I've Got Teeth

Well, for being without a front tooth for a month, I've got a full set now. Dang, that was a tough patch to get through. I'm glad I've got a full set.

Expedition Everest

Watch a video of the Walt Disney World Expedition Everest in Disney's Animal Kingdom.

What I'm Reading Now

Bestselling mystery writer and amateur sleuth Jessica Fletcher is invited to travel to London on the grand dame of ocean liners, the Queen Elizabeth II, as one of seven guest lecturers. The night they set sail, a fellow speaker is found brutally murdered. Now Jessica has just four days at sea to find the killer...before she finds more of her colleagues, or even herself, dead in the water!

Agent Pendergast and Vincent D'Agosta team up once more to investigate brutal murders of a seemingly supernatural origin. Their investigation takes them from high society New York to old world Italy and into the dark heart of an age-old conspiracy. Vincent D'Agosta, Laura Hayward and Bill Smithback's nemesis, reporter Bryce Harriman (mentioned often in the previous books) make a reappearance. In this book the reader is introduced to Pendergast's brother Diogenes and D'Agosta catches his first glimpse of Diogenes.

79th Annual Academy Award Nominees

List of Oscar nominees

List of nominees of the 79th annual Academy Awards.

BEST PICTURE
"Babel"
"The Departed"
"The Queen"
"Letters From Iwo Jima"
"Little Miss Sunshine"

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Adriana Barraza, "Babel"
Cate Blanchett, "Notes on a Scandal"
Abigail Breslin, "Little Miss Sunshine"
Jennifer Hudson, "Dreamgirls"
Rinko Kikuchi, "Babel"

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Alan Arkin, "Little Miss Sunshine"
Eddie Murphy, "Dreamgirls"
Mark Wahlberg, "The Departed"
Djimon Hounsou, "Blood Diamond"
Jackie Earle Haley, "Little Children"

BEST ACTRESS
Meryl Streep, "The Devil Wears Prada"
Helen Mirren, "The Queen "
Penelope Cruz, "Volver"
Kate Winslet, "Little Children"
Judi Dench, "Notes on a Scandal"

BEST ACTOR
Leonardo DiCaprio, "Blood Diamond"
Forest Whitaker, "The Last King of Scotland"
Will Smith, "The Pursuit of Happyness"
Peter O'Toole, "Venus"
Ryan Gosling, "Half Nelson"

BEST DIRECTOR
Clint Eastwood, "Letters From Iwo Jima"
Paul Greengrass, "United 93"
Martin Scorsese, "The Departed"
Stephen Frears, "The Queen"
Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, "Babel"

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Guillermo Arriaga, "Babel"
Michael Arndt, "Little Miss Sunshine"
Iris Yamashita & Paul Haggis, "Letters From Iwo Jima"
Guillermo del Toro, "Pan's Labyrinth"
Peter Morgan, "The Queen"

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Patrick Marber , "Notes on a Scandal"
William Monahan, "The Departed"
Sacha Baron Cohen, "Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan"
Todd Field & Tom Perrotta, "Little Children"
Alfonso Cuarón, "Children of Men"

BEST ANIMATED FILM
"Cars"
"Happy Feet"
"Monster House"

Hail to President Rodham

EW YORK (AP) - Democratic Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton launched a trailblazing campaign for the White House on Saturday, a former first lady turned political powerhouse intent on becoming the first female president. "I'm in, and I'm in to win," she said.

In a videotaped message posted on her Web site, Clinton said she was eager to start a dialogue with voters about challenges she hoped to tackle as president - affordable health care, deficit reduction and bringing the "right" end to the Iraq war.

"I'm not just starting a campaign, though, I'm beginning a conversation with you, with America," she said. "Let's talk. Let's chat. The conversation in Washington has been just a little one-sided lately, don't you think?"

Clinton's announcement, while widely anticipated, was nonetheless historic in a fast-developing campaign that has already seen the emergence of a formidable black contender, Democratic Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois.

In an instant, Clinton became the most credible female candidate ever to seek the presidency and the first presidential spouse to attempt to return to the White House in her own right. Her husband, Bill, served two terms as president from 1993 to 2001.

"I am one of the millions of women who have waited all their lives to see the first woman sworn in as president of the United States - and now we have our best opportunity to see that dream fulfilled," said Ellen Malcolm, president of EMILY's list, which raises money for Democratic women who run for office.

With her immense star power, vast network of supporters and donors and seasoned team of political advisers, the 59-year-old Clinton long has topped every national poll of potential Democratic contenders.

But since joining the field, Obama has secured the backing of a number of prominent fundraisers, including billionaire philanthropist George Soros, stepping up the pressure on Clinton to disclose her plans.

Her controversial tenure as first lady left her a deeply polarizing figure among voters, leading many Democrats to doubt Clinton's viability in a general election.

In a detailed statement posted on her Web site, Clinton sought to acknowledge and bat away such doubts.

"I have never been afraid to stand up for what I believe in or to face down the Republican machine," she wrote. "After nearly $70 million spent against my campaigns in New York and two landslide wins, I can say I know how Washington Republicans think, how they operate and how to beat them."

Recently, Clinton has clashed with many in her own party over the Iraq war.

Clinton supported the 2002 resolution authorizing military intervention in Iraq. She has refused to recant her vote or call for a deadline for the removal of troops. She has announced her opposition to President Bush's troop increase in Iraq and has introduced legislation capping troop levels.

"A woman candidate could find it easier to run in peacetime, rather than wartime, but Senator Clinton's tried to position herself as a serious person on national security," said Andrew Polsky, a presidential historian at Hunter College. "But that means she's staked out difficult position on the war that won't make it easy for her to get the Democratic nomination."

With a $14 million campaign treasury, Clinton starts with an impressive fundraising advantage over the rest of the Democratic field. But Obama and others have started to secure fundraising commitments from New York, California and other deep-pocketed, Clinton-friendly areas.

Her creation of a presidential exploratory committee, announced Saturday, allows her to raise money for the campaign; she already has lined up campaign staff.

In tone and substance, Clinton's videotaped announcement recalled her first Senate race in New York in 2000, where she conducted a "listening tour" of the state's 62 counties before formally entering the contest.

She promised a three-day series of Web chats with voters beginning Monday and prepared a campaign swing late this coming week through the early voting state of Iowa, while a visit to New Hampshire was in the works.

On Sunday, New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson was also set to enter the Democratic field; if elected, he would be the first Hispanic president.

For the short term at least, the outsized candidacies of Clinton and Obama were expected to soak up the lion's share of attention.

Obama, who launched his own presidential committee on Tuesday, praised Clinton as a friend and colleague.

"I welcome her and all the candidates, not as competitors, but as allies in the work of getting our country back on track," he said in a statement.

Campaigning in New Hampshire, Connecticut Sen. Chris Dodd did not comment specifically on Clinton's announcement, but said: "I'm not one for exploratory committees. You're in or you're not."

Other Democratic contenders include former Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack; Ohio Rep. Dennis Kucinich and former North Carolina Sen. John Edwards, the party's 2004 vice-presidential nominee. Delaware Sen. Joe Biden has said he will run and planned to formalize his intentions soon. Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry, the party's 2004 standard bearer, is also contemplating another run.

An influential player in her husband's political career in Arkansas, Hillary Clinton leapt to the national scene during the 1992 presidential campaign when husband and wife fought to survive the scandal over Gennifer Flowers' allegations of a lengthy affair with Bill Clinton when he was the state's governor.

The Clintons appeared together on CBS'"60 Minutes" to talk about their marriage - Hillary Clinton's first famous "Stand by Your Man" moment.

As first lady, Clinton headed up a disastrous first-term effort to overhaul the health care insurance system. There was more controversy as the couple battled allegations of impropriety over land deals and fundraising, missing records from her former Arkansas law firm and even her quick and hefty profits from an investment in cattle futures.

There was no letup in the second term. The president found himself denying - then admitting - having a sexual relationship with White House intern Monica Lewinsky. As he battled impeachment and possible removal from office, his wife's poll numbers rose.

Her own political career began to take shape in late 1998 when New York Democrat Daniel Patrick Moynihan announced he would not seek re-election to the Senate seat he had held since 1976.

The campaign trail was not always friendly. For almost every cheer, there was a shouted "Go home, Hillary!" and the emerging Republican theme that carpetbagger Clinton simply wanted to use New York as a launching pad for a later presidential run.

Jan 20, 6:34 PM (ET), By BETH FOUHY

Celebrity Sighting?

In Malibu yesterday I got a glimpse of two people who I am almost certain were 1) Billy Zane (Titanic) and either 2) Kate Winslet (Titanic) or Gillian Anderson (X-Files). I'm not going to add them to my celebrity sightings section since I am not 100% certain. I'm guessing it was the Titanic Team but don't know for sure. I love living in California!

MLK Weekend

I spent this weekend in the Santa Ynez Valley wine and beer tasting and soaking up the beautiful scenery. We had lunch at Trattoria Grappolo where I had some of the best spaghetti and meatballs I've had in recent memory (not as good as mom's).

Then I went to the Chumash Casino Resort which is a local Indian Casino with the tightest slots around. I broke even, just barely. We visited Solvang and the Mission Santa Ines, then tasted beer and wine at Firestone's Tap Room Restaurant (same people who make the tires) and had some of the best Chili Cheese Fries around.

Finally, I visited last week's Malibu fire where Suzanne Somer's home and four others were burned to the ground. It was sad to see. In front of these homes were Porsches and SUVs burned to a crisp. The fire was on January 9 and burned approximately 20 acres on the Pacific Coast Highway (PCH) .

Winter 2007: Saturday, January 6th

Yesterday was Saturday, January 6, 2007. One side of this picture is from Denver digging out of their 3rd severe winter storm, the other side is where I had lunch yesterday in Santa Barbara.

Can you guess which side of the picture is from Santa Barbara?

It's hard to believe that yesterday was 70 degrees and totally clear and sunny. We had lunch at Longboards Grill, one of my favorite outdoor hangouts on the pier in Santa Barbara. It was great fun watching the sailboats come in and out of the harbor for a few hours. It's right next to the Santa Barbara Shellfish Restaurant which Rachel Ray made famous in $40 a Day. I love California!

Making of the Pirates of the Caribbean Disneyland

Disneyland Day 7 on the first day of 2007

Well after my seventh visit to Disneyland, I think my annual pass has really paid off. Had I been paying regular price, I would have paid $623 in admission and parking. The pass was $359. Today the park was totally dead. I waited an average of 5-10 minutes at most for each attraction.

I went on the following today:

1. Entered the park on the Monorail
2. It's a Small World Holiday
3. Storybook Land Canal Boats
4. Pirates of the Caribbean
5. Disney Princess Fantasy Faire (ok - no jokes!)
6. Disneyland Railroad
7. Jungle Cruise
8. Left the park on the Monorail

I just love walking around Disneyland. It was fun to see all of the Christmas decorations for perhaps the last time this holiday season (the decorations come down January 7). Who knows, I may go again next week!

Happy New Year