A Time For Reflection

What a year! Oh, 2008, you really kicked my ass. You were EXHAUSTING. But, there were definitely moments that made me glad I hadn't idolized the Menendez Brothers and ended up in jail.

With that, here's a look back:

Jim and Pam got engaged. FINALLY. Oh, so coy, writers. After four seasons, our favorite office workers got engaged at a gas station. And, somehow, it worked beautifully. Now, let's got on with the wedding.

Cloverfield made me nauseous. Seriously, it did. That hand-held camera nonsense grated after thirty minutes. And nice of Rob to endanger the lives of his friends by making them haul ass over to Beth. Oh, there's just some gigantic alien ripping NY a new one, but he needs to find Beth so he can admit he was an ass to her. Ugh. BUT, Matt Reeves and JJ Abrams gave me Felicity, and for that, I am eternally grateful.

We got a new President. Oh, yes. And he has his work cut out for him. Hope he's enjoying that vacay in Hawaii.

Angie popped out some twins. Better her then me.

Brit made a comeback. And it is still keeping. May 2009 mark a fresh start for the pop tart, starting with a few good weaves.

The economy is going down. That was a quote from a friend of mine. See what an Emerson education can do for you? Our country is a mess, but if Britney can make a comeback, hopefully we can too.

Tina Fey made a better Gov. Palin then Gov. Palin. Tina can turn anything into gold.

And with that, I wish you all a Happy New Year. May 2009 be the Year of Bluntski.

Cate Blanchett

Uh, yeah....she's awesome. Need proof?

Oscar winner, lives out of the spotlight of Hollywood, adored by her peers, wife, mother, embraces the pale, and doesn't whine about fame.

Refreshing, to say the least.

Cate graces the cover of the February Vanity Fair.

Jennifer Aniston, take note.

Tina Fey named Entertainer of the Year

The AP got it right by naming Tina their Entertainer of the Year. Well deserved, don't you think?

Tina beat out Robert Downey Jr. for the top spot, but I'm sure good ole' Rob can live with it. His Iron Man comeback was well received throughout Hollywood, and he is currently filming Guy Ritchie's version of Sherlock Holmes in London. Kudos to Rob for turning it around and getting off the drugs.

Things looked dire for him a few years back. Remember the time he found his way into a stranger's house and fell asleep in a child's bed? Yikes.

Wishing RDJ only good things in 2009.

And now I would like to take the time to wish all of my Celebrity Skewer readers a Happy Hanukkah, Merry Christmas, Festive Kwanzaa, and joyous any and all Holidays you observe.

Fingers crossed I get the Jim Halpert clone under my tree I've been wishing for since Season 1. Tick Tock, Santa.

The Hills finale

Another season of The Hills came to a close last night. Oh, and look at what Christmas miracle we have: Recapper Jessica doing her job and recapping the finale! What do you think of that?

It's the season finale of The Hills tonight. What pre-Christmas goodies did MTV bring us? To wrap up the final episode of '08, here are the top 8 moments from tonight's show:

Brent's reaction to Heidi's wedding: the pause, the stunned silence, the slight eye roll. Classic.

Justin Bobby in overalls, no shirt, on the motorcycle with the huge handlebars.

Good ol' Darlene, ready and waiting to lay the smackdown on Mr. and Mrs. Pratt.

Spencer looking like his laziness is finally equalling fattiness. That is a bloated face underneath all that scruff.

Justin Bobby coughing up a ring, literally, to give Audrina. I swear that's what it looked like to me.

Heidi's plastic face showing some emotion during her five minute reunion with Lauren. The whole interaction was awkward, and kind of sweet. But mostly just awkward.

Crackhead Stephanie being the only sane person in the courtroom. When she's the voice of reason, you're in trouble.

Spencer being the biggest drama king ever and waiting until the last minute to ask Heidi if she was okay with getting married in court. What a novel idea. I'm sure that judge was thrilled to have to deal with this three ring circus.

So, another Hills season has come to a close. Who's in for The City next week? I don't think I have it in me. Ugh, I must be getting old.

A-Rod kicked to the curb already?

Reports are surfacing that Maddie has found herself a studly young Brazilian named Jesus. Seriously.

Hmmm.....A-Rod's wandering eye get him in trouble already? Or did he show up to brunch one day without his Kabbalah bracelet? You know Maddie won't stand for either.

Now if we could only kick him to another team....Merry Christmas to ME!

What a week

John Krasinski and Emily Blunt first photos together. They shall now be known as Bluntski. LOVE THEM!

SAG noms. I really want to see Kate Winslet sweep every and all awards. Long overdue.

Celebrity Rehab finale. I will watch today as it snows and snows and snows. Ugh. Spring '09, I'm looking at you longingly.

Yanks introduce CC and AJ.

My head is spinning and I can feel the pea soup coming up. Time for a nap.

The Piv better watch himself

Oh, Jeremy Piven.

He was working it on Broadway in Speed the Plow during his Entourage hiatus. People were impressed and it was considered a success.

Now he has dropped out and flown back to LA, citing a high level of mercury in his system.

Is 'mercury' the new code for 'cocktails?' Jeremy's party hard ways are no secret in Hollywood. He loves the drink, the ladies, and a good hair piece. Will be interesting to see if this turns into something scandalous or not.

I'm sure he'll be just fine for the Golden Globes next month. Just a hunch.

J Lo and Marc Anthony over?

Are they still relevant? Were they ever?

US Weekly has J on the cover with the headline, 'The Ring is Off!' Mmmhmm.

Seems the Mrs. went to the Benji Button premiere without her wedding ring. An oversight? Doubtful. J seems too calculated for that. Especially since she looked stunning on that particular red carpet. She knew there would be paps and press and she's been in the business long enough to know how to draw some attention.

So, the question then becomes, did she send Marc a message by not wearing her ring or was she just trying to get the media talking about her?

Well played, J. Well played.

ETA: The two were spotted at dinner in NYC last night, with J sporting her rock. And I don't mean Marc Anthony!

Stay tuned.

The Hills

More hijinx from the worst "reality" on television:

Only one episode left before next week's finale. What will be the big season ender? Hmmm...until we figure it out, let's get on with tonight's ep.

The Mexican sunlight really adds a different element to the gross fuzz that is on Spencer's face.

Doesn't Lauren look a shade too Oompa Loompa?

Did you catch the car parked outside Audrina's house? It was very Ghostbusters-esque. I'm hoping it's Justin Bobby's ride, just because it would be so fitting.

Can the finale musical guest match the past live Hills event performances of Mimi Carey and Usher? Ha, here's hoping.

Brody better not get too handsy with Whitney, or Aussie NYC werewolf will have some words for him.

Spencer's proposal sounded more like a stalker note than a romantic profession of love. What a psycho.

And what girl doesn't want to down tequila shots to convince her to get married the following day? This is what dreams are made of people.

Lauren starts up with the waterworks at lunch with Whitney. She cries alot. Good thing she still has the jumbo sunglasses to cover the tears.

I can't believe that chapel didn't disintegrate the minute Spencer stepped inside of it.

Now we have to see Pratt wedding #2 next week? Ugh, spare me.

John Taylor, please don't look old tonight

I'm seeing Duran Duran tonight. Jealous? You should be!

I love Duran Duran. Sue me. They were my life in the 80s because they made weird videos and had ridiculous hair and Nick Rhodes was the first guy I ever saw wear makeup (which is probably why I didn't bat an eyelash while seeing dudes at Emerson College wear eyeliner or even wear a dress if the mood were to strike). Thanks, Nick Rhodes.

John Taylor was my favorite. Cute and played an instrument and wasn't a limelight whore (uh, Simon). So, tonight I will see him and hopefully be far enough away to not see that he has aged, a lot, which would make me feel old and cranky and remind me that I have aged, A LOT. Ugh.

Of course, I'm hoping that before the show I will win millions at a slot machine. Then I can buy a few rounds and everyone will look young and I can sit with John after the show and discuss plastic surgery.

Someone buy Jennifer Connolly a burger

Or, if she's a vegetarian like me, a few pints of Ben & Jerry's. Girlfriend is thin. Like scary thin.

She was on Letterman Monday night to promote The Day the Earth Stood Still. The minute she walked out on stage I said, "Holy s***, she's skinny." True story.

The last time she looked this thin to me was when she won the Oscar for A Beautiful Mind. She was gaunt. Her boyfriend had just dumped her (nice one, Josh Charles. Ugh.) and she looked like she hadn't slept/eaten in months.

I haven't heard rumblings of trouble in her marriage to Paul Bettany. She did, however, admit to Dave that her father had passed away recently. Perhaps she is just someone that deals with stress/grief by not eating. I hope that is it and am sorry for her loss.

I will eat enough for both of us throughout the day, I'm sure.

The Day the Earth Stood Still opens Friday.

The Hills

It's a holiday miracle! An on time recap was in my inbox this morning. Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus.

Please pay very close attention to the 2nd sentence of this recap. Speaks volumes, doesn't it?

First of all, I plead sickness for depriving you of your weekly dose of recapping goodness last week. As for the other times I've missed a post in the past, well I just plead laziness.

DVF. It's finally time for Whitney to break out her printed wrap dresses, Diane von Furstenberg (and Whit's very own NYC-based spin off) is calling.

The Conrads are moving out of Laguna Beach. The end of an era.

"Go be a nun. Join like...a nun's thing." Another intelligent nugget from Mr. Spencer Pratt.

The commercial they showed for The City doesn't exactly make me about to die with anticipation for the premiere. New (surely annoying) skinny friends/frenemies: check. Dirty Aussie boyfriend: check. Lots of taxis: check check. And don't even get me started on Brody's show, Bromance. Seriously, MTV? Someone sanctioned this name?

I wish when Lauren went home to pack up her Laguna bedroom, the younger sister that was on one of the bad Laguna seasons was there. I'd love to see what she's up to nowadays.

Did Whitney go into the interview knowing she was gonna get the gig? Since DVF let the MTV cameras into their office in the first place, wouldn't that kind of be a tip off?

Lauren and Lo on the Laguna cliffside, saying their final goodbye to the Conrad manse. I couldn't love it more.

The big question for next week: can I watch the Montag-Pratt nuptials without throwing up?

James Fallon in small doses

Apparently that's how most people like him.

I, however, am a Jimmy fan and hope that he does well when he takes over Conan O'Brien's spot next year (when Conan takes over for Jay Leno - Thank God. Ugh. Jay is the worst).

Starting tonight, Jimmy will be posting video blogs on nbc.com. They will be five minutes long and appear at 12:35 am. Not sure what Jimmy will be doing (I've always loved his song parodies, so fingers crossed), but I am curious to see what he brings to the table.

I am a huge Conan fan and hope that he finds a bigger audience when he takes over The Tonight Show. Jimmy will have a great lead-in and I hope he can make his quirkiness work for a late night tv audience.

Best of luck to you, Jimmy.

The 10 Most Fascinating People of 2008

Barbara Walters has a list and a tv special to boot. I agree with Michael Phelps and Tina Fey. I mean, I was enthralled by the Olympics (a first for me) and how long Michael's arms are. And need I say more about the genius of Tina Fey? Adore her.

And since we can (fairly) safely assume that our next President will be #1, I can say that is a good and obvious choice.

But the rest of Barbara's list? Just stop. Tom Cruise? Really, Babs? Uh...as I said to my friend Scott last night, Tom hasn't been fascinating since Top Gun (and now, years later, long after my crush on him has died a humble death, I realize that the reason Tom looked so confident and happy in that film was because of the volleyball scene. That scene made his life because of all the shirtless dudes he was surrounded by). You know he and Kelly McGillis did not get along, right?

Rush Limbaugh? No. Miley Cyrus? Ugh. Frank Langella? I know he's getting buzz for Frost/Nixon, but is he fascinating? Sorry, Frank. The dude that keeps getting pregnant? Yawn.

Here is my own list of the 10 Most Fascinating People of 2008:

10. The woman from QVC that is always shown on The Soup. Thanks to Scott for that fascinating entry that I couldn't agree with more.
9. The writers of Prison Break. Man, what are they smoking?
8. Minka Kelly. She went from John Mayer (gag) to Derek Jeter and she gets paid to smooch on Taylor Kitsch. Do tell, Minka.
7. Kathy Griffin's mom. After the loss of her husband, she is just as strong and vibrant as ever. She loves the gays and a box of wine, and gave birth to one of the funniest people to ever live. Kudos.
6. My cat. She is very picky about her litter brand and will turn her nose if she doesn't like her dry food. Feline diva!
5. Keri Russell. Lives a quiet life in Brooklyn with her husband and son, and has come into her own on stage and in film. And I have A LOT of questions/comments about Felicity.
4. John Krasinski. Tall. Funny. Cute. Smart. Even made his Unibomber look work for an upcoming movie. Impressive.
3. Hilary Clinton. Presidential hopeful. Secretary of State. She had my vote and I'm confident she will do quite well in the new Administration.
2. Tina Fey. Wife, mother, former Head Writer of SNL, creator of 30Rock, Emmy winner, Palin impersonator, genius.
1. Barack Obama. Gives hope at a time when it is in short supply. Makes me look forward to January for the first time in years.

Barbara's special airs this Thursday at 10:00 on ABC. Mine exists in my mind.

A new month brings little surprise

Last I checked, there was a new episode of The Hills last night. While watching Britney's harrowing documentary on Sunday night (gag), I saw commercials showing LC and Audrina finally sitting down to 'chat' over the whole JB/LC mess.

So, imagine my surprise (or not!) while checking my inbox this morning. No review of last night's episode from Diva. Hmmmm....where was she? Chasing criminals along the Inner Harbor? Throwing back shots while watching Monday Night Football? Sleeping? Doing drugs?

I hope to have an answer soon and will break in with a special update when I get word. Stay tuned!

In other news, WTF is going on with Prison Break? And is anyone else distressed over the lack of chemistry this season between Michael and Dr. Sara? Something is amiss.