T-Time Weekly News Update for the Week of February 18th-24th 2008

Do you work all day and have no time or energy to find out what's going on in the world? Do you get bored and impatient watching TV anchors tell you over and over what's going on? Do you sometimes care more about what Britney Spears is doing than what President Bush said during his State of the Union address? If you answered yes to even one of these questions this is what you've been waiting for! Every week I'm going to give you a quick rundown of the past week's biggest headlines. I won't bore you with minute details and shove tons of information down your throats. These are just the facts with a little humor for measure! And if you want to know more you can always just Google it or ask me.

Oscars:

The tall, gold man turned 80 years old this year, and no writer’s strike was going to stop him. And like most 80 year-olds his celebration was not all that exciting or full of surprises. John Stewart hosted, Jack Nicholson chilled out in the front/center seat with his shades on and no one got naked. Here are the main winners; I was only off by 2 this time. And if you want a complete list you can check out…http://oscar.com/oscarnight/winners/index.

Best Motion Picture of the Year:
Atonement
Juno
Michael Clayton
No Country For Old Men
There Will Be Blood

Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role:
George Clooney, Michael Clayton
Daniel Day-Lewis, There Will Be Blood
Johnny Depp, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
Tommy Lee Jones, In the Valley of Elah
Viggo Mortensen, Eastern Promises

Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role:
Cate Blanchett, Elizabeth: The Golden Age
Julie Christie, Away From Her (she was my pick…I thought the elder would win)
Marion Cotillard, La Vie En Rose
Laura Linney, The Savages
Ellen Page, Juno

Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role:
Casey Affleck, The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
Javier Bardem, No Country For Old Men
Philip Seymour Hoffman, Charlie Wilson's War
Hal Holbrook, Into the Wild
Tom Wilkinson, Michael Clayton

Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role:
Cate Blanchett, I'm Not There (I thought she had a chance)
Ruby Dee, American Gangster
Saoirse Ronan, Atonement
Amy Ryan, Gone Baby Gone
Tilda Swinton, Michael Clayton (total surprise win, even for Tilda)

The Never Ending Race:

There were more primaries to be had this week. Barack Obama won his birth state of Hawaii. John McCain won for the Republicans in Wisconsin, while Obama took yet another win away from Hillary Clinton by winning Wisconsin as well. More and more it looks like it will be a showdown between Barack Obama and John McCain (could they be more opposite?!?). The back-and-forth attacks between Clinton and Obama continued this week. Clinton knows she has no chance of winning so she’s going after every/anything she can. Clinton’s camp called out Obama for plagiarizing his speeches from Massachusett governor Deval Patrick. Obama’s defense was that Patrick used some of his lines as well (they share) so it’s ok. Dear Barack…if one person cheats it does not mean that cheating is ok. Would you jump off a bridge if your friends did? Ice cream makers Ben & Jerry have decided to put their 2 cents in to the presidential campaign by endorsing Barack Obama. If Oprah can’t drum up middle-age women voters for Obama decadent ice cream can! The Democrats aren’t the only ones making waves. John McCain was in the center of controversy when the NY Times ran an unsubstantiated piece about him and lobbyist Vicki Iseman…insinuating that they had an affair. McCain denied any such allegations and said that he was ashamed of the Times for printing a story with no actual proof to stand behind.

The Rewards of Being a Pop Star:

Jessica Simpson has been seemingly out of the headlines as of late. But she returned full swing this week. Ms. Simpson made a fitness video in 2005 that now she doesn’t want released to the public, and this is greatly affecting our country. According to Alex Astilean from Speedfit, the company that hired her for the video and is now suing her, “Jessica has been hurting millions of fat people in America.” At least one thing is looking up for Jess. Her most recent movie “Blonde Ambition”, the same one that crashed and burned in the U.S. has finally found a welcoming audience in…Ukraine. Although the movie only made $1,771 in the U.S. it raked in a still unimpressive $253,008 out East. America’s favorite pop star Ms. Britney Spears has been keeping busy as well. Her conservator, a.k.a. dad, officially put out a restraining order against Sam Lutfi (her former svengali-like manager). And in more good news Britney finally got to see her kids for the first time since January 3rd. Maybe seeing them will be motivation to get better. Singer Pink and her hubby motorcross racer Carey Hart are divorcing due to career demands (I have a feeling that there are more successful celebs who still manage to stay in relationships, but what do I know?). I guess a million tattoos and love for motorcycles does not a marriage make.

News Potpourri:

I'll leave you with some quick news tidbits that couldn't fit either here or there so they're getting their own paragraph! Fidel Castro, Cuba’s dictator for 49 years officially resigned from his “presidential” post. This is definitely a sign of change for the communist country. Cuba’s future all depends on who will run the country next…his brother Raul is first in line. If cloned meat without a label wasn’t enough incentive for you to become a vegetarian then maybe the largest beef recall in American history is. 143 million, yeah I meant to write million, pounds of beef was recalled after an undercover video showed sick cows being forced into the slaughterhouses. Lindsay Lohan proved yet again that she’s truly no icon on her own by recreating nude photos of Marilyn Monroe for NY Magazine (http://media.nymag.com/fashion/08/lindsay-as-marilyn/). With all of Hollywood getting preggers there is high demand for baby pictures. Harlow’s first pics, daughter of Nicole Richie and Joel Madden, went for a cool million. Max, son of Christina Aguilera and Jordan Bratman, was a little more pimp and pulled in $2 million. Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie haven’t officially announced her 2nd pregnancy (just take a look at her this past weekend http://perezhilton.com/2008-02-23-the-picture-says-it-all …I highly doubt that’s just a gas baby), but their baby pics will probably go for $4 million. The priciest baby pics go to Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony who just received 2 bundles of joy in the form of twins (a boy and a girl) and are estimated to receive $4-6 million. And speaking of kids, Angelina and Brad have yet another reason to celebrate, outside of the fact that they’re the hottest people on Earth, their adoption of Pax, their 4th child, became official. Reaction to Kosovo’s independence has led to tons of riots in the streets of Serbia; even the U.S. embassy was attacked. “Dancing With the Stars” announced their “celebrity” lineup for next season’s show deputing March 17th, and they are: Adam Carolla, Cristian De La Fuente, Shannon Elizabeth, Steve Guttenberg, Mario, Marlee Matlin, Penn Jillette, Priscilla Presley, Monica Seles, Jason Taylor, Marissa Jaret Winokur and Kristi Yamaguchi. If you want to know more about them you can check out:
http://www.people.com/people/package/gallery/0,,20055177_20178834_1,00.html. Jimmy Kimmel is hoping to return the favor to his girlfriend Sarah Silverman for her rendition of “I’m f*@king Matt Damon” by making his own video with Ben Affleck. I promise to pass it along to you the second I get my hands on it! In a scene straight out of a sci-fi movie the U.S. Navy announced plans to shoot down a failed spy satellite due to concern that toxic fuel on board the satellite could crash to earth and injure humans (Russia and China didn’t believe us and thought we were up to no good). Well the mission was a success, the missile hit the satellite and we’re all safe…for now :p


I hope this gives you an idea of what's going on in the world. Buck up…it's not so bad! The Oscars weren’t cancelled due to that pesky writer’s strike and Ukrainians love Jessica Simpson. All is right with the world!

Now go and have an intellectually stimulating conversation with your neighbor about what you've just learned.

~t

You can also check this out on my official blog at http://ttimeupdate.blogspot.com/.

T-Time Weekly News Update for the Week of February 11th-17th 2008

Do you work all day and have no time or energy to find out what's going on in the world? Do you get bored and impatient watching TV anchors tell you over and over what's going on? Do you sometimes care more about what Britney Spears is doing than what President Bush said during his State of the Union address? If you answered yes to even one of these questions this is what you've been waiting for! Every week I'm going to give you a quick rundown of the past week's biggest headlines. I won't bore you with minute details and shove tons of information down your throats. These are just the facts with a little humor for measure! And if you want to know more you can always just Google it or ask me.

How Not to Parent:

So the presidential elections are going full steam ahead, but I’m more interested in electing the “Parents of the Year”. I am in quite a dilemma though. There is the Spears clan…simple country bumpkins from East Bumble, Louisiana. Their eldest daughter is of course our all-time favorite pop star turned bipolar train wreck Ms. Britney Spears, and their youngest is 16-year-old, Nickelodeon star turned teenage mom Jamie Lynn. The California legal system is finally thinking clearly and has not only extended Britney’s dad’s conservatorship over her, but also her older brother is now in charge of her estate. Now that her father is keeping a close eye Britney seems to be taking her medication, is no longer hanging out with shady/money grubbing “friends” and is keeping a seemingly low profile. She’s even been dancing at a studio and teaching little kids how to dance as well. I know…since when is it safe for a bipolar woman who’s not allowed to see her own kids to be around other people’s children? My only answer is it’s L.A…. they’ll do anything to associate with fame. My other candidates for “Parents of the Year” are the complete opposite of the Spears. Kathy and Rick Hilton are wealthy N.Y. socialites, yet they can’t really seem to keep their kids in check either. Paris…need I say more? Nicky already has one quickie Las Vegas marriage under her belt. And now Barron, the 3rd of the Hilton children (don’t worry there are only 4) has decided to announce his presence to the world. Barron was arrested at 8:04 a.m. for driving under the influence. Did I mention Barron is 18 years old? Even Paris waited till her mid-twenties to get drunk and drive! But like a good older sister Paris refused to bail him out when he called her from jail…she wanted him to learn a lesson. Hmm…maybe instead of learning in jail he could learn from a responsible sister and actively involved parents (just a thought).

In Honor of President’s Day:

Now that John McCain is officially the front-runner for the GOP nomination the endorsements are coming from every direction. Mitt Romney officially endorsed his former competitor…I smell VP action here! Former President Bush and his other son, former Florida Governor Jeb Bush, have also endorsed the Maverick. Hillary Clinton kept on crying on the campaign trail but to no avail. And not to be outdone Barack Obama showed that he’s ready for the job by winning a Grammy for “Spoken Word Book”. There were also some primaries. The Potomac Primaries were held on February 12th and consisted of Washington D.C., Maryland and Virginia. McCain and Obama won all 3. Mike Huckabee is still holding on. He won’t give up till the Republican convention decides the obvious…McCain is their nominee. Where it’s really heating up is between Clinton and Obama. Mrs. Clinton called out Obama for talking the talk, but not walking the walk saying, “talk is cheap”. They’re also fighting over superdelegates! Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No it’s Superdelegate! What is a superdelegate? Superdelegates, a mainly Democratic party term, are primarily members of government and party elders who are free to back any candidate they choose and help choose the party’s nominee. And you thought politics were boring?!?

News Potpourri:

I'll leave you with some quick news tidbits that couldn't fit either here or there so they're getting their own paragraph! Uno, the world’s cutest beagle after Snoopy, won the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show. Like any celebrity he did his promotional tour hitting all the major talk shows and even ringing the opening bell on Wall Street. Stamps are going up in price by $.01 in May bringing the final price to a whopping $.42. So if I were you I would stock up on my Forever stamps pronto! There was another school shooting. Steven Kazmierczak, a 27-year-old grad student killed five people and himself at Northern Illinois University. He didn’t seem to have a motive, but apparently he had some severe mental problems and stopped taking his antidepressant medication because it mad him feel like a zombie. Mariah Carey’s new album is coming soon so she decided to show her other side…her more intelligent side. The album’s title is “E=MC2”, and the first single is called “Touch My Body”…I wonder if that’s one of Einstein’s lesser-known theories? There was a rumor that singer Fergie was pregnant…but that was debunked about 3 seconds later when she showed up at the Grammys in a skintight dress. It’s a dark day for technology. Polaroid announced that it will no longer make the infamous instant-film camera due to technological advances. Man are they ahead of the times. “Fool’s Gold” with Kate Hudson and Matthew McConaughey came in 1st at the box office proving 2 hot blondes can sell even the worst movie, while “The Hottie and the Nottie” with Paris Hilton tanked proving that 1 hot blonde does not a blockbuster make. The most exciting thing to happen in our nation’s capital this past week was Roger Clemens’ and Brian McNamee’s testimony in front of the House on the use of steroids and human growth hormones (HGH)…this is where your tax money goes. The gist of the testimony was this…Clemens-“I didn’t take steroids/HGH”; McNamee-“He did take steroids/HGH”. Now that you know the truth doesn’t it all make sense? Beatle Paul McCartney and gold-digger Heather Mills have yet to reach a settlement in what is potentially the most expensive divorce in British history; a judge will now decide for them. Kosovo (here’s a map for those who have no idea where it is… http://www.un.org/spanish/works/emergencies/kosovo.jpg) was declared an independent and sovereign state (the U.S. and UN are happy, but Serbia and Russia are p*ssed off…no one ever said becoming independent was going to be easy).

I hope this gives you an idea of what's going on in the world. Buck up…it's not so bad! Kosovo is finally free and Britney may finally be back to normal. All is right with the world!

Now go and have an intellectually stimulating conversation with your neighbor about what you've just learned.

~t

T-Time Weekly News Update for the Week of February 4th-10th 2008

T-Time
Weekly News Update for the Week of February 4th–February 10th 2008

Do you work all day and have no time or energy to find out what's going on in the world? Do you get bored and impatient watching TV anchors tell you over and over what's going on? Do you sometimes care more about what Britney Spears is doing than what President Bush said during his State of the Union address? If you answered yes to even one of these questions this is what you've been waiting for! Every week I'm going to give you a quick rundown of the past week's biggest headlines. I won't bore you with minute details and shove tons of information down your throats. These are just the facts with a little humor for measure! And if you want to know more you can always just Google it or ask me.

Grammys are Middle Aged:
The Grammys celebrated their 50th Anniversary. There were a ton of mixed generation performances and other widely varying musical numbers. Alicia Keys performed a tribute “with” Frank Sinatra. Cirque de Soleil’s Love performance for the soundtrack from Across the Universe was exciting and different. Kanye West performed a sentimental tribute to his mamma who died from plastic surgery complications. Tina Turner and Beyonce killed it. Beyonce is very reminiscent of a young Turner. The Foo Fighters proved that they’re still kings of rock. Although Amy Winehouse’s visa to the U.S. was first denied and then approved, she still didn’t show due to logistical issues so she performed via satellite. Apparently Fergie and Kid Rock can actually sing! Both performed separately and actually had decent voices. There were a ton of other great performances as well. All together nothing too shocking happened. Here are some of the winners (and unlike my disastrous Golden Globe picks…I was much more on point with these awards). And if you’re curious for more you can see all the winners here: http://www.grammy.com/GRAMMY_Awards/.

RECORD OF THE YEAR:
Irreplaceable – Beyoncé
The Pretender - Foo Fighters
Umbrella - Rihanna Featuring Jay-Z (was my pick)
What Goes Around…Comes Around - Justin Timberlake
Rehab - Amy Winehouse (I wasn’t sure if Amy would win all of the categories, but this was a huge win for her)

ALBUM OF THE YEAR:
“Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace” - Foo Fighters
“These Days” - Vince Gill
“River: The Joni Letters” - Herbie Hancock (I told you…they always go for the old guys)
“Graduation” - Kanye West
“Back To Black” - Amy Winehouse

SONG OF THE YEAR:
“Before He Cheats” - Carrie Underwood
“Hey There Delilah” - Plain White T’s
“Like A Star” - Corinne Bailey Rae
"Rehab” - Amy Winehouse (I was right…it was a huge hit and the least annoying song on this list)
“Umbrella” - Rihanna Featuring Jay-Z

NEW ARTIST:
Feist
Ledisi
Paramore
Taylor Swift

Amy Winehouse (this was the easiest category to pick. Amy was the best of the bunch.)


Super Duper Puper Tuesday:
So Super Tuesday was definitely super…no surprise there. The candidates are trying to gather up as many delegates as possible. Here are the states that each candidate has won so far (this includes previous primaries/caucuses through February 9th). Barack Obama has Alabama, Alaska, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Maine, Minnesota, Missouri, North Dakota, Nebraska, South Carolina, Utah and Washington. John McCain has Arizona, California, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Illinois, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Oklahoma, South Carolina and Washington. Hillary pulled out all the stops and cried AGAIN, this time it was at her alma mater Yale Law School. Clinton has Arizona, Arkansas, California, Florida, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Nevada, Oklahoma and Tennessee. Mitt Romney decided that it would be best for the Republican Party if he dropped out of the Presidential race. For the first time in his whole campaign he seemed to show some genuine vulnerability and emotion…he was obviously holding back tears when he made his announcement. But watch out…he’ll most likely be back in 2012. With Mitt out of the picture John McCain will most likely be the GOP nominee. But Mike Huckabee is still in the running. The states feeling the Huckaboom are Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Iowa, Kansas, Lousiana, Tennessee and West Virginia. Celebrities continue to come out in full force to show their political support. Jack Nicholson, in true womanizer form, is supporting Hillary Clinton. Ugly Betty’s America Ferrara and Ted Danson also love them some Hillary. Chuck Norris will karate chop anyone in Huckabee’s way. Scarlett Johansson, Usher, Kerry Washington, Kate Walsh all adore Obama. There must be some tension in the Schwarzenegger home since Arnold is supporting McCain while his wife Maria Shriver, a Kennedy relative, is part of the Obama fan club.

Celebs Are People Too:
Oops she did it again…Ms. Britney Spears left the psych ward at UCLA earlier than predicted. Of course chaos ensued…paparazzi swarmed her car as she tried to drive away. She tried to fight her dad’s conservatorship over her estate, but it looks like things are staying as is. She seems to be doing better…staying at home, dancing and spending time with her father (not the psychos she’s usually surrounded by). Tori Spelling is reproducing yet again…oh the horror. JLo’s father has confirmed to People Espanol that Ms. Lopez and her hubby Marc Anthony are expecting twins. Lindsay Lohan has been doing a lot of interviews now that she’s out of rehab. She’s currently on the cover of Harper’s Bazaar. When asked to reflect on her tumultuous past year Lindsay answered, “What was I thinking?” I don’t know Lindz…what were you thinking?!? Heath Ledger’s toxicology reports came back. Heath died of acute intoxication by the combined effects of oxycodone, hydrocodone, diazepam, temazepam, alprazolam, and doxylamin (a.k.a. accidental overdose of prescription drugs). His body was finally laid to rest in Perth Australia. Kirsten Dunst and Pat O’Brien have decided too join the cool gang and entered rehab. Angelina Jolie is doing her part as a UN Goodwill Ambassador and traveled to Afghanistan and Iraq to visit the troops and refugees and ignoring the obvious pregnancy questions.

News Potpourri:
I'll leave you with some quick news tidbits that couldn't fit either here or there so they're getting their own paragraph! Heather Mills is still trying to get all of Paul McCartney’s money. But Ms. Mills owes so much back pay to her lawyers that she’s representing herself in court…good luck with that sweetie! The NY Giants celebrated their big Super Bowl win with a huge parade in downtown NY. Did you ever wonder what happens to all those Super Bowl shirts made in case the Patriots won? They get shipped to Nicaragua and other countries in need…so if any New Englanders want to live in an alternate universe you know where to go. A tornado ravaged the South and took the lives of 58 people. President Bush traveled down there to survey the damage…no more Katrina mishaps under his watch! Sarah Silverman gave her boyfriend Jimmy Kimmel the gift of video for his show’s 5 year anniversary: “I’m F*cking Matt Damon”…pure genius if you ask me. Check it out here: http://www.funnyordie.com/videos/8e5cb0aebc. Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow so that means 6 more weeks of winter :( On a happier note the writer’s strike is finally over…eventually our favorite shows will be back on (my DVR is smiling on the inside)!

I hope this gives you an idea of what's going on in the world. Buck up…it's not so bad! We’re still months away from the actual presidential election (only more fun can ensue) and celebrities are as crazy as ever. All is right with the world!

Now go and have an intellectually stimulating conversation with your neighbor about what you've just learned.

~t

T-Time Weekly News Update for the Week of January 27th-February 3rd 2008

T-Time
Weekly News Update for the Week of January 27th–February 3rd 2008

Do you work all day and have no time or energy to find out what's going on in the world? Do you get bored and impatient watching TV anchors tell you over and over what's going on? Do you sometimes care more about what Britney Spears is doing than what President Bush said during his State of the Union address? If you answered yes to even one of these questions this is what you've been waiting for! Every week I'm going to give you a quick rundown of the past week's biggest headlines. I won't bore you with minute details and shove tons of information down your throats. These are just the facts with a little humor for measure! And if you want to know more you can always just Google it or ask me.

Not So Saggy SAGs:
The Screen Actor’s Guild (SAG) Awards were held his past week. You may be asking yourself how this was possible considering the writers are still on strike and the Golden Globes were, for lack of a better term, cancelled. Well basically the answer is that the actors are standing by their writers, a.k.a brown-nosing, so the Guild gave a waiver to the SAG Awards to continue on. What’s unusual, but oh so typical Hollywood, about these awards is that the actors vote for one another. In case their egos weren’t big enough…let’s have your peers tell you how amazing you are! Here is the list of the winners of the bigger categories. The SAG is another good indicator of Oscar winners.

MOVIES:
Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture:

'3:10 to Yuma'

'American Gangster'

'Hairspray'

'Into the Wild'

'No Country for Old Men'

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role:

George Clooney, 'Michael Clayton'

Daniel Day-Lewis, 'There Will Be Blood'

Ryan Gosling, 'Lars and the Real Girl'

Emile Hirsch, 'Into the Wild'

Viggo Mortensen, 'Eastern Promises'

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role:

Cate Blanchett, 'Elizabeth: The Golden Age'

Julie Christie, 'Away From Her'

Marion Cotillard, 'La Vie en Rose'

Angelina Jolie, 'A Mighty Heart'

Ellen Page, 'Juno'

TELEVISION:

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series:

James Gandolfini, 'The Sopranos'
Michael C. Hall, 'Dexter'

Jon Hamm, 'Mad Men'

Hugh Laurie, 'House'

James Spader, 'Boston Legal'

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series:

Glenn Close, 'Damages'

Edie Falco, 'The Sopranos'

Sally Field, 'Brothers & Sisters'

Holly Hunter, 'Saving Grace'

Kyra Sedgwick, 'The Closer'

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series:

Alec Baldwin,'30 Rock'

Steve Carell, 'The Office'

Ricky Gervais, 'Extras'

Jeremy Piven, 'Entourage'

Tony Shalhoub, 'Monk'

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series:

Christina Applegate, 'Samantha Who?'

America Ferrera, 'Ugly Betty'

Tina Fey, '30 Rock'

Mary-Louise Parker, 'Weeds'

Vanessa Williams, 'Ugly Betty'

Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series:'

Boston Legal'

'The Closer'

'Grey's Anatomy'

'Mad Men'

'The Sopranos'

Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series:

'30 Rock'

'Desperate Housewives'

'Entourage'

'The Office'

'Ugly Betty'

Elections…Schmelections:
So Super Tuesday, February 5th, is almost upon us and the presidential race is heating up! There were endorsements, dropouts, successes and failures (cough…Rudy Guiliani). John McCain and Hillary Clinton rocked the Florida primaries followed by Mitt Romney and Barack Obama, respectively. If you are a registered voter in (feel free to sing along to the state song) Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Idaho (Dem only), Illinois, Kansas (Dem only), Massachusetts, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, (Rep only), New Jersey, New Mexico (Dem only), New York, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Utah, West Virginia (Rep only), and not to be forgotten American Samoa (except I honestly would forget…I didn’t even know people there were allowed to vote!) then Tuesday is your first day to actually go to the polls and state your mind. And if you’re not registered, well it’s too late for Super Tuesday, but it’s definitely not too late for super actual presidential election so check out… http://rockthevote.com/. First and foremost you will have 2 less candidates to vote for because both John Edwards and Rudy Guiliani have dropped out of the race. Edwards has not officially endorsed another candidate while Rudy has begun stumping for McCain. The Governator, Mr. Arnold Schwarzenegger, also officially endorsed McCain. Barack Obama hit Clinton where it hurts by being endorsed by Senator Ted Kennedy and his niece Caroline Kennedy. And not to be completely pushed out of the picture President Bush gave his last State of the Union address.

Bipolar Britney:
Progress is finally being made in the craziness that is Britney Spears’ life. After another week of bizarre behavior…speaking in an English accent, driving aimlessly around L.A., getting into screaming matches in the middle of the street with her friends, etc Britney has been admitted to the psych ward at UCLA Medical Center. She is being held for evaluation and is classified a 5150…a.k.a. “a danger to oneself and to others”. Her mother took time away from Britney’s 16-year-old pregnant sister and flew out to L.A. Both her mother and father staged an intervention. Brit’s psychiatrist called in an emergency, and Britney was removed from her house by an ambulance. Apparently Britney was willing to go and understands that she needs help. Right now the claims are that Britney has been diagnosed with bipolar disorder. She has medication but doesn’t like taking it hence the odd behavior. Currently she’s still in the hospital. Her parents have taken legal control over her estate, house, money, medical decisions, etc. Her shady “manager” Sam Lufti is being pushed out of the picture. Hopefully her family will be able to remove all the negative influences and help Britney get back to her good ol’ self.

News Potpourri:
I'll leave you with some quick news tidbits that couldn't fit either here or there so they're getting their own paragraph! Although this week was hectic as usual there were more random stories than long-drawn out ones. So the potpourri is overflowing this week. The giant Giants have won the Super Bowl and kept the Patriots from a perfect 19-0 record! Eli Manning is finally out of his brother’s shadow, and Tom Brady can go cry in Gisele’s arms. There has been a rumor circling around that NKOTB (New Kids On The Block…shame on you for not knowing that) are reuniting. Their official website is up and running again, and there may be a comeback tour. I can only pray so hard…I knew one day Jordan would come back to me! Gwen Stefani is pregnant again. But the news didn’t come from her, her hubby Gavin or even their toddler son Kingston. Gwen’s father-in-law spilled the news to a weekly newspaper…don’t you just love in-laws:p Hannah Montana star Miley Ray Cyrus has become legal. No she’s not 18 yet (pervs)…she legally changed her name to Miley Ray from her birth name Destiny Hope. If this pop star thing doesn’t work she can always go back to Destiny and become a porn star. Drew Peterson, the prime suspect in his 3rd wife’s death and 4th wife’s disappearance, has been making a ton of public appearances. He has decided that he wants a divorce, would like to go on a dating show, and may possibly go on the game show Moment of Truth where contestants are hooked up to lie detector machines and asked very personal questions…very interesting. Drew…you wouldn’t be so lonely if your wives didn’t keep disappearing! In an attempt to be just like Britney Spears it seems like everyone in Hollywood is either going to rehab or the psych ward. Eva Mendes has just checked herself into Circque Lounge rehab center to deal with personal issues, Justin Chambers, Dr. Karev on Grey’s Anatomy, has just checked himself into the same psych ward at UCLA as Ms. Spears due to stress and lack of sleep, and actress Sean Young had entered rehab for alcoholism after a nasty outburst during the Directors Guild Awards ceremony. Speaking of awards…the Grammy Awards will be airing Sunday, February 10th. French President Nicholas Sarkozy has married his model girlfriend Carla Bruni after 4 months of dating…he’s such a P.I.M.P.

I hope this gives you an idea of what's going on in the world. Buck up…it's not so bad! The Giants are Super Bowl Champs and Britney is finally getting the help she so badly needs. All is right with the world!

Now go and have an intellectually stimulating conversation with your neighbor about what you've just learned.

~t

You can also check this out on my official blog at http://ttimeupdate.blogspot.com/ or on www.myspace.com/tgitt.