After a slow start in Season 5, drag queen Jinkx Monsoon (Jerick Hoffer) finished strong to take the glittery crown in tonight's finale of Logo's "RuPaul's Drag Race."

Also in the running were Pittsburgh's Alaska (Justin Honard) and Roxxxy Andrews (Michael Feliciano), and after about 90 minutes of season recap and a bit of throwing shade, the Seattle sweetheart was announced the winner. Alaska, the only queen who was never in the bottom two all season, was trying to match boyfriend and Season 4 winner Sharon Needles.

Asked by RuPaul if being part of a power couple was a help or hindrance, Alaska noted "I think it's an awesome blessing because I couldn't choose a better person who is so supportive and is always there for me and always believes in me even when I don't believe in myself, and I get to wear all her designer clothes."

Needles, done up in a form-fitting ladies version of the iconic Pee-Wee Herman suit and bowtie, told Alaska "You and me will be the most famous people in reality television from Pittsburgh, next to Abby Lee Miller, of course."

Miller, the star of "Dance Moms," was in the audience. She looked as if she didn't quite get the joke.

Jinkx Monsoon, the "Next Drag Superstar," wins $100,000, a trip, a sickening supply of great cosmetics and a headlining spot on RuPaul's next drag tour. It was an evening of great looks, but there were a few puzzlers. On the up side, Detox was stunning in a shades of grey, looking as if she'd just stepped out of a classic RKO film.

She was a hit, but last night, Roxxxy Andrews was a miss. Week after week she was so stunningly turned out, and yet for the finale looked uncomfortable in a short sequined (or as she might say, 'sequenced') dress. The Kardashian hair didn't help, either.

Alaska, left, was pretty in pink. She put up a good fight this season, with nary a platformed foot out of place. In the end, she and Jinkx Monsoon, who appeared to have similar comedic strengths, helped make this one of "Drag Race's" most humorous runs to the finish.

And ladies and gentlemen, your new Miss Congeniality is Ivy Winters.

I'd forgotten about the beach balls.

Sitting in the front row at a taping of "LIVE With Kelly and Michael" on a recent, rainy spring day in New York City, I was unprepared for the barrage of balls unleashed by audience members sitting in the balcony above us.

Their enthusiasm fueled in part by the excitement of being at a live, on-air broadcast, they were pelting us. From the hosts' desk, Kelly Ripa and guest host Mark Feuerstein of "Royal Pains" were helping shoot confetti into the air.

It was only days later, after I got a chance to view a DVR of the episode, that I noticed in the moments before the confetti shower, Kelly had casually placed a piece of paper over the lip of her coffee cup. So, this must happen a lot.

Thus was the signal for spring fling trivia giveway, a game made even more enticing because the audience has a vested interest. If the home viewer answers correctly, he or she chooses a seat number in the studio and on this day, a young woman won $1,000 worth of Fandango tickets.

Live theater in New York isn't limited to what's on a stage. One has to admire the work and timing behind a program that demands such a high level of charm and energy that early in the morning.

"LIVE," of course, is the latest incarnation of ABC's nationally syndicated morning melange that started with Regis Philbin. Kelly Ripa joined the show in 2001 and last year, after a lengthy period of tryouts with dozens of co-hosts ("I felt like Queen for a Day, every day, for eight months"), was joined by Michael Strahan.

It's a testament to the woman's versatility and sense of humor -- not to mention engery -- that she can appear so unfailingly cheerful. Even in relating her daughter's recent trip to the hospital for a broken arm, she joked about the circumstances (who breaks their arm warming up to play frisbee?).

They were still sweeping up confetti and beach balls during the first commercial break. Six feet, 8 inches-tall Brad Garrett, on to promote his new ABC series, "How to Live With Your Parents For The Rest of Your Life," was the first guest.

Standing standing next to Feuerstein and noting it was like "the evolution of the Jew," he dwarfed the others with bear hugs.

During the breaks, the hosts came out and mingled with the crowd. The show's publicist brought Kelly over to say hello, as well as executive producer Michael Gelman. (This later prompted the woman sitting behind me to ask if I were "someone important." Ha ha, no madame, I am merely a journalist).

My colleague, Sharon Eberson, got a laugh out of that.

Singer Nick Lachey later came on to sing a lullaby he'd written in honor of his son. Against a backdrop of baby home movies, as well as a backdrop of cooing from the women in the audience, the show was winding down.

There are many times when the so-called magic of television goes poof when you peek behind the curtain. But in the case with "LIVE," they do a pretty good job of translating the excitement of being in the studio to veiwers at home.

And you don't even have to duck the beach balls.

After his untimely death in 1987, Andy Warhol was buried near his parents' graves in St. John the Baptist Byzantine Catholic Church in Bethel Park. Yes, the irony hasn't been lost on any of us. As Warhol Museum director Eric Shiner once said "Ironic... that the arbiter of taste and style and art of the 20th Century is laid to rest in an otherwise very mundane graveyard."

I grew up less than a five-minute drive away, in Castle Shannon, and reside there today. So it surprises people when I tell them that in all that time, despite passing the graveyard at the corner of Route 88 and Connor Road perhaps three or four times a week, I had never stopped to pay homage to Andy.

Until yesterday. His grave was easy to find, particularly since fans have been leaving little tributes for decades. A local artist, Madelyn Roehrig, reportedly visits daily, and chronicles her "conversations with Andy" on this website.

Left at St. John's on this particular sunny day was a plastic magenta folder, the contents of which I presume are private, so I let it be. There were also a plastic bottle of Heinz ketchup, some painted rocks, a candle, a few toys and little rubber lizards.

I'd considered planting some flowers I'd purchased at Giant Eagle a few days earlier, but in the end, taking away instead of leaving behind would be my gift.

The daffodils that probably looked great a week earlier were no longer in bloom, and I took it upon myself to deadhead them. After shooting a few photos (actually, 26) I began to walk back to my car. I'd noticed a bunch of bird droppings over the dark polished surface of Andy's tombstone. It just made me sad.

So, back to the car, where I keep a packet or two of the sort of antibacterial wipes germophobes such as I tend to collect. A bit of scrubbing, and I was back on the road.

Incidentally, while "mundane" probably describes most graveyards, Andy has a great view. Certainly, the rush of cars from the nearby roads drifts up, but there's also a lovely view of a tree-lined hillside straight ahead.

Look! Up in the sky! It's a bird, it's a plane! It's Superman! And while you're at it, check out those low, low prices.

In a move billed by the participants as a Hollywood first, Walmart, the world's largest retailer, is teaming up with the sure-to-be-a-hit "Man of Steel," in allowing shoppers to purchase tickets for special early screenings of the Warner Bros. film.

Dan Fellman, Warner's president of domestic distribution, told the New York Times that it's just good economics (not to mention advertising. You're reading this, after all):

"You hear these staggering numbers of how many people walk through a Walmart every day, and that gives us an exposure that we really can’t put a dollar number on."

The movie opens June 14 but the tickets purchased at Walmart are good for a June 13 show. In-store sales begin at 8 a.m. May 18 and long lines are expected; check the Walmart site for participating stores. One million tickets will be set aside for the promotion, and shoppers can buy up to four each.

Those purchasing tickets will be able to pre-order "Man of Steel" on DVD or Blu-Ray, and everyone receives a digital comic book by David S. Goyer, the movie's screenwriter.

"Man of Steel" will be screened in traditional 2-D as well as 3-D and stars Henry Cavill as Superman.