I try to stay in my nice little world of watching and covering television. Sometimes the rare occurrence happens when I get the phone call to go and cover what I would consider a news event in the entertainment world. To me a news event is anything that involves death, drugs, divorce, disappearances... you get it.. in the world of the famous and infamous. By dedicating myself to covering shows like "Dancing with the Stars" and "American Idol", I'm pretty much assured of keeping out of the slimy side of celebrity.

This morning, I get a call from our assignment desk to travel up to Promises Malibu, the rehab facility that is currently home to Lindsay Lohan. We would be shooting stand-ups for our daily show about Michael Lohan's (Lindsay's dad) alleged claims that she had been using a fair amount of drugs in the time leading up to her accident and subsequent trip to rehab. It's the type of story I personally don't care to cover but the show needed me so I went. Plus, I'd never mind a trip to beautiful Malibu. In fact, the road leading up to the rehab center is a long winding road with breathtaking views of the ocean.

by Eugene Monzon, Jr., Access film researcher

Sound the trumpets. Oscar season has begun.

True, we are only at the halfway mark in the 2007 film season. But I doubt that the names of Hilary Swank (Freedom Writers & The Reaping), Halle Berry (Perfect Stranger) and Diane Keaton (Because I Said So) will be called out on January 22, Oscar nomination morning. However, one name I would bet on (that is if I was a betting man) would be Best Supporting Actress winner Angelina Jolie.

The other night I watched A Mighty Heart (opens June 22), in which Angelina plays 5-months-pregnant journalist Mariane Pearl, wife of slain Wall Street Journal correspondent Daniel Pearl. Ms. Jolie gives one of her best performances in a long time.

In the film, directed by Michael Winterbottom (Code 46) and produced by Brad Pitt, we see the trials and tribulations that Mariane goes through in order to try and find her missing husband.

by Dan Gomez, Access Hollywood assistant research director

Now that the 2006-2007 TV season is over, let’s fire up the ratings scoreboard and see who walks away with ratings gold. FOX gets to gloat thanks to “American Idol”.

The popular talent show was plagued this season with a rather unexciting group of contestants (sorry, Sanjaya) but enough people watched to make “Idol” the number one and number two shows for the season. Wednesday’s results show was seen by an average of 30 million viewers to take the top spot while Tuesday’s performance show was seen by an average of 29.5 million to take second.

Both of “Dancing with the Stars'” fall and spring editions (performance and results shows), “CSI,” “Grey’s Anatomy,” “House,” “Desperate Housewives” and “NBC Sunday Night Football” round out the top ten shows of the season.

"Heroes" finished as the most watched new show of the season, ranking 22nd with 13.6 million viewers, followed closely by CBS's James Woods drama "Shark" at 26. ABC's "Ugly Betty" tied with medical stalwart "ER" to rank at number thirty-one, each with an average of 11 million people tuning in. The critically acclaimed but poorly watched Aaron Sorkin drama "Studio 60," which was cancelled, finished the season at 75.

This morning I left Cannes very early to catch a flight home. As we drove I noticed more examples of what is a most common trend:

Celebrities doing foreign print campaigns.

Do you recall the character played by Bill Murray in 'Lost in Translation', who pimps himself for some kind of after dinner drink brand all over Japan? Well, there's a little bit of that guy in so many of our celebs.

George Clooney on countless billboards, posing almost identically to the Bill Murray character, for Nespresso (caffeinated hot cocoa maybe?).

Clive Owen giving his best debonair for 'Hypnose' cologne.

Demi Moore for Helena Rubinstein face sculptor....

Jordin Sparks is living her dream. She came into our studio, after being crowned the new American Idol a mere 12 hours before. She was operating on 2 hours of sleep but, still elated from her journey of beating out hundreds of thousands of hopefuls.

When I met her, I sensed that there was something about her that I liked. Beyond being sweet and charismatic and adorable, she had another "spark" about her.

A sense of Divine Purpose.

She talked about what a whirlwind the last several months had been, how she had been dreaming of this day since she was 12-years-old and watching Kelly Clarkson win. She gave a heartfelt message to her parents whom she said had sacrificed so much for her. And then she sang, "This is My Now" - the song that really sealed her win on the show.

My wife arrived last night in Cannes and I feel whole again. We had a romantic dinner, many laughs a great conversation and the rest would be innapropriate to discuss.

Today we are on the beach relaxing. She is reading and I am talking. She hates it when I ramble on when she's entrenched in her pages, but that's me...an observer, social philosopher and all around restless guy.

Here at Access Hollywood, we take "Lost" very seriously -- sometimes... obsessive-compulsively (see effigy votive candle pictures, above):

General consensus on the "Flash Forward" Season 3 Finale = Darn Good.

Some random staff thoughts:

Best line of the night (Keith): Hurley: "Attention.... Others..."

Best Theory (Bryant): "AGREED AND JACK AND KATE LIED ABOUT SOMETHING MY THEORY IS THEY LEFT MANY FOLKS ON THE ISLAND AND HAVE LIED ABOUT IT...
THE GUILT IS DRIVING HIM NUTS AND KATE IS DOING HER BEST TO IGNORE IT..."

Best Moment (consensus... tie): Hurley mows down The Others in the VW van .... and, Charlie's death scene.

(Ratings news... after the jump)

3:01p.m. Just arrived at the red carpet. It's littered with former Idol contestants waiting to be interviewed on Live shows. Paris Bennett, Vonzell Solomon, Anthony Fedorov, Mikalah Gordon and Justin Guarini and Kimberly Caldwell shilling for TV Guide Channel.

3:07 Remember Ian Benardo of "Gloria, Gloria" auditioning fame this year? He and his BFF Bobby Trendy just trampled down the red carpet in the most ridiculous colorful getups complete with patent leather high heeled go go boats. Train wreck anyone?

3:15 I talk to Carmen Rasmusen from season two who tells me she has a country album coming out in two months. I swear "two months" in Idol speak is code for "sometime, maybe never".

3:20 I get a nice hug from Paris Bennett who advises this year’s Idol contestants to not give up on their dream.

3:25 Diana DeGarmo is wearing quite the scary looking dress but looks great after losing twenty pounds.

3:30 Mandisa and Paris Bennett see each other on the carpet for the first time with Mandisa telling Paris, "you look amazing!"

by Ariana Squar, Access staffer

You may be wondering why I'm titling my blog Ocean's 8 when the name of the movie we're a hunting today is “Ocean's Thirteen”. It's really a very simple, simple answer...it's my eighth day at the festival, I've seen the ocean every single day, and my colleagues back home have been waiting with baited breathe to hear all they can about the triumvirate of gods, George, Matt and Brad.

Once again we'll be spending time at the hotel du choix for anyone who's anyone, The Hotel du Cap looking for the exclusives only Access can bring you. Personally, I'm quite excited for this, the third in a trilogy of fun Danny Ocean adventures and can't wait to hear what the gang has to say about it.

Well, it certainly was not the most exciting Finale performance show ever but it's always nice to be live inside the Kodak Theatre to catch all the action. The fans are so excited for the experience and the energy level is great even though there were no standing ovations like last year when Taylor Hicks and Katharine McPhee went head-to-head (at least not from any of the balconies and mezzanines).

Seconds after Jordin finished her final song; I was ushered backstage to wait in the wings for Jordin and Blake.
They both missed Chris Daughtry's performance and came backstage together just before he began. After a quick makeup touch up, Blake was upon me with a look of defeat, "I think I had fun. I think I did all right. It's kind of hard when you're up against Jordin you know and she's a bad ass vocalist."

In the end this finale may come down to the songwriting competition. While Jordin shined singing this sappy ballad, Blake did the best he could with the material, "It's definitely not my kind of style of music. So, I just had fun with it and put as much as I could into it. I made friends with the song. I shook its hand and said let's play together."