Last September we learned the shocking news that, due to a contract dispute between actor and studio, the iconic Victor Newman character (played by veteran actor Eric Braeden) was being written off the long-running daytime drama The Young and the Restless. About a month later, everyone came to their senses and a deal was worked out to bring Victor Newman back onto the show … just in time for the Soap to celebrate 30 Years of Victor Newman on The Young and the Restless. Here are a few photos from the celebratory anniversary party in celebration of The Mustache himself, Victor Newman:

Can you imagine if Eric Braeden hadn’t sorted out his contract dispute at the end of last year? There’d be no moustache, no secret planning with his sons, no whispered threats to Jack Abbott — and no reason to celebrate 30 years of Victor Newman on The Young and the Restless! That would mean no party, no pictures from said party, no slideshow on SOAPnet.com of said pictures, no article you’re reading right now … Seriously — we aren’t exaggerating when we say we think we could walk this “What if there was no Victor?” path of hypotheticals until we pretty much unraveled the space-time continuum. Don’t know what we’re talking about? Take a gander at our gallery of Eric Braeden’s 30th Y&R Anniversary Bash and understand why we’re just so grateful that this Genoa City crisis was averted.

Click HERE to see the SoapNet gallery mentioned in this article. I’m so glad all the contract dispute was settled last year because I cannot, for the life of me, imagine Y&R without Victor Newman … even more insane, I couldn’t imagine the show with a different actor playing the character. Eric Braeden has played Victor Newman flawlessly for the past 30 years, a feat worth celebrating I think. Daytime Dramas have been dropping like flies in recent years but I hope The Young and the Restless can stick around for another 30 years … at least!

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On Friday we heard from True Blood star Anna Paquin, in the pages of the new issue of British Marie Claire magazine, that she enjoys a nice quiet life with her TB co-star and real life lover Stephen Moyer out of the public eye. Today we get to see a couple photos of the couple enjoying their mundane life together as they walked arm-in-arm on their way home from the gym together:

It’s really rare to see these two out and about in public together, mainly because they never go anywhere exciting (ie. no paparazzi around). As Anna explained, the couple just like to hang out by themselves at home doing the normal stuff that non-famous couples like to do. While I am weary of work-relationships withstanding the test of time, I think these two are more likely to be a successful couple because they like to stay out of the limelight, away from the Hollywood drama. Anna and Stephen look really happy together … here’s hoping they stay that way for the long run.

[Photo credit: X17]

There is no question that the actual Super Bowl game is the highlight of Super Bowl Sunday but coming in a close second is the collection of commercials that air during the Super Bowl, to the delight of fans and non-sports fans alike. There were a lot of great commercials that aired during yesterday’s game which, I think, are worth a second look … here are some of my faves:

Snickers, Betty White & Abe Vagoda Ad:

Dortios, Dog Collar Ad:

Doritos, Slap Ad:

Doritos, Funeral Ad:

Bud Light, Autotune Ad:

Bud Light, Lost Ad:

Budweiser, Clydesdale Fence Ad:

After the jump, check out a few more of my fave commercials … including the one that I felt was the best ad of the bunch — the Google ad …

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Congratulations goes out to the New Orleans Saints today who, as I’m sure you are well aware, won Super Bowl XLIV last night at Sun Life Stadium in Miami Gardens, FL. Props go out to the Indianapolis Colts for playing a strong game and for taking an early lead (making it look like they were going to blow out the Saints) but, in the end, the New Orleans Saints pulled off the biggest comeback in Super Bowl history and ended up winning their FIRST Super Bowl Championship ever by a final score of 31 – 17:

The New Orleans Saints almost left when their city flooded and their stadium had been turned into a shelter, a disaster seeming to provide the perfect escape route for a team in search of a better stadium and a bigger market. Displaced and disheartened, the Saints haltingly returned to a repaired Superdome after Hurricane Katrina. And a team so awful that its fans used to wear bags on their heads came to symbolize and be embraced by a battered but rebuilding community. On Sunday, with a quarterback who had hitched his career to resurrecting the Saints and with a team that played nearly flawlessly, the Saints gave New Orleans a reason to do what it does better than any other American city: celebrate. In the franchise’s first Super Bowl, the Saints beat the Indianapolis Colts, 31-17, sending New Orleanians into the streets for a party. “Who Dat?” Saints fans ask about which opponent might beat their team. Now they have their answer: nobody. The Saints are the N.F.L.’s champions, after 42 seasons of futility. Confetti fell on the Saints here, but back in New Orleans, where Mardi Gras begins in less than two weeks, Bourbon Street erupted in joy, four and a half years after the city was nearly engulfed by despair when the levees broke. “Louisiana, by way of New Orleans, is back,” said the Saints’ owner, Tom Benson, clutching the Lombardi Trophy. “And it shows the whole world.” The play that sealed the victory, a comeback from a 10-0 deficit, came with a little more than three minutes to play at the expense of a New Orleans native. Colts quarterback Peyton Manning, a son of the beloved former Saints quarterback Archie Manning, was intercepted by Saints cornerback Tracy Porter — a Louisiana native, too — when the Saints blitzed. Porter jumped in front of the intended receiver and returned the interception 74 yards for a touchdown that gave the Saints their winning margin. “Four years ago, whoever thought this would be happening?” quarterback Drew Brees said. “Eighty-five percent of the city was under water. All of the residents evacuated across the county. Most people not knowing if New Orleans could ever come back or if the organization or team would ever come back” … Brees was the M.V.P. of the game, but Saints Coach Sean Payton made the most valuable — and the gutsiest — decision. With the Saints trailing by 4 points and kicking off to the Colts to open the second half, Payton called for an onside kick. The Saints call the play “ambush,” and that was what it was. Colts players admitted after the game that they did not see it coming. Thomas Morstead, the kicker on the play, said: “I wasn’t worried. I was terrified” … At long last, the Saints have arrived, and they brought New Orleans back with them.

What a game, eh? As I said yesterday before the game got underway, I was not rooting for any particular team because I didn’t have a vested interest in either side winning but you gotta admit, it’s pretty sweet to see the people of New Orleans cheering in the streets just 4 years after their city was devastated by Hurricane Katrina. The Saints‘ win was well-deserved, they played hard … make smart moves … and, in the end, proved they were the best team of the year. After the jump, check out some of the celebs who were in the hiz at Super Bowl XLIV last night …