Silence was golden at the Oscars!

Hello, everybody. At the inaugural Academy Awards ceremony in 1929 (which was actually a banquet, but you get the idea), "Wings", a silent film though sound was starting to become a big deal, was the first Best Picture winner. Well, flash forward 83 years and 3 hours and 13 minutes later to Sunday's 84th annual awards, and "The Artist" taking us back to those bygone times in a big way.

Both that film and Martin Scorsese's "Hugo" each collected five awards, but it was "The Artist" that barked up the most important bounty: Best Actor (Jean Dujardin, beating out odds-on favorite George Clooney), Director (Michel Hazanavicius), and Best Picture of 2011. One of "Hugo's" honors was for Visual Effects, and sharing that: Former Fairbanks resident Ben Grossmann!

Almost 30 years after her last win, Meryl Streep returned to the Oscar stage to claim Best Actress for "The Iron Lady" over heavily favored Viola Davis (her "The Help" co-star Octavia Spencer received Supporting Actress) in a near upset. And 82-year-old Christopher Plummer is the oldest acting winner ever thanks to his Supporting Actor prize for "Beginners." Other big winners include "An Adaptation" (Foreign Language Film, Iran's first), "Rango" (Animated Feature), and "Undefeated" (Documentary Feature).

After an eight-year hiatus, Billy Crystal out-Ricky Gervais Ricky Gervais (or make that, out-James Franco and Anne Hathaway James Franco and Anne Hathaway from last year) in his ninth go-around as emcee kept things breezing along throughout the evening, even with an abbreviated version of his opening medley to incorporate the nine Best Picture nominees.

An hour or so prior to all that, the stars went around the red carpet, where white was the order of the day for Milla Jovovich (Marchesa), Gwyneth Paltrow (Tom Ford), and Rooney Mara (Givenchy). Of course there were others, like Michelle Williams in Louis Vuitton and Jessica Chastain in Alexander McQueen among others, but the big talk was saved for Angelina Jolie showing leg in Atleier Versace (it even got its own Twitter), and Jennifer Lopez appearing to be showing a little extra alongside Cameron Diaz on stage. By the way, an injury forced Halle Berry to watch the awards at home, as she was going to be one of the presenters.

So, who was the showstopper? To coin that term from one former WWE alum to another, has to be Stacy Keibler looking like a golden goddess in her Marchesa. Even though her guy graciously lost, she was a true winner in our book; for Stacy, being at the Oscars was indeed a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Who knew that the woman who came into our lives as Miss Hancock in WCW and would carry her sexiness over to WWE, "Dancing With The Stars", and beyond would wind up being front and center in front of an even larger television audience than Wrestlemania on the original Grandest Stage of Them All?? She'll remember this night for as long as she lives, trust me.

Oh, and after looking like a princess last year, Natalie Portman this year? She looked more like a paupette in her vintage 1954 Christian Dior.

With 17 nominations and her two previous wins, she was Susan Lucci done right. And now with her third trophy, Meryl Streep is back in the spotlight thanks to her role as Margaret Thatcher. Five years ago at this time, Helen Mirren's Queen Elizabeth won her the gold, proving that female British icons can nab you the richest American-made prize in entertainment.

But after all the hardware was passed out, one film proved that at the 84th Annual Academy Awards, silence was indeed golden.

Now...one of the people featured in the In Memoriam montage was Whitney Houston, and there's already fallout from last weekend's star-studded funeral. Why?

The cover of the latest "National Enquirer" had a photo of Whitney in an open casket, allegedly taken before the service. Tons of media outlets threw huge fits about it, calling that move "morbid" and "shameful."

From an editorial perspective...what's the big deal? Martin Luther King, Jr's funeral was open casket and televised to the world; so was James Brown's, but why Whitney? It was the "Enquirer" that also ran a photo of Elvis Presley in his open casket after he died in 1977, while the "New York Post" did the same thing with John Lennon three years later. I think it's both good and bad on both fronts: good for business, bad because they want to capitalize on Houston's death even further. But I can give you this: It was our final ever glimpse of a music icon who was troubled to the end. So long and stay strong.

Hello everybody, as we're about to head into the weekend of weekends, especialy on Sunday where DVR drives are expected to crash everywhere.

We begin with one of the Super Bowls of auto racing, the Daytona 500 and Danica Patrick's NASCAR debut (I'm more into the Indianapolis 500). That'll be followed by the Super Bowl of basketball, the NBA All-Star Game in Orlando; unfortunately, that phenom known as Jeremy Lin won't take part.

And then of course, we have the Super Bowl of entertainment: The 84th Annual Academy Awards! A number of pre-Oscar parties have already begun and will last well into Saturday night, but let's begin with the stories prior the big show:

A few months ago, Eddie Murphy was tapped to host with Brett Ratner joining alongside Don Mischer as producer; but after Ratner's inflammatory remarks about gays, the two bolted out and Brian Grazer was in...so was Billy Crystal after an eight-year hiatus. And earlier this week, Kodak's bankruptcy led to a name change to the namesake venue; it's now the Hollywood & Highland Center and after ten years, it could be the last Oscars there. 

For some time now, the Academy has been eyeing the Nokia Theatre in Downtown Los Angeles as their new home; it has twice the space (and seating capacity) than the Kodak Theatre and is already host to the "American Idol" finale, ESPY Awards (both used to be at the Kodak), Primetime Emmys, American Music Awards, and MTV Video Music Awards. With those events, it's already been called the Radio City Music Hall of the West. 

If the Oscars join them next year, it's proof that you really don't have to base the awards in Hollywood. Until 2002, they've had them at either the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion (now part of the Walt Disney Concert Hall, also downtown) or Shrine Auditorium though during much of the '60s, Santa Monica's Civic Auditorium played host.

Now, to this year's soiree: "Hugo" may be coming in with 11 nominations, but the forecast may call for "The Artist" taking some of the top honors after a few other awards including the BAFTAs. The other seven films up for Best Picture (The Descendants, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, The Help, Midnight in Paris, Moneyball, The Tree of Life, and War Horse)? Well, they'll just have the distinct honor of being nominated.

All four of last year's acting winners will be back to pass the torch; also on the presenters' list: Tina Fey, Emma Stone, Tom Cruise, Will Ferrell, Ben Stiller, Milla Jovovich, Bradley Cooper, former host Chris Rock, past winners Michael Douglas, Halle Berry, Angelina Jolie, Tom Hanks, and Penelope Cruz, and...Kermit the Frog and Miss Piggy!

The Best Actor/Actress races are at its tightest ever. George Clooney may have the advantage following the Golden Globes, but Jean Dujardin is hoping for an upset. And it's no longer a battle between Meryl Streep and Michelle Williams, because Viola Davis may add a little color to the mix. 

But the one question we'll be asking as far as fashions are concerned is...What will Stacy Keibler wear? She has always put on a show over the years from WWE to "Dancing With The Stars", and now she'll be part of the biggest show of them all. It sure is a far cry from Wrestlemania and the one time Jeff Hardy copped more than a feel!

The other question is of course: Who will have the ultimate conversation starter first thing Monday morning? Last year, I was right on only Christian Bale, Colin Firth, and Natalie Portman; here are my picks this year. But since Christopher Plummer and Octavia Spencer are guaranteed Supporting Actor/Actress, let's jump right to the categories that really matter:

Best Actor: It is a tight contest, but since he's already tipped as the favorite and that he also has worldwide recognition compared to the lesser-known Dujardin, I'll probably say George Clooney has this lock, stock, and barrel.
Best Actress: We thought it was going to be a showdown between Streep and Williams with the 17-time nominated Meryl as the early favorite, but...it's been ten years now since Halle Berry's win. So in honor of that...Viola Davis.

Best Director: Five years will have passed since Martin Scorsese finally copped his first prize, but even though he claimed a Golden Globe for Hugo, my gut tells me it will go to Michel Hazanavicius for "The Artist".

Best Picture: It's been the odds-on favorite coming in to the awards having claimed Golden Globe and BAFTA honors, so..."The Artist" for the win!

We'll see what happens Sunday night on ABC when Hollywood's biggest prize will be handed out under the watchful eye of Billy Crystal; on Monday, I'll recap them all from top to bottom. So long and stay strong.

Hello, everybody. It was a mix of joy and sorrow at Sunday's 54th Annual Grammy Awards, but let's begin with the joys:

With a return performance since vocal cord surgery that brought down the house, Adele literally swept the board earning all six of the Grammys she was up for including Pop Vocal Album and Album of the Year for "21" and Song of the Year and Record of the Year for "Rolling in the Deep"; she has tied new mom Beyonce for the most haul by a female in one night. Other winners include the Foo Fighters (Rock Song, "Walk"; Rock Album, "Wasting Light"), last year's dominators Lady Antebellum (Country Album, "Own the Night"), Taylor Swift (Country Song, "Mean"), Bon Iver (New Artist), Louis C.K. (Comedy Album), and even Betty White (Spoken Word Album).

And then, there were the sorrows: In the wake of Whitney Houston's death (which I'll get to in a bit), producers scrambled at the eleventh hour to pay tribute to the six-time winner; first with host LL Cool J beginning the show with a prayer for Houston, and Jennifer Hudson's stirring performance of "I Will Always Love You" which was planned on the fly.

The fashions? Taking a cue from Lady Gaga last year, Nicki Minaj went Little Red Riding Hood on us in Atelier Versace, being accompanied by someone as the Pope, while suddenly single Katy Perry left us blue in Elie Saab. But my best-dressed was Rihanna in backless back, while Fergie? I'm sorry, but we can see your humps alright in that orange Jean Paul Gaultier...albeit a little too much.

Now like I said, this year's Grammys came 24 hours after the sudden passing of Whitney Houston at 48. Throughout her career, she racked up over 400 awards including six Grammys, two Emmys, 30 Billboard Music Awards, and 22 American Music Awards, earning a place in the Guinness Book of World Records as the most-honored female act of all time. Speaking of Billboard, she was the only artist to have had seven consecutive #1's in the Hot 100, a feat that has yet to be equaled.

But let's not get ahead of myself. Whitney Elizabeth Houston's journey began on August 9, 1963 in Newark, New Jersey, born to parents Cissy and John Houston. At age 11, she began singing in the junior gospel choir at a local church and during the 1970's, she would perform alongside her mother in nightclubs throughout New York City.

In the early '80s, Houston worked as a fashion model on the wide, appearing in Seventeen, Cosmopolitan, and Glamour. Then in 1983, Arista Records head Clive Davis caught wind of Whitney and after signing with his label, she made her worldwide television debut on The Merv Griffin Show.

Two years later, her self-titled debut album dropped to critical and public acclaim and by 1986, the honors started pouring in. That success would carry over to her sophomoric project, "Whitney", in 1987 with four singles from that album peaking at #1 on the charts, followed by her first world tour. Houston also penned "One Moment in Time", the theme song for the 1988 Summer Olympics.

When the '90s arrived, so did album #3, "I'm Your Baby Tonight"; the reviews were mixed, but the first two singles did garner #1 slots on the Billboard Hot 100. And then came what would be her first career highlight: With the Gulf War beginning to escalate, Whitney performed a very memorable rendition of the Star-Spangled Banner at Super Bowl XXV in 1991. Later that year came a televised "Welcome Home Heroes" concert special for HBO and then another world tour. 

But Houston thought to herself that singing was not enough, so in 1992, she added acting to her resume with "The Bodyguard" alongside Kevin Costner. Despite earning an unfortunate Razzie nomination for Worst Actress, the film turned up a massive profit: $400 million worldwide. 

The soundtrack was a completely different animal, with her version of Dolly Parton's "I Will Always Love You" hitting #1 on both the Hot 100 and R&B charts and staying there for weeks. And then came these all during 1994: Eight American Music Awards including the Award of Merit, 11 Billboard Music Awards, five World Music Awards, and three Grammys including Record of the Year and Album of the Year.

During the mid-'90s, she shifted her attention to films with "Waiting to Exhale" (with Angela Bassett), "The Preacher's Wife" (with Denzel Washington), and the TV movie musical "Cinderella" (with Brandy and Whoopi Goldberg). Then in 1998, she was back in the recording studio working on "My Love is Your Love", which had a funkier difference than her last three albums but managed to churn out stronger reviews.

At the turn of the century, that's when everything changed. Whitney performed at Michael Jackson's 30th anniversary concert in 2001 looking extremely thin; the reasons according to her publicist? Houston was "under stress due to family matters, and when she is under stress she doesn't eat." "Just Whitney" came out in 2002, then in 2004, Whitney toured again, this time overseas. 

Her last album, "I Look To You" was released in 2009, and she performed her single "Million Dollar Bill" on UK and Italian versions of "The X Factor" to Richter scale reviews. Despite that, the album went platinum. A new world tour would later follow in the hopes she would make a "triumphant comeback", but poor reviews, rescheduled shows, and cancellation of some due to illness had many fans saving their money. And last September, Whitney was supposed to be executive producing and star in a remake of the movie "Sparkle" with Jordin Sparks. 

In addition to all those achievements and then some, Whitney was also a humanitarian, being involved in the Freedomfest concert in 1988 for then-imprisoned Nelson Mandela, the Special Olympics, United Negro College Fund, and the Whitney Houston Foundation for Children, which she formed in 1989. 

Professionally, Whitney was on top of the world, but personally? Until the end, not so much. Her problems began when she met and later married Bobby Brown in 1992; the following year, the couple gave birth to their only child, daughter Bobbi Kristina. I could go on and on about the rest including their divorce in 2006, but let's get to the real highlights: Her infamous "Crack is whack" interview with ABC's Diane Sawyer in 2002, and then the "KISS MY ASS!" remark to her husband on "Being Bobby Brown."

There have been some developments since Saturday night involving Whitney's death. Two days prior came what would be her last public appearance and performance, singing "Yes, Jesus Loves Me" with Kelly Price during rehearsals for Clive Davis' pre-Grammy party at the Beverly Hilton. It was there where Houston would be found dead in a fourth-floor suite, her head submegred in the bathtub. Paramedics arrived on the scene in their attempts to resuscitate her, but they gave up hope and Whitney was pronounced dead at 3:00 pm Alaska Time. An autopsy was later conducted, but as of right now, they're withholding the results and her body was flown to New Jersey Monday where a funeral is expected to take place later this week. And believe me, folks: just like the Grammys or Michael Jackson's memorial, it will definitely be star-studded.

News and reaction of her death immediately spread like wildfire, especially on Twitter from Mariah Carey, Toni Braxton, Christina Aguilera, Rihanna, Justin Bieber, and many others. Even her ex-husband Bobby Brown was said to be a little distraught over the news, but during a concert in Mississippi, he blew kisses skyward saying "I love you, Whitney".

To put it in perspective...this came just a week or so after we lost "Soul Train" visionary Don Cornelius, and right now the two have reunited in heaven. But throughout her illustrious career, in good times and in bad, Whitney Houston's music was, as one of her songs put it, the greatest love of all which we cherished. Sure, we may have a show here called "The Voice", but there's no absolute debating that Whitney Houston was the voice. It may be permanently silenced, but it will continue to linger for years to come. And even in death, we will always love her. So long and stay strong.

Another Giant leap for Super Bowl-kind!

Hello, everybody. In a rematch of four years ago, the defensive New York Giants once again had the advantage over the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLVI Sunday night as they clinched their fourth Vince Lombardi Trophy 21-17 with Eli Manning as MVP...in the home turf of brother Peyton's Indianapolis Colts (Lucas Oil Stadium) nonetheless.

The Patriots' last chance to reclaim the lead with Tom Brady attempting a Hail Mary pass to Rob Gronkowski turned out to be an epic fail, as were three fumbles. And Brady wasn't the only one suffering the agony of defeat; team owner Robert Kraft's heart was also heavy, as he was hoping that last-minute win would lift his spirits after the loss of his wife Myra (which explains the "MHK" emblazoned on their jerseys).

But before the kickoff, Blake Shelton and Miranda Lambert kicked off the festivities with "America The Beautiful", followed by Kelly Clarkson's flawless rendition of the "The Star-Spangled Banner" (yes, I said "flawless", as opposed to Christina Aguilera's last year). And Madonna at 53 may have taken the stage at halftime earning some mixed reviews, but she would be upstaged by one other singer's illegal use of fingers.

During a performance of Madonna's new song "Give Me All Your Luvin'", British rapper M.I.A. appeared to sing "I don't give a s---", which was followed by raising her middle finger to a record 111.3 million viewers (making the Super Bowl, for three years now, the most-watched television broadcast of all-time). The blink-and-miss moment was seen briefly and then a screen blur afterwards, but it was a bit too late. On Monday, NBC and the NFL issued apologies for the unfortunate incident.

Now what has been called "Finger-gate" harkens us back to "Nipple-gate" from Super Bowl XXXVIII and Janet Jackson's infamous "wardrobe malfunction" that led to the FCC cracking down on indecency. Next week is the Grammy Awards; could we expect a public apology from M.I.A. just like Justin Timberlake's? And what about next year's halftime act? Since the Super Bowl will return to New Orleans next year and the Mercedes-Benz Superdome...hometown girl Britney Spears, perhaps??? In light of M.I.A....maybe not.


Of course in between all that were the other bits of Super Bowl entertainment brought to us by Madison Avenue. What were the best parts? We find out as I count down...

My Top Ten favorite commercials from 

Super Bowl XLVI

10. Go Daddy's "Body Paint" and "The Cloud" (could be the last ones from Danica Patrick now that she's about to heat up NASCAR)

9. Adriana Lima for Teleflora (not that arousing as opposed to...we'll see how the Kia Optima ad also featuring her ranked later)

8. Dannon Oikos Greek Yogurt with John Stamos (would've been better if they included Maria Menounos...who had to live up to her Super Bowl bet by doing "Extra" in a Giants bikini Monday in Times Square)

7. Fiat 500 Abarath (Just so you know, the seductress is Romanian actress Catrinel Menghia. Wish it was Jennifer Lopez)

6. Audi's "Vampire Party" (please don't give the producers of "True Blood", "The Vampire Diaries", and the "Twilight" movies any more ideas)

5. Adriana Lima (again) in Kia Optima's "A Dream Car. For Real Life." (Best. Checkered. Flag. Waver. EVER!!!)

4. Skechers: Go Run (Mr. Quiggly ain't no Kim Kardashian, but that pug can outrun anyone in the Kentucky Derby...or Usain Bolt)

3. Bud Light's "Here Weego" (can't wait for the feline version with "Here, Kit Kat!")

2. Volkswagen's "The Dog Strikes Back" (Already a hit a week before the big game with six million views and counting. Now if there's a "The Biggest Loser: Dogs Edition"...)

Doritos' "Sling Baby" is currently tops in USA Today's annual Ad Meter, but it's nothing compared to my #1 favorite commercial from Super Bowl XLVI once again brought to us by Chrysler:

1. Chrysler's "It's Halftime in America"

(Clint Eastwood's appearance and narration makes it more majestic than ever, which is what their ads compared to the other car companies' are all about)

Though they never cracked the top ten, I also enjoyed Budweiser's "Return of the King" as well as another ad from them ("Flash Fans") which was aired only during the Canadian Super Bowl broadcast but was a hit here in the States. There was also the Chevrolet Sonic's "Stunt Anthem" (I tweeted that we have a hot new star for "Jackass 4"), Pepsi Max's "Check-Out" (with a brief cameo by Regis Philbin!), MetLife's "Everyone" featuring our favorite cartoon characters (Note: Waldo is located near the end in between Jabberjaw and one of the cars from "Wacky Races") and the Toyota Camry's "It's Reinvented" (mmmm...pizza blanket). And the ones that didn't sit out for me? Chevy Silverado's depiction of "2012" (thought it was a bit too realistic for a truck commercial) and CareerBuilder.com's "Business Trip" (more like "Monkey Business Trip")

And last but not least...the Budweiser "Flash Fans" commercial was surprisingly planned, but also over the weekend, there was a flash mob in Times Square paying tribute to Don Cornelius, the mastermind behind "Soul Train" who committed suicide early last Wednesday morning at 75.

Regarded as our people's "American Bandstand", "Soul Train" brought African-American pop culture to our homes years before MTV and BET, with Cornelius as its conductor for 22 of its 35 years on the air from 1971 to 2006 (though it actually began as a local show in Chicago a year earlier). What made the show hot besides icons like Aretha Franklin, Barry White, Queen Latifah, Marvin Gaye, James Brown, Michael Jackson (when he was just that), Al Green, and hundreds others who jumped on board the train? The Scramble Board and the famous "Soul Train Line" segment, which Don even went down at one point with Mary Wilson!

"Soul Train" also used to be the only outlet on television to air commercials for black hair care products like Afro Sheen (which thank God they don't make anymore), Ultra Sheen (which is still around), Sulfur-8 (also still around but smells like rancid donkey urine), and styling kits such as Dark & Lovely and Gentle Treatment for women and S-Curl for men. And looking back at those, we hated them one bit because of the residue left over on our pillows when we go to bed!

But in the last few years after selling his creation to another company, Cornelius would lose his own soul in more ways than one; first with being arrested for spousal abuse before filing for divorce from Russian model Viktoria Chapman, and then being riddled with health problems from dementia to even Alzheimer's disease though he underwent brain surgery in the early '80s. Those right there led to his untimely suicide.

In spite of that, Don Cornelius has left behind a legacy that would later be equated. May he rest in peace, love, and SOOOOOOOUUUUUULLLLLL!!!! So long and stay strong.

Hello, everybody. In what could be his last State of the Union address of either his first term or as President, Barack Obama on Tuesday night made jobs the center of attention as his re-election campaign is already underway. In the 1 hour and 10 minute speech before Congress (including retiring Rep. Gabrielle Giffords of Arizona) and a worldwide television audience, Obama said that America's economy is gradually recovering from a near-fatal recession and that he's vowing to shrink the gap between the rich and poor though he also stated that a million jobs were created in the last 22 months.

Intoning that "we can either settle for a country where a shrinking number of people do really well, while a growing number of Americans barely get by; or we can restore an economy where everyone gets a fair shot, everyone does their fair share, and everyone plays by the same set of rules", Obama laid out plans including steps to help students afford college, troubled homeowners to refinance their homes, and tax cuts for manufacturers. Another proposal is for a crackdown on financial and mortgage fraud, with the establishment of a Financial Crimes Unit as one of the goals.

In terms of national defense, he started the speech with Osama bin Laden no longer threatening America with thunderous roars. And with Iraq out of the picture for good with Afghanistan to later follow, he turned the attention to Iran and preventing them from acquiring nuclear weapons, hoping for a "peaceful resolution" in lieu of military action. 

Obama will follow all this up by hitting the road later this week; first on Wednesday to Iowa and Arizona to tour manufacturing, then Nevada and Colorado on Thursday with energy as the theme, and finally talking about college, education, and training in Michigan on Friday.

But we started this busy day with the release of Republican Presidential nominee Mitt Romney releasing his tax records...as were the nominations for the 84th Annual Academy Awards both at the same time! "Hugo" leads the way with 11 including Director (Martin Scorsese) and Best Picture of 2011; the other eight for that "The Artist" (not far behind with 10), "The Descendants", "Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close", "The Help", "Midnight in Paris", "Moneyball", "The Tree of Life", and "War Horse."

It'll be a battle of the hunks between George Clooney and Brad Pitt for Best Actor (along with Demian Bichir, Jean Dujardin, and Gary Oldman), while in Best Actress, it's all about Meryl Streep (in her 17th nomination!) vs. Michelle Williams with fellow veterans Glenn Close and Viola Davis and newcomer Rooney Mara. On the Supporting Acting spectrum, we have Jonah Hill and Melissa McCarthy, who wants to be the second actress after Helen Hunt to add an Oscar to go along with the Emmy she already got a few months ago.

As for Shailene Woodley, Michael Fassbender, Albert Brooks, and Madonna...their Oscar race is over.

Billy Crystal returns after a few years' hiatus to preside over the festivities as the 84th Academy Awards will be given out February 26 on ABC. And considering that there are nine Best Picture nominees instead of the usual five, be prepared for what could be the longest "It's a wonderful night for Oscar..." medley ever! So long and stay strong.

Hello everybody, and welcome to my first blog of 2012.

The big question asked throughout the 69th Annual Golden Globe Awards on Sunday was: Was Ricky Gervais on his best behavior the third time around? I'll have that later, but first:

"The Artist" and "The Descendants" were the top winners, claiming Musical-Comedy and Drama Best Picture respectively, with George Clooney earning Best Actor-Drama for the latter. Meryl Streep got Best Actress-Drama for "The Iron Lady", while Michelle Williams picked up the musical or comedy prize for her portrayal of Marilyn Monroe in "My Week With Marilyn." Coincidentally, Monroe herself was awarded that same honor for "Some Like It Hot" at the 1960 Golden Globes (back when the awards were not that big of an event as it is today). The supporting acting honors went to Christopher Plummer ("Beginners") and Octavia Spencer ("The Help"), while Martin Scorsese received his third directing Globe for "Hugo."

On the television side, "Modern Family" (Best Comedy-Musical) and Kate Winslet (Best Actress-Miniseries/Movie, "Mildred Pierce") added some Globes to go along with their Emmy wins from last September, while there were some familiar names taking the stage to collect theirs: Kelsey Grammer (Best Actor-Drama, "Boss"), Claire Danes (Best Actress-Drama, "Homeland"), Matt LeBlanc (Best Actor-Comedy, "Episodes"), Jessica Lange (Supporting Actress, "American Horror Story"), and Laura Dern (Best Actress-Comedy, "Enlightened"). Other winners include "Downton Abbey" (Miniseries or Movie), Idris Elba (Best Actor-Miniseries or Movie), and Peter Dinklage (Supporting Actor, "Game Of Thrones").

Now while we've been freezing our asses off here in Fairbanks in 35 below zero temperatures, Ricky Gervais in his third stint as host sure warmed us up in his usual, tarty fashion. Opening the show about "the world's second-biggest awards show being on America's third biggest network" like NBC (followed by an immediate correction that it's the fourth biggest network), he unexpectedly blurted out the "f"-word while introducing Salma Hayek and Antonio Banderas. But one person who wasn't amused was Madonna, who after Gervais said she's "just like a virgin", retaliated with "If I'm still just like a virgin, Ricky, then why don't you come over here and do something about it?" She then went on to say that she hasn't kissed a girl in years...on television.

Another thing that turned up the heat while it was drizzling wet in Beverly Hills? The red carpet, which was rolled out for Angelina Jolie (Versace) and Brad Pitt (Salvatore Ferragamo), George Clooney and Stacy Keibler (designer info for Keibler unavailable), Lea Michele (in a daring Marchesa), Sofia Vergara (Vera Wang), Mila Kunis (Dior), and Heidi Klum (Calvin Klein) among others.

Who was the best of the best? Charlize Theron showing off some leg in Christian Dior Couture followed by Michele. And even though she shares the Sexiest Woman of 2011 title with Hilary Duff, it's her daughter Charlotte to blame for dressing Sarah Michelle Gellar in unsexy Monique Lhuillier. We love you Sarah, but this is the Golden Globes, not an art gallery!

Immediately after the New Hampshire primaries in which Mitt Romney won again, the attention would shift to Cordova, as it has been deep in snow for weeks. The National Guard was deployed to the Alaskan town with one mission in mind: Unhoard the snow and get things back to normal.

This will be my 20-year anniversary since returning home to Alaska in summer 1992, and all that snow burying poor old Cordova is ridiculous! Sure, I've went through hellish colds like the latest one we're enduring now, but from what we've seen...this is turning out to be the best episode of "Hoarders" ever! So long and stay strong.

It's a tell-tale sign we're getting closer to the end of the year, so without further ado and for the 22nd time...

The Top 20 Things That Were Trending in 2011

20. The HP TouchPad becoming a colossal flop (still usable as a paperweight or a small serving tray)

19. Chris Paul joining the Los Angeles Clippers (yeah, like if they would have a chance!)

18. Weinergate (imagine if Andrew Weiner sent that out to Sarah Palin instead

17. Conrad Murray found guilty of dosing Michael Jackson to death (to paraphrase Nancy Grace, the King of Pop was dancing in heaven that night)

16. The Vancouver Riot kissing couple (a.k.a "From Here To Eternity 2")

15. Christina Aguilera fumbling the national anthem at Super Bowl XLV (the ghost of Leslie Nielsen lives!)

14. TIE:Maria Menounos' lower body wardrobe malfunction in Miami/Leaked cell phone nudes of Blake Lively and Scarlett Johansson (suddenly, sales of hand lotion and Kleenex began to skyrocket)

13.   Michele Bachmann (she's Sarah Palin without the glasses but with the wonky eyes of Nancy Pelosi)

12, in her 13th consecutive appearance on this list. Britney Spears (still continues to push the envelope...and in a good way)

11. The paternity suit against Justin Bieber (if that lady went ahead with it, this would've been the greatest episode of "Maury" ever!)

10. TIE: Tim Tebow (him bowing down at every game reeks "The Thinker", except that he has extra protection)/Ted Williams (it's amazing what a homeless guy with a golden voice can do)

9. TIE: Netflix (pissing off customers by boosting their fees since 2001)/George Clooney and Stacy Keibler (he has the looks of a casanova that could rival Brad Pitt; she has the fappable legs of a goddess that could rival Angelina Jolie

8. The downgrade of our credit rating from AAA to AA+ (guess the people at Standard and Poor's have went to one too many AA meetings)

7. Emma Stone (with "The Help" and next year "The Amazing Spider-Man", she's enjoying the career Lindsay Lohan once had but pissed away)

6. TIE: Charlie Sheen's and Ellen Barkin's erratic Twitter behaviors (give them some tiger blood 'cause they're winning, muthaf***ers!)/The X Factor (the anti-American Idol, now that Simon and Paula are together again)

5. Oprah Winfrey's and Regis Philbin's goodbyes (one of them had fans bawling uncontrollably...just like all of North Korea over Kim Jong Il's death)

4. Marc Anthony and Kris Humphries divorcing Jennifer Lopez and Kim Kardashian respectively (apparently, both of them had enough of their asses)

3. Prince William and Kate Middleton (a marriage made in heaven...unlike the one that was made in hell (see Kim Kardashian and Kris Humphries))

2. The Kardashians (America's favorite family...to paraphrase Triumph the Insult Comic Dog, for us to puke on!)

And the #1 thing that was trending in 2011 which will continue to be in 2012 come election time:

1. The Occupy (insert city) protests (who will be the 99 percent deciding whether or not the 1 percent President Obama deserves an additional four years in the White House. But you may never know)

 And that's it: The Allen Blog's 2011 Year in Review. From me to you, so long, stay strong, and HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!

Part 2: Pop Culture and Technology

Let's all raise our glasses for a great 2011 in the world of pop culture: Couples of British royalty and teen royalty becoming the center of attention, a song about the joys of the last day of the work week becoming the latest YouTube sensation, erratic behavior from someone who thinks he's "winning" while dousing on some tiger blood, the end of one box office saga while another is still clawing along, a new wave of tablet computers trying to out iPad the iPad with Steve Jobs gone, one family giving new meaning to the term "family values", and sexting scandals that would stump Siri to a tee.

"The King's Speech", which was the verbal answer to "Rain Man" dominated the 83rd Annual Academy Awards with four including Best Actor (Colin Firth) and Best Picture, while an expectant Natalie Portman claimed Best Actress ("Black Swan") and a few months later, a baby boy. The ratings with hosts James Franco and Anne Hathaway (who would be the only one busy as a bee this year filling out the Catwoman suit for next year's "The Dark Knight Rises") weren't something worth talking about: A 10 percent drop from last year. Eddie Murphy was slated to front next year's show with Brett Ratner as producer, but Ratner's unflattering remarks would lead to them bolting; Brian Grazer would step in, followed by getting Billy Crystal on speed dial.

At the 53rd Primetime Emmy Awards, "Mad Men", "Modern Family", and "The Daily Show With Jon Stewart" continued their streak, while "The Amazing Race" reclaimed their prize after loaning it to "Top Chef" last year. Melissa McCarthy beat out the likes of Tina Fey and Amy Poehler for Best Actress-Comedy honor, and with "Bridesmaids" to go along with "Mike & Molly", she was one of this year's breakout stars.

Oprah Winfrey, Mary Hart (after 29 years at "Entertainment Tonight), Canadian news anchor Lloyd Robertson, and Regis Philbin all bid a fond farewell this year, though we'll be seeing them again in the forseeable future. "American Idol" with Scotty McCreery as this season's winner remained the top television show for the seventh year in a row thanks to some infusion from Jennifer Lopez and Steven Tyler, but they're going to face an epic ratings battle next year with "The X Factor" (the inaugural U.S. season just won by Melanie Amaro), and why? Former judges Simon Cowell and Paula Abdul, the latter who briefly returned to TV earlier this year with "Live To Dance."

We also saw Pittsburgh Steeler Hines Ward and war veteran turned soap opera actor J.R. Martinez tango their way to the "Dancing With The Stars" mirror ball trophies, the end of both "All My Children" and Susan Lucci as Erica Kane, Christina Aguilera rebounding from her Star-Spangled screwup with a stint on "The Voice"; "Once Upon A Time", "Revenge", and "New Girl" among the new shows filling up our DVR drives; and the small screen returns of Claire Danes, Sarah Michelle Gellar and Rachel Bilson with "Homeland", "Ringer", and "Hart Of Dixie" respectively. Oh, and viewers didn't care about "The Playboy Club" (even if you live in a certain part of the country where you were not allowed to see it) or the new "Charlie's Angels."

But the big television story of 2011 was Charlie Sheen and the future of "Two And a Half Men." Apparently, his ego went straight to his brain as he bickered with the show's creator/producer Chuck Lorre, demanding a pay increase. From there, he verbally went psycho calling Chuck names, which didn't sit well with him. Sheen got the pink slip, while Charlie's next move? Twitter, where he reached 1 million followers on the first day. That would be followed by his "Torpedo of Truth" tour criss-crossing the country which got mixed reviews...except for the first night in Detroit, where most fans walked out on the show in utter disappointment and wanting a refund.

While all that was going on, producers scrambled to fill Charlie's shoes; I on this blog even suggested the unlikely name of former NBA player turned actor Rick Fox, given his history of ladies from Vanessa Williams to now Eliza Dushku. Well, they didn't listen to me, and the cattle call would end with Ashton Kutcher signing on the dotted line. When the new season hit, the new "Two And a Half Men" continued its dominance as TV's #1 comedy; but behind the scenes, Ashton's marriage to Demi Moore was about to falter. More on that (and other celebrity couples) later.

In the world of technology this year, new legions of tablet computers were in a bid to outdo the almighty iPad 2, which came out in the spring. One of them, HP's TouchPad, had potential as a serious competitor; but star power like Lea Michele, Russell Brand, and boxer Manny Pacquiao didn't convince us to buy one. After only two months of poor sales, the TouchPad would go in the way of the Edsel, New Coke, McDonald's Arch Deluxe, and the XFL. Other tablets by Blackberry, Motorola, Samsung, and Acer would use the same Android OS for smartphones and they are doing modestly well. And in November, just in time for the holidays, Amazon debuted the Kindle Fire, which costs half the price of the iPad except that it doesn't shoot video or take pictures like the iPad.

Speaking of smartphones...the Apple iPhone 4S, a slightly updated version of the world's #1 smartphone, would be introduced just a day before Steve Jobs' passing. The biggest new feature: Siri, which acts as a personal assistant. I know many of you had fun playing with that.

Despite "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2" ending the franchise with a new opening weekend record while "Twilight: Breaking Dawn" proved that franchise still has bite, the box office this year was anything but fun. The only other films that garnered a lot of buzz was "The Help" and George Clooney's double whammy of "The Ides Of March" and "The Descendants", but "Your Highness", "Don't Be Afraid of the Dark", and "Mars Needs Moms"? They did garner some buzz as well...on Netflix queues everywhere! Even Netflix themselves had a rocky year as they upped the monthly fees, which led to unsatisfied customers bolting to Redbox, their local libraries, and a resurging Blockbuster. An attempt to rename their mail DVD rental service as Qwikster crashed and burned.

Music's biggest chart-toppers this year were by Pink with "Raise Your Glass" (which also got the "Glee" treatment), Nicki Minaj who at one point gave a very eye-opening performance on "Good Morning America", Britney Spears becoming a "Femme Fatale" with her latest offering (and capping it all off with her engagement to Jason Trawick), Adele hitting blackjack with "21", Lady Gaga continuing to push the envelope even further, and new tunes from Katy Perry, Taylor Swift, and Rihanna as they've played the globe. We also saw Beyonce showing her baby bump to the world at the MTV Video Music Awards, pulling in both ratings and Twitter records...not to mention some unknown teenager named Rebecca Black paying homage to the end of the work/school week with "Friday."

No year would be complete without a bountiful of scandals. Among them: Leaked cell phone pictures of Scarlett Johansson and Blake Lively having us reaching for the hand lotion and Kleenex, congressman Anthony Weiner showing his...well, you know; the acquittal of Casey Anthony while Amanda Knox experienced freedom once again after years of standing trial in Italy, a phone hacking scandal with Piers Morgan and Hugh Grant among the targets costing Rupert Murdoch the "News Of The World" paper, the iPhone/tablet game Words With Friends getting some unexpected publicity thanks to Alec Baldwin's refusal to pause the game while on an American Airlines flight (and thus being booted off), Conrad Murray guilty of ending Michael Jackson's life, Hank Williams Jr.'s comments about President Obama, House Speaker John Boehner, Hitler, and the Israeli Prime Minister in the same sentence costing him his "Monday Night Football" gig; and of course, Lindsay Lohan from another brief time in jail to her community service job at a morgue to her much ballyhooed "Playboy" spread just recently.

The other most-talked celebrity couple of 2011 besides Justin Bieber and Selena Gomez? George Clooney and former WWE sexpot Stacy Keibler, as thanks to the praise he's been getting with the two films I already brought up, we could be seeing the two together (especially Stacy) next year at the Golden Globes and maybe...the Oscars!

And Kate and William wasn't the only big "I do" of the year, as Nick Lachey and Vanessa Minnillo, Blake Shelton and Miranda Lambert, Reese Witherspoon and Jim Toth, Paul McCartney (in his third marriage) and Nancy Shevell, Brooke Burke and David Charvet, Prince Albert II and Charlene Wittstock, and LeAnn Rimes and Eddie Cibrian were among those tying the knot along with them. And among those headed to divorce court: Ashton Kutcher/Demi Moore, Jennifer Lopez/Marc Anthony, Arnold Schwarzenegger/Maria Shriver, Elizabeth Hurley/Arun Nayar (Liz would be engaged to Shane Warne), Olivia Wilde/Tao Ruspoli, and Olympic skier Lindsey Vonn. Meanwhile, Hilary Duff and Mike Comrie celebrated their one-year anniversary saying that baby will make three, and Jessica Simpson's will be popping out next year as well after Eric Johnson popped the question to her. (UPDATE (12/30): After only one year, Russell Brand and Katy Perry are no more as Russell has filed for divorce)

So...who's my pick for Entertainer of the Year? How about Entertainers of the Year: The Kardashians!

Let's face the facts, folks: They were infectious all throughout 2011, keeping the tabloid publishers and gossip sites happy week after week. We had Rob on the aforementioned "Dancing With The Stars" as perhaps the good Kardashian, but Kim had such a year that was both memorable and forgettable: Memorable because she starred in what I called the sexiest Super Bowl commercial ever for Skechers, and forgettable because her marriage to NBA star Kris Humphries lasted longer than...well, the HP TouchPad! (UPDATE: As of publish time, we've just learned that Sinead O'Connor's marriage to Barry Herridge is over after only eighteen days)

What will the forecast be for 2012? With Billy Crystal back in the saddle as Oscars host, could George Clooney take the stage yet again? Madonna will be headlining the Super Bowl XLVI halftime show; will she also be wardrobe malfunction-proof like Fergie this year? And how will "Hunger Games" and "The Dark Knight Rises" fare, as they are two of the year's most-anticipated films? We'll answer these questions and so much more in the year ahead.

Next time...we wrap up the Year in Review with the Top 20 Things That Were Trending in 2011!

It was the year when scores of people worldwide were, as the Doobie Brothers song went, taking it to the streets.

The year when a devastating earthquake and tsunami nearly had the land of the Rising Sun into a meltdown.

The year when we had to look to more than just FreeCreditScore.com for our credit rating.

The year when moviegoers liked the last "Harry Potter" film, while those who saw "Mars Needs Moms" or "Cowboys & Aliens" were unfriended.

The year when the whole world raised their glasses to a royal couple who were wed on a day of the week which was musically immortalized by some unknown 16-year-old.  

The year when we said goodbye to a multi-wed actress who loved white diamonds and a genius who revolutionized the world by creating things...well, worth hackable to be seen by all.

The year when two hot ladies with big cabooses lost their husbands, while one guy with tiger blood in his brain lost his TV job, but claims to be winning in life.

And yes, it was the year when we finally took out the guy who took out thousands of lives on September 11.

That year was 2011.

Join The AllenBlog for a look back at 52 weeks in the making.

From an earthquake and tsumani that crippled eastern Japan, to the wedding of the century that was watched globally, from the permanant takedown of the man who committed a massive crime in our country ten years ago, to growing numbers of protests that turned public parks into makeshift campgrounds, 2011 was well occupied. 

We began the year in Brazil, where a series of floodings and mudslides claimed over 900 lives. But the year's biggest natural disaster would transpire a couple months later in Japan, where a 9.1 magnitude earthquake and tsunami killed around 15,800, resulting in tsunami warnings in over 50 countries including the United States. 

In Super Bowl XLV, Aaron Rodgers and his Green Bay Packers routed the Pittsburgh Steelers 31-25 to claim their fourth Vince Lombardi Trophy. A record 111 million viewers made it the most-watched television broadcast of all time (beating Super Bowl XLIV last year by five million)...well, despite Christina Aguilera's fumble of the national anthem. 

Other sports happenings throughout 2011 include: Auburn as college football's national champions, Connecticut and Texas A&M ruling the men's and women's college basketball courts, the Boston Bruins' first hoisting of the Stanley Cup since the Nixon administration, the Dallas Mavericks denying Lebron James and the rest of the Miami Heat the NBA title, the Texas Rangers' second straight attempt at a World Series title foiled this time to the St. Louis Cardinals, Japan beating the U.S. in the FIFA Women's World Cup, John Baker first to Nome in the Iditarod (and thus preventing Lance Mackey from joining the Five-Timers Club), Duke's Mike Krzykewski surpassing Bobby Knight to become the winningest coach in college basketball history, Derek Jeter becoming the real Mr. 3,000, and Dan Wheldon taking his second Indianapolis 500 checkered flag in a heartbreaker over rookie J.R. Hildebrand at the final turn...only to see his life being taken in a violent crash a few months later. 

But it was scandals and lockouts that headlined the sports section this year. First, the NBA lockout, as the preseason and all games through November 30 were cancelled with the All-Star Game about to be next. But in early December, a new collective bargaining agreement was ratified, and the rest of the season was saved. Another was at Penn State, as former assistant coach Jerry Sandusky was arrested on massive counts of child molestation spanning 15 years; as of publish time, a trial was already continuing. That would cost longtime coach Joe Paterno the job he's had after 60 years, erupting in a riot that was far worse than in Vancouver over their Stanley Cup loss to the Bruins, with a TV news van even toppled by the enraged crowd. 

In Arizona, a gunman opened fire on Arizona congresswoman Gabielle Giffords and 18 others in a Tucson shopping center with six of them dead and Giffords hanging on for dear life; her recovery is still progressing. 

30 years after his father Prince Charles wed the late Princess Diana, the entire world watched the nuptials of Prince William and Kate Middleton. Dignitaries such as Elton John and David and Victoria Beckham were in attendance, but everybody else's eyes would be fixed on Kate sister Pippa, being called "Her Royal Hotness" as she -- and her butt, which a website is devoted to -- became the center of attention. But back here in the States on a far more serious note, the second deadliest tornado outbreak in history claimed 340 lives throughout the Southeast. 

Within a week in August, the East coast would have their share of natural disasters themselves. First, a 5.9 quake in -- in the rarest of places -- Virginia, which was felt as far away as New York City. And speaking of New York, they survived the brunt of Hurricane Irene, which ran up a $10 billion damage bill. 

The 2012 presidential campaign went into full swing this year, as the Republicans have one thing on their agenda: kick President Barack Obama out as our credit rating went from AAA to AA+ and unemployment rates nationwide continue to fluctuate. Herman Cain seemed to be leading the polls thanks to his 9-9-9 plan...but it became 69-69-69 as many ladies who Cain claimed to have sexually harassed over the years came forward, and Herman threw in the towel. 

But we were not the only country who had its share of financial problems. All over Europe, there was turmoil as riots and protests broke out throughout troubled Greece, Silvio Berlusconi's reign in Italy over, and France and Germany trying to soften the debt crisis with Britain not wanting any part of it. 

"Time" magazine named The Protester as 2011's Person of the Year, and for good reason: Protests of all kinds ranging from political to financial dominated this year's headlines, beginning in Tunisia as demostrations immediately brought their dictator down. What was called the Arab Spring would later spread to Egypt with the ousting of Hosini Mubarak (and putting many journalists, including CNN's Anderson Cooper and CBS' Lara Logan, in the crossfire), then Libya with a civil war ending with Moammar Gadahfi's sudden death after over 40 years of merciful power, and finally in Syria against the Assad regime. 

Meanwhile, what started as Occupy Wall Street in New York in mid-September have blossomed into various Occupy (insert city here) protests around the world, as those who call themselves "the 99 percent" wanted a share of the wealth the remaining 1 percent want. But as winter hit, the public parks that were transformed into makeshift camps would be dismantled by local police because most residents considered them eyesores. 

But without question, the biggest story of 2011 was ten years in the making. 

The mastermind behind the 9/11 attacks, Osama bin Laden, would be taken out by what is known as "Seal Team Six" in May after learning he was hunkered in a Pakistani compound. We didn't even know about it until President Obama took to the airwaves late Sunday night on May 1 and made the news official to the world with Bin Laden later buried at sea. For all of us, it was the final chapter of a long "America Fights Back" story that's been written since 9/11.

And we began to end the year with two high points: the death of North Korean dictator Kim Jong Il, and the official end to military action in Iraq after eight years with U.S. troops out of there for good. Now where did George W. Bush stash that "MISSION ACCOMPLISHED" banner? 

But as we've published this, it was a very black Christmas on Sunday as seven people were shot dead in a Fort Worth, Texas-area apartment just moments after opening their gifts.

There were some television farewells throught 2011 (which I'll have in the Year in Pop Culture), but there were a lot of natural farewells as well, including: Amy Winehouse, Elizabeth Taylor, Bubba Smith, Dr. Jack Kevorkian, boxing legend Joe Frazier, rappers Heavy D and Nate Dogg, the aforementioned Dan Wheldon, Harry Morgan, 1984 vice presidential candidate Geralidine Ferraro, Jane Russell, Warren Christopher, Sidney Lumet, "Macho Man" Randy Savage, former First Lady Betty Ford, Peter Falk, Cliff Robertson, James Arness, Charles Napier, Andy Rooney, golfer Seve Ballesteros, author Christopher Hitchens, fitness guru Jack LaLanne, and the visionary who changed our lives for the better...Steve Jobs. 

What will 2012 bring to the plate? It is an election year, and with Herman Cain now out, the remaining Republican candidates including Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich continue their vendetta against President Obama, who's doing everything in his power to earn four more years of tenancy in the White House. The Summer Olympics will emanate in London, with Michael Phelps and Usain Bolt picking up where they left off in Beijing. And the next time the U.S. goes on another space mission, with the shuttle program no more, they'll have to hitch a ride with the Russians. Of course, who knows what else will happen; the only way to find out is to wait till the clock strikes midnight on January 1. 

Next time...pop culture from entertainment to celebrities and gadgets to scandals as the 2011 Year In Review continues.

Creative to the core

Hello everybody, as I'm sure you already know that the biggest story of the week was the death of a dreamer and an innovator.

At first it was going to be either Amanda Knox experiencing freedom again after four years of hell in Italy, or former Alaska governor Sarah Palin finally putting those rumors to bed saying she's not running for President after all, but they were overshadowed when Steve Jobs, the former Apple CEO who brought us the Macintosh and anything that starts with a lowercase "i" (iPod, iPhone, iPad) died Wednesday at only 56 after a long battle with pancreatic cancer. The news of his death has turned Apple Stores all around the world into makeshift memorials for him.

Now this comes just a day after his successor Tim Cook introduced not the iPhone 5 as speculated, but the iPhone 4S, which will include a new feature called Siri. Siri acts like a personal assistant; ask your iPhone what it'll do like give directions or look for nearby restaurants or set up a meeting on your calendar and it shall be received.

It was yet another idea brought to us by Jobs, who started Apple Computers at the garage of his house in California in the mid-'70s. That would be followed by the Apple II later on, and for tech heads everywhere, it was the must-have computer.

But it would be the flagship Macintosh that finally put Apple on the map for all times. The Ridley Scott-directed commercial aired only once during Super Bowl XVIII in 1984, and even though it didn't show the product, it would turn the big game into the ultimate advertising showcase we know of today.

Jobs' ego and drive to succeed pretty much caught up to him, and his own company gave him the pink slip the following year. Instead of heading to the unemployment line, Steve would later start up NeXT Computer and later the Pixar animation studio; the latter introducing us to the "Toy Story" franchise, "Cars", and "Finding Nemo" among others.

In the mid-'90s, Jobs was back at the company he began, picking up where he left off. But at the turn of the century came what would be his magnum opus: the iPod. 

Okay, prior to that, the Diamond Rio was the first portable mp3 player; but it became just a memory when the iPod family of products hit in 2001. With the introduction of the iTunes store a few years later, buying music on CDs (though vinyl and now cassette sales are slowly picking up again) would be so passe. 

Then in 2007, Apple decided to go into the mobile phone business with the iPhone, infusing the iPod into it. But Steve thought you can do something else than just listen to music and make or take calls on it, so the App Store was created; its success would lead into the iPod Touch, making it an all-in-one: media player, game player, and pocket computer. But the iPhone would apparently face stiff competition with new lines of Android phones to come.

And last year, Jobs eradicated the stink of the previous Newton (its only mainstream exposure was this scene in "Under Siege 2") by reinventing the tablet computer with the iPad; the iPad 2 with the same features of the iPhone and current iPod Touch would follow suit a few months ago, leaving rival tablets by Blackberry and even HP in the dust. And apparently enough...Jobs introduced that even on medical leave.

Failing health forced him to step down as Apple CEO in August, though his last public appearance was in June when he proposed a new headquarters of his company to the Cupertino, California city council. The last photo taken of him in late August showed a gaunt, frail Steve being helped into a car by his assistant near his Palo Alto home.

Even though we've never known the man personally, we have used his products at many points in our lives. Me? I remember when my first computer was an Apple IIe, though it wasn't at home, but at Mrs. Lowe's classroom at Barnette School in 1986. Its sole purpose at the time? Playing educational games, though I was a bit too old for the Oregon Trail or Carmen Sandiego. And yes, the monitor was of a creamed spinach color.

Then in 1991 when I entered middle school in South Dakota, I graduated to the IIgs, and even created a calendar from it. And with the Internet about to head into high gear a few years later, the computer lab at West Valley High School would be chock full of Macintosh Performas with something called Netscape in every one of them. I originally thought about getting one of those babies myself, but decided to settle for a PC instead.

But the only things Apple I've owned were the 5th Generation iPod (the one with video of course), the iPod Touch in 2009 (which became the main iPod after the previous one crapped out on me), and just recently thanks to my dividend money, the iPad 2. So yes, the spirit of Steve Jobs has lived in me for those 25 years.

And speaking of the iPad...it appears that more and more schools worldwide are dumping those bulky textbooks in favor of them. Pretty soon, carrying 30 lb. backpacks will go in the way of...well, the Newton (or the HP TouchPad).

To all of us, Steve Jobs was everything and then some. When it came to imagination, he was our Walt Disney or John Lennon. When it came to innovation, he was our Thomas Edison or Henry Ford. When it came to dreaming, he was our Martin Luther King Jr. or Jim Henson. And when it came to selling, he was our Ron Popeil. His motto was "Think Different", and thanks to him, we all did. 

Steve was creative to the core alright, and now Apple's core is nothing but hollow. And even in heaven, he'll always give us just "one more thing." So long and stay strong.

Another "Mad" and "Modern" night at the Emmys!

Hello, everybody. The first line in LL Cool J's "Mama Said Knock You Out" was "Don't call it a comeback", but in the case of the 63rd Primetime Emmy Awards on Sunday, it was "Don't call it an upset." But first...

Despite tough competition from the likes of "Boardwalk Empire" and "The Good Wife", "Mad Men" still held on strong to claim their fourth straight Best Drama prize, while "Modern Family" repeated their Best Comedy Series victory with Supporting Acting going to Ty Burrell and Julie Bowen (Jim Parsons also repeated Lead Comedy Actor for "The Big Bang Theory"). "The Good Wife's" Julianna Margulies collected her second Emmy, this time for Lead Actress in a Drama.

Meanwhile, "The Daily Show" is now 9-0 in Variety/Comedy/Music Series (Jimmy Fallon will get his due next time); and a year after loaning their Reality Competition Emmy to "Top Chef", "The Amazing Race" rightfully got it back. At the Creative Arts awards last week, Jeff Probst won once again for "Survivor" while Gwyneth Paltrow ("Glee") and Justin Timberlake ("Saturday Night Live") received Guest Comedy Acting honors.

Now to the upsets part: Kyle Chandler of the now-canceled "Friday Night Lights" beat out Jon Hamm, Michael C. Hall, and others for Lead Drama Actor; and Melissa McCarthy ("Mike and Molly") was crowned Lead Comedy Actress over Amy Poehler, Tina Fey, and company.

Other winners include: "Mildred Pierce" (Kate Winslet and Guy Pearce), Barry Pepper ("The Kennedys"), Margo Martindale ("Justified"; and no, she's not related to Wink), Peter Dinklage ("Game of Thrones") and Martin Scorsese ("Boardwalk Empire's" only main award for Directing-Drama though it already got seven more last weekend).

Host and last year's Emmy winner Jane Lynch kicked off the Emmycast with a splendid opening number in which the entire TV world crammed an apartment building. Some notable highlights included Charlie Sheen making nice with his former "Two And a Half Men" colleagues saying, "I want to take a moment to get something off my chest: From the bottom of my heart, I wish you nothing but the best for this upcoming season. We spent eight wonderful years together and I know you will continue to make great television."

And there were great fashion statements made on the red carpet as well, with Kate Winslet (Elie Saab), Lea Michele (Marchesa), Sofia Vergara (Vera Wang), and Nina Dobrev (Donna Karan) all in shades of red. We also saw "Mad Men's Christina Hendricks displaying her ample bosoms yet again in Johanna Johansson, Cat Deeley charming in Monique Lhullier, and Claire Danes in Oscar de la Renta blue (who also dressed Julie Bowen).



The tagline this year may be "Television gold", so who took my fashion gold? Julianna Margulies who was a very good wife herself in Giorgio Armani Prive. And poor Gwyneth Paltrow...she may have displayed her singing chops over the past year with "Glee" and "Country Strong", but her Emilio Pucci was off-key.

Now that television's biggest night is in the books for another year, we shift gears now to Alaska's biggest day on Tuesday. That's when the year-long guessing game as to how much this year's Permanent Fund Dividend will be worth.


Last year's payout was $1,281, and the forecast for the 2011 payout may call for another decrease as unemployment rates continue to rise with no jobs created at all during August. So, how much free money do I think we'll be getting this time around? I guess...$1,162.47.


Of course, the only person who knows the official number is Gov. Sean Parnell, and he'll give it to us Tuesday morning at 11:00 am Alaska Time (3:00 pm Eastern/Noon Pacific). Due to circumstances beyond my control, I won't be able to bring it to you on Twitter and Facebook the second it's been announced, but probably just moments after.


And last but not least: The fall TV season is already underway, and there are a lot of new shows whose buzz will have our DVRs primed. 

But there is already one of them that marked the return of one of our favorites...no, not Ashton Kutcher on the new "Two And a Half Men" or Simon Cowell and Paula Abdul on "The X Factor" -- I'm talking about Sarah Michelle Gellar in "Ringer", which premiered last Tuesday to stellar ratings for The CW and her name becoming a worldwide trending topic on Twitter. All of a sudden, it was like 1998 all over again!


Sarah's comeback to the spotlight after settling down to raise her daughter Charlotte and a few years of so-so success at the box office to me is a godsend. With MTV becoming RTV with "Jersey Shore" and "Teen Mom" and recent controversies surrounding "Toddlers and Tiaras" and "Real Housewives", Sarah Michelle is pretty much our antidote. And as a huge fan of the four-time (soon to be five-time) Sexiest Woman winner, I am glad she's back in the saddle again.


Oh, yeah...her competition will be "New Girl" starring Zooey Deschanel and a new season of "The Biggest Loser" with Alison Sweeney. Even though "Ringer" won't pull in about 15 million viewers unlike the other shows (it's The CW, go figure), Sarah's fans will prove a point that double vision can "ring" them in. So long and stay strong.

Hello everybody, as we're already into August and the dog days of summer.

We begin first up with the economy in turmoil yet again. It started when President Obama signed the twice-modified debt relief bill into law earlier this week, only to receive a very bad 50th birthday present from Wall Street on Thursday: The Dow Jones dropping 512 points, the worst in nearly three years. That was followed on Friday with the unemployment rate for July now at 9.1 percent, which is slightly up from last month; that's some good news.

Also on Friday, the bad news: Standard & Poor's had downgraded the government's credit rating from AAA to AA Plus for the first time ever. House Speaker John Boehner said this could be a wake up call to the Democrats, while S&P defended their decision saying they have lost their trust in Washington's ability to work together to address its debt.

So...will we get back that AAA rating? Probably not, and it will not be upgraded again for the foreseeable future. But downgrading from AAA to AA? That's as if your car had one too many!

One person who already hit the big 5-0 earlier this year is George Clooney, and after his recent split with Elisabetta Canalis, it wouldn't be long before he was back on the prowl. But when we learned who his current lady love is...I tell you, it generated more buzz than Shark Week or the new season of "Jersey Shore"!

So, who is it? Stacy Keibler!!!! For the last few weeks or so, the former WWE Diva and "Dancing With The Stars" alum has been spending some downtime in Europe...and so was George. According to published reports, Keibler has been staying in Clooney's Lake Como, Italy villa last month after a mutual friend introduced them to each other. That would be followed by this cryptic tweet from her saying that she's "in heaven."

Okay, now...I don't think he's ever seen her in action, but what does George really see in Stacy anyway? I know this won't hit Justin Bieber/Selena Gomez status anytime soon, but as someone who was once married and has since hit on the likes of Krista Allen, Lisa Snowdon, and Canalis, Keibler as the latest one came out of thin air. For Stacy, this appears to be an upgrade from when she once dated fellow wrestlers David Flair and the late Andrew "Test" Martin, considering the fact that she's been the object of many men's fantasies (particularly masturbatory) for over a decade.

But will the one-time "Sexiest Man Alive" and the woman with the "Legs of Mass Seduction" take things to the next level? I guess not. But one thing is for certain: Stacy Keibler's finally getting the press coverage she's so richly deserved...even if she's not Lindsay Lohan or Casey Anthony!

And last but not least: Months after Jerry Lewis announced that this year's Muscular Dystrophy Association Labor Day telethon will be his last came this: MDA has let go of him as their chairman after many decades and that last year's telethon was indeed his last.

Now this comes to no surprise to many, as the longtime Labor Day weekend tradition will now be a bite-size six hours on September 4, down from the usual 21 hours that lasted till Labor Day. Of course, the changing face of television with over 500 channels has finally caught up with MDA, whose telethons since 1966 have raised over $2 billion for the organization.

But once upon a time, MDA's was the Super Bowl of telethons. Growing up, there were a slew of them, including Easter Seals, United Cerebral Palsy, March of Dimes, and Children's Miracle Network. All of them happened on holiday weekends, which were an excuse to pre-empt regular programming for up to 20 hours. And in the late '80s and early '90s, Britain's ITV telethons lasted a few more hours than Jerry Lewis: 27 HOURS!!!!!!

Then there are local telethons that, unlike the national ones, didn't take up that much time (usually three to four hours in primetime). And of course there are those that were organized right on the fly, including after September 11, Hurricane Katrina, and the Haiti earthquake; all of them were created by George Clooney with our favorite celebs manning the phone bank and broadcast on various networks worldwide. The "Tsunami Aid" telethon in 2005, also by Clooney, was only on the NBC Universal family of networks.

And then, there are telethons that, for particular reasons, didn't work out. Case in point: The Democratic Party, who in the early 1970's were so in the red that they've decided to hold annual telethons to pay back mounting debts stemming from the 1968 election. No such footage from them happens to exist anywhere especially on YouTube, but from what I've read, the productions and final totals made us weep.

Their last chance came in 1983 with what was going to be a star-studded affair on NBC; but when the final timpani rolled after things didn't turn out as planned, only $2.75 million was raised. OUCH!

But could this year's MDA telethon be its last as well after 45 years? I'm afraid so, but MDA will still move forward, and you can still donate to them even without the telethon. Besides, most of today's generation don't know who longtime staples Tony Orlando, Norm Crosby, or Charo are anyways. And with Jerry Lewis now out, we're going to need someone fresh to help get hope for those "_______'s Kids." So long and stay strong.

Hello, everybody; and yes...it's been quite a while, so let's get right to it!

First up...on Friday came the shocking news that after seven years, Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony are done with each other. The couple said in a joint statement: "We have decided to end our marriage. This was a very difficult decision. We have come to an amicable conclusion on all matters. It is a painful time for all involved and we appreciate the respect of our privacy at this time."

So...what happened? Throughout the first half of 2011, Lopez's star shone like never before with her latest album "LOVE?" as well as a judge on some show called "American Idol". In other words, she was non-stop. Anthony, on the other hand, pretty much stood back from his wife's spotlight.

But over the years, Jennifer's love life was nothing but a rollercoaster ride with three marriages (Ojani Noa, Cris Judd, and Anthony) and relationships that had the tabloids working overtime, especially with her and Ben Affleck. I said something at the start of my 2002 Year In Review that "Jenny from the Bronx and Benny from Beantown created bigger buzz than Brad Pitt and that other Jennifer (Aniston)", but after "Gigli" flopped hard in 2003, it was over for Bennifer I. Bennifer II came when Affleck met and later married Jennifer Garner (who had the hot "Alias" at the time); six years and two children later, they're still together.

There are millions of miles of highways criss-crossing the country, but right now, only one portion in a certain part is having commuters using Google Earth to look for alternate ways to get around.

Ten miles of the 405 freeway that is stretching between the San Fernando Valley and Westside Los Angeles is being closed over the weekend due to a construction project involving the demolition of the Mulholland bridge in what is known as "Carmageddon". And all this week, the media was advising everyone to stay away from the 405 and opt for alternative routes in lieu of the freeway.

Meanwhile, JetBlue profited from Carmageddon by offering special commuter flights between Burbank and Long Beach for a mere $4; they were sold out in three hours. But if everything goes according to plan, Carmageddon will be over by Monday morning.

Now what if one of your area's expressways happened to be shut down due to matters like this? No biggie; we have our own ways to get around town. But being the freeway capital of the world, Los Angeles's traffic is clogged day in and day out like our arteries, and in the case of the 405, the time has come for some much-needed surgery.

And last but not least: "The Price Is Right" will kick off its 40th season this fall, and over those years, it has been a worldwide phenomenon with various foreign versions on and off the air in countless countries. But there is one that takes difference to a whole new level.

Lately, I've been watching episodes of the Philippines "Price Is Right" online, and its production and cheapness is somewhat atrocious it'll make Drew Carey regain his weight! First...the pricing game and the prizes. They always play these same ones over and over again: It's In The Bag, Secret X, and Hole In One, all for 120,000 Philippine Pesos which translates it's roughly over $2,700 U.S. (Punch-A-Bunch: up to P100,000, or $2,300) Sorry; no Lucky Seven, Any Number, etc., or even Plinko or Golden Road.

Second: The Showcase is the only time you see the big prizes being offered including a car, and the average price of that is around P1,200,000 to P1,500,000, which is $27,000 to $35,000. In comparison, our Showcases go up to $50,000 or more.

And thirdly, which is perhaps the biggie: THE HOST!! She's Kris Aquino, a very popular television personality and film actress whose father happens to be Philippine president Bengino Aquino III! That explains her job security.

As the self-described "Queen of All Media" (yeah, right; Oprah Winfrey owns that title!)/"Queen of Game Shows" (wrong; that belongs to Betty White!) as well as other ventures including her own magazine, a daytime talk show, and Filipino versions of "Deal or No Deal", "Pilipinas Got Talent" (where she's a judge; Howie Mandel better not shake her hand!), and "Wheel Of Fortune" as well as recently cutting her first album (good luck finding it on iTunes), Aquino has the popularity of Ryan Seacrest with the effervescence and loudness of Mila Kunis or "Jersey Shore's" Snooki. So in the case of the Filipino "Price is Right", she's Drew Carey or Bob Barker with the volume turned up to 100.

But I can give you this: They occasionally use some of the old music cues that we've already retired years ago. Maybe someday in one of their games, they should consider offering a trip to Los Angeles...where they could win some real prizes on our version! The Filipinos would sure "Come on down!" for that! So long and stay strong.