T-Time
Weekly News Update for the Week of January 6-12th 2009

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.

Award Shows and Celebrities:

The best part of a new year?!? Awards shows!!! This past week saw the People's Choice Awards, Critics' Choice Awards, and most importantly Golden Globes. For the most part, T-Time's favorite movie of the year Slumdog Millionaire swept all of the awards, and the late Heath Ledger has been winning posthumously for his role in The Dark Knight. But don't worry...there are still tons of awards shows coming up. The NAACP nominations came out...you can see the entire list here.

Patrick Swayze gave an intimate interview to Barbara Walters on 20/20 where he admitted to being "scared as hell" and possibly only having 2 years left to live. He was diagnosed with Stage 4 pancreatic cancer a year ago. And just last Friday the star admitted himself into a hospital after coming down with pneumonia, a complication from all his chemotherapy treatments. Howie Mandel was just hospitalized for heart pains and a possible heart attack.

Fergie and Josh Duhamel finally tied the knot after a few years of dating and a year-long engagement. One day they are and the next they are not...but it seems official that Gisele Bundchen and Tom Brady are engaged. Who's the Boss? and Charmed actress Alyssa Milano got engaged to CAA agent David Bugliari. New couple alert...Carrie Underwood is rumored to be dating NHL player Mike Fisher. R. Kelly finalized his divorce from his wife of 11 years. Who knew he was even married?!? Dexter's Michael C. Hall and Jennifer Carpenter secretly got hitched. Amy Winehouse's hubby, Blake Fielder-Civil, is filing for divorce from the troubled singer.

Jennifer Garner and Ben Affleck welcomed their 2nd daughter...no name has been released yet. Ugly Betty's Ana Ortiz is expecting her first child. Kevin James took being a Mets fan a little too far and named his daughter Shea.

The stars are keeping busy with side work.Tori Spelling is making her debut on 90210 the show her late father created and what made her "famous". The newest cast of Celebrity Apprentice has been announced. Gwyneth Paltrow is reportedly looking to open up a chain of gyms with her trainer (Madonna's trainer too) Tracy Anderson. If a gym can make me look like Paltrow or Madge then sign me up! Love Paris Hilton? Own everything Paris? Well now you can buy the "Paris Hilton Craft Kit". Seriously...she likes to craft and hopes that you will too! James Gandolfini is making his way to the Great White Way in the play God of Carnage. U2's Bono is proving yet again that he's more than just an awesome musician. He will now be contributing as an Op-Ed columnist to the New York Times.

The Office of President-elect Barack Obama:

The Congress officially certified Obama as President. Sure the people spoke, but technically the Congress has to declare it..fluff ceremony. It was a historic moment in the White House last week. All 4 living presidents plus the soon-to-be President got together for a photo-op and lunch meeting. The last time a group of living presidents got together like that was back in 1981. CNN's medical expert Sanjay Gupta has been picked by the President-elect to be part of his administration as Surgeon General. But the really big decision still seems to be about the First Dog...the 2 breeds in the running are Labradoodles and Portuguese Water Hounds. Obama's got a serious new ride in the presidential car. And to add to his cool factor...he's been partnered up with Spiderman. Obama has also picked Rt. Rev. V. Gene Robinson, the first openly gay bishop of the Episcopal Church, to give an invocation at the Lincoln Memorial. Next Tuesday, January 20th is the big day...Inauguration Day!

Ben & Jerrys is coming out with a new flavor in honor of the new President-elect..."Yes PeCan".

President Bush is busy tying up loose ends. He gave his final press conference (where he said how he really felt about everything over the past 8 years), met with his cabinet for one last time and will give a farewell address this Thursday at 8 p.m. Eastern.

For any of you MSNBC lovers/haters Chris Matthews set the record straight...he is not running for Pennsylvania Senate. Is he or isn't going to be impeached? That is the question still plaguing Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich. Sarah Palin has been lying low recently but a new interview is making its round on YouTube where she says everything she really thinks about what happened during the campaign trail.

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! If the English Princes, William and Harry, weren't spoiled enough their g-ma just gave them even more rights and responsibility. They received their own "royal household" including staff and personal "cyphers"/emblems. iTunes will slowly be changing to "iTunes Plus" format, DRM-free, so now when you download music from the iTune store you have more freedom with it! The economic crisis is hitting everyone hard. Banks came crashing down, automakers are about to go out of business, and now the porn industry is asking for a share of the bailout pie. "Legitimate" businessman like Hustler's Larry Flynt and Girls Gone Wild's Joe Francis are asking for money cause the porn industry is suffering. NY Fashion Week is going to look pretty different this year. Some big name designers like Vera Wang, Betsey Johnson, Monique Lhuillier, and Carmen Marc Valvo are backing out of showing in the tents cause it's too expensive. But Justin Timberlake's line, William Rast, will be there. Nastia Liukin is using her 15 minutes of fame to use...she's now the face of Max Azria. Clint Eastwood's latest flick, Gran Torino came in #1 at the box office. The old man still has it.

I hope this gives you an idea of what's going on in the world. Buck up…it's not so bad! Awards seasons is upon us! 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.