Nearly 20,000 readers responded to a survey in this month’s issue of Portrait magazine which asked about our favorite couples on current TV shows—whether the romantics are “together” or not. Fans left little doubt as to which series they’re most passionate about: One Tree Hill, Gossip Girl and Smallville. Those three dramas alone account for nine of the top 11 slots on the publication’s 2nd annual list. Click here to see the reasoning behind each choice, as well as each couple’s best on-screen moment. Here are the top results:

Crowned narrowed its field to the Final Four teams, heading into Wednesday’s unpredictable season finale. As usual, outspoken redhead Laura was front and center, fake-crying that she didn’t want to show “like, any stupidity whatsoever.” (Someone hide the first six episodes from her, please.) Last night’s challenge was the dreaded personal interview, and Laura and Patty were only too happy to finger the team they thought should be sent home: The Dream Gals. Ha! Didn’t happen. Ada and Christan’s replies were even more insipid and had their sashes snipped amid further fake tears. So—big finale in a few days, with a live studio audience and soap star Jack Wagner hosting. In the meantime, you can catch up with the latest Crowned Sock Puppet Theatre parody by clicking here. One night earlier, we were unnerved by several occurrences in One Tree Hill. First, Brooke has no business savvy whatsoever? Apparently she’s nothing more than the face of the company, while Mommie Dearest pulls the strings. Even I had the good sense to wonder how little Tree Hill was going to support a high-end fashion store. Mommie hates Brooke’s friends, calling Lucas an “ill-advised love-interest” and Peyton a “parasitic friend who couldn’t cut it in LA.” Elsewhere, most people have to wonder if Quentin will ever shed his cocky persona. And since Haley found her son’s drawing of himself and nanny Carrie—just before the credits flashed—we have to assume something sinister is brewing there. Only one other city in the entire country had a higher rating than WBNX for this episode. Cleveland clearly loves One Tree Hill’s new format, which hits “rewind” this coming week for some answers we’ve been waiting for.

January is the month when we’re bombarded with entertainment awards too numerous to mention. Often, they go to the same cast of characters—whichever show Hollywood deems hot and trendy at the moment. For a more accurate reflection of what viewers are passionate about, however, the recent E!Online poll is worth noting. It asked website visitors which series they’d like to see more coverage on, and two CW dramas swept up nearly 60% of the votes. Supernatural (29%) and One Tree Hill (28%) dominated to such an extent, they were eventually removed from the ballot to give other shows a fighting chance. Not just here in Cleveland, but across the nation, those serials have a loyal, vocal fanbase. Nominations were also announced for the 39th annual NAACP Image Awards, and, as usual, The CW leads the pack with 18 nods, more than all four of the other networks combined. Girlfriends and Everybody Hates Chris picked up seven apiece in comedy categories, and America’s Next Top Model is also vying for the Outstanding Reality Series title. Finally, TV Guide polled its readers to find the “Most Heartwarming Series” of all-time, and Gilmore Girls topped the list. It was “can’t miss” viewing for me, for sure, but was it more heartwarming than, say, Little House on the Prairie, which nearly always left an embarrassing lump in the throat? Your thoughts?

After spending three hours with the futuristic One Tree Hill folks, we can better evaluate the premise of skipping the drama ahead 4-1/2 years. Overall, I like it a lot, for the simple reason that characters we’ve watched throughout turbulent high school years are now finding out what it’s like to cope in the real world. That is, if your “real world” includes 22-year-old self-made millionaires. Here, then, are ten observations leading into Tuesday’s fourth episode:

1. Victoria is Brooke’s mother?! Maybe I’m just dense, but that revelation caught me off-guard. It certainly adds a new dimension to the overbearing fashion assistant. Can’t wait to find out how she came back into her daughter’s life. Smelled moolah, I’m guessing.
2. Haley and Nathan’s little boy, Jamie, is the most adorable child actor I’ve ever seen. On most shows, when the kids get screen time, I’m running to the fridge. But this guy steals every scene he’s in, both with his looks and amazing delivery.
3. Dear Peyton, if you think K-Fed’s band sounded worthy of a record deal, you need to pursue a different line of work. Bring on Kate Voegele. Quick.
4. Who else thinks the gorgeous babysitter, Carrie, has something twisted up her sleeve?
5. Nate needs to visit Felicity’s hairdresser asap. He doesn’t pull off the grunge look well.
6. Student-athletes like Quentin are why teachers take early retirement. Acting newcomer Robbie Jones pulls off the arrogant jock role brilliantly.
7. If running wind-sprints suddenly turned Lucas’s team into sizzling foul-shooters, I’m wondering what it might do for the Cavaliers? I hope Luke and his way-too-nice girlfriend, Lindsay, have some interesting stories in the cooker.
8. Brooke’s Clothes Over Bro’s is raking in millions, huh? I really need to design stuff with a catchy name. Maybe Hose Over Toes, eclectic tiny coverings for each little piggy?
9. Where is Deb? Of all the One Tree Hill parents, she’s my favorite—especially when she’s acting a little psycho. As for Dan, confessing to murder has pretty much painted his character into a cell. How ‘bout a prison break?
10. This show is a prime time soap opera, and can never move fast enough or have too many bizarre shockers. I love being left stunned, my mouth agape at the end of every episode. How about you?

Back… to the future.  That’s where the One Tree Hill friends find themselves when the teen soap kicks off Season Five this Tuesday.  Four and a half years will have lapsed since HS graduation, and there are changes aplenty.  While some of the parents will be seen on occasion, including jailed murderer Dan Scott, the focus will be on Raven alums’ shattered dreams, career struggles and an expanding post-college circle of friends.  Fortunately, you can meet ten fresh characters by watching the short “New Faces” preview on our One Tree Hill showpage.  Sounds like 6-year-old Jackson Brundage, who plays Nathan and Haley’s son, is a real find.  Maybe you’d prefer meeting the cast in-person?  Well, get your sales pitch ready, ‘cause you could win a walk-on role by uploading a one-minute video here, or by entering at the nearest Casting Call—which happens to be in Columbus, OH on Sat., Jan. 19 at the Easton Town Center Macy’s.  Lucas might quote novelist Thomas Wolfe, who once wrote: “You can’t go home again.”  But this strike-shortened season will offer us 12 episodes to see whether he, Brooke and Peyton can indeed find happiness in their small seaside hamlet.  Series creator Mark Schwahn sees this time-leap forward as a unique chance to “restart” his show from a completely new perspective.  It’s a groundbreaking television experiment we can’t wait for.

Kate Voegele’s meteoric rise in the music industry is about to be turbo-charged. The 2005 grad from nearby Bay High School begins a high-profile guest role in multiple episodes of One Tree Hill when the teen drama returns early next month. At the tender age of 21, the Bay Village beauty has already won two national songwriting contests, opened concerts for Dave Mathews, John Mellencamp and The Wreckers, starred in a Pantene commercial, signed with MySpace Records, and earlier this year released her debut album, Don’t Look Away. Three of Kate’s original songs—Only Fooling Myself, It’s Only Life and Facing Up—have also been featured on network series soundtracks. On One Tree Hill, she’ll play “Mia,” a singer who becomes the first artist Peyton inks to her record label. Mia’s talents are noticed after Kevin Federline’s cocky character goes…all K-Fed. Kate will get to perform her own material on the series, reaching millions of teens and young adults—the opportunity of a lifetime. For those who’d like to hear her in person, Kate returns to the Bay Village Auditorium for a fundraising concert on Saturday, January 12. Tickets are $8 pre-sale, and $10 at the door, with proceeds benefiting the construction of Bay Skate and Bike Park. You can find more information here, and be sure to visit Kate’s website at katevoegele.com. The seven videos linked there will acquaint you with Cleveland’s “next big thing”…a singer/songwriter/musician whose talents mesh perfectly with The CW.

Among all networks, The CW may be the most equipped to endure the current work-stoppage by film and TV writers. Everybody Hates Chris began taping early this year due to its young star’s growth spurt, and they’ve completed all 22 episodes. The other Monday comedies are also far ahead in production, says Variety, and new sitcom Eight Days a Week—with Justin Hartley, Mario Lopez and Christina Milian—has 13 episodes ready for midseason. On the drama side, One Tree Hill has a good portion of its 22 episodes (or scripts) ready to roll in January; Smallville will have seven new stories to air after tomorrow night; and Supernatural has four more in the can—with another five scripts ready to shoot, according to the LA Times. Gossip Girl producer Josh Schwartz says the hit soap has five fresh hours completed, following tonight’s jaw-dropper, while Friday Night SmackDown is new every week and not affected by the writers strike. Where The CW is especially strong, however, is in popular reality series…five, to be exact. New cycles of Top Model and Beauty & The Geek are in the works, along with season two of Pussycat Dolls, in which they’ll be assembling a brand new group. The mother-daughter beauty pageant show, Crowned, looks hilarious (click here for a preview); and you can scroll down a bit to read about Farmer Wants a Wife—a must-see for NE Ohio cowpokes. Nobody likes a strike, especially the talented folks carrying picket signs in freezing temperatures, but we’ll get thru it on-air…hopefully without missing a beat.

When fun facts begin to snowball, interesting trends emerge. I began thinking about various WBNX stars who are also involved in the music industry…and was surprised to quickly list 22. With Cleveland’s strong rock-and-roll ties, having that many actors on one north coast network who also “moonlight” as singers is unusual, if not unprecedented. The impressive group includes three Grammy winners (Reba, Queen and Will), multi-Grammy nominees (Foxx and Milian), and a member of one of the most-popular ‘70s groups, Tony Orlando & Dawn, Telma Hopkins. I also included Kiefer Sutherland, since he’s formed his own recording label and studio for hot indie bands. Many of these stars below can be heard performing on YouTube. Here’s my rockin’ rundown… look over our TV program lineup and see if you can add to the list! If you want more info on a particular star, post a comment.

Reba McEntire (Reba)
Queen Latifah (Living Single)
Will Smith (Fresh Prince)
Jamie Foxx (Jamie Foxx Show)
Telma Hopkins (Half & Half)
Scarlett Pomers (Reba)
Renee Olstead (Still Standing)
Persia White (Girlfriends)
Bethany Joy Galeotti (One Tree Hill)
Wesley Jonathan (What I Like About You)
Calvin Goldspink (Life is Wild)
Katie Cassidy (Supernatural)
Cassie Steele (Degrassi)
Mike Lobel (Degrassi)
Jake Epstein (Degrassi)
Tisha Campbell (My Wife & Kids)
Jim Belushi (According to Jim)
Tatyana Ali (Fresh Prince)
Kiefer Sutherland (24)
Christina Milian (8 Days a Week / midseason)
Bret Harrison (Reaper)
Amy Pietz (Aliens in America)

This season’s finale was a first for One Tree Hill. Most of the characters we have grown to know and love are all in a good and happy place at the end of this season. Whereas in past seasons we saw major obstacles that got in the way of them and, of course, you always have the drama of the Lucas-Peyton-Brooke love triangle. But this season ended with almost everyone being happy.

I was surprised to see Keith in yet another dreamlike sequence but I found the scene cute. When Karen tells her young daughter that the flower was a Lily and later when Karen comes back to life in the hospital, we found out the baby has been named Lily.

But the biggest shock of the night for me was seeing Dan go and turn himself in for the murder of Keith. He has dealt with the agony of his bad decision all season and this episode finally saw him completely break down. By the end of the episode, we see him committing suicide, but the knot comes undone and he apparently survives. So Dan has survived a large fire in the building he was in, heart problems and now an attempted suicide. We’ll see if the list grows longer next season.

Mouth had some pretty funny scenes in tonight’s episode. First he comes to the party wearing what he called “a blouse” (I prefer to still call him Minkus…what can I say Boy Meets World was an awesome show). Then he is sitting with his friends just playing with a bottle. He spins it and it lands on Brooke so he goes up and kisses Brooke, with his friends cheering loudly on in the background.

I thought Karen’s scene with Dan in prison was pretty gripping. She made it completely clear to Dan that her daughter would know that he killed Keith and took her father away from her. Although you know somehow Dan’s character is not done, next season something has to happen where he still terrorizes the lives of the Scott’s.

The ending with Lucas telling Nathan that he is going to be an assistant coach at college meant the Scott brothers are still going to be together and that Lucas and Haley will still get to see each other as well.

The episode ended with the whole group playing basketball together with everyone laughing and enjoying themselves…truly a first for a One Tree Hill season finale.

Next year we are all in for some big surprises. If you hadn’t already heard, next season the show will return midseason and it will be four years in the future, so the gang should just be graduating from college. Throughout the fall, leading up to next year’s premiere the CW will provide videos that fill in what has happened through those four years. Stay tuned to know when these videos are available.