'Survivor 13: Cook Islands' - East Coast Update - Parting Shot

Not sure if this is the AOL/Gold Rush clue or not. The parting shot could be "My torch may be out, but my flame is still burning."

Nothing odd or nasty happened at the TC and Sekou exited well.

'Survivor 13: Cook Islands' - East Coast Update 9/14 - Tribal Council

Sekou is the first person voted out.

The tribe has spoken.

'Survivor 13: Cook Islands' - East Coast Update - Tribal Reward/Immunity

The challenge is for both Immunity and Reward (fire). The first tribe to complete gets Immunity and a fire-making kit. The next two get Immunity and a flint.

Puka (Asian) wins the challenge.
Aitu (Latino) wins 2nd place.
Raro (Caucasian) wins 3rd.

Hiki (African-American) lost.

Tribal Council going home.

Losing tribe can pick one person from any of the other tribes to spend to Exile Island for two nights. One bag of water, machete, pot. There is a hidden Immunity Idol there.

Jeff noticed the two men on the team decided who would go, not the women.
"Karma is a Bizzle," mumbled Nathan. At least that's what it sounded like he said - clue to AOL/Gold Rush.

They chose to send Jonathan to Exile Island for stealing Yul's chicken.

Tonight's 'Survivor 13: Cook Islands' Blogging

The show will be beginning in a few minutes here. As I have done in the past, I'll be posting East Coast Updates for major events as they happen here. In addition, I'll be watching for the two clues on tonight's show for the AOL/Gold Rush game and get them posted.

Then, sometime later this evening, I'll post a recap/review.

I invite you all to comment, party in the comments section and... Survivors ready?

We sure are!

'Big Brother 7: All Stars' - Reflections On A Season And A Finale

I've said it before with other reality shows - I'm not too keen on "All Star" seasons and I often really don't want to see people I've previously watched competing once again. Okay. That said, the hook for this season for me (other than the fact that I'm a Big Brother addict) was Will Kirby. A Big Brother All Stars version had to have him or I couldn't consider it "All Stars." In his season, I rooted for him. In this season, I sat back and marvelled at his ability to charm and manipulate his way through the crowd.

Sure, it was so cool to see Chicken George once again and I didn't see enough of Nakomis. I personally could have done without seeing Diane, Erika or Mike Boogie at all. Several of the players fell in the middle for me. I understand why they were chosen, but they weren't my season favorites -- Jase, James, and Alison. While I think Kaysar is probably a great guy, he's not a schemer and it showed with his lackluster performance on the show this season.

Then there's Danielle, a woman I thought was only second to Dr. Will in gameplay. I was disappointed with her choice of allies and a few personal errors she made this season. She could have done so much better. Howie imploded this season. He was never a real strong player, more of a follower. Alas, his adolescent ways overcame him. I have seen him tender and thoughtful to others, but he let rage rule too much this season and it cast a bad light on him. Marcellas, once funny, seemed bitter and unhappy all season. Janelle, the buxom blonde America's Choice, played competitions so well, but fell flat whenever she had to make a decision albeit making it to the Final Four through her talent at winning competitions. Kudos to her.

But the cast is what it is, or for that matter, was what it was. I personally think that if not for the Will/Janelle Show and the Chill Town phone segments, this season wouldn't have any entertainment substance at all. The competitions were run-of-the-mill, the house had no excitement, no America's Choices per se, no luxury comps or cool doings. Compared to past seasons, these houseguests got diddley-squat. I don't know why, but they did. Again, it was up to the PuppetMaster to keep the season lively. And, he did. Thank you, Dr. Will.

The season itself had a few really dull weeks in its start as the houseguests sat around and talked of past seasons. Yawn. Once it went constantly topsy-turvy with the sides switching power, the POVs being used, alliances mixing, Chill Town using them all... it became intriguing. And, to whom can we credit that? I'd say Will Kirby. With the exception of the final two, I'd have to say the season was a success through fate alone... and Will. I just never liked Mike Boogie and Erika always seemed like more of a non-entity than a player to me.

But, I think the producers seriously have to examine some of the areas in which they fell short this season. If next season with new unknowns has the same boring days and nights, it will fall on its face. This season, it was dependent on the houseguests' personalities and past showing to make it. That won't cut it next season... and barely cut it this season. This season they concentrated too much on sensationalism and humiliation of the houseguests when all else failed.

While the show itself is one built for trickery and deceit, I personally don't care for the "mean" factor we saw when folks were evicted and in the finale itself when Mike Boogie's ways were exposed to Erika. Yes, they have to find out sometime. And, no, I don't care much for Erika, but that was almost to the point of cruelty on national television.

I realize that Big Brother isn't a huge cerebral kind of show, but they took it a step closer to the World Weekly News tabloid of TV shows when they do that sort of thing. It's all about sensationalism and I don't think that's why I enjoy the show at all. I actually enjoy watching folks interact with strangers. I enjoy seeing a Dr. Will use charisma to charm while telling folks he's lying all the time. I liked the days when the houseguests had no clocks, had no automatic washing machines, yet got luxuries in competitions that they really appreciated unlike the Will Farrell movie which, if memory serves, was the only luxury comp this season.

It's time for the producers to analyze what this season would have been if not for the personalities of the houseguests. It's time for them to step back from sensationalizing the show and go back to the more simple, non-cruel ways of strangers in a house.

My favorite part of the finale was watching Danielle smile through the Will/Mike Boogie phone call segments, including the one in which they talked about evicting her. You could see admiration for a game well-played in the eyes of all the jurors as they watched the phone call bits. That was "good television." And, of course, I credit Will... not his sidekick.

I also enjoyed Jase admitting there was a Mr. and Mrs. Smith alliance via a phone call blurb to Diane. Of course, that was a bit overshadowed by Chill Town.

The vote of 6 to 1 for the Mike Boogie win didn't surprise me at all. Will (of course) proved he's the Ultimate PuppetMaster and even said so. Yes, Mike turned on the gameplay and he proved he can win comps, but in the end... he's Will's sidekick. I personally don't care if he thinks he's not. Will could have done well in the show on his own, but Mike wouldn't have been there if not for Will and certainly wouldn't have won.

So, what's next? I'm sure to be watching next season, but hope the producers don't follow their same ways they did with this season. Will Janelle and Will get together? I haven't a clue, but I loved watching their flirtmance as it played out. They were like kids flirting and it was even kind of innocent and sweet. Will Erika go out with Mike? I doubt it. She's been used, abused and tossed to the side by Mike Nasty. I don't like her and I wouldn't have allowed myself in those shoes, but I can't imagine how horrified she is after going through that humiliation live on national television. Feh to Mike Boogie. He won, but in the long run... you reap what you sow. I'd personally rather be known for being a decent human being, not a user of others.

As for the blog this season, I've had a great time. This blog tied with last season's blog readership at around a half-million hits. I especially want to thank Sandy at AOL Television for linking the blog on promotional pages even though I moved on from the AOL Journals product. AOL Television rocks! And, of course, I want to thank Zoetawny for another season of cool graphics! A few folks wondered about us... we've never met in person. Zoetawny is West Coast, I'm East Coast. We "met" while I was hosting AOL Message Boards as a volunteer Community Leader there and she was a board poster. We're both still on AOL and involved on various show boards although I'm not hosting them any longer. Now that all the feeds are over, I'll have more time for the boards again!

And, most of all, I want to thank the readers and commenters here for making this blog the success it is. While the donations many made are certainly appreciated (and put to good use), if not for the community which developed in the comments area, this blog wouldn't be the success it is. I hope many of you stick around for other show blogging right here. I enjoy having you around!

Thank you all! And, yes... I still owe people email, I know! I ended up falling asleep last evening after the show and ended up sleeping until just when Mike Boogie, Erika and Julie Chen were on The Early Show. Thankfully, I'm off from work today as I tend to have Wednesdays off. If not, I would have had to explain to my boss that I like my bed better than my job! But, it was so nice to sleep and not worry about missing what was going on with the live feeds.

'Big Brother 7: All Stars' - East Coast Finale Show Update - Winner of America's Choice

Janelle and James also voted for Mike.

Janelle won the $25,000 America's Choice.

Erika is relieved it's over.

And... it's OVER.

'Big Brother 7: All Stars' - East Coast Finale Show Update - Winners

The votes:
Marcellas - Erika
Howie - Mike
Danielle - Mike
George - Mike
Will - Mike

Mike won, the rest of the votes? Dunno right now. Erika doesn't look too happy.

Will and Mike happy dance/hug.

Commercial

'Big Brother 7: All Stars' - East Coast Finale Show Update - Revelations

The evicted return (not jury). They've watched it all. Kaysar's hair has grown in, but it's not fluffy. He reveals to Janelle that someone came in with a chip on his shoulder, look behind you. George, Not me? James! He exposes James! All the bad stuff he said about Janelle. Janelle not really surprised... he's a bit of a whiner. James - I won't get personal, fusses about the Jase eviction again. Janelle accepts.

Jase - First honorary member of Chill Town. Mike/Will... Diane and Jase - they're mocking CT phone calls. Brrrrinnng - There WAS a Mrs./Mr. Smith alliance! Jase credits Will as best player. Damielle hooted at the calls including her own eviction. The jury loves the calls!

Nak thinks that Janelle and Will should be the final two.

Alison - Tells Erika she was played all summer long. They bring Mike/Alison to the plasma screen. She told Erika she hopes that Erika uses the money to buy some dignity. Film clips of Mike/Erika. Ah the Erika is a HO to America line. Erika, says she's sitting in the final two, we played each other.

Important announcement... America's Choice for the 25,000 next, and winner of BB7.
James gave Janelle a "she wins everything look" while Janelle called out Chicken George with a smile.

'Big Brother 7: All Stars' - East Coast Finale Show Update - Jury Vote

The jury has to put a key in for their choice like eviction. One statement without revealing vote...

1. Marc - Nothing personal, based on my question.
2. Howie - Howie, nasty comments about Boogie bullying and owning restaurants. Erika, I still love you but I think America hates you.
3. Danielle - Strategy, winning comps, devotion, floating.
4. George - biggest crowd reaction so far. Talks about the difference between his season... give money to the player who needed the most? No, best game.
5. Will - Nickname - For one last time, you can call me the PuppetMaster.
6. Janelle - Biggest crowd reaction - Voted for best player, not personal.
7. James - Came to both for help, voted for the one who played best.

Now that the votes are cast, Diary Room revealed... all the previous HG return after commercial.

'Big Brother 7: All Stars' - East Coast Finale Show Update - Questioning

Marcellas - Strategically best move -
Erika - Convincing Janelle to evict Will
Mike - Aligning with Janelle and keeping her around.

George -Mike - Love of your loves - Will you ask Erika's hand in marriage in the live show like you did Krista.M - No
Erika, you kept whispering in my ear and telling me I'm safe...
Erika - Had to choose Mike over him.

Will - Phone call... silliness.

Janelle - Erika, kissing butt and throwing comps your strategy?
Erika - Said she'd have taken her to F2.

James - Erika - Likens strategy to Alison's which she hated. How was she different?
Defensive, had to.

Danielle - Erika/Was it your decision or Chill Town's to get rid of me? Erika claims it was her.
Mike - Justify yourself, you were my Jason. He doesn't apologize

Howie - Mike - Bro's before Ho's? Mike said he should get credit because no one would have nominated him (Howie).

Their last pleas:
Erika - Couldn't go after PuppetMaster because he was too connected. I got Janelle and in pure PuppetMaster form, I had his best friend put him up and his girl put him out.

Mike - I lied to all of you. Vote like all stars and reward my gameplay.

Welcoming the jury live now...

Jury votes next

'Big Brother 7: All Stars' - East Coast Finale Show Update - Jury Talk

Recap, recap...

Mike thinks he played "virtually a perfect game."

Mike is wearing something which screams Zoot Suit to me.

The jurors set up in the yard. They're trying to figure who the last arrival to the jury will be. Marcellas wants NOT to see Janelle. Janelle arrived, tiara and red slinky dress. She's telling them about the HOH. Will said Erika threw it, and backstabbed Janelle. Now they're talking about the difference between floaters and multiple alliances. Danielle points out that she (Erika) just did the same thing as Mike did. Janelle is speaking up for Mike.

Danielle is coming across very strong. Will, of course, speaks highly of Mike's game. Janelle said Chill Town played a better game. Will said Erika disgusts him. Marcellas is disgusted by the boys. Willl still likes to ask and answer his own questions. Howie thinks Erika played the strongest game. George said Erika did well by whispering in everyone's ear and they believed them. Marcellas said that Mike had Will for his own gameplay. Danielle asks that the vote isn't made personal.

The jury has only seen comps and, until this (taped) scene with them, they haven't talked about the show.

'Big Brother 7: All Stars' - Live Feeds Report - Tuesday 9/12

Last feeds report of the season! Last feeds report about watching Mike Boogie and Erika wallowing about the BB House!

Here are today's events from that Big Brother House of Should Have Ended Four Days Ago:

• Erika and Mike Boogie got up early... noon, their time.
• They know they're scheduled to go on The View tomorrow and have talked about it the past few days. Mike is now worried his ear(s) will give him a problem flying.
• Erika mentioned that she thinks they're the most injury-prone two in the house. I think that the whole house was more injury-prone than any other season.
• Erika mumbled that she looks like a stick figure. Yep, she does!
• They packed more things, including their keys.
• Mike exercised, Erika puttered about and shaved her legs.
• They're both a bit antsy about tonight. I'm not.
• Mike said that Janelle had no morals even though she was always reading the Bible. [Editor's note: @@ Can I get an eyeroll? Mike said someone else has no morals? Check.]
• That's about it. The feeds are blocked as we get closer to the show.

As usual, I'll be posting East Coast Updates as the show airs here.

I'll be addressing some questions in comments/email a bit later tonight after the show. I'm not ignoring you! Really!

'Big Brother 7: All Stars' - Live Feeds Report - Monday Evening and Overnight Into Tuesday 9/12

Mundane. Tedious. Non-earthshaking.

Here are the events of the evening and overnight hours from that Big Brother house of the Deceitful and the Deceited:

• Mike Boogie misses his mother. [Editor's note: She lives in New Hampshire, he in California. He should always miss her, right?]
• Now Erika says she's not going to win. When Mike asked if it was because of Janelle, she said no. Janelle is just jealous. [Erika said that, not me!]
• Once again, Big Brother gave them wine and beer.
• Erika told Mike Boogie that if he wins, she will be happy for him. All he said was, "Back at ya."
• Erika told Mike that his "character" (for the season) was the lead character, funny, life of the party.
• Erika talked about her casting work on Survivor and spoke highly of the castaways (not the new upcoming ones, past seasons).
• They both think tons of people will swarm them. [Editor's note: @@ Roll those eyes!]
• Mike's ear is still bothering him.
• They showered together in bathing suits.
• They asked for and received movies to watch, which led to blocked feeds for us.
• They're now asleep.

'Big Brother 7: All Stars' - Live Feeds Report - Monday 9/11 Through The Afternoon

One more day and it's all over! I just saw a commercial for tomorrow night's show and they said (paraphrasing) that Erika will find out how Mike really is. So, it could be worthwhile. Too bad I don't like Erika or Mike much at all. Um. None at all. Make them both go away!

I want to address a few questions from the comments area:

The number to cancel the live feeds is 866-212-1343 - make sure you get a confirmation number or something to back it up. You have to call, it can't be done online.

A few folks asked if I had a P.O. Box. I ask that they send me an email (not in the comments area) to this address: jackiestvblog@gmail.com

The amount of money the houseguests receive was in question, too. Each week that they're in sequester (pre-season and jury) or in the house, the figure I've heard for a stipend is a net (not gross) amount of $2,000 for the All Stars season. The houseguests have it figured out if they last through the jury, they'll earn $30,000 gross. That's not in addition to the stipend - it IS the stipend money. The second place winner wins $50,000 and the winner $500,000.

Someone asked about tomorrow night's show schedule (yes, I'll blog the show here as it airs in the East) - it's an hour-long show, starting at 8 PM ET/PT in most areas.

Some were also wondering about my Survivor blogging - that will be done right here on this blog, as well as The Amazing Race and Lost. I have the Survivor posts in gear already with a show introduction and tribe information in these entries -- Looking at the Tribes: Part One, Looking at the Tribes: Part Two, Looking at the Tribes: Part Three and Looking at the Tribes: Part Four. I hope to see show fans there getting involved as we all notice different things and bring our own perspectives to the shows. But, you needn't change links or move to a new blog - it'll all be right here!

Finally... here's what happened today so far in that Big Brother House of The Unchosen:

• That had to be a movie marathon last night as the feeds returned around 6:30 AM ET (3:30 their time) to a sleeping in the big bed Mike Boogie and Erika.
• They were finally up about 1 PM (their time).
• Erika made half-hearted attempts at cleaning while Mike tried to figure if the feeds were live or not. Erika told him that they were like an old married couple not talking - even after five years with Josh, they always talked.
• Erika mumbled to herself that while she loves that guy (ew!), he's moody. [Editor's note: Wait to see how much she loves him tomorrow. I could burst into song... "Tonight you're mine completely, you give your love so sweetly, but will you still love me tomorrow?"]
• Erika is still having trouble with the rib she broke early in the season.
• Mike worked out.
• While Mike said it was "poetic that Will left under his (Mike's) HOH reign, Erika tried to get him to admit that Will's eviction was all her doing.
• He told her that it wasn't; it was Janelle's doing. She told him she got Janelle to do it.
• They talked about what to wear, producers and other things - nothing really exciting.

One more day... one more day!

'Big Brother 7: All Stars' - Live Feeds Brief - Overnight Into Monday 9/11

Not a heck of a lot went on last night in the Big Brother house.

Here's the skinny:

• Mike and Erika both napped a bit, not together.
• They got a Scrabble game from Big Brother.
• Mike Boogie made tuna melts and then they played Scrabble. Woohoo.
• Erika is bored. So are we, so are we.
• Erika cried and said something about telling the Diary Room she was suicidal - she really wants out of the house.
• BB gave them a movie to watch set up in the HOH room, so all went to flame/clouds as the feeds were blocked.

'Survivor 13: Cook Islands' - A Look at the Tribes - Part 4

Ah, the last of the four tribes which will hopefully be mixed within a few weeks of the show. While it's good to have a more diverse cast (at last) on the show, I'd rather see folks from varying walks of life work together rather than segregated groups. We'll see what happens soon!

My previous posts in this series are:
Looking at the Tribes: Part One - Looking at the Tribes: Part Two - Looking at the Tribes: Part Three. Each entry explores a tribe within the show with the first part being a bit of an introduction to the season.

This is the last tribe I have to cover (no particular order went into how I listed the tribes - I hit a graphic I made stored away and it was the luck of the draw).

I now present the Hispanic-American (Latino-American would work, too) Tribe:


Ozzy Osbourne, he's certainly not! Ozzy was born in Mexico and has lived in both Central America and seven different U.S. states. He's currently a waiter and previously was a restaurant manager. Balance sports seem to be his thing - surfing, sailboarding, skateboarding, wakeboarding, gymnastics and motorcycle riding. He also has several skills which may come in handy on Survivor - spearfishing, diving to thirty feet, ability to hold his breath underwater for three minutes, camping and outdoors skills. Dang, he looks like a kid, but I think he's going to be very strong in physical challenges. He's single, lives in CA but owns land in Panama, and lives with his German Shepard mix, Buddha... who's also his surfing partner.

Oh, I think I have Ozzy fever!

Cristina is actually a Californian from California! That's unusual! She was born and raised in Santa Monica and grew up in a family of police officers. Her father was shot and killed in an unsolved murder when she was only 12. By the age of 14, she was already making strides to become a police officer herself. She's a police officer in her own city and has done police work for 14 years. She has also done some police-related consultant work for television and received a makeover on Red Carpet Confidential (E!). Cristina was shot in the line of duty on July 4, 2000 and suffered what was likely to be career-ending damage to her left arm. Through dedication and perserverance, she built the arm back and beat all odds.

No mention of a family for Cristina, although the CBS site has a really extensive bio on her. Another strong woman. Castaway men beware.


JP, eh? I always wonder about those "initials" people. Or not. Another native Californian. I was beginning to think all Californians came from New York while writing up the other tribes. JP was born in Santa Monica and grew up in Marina del Rey. He's a professional volleyball player and went to California State University (Lon Beach) on a full volleyball scholarship. He's coached Junior Olympic teams and is the co-director of the all-girl Mizuno Long Beach Volleyball Club. I'd say he's a volleyball buff, but is he a sole Survivor?

He could be... he's an avid swimmer and outrigger canoer (canoeist?), loves hiking and running. He occasionally models. He's seen some rough times - his mother passed away when he was 9 and his father recently passed. Both died of cancer and he's involved with cancer-related charities. He lives with his dog Frankie, a Jack Russell Terrier. Move over Ozzy... JP fever may take over!

Cecilia is a Californian from Peru. Well, at least that's different from all the New York Californians. She moved to CA at 15 and learned English at 16. She's a smart one - she secured scholarships at all colleges to which she applied. She chose the University of California, Davis, for her bachelors. She's working as a technology risk consultant, and previously worked as a management consultant. She enjoys photography and says her heroes are her parents who gave up a comfortable life in Peru to make a better life for their children.

I'm not seeing much at all in her CBS bio involving any kind of sports or athletic endeavors on her part.

Hmmm... she seems very smart, but will she have the grit and determination? I don't know.

Oh! A New Yorker residing in New York! Wonders shall never cease. Billy was born in New York, moved to Miami when he was seven, then packed up to move back to NY at the age of 22. He studied karate, judo and wrestling when he was young, but then turned his interest to music. He's currently a heavy metal band guitarist and songwriter (Forsakken), but at one time in 1997, he won a silver medal for amateur wrestling.

From the bio, he seems to be single. I'm not sure how wrestling and judo will translate to Survivor challenges. I want to like Billy. He looks like he might be interesting to watch. But I bet Vegas isn't betting on him for the big win.

'Big Brother 7: All Stars' - Live Feeds Update - Sunday 9/10

Too much time on their hands. What to do? What to do? Well, sleep and brag about what great game players you are! Naturally!

Here are today's events and non-events from the Big Brother House of When Bad Houseguests Go Even Worse:

• Erika slept until nearly 2 PM their time, Mike until 2 PM. Keep in mind, that becomes almost early evening in my time zone. Sheesh.
• They really want to get out of the house. Good. I really want them out of there, too.
• It dawned on Erika that Will's question of her regarding nicknames for him was meant to be answered with "Dr. Delicious."
• Erika thinks the jury members are a bunch of hypocrites.
• Mike thinks Janelle and James both hate Erika.
• Mike thinks he'll win either 6-1 or 5-2. [Editor's note: He might be right.]
• They both think they would have been perfect jury members. [Editor's note: Hey, they also think they're perfect game players.]
• Erika thinks the "others" don't qualify as "all stars." [@@]
• Erika gloated about winning over Janelle.
• Mike Boogie and Erika talked about the Legion of Doom. Erika thinks that was the stupidest name ever for an alliance.
• Mike mentioned today that George asked him if he was going to get engaged on the finale again this time. Heh.
• All of the sequestered houseguests are staying in a local hotel which Mike Boogie was stupid enough to mention to the Internet. [@@]
• Erika is fussing that she wants it all over with.
• So do I.

'Survivor 13: Cook Islands' - A Look at the Tribes - Part 3

Yes, the time is almost here! On Thursday, 8 PM ET/PT in most viewing areas, it's the premiere of the new Survivor season. I'm slowly getting to talking about all 20 castaways and, since they decided to break the tribes down by race or ethnicity... or even culture, as some say... it makes it easier for me to split the introductions, as well. Twenty is many too many to introduce in a single blog entry. And, I fear, too many for me to ever remember!

I made some initial series thoughts and introduced the Asian-American tribe members here --> Looking at the Tribes: Part One. Then I introduced the Caucasian-American tribe here --> Looking at the Tribes: Part Two. When I've written the last of the tribes, I'll make sure to link them all together in each entry so the information is easily connected.

In this entry, I'll be exploring the African-American tribe.


Nathan, though listed as from Los Angeles, was born in Staten Island (NYC borough) and attended school in San Diego. Interesting... he started studying violin at the age of 8. He's into hip-hop and aspires to be a professional musician. Currently, he's a shoe salesman with a national retailer as well as working for a NYC-based urban clothing line.

He likes basketball, sushi and Chinese food and resides in Playa del Rey, CA. I can't help but note that this aspiring musician shares a birthday with Mick Jagger. (I only remember because it was my own mother's birthday.) Hmmm... two of the three things he loves are foods. No mention of any sports background, per se.

I hope he's entertaining, but I don't know about his chances as the sole Survivor.

Now, here's a castaway with show-business ties... and even a previous Survivor tie-in! Rebecca has been a professional make-up artist for 15 years and is most recognized for her work on The View. Yep! She's still employed by them and does the make-up for previous Survivor castaway, Elisabeth Hasselbeck.

Y'know, reading her bio, she so sounds like someone I'd honestly really like as a person. She collects music and works to rescue stray cats. She enjoys dancing and tennis and loves her family. She's single with two cats, Blinky and Pooky.

What are her chances on the show? I don't know. She sounds like too nice a person to be in what can be a cut-throat environment.

Sekou is yet another Californian born and raised in New York. He's currently a jazz musician and recording artist, but has always been creative. At the age of seven, one of his paintings was displayed at the NY Museum of Art. He also started dancing young and was one of the original breakdancers coming out of the Bronx. He's recorded with and played with too many artists for me to list here, but they run the gamut from Michael Jackson to Paul Anka to Ice Cube and beyond. He has also performed on musical scores for many movies.

While it's obvious that Sekou really thrives with creativity, he's no athletic slouch. He enjoys basketball, raquetball and lifting weights. He has three children, one step-daughter, a fiancee and is a grandfather of two. Whoops... you can change his age to 46. As I post this, his birthday was yesterday.

How will he do? While age sometimes is a detractor, I have to think of folks like Tom Westman. If Sekou is indeed in as good shape as he seems to be, he looks like a very strong competitor.


What? Another Stephannie? Well, this one has Flavor! (I couldn't resist.) We could very well have, albeit with a different spelling, another tough woman Steph on our hands here. She's an Army veteran who served in the Desert Storm. She already has her business degree, but is studying nursing. She likes volleyball, dancing, singing and jogging. She really enjoys gospel music, in particular.

She's married to her high school sweetheart and they have two children and one dog.

I think we have another strong competitor here. A lot will depend on her personality, I'm sure. But I want to see how this Stephannie plays the game, don't you?


Rounding out the tribe is Sundra, another Californian born and raised in NYC (Queens, this time). She's an actress currently paying the bills as a cocktail waitress. (Now, this is more of the background we're used to on reality shows!) She likes dancing, traveling, kung fu and capoeira (huh?). She enjoys snuggling with her young son and watching movies. Her sports are running and boxing. She seems to be single, lives with her son and her beta fish, appropriately named Beta.

I don't know.

She's pretty. She's an aspiring actress. Can she be a strong competitor?

Well, she might out-do Nathan, but I think that on her own team, she could be the possibly the weakest candidate for the win. Maybe she'll surprise me... who knows?

'Big Brother 7: All Stars' - Live Feeds Report - Saturday 9/09 Overnight Into Sunday

Suppose they gave a television show finale and no one came?

The Internet sentiment regarding the finale is the lowest, most negative I've seen over the years of the show. Even last year's unpopular final two were more popular than this season's "All Stars."

Here are the events of yesterday and the overnight hours from that Big Brother House of Diasappointment:

• The daytime itself was lacking much noteworthy - they burned a pot of something on the stove, Erika talked to herself how she took out the brains of Chill Town, Mike napped, they smooched a bit.
• Mike said the Diary Room asked him if Will and Kaysar had a deal where Will would be evil and Kaysar good. He said that was crazy.
• There. Now you know the daytime hours happenings. It was the evening that became a bit intriguing.
• We could hear the voices, but the feeds themselves were showing Erika sitting alone at a table. The jury was in the house, or outside the house. They had microphones, anyway.
• Howie aparently had gas, Marcellas claimed he wouldn't miss that at all. George giggled. Danielle said she didn't want to go first.
• Will's voice told everyone to "stress down" and make it look as if they were angry.
• George said something about James' expressions never change.
• Howie wanted to urinate in the bushes, but was told to wait - they'd let them inside soon.
• The feeds were then blocked for more than a few hours as the jury questioned the final two.
• Mike thought they would have a more clear idea about how the jury vote would go after the Q&A period, but he's not sure. He said that one of the "fencesitters" was Janelle and she "went the other way." Erika said she never really thought she "had Janelle." [Editor's note: Hmmm... Janelle will vote for Erika?]
• James asked Erika something along the lines of: "Why should I vote for you if you deplored Alison's hooking up and flirting, yet you did it?"
• They think the vote will come down to Chicken George.
• Mike thinks the jury are all hypocrites. He said Danielle had no right to question him like she did. He lied to everyone but George and Will. He didn't lie to George because he didn't need to. Danielle asked Erika about "ass-kissing" and throwing comps.
• They said the only juror who "went off" was Janelle. Erika thinks she's jealous. Mike said, "Yeah, because she lost two years in a row." They proceeded to trashtalk Janelle and, to me, it sounds like they might be the ones who are jealous.
• Mike said Howie is a shallow person. [Editor's note: Pot. Kettle. Black.]
• Mike thinks that Howie will vote for Erika while Erika is worried that Howie will be influeneced by Janelle. I'm so confused
• They both think the vote will be very close - a 4-3 which could go either way.
• Big Brother gave them wine.
• Erika thinks that Danielle will vote for her.
• They complained more about Janelle being a "crazy _____."
• Mike told Erika that Janelle is jealous because she (Erika) is the "pretty girl" sitting in the final two. [Editor's note: Gag.]
• Mike told Erika that the jury sounded more hostile to her than to him. She said she noticed, but didn't know why - she was always the "nice girl." [Editor's note: Gag.]
• Mike thinks Will is working on the jury, but doesn't know if he'll be able to influence some of the jurors.
• They each took responsibility for Howie's eviction.
• Apparently they could only hear the jury, couldn't see them.
• They talked about the various alliances in the house - LOD, the Perfect Storm, etc.
• Erika told Mike that she knew he threw the face-morph comp when his time came in so high.
• Mike asked Erika if she was lying to Janelle when she told her she'd take her to the final two. She said no - she would have beat her in the vote (she thinks). If she hadn't let go of the key, Erika was going to throw the comp to her.
• Erika is sure that Janelle would have taken her to the final two over Mike.
• Mike thinks that if Janelle were in the final two, Will would vote for her.
• Erika thinks the whole jury is jealous of them and bitter about not being in the final two.
• They trashtalked Janelle once again. Still. Whatever.
• Alone, Mike asked the camera if he should drop Operation Double Date tonight or save it for the time being. The camera didn't answer.
• Erika told Mike she protected him the entire game. [Editor's note: @@ Eyeroll, please!]
• Erika went on again about how she singlehandedly "took out the brain of Chill Town."
• Mike found that insulting, as he should. [Editor's note: Yes, Will was the brain, but to tell Mike that to his face is a bit mean.]
• They got into a snit. Heehee! Slammed doors, grumbling at/about each other.
• They slept apart. Well, Erika mostly was awake.

There you go. There's trouble in paradise and... you reap what you sow.

Regarding... Stuff

Huh... for those of you not seeing the graphic in my last entry, it should return. I got a notice that I've exceeded my bandwith for the day and access should return after 4 AM ET. Very odd as I've certainly had more traffic to this site than there has been today. It only seems to be affecting the latest animated graphic here, as well as any web pages I've set up using the FTP Space on one of my AOL names.

To respond to a few things in comments:
Of course, folks can stay around commenting! BB is wrapping up and I'll be blogging about The Amazing Race, Survivor and Lost... at a minimum. I'll also be watching for news about Big Brother off season and other television things of interest. All of this will be right here on this blog, so no need to search for my new home. I'll just change the decorations!

I've been asked what I make of the vote on the CBS website, as well as the possiblity that some jurors may not be able to vote due to "escaping" from sequester and talking with the outside world. I don't know. They definitely got out of the house and away from the handlers (show staff monitoring them to make sure they don't talk about the show). That could possibly mean that some jurors are disqualified. Or, perhaps Big Brother thinks they're throwing us a bone. Oh, you get a chance to vote for the winner out of the two losers!

The rumored fight in sequester still has no credible news source (although the escape does).

The question/answer period is supposed to be around 10 PM tonight (ET). I'll try to pick up on their reactions and get them posted. I'd post an update now, but it would be just a few sentences and not worthwhile. So, I'll wait to see what I can pick up a bit later.