This year's Christmas in Washington includes a performance by Diana Ross.

With Christmas coming next week, I figure a good number of you will be traveling over the weekend. I hope those of you who are traveling manage to miss all the bad weather and arrive safely.

News

In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, The Lying Game producer Chuck Pratt teases the death of a core character. Sadly, there's no mention of a reunion between Alexandra Chando and one of her former As the World Turns co-stars.

The CW is developing a drama based on the legend of Robin Hood, except this one would focus on a noblewoman who ends up joining the Merry Men while trying to rescue her wrongfully-imprisoned serf boyfriend.

Holy sevenfourteentwenty-one thirty second delay, Batman! Bravo will be airing the second season premiere of Kathy live. She'll be joined by Liza Minnelli and Jane Lynch.

Just in time for Christmas, the CW confirmed to The Hollywood Reporter that they would not be picking up a third season of The L.A. Complex, which seals the series' cancellation.

The new meme is all about why the Gossip Girl reveal made no sense. I'm always in favor of there being more images of Penn Badgley on the internet. Then again, I like the idea of re-watching Gossip Girl with the understanding that Dan is creepy and utterly bonkers.

As Amazon Prime tries to expand its streaming video content, its developing six pilots, including a comedy from Doonsbury creator Garry Trudeau about four Senators living together (inspired by the C-Street house?) Once the pilots are completed an online vote will determine which one will become a series.

EW reports that Aaron Sorkin will be a guest-voice on The Simpsons as himself. He'll appear as a voice in Kent Brockman's head as he considers a job with Fox News.

This is a sad Christmas. Sad enough to generate the amount of tears needed to salt Mexican knock-off snack foods:

The Last 30rock picture Ever!!! twitter.com/dotcom30rock/s…

— Kevin Brown(@dotcom30rock) December 20, 2012

Which TV characters inspired the most social media conversation? According to a study by Ad Age and Trendrr, the characters who get social media fans talking include The Big Bang Theory's Sheldon Cooper, The Walking Dead's Michonne and Gossip Girl's Chuck Bass. I'm shocked to hear that people still care about Chuck Bass.

Showtime is developing The Vatican, a drama about intrigue within the modern-day Catholic church. Has Bill Donohue heard about this yet? If not, can somebody catch that moment on tape? This might be as close as we get to seeing a person's head explode.

Breaking Bad toys will go on sale next year, including action figures, bobbleheads and plush toys. I'd be more excited but I'm still bitter about the time the arm fell off my Willow Rosenberg action figure when I tried to get her to wear the backpack that came as an accessory.

Friday's Listings

Anderson Live (syndicated) Check local listings
It's This is 40 day as Leslie Mann co-hosts the show and co-star Paul Rudd and director Judd Apatow are interview guests.

The Ricki Lake show (syndicated) Check local listings
Ricki looks at the different kinds of modern families, like a blended family that merged after a tragedy, and the Guncles from Tori & Dean: Home Sweet Hollywood.

Days of Our Lives (NBC) Check local listings
Will and Sonny role play sitcom tropes as Sonny tries to play "I know that secret you've been keeping, so why don't you remind me of all the details". Be sure to join us for a pre-holiday liveblog starting at 1 PM Eastern.

Tavis Smiley (PBS) Check local listings
Today's show includes a chat with singer/songwriter Carole King. Tavis rarely discusses a celebrity's latest project, typically focusing on a career of achievements. With someone like King, that should make for an amazing talk.

Bowling for Columbine (Current) 6:00 PM ET
In response to the renewed debate over gun violence, Current is putting Michael Moore's 2002 gun control documentary into heavy rotation this weekend, starting early on Friday. Honestly, I was oversold on the movie by Roger Ebert's review and didn't care for it on my first screening. Perhaps the second time around, it'll work better for me.

We Love Jenni (Mun2) 8:00 PM ET
Mun2 is honoring the late Jenni Rivera with this special that reflects on Rivera's life through the eyes of the people who knew her, including celebrity testimonials from Thalia, Carson Daly, Snoop Dogg and Edward James Olmos. It sounds like a lot to fit in an hour but I guess Mun2 didn't want viewers crying too much.

Christmas in Washington (TNT) 8:00 PM ET
Conan O'Brien makes a return as host of this Christmas concert at the nation's capitol. This year, the performers include the iconic Diana Ross, Smash's Megan Hilty... and a "special performance" by K-pop rapper PSY. I hope this means we won't see the President do the "Gangnam Style" dance, the country couldn't handle that.

The Good Wife Marathon (CBS) starting at 8:00 PM ET
CBS is giving its critically-acclaimed legal drama a spotlight this weekend with three episodes from this season — wrapping up with the DOMA(ish) episode "A Defense of Marriage".

Back to the Beginning with Christiane Amanpour (ABC) 9:00 PM ET
Veteran reporter Christiane Amanpour takes a more historical approach to Christmas with this two-part special that travels to the land where the stories of the Bible would have taken place, exploring what would have inspired them. I like the idea, and I hope they can live up to that potential.

The Brit List (BBC America) 10:00 PM ET
To tide viewers over as we all wait for the new Doctor Who Christmas special, BBC America's counting down a variety of Doctor Who Top Five Lists, like Top Five Companions and Top Five Guest Stars. Past Doctor Who specials frustrated me for overlooking the Russell T. Davies era (which really limits the nostalgia) but John Barrowman is guest-hosting this Brit List, which has me hopeful Captain Jack's best moments will be included.

Saturday's Listings

A Year in Pup Culture (Animal Planet) 9:00 PM ET
Leave it to Animal Planet to take the year-end recap show and give it an extra coat of cute as puppies — yes, puppies! — recreate the year's memorable moments. This sounds like the kind of programming that inspires my partner to put a tracker on my phone so that he can make sure that I don't go anywhere close to the Humane Society or any pet adoption drives.

The Graham Norton Show (BBC America) 10:00 PM ET
This week, Graham's guests include the amazing Martin Freeman, comedian Lee Mack, Girls Aloud and the one and only Dawn French.

The Haunting of... (Biography) 10:00
This week's edition sees Gina Gershon tell the story of how she realized her apartment was haunted. We're all hoping one of those ghosts is screaming about her @#$%ing suitcase, right"

Sunday's Listings

American Dad (Fox) 9:30 PM ET
Roger and Steve's latest business venture is something involving male stripper shoes. Since I can't guess what that refers to (I mean, do they go with pull-apart pants?) I'll just have to wait, tune in and wish the product demos were filmed with live action performers.

The Shahs of Sunset (Bavo) 10:00 PMET
The tension between MJ and Reza continues as they have their first meeting since that blow-up at the office. I hate seeing longtime friendships fall apart, can't this be fixed by a shopping montage? A wacky scheme? Or just from hearing SpongeBob singing "Don't Be a Jerk (It's Christmas)"?

DTLA Marathon (Logo) starting at starting at 2:30 AM ET
In case you missed Logo's new ensemble drama, this weekend ends with an early morning marathon of what looks like the entire series.

What will you be watching this weekend? Please share in the comments!

Monday's Preview

Anderson Live (syndicated) Check local listings
Anderson's spending Christmas with co-host Gayle King and by cooking with Pat and Gina Neely.

I had seen a few days ago that Justin Bieber had given his pet hamster to a random screaming fan in a crowd and asked her to take care of it, which I found odd. Now the hamster lobby (seriously, there's California Hamster Association) is angry at the pop star. "The moment that hamster was handed off to a screaming girl in a harsh, frenzied environment was likely the moment it gazed at the short path to its doom."

Paper Mag celebrates the Year of the Celebrity Bulge, and I'll drink to that!

In Iowa, new millionaires Brian and Mary Lohseare donating part of their $202 million jackpot to their local high school for a new football stadium, with one catch: the visitor locker room has to be done up in pink, in an effort to psyche out the opposing team. Money can't buy you class.

UFC president Dana White, still trying to live down the video he released years ago using the erm "faggot"is lauding newly out lesbian fighterLiz Carmouche. "I love what she did. I know I have the big ‘homophobe' persona and people think I'm some homophobe. I'm the furthest thing from it. I think it's ridiculous it's 2013 and the government tells two people they can't marry each other. Who is the government to tell two people who say they love each other they can't be married? It's ridiculous."

My old brownie buddy Maggie Gallagheris going to use her newly formed Freedom of Conscience Defense Fund to defend JONAH, the ex-gay organization being sued for fraud.

When I was a kid, the Pied Piper Music store in the mall had a computer set up where you could play Zork, and I used to waste hours in there on the classic text adventure. Now the creators of the iconic game are going to be honored with the Pioneer Award at the DICE Summit.

I know most of New York City hates Time Warner Cable, but the company just donated $50,000 to create a technology lab at the Ali Forney Center, bringing computers, printers, and HD TV to the organization to help homeless gay youth, so you have to give them some credit.

While the latest statistics show a drop in HIV infection rates in some groups, including African-American women, new infections in men who have sex with men, particularly young men, rose 22%.

Lady Gagais bringing the Born This Way bus tour with her, set up outside her concerts to provide resources to youth on bullying.

On the internet's two most popular porn sites, YouPorn and xHamster, people have watched 1.2 million years of porn since 2006. I swear only 50 years of that was me.

Home Alone often gets overlooked as a Christmas classic, but now experts have weighed in on the violence of broken ornaments and irons to the face, and determined that those criminals never stood a chance, and if they survived, would have spent months in the hospital recovering from their injuries.

Sadly, Breaking Bad plushies and action figures won't be out in time for Christmas this year, but will make the next holiday season. Because they are child appropriate toys.

After making the mythical anti-Christian bias of marriage equality supporters a centerpiece in his campaign for the Republican nomination this year, Newt Gingrichnow says he understands the difference between civil and religious marriage. "I think that this will be much more difficult than immigration for conservatism to come to grips with. It is in every family. It is in every community. The momentum is clearly now in the direction in finding some way to ... accommodate and deal with reality. And the reality is going to be that in a number of American states -- and it will be more after 2014 -- gay relationships will be legal, period."

Remember that "study" that said homosexuality was epigenetic, and not genetic? It wasn't so much a study as a hypothesis, and the media ran with it, in the wrong direction.

Andrew Dice Clay says he fully supports equality, and marriage for GLBT folks, but he's not going to stop using "fag" in his standup. "But the other reason I say fag—number one, let’s just talk about the word fag. Fag is a funny word. To gays, it was insulting years ago, and I understand that because I have gay friends. But as a word onstage, for what I do as a comic, you don’t say, “You’re going to catch gay.” It’s not funny. “You’re going to catch fag” is funny."

House of Style checked in with transgender punk rockerLaura Jane Grace of Against Me!, and it's worth watching the whole thing, but I kind of loved this quote. “I'm probably one of the luckiest transsexuals in the world — I have the same size shoe as my wife so I can steal her shoes."

 John Stamos cuddles up to Andrew Rannells on the set of The New Normal

 I'm going to wait until they come out with the belt buckle version and buy the matching set

 Actor, Logo personality, and activist Jonathan D. Lovitz fulfills a dream of meeting the faboo Rachel Maddow

 Josh Duhamel is the tallest Christmas elf to ever hit the golf course

As we approach the new season of Shameless, I've already remarked on how pumped up Ian looks for the new season, but in this video, he shows just how a Gallagher stays in shape, and it's not in a fancy gym.

Cyndi Lauper's new reality show premieres on WeTV next month, and here we get a look at her hanging out with another of our favorite ladies, Kathy Griffin. All it needs is a little Cher to be perfect.

One of our favorite late night features is Jimmy Kimmel's "This Week In Unnecessary Censorship," and now we have the year end wrap up of the series, which brings back one of my favorite scenes, and no doubt one of snicks' favorites.

Drag queen Peppermint takes a look back at pop culture in 2012 and manages a decent parody of Azealia Banks' video. 

I've always been slightly jealous of MTV's Josh Horowitz, as he seems to have more fun playing with celebrities than just about anyone on the beat. And now he's been invited to Hugh Jackman's home for the opportunity of a lifetime, but he seems less than thrilled about it.

A Christmas Story is a staple of the holiday season, but can you imagine the pitch meeting if it was held today? There's no way that this movie could possibly be made in today's studio culture.

Diesel has put out this slightly NSFW ad celebrating the end of the world, and it provides a suggestion on how you should spend your last day on earth, just in case.

The Henson Company's Miskreant Puppets, who appear in Neil's Puppet Dreams want to talk to you about the "12 Awkward Days of Christmas." This is destined to be a holiday classic. Hey, if Mariah Carey can get a classic, there's no reason this can't be.

This Is the End has people like James Franco and Seth Rogen playing themselves, as they await the end of the world. Oddly, this movie is set to release over the summer and not in time for the pending doom, but at least Michael Cera is dead. This is a red band trailer, so it's totally NSFW.

Daniel Radcliffe and Ricky Gervais were on The Graham Norton Show last week and both talked about their bodies. Daniel says that it seems like he's added a nudity clause to his pictures these days, except instead of prohibiting it, the movies require it.

And because it's Friday, we all need some cute before we head off to the inevitable holiday parties we've got to attend before Christmas hits. Here is the San Diego Zoo's panda cub Xiao Liwu having a physical, and getting a new ball to test coordination. It's pretty much the cutest thing you'll see all day, unless you run into Russell Tovey on the bus. And if that happens, tell him to call me.

Demon!

Thom and Cal attend an "end of the world" party (featuring guest star Stephen Guarino), where spirits are consumed ... and a demon is confronted.

Actually, the demon that's confronted is not the perpetually shirtless Jeremy, but what he represents, as Cal tries to drown his sorrows, and a bordering-on-callous Thom tries to diffuse the relationship bombs he's juggling.

Meanwhile, we meet new character Ian (John Halbach), who is Kathy's easygoing boyfriend, and will wish it was the end of the world by the time the episode ends.

Besvärliga! (That's Swedish for "awkward." I looked it up)

Favorite line: "My earrings are made of the Rent musical deluxe edition."

Another great episode, as we learn that Jeremy is not the interloper we assumed (was he speaking Swedish to his mother?). and Cal's bitterness and Thom's seeming indifference cut deeper than we thought .

You can see the NSFW-ish (a couple of F bombs)* Episode Two below, and we'll post each episode as they become available.

Time for another one of those time-wasting yet hopelessly addictive online jigsaw puzzles! We're not going to give you any hints, but if you want to see the finished product then click here.

Move the pieces around with your mouse — they will snap together when in the right place. How fast can you complete this puzzle?

It's the end of the world, so let's stop fronting and start spilling everything. Ready?

In this edition of Weeklings!, I admit every last bit of truth I've been holding back. The Mayans are probably right, so why go on living these lies any longer?

I apologize to anyone I may offend, but the fact is you're probably already on fire and swallowed up in the gaping, infernal abyss that has become our planet. So, whatever. I hope my confessions provide a temporary balm as your flesh is burned off your body.

You can find previous Weeklings! episodes here.

Today is Jane Fonda's 75th birthday. Here are a few reasons this is important. 1) Jane Fonda is my favorite movie star of all time. She's about grit, compassion, vulnerability, whip-smart instincts, and a heavy soulfulness. She's basically the Annie Lennox of acting. 2) She is JANE. FONDA. 3) The woman is 75. Can you stand the immense glamor? Because the Mayans cannot. I want to hear your choices for Jayne Seymour Fonda's greatest work in the comments, but in the meantime, I'll ebulliently list my top five picks. I'm already roping the wind like Cat Ballou.

5. Nine to Five

Nine to Five is both a drop-dead funny comedy and the most dowdy-decadent fashion show of 1980. As beleaguered secretary Judy Bernly, Jane fights with the copy machine with the same vigor she reserves for eviscerating Mitt Romney on Twitter. I love seeing Jane act alongside such kickass, defiant women, especially if they're all bonded together in the pursuit of tying up Dabney Coleman. In the above clip, she spouts the most damning line of the movie. Ow, ow!

4. Klute

Jane's first Oscar-winning role was a revelatory moment in her career. As mysterious call girl Bree Daniels, Jane lit up her therapist sessions with a disarming ability to be as chilly and vulnerable as she liked. Can you take your eyes off her as she discusses the travails and psychological games of prostitution? I bet you one expensive shag haircut you can't.  

3. The China Syndrome

Kimberly Wells wants to be a more serious on-air newswoman, but she's stuck reporting on singing telegrams and human interest stories. Then, when a nuclear meltdown almost swallows up L.A. (in a fiasco that foreshadowed the real-life Three Mile Island disaster), Kimberly fights to prove her mettle as a hard-hitting reporter, and her investigation leads her into a scary world of intrigue. Jane is so compelling and believable as the determined Wells that her final scene, in which she shoves a microphone into the right person's face, is simply thrilling.

2. Julia

Julia is a flawed biopic of Lillian Hellman that veers from one story concerning the longtime affair between Hellman (Fonda) and Dashiell Hammett (Jason Robards) to another about Hellman's relationship with the quirky, elusive Julia (Vanessa Redgrave). Ultimately, Hellman herself is more interesting than both of her pals, and the reason is because Jane Fonda gives the role a dogged, yet tender edge that makes her seem both larger-than-life and deeply human. I love when actors capture the essence of a writer, and here, Jane is unmatched as one of the great playwrights of the 20th century. (Though, credit where it's due: Judy Davis also ruled as Hellman inDash and Lilly.)

1. They Shoot Horses, Don't They?

Jane scored her first Oscar nomination as the somewhat unknowable Gloria, a contender in a grueling weeks-long dance marathon during the 1930s. Gloria's extreme fatigue and utter cynicism become metaphors for rough aspects of the human condition, and she simply could not be more amazing, painfully brilliant, or cool here. And that hair? That hair! She's a marvel, and she's matched by a wonderful cast (including Michael Sarrazin, Susannah York, and Gig Young) and an ace script.

Runners-Up: Walk on the Wild Side, The Morning After, Agnes of God, Fun With Dick and Jane

So hit me: What's your pick for Jane's best work?

Yes to the Spice Girls. Yes to Christmas. And the biggest yes of all to the Spice Girls performing screwball comedy in commercials for UK retailer Tesco! This commercial came out a few years ago for the Girls' reunion tour, and it is the perfect Buster Keaton-esque experience to rev you up for the holiday season.

If you're like me and miss the Spice Girls' vaudeville antics, you get a nice chunk of it back in this ad, where the girls keep hiding from each other in the glorious aisles of Tersco. Duck, Emma! Shimmy right, Mel B!

I love how Victoria looks like Rooney Mara's blonde disguise in The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo. Just ridiculous and perfect, like her acting skills. In fact, all of the girls look great, and if I do say so myself, Mel C (Sporty) looks phenomenal. She also happens to be dressed the best, and surely you remember that was her major shortcoming in the "Wannabe" era.

Also: Maybe Emma would just give random blazers as Christmas gifts.

What in the holy hell is going on?

Sadly, the warm glow of last week's Kylie Minogue appearance has faded, and we're back to another could-have-been-interesting but ultimately lackluster challenge. But we did get one truly bizarre moment that says ... something ... about the phoniness of reality shows. But I'm not sure what.

This week the designers have to create a look for the modern woman based on the 1920s. But they also have to team up (and compete against each other). Anthony and Ivy are assigned a "speakeasy" look, Emilio and Joshua have "garden party," and Uli and Laura have "Social Soiree," which is redundant, but nevermind.

Laura holds up her Soiree card, the camera switches for a split second to Uli, and when we come back to Laura, the card now reads "Soriee." We all know that the designers have to go back and reshoot scenes to add dramatic or comedic effect, but this is a serious editing screwup (and no one ... at all ... noticed the card was spelled wrong?)

As far as the challenge goes, the most entertaining part of the show was the Laura-Uli match-up, and Uli's penchant for feathers. After Laura openly mocks her, Anthony declares that the "teeth and claws" are coming out. Below you can see the designers discuss Uli's feather fetish.

Yes, I did chuckle at Laura's snobbish disdain for Uli, especially in light of this week's elimination.

Let's take a look at how each of the designers fared!

ANTHONY RYAN - I thought he was in serious trouble for this, but the judges awarded him the win. I thought it was horribly shapeless, and the skinned raven didn't help.

EMILIO - Emilio was top three, but this was another one I couldn't understand. Was there a Love Boat in the 20's?

IVY - I was astounded she wasn't sent home this week, and so was she. That middle seam was ghastly, like a vivisection scar.

JOSHUA - That broach was a mistake, but at least it held the outfit together, which was far too loose and hangey.

LAURA - Although those pants are one of the biggest mistakes of this entire season, I was surprised Laura was sent home, considering the amount of soundbites she gives.

ULI - I thought this should have been the win, but she was runner-up. It didn't exactly say 20's, but it was the closest.

It's obvious that the top three are going to be Anthony, Emilio, and Uli, but do you think Joshua can sneak in there, and if so, who would he replace? As for Ivy, I have no idea why she's still around. Do you think she could pull an upset and get to the finale?

What did you think of this week's challenge?

Sonny thinks he's figured out Will's secret. Well, I guess that wraps things up, then. Join us for the fun at 1 PM ET.

Here's my favorite moment of yesterday's show. Sonny is definitely a Salemite now.

Here's what's amazing about this clip of President Obama singing "Deck the Halls": It's made from spliced-together clips of his past speeches, and the line "Don we now our gay apparel" is possible because we have a president who will actually say the word "gay" in public. Sigh! Now it's beginning to feel a lot like Christmas.

Fa-la-la-la-la, y'all. I feel like putting on my gayest apparel possible. My pink tanktop with the ironed-on Joe Biden print, it is.

Reza Farahan

In its second season, Bravo had a clear hit with The Shahs of Sunset. The series about a group of Persian-American friends living in Los Angeles has managed to double its audience since its debut last spring, thanks to a mix of lavish real estate, glimpses at Persian-American culture and a group of compelling personalities that included openly gay realtor Reza Farahan.

Reza has been a reality TV jack-of-all-trades, delivering witty commentary, dramatic fights and personal drama, all while making sure his friends are getting the care they need amid the drama. Whatever role The Shahs of Sunset needed, Reza has filled it with flair, making him a vital part of the hit series.

So far this season, viewers have met Reza’s new boyfriend, Adam, seen him start to acknowledge that he’s getting too old to keep partying so much (which Raza called a “gay life crisis”) and met Lily, a client of Reza’s that he introduced to the group. We talked with Reza about what’s coming up on the series  and how things have changed since the show aired.

AE: The show has been such a big hit, how have things changed for you since the first season aired?
Reza: Life isn’t that much different. I get recognized more, I have more people following me on Twitter, but for the most part life is pretty much the same.

AE: How has the Persian community reacted to the show?
Reza: Yeah, the president of the Persian community called me yesterday… no, I’m kidding. The Persian community has been a mixed bag, some good, some bad, some in-between. I take it in stride. I’m not going to make everyone happy.

AE: Have you heard from any gay Persian men?
Reza: That’s the best part of being on this program. I’ve heard from a countless number of gay Persian men as well as their relatives who’ve reached out to me via social media outlets to let me know they didn’t commit suicide, it helped them come out to their family and a million other beautiful, beautiful messages that I will never forget for the rest of my life.

AE: That’s amazing. It’s such a powerful thing to see someone else like you on TV or anywhere.
Reza: At the end of the day, to expose myself to all the backlash that comes from just putting all your stuff out there, from people following you around and you’re living your life. You’re going to laugh, you’re going to cry, you’re going to make mistakes and people are going to react to it but it’s because of the gay Persian men and women that I did this. All of the backlash that I get or the negative comments, pale in comparison to the difference I feel I am making.

AE: You’ve got a new boyfriend this season. How much are we going to see of him?
Reza: You’re going to see more of him. He’s definitely not someone I would have considered dating. I didn’t even notice him, but he was sitting next to this guy and he looked like a barnacle, he would not go away and he was super persistent, he would talk to me every time he saw me at the gym until he finally broke me down and I agreed to go out with him.

AE: That’s sweet. Do we get to hear that story on the show?
Reza: Yeah, especially the barnacle part, I’m sure I said that at some point.

AE: Whose facial hair requires more grooming? Adam’s beard or your mustache?
Reza: My mustache for sure. My mustache is so bushy. It likes to be combed, cut, conditioned. If there’s a white hair in there, he wants it gone immediately, he’s real bushy.

Two combs required!

AE: In the second episode, you mentioned that you’re in the middle of a “gay life crisis” is that something you’ll be dealing with?
Reza: I’m going to be dealing with it and, unfortunately, in episode four you’re going to see how I decide to deal with it and I’m still traumatized. I watched episode four recently to do a blog for the Bravo webstie and I’m still traumatized.

AE: I was wondering about your business, are we going to see you do any more real estate deals? It looks like you’re going into business with Mike this season?
Reza: Yes. I do go into business with Mike this season and, knock on wood, my business has been on fire but I have to be honest with you as far as the cameras this is something I’ve decided to embark upon, a personal experience for myself. I put my sexuality out there, I put my family out there, but I feel that in a really high-end real estate market with a clientele that’s incredibly, incredibly private. I have celebrity clients, a lot of high net worth people who don’t really want their lives exposed just because I’ve decided to be on a reality show, so that aspect has been really difficult for me, and I don’t and cannot put pressure on my clients to expose their homes. You know, people see that and everything’s on the internet so I show a house and then people know where the house is and it can lead to a lack of privacy. I’ll tell you this, the house you saw on episode one, my client was really happy for me to share it with the world. I actually found it for him, it was in terrible condition. It was a foreclosure, she fixed it up, put it on the market, we ended up selling it to a celebrity, and I didn’t have to sign a confidentiality agreement. I represented the seller, so I’m happy to say Jamie Lynn Sigler from The Sopranos bought that house that ‘s on episode one.

Reza with MJ

AE: It looks like there’s going to be some tension between you and MJ. Does that mean you’re going to be doing less business together?
Reza: You know, MJ and I had a relationship that we worked out of the same office but we kind of stuck to our own things. She has her own clients, I have my own clients and we were running our business out of the same brokerage house.

AE: How did Lily become a part of the show? It looks like you were the first one to meet her. Did you meet her and go to Bravo and say, ‘Here’s this amazing person who should be part of the show’?
Reza: Oh my God, I have a magic genie lamp at home and I rub it really hard every night and I pray a skinny bitch will come out of it and Lily popped out. Actually, I bumped into Lily in the lobby of the SLS Hotel in Beverly Hills and immediately I was taken aback by her appearance. I went up and I struck up a conversation with her. She asked me what I did. I told her I was in the real estate business. She told me she was looking for real estate and cut to after several hours of conversation I gave her a business card, we kept in touch. And then I slowly started introducing her to my group of friends. Then Bravo was there to follow all of that and chronicle it for everybody.

Reza with Lily

AE: How has your relationship with your father been? You reunited last season, are we going to see more of that?
Reza: You definitely will see more of my dad in season two and our relationship… honestly, it’s so strange. We’re talking about a reality show and reality shows aren’t known for bringing families together and resolving deep-seated family issues. But, for me, if I could say the second most amazing thing to come out of it has been the transformation in my relationship with my father. It was the perfect storm for us to have this transformational dialogue and you guys were there, the cameras were there. I didn’t want to do the ugly crying in front of the cameras but you just forget that they’re there. One thing after another, I’m crying, my dad’s crying, my cousins are crying. It was a hot mess.

AE: It was pretty amazing to watch, though. It was very powerful.
Reza: Thank you.

Reza with his father

AE: In the first episode, you say “That’s so Persian” do you ever feel pressure to censor yourself because the cameras are there in fear of creating stereotypes?
Reza: No, not at all. The only thing I fear is my mom. Sometimes I wonder, this is like a sixtysomething year old Persian woman and in my head, like in my mind’s eye, there’s this cartoon of what I’ve done to her and her cartoon self says to me, “Listen queen, like you’ve done your thing. I’ve support you. You pushed it to the limit, just don’t cross the line with me. I’m here for you, but don’t cross the line.” Sometimes I think about that, how far I can push it with her before she turns on me, like “Listen fag, I’ve been there for you the whole time, I’ve had it with you, I can’t take it anymore, I’m out of here.”

AE: You guys say some pretty blunt things in your interviews. There was a scene in season one where GG is showing you her knives and you called her unstable. Did you have any tensions after the show aired and you saw some of those scenes? Or are you really honest with each other?
Reza: I’m pretty blunt. I am not a person that minces words and if I’m feeling something you’re going to know it. The irony of what transpired – GG and I had a lot of conflict when the cameras weren’t rolling and, obviously, being in a group of friends, our friendship doesn’t end when the cameras stop rolling. We still see each other, we socialize, we have an extended circle, we bump into each other and we’re around each other a lot. She and I went through a lot of conflict when the cameras stopped rolling and we were back on the path of being homies and then the pool party happened and she got physical with Asa and Asa’s like my sister so of course I was going to stand behind Asa. So, actually, GG and I have been texting back and forth and we’re trying to set some time aside to sit down and kind of see if we can get on the same page. Literally today she texted me to see if I was available later this evening to chat with her.

AE: In the first season, it often felt like you were at the center of things. You were involved in everyone’s lives. Some of the group didn’t see each other except at the parties, you were always visiting everyone separately. Are you the glue that holds the group together?
Reza: Ironically, I kind of am and who would have thought the homo of the group would be the one standing up holding the signs for everybody, like “Hello, this is where the Persians are at. We’re here.”

AE: Now that you’re a Bravolebrity, do you see yourself visiting any of the other shows? Hosting a Persian food challenge on Top Chef, for example?
Reza: That’s really funny because when I do interviews like this it pulls me out of life to talk about something that’s real, something that’s part of my life and when you say Bravolebrity it’s so strange for me because I’m just Reza, real estate agent who lives in LA. The funny thing is, living where I live, I see Lisa Vanderpump and her husband Ken a lot because I love SUR and Villa Blanca and I see them there, they’re very present, I see them often. I bump into Kyle once in a while, I bump into her husband Mauricio. I see Madison Hildebrand and Josh Altman is a dear friend of mine. So do I know if I’ll be on their shows? I don’t know but I definitely see them around town all the time.

Here is last week's caption pic winner. This week's caption pic is at the bottom of the page.

Thanks to everyone for participating! The winner is ...

"This week on Mythbusters: Can animals sense evil? Myth CONFIRMED!"

Thanks to NemiForever for this week's winning caption!

• Weekend Birthdays! (Note: Birthday shoutouts are for out entertainers, allies, or for any celeb that seems to have a following on AE). Chris Carmack (above) is 32, Susan Lucci is 66, Joanna Kelly is 34, Ralph Fiennes is 50, and Samuel Jackson is 64.

• Despite the rumors, NBC there are no plans for Rosie O'Donnell to join America's Got Talent

• In shocking news, AMC has renewed The Walking Dead for a fourth season. Oh, and they lost yet another showrunner.

• Chuck Hagel has apologized for the antigay remarks he made 15 years ago. He's apologizing now ... 15 years later. But I'm sure he would have gotten around to it eventually even if he wasn't up for Defense Secretary.

• I've never seen the films, so I don't know who this is, but a Twilight actor is having issues..

• The Top GLBT Political Moments Of 2012.

• Here is the first pic of Tom Hardy as Mad Max.

• Rebel Wilson will host the MTV Movie Awards on April 14th.

• Anderson, Paul Rudd and pickle tickle talk.

• Demand a plan.

• EW has pics of this year's class reunions, including Clueless, St. Elsewhere, and below, Melrose Place

• Continuing the 50 Greatest 80's TV Theme Songs/Openings!, Here's #32, Shadow Chasers

• Airing on ABC for nine episodes (13 were produced) starting on November 14, 1985, the paranormal comedy-adventure Shadow Chasers was pitted against NBC's Cosby Show and CBS'Magnum P.I.. Out of 106 network shows for the 85-86 season, Shadow Chasers ranked ... 106th. But the lively opening told you all you needed to know about the goody antics of these low-rent ghostbusters, plus it had screen luminary Nina Foch for some reason.

• Congrats to Dudre , who was the first to correctly guess that yesterday's Pixuzzle™ © ® was Miracle On 34th Street

• Here's today's Pixuzzle™ © ®. Below you can see characters from a famous film. Can you name it?

And today's Briefs are brought to you by...

Here's your caption pic for this week. Drop your caption ideas in the comments (And please remember to keep the captions PG-13!)

Tuesday's Puzzlers provide a great mid-week distraction, and Friday's fiendish Puzzlers are a fun way to start the weekend, and now we're giving you a chance to start the new week right with our Sunday Puzzler, which gives you the chance to have it both ways!

Move the pieces around with your mouse — they will snap together when in the right place. How fast can you complete this puzzle? Click here to view the completed pic.

Fast Distraction Version

Challenge Version

You can find previous puzzles here.

Congratulations to Sam Champion and Rubem Robierd, who married in New York City with family and friends in Sam's apartment Friday night. They're planning a larger party and celebration over New Years in Miami.

Well, this is unique casting. For the big budget remakes of the cuckoo Left Behind series, Chad Michael Murrayis in talks to star. The previous versions starred Kirk Cameron.

How I Met Your Motherwill be back for another season, after Jason Segal agreed to sign on for one more year. This of course means that we get to see Barney reform and experience life as a married man, but it also means that we have to go another #%@$@ year waiting to find out who the mother is.

A federal appeals court has blocked the California law that would ban reparative therapy for teens, but fast tracked the hearings on whether the bill is constitutional. The law was scheduled to go into effect January 1.

Back when Nate Silver came out, he said "To my friends, I'm kind of sexually gay but ethnically straight." He didn't want to be known as the "gay statistician." Now comedian Guy Branumexplains why Silver must be known as the "gay statistician" and why he needs to own that title.

Can you guess the celebrity body parts? I scored a disappointing 8/15.

Buzzfeed has a video doing the cast introductions for MTV's Buckwild series, which is being billed as Jersey Shore set in West Virginia. I'd like to note that at one point, they cast is seen dancing in a nightclub, which is Atmosphere in Charleston, WV, which is a gay bar.

Chuck Hagel put out an apology about remarks he made about Ambassador James Hormel 15 years ago, and now Hormel has responded. “I have not received an apology. I thought this so-called apology, which I haven’t received, but which was made public, had the air of being a defensive move on his part.” Hormel added that the apology appeared to have been given “only in service of his attempt to get the nomination.”

The first photos from Fox's Stars In Danger diving show are out, and yes, there are Speedos and abs galore.

As part of their yanking 666 Park from the air, ABC has announced that Happy Endings and Don't Trust the B In Apt. 23will air in its place, and on their regular night, which probably is a bad sign for the comedies.

They're making a live action movie about ACME, the company that supplies all of Wile E. Coyote's gadgets, but there will be no animation in the film, and no coyotes or road runners, which leads me to ask "Why?"

In Italy, it is now a crime to say a man has no balls. Speaker Boehner announced plans to retire there.

A court in Wisconsin has ruled that the state's domestic partnership registry is too limited to be in violation of the state's constitutional amendment against gay marriage.

Rep. Richard Hanna of New York has become the second Republican to sign on to support the Respect For Marriage Act, which is an effort to repeal the Defense of Marriage Act. “New York State allows all its citizens the freedom to marry the person they love. Under the Tenth Amendment, the federal government has a Constitutional responsibility to respect New York’s right to set its own laws. It’s my job to see that it does.

New Orleans Parish School Board has explicitly banned teaching of creationism in science classes. Further, they've specified that they won't allow text books that contain revisions from the state of Texas on the subject of science or history. "No history textbook shall be approved which has been adjusted in accordance with the state of Texas revisionist guidelines nor shall any science textbook be approved which presents creationism or intelligent design as science or scientific theories."

In a bit of crazy that will go down in history, the National Rifle Association President Wayne LaPierrecalled for armed guards in all the nation's schools as a response to the recent shootings in Connecticut. Basically everyone, from the right to the left has called him nuts.

 When you've lost the Rupert Murdoch NY Post, you've lost everything, NRA

 Why so serious, Chris Colfer?

 Glee has gone on break from their last shoot of 2012

 More than any other character, Naya looks less like Santana

 Although Grant Gustin really doesn't look like Sebastian when he's under a pile of dogs. Pile of boys, maybe

 Retired rugby player Nick Youngquest gets his model on for Dorian

 Cutie Joe McElderry flashes that megawatt smile at the ski slopes

 While Blake Skjellerup proves that New Zealand allowing Christmas on the beach makes it a superior place to live

 I was watching Disney Channel the other night (I'm addicted to Phineas & Ferb) when this little video came on, from their social outreach program called "Make Your Mark." It encourages kids to make a difference in the world in some small way. Ben is a filmmaker, and he made a film about bullying after being a victim himself, and after some of his friends were victims. I think I might know why Ben was bullied. At the 0:12 mark, when he's showing us a bit about his life, he shows us his moms. Plural, with their arms around each other. It's the briefest of moments in a remarkable enough story, but it stopped me cold. We tried to get Nickelodeon and Disney to open up about why they have no openly gay teens on their programs back in 2010, and basically met a stone wall. They didn't even understand the question. And while this isn't a gay kid, it's one of the few instances outside of DeGrassi that Disney Channel or Nickelodeon has shown that gay people exist in the world. It's such a small moment, but it was powerful to me, and I have a feeling it speaks volumes to kids with two moms or kids with two dads. What's even more remarkable is that the video is airing during the dinner hour, and has been since early November, and One Million Moms hasn't made a squeak.

I can only imagine what Christmas is like on the Southfork Ranch. I'm sure everything starts out sweet and kind, but I seriously doubt that they can hold that tone for very long, much like this Christmas greeting from the cast of the new Dallas.

The War On Christmas is deceptively powerful. In a small bit of satire from Slate, it uses the format of old war letters written home to point out just how ludicrous it is to call inclusion a war on a holiday, and how insulting it is to troops that have, and still are, away from home, risking their lives in a real war. Abuse a word like "war" and you take away more of its power, and make everyone who isn't in a war less afraid of it. And that's incredibly disrespectful to the troops.

Mr. Selfridge is a new ITV series starring Jeremy Piven as the showman and marketer that created a new shopping experience in the UK when he opened his self-titled store. I'm having a bit of trouble seeing Piven in the role, but it seems like an interesting angle on a fascinating tale.

Arsenio Hall is coming back. And we can't stop it. Also, what's happened to his face?

Chelsea Clinton sits down with Pastor Rick Warren and tries to get him to explain his opposition to marriage equality. Warren doesn't do a very good job of countering Clinton, spewing forth a lot of double talk that really never makes a point.

Washington Heights is a new MTV series about a bunch of young people chasing their dreams in the racially diverse neighborhood. I seem to recall a gay angle on this from some of the early press, but I don't really see it represented in this trailer.

Professional boxing has been grossly misrepresented to me.

The Incredible Burt Wonderstone puts Steve Carrell and Jim Carrey into one movie about stage magicians and does a truly magical trick - I don't hate them instantly. I'm not saying I'd ever watch the movie, but Carey seems genuinely funny, and Carrell doesn't seem to be a sad manchild who needs spanked, and that is magic in and of itself.

Turbo is a new animated film about a snail with a need for speed. I have no idea how they intend to maintain this premise over the course of 90 minutes, or if they just intend to waste 17 minutes at a time on time trials.

Admission has Tina Fey as a hardnose college admissions officer, and Paul Rudd as a hippy educator who can connect her to her past. I'm sure Rudd is his usual charming self in the movie, but in the trailer, Fey outshines everyone.

I'm not sure how you put Ryan Gosling (and shirtless in the trailer in 20 seconds) in a movie with Bradley Cooper and make me instantly disinterested, but haven't we seen Gosling play the bad boy trying to do good by doing bad before? Do they just recycle his scripts and change the car from Drive to a motorcycle for The Place Beyond the Pines?

In the latest NewNowNext Sexpert, Conner Habib talks about whether it's OK to have sex in your parents house when you take the SigO home for the holidays. In typical Conner fashion, he deals with the practical before delving into what underlying issues may be causing you to feel this way. This episode is slightly NSFW, which is mitigated by Conner being dressed up as Rudolph. And Conner? Relax. I made a backhanded claim thatBurt & Ernie were gay and nobody sued me. The furor died down after abouth three weeks. You're safe.

Most of the time, TV shows or movies make characters' sexualities crystal clear from the get go. In the case of lead characters, we meet them and almost immediately a love interest is introduced—always the opposite sex, always attractive. And supporting characters are almost always just assumed to be straight, even if we aren't given much backstory for them.

But sometimes characters slip past this convention and announce, rather late in the game, that they are, in fact, not straight. It comes as a surprise to the audience, because, who saw that one coming? Not us. But it’s awesome. Here are five of our favorite surprising gay character reveals:

1. Paranorman's Mitch

ParaNorman was a film that was released in late summer 2012, with a band of quirky, genuinely likable characters. Even the “bully,” Alvin, redeemed himself quickly enough, and joined together to help Norman fight the (pretty small, actually) horde of undead that returned from the grave.

Norman and Alvin wrangled up a group to help them out: Norman’s older sister, Courtney, Norman’s best friend, Neil, and Neil’s older brother, Mitch. From his introduction, Mitch seemed like a typical, straight teenager. He drove a truck, he played football, and Courtney had a crush on him right from the start. The whole movie was spent seeing her flirting with him in the background (a zombie apocalypse seemed a good time to her to start a romance, apparently) with Mitch apparently being just a little too dim to really pick up on it, and the assumption was that the two of them would become an item at the end of the film.

Mitch decided to let the truth come out at the end, after Courtney asked him out on a date to the movies, accepting (but calling her Cathy), and telling her, “You’re gonna love my boyfriend.” Wait—what? Huh. Cool.

2. Torchwood's Ianto Jones

Ianto Jones, possibly the most-loved character from the Doctor Who spin-off Torchwood is well-suited for this list. The fourth episode of the first season of Torchwood shows us explicitly that Ianto had a girlfriend, Lisa—who is actually still in contact with him. Well, technically: she’d been transformed into a Cyberwoman. Ianto was keeping her alive in a hidden room in the Torchwood complex, hoping to one day cure her and make her fully human again. If that's not love, what is?

All well and good, Ianto is straight, right? Not so fast. As the series progresses, it becomes clear that he has fallen in love with the immortal Jack Harkness. Ianto tells his sister that he’s straight, “It’s not men. It’s just him. It’s only him,” referring to Jack. And yet, there is some expanded universe material that states Ianto is bisexual.

Either way, he’s one of the best queer characters around—a prime example that sexuality is not and never has been black and white.

3. Supernatural's Demian & Barnes

Supernatural is one of those shows where, even though most of its episodes could be classified as drama, it still doesn’t take itself too seriously. There are episodes solely devoted to making the audience laugh while still providing plot or character development. One such episode takes place in season 5, entitled “The Real Ghostbusters.” Brothers Sam and Dean Winchester are tricked into attending a "Supernatural" convention, complete with cosplayers—most of whom are dressed as the sibling hunters themselves.

Two such cosplayers are Demian and Barnes. They’re just regular guys. They don’t hunt—Demian is a copy machine repairman and Barnes sells stereo equipment. But when Sam and Dean need their help stopping a handful of vengeful spirits from killing everyone attending the convention, they immediately step up to the plate. They’re a bit trepidatious at first, and understandably so: they’re charged with digging up a grave, then salting and burning the bones.

But they complete all these tasks and demonstrate their heroism, making the audience think maybe they could be a pair of hunters too. At the end of the episode, Sam and Dean say goodbye and Demian and Barnes... reveal they’re actually a couple. It was a really sweet moment in a series where almost every character pretends not to have emotions, and definitively proved that the couple that slays together stays together.

4. Dexter's Isaak Sirko

Every season of Dexter seems to have  "Big Bad" -- another murderer that serial-killer Dexter Morgan (Michael C. Hall) does battle with and ultimately vanquishes. The seventh season of the series introduced us to Isaak Sirko, the leader of a Ukranian crime syndicate, and it looked very much like Sirko would be that Big Bad. Early on we see him dispatch several innocent (and no so innocent) victims. He seems to have a thing for driving screwdrivers through his victims' eye sockets. This ruthless killer is in Miami to investigate the disappearance of a mob associate, Viktor. When he finds out that Dexter was the one who did Viktor in, he vows revenge.

Dexter and Sirko circle on another like the dangerous predators they both are, but a later meeting of theirs has Dexter following Isaak into a gay bar. Isaak tells Dexter that he feels “comfortable” there, cluing Dexter in and admitting that he was involved with the Viktor, hence his desire for revenge. They were, as he puts it, “Lovers,” then amending it to “more than that.”

Having gay characters on television is important. Having gay characters-- even villains-- who are more than their sexuality is even more important.

4. Lost's Tom Friendly

Love it or hate it, Lost is one of those TV shows that left a real impression on its viewers. It did so by twisty episode timelines, mythology incorporated into plotlines, and excellently developed, intriguing characters. There were many—it was hard to keep track, but a few stuck out in our minds.

One such character was the ironically-named Tom Friendly. We first met him in season 1, known only as one of The Others, a group whom the castaways believed was actively working against them (and for good reason—Mr. Friendly blew up their escape raft and kidnapped a child).

Characters on Lost often popped up after they died in the main storyline, thanks to the use of flashbacks. So when Mr. Friendly kicked it in season 3, fans had a feeling it wouldn’t be the last they saw of him. And it wasn’t: he returned in a flashback in the season 4 episode “Meet Kevin Johnson,” where we got to see his life away from the island. In this flashback, Tom invites another character (Michael) to his hotel room for a little explanation of the island’s mysterious ways. There, we witness Tom with another man, Arturo. Tom, by way of explanation for Arturo’s presence, tells Michael: “Don’t make it to the mainland too often, so when I do, I like to indulge myself.” Just to drive the point home (to Michael and the viewing audience), Tom gives Arturo a kiss on the cheek.

Good to know that the Others will kill for their beliefs, but they don’t discriminate in their hiring process, right?

5. Harry Potter's Albus Dumbledore

The Harry Potter books by J.K. Rowling are possibly the best loved (and certainly best-selling) literary series ever. One of the most beloved characters from both the books and the movies is Albus Dumbledore, the headmaster of of Hogwarts and Harry's ally, protector and biggest champion. In a 2007 author Q&A, a fan asked Rowling whether Dumbledore, who throughout the entire series touted the importance of love, had ever fallen in love himself. Her answer revealed that Dumbledore was, in fact, gay, and had fallen in love with a character who played a pivotal role in the seventh book: Gellert Grindelwald. The fandom (and media) exploded at this news.

Any other gay character surprises we should have included on this list? Let us know in the comments.

What a year 2012 was for sports fans! At the London Olympics, swimming, diving and water polo teams sauntered around the pool and showered for the TV cameras in the skimpiest Speedos. In professional sports, veterans and rookies thrilled us with record-breaking performances, not to mention their athletic bodies. And throughout the year there was something new to sports: outspoken compassion, caring and genuine support for those current and future athletes who choose to come out of the closet once and for all.

So let us cheer the year in sports with an admittedly personal selection of the athletes who stood out from the rest due to their sportsmanship, athletic ability and, above all, those bodies that are to die for.

Look for AfterElton’s first “Sportsman of the Year Award” – presented to the individual athlete whose courage, compassion, sportsmanship and ability (on and off the field) deserve to be recognized.

Tennis

Roger Federer

Sports writers and fans this year awarded Roger Federer a crowning achievement when near-universal agreement bestowed the title of “Greatest tennis player of all time” on the 31 year-old Swiss-born ace who has utterly dominated the game since 2003. A furry and congenial fan favorite, Federer may have capped his career by playing in one of the greatest tennis matches of all time at Wimbledon this year. In a marathon four sets, Federer defeated Andy Murray to win the Final and regain his world number one ranking. It was Federer’s seventh Wimbledon championship, tying him with Pete Sampras.

Federer is married to former Women’s Tennis Association player Mirka Vavrinec and they are parents of twin girls. He supports a number of charities through the Roger Federer Foundation and has appeared in UNICEF public service spots to raise awareness of AIDS. An all-around athlete, Federer has acknowledged that his athletic abilities were largely forged in his youth, when he played every sport he encountered, though, he said, “I was always very much more interested if a ball was involved.”

Andy Murray

World tennis records were shaken up this year at the U.S. Open by Scottish tennis player Murray when he became the first British man since 1936 to win a Grand Slam singles tournament. Then, at the 2013 London Olympics, he thrilled the nation by defeating Roger Federer in straight sets to win the Gold Medal in Men’s Singles, becoming the first British champion in more than 100 years. He is the only man to win the US Open and Olympic Gold back-to-back.

Born with a biparte patella, where the kneecap remains as two separate bones instead of fusing together in childhood – he has been seen holding his knee due to pain and has dropped out of competition because of it. Prone to injury, the sexy Scot was expected to continue his career mostly as a runner up – until replacing his coach this year and improving his already remarkable athletic abilities. Outspoken and frequently in trouble with the British press for his comments, Murray is a handsome and lively competitor.

Rafael Nadal

The best arms in the tennis business – as well as numerous other parts that are quite fine – belong to Nadal, who is considered by tennis fans to be one of the greatest players of all time. Nicknamed the “King of Clay” because of his mastery of clay courts, the lean and muscular Nadal returned a vocal and sensual passion to the game that may have been missing during most of the Sampras/Federer years. In 2012 “Rafa” suffered through tendonitis (and withdrew from several competitions), illness and injury to realize his greatest athletic achievement: winning the French Open in a remarkable encounter with Number One ranked player Novak Djokovic.

Now claimed by sportswriters to be the best tennis match ever played, Nadal won the first two sets, but lost 8 straight to Djokovic, when play was called due to rain. When play resumed, Nadal’s overpowering serve and returns demolished Djokovic and Nadal won his seventh French Open title, surpassing Bjorn Borg’s overall titles record to become the most successful player in French Open history. In all of the 2012 clay court season, Nadal lost only three sets.

London Olympics

Nathan Adrian - Swimming

The 6’6” American stunned Olympics viewers when he won Gold medals in both the 100-meter freestyle and the 4x100-meter medley relay, bringing his career international competition medal count to 15. Adrian currently holds the American record in both the 50 and 100-yard freestyle events.

David Boudia - Diving

The diminutive Texan arrived at the London Olympics with great expectations, but a series of miscalculations and unfortunate diving strategies nearly cost him a medal in his best event, the 10-meter platform. Barely advancing from the prelims (he came in 18th), Boudia rebounded with a series of remarkably poised and athletic dives, and eventually beat World Champion Qui Bo and London favorite Tom Daley to win gold, becoming the first individual American diver to receive a medal since the 1996 Atlanta Games.

Tom Daley - Diving

A star of the first magnitude was born right before our appreciative eyes on national television. British diver Tom Daley (whose calendar is a best-seller) took the world by storm as he sensuously walked from the pool to the showers in a two-sizes-too-small Speedo. A literal “poster boy” of the Olympics (huge banners featuring his nearly naked image were plastered across department store exteriors in England) Daley’s performances proved disappointing, settling for the Bronze Medal in the 10-meter platform, his signature event.

Matthew Mitcham - Diving

The performance of out Australian diver Matthew Mitcham was probably one of the most disappointing of the 2010 Olympic Games. The highly skilled athlete had previously been a consistent performer, and was expected to medal in his specialist event, the 10 meter platform. Instead, he placed 13th in the semifinals, and narrowly missed the mark to qualify for finals. As revealed in his 2012 autobiography, Mitcham had begun using methamphetamine in 2001 and is currently in recovery from addiction.

Fabian Hambuechen - Gymnast

When German Hanbuechen competed in the 2004 Athens Games, he was one of the youngest gymnasts ever and finished 7^th in the Horizontal bar. Since then, he’s won five World Championship medals and six European Championship medals. In 2007, sportswriters named him the male German sportsperson of the year. At the London Olympics he competed in a number of events, and won Silver in the Horizontal bar competition.

Ryan Lochte - Swimming

Good-looking, sweet and language-challenged men and women abound in athletics, but none more so than the adorable Lochte. He combined charm with an ability to attract medals like a magnet to dominate swimming events – and position himself as a better swimmer than World Champion Michael Phelps. Though his celebrity may fade fast, his Olympic records will not: his five London medals brought his total to 11 Olympic medals, placing him behind Phelps, and tied with Mark Spitz and Matt Biondi.

Kevin Love - Basketball

At 6’10”, the 24 year old Californian (who plays professionally for the Minnesota Timberwolves) joined an Olympic basketball team that was considered to be woefully short of tall men. Though appearing vulnerable at times, the US team went undefeated in the London Olympics, narrowly defeating Spain to win Gold.

LeShawn Merritt - Sprinter

The 5th fastest man on the planet, Merritt won the 2008 Beijing Gold in the 400 meter race. In 2010 results showed that Merritt had failed drug tests – he claims the failed drug tests resulted from his use of an over-the-counter penis enlargement product – and accepted a multi-year suspension. Merritt was the number one qualifier at the 2012 Olympic Trials, but two weeks before the Olympics he tweaked his hamstring. Because of this injury he pulled up in a qualifying heart of the 400 and did not finish.

Clemente Russo - Boxing

The handsome Italian, who works as a policeman, competed in the 2004 and 2008 Olympics but was eliminated in early rounds. A new coach and growing confidence led to rare back-to-back Olympics Silver medals in 2008 and 2012. With looks like his, it’s no wonder Russo has embarked on a modeling and acting career. In 2011 he starred in Tatanka, portraying, naturally, himself as a young boxer growing up in the Neopolitan mob heartland.

Tour de France

Mark Cavendish

The handsome British cyclist dominated the 2012 Tour de France with great sprinting performances in many stages of the race – despite being involved in a devastating large crash in the final kilometers of an early stage. On July 22, Cavendish won the final stage of the Tour de France on the Champs-Elysees for a record fourth consecutive year and became the most successful sprinter in Tour de France history. His team, Team Sky, and teammate Bradley Wiggins, eventually won the 2012 Tour.

Motorsports

Randy de Puniet

A championship motorcycle racer since 1998, the handsome young racer is also a bit of a crash test dummy, having fractured his ankle and more recently broken his leg. An attractive personality and bestselling author in his native France, de Puniet is a founding member of the “Champions for Peace” group of 54 famous athletes committed to serving peace in the world through sports.

Rugby

James Haskell

Not a star rugby player by any means, Haskell’s consistent play has made him competitive in the English sport. A handsome raconteur, Haskell’s sexy past (expelled from Wellington College for making a sex tape) and restless career (he’s played for several teams and just returned to his original team, the London Wasps) make him a unique presence in Great Britain sports.

Boxing

Amir Khan

The handsome England-born light welterweight (5’10”) boxer is a former two-time World Champion and former unified WBA and IBF light welterweight champion. The youngest British Olympic boxing medalist, Khan won Silver at the 2004 Athens Olympics at the age of 17. After an absence from the sport, this December 15 he will make his comeback fight against undefeated Mexican-American boxer Carlos Molina at the LA Sports Arena in a fight broadcast by Showtime.

Football

Tom Brady

America’s most handsome athlete had a big year, becoming only the fourth quarterback in NFL history to throw for more than 5,000 yards in a single season. His remarkable season was capped by disappointment at the Super Bowl, where Brady’s Patriots met the New York Giants for the second time in five years. Brady played will, leading a Super Bowl record-tying 96-yard touchdown drive and completing 16 passes in a row, another Super Bowl record. In the end, he was penalized for intentional grounding in the end zone, leading to a final score of 21-17 for the Giants that kept Brady from winning his fourth Super Bowl.

DeSean Jackson

Jackson has unfortunately become more famous for his emotional outbursts on and off the field than for the “miraculous” punt return that enshrines him in the record books. In 2010, in a tied game against the New York Giants, Jackson returned a punt for 65 yards to lead the Philadelphia Eagles to win in the final 14 seconds of the game. This was the first and is the only game-winning punt return on the final play from scrimmage in the history of the NFL. This year, the Eagles signed Jackson to a generous 5-year contract, but he was injured in November and was placed on reserve.

Robert Griffin

Griffin wears #10 for the Redskins, with “Griffin III” on the back. Nicknamed RG3, he is the first quarterback in NFL history to be born in the 1990’s. Winner of the 2011 Heisman Trophy, is rookie season with the redskins has been nothing short of spectacular, and D.C. football fans have responded with a fervor not seen in FedEx Field in a generation – RG3 has rekindled their faith in making the playoffs.

Brady Quinn

A day after the tragic murder-suicide by Kansas City Chiefs’ linebacker Javon Belcher, the underrated Quinn took to the field as the Chief’s quarterback and conducted an emotional 27-21 win over the Carolina Panthers, completing 19-23 passes for 201 yards and two touchdowns. Following the game, he reflected, “When you ask someone how they are doing, do you really mean it? When you answer someone back how you are doing, are you really telling the truth? We live in a society of social networks, with Twitter pages and Facebook, and that's fine, but we have contact with our work associates, our family, our friends, and it seems like half the time we are more preoccupied with our phone and other things going on instead of the actual relationships that we have right in front of us. Hopefully, people can learn from this and try to actually help if someone is battling something deeper on the inside than what they are revealing on a day-to-day basis.”

Brendon Ayanbadejo

Forever famous for making a 2004 play that led to one of the biggest upset comebacks in Monday Night Football history, Ayanbedejo turned out to be the 2012 match that started a firestorm in the NFL regarding same sex marriage. A straight ally and very vocal supporter of marriage equality, his advocacy was attacked by Maryland State Delegate Emmett C. Burns, Jr. in a letter to Ayanbedejo’s boss, Baltimore Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti. The letter urged Bisciotti to silence his player. According to the Washington Post, Ayanbedejo announced that he would not remain silent on an issue of conscience and importance. His statement received widespread support throughout football, including a scathing response to Burns from Minnesota Vikings punter Chris Kluwe.

Mark Sanchez

He loves musical theatre, has presented at the Tonys, and used to date one of the Desperate Housewives.

Baseball

Dustin Ackley

A star high school player and a standout in college, Ackley was drafted by the Seattle Mariners in 2009 but only became a major leaguer this year, hitting a home run on his second day at bat. His success as a second baseman and as a slugger continued, and he was voted the Most Valuable Player of the Mariners by Seattle sportswriters.

Matt Kemp

One of the best players in baseball – and one of the best-looking – Kemp started the 2012 season secure in a massive new contract, but was forced to endure a series of injuries that nearly derailed him. Despite missing nearly two months, Kemp was voted by fans as a starter for the All-Star Game, but was unable to play. Finally, he re-joined the Los Angeles Dodgers in mid-July, playing well until a disastrous crash into the wall injured his knee and shoulder. He continued playing for the rest of the season.

Angel Pagan

The World Champion San Francisco Giants have a number of great players (see Buster Posey below) but none as handsome and graceful as the Puerto Rican Pagan. While playing for the New York Mets, Pagan was given the nickname “El Caballo Loco” (“Crazy Horse”) by his teammates. As lead off batter for the Giants, Pagan holds the Giants’ record for a home hitting streak, currently at 28. This last season, he broke the Giant’s record for most triples in a season.

Buster Posey

A star high school and college baseball player who once played every position in a single game, Posey is destined to be a Hall of Fame inductee at the first available opportunity. After enduring a terrifying home plate crash that broke his ankle in the 2011 season, Posey re-engineered his entire body and returned to play this season with a renewed vigor and drive that single-handedly reinvigorated the San Francisco Giants and led to their second World Series win in three seasons.

C.J. Wilson

Put politely, Wilson has had some ups and downs in baseball, but he just finished an “up” season, so he has that – and the best-looking face in baseball – going for him. One of the few pitchers in baseball to go eight straight postseason (playoff) starts without recording a victory, Wilson signed this season with the Anaheim Angels. Popularly known for coordinating the color of his glove with his uniform, Wilson currently wears a red glove for the Angels.

Olympic Bulge Standouts

Pardon us, we didn't mean to stare, but some athletes just carry a little something extra, and it's hard not to notice in speedos and Lycra. Let’s take a look back at the four Olympic athletes that most mesmerized us during London’s Summer. England swings? Does it ever!

Romain Barras

Björn Barrefors

Aldo Montano

Henrik Rummel

Straight Ally Athlete of the Year

Chris Kluwe of the Minnesota Vikings

After Baltimore Ravens linebacker Brendon Ayanbadejo voiced his support for the Maryland ballot initiative that legalized same-sex marriage in the state, Maryland state delegate Emmett C. Burns, Jr. wrote a letter to Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti, urging him to “Inhibit such expressions from your employee.” For Minnesota Vikings punter Chris Kluwe, the delegate’s response was unacceptable, and in an open letter published by the Huffington Post, Kluwe demolished arguments against equality with elegance and a few R-rated words:

"I find it inconceivable that you are an elected official of the United States government..."

In subsequent TV and radio interviews, Kluwe conducted himself as an able advocate of gay civil rights, and a welcoming NFL presence, looking forward to the day (hopefully soon) when gay players come out of the closet. Are there times when Kluwe’s rhetoric goes over the top? Sure. Are there times when Kluwe, like many athletes, exhibits a wandering brain that seeks to cover too many topics? Absolutely. Is there a better advocate to lead a crusade in sports to appreciate gay sports fans and support gay rights? Right here, right now, thanks to Chris Kluwe, that job is taken. Keep up the good work, Chris. And thanks.

Sportsman of the Year – Out and Victorious

Orlando Cruz

On October 4, 2012, boxer Orlando Cruz became the most prominent currently active professional athlete to come out of the closet, effectively marking the beginning of what (we hope) will most certainly become a faster march toward equality and openness in professional sports. “I have and will always be a proud Puerto Rican,” he announced. “I have always been and always will be a proud gay man.” Cruz’s coming out made headlines around the world, and focused increased attention on the promising young featherweight fighter. With 22 professional fights since 2000, Cruz has won 19, 9 by knockout, and shows only increased strength in the wake of his coming out. In the ring just 15 days after his big announcement, Cruz was victorious over Jorge Pazos. In an interview broadcast by HBO Sports after the fight, Cruz revealed that he used to cry at home before and after the gym before he came out. As to why he chose to discuss his personal life in public, the courageous boxer said, “I want respect … in the ring and outside, on the street.”

Animanicas is back on TV where they belong, thank you HUB.

Since everyday is likely to be a slow news day this week, I'm giving you the full listings for Christmas week. (Be sure to note that Christmas isn't enough to get in the way of snicks following Days of Our Lives with liveblogs on Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday!) I hope you all have a safe, happy and delicious holiday!

News

Over the weekend, TNT cancelled Leverage, making Tuesday's season finale, the series' swan song. On the bright side, fans had a couple weeks to prepare for the bad news as producer Dean Devlin wrote that, foreseeing this cancellation, the episode was written to work as a season or series finale.

The next season of The Walking Dead won't have Glenn Mazzara as showrunner any more. This prompted Sons of Anarchy creator Kurt Sutter and The Shield creator Shawn Ryan (Mazzara, Sutter and Ryan all worked on The Shield) to publicly complain about the change. "With FX, Showtime, HBO, Starz, Cinemax, A&E, TNT and others to sell to, it’s a real question now why good show runners should sell to AMC?" asked Ryan. Meanwhile, somehow The Killing had the same showrunner for two critically-reviled seasons.

E! is developing a drama set in a small South Carolina town that's changed when a TV drama begins filming there, according to Deadline. As the classic soap trope goes, there's a class divide in the town — between the rich stars and the producers of the show and the working class locals, who are often employed by the show.

Ad Age and social-media research firm Trendrr have declared the year's "most social" TV shows. SpongeBob SquarePants takes the top prize, with The X-Factor coming in second. Meanwhile, Pretty Little Liars is the only scripted drama in the top ten.

Steven Root has joined the cast of USA's Elmore Leonard pilot, TVLine reports. The series follows a marriage of convenience between a Miami politician and a Colombian woman, with Root joining the series as a local power broker and campaign manager. Justified fans should know this isn't Root's first series to be based on one of Leonard's short stories.

Now, that's just ridiculous.

In ratings news, the series finale of Jersey Shorelanded with a thud drawing 3.1 million viewers. That's the smallest number of people who've tuned in for a Jersey Shore finale.

Listings for Monday December 24

Charlie's Angels Marathon (Universal HD) starting at 6:00 AM ET
I spent a moment wondering about why the Universal HD channel is airing a show that predates HD TV but I can overlook that to watch the Angels take on various undercover identities for a mix of camp, glamor and just being generally badass. Sadly, I don't see the rejected backdoor pilot "Toni's Boys" on the schedule. Someday.

Dead Like Me Marathon (Chiller) starting at 6:00 AM ET
Chiller's kicking off the holiday by spending the day with George Glass, Rube and the reapers in Bryan Fuller's gone-too-soon (can Hannibal be an exception to the marriage of Bryan Fuller and gone-too-soon? Please?) dramedy. The marathon focuses on the first, more focused season and feel free to sleep in since the marathon oddly begins with the season's last two episodes before airing the pilot.

Firefly Marathon (Science) starting at 7:00 AM ET
I'm sure someday we'll look back and think of Firefly as the show that signaled the beginning of the end of Science programming on The Science Channel, much like Ice Road Truckers on History, Trading Spaces on TLC and... okay, its been too long since A&E left the arts and entertainment behind for me to remember where that began. At least the road down the slippery slope is staring with a show that is arguably better than Star Wars.

Animaniacs Marathon (HUB) starting at 4:00 PM ET ET
HUB's schedule has given new life to animated classics from the 80s like Jem and now it brings back a series from the 90s with the lunacy (loonacy?) of Yakko, Wakko and Dot. The episodes selected focus on Christmas-themed stories, which means I'll have to wait to hear the international friendship song.

Raising Hope Marathon (Fox) starting at 8:00 PM ET
Fox is giving its Tuesday-night comedies a chance to shine this week starting with the adventures of the Chance family. If you've never given a chance to Raising Hope, it's one of TV more overlooked comedies, with a solid mix of sweet and cynical, a stellar cast and a solid sense of the absurd.

Are you ready to meet the new Doctor Who companion?

Listings for Tuesday, Christmas Day, December 25

Pop Up Video Marathon (VH1) starting at 4:30 AM ET
Do you want to unwrap your presents to the sound of factoids appearing over music videos? Thanks to this five-and-a-half hour marathon, you can.

Days of Our Lives (NBC) Check local listings
It's time for Will and Sonny's first Christmas together — will they be able to manage the big fights that come with every Christmas like tinsel or icicles? popcorn or cranberry strings? twinkling or blinking lights? Join us for a debate as we watch with the first for three Christmas week liveblogs!

The Secret Circle Marathon (Chiller) starting at 6:00 AM ET
Chiller's follow-up to the greatness of Dead Like Me is the downward spiral that was The Secret Circle, so if you feel like spending Christmas day watching a supernatural drama go from compelling to a show with bland and poorly-defined villains (and then there's the way "Kill Cassie" became the default way people dealt with problems), now's your chance.

Sabrina the Teenage Witch Marathon (HUB) starting at 7:00 AM ET
After giving us Christmas Eve with the Warners, HUB brings us six hours of the closest ABC's TGiF lineup got to being as faboo as Bewitched.

Fringe Marathon (Science) starting at 8:00 AM ET
Following on Monday's Firefly marathon, Science spends Christmas day with the Fringe team. Too bad, it's a marathon of the second season, or I'd take this as a chance to sample the series.

The Match Game Marathon (GSN) starting at 8:00 AM ET
To celebrate the 50th anniversary of the iconic celebrity panel show, GSN is kicking off its 8-hour marathon with two episodes that have never aired until now — the original pilot and the pilot for the CBS revival. The marathon will also feature the first episode with non-human panelists, puppets Kukla and Ollie (yeah, I feel younger when I had to look that up).

Doctor Who Christmas Special Marathon starting at 8:00 AM ET
Unwrap your presents to the annual sight of a Timelord saving the earth (or just a few people in need of the Christmas spirit). It begins with "A Christmas Carol" (Matt Smith's first special) before a look back at "The Best of the Christmas Specials" that leads to the David Tennant era at 10AM with "The Christmas Invasion,"Catherine Tate's Who debut "The Runaway Bride,"Kylie Minogue's turn as a companion "The Voyage of the Damned" and the tearjerker that is "The Next Doctor" (so far the last appearances of all the great characters introduced during Russell T. Davies era). Finally, at 3PM it's time for last year's special, "The Doctor, The Widow and the Wardrobe".

The Match Game Marathon (GSN) starting at 8:00 AM ET
To celebrate the 50th anniversary of the iconic celebrity panel show, GSN is kicking off its 8-hour marathon with two episodes that have never aired until now — the orignal pilot and the pilot for the CBS revival. The marathon will also feature the first episode with non-human panelists, puppets Kukla and Ollie (yeah, I feel younger when I had to look that up).

K-9 Marathon starting at 10:00 AM ET
Syfy's letting viewers spend the day with the adorable little robot dog from Doctor Who, airing all 26 episodes (which are getting repeated tomorrow). Then again, once you've spent 13 hours watching an adorable robot dog, you're probably going to make an addition to your next Christmas wish list, something no one will be able to buy you.

Monty Python: Almost the Truth (Lawyer's Cut) (IFC) starting at 8:30 AM ET
For its Christmas miracle, IFC is reairing the entire six-hour documentary about the iconic comedy troupe, an overall solid history of the group, just as long as you ignore all the parts where Russell Brand is speaking.

Doctor Who Marathon (BBC America) stating at 4:00 PM ET
Before we get to this year's special, BBC America is giving you a chance to catch up on the current season so far. No matter how you feel about Daleks, make sure to catch the first episode, "Asylum of the Daleks" which looks like it might have set up some of the drama for tonight's drama.

New Girl Marathon (Fox) starting at 8:00 PM ET
The yuletide spotlight turns to Jess and her roommates that begins with both Christmas episodes (compare and contrast Matt Long vs. David Walton) and ends with Jess' struggle to deal with a bullying student.

Doctor Who (BBC America) 9:00 PM ET
Not only does this year's special bring back Madame Vastra and Jenny, the Who team has kept us hanging since September when new companion Jenna-Louise Coleman made her debut as Oswin. What does Oswin have to do with the new companion? That is a question that almost distracted me from all the drama that came with Amy and Rory's big goodbye.

South Park Christmas Marathon (Comedy Central) starting at 9:00 PM ET
Since there's a good chance your Christmas spirit will be worn out by 9PM, Comedy Central's heading to South Park to spend the last three hours of the holiday there.

Leverage (TNT) 10:00 PM ET
It's a "Long Goodbye Job" for the Leverage team's final heist that includes one last confrontation with Jim Sterling (Mark Sheppard) and facing the death of Nate's son. I'd like to say I'm going to miss these characters, but the past two episodes have been a reminder that Leverage has run out of steam.

The Graham Norton Show (BBC America) 10:20 PM ET
Sure, it wouldn't be Christmas without a Doctor Who special — or a special follow-up episode of The Graham Norton Show. This year's show brings together Matt Smith, Dustin Hoffman, Billy Connolly and Amy Macdonald.

The characters of Call the Midwife get to celebrate the holidays in December.
Those Downton Abbey folk will have to wait until February.

Listings for Wednesday December 26

Days of Our Lives (NBC) Check local listings
Sonny, Gabi and Nick want to continue to spend the holiday fighting but Will breaks out into a chorus of "Don't Be a Jerk, It's Christmas" to make everything better. Does Will sing it better than SpongeBob? Join us for a liveblog as we debate the topic.

Friday the 13th: The series Marathon (Chiller) starting at 9:00 AM ET
George Glassand 8 hours of Robey chasing down cursed objects in a single weekend? Now I'm disappointed Chiller isn't part of my cable line-up.

Castle Marathon (TNT) starting at Noon ET
TNT hopes you want to spend the day after Christmas listening to witty banter and watching murders solved for eleven hours. I have to admit, that doesn't sound so bad.

Ben & Kate Marathon (Fox) starting at 8:00 PM ET
Fox's new comedies get the spotlight starting tonight with this show that's earned praise from the critics and a lot of you like but I ended up deleting within 15 minutes. I keep meaning to give it a second chance to see if its stopped setting off my allergy to manchild characters who are supposed to come off as lovable. (Otherwise known as Will Ferrell aversion syndrome.)

The 35th Annual Kennedy Award Center Honors (CBS) 9:00 PM ET
This year's honorees are Dustin Hoffman, Buddy Guy, Latalia Markarova, Led Zeppelin and David Letterman. As always, resist the urge to ask, "Are those pride ribbons?"

Hot in Cleveland (TV Land) 10:00 PM ET
Joy suddenly becomes obsessed with the idea of guys with pets — a fascination that's encouraged by a hot fireman (Eddie Cibrian), the episode description doesn't mention it, but isn't the firehouse hedgehog an adorable and long-standing tradition? No, wait that's just the firehouse that exists in the happy place in my head. They also have a firehouse koala and a couple of red pandas.

The Soup (E!) 10:00 PM ET
We're almost at the end of the year, so its time for The Soup's year-end clipdown special. I'd wonder if a year's worth of clips can compare to last week's end-of-the-world retrospective, which could pick clips from The Soup's entire history, but that special somehow managed to lack the bite it should have had. Hopefully, the Soup writers will have more snark ready when it comes to looking back at the year.

Happily Divorced (TV Land) 10:30 PM ET
Okay, I love Fran and her voice. You know who else has a voice that reliably makes me smile? Cyndi Lauper, who is this week's special guest-star as Fran's childhood friend. Until I get that Simpsons episode about Lenny striking a friendship with Cyndi, Fran and a doozer from Fraggle Rock, this will make me pretty happy.

Listings for Thursday December 27

The Mindy Project Marathon (Fox) starting at 8:00 PM ET
Fox's holiday comedy showcase wraps with the show that looked like the most promising on paper (and had a great pilot) but still hasn't quite found its voice. There are glimmers of potential in every episode, so I guess Fox is hoping that those hints of greatness will get viewers to tune in. Me, I can't wait until I don't have to choose between Mindy, the B---- in Apartment 23 and The New Normal.

Project Runway All Stars (Lifetime) 9:00 PM ET
At the Project Runway mothership, it's a compelling test to watch the designers try to work with a retail budget, will it be as compelling when the all-stars — who probably should have some experience with retail budgets by now — have to create high-fashion looks meant to sell at a retail store?

Wives with Beehives (TLC) 10:00 PM ET
Is "Wives with things that rhyme with wives" the new thing at TLC? Following the Wives with Knives, TLC looks at women who live like its the 1950s, complete with repressed gender role expectations, midcentury styling and beehive hairdos. I look forward to the eventual debut about women who run rough-and-tumble bars (Wives with Dives), women who work in radio communications (Wives with Five-by-Fives) and women who golf (Wives with Drives).

Listings for Friday December 28

Days of Our Lives (NBC) Check local listings
It's almost time to celebrate the New Year in Salem which seems to be making Will worried about whether or not he'll have a future with his child. I'm sure it doesn't help for Will to be talking with Kate and all her... er, trust issues. Don't miss the last liveblog of 2012!

Listings for Saturday December 29

Buffy the Vampire Slayer Marathon (Logo) starting at 6:00 AM ET
I know, a Buffy marathon on Logo isn't news but this 12-hour marathon does include some of my favorite episodes including "Restless" (which, admittedly, is also the episode where The WB wouldn't let Willow and Tara be shown kissing), "Hush,""Once More with Feeling" and the ultimate Buffy double-feature "The Wish" followed by "Doppelgangland".

She Made Them Do It (Lifetime) 8:00 PM ET
Lifetime's breaking up your after-Christmas glow with Jenna Dewan Tatum and Mackenzie Phillips, by telling the story of Sarah Pender, a woman who topped the America's Most Wanted list for escaping prison after being convincted for the murder of her two roommates. If they want to live up to the dangerous-women-on-the-run genre, they'd better at least drive next to a cliff.

Listings for Sunday December 30

Call the Midwife (PBS) Check local listings
What's this? A holiday special from the UK airing on PBS during the holidays? Either Call the Midwife is a special series or PBS is quickly delivering results in its promise to shorten the time it takes to air one of its imported series. This one sees Chummy and Jenny Lee celebrate their first Christmas in Nonnatus House with a nativity play. Naturally, the kind crazy mishaps you'd expect to happen when a Miranda Hart character makes big plans happens. Unfortunately, it looks like in my area, those mishaps include not getting onto the airwaves.

The Shahs of Sunset (Bravo) 10:00 PM ET
MJ's birthday party ties together a number of this season's storylines. It revisits her personal issues since she ends up throwing her own party, it brings up the tension between her and Reza, and it creates a new spin on how everyone's distancing themselves from GG since MJ can't decide if she wants to hear a verse from "It's My Party (And GG Will Get Blackout Drunk If She Wants to)".

What are you planning to watch over the holiday week? Let's discuss it in the comments!

First, some housekeeping. We're going to be a bit light this week. I'm taking Christmas Day and the day after off from Meme. We'll have Briefs every day except Christmas, but we will bring you some content that day. And snicks is liveblogging Days of Our Lives Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday. From our dysfunctional AfterElton family to yours, have a great holiday, be it a Merry Christmas or just a day off from work.

When Gareth Thomas visited Mickey Rourke in Los Angeles, he found something that under different circumstances might have been a bit creepy.  “I stayed with Mickey for a few weeks in his house. I walked into his living room and he had 10ft framed pictures of me all over his walls. It was so strange. If he wasn’t playing me in the film I would have been a bit freaked out but he said he wants to get into my mind." Honestly, that's still a bit creepy.

To wipe that image out of your head, Gareth also talked about how his family reacted to his coming out. His father, once over the shock, stepped up. "My family were amazing - once it was taken in, my dad, who is a very tough man, sat me down at home with the family; he opened a bottle of champagne and said 'this is a toast to the rest of your life son.'  It was overwhelming, and my family as a whole have been superb.

The Iowa Supreme Court says it's perfectly legal to fire someone because you find them too attractive to resist, even if they're not flirting with you in any way.

Remember when we couldn't stop talking about Tim Tebow? He was having a good year in Denver, big speaking engagements, and his virginity was front and center? Yeah, that all came to a crashing halt in 2012.

You really need to readFrank Bruni's account of his being out to his father, who didn't discuss it for years.  Still, it all has a happy ending, with dad telling him “I almost think I love you more for it — for being what you are rather than what was expected of you.”

The cutest seals you've ever seen have been listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act because their habitat of sea ice is disappearing. So what does the state of Alaska plan to do about it? Sue the federal government. "The ESA was not enacted to protect healthy animal populations. Despite this fact, the NMFS continues the federal government's misguided policy to list healthy species based mostly on speculated impacts from future climate change, adding additional regulatory burdens and costs upon the State of Alaska and its communities."

Phillippe Stark has had Steve Jobsyacht repossessed because he says he was only paid €6 million for designing it, and not the €9 million he deserves. There was no detailed contract for the yacht, designed for his friend Steve Jobs, but he says a verbal agreement entitled him to a percentage of the cost of building it, which is in dispute. Jobs never lived to sail the $100 million yacht.

The Archbishop of Walesis planning to meet with the UK government to ask them not to statutorily ban his church from performing same-sex marriages, instead allowing them to opt out like any other religion. He fears that should the Church ever change its mind, getting the government to repeal the law would take too long. And it makes them look bad.

 Fran Dreschersays that whileHappily Divorced is loosely based on her real life marriage, there are differences. "I'm not as dependent on my ex-husband in the way that Fran is. We're very, very close, and we're like family, and I would certainly call him first if I needed anything or anyone. Our lives aren't intertwined in the way that theirs are. They really haven't experienced being single in the way Peter and I have been able to, and I think that that helps make me a more well rounded person."

 This picture of Matt Doyle and Ryan Steele at the Book of Mormon Christmas party is sweet

 While this pic of Matt Doyle with Jon Bass brings entirely different thoughts

 Sofia Vergara knows how to party

 While her costar Jesse Tyler Ferguson jets off somewhere warm with his fiance Justin Mikita

 Joe McElderry is keeping both of us warm with this picture in his long johns

 Chris Hayes knows there's only one way to deal with guests on Sunday morning shows

 Colton Haynes hangs out with his new Arrow costar Colin Donnell

 The other night, Jay Leno went around to help some folks get ready to celebrate the holidays. The second segment has him helping a gay couple who he suspects may not be a real gay couple. But then they visit Chick-Fil-A, so we know all is right in the world.

Henri the Existential Cat is not ready for Christmas, despite what the other cats he's forced to share a home with think. Honestly, if this cat wasn't a cat, he'd be my soul mate.

Community, is in theory, coming back in February, which will make their Halloween episode that much more special. But before we get to Halloween or Valentine's Day, Joel McHale has a Christmas gift to share with all of us.

Betty Bowers, America's Best Christian, has some advice for those Christians at the Westboro Baptist Church, who she thinks could learn a thing or two from her mastery.

Since I don't think it's likely I'll ever see The Hunger Games or The Hobbit, I have absolutely no problem with this mashup of the two, although that is one heck of a weird look for Gandalf.

A newspaper group in Belgium wanted to prove to their advertisers that newspapers were great at keeping readers' attention, so they arranged to drive each of the advertisers to work in a chauffeured car, gave them a newspaper, and attempted to distract them from their reading.

I've always felt that building a snowman was a solitary activity, so I completely identity with this little boy from the Doctor Who Christmas Special. But I do hope my Christmas turns out better than I assume his does.

Supposedly, Lindsay Lohan is upset about the sight gag on the television in this trailer for Scary Movie 5, but honestly, I'd be more concerned that this was going to appear in my IMDb filmography. Then again, considering her work options lately, maybe she can be proud of this somehow.

Jimmy Kimmel stopped people on the street and asked them if they'd ever hooked up at an office Christmas party, and they got a surprising number of yes answers. It's worth waiting until the end for the little barista. Or former barista.

After a prolonged journey from stage to screen, the international smash Les Misérables has finally gotten the Hollywood treatment. It's a saga that at times felt like it would drag on as long as the French Revolution. Or even as long as the play itself, which boasts a running time of approximately three hundred thousand million hours (and thirty-eight minutes).

Director Tom Hooper (The King's Speech), clearly high as a kite on Oscar glory, was the man to finally bring the beast of a musical - which spans decades and calls for battles, bridge jumps, and hoardes of flea-bitten background players - to movie theaters. Early in the process of doing so, he made a bold decision that might very well have saved the project from being yet another bloated adaptation of a beloved Broadway hit (cough!The PhantomoftheOpera!cough!): he was going to let the actors sing live on-set.

In movie musicals as we know them, the actors pre-record their songs in a studio somewhere (sometimes a different person even does the singing for them!) and then they lip-sync their lines as the cameras roll. This allows for zero improvisation and severely limits creativity on set (where much of the performance-related magic of movies generally happens), and usually results in a product that feels more "canned" than it should.

The decision, it turns out, was a brilliant one: by recording the actors singing live on-camera (aided by teeny-tiny earpieces providing a sort of "guide track") and then adding the orchestration later based on the natural cadences of the actors' performances, Les Miz may have broken the movie musical curse forever. Unhampered by the veil of artificiality that has always plagued the genre, the film achieves a sense of intimacy and authenticity that is at times absolutely staggering. The actors are allowed to build a performance in a single uninterrupted take - to go from a whisper to a scream in unblinking, heartbreaking close-up.

This radical approach pretty much saved Les Miz for me - it actually improved on what I've always felt were the show's failings. Instead of constantly playing to the balcony (which can result in a prolonged screamfest of bombast), the actors are allowed to use every weapon in their arsenal, and the story takes on a much richer texture. I mean, sure - the show's two gorgeous ballads do still signify that a pretty brunette is probably going to bite it soon (spoiler alert: PRETTY MUCH EVERYONE DIES), but at least we get to look into their eyes and hear their stories first.

As our carb-happy hero Jean Valjean, Hugh Jackman is expectedly excellent - so much so that you'll likely find yourself marveling at the fact that this man who can so completely commit to a tear-stained and perfectly-pitched performance in a very challenging musical is also the gruff, hulking brute from the X-Men films. He's a magnificently talented man, and watching his performance here is like seeing him for the first time.

Pound-for-pound, Anne Hathaway may pull off an even more impressive feat as Fantine, the tragic catalyst of the film's overarching redemptive (and, appropriately enough for the season, hella Catholic) theme. True, the role is any actress's dream - but hot damn does she nail it. I challenge anyone to make it through her heart-rending performance of "I Dreamed a Dream" with dry eyes. I'd be thrilled to see Hathaway take home a prize for this performance - but more than anything I'm just happy that Susan Boyle's reign of terror is finally over.

Throaty-voiced local fave Eddie Redmayne (Savage Grace) also impresses with his sensitive take on heroic young revolutionary Marius - his intimate requiem ballad "Empty Chairs at Empty Tables" also reaps the benefits of the film's unorthodox filming method.

As the disgusting "Master of the House" and his equally vile wife, Sasha Baron Cohen and Helena Bonham Carter turn in dependably solid performances, and relative newcomers Aaron Tveit (Gossip Girl, Howl) and Samantha Barks are the prettiest darn revolutionaries you've ever seen (and heard).

Not faring so well with the format is Russell Crowe, whose approach to playing the sadistic, obsessed Javert is to wear the sullen glare of a 5-year-old who has just been told he can't have a second cookie for the nearly 3-hour running time. It's not just a bad performance, it's an embarrassing one. His voice - while not exactly pretty - isn't the problem; it's that he looks absolutely Les Miserable every second he's on screen.

Maybe he wasn't comfortable with the demands of singing on camera, or maybe he wasn't happy with the role, I don't know. But if he'd brought even a hint of the maniacal glee that he brought to The Man with the Iron Fists, it would have saved his performance and elevated the overall film considerably - as it is, it's almost like Hugh Jackman dedicates his character's entire life to defending a little girl from a sack of flour in a Napoleon hat.

Sure, Les Miz is kind of a mess: it's overlong, bloated, and wildly melodramatic. But when it works, it really sings - and for the first time in the history of the genre, it sings live. That should be music enough to any Broadway fan's ears.

Les Misérables opens in theaters on Christmas Day.

• Birthday shoutouts go to Ricky Martin (above, with onlooker), who is 41. and Ryan Seacrest is 38.

• First, a programming note. We'll be on a very limited schedule this week, but we will have a Briefs every day except tomorrow, and Ed will have a meme on Thursday and Friday. I'll also be Liveblogging Days Of Our Lives tomorrow, Wednesday, and Friday, and I'll have a Holiday Puzzler tomorrow. Plus we'll have a few special posts throughout the week, so check back occasionally, and from all of us here at AE, we wish all of you Happy Holidays!

• 51 of the biggest GLBT stories of 2012.

• Marriage-equality pioneer Richard Adams passed away over the weekend at the age of 65. Our thoughts are with Tony Sullivan, his partner of 43 years.

• Six tragedies blamed on gays in 2012. Only six?

• Here’s the Frank Ocean Song That Was Cut From Django.

• Naked Ambition: From Adam Levine to Miley Cyrus, Hollywood's Most Daring Magazine Nudity. Yes, it is just an excuse for me to post this pic again.

• Below you can see the new trailer for Girls, which returns to HBO on Jan. 13th.

• Coco Peru goes holiday shopping.

• Animals Wearing Scarves.

• As I mentioned, Ill be liveblogging A Very WilSon Christmas tomorrow, and if you need a special invitation, here it is. BTW, this is the scene we missed on Friday's liveblog wehn NBC interrupted the show to announce ... SURPRISE! ... that John Kerry is The President's pick for SOS.

• Continuing the 50 Greatest 80's TV Theme Songs/Openings!, Here's #31, Partners In Crime.

• Airing on NBC from September 27 – December 29, 1984, Partners In Crime starred the faboo Lynda Carter and Loni Anderson as two very different women with one thing in common - the same ex-husband. The same dead ex-husband! He was a private investigator, and after he's murdered, his ex-wives team up to find the killer, then decide to run his detective agency. The opening has both women looking gorgeous, with Loni's impenetrable hair the highest of her career.

• Congrats to StevenJ71 , who was the first to guess that Friday's Pixuzzle™ © ® was A Christmas Story

• Here's today's Pixuzzle™ © ®. Below you can see characters from a famous movie. Can you name it?

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