Person of the Year '08

Yup, shockingly enough, Barack Obama has been named Time's Person of the Year for 2008. (I'm sure Sarah Palin was hoping she'd at least win something this year...but praise the Lord she didn't.)

It's no surprise our soon-to-be first Black president is gracing the cover of the annual issue, but I'd still suggest you take a gander. The article is very well-written, and right off-the-bat puts to rest your, 'Gee, Obama as Person of Year - that's original' complaints.

It's unlikely that you were surprised to see Obama's face on the cover. He has come to dominate the public sphere so completely that it beggars belief to recall that half the people in America had never heard of him two years ago — that even his campaign manager, at the outset, wasn't sure Obama had what it would take to win the election. He hit the American scene like a thunderclap, upended our politics, shattered decades of conventional wisdom and overcame centuries of the social pecking order. Understandably, you may be thinking Obama is on the cover for these big and flashy reasons: for ushering the country across a momentous symbolic line, for infusing our democracy with a new intensity of participation, for showing the world and ourselves that our most cherished myth — the one about boundless opportunity — has plenty of juice left in it.

Read on: 2008 Person of the Year. (Don't you love that they no longer call it 'Man of the Year'?)

It's a 'Speidi' wedding!

Well, they did it. 'Hills' stars Heidi and Spencer have reportedly tied the knot, with fewer family members than photogs in attendance. Gee, that's not like Speidi at all...

Us Weekly has confirmed the union, and will feature a full spread on the private ceremony in its upcoming issue, on stands Wednesday.

Here's a taste:

Introducing, Mrs. Heidi Montag Pratt!

The Hills star wed her longtime beau, Spencer Pratt, in a secret ceremony in Cabos San Lucas, Mexico, on Nov. 20, Us Weekly reports in its newest issue. See exclusive photos wedding photos in Us Weekly's new issue, on stands Wednesday.

"The minute we said our vows, I couldn't stop crying," Montag, 22, tells Us.

See more amazing celebrity wedding photos.

At the altar, Pratt, 25, told his bride: "Heidi, from the moment you came into my life, I knew my life would never be the same without you. You are the light in my life like the sun to the earth! Your loving warmth makes me want to be a better person. Being with you, I feel complete. I'm honored to even be able to call you my wife. You are the most amazing, loving and caring woman on this planet. I will love you forever and always."

Someone who might not be so thrilled? Montag’s mother.

"I called her right before the ceremony, sort of hinted that something that happened, but her reaction was to ask me if we were breaking up! I told her it might be something else, and she said, 'Well, if you ever plan on getting married just know that your stepdad is really upset that you want your father to walk you down the aisle,'" Montag tells Us.

"She was starting so much drama, it kind of pushed me toward wanting to get married without that," she adds. "I don't know when I'll tell her." Um? I guess now?

Pratt and Montag have had a tumultuous relationship.

In 2007, Pratt popped the question (after just eight months of dating) with a diamond-encrusted platinum band set with a purple stone that he'd purchased from the mall.

See how much stars paid for their engagement rings.

But after bickering over Pratt hitting on women in a club, the pair took a "relationship vacation" just a few months later.

"I'd just turned 21, and it was scary because I was so young," Montag told Us following the split.

(What happened to the bling? "I turned it into a pendant," Montag told Us in December. "It wasn't my dream ring. I don't like what it represents. I might sell it.")

The pair gave it another go in May 2008, after a secret make-or-break getaway to Mexico where "Heidi read me biblical passages like 'Honor thy wife,'" Pratt explained.

By the end, he'd convinced her to plan their wedding again.

"I'm ready to marry Spencer," Montag told Us that month. "He's my soulmate."

Clay is gay - sounds like a nice nursery rhyme?

[Breaking news] Clay Aiken is gay.

...Wait, really?? I'm not trying to make light of this--I just legitimately thought he had come out like, three years ago.

Aiken apparently comes out on on the latest cover of People magazine, holding his infant son, Parker Foster Aiken. The headline reads, "Yes, I'm Gay," with the quote: "I cannot raise a child to lie or hide things."

The baby's mother is Aiken's friend and record producer Jaymes Foster.

This is nowhere near as shocking --or as devastating-- as finding out in 2006 that Lance Bass was gay. Or is gay. Whatever. You know what I mean.

UPDATE Lindsay Lohan is jumping on the orient(ation) express - she admitted this week that she has in fact been dating friend Samantha Ronson for "a very long time." Another not-so-shocking announcement: The media has been covering this for months, but whatev. Good for them. (Thanks, Dave.)

Sex obviously sells

Congrats to Carrie, Miranda, Samantha and Charlotte--

The ladies proved this weekend that sex sells, as the "Sex and the City" movie's opening weekend numbers trumped the opening weekend sales of "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull."

I absolutely refuse to give away any bit of the SATC movie, but two of my girlfriends and I went opening night to see it, and I must say...If you are a woman who's seen even one episode of this show and you still haven't seen the film, what in the name of Manolo Blahnik are you waiting for??

The ladies have obviously aged, but I don't care what Maxim has to say: Sarah Jessica Parker looks stunning in this movie.

And two warnings: If you're a crier at movies, pack your tissues. My friend Jenn and I cried for a good hour of the movie. It's a tad more depressing in parts than you might like. And also, the movie is 2.5 hours long, so go easy on the pre-show martinis.

You'll laugh. You'll cry. You'll be glad you didn't drag your grudging boyfriend to the film for him to complain about how unrealistic it is to spend $500 on shoes or how unattractive he finds Miranda to be.

Here's the trailer:

Let the Fraggles play...on the big screen!

I'm glad someone figured out that making horror films about cell phones or more Tyler Perry movies was lame and decided to go back to the basics: classic children's television programming.

As reported by Variety Magazine, The Weinstein Co. intends to turn Jim Henson's brainchild "Fraggle Rock" into a live action musical.

Oh my God. You can't help but get warm fuzzies when you think of this show...and if you have no idea what I'm talking about, then, God, I'm old. But I seriously cannot wait for this.

The good news is that not much about the show will change when it hits the screen: The film will feature a mix of human characters and puppets, and all your fav Fraggles (Gobo, Wembley, Mokey, Boober and Red) are onboard with the project.

There is no solidified plot announced yet, but word has it that the Fraggles will interact outside their home with humans, whom they think are aliens.

And just to celebrate, check out the classic Fraggle Rock intro below. I love Boober at the end--he's my fav.

Thanks, Dave!

Unsexy and unamused

Sarah Jessica Parker is upset with Maxim magazine's October claim that she is the most unsexy woman in show biz and spoke out against the men's mag in an interview with Grazia magazine.

Parker said the poll was "brutal," "filled with rage and anger" and questions husband Matthew Broderick's judgment, too.

"Do I have big fake boobs, Botox and big lips? No. Do I fit some ideals and standards of some men writing in a men's magazine? Maybe not." - Sarah Jessica Parker

Now, I don't agree with this list at all because I think she's gorgeous, and normally I'd be like, 'You go girl!' But Jessica, dear, this poll was released like, four months ago. Even Britney was conscious enough to speak out about it back in November.

Heart attack ala mode

I actually came across this list about two months ago, but I've been on a health food kick lately and looking at this list and not craving one thing on it makes me feel a little bit better about myself. Check and see how many of the Top 20 Worst Foods in America via Men's Health you've had...

To see the calories, fat, carbs and sodium, click on the links below...IF YOU DARE.

THE WORST:
20. Fast-food chicken meal: McDonald's Chicken Select Premium Strips w/Ranch
19. Drink: Jamba Juice Chocolate Moo'd Power Smoothie
18. Supermarket meal: Pepperidge Farm Roasted Chicken Pot Pie
17. "Healthy" burger: Ruby Tuesday Bella Turkey Burger
16. Mexican entree: Chipotle Mexican Grilled Chicken Burrito
15. Kids' meal: Macaroni Grill Double Macaroni n' Cheese
14. Sandwich: Quizno's Classic Italian
13. Salad: On the Border Grande Taco Salad with Taco Beef
12. Burger: Carls Jr. Double Six Dollard Burger
11. Steak: Lonestar 20-oz T-bone steak
10. Breakfast: Bob Evans Caramel Banana Pecan Cream Stacked & Stuffed Hotcakes
9. Dessert: Chili's Chocolate Chip Paradise Pie with Vanilla Ice Cream
8. Chinese Entree: Pf Chang's Pork Lo Mein
7. Chicken Entree: Chili's Honey Chipotle Crispers
6. Fish Entree: On the Border XX Fish Tacos
5. Pizza: Uno Chicago Grill Chicago Classic Deep Dish Pizza
4. Pasta: Macaroni Grill Spaghetti and Meatballs With Meat Sauce
3. Nachos: On the Border Stacked Border Nachos
2. Starter: Chili's Awesome Blossom
1. Food in America: Outback Steakhouse Aussie Cheese Fries w/Ranch Dressing

So... don't eat Chili's, On the Border or Macaroni Grill?

Scorned porn

Don't ask me how I got to the topic of sex tapes, but Maximonline.com has published a fabulous list of sex tapes we never want to see, and it's hilarious.

Please visit for a laugh all in good, dirty fun. You'll see Napoleon Dynamite, Larry King, Elizabeth Taylor and Chris Berman starring in their own adult flicks sure to make you vom a little in your mouth. Personally, my favorite is "Ridin Seacrest" featuring the American Idol host. But I don't know what they're talking about...I might want to see that one.

Would you like cream and sugar with your nasal spray?

Again, my apologies for the lack of posting lately. Now that I've gotten the major headache holiday out of the way, hopefully things will be getting back to normal.

But lately, I've been exhausted...and perhaps some higher power was trying to tell me something by leading me to this article from wired.com about a nasal spray that helps eliminate the effects of sleepiness. (And ironically enough, it's currently almost 2 a.m.)

A study published in this week's The Journal of Neuroscience showed that a nasal spray containing a naturally occurring brain hormone called orexin A reversed the effects of sleep deprivation in a group of monkeys and allowed them to perform like well-rested monkeys on cognitive tests.

The hormone could potentially help the 70 percent of Americans who do not get the recommended eight hours of sleep a night, myself included.

The authors of the study claim that orexin A reduces the effects of sleep deprivation but does not cause edginess and is apparently non-addictive.

Still, the spray would initially be used to treat people suffering from narcolepsy--a condition that the study states is caused by lack of orexin A in the brain. For the spray to become available to the average joe could take almost a decade, depending on the Food and Drug Administration's approval process.

But then it'll totally be so long coffee, hello nasal spray!!

This is one class I need to take

An article from Time.com caught my eye, and my peaked interest might be getting some inventive Parsons student an A.

The 15 students from Parsons The New School for Design in New York City are enrolled in a class called Internet Famous [click here to visit the blog], an experimental course in which the students utilize online strategies for distributing and promoting their art in our Google/MySpace/Digg/Facebook/blog-erific modern age.

Jamie Wilkinson teaches how to use headlines, keywords and tags to attract the attention of search engines, and how to use social networks to seek out the audience that will be most receptive to their content.

The students are then graded by a matrix, based on the amount of fame they receive. Wilkinson has three computers that scour the Internet, caught in a constant loop of what he terms "scraping" — constantly going through search engines, blogs, networking sites, video hubs and other sources for what's hot, what's new, and where his students stand, according to the article.

And this Time.com article certainly must have skyrocketed their hits--I tried to get on the Internet Famous Class Web site and I had the little Mac color swirly/hourglass cursor for like, five minutes. There must be thousands of people on this site at any given time!

I love this idea. It's pure genius. And my blog would probably get taken to school by these kids.

'Hills' stars spill some gossip

A few little tidbits of The Hills news, because Lord knows fans are in agony during this mid-season break and are dying to get their fix of Hills heroin.

• Heidi told Us Weekly (on stands today) that she and Spencer are no longer engaged, but still in a relationship. And for keen eyes who noticed Heidi was not wearing her ring during The Hills finale show last week: "I turned it into a pendant," she says. "It wasn't my dream ring. I don't like what it represents. I might sell it." Ouch.

• Following up on a previous issue, Lauren still insists that the events of The Hills are real, but she recently admitted that MTV sets up the scenes: "Basically what they're doing is taking our lives and telling a story. I mean, it's not lying to anyone, it's telling what really happened, but it's just the way they film reality shows." Lauren said that the nail-polish incident was a result of something that happened when cameras stopped rolling, and MTV need to set the scene and film it to properly tell the story. Gee, no wonder it seems so disingenuous. [click here to read the entire interview]
  

• Rumor has it that the original antagonist to LC's perfect world, Kristin Cavallari may be returning to reality television...on The Hills!--gasp. E! reports that sources close to the show's producers are considering reuniting the two Laguna ladies, and are we surprised that Lauren is less than thrilled?

Time-honored tradition

Sorry, folks: This year we (or "you") did not even place in the running for Time's Person of the Year. Landing the top spot this year is Russian President Vladimir Putin.


Not completely sure about this, but the article about him is fantastic, a very deep look into his every move and his motivations. Personally, my favorite part is when he reveals to Adi Ignatius that his favorite Beatles song is Yesterday. Or that he's never sent an e-mail in his life.

The runner-up was Al Gore--no surprise there.

And also not surprisingly, author J.K. Rowling placed second runner-up--I mean, she was 2007's Most Fascinating Person, according to Barbara Walters.

Don't forget to check out the list of "People Who Mattered" in 2007, which includes a lot of question marks and some shockers, like Miley Cyrus and Radiohead?? And my favorite is that silly snowmwan who asked the global warming question during the presidential debate--even he made the list!

SI honors Fav-ra

Your team may be undefeated, Tom Brady, but you are not Sportsman of the Year, according to Sports Illustrated; Brett Favre is.

The honor is bestowed upon a player who exhibits character, performance and sportsmanship. Favre received a sterling silver trophy crafted by Tiffany & Co. at a party in his honor in New York City tonight, and is featured on the cover of the magazine, on stands Monday.

Favre probably got the award because he's the winningest quarterback and leader in TDs in the NFL, but I'd like to think it's because he's like, 50 years old and still looking good in those tight pants, rarrrr.

Living the average American dream

With all the DUIs, campaigning, paparazzi and sex tape scandals, sometimes it's nice to sit back and say, "Ahh, it's nice to be a good ole average American."

And if you don't ever think that, read this article from Time. It tells of the average averages of average Americans, and while it may be horrifying to find that you may actually be {gasp} average, it's really not what you think.

Sexy time

Move over SMG, your title of Maxim's Woman of the Year has got nothing on Matt Damon being named sexiest man alive by People magazine.

Matt Damon, 37, said the honor "gave an aging suburban dad the ego boost of a lifetime" in letter published in the magazine, which will be on stands Friday.

I gotta disagree with this decision. Matt Damon is mmm mmm good, but you don't even have to look much further than his Departed co-star, Leo DiCaprio (though Jack Nicholson is a close second).

But I gotta go with David Beckham on this one. Maybe it's because I couldn't find one recent picture of Matt Damon without a shirt on. Or maybe I just can't get over his dimwitted likeness in Team America.

Top television honors

The Associated Press has compiled a list of TV's greatest icons, with Johnny Carson landing the number one spot - um, duhhh.

The list in its entirety will be featured Friday on TV-Land in a 2-hour special beginning at 8 p.m. ET, and also in Entertainment Weekly, on stands Friday.

Other names released from the 50-person list include Regis (27), Henry "The Fonz" Winkler (32), Letterman, Jon Stewart, Milton Berle, Homer Simpson, Jennifer Aniston, Lassie and Kermit.

I'm going with Lucille Ball definitely in top five. Maybe Zach Morris? Ooh, or Carson Daly?!

Buffy re-vamped

2008's Woman of the Year? No it's not Hilary...it's none other than the modern day vampire slayer, Sarah Michelle Gellar, according to Maxim magazine, that is.

Yes, that's right. Though she's done nothing since the WB existed, Sarah Michelle Gellar is next year's "it" girl. But have no fear Buffy fans: Not only will you get a smattering of hot SMG pics in next month's issue of Maxim, she's back in theatres with three new movies. Southland Tales, aka "Have a Nice Apocalypse," is out tomorrow (Wednesday); The Air I Breathe, chock-full of celebs like Kevin Costner and Brendan Fraser, will be out Jan. 25; and Possession will be out in February.

Yeah, she was hot then, and she's still hot now, but so is Elizabeth Berkley--Jessie Spano--and you don't see her nominated for Woman of the Year.