It's finally Friday, marking the end of a very busy week for me (including the Mark Twain Prize honoring George Carlin at the Kennedy Center Monday and the Quantum of Solace screening last night) but it's also just the beginning of a big weekend, starting with tonight's Roast for Spina Bifida, featuring Stephen Colbert, which we told you about yesterday. I can't wait to see what Rahm Emanuel and the other roasters have to say to Colbert. Then I'm off to Baltimore for the Notre Dame-Navy football game. I'll keep who I'm cheering for to myself, though, as my father (an IU fan) is appalled by my choice.

As I just mentioned, I saw Quantum of Solace last night, which I imagine many people will be seeing this weekend. My reaction to the film was a very neutral "eh." It's full of the requisite (and awesome) car chases and fight scenes -- one in an Opera house is particularly fun to watch -- but it's simply not as much fun as previous Bond films. Daniel Craig's Bond spends the whole movie in a sort of funk: He's trying to get over the heartbreak of losing his one true love (played by Eva Green in Casino Royale). The problem is, though, that we don't want to see a pining-over-loves-lost Bond. We want to see a suave, smooth and fully-in-control Bond. If nothing else, this film is enjoyable to watch and very clearly sets up for the next installment.

I'm more of a Nintendo 64 Mario Kart enthusiast myself, but PlayStation 3's new game, LittleBigPlanet, has caused quite a stir, and we've got a story about it in the magazine this weekend. In it, you can create any type of creature you want, and, even better, the makers of the game developed a special USA WEEKEND level, so you can explore your way through our office and see some of the actual WEEKENDers.

Speaking of games, I've recently become addicted to the online version of Blokus — it's a strategy game where you get points for placing your colored pieces in the best positions. Just make sure you've got some free time before you start playing — I killed an hour and half without even noticing the first time I played earlier this week.

And there are a few stars who will probably be celebrating their new jobs at NBC this weekend: Hilary Duff signed a deal to star in her own show and guest star on some of the network's current shows, and Abby Elliot and Michaela Watkins (at right) just signed on as the newest comedians on Saturday Night Live.

(Quantum photo courtesy MGM; Watkins photo by Mary Ellen Matthews/NBC)