!

Hello, everybody. As always, they were not broadcast live at 4:00 pm here in Alaska, but for 3 hours and 37 minutes the 82nd Annual Academy Awards on Sunday with hosts Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin kept things lively for every moment.

And in the case of "The Hurt Locker", it was a very lively affair for them as the big winner of the night with six Oscars including Original Screenplay, Best Picture of 2009, and for the first time ever -- a female taking Best Director, as Kathryn Bigelow beat out ex-husband James Cameron for that prize. But his "Avatar" didn't go home empty-handed, picking up Cinematography, Visual Effects, and Art Direction.

Christoph Waltz and Mo'Nique as expected claimed Supporting Actor and Actress for "Inglourious Basterds" and "Precious" respectively (for Mo'Nique, it came just 60 years after Hattie McDaniel became the first ever black Oscar winner for "Gone With The Wind"); Jeff Bridges got Best Actor for "Crazy Heart"; and the heavily favored Sandra Bullock, 24 hours after being dis-honored with a Worst Actress Razzie ("All About Steve"), capped off her year to remember with Best Actress gold for "The Blind Side." More on her in a moment. And for the third time...I got all my picks right on the nose!!!!

Meanwhile, "Up" got Animated Feature; Argentina's "El Secreto du Sus Ojos", Foreign Language Film; and Original Song went to "The Weary Kind" from "Crazy Heart."

Now, on to the show: Neil Patrick Harris opened with a song-and-dance number before segueing to Martin and Baldwin handling the festivities for the rest of the night. And I thought they moved things along pretty well, even cracking a Toyota joke during the monologue.

But the best highlight of the show was Brat Packers Molly Ringwald, Anthony Michael Hall, Ally Sheedy, and Judd Nelson, as well as Matthew Broderick, Jon Cryer, and "Home Alone's" Macaulay Culkin all on stage paying an emotional tribute to fellow director and friend John Hughes with his family in the audience.

There was also the ubiquitous "In Memoriam" montage set to music by James Taylor performing "In My Life", though there was a lot of outcry over Farrah Fawcett being excluded. Let's set things straight about this before I continue:

1. Farrah was known primarily for her television work than feature films, and
2. She was already included in the "In Memoriam" piece at the Primetime Emmy Awards last September! Now do you understand?

Anyway...another moment was Ben Stiller going "Avatar" on us presenting Best Makeup in blue Na'vi makeup.

But the skies above the Kodak Theatre prior to the show was more gray than blue, though the tented red carpet turned into the world's largest greenhouse with blossoming fashions aplenty. We saw Meryl Streep as classy as she can be, Anna Kendrick elegant in Elie Saab, Cameron Diaz looking marvelous in metallic Oscar de la Renta, Miley Cyrus feeling like a woman in Jenny Packham, and Rachel McAdams awash also in Elie Saab.

So...who blossomed the most? Has to be Sandra Bullock; she definitely looked like an Oscar winner in her Marchesa with hubby Jesse James as her accessory. And for Gabourey Sidibie, Diane Kruger, Mariah Carey, and Zoe Saldana? Too much Miracle-Gro!

For the first time in over seven decades, we had ten films up for Best Picture. And only one of them had to stand out from the pack with Kathryn Bigelow finally doing something Jane Campion couldn't in 1994 when she lost to Steven Spielberg: Becoming the first female Best Director winner. As for Jeff Bridges? His father Lloyd must be smiling up above knowing that one of his sons finally caught the big one.

But in the end, Oscar Night 2010 ultimately belonged to a woman who was voted "Most Likely To Brighten Your Day" by her senior class at Arlington, Virginia's Washington-Lee High School in 1982. And in the years since, she has indeed brightened everybody's days, starting out on the short-lived TV version of "Working Girl" then working alongside Sylvester Stallone in "Demolition Man" before "Speed" would put her on the map followed by "While You Were Sleeping" and "The Net" to come.

The two "Miss Congeniality" movies would keep her busy during the 21st Century, then "Crash" and "The Lake House", reuniting her with "Speed's" co-star Keanu Reeves. And then came 2009, with "The Proposal" and "The Blind Side" both raking in enough money to put her back in the spotlight. Now, over two decades of living and breathing her career has paid off for the better, as Sandra Annette Bullock has a second man in her life to go along with Jesse James: a gold-plated fellow named Oscar!

Mo'Nique said it best during her speech: It's the performances, not the politics, that make you a winner. And that was what the 82nd Annual Academy Awards were all about, as the night's theme should well be "I Am Woman, Hear Me Roar!"

By the way...ratingswise, the Oscarcast was a hit, up 20% from last year.

Now that I've got the Oscars out of the way...I'm just getting started, folks!

Within moments after her win, Sandra Bullock immediately became a trending topic on Twitter. However, it's Jesse James that's getting the congratulatory tweets on her behalf because he has a Twitter, she doesn't.

Since my first wishlist, fellow Oscar winners Julia Roberts and Reese Witherspoon established their own homes on Facebook instead of Twitter as well as Sarah Jessica Parker who has both. And even though they have been tape delayed in Alaska as I mentioned on top, I have been following this year's awards on Twitter. But enough babbling; here now is my second Celebrity Twitter/Facebook Wish List:

• Michelle Pfeiffer (see August 13, 2007 blog)
• Tara Lipinski (hey, fellow Olympian Evan Lysacek has an account, so why not her? And after all, she isn't doing anything!)
• Hilary Swank (who wowed us five years ago in a backless gown when she picked up her second Best Actress and once again at the Vanity Fair party on Sunday in a low-cut number)
• Kate Winslet (last year's Best Actress had a Twitter before, but somehow deleted it)
• Lori Loughlin (if a middle-aged hottie like Demi Moore has a Twitter, so can her!)
  

Once again there are others, but I'll save them for next time.

Now onto the 38th running of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race, where over 70 of the world's finest mushers have one goal in mind: to prevent Lance Mackey from claiming a fourth straight title as they take on 1,150 miles of the most challenging terrain known to man while facing who knows what along the journey to Nome. As of Monday afternoon, Sebastian Schnuelle, John Baker, and Warren Palfrey have all exited Rainy Pass while Mackey is 15th.

Of course the race is just getting started, and you know Mackey as always will make his move when the homestretch comes. Who will be the first to cross the famed Burled Arch in Nome for $50,000 (yes, it's down from the usual $69,000) and the keys to a new Dodge Truck? We'll find out in the next week-and-a-half.

And last but not least: Okay, I'll admit it...I'm a soft-core porn junkie.

With the current state of TV nowadays with "Real Housewives" this and "Jersey Shore" that, the late night fare offered on Cinemax has always been a sensual respite with shows like "Life On Top", "Lingerie", and "Zane's Sex Chronicles" airing at random. Alright, so I sampled hardcore porn as well, but it's not my cup of tea.

The idea for this topic came a few weeks ago while browsing through a Castle Megastore here in Fairbanks (my boss at work calls it White Castle) looking for any softcore fare on DVD. I was shocked to find out that rarely any of that are released on DVD, especially on Amazon, eBay, and even Netflix! And I should know because I had my first taste of softcore porn while staying at a hotel room in Juneau in 1994, only to realize my bill would run up to $45!

But how come softcore porn is never on DVD but the hardcore are? Is it because the producers couldn't find any good distributors to market them exclusively to online retailers like Amazon? Or is it because we're better off taping them off of Cinemax and then dubbing it to DVD ourselves?

I have ordered only a few of those softporn movies from Amazon over the years, but that ain't enough. After all, I don't mind seeing hot and heavy action, though many of us miss the funky '70s porno music that made us want to "get it on!" So long and stay strong!

Hello, everybody. The preparations continue down in Hollywood for Sunday's Academy Awards (which I'll get to in a bit), but first up...

Meet your new cast of "Dancing With The Stars", headlined by Kate Gosselin! Yes, the mother of eight will be showing the world if she have what it takes on the dance floor, and Kate's not alone. Joining her will be ESPN sportscaster Erin Andrews (who had her share of drama last year with the peephole scandal), "Baywatch" beauty Pamela Anderson, "90210" bad girl Shannen Doherty, Pussycat Doll Nicole Scherzinger, Olympic gold medalist Evan Lysacek, Apollo 11 astronaut Buzz Aldrin, comedienne Niecy Nash, "All My Children" hunk Aiden Turner, Chad Ochocinco of the Cincinnati Bengals, and "The Bachelor" Jake Pavelka.

But before the cast of characters was revealed, producers were in the middle of a cattle call for Tom Bergeron's new co-host to replace Samantha Harris. Brooke Burke and Mel B. reportedly auditioned, but there were 20 others including Stacy Keibler, who said on her Twitter she tried out as well.

By the way...whatever happened to Jann Carl and Ananda Lewis? They haven't been on TV in months and months, so they may have auditioned as well. The new season of "Dancing With The Stars" is March 22 on ABC, and by then, we'll have the answer as to who'll be grasping the bedazzled microphone. As for who'll grasp the mirrored ball trophy? My money's on Evan Lysacek; Buzz or Niecy will be the first to go.

But on Sunday, the whole world will be finding out who'll grasp that 8 lb. sculpted piece of 24-karat gold that is Oscar at the 82nd Annual Academy Awards.

Bill Mechanic and Adam Shankman are the men in charge of this year's show, and they have tweaked things up a bit. First, Louis J. Horvitz was unavailable (again) and Bruce Gowers and Glenn Weiss were too busy (the former with "American Idol"), so they hired an unlikely director: Hamish Hamilton, known for directing concert videos featuring Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, and U2, as well as the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show and several MTV Video/Europe Music Awards. But one thing you won't be seeing for the first time in 82 years: a live orchestra; they have done away with it.

And after last year, the list of presenters is made public once again; along with last year's winners, you'll also see Tom Hanks, Charlize Theron, Kathy Bates, Matt Damon, Robin Williams (all of them past winners), Queen Latifah, "Twilight's" Taylor Lautner and Kristen Stewart, Tina Fey, Jennifer Lopez, Tyler Perry, Miley Cyrus, Samuel L. Jackson, John Travolta, and many more.

"Avatar" and "The Hurt Locker" are coming in as the front-runners; both are up for nine awards including Best Picture. The other eight films vying for that big prize are "The Blind Side", "District 9", "An Education", "Inglourious Basterds", "Precious", "A Serious Man", "Up", and "Up In The Air." Yes, for the first time in decades, we've got ten films up for Best Picture of 2009!

"Up" is also up for Animated Feature, and it could make Oscar history by taking both that and Best Picture. "Beauty And The Beast" was the last animated film nominated for Best Picture in 1992, but "Silence Of The Lambs" cleaned house that year.

Jeff Bridges is expected to take Best Actor for "Crazy Heart", despite weak competition from Supporting Actor winners George Clooney and Morgan Freeman, Colin Firth, and Jeremy Renner. As for Best Actress, Sandra Bullock is in a showdown with 16-time nominee and double winner Meryl Streep, leaving past winner Helen Mirren and first timers Carey Mulligan and Gabourey Sidibe in the dust.

And now comes the moment you've been waiting a few paragraphs for: Whose homes will be adorned with the most famous piece of hardware in the world after Sunday night? Here are my predictions:

Supporting Actor: Christoph Waltz (no contest)
Supporting Actress: Well, Mo'nique with Golden Globes and SAG honors may have got this in the bag, but looking back at my picks history, I'm always wrong. In 2007 I said that Eddie Murphy will take Supporting Actor for "Dreamgirls", but that ended up in the hands of Alan Arkin. However...we haven't had a black Supporting Actress winner since Whoopi Goldberg in "Ghost", and I think that 20 years is long enough; Mo'Nique should end that drought! And if not her, then Anna Kendrick or Maggie Gyllenhaal in an upset, but my pick is final.
Best Actor: Jeff Bridges (who else?)
Best Actress: Like I said, it's all about Sandra vs. Meryl; last year it was Kate Winslet vs. Meryl, and Kate won. Streep, being a great talent she is, may be the most-nominated actress ever, but Bullock has had a phenomenal 2009 headlined by "The Proposal" and "The Blind Side" raking in the bucks with the latter finally giving the honors she deserves. So in the end, I'd really love to hear Sean Penn say those life-changing words: "And the Oscar goes to...Sandra Bullock!"
Director: Kathryn Bigelow ("The Hurt Locker")
Best Picture: "Avatar" as first was the early favorite with a Golden Globe win, but not anymore. In 2006 I was rooting for "Brokeback Mountain" to take the big prize; but in the end, "Crash" crashed the gay cowboys' party. James Cameron may keep his trophy for "Titanic", but once again I'm playing it safe and say...war movies have traditionally taken Best Picture before; see "The Deer Hunter", "The Bridge On The River Kwai", "Patton", "Platoon", and most recently, "The English Patient." "The Hurt Locker" should continue that Oscar tradition.

Last year I swept the board, will I do it for a third time? We'll find out on Sunday when Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin host the 82nd Annual Academy Awards. And despite the show still being on tape delay at 7:00 pm here in Alaska (come on, you think there's no way for me to race home from work at 4:00?), it still wouldn't hurt spoiling ourselves while watching the show on who already won.

And like I've been doing for the last 11 years, I'll recap it all on Monday (the show, the fashions, and the stories behind the big wins) in what will no doubt be one blog that's filled to the brim! Along with the Oscars, I'll have my second Celebrity Twitter Wishlist as well as why do so many of the soft-core porn we see late nights on Cinemax are never out on DVD. That's all on Monday, so so long and stay strong!

(CORRECTION (3/22): The last black Supporting Actress winner after Whoopi Goldberg and now Mo'Nique was Jennifer Hudson for "Dreamgirls" in 2007)

Hello, everybody. There's so much to get to; let's get on with the show!

First up...on Friday, Tiger Woods faced the press and the world for the first time in months since his infamous car accident/infidelity affairs in a 15-minute news conference. For support, only his mother was right by Tiger's side; no sign of wife Elin and their children.

During the press conference at PGA headquarters in Florida, Woods said, "Every one of you have good reason to be critical of me. I want to say to each of you...I am deeply sorry for my irresponsible and selfish behavior." As for his accounts with those mistresses, he also admitted, "I was unfaithful, I had affairs, I cheated. I am the only person to blame."

He later went on, saying: "I know people want to know how I could have done these things to my wife Elin and to my children...I have let you down, and I have let down my fans. For many of you, my behavior has been a personal disappointment. I have made you question who I am and how I could do the things that I did...For all that I have done, I am so sorry. I have a lot to atone for."

Tiger did claim that his ego went way over his head. "I stopped living by the core values that I was taught to believe in. I lost track of what I was taught...I thought I deserved to enjoy all the temptations around me, I thought I was entitled...I was wrong, I was foolish. I don't get to play by different rules."

What about getting back to action? "I do plan to return to golf one day; I just don't know when that day will be...When I do return, I need to make my behavior be more respectful of the game." In the end, he asked for forgiveness: "I ask you to find room in your heart to one day believe in me again."

After the conference, Tiger returned to rehab in Mississippi, where he spent for the last 45 days.

Of course, this was broadcast around the world, and it's a sure thing Tiger didn't pull a Jimmy Swaggart by keeping his tears to himself. He will get back to the sport he loves alright, but it just won't be the same.

Boy...is the United States kicking ass at the 21st Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver or what? In the first week, we have been on quite a tear thanks to gold-medal performances by Shaun White (snowboarding), Lindsey Vonn (alpine skiing), Apolo Ohno and Shani Davis (men's speed skating; Ohno is now on track for the most Winter Olympics medals ever while Davis became the first African-American to claim back-to-back golds in the 1,000-meter), and Evan Lysacek holding off Russia's Evgeni Plushenko by a hair in men's figure skating! On Saturday, Davis and Vonn added two more medals with silver in the 1,500-meter and bronze in Super-G respectively.

As of Saturday, we are way ahead in the medal rankings with 22 including six golds, followed by Germany with 14 (they led the count very briefly) and Norway with 11. As for the host country Canada? They're slowly but surely catching up with eight.

NBC has also earned gold themselves, as the Olympics have also clobbered "American Idol" in the ratings.

We're now heading to week two of these games, as ladies' figure skating and of course hockey will take center stage. 30 years after the fabled "Miracle on Ice" and that famous call by Al Michaels, could the U.S. men's and women's hockey teams go all the way to pull off a miracle of their own in the land where hockey is born and immortalized? We shall find out.

And last but not least...Film director Kevin Smith of "Clerks" fame is declaring war against Southwest Airlines after his weight ejected him off one of their flights.

Now we have heard their woes before. Remember when Hooters waitress Kyla Ebbert was kicked off a Southwest flight a few years back for being deemed "too sexy to fly" because she dressed "inappropriately" and "too provocative"? Well, it didn't take long for her to fight back by ditching those revealing clothes for "Playboy."

By the way, Smith would board a later Southwest flight which had two seats for him; he was also given a $100 travel voucher as make-up. But whether you are too fat or sexy to fly them, the "ding" won't mean you are free to move about the country; it means you are free to move about the airport looking for another flight from another airline. So long and stay strong.

Hello, everybody.

Well...what can I say? The New Orleans Saints came from behind to wallop the Indianapolis Colts 31-17 in Super Bowl XLIV on Sunday with its quarterback Drew Brees as MVP. What did it for them? A fourth quarter interception by Tracy Porter for a 74-yard touchdown.

And if you were among the 106.5 million Americans who tuned in for all this, congratulations; you have made television history forever! With that record number, it was not only the most-watched Super Bowl ever...but after 27 years, has also dethroned the series finale of "M*A*S*H" to become the most-watched television broadcast of all-time!!! The game easily scored a 56.3 rating in New Orleans with snow-covered Washington, D.C. not far behind with a 56. In Indianapolis, it came in fourth with a 54.4.

On Monday, the team arrived home in New Orleans with the Vince Lombardi Trophy still in their possession, and a victory parade is scheduled for Tuesday. After suffering through five years of hell on earth following Hurricane Katrina, you can say that both New Orleans and the Mississippi Gulf Coast are indeed back in force, and the Saints' Super Bowl victory was indeed the final chapter.

Now of course, the game was indeed entertaining from beginning to end (The Who at halftime didn't entertain me)...and so were the commercials of course! There were so many of them to choose from, but here are...

My top ten favorite commercials from Super Bowl XLIV

10. Megan Fox for Motorola (Lemme see that picture...please?!)

9. The Boost Mobile Shuffle (Too bad they couldn't get Walter Payton because he shuffled on to heaven a decade ago)

8. Focus on the Family with Tim Tebow and his mother (this was the one that drew some controversy prior to the game)

7. Bridgestone "Whale of a Tale" (imagine if it was Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head driving with Richard Simmons in the back seat)

6. TIE: The E*Trade babies/Go Daddy (okay, I'm getting sick and tired of them, especially with Danica Patrick teasing us every year! Replace her with someone more worthy, like Stacy Keibler or whoever!)

5. Budweiser Bridge (perhaps my personal favorite because think of the pain they suffered from making that human bridge!)

4. Budweiser "Clydesdale Fence" (yes, a Bud Clydesdale ad is not #1 on this year's list, but you couldn't help be touched by the latest masterpiece)

3. Bud Light House (I thought the "Magic Fridge" one was better, but this one takes the cake...except that the fridge has no room for cake!)

2. The "Late Show" promo featuring David Letterman, Oprah Winfrey, and Jay Leno together (nobody saw this coming, and this was the one that had everybody talking. More on that later)

And my #1 favorite ad from Super Bowl XLIV which was also tops on "USA Today's" Ad Meter:


Snickers with Betty White and Abe Vigoda
(Proving that even at the ripe old age of 88, Betty can still kick your ass!)

Of course, there were some others I also liked but didn't make the top ten, including Bud Light's "Asteroid" (which turned out to become a pebble upon impact), Monster.com with the fiddling beaver (I prefer the Career Builder ad from last year with the spectacled koala), and Coca-Cola featuring "The Simpsons" (and you thought Mr. Burns doesn't have a heart).

Now back to Leno/Letterman/Oprah: That promo was shot last Tuesday, and things were kept under lock-and-key without no one knowing. Leno (who arrived at the Ed Sullivan Theater in disguise after getting permission from NBC brass) and Oprah were in secret green rooms while Dave taped his show, and the late night titans' greetings according to "Late Show" executive producer Rob Burnett were "very friendly, very professionally, very cordial."

Of course Leno has Monday and Tuesday night left at 10:00 and then it's a two-week break for the Winter Olympics (and based on the temperatures in Vancouver, it'll become more like the Spring Olympics) before he returns to the air on March 1 back at 11:30. So long, stay strong, and Believe Dat!

Who's going to Hollywood's big dance?

Hello, everybody. Earlier this morning, and as you saw on my Twitter, nominations for the 82nd Annual Academy Awards were announced, and leading the way are "Avatar" and "The Hurt Locker"; both with nine nominations including Director (ex-couple James Cameron and Kathryn Bigelow) and Best Picture of 2009. Those two films are among the ten up for that prize, including "The Blind Side", "District 9", "An Education", "Inglourious Basterds", "Precious", "A Serious Man", "Up", and "Up In The Air."

Golden Globe and SAG winner Jeff Bridges ("Crazy Heart") has plenty of company on the Best Actor side, with George Clooney ("Up In The Air"), Colin Firth ("A Single Man"), Morgan Freeman ("Invictus"), and Jeremy Renner ("The Hurt Locker"). And if Sandra Bullock wants to add Best Actress to go along with her Globes and SAG trophies she got so far for "The Blind Side", she'll have to get past past winners Helen Mirren ("The Last Station") and Meryl Streep (her 16th nomination, this time for "Julie & Julia"), Carey Mulligan ("An Education"), and Gabby Sidibe ("Precious").

On her Twitter, Supporting Actress nominee Anna Kendrick had this to say about being given the wake-up call of her life: "I'd love to say that 140 characters couldn't cover how I'm feeling; right now but I'm honestly speechless." Meanwhile, Pixar is happy that "Up" has two chances to make Oscar history by winning both Best Picture and Animated Feature on the same night; their "The Princess and the Frog" is also up for the latter.

James Cameron was king of the world when his "Titanic" dominated in 1998; will he be king again in 2010 with "Avatar?" We'll find out on March 7, when the 82nd Annual Academy Awards will be handed out with Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin handling the festivities. So long and stay strong.

Hello, everybody. It was ladies' night Sunday at the 52nd Annual Grammy Awards, as Beyonce earned a record-setting six awards -- the most for any female -- including Song of the Year for "Single Ladies" and Best female Pop Vocal Performance for "Halo" while Taylor Swift picked up four including Album of the Year honors for "Fearless". Meanwhile, Kings of Leon's "Use Somebody" received Record of the Year while the Zac Brown Brand was named Best New Artist.

The night's other winners include Green Day (Rock Album, "21st Century Breakdown"), Jay-Z and Rihanna ("Run This Town"), and Stephen Colbert (Comedy Album, "A Colbert Christmas: The Greatest Gift of All!"), who brought out the latest gadget which I'll get to in a bit.

There were great performances left and right, but one poignant moment belonged to Michael Jackson's children Prince and Paris as they paid tribute to their departed father; that followed the 3-D musical tribute of "Earth Song" by Smokey Robinson, Carrie Underwood (also a winner herself), Jennifer Hudson, Usher, and Celine Dion.

Of course, the fashions were all in 2-D; the best-dressed went to Rihanna (Elie Saab), Swift (Kaufman Franco), Fergie (looking busty and leggy in Emilio Pucci), Pink (Tony Ward), and Katy Perry (Zac Posen). Of course Lady Gaga was guaranteed worst-dressed, but I thought Ciara also looked great...in 1-D!

Now that Grammy fever is over for another year, first thing tomorrow morning it'll be Oscar fever as the nominations for the 82nd Annual Academy Awards will be out. I'll have the main categories on my Twitter page with the complete rundown on this blog.

As I hinted earlier, Stephen Colbert opened the show reading the nominees for the first award on the newest product Apple introduced last week but won't be out till the spring: the iPad. In other words, it's a supersized version of the iPod Touch though it will have the same capabilities except taking calls.

The wi-fi version will come out first in late March with the 3G version to follow in April, and the starting price: $500. I think this will sell very well unlike their last tablet computer, the Newton MessagePad, in the '90s; there were scenes of it in action in "Under Siege 2."

The question now is: How will Apple promote the iPad? There are rumors about a commercial to air during Super Bowl XLIV, but Apple isn't saying anything. Just like their groundbreaking Macintosh ad in 1984, they prefer to keep things hush-hush until kickoff when the Indianapolis Colts and New Orleans Saints clash for the Vince Lombardi Trophy with Carrie Underwood belting the national anthem and halftime belonging to The Who. And of course, growing up in a certain part of the country, you know who I'm rooting for (Saints).

And last but not least...Miss Virginia, Caressa Cameron, was crowned Miss America 2010 on Saturday. But...did anyone watch? Or for that matter, did anyone really care?

Miss America has always been the Super Bowl of beauty pageants for over eight decades, but let's face it, folks: Ratings for televised pageants are not what they used to be 10, 20, 30, or even 40 years ago.

Once upon a time, the Miss America, Miss USA, Miss Teen USA, and Miss Universe pageants were definitely the original must-see TV for men, because there was so much eye candy on one stage in one night. And the viewership was definitely eye-popping: upwards to 20 million viewers.

But then came cable in the 1970's, offering us soft-core fare in the late night hours; home video would later follow in the '80s.

The pageants still scored modest numbers well into the '90s...until the Internet came along, providing us unlimited access to much more eye candy with just a click of the mouse! That's when the suffering really began, followed by "Maxim" and other men's magazines to help contribute to the ratings slide.

Over the last decade or so, Miss America went from its longtime home on NBC back to ABC for a few more years until moving to two places not known for airing beauty pageants: CMT and now TLC. And to rub salt in the wound even further, Atlantic City would be traded for Las Vegas as the pageant's new home base.

(UPDATE: It was announced in May that after six years of being on cable, the Miss America pageant is returning to ABC in 2011; there's also a possibility that they may move it back home to Atlantic City where it belongs!)

In the mid-'90s, Donald Trump acquired the Miss Universe franchise; in 2003, they all moved from CBS to NBC after 40-plus years. I remember living in the Mississippi coast around the time they had the 1990 Miss Teen USA pageant; with 51 of the most beautiful teenage girls descending on our area, it was like as if we played host to the world's largest beach party! By the way, that year's crown went to Bridgette Wilson, who would later marry tennis superstar Pete Sampras.

To sum things up: Are televised beauty pageants dead after over 50 years? Not really, but they are on life support. It's just that the world is full of very sexy people...only that there is no one distinguishable as Bert Parks to serenade them after being crowned. So long and stay strong.

Hello, everybody. Friday night was the "Hope for Haiti Now" telethon to benefit the earthquake relief effort, broadcast on various networks around the world. This was George Clooney's fourth multi-network telethon after "America: A Tribute to Heroes" following 9/11, "Tsunami Aid" (which was only on the NBC Universal networks), and "Shelter from the Storm" after Hurricane Katrina. The broadcast originated from Los Angeles, New York, and London.

Armed with performances by Madonna, Stevie Wonder, Taylor Swift, Rihanna, Beyonce, and Justin Timberlake among others, 100 celebrities such as Penelope Cruz, Jennifer Aniston, Drew Barrymore, Mel Gibson, Reese Witherspoon, Taylor Lautner, the Jonas Brothers, Alec Baldwin, Dwayne Johnson, Alyssa Milano, Ray Romano, Tyler Perry, Drew Carey, the original cast of "High School Musical" (Zac Efron, Vanessa Hudgens, Ashley Tisdale), "American Idol" runners-up David Archuleta and Katharine McPhee, Marisa Tomei, Selena Gomez, and dozens others manned the phone bank in L.A. taking donations and engaging in a little chit-chat with them. Of course many of us took the alternate method of giving by texting GIVE to 50555 ($10 would be added to mobile bill) or by heading to hopeforhaitinow.org. Me? I did the latter and donated $35, because I would be caught dead calling or texting in my donation.

Oh yeah, there were also appearances by Halle Berry, Leonardo DiCaprio, Julia Roberts, Chris Rock, Sexiest Woman of 2001 winner Nicole Kidman, Denzel Washington, President Bill Clinton, Tom Hanks (fresh off on Conan O'Brien's last "Tonight Show", which I'll get to later) and more including CNN's Anderson Cooper in Haiti and Wyclef Jean in New York.

The telethon benefited Oxfam America, the Red Cross, UNICEF, Partners in Health, United Nations World Food Programme, Jean's Yele Haiti Foundation, and the Clinton Bush Haiti Foundation; 100% of the proceeds would be split among those organizations.

While we were Tweeting what's been going on on the broadcast so far, we've noticed some no-shows on the star-studded phone bank. Among them: Sandra Bullock, Anne Hathaway, anybody from "Glee", Courteney Cox, Lucy Liu (who is a UNICEF ambassador), and Kate Walsh. I guess they were all busy or there was only 100 slots to fill. And while Lautner was on the phones in L.A. and Robert Pattinson appeared from London, their fellow "Twilight" co-star Kristen Stewart is at the Sundance Film Festival. Fergie was also in "Nine" with Kidman and Cruz, but she and the rest of the Black Eyed Peas are in Europe. Oh yeah...where are Mr. and Mrs. Twitter (aka Ashton Kutcher and Demi Moore)? I guess they stayed home as well.

So far, over $57 million was raised after Friday, and the number may increase to $100 million within the next few days.

By the way...in Canada prior to this, they had a one-hour "Canada for Haiti" telethon featuring famous Canuck celebs like William Shatner, Rachel McAdams, James Cameron, Wayne Gretzky, Pamela Anderson, Alex Trebek, Barenaked Ladies, Sarah MacLachlan and many others including who is probably the most popular Canadian at the moment...Justin Bieber. Sorry, no sign of Avril Lavigne, Elisha Cuthbert, Shenae Grimes, Neve Campbell, or even Bret "Hitman" Hart there.

Now like I said, the Haiti telethon is the brainchild of Clooney and it is happening closer to the 25th anniversary of "We Are The World"; Quincy Jones and Lionel Richie are planning a remake to benefit Haiti.

But in my lifetime, this is the fifth multi-network television event I've been watching. Almost 20 years ago in April 1990, the major broadcast and cable networks aired "Cartoon All-Stars to the Rescue" with Bugs Bunny, the Muppet Babies, the Smurfs, and other Saturday morning cartoon stars to raise awareness about drug prevention. And looking back at it being on all those channels, this was a very big deal.

As I said a few paragraphs before, Hanks appeared at the telethon just shortly after doing the last "Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien" across town. Conan also on Friday wrapped up his tumultuous seven-month run as host of NBC's late night flagship after receiving a lot of hush money to get out of dodge: around $30 million.

I pretty much knew all along that Conan's brand of humor that worked at 12:30 wouldn't work at 11:30, though in the last few days, ratings for his show were up 50% over David Letterman. Now comes a couple weeks of reruns and then the Winter Olympics before Jay Leno returns back home to 11:30 and it'll once again be "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno" with possibly the old logo and theme music returning.

And last but not least...if you look back at Julianna Margulies' Golden Globe speech, she thanked CBS "for believing in the 10:00 drama." Of course comedy at 10:00 with Leno didn't work, but drama and in most areas news at 10:00 have worked.

Just ask ITV (and the BBC) in Britain, the CBC in Canada with "The National", and dozens of Fox, CW, and independent stations. Their 10:00 newscasts, whether they are a half-hour or an hour, have been pulling in impressive ratings opposite the network dramas for many, many years. The reasons are simple: one, they have been cash cows for the stations and two, the public -- especially schoolchildren -- wanted their news in primetime before calling it a night.

I don't watch much TV as opposed to 10 or 20 years ago (thanks, "Jersey Shore" and other reality shows out there!), but I prefer my late news at 10:00 myself. It's just that KATN is the only place here in Fairbanks for it once again now that Leno will be done at 10:00 before heading back where he belongs on March 1. So long and stay strong.

Hello, everybody. Tonight was the 67th Annual Golden Globe Awards in Beverly Hills hosted by Ricky Gervais, and for the film winners, the road to Oscar begins right there.

James Cameron's "Avatar" (which has now surpassed "Star Wars" to become the third top-grossing film of all time) took the Motion Picture-Drama honors, while "The Hangover" beat out "Nine" for the Comedy or Musical prize. And speaking of hangovers...is it just me or did the cameramen had one too many before the show??

Anyway, Sandra Bullock picked up Motion Picture-Drama Actress for "The Blind Side"; Jeff Bridges, Drama Actor for "Crazy Heart". On the Comedy/Musical side, Meryl Streep ("Julie & Julia") and Robert Downey Jr. ("Sherlock Holmes") won as well. The Supporting Acting globes went to Christoph Waltz ("Inglourious Basterds") and Mo'Nique ("Precious").

On the television front, "Mad Men" and "Glee" received Drama and Comedy/Musical Series respectively, while the acting rewards went to Julianna Margulies ("The Good Wife"), Toni Collette ("United States of Tara"), Michael C. Hall ("Dexter"), and Alec Baldwin ("30 Rock").

Of course, the recent Haiti earthquake was on the minds of everybody at the awards, which explains the ribbon the stars adorned on their wardrobes.

But perhaps the most popular accessory on the red carpet was the umbrella, as there were many of them being sported because it was drizzling wet in Los Angeles. Under those umbrellas of course, we saw Sandra Bullock in Bottega Veneta, as well as Sexiest Woman of 2009 winner Lisa Edelstein (George Chakara), 2005 winner Lauren Graham, "Glee's" Lea Michele (Oscar de la Renta), Christina Hendricks (Christian Siriano), and Marion Cotillard (Christian Dior) among others. Even Mariah Carey and Halle Berry went the "if you've got it, flaunt it!" route, while Amy Adams displayed her growing baby bump in Carolina Herrera.

So...who outshone them all despite the downpour? Drew Barrymore was a winner tonight for "Grey Gardens", and she is a winner again in her Atelier Versace gown. As for Anna Paquin and Jennifer Morrison? Here's hoping dark clouds come their way.

Now...the Golden Globes for many decades are being called "the party of the year" for a reason: Just like those cameramen covering the show, they love to get wasted! And if you saw the scene inside the International Ballroom at the Beverly Hilton, some of the stars were brandishing their Blackberrys or iPhones covering the atmosphere as it was happening.

One of the trends I touched on on this blog and in the "2009 Year in Review" is that a growing number of celebrities are jumping on the social networking bandwagon like never before, especially on Twitter. Some stars have Twitter accounts, whether they are verified or not, but we're hungry for more to be followed. Without further ado (and this is something I've been working on for months), let me present to you...

Jonathan Allen's Celebrity Twitter Wish List

Here, in no particular order, are some of the celebs I want to see tweeting soon:

• Sandra Bullock (Let's face it: She's already on top of the world again and may be Oscar's only hope of bringing the Best Actress prize home to America)
• Cameron Diaz (She had a Twitter account once, but for reasons unbeknownst to us, she deleted it. We'd love to re-follow her)
• George Clooney (we also saw him at the Globes tonight; imagine if he opens his Twitter, gets it verified, and watch the number of followers shoot sky-high! That is, after he organizes his Haiti relief telethon on Friday)
• Julia Roberts (Come on; the woman's hardly doing anything right now...well, sort of. But she can give Demi Moore a run for the Twitter money)
• Dwayne Johnson ('cause we all love to read what The Rock is tweetin')
• Lisa Edelstein (did I mention she was voted Sexiest Woman of 2009?)
• Dana Delany (she said a while back on her official site that she has no intentions of being on Twitter and/or Facebook anytime soon. But...you may never know; she might change her mind!)

And that's it...for now; I may think up more in the weeks to come. But like I said before...not all celebrity Twitters are created equal, so we have to watch ourselves to see if some of them are the real deal and some are posers trying to trick us. So long and stay strong!

Hello, everybody. Like most of you, I have been following the latest developments coming out of that devastating 7.0 earthquake in Haiti that has left Port-au-Prince in ruins. In the last few days now, relief organizations from all over the world have descended on the country to help pick up the rubble and the bodies in which the estimated death toll could run up to hundreds of thousands. Not since 9/11 or even Hurricane Katrina have we ever seen such outpouring over a natural disaster in the Americas.

However, the worldwide outpouring was sorely needed, as Haiti is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere. The facts are staggering: 80% of the population lives below the poverty line; 54% lives in abject poverty; and Internet usage is sparse with only 1 million. That's because now more than ever, we've been reaching into our wallets -- or into our mobile phones -- to help out in any way.

In the last few days now, over $8 million was donated to the Red Cross from those who texted HAITI to 90999 ($10 would be added to their bill), while Wyclef Jean's Yele organization raised more than $2 million from texting "Yele" to 501501 ($5 added to the bill). The social networking universe also played their part in the effort, as "Help Haiti" was among the top trending topics on Twitter.

And then of course there was the traditional method of giving, as grocery chains all over the U.S. and Canada have set up Haiti donation canisters at checkout counters. In-person donations were made out to local Red Cross chapters as well.

We have also learned that George Clooney is teaming up with MTV to help organize a two-hour, multi-network "Hope For Haiti" telethon that will air next Friday.

Just like Katrina, this is a story that won't go away for quite a while, because it's going to be a long time before Haiti gets back on its feet again.

Now the earthquake will be in the thoughts of the celebrities coming to Sunday's Golden Globe Awards (and yes, I'll have a recap on it Monday)...as will the NBC late night drama, which appears to have come to an end.

It was all about whose side are you on: Team Conan or Team Leno? And apparently, Team Leno has won as there is word that in light of his 10:00 experiment a flop, "The Jay Leno Show" will become "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno" once again and that Jay will be heading back to 11:35 where he belongs. Conan O'Brien, on the other hand? His "Tonight Show" has been called, according to longtime NBC executive Dick Ebersol, "an astounding failure" and it'll be off the air next week. The next move will belong to Conan, and Fox may be opening their doors to welcome him with open arms.

The whole turmoil definitely made great television for the entire late night landscape, as Jimmy Kimmel on his show scathingly poked fun at Leno, chin and all. David Letterman has also taken cheap shots at NBC as well, as his ratings continued to rise in the wake; the same can be said for George Lopez on the cable side. And of course, coverage of the earthquake in Haiti have drawn the serious viewers to "Nightline."

In the end, this is somewhat reminiscent of the infamous Montreal Screwjob, in which to paraphrase Vince McMahon, "Conan O'Brien screwed Conan O'Brien." Let's face it: He's a great guy, but we pretty much knew all along that his brand of humor would not work on the flagship "Tonight Show" format. In other words, Team Coco and his followers are the real losers in this battle. Let's hope that if he does go to Fox, he'll last longer than Chevy Chase. So long and stay strong.

Hello everybody, and welcome to my first blog of 2010!

We begin up front with what is already the new year's first biggest entertainment story. No, not James Cameron well on his way to beating his own box office record with "Avatar" now at the $1 billion mark, but the biggest shakeup in late night TV since Johnny Carson leaving "The Tonight Show."

After only a few months, it looks like Jay Leno's 10:00 show appears to be dead and that Leno may be going back to 11:35 with Conan O'Brien being bumped by a half-hour. The reason is simple: Low ratings, which has also rolled over to the late news. Many NBC affiliates have relied on Leno to help reclaim the ratings luster their late news have lost, but it wasn't the case.

(UPDATE: NBC made it official on Sunday: Leno is going back to 11:30 after the Olympics, putting Conan's future now in question)

Now that the 10:00 slot is open again, I have an open message for new mom and four-time Sexiest Woman of the Year winner Sarah Michelle Gellar:

Remember "The Wonderful Maladys" pilot you shot last spring for HBO in the hopes they would pick it up, but didn't? Well, both your career and NBC's ratings have went south in recent years, so why not have NBC take a look at the pilot and see if they would greenlight it. I know it would call for re-shoots and a possible re-naming, but it's damn well worth it. If "Desperate Housewives" and "Lost" sure saved ABC from extinction, then you, just like "The Cosby Show" in the '80s, can do the same thing for NBC!

Anyway, on to other matters...On Monday for one night only, the fledging Total Nonstop Action Wrestling and the WWE went toe-to-toe as both "Impact" and "Raw" pulled out all the stops. TNA not only had the much-anticipated return of Hulk Hogan, but Ric Flair and a few other special guests as well; WWE's big highlight? Bret "Hitman" Hart stepping into their ring for the first time since the fabled Montreal Screwjob.

The end result? "Impact" posted its highest ever ratings with a 1.5 while it was business as usual for "Raw" with a 3.6. And 3.6 is a far cry from when they used to have monster ratings in the 6's and 7's a decade ago against "WCW Monday Nitro."

Now when WCW would be acquired by WWE in the spring of 2001, one of its talents whose contract would be rolled over to the new company was Stacy Keibler. At WCW, Keibler started out as one of the "Nitro Girls" before they gave her the persona of Miss Hancock and later as herself. But at WWE, she would kick up the hotness factor by several notches, appearing in nearly the skimpiest clothing we've ever seen in the ring. Of course after leaving wrestling, she enhanced her career even further thanks to "Dancing With The Stars."

Okay, why am I bringing her up? Because on New Year's Eve, Stacy ended her 2009 as only she could: showcasing her legs and the rest of her svelte body on the beach in Miami in a pink bikini with paparazzi capturing it all for the entire world! I guess that is considered early promotion for her guest starring appearance on the 100th episode of "How I Met Your Mother" this Monday on CBS. I promise to keep my hands to myself while watching her.

That's all I wrote, so so long and stay strong!

It's getting to be the tail end of the year, so enough fooling around and let's get on to my annual tradition since 1991 (and 1998 online)...
The Top 20 Things That Had the Whole World Talking in 2009

20. Cheryl Cole (okay, outside of Britain...who the hell is she?!?!?)

19. MTV's "Jersey Shore" (since a guy punched Snookie in the face, why not a girl punching The Situation -- whoever he is -- right in the abs?)

18. Lance Armstrong coming out of retirement to race in the Tour de France again (eat that, Brett Favre!)

17. Joe Wilson telling "You lie" to President Obama (if this was the "Maury" show, he should've heckled "You ARE the father!")

16. AT&T waging war against Verizon over better 3G coverage (Sprint better get Luke Wilson; it'll be like Cain and Abel)

15. The end of analog television broadcasting in the U.S. (with more countries to come in the coming years)

14 (and in her 11th straight appearance). Britney Spears (Let's face it: Year after year after year she always makes news)

13. TIE: Octomom/Jon and Kate Gosselin (Please...go away.)

12. Sandra Bullock (did I mention last time that Jesse James isn't a dead man after all?)

11. "Glee" (okay, I don't watch the show, but I had no idea that the cheerleader who's Christian is actually played by a Jew!)

10. Celebrities on Twitter and Facebook (the "bad old days" of celebrities with their 1-900 numbers? They were long gone 20 years ago!)

9. Paula Abdul leaving "American Idol" over money (okay, sort of newsworthy, but as big as...)

8. Adam Lambert locking lips with a male drummer at the American Music Awards (now THAT was hot!)

7. Lady Gaga (okay...now who the hell is she?!?!?!)

6. TIE: Sarah Palin and Levi Johnston (one's our former governor, the other...no comment)

5. TIE: Health care reform/The economy (no comment on those either)

4. Balloon Boy (full of hot air if you ask me)

3. Taylor Swift (I'm sorry, but Dolly Parton is the greatest country singer of all time...just kidding!)

2. The Tiger Woods scandal (FORE!...play)

And there's no need to argue about what was the #1 thing that had the whole world talking in 2009, though his legacy will continued to be talked about for generations to come...

1. Michael Jackson
(Elvis was the King of Rock n' Roll, but Jack will always and forever be the King of Pop)

And with that, that's the AllenBlog's 2009 Year In Review. From me to you...so long, stay strong, Happy New Year, and HAPPY NEW DECADE!!!!

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