BULLETIN:
Osama Bin Laden confirmed dead

It is the news we've been waiting for since the day that traumatized America forever: Osama Bin Laden, the man who was solely responsible for the September 11, 2001 attacks against our country, is dead according to sources late Sunday night. The U.S. is believed to have had possession of his body and President Barack Obama will have addressed the nation and the world on this.

For most of us whose lives were changed forever, this is without question the end of a chapter that was written the moment the Twin Towers in the World Trade Center almost a decade ago. And for many of us who've hunted him down for almost the last decade, all I have to say is: MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!!! (ironically enough, President George W. Bush's infamous speech was eight years ago today). So long, stay strong, god bless America, and rot in hell, Osama Bin Laden!

Hello, everybody. We'll get to the royal wedding in a bit, but of course, there has been far more serious news here at home as tornadoes ripping through the South has claimed close to 250 lives stretching from Virginia to Mississippi. The latest one was Wednesday in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, destroying everything in its path; President Obama on Friday will be there to survey the damage and meet with Governor Robert Bentley. The death toll of 248 so far was the worst since 1974, when a tornado outbreak killed 315 people. We send out our condolences to those whose lives were lost these last few days to the tornadoes.

Now...it's all systems go as we're mere hours away from what is no doubt the biggest television event of the year. No, not the NFL Draft, but the wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton. And due to the time difference between London and the United States, some of us (especially here on the West Coast) will be pulling in an all-nighter to watch it live while others will fire up their DVRs/VCRs, hit to bed, and watch it first thing in the morning.

But no matter which way you view it, an estimated 2 billion more worldwide will do the same. Earlier this week, rehearsals for the procession took place overnight, and they went off without a hitch.

Westminster Abbey will be wedding central, and for Prince William, his memories will be coming back to flood him as nearly 14 years ago, Princess Diana's funeral took place there. So you know his mother's presence will be felt during the nuptials.

The only known dignitaries who will be in attendance are David and Victoria Beckham; Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper was also going to be there, but due to circumstances beyond his control (i.e., his political butt being on the line on Monday), he said thanks but no thanks.

No doubt, whether you see it in the middle of the night or later tomorrow in highlights mode, this will be another fairytale wedding coming true before our eyes in a matter of moments. Let's hope that in the case of William, his marriage to Kate Middleton will stay that way this time unlike his parents'. So long and stay strong.

Hello, everybody. We begin first up with the news that Geraldine Ferraro, who in 1984 made history as the first female U.S. vice presidential candidate, died Saturday morning at age 75 from blood cancer at a Boston hospital.

Ferraro ran alongside Walter Mondale in the 1984 presidential election against incumbents Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush; in the end, Reagan won every state except Minnesota (Mondale's home state) though Ferraro would set the standard for women in politics to come. In 2008, former Alaska governor Sarah Palin attempted to pick up where Ferraro left off after John McCain picked her as his running mate, and on her Facebook page she paid tribute to Ferraro saying, "She broke one huge barrier and then went on to break many more. May her example of hard work and dedication to America continue to inspire all women."

The death of a political icon like Geraldine Ferraro came just a few short days after we said goodbye to a screen icon: Elizabeth Taylor. The double Academy Award winner died on Tuesday at 79 after a series of health problems over the years including congestive heart failure.

Throughout her lifetime, Liz was known for a lot of things including her marital statuses. Her first husband to hotel mogul Conrad Hilton lasted only nine months in the early 1950's, followed by Michael Wilding (1952-57), Michael Todd, (1957-58 until a plane crash took his life), Eddie Fisher (1959-64, Taylor converted to Judiasm afterwards), and then the three that really made headlines: Richard Burton (1964-74, 1975-76; the two met while filming "Cleopatra"), U.S. Senator John Warner of Virginia (1976-82, she really was the first real housewife of D.C.), and finally, construction worker Larry Fortensky (1991-96, they met while at the Betty Ford Clinic and were married at Michael Jackson's Neverland Ranch).

Another was her humanitarian work. Along with her two Best Actress Oscars for "Butterfield 8" and "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" in the 1960's, Taylor received a special Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award in 1992 for her AIDS activism. Prior to that, she was co-founder of amFAR, the American Foundation of AIDS Research, which came around the time her longtime friend Rock Hudson succumbed to the disease.

And then, of course, was the acting. Liz came into our lives in 1944 with "National Velvet" at the young age of 12 and throughout the '40s and '50s, became one of MGM's hottest commodities. In 1956, she starred with Rock Hudson and James Dean in "Giant"; a portion of it was already in the can after Dean's death.

Seven years later came "Cleopatra" with Richard Burton. The film may have been a colossal flop with a $40 million bill (which was big money back in 1963) that almost destroyed 20th Century Fox, but Taylor and Burton would really heat things up for years to come after it wrapped.

Several more films would follow throughout the '70s (with her last being "The Flintstones" in 1994), but during the '80s, it would be television work including stints on "General Hospital" and "All My Children" and even the voice of Maggie Simpson on "The Simpsons." Liz wrapped up her overall resume with the 2001 TV movie "These Old Broads."

And long before celebrities hawked their own merchandise, Taylor got the ball rolling first. Her perfume line -- White Diamonds, Passion, and Black Pearls -- have raked in an estimated $200 million.

But even till the end, Liz like most of the world jumped on the social networking bandwagon. Her Twitter account had 343,605 followers at the time of her death, and on July 12 last year she tweeted what would be her last words to the public: "Every breath you take today should be with someone else in mind. I love you."

Now that Elizabeth Taylor will be reunited with her longtime love Richard Burton and longtime friend Michael Jackson in heaven, her passing also marked the end of Hollywood's old golden age. The new golden age has already begun, and I'm thinking Anne Hathaway is already leading that charge. But of course, there was only one Elizabeth Taylor, and no one will come close to equaling or surpassing her. So long and stay strong.

Hello, everybody. It took him 8 days, 18 hours, 46 minutes, and 39 seconds with an average speed of 5.33 miles per hour to bring Lance Mackey's four-year dominance to an end, but Kotzebue's John Baker in that record time was the first to cross the Burled Arch in Nome Tuesday morning to win the 2011 Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race; he's also the first Alaska Native musher since Gerald Riley in 1976 to do so. For his accomplishments, Baker receives a check for $50,400 plus the keys to a new Dodge Ram truck.

And Baker is not alone. Also breaking Martin Buser's 2002 record was runner-up Ramey Smyth; he arrived over an hour later followed by Hans Gatt in third place at 3:24 pm Alaska Time. And as of publish time, 2011 Yukon Quest champion Dallas Seavey just arrived at 5:27 pm.

Oh, yeah...what about ol' Lance? Right now, he's in White Mountain, and is expected to head to Front Street at the crack of dawn Wednesday morning. But right now, it's all about John Baker, the man who has done the impossible to finally claim victory in 39th annual running of The Last Great Race. So long and stay strong.

Hello, everybody. I'm sure most of you have already saw the devastation and aftermath of the horrific 8.9 earthquake that has engulfed Japan Friday afternoon. That would be followed by a 23-foot tsunami that put the entire Pacific including Alaska and British Columbia, Canada on alert, though waves were not as bad as expected.

The massive quake shook several cities and villages including Tokyo, which was hundreds of miles from the epicenter. In Sendai, 200 to 300 bodies were found by police; the estimated death toll throughout could exceed 1,000. This was the fifth biggest quake in world history; Japan's worst was an 8.3 in 1925 that claimed 143,000 lives, while 6,400 were perished in the 1995 Kobe quake that measured 7.2.

Japan is also home to the world's third largest economy, and it too was felt as auto plants, refineries, nuclear power plants, and electronic factories were shut while Tokyo's Narita Airport was closed and rail services nationwide were stopped. And even though they were far away from Japan, the tsunami forced Kristen Stewart and Taylor Lautner to evacuate Vancouver Island in Canada, where they were shooting "The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn." Even Jimmy Kimmel had to cut his vacation in French Polynesia short when the quake hit, tweeting, "Suddenly, relaxing on an island in the South Pacific isn't so relaxing anymore. Good thing I brought my aqua stilts." Over in Hawaii, the tsunami no threat at all to production of CBS' "Hawaii Five-O."

Kimmel is among the handful of celebrities who took to Twitter to share their condolences after the tragedy; here are a few of them:

• Taylor Swift: "I'm sending my thoughts and prayers and love to those in Japan who are hurting."
• Katy Perry: "My prayers go out to anyone that is being effected by the disaster in Japan... #prayforjapan"
• Nicole Scherzinger: "My heart goes out to all those affected by the earthquake and subsequent tsunamis. Pls keep Japan in ur prayers. God bless and be with them."
• Justin Bieber: "Japan is one of my favorite places on earth…it’s an incredible culture with amazing people. My prayers go out to them. We all need to help."

And you, can by the way, by going to redcross.org; or if you're not near a computer, text REDCROSS to 90999 (a $10 donation will be added to your mobile bill).

But even though it was too long for Twitter, I liked Natalie Portman's Facebook statement the best: "I am completely stunned and shocked. I saw the pictures and videos of Japan, it's really terrible what happened, how the whole city destroyed the tsunami and earthquake. It hurts to know that there are many missing and dead. I can not believe what happened, our world is responding to what we do against them and I think over time it will be worse if we do not start to become aware of our actions."

You know, the Oscar winner has a point here: What was transpired in Japan hearkens me back to the last tsunami in Indonesia in 2004, or even worse, Hurricane Katrina several months later with Kanye West's remark (you know what he said) being the wake-up call. Over the last month or so we have seen Australia and later New Zealand being rocked by a flood and an earthquake respectively, and now with Japan, it has been shown proof positive that it's really not nice to fool around with Mother Nature. But...we've got Father Time to get us over this.

Now, on to some much lighter fare...the 2011 Iditarod, as we're near the homestretch and it's everybody's race as Hugh Neff and John Baker are right now preventing Lance Mackey from making it five in a row. On Friday, Neff reached Anvik and the Yukon River first, with $3,500 and a seven-course gourmet meal as his reward (I couldn't find any information on the meal; sorry). Over this past week we've some some constant lead changes by Martin Buser, Sebastian Schnuelle, and even Kelley Griffin, but the last 400 miles or so really makes the last great race.

As of publish time, Baker is in Eagle Island followed by Neff and Mackey, who's down to only nine dogs now. If Lance still wants to join the Five-Timers Club, he's going to need more than nine dogs to provide a lot of muscle; otherwise, it'll be Baker or Neff powering their way to Front Street in Nome in a few short days.

(UPDATE: John Baker left Eagle Island early Saturday morning followed by Sebastian Schnuelle and Hugh Neff; Lance Mackey has now crashed to 12th place)

This weekend, we'll be springing forward as Daylight Savings Time begins, but I wish the only thing that should be falling back is the hefty gas prices. Everywhere you look, the cost for unleaded gas is now upwards to $5.00 a gallon. Now that's a sharp contrast to the price of milk, which in now up to $4.00/gallon in some areas. $4.00 a gallon!!!

Okay, what gives? A few years ago on this blog, I went off on the fact of rural areas here in Alaska paying steep prices for food, including $7.00 for a gallon of milk while we in Fairbanks and Anchorage pay about $3.00. But now, it's already becoming the norm all over the country: food costs are increasing everywhere, especially dairy and meats.

Subway recently surpassed McDonald's for the most number of restaurants worldwide, though in terms of sales, McDonald's still dominates that. The reason? In these trying economic times, we Americans were sitting on the same boat for countless years, though the popularity of "The Biggest Loser" literally changed all that, which still makes Jack LaLanne proud up above. But I swear...if I see a $5.00 gallon of milk the next time I shop, it'll be off to what I call the "backup" milk (i.e., dry milk or the milk you can store in the pantry until opened) until I start buying fresh milk again.

And last but not least...Charlie Sheen may have gotten the pink slip from "Two And A Half Men", but he remains uncontainable. And now there's news that Charlie's taking his antics on the road with two shows in Detroit and Chicago in April (with more possibly to come), which comes as the actor filed a $100 million lawsuit against Warner Bros. and CBS for breach of contract.

Sheen has garnered over 2 million+ Twitter followers and growing in the span of two weeks (Lady Gaga still leads the overall count with 8.7 million), but the big question now is: Who is tapped to replace him? Well, "Parks and Recreation" has got Rob Lowe in a headlock, and John Stamos said "Hell no!" The latest Funny Or Die video has Jerry O'Connell auditioning for the role (though his "The Defenders" is on the bubble), and other names being thrown in the hat: Matt LeBlanc, Jeremy Piven, Matthew Perry, David Hasselhoff, and even Ted McGinley!

But you know what? When it comes to thinking outside the box, the one name that pops up in my mind: Rick Fox! Yeah, the former NBA player turned actor would be the definitive candidate to take Charlie Sheen's job on "Two And A Half Men"; he got a career boost following "Dancing With The Stars" last season. Of course, that would make girlfriend Eliza Dushku very happy as he's trying not to make the show "One And a Half Men And a Dribbler Who's Banging The Girl From 'Dollhouse'". So long and stay strong.

Hello, everybody. We've got a ton of stuff to get to including the 120 vying for the Sexiest Woman of 2011 title, so let's get to it.

First up...Charlie Sheen's latest adventures may have cost "Two And A Half Men" the remainder of the season, but that didn't prevent him from shutting up. Earlier this week he launched his Twitter page which got 1 million followers after the first day, and the keyword for him may be "winning."

But it would later turn out that he would be losing custody of his children to ex-wife Brooke Mueller as they were snatched from Charlie's home in the middle of the night after going on a media blitz to prove his insanity. And now we're learning that secret talks have been in place to get Sheen back to work on "Two And A Half Men" as soon as possible. Somwhere, John Stamos and Ted McGinley are pissed.

Don't expect Charlie Sheen's career to be included in the "In Memoriam" piece during next year's Academy Awards, but as far ratings for the 83rd Annual extravaganza were concerned? Well, they were down 10 percent from last year, as hosts James Franco and Anne Hathaway got mixed reviews for their hosting duties. But I think it's the telecast's writers to blame for the ratings drop, though Hathaway was really enjoying herself while Franco sort of pretended to be ignoring the spotlight.

Franco was on a plane back to the East Coast after the show, while a few hours and a turnaround later, Hathaway and Best Actor winner Colin Firth appeared on Oprah Winfrey's after-Oscar show. But where was Natalie Portman? After a good night's sleep following the biggest night of her life, she and fiance Benjamin Millepied were spotted getting breakfast at an L.A. area restaurant.

Now a lot of fans were cheering and shedding tears of joy over Natalie's much-deserved Best Actress win, but potential 2012 presidential candidate and former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee wasn't one of them. In a radio interview with Michael Medved, Huckabee lashed out on Portman for glamorizing pregnancy, calling it "troubling." Hey, weren't Catherine Zeta-Jones and Rachel Weisz pregnant when they collected their Oscars years ago? If I was Natalie, I would fly to wherever he his and use that Oscar to pound him in the balls!

"The Social Network" picked up four awards including Adapted Screenplay, and last year, I brought up which Academy Award winners are on Twitter, from Kevin Spacey (still the most-followed with 1.8 million) to Tom Hanks (not far behind with 1.5 million) to the newest member of the Twitterverse, Marisa Tomei at a mere 1,000-plus followers.

(UPDATE (3/14): Just recently, Julia Roberts joined Twitter, though she hasn't tweeted yet. Maybe when it hits 100,000 followers, she will.)

But what about on Facebook? Well, Marisa has recently established a Facebook home on there as well, but Colin Firth's page has continually been getting congratulatory messages for his win though he has yet to post a "thank you" message.

Now unlike Twitter, celebrity Facebook pages don't have the "Verified Account" on there, simply because they change their wall photos occasionally. But when they get the chance, they do update their status. Most of them create an additional page themselves to keep away from "posers"; look at Katy Perry, Kim Kardashian, Hilary Duff, Jessica Simpson, Eva Longoria, Justin Bieber, and Rihanna. You can see these and more on my Facebook, including Hilary Swank and Natalie Portman.

And speaking of Portman (once again)...I'm leaning toward the fact that even though she graduated from Harvard around the time Mark Zuckerberg started dreaming up Facebook, I am 95% certain that Natalie H. Portman (she doesn't have a middle name, by the way) is her official Facebook. The remaining five percent disagrees with me, and no, Natalie says she doesn't use Twitter.

(UPDATE (4/17): It turns out that Natalie H. Portman's Facebook was another of those "posers" and has been expunged; dunno about whether or not this is her Twitter. But at least she's keeping herself occupied until she gives birth later this year.)

Anyway...the roster for Season 12 of "Dancing With The Stars" has been released, and headlining that is Kirstie Alley. Also joining her: Talk show host Wendy Williams, boxer Sugar Ray Leonard, musician and former WWE wrestler Chris Jericho, reality star Kendra Wilkinson-Baskett, radio personality Mike Catherwood, "The Karate Kid" himself Ralph Macchio, singer Romeo, Disney star Chelsea Kane (keeping up with the synergy), model Petra Nemcova, and Pittsburgh Steeler Hines Ward. All in all, this is shaping up to be the season to watch as "Dancing With The Stars" resumes their mission on March 21 to finally bring "American Idol's" six-year reign as TV's #1 show to an end.

This past week, Apple CEO Steve Jobs got out from his sick bed to unveil the iPad 2, which will be out next week. The iPad 2 will be thinner and lighter than the iPad 1, but with a few more amenities: longer battery life, HD video recording (yeah, good luck taking that to concerts!), FaceTime, and a "Smart Cover."

Last year I originally considered getting me an iPad, but I had to spend the $600 for a new computer to replace the one that finally crapped out on me. The iPad 2 is something I won't pass up on this time around.

And last but certainly not least...it's the moment you've waited several paragraphs for! That's right, it's that time of year again when we start asking the question: Who is the sexiest woman of 2011???

This year like I've done in 2009, the field has increased from 90 to 120 all itching to take the coveted title. So enough BS; in no particular order, here they are starting with the Juniors (ages 16-25):

Group A

AnnaLynne McCord

Leighton Meester

Hilary Duff

Emmy Rossum

Lacey Schwimmer

Brittany Snow

Ashley Tisdale

Miranda Cosgrove

Brooklyn Decker

Lea Michele

Group B

Victoria Justice

Emma Stone

Julianne Hough

Dianna Agron

Ashley Greene

Jessica Stroup

Vanessa Hudgens

Taylor Swift

Kristin Cavallari

Hayden Panettiere

Group C

Audrina Patridge

Emma Watson

Jessica Lowndes

Miley Cyrus

Blake Lively

Kristen Stewart

Camilla Belle

Megan Fox

Amanda Seyfried

Joanna "JoJo" Levesque

Group D

Emma Roberts

Selena Gomez

Taylor Momsen

AnnaSophia Robb

Alyson Michalka

Kaley Cuoco

Amanda Bynes

Michelle Trachtenberg

Maria Sharapova

Rihanna

And now, the Seniors:

Group A

Halle Berry

Scarlett Johansson

Jennifer Love Hewitt

Jessica Alba (2000 and 2003 winner)
Stacy "Fergie" Ferguson
Denise Richards
Eva Longoria
Olivia Wilde
Christina Applegate
Gwyneth Paltrow

Group B
Natalie Portman (2002 runner-up)
Paula Abdul
Kylie Minogue
Stacy Keibler (2007 third-place finisher)
Sofia Vergara
Courteney Cox
Jennifer Lopez (2001 runner-up)
Shakira
Emily Blunt
Maria Menounos

Group C
Kristen Bell (2007 runner-up/2008 winner)
Jessica Biel
Kate Beckinsale
Mandy Moore
Nicole Kidman (2001 winner)
Sandra Bullock
Claire Danes
Christina Milian
Helen Mirren
Anna Paquin

Group D
Nicole Scherzinger
Heather Graham
Marisa Tomei
Carrie Underwood
Britney Spears (1999 winner/2001 third-place finisher)
Hilary Swank
Eva Mendes
Reese Witherspoon
Rachel Bilson
Heidi Klum

Finally, the Underdogs:

Group A
Karina Smirnoff
Jennifer Lawrence
Anna Kendrick
Kelly Brook
Kim Kardashian
Rosie Huntington-Whiteley
Erika Christensen
Jillian Michaels
Sarah Hyland
Jenny McCarthy

Group B
Olivia Munn
Anna Faris
Nancy O'Dell
Adriana Lima
Katy Perry
Cat Deeley
Alexa Vega
Minka Kelly
Alison Sweeney
Milla Jovovich

Group C
Malin Akerman
Melanie Brown
Miranda Kerr
Teresa Palmer
Brooke Burke
Sarah Shahi
Pauley Perrette
January Jones
Melissa Rycroft

Group D
Christina Hendricks
Michelle Rodriguez
Diane Kruger
LeAnn Rimes
Yvonne Stravhovski
Cheryl Cole
Chelsea Handler
Julianna Margulies
Erin Andrews

(NOTE: This field is not yet final and can change at any time)

Yeah, this is shaping up to quite a tournament like no other, and here's how things will go:

In the first half of Round 1, the field will decrease from 120 to 90 (30 Juniors, 30 Seniors, 30 Underdogs); in the second half, it'll be down to 60 (20 from each category). Then in Round 2 of course, we continue that process with 30 remaining.

But when we get to Round 3 after a summer break, the real battle begins when we remove the categories and last year's third-place finisher Cheryl Burke plus a surprise 31st entrant joins the party. 30 will become 20 for Round 4 with last year's runner-up Jennifer Aniston stepping in.

The top ten ladies after Round 4 (plus two more from the Second Chance Round) will go on to face last year's winner Kate Walsh in the final round for the title of Sexiest Woman of 2011; if everything goes according to plan, that will be around mid-November!!!

Rounds 1, 2, and the vote-offs (and I'm sure there'll be some) will be web votes only, while there will be both web and text votes in the remaining rounds plus Second Chance. And to make things a whole lot better, I'm increasing the web votes limit from one to FIVE, meaning you can max them all out for one person or split them for a few!

But by looking at the field, you can sure bet that Natalie Portman will be the heavy favorite; she lost to Sarah Michelle Gellar in 2002, by the way. Others to watch for are Miley Cyrus, Brooklyn Decker, Katy Perry, Rihanna, and Sofia Vergara. And at 65 going on 66...could Helen Mirren go all the way to become the oldest Sexiest Woman winner ever???

These questions and more will be answered when Round 1 of Sexiest Woman of 2011 gets underway on Monday, March 28! So long and stay strong!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Cheeseheads tower over the Terrible Towels in Texas!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

My top ten favorite commercials from Super Bowl XLV

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Hello, everybody. The keyword in President Barack Obama's State of the Union Address Tuesday night was "civility", as he urged a divided Congress to "move forward together or not at all." Of course, he noticed that one empty chair usually reserved for Rep. Gabrielle Giffords of Arizona, who is still recovering in Texas from that horrific assassination attempt in Tucson a few weeks ago. Her husband, astronaut Mark Kelley, was watching from her bedside.

During the speech, Obama said America was facing a new "Sputnik moment", as just like the showdown for space between the U.S. and the former Soviet Union, the economy and jobs are in dire need for an boost to keep up with the other countries. Though his approval rating is back up again after months of decline, the president also called for a replacement of No Child Left Behind, which hasn't been working as far as our education is concerned.

Another thing that was touched on: Energy, as he wants 1 million electric vehicles on the road by 2015 and 80 percent of clean electricity from clean energy sources such as wind, coal, and even solar. Obama also went on the defensive of his health care overhaul law, saying he's mustering to improve it.

By the way...though Rep. Don Young was in attendance in his first State of the Union in 37 years, Sen. Lisa Murkowski had to leave during the speech as her youngest son was in the hospital for appendectomy surgery. Also, the seating arrangements had an unusual twist: Republicans and Democrats sitting together.

Now...presidential speeches are not award-worthy, but earlier this morning, it was about "The King's Speech" as it leads the 83rd Academy Awards nominations with 12 including Best Actor (Colin Firth), Supporting Actress (Helena Bonham Carter), Supporting Actor (Geoffrey Rush), and, along with "Black Swan", "The Fighter", "Inception", "The Kids Are All Right", "127 Hours", "The Social Network", "Toy Story 3", "True Grit", and "Winter's Bone", Best Picture of 2010.

Speaking of "The Social Network", it picked up Best Actor (Jesse Eisenberg), Director (David Fincher), and Adapted Screenplay (Aaron Sorkin) nods as expected. And fresh off both her Golden Globe win and "No Strings Attached" tops at the box office, Natalie Portman is also up for Best Actress in "Black Swan", though she'll be in for a showdown with Annette Bening ("The Kids Are All Right"), newcomers Jennifer Lawrence ("Winter's Bone") and Michelle Williams ("Blue Valentine"), and 2003 winner Nicole Kidman ("Rabbit Hole") for that prize.

But then there were those whose phones weren't ringing, like Leonardo DiCaprio ("Inception"), Mila Kunis ("Black Swan"), Andrew Garfield ("The Social Network"), Gwyneth Paltrow ("Country Strong", though it picked up Original Song) or Julianne Moore ("The Kids Are All Right").

"The Social Network" seemed to be the early favorite to take Best Picture after their Golden Globes victories, but it may or may not be the case now as "The King's Speech" came away the winner at the Producers Guild of America awards. But at the Oscars, there are no guarantees; see 2006 when heavy favorite "Brokeback Mountain" lost to "Crash" in an upset.

We'll see which film is liked the most when Anne Hathaway and Best Actor nominee James Franco front the 83rd Annual Academy Awards on Sunday, February 27. So long and stay strong.

Hello, everybody. We begin my first blog of 2011 with, what else, the 68th Annual Golden Globe Awards on Sunday where they liked "The Social Network" so much, it claimed Best Motion Picture-Drama, Director (David Fincher), and Screenplay (Aaron Sorkin). Meanwhile, Colin Firth ("The King's Speech") and Natalie Portman ("Black Swan") picked up Drama acting honors with Paul Giamatti ("Barney's Version") and Annette Bening ("The Kids Are All Right", also Best Picture winner) on the Comedy-Musical side. And yes, unlike last year, everybody -- including the cameramen -- were on their best behavior...everybody except for host Ricky Gervais, of course.

On the television front, "Glee" repeated their victory for Comedy-Musical Series with "Boardwalk Empire" taking the Drama prize. Jane Lynch, Jim Parsons, and Claire Danes all added Supporting Actress ("Glee"), Best Actress (Miniseries/Movie, "Temple Grandin"), and Best Actor (Comedy/Musical, "The Big Bang Theory") respectively to the Emmys they already picked up months ago.

Now there may have been snow all over the country except Florida, but the red carpet prior to the show made us melt. There was pregnant Natalie Portman pretty in Viktor & Rolf, Lea Michele peachy in Oscar de la Renta, Angelina Jolie vivacious in green Versace, Kelly Osbourne and Eva Longoria both donning Zac Posen, and Heidi Klum and Halle Berry not afraid to show some leg.

So...who were the night's show-offs? Have to say Olivia Wilde (a princess in Marchesa), Anne Hathaway (Armani), cleavy Longoria and 'Access Hollywood's" Maria Menounos, who totally rebounded from that unfortunate bikini malfunction she suffered in Miami a few weeks back. Yeah, what better way to say goodbye to 2010 and hello to 2011 than with Maria providing us a little more "Access" to her lower body!

As for Helena Bonham Carter in a hairdo that would make Snooki proud as well as mis-matched shoes? She should be shown the door!

Just like the WWE Royal Rumble in which the winner gets a title shot at Wrestlemania, this year's Golden Globe winners like Firth and Portman are already given an express ticket to the Academy Awards. In the case of Portman, this could be shaping up to be quite the year for her with two possible new members of her family: an Oscar and a baby on the way. But let's not get ahead of ourselves.

Like I said, "The Social Network" won big on Sunday night, and if you scoped the scene inside the International Ballroom at the Beverly Hilton while watching the Globes, the stars were social networking on their tables. If you check out my Facebook page, you notice that I have a handful of celebrity friends like Portman, Danes, and Hathaway, as well as local ones like my good old friends Glen "Glenner" Anderson and Jerry Evans, plus of course my high school buddies.

So I'm asking you: Which celebrities would you like to see on Facebook and/or Twitter? Contact me facebook.com/johnnyafairbanksak or twitter.com/jonathanallen and I'll post some of your responses on my next blog.

Recently, we had the first rags-to-riches story in quite a while in Ted Williams (no relation to the former Boston Red Sox player), the homeless guy with a voice that would make Don LaFontaine, Johnny Olson, and Charlie O'Donnell proud up above. Within days after a newspaper reporter discovered him slumming on the streets of Columbus, Ohio and putting the video on YouTube, he got offers left and right including a Kraft Macaroni and Cheese commercial he did.

But then, we learned a dark secret: Since mid-2008, he became sober, but started drinking again after the worldwide media attention. He was admitted to a drug rehab facility in Texas arranged by Dr. Phil McGraw in the hopes to better himself. Hmmm...with Lindsay Lohan out and Ted Williams in, rehab is pretty much the celebrity hot spot these days.

In all seriousness, we have lost some great voices over the last 25 years including those I already mentioned. Ted Williams would be a breath of fresh air, though I don't know if the pipes are strong enough to belt out "In a world..." or "Come on down!" So long and stay strong.

We're very, very close to the end of 2010 and the beginning of 2011, so without further ado, I present to you for the 20th time...
The Top 20 Things That Were Trending in 2010

20. Brett Favre (imagine if those cell phone pics of "Lil' Brett" were sent to Erin Andrews instead)

19. Simon Cowell leaving "American Idol" (to quote Will Ferrell's Alex Trebek, the show has reached a new low)

18, and in her 12th consecutive appearance because we still love her so much. Britney Spears (let's move on)

17. Tiger Woods (as somebody tweeted earlier this year, the Masters promos would've been more enjoyable if Jim Nantz narrates those text messages)

16. Ke$ha (her hits this year: money in the bank!)

15. 3D televisions on the market (Bring on laserdisc! Oh, wait...)

14. Miley Cyrus and Selena Gomez (now that they're both 18, you can no longer feel guilty to pleasure yourself to them...that, or to the sight of Miley taking a hit)

13. Cheryl Cole (who may join Cat Deeley next year when she act to the States when our version of X Factor comes our way)

12. Lebron James's decision to join the Miami Heat (which should've been called "Cold In Cleveland")

11. More celebrities on Facebook (I'm trying to find out which ones are good at Farmville)

10. The Discovery Channel gunman standoff (apparently his demand is that Shark Week becomes Shark Month)

9. The iPad (imagine the Flintstones having loads of fun with that tablet)

8. Sandra Bullock, Christina Milian, and Christina Aguilera (all of them single MILFs and loving it!)

7. Lady Gaga (her "Little Monsters" have made her the queen of Twitter)

6. TIE: The BP oil spill and the Iceland volcano (one was tough to clean up, the other was tough to pronounce its name)

5. Betty White (still the object of male fantasies after so many decades...that is, if you're 80 to 100!)

4. Backstreet Boys and New Kids On The Block about to tour together (let's get ready to party like it's both 1989 and 1999!)

3. Wild weather across America (117 degrees in Los Angeles, an ice storm here in Alaska, and a post-Christmas blizzard on the East Coast...I feel like moving to Hawaii!)

2. TIE: Sarah Palin and Wikileaks (one was the darling of the Tea Party movement and had a daughter on a hit show, the other was not a darling of governments everywhere)

And the #1 thing that was trending in 2010 and will continue to be in 2011...

1. Justin Bieber (like him or not, you can be sure that even with his rumored romance with Selena Gomez, we'll be hearing much more from him next year than this year!)

With that, that's the AllenBlog's 2010 Year In Review. So long, stay strong, and HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!

Entertainment and Celebrities

From the latest late night brouhaha that had Johnny Carson spinning in his grave to "Dancing With The Stars" spinning in the ratings, from 3D making a more-than-ever comeback, to more and more stars in the social networking galaxy, 2010 in the world of entertainment had us crooning "Baby, Baby, Baby" on our iPads.

James Cameron's "Avatar" may have shattered records to become the top-grossing movie of all-time both domestically and worldwide, but at the 82nd Academy Awards, it would be "The Hurt Locker" leaving him blue-faced taking six awards including Best Picture of 2009 and in an historic first...Best Director for ex-wife Kathryn Bigelow. Meanwhile, Jeff Bridges easily collected Best Actor for "Crazy Heart" while Sandra Bullock took Best Actress for "The Blind Side." But she would be blindsided herself as far as her marriage was concerned, which I'll get to later.

Only two of the four shows continued their winning streaks at the 52nd Primetime Emmy Awards ("Mad Men" and "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart"), but for "The Amazing Race", they're now 7-1 as "Top Chef" put that to an end. And not even "Glee" or even "30 Rock" could stop "Modern Family" taking Best Comedy, though "Glee" itself was the year's top breakout TV hit with episodes featuring the music of Lady Gaga, "The Rocky Horror Picture Show", Britney Spears, and others. Not even a little scandal (the provocative "GQ" photoshoot) couldn't hurt them!

In other 2010 TV highlights: Simon Cowell saying goodbye to the ailing "American Idol", Oprah Winfrey kicking off her 25th and final season by surprising her audience they're going to Australia with her (which they recently did), the end of "Lost" though Daniel Dae Kim would immediately find work with the new "Hawaii Five-O", Larry King signing off after 25 years of "Larry King Live", Katy Perry alongside Elmo too R-rated for G-rated "Sesame Street", and "Entertainment Tonight's" Mary Hart and Canadian news anchor Lloyd Robertson about to call it a career next year.

But it was "Dancing With The Stars" that outshined them all this year, thanks to headliners like Kate Gosselin, Pamela Anderson, Apollo 11 astronaut Buzz Aldrin, David Hasselhoff, and one that either delighted or pissed off loyal viewers (one of them even had to go Elvis Presley on his TV)...Bristol Palin! In the end, the mirror ball trophies ended up in Nicole Scherzinger's and Jennifer Grey's living rooms.

The social networking universe, fueled by Twitter and Facebook, spread like wildfire this year like never before; there were more tweets than blogs, especially from yours truly. As far as Facebook was concerned, it was a pinnacle year with membership now topping 500 million, "The Social Network" starring Jesse Eisenberg and Justin Timberlake garnering critical and even Oscar buzz, and the icing on the cake: The man behind it all, Mark Zuckerberg, being named "Time" magazine's Person of the Year.

In gadgets, Apple's Steve Jobs was that person of the year with the iPhone 4 and the iPad, setting off a wave of similar smartphones and tablet computers hitting the market this year in a bid to out-do him. E-readers of various kinds including Barnes & Noble's Nook were out for the Amazon Kindle's blood...or make that a share of the booming sales. And remember WebTV from 15 or so years ago? That's now a dinosaur compared to the new ways we can access the Internet on our TVs, and upgraded Blu-ray players and Google TV made that happen when they went on the market this year.

3D got a 21st century enhancement to go along with vinyl records already making a return presence, especially on TV and at the box office. And speaking of which, there were hits that were more enjoyable in either 3D or 2D, like "Toy Story 3", "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1", "Inception", "The Twilight Saga" Eclipse", and "Shrek Forever After." And what did "MacGruber", "Jonah Hex", "Green Zone", and "Scott Pilgrim vs. The World" have in common? They were also crowd pleasers...in 1D!

The music world throughout this year had the wackiest cast of characters the side of Looney Tunes, with the latest from Ke$ha, Rihanna, Lady Gaga (whose dress at the MTV Video Music Awards had Rob Reiner calling her "Meathead!"), Taylor Swift, Black Eyed Peas, the aforementioned Katy Perry, and some guy named Justin Bieber.

Along with Brett Favre and Wikileaks, there were other scandals that topped the headlines in '10, with Mel Gibson and Lindsay Lohan being the biggest ones of them all.

First, Gibson with those series of expletive-laden voicemails attacking ex-girlfriend Oksana Grigorieva making the rounds. And to rub salt in the wound ever further, he was out of "The Hangover" sequel with Liam Neeson in. Here's hoping "The Beaver" next year (directed by his good friend Jodie Foster) will be his comeback.

And then there's Lohan, who has always had one share of drama after another year after year; this time, she was admitted to the Betty Ford Center.

Among the year's "I Do's": Katy Perry and Russell Brand, Carrie Underwood and Mike Fisher, Emily Blunt and John Krasinski, Harrison Ford and Calista Flockhart, Oscar winners Penelope Cruz and Javier Bardem, Chelsea Clinton and Marc Mezvinsky, Nicole Richie and Joel Madden, "True Blood" co-stars Anna Paquin and Stephen Moyer, Orlando Bloom and Miranda Kerr, and Jane Lynch and Lara Embry. And as of publish time, Natalie Portman and Reese Witherspoon were engaged.

And then there are those who said "I Don't": Christina Aguilera and Jordan Bratman, Eva Longoria and Tony Parker, Christina Milian and The-Dream, Al and Tipper Gore, Kate Winslet and Sam Mendes, Courteney Cox and David Arquette, Scarlett Johansson and Ryan Reynolds (as of publish time), and yes, Sandra Bullock and Jesse James.
So...what was the one entertainment story in 2010 that had everybody talking? It was the 2000's version of the late night shuffle involving Conan O'Brien, Jay Leno, and troubled NBC.

When O'Brien took over as "Tonight Show" host last year, it lost a substantial amount of ratings to David Letterman. Leno's 10:00 gamble, on the other hand, also lost to "The Mentalist", "Private Practice" (starring Sexiest Woman of 2010 winner Kate Walsh), and the local news on most Fox/CW/independent stations. Then earlier this year, NBC considered Leno returning to 11:35 with Conan to follow at 12:05. Conan didn't want any part of it, and the network offered him a deal to take the money and run. He accepted it, and after the Olympics, "The Jay Leno Show" became "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno" once again in its regular time slot.

While Conan was taking his act across North America, he also shopped for a new TV home. In the end, TBS made him an offer he couldn't refuse, and he signed on the dotted line with him at 11:00 moving "Lopez Tonight" to midnight and his new competition being Jon Stewart, Stephen Colbert, and Chelsea Handler (nobody cares about Mo'Nique). But it was ABC's "Nightline" that emerged as the quiet late night victor in the wake of all this.

"Time" may have their Person of the Year, but for the first time, I have my Entertainer of the Year: Betty White! With the Snickers commercial that led to hosting "Saturday Night Live" thanks to a successful Facebook campaign (and winning another Emmy for it) as well as "Hot In Cleveland" and "You Again", it's no wonder why at even in her late 80's, this living legend won't be pushing up daisies anytime soon.

Like I said in the news recap, the April wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton will be one major entertainment story we'll be watching in 2011. But what else could be on tap? Anne Hathaway and James Franco will be hosting the Academy Awards; will one or both of them be nominated for "Love And Other Drugs" and "127 Hours" respectively? Britney Spears has been in the recording studio recently, and as she's about to approach the age of 30 you know her upcoming album (when it comes out) will show those young "whippersnappers" like Gaga, Perry, and Bieber how it's done. No matter who the cast will be next season, will "Dancing With The Stars" finally unseat "American Idol" as the year's #1 show? What will be the next old school technology to make a new school revival? And after her stint in rehab, could Lindsay Lohan follow Robert Downey Jr.'s lead the pull off the biggest comeback ever? These questions and many more will be answered within the next 52 weeks.

Next time...we wrap up the Year In Review with the Top 20 Things That Were Trending in 2010!

It was the year when we drank more tea than Kool-Aid as far as politics were concerned.

The year when the name of a massive volcano erupting in Iceland was too tough for any spelling bee.

The year when an oil spill in the Gulf required more than just Shamwows to clean up.

The year when thanks to some instrument, soccer's world championship were abuzz.

The year when we experienced joy over the rescues of miners in Chile, while the U.S. government experienced a leak.

The year when there were (i)Pads, Nooks, and Kindles of all shapes and sizes.

The year when "Toy Story 3", "Inception", and "Harry Potter" were epic successes, while "MacGruber" and "Jonah Hex" were epic fails.

The year when one prince brought us a royal engagement that would make his mother proud.

The year when one TV show "Dance"-d their way to the ratings...and sometimes into a little conspiracy.

The year when the time was "White" for one octogenarian to prove a point she's still got game, while one person decided to take his game to someplace sunny.

The year when football provided a whole lot of body language.

And, it was the year when the late night community had us asking, "Whose side are you on?"

That year was 2010.
Join the AllenBlog as we look back at another unpredictable year.

Looking back at 2010, we experienced thrills, spills, and chills of every proportion in every corner of the globe.

And we began that year with, of course, the massive 7.0 earthquake that rocked the nation of Haiti. With the death toll over 230,000, it was also the deadliest on record, prompting all of us to help out in more ways than one. That would be followed by another earthquake in Chile, which led nearly 500 lives perished in a Pacific tsunami. But there was one other story in that country that made major headlines this year, which I'll get to later.

In Super Bowl XLIV, the New Orleans Saints routed the Indianapolis Colts 31-17; for New Orleans, MVP Drew Brees's hoisting of the Vince Lombardi Trophy signaled the completion of five years of recovery from Hurricane Katrina that nearly destroyed the city and the Mississippi Gulf Coast. Over 106 million viewers tuned in for all this, which was enough to eclipse the "M*A*S*H" series finale as the most-watched television broadcast of all-time.

Vancouver played host to the 21st Olympic Winter Games in February, kicking off with hockey legend Wayne Gretzky lighting the torch. Throughout those two weeks, highlights included Shaun White and Evan Lysacek grabbing golds in snowboarding and men's figure skating respectively, while host country Canada got some hockey redemption beating the U.S. for the hockey gold.

South Africa was the site for the FIFA World Cup this year, and even though they're in a Southern Hemisphere country where it's winter there, the action was a mixture of hot and cold: hot because the high kicks and low scoring that make soccer famous...and cold because thanks to those annoying vuvuzelas, the venues have become artificial beehives! Anyway, we saw the United States keeping their hopes alive thanks to a last-minute goal against Angola...that is, until Ghana knocked us out before they were knocked out themselves. In the end, it was Spain that outscored them all.

Besides the Olympics and the World Cup, other 2010 sports highlights included: Duke and Connecticut taking the men's and women's Final Four titles, Alabama becoming the national champions of football, the NBA championship still in possession of the Los Angeles Lakers, the Chicago Blackhawks's first Stanley Cup since the Kennedy administration, Phil Mickelson the "Master" of his domain while Tiger Woods roared in his comeback to the green (though he faltered big time at the British Open), the San Francisco Giants winning the World Series pennant, and Fairbanks' own Lance Mackey making it four Iditarods in a row. Oh yeah, there was also LeBron James trading in the coldness of his hometown Cleveland for the Miami Heat, pissing off loyal Cavaliers fans.

The NFL had their share of drama both on and off the field, with Mexican TV sports reporter Ines Sainz being the center of more than just attention in the wake of a sex harassment scandal involving the New York Jets, and Brett Favre allegedly sending cell phone pictures of his genitals to another female sports reporter.

The entire Gulf Coast -- not just New Orleans and Mississippi -- would face another disaster that would last longer than Katrina: The BP oil spill with practically no end in sight; it started when the Deepwater Horizon oil platform exploded off the coast of Louisiana, killing 11. Millions of gallons floated into the waters non stop, threatening the tourism and seafood industries. After numerous attempts including the "Top Kill" method, cement was finally pumped into the well to put the summer-long nightmare (longer than the Exxon Valdez in 1989) to an end.

30 years after Mount St. Helens, volcanic ash from a series of eruptions in Iceland had air traffic disrupted throughout most of western Europe, including Britain. The only other thing newsworthy about it? We can't even pronounce the volcano's name!

You know the song "Dirty Little Secret"? Well, Wikileaks disclosed tons of them this year, including over 90,000 reports about the U.S.-led involvement in the Afghan war, and perhaps the biggie that put Julian Assange in the spotlight: 250,000 diplomatic cables.

The U.S. automotive industry made a huge comeback this year (probably thanks to slews of recalls by Toyota), with General Motors no longer in government control while unveiling the all-electric Chevrolet Volt as well as saying goodbye to the Pontiac brand. Meanwhile, Ford is bidding Mercury adieu after 70 years, and Chrysler? Along with Ford, they kept quiet while raking in huge profits.

Back to Chile: In August, 39 miners were trapped at the San Jose mine near Copiapo, Chile. At first it was thought they would be all be rescued around Christmas, but 69 days later, one by one they all met the surface once again. Just like Baby Jessica 23 years prior, the entire world were overjoyed by this miraculous turn of events.

While we continued to embrace newer faces lighting up the scene in 2010, there were some old faces we had to say goodbye to, including: Leslie Nielsen, Gary Coleman, J.D. Salinger, former U.S. envoy Richard Holbrooke, James MacArthur (Danno on the original "Hawaii Five-O"), former International Olympic Committee president Juan Antonio Samanranch, Olympic cinematographer Bud Greenspan, singer Teena Marie, Dennis Hopper, Peter Graves, Lynn Redgrave, Rue McClanahan, John Forsythe, fashion designer Alexander McQueen, basketball star Manute Bol, "Gumby" creator Art Clokey, Robert Byrd, Corey Haim, Tony Curtis, Stephen J. Cannell, Teddy Pendergrass, George Steinbrenner, Elizabeth Edwards, Pernell Roberts, Lena Horne, broadcast journalists Daniel Schorr and Edwin Newman, Art Linkletter, Eddie Fisher, Jill Clayburgh, Robert Culp, television announcer Charlie O'Donnell, film director Blake Edwards, Tom Bosley, Barbara Billingsley, Gloria Stuart, "Dandy" Don Meredith, and one that really hit home here in Alaska...former senator Ted Stevens.

The year's biggest story had something to do with tea, and not the sipping or iced kind.

When President Obama signed the health care bill into law in March after passing both houses of Congress, we knew we would be one step closer to universal healthcare in this country...or so it seemed. With the economy still in shambles and nationwide unemployment rates at their highest ever, many of us realized the fact that change came a little too prematurely.

Enter the Tea Party Movement, with former Alaska governor Sarah Palin leading the charge and endorsing some unknowns like Sharron Angle, Christine O'Donnell, and Joe Miller with one goal in mind: put some of the longtime incumbents out of a job in Washington. The Democrats, meanwhile, went all out in an attempt to save their hides. In the end, the Republicans took back control of the House with Nancy Pelosi out and John Boehner in as their speaker, though the Democrats barely held on to the Senate.

O'Donnell, Angle, Carly Fiorina, and former World Wrestling Entertainment CEO Linda McMahon all conceded defeat, but not Joe Miller...yet. After making the biggest mistake in our lives by voting for him in the August primaries, we gave Lisa Murkowski a second chance after launching an unprecedented write-in campaign. It definitely worked with Scott McAdams already throwing in the towel, but Miller still hasn't budged, taking his case to the courts. By the time the new Congress is sworn in in January, the results would finally be certified and Murkowski will have secured her seat.

In December, the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" act was repealed after 18 years, allowing gays to finally be in the military; at the same time, tax rate cuts that were orginially carried over from the Bush administration were approved.

But we were not the only country that had political firestorms this year. Britain went to the polls in May with a hung parliament as the end result and Gordon Brown handing over the keys to 10 Downing Street to David Cameron, while Australia saw its first ever female Prime Minister in Julia Gillard.

So...what can we expect in 2011? President Obama's administration will be put to the ultimate test as the Republicans will be in charge of the House, while a host city for the 2018 Winter Olympics will be chosen. A U.S. city may step up to the plate for their bid, will it be Anchorage in its third attempt? And of course, there will be some royal wedding over in England; I'll have more on that in the Year In Entertainment.

But as always, you may never know what else will transpire in the new year; we'll have to wait till the clock strikes midnight on January 1 to find out.

Tomorrow, entertainment and celebrities as the 2010 Year In Review continues.

Hello everybody, as I'm sure you're setting up the dinner tables for Thanksgiving.

We begin my feast first up with the one weather story that's been heavily ignored in the news (thanks a lot, TSA airport pat-downs!), unless if you happen to be in a certain part of the country: The Great Alaska Ice Storm of 2010!

This week, unexpected temperatures in the 30s combined with freezing rain has wreaked havoc in both Anchorage and Fairbanks, leaving roads deserted with little to no traffic and closing down schools. Now we have been used to the other way around every winter (i.e., sub-zero temperatures), but this has been ridiculous.

But the worst is far from over, as temps will be dropping to the single digits by this weekend. If I were you, I would be better off avoiding the stores at the crack of dawn Friday morning.

Now...the countdown to what could be the wedding of the century. Prince William, after two decades of living the single life, popped the question to Kate Middleton...but not before the couple went public on it in a televised interview. And now we've learned that the date and place are now set: April 29, 2011 at Westminster Abbey.

So...who is Kate Middleton? She's 28 years old, her parents were in the airline industry before they started a mail-order party supply business, and is a fashionista. She met William while they were both attending the University of St. Andrews in Scotland, and the two have been on-again, off-again, and then on-again in the years since.

This is shaping up to be the one royal wedding that is estimated to be viewed by close to 3 billion people worldwide, as opposed to the 750 million that tuned in to the Prince Charles/Lady Diana Spencer wedding in 1981...which, ironically, also happened on the 29th (July 29, 1981). In three months prior to the 30th anniversary of those fractured nuptials, this royal wedding will not only be bittersweet for Prince William at the very same site for his mother's funeral, but a celebration and tribute as he and future Duchess Kate Middleton continue to upgrade the Royal Family for a new generation. The Queen now on Facebook was just the beginning.

Well, one thing we should all be thankful for is that the coveted mirror ball trophy on "Dancing With The Stars" this time ended up in the hands of Jennifer Grey and -- in a three-peat -- Derek Hough rather than Bristol Palin; she and Mark Ballas finished third behind Kyle Massey and Lacey Schwimmer. Of course the show was pretty much "Everybody Hates Bristol" because thanks to her, underdogs like Rick Fox, Florence Henderson, David Hasselhoff and others were shown the door.

But I tell you, folks: When Brandy was unceremoniously booted off last week putting Bristol in the finals along with Jennifer and Kyle, millions of viewers especially loyal "Dancing" fans were pissed off like never before. They bitched and moaned on the show's message boards, on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube; even ABC's switchboard was flooded with complaints. Can you say "conspiracy theory"?

And then we finally pinpointed the mastermind behind all this: Kevin DuJan, conservative blogger for HillBuzz.org. He was 100% responsible for Bristol staying alive throughout the season, urging us to keep voting for her multiple times by creating as many phony e-mail addresses as possible. So in the case of the finals, the time was come to fight fire with fire to ensure that Jennifer and Kyle would keep Bristol at bay...and in the end, it worked.

The controversy surrounding Bristol proved to be a ratings bonanza, as 24 million viewers watched the finale and the show pulling in monster ratings for ABC, which will continue when "Dancing" returns in the spring as they hope to finally unseat the ailing "American Idol" as the year's #1 show. By the way, Sarah Palin was in the middle of her book tour when she learned that her daughter wouldn't be bringing the mirror ball trophy home to Wasilla, though she tweeted her congratulations to everybody saying that "competition is good."

So...what does the future hold for Bristol now? Like I said before, win or lose "Dancing With The Stars" has already set you for life...well, except for Season 9 contestant and former embattled Congressman Tom DeLay, who was convicted on Wednesday for money laundering and may be part of a new show: "Dancing With The Inmates"! By the way, foot injuries forced Tom to pull himself out.

One other footnote: Ratings for Sarah's TLC show "Sarah Palin's Alaska" dropped 40% from last week's debut. Guess the only thing we'll be seeing from the Palin house will be a cancellation notice!

And last but not least...as part of her farewell season, Oprah Winfrey pulled out all the stops for her last "Favorite Things" extravaganza. Among the items in the gift list of all gift lists: The Apple iPad, Andre Walker Haircare Products (Andre Walker being Oprah's longtime hairdresser), UGG boots, the Herb Savor, a five-year Netflix membership, Baker's Edge baking pans and Ghiradelli brownie mix, the Nikon D3100 digital camera, a Sony 3-D TV, even a seven-day cruise to the Caribbean aboard Royal Caribbean's mammoth "Allure Of The Seas", and perhaps the biggest kicker of them all...the keys to a 2012 Volkswagen Beetle...which will be out in May!! The total value for all of these: $36,837!!!

For years, "Oprah's Favorite Things" has been called "the hottest ticket in television", but next week Ellen DeGeneres will try to do one better with her "12 Days of Giveaways." And let me tell you: The neat swag this year will cause Santa's elves to work overtime making sure your Christmas tree will be fuller than ever with your stocking stuffed to the brim! So long, stay strong, and happy Thanksgiving!