Happy Birthday, Kevin Zegers!

I've never understood why actor Kevin Zegers hasn't become an A-list Hollywood star. With nearly 40 film roles since 1993, the Canadian kid star has only grown more hunky as he's matured into a handsome 28 year old... just celebrating his birthday yesterday, September 19.

He has a lead role in the 12-part big-budget mini-series Titanic: Blood and Steel, about the building of the fated ship... That began airing yesterday... uh, on CBC in Canada. It is supposed to screen on Encore in the U.S. in October. Zegers is also the male face of a spanking new ad campaign for Curve.

Perhaps his upcoming role in the highly anticipated feature film The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones," due for August 2013 release, will finally be the flick to break Zegers. It's based on the first book in the best-selling series by Cassandra Clare. The story follows Clary Fray, a seemingly ordinary teenage girl, who finds out some whacky shit about her past when her mom is taken from their home in New York by a demon. Kevin plays Lightwood, the gay brother of Isabelle (Jemima West). He's in love with Jace (Jamie Campbell Bower) and dislikes Clary because Jace is in love with her and not him.

Kev has had a recurring role on Gossip Girl and major roles in Felicity Huffman's Transamerica and The Jane Austen Book Club. Truly, it's time this guy caught his break and stopped being "the poor man's Zac Efron." *

What's Hot For The Fall TV Season?

By Karen Mitchell, exclusive for The Smoking Nun
The Fall TV show is just around the corner, and with that comes a modicum of exciting new shows. Of course, a lot of them are destined to fail within the first few episodes, leaving many bummed as potential new favorites end up on the chopping block (Hello, Playboy Club). Because of DVRs and online viewing today, so many don't even discover new series until the end of the first season—f they last that long.

Following are six of the hottest TV shows debuting this fall that everyone should give an opportunity to flourish on the TV airwaves...

The Mindy Project
Mindy Kailing from the office stars in this new comedy about romance. Kailing is an OB/GYN who is constantly searching for her perfect man. The Mindy Project will premiere on Fox, Tuesday, September 25. The pilot episode has been available as a free download since late August. Kailing will make this a terrific series as long as she follows up her understated but always believable performance on The Office.

The Mob Doctor
Premiering on Fox this past Monday, September 17th, The Mob Doctor is an American drama series. Jordana Spiro stars as Grace Devlin, a doctor who cannot escape the hold that the greasy mob has on her family. She must navigate through the ups and downs—mostly downs—while focusing on her duties as a serious MD.

Chicago Fire
Starring Jesse Spencer from House, along with Taylor Kinney. This show follows a group of firefighters as they struggle with the recent death of one of their own. Count on lots of red hot drama and excitement from this show that plays like a big-screen movie. Chicago Fire airs Wednesdays at 10 p.m., on NBC.

Save Me
Ann Heche returns to TV in Save Me, a show about a woman with an unusual gift. After a near death experience, she hears the voice of God and feels the need to help Him communicate with others. Sounds hokey, but early buzz is quite positive. The series launches in mid-fall on NBC.
Go On
Matthew Perry is still looking for the perfect post-Friends vehicle. His turn as a skeptical sportscaster who loses his wife in a car accident leads him to group therapy to try and heal. The comedy's pilot has been available online for weeks, while the show had its premiere Tuesday, September 11.

The New Normal
Starring The Hangover's Justin Bartha and a hilarious Ellen Barkin, this modern-day comedy centers around a woman in need of money who agrees to be a surrogate for a gay couple desperate for a child. Barkin stars as the woman's bigoted grandmother and the woman's daughter adds a playful touch to the mix. The New Normal is on NBC at 9:30 p.m. Tuesdays. (Typical of any show that tries to move society forward, Normal has been banned in Utah, before it even launched, so expect advertising controversy.) *

Karen Mitchell writes about television, personal finance & more at http://lifeinsurancequotes.org.

Webbie Of The Day: Presidential Clippings

Obama and Romney get a haircut together. One of four... This'll make your day! See more here. *

Mitt-Wit Romney Finally Tells It As He Sees It...

Watching footage Monday of Mitt Romney espousing that 47% of Americans are deliberately, willingly, gleefully mooching off the system was infuriating... but at least Richie Rich actually said something, at last, that he truly believes. That counts for something, right?

I was most concerned that the national media would bury the story, and it'd remain an "Internet sensation." No such luck for Mitt-Wit; CNN devoured it last evening, while it has become the news story of the day, as it should. There's nothing I could say that is better framed than New York magazine writer Jonathan Chait. See the full text of his column here. I hand over the mic...

The video exposes an authentic Romney as a far more sinister character than I had imagined. Here is the sneering plutocrat, fully in thrall to a series of pernicious myths that are at the heart of the mania that has seized his party.

Romney genuinely seems to conceive of the lowest-earning half of the population as implacably hostile parasites. The revelations in this video come to me as a genuine shock. I have never hated Romney. I presumed his ideological makeover since he set out to run for president was largely phony, and to whatever extent he’d come to believe his own lines, he was oblivious or naïve about the damage he would inflict upon the poor, sick and vulnerable.

It seems unavoidable now to conclude that Romney’s embrace of Paul Ryanism is born of actual contempt for the looters and moochers, a class war on behalf of his own class.

Nicki Minaj As 'American Idol' Judge? That Should Seal The Deal...

♪ If American Idol was looking to at last sound its death knell, consider the nail hammered into the hole. Nicki Minaj as a judge? Pardon me for one moment... Ha ha ha ha ha, oh, god, as my laughter turns to tears... In the kindest of terms, I ask: What the fuck are they thinking?

The new cast of judges—Mariah Carey, Keith Urban, Randy Jackson & Minaj—gathered this weekend in NYC, where filming began at Lincoln Center for Idol's 12th season, which launches in January 2013. Steven Tyler and Jennifer Lopez left the show last year, after two seasons where the audience bottomed out to its lowest levels since the show debuted in 1910, down 30% in 2011.

I've said this before: AI's previous five "winners" have all been non-pop male singers, quite likely based on an audience base of Southern voters. Four words, cool cats: Carrie Underwood, Kelly Clarkson. Simply, female talent is best suited to hold attention post-competition, not to mention the worthy distraction of fresher alternatives, like The Voice. (Sorry, X-Factor sucks.)

Earlier speculation about the show's new judges included Enrique Iglesias and former Idol finalist Adam Lambert. Can you imagine? A sexy singer and an audacious gay? Now that might have fostered some worthwhile TV.

But back to the point: Nicki Minaj not only is the least talented popular artist currently on radio, but a one-dimensional cartoon character. I'd truly be pleased to be dead wrong: Perhaps Minaj will offer the breath of honest judgment the show has been lacking for years (Ellen, poor Ellen)... but it's hard to imagine, given previous interviews and public appearances I've witnessed, where Minaj's T&A appear twice as large as her brain.

Carey will pocket $18 million for her first season on American Idol, according to Hollywood Reporter. Minaj's contract is worth $12 million, while Urban receives a paltry $6 million (astonishing, given the show's country bent). And host Ryan Seabreast has committed to two more seasons for $15 million each. Jackson's $$ is anyone's guess. Fox obviously believes its investment will be repaid in endorsement deals, concerts and associated product—if not ratings. But honestly, Idol, there comes a day when... "It's time to say goodbye." ♪ *

September Slumber: Abby & Spencer

Is it my imagination, or is Abby wearying of Carly Rae Jepsen's new Kiss album that I've played about 937,891 times (so far) on endless loop? Sorry kiddo, but this uptempo pop explosion is keeping my fingers roaring across the keys, happily working away on a freelance bio... and Spencer seems to be digging it, right? *

Quote Of The Day: Rick Santorum Speaks Truth For The First Time?

Failed loudmouth Republican Presidential candidate Rick Santorum joined some of the most extremist conservatives in the nation last weekend at D.C.'s "Values Voters Summit," standing alongside good buddies and some of America's dimmest minds: Kirk Cameron, Tony Perkins, Michele Bachmann, Laura Ingraham—and G.O.P. VP candidate Paul Ryan...

In what may well be the first time in his political career, Santorum said something that sounds pretty damn smart to meese. Ready? Characterizing conservative values, the bigoted homophobe shouted from the mountaintop...

"We will never have the media on our side, 

ever, in this country. We will never have 

the elite, smart people on our side."

Genius. And you can bet that's a word I have never used to describe Ricky. *

First Listen: Carly Rae Jepsen's Full-Length 'Kiss'

I'm just beginning to dig into Carly Rae Jepsen's anticipated new album Kiss, released last Tuesday. First take: an avalanche of uptempo sugary pop confections... just what the doc ordered. But of course the $25,000 question: Can she maintain the momentum of the eight-week No. 1 run of "Call Me Maybe," without a doubt the song of Summer 2012?

While follow-up "Good Time" with Owl City remains in the Billboard Hot 100 top 10 this week (after peaking at 8), Carly Rae's new single, "This Kiss," just released to radio, is a youthful whirlwind of singable hooks and cute instrumental dance synths... perhaps not as immediate as "Call Me Maybe," but then... what is? The song was produced by LMFAO's RedFoo and singer-songwriter Matthew Koma; and released to iTunes September 10.

Her biggest challenge may be getting radio to gracefully let go of "Call Me Maybe" after 29 weeks on the chart (it's No. 15 at Radio, while "Good Time" is No. 14) to make room for "This Kiss." I call this the "Duncan Sheik complex," who became a one-hit wonder in 1997, when top 40 radio held onto hit "Barely Breathing" for nearly a year, ultimately suffocating any chance for success with follow-up "She Runs Away." (Duncan made out okay, winning a Tony Award for composing Broadway's Spring Awakening in 2008.)

While I absorb the 15 new tracks on Kiss' "Deluxe Version," Billboard.com's Jason Lipshutz offers an excellent track-by-track review here.

His overall purview: "Is Carly Rae Jepsen an album artist? 'Call Me Maybe' overtook pop radio this summer because the song is an astonishingly catchy piece of sonic cotton candy, but prolonging that phenomenon over a 42-minute span is much trickier. Kiss, Jepsen's second album and first since becoming a superstar, is the sound of an artist relentlessly trying to prove her staying power and transform the 'magic in a bottle' into a delectable cocktail. The result is an album that comes on a bit strong, but has the pop pedigree to avoid any major missteps." *

Birthday Bonanza: Four Famed Musicians Born On September 16

Geez, God certainly aligned the galaxy for artistic creativity on September 16. Three biggies: Blues great B.B. King was born this day in 1925; Grammy-winning singer/songwriter Richard Marx came along in 1963; and vocalist Marc Anthony in 1968. And bringing up the newer generation, Jonas Brothers' Nick Jonas dropped from the sky in 1992. Mercy, that's a lot of talent in one blessed day... Let the starfucker photos rain down! *

Nanny State: NYC Mayor Bloomberg's Sugar Soda Ban Sails Through His Self-Appointed Dept. Of Health, Despite Massive Public Opposition

As if there were ever any doubt... The New York City Board of Health has approved a ban on the sale of sugar sodas in containers larger than 16 ounces at the city's restaurants, fast food joints, delis, arenas, movie theaters and even street food carts. The new law, which takes effect March 12, 2013, was championed by Nanny Michael Bloomberg, whose obsession as NYC's billionaire Mayor is stamping out civil rights and insuring that legislation supplants adults' rights to make their own choices.

Who cares about the city's 10% unemployment rate, folks' homes being repossessed or the fact that one in six New York state residents live in poverty... when there are fat people in the city?

The Board of Health's members are all appointed personally by the Mayor... with the vote a telling 8-0. Eliot Hoff with New Yorkers for Beverage Choices noted, "By imposing this ban, the board has shown no regard for public opinion or consequences to businesses." And once more, Bloomberg has created legislation attacking a 100% legal activity/choice. Any business that goes against the Nanny State will be fined $200.

U.S. News & World Report commented: "America has tried the experiment with prohibition before. It didn't work. That lesson seems to be lost on Bloomberg. Where will it end? The food police seem more intent on growing state authority than anything else. Depriving us of the right to make choices is the order of the day, in a sort of Orwellian fashion."

Meanwhile, a poll last week revealed 60% of New Yorkers believe the plan is crap.

This, of course, is Bloomberg's latest public policy destined to turn New York City into the land of the suppressed. Previous Nanny meddling includes: blocking sugar sodas from vending machines in schools and city-owned buildings (the NYC school chancellor vetoed that absurd referendum); a ban on smoking in city parks—uh, outdoors (which ludicrously includes Times Square); calorie counts on menus in chain restaurants, and eradication of trans-fats in city restaurants.

While the latter two are perhaps constructive, let's remember the legislation the Mayor attempted to steamroll through City Council that failed: massive tolls on the Brooklyn Bridge; his "National Salt Reduction Initiative," which attempted to mandate less sodium in restaurant receipes; and vulgar ads appearing on subways with images showing fat being poured from a soda can (they were banned by the city, along with Bloomie's call for foul visuals on cigarette packs showing amputated appendages and black lungs).

Unfortunately, there's more in store. Giddy with his latest success, Bloomie is twiddling his thumbs over the next invasion into personal privacy: He's pushing public hospitals to hide baby formula behind locked doors so that new mothers will breast feed. When will it end? Easy answer: The day this meddling bombastically egotistical man's third term comes to an end, in November 2013. I am counting the days. *

Editor's note: It's relevant to share that I have not had sugar soda in more than 25 years. This is about individual choices being legislated by a bored billionaire with too much power.

Leona Lewis: The Sad Decay Of A Promising Pop Career

Leona Lewis scored my No. 1 song of 2008, "Run," featuring Snow Patrol. That same year, while at Billboard, I deemed her Spirit my No. 3 album of the year, writing: "A global debut that stands alongside Whitney, Mariah, Celine. Vocal perfection, pistol-packing songs, ace production." She was named my Best New Artist, with all promise of becoming the next Delta Goodrem as a fine songwriter with a superstar voice capable of proffering indelible pop melodies.

Lewis had a gracious handful of hits on my Taylor Top 40, including her global debut "Bleeding Love" and follow-up "Better In Time," along with (my) massive "Footprints In the Sand," "Happy," "I Got You," "I Will Be" and "I See You (Theme from Avatar)." More recently, she grazed my playlist with "Collide" and "Broken."

But then came a bunch of subsequent releases that just didn't fit her persona: like EP "Hurt," which was little more than a throwaway, with R&B production that undermined her soaring pop vocals and ability to be so much more than Beyonce. Worse yet was recent EP "It's All For You," which attempted to frame Lewis as... what?... Beyonce sans hooks? Lead single "Trouble," featuring rapper (and comedian?!) Childish Gambino, was such a mess that I deleted it from my iTunes playlist after one listen. God-awful.

Coming in October 2012 is Leona's third full-length studio album Glassheart. The good news: She's reunited with Ryan Tedder, producer of previous "Bleeding Love" and "Happy." But then there's the potentially game-killing side: She also worked with Naughty Boy, Rodney "Darkchild" Jerkins and Dallas Austin on the project, which leads one to believe Lewis is still attempting to conjure hits by parading as an R&B act. (I won't even comment on the cover at left... but one word comes to mind: lionfish.)

If she has indeed given into the grave error of recording an R&B-centric project, I dare say that will likely seal Lewis' fate as a has-been, sadly with so much untapped potential. And I have to wonder: Have she and her label team been listening to top 40 radio at all this year? Pop music with sing-along melodies is where it's at, baby. I can't tell you how sad I am to potentially shovel dirt on the grave of Leona Lewis' career. I had such high hopes. But R&B/hip-hop... for a momentously talented pop artist... in 2012? Why in the world would she insist on slumming? *

The Two Most Terrifying Moments Of My Life

As I prepare to renovate my apartment living room later this month, I'm clearing out the space, including dozens of old photo albums. Perfect time to scan some vintage memories...

Picture it: I'm 15 years old (and a pretty typical contrary teenage jackass), traveling with my family on a three-week journey across the United States... from Virginia through the Midwest, into Chicago, Las Vegas, Utah, Idaho, the Dakotas, tipping into Victoria, Canada, down to Portland and the West Coast through Washington and California, into New Mexico, across Texas and eventually back to Virginia.

It was truly the adventure of a lifetime, and though I whined and bitched a good bit of the time, I locked in on so many hundreds of memories about our nation. Hell, in San Francisco, I recall seeing my first gay couple ever, two men with mustaches and flannel shirts holding hands (it was vintage 1978 homo fashion, after all), which has stayed with me to this day...

I was never particularly comfortable with heights and I tell you, seeing the Grand Canyon that July was easily the most terrifying experience of my life: a vast, endless hole just waiting to suck me in, never to be seen again. In the faded pics below, you can actually make it out that I am clutching the rail with white knuckles, bearing a fake smile (with braces!), convinced the earth is going to lurch and I'm going down... down... down...
Fast forward 18 years, when I ventured back to the West Coast with my partner at the time, Pook... We made our way to the Grand Canyon and I tell you what, the same terror came rushing back... In fact, note my hands gripping the rails same as the first time. Yeah, it's one of God's great triumphs, but twice is enough for me to dare being sucked into the big black hole. Memories shall prevail. *

Public Transportation, Manhattan's LES

Outside Drom nightclub, 85 Avenue A, NYC. *