At this point, we’ve had panels for PBS, Fox, NBC, NBC’s subsidiary networks (Oxygen, E!, etc.), and a few locations on the web (Yahoo!, YouTube). I’m not in a position to go into great detail about everything I’ve seen and heard – I’ve got a little girls birthday to celebrate, after all – but you can find some key moments via my Twitter feed. I’ve had a few enjoyable close encounters here and there, talking to Sir Kenneth Branagh (PBS’s “Wallander”), William Forsythe and Zeljko Ivanek (Fox’s “Mob Doctor”), and Billy Burke and Giancarlo Esposito (NBC’s “Revolution”), and I’m looking forward to chatting with Lily Tomlin on ABC’s day and Kyle MacLachlan when CBS’s panels roll around. For the time being, however, I’ve pulled together some of the highlights from Fox’s panels. Hope you enjoy!

Nigel Lythgoe on why there’s never been a proper “So You Think You Can Dance” best-of DVD: “We’ve looked at doing it. It’s the music clearance is just really difficult, as well you know, in this country. There are no blanket agreements like there are in Europe. You can’t just use anything that’s been out there. If you want to use an Eagles track, you have to ask the publisher, the writer, every single Eagle. It just, at the end of the day, doesn’t make money because you’re laying so much money out on that early stage.”

Mindy Kaling on headlining her own show, “The Mindy Project”: “It’s awesome. Even more (than I imagined it would be). I mean, like, every day I wake up and I’m, like, ‘Oh, I’m the star of my own show that has my name in it and I get to write it and hire people, actors that I’ve loved for such a long time.’ It’s amazing. I’m going to turn into a monster. Like, I can’t handle it.”

Zach Gilford on his lack of job security on “The Mob Doctor”: “I think on a show like this, if someone wants to get back at (Jordana Spiro’s character), they could take out one of us. So you’ve got to not be an asshole on set and say the lines just right, because we’re all expendable.”

J.J. Abrams delivers a special recorded message to attendees of the “Fringe” panel: “I wish I could be there in person to thank each and every one of you personally for your unbelievable support of the series. ‘Fringe’ is a show that I’m enormously proud to be associated with. The work that the cast and crew have done I think has been amazing, but your support is really the thing that has kept it alive. Fox has been unbelievable, going far beyond any expectations allowing the show to be on the air, and while it’s something we’re all proud of, it’s a very rare thing, I think, in this day and age that a network will support a show that isn’t a massive hit, and ‘Fringe’ has always been true to its name, a little bit more of an outside the box series. The good thing about that for us is we can have these parties, for mixers, with every single viewer in attendance.”

Zingers from the ever-quotable Simon Cowell:

Q: Can I ask Britney (Spears) and Demi (Lovato) what other reality shows, competition shows have they watched and enjoyed?
Simon: Don’t mention “The Voice.”

Demi: (Britney) is a sweetheart who is very honest.
Simon: As sweet as a lemon.

Q: I was talking to an “American Idol” finalist the other day, and she seems to think that maybe these shows now like “The X Factor” and “Idol” are more about the judges and their drama and whether they’re going to leave or stay or what they’re saying, and that’s more important than the singers. Could you talk to that?
Simon: When I’m doing my negotiations, yes. Always. Once it’s signed, then we go back to the contestants. Who was it (you were talking to), by the way?
Q: Didi Benami.
Simon: Who?
Q: Didi Benami.
Simon: I haven’t got a clue who that is.
Q: Didi was in the Top 10 two years ago.
Demi: A finalist and not winner.
Simon: Okay. Must have been a while ago. And she’s not bitter at all…

And a few from the equally-quotable Gordon Ramsey as well:

Q: Gordon, aside from cleanliness, what else are you finding that’s wrong with these hotels (on “Hotel Hell”)?
Gordon: Aside from cleanliness, what would I say? If any of you are single and are dating and are going away for a wonderful weekend like any couple would do, you get there and they suggest they’re going to upgrade you to the honeymoon suite, don’t take it.
Q: Explain.
Gordon: Just I’m trying to be serious, because it is somewhat…not just shocking. And, personally, I didn’t think it could shoot that far. Um…you haven’t let me finish my sentence. I’m talking about if you shake a can of Coke and open it…

Q: From the times you’ve been to this hotel (The Beverly Hilton), what would your rating here be?
Gordon: You’re trying to get me into shit. Behave yourself. Come on. I’m not here to rate hotels here. In this hotel here?
Q: Yeah.
Gordon: Come on. What a shit question. I mean, as if I’m…
Q: Cowardly answer.
Gordon: I am being honest. I think the staff are amazing. I’ve never stayed here, so I wouldn’t like to criticize it. But I think the bigger the hotels, the less personal they become, for obvious reasons. And I always like to stay in the sort of small, tailor-made boutique hotels. So next time if I do stay here, then I’ll give you feedback, trust me.

Steve Jobs
By Walter Isaacson

This isn’t just a great biography. Isaacson is a very talented writer, historian and storyteller who’s written about great men such as Ben Franklin and Albert Einstein. Jobs is also a fascinating figure, but the difference here is that Steve Jobs just passed away this year, and we’re able to read about a man whose accomplishments and impact on society are so fresh in our minds. Practically everyone who reads this book can relate to Jobs’ inventions and innovations, making the story that much more compelling.

This was made possible because Jobs gave Isaacson access during the final years of his life, and Jobs was willing to open up and let Isaacson see him for who he was, warts and all. We see a man who was both brilliant and petulant. He was extremely passionate but often rude and insulting. We see how Jobs’ obsessive attention to detail and passion for products led to his stunning successes, as well as some of his more spectacular failures.

One of the more fascinating story lines involves his rivalry with Bill Gates. Jobs was obsessed with total control over his products and insisted on closed systems so he could control the user experience. Job relied on his intuition and his maniacal attraction to beauty and simplicity. Gates believed in open systems and was eager to license his software to a wide variety of partners, even if that meant sacrificing the user experience and quality. Gates was the clear winner early as PCs dominated Macs and Apple almost went bankrupt, but Jobs had the last laugh as he pushed Apple to revolutionize consumer electronics with the iPod, iTunes, the iPhone and the iPad.

The book is a great read, and it’s a great gift for anyone who likes biographies or is interested in technology or business.

Everyone Loves You When You’re Dead: Journeys into Fame and Madness
By Neil Strauss

On the back of this book, which is a compilation of interviews and other wild stories from Neil Strauss’s career as a rock journalist, Strauss states, “You can tell a lot about somebody in a minute. If you pick the right minute. Here are 228 of them.” Strauss is a master storyteller, and we got our first introduction to his work years ago when he wrote “The Game,” which in our opinion is the best book you’ll on pick-up artists and dating advice for men. Strauss uses some of the same skills he learned as a pick-up artist to get celebrities to talk to him. His use of a mind-reading illusion to get Britney Spears to open up to him is a classic. Strauss recounts all sorts of bizarre encounters, from shooting guns with Ludacris, being kidnapped by Courtney Love and being told off by Prince. As a writer for Rolling Stone he had access to everybody. The book is very entertaining and makes for a great gift for fans of music and/or celebrities.

The Big Show: Charles M. Conlon’s Golden Age Baseball Photographs
By Neal and Constance McCabe

Is baseball starting to get its groove back? The American Pastime has had a rough go recently, particularly with the steroids scandal that upended many of the great records that helped define the game. Baseball’s glory days now seem so long ago. Yet Major league Baseball has been getting some good news, as they avoided the labor troubles we’ve seen in football and basketball, and we’ve just come off one of the most dramatic World Series comebacks in baseball history.

This book compiles golden age baseball photographs taken by Charles M. Conlon taken between 1902 and 1942. The book features over 200 portraits, and the authors include well-written profiles of the players featured on each page, including quotes from the players themselves. Photos include baseball great such as Babe Ruth, Connie Mack, Phil Rizzuto, Walter Johnson, Tris Speaker, Joe DiMaggio and Lou Gehrig. Many of the photos have never been published, and this makes a great coffee table book. Baseball fans will love it.

Ever since Britney Spears burst onto the scene years ago with her video featuring a naughty and sexy schoolgirl outfit, this schoolgirl get-up has been a favorite of glamour models and hot babes on Halloween.

As part of our series of Hot Halloween Costumes, we’ve put together a gallery of some beautiful Bullz-Eye models in their schoolgirl outfits. We start out with the amazing Stephanie who looks incredibly inviting in her schoolgirl outfit. Next we have Victoria who adds a lollipop and high heels to her outfit. Lisa adds the cute glasses and thigh highs, while Madeline goes for a traditional look.

In the next row, our fifth photo has Crystal with the classic look with the cute socks, and then Erin strikes a sexy pose. Janis goes for a more revealing look, and Giovanna wraps up the gallery with the sexiest photo of them all.