Lacey, you take first place with me

Before "Dancing with the Stars," there was Albany's Times Union Center.

Yes, more than a year prior to teaming up with former *NSync-er Lass Bass here and took third place on this most recent season of "DWTS," dancing hottie Lacey Schwimmer shared a moment outside the Capital District arena, though it wasn't nearly as magical as the jaunt she and Lance seemed to have had here in Disneyland's Main Street U.S.A.

No, long before "DWTS," Lacey was one of the finalists on "So You Think You Can Dance." While it's my GF's fav show, I'd just watch it for one reason: Lacey. So when I had the opportunity to take my GF to the "SYTYCD" tour stop in Albany, I had to take my chance: to both please my GF and (hopefully) meet Lacey.

So, needless to say, when we both met each other outside the arena last September, the sparks flew and the picture speaks for itself:Note Lacey's pouting lips in my picture, just the same as in the one with Lance? The difference: I actually like Lacey, whereas she was just a dance partner to him.

Fear not, though, Lacey. While the voters of "DWTS" might have given you third place, you'll always take the top spot with me!

Tickets? V.I.P. Transportation? S.O.L.

So here's the quandary I find myself in two days before Thanksgiving:

I was able to score a pair of V.I.P. tickets to Friday's edition of NBC's "Today" show, which includes a performance by my favorite solo artist of all-time, the incomparable Barry Manilow. For those not in the know (or who didn't read this earlier post from more than a month ago), Barry just released a new CD of '80s songs — mostly ballads — that he's beeen promoting heavily.

The tickets were not easy to come by, making me want to go even more. The problem?

Living here in Dutchess County, some 82 miles north of the Big Apple, I'm pretty much reliant on Metro North to get to the city for the show. But ... the first MTA train into NYC Friday gets in at 6:25 a.m., 25 minutes after the mandated deadline for us fans to arrive at "Today."

So, what's a fan to do? Drive? Carpool with other Manilow fans? I suppose only time will tell, so stay tuned...

God bless you, Joe Daily

The only thing that's getting me through my cold is the fact that Joe Daily and the folks at Lite FM (that's 92.1 on your FM dial) are playing nothing but Christmas songs 24/7!

Just my luck, I was at Disney World when the festivities began last week, but I came back, got in my car, turned on Lite FM and there they were: Air Supply singing "Winter Wonderland." All was right with the world.

Click here and press the Listen Live Now button to hear what Christmas song is playing right now.

Sure, some bah-humbuggers like my buddy Pete will tell you it's too early to deck the halls with Christmas tunes, but it will help make the time I spend putting up my tree this weekend go like that!

Happy Birthday to you, Mickey!

While I'm still recovering from last week's Disney World vaca (and the cold I quickly caught once we came back), I thought this was a timely entry...
Mickey Mouse, seen here celebrating Miley Cyrus' recent 16th b-day at Disneyland, turns 80 today. That's right, the Big Cheese is five times as old as Hannah Montana!

It was on Nov. 18, 1928, that Mickey debuted in "Steamboat Willie," a 7-minute, black-and-white cartoon which was the first ever to contain talking characters. After that, Mickey became a worldwide icon and the catalyst of many of Walt Disney's greatest achievements. That's why one of Walt's favorite sayings was "It all started with a mouse."

If you head to Disney World, you can meet Mickey in many forms: Chef Mickey, Safari Mickey, Sorcerer Mickey, and on and on and on...

But ... there's only one place where in all of Disney World where you can see Mickey as black-and-white "Steamboat Willie" over here, and that's at the helm of the paddleboat in the celebration scene of "Fantasmic!" which closes Disney's Hollywood Studios most nights.

M-I-C ... see you real soon!

Just in case you can't get your "Sean's Space" fix, my GF and I just returned from Disney World for a magical week-long vacation!

Both of us badly needed a vaca, and where else could we go but the most enchanting place on Earth?! (Just for clarification, Disneyland in California has always been billed as "the happiest place on Earth." I'm just sayin'.) Just as in our first WDW vaca of the year, we had a super -- albeit too short -- week hangin' with Mickey & his pals.

Check back throughout the week for more details on our supercalifragilisticexpialidocious trip to Disney World!

Four years of waiting ... for that?!

Wow! It's all over! After just turning a couple of switches, it's finally over!

Just got back from being Voter No. 1 at my polling place, where my guy was winning, 1-0 after my vote, for at least a minute or two ... until the person behind me voted. Really, though, I can armed (with my iPod here) ready to wait in long lines like the media warned us about. But no, if you get up early enough, you can avoid the long lines that I'm sure will come later today.

As it turned out, I only had to listen to music as I walked to and from my polling place, as those few minutes took longer than the actual voting process.

And after signing the rolls, pulling the curtain, making your choice and pulling the handle again ... you're done, just like that! Who knew?!

'08 Presidential election? Child's play!

Sick of almost two years of presidential campaigning? Had enough of Dems and G.O.P.ers? Hug it out!

Head over to eBay for a charity auction where you can win a one-of-a-kind Cabbage Patch Kids doll, depicting either Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama, his running mate Joe Biden, Republican presidential candidate John McCain or his pick for VP, that cutie Sarah Palin (who I think is a real doll with a button nose), seen here.

All the money raised in the auctions goes to the Marines' "Toys for Tots" program, which I donate new, unwrapped toys to every Christmas. Still, I won't be able to afford these toys.

As I post this, the Illinois senator here is going for $2,850. But that's nothing compared to the hockey mom-turned-Alaskan governor: The Sarah Palin doll with Xavier Roberts' signature on her buttcheek is going for $96,000! That's still a steal compared to the real VP hopeful's wardrobe tab.

Still, the money goes for a good cause, and fortunately, bidding will likely spike just moments before these auctions end on the evening of Election Day.

In case you missed the Cabbage Patch Kids fad a quarter-century ago (when the Arizona senator here was in his late 40s), moms and dads beat each other up in toy stores when these things first came out. Luckily, a few years after the craze reached its peak, I was able to buy my mom a pair of 'em for Christmas, both baseball players: one wearing a Cabbage Patch Kids uniform, the other a 1986 Mets jersey and pants ... both complete with batting helmet.

These days, both Mom's Kids are sitting, inside their boxes, in the darkness of one of Dad's closets!

Ironically, whoever shells out the big bucks for these political Kids will likely keep them in their original wrapping, never to be touched by human hands -- more investment than toy. Still, with the money going to a great cause, who cares if the winners burn or shred their Kids, as long as the tots get lots of toys in return?!

So forget CNN or Fox News. I'll be checking presidential returns on eBay Tuesday evening to see who the real winners are!