Well, I just checked updates and Verizon doesn't have it yet.
Yes it is. US Cellular posted on their facebook page that Froyo would be available for the Mesmerize in March.No it's not.
People had been saying the official Froyo update for the Epic was on its way in October, November, and December. It was perpetually a month away. Finally came out in February.
I expect the same thing for Gingerbread. Late summer if it ever comes out at all.
As for roms, I prefer to just run a rooted, deodexed version of the stock rom. I then remove all the crap apps myself using Root Explorer.
I read on XDA that since this didn't include source code, the likelihood of a Fascinate rom being released any time soon is very small because it was based on the GSM i9000.
I can flash an i9000 rom on my captivate and the only glitch it'll have is a reoriented image and a half working modem, which both could be easily fixed. Isn't it the same of the other phones?