Whether we agree or disagree with their subjective rankings, entertainment lists are a fun way to stir debate.  Tube hub Buddy TV charts the “20 Hottest Dads on TV,” and, naturally, WBNX stars scored well—even grabbing the top spot: 

#1:    Baze (Kristoffer Polaha, pictured) on Life Unexpected
#4:    Seely Booth (David Boreanaz) on Bones
#9:    Nathan Scott (James Lafferty) on One Tree Hill
#10:  John Winchester (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) on Supernatural
#15:  Tom Scavo (Doug Savant) on Desperate Housewives
#17:  Harry Wilson (Rob Estes) on 90210
#20:  Rufus Humphrey (Matthew Settle) on Gossip Girl 

Forbes employs a more formulaic strategy in assembling its list of the “World’s 100 Most Powerful Celebrities.”  Measurements include earnings and media exposure across all platforms.  Noticeably absent from this year’s rankings are Tyra Banks, who appeared on the previous four compilations, and Will Smith (Fresh Prince), who claimed the #11 position in 2009.  Here are the WBNX stars who placed this year: 

#25:   Tyler Perry (House of Payne)
#26:   Jennifer Aniston (Friends)
#78:   Steve Carell  (The Office)
#84:   Ray Romano  (Everybody Loves Raymond)
#92:   Eva Longoria Parker  (Desperate Housewives)
#94:   George Lopez (George Lopez Show)
#100:   Mariska Hargitay  (Law & Order: SVU)

The funniest things happen when old friends get together.  And that was undoubtedly true when Lisa Kudrow (Phoebe) asked former Friends pal Courteney Cox (Monica) to guest in several episodes of her gut-busting Web Therapy.  The online series stars Kudrow as a self-absorbed shrink (with dubious credentials) who’s more interested in exploiting her webcam patients for profit rather than offering guidance.  Two seasons have been produced, a total of 30 short therapy sessions featuring top comedic talent.  Improv is encouraged and—as seen in the two gag reels—often leaves Lisa doubled-over in laughter.  Courteney’s arc involves an alleged missing ‘gift’ and an off-camera fiasco on The Tyra Banks Show.  Both actresses are nominated for the 2^nd annual Streamy Awards, which honor the best in webisodes:  Lisa for Best Actress in a Comedy Web Series, and Courteney for Best Guest Star.  Click here to watch both seasons and outtake reels.  Joining the Friends nominees is Tatyana Ali (Ashley on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air), who’ll contend for Best Actress in a Drama for her ten episodes of Buppies.   

In other award news, Tyler Perry’s House of Payne garnered four NAACP Image Awards this past weekend:  Best Comedy Series, Best Actress (Cassi Davis), Supporting Actor (Lance Gross) and Supporting Actress (Keshia Knight Pulliam).  In addition, Chris Rock (Everybody Hates Chris) won the Best Documentary nod for Good Hair; and The Office claimed honors for Best Writing in a Comedy Series.      

Awards Season is fast approaching and the one ceremony which relies on fan balloting needs our early input.  The 36^th annual People’s Choice Awards want to condense their list of potential nominees in each category from a dozen to the top five.  There are ten television-related groups, plus 12 for movies and nine for music.  If your favorite is not already listed, voters can also write in their own choices.  Here are the current WBNX-related names which appear on the ballot: 

Favorite Competition Show:  America’s Next Top Model

Sci-Fi/Fantasy Show:  Smallville, Supernatural, The Vampire Diaries

TV Comedy:  The Office, Desperate Housewives

TV Comedy Actress:  Jenna Fisher, Sarah Chalke, Teri Hatcher, Eva Longoria

TV Comedy Actor:  Steve Carell, Zach Braff

TV Drama:  Lost, Law & Order: SVU

TV Drama Actress:  Blake Lively, Evangeline Lilly, Mariska Hargitay

TV Obsession:  Gossip Girl

TV Talkshow:  The Tyra Banks Show

Movie Actress:  Jennifer Aniston

Breakout Movie Actor:  Ed Helms (The Office)

Breakout Movie Actress:  Rashida Jones (The Office)

Tyler Perry’s Madea Goes to Jail received several nominations.

We know there are other CW stars and series you’d like to include, as well.  To take part in this month-long nomination process, log onto peopleschoice.com and vote often.  In December, you’ll be given the chance to select winners in each category, who will then be honored on January 6.

Tyler Perry is a one-man wrecking crew. He’s taken everything the Hollywood bigwigs thought they knew—and turned it upside down, with unparalleled success. His latest film, Madea Goes To Jail, is already the most profitable of seven films which have collectively grossed over $350-million. Add another $100-million for his stage plays, plus a best-selling novel and two hit TV comedies, and you wonder why others in the industry aren’t following his break-the-mold style. For instance, most sitcoms take a full week to complete an episode. Not at Tyler Perry Studios. “We do a table read in the morning and block the camera angles, and then I leave and let them rehearse it,” he told THR.com. “I’ll do some writing, take meetings, and then come back at 2:30 to shoot the show.” The entire episode is done in one day by 5pm. “I need people who don’t have the Hollywood mentality, because you tell people who’ve worked on sitcoms that we’re doing three or four shows a week, and they go, ‘Are you crazy?’” This year alone, Tyler plans to finish 80 episodes of his House of Payne spinoff, in addition to three films. His name-branded features, often based on personal experiences, serve a loyal fanbase that Tyler communicates with via email, and they fully support his “simple stories, funny, family, faith-based, no incredible plot twists. It’s very important to me to show children what a whole family unit looks like.”

WBNX stars and series will have a major presence at next month’s 40th annual NAACP Image Awards ceremony.  The nominations just announced include 14 alone for comedies Everybody Hates Chris, The Game and Tyler Perry’s House of Payne, and more than 20 overall.  Here’s a breakdown of our honorees, in a nutshell:

Tyler Perry’s House of Payne: Outstanding Comedy; Lead Actor (LaVan Davis); Lead Actress (Cassi Davis); Supporting Actor (Lance Gross, Larramie ‘Doc’ Shaw).

Everybody Hates Chris: Outstanding Comedy; Lead Actor (Tyler James Williams, Terry Crews), Lead Actress (Tichina Arnold)

The Game: Outstanding Comedy; Lead Actress (Tia Mowry); Supporting Actress (Wendy Raquel Robinson); Outstanding Writing.

Other nominations:
Tracee Ellis Ross, Girlfriends (Lead Actress, TV comedy)
Tyra Banks (Outstanding Talk Series)
Jamie Foxx (Outstanding Male Recording Artist)
Will Smith, Seven Pounds (Outstanding Film Actor)
Queen Latifah, The Secret Life of Bees (Outstanding Film Actress)
Alfre Woodard, Tyler Perry’s The Family That Preys (Outstanding Film Actress)
Tyler Perry’s movie, The Family That Preys, will also compete for Outstanding Motion Picture. 

The Family Entertainment Awards recognized its “Best of 2008” this past weekend on WBNX, and Tyler Perry’s House of Payne was one of four acclaimed TV series.  The multigenerational comedy tops everything else on television—all of network prime, all of cable and all of syndication—among its African-American target audiences, says Broadcasting & Cable magazine.  That’s some serious demo clout.  Joining the House of Payne cast in the victor’s circle was Blake Lively (Serena on Gossip Girl), who accepted the award for Best Feature Film on behalf of her Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants 2 costars.  And voice guru John Ratzenberger (Cliff on Cheers) stood in for Best Animated Feature, Wall-E. Formerly the Family Television Awards, this annual ceremony was established by a coalition of 40 advertisers representing nearly a third of all U.S. TV ad dollars spent.  Ten years ago, the group began funding family-friendly scripts at various networks, which has resulted in shows like Gilmore Girls, Everybody Hates Chris and Life is Wild.  Their mission has since broadened to include family entertainment across all media platforms.

Few celebrities are as candid as Tyler Perry, whose signature TV comedy, House of Payne, debuted last week on WBNX.  The talented writer-director-actor revealed the secret drama behind his latest film, The Family That Preys, featuring the dream tandem of Kathy Bates and Alfre Woodard.  “I wrote this movie because I was going through some things—I had family members preying on me,” Tyler blogs.  “I had been betrayed…and I was so hurt by how ugly people could be.  I was at a place where I didn’t trust anybody.”  Preys, which opened #2 at the box-office, was therapeutic for Tyler.  “Life is a gift and a blessing.  Don’t let people change you; no matter what happens, be wiser the next time, but don’t let it change you.”  While in Cleveland earlier this month, the actor sat down with WBNX’s Melanie Murphy to discuss a wide range of subjects.