I'm a serial cereal shopper

Let me personally send out this entry to my lil' buddy, Missy, who would appreciate it ... if she could read all the words.Earlier today at the grocery store, I was looking in the breakfast aisle searching for my usual morning fare, when I was stopped in my tracks by this sight: Yes, that is a box of "Hannah Montana" cereal right next to "High School Musical" cereal.

Much to the delight of Miley Cyrus fans, "Hannah" has infiltrated every corner of today's culture, even kids' cereal bowls! Not that this surprises me, since the Disney marketing machine is one of the biggest and most effective out there. (I mean, c'mon: Look at what I big Disney dweeb — uh, fan — I am!)

Today's two findings, however, aren't the only out-of-the-ordinary cereal choices I've stumbled across while perusing the breakfast aisle, though these two have nothing to do with Missy.

I wonder what meerkats taste like? That was my first thought when I saw this box of "Wild Animal Crunch" at the supermarket a while back. (And for me to think that says a lot, 'cause I'm a big fan of Timon, the meerkat of "Lion King" fame.) But seriously, take a quick look at the box and what do you think at first?! Turns out, this cereal box was meant to help little kids learn about animals they might not know a lot about — that's an admirable endeavor — and no meerkats were harmed in the making of this cereal.

Wait, though. It gets better.

As soon as I saw this box (more specifically, the name of the cereal), I had to do a double-take, and here's why: Do you don't know what a "muffin top" means to kids these days? If not, ask one, particularly one who wears low-rise jeans. Don't have a kid handy to ask? Then click here. With that bit of slang in mind, it made me wonder why this cereal is named what it is ... particularly since the little bits look nothing like the tops of muffins.

I'm not judging. I'm just sayin'.

OK, I'm gonna get a bowl of Golden Grahams now...

Oh, what a (late) night ... or a "Late Night"

I just finished watching tonight's episode of "Jimmy Kimmel Live," capping off a late night/early morning of tough television-watching decisions.
I had to watch the New Kids On The Block perform on the ABC show, though each of the three major networks offered a plethora of quality, late-night offerings.

Sure, for me the decision to watch Donnie, Danny, Jon, Jordan and Joey above all the other choices was easy. For one, the New Kids have been my favorite musical group since 1988 and, considering us NKOTB fans languished through the guys' 14-year hiatus that finally ended last year, we'll jump at any chance to see them perform. And of course ... you know I met the New Kids, right? Hence, you can see staying up late to watch their performance took top priority.

In case you missed Kimmel's show, you can catch the the New Kids' performances here and here. You can also click here for Kimmel's opening segment with the guys.

Just as the guys took the stage, however, Ulster County native Jimmy Fallon was in the middle of his first show at host of "Late Night" on NBC, taking over for departed host Conan O'Brien. You know I met Jimmy, no? In fact, Jimmy kicked off 2009 here in Poughkeepsie almost two months to the day before his "Late Night" gig commenced. He killed, and was really cool in between shows at Bananas Comedy Club, joking around with fans.

With such a vested interest, I taped Jimmy's debut and will likely watch that later today.

But wait! There's more!

Tonight's late slate started off with U2, my GF's fav group (think of them as her New Kids), kicking off an unprecedented week of performances on CBS' "The Late Show with David Letterman," just adding to the options for insomniacs.

Between all this TV watching and now typing, I'm tired.
Zzzzzzz......

Just hung out with Moises Arias...

...and for someone who plays a "Rico," who can be a bit of a brat on the hit TV show "Hannah Montana," Moises was a very nice kid in real life.

I met Moises just prior to a women's basketball game at Marist College, where he was making a personal appearance organized by the good folks at the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference and Radio Disney, locally available on 1390 AM. Seriously, look how happy he looks here, shaking my hand. That's probably 'cause I didn't mind telling him (or, I suppose, anyone who reads "Sean's Space") that I enjoy kicking off my weekend by watching "Hannah Montana" Saturday mornings. We chatted for several minutes in between meet-and-greets in which he met hundreds of fans and signed autographs, like the one below.

We talked about everything from meeting fans across the country to working alongside Miley Cyrus to filming "Hannah Montana: The Movie."

Sean: How have you enjoyed making your first few appearances as part of the current MAAC/Radio Disney tour?

Moises: I love doing it, seeing all the kids, how they love the show. I do a private meet-and-greet before the show; all the kids ask questions and everything. There's a lot of kids here, and it's really fun, really cool.

Sean: What's it like to promote your show and see the impact it's had on kids?
Moises: It's great. I've been almost to every state now -- I've been to Kentucky and Atlanta and all over New York -- so it's been great. Plus, I get to meet everybody and travel all around the world. It is tiring, but you've just got to do it. It's what you know that happens when you put your mind to being famous, that's the whole thing.
Sean: How is Miley to work with? What's she like on the set?
Moises: She's great. She's really just like any friend. I've known her for three years, so it doesn't really seem like so much. Of course, to other kids, she's Miley Cyrus, but I've known her for a while, so it's just like hanging out with any other friend -- playing video games, just talking and hanging out. It's just regular stuff.

Sean: Did you ever think the "Hannah Montana" show would become such a big hit?
Moises: There's no way. I just thought, Oh, another regular show. Disney shows like "That's So Raven" had been successful and "Suite Life (of Zack & Cody)" and all that. But I mean I walk around and kids recognize me all the time, so it's great.

Sean: I know you've been in a few movies before, but how did you like bringing "Hannah Montana" to the big screen as a full-length movie?
Moises: Oh, it's cool. The movie is really about Miley (Stewart) going back to Tennessee. Everyone is not in the movie as much as in the show because she goes back, so it's hard to incorporate everybody going back to Tennessee, things like that. So, I mean I had a great time. I was there for a little while, a little less than a week. I had a great time because when we were filming the movie, we hadn't seen each other in like eight or nine months, so coming back was awesome. I loved seeing everybody.

Go experience "American Idol"

Just under a month before he comes to Poughkeepsie, pop-rocker David Cook was more than just a tourist today at Disney's Hollywood Studios at Walt Disney World.
As you can see from these pictures, provided by Disney, the winner of "American Idol" Season Seven was in Lake Buena Vista as part of the opening gala for WDW's newest attraction, The "American Idol" Experience.

A big Disney World fan, I've been watching the attraction's progress from concept to construction, even watching some of the finishing touches being applied to the facade on our most recent vaca back in November.

In 67 words or less: "The 'AI' Experience" lets anyone audition for a spot on the daily performances at the park. Each performance takes place in an exact replica of the "Idol" studios, and a real studio audience votes on a winner. They have several performances throughout the day, with the winners coming back at the end of the day to compete for a spot on line for the next season's auditions. (Wow! That was 67 words on the dot!)

Apparently I'm not the only one who thinks it's cool, 'cause thousands of "Idol" fans packed the studio for today's official opening. They weren't alone...
Only Disney could bring all seven of the "American Idol" winners together for something like this. (Quick! Can you name which of these winners I've interviewed???)

Between singing the national anthem at a pair of minor-league baseball games, winning countless pitchers of beer in college at karaoke contests, and twice beating out 600 other peo0ple to get into "the hot seat" at the Studios' now-defunct Who Wants to be a Millionaire Play It! attraction, I might have to add reaching the "Idol" stage to my next WDW vaca itinerary.

"Cable Guy" connects with new fan

It's scary to admit this, but here goes: Larry "The Cable Guy" has a new fan. Me? Good God, no! No, no, no!

Remarkably, my mom is now a fan of the "Blue Collar Comedy" veteran, having almost died laughing when Larry came to the Mid-Hudson Civic Center this past Saturday for a pair of shows. For Christmas, I'd gotten Dad, a big "Blue Collar" fan, a pair of tickets to Larry's 5 p.m. performance. Then I showed Dad this early performance by Daniel Whitney when he started out as a comedian before he took on his "Larry the Cable Guy" persona and southern accent. (It kinda killed the illusion for a moment.)

Now, I'd have stepped up to the plate if Mom didn't want to go, but, trooper that she is, she happily viewed it as a nice night out and sat 12 rows from the stage. I suggested she bring a book.

Several hours later, as my GF and I walked out of "He's Just Not That Into You," I listened to a giddy voicemail: Dad, of course, had a great time, but Mom was "dying laughing" the entire time! Yeah, I'm so proud.
Turns out, sitting through movies like "Delta Farce" here (which I also got Dad for Christmas) has transformed Mom: Instead of singing along to "Mandy" at numerous Barry Manilow concerts, she was cracking up to a guy whose catchphrase is "Git-R-Done."

Hey, whatever makes 'em happy, right? If nothing else, they — and the two packed Civic Center crowds the "Cable Guy" attracted — had a super night out ... and I get all the credit for buying the tickets!

"Hannah" star will be "Pumpin' Up the Party" in Poughkeepsie

Fans of women's basketball and "Hannah Montana" will get "The Best of Both Worlds" on Feb. 22nd.

That's because actor Moises Arias, who portrays "Rico" on the hit TV show, which airs on the Disney Channel and ABC, will come to town and be the guest of the Marist College Red Foxes as part of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference/Radio Disney tour, which is making several stops throughout the 2008-09 season.

According to Marist officials, Moises will take part in a Q&A session at halftime of the Red Foxes' game against Siena, and he'll sign autographs after the game.

For those who don't follow the show, Rico can be a bit bratty — what with him being the son of the insanely rich owner of the surf shop that employs Jackson, the brother of Miley Stewart (aka Hannah herself); somehow, though, Jackson always seems to get the best of the situation toward the end of the game. Among Rico's various storylines, he's had a secret crush on Miley, and he seems to have a hunch as to her alter-ego.

Moises is part of the cast of "Hannah Montana: The Movie," set to hit the big screen on April 10th. Among his other credits, he has appeared in another Disney Channel hit, "The Suite Life of Zack and Cody," and has been a regular participant in the Disney Channel Games competitions.

"American Idol" David Cook coming here

According to David Cook's official Web site, the "American Idol" Season Seven winner is headed to Poughkeepsie on March 10th to play for Marist College students.

When he comes to town, Cook will join fellow "Idol" winner Taylor Hicks and other "AI" alumni like Clay Aiken, Kellie Pickler and Blake Lewis, among others, who have played Dutchess County in the past year or so. The March 10th show in Poughkeepsie will be open only to Marist students, and will take place at the Bardavon 1869 Opera House. But, Sean, why the Bardavon? you ask? Well, in his contract, David stipulates each venue must hold no more than 1,000 people, thus ruling out Marist's McCann Center.

Cook's Poughkeepsie performance is part of a tour of mostly colleges beginning next Friday, (Feb. 13th) and will come nine days after he plays Mount Saint Mary College in Newburgh; that March 1st performance is open likewise only open to MSM students.

Ironically, Cook will be coming to town in early March, when I usually start watching "Idol."

In case you missed it, David Cook and his pop-rock sound beat out 17-year-old David Archuleta's pop crooning in last year's season finale.

And just for the record: I voted for David Cook last year.