Pete's Hit and Run Notes

TOM CRUISE, TINA FEY, WILL SMITH and MICHAEL PHELPS are among 2008's Most Fascinating People.  That's according to BARBARA WALTERS, who features them all on her annual special, airing tonight on ABC-TV at 10pm ET.

As for the most fascinating person of the year, Barbara won't reveal it, but she feels most people will be able to guess. Rumor has it that it's BARACK OBAMA, but you'll have to tune in to find out.

Word out today that ER will end its 15 season run on 12 March. NBC announced the two-hour finale and now speculation is rampant George Clooney may make a return appearance on the show. Noah Wyle and Eriq LaSalle are already penciled in for roles in the show.

Kelly Ripa is downplaying rumours her marriage is on the rocks. Kelly's rep says a National Enquirer story alleging fighting in the marriage is wrong, and her lawyer wants the tabloid to apologize and issue a retraction. Kelly and Consuelos met on the set of All My Children, they were married in 1996 and have 3 kids.

When VANESSA WILLIAMS is busy raising her four kids. And now that her son DEVIN is getting ready to get his driver's license, Vanessa is warning parents that discussing safe driving is just as important as talking about safe sex. Car crashes are the #1 cause of death for North American teens, which is why Vanessa has joined Allstate for its "Home For the Holidays" safe driving campaign.

Oprah Winfrey will broadcast for a full week from Washington in honour of Barack Obama's inauguration. She told Access Hollywood "See you there, That's the place to be."  She's rented out the Opera House at the Kennedy Center to film the show and can hold an audience of 2300.

Inauguration day for Mr. Obama is 20 January.

Google launched its own state-by-state Web-based flu tracker recently. Now a maker of over-the-counter cold and flu remedies released a program this week for the T-Mobile G1, also known as the "Google phone," that warns the user how many people in an area are sneezing and shaking with winter viruses. The "Zicam Cold & Flu Companion" will say, for instance, that 8 percent to 14 percent of the people in your ZIP code have respiratory illnesses, representing a "Moderate" risk level. To give germophobes and hypochondriacs even more of a thrill, it also says what symptoms are common, like coughing and sore throat.

Lil Wayne received 8 Grammy nominations last night leading the field of hopefuls, Coldplay was close behind at 7 nods. Also in the running are John Mayer, Alison Krauss and Robert Plant, The Eagles, George Strait, and some guy named Danger Mouse. He should get a special Grammy just for having a cool name.

Tonight's the night the NFL offers the world's first live 3-D football game to theatres in Los Angeles, New York and Boston. In their words , the NFL hopes this will open a new revenue stream for the league.  The company who owns the technology, 3ality Digital,  is doing the show to demonstrate to the NFL this technology is the way of the future, and that it's here now.

Patrick Swayze is a little ticked off at the tabloid media who he says is "consistently reporting lies and false information". The National Enquirer and The Globe have published stories he's on his deathbed. Patrick says he's actually winning his battle with pancreatic cancer, and says the stories amount to cruelty to him and his family when hope is so important.

The seventh season of Dancing With The Stars ended on top of the ratings. The two-night finale last week scored the top two spots on the ratings list with 21 million watching the November 24^th show, and more than 20 million the following night saw Brooke Burke win the competition.

Gary Coleman pleaded no contest yesterday to disorderly conduct in the case of the physical altercation between him and another man at a bowling alley. He paid a 100 dollar fine and admitted reckless driving, which will be waived if he stays out of trouble for a  year.  He should have no trouble flying under the radar on that one.

RocketShip Tours is a new company selling edge-of-space trips  for  95,000 dollars . Jules Klar is the founder in Phoenix, Arizona and will fly participants aboard the Lynx two-seat sub-orbital vehicle up to four times a day. Riders will experience the thrill of a lifetime: seeing the curvature of the earth and the thin blue mantle of the atmosphere below and the blackness of space above.  (I'll take an all-inclusive to Costa Rica if you don't mind. Cheaper, warmer.

Volunteer Hamilton has more demand than volunteers available to help keep seniors in compliance with sidewalk snow clearing laws.

If you're 14 or over and can help please call 905 523 1910 or visit volunteerhamilton.on.ca

A reminder here in Hamilton, flu season will be here shortly though no cases have been reported so far. Now's the time to get your free flu shot to help keep you from being sick in January and February when the season peaks. For a list of clinics call 546-City or visit Hamilton.ca/influenza.