Deal or No Deal made a triumphant return to NBC on Monday, averaging an 8.1 rating and a 12 share in the 8:00 hour and beating the usual winners of the time slot, CBS’s The King of Queens and How I Met Your Mother, which averaged a 6.6/10.

But despite featuring an appearance by Donald Trump on Deal, the premiere of The Apprentice, which followed, wound up in fourth place with a 6.2/9. CBS won the 9:00 p.m. and 10:00 p.m. hours — and the night — with CSI: Miami drawing the biggest audience of the night at 10:00 p.m. with an 11.6/18.

George Clooney has rubbished rumours he’s planning a cameo in Desperate Housewives- insisting he’d only consider it if his career nosedived.

Reports emerged after the actor was romantically linked with housewife Teri Hatcher, but Clooney has since dismissed any talk of a relationship with Hatcher, or plans to join her on the award-winning show.

He snipes, “I’m joining that show? Well, if my films flop, I may have to.”

Desperate Housewives star Marcia Cross crowned the hairstyle queen of Hollywood.

In a poll conducted by American magazine, In Touch, Desperate Housewivesstar Marcia Cross was honoured with having the most glamorous hair in Hollywood.

The amber haired beauty who recently wowed onlookers at the Golden Globes plays obsessive Bree in the hit TV series.

The Massachusetts born actress, 43, edged out her Desperate Housewives co-star Eva Longoria for the top spot. Also making the list were Charlize Theron, Scarlett Johansson and Gwyneth Paltrow.

For more than 100 years, mainstream Hollywood movies largely shunned gay subjects, which were either disregarded, closeted or dealt with by independent filmmakers.

But in 2005, “Brokeback Mountain,” the story of two cowboys in love, broke big at box offices and earned eight Oscar nominations, including best film. It was a hit and Hollywood loves a hit.

“Gay people are now living more honest and open lives and that leads to others wanting to know more about our lives,” said Neil Giuliano, president of the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation. “People want this product and we can provide it in a compelling and powerful way that can be profitable.”

Historians and experts divide Hollywood’s portrayal of gay life into three periods: years before the early 1930s “production code;” self-censorship under the code until the late 1960s; and the years since then as gays and lesbians have been slowly accepted into mainstream culture.

The production code, also known as the Hays Code, was devised by a forerunner of today’s Motion Picture Association of America and was strictly enforced by Hollywood’s major studios starting around 1934.

It set out general guidelines specifying that no film would lower moral standards of an audience member and included warnings against nudity and positive portrayals of crime and illicit sex.

Before the code, historians said movies showed no depictions of gays or lesbians because they largely kept to themselves and were ignored by mainstream society. As a result, the movies also set them aside, reflecting the culture of the day.

“It was not so much keeping a secret. It was more like, ‘How could you write about something that wasn’t being written about?”‘ said William Mann, author of “Behind the Screen: How Gays and Lesbians Shaped Hollywood 1910-1969.”

TO GAY, OR NOT TO GAY

Although the production code did not allow portrayals of gay life, some male roles were often built around effeminate personality traits. By association, the characters were deemed homosexual, although such a distinction was never talked about, said Jonathan Kuntz of the film and television school at the University of California at Los Angeles.

Some actors such as Franklin Pangborn enjoyed careers playing effeminate men and closeted homosexuals like Rock Hudson could live in privacy and still take heterosexual roles.

“Sexuality is overtly talked about now but wasn’t really in those days,” said Robert Osborne, author of “75 Years of Oscar: The Official History of the Academy Awards.”

The sexual revolution of late 1960s brought an end to the production code, and in 1969 “Midnight Cowboy” the relationship between Joe Buck (Jon Voight) and Enrico “Ratso” Rizzo (Dustin Hoffman) was widely considered a love affair, although the two never had sex on screen, as do the cowhands of “Brokeback.”

“Midnight Cowboy” became a box-office hit and won the best film Oscar, but what followed were film flops such as 1982’s “Making Love,” which made “gay film” sound like “money loser” to mainstream Hollywood. As a result, homosexual stories were fodder for independent filmmakers and art-house cinemas.

In 1993, “Philadelphia” starred Tom Hanks as a gay man, won Oscars and earned $206 million worldwide, but it was largely seen as an AIDS movie, not a gay film.

In the late 1990s, gay television shows such as “Will & Grace” and TV stars like Ellen DeGeneres helped mainstream Hollywood get to a point where it could promote a film such as “Brokeback,” the experts said. Now, they expect the major studios to be more accepting of gay stories and screenplays.

“I don’t know if we’re going to see any $200 million movies built around a gay character but certainly this will spark other films,” Kuntz said.

What a beautiful rendition. Just thought I’d post for everyone’s pleasure.

Pop superstar George Michael has admitted to possessing drugs after he was discovered slumped at the wheel of his car in the early hours of yesterday morning.

He claims the incident, in which he was woken by police as he sat in his vehicle near London’s Hyde Park Corner at approximately 1.50am, was his “own stupid fault, as usual”.

Two packets containing cannabis were allegedly found in Michael’s car after a concerned passer-by alerted police to his predicament.

A police spokesman has since confirmed Michael was held on suspicion of possessing class C drugs, a group which includes cannabis, tranquilisers and certain painkillers.

In a statement released today, the singer said, “It’s my own stupid fault, as usual. I was in possession of class C drugs, which is an offence, and I have no complaints about the police, who were professional throughout.”

And in a reference to his song Outsider, about his 1998 arrest for engaging in a “lewd act” in a Los Angeles public toilet, Michael jokingly added, “I promise I won’t make a record out of this one - even though it’s tempting.”

Michael was also keen to point out that a police doctor who tested him concluded he was capable of driving.

It has also emerged a police officer gave the millionaire a lift to his Hampstead home when he was bailed at 9am yesterday, after cops accidentally immobilised his car.

Michael must return to West End Central police station next month when the substances have been analysed.

Vince Vaughn is set to cement his leading man status by reaching the $20 million (GBP11.8 million) mark for his starring role in upcoming movie Fred Claus.

The Mr. and Mrs. Smith actor will re-team with Wedding Crashers director David Dobkin for the holiday comedy.

The film revolves around Santa’s black sheep brother, who heads back to the North Pole and gets a chance to redeem himself.

Vaughn will next be seen in The Break-Up starring opposite real-life girlfriend Jennifer Aniston.

Drew Lachey danced away as the winner of “Dancing with the Stars” Sunday night.

The former 98 Degrees pop singer out-hoofed pro wrestler Stacy Keibler, thought to be the favored finalist, along with NFL great Jerry Rice, as ABC’s ballroom hit wrapped its second season, airing live from Los Angeles.

With his professional dancer-partner Cheryl Burke, Lachey wowed the audience with a freestyle routine danced to “Hound Dog,” which concluded with him vaulting himself over his partner’s shoulders.

The couple racked up a total score of 27 out of a perfect 30 from the three-judge panel, which, combined with their score from Thursday’s pre-finale, gave them a total of 87 out of 90.

But it was viewers - whose vote carried half the weight - who settled the matter.

In somewhat of an upset midway through the two-hour finale, they eliminated the leggy, blonde Keibler.

Then, in the program’s final moments, host Tom Bergeron disclosed that Lachey was the choice over Rice.

“Woooooooooooooo!” yelped Lachey, who gratefully accepted the mirrorball trophy (which he had earlier acknowledged was “ugly”).

During the program, all seven of the previously bounced celebrities - ESPN sportscaster Kenny Mayne, actress Tatum O’Neal, news personality Giselle Fernandez, rap star Master P, actress Tia Carrere, tanned ladies’ man George Hamilton and talk-show host Lisa Rinna - returned for a last dance with their partners.

It was in January that “Dancing” began its new season with 10 competitors of sometimes dubious celebrity, each paired with a professional dancer for the show’s grueling choreography and performance regimen. Then, as the weeks passed, one couple after another was kicked off thanks to the verdict of the judges and viewer voting.

“Dancing” received a warm welcome from viewers - it ranks 7th in prime time for the season to date, according to Nielsen Media Research.

“Dancing” first kicked up its heels last summer as a surprise hit for ABC.

In its July season finale, “General Hospital” star Kelly Monaco and her professional partner upset odds-on favorite John O’Hurley, best known for playing J. Peterman on “Seinfeld.”

But audience complaints arose that the voting process was confusing and that Monaco, star of an ABC soap, got preferential treatment. This prompted a rematch, which, airing in September, gave viewers full authority. They awarded the title to O’Hurley.

I love this promo for Desperate Housewives they aired leading up to the second season. Just thought I’d post it for all to see and love. Just so you know, because a lot of people have been asking, the song from this promo is “Juicy” by Better Than Ezra.

British singer George Michael was arrested on Sunday on suspicion of possessing drugs after he was found slumped in a car in central London, a police source said.

Michael, 42, who has sold more than 80 million records worldwide during a 25-year career, was arrested in the Hyde Park area of the capital early on Sunday, the source said.

A London police spokesman would not confirm Michael had been arrested. He issued a statement saying a 42-year-old man had been held on suspicion of possessing Class C drugs, a group in British law which includes cannabis, tranquilizers and some painkillers.

“We were called by a member of the public to a man seen slumped over the steering wheel of a car,” the statement said. “He was arrested on suspicion of possession of controlled substances.”

He was bailed to return to a police station in late March pending a police investigation.

Michael’s manager and publicist could not be reached for comment.

Under British law, anyone convicted of possessing Class C drugs can be jailed for up to two years and face an unlimited fine, according to the Interior Ministry’s Web site.

The singer had a string of hits in the 1980s with the band Wham! before forging a successful solo career with albums such as “Faith,” “Listen Without Prejudice, Vol. 1” and “Patience.”