Happy Birthday to three of America’s best singers (or at least two popular ones who have fan clubs and one really talented one)!

N*SYNCer and Broadway star Joey Fatone is 28, 3 time Grammy Award winner Sarah McLachlan is 37, and Backstreet Boy and former Paris Hilton boyfriend Nick Carter is 25!

I’m not sure what each is up to at the moment, but you can find out on each of their websites: Joey Fatone via NSYNC.com / SarahMcLachlan.com / NickCarter.com (Weird, Joey Fatone doesn’t own JoeyFatone.com.)

ALSO: On a more somber note, today is the 19th anniversay of the space shuttle Challenger disaster. All seven crew members were killed after it exploded 73 seconds after liftoff from Cape Canaveral, Florida.

Thirty marines and one sailor were killed when a military helicopter crashed in Iraq, and 6 other soldiers died in separate incidents, bringing the total number of American soldiers killed to more than 1400.

It was the deadliest day since the War in Iraq began in March 2003.

Deadliest Day: 37 GIs Die In Iraq:

A U.S. military transport helicopter crashed in severe weather in Iraq’s western desert Wednesday, killing 31 people, most of them Marines, while insurgents killed six other American troops in the deadliest day for U.S. forces since the Iraq war began.

This tragedy is especially upsetting since it seems that it might have been a malfunction or pilot error of some sort and not an enemy attack that brought the helicopter down.

As Iraq prepares to vote for the first time amidst the highest level of violent attacks since 2003 and more soldiers die each day, I’m left wondering what the plan is for Iraq and when our soldiers will get to come home.

Simon Hoegsberg, the photographer whose “Private-Public” exhibit I linked to in 2002, is at it again! He has another great exhibit up on his website, entitled “The Thought Project”.

What’s so unique about Hoegsberg’s project, besides the aesthetic interest of his subjects, is that he stopped them on the street in Copenhagen and asked them what they were just thinking about. Each person’s exact quote is displayed next to his or her photo on the site. The only thing that would make the exhibit better would be if Hoegsberg uploaded the audio files to play automatically.

True, they might have been speaking in Danish, but that would add an additional layer of information about each person and connect with seeing them walking down the street, as Hoegsberg did that day.

Maybe I should try doing this type of project on Broadway (or better yet Canal Street!) in New York City. Or would I just get punched in the face?

Google announced plans today for a new TV/video search service that would index programming on ABC, PBS, Fox News, and other networks.

Reminds me of what a startup called ShadowTV tried to do in 2001.

Sounds like the answer to a big hurdle in the so-called “convergence” process of combining both a TV and a PC. We could call it a TVPC. Not very original name, but still, a very exciting idea.

Google tunes into video searching:

It automatically searches transcripts of the footage and brings back relevant shows. Initially, clicking on the results will only bring up still pictures and excerpts, but Google said it was working with its partners to provide full video playback.

Based on experience in the US, analysts have predicted 2005 will see the line between television and the internet become blurred as broadband connections become a mass market proposition and converged devices such as Microsoft’s Media Centre take off. As such, internet companies are battling to become the gateway through which people find archived and upcoming shows.

The new Google video search service makes a lot of sense — as does allowing searchable archived television programs online. Just think of how accessible video clips are today. Archived full-footage TV streams is the next step in the process.

All of this fits into my vision of television becoming fully an Internet-based application, with an unlimited supply of URLs as “channels,” which could be operated just as easily as a television. So how long until such an appliance is available for commercial sale? My guess is within the next 10 years, since the process is already in motion.

RELATED: Google sure seems to have a grand vision of the Internet’s future. Word is they just hired the lead Firefox browser programmer, sparking speculation that they are planning on entering the browser market as well: Google Hires Lead Firefox Engineer

Johnny Carson, the host of the Tonight Show for 30 years, died yesterday from emphysema at the age of 79, after more than twelve years out of the public eye.

Johnny Carson, late-night TV legend, dies at 79:

Carson, a longtime smoker, was 79 and had announced in 2002 that he was suffering from the disease.

Carson was host of the late-night talk show from October 1, 1962, to May 22, 1992, taking over from Jack Paar and handing off to Jay Leno after 4,531 episodes.

“It is a sad day for his family and for the country,” “Late Show” host David Letterman said in a statement Sunday. “He was the best — a star and a gentleman.”

Carson kept a low profile after leaving “The Tonight Show” in 1992.

I’ve seen clips of many episodes of Johnny Carson’s Tonight Show, but I get the feeling that I haven’t yet seen enough of the 30 years of shows to truly appreciate Carson’s impact on this country over the years. Although, I certainly see the impact today — from Jay Leno to David Letterman to Ray Romano to Drew Carey to Roseanne Arnold to Robin Williams, and so forth… I’ve always thought the well-oiled Conan O’Brien/ Andy Richter sidekick-schtick on “Late Night” that worked so well for them was modeled on Johnny Carson and Ed McMahon’s chemistry on “The Tonight Show.”

My favorite sketch of Johnny’s was his Carnac The Magnificent bit, where he said used his “powers” to forsee the answer to the joke written inside the sealed envelope. Classic comedy! If you don’t believe me, check out some video clips of Carson’s Carnac.

Thanks for all the laughs over the years… and for all the laughs still to come. You’ll be missed, Johnny.

If the weather follows what the fine meteorologists at the Weather Channel have forecasted for New York City and Long Island, this weekend (and probably much of the week) will involve lots and lots of snow.

So, let’s see — adding the predicted snow totals in the forecast, we have 2-4 inches in the Saturday morning to afternoon, followed by a mega-helping of 10-15 inches in the evening and overnight, and ending with another 1 inch on Sunday morning to top it off.

So anywhere from 13 inches to 20 inches of snow is headed our way to blanket the NY Metro Area. Add in zero visibility and ‘whiteout-like’ conditions, and you got yourself a blizzard!

Get ready for BLIZZARD 2005… and all the snowflake-filled TV news graphics that are sure to follow! Will this one snowfall make up for the lack of snow this Winter? Stay tuned to find out…

UPDATE (1/23): I’d say 20 inches and whiteout conditions do make a blizzard. Time to pay the guy with the plow truck to clear the driveway!

…and tonight’s Law & Order leaves us wondering what happened in Elizabeth Rohm’s last episode on the series after starring for four years as A.D.A. Serena Southerlyn.

If you don’t want to know what happened, then stop reading now. For those loyal L&O fans who saw tonight’s episode, let’s discuss…

What the heck happened? They use Elizabeth Rohm’s last few minutes on the show (which, in itself, was a good plot) to introduce a piece of information that will go nowhere on the show. She’s a lesbian? Uhhh… okay.

At first I thought maybe I missed the episode during the last four years where they discuss her lesbianism. But then I realized, nope, that wasn’t what happened. No, actually it was never brought up — or even hinted at — at all! So why have Southerlyn suddenly reveal this part of her character?

Sure, asking if she was being fired because she was gay made sense — she would want to know if that led to the decision to her. But firing her made no sense in the context of the show. And the explanation for it was pretty weak — she’s more like an advocate-type lawyer, so she doesn’t fit in? Come on.

Dick Wolf would have been better off killing Southerlyn in her last episode in some sort of shooting in the courtroom gun battle.

Rohm appeared on The Jimmy Kimmel Show” last night, saying she decided to leave the show to grow her career — possibly into a steady movie career. Good for her. She obviously wasn’t going to be able to grow on Law & Order — it’s obvious the writers had just about given up on her.

I’m very disappointed. First the late Jerry Orbach leaves — and now this.

RELATED: I guess Nicole Blake and the 981 undersigned people got what they wanted. Bet they didn’t expect it to end this way!

MORE: Other blogger’s quotes — Peter Meddick: “Not worth staying awake to watch. Lesson learned.” // Center Square: “Is there any way in which [D.A. Arthur Branch] is not telling her to go be a gay activist?” // Danny Donovan: “It just smacked of ‘hell I don’t know how to make this interesting, oh yeah she’s gay!’” // Trenchcoat Chronicles: “The writing on L&O has been noticeably down this season and this is just a prime example. I wouldn’t say they’ve jumped the shark but they’re definitely trying on their water skis.”

Howard Dean has decided to enter the race to lead the Democratic party.

Howard Dean Enters DNC Race:

Former presidential candidate Howard Dean, once the early front-runner for the Democratic nomination whose candidacy stumbled, has decided to seek the party’s chairmanship, several Democrats said Tuesday.

Dean’s entry into the race raises questions about whether the former Vermont governor will make another bid for the presidency in 2008. The chairman’s job carries a four-year term and many Democratic National Committee members have said they prefer a chairman who would devote all his energy to serving a full term. […]

Dean joins a field that includes former Indiana Rep. Tim Roemer, former Texas Rep. Martin Frost, Democratic activists Simon Rosenberg and Donnie Fowler, former Denver Mayor Wellington Webb and former Ohio Democratic Party chairman David Leland.

As a former and current Deaniac, I couldn’t be happier. Dean helped unify the Democratic party during what was the longest campaign in history and continues to do so with his Democracy for America grassroots effort. And, of course, he more than any other politican understood the power of blogs and bloggers.

Current DNC chairman Terry McAuliffe shouldn’t seek reappointment. It’s time for someone new to lead the party. And who better than Howard Dean? I’m sure he’ll figure out his 2008 plans later on… One thing at a time.

Michael Moore’s documentary “Fahrenheit 9/11” won the People’s Choice Award for Favorite Movie last night over “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind,” “The Incredibles,” “Shrek 2,” and “Spiderman 2″.

People’s Choice top awards go to filmmakers Moore, Gibson:

Filmmakers Michael Moore and Mel Gibson were all smiles after they won top honors at the 31st annual People’s Choice Awards.

Both men had controversial films that fared well at the box office last year. Moore’s film “Fahrenheit 9/11,” which took a critical look at President Bush’s actions after the 2001 terror attacks, won the favorite movie award, while Mel Gibson’s “The Passion of the Christ” won in the favorite drama category.

Moore dedicated Sunday’s win to the U.S. troops fighting overseas and said he was “amazed” that people voted his film their favorite. “I love making movies, and I’ll take this as an invitation to make more ‘Fahrenheit 9/11s,’ ” Moore said.

Gibson echoed Moore’s appreciation, saying the award “means a lot more to me this time than anything before.

What can I say? The people have spoken! You can view Michael Moore’s speech in .mov format (direct link).

Unfortunately, Moore’s critics didn’t accept his win gracefully — some before the awards ceremony even began. A few hours before the show began and before the winners were announced, Fox News Channel reporter Steve Doocy was on the air reporting a story about rumors that Michael Moore had been tipped off before the awards that he won. Doocy also cast doubt on the voting process by pointing out it was conducted over the Internet.

He topped it all off by concluding his story by telling Moore to “Wake up and smell the triple cheese Wopper, Michael Moore,” which of course is very fair and balanced.

Despite such subjective reporting about Moore’s win in the media and whether or not you agree with Moore’s point-of-view on the issues, this win shows that the American people are not only active in politics, but that they realize the significance of “Fahrenheit 9/11″. Congratulations, Michael!

RELATED: More on Moore’s ‘Sicko’ project and his F911 sequel.

What: SMHill.net

Where: www.smhill.net

Who: Scott M. Hill

Why: Check out the cool gray gradient behind the ridge around the main window of the site. Also, the two-layer navigational design works great. The active page title drops down to the second level in a different color. The fixed-width design manages to hold many types of content — plain text, wallpaper galleries, icon set listings, and even a contact form — in such a way that they all seem to belong there.

See For Yourself: