People: It’s tough to top a crying Katie
The most memorable TV moment of 2006?
It was Katie Couric‘s tear-filled final day on NBC’s “Today,” according to a poll commissioned by TiVo.
In contrast, Couric’s first day on “The CBS Evening News” didn’t make the cut.
Mel Gibson‘s post-DWI interview with ABC’s Diane Sawyer ranked No. 2, topping Oprah Winfrey‘s scolding of writer James Frey.
At No. 4 was Sara and Grissom getting together on “CSI,” followed by Faith Hill‘s caught-on-tape jaw drop when Carrie Underwood beat her out for the female vocalist of the year at the CMA Awards.
Rounding out the Top 10: a slimmed-down Kirstie Alley‘s bikini strut on “Oprah”; the “Will & Grace” series finale; Kate and Sawyer hooking up on “Lost”; Rosie O’Donnell‘s first day on “The View”; and Connie Chung‘s embarrassing attempt at a sultry serenade of husband Maury Povich on the final installment of their MSNBC show.
Papa’s got a brand new film
As soon as word spread that James Brown had died on Christmas morning, some of us wondered when they would make a movie about the legendary singer’s life. Turns out we won’t have to wait long. Spike Lee has signed on to direct a feature film about the singer produced by Brian Grazer and Imagine Entertainment. The movie could be in production by late 2007.
Rowling’s got the magic touch
For “Harry Potter” author J.K. Rowling, it’s not enough just to write the final installment of the seven-book series about a boy wizard. She’s been dreaming she is Harry. Rowling said on her official Web site that she has been asked for years if she ever dreams she is in the boy wizard’s world. “The answer was ‘no’ until a few nights ago, when I had an epic dream in which I was, simultaneously, Harry and the narrator,” she wrote. “Perhaps I should cut back on the caffeine?”
What do you eat for breakfast?
Work takes a lot out of Kiefer Sutherland. Dating, for example. The star of the ongoing television series “24,” which debuts Jan. 14, says, “When you have five 16-hour days back to back, though, it is tough to tell someone, ‘The only way you can spend time with me is to live with me.’ It’s certainly a weird question to ask on a first date.”
Naomi’s no Julia Roberts
Like everyone else, Australian actress Naomi Watts, who stars opposite Edward Norton in “The Painted Veil,” needs escapism. It’s just that the thought sickens her at the same time. “I look at those romantic comedies, and I see actors with perfect hair and six-packs, and I feel myself being numbed, and I get angry because I see so much money spent on these things,” Watts, 38, told Allure magazine.
The birthday bunch
Actress Mary Tyler Moore is 69. Actor Jon Voight is 68. Country singer Ed Bruce is 67. Flutist Ray Thomas (Moody Blues) is 65. Singer Marianne Faithfull is 60. Actor Ted Danson is 59. Singer-actress Yvonne Elliman is 55. Actress Patricia Clarkson is 47. Comedian Paula Poundstone is 47. Actor Jason Gould is 40. Singer-guitarist Glen Phillips (Toad the Wet Sprocket) is 36. Actor Kevin Weisman (“Alias”) is 36. Actor Jude Law is 34. Actor Mekhi Phifer is 32. Actor Shawn Hatosy is 31.