The mother of all comedies

Admittedly, it's only the end of April, but "Baby Mama" was the funniest movie I've seen all year.


I've always like Tina Fey (she's smart, she's witty, she's pretty) and Amy Poehler has cracked me up since started on "Saturday Night Live."

Since 2000 or so, the two of them (with Jimmy Fallon thrown in there for a couple years, followed by Seth Myers) were the reason I turn off "SNL" after Weekend Update, 'cause after that segment, the show lags.

So, to see both Tina and Amy finally share the big screen for the entire movie (as opposed to "Mean Girls," in which they were never in a single scene together) was a real treat.

They play off each other so well, and Amy played the white-trash part to a tee. She plays irreverent so well, and Tina (ironically) plays the uptight prude equally as well.

Three words for ya: Go see it!

Aiken makin' more great music

For those of you who remember any (or all) of my Clay Aiken coverage this past December, this one's for you:

Clay's got a new CD, "On My Way Here," set to release a week from today. (That's May 6th, btw)

Admittedly, the fan sites like Clay's Daily Double and The Clackhouse have been been on top of this long before I stumbled across it, and they've done a great job energizing his fan base much like they were kind enough to do when I was first writing about Clay's then-pending appearance here in the Hudson Valley.

Having spoken to Clay before his Dec. 8 show in Poughkeepsie, it was refreshing to hear his excitement about singing traditional Christmas songs, not to mention his sense of humor.

After seeing his concert, I wrote right here (and I quote...) Clay has the best voice of anyone I've ever seen in concert. Well, it's true; and I just listened to the title track off his new CD.

When we last left Clay, he was headed to Broadway to star in "Spamelot." Since then, his hair is a little longer, if not blonder, but one thing hasn't changed: his powerful voice. The "On My Way Here" single is very reminiscent of his "A Thousand Different Ways" release, a CD that I really enjoyed.

A fan long before I interviewed Clay (remember, I voted for him lo those many years ago on "American Idol!"), I'm sure I'll head over to iTunes next Tuesday.

"Oh, she's just being Miley..."

Just in case you missed today's New York Post, here ya go...

It seems 15-year-old Miley Cyrus (yes, "Hannah Montana" of Disney Channel fame) has posed for some pictures with famed photog Annie Leibovitz for "Vanity Fair" that were supposed to be artsy.

Artsy-shmartsy!

Honestly, it's pretty gross to ask a 15-year-old to get topless, let alone snap her picture, even if you do drape her in a bedsheet.

And what was Miley thinking? What was dad Billy Ray Cyrus (also a star of "Hannah Montana") thinking? Her management? The blame just goes on and on.

Of all today's young starlets (Miley, Lindsay Lohan, Jamie Lynn Spears ... and her older sister), it looks like Miley has the best, most stable home life: Her mom and dad are still together, shes works with her dad, blah, blah, blah.) She's as famous as a 15-year-old can be and has made a boatload of money thanks to CDs and DVDs and her "Best of Both Worlds" tour.

It seems the only reason Miley might do something like this is the same reason Jamie Lynn Spears' older sister did almost the same thing a decade ago, gracing the cover of Rolling Stone magazine (seen here). Sure, this cover* changed her persona, but Miley, is this the role model you want to emulate?

Miley and her people were quick to offer an apology, trying to quell the media nightmare:

"My goal in my music and my acting is always to make people happy. For Vanity Fair, I was so honored and thrilled to work with Annie. I took part in a photo shoot that was supposed to be artistic and now, seeing the photographs and reading the story, I feel so embarrassed."

That said, Miley made a mistake, like we all have as 15-year-olds; the difficult part is that when a superstar like her errs, it's there for all the world to see.

The more important (if not scary) question is, where were the adults who are supposed to be looking out for her? They've obviously failed her, so let's hope they, too, learn from their mistake!

*Just for the record, posting that "Rolling Stone" coved doesn't violate my "Britney-free in '08" resolution, for those of you keeping score at home!

Way up in the trees...

...live the Monchichis! (For those of you playing along at home, that's pronounced "mon-chee-cheese.")

Yes, getting ready for next month's long-awaited New Kids On The Block reunion, I've been harkening back to what else was big back during my youth, and I came across these.


My GF and I were in the Japan pavilion at Epcot at Walt Disney World back in February when I came across these furry little guys.

I looked at them with wonder as I began to sing the theme song to their short-lived '80s cartoon series. My beloved, meanwhile, gave me this look as if to say, WTF? as she'd never seen the cartoon nor heard the theme song which begins "Way up in the trees live the Monchichis..."

Anyway, just a blast from the past I thought I'd share. Enjoy!

No! No!! Noooooooooo!!!

A week after America made the correct decision, sending Kristy Lee Cook home from "American Idol," viewers made the totally wrong call tonight.

Carly Smithson and all her freaky tattoos were voted off "Idol" tonight, now ruining my "AI" office pool!

I was voting for Carly all the way to the finals, where I was sure she'd lose to David Archuleta and all the little-girl votes he'll likely garner.

Besides the fact she was Irish, I loved Carly's voice ... so much that I spent $2.97 on iTunes downloading her versions of Bonnie Tyler's "Total Eclipse of the Heart," "Without You" by Mariah Carey and the Beatles' "Come Together."

Of all the "Idol" finalists -- male or female -- I thought Carly had the strongest voice in the field; David Cook, in my mind, is a close second. I still think she'll be able to have a nice post-"Idol" career, with sales of her debut CD sure to increase.

So, with my fav now out of the running, I must now switch my loyalty to my second-best fav, Brooke White. It was nice to see her bounce back from last night's flub and stay in the race. And really ... isn't that the American way?

I did, however, see that "Vote for the Worst" has now made Brooke their postergirl. Whatever! However she stays on the show, I'll be happy. Go, Brooke!

That said, I miss Carly already!

Give Brooke a break

So Brooke White forgot the words (she called it "lost the lyric") last night on "American Idol." So what?

In a move Simon Cowell actually called "brave," Brooke simply asked the band to start over, and she began her song again.

Yes, even though I ranted for weeks about how Kristy Lee Cook should get the boot, I'm rooting for Brooke. She's perky. She's spunky. She made a mistake last night, picked herself right back up and started all over again.

Again, I don't see her winning the whole show, but I can see Brooke getting all the way to the Final Four (which is a huge accomplishment for college basketball teams), so here's hoping just like the band, voters give her another chance when tonight's results are revealed.

One month and counting...

It's just 30 days until the New Kids On The Block make their long-awaited return to the stage at Zootopia.



Needless to say, this will be the longest month of my life, anticipating the New Kids' first big-time concert since the spring of 1994. (As you've read here before, their first gig back will come on May 16th on NBC's "Today" show.)

So, let's enjoy the next month, shall we?