Yeah, yeah! I know. Almost every body and their dog is now writing about Michael Jackson’s death. But I had to write a tribute to Michael on my blog because as a teenager I was so much inspired by him and I can not let this moment pass by.

When I heard the news this morning, like every body else I was shocked. That is perhaps an understatement. I was dumbfounded. This can not be! The King can not be dead. Living in East Africa, I was about 12 or 13 when I first saw the Thriller Video. It was the first music video I had seen and the amazing story line, the music, the props, the effects and the makeup all blew me away. I even participated in a high school musical program, in a version of Thriller, as one of the zombies.

Over the years I, like millions of others listened to Michael Jackson’s music. When my daughter came of age and was listening to music and all, I was proud to talk about Michael and recount my experience with Michael’s music.

As Michael turned from a great pop icon to a circus act, I still kept faith and believed that one day this would all turn around and Michael Jackson would show us his musical genius. When I heard of his return to the music scene and his proposed 50 tour deal in the UK, I was really excited.

But Michael Jackson is now dead and I guess he has left behind a legacy of greatness as well as a history of personal troubles and eccentricity. I would like to pay a tribute to the greatness.

He was, is and will be the King of Pop. I hope his soul rests in peace.

A superb inagural ceremony marked the official kick off of the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, China. The light show, the various other effects and finally the fireworks were mind blowing. It goes to show that China has improved so much over the years and had come of age.

Olympics 2008

Anthony Minghella, who won an Oscar in 1997 for directing The English Patient, has died at the aged of 54. Minghella also directed the films Truly, Madly, Deeply and Cold Mountain.

Reportedly the director had an operation for a growth in his neck last week, which was successful, but he soon suffered a fatal haemorrhage that killed him.

Jude Law, who worked with Minghella on three films, told the press he was “deeply shocked and saddened” at the news. Law described Minghells as “a brilliantly talented writer and director” and “a sweet, warm, bright and funny man”.

Law’s Cold Mountain co-star Gwyneth Paltrow said Minghella was “a wonderful man” who was “so interested in art and making the world better for art”.

Minghella had also recently directed a TV episode of book The No 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency. A 90-minute pilot, directed by Minghella and co-written with Richard Curtis, is due to be broadcast on BBC One on Easter Sunday.

Minghella made his directorial debut in Truly, Madly, Deeply in 1991. He went on to write and direct film adaptations of Michael Ondaatje’s The English Patient and Patricia Highsmith’s The Talented Mr. Ripley. In 1999, Minghella was nominated for an Oscar for writing The Talented Mr. Ripley screenplay. He also directed 2003′s Cold Mountain, starring Law, Kidman and Renee Zellweger, who won the best supporting actress Oscar for that film. He was also chairman of the British Film Institute.

NBC Digital Entertainment recently announced its findings gathered from the fifth wave of quarterly consumer research studies conducted during the last quarter of 2007. Among the highlights: a large amount of users are staying through entire episodes, higher brand recall, and increased satisfaction with the NBC Rewind video player. The announcements were made by Vivi Zigler, Executive Vice President, NBC Digital Entertainment.

“Digital entertainment is truly a consumer’s medium,” said Zigler. “We are constantly developing and re-shaping our offerings based on what our users like and how they interact with our site.”

“NBC.com’s loyal users actively navigate and curate their own experience in NBC Rewind so there is a high level of engagement,” said Peter Naylor, Senior Vice President, Digital Media Sales, NBC Universal. “These research results show that when the right message is tailored to the right medium, this engaged audience really responds and our advertisers win.”

Finishing out 2007 as the number one network site in December for both average time spent (11.25 minutes) and uniques (7.9 million), NBC.com commissioned original research to better understand how consumers are utilizing the NBC Rewind video player. Over 5,000 Rewind visitors were surveyed during the fourth quarter, yielding insights for NBC.com and its advertising partners.

Among the findings: dramatically higher brand recall for ad content created specifically for the internet vs. previous quarters (86% vs. 70%-75%), high agreement that Rewind ads are less disruptive than ads on television, and a strong desire to interact with advertising. In fact, ads with interactive elements were more likely to elicit higher brand recall as well as higher agreement that ads were entertaining and relevant.

Additional findings include 77% of users streaming video as a compliment to TV viewing (the majority report catching a missed episode online). Over a quarter of respondents also reported sampling a new show while viewing online, with the majority continuing to watch the show after trial, both on air and online.

In overall traffic findings, so far this year, “Deal or No Deal,” “American Gladiators” and “Biggest Loser” are the sites top performers, delivering over 70 million page views in 2008. Additionally, NBC.com has delivered 40.9 million overall video streams (up 24 per cent from last year). Uniques in 2008 are up 7% so far (15.5 million).

Fans of MTV’s “The Hills”, take note. The new season starts with 10 new episodes of “The Hills” premiering March 24th at 10pm ET/PT. This extended third season will begin with Lauren and Whitney’s anticipated journey to Paris, where they travel to work for Teen Vogue at the Crillon Ball, an international gala for debutantes.

The drama will continue back in Los Angeles as the cameras reveal the latest stories affecting the cast, including Lauren moving into a new house, Whitney finding a new job, and Heidi and Spencer’s tumultuous relationship.

To kick it all off, Lauren, Whitney and Audrina will join Mariah Carey and MTV VJ Lyndsey Rodrigues, along with all their fans, at the ultimate premiere event live from Gotham Hall in New York City to watch the anticipated return of “The Hills”. Starting at 9pm ET/PT, fans will have an opportunity to get up close and personal with the cast like never before, while giving viewers a chance to catch up on the latest drama of the last two episodes. With the world watching, Mariah will take the stage immediately following the show for an unforgettable performance. And just in case you hadn’t had enough – stay tuned by going to MTV.com the following day to see bonus performances from Mariah, along with all the inside dirt on “The Hills” cast.

Show enthusiasts can further delve into the fun with “The Hills After Show,” an interactive talk show streamed immediately following “The Hills” exclusively on MTV.com. Each week, Jessi Cruickshank and Dan Levy are joined in-studio by special guests to discuss, debate and sometimes mock the things that just happened on “The Hills” while aficionados add their opinions and observations to the conversation by webcam. In addition, http://www.hills.mtv.com will feature the show’s music, full episodes, exclusive behind-the-scenes photos, bios as well as a dedicated blog to “The Hills” where fans can dish on the latest news and check out exclusive interviews and photos.

For the first time ever, HGTV is building a Green Home, located in Tradition Hilton Head, a 5,300-acre master-planned community near the popular beach resort of Hilton Head, South Carolina, and giving it away to a lucky winner in a national sweepstakes that kicks off via the HGTV Green Home 2008 special hosted by “Carter Can” handyman (and Nautica model) Carter Oosterhouse on March 23 at 9:00 p.m. ET/PT.

The HGTV Green Home Giveaway, with a total prize value of approximately $850,000, will be held in addition to the network’s wildly popular HGTV Dream Home Giveaway. The HGTV Green Home is a traditionally-styled, low country cottage under construction near Hilton Head. At just over 2,000 square feet, the fully-furnished home includes three bedrooms and two and a half baths and features both construction and design elements that are known to contribute to a healthier living environment.

When completed, the HGTV Green Home will have achieved a significant LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification. LEED for Homes, a voluntary rating system, is a project of the U.S. Green Building Council, which plans to launch a nationwide residential LEED certification program later this year.

Last week, “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno”, which airs Monday through Friday, 11:35 p.m. to 12:37 a.m. ET on NBC, welcomed Minnie Driver as guest and musical act performing “Mockingbird” from her album Seastories.

Driver surprised both Leno and the studio audience by confirming the rumors circulating gossip pages for months. When Leno asked the actress point blank if she was pregnant, Driver responded with a definitive “Yes, I am.”

She also added, “I love it more then anything else,” but took the opportunity to quip, “I don’t know why they call it morning sickness, I am sick morning, noon and night, but it’s a fair trade off.”

Driver is currently starring in the critically acclaimed television show “The Riches” on F/X, for which she received both a Golden Globe and Emmy nomination. Driver has also achieved film success, having been nominated for an Oscar for her performance in Good Will Hunting in the best supporting actress category.

“Project Runway’s” fashion guru and mentor Tim Gunn is making a special appearance on NBC’s “The Biggest Loser: Couples” on Tuesday, March 18 (8-10 p.m. ET), helping make over the contestants in what has become a fan favorite every season – the makeover episode.

After working so hard to lose weight for 12 weeks, the remaining seven contestants get treated to the ultimate day of pampering with makeovers for all. First, they’re joined by legendary fashion maven Gunn, who helps each of them choose a stylish outfit at Macy’s that flatters their new, skinnier selves.

Next they’re treated to eye-catching new hairstyles so they’ll be looking their best at a runway fashion show that will be photographed for the May issue of Prevention Magazine. Then the contestants strut their stuff – with new clothes and new “dos” – down a fashion show runway, unaware that loved ones are waiting to surprise each one in emotional, heartwarming reunions.

Later, the contestants square off in a vigorous challenge in which they must walk on treadmills, suspended over water, at increasing speeds – and two players battle it out for more than an hour. Then comes a heated elimination round, when another player is sent packing. Alison Sweeney is the host, and Bob Harper and Jillian Michaels also star.

There are more than three million American-born kids of undocumented immigrants living in the United States. The kids are Americans citizens, but their parents are not. The Emmy award-winning series Nick News with Linda Ellerbee delves into the lives of Mexican-American kids trapped in a political situation they didn’t cause and can’t fix — in I’m American! They’re Not!, premiering Sunday, Mar. 16, at 9:00 p.m. ET/PT on Nickelodeon.

“These kids can’t be forced to leave the U.S., but their parents can be. Imagine living in fear of your parents being caught and deported,” asks Ellerbee. “Or your parents get deported, but you stay — without parents. Or your parents get deported and you go with them, leaving your home, your country and the only life you’ve ever known. Kids, American citizens, are dealing with these issues every day.”

In I’m American! They’re Not!, viewers meet a young girl, an American-born citizen whose parents are living illegally in the U.S. She and her brothers and sister live life in the shadows. There’s also Iven and Noe, brothers whose parents have been caught and deported. Their parents have taken Iven and Noe back to Viscaino, Mexico, with them. The brothers miss their home in San Jose, California. Lastly, viewers meet 13-year-old Paola, 14-year-old Vanessa, and 17-year-old Nahun, three siblings whose parents were deported to Mexico last year, while they remained in the U.S. without them. A family friend acts as their legal guardian; however, the kids are living by themselves.

In the special, Miriam Calderón, who works for the National Council of La Raza, which commissioned the report Paying the Price: The Impact of Immigration Raids on America’s Children, speaks about the disruptions immigration raids are causing in families.

This week, Superbad star Jonah Hill hosts Saturday Night Live (March 15) with musical guest Mariah Carey.

Hill made a splash last summer in the outrageous and critically acclaimed comedy blockbuster Superbad opposite Michael Cera, Seth Rogen and SNL’s Bill Hader. Hill made his debut in I Heart Huckabees and secured a role in the hit comedy The 40 Year-Old Virgin and went on to a memorable role in the teen comedy Accepted. Hill began his hit-filled summer of 2007 playing opposite Seth Rogen in the comedy smash Knocked Up. Up next for Hill, the romantic comedy Forgetting Sarah Marshall with Kristen Bell and Jason Segel and lending his voice to the animated Dr. Suess feature Horton Hears A Who!

Music superstar Carey, the Grammy Award-winning performer and songwriter, is making her first appearance on “SNL” in over 10 years, performing tracks from one of the most eagerly anticipated albums of the year: E=MC2. Carey’s 11th studio album, due out April 15, is the follow-up to The Emancipation Of Mimi, Carey’s worldwide 10 million selling #1 album, which generated three Grammy awards (including Best Contemporary R&B Album), two #1 singles and countless more industry honors during its 18-month stay on the charts.

The first single from E=MC2, “Touch My Body” (written and produced by Carey), already has over 80 million in audience at radio since its February release and has already been touted by Entertainment Weekly in their “Must List” as “a deliciously sexy pop single.” Feature filmmaker Brett Ratner directed the video for “Touch My Body”, which features “30 Rock” star Jack McBrayer.

The Emancipation Of Mimi, released April 12, 2005, was an industry phenomenon for the mega-platinum award-winning superstar, and brought total sales of Carey’s albums, singles and videos to more than $160 million worldwide, making her the most successful female recording artist in history. Carey is now positioned as the only active recording artist in the 48 years of the Hot 100 (which began in 1958) with the potential to surpass the Beatles’ all-time high of 20 #1 hits.