Jeff Lacy
Undefeated IBF Super Middleweight Champion: 21-0-0 (17KOs)

In February I went to Tampa to spend the day with Jeff Lacy. I watched him train at his very unpretentious gym and later interviewed him and his mentor, Jim Wilkes. You'll see the story Saturday night, but in advance of that I'd like to say that Jeff seems like the real deal: an incredibly talented athlete with a good head on his shoulders. And WOW! Can this guy throw a punch?!?! I won't soon forget the frighteningly powerful sound of his punches as he attacked the focus mitts. The fact that anybody is willing to put their head on the receiving end of his left hook just baffles me. But hey - that's why I sit ringside!

Obviously Joe Calzaghe is willing to play potential target to Jeff's left. Now, I have not had the chance to meet Joe yet, but I know that you can't stay champ for eight years if you don't know how to open up a can of whupass! Being Welsh, he's probably got a can of whup-arse, but either way, I bet he'll bring it with him to Manchester. So don't miss it!!

If you want the complete primer on these two terrific fighters, check out Showtime's Championship Boxing website: http://www.sho.com/site/boxing

Fight Fans, Get Ready!

This Saturday night on Showtime Championship Boxing Jeff Lacy takes on Joe Calzaghe for the Super Middleweight unification match in Manchester, England. Indulge me for a moment as I channel my inner bag-of-wind boxing promoter; but I have to say, THIS SHOULD BE ONE HELLUVA FIGHT!! Both boxers are undefeated going in, and I'd bet your right arm that there won't be a draw... which means one champ is on the verge of a heartbreaking defeat.

THE OSCARS

Of course, The Oscars are the other big event this weekend, as actors fight it out for the coveted golden trophy. I'm not really rooting for anyone in particular this year (other than host Jon Stewart, who I think is a total riot), although I think Crash is a fantastic movie. It's not the only fantastic movie, but the one that seemed to linger with me the longest after leaving the theater. So I'd like to see it receive some Oscar accolades Sunday night. Other than that, I'll be speculating, critiquing and snacking during the show just like the rest of you!

Last year I was a little busier Oscar night...here are a few random snapshots from the red carpet. In all that mayhem you take what you can get!

Special - THE MOVIE

In late 2004, right before I joined CNN, I shot a scene for the new Michael Rapaport movie called Special. In it I play (drumroll please) A NEWSCASTER! Truth and fiction collide in my teeny-tiny cameo! I recently went to a cast and crew screening of the film in Hollywood and was happy to see this darkly funny movie finally completed.

The movie's website says: "LES FRANKEN (Michael Rapaport) leads a painfully unremarkable life as a metermaid until he enrolls in a drug study for an experimental anti-depressant. An unexpected side effect of the drug convinces Les he is developing special powers and must quit his job to answer his new calling in life... Superhero. A very select group of people in life are truly gifted. Special is a movie about everyone else."

It played well at Sundance, so keep an eye out for it in your local theaters. But don't blink during the news broadcast or you might miss my 30 seconds!

TV

As for TV these days, I'm absolutely LOVING The Shield. I mentioned that show last month, but damn is it ever riveting. I predict an Emmy for Forest Whitaker. The guy plays the creepy, determined, insecure a**hole IAD lieutenant Kavanaugh so well that he's bound to win a statue for his work. I'm also loving 24 and Boston Legal. Denny Crane. Hysterical.

Lately I've been getting approached by lots of women asking about my wedding. TLC re-ran A Wedding Story featuring me and my husband Wade recently, and people have been asking what the experience of having a TV crew at the wedding was like. I have to say it was a very pleasant one. We got married four days after 9/11, which meant over 1/2 of our guests and 5/6 of our wedding party couldn't come due to closed airports. The Wedding Story crew was able to drive to our ceremony, and thanks to them, all of our friends and family could see the big day. They never got in the way and they were very professional and thoughtful. So if you or anyone you know ever thought about being on that show, I say go for it. I'm glad we did.

And by the way, if you know someone who's getting married tell them to check out this site: ElegantInvites.net. This is a shameless plug for my brother's company, but hey, they do good work. So why not consider them?