Fancast: Inside TV

For Tila Tequila, it was worse than being called fat or ugly. When the New York Post's gossip column Page Six quoted a source saying MTV's A Shot At Love star was not bisexual but straight ("Our insider claims that MTV works hard to pretend she's single and available because she refuses to break up with her boyfriend, `who's like five years older than her. This is a massive scam'..."), well, it caused the pint-sized My Space pinup with two million-plus friends to froth on her official website that her search for the perfect mate, be that male or female, was no act.

First of all, let me just say that whomever they are getting their "sources" from needs to be fired real fast! I find it absolutely absurd that they would even make such an ignorant statement such as " She's made out with some girls in her past, as all girls have, but she is not bi at all."

That is such an absurd stereotype to place on all women and it just shows people how ignorant people can be! The thing that made me laugh the most and how you can tell the "source" was lying was because how they talk about me so called having a boyfriend and they said "He's like....5 years older then her" Just look at the way they talk about it. Apparently these are made up rumors. People are really silly to have so much time on their hands to call up newspapers and make up lies. Second of all....how could I always be "late" when I could never leave on the first place??? We filmed at MY reality house so that means that I lived in the house with everyone else. I was never allowed to leave....ever...not even to meet up with friends for lunch! That's the way it worked. The producers wanted the contestants and I to be really engaged in each other so they thought it would be best that I never leave or have contact with the outside world! HELLLOOO! Arriving late...pshhhh...my ass! Another funny thing was how they said I never even talk to contestants between takes. Can we say "HA HA HA?" because there were no "TAKES" seeing how it's a reality show. They producers just keep filming us as we go live and then they take all the footage to edit the episodes....so there's not any time for "RE-TAKES" you think all the girlfights and our crying was shot like more than once? I think not, and if that were the case then DAMN....where are our Academy Awards for our fabulous acting skills??? Pfffft!

If it seems like only last week we wrote about Elizabeth Berkley signing on as a recurring character on CSI: Miami, it was. Now we're delighted to report, if only to use the above photograph of Berkley from the erotic cult film Showgirls, that she's agreed to host Bravo's new dance competition series Step It Up And Dance. While our first reaction was probably similar to yours -- why do we need another dance competition show -- we're going to reserve judgment because it's being produced by Jane Lipsitz and Dan Cutforth of Magical Elves, who also produce Project Runway and Top Chef.

The math is simple. What's 24 times 2? The answer is the number of days in jail Keifer Sutherland was handed yesterday in relation to a drunk driving arrest last September. The 24 star began serving his sentence immediately at the Glendale city jail. "There will be no early release and no good time work time," said LA City Attorney spokesman Nick Velasquez. "He will serve the entire sentence." Sutherland aos received five years probation, six months of weekly therapy sessions, and he has to complete an 18-month alcohol program. Production on Sutherland's series has been shut down because of the writer's strike, but full episodes are available for viewing by clicking here.

Yes, we saw the report that Harvard is increasing the amount of financial aid it provides its students, thus relieving the burden on parents forpaying the full $45,000 annual tuition, even for the more than 100 or so who earn $200,000 or more. While we fully approve and wish other institutions would follow, we were appalled yesterday by Live With Regis and Kelly co-host Kelly Ripa who whined that she'll have to "work forever" because of the dough she and her husband Mark Consuelos will have to shell out to send their kids to college. We looked up her Live salary. According to New York magazine, that show pays her $7 million a year. So next time you hear Ripa say "pretty soon there will be Kelly Ripa dog food," as she did yesterday, you have every right to respond, PAH-LEEZE!

Just because we have friends who adore Private Practice's Tim Daly, we're running two different looks. You decide which you like best. Let us know.

In the meantime, how well do you know Tim Daly? Take the quiz.

1. Daly's father is named
a. Tyne
b. Richard
c. Jim

2. Daly attended which college?
a. Middlebury
b. Yale
c. Bennington

3. Daly's biggest series prior to Private Practice was called
a. Deal or Squeal
b. Sings
c. Wings

4. Daly is
a. 45 years old
b. 51 years old
c. so hot it doesn't matter

5. Daly's wife is named
a. Alix
b. Amy
c. Jason

answers: 1) c; 2) c; 3) c; 4) b; 5) b

Longtime Jeopardy host Alex Trebek is recuperating at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center after suffering a minor heart attack earlier today at his Studio City, CA home. ET broke the story earlier, and show spokesman Jeff Ritter said, "Thankfully it was a minor heart attack." The official Jeopardy website said the 67-year-old Trebek "is resting comfortably in a Los Angeles hospital, and he will be back in the studio for the next scheduled tapings in January."

Jessica Alba has taken on a new role -- mommyhood. The 26-year-old star confirmed yesterday through her publicist that she and her boyfriend, Cash Warren, are expecting their first child. "I can confirm that Jessica and Cash are expecting a baby in late spring, early summer," Alba's rep Brad Cafarelli told People magazine exclusively. Her due date? Late spring or early summer. Alba and Warren met on the set of The Fantastic Four. She recently wrapped The Love Guru with Mike Meyers and Justin Timberlake. We're wondering if this news will impact searches on sexy photos of Alba. Hmmm...

"It's true. They're thrilled," says a rep for Heroes star Ali Larter, who accepted a promise of betrothal form her longtime boyfriend Hays MacArthur. In other words, as People magazine reported, they're engaged. "I told my boyfriend after three weeks that I wanted to marry him and that we could do it tomorrow," Larter recently said. "I look forward to that time when I'm home with babies."

We weren't a fan of Tina Brown's Vanity Fair. Nor her stint editing The New Yorker. Nor have we read any of her books on her Doppelganger, the late, great tabloid sensation Princess Diana. Either we weren't interested in what she had to say (the books) or we thought her taste, while highbrow and smart, was a slightly off, like Masterpiece Theater with Heather Locklear and Jessica Simpson in crop tops. Now comes word via 70s and 80s gossip maven Liz Smith, who's still squeezing the juice for the NY Post, that "the amazing Tina Brown" has signed a first-look deal with HBO to bring them exciting projects. Standing ovations to the network for Flight of the Conchords, Entourage (though let's face it, that show seems to have jumped), and The Wire. We'll have to wait and see the accented fare Brown serves up. In the meantime, why, when the media world is in a near-frenzied state of change, evolution, and potential for something new and different, do deals like this, deals with 80s throwbacks, get made? For the same reason people by $110 throwback T-shirts plated with old photos of Bob Dylan. Because network execs want to be seen lunching with Brown at New York's media hot spot Michaels and they want to invite her to their parties. The rest of us pay the tab.

Nickelodeon has confirmed the pregnancy of 16-year-old Jamie Lynn Spears, who stars in their series Zoey 101. "We respect Jamie Lynn's decision to take responsibility in this sensitive and personal situation. We know this is a very difficult time for her and her family, and our primary concern right now is for Jamie Lynn's well being."

Actress Danielle Fishel, who starred for seven seasons on ABC's "Boy Meets World," was arrested earlier last Thursday when police in Newport Beach stopped her for an outstanding drunk driving warrant out of Los Angeles. She was stopped at 5 a.m. Fishel has been working as a correspondent for the Tyra Banks Show. Our favorite headline? Girl Meets Cops (thanks thehollywoodgossip.com). All we can say -- add your own degree of shock and disappointment -- is "Oh Topanga!" We need to get that show on Fancast. Some of our best times were spent watching Cory Matthews and Mr. Feeney. By the way, where is Will Friedle?

Sexy actress Jessica Alba, preparing for her new role as a mom, made it official with the baby-to-be's father, Cash Warren. The two got engaged, her rep confirmed over the holiday. Per reports, Alba was also spotted wearing a diamond engagement ring. "I can confirm that they are engaged," says publicist Brad Cafarelli. The two met on her 2004 movie The Fantastic Four. We like that Warren's actor father, Michael Warren, can be seen on Fancast in his Emmy-nominated role as police officer Bobby Hill on the classic series Hill Street Blues.

There's nothing newsworthy about Cecelia Ahern, but she's one of those people who, after discovering her, you tell your friends about if only to make them feel as lousy about their accomplishments as you do yours. From the above photo, you can see Ahern is pop star cute, but here's the part that made us take notice: At 26 years old, she's written four novels, the first of which was P.S., I Love You. She co-created ABC's hit series "Samantha Who." And her dad is prime minister of Ireland.

So now that you're as nauseous with envy as we were upon reading about her last weekend in a nifty L.A. Times Q&A, we'll share some of the piece that makes her, on top of her talent and fortune, seem utterly charming and likable.

Will you take us through your path a bit? You were, like, born in the '80s and now you're a network TV creator-producer?

Yeah! I was born in '81! I wrote my first book when I was 21. Do you want me to take you right through?

No. I want you to tell me your secrets of success.

With "Samantha Who?" [ABC's] head of comedy development, Amy Hartwick, got in touch after reading "P.S., I Love You." And she asked if I'd like to do a TV show. I knew she'd liked the way I wrote the stories I'd told, and the positive side that comes through, and all my stories about women on journeys about self-discovery -- but every week? So I came on the idea of someone who knows nothing about themselves. . . . I figured out [Samantha] was a terrible person too. That's the twist. She figured out she was a horrible person.

Your sister married young and quite well.

Funnily enough, [elder sister Georgina Ahern and singer Nicky Byrne] were together since they were 14. We were all in school together. They started going out from then. He wasn't in the band, but she encouraged him to follow his dream. The band is still together -- they're called Westlife. It's funny how it works! Everyone in the family seems to follow their passions. Find what you love and work hard at it.

That's a crazy idea!

I left college to write the book. I got my degree but -- and my mom and dad were like great, brilliant, write a book. I had a story to tell for myself. I think a lot of parents would be: "Do something where you get paid, do a proper job." They're very open-minded and that's been very helpful. I could have gotten embarrassed and put my pen down and gotten a job that I'd hated.

Did your father ever worry about what you might write?

No -- he knew I was writing fiction. I told him all along what I was writing, but it was a very private thing. I wrote "P.S., I Love You" in three months. I hibernated and wrote all night and slept all day. They just let me go with the flow. . . . It was a funny time looking back on it. When I got my book deal I rang him up and told him and he said, "What's it about again?" And I said, "It's fiction, don't worry, I'm not revealing any secrets."

So it was concocted in a fit of mania!

Completely! It wasn't planned! But that's what happens when I get an idea. It just overtakes life. The world I'm writing about becomes stronger than the world I'm living in. Everything stops. It's a bit scary.

Elisabeth Hasselbeck returned to work last Monday on The View after giving birth to son Taylor nearly three months ago. If only Rosie O'Donnell would've returned, too, but Hasselbeck told Good Morning America that she's moved past that controversial day last April when she fought with Rosie, leading to the comedian's departure. "People sort of feel we had this rivalry the entire time," she said. "It wasn’t. That day was a combination of things. It was an emotional topic. Two people discussing war will bring emotion to the table. We haven’t spoken by phone, but we’ve talked by email. It was nice. I think we’re in a good place. I really do." As for her current comedian co-hosts, Whoopi Goldberg and Sherri Shepard, she called them "a great team," adding: "They bring such humor. Joy is hysterical. It can be overwhelming [to be on the panel with all of them] – but overwhelmingly funny."

What kind of doctor is Dr. Phil? He has a Ph.D. in psychology and practiced for 10 years. But what kind of doctor is he that he released a statement last weekend following his visit (or ambush, according to TMZ) with troubled singer Britney Spears?

That’s the question Spears’ family rep Lou Taylor asked this morning on The Today Show. Taylor explained the Spears family had asked Dr. Phil to speak with Britney after she was taken to Cedars Sinai Medical Center by paramedics following a standoff at her Beverly Hills home. But she said the family was upset and felt violated after Dr. Phil released a statement to Entertainment Tonight (the same company that produces E.T. also produces his talk show) saying, “My meeting with Britney and some of her family members this morning in her room at Cedars leaves me convinced more than ever that she is in dire need of medical and psychological intervention.”

“What’s wrong with Dr. Phil’s statement is that he made a statement,” Taylor said. “The family, basically, extended an invitation of trust for him to come in as a resource to support them, not to go out and make public statements.”

It should be noted that Dr. Phil had scheduled a show on Spears for this week, but cancelled it after media backlash – and we presume a good talking to from him publicist. But he defended himself to E.T. “Somebody needs to step up and provide a vector to get this young woman into some quality care … I do not apologize one whit, not one second,” he said.

Questions:

1. When you sell stories to magazines about your children, you lose come cred in playing the trust card.
2. We wonder why the family called Dr. Phil in the first place. Why not Dr. Laura
3. We guess Bill Murray, Harold Ramis, and Dan Aykroyd were busy. But who are you gonna call? Who would you have called?
4. What's a "vector"? We want one before it shows up on In Style's "hot list".

That photo was the moment: Taylor Hicks celebrating with Katherine McPhee onstage after he won the American Idol Season 5 Finale on May 24, 2006 at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood, California. And today? Billboard.com confirmed an earlier report that former American Idol runner-up Katherine McPhee was dropped by her record label, thus joining Hicks and Idol winner Ruben Studdard as "former members of the Sony BMG family." All three have been dropped by the same label.

McPhee "parted ways with RCA after a solitary album, a 2007 self-titled affair that debuted at No. 2 on The Billboard 200," reported Billboard, adding, "McPhee struggled to connect with a wide audience with her debut, which was led by the single "Over It." That track topped out at No. 22 on Billboard's Top 40 Mainstream chart and No. 29 on the Hot 100. The album has sold just 366,000 units in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan."

Don't fret for McPhee. She's engaged to Broadway actor Nick Cokas; the two plan to marry this year. In addition, she'll make her movie debut in 'I Know What Boys Like.' As for the other two, Studdard is reportedly working on a new album and Hicks, according to his former label publicist, "is going to record on his own for the next album."

Actor John Schneider, who assumes the role of promoter Billy Flynn next Monday in the Broadway production of Chicago, has no love for the movie adaptation of his long-running TV series “Dukes of Hazzard.” “They completely missed the mark, big time,” says Schneider. “Uncle Jesse smoked pot, Daisy was flaunting her stuff, and the language was foul. A lot of people took their kids to see the movie and then they’d find me and say, `How could you have done that?’ I’d say, `Wait a minute. Did you see that I wasn’t in it?’”

In fact, Schneider was so peeved at the adaptation that he sunk $2 million of his own money into the making an independent feature “Collier & Co.” “The movie was such shit that I made my own, the movie that people expected of Bo Duke,” he said. “Unfortunately, I didn’t have any money leftover for marketing or advertising. It played in a few theaters in the south, and since then I’ve sold about 85,000 copies of the DVD. It’s not National Treasure, but I did it out of my car.”

On January 19, Schneider is hoping to recoup some of that investment when one-of-a-kind car dealer Barret-Jackson of Scottsdale, AZ, auctions off his personal General Lee, the souped up Charger used in the 1997 Dukes reunion movie. He claims it's “one of the three most famous cars in the world.” “You’ve got Bonnie and Clydes car, the car Kennedy was in when he was assassinated, and the General Lee,” he says. Schneider tried selling it on Ebay last year but was disappointed by a California car shop owner who bid $10 million and then backed out. He still hopes for millions.

“There’s no reserve, so theoretically it could go for one dollar,” he says, laughingly. “But I’m hoping it lets me make another movie. I don’t know where the first General Lee is, but there’s only one last General Lee – and this is it. It’s perfect for someone with a great car collection or with a money tree they need to prune.”

HIS FAVORITE SHOWS:

House – "I like the procedural nature, and even though the guy is from England, which pisses me off, because if you’re going to come over here and work because you’re from another country, don’t hide your accent. But he's great, and I love the show."

Medium – "A good, strong show. But why each time does someone say to her, `Oh no you can’t be right,' when she’s right every week."

America’s Funniest Home Videos – "I know, it's corny. But in my house we watch it and we laugh."

Hell’s Kitchen – "Great show. I love it. I can’t wait for it to come back. Gordon Ramsay is cool. I don’t see why people think he’s so bad. You can’t be a nice drill instructor."

F-Troop – One of my all-time favorites. I loved it. I'll watch it whenever it's on."

THE BEST SERIES HE'S NEVER SEEN:

Seinfeld - I don’t know how I missed it. I think I was working. Once something gets so much hype, I won’t give it a chance.

THE SERIES HE THINKS EVERYONE STUDYING TV SHOULD SEE:

The Twilight Zone – It's all about the nature of the writing. It was superb, smart, creepy and profound. A lot of great people cut their teeth on that show. It stands up.

Nicole Richie's life is no longer as simple. On Friday, she gave birth to a baby girl, People magazine reported. Harlow Winter Kate Madden arrived to the delight of Richie and her Good Charlotte husband Joel Madden at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. The baby weighed 6 lbs., 7 oz. -- a tad more than Richie's pre-pregnancy weight. "The beautiful healthy baby girl left the hospital with her ecstatic parents," said Richie's rep.

Blue balloons rose across Christina Aguilera's website announcing the happy news. The singer and her husband, music executive Jordan Bratman, welcomed a boy into their family yesterday. Max Liron Bratman arrived on Jaunary 12 weighing six pounds 12 ounces and measuring 20.5 inches. Aguilera wrote,

Dear fans,

Today is a very joyful and special day for Jordan and I as we welcome our first son into this world.

In honor of our love for each other and our growing family, I have put together a special video for the song "Save Me From Myself" off my Back to Basics album. This video is very dear to me as it includes actual footage from our personal wedding video!

Just a little something to say "thank you" for your undying love and support. It is in no small part because of you that I live such a blessed and wonderful life!

With all my love,

Christina

What a way to celebrate? A day after agreeing to appear in High School Musical 3: Senior Year, Zac Efron, 20, underwent an emergency appendectomy yesterday at Los Angeles' Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. "He had his appendix removed and is recuperating," his rep Gina Hoffman said.

Needless extra info: Ashley Judd had an appendectomy last November. About 1 in 500 people has appendicitis each year. The main symptom of acute appendicitis is abdominal pain or abdominal sensitivity.

After decapitating the head of the Statue of Liberty and killing off castaways, J.J. Abrams is already onto a fresh batch of characters. He's like Pamela Anderson following a divorce - "next!" Except Abrams is actually worth paying attention to. The mega-producer/writer/king of anticipation/cool dude (or rich -- sub in whichever word appeals to you) and his Bad Robot Productions team have begun casting for Fox's sci-fi drama Fringe, reports Variety. The two-hour pilot is rumored to be one expensive (upwards of $10 million) freaky mix of The X Files and The Twilight Zone (which you can watch here on Fancast by clicking here).

Our take: Basically Fox didn't think Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader was frightening enough (if you don't think it's true, watch this clip of Kelly Pickler trying to answer questions), so they're hoping Abrams will really scare the crap out of viewers.

How does he crank out hit after hit. The answer? Magic. Check out this awesome lecture where he talks about the influence of magic, his grandfather, and his own mystery box.

Pretty neat, huh? Lost fans, don’t forget season 4 premieres on January 31st. For clips from the upcoming season and seasons past, look no further than here.

John Stewart, an understated performer and songwriter of highly personal, eloquent tunes, and best known for writing the Monkees' hit "Daydream Believer," died yesterday in a San Diego hospital. He was 68.

Stewart, who performed with the folk group The Kingston Trio before striking out on a long solo career, suffered a massive stroke last Thursday, according to the Kingston Trio's website. "The world has lost one of its best men, but a man who lived well and made many people happy with his love, his wit and his music," the statement read. "John Stewart lives on in all of us and will never be forgotten."

"Goodnight, Emily." That's the way many episodes of The Bob Newhart Show ended: with Newhart, in bed, turning to his TV wife, Emily, played by Suzanne Pleshette. It was the best known role in the long career enjoyed by the beloved and bawdy actress, who, after being bid goodnight by friends and family over the past few weeks, died yesterday at her home in Los Angeles following a long bout with lung cancer. She was 70.

" Among her screen credits are "40 Pounds of Trouble," "If It's Tuesday, This Must Be Belgium," "Support Your Local Gunfighter," "The Shaggy D.A.," "The Adventures of Bullwhip Griffin," "The Ugly Dachshund" and "Blackbeard's Ghost," said an excellent tribute in the Los Angeles Times.

"Pleshette, however, is best remembered for playing what New York Times critic Frank Rich once described as "the sensible yet woolly wife" on "The Bob Newhart Show," which ran from 1972 to 1978. Her role as Emily earned her two Emmy nominations.

"Pleshette retired from acting after marrying her second husband, wealthy businessman Tom Gallagher, in 1968. She told TV Guide in 1972 that after she'd been hanging around the house for six months, "my loving husband said, 'You're getting to be awfully boring. Go back to work.' "

Watch numerous full episodes of The Bob Newhart Show by clicking here, and read the entire L.A. Times obituary here.

Over the weekend, as we watched a clip of The Monkees performer "Daydream Believer," a fellow viewer pointed out that Zac Efron looked like Davey Jones. For those who don't remember, Davey Jones was the soft and sensitive-looking (read girlishly boyish and thus cute) lead singer for The Monkees.

Does anyone see a resemblance? Any better suggestions?

The writers strike might be cutting into NBC's ad revenue, but not to fear. Dwight Shrute has come to the network's rescue. According to NBC, their Universal Studios store has sold 150,000 bobbleheads modeled after Shrute, the uber serious Dunder Mifflen paper salesmen on the comedy "The Office."

In honor of this milestone, two very special bobbleheads autographed by actor Rainn Wilson will be available online for "The Office" fans to win. The first highly sought-after bobblehead, available on nbc.com/auctions, will go home with the highest bidder in an online auction. One hundred percent of the bobblehead auction's net proceeds will go to Wilson's charity of choice, the Mona Foundation, which supports children's education projects throughout the world.

Greg Daniels, executive producer of "The Office," joked about the bobbleheads, "Yes, they are fun, but they also serve a business purpose. People who want to manage by consensus can buy six and keep them nodding all the time to whatever they say."

Actor Keifer Sutherland left jail early today after serving a 48-day sentence for drunk driving. According to police, Sutherland spent most of the time by himself and refused to see random visitors. "A lot of people came in to see him off the street: nutritionists, psychics, just random people who thought they could walk up and see him," Glendale Police Officer John Balian told the Associated Press. "That just wasn't going to happen."

Nothing like politicians showing a sense of humor. Last Thursday David Letterman had Democratic Presidential candidate Sen. Barak Obama present a list of his top 10 campaign promises.

10: To keep the budget balanced, I'll rent the situation room for sweet sixteens.

9. I will double your tax money at the craps table.

8. Appoint Mitt Romney secretary of lookin' good.

7. If you bring a gator to the White House, I'll wrassle it.

6. I'll put Regis on the nickel.

5. I'll rename the tenth month of the year "Barrack-tober."

This weekend Saturday Night Live re-airs their 2005 Tom Brady-hosted episode in honor of the New England Patriots' appearance in Sunday's Super Bowl. In the same spirit of fitness, chips and football, we want to help get Fancast users in shape for endless hours of watching and munching this weekend. We recommend working out to the following SNL exercise-themed clips:

The Out of Breath Jogger
We love seeing Andy Sandberg in tight jogging shorts spewing out-of-breath early 90’s non sequiturs like “Spin Doctors” and “Did you see Home Alone 2 yet?”

The Little Richard Simmons Show
Eddie Murphy is a vision in a purple jumpsuit.

Body Fuzion
Watch Desiree (Drew Barrymore) the 80’s fitness instructor teach the other exercisers to “work” their fingers, and lift pencils.

Sports Center
Barry Bonds has definitely not taken steroids, despite his giant hands.

Training For The Gold
Doug Frangello (John C. Reilly) turns dream dust into reality dust, all while wearing a Speedo!

Sex and the City star Sarah Jessica Parker is working on executive producing her own new reality series, reports Variety. Partnering with Top Chef and Project Runway’s Magical Elves production team, the show is rumored to be a kind of Runway for the art world. Contestants will compete in different challenges involving painting, photography and other forms of art. A panel of judges and the other contestants themselves will critique the work (similar to art school crits). With SJP’s appearance on this season’s Project Runway solidifying her pop culture fashion icon status, we’re looking forward to her take on the art world.

Hollywood stars turned out for last night's CNN-sponsored debate between Democratic Presidential hopefuls Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama. Held at the Kodak Theater in Hollywood, the walk in was filled with movie stars, musicians, directors, and producers, making it feel like a warm-up for the Oscars, which are held in the same venue. Following the debate, Obama hung out with Stevie Wonder and Clinton went to a fundraiser.

What did you think of Tom Petty's performance during halftime at yesterday's Super Bowl? Petty played four songs, American Girl, Free Fallin', I Won't Back Down, and Runnin' Down A Dream. All are considered hummable rock standards, but was his low energy style enough to energize the audience of 100 million? How did he compare to previous halftime shows, including Justin Timberlake and Janet Jackson, Aerosmith and Britney Spears, Prince, The Rolling Stones, and Paul McCartney? Who would you rather see?

Early ratings indicated yesterday's Super Bowl was up nearly 9 percent over the previous year and had a shot at being the most watched Super Bowl in history. The most-watched Super Bowl ever was the 1996 game between Dallas and Pittsburgh, with 94.1 million people. The most-watched telecast of all time was the 1983 finale of "M*A*S*H," seen by 106 million people. Stars turned out for the big game as well as the pre-parties.

“Gone Country” is the CMT's biggest hit since the launch of the launch of The Ultimate Coyote Ugly Search in 2006. The spirited competition reality show is hosted by Big and Rich's John Rich and stars Bobby Brown, Dee Snider, Carnie Wilson, Diana DeGarmo, and Maureen Mc