Well we're down to five candidates for Playboy's "Sexiest Sportscaster" Award for 2008, and I think those of you interested in this sort of thing will be pleased. And your five finalists are! Erin Andrews, Bonnie Bernstein, Charissa Thompson, Lauren Shehadi and Molly Sullivan. From the Bunny (SFW) via Fanhouse....

Talk about tough choices. It’s time to pick America’s Sexiest Sportscaster out of these five skilled and stunning finalists.

There’s the lovely Erin Andrews of ESPN, perhaps best known for her NCAA basketball coverage. Andrews won Playboy’s Sexiest Sportscaster in 2008—can she repeat?

ESPN’s second finalist is the beautiful and talented Bonnie Bernstein, who’s been with the Worldwide Leader since 2006 and recently had stints with the network’s Sunday Night Baseball and SportsCenter shows.

Also making the cut is relative sportscasting newcomer Lauren Shehadi, who joined CBSSports.com just this past summer. Previously, she was a reporter for North Dakota’s KX News, where her skills and girl-next-door charm clearly caught the eye of the network giant. Apparently, Playboy voters agreed.

Fox Network’s rising star Charissa Thompson notched a berth in the last round of voting. When this knockout is not joking around with John Salley on the Best Damn Sports Show Period, she roams college football sidelines reporting for the Big Ten Network.

Rounding out this fab five is Molly Sullivan of the MountainWest Sports Network. This former North Carolina Tar Heel swimmer trained for the Olympics before an injury sent her in pursuit of a reporting career. She currently covers UNLV sports for MTN.

The winner will be announced on February 12th, and while I'm almost positive that Internet darling, Erin Andrews, will win the thing, I urge you to try and mix things up this year. Let's try and get someone else some press this year, how about Charissa Thompson?

Sexiest Sportscasters of 2009 Narrowed to 5, Erin Andrews Still Around (Fanhouse)
The Field's Down To Five, Who's The Hottest? (Playboy)

Game: The Allstate Sugar Bowl
Teams: Utah Utes (6-6) vs. Alabama Crimson Tide (9-4)
Location: New Orleans, Louisiana, Superdome
Start Time: 8PM EST (FOX)
Network and Announcers: Kenny Albert, Daryl Johnston, Charissa Thompson, Chris Myers
Favorite: Alabama (-10)
AA's Pick: Alabama 20 - Utah 12

Everyone is aware of Charrisa Thompson at this point right? She has been dubbed by some as the heir apparent to the sideline crown, once Erin Andrews' 15-minutes is up, and she is seemingly much better at answering questions. She responded to a few for Randball today, and the results were pretty awesome....

Randball: Has there been a defining moment so far in your career when you knew that you had “arrived” in a sense?

Charissa Thompson: In New York, it was August or September, and we did an NFL seminar, with all the guys from the NFL. One night we went out and did a team bonding deal at a bowling alley. There were executives, along with guys like Howie Long and Michael Strahan, and we were all bowling, and I looked around, and it was a moment where I learned to appreciate exactly what I was doing. … And a moment on Best Damn when Dr. J. showed up. I thought, “I’ve been given the opportunity to do this for a living.”

RB: We’re in the Internet era, and we’re also in an era where sideline reporters seem to be somewhat of a phenomenon — Erin Andrews and so on. Does it make you more cautious or aware of what you’re doing?

CT: You’d be lying to say you don’t care about those things … there is some ignorance out there and people can say whatever they want. (Someone wrote), “Adult film star is now a Fox reporter.” My name, if you Google it, is the same (as that of an adult film star). It’s ignorance. But … I don’t have to like everybody. Everyone is entitled to an opinion.

RB: What role does apperance play in your field?

CT: You’d be lying if you said it didn’t matter. Two weeks ago, I dyed my hair from blonde to brown, and it was unbelievable how much attention it caused. In dying my hair, I realized how much perception is emphasized in looks. It was a good case study to figure out how you’re looked at. (Appearance) is a foot in the door. Everyone needs a little luck, to show the potential you have.

The other thing you need to know about Charissa is that she's pretty good at her job. She covers every single Sport and rarely ever stops working. Oh and yes....she's very attractive as well. Keep an eye out for her working with either the team of Sam Rosen and Tim Ryan for NFL coverage, Thom Brennaman and Charles Davis on the BTN or on the BDSSP.

Friday (Charissa Thompson) edition: Wha’ Happened? (Randball)
Charissa's Hair is Black! (Central Maine)

Charissa Thompson is one of the huge winners in the Best Damn Sports Show Period shakeup, and she'll be on the sidelines along with Chris Meyers and Pam Oliver. Thompson spent last year on as a sideliner for the Big Ten Network's number one team with Thom Brennan and Charles Davis and most recently is the lone reporter for BDSSP. From USA Today....

Correspondent Charissa Thompson has been the winner from the latest on-air talent shake-up at Fox Sports Net's Best Damn Sports Show Period. The show's decision not to renew the contracts of former co-hosts Rob Dibble and Rodney Peete has given more air time to Thompson who now sits front and center with remaining co-hosts John Salley and Chris Rose on the set of the late-night show ( 11 p.m. ET, Monday-Friday). She'll also join Pam Oliver and Chris Myers as sideline reporter for the NFL on Fox this season. "Charissa can play to many fields. She's been a reporter and really knows sports," says BDSSP producer John Entz. "She's smart and quick."

Thompson is definitely smart and quick (also very attractive which doesn't hurt) and hopefully she'll add some energy to a FOX team of sideline reporters that can be seen as rather boring at times. Also mentioned in the article is the fact that FOX is going to be doing a BDSSP episode around legendary Sportscasters in the coming weeks. I'll pass on the particulars once I get more information.

As far as the BDSSP, the once rumored to be axed show is much improved and it's new direction actually makes it rather tolerable and occasionally enjoyable. If they are keeping the show than this is definitely a step in the right direction.

'BDSSP' shake-up (USA Today)