This is how it goes. Someone with major geek cred denies a rumor -- bonus points if the rumor sounds more like fannish daydreaming than anything even halfway substantiated as an actual rumor. And the denial gets played and replayed so often that it takes on a life of its own and gets everyone dancing with glee for a little while until the next not-even-unsubstantiated-rumor starts making the rounds and we move on to pointlessly pinning our hopes on the next too-cool possibility.

Here's what...

If there's something the first three episodes of this final (half) season have in common, it's the theme of father-son relationships, and the need to have a successor. First it was Bobby, who disappointed Tony by stepping into a Soprano argument. Then it was Christopher, who used his movie Cleaver to skewer Tony. This last one ("Remember When," S6E15) has a reversal for Tony in that he takes on the role of son. He's still disappointed though, embarrassed that he ever looked up to Paulie as a...

This week The Queen makes her grand entrance into the DVD market, and I must admit, she's impressive. Stephen Frears' film was one of the best of 2006, and you might have caught Helen Mirren on TV with an award once or twice too. Anyway, I thought I'd take a look at other favorite British royal picks. Long live the queen.

Braveheart
This is in the English Royalty As Bad Guys category, and for all the snobs that like to lift their leg over this movie as if it were a beaming red fire hydrant, here's what I have to say to you ... (lifting kilt). Speaking of which, let's give a nice shout-out to the most dangerously designed outfit of all time....

Miss America, Lauren Nelson, went undercover to help with a sexual predator sting for the television show America's Most Wanted. Her portion of the bust? Photos of her when she was 14 and, according to the story:

"I got to chat online with the predators and made phone calls, too," Nelson said by phone from Atlantic City. "The Suffolk County Police Department was there the whole time."

She also arranged to meet the men. When they showed up they were apprehended by the authorities.

"The story...