I can rest easy now. Boy George is coming back … read all about it in the latest edition of the High 5:

THE BOY IS BACK: Boy George has confirmed there will be a Culture Club reunion in 2012. The 49-year-old singer has promised a “proper huge worldwide tour” starring the iconic ’80s hitmakers, according to numerous published reports. By George will be busy in 2011 with a tour of his own, promoting his new album, “Ordinary Alien,” wrriten partly while he was in prison for four months for the assault and false imprisonment of a male escort. As strange as Culture Club may have been to some — at least at first glance — it’s hard to deny the group didn’t put out some quality material. My favorite Culture Club effort was “Karma Chameleon.”

FOUND ON FACEBOOK: “I can walk, drive, and swim in the summer … the only thing I can do now is watch TV and eat.”

OVERRATED: Shaun White, the snowboarder is now the No. 2 “most powerful athlete” in the nation, trailing only Indianapolis Colts quarterback Peyton Manning. That’s according to the anual Bloomberg BusinessWeek.com Power 100 U.S. Athletes. The rankings are based 50 percent on “on-field” performance using a variety of industry statistics and 50 percent on “off-field” measurements, such as endorsement deals, name awareness, appeal, influence, trustworthiness and overall popularity. In case you’re interested, Tiger Woods is No. 3 — he was No. 1 a year ago. LeBron (The Lyin’ King) James fell from No. 2 to No. 11.  But back to Shaun White at No. 2? I love the guy and love to watch him, but come on … No. 2 in a poll like that?

UNDERRATED: Sean Connery, who will never get his due for introducing the world to Bond. James Bond. 

BIRTHDAY BANTER: A couple of big names today …

– Entertainer Lisa Marie Presley is 38. (Everyone’s favorite celebrity daughter has found success in her own right, with two albums certified gold. Due to high profile marriages to Michael Jackson and Nicholas Cage, Presley’s personal life has garnered just as much attention as her musical talent.)
– Comedian Garrett Morris is 74. (He was on Saturday Night Live when it was actually funny.)
– Actor Billy Mumy is 57. (He was Will Robinson on Lost in Space.)
– In memoriam: Actor Clark Gable would have been 110. (“Frankly Scarlet, I don’t give a damn.”)

Never underestimate a little old lady who is ticked off … read all about it in the latest edition of the High 5:

APPARENTLY, SHE HAD HAD ENOUGH: Remember how annoying some of those library fines could be? Or how snobbish some of the workers could be at times? Well, 75-year-old Joy Cassidy of Boise, Idaho, certainly did. She pleaded guilty last week to malicious injury to property stemming from what police said were more than 10 assaults on a library book-drop totaling more than $1,000 in damages. The “assaults” were with condiments — yeah, condiments. Reuters reported that local law enforcement officials say Cassidy dumped an assortment of condiments, including ketchup, maple syrup and mayonnaise, into the book deposit because of conflicts the senior citizen had in the past with library patrons and staff. A judge sentenced Cassidy to a month in jail and ordered her to have no contact with Boise area libraries for two years. “In an attempt to nab the serial condiment criminal, the library installed a surveillance system but the real break in the case came last summer when Boise police staked out the crime scene. Officers took Cassidy into custody after she placed an open jar of mayonnaise in the drop-box, according to a police report,” the Reuters account said.

FOUND ON FACEBOOK: “I am so bored.” (What, no sports to watch?)

OVERRATED: Ice Castles, the movie.

UNDERRATED: White Castles, the hamburgers.

BIRTHDAY BANTER: I would have loved to see Jackie Robinson play just one game …

– Singer Harry Casey of K.C. and the Sunshine Band is 60. (The “Get Down Tonight” guy hits the big six-oh.)
– Singer Justin Timberlake is 30. (Wasn’t he just 18 a couple of years ago?)
– Actor Anthony LaPaglia is 52. (He was most recently in Without a Trace on CBS, but I enjoyed him the most for his role as the shop owner in the 1995 film Empire Records. That’s the flick where Renee Zellweger sang “Sugar High” near the end.)
– In memoriam: Former MLB player Jackie Robinson would have been 92. (Everyone one of us owe him a debt of gratitude, and if you have to ask why … well, I can’t really tell you.)

Ozzy Osbourne

Celebrate the weekend right here — with the latest edition of the High 5:

THIS COULD BE A GOOD ONE: Admit it, we all love those Super Bowl commercials, and one getting a lot of early buzz involves pairing veteran — and often mumbling — rocker Ozzy Osbourne with teen heartthrob Justin Bieber. The two have teamed up in a Best Buy spot, which will air for the first time during the Feb. 6 game. Bieber is definitely the big catch for this commercial. He now has more than 20 million Facebook friends and 7 million Twitter followers. Bieber fever, be a believer.

FOUND ON FACEBOOK: “I purchased an amazing dress. It’s cute … so therefore I am cute!” (Never argue with a woman when it comes to clothes. Never.)

OVERRATED: The metric system.

UNDERRATED: That new NASCAR points system. (Why it took them 45 years to come up with something this simple baffles me.)

BIRTHDAY BANTER: Remember when it seemed like every other song on pop radio was from Phil Collins? He also ruled VH1 back in the day.

– Singer Phil Collins is 60. (One of the musical kings of the 1980s.)
– Actor Christian Bale is 37. (The best Batman of ‘em all, The Dark Knight.)
– Actor Gene Hackman is 81. (One of the finest American actors in the last 50 years. It all started with The French Connection, his breakthrough film.)
– Actor Wilmer Valderrama is 30. (He was one of the stars from that horrible, horrible, horrible That ’70s Show.)

"The Munsters" was a terrible program.

G’day, mate! Welcome to the 491st consecutive day of the High 5:

WHAT THE WORLD IS TALKING ABOUT: Is it just me, or is Johnny Depp up for every great role right now in the film industry?

1. Charlie Sheen: And now he has a hiatal hernia and is entering rehab. It’s been a rough year.
2. Johnny Depp: He will likely be cast in the lead role of  Oz: The Great and Powerful, a “prequel” to the The Wizard of Oz, to be produced by Disney.
3. Will Ferrell: He will be appearing in several episodes of The Office later this season.
4. William and Kate: The royals will be the subject of a Lifetime movie. What? Was Oprah’s network busy?
5. Kristen Stewart: One of the stars of the ongoing Twilight movie franchise, Stewart is rumored to be the favorite to play Snow White in an upcoming film from Universal. Well, that’s a change.
6. Steven Tyler: He continues to rock American Idol’s world — in a good way.
7. Sarah Shahi: She’s the one drawing all the comments for her performance on the USA Network’s new show Fairly Legal.
8.NCIS: A from-the-beginning marathon starts on USA Network at 10 a.m. CT Sunday. (Yes! The return of Sasha Alexander.)
9. Alec Baldwin: He may be the heir apparent to Keith Olbermann on MSNBC.
10. Rahm Emanuel: Back on the Chicago mayoral ballot. Two words: Chicago politics.

FOUND ON FACEBOOK: “Every time I enter a room, I check to see if my family is getting ready to spring an intervention on me. This is normal, right?”

OVERRATED: Herman Munster. (I always felt The Munsters was an awful show. It wasn’t funny and was an ill attempt at a rip-off of The Addams Family.)

UNDERRATED: Herman’s Hermits. (If we could have a retake of the 1960s I think Peter Noone’ and the boys would have more of an impact than they did. A very underrated group that got lost in the shadow of the Dave Clarke Five and others.)

BIRTHDAY BANTER: Wasn’t Adam Lambert supposed to be the next big thing?

– Former American Idol runner-up Adam Lambert is 29. (Has his star already faded?)
– Actress Sarah Gilbert is 35. (She was Darlene on Roseanne.)
– Actor Tom Selleck is 65. (His career is back on track, thanks to Blue Bloods.)
– Actress Katharine Ross is 70. (She’s best remembered from Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.)

Welcome to the 490th consecutive day of the High 5:

BIRTHDAY BANTER: Kathryn Morris is one of the most beautiful people in the world …and Oprah Winfrey is one of the most annoying.

– Actress Kathryn Morris is 41. (She’s Cold Case Det. Lil Rush. I’m still upset CBS pulled the plug on that show.)
– Actor Alan Alda is 75. (His definitive role will always be as Hawkeye on M*A*S*H. I must admit, I was never a huge fan of the program like some of my friends. It wouldn’t even be in my all-time top 10 shows. Maybe not even the top 20. Sorry.)
– Television mogul Oprah Winfrey is 57. (I’m trying to boycott her, honest. She just keeps showing up here in some form.)
– In Memoriam: If Comedian W.C. Fields were alive today he would be 131. (“There’s a sucker born every minute.” Fields’ sarcastic style of comedy would have been a huge hit in today’s world. It’s a shame most will never realize how talented this old-school comedian was. He was well ahead of his time.)

W.C. Fields

FOUND ON FACEBOOK: ”An ostrich’s eye is bigger than its brain. I know some people like that. (So do I.)

OVERRATED: Super Bowl halftime shows.

UNDERRATED: Those vintage Don Kirshner Rock Concerts.

GEOFF’S EARLY TAKE ON THE SUPER BOWL: Our favorite NFL corespondent, Geoff Eighinger, weighs in with his first look at the game:

Go with the  Steelers: Super Bowl XLV looks to be a defensive shootout. I expect Ben Roethlisberger and Aaron Rodgers to be on the receiving end of some serious sackage. Overall, Pittsburgh is the superior team but I expect it to be a close game, with its two halves nicely bookending an awful halftime show. Pittsburgh 27, Green Bay 21

Over the course of the past year I have become hooked on most of those … ummm, quirky prime-time shows on the USA Network. Fairly Legal looks like another good bet. Oh, and one other thing … welcome to the latest edition of the High 5:

QUIRKY CAN BE GOOD: If you’re looking for another breath of fresh air among television programs, try Fairly Legal Thursday night on the USA Network. It’s another cog in USA”s quirky approach to prime time viewing that allows us to rid ourselves of most of those tired formulas the mainstream networks like to throw at us. “More often than not, from basic show concepts to sly writing to unexpected characterizations, USA takes chances,” writes Dave Wiegand of the San Francisco Chronicle. “Instead of unveiling yet another law-and-order drama, USA offers up Fairly Legal, a series focused on a legal mediator, Kate Reed (Sarah Shahi), who works at her late father’s law partnership, run by his young and controlling widow, Lauren Reed (Virginia Williams). Fairly Legal is more about character than story, beginning with Kate, who lives on a boat, hooks up regularly with her soon-to-be-ex-husband, and assigns music from The Wizard of Oz as ring tones for all her regular callers (the “Wicked Witch of the West” music is reserved for Lauren).” Quirky? Oh yeah. Give it a chance Thursday at 9 CST.

FOUND ON FACEBOOK: “Just ordered The Royal Rumble for Sunday night.”

OVERRATED: Mizzou.

UNDERRATED: The Miz

BIRTHDAY BANTER: At one time in his career, Keith Olbermann was one of my favorite TV personalities. Now? I’d almost rather watch Oprah.

– Broadcaster Keith Olbermann is 52. (The only good thing I can say about him is that he is a baseball card collector.)
– Guitarist Richard Young of the Kentucky Headhunters is 56. (Are these guys one of the weirdest looking bands or what?)
– Actress Mimi Rogers is 55. (Few people know she was once married to Tom Cruise.)
– Actress Bridget Fonda is 47. (At one point, I thought she would be a superstar.)

Welcome to the 488th consecutive day of the High 5:

GIMME ONE OF THOSE TURTLE TACOS, PLEASE: I saw this week where a restaurant in Arizona has decided to drop its plans to offer its customers African lion meat in its tacos. That in itself was enough to catch my eye, but there were two other items associated with the story that were even more interesting. The owner, Bryan Mazon of Boca Tacos and Tequila, said his Tucson eatery has received “many threats” against the restaurant, family members, customers and vendors since he announced last week that he was taking prepaid orders for the exotic tacos, according to a Yahoo! news report. Mazon said he canceled the lion meat idea, preferring safety for himself, his business, family and friends. Good choice, Bryan. Equally interesting was when he said he has offered python, alligator, elk, kangaroo, rattlesnake, oysters, turtle, duck and frog legs in his tacos in the past. What, I ask, is wrong with a little minced hamburger, cheese, lettuce and tomatoes? By the way, the lion tacos would have cost $8.75 apiece.

Gordon Solie interviews Tommy "Wildfire" Rich.

FOUND ON FACEBOOK: “I just sneezed chewed up pretzel onto my mini blinds.”

OVERRATED: Taco pizza.

UNDERRATED: Breakfast burritos.

BIRTHDAY BANTER: Wow, some heavyweights were born on this day …

– Comedienne Ellen DeGeneres is 53. (The absolute worst judge in American Idol history.)
– Broadcaster Bob Uecker is 77. (“Right there in the front row-w-w-w-w-w.”)
– In memoriam: Former professional wrestling announcer Gordon Solie would have been 82. (Arguably the finest announcer the squared circle has ever known.)
– Hockey great Wayne Gretzky is 50. (The best ever?)

Our personal boycott of all things Oprah ends today — kind of, anyway — with a brief mention of her in the latest edition of the High 5:

WHAT THE WORLD IS TALKING ABOUT: Quite a few major conversation pieces today …

1. Flavor Flav: The rapper and star of the dating reality series Flavor of Love, opened a fried chicken eatery in Clinton, Iowa on Monday. The 51-year-old, whose real name is William Drayton Jr., hopes to open hundreds of fried chicken joints called Flav’s Fried Chicken, or FFC, that could compete with KFC. Flavor Flav graduated from cooking school in 1978 and worked as a head cook in several restaurants. (Flavor Flav and chicken. The possibilities are endless.)
2. Christina Aguilera: She’s going to sing the national anthem at the Super Bowl on Feb. 6.
3. Kourtney Kardashian: Her new reality show, Kourtney & Kim Take New York, co-starring sister Kim Kardashian, debuts Sunday. The premise? Parties, drama, and guys galore. (Wow, there’s a surprise.)
4. McRib: The return of the popular McDonald’s sandwich boosted the fast food giant’s earnings in the fourth quarter or 2010. (I kind of like the McRib, a very underestimated offering.)
5. Rahm Emanuel: The former right-hand man of President Obama is ruled ineligible in Chicago mayoral race because of a residency snafu. (Two words: Chicago politics.)
6. Jack LaLanne: The long-time fitness guru is dead at age 96. (I remember watching him when I was young and thought he was old back then.)
7. Oprah Winfrey: She reveals she has a half-sister. Maybe Oprah can start another network for her.
8. Worst Movies of 2010: Here are the nominees from the folks who bring you the annual Razzies: The Last Airbender, Vampires Suck, Twilight Saga: Eclipse, Sex and the City 2 and The Bounty Hunter.
9. Skins: The Hollywood Reporter says another major sponsor, Subway, has pulled out of advertising on MTV’s controversial show. On Sunday, the Parents Television Council launched a campaign urging viewers to complain to Subway for its decision to advertise. THR.com first reported Taco Bell pulling out of the series — which chronicles teens having sex and doing drugs — because “it is not a fit for our brand.” H&R Block, G.M. and Wrigley soon followed suit. According to published reports, Viacom executives recently met with the show’s producers to order them to tone down upcoming episodes. The New York Times reported there was fear of violating child pornography laws. (Geez, and I thought Jersey Shore was walking a fine line … )
10. Avatar: Sequels are reportedly planned for 2014 and 2015.

FOUND ON FACEBOOK: “No sir I do not have a severe case of amnesia, you’re just not that memorable.” (Ouch.)

OVERRATED: Boneless chicken wings

UNDERRATED: Traditional chicken wings.

BIRTHDAY BANTER: It’s hard to believe Alicia Keys is 30 years old …

– Singer Alicia Keys is 30. (The most beautiful woman in show biz. Her actual name is Alicia Angelo Cook.)
– Blues singer Etta James is 72. (She’s arguably best known for the hit, “At Last.”)
– In memoriam: Journalist Edwin Newman would have been 92. (He was once one of the faces of NBC News. He died in 2010.)
– Actor Dean Jones is 80. (He’s appeared in more than 50 feature films. One of his earliest was 1957′s Jailhouse Rock with Elvis Presley. He portrayed a disc jockey.)

We’re a couple of weeks away from the Super Bowl, but you might want to start stocking up on snacks … welcome to the latest edition of the High 5:

SUPER SIZE THAT, PLEASE: Americans like to eat, that’s not a big secret. But they really like to eat on Super Bowl Sunday. It’s estimated we’ll consume 166 million pounds of snack foods that day, including 30 million slices of pizza.  That adds up to spending around $700 million on snacks alone for that one day. A year ago, the Nielsen ratings indicated 153.4 million Americans watched the Super Bowl, or about one out of every two. That number is not expected to decrease Feb. 6 when the Green Bay Packers and Pittsburgh Steelers meet in Super Bowl XLV at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

FOUND ON FACEBOOK: “I no longer have blonde moments, it is now a way of life.”

OVERRATED: Keith Olbermann. (Obviously, the guy can’t hold a job.)

Neil Diamond

UNDERRATED: Rodney Harrison. (His role should be expanded at NBC.)

BIRTHDAY BANTER: Doesn’t everyone have a favorite Neil Diamond song? …

– Singer Neil Diamond is 70. (His recent selection to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame was long overdue. My all-time favorite Neil Diamond song is “You Got to Me,” and that’s with apologies to “Cherry Cherry,” “Kentucky Woman,” “Thank the Lord for the Nighttime” and a host of others.)
– Former U.S. Olympic gymnast Mary Lou Retton is 43. (She was the first female gymnast from outside eastern Europe to win the Olympic all-around title.)
– Actor Ernest Borgnine is 94. (On television, he is best known for playing Quinton McHale in the 1962-66 series McHale’s Navy.)
–  Singer Aaron Neville is 70. (He first burst on to the music scene with “Tell It Like It Is” in 1966.)

Jay Cutler

Football is the focus on Sunday and we’re joining in the hoopla … welcome to the latest edition of an Oprah-free High 5:

GEOFF’S SUPER PICKS: Young Geoff Eighinger likes the look of an old-school Super Bowl, judging by his weekly picks for the High 5. Here’s how he breaks down Sunday’s NFL conference championship bouts:

NFC Championship Game
Green Bay at Chicago
2 p.m. CST, Fox

Surprisingly, few seem to be giving the Bears a chance in this one, mostly due to the unpredictable play of quarterback Jay Cutler. I feel the same way, but will be rooting for the Monsters of the Midway to take care of the overrated quarterback Aaron Rodgers. It will be a cold day, which suits both teams, so the expected frigid conditions should not be that much of a factor. Green Bay 30, Chicago 23

AFC Championship Game
NY Jets at Pittsburgh
5:30 p.m. CST, CBS

Rex Ryan will be silenced today and there is nothing Mark Sanchez or Bart Scott can do about it. The Steelers are a better, faster, stronger team all around. It starts with quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and ends with safety Troy Polamalu. Pittsburgh 24, NY Jets 17

FOUND ON FACEBOOK: “I have a splinter in my index finger that I can’t get out because it is so small and deep … what do I do? It’s getting sore and I am panicking!”

OVERRATED: Splinter in a finger.

UNDERRATED: Broken bone.

BIRTHDAY BANTER: This isn’t exactly the “A” list of birthdays today …

– Actor Richard Dean Anderson is 60. (He was the star of MacGyver. I never watched that show, so I actually have no smart-aleck comment to make.)
– Actress Tiffani Amber Thiessen is 36. (She was one of the stars of the original Beverly Hills 90210. You can see her these days in White Collar. She has very few lines on White Collar, probably because she’s … umm … not a very good actress.)
– Singer-guitarist Robin Zander of Cheap Trick is 57. (“I want you to want me.”)
– Bassist-keyboardist Bill Cunningham of the Box Tops is 60. (“When I think about the good love you gave me, I cry like a baby (cry like a baby) …”)