'Image' tribute to Muhammad Ali

Big fat marshmallow, that's your resident Gold Rusher, so frequently moved to tears by myriad forms of media -- weepies like "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button," beautiful songs, those damn Pedigree shelter dog commercials -- that it's a running joke among the friends.

Glad to see that last night during the "40th NAACP Image Awards," we were not alone in reaching for the Kleenex. The cause: Muhammad Ali accepting the President's Award on the 100th anniversary of the iconic group.

Maybe it was the sight of the boxing legend, now racked with Parkinson's disease, sitting in a chair onstage, apparently unable to stand. His wife, Yolanda Williams, spoke for him, and he managed only a shaky wave to the crowd. 

Or maybe it was that scene juxtaposed with clips and images of his long-past dominance in the ring, the in-your-face proud African-American man demeanor of his youth, references to his and Gold Rusher's Kentucky hometown, his travels, his spiritual quest, his interaction with kids around the world, his impact.

So you know, plenty of folks were crying, not just us. Nearly every camera pan to the audience showed someone unable to hold back the waterworks.

And then Jennifer Hudson, recent Grammy winner and four-time Image Award winner last night, launched into a full-throated version of "Impossible Dream."

Watch the video and try to keep it together. We dast you.

Mario Cantone tickles 'Today'

Gee, Hoda Kotb never seems to be having nearly this much fun with Kathie Lee.

Let us suggest comedian/actor/Tony nominee and all-around caustic wise-ass Mario Cantone as a permanent replacement for the often-miserable Gifford on the 18th final hour of "The Today Show."

His reaction this morning to the news that the fake Holocaust memoir from Herman Rosenblat won't be published was priceless (see: Oprah impression). If anyone could possibly find humor in this story, it's Cantone. Bravo, sir!

In other bits today...

Did Mickey Rourke really slam Sean Penn? Background in shorthand: Rourke supposedly sent "an entertainment honcho" a text calling Penn a homophobe and saying he's an average actor who might be no competition at all come Oscar time.

Is any of this sourced, verified or fact-checked? Just because someone at the new grasping-for-attention Tina Brown project, The Daily Beast, says it's true, does that mean it is?

Pick it apart yourselves here and know that plenty of others are doing the same.

Sleep well tonight knowing that "The Terminator" will be safe forever in the annals of celluloid history, thanks to the Library of Congress, which has added 25 movies to its National Film Registry. That brings the total to 500.

Among the others chosen: the World War I drama "Sergeant York" with Gary Cooper, a home movie called "Disneyland Dream" about the opening of the Anaheim park in 1956, and the rednecks-on-a-rampage cautionary tale, "Deliverance," from 1972.

More on the annual rite, along with a look into the decision-making process, here.