2009 Heisman Trophy Winner, Mark Ingram of the University of Alabama was selected as the 75th winner of the Heisman Memorial Trophy as the Most Outstanding College Football Player in the United States for 2009. Ingram won the award over Toby Gerhart of Stanford by only 28 points in the closest finish in the 75 year history of the Heisman. Previously, the closest race was in 1985 when Bo Jackson defeated Chuck Long by just 45 points.

Michael Comerford, of the Heisman Trophy Trust, which annually presents the Heisman Memorial Trophy Award, announced the selection of Ingram on Saturday evening, December 12th, on a nationally televised ESPN sports special live from the Nokia Theatre in Times Square. The victory for the 5’10”, 215-pound Ingram marks the first time a member of the Crimson Tide has won the Heisman Trophy.

Ingram, of Flint, MI, has rushed 249 times for 1,542 yards (6.2 yards per carry) with 15 touchdowns while catching 30 passes for 322 yards and an additional 3 touchdowns. His rushing total established a single season record at Alabama. While leading the Crimson Tide to an undefeated (13-0) regular season and a No.1 National ranking, Ingram was named the AP Offensive Player of the Year and the SEC Offensive Player of the Year. Additionally, Ingram led Alabama to a berth in the BCS Championship Game on January 7th against Texas where he will face off against fellow Heisman finalist, Colt McCoy.

Ballots were mailed to 870 media personnel across the nation plus 55 Heisman winners and one fan ballot, for a total of 926 electors. The ballots are received and tabulated by the independent accounting firm of Deloitte & Touche LLP. Ingram polled 1,304 points to capture the award over Toby Gerhart of Stanford (1,276 points), Colt McCoy of Texas (1,145 points), Ndamukong Suh (815 points) and the 2007 Heisman winner, Tim Tebow of Florida (390 points). The point total is reached by a system of three points for a first place vote, two for a second and one for a third.

Mark Ingram will officially be honored at the 75th annual Heisman Memorial Trophy Award Dinner on Monday evening, December 14th at the Marriot Marquis in New York. For more information, contact Tim Henning at 212-425-7000.

Eloise At Christmas Time, Thursday night Lifetime Television premiered their very own modern holiday classic aimed at their usual Women 18-49 audience. And since I fit comfortably into that demographic, I needed to put the 12 Men of Christmas on my list! Err, my viewing list, of course!

Kristin Chenoweth plays one of those jaded career women who could be on her way to her own version of Ebenezer Scrooge but for a cruel twist of fate that tears her away from everything she knows. Losing both her job and her equally successful fiance during her office holiday party, Chenowith’s character picks up and moves to snowy Montana to start all over. It is there that she gets the idea to try to save a local rescue mission– and spread a little Christmas cheer– by getting the hunky rescue workers to pose for a pin-up calendar. And when Santa hands her twelve eligible men, it is only cliche but perfect that sparks fly with at least one!

Alongside Chenowith for the (sleigh)ride are Josh Hopkins (Cougar Town) and Jessie Pavelka (Lifetime’s own; DietTribe), among almost a dozen other cuties who may not have famous faces yet but who certainly will be more well known amongst a very specific crowd once their calendar gets downloaded and printed from the interwebs! 12 Men of Christmas admittedly has a much more specific and limited appeal than other holiday movies, but it is fun and joyful nonetheless and will undoubtedly be brought back on that channel for many years to come. Lifetime certainly knows their audience, and who in their audience wouldn’t want to be snowed in and snuggling by a roaring fire with any one of these guys??

ABC Family Channel manages to churn out mad-for-TV holiday movies like they simply fall from the sky like fresh snow. Every year they create about half a dozen new ones to add to the roster, allowing Christmas movie marathons to start earlier and earlier. Three years ago, they premiered a modern-day tale about a businesswoman who has to drop everything in her hectic, high-powered life to rush home and help her ailing father with his business. But what made this particular tale magical was that the woman was Santa Claus’ daughter, and the movie was Santa Baby.

Starring George Wendt and Jenny McCarthy as Santa and his daughter, respectively, the movie doesn’t have all of the frills of a big budget blockbuster, but it holds more heart than most. McCarthy’s Mary Claus returns to her roots and learns what is really important when she not only tries to make Santa’s workshop more efficient but also gets reacquainted with her first love (played by Ivan Sergei). The spirit of the holiday finds her once again, humbles her of course, and sets her up for a brand new life where she no longer has to deny who she really is.

Both actors seemed unlikely in roles that come with so much cheer, but both sparkle and shine with the spirit of the season. McCarthy has always had a big personality and an even bigger laugh, and though she stands out amongst the elves for such a boisterous nature, she manages not to be too over the top with it. And that’s perhaps a hard thing to do when you’re fighting with reindeer and forced to convince an ex-boyfriend he’s seeing things when he stumbles upon the real toy workshop in the North Pole!

Shaniya Davis Oprah, It was 4 p.m. Friday and the first topic on “The Oprah Winfrey Show” was Shaniya Davis, the 5-year-old Fayetteville girl who police say was sexually assaulted and asphyxiated before her body was dumped in woods off a rural road south of Sanford. Shaniya’s body was found Monday.

“This is about to make me cry,” said beauty salon patron Gwen King as photos of Shaniya appeared on the TV.

King’s reactions mirrored the feelings of the others at the shop on Murchison Road, about three miles from where Shaniya lived with her mother, Antoinette Davis.

The only sound filling the shop was the familiar voice of Winfrey, who described the story as one that has us asking, “What is the world coming to?”

Mario Andrette McNeill, has been charged with first-degree murder and first-degree rape of a child.

Shaniya’s mother is charged with felony child abuse and human trafficking related to prostitution.

On Friday’s show – the same day Winfrey announced she will be leaving in 2011 – the first guests were Shaniya’s father, Bradley Lockhart, and her aunt, Carey Lockhart-Davis. They appeared together via satellite from Fayetteville.

Winfrey asked Lockhart if he had anything to say to Shaniya’s mother, who is being held at the Cumberland County Detention Center.

“Right now, I just think it’s best that we let the justice system take its course,” Lockhart said. “I try to keep my heart as pure as possible, and I’m sure one day I will be able to sit down and talk to her, try and understand what was going through her mind.”

Lockhart said he had a one-night stand with Shaniya’s mother and mostly raised their daughter before letting Davis care for here. He said he last saw Shaniya on Oct. 2.

“There was so much to be said about this precious angel, as you can see from the outreach and the vigils,” Lockhart said.

Four vigils have been held since Shaniya’s body was discovered.

When questioned about the reported burns on Shaniya’s body, Lockhart-Davis said she was told that Shaniya accidently walked into a cigarette. She said she also was told that Shaniya came too close to a kerosene heater, which fell on her.

Shaniya’s story began receiving national attention shortly after police announced she was missing Nov. 10.

Some women at the salon said they welcome the national publicity, which includes experts discussing the crime on the Larry King and Nancy Grace television shows.

“I think it’s good for them to go on the shows,” said client Amarentha Caldwell. “People think things like this only happen in New York, New Jersey, big cities. But when it knocks on our door, here in Fayetteville, North Carolina, that’s a wake-up call to let people know we need to be careful with our kids.”

Crystal Knowles, a stylist, agreed.

“I think it’s good to have them on TV so everybody can be aware of the situation,” she said. Thanks to

I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus Movie, I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus is a 2001 film based on the classic holiday song of the same name. The movie’s tagline was “Christmas is coming, and Santa’s a dirty rat.” I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus first aired December 9, 2001, on the Network where it aired until 2007. As of 2008, it is shown in the 25 Days of Christmas programming block on ABC Family.

I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus Movie, I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus is a 2001 film based on the classic holiday song of the same name. The movie’s tagline was “Christmas is coming, and Santa’s a dirty rat.” I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus first aired December 9, 2001, on the Network where it aired until 2007. As of 2008, it is shown in the 25 Days of Christmas programming block on ABC Family.

Randy Quaid Arrest, Actor Randy Quaid and his wife were released from a West Texas jail late Thursday after their arrest for allegedly skipping out on a $10,000 California hotel bill. The pair posted bail after the sheriff provided a ride to a bank.

Quaid and his wife, Evi, each posted $20,000 after spending several hours in the jail in Marfa, Presidio County Sheriff Danny Dominguez told The Associated Press.

Dominguez said he drove the actor to a bank to obtain the bail money. Quaid remained in his custody during the trip but was not handcuffed. The sheriff said the actor received no special treatment.

“I like to help everybody out,” Dominguez said. “It’s a small town.”

A felony warrant for burglary, defrauding an innkeeper and conspiracy was issued out of Santa Barbara, Calif., for Quaid and his wife after authorities received a complaint in early September that the couple had not paid a bill of more than $10,000 due to a local hotel, according to a release from the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Department.

The warrant was issued after sheriff’s detectives filed a case with the district attorney. Santa Barbara County sheriff’s spokesman Drew Sugars said Thursday that detectives had not yet spoken with the actor and the department said it would not immediately release further details.

A message left for Randy Quaid’s commercial agent, Steven Arcieri, was not immediately returned.

The Quaids were arrested Thursday afternoon after
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a deputy spotted the couple driving in Marfa, where they had been staying at a hotel, Dominguez said.

Evi Quad “resisted a little bit, it wasn’t too much,” the sheriff said. “She calmed down quickly.”

Quaid won a Golden Globe Award and was nominated for an Emmy for his portrayal of President Lyndon Johnson in “LBJ: The Early Years”; but he’s perhaps best known for his roles in the “National Lampoon’s Vacation” movies, “Independence Day” and “Kingpin.”

He also played a hard-nosed sheep rancher in “Brokeback Mountain,” then sued Focus Features and the film’s producers in 2006, claiming he was compelled to work cheaply when told the film—which earned $82 million at the domestic box office—had no prospects of making money.

A native Texan, he is the older brother of fellow actor Dennis Quaid.

Marfa, a remote West Texas town, is no stranger to Hollywood attention.

More than 50 years ago, filmmaker George Stevens settled on the area for his epic Texas oil tale “Giant,” which starred Rock Hudson, Elizabeth Taylor and James Dean. (Stevens won a best director Oscar for “Giant” in 1957, the only win of that film’s 10 nominations).

More recently, “There Will be Blood” and “No Country for Old Men” were filmed in the desolate town of 2,100, founded as a railroad stop in 1883.