Terror Hits Beantown

Hello, everybody. We closed off last week with Adam Scott's win at the Masters on Sunday (its first finally for Australia after Greg Norman's numerous attempts), but his green jacket celebration would be short-lived as the attention of the world would later shift from Augusta to 1,000 miles up the road in Boston.

Two bombs exploded during the Boston Marathon on Monday, injuring 140 and killing three as a result. The first blast came from the north side of Boylston Street just yards from the finish line with the second to follow and came four hours into the race and two hours after the men's winner, Lelisa Desisa of Ethopia, crossed the finish line (Kenya's Rita Jeptoo was the women's winner).

Broken bones, shrapnel wounds, and ruptured eardrums were among the reported injuries. Two unexploded bombs were found near the end of the 26.2-mile course which attracted 23,000 runners from around the world; 34 of them are from Alaska including ten from Fairbanks, and they were all very fine at the end.

The FBI has taken over the lead role in the investigation and all of downtoqn Boston has been sealed off with the Federal Aviation Administration creating a no-fly zone over the site of the two explosions. Security was stepped up all over the country with the Secret Service expanding the White House security perimeter by shutting down Pennsylvania Avenue; however, the White House itself was not on lockdown. President Barack Obama in a news conference late afternoon made his intention that "any responsible individuals, any responsible groups, will feel the full weight of justice."

At the moment, we don't know who was the mastermind behind the bombings, but they are the latest in a series of many that have rocked our country over the years.

September 11, 2001 is perhaps the most notable, but others come to mind, including:

• 168 people killed and more than 500 injured as a car bomb was set off outside the Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City in April 1995. The two people behind it, Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols, were convicted and executed in 2001 and sentenced to life in prison respectively.
• The Centennial Olympic Park bombing in Atlanta during the 1996 Summer Olympics which killed only two people and injuring over 100. It wasn't till 2003 when Eric Robert Rudolph would be arrested and sentenced to life; he was also responsible for a later bombing in a Birmingham, Ala. abortion clinic in January 1998.
• The radical left group Weather Underground's two bombings at the U.S. Capitol and State Department buildings in 1971 and 1975.
• The World Trade Center bombing in 1993 that left six people dead and 1,000 in hospital; five extremists would be convicted. 

After Martin Luther King Jr's assassination in 1968, there was riotous bedlam in many parts of the country except Boston, where James Brown was set to do a show there. He saved the city as only he can, by televising his concert live. And now, 45 years later, we need somebody to help save Boston again after this senseless tragedy that almost destroyed them. The culprits behind it, whoever they are, may run away, but they cannot hide. And I can assure you: There will be a finish line when they're taken to custody. So long and stay strong.

Hello, everybody. We've got so much ground to cover, and we begin this packed blog with the pontiff now a "simple pilgrim."

Pope Benedict XVI on Thursday became the first pope in over 600 years to resign, leaving the 1.2 billion Catholics without a leader. Now his was the polar opposite of Richard Nixon's, except that unlike the president, Benedict (who now assumes the title of Pope Emeritus) left on his own free will, and the Vatican is now under "sede vacante" mode, or "vacant see", as a few key officials will assume power for the time being.

A couple months ago, the pope entered the social media landscape with his Twitter handle @pontifex; his last words before that and all other tweets would be deleted: "Thank you for your love and support. May you always experience the joy that comes from putting Christ at the centre of your lives." 

Well, it didn't take long for Hollywood to return back to normal after Sunday's Oscars...and is Joan Rivers fuming! On "Late Show with David Letterman" Wednesday, the legendary tart-mouthed comedienne tore up Best Song winner Adele by miming a blimp shape with her arms and then later saying, "What's her song, 'Rolling In The Deep'? She should add fried chicken!" to boos from the audience. 

Now a couple days earlier, Rivers's remarks over Heidi Klum and her very low-cut gown at the Elton John AIDS Party during E!'s "Fashion Police" Oscar show ("The last time a German looked this hot was when they were pushing Jews into the ovens") drew more fire that even the Anti-Defamation League said that Joan "should know better; this remark is so vulgar and offensive to Jews and Holocaust survivors." But Rivers went on the defensive, stating, "My husband lost the majority of his family at Auschwitz, and I can assure you that I have always made it a point to remind people of the Holocaust through humor."

There was more afterglow from the awards, which was watched by over 40 million people: Supporting Actress Anne Hathaway regretted her choice for wearing what some called "the nipple dress", telling "Women's Wear Daily": "It came to my attention late Saturday night that there would be a dress worn to the Oscars that is remarkably similar to the Valentino I had intended to wear. Though I love the dress I did wear, it was a difficult last-minute decision as I had so looked forward to wearing Valentino in honor of the deep and meaningful relationship I have enjoyed with the house and with Valentino himself. I deeply regret any disappointment caused."

So Anne is a staunch Valentino supporter, and she went for Prada at the Oscars? It's like jumping from Armani to Elie Saab at the last minute, but I can tell you this: It won't happen again.

And one day and a hair dye later, Best Actress Jennifer Lawrence wasted no time returning to work on "The Hunger Games: Catching Fire" in Hawaii. Paparazzi caught her enjoying some downtime in her hotel balcony sipping on some wine with her friend and later puffing on what is believed to be an electronic cigarette. Guess she really bounced back after that fall seen 'round the world. As for the other big winners, Ben Affleck and Daniel Day-Lewis? Their post-Oscar whereabouts are unknown.

Hollywood's Super Bowl is over for another year, and we now move forward to Alaska's Super Bowl, the Iditarod. For the 41st time, 67 of the best dog mushers on the planet will be spending a week and a half (or two) in the isolated Alaskan wilderness, as they tough out treacherous terrain and bone-chilling temperatures along the way to Nome.

Defending champion Dallas Seavey is among those in...Rick Swenson. Personal reasons had the five-time champion dropping out of this year's race; he was the first under the Burled Arch in Nome in 1977, 1979, 1981, 1982, and 1991, and it'll be 35 years since he and Dick Mackey totally went at it right down to the wire. In the end, it was Mackey in a photo finish.

The first 30 finishers this year will share a $600,000 purse, but only one who's in Nome first will also be awarded with a new Ram truck. Will it be Seavey again, John Baker breaking his own record, Lance Mackey or Jeff King in their drive for five, or someone else? We'll find out in the days to come.

And last but not least: Once upon a time, there was "The Dating Game." But in 1983, "Love Connection" would bring video dating to the next level. The shows' legacies would usher in a new generation of dating as it would carry over from the television screen to our computer screens in the '90s.

For years, Match.com, eHarmony, and even part of Craigslist have been the premier dating sites, but not anymore when Zoosk.com started up. And now we have all kinds of dating sites that appeal to a wide array of palates, like ChristianMingle.com, JewDate.com, OurTime.com (aimed at seniors), Farmersonly.com, and even CougarLife.com (for a certain type on the prowl for young'uns), which I saw being advertised on "WWE Raw" recently.

I may have been voted "Biggest Flirt" in my high school graduating class of 1997, but at that time, if you were looking for that special someone you would have to hit the newspaper or online classifieds. When eHarmony was born, it was all about finding a certain quality that matches yours, regardless of background, race, or religion. That's why we have all these other sites, though my younger brother Lawrence found love in Niesha the old-fashioned way.

If you've had enough, maybe I should start a dating site of my own. And what could I call it? Maybe JustDateAlreadyGetMarriedandMoveOnWithYourLife.com! So long and stay strong.

Golden night for "Argo" at the Oscars!

Hello, everybody. Not even a Best Director snub for Ben Affleck couldn't stop "Argo" from winning big at the 85th Annual Academy Awards on Sunday, with Film Editing, Adapted Screenplay, and the ultimate consolation prize: Best Picture of 2012. This is not only Affleck's second win, but producer George Clooney's as well.

"Life of Pi" took the most haul with four: Visual Effects, Cinematography, Original Score, and Director for Ang Lee (his second).

As expected, Daniel Day-Lewis makes history as a three-time Best Actor winner thanks to his role in "Lincoln", while the odds were in Jennifer Lawrence's favor as she picks up Best Actress for "Silver Linings Playbook"...but not before she stumbled on the way to the stage (at 22, she's now the second youngest winner behind Marlee Matlin)! 

Christoph Waltz claims his second Supporting Actor for "Django Unchained" (which also got Original Screenplay for Quentin Tarantino), and of course, Supporting Actress went to Anne Hathaway for "Les Miserables." Consider that payback for her wooden hosting stint two years ago with James Franco. By the way...I was 4 out of 6 in my picks this year.

Its star Emmanuelle Riva may have been denied quite a birthday present by upsetting Lawrence (and thus becoming the oldest Oscar winner ever at 86), but "Amour" did pick up Foreign Language Film. Adele added Best Song for "Skyfall" to go along with her several Grammys, "Brave" received Animated Feature Film, and in a tie...Sound Editing go to Skyfall and Zero Dark Thirty.

For the first 17 minutes of the 3 1/2 hour extravaganza, host Seth McFarlane turned the Oscars into the mini-Tonys with a little help from William Shatner, who from the future warned McFarlane about his emceeing performance. From there, it started with a pre-taped production number that featured Seth singing "We Saw Your Boobs." Hey, tell that to Halle Berry and Kate Winslet, who bared theirs and won Oscars.

The highlights of the show: Barbra Streisand's tribute to Marvin Hamlisch that capped off the In Memoriam segment, the 50th anniversary of James Bond with Adele and Shirley Bassey performing "Skyfall" and "Goldfinger" respectively, and First Lady Michelle Obama from the White House co-presenting Best Picture to "Argo" with Jack Nicholson.

As for the fashion highlights: Anne Hathaway decided to substitute Prada for Valentino, while Armani was the choice for Naomi Watts, Jessica Chastain, and Quvenzhane Wallis. Jennifer Lawrence was the bell of the ball in Dior (who also dressed Charlize Theron), Valentino had Jennifer Aniston, and Halle Berry looked cougarlicious in Versace. As for the men, the fashion accessory for Clooney, Affleck, Tommy Lee Jones, and Bradley Cooper? Beards!

Far and away, the best-dressed was far and away from Hollywood with the First Lady in silver Naeem Khan (who also did Stacy Keibler). As for Helena Bonham Carter? Since the Oscars almost ended at midnight, I guess her gown might've been turned back into a potato sack.

Daniel Day-Lewis now holds the distinction of being the first actor to win three Best Actor Oscars. For Anne Hathaway, what a difference two years have made; last time, she had the unfortunate task of hosting the show with James Franco to pitiful ratings, though she held her ground nonetheless. Her Supporting Actress prize proved to be quite the redemption.

And of course, you've got the young lady from Louisville, Kentucky who started her long journey on the TBS comedy "The Bil Engvall Show" as a teenager. Though she never took acting classes, she would educate herself along the way to "Winter's Bone" that put her on the map.

2012 was quite a banner year with "X-Men: First Class" and the "The Hunger Games" upgrading her to superstar status. A sequel to the latter is on the way, and you can bet it will say on the trailer and poster: "Academy Award winner Jennifer Lawrence"!

Just like the Grammys a few weeks ago, Oscar spread its wealth all around for the 85th time. But in the end, it was the two Sexiest Men Alive in Ben Affleck and George Clooney that ruled the night and for the former, it was sweet revenge. So long and stay strong.

(RATINGS UPDATE: This year's Oscarcast brought in its best ratings since 2010 with 40.3 million viewers tuning in)

Hello, everybody. I'll get to my Oscar preview in a jiffy, but we begin with another Oscar.

If O.J. Simpson had the Trial of the 20th Century, then Oscar Pistorius' may be the Trial of the 21st Century. On Friday, the South African athlete who inspired the world last summer at the Olympics was released on 1 million rand bail ($113,000) as his reputation was put to the test over the shooting death of his girlfriend, model Reeva Steenkamp.

The bail hearing lasted four days, and Pistorius said in a sworn statement that he accidentally killed Steenkamp on Valentine's Day last week, thinking she was an intruder in his Pretoria home. But prosecutors begged to differ, saying that a loud argument between the two led to the murder. Due to the seriousness of the charge, Pistorius would've faced the harshest bail requirements in South Africa, more harsh than here in the States.

Just like O.J., Pistorius' reputation and image may have been tarnished for the long haul. Will the Blade Runner get back on track? It all depends on his fate stemming from the criminal trial yet to come.

Back here in the States, the Justice Department also on Friday joined the fraud lawsuit against an already disgraced athlete: Lance Armstrong, as the former seven-time Tour de France champion has defrauded his sponsor, the U.S. Postal Service, by concealing his use of banned substances and performance-enhancing drugs.

For the USPS, it was another black eye as the other week, they announced they were going to discontinue mail service on Saturday effective in August. I guess the two bits of news proved to be bad delivery.

And now we segue from Oscar and Lance to the Oscars: The 85th Annual Academy Awards on Sunday, as host/Best Song nominee Seth MacFarlane plans to pull no punches by perking up the usually stodgy but still prestigious ceremony as it celebrates its 60th anniversary on television.

Ratings have been up and down in the last few years, and the Oscars have tried everything in their power with surprise presenters (2009), director Hamish Hamilton and "And the winner is..." replacing "And the Oscar goes to..." (2010; thankfully, Hamilton would be shown the door), infusing some youth in hosts James Franco and Anne Hathaway (the latter which I'll get to, 2011), and even bringing back Billy Crystal as host (2012). The cost for ad time has even jumped to $1.7 million for a 30-second spot, as the Oscars are attempting to rival the Super Bowl in that. 

Two advertisers know the power of the year's two most-watched television events very well: Apple and Coca-Cola. Apple used Super Bowl XVIII in 1984 to show their famous Macintosh commercial, and the first commercial for the iPad debuted during the 2010 Oscars. Diet Coke is generally seen on the Oscarcast, while the flagship Coke product is reserved for the Super Bowl.

But now let's get on this year's awards: "Lincoln" leads the way with 12 nominations, but not even a Director snub for Ben Affleck couldn't stop "Argo" from collecting major honors along the way and is already the heavy favorite to take Best Picture. But if not either the two, it could be "Amour" (also up for Foreign Language Film), "Beasts of the Southern Wild", "Django Unchained", "Les Miserables", "Life of Pi", "Silver Linings Playbook", or "Zero Dark Thirty" in an upset.

Supporting Actor may be about Christoph Waltz vs. Tommy Lee Jones, as both of them or Alan Arkin want to make it two. Then again, you have two-time winner Robert De Niro (gunning for his first Oscar since 1980) and 2005 Best Actor Philip Seymour Hoffman. Anne Hathaway is a guaranteed lock for Supporting Actress, but then there's two-timer Sally Field, 1997 Best Actress Helen Hunt, and returnees Amy Adams and Jacki Weaver.

For Best Actor, it could be all about Daniel Day-Lewis; he has won that in 1990 and 2007. Denzel Washington also wants to make it three overall, but there's a snowball's chance in hell he, Bradley Cooper, 1999 Oscars host Hugh Jackman, or Joaquin Phoenix could take the stage. 

And then there's Best Actress. When the nominations came out, Jessica Chastain appeared to be the early favorite...that is, until Jennifer Lawrence steamrolled her with Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild honors. But Emmanuelle Riva's BAFTA win tested Jennifer's nerve just a bit, therefore tightening the race as Riva -- or maybe 9-year-old Quvenzhane Wallis -- wants to make Oscar history. In other words, Academy voters may wish Emmanuelle a very happy birthday their way on Sunday; she turns 86. Oh, and Naomi Watts is in there as well, but who cares?

Whose names will be engraved on that 8.5 lb. symbol of cinematic excellence after Sunday night? I already did a few of the lesser-known categories on Thursday, so here are the ones that really matter:

Supporting Actor: At first, it was going to be a duel between Tommy Lee Jones and Christoph Waltz, but come on! They already own that prize, and as we've found out last year with Meryl Streep, over three decades should be good enough for Robert De Niro as well.

Supporting Actress: Anne Hathaway (duh!)

Best Actor: Daniel Day-Lewis (double duh!)

Best Actress: Emmanuelle Riva may be a veteran who's been in the game longer than the other nominees, but let's face it: Her BAFTA won't guarantee her the Oscar that quick. When it comes right down to it, she has had a stellar year with "The Hunger Games" and a sequel on the way, plus her performance in "Silver Linings Playbook" has already drawn praise all around. So it's easy to say that we can't wait for Jean Dujardin to open the envelope and say Jennifer Lawrence's name!

Director: Steven Spielberg ("Lincoln")

Best Picture: "Argo"

We'll see how I fare on Sunday night when the richest prizes in entertainment will be handed out. Follow me on Twitter @jonathanallen as I'll be live tweeting the Oscars; a full recap will follow on Monday's blog. So long and stay strong.

Hello, everybody. We'll get to the Grammys in a bit, but first up...

For the first time in over 600 years, Pope Benedict XVI announced on Monday that he's turning in his resignation papers on February 28. It was a bombshell move no one saw coming, and it's up to the already troubled Catholic Church to find a new leader by Easter.

At age 85, Benedict felt that at his age, he couldn't have enough muster to carry on his life duties unlike the other pontiffs, though he was the oldest elected in 2005 after John Paul II.

I'm not Catholic myself, but this news has stunned all kinds of religions and as we've seen almost eight years ago, choosing a successor will be very tough as the cardinals will once again go into conclave mode.

Now...the 55th Annual Grammy Awards on Sunday, and since there was no big winner, it was all about spreading the wealth this time around. Mumford and Sons' "Babel" picked up Album of the Year, while Record of the Year and Pop Duo/Group Performance went to Goyte for "Somebody That I Used to Know." Fun. got Best New Artist and Song of the Year ("We Are Young"), and then there were the usual suspects: Kelly Clarkson (Pop Vocal Album, "Stronger"), Adele (Pop Solo Performance), Carrie Underwood (Country Solo Performance), and Beyonce (Traditional R&B Performance, "Love On Top"). 

Among the many pre-telecast winners: Jimmy Fallon (Comedy Album, "Blow Your Pants Off"), Jay-Z and Kanye West (Rap Performance, N----s in Paris), and Janis Ian (Spoken Word Album, "Society's Child: My Autobiography")

The big story prior to the show was that dress code CBS issued out to everybody stating no excessive cleavage or anything see-through, but Katy Perry and Kelly Rowland were like, "What dress code?!" But the one who dared to bare was Jennifer Lopez as she pulled an Angelina Jolie and showed some leg, which is why she was the standout. As for Adele? She may have cleaned house last year, but her gown this year didn't sweep us off our feet.

And last but not least...since they happened first due to the time zone difference, the EE British Academy Film Awards were in London also on Sunday. Daniel Day-Lewis and Anne Hathaway are both one away from completing the quadfecta with Oscar gold, and Jennifer Lawrence was poised to join them.

Instead, Best Actress went to Emmanuelle Riva, putting Lawrence's chances at that big prize in jeopardy. Even though she's a veteran, Riva is pretty much unknown to most of us...so was Marion Cotillard, until she won five years ago. And also, "Silver Linings Playbook" has a baseball theme to it, which explains Riva's win.

Emmanuelle at 85 may become the oldest Oscar winner in history (surpassing last year's Supporting Actor Christopher Plummer), but that one BAFTA won't get her the Oscar that quick. Lawrence has been filling up her trophy case with awards left and right, which is a sure sign that in less than two weeks on the 24th, we could be hearing Jean Dujardin say these words: "And the Oscar goes to...Jennifer Lawrence in 'Silver Linings Playbook'!!!" So long and stay strong.

The Ravens "black out" San Francisco!

Hello, everybody. Not even a blackout a few seconds into the second half of Super Bowl XLVII could stop the Baltimore Ravens from deflating the San Francisco 49ers 34-31 in what was also known as the "Harbaugh Bowl" between brothers John and Jim in a sibling rivalry watched by 108.4 million people. That number fell short from out-rating last year's Super Bowl, though it is one game away from knocking the "M*A*S*H" finale out of the top five most-watched television programs of all time. Joe Flacco was MVP while Ray Lewis closed out his career with his team's second hoisting of the Vince Lombardi Trophy.

The Ravens appeared to have had a huge advantage, but then moments after they were ahead 28-6 with 13:22 left in the third quarter...lights out in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome as New Orleans hosted their tenth Super Bowl. For 34 minutes everything went into a complete halt; it was like last year's Daytona 500. According to officials, an "abnormality" triggered the shutdown, though it was not known who was responsible for the power outage (Beyonce, perhaps, which I'll get to in a moment?). 

That proved to be a good thing for San Francisco, as that power surge would help the 49ers surge ahead of the Ravens after full power restored, thanks to a 31-yard touchdown from Michael Crabtree followed by Frank Gore's 6-yard run then a 32-yard punt return from Ted Ginn Jr. But what won the game for Baltimore? A failed two-point conversion by San Francisco and then 38-yard field goal by Justin Tucker.

Among the celebrities in attendance was fellow Baltimoreian Stacy Keibler, who once upon a time before WWE and George Clooney, used to be a Ravens cheerleader. Jennifer Hudson with the Sandy Hook Elementary School chorus sang "America The Beautiful" followed by Alicia Keys doing the national anthem. But that was the pre-game festivities. Halftime of course belonged to Beyonce after the flack she got for singing to a pre-recorded track at President Barack Obama's second inauguration two weeks ago, and with that touted Destiny's Child reunion with Michelle Williams and Kelly Rowland, she didn't disappoint.

And then, of course, you have the millions of dollars of hard work paid off 30 seconds (or one minute) at a time. Since there was a plethora to choose from, I've decided to count down my top five favorite commercials from Super Bowl XLVII:

5. Audi's "Prom" (proving that the car was more important than the girl after all)

4. Taco Bell's "Viva Young" (Betty White and her geriatric prank show, see what you did?!)

3. Samsung's "Next Big Thing" with Seth Rogen and Paul Rudd (probably the biggest "F you!" to Apple)

2. Toyota's "Wish Granted" with Kaley Cuoco (suddenly, Sheldon from "Big Bang Theory" has been masturbating furiously while screaming out "PENNNNNYYYY!!!!")

And these two are my #1 favorites from the big game; both of them touched heartstrings though one of them topped "USA Today's" Ad Meter:

1. Budweiser's Clydesdales "Brotherhood" and Ram Trucks' "God Made A Farmer" 

(the horses were back after a few years' absence, while Chrysler outdid themselves again with the calming dulcet tones of the late Paul Harvey)

All the hoopla surrounding Kate Upton's Mercedes-Benz commercial proved to be a disappointment, while Go Daddy I think wore out their welcome even with Bar Refaeli.

I also enjoyed Volkswagen's "Get In. Get Happy", though it failed to hit the mark as opposed to last year. And Tide's "Miracle Stain"? It probably would've a miracle if Joe Montana himself appeared in it.

Now let me clear up one other thing: Sure, the Canadian Football League's Grey Cup is older than the Super Bowl (the 100th game, won by Toronto, was seen on the NBC Sports Network stateside), but let's face it: Even though it is brought out onto the field by a couple Mounties, the winning team only gets to keep it temporarily. The Vince Lombardi Trophy, on the other hand? It is carried out by an NFL Hall of Famer, lets the teammates touch it while it makes its way to the stage, and they keep it permanently!!! So in the case of Baltimore, they may have won their one and only Grey Cup in 1995 (during the CFL's short-lived U.S. expansion), but their two Lombardis are theirs for all times.

Also, it is made every year by R.S. Owens and Company of Chicago; soon, they'll be hard at work making one other thing that's also for keeps: The Oscars; those babies will be handed out less than three weeks from now. So long and stay strong. 

Hello, everybody. With the nominations already announced, the road to the Academy Awards began with the 70th Annual Golden Globe Awards on Sunday, as "Les Miserables" and "Argo" ruled the film category. "Les Mis" scored a trifecta on the Comedy/Musical side with Motion Picture, Director, and Best Actor and Supporting Actress for Hugh Jackman and Anne Hathaway; "Argo's" wins for Drama Motion Picture and Director proved to be a consolation prize for Ben Affleck after his Oscar shut out. Jennifer Lawrence's ("Silver Linings Playbook") and Jessica Chastain's ("Zero Dark Thirty") wins set the stage for the ultimate Best Actress showdown between the two, while "Lincoln's" sole award was Best Actor for Daniel Day-Lewis, which leads me to believe that they're saving the big honors for February 24.

On the television front..."Homeland", "Game Change", and Kevin Costner ("Hatfields and McCoy's") resume their dominance left over by the Emmys; "Modern Family's" was ended by HBO's "Girls" and its star Lena Dunham. Other winners include: Adele (Original Song-Motion Picture), Don Cheadle ("House of Lies"), and "Brave" (Animated Feature).

Hosts Tina Fey and Amy Poehler were no Ricky Gervais, but they were the life of the party, even going into disguises as faux nominees. But the night's highlight was Jodie Foster being presented with the Cecil B. DeMille Award, turning her speech into a quasi-coming out party all while proclaiming she's single (thanks, but no thanks), quoting Molly Shannon's Sally O'Malley from "Saturday Night Live" (which became "Sunday Night Live", with Will Ferrell, Kristen Wiig, Bill "Yosemite Sam" Murray, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Jimmy Fallon, and Lorne Michaels all there as well), and even referencing Honey Boo Boo and "Modern Family." And despite rumors to the contrary, even at the age of 50 she won't be riding into the sunset anytime soon.

I'm going to bypass the red carpet rundown and say my best dressed was Jessica Alba in Oscar de la Renta; worst dressed goes to Jessica Chastain, fearing she would expose some globes herself.

Now that the Golden Globes are over, it's back to sports as we're now down to  the Final Four in the NFL (Baltimore Ravens, San Francisco 49ers, New England Patriots, Atlanta Falcons) with only two earning a free trip to New Orleans, Lance Armstrong about to channel his Jimmy Swaggart in front of Oprah Winfrey and admitting to doping, and the NHL season finally in full swing with an abbreviated season due to the lockout.

But last week's big sports story was that the baseball writers denied Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens into the Hall of Fame, meaning that no one is in this year's class for the first time since 1996. 75% or more of the ballots were required; the only one who came close was Craig Biggio with 68%. Clemens got 37.6%; Bonds, 36.2%. The steroids issue may have played a key role in the shutout.

There are other sports halls of fame that have shied away from controversy, whether it's drugs or gambling (see Pete Rose). In 2011, Dennis Rodman was inducted into Basketball's Hall of Fame, which was surprising as he led the NBA in rebounds during most of the '90s in three different teams. Two years earlier, his Chicago Bulls teammate Michael Jordan got in, and rightfully so. I can't say much about the Pro Football Hall of Fame though.

So, unlike Cooperstown, the sports journalists who decide the enshrinees really play it strict. And if all else fails, there's always the WWE Hall of Fame. So long and stay strong.

Hello, everybody. We'll get to the Oscar nominations in a bit, but we begin the first blog of 2013 with the flu outbreak that has crippled 45 states including Alaska. So far, more than 2,250 have been hospitalized with 20 children dead according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The Northeast, still licking their wounds from Superstorm Sandy, is the hardest hit as record numbers of emergency room visits have been reported with Boston declared a public health emergency. Its mayor, Thomas Merino, says that it's the worst flu season his city has seen in four years with the Swine Flu scare. Is there an end in sight as we're already into the first few weeks of the year? Unless if it becomes an epidemic, I believe so.

There is another fever that'll be gripping us soon, but of the non-fatal kind: Oscar fever, as nominations for the 85th Annual Academy Awards were announced by host Seth MacFarlane and Emma Stone Thursday morning. Now for decades, they were used to be presented in formal fashion by the Academy president and a recent winner or nominee. Not anymore, as that tradition was broken; no more lectern or that fanfare we've been familiar with for the last 15 years, but yes riffing on the nominees.

"Lincoln" dominates the field with 12 including nominations Supporting Acting (Tommy Lee Jones and Sally Field), Best Actor (Daniel Day-Lewis), Director (Steven Spielberg), and Best Picture of 2012; the latter's other eight contenders are Amour, Argo, Beasts of the Southern Wild, Django Unchained (which I saw on New Year's Eve), Les Miserables, Life of Pi, Silver Linings Playbook, and Zero Dark Thirty.

Jessica Chastain is already the early favorite for Best Actor, which also includes Jennifer Lawrence, Emmanuelle Riva, Quvenzhane Wallis, and Naomi Watts. If not Chastain, Oscar history could be made with either 85-year-old Riva or 9-year-old Wallis as the oldest or youngest winner ever. As for Best Actor, Lewis or Denzel Washington want to make it three; but don't rule out Bradley Cooper, 2009 Oscars host Hugh Jackman, and Joaquin Phoenix.

The Supporting Acting field, with one exception, is loaded with familiar names. Supporting Actor alone has five former winners: Alan Arkin, Robert De Niro, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Tommy Lee Jones, and Christoph Waltz. Only De Niro and Hoffman already own Best Actor, while the other three went up on stage before to collect Supp. Actor. Supporting Actress features two-time winner Sally Field and 1997 Best Actress Helen Hunt, plus Amy Adams, Anne Hathaway, and the third newcomer along with Riva and Wallis: Jacki Weaver.

While these names I've mentioned were jumping for joy knowing that there is only one month to go, there were some who are depressed. I'm talking about Kathryn Bigelow (Zero Dark Thirty), Marion Cotillard (Rust and Bone), Leonardo DiCaprio (Django Unchained), Tom Hooper (Les Miserables) and perhaps the biggest snub of them all: Ben Affleck (Argo). 

No Affleck, Hooper, and Bigelow could mean a huge advantage already for "Lincoln" leaving the Dolby Theatre with the top prizes, as Seth MacFarlane is not only doing the 85th Annual Academy Awards February 24 on ABC...he's also up for one himself (Original Song, "Ted")! But before that, we have the first major stop along the way: Sunday's Golden Globes, which I'll recap on Monday.

And last but not least: Alabama may have denied Notre Dame's quest for perfection Monday night with their third BCS National Championship in four years, but the real winners? Crimson Tide quarterback A.J. McCarron's girlfriend, Miss Alabama USA Katherine Webb...and Brent Musburger's hormones!

During the first quarter, with Alabama already decimating the Fighting Irish, the 73-year-old Musburger appears to have had a verbal hard-on for Webb as cameras cut to her. That would later result to a huge spike in Twitter followers ballooning to 260,000. Brent's remarks didn't sit well with ESPN, who issued an apology saying that "the commentary in this instance went too far and Brent understands that." Webb, on the other hand, told "Today's" Matt Lauer that that wasn't necessary.

But this is not the first time the legendary sportscaster would be smitten with a beauty on the sidelines. In 2005, aspiring actress, model, and TV host Jenn Sterger caught the attention of Musburger; years later, she would be in the headlines again thanks to a sexting scandal involving Brett Favre, who allegedly snapped cell phone pictures of his penis to Sterger.

Now, it's Katherine Webb, and heed my words: This ain't the last we'll be seeing of her. If only Brent said his trademark "You are looking LIVE!!..." So long and stay strong.

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

The Top 20 Things That Were Trending in 2012

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Year in Pop Culture

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

That year was 2012.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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