At last, we’re finally putting our completely overexposed “People of the Year” package to bed. In the clip, we count down the final five people on our list, and Stacy-Ann Gooden makes her pitch for Mary J. Blige (raised in Yonkers, first discovered doing karaoke at the White Plains Galleria).

While she didn’t make the cut for 2007, she’s already a strong 2008 candidate. In fact, aside from Nyack rapper Lucky Me, she’s the only other hip-hop star on our radar screen thus far.

Bet you didn’t see this coming! Since the Chappaqua resident announced her candidacy for President in January, Hillary was dissected like a fifth-grade biology project and analyzed from all angles—from her boisterous laugh, to her fashion sense, to her pacesetting fund-raising, to her poll numbers. Even her choice to wear a cleavage-enhancing V-neck sweater on the Senate floor made news, if only because it reminded us of her subtle, subverted sexuality.

Prediction for 2008: She’s a lock for the Democratic nomination, but the general election will be harder. Most everyone already has his own Rorschach impression of Hillary, but for the small handful of “no opinions� that remain (around six percent of the country), she needs to carefully sculpt her image if she’s going to trade in that big, white Chappaqua manse for her old one in DC.

Adapted from “People of the Year,� Rockland Magazine, December 2007

(Illustration by Ismael Roldon)

Last minute addition here. I can’t explain why the Mount Vernon native didn’t figure into our pre-countdown planning, given that he’s had easily the best year of his career—his Oscar-worthy performance as real-life heroin kingpin Frank Lucas in “American Gangster”; starring in, directing, producing, and filling just about every other production credit in “The Great Debaters” (which I haven’t seen yet, but, given its Golden Globe Best Picture nod, I’m figuring is pretty decent).

Sure, Denzel doesn’t live in Westchester any more, but when you factor in all the times he returned to the area (to film “Gangster,” to stump for mayor candidates in Mount Vernon)—well, the omission would be inexcusable.

Fortunately, I happened to read that today is the man’s 53rd birthday. What better time to right that wrong and celebrate This Year in Denzel?

Where we left of this time last year, Washington had just put out an inspirational anthology, “A Hand to Guide Me,â€? which includes 70 celebrities’ accounts their mentors, including Washington’s own role model at the Mount Vernon Boys and Girls Club. After wrapping on “American Gangster” early in the year, he took another another meaty role in the soldier story “Journal for Jordan,” about an American soldier in Iraq who keeps a journal for his newborn son, as “a kind of instruction manual for…living a good life, and possibly living a life without a father.â€? He also signed on to star in a remake of the Walter Mattheau classic “The Taking of Pelham 1, 2, 3.”

On July 18, he turned up in his old hometown, Mount Vernon, to campaign for mayoral candidate Clinton Young, a longtime friend. While there’s no easy way to quantify just how much his celebrity endorsement helped, he beat out incumbent Mayor Ernest Davis by 2,653 votes. Then again, the FBI prove into Davis’s shady dealings may have hurt a bit, too.

Then, as if he hadn’t given back quite enough, Denzel pledged all the proceeds from the “American Gangster” premiere to benefit the Boys & Girls Clubs of America.

So happy birthday, Denzel, and apologies for not recognizing your stellar year in InTown and The Journal News, too. My bad.

Prediction for 2008: At the very least, we expect Denzel to walk away with another gold Best Actor statue at the Academy Awards (for either “Gangster” or “Debaters”). At most, he’ll clean house—winning in other categories like Best Director and Best Picture, too. Then look for the two aforementioned movies to hit theaters in the fall. And after making such waves politically in Mount Vernon, will Denzel take a page from the Oprah playbook and decide to back one of the presidential contenders?

Which reminds us, now that Rosie and Dezel are accounted for, who’s left to be named our No. 1 Person of the Year? Hmmmm.

(Top: AP Photo/Marshall News Messenger, Courtney Case; Middle: AP Photo/Universal Studios, David Lee; Bottom: AP Photo/The Weinstein Company, David Lee)

Prediction for 2008: She may have lost The Price is Right hosting gig to Drew Carey, but we predict a return to network TV, as the co-host of the newest British import, Boiling Point.

Adapted from “People of the Year,� Rockland Magazine, December 2007

(Illustration by Ismael Roldon)

After the Yankees lost in the first round of the playoffs, new top dogs Hank and Hal Steinbrenner (sons of George) made the decision to offer Torre an “incentive-based salary package�—more wins, more bonuses. That’s a nice way of putting it. A 33 percent pay cut is another. Sure, Torre would have still been making a base of $2.5 mil, but as Journal News beat reporter (and author of the wildly popular LoHud Yankees Blog) Pete Abraham pointed out, “In the culture of the clubhouse, having a manager on a one-year contract who just took a cut would be emasculating.� In a press conference at the Hilton Rye Town, near his home in Harrison, Torre put it more bluntly: “I took [it] as an insult.� And so—after 12 seasons, 1,173 wins, and four World Series championships—Torre bolted.

Prediction for 2008: At press time, he had just agreed to manage the Dodgers. Say it ain’t so, Joe! We hope he’ll reconsider. After the Mets spectacular end-of-season collapse, we wouldn’t mind seeing him take over Willie Randolf’s job. What better way for us New Yorkers to keep the best mind in baseball all to ourselves?

Adapted from “People of the Year,� InTown Westchester, December 2007

(Nick Wass / AP Photo) 

Prediction for 2008: Trump currently has four—count ’em, four!—TV shows in production: Fox’s Lady or a Tramp, MTV’s Pageant Place, a syndicated Judge Judy/Dr. Phil-type daytime show (with Trump mediating financial disputes), and The Apprentice: Celebrity Edition for NBC. Just try to top that, Rosie!

Adapted from “People of the Year,� InTown Westchester, December 2007

(Illustration by Ismael Roldon)

Prediction for 2008: Astor once said, “I feel I’ve become a public monument.� And to us she is, in more ways than one.

Adapted from “People of the Year,� InTown Westchester, December 2007

(Photo: Serge JF Levy/AP)

Prediction for 2008: In September, a state official declared that it’s unlawful for animals to be buried in cemeteries for humans. Sorry, Leona. Commence rolling over.

Adapted from “People of the Year,� InTown Westchester, December 2007

(AP Photo/Jennifer Graylock)

Prediction for 2008: Stewart won’t get off that easy. Villagers and KVIS have been trying to organize a Times Square Stewart roast (originally scheduled for early November), a pending lawsuit, and other shenanigans. Next time, Martha, try brownies.

UPDATE: As with some of the other “People of the Year” writeups, there were some breaking developments with Martha that took place after we already went to the printers. The roast did indeed take place, on November 28. But that was about a week after Martha and the KVIS came to a settlement about her usage of Katonah, and what products she can and can’t trademark the name under. To read more on the compromise, check out our post from November 16.

Adapted from “People of the Year,� InTown Westchester, December 2007

(Illustration by Ismael Roldon)

The only thing more masochistic than the cost of living in Bedford Hills? The town’s 46-year-old dominatrix, Sandra L. Chemero, who was arrested in March on charges of prostitution and weapons possession. But she didn’t operate just any old run-of-the-mill bordello. Inside her idyllic clapboard farmhouse on Haines Road was an actual S&M dungeon. “Situated on four private acres, in a century-old stately manor, here life is devoted to female superiority, proper training, and etiquette for the betterment of men,� said the description on Chemero’s website for “The Sovereign Estate.� Also posted were pictures of her brandishing whips and leather chains, plus an exhaustive list of available erotic, sadistic services. The weirdest part of all (other than this all going down right near where George Soros and Ralph Lauren live): Chemero was renting the home from an ultra-Orthodox (and ultra-shocked) yeshiva.

Prediction for 2008: The dominatrix pled not guilty and, at press time, the trial date hasn’t been set. We’re just hoping that, like Heidi Fleiss, she has a list of former clients. That’s when things will get really interesting.

Adapted from “People of the Year,� InTown Westchester, December 2007

(Photo: Rory Glaeseman / The Journal News) 

Prediction for 2008: Provided she doesn’t get caught up in any of the usual Hollywood trappings (like, say, that other kind of snow), Panettiere has a bright year ahead, with the continued success of Heroes and a role in the upcoming Julia Roberts film Fireflies in the Garden.

Adapted from “People of the Year,� Rockland Magazine, December 2007

(Illustration by Ismael Roldon)

Kelly was already a legend in Rockland thanks to Xaviars, Freelance, and Restaurant X—all perennial Zagat darlings. But when he took down celebrity chef Bobby Flay on Iron Chef America, all of a sudden he became famous to a national audience. Then the May opening of X20 in Yonkers further cemented his rock-star status. As for those people just discovering our hometown hero: What took you so long?

Prediction for 2008: It would be tough to top 2007, but we do have two ideas: First, how about an X20 in Haverstraw? Second, after making mincemeat of Flay, it’s time to do battle with Mario Batali.

Ed. Note: Kelly was one of the only celebrities to score a “People of the Year” trifecta—making our lists for InTown Westchester, Rockland Magazine, and Suburbarazzi. Well done.

(Photo: Tom Nycz / The Journal News)

Prediction for 2008: More Oscar-caliber parts, including roles in Greta and The Loss of the Teardrop Diamond.

Adapted from “People of the Year,� Rockland Magazine, December 2007

(AP Photo/Rick Maiman)

Prediction for 2008: Fortunately, Murray is back making movies again! Keeping him out of trouble right now is City of Ember, a fantasy flick in which Murray plays the mayor of a brightly lit city with a failing generator. It’s set to arrive in theaters by October 2008.

Adapted from “People of the Year,� Rockland Magazine, December 2007

(Illustration by Ismael Roldon)

Let’s just say the year started badly for the Chappaqua resident. She’d just been fired without warning from CBS’s Early Show. Then, in January, she underwent a double mastectomy. And as if that weren’t enough stress, she then renovated her home. The 44-year-old rebounded quickly, though. After reconstructive surgery, her book Good Enough Mother came out in March. Before long she was talking to Oprah about the realities of imperfect parenting (serving pancakes for dinner, using a stapler to hem pants). Her so-called “imperfections� were, in reality, pretty harmless, but we were just glad to have her back on TV.

Prediction for 2008: Anthony LaPaglia’s production company has optioned her book as a sitcom. A casting suggestion: For the lead, try Wanda Sykes—an actress with enough brio to be Syler.

Adapted from “People of the Year,� InTown Westchester, December 2007

(Photo: Tom Nycz / The Journal News) 

Prediction for 2008: Having now conquered the worlds of music, film, and TV, all that remains on Williams’ to-do list is finding a replacement for ex-husband Rick Fox.

Adapted from “People of the Year,� InTown Westchester, December 2007

(Illustration by Ismael Roldon)

Prediction for 2008: Close is set to star as Norma Desmond in the film version of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s musical Sunset Boulevard (which is based on the 1950 film). Having won a Tony for the role on Broadway, she could finally get a shot at a long-overdue Oscar.

UPDATE: In preparing the initial version of this writeup, everyone through Damages wouldn’t see a second season. Everyone was wrong. Thanks to the wise, patient folks at FX, the show got reupped in November—for two seasons, no less. Read more on the deal in my Nov. 14 post.

Adapted from “People of the Year,� InTown Westchester, December 2007

(AP Photo / Chris Pizzello)

The “whoo-ha� man gave us something to “ooh and ah� about with his return to the big screen as casino kingpin Willie Bank in Ocean’s Thirteen. Pacino, who lives in Sneden’s Landing, also had the Internet buzzing about his next two projects: Dali & I: The Surreal Story and Righteous Kill. In the former he’ll play the famed artist during his final years—also known as his melting-clocks phase—while the latter, a crime thriller filming in Norwalk, also features Robert DeNiro. And Al wasn’t the only Pacino making news in 2007; daughter Julie, a recent Tappan Zee High grad, also earned her fair share of headlines as one of the school’s softball superstars.

Prediction for 2008: The Dali biopic may earn Pacino his second Academy Award. But it’s Righteous Kill—the first reuniting of the Pacino-DeNiro dramatic dream team since 1995’s Heat—that we’re dying to see.

Adapted from “People of the Year,� Rockland Magazine, December 2007

(AP Photo / Chris Pizzello)

Prediction for 2008: Long Island Confidential, the new Lifetime show, doesn’t promise to be nearly as edgy as The Sopranos, but the wine business will continue to boom. Two-Buck Bracco, anyone?

Adapted from “People of the Year,� Rockland Magazine, December 2007

(Illustration by Ismael Roldon)

Prediction for 2008: While her salary of $10 mil a year ain’t bad, Matt Lauer still gets 30 percent more. Time for Vieira to start earning Katie Couric-caliber cash.

(AP Photo/Richard Drew)

Adapted from “People of the Year,� InTown Westchester, December 2007