By TERRY MORROW, Scripps Howard News Service

Rapper T.I. stops short of saying the prospect of spending a year in prison frightens him.
"It concerns me," says the Atlanta-based entertainer whose real name is Clifford Harris. "I'm always optimistic, but there are no sure things."

For its 14th season, "The Amazing Race" has plotted a course for 11 teams to go 40,000 miles and through nine countries in 22 days.
The agenda is one of the most ambitious in "Race's" history. The show launches its new season at 8 p.m. EST Sunday on CBS.
In a first, teams will enter Romania and Siberia.

Excuse actress Amanda Righetti for her bruises and bumps, but she got them in the woods running away from a serial killer.
She was doing OK, frantically staying one step ahead of him. But then she tripped, and, well, we all know how that goes.

Johnny Knoxville rounds a corner on Sunset Boulevard, pedaling a bright red bike and looking more like an overgrown kid than a TV producer with an idea to sell.
Don't ask why he's riding a bike. Just accept it as one of his quirks -- like the time he let a banana peel bake in the summer heat on the roof of his car. He just wanted to see how rotten it would get.

Eric McCormack has braced himself for the kind of comparisons "Trust Me," his new series, is getting.

With his commanding British voice and confident demeanor, Ian McKellen isn't intimidated easily, but he'll admit that playing King Lear was tough. It caused him to ponder his own mortality.

Zach Braff sees his "Scrubs" character as the antithesis of most TV leads.
"So many guys on TV are the cool stud who gets all the girls," says Braff of the nerdy J.D. "He does get some pretty ladies but he's kind of a goofy guy.
"And a lot of people can relate to that."

Bless Dick Clark's heart.
The world's oldest teenager is now 79, but still manages to stay up late every Dec. 31.
His New Year's Eve special will welcome the arrival of 2009 with the Jonas Brothers, Taylor Swift, Lionel Richie, Natasha Bedingfield, Fall Out Boy, Jesse McCartney, Ne-Yo, Pussycat Dolls, Solange and Robin Thicke.

Bless Dick Clark's heart.
The world's oldest teenager is now 79, but still manages to stay up late every Dec. 31.
His New Year's Eve special will welcome the arrival of 2009 with the Jonas Brothers, Taylor Swift, Lionel Richie, Natasha Bedingfield, Fall Out Boy, Jesse McCartney, Ne-Yo, Pussycat Dolls, Solange and Robin Thicke.

How can you not be in the Christmas spirit with what the tube has to offer in the next week?
Just to name a few shows:
CBS has "A Home For The Holidays," at 8 p.m. EST Tuesday, featuring artists such as Faith Hill, Kristin Chenoweth and Gavin Rossdale calling attention to the need for adoption in our country.