'The Amazing Race 11: All Stars' - Ep. 4 -or- Sometimes "Next" Means "Tonight"

Thanks to graphic artist Zoetawny, I have a new image for the TAR entries!


Well, we can't trust Phil Keoghan, we just can't. Last week I mentioned how he opened the show with "who will be eliminated tonight?" This week, it was phrased differently leading me to believe it would probably be a non-elimination leg. After all, we're due one. Ah, but not this week and it was a shocker indeed.

"Eight teams remain. Who will be eliminated next?" (See the difference?)

Rob and Amber, the first-place finishers for the first three legs we've seen so far this season, left the Pit Stop at 6:11am. The last team to arrive at that Pit Stop, Charla and Mirna, left at 8:11am, thus a perfect two hour between first and last place at the starting gate for the new leg.

The teams had to fly to Punta Arenas, Chile, then travel by taxi to find the Lord Lonsdale shipwreck. As they arrived early and had tickets for the earliest flight, Rob and Amber thought to do an online search for the site of the wreck thinking that would give them a head start.

Although the airport scene seemed a bit less than other weeks, we still had to waddle through some drama and trauma. The ChaChas (Oswald and Danny) are determined not to leave their sense of style behind. Mirna thinks she constantly has to "make up for the shortcomings" of her team and that she's the hardest working person running the race. (Can I get an eyeroll here, please?) Mirna doesn't trust the Team Guido (Joe and Bill). Well, duh. They were one of the sneakiest teams ever in their season. Why would anyone trust them? It's just common sense! Silly (and annoying) Mirna.

Although the Guidos tried to get the airport to hold the plane, they didn't make it on the first plane. But, in the end, it didn't really matter as it often doesn't matter in the grand scheme of a leg. However, Uchenna and Joyce were on the same plane as Rob and Amber. Now, Uchenna asked the stewardess to write him directions to the shipwreck. Rob claims the woman gave it to him while Uchenna insists Rob "stole" the note from her. Who's right? I just don't know. But it was Rob who ended up with the note in question and was giggling about it.

The Detour was Magellan-related as he's important to the history of the area. The teams could either Detour It or Sign It. In Detour It teams had to navigate the city by map and compass to find the Nautilus Building where they would receive the next clue. In Sign It teams had to erect a sign post with all of Magellan's stops. The cities didn't have to point the right direction, but all must be spelled right.

That was the beginning of the end for a fan favorite team or one that folks loved to hate. Either way, a team who maked this race more interesting started what would do them in at the end by choosing the wrong task. The teams who chose Navigate It seemed to sail through while the teams choosing Sign It fell further and further behind.

While Uchenna and Joyce, Rob and Amber, and later Charla and Mirna, struggled with the sign task, the ChaChas, Eric and Danielle, and Teri and Ian made it to the next point on the race. They snagged the first charter plane of three leaving three hours apart on their way to Playa Larga in Ushuiai, Argentina. Amber tried to convince Rob to go to the other task, but he was determined. Finally, Romber teamed up with the Beauty Queens (Dustin and Kandice) to do Navigate It. Even Charla and Mirna switched to that after horribly trailing the other teams.

I have to mention how nasty Mirna's treatment of Charla was tonight. That woman is condescending, mean, evil and outright mean to her very own cousin. She creeps me out. I so want her gone.

But, back to the race at hand... Rob, continuing his streak of bad decisions, led the BQ to the wrong building, thus increasing the lead the other teams had on them. As one of the Beauty Queens later said, "Rob and Amber weren't very helpful." Amber teased Rob to admit he was upset because he wanted to come in first again. Rob sheepishly turned to the camera in the cab, "I want to be in first." Aw. They later lied to Charla and Mirna and had all the other teams laughing about it. Alas, the cousins caught up.

After the charter flight, teams had to take boats which left every 20 minutes to the Isle of Redonda or, as it's known, the end of the world. It's a longitudinal thing. After they got to that point, they faced a Roadblock at the local post office. One member of each team had to search through a huge bag of letters for one addressed to their team. The letters were from a team which had raced the race with them in their own seasons.

Blake and Paige wrote a nice note to the ChaChas. Jeremy and Dani, the previous partners of Eric and Danielle, wrote to them. Ian and Teri got a note from Flo and Zach. Frank, who hated the Guidos in their season, wrote to them. Lyn from Bama actually wrote a nice note to the BQ. Susan and Patrick wrote a nice note to Uchenna and Joyce while writing a nasty letter to Rob and Amber. Lance and Marshall wrote to Mirna and Charla.

After the teams found and read out loud their letter to their team mate, they had to find the Pit Stop on foot. It's not a big island, of course. Here's where things got worse for Rob and Amber. Why the heck was he so lackadaisical while going through the mail? He was so sure they could beat Mirna and Charla in a footrace that he didn't even seem concerned. ACK. Sure enough, Mirna and Shmirna found their letter and made it to the Pit Stop before Romber. I repeat... ACK.

Here's the order of arrival to the Pit Stop:

1. Oswald and Danny - they won a trip for two to Maui
2. Eric and Danielle
3. Teri and Ian
4. Team Guido, Joe and Bill
5. Dustin and Kandice
6. Uchennal and Joyce
7. Charla and Mirna
8. Rob and Amber -- Philiminated (sigh)

Although they showed Uchenna helping Charla and Mirna to the mat, I got the feeling that Rob and Amber weren't exactly right on top of them at the finish. I think they were a good bit behind, more than a helping hand to the mat would accomplish.

I'm going to miss Rob and Amber on the race. I've mentioned that neither thrilled me on Survivor, but I liked them as a team on The Amazing Race. I really would like to see Mirna and Charla out of the show. While Rob is entertaining, they're annoying.

Oh, well... it's back to cheering on Oswald and Danny... or even the Guidos. Heck, Teri and Ian. Anyone but Charla and Mirna, mainly due to Mirna.

'The Amazing Race 11: All Stars' - East Coast Update... OMG

The arrival at the Pit Stop:

1. Oswald and Danny'
2. Eric and Danielle
3. Teri and Ian
4. Joe and Bill
5. Dustin and Kandice
6. Uchenna and Joyce
7. Charla and Mirna
8. Rob and Amber -- ELIMINATED.

I'm in shock.

Tonight's 'Amazing Race' Blogging

The show will be starting here on the East Coast in a few minutes. Around 9 PM EDT (ick), I'll post the finish order at the Pit Stop and Philimination or not. Late tonight I'll get a full review/recap up.

It sounds like it should be a good episode just judging by the promos!

Daylight Savings Pants - This Week on 'The Late Show with David Letterman' - Mar. 12-16

Did you "spring forward" an hour? If not, you're going to be an hour out of step with the rest of the world. Me? I've always thought I was more than an hour out of step, but yeah... I messed with my clocks.

After last week's repeats, can we expect a fresh Letterman week ahead of us? Well, at least the first part of the week is fresh. Here's the skinny on the guests we can expect to see:

• Monday, March 12: Chris Rock promoting his new movie I Think I Love My Wife, Sandra Oh from Grey's Anatomy, and Amy Winehouse whose new CD is Back to Black.
• Tuesday, March 13: Jeff Goldblum, Barbara McQueen, and music guest The Good, The Bad, and The Queen (they have a self-titled CD out).
• Wednesday, March 14: Richard Gere promoting The Hoax and music group Aqualung (CD is Memory Man).
• Thursday, March 15: Oh, no! Beware! Beware of the Ides of March! Hmmm... the show's website list the guests as TBA.
• Friday, March 16: Also TBA. I think what we should be aware of is March Madness

The AOL TV Listings are also showing no information for Thursday and Friday evenings, so those shows will be Mystery Pants, I guess. They should be repeats and probably on very late.

TV Newsy Bits - Friday, March 9, 2007

It's Friday, a rather boring television evening for me. So, it was out to a rather late dinner and a return home to peek about the Internet to see what TV Newsy Bits can be found.

Of course, living in NJ, all of the newspapers have abundant Antonella Barba American Idol boot news. I skimmed a few articles and thought they didn't tell me anything I didn't already know. At this point, I'd just as soon forget about her. Now, if I could only forget Sanjaya Malakar.

In other TV Newsy Bits:

• I've been seeing television commercials seeking applicants for Big Brother 8. No, I'm not applying. The application link is available on the CBS website in case you want to apply!
• Rita Verreos, the latest castoff from Survivor 14: Fiji, was interviewed by Buddy TV.
• Alex Angarita, still on the Survivor show, is in deep hot water according to this Reality TV Calendar article. An excerpt: "According to the official complaint he is accused of threat and violence against the police officers. The charges include two felony counts of resisting arrest, one felony count of battery with injury on a peace officer and one misdemeanor count of possession of marijuana." And, as you might remember, he's a lawyer. It sounds like he needs one now.
• Art featured on the show Heroes, painted by character Isaac Mendez on the show, but actually painted by graphic artist Tim Sale, will be auctioned by NBC. The proceeds will be donated to the Epilepsy Foundation.
• In local news around here, the NJ town of Bloomfield has finally given in... the final episode of The Sopranos will be filmed there. They had been holding out because they didn't care for how the show depicted Italian-Americans. However, they found out that they couldn't deny the filming on content. The final scene of the show will be filmed at an ice cream shop in town.

'Survivor 14: Fiji' - Ep. 5 -or- "It's Not Instant Coffee?"

Always so close, then the win slips away. I'm so ready for the merge or something to change this season.

Having the one tribe at such a disadvantage makes them spiral downwards more each episode. Of course, it works to put the fan base solidly in the camp of the wretched, but we can only sit and watch.

Fourteen are left. Who will be voted out tonight?

The show started on Night 11 in the Ravu camp. Since Yau-Man and Earl each know some clues to where the hidden Immunity Idol is from their stays on Exile Island, they decide to work together. Well, Earl volunteered to steer the other tribe members away while Yau-Man tried to dig for the Idol. The main problem is that they have no shovel. In the morning, Earl led the others away on the pretense of looking for fruit. Alas, digging with a machete, Yau-Man tried to find the Idol but was unsuccessful.

The editors of the show make the Moto camp seem even more luxurious with a bouncy musical background. Feh. We join them as the tribe is looking through a book they received in tree mail. It's pictures of rewards they can choose. Each tribe must make two choices. Moto, lacking nothing in the survival goods, decided on coffee and toiletries. Flip back to Ravu and we see Earl speaking practicality. Sure enough, they thought smart by choosing fishing gear and potatoes.

The Reward Challenge was a physical one. Each tribe member had to face-off one at a time with a member from the opposing tribe. They were on a platform in water and had to joust with large padded bags. If his body was as strong as his mouth, Rocky (James, Boston, Whatever) would have taken all of Moto on. But his beef was with Dreamz (Andre, Dre, Whatever). The more I see of Rocky, the more I'm glad I don't know him. Dreamz isn't much better. I wanted them both to fall in, but it turned out Rocky went. Yau-Man actually won his bout. Yikes!

But it wasn't enough for Ravu to win. The rich get richer and Moto won the challenge. Not only did they get their two choices, but it was winner takes all. They also got (more) fishing gear and potatoes. They chose to send Earl to Exile Island. He would return before the Immunity Challenge.

Then it was Drama Time, the gap between Reward and Immunity. Over at Ravu, Rocky was freaking out about how the women were driving him crazy. He must be crazy as he was even confiding in Anthony (who drove him crazy in the last episode). I swear that guy is way too antsy about everyone and everything. He's like a loaded gun walking around.

On Moto, Dreamz throws the coffee in a cup thinking it's instant. Rita was very condescending as she explained how to make coffee. I personally thought that he would wonder why they gave him a coffee press for instant coffee, but that may just be me. Alex tried to pull everyone together as he thought of the numbers. He knows that most of the tribe doesn't care for either Cassandra or Dreamz... Cassandra because she's not a strong player, Dreamz due to the annoyance factor. After Alex smooths things over, a confessional with Dreamz told us that he and Cassandra plan to defect to the Ravu side after the merge. Huh. So they don't like them, either.

The Immunity Challenge wasn't physical at all, but the Ravu tribe is so out of it that a mental one isn't going to any easier at this point. The tribe members were faced with 30 flipboards. Each one had a number or a word on it. There were four dummy boards which matched nothing, but the others were all pairs. The castaways had to make matches and the first team with seven matches won.

Who won? Why, Moto, of course.

Back at the camp, Rocky freaked out. (What is new?) Yau-Man told Mookie he wanted either Rita or Anthony out. Earl thought Rocky was volatile and they should think of getting him out. The only problem with that is that he's one of the stronger members in the weakest tribe. In the end, it was Rita voted out. She and Michelle voted for Anthony while the rest of the tribe all voted for Rita.

Apparently March Madness will affect the scheduling for the next few weeks. The next episode will air on Wednesday, March 21. The promos make it sound like Ravu may finally get something, but I wouldn't count on it. It's a shame. I think this is a good cast, but with the sides being in such different circumstance, I feel it's hurting the season on the whole.

Your thoughts?

'Survivor 14: Fiji' - East Coast Update - 03/08 - Booted

Rita was voted out. A full review/recap will be posted later tonight.

The final results are in on the American Idol vote East Coast Update right here.

'Survivor 14: Fiji' - East Coast Update - 03/08 - Immunity

Once again, Moto wins. Sigh.

The American Idol East Coast Update on the voting is here.

'Survivor 14: Fiji' - East Coast Update - 03/08 - Reward/Exile

Moto won Reward again - fishing gear, potatoes, coffee, toiletries.

They sent Earl to Exile Island. He isn't immune and will go to Tribal Council if Ravu loses Immunity.

If you're looking for the American Idol voted off East Coast Update, that post is here. That entry will be updated as they get voted off.

'American Idol 6' - East Coast Update - Voted Off 03/08

Jared is the first voted off.
Antonella is going home (yay)
Sabrina is gone.
Sundance is history.

The big announcement was that when it's time for the Final 6, there will be a huge star-studded charity benefit, voting proceeds, etc., going to help poverty victims in Africa and America. Bono is involved with many others.

East Coast Updates Planned - 'American Idol' and 'Survivor'

Yep, here's your home for East Coast Updates on the voted off American Idol contestants and important Survivor 14: Fiji happenings (and the boot). As the shows air here in the NYC area, I'll post the updates for those in other time zones or those who wish to comment on the events.

I won't be doing a full review/recap of tonight's American Idol, but I'll still do the full reviews of the Tuesday and Wednesday night shows. Late tonight, a full review/recap of tonight's Survivor will be posted.

'Lost' - "Enter 77"

Last week's episode was fun fluff. This week's episode was intense. Lots of action, some mysteries addressed to an extent, new territory explored (and exploded) -- it was the type of episode I like to see. Graphic artist Zoetawny created a new Lost tag for me. She rocks, y'know!

Although the episode was Sayid-centric this week, it seemed to me that there wasn't as much focus on him as many of the others received during their character-specific shows. Usually the flashbacks are about even with the new show content, but there was overwhelmingly more new show stuff tonight rather than focusing on the past.

The Flashbacks
Sayid was working as a sous-chef in Paris under the name Najeev when a customer complimented him on the meal he cooked and offered him a job. It turned out to be just a ruse to capture him. The husband believed that Sayid was the Iraqi who tortured his wife and burnt her arms. He decided to torture Sayid as Sayid had done to his wife.

Sayid kept denying he was responsible until confronted alone by the wife. Then he weeped and admitted his guilt. "Yes, I remember you. Your face has haunted me." With a cat on her lap, she told him that since she was burned, she refused to leave her home. Some children were torturing the cat in the alley below and she left to save it. She claimed it gave her reason to leave. While the cat clearly adores her, it sometimes bites or scratches. She believes it does so because it forgets that it's safe. She knows what it's like to never feel safe.

After he admitted guilt and apologized, she planned to let him go. She told him she'd tell her husband that she was mistaken... he wasn't the one who tortured her. She refuses to be one who will torture, do that or be like that.

On the Island
The beach scenes were basically fluff with no mention of the DHARMA bus from last week. This week Hurley found a ping-pong table. (He's finding a lot of stuff lately, isn't he?) He came across Sawyer who's still fussing about his missing stuff. The never-introduced to us due to a cut scene Paulo told him that everyone shared everything. And, the writers must read our thoughts... Sawyer turned to him and said, "Who the hell are you?"

It turns out Sawyer had the ball and would only give it if he could play for the return of his stuff. Jin and Sun decided if he loses, no nicknames for anyone for a week. Little did he know, Hurley is practically a pro at ping-pong. So, no nicknames for a week and there was our fluff.

Meanwhile in the woods, Kate, Sayid, Locke, and Rousseau were on their mission to save Jack. Sayid saw a horse and a structure with a satellite dish through the trees. He gave the others his gun and tried to approach. As he went by the horse, they showed a camera shot of the saddle and stirrups, but I didn't understand then why they showed it. I would soon enough. Rousseau had left Locke and Kate to wait by the stream as she "avoids confrontations like this." She had never seen the place before.

As Sayid approached the structure which was more like a shack than a house from the outside, he passed a sitting cat. The cat looked just like the one from the flashback. [Cue LOST thunk] Before he could walk to the door, the Eye Patch Dude we saw on the monitor some episodes back shot him in the shoulder. Sayid insisted he was unarmed. The man shouted, "You crossed the line! We had a truce! You said I could stay here and you'd leave me alone!"

Sayid, joined by Locke and Kate, convinced the Patch Dude that they had crashed on a plane and they weren't the "hostiles" he thought them to be. He told them his name was Mikhail Bakunin and that he was the last living member of DHARMA. He told them after he left the Soviet Army, he joined DHARMA by replying to a newspaper advertisement which read "Would you like to save the world?" (Shouldn't they save the cheerleader first? Oops, wrong show.)

Mikhail said that he refused to go to war with the "hostiles" -- his name for the Others. DHARMA lost the purge and he was offered a truce. He couldn't go into the valley and they wouldn't cross the line where he was stationed. His place is known as the Flame Station. It was the center for communication with the outside world, yet the equipment didn't work. He also told them that the hostiles were on the island before DHARMA.

He gave Sayid medical aid, removing the bullet from his shoulder with skill and ease. As Kate explored around, she found odd things like huge sides of beef in industrial sized refrigerators. (Or.. people! Soylent Green... it's people! Okay, I think it was beef.) Locke found a computer room with a chess-playing program all in motion as if it was waiting for him.

Mikhail offered to cook them dinner and advised Locke that the computer cheats and always wins. Locke balked at that saying only humans cheat. He told them the doppelganger-cat was named Nadia after Nadia Comaneci, the gymnast. What Locke and Kate didn't realize was that Sayid knew Mikhail wasn't being honest and most certainly, wasn't alone. Those horse stirrups were the clue that tipped him off... they were set too short for a man Mikhail's size.

While Locke messed with computer (why does he do that?), Mikhail realized that Kate and Sayid were onto him. They captured him and knocked him unconcious. Then Locke peeked in. (What is with him?) Sayid and Kate went to search for the other person and anything else of interest, leaving Locke in charge of the captive Mikhail.

They noticed a basement hatch and explored where it led, coming across explosives and DHARMA manuals, as well as a map. The whole place is rigged with C4 explosives set to detonate. Oh... they also found the other Other, a woman that Kate recognized from the dock kidnapping, Miss Klugh.

Oh, but that silly Locke. The computer was prompting him to take his chess turn, so what does he do? He takes his eyes off of his prisoner and plays chess! Argh. He wins and is very satisfied that the computer didn't cheat, he was right. But then the computer went into some kind of overide mode. "Enter 38 for Mainland Communications." "Enter 56 for sonar access." So, he did. The computer said that communications and access were both down. "Enter 77 for invasion of hostiles." All of the time, the DHARMA training tape was cutting in and out.

Bam! Mikhail grabs Locke. When Kate and Sayid get upstairs, they have a stand-off outside of the station. They have a gun on Miss Klugh and Mikhail has one on Locke. Klugh spoke very heatedly to Mikhail in Russian, apparently telling him to shoot her. So, he did.

Oh, but what had Locke done? He hit the darn ENTER 77! Argh again. Before they could grab anything out of The Flame Station, it blew sky-high. At least Sayid had the map to the Barracks with him. He said he would decide the fate of Mikhail. They met up with Rousseau by the stream leaving Nadia the Cat looking just a bit forlorn.

Great episode!

'American Idol 6' - Eight Gals Take the Stage

I have a confession to make. I've watched every season of American Idol, but I've yet to buy any music by any of the contestants. Oh, I've had my favorites and I've even liked some of the songs they went on to sing after success on the show. But none enough to actually lay down the bucks.

Until now. I would love to buy Melinda Doolittle's version of "My Funny Valentine" and the song she sang tonight. Get it done, America. This woman must make a record!

Jordin Sparks started out the night telling her little "secret" that she wanted to be a football player for a while and is a wild football fan. Then she belted out Pat Benetar's "Heartbreaker" putting all of the guys to shame... and she's the same age as Sanjaya.

She's not my favorite in the competition. But, for a teenager, she's got a powerful voice and will only improve as she gets older. The judges thought along the same lines with Randy calling her energetic. Simon said she was a bit manic and shrieky, but 100% she will make the cut.

Sabrina Sloan's little secret was that for years she wanted to be the "next Katie Couric." The clips were funny. It's a good thing she switched to singing. She sang En Vogue's "Don't Let Go." I think that if not for Lakisha and Melinda, it would be a competition between Sabrina and Stephanie. A solid voice, a good stage presence, but Simon called the "robotic" bit right. I think that can be addressed, though. This wasn't my favorite performance of hers, but she's light-years ahead of the guys. Randy and Paula gave favorable comments.

Then there was Antonella Barba. Someone remind me why she's there again? Please? She sang Corinne Bailey Rae's "Put Your Records On." I didn't care much for the song or her performance of it. The judges were far kinder than I. Apparently the buzz about her naughty photos is known as Simon made a reference to "rough week" and "talk about her." I don't care. Make her go away. Oh, I almost forgot her thing we didn't know about her. She plays violin and teaches it, too. Go back to that, just get off the show... please.

Haley Scarnato was an active gymnast until injuries sidelined her. She sang Melissa Manchester's "If My Heart Had Wings." Technically, I thought she did okay. I wish she'd stop that silly bouncing as she sings. Randy declared it just okay, no pizzazz, no yo. Paula reverted to one of her "you're pretty" comments. Simon asked who she was. He also said it was horrible. I don't think it was as bad as Antonella's performance, but I think she bought her ticket home tonight.

Stephanie Edwards said that while she loved to sing at home, she was shy and would cry as a child when asked to sing for others. I found that interesting as I think she's one of the ones with a very professional stage presence about her. She sang Chaka Khan's "Sweet Thing." (Chaka Khan, Chaka Khan... had to do it.) I thought she was very good. Paula danced, Randy yo'd. Paula thought it was darn near flawless although Randy thought less of it and said it was a valiant effort. Simon called it one of the best but noted the "copycat" factor.

Lakisha Jones is terrified of animals, all animals. Yikes. But she sure can sing, so I don't mind. I've mentioned that Whitney Houston isn't a favorite of mine. So, what does Lakisha do? She sings a Whitney song, "I Have Nothing." She sang it very well, very powerfully. But it wasn't my favorite performance of hers.

Randy said it wasn't her best, but it was great. Paula thought she was working on being the next American Idol. Simon said she brought passion, talent, and believability. He also mentioned she looked very pretty tonight. I think Simon was right on all counts.

Gina Glocksen was up next telling about her lucky charms - a mini-troll, stuffed pickle, and a pillow. She sang "Call Me When You're Sober" by Evanescence. I don't care for the song, but it's perfect for her style. I thought she did well with it and it seemed more true to her own roots. I noticed the arm tattoos are still missing, though. Randy, Paula, and Simon were thrilled that she's "back."

We found out that Melinda Doolittle has a bit of an OCD thing going. To me, it was symmetry-related, but she said it was equality. If she touches something cold with one hand, she must do it with another and so on. Odd, but I love her anyway.

She sang Peggy Lee's "I'm a Woman." Wow. Like I mentioned at the start of this... if she were to release a CD with this song, the one from last week, the many more she'll sing before she wins... I'd buy it. And, that would be a first for me with any contestant from the show. The judges were ecstatic. So am I.

Who will leave us tomorrow? I'm thinking it should be Antonella and Haley. If Antonella stays, it's due to something other than her singing. What do you think?

More 'Black Donnellys'

Although I'm still struggling a bit to get the brothers straight, I'm finding this show more and more intriguing.

Now, let's see... Tommy's the easy brother to identify. He's basically the protagonist in this cast -- the brother who feels responsible to rescue his petty-thievin' three brothers, the brother who went on the straight and narrow after accidentally hitting one brother while driving a stolen car in his pre-teen days. Tommy's the brother with the art talent and the brains, the one who could make something of himself. Tommy's the brother who gets drawn into the mob scene when his only goal is to save his brothers. Tommy's the one destined to be the leader.

Sean is the brother beaten by mobsters and recovering in the hospital. He's the one who drives the girls wild. We'll see if the beating took any toll on his looks as he recovers. Jimmy is the one who's in jail, a drug addict, and the one who Tommy hit with the stolen car causing a lifelong limp. But, at least he can walk. Oh, Tommy's guilt! Then there's Kevin, a kind of bumbling hapless kind of guy and the only one Tommy can really team up with as Sean and Jimmy aren't quite available to hide the evidence.

Oh, and then there's Joey Ice Cream. Now, I think we've all known a tag-along like him at some time or another in our lives. He wants to be in with the In Crowd. In his case, that crowd is the Donnelly brothers and the periphery of the Irish mob scene in New York City. It's Joey who narrates the show as he tells two cops the story from his jail cell. Why's he in there? I don't know. Why's he talking? I'd say he's trying to get a deal from the cops for his own case, whatever that is. Plus, Joey's a bit star-struck.

New York City? Why not Boston? I don't know. Well, wait... actually I do know. The series creators grew up in Hell's Kitchen, an area of the city which is now more politically correctly called Clinton. It's more gentrified these days, yet the series beckons more to the area as it was a few decades back.

Although this show has the most discombobulated Manhattan scenes I've ever seen, I'm loving the street shots. There is no elevated subway track in Hell's Kitchen, nor on the Lower East Side where the bar owned by the brothers actually exists. And every time I see the bar shots, I know I've sat at the table by the window under the flaking piano keys on the wall. I know I've played pool on the faded red-flannel covered pool table under the fake Tiffany lamp. It's all so odd, but I'm waiting for them to show the sign in the Ladies Room which reads "Friends don't let friends bring home ugly people." (Yes, that sign exists in the bathroom of the Parkside Lounge, the bar used in the series.)

This week's episode included the New Jersey swamp areas I see from the train whenever I head into the city. I always look out on those swamps and think that they must contain mob victims or perhaps those of serial killers. When I saw the brothers were trying to dump a body there, I thought "that's as good a place as any."

The Black Donnellys is dark. It's darkly shot and dark in mood. Yet there is some humor coming from Joey Ice Cream and sometimes within the interactions of the brothers. It's not going to be everyone's cup of tea. I like dark crime-related dramas and even I found the scene where Tommy had to make the body fit in the barrel a bit disturbing. Powerful, very intense for television, but disturbing. On the other hand, I could have told the boys how to get those sensor tags off without breaking the ink. (No, I'm not a shoplifter.)

I'm going to keep watching this show. At this point, I'm still too easily confused to really do a proper job blogging about it. But I was also at that point with Heroes... a show I now love and have the characters down pretty well. As long as NBC gives this series a real chance, I'll get to know these characters better. Currently, I'm finding it very intriguing.

Right now the official website for the show has a full online-only episode they deem "too explosive" for television. You can access that episode with this link.

Are you watching the show?

'American Idol 6' - Seven Men and a Boy Singing

Oh, I'm not feeling the excitement from these guys for the most part. I enjoy a few and I certainly think some are talented. But, will any make it to the top two? I doubt it. I think we're going to see a showdown with the women this season.

Tonight was the night for the guys to put out their best to make it in the final 12. After all, the final 12 are the ones who go on tour, get the huge exposure and more. I just don't think the guys really brought it tonight... once again. At least I enjoyed the "one thing folks don't know about me" bits more than last week's teary dedications.

Blake Lewis showed his improv skills. Um, let him stick to beatbox and singing, please. He sang "All Mixed Up" by 311. I thought he did it well although I'm not familiar with the song. I think he's a given for the final 12. The judges agree with me (as they should). This guy has a lot of talent and he's different.

Sanjaya Malakar knows how to do the hula. I know how to distort photos. He knows how to distort this competition and stay in the running. I want him to go away. He seems like a nice kid and all. And, yes, he has a pleasant enough voice. But when compared to the others, he's a kid playing amongst adults.

He sang John Mayer's "Waiting for the World to Change." Now, I'm not a huge John Mayer fan, but that's one of his songs I like. Sanjaya did okay if it were a school performance. Simon said it wasn't as ghastly as last week. Well, yeah... there's that. He should leave, but I bet we're stuck with him in the finals. Hey, don't blame me.

Sundance Head's secret is that he's thin in real life. I give him credit for making me smile. He sang Pearl Jam's "Jeremy." I thought he did well with it, but it's not the song I would have chosen for him for tonight. Randy liked it, as did Paula. Simon said it was a "generic bar singer" performance and an indulgent song. I'd have to go with Simon on this one. It didn't do much for me. Is Sundance on thin ice? I think he could very well be. This guy runs too hot and cold in addition to not making good song choices every other week.

Chris Richardson shared that he used to be chunky and played college football. He sang Keith Urban's "Tonight I Wanna Cry." I enjoyed the performance and the change from him. How un-Justin Timberlake of the guy! The judges were favorable and I'm sure we'll see him next week.

Jared Cotter told us he was a college basketball player. I'm not surprised. He sang Stevie Wonder's "If You Really Love Me." He did it well enough, but I'm getting tired of his same moves, his same dancing, his same mugging to the camera and acting like he's the sexiest man alive. Randy liked it, Paula thought he needs to "color up" the way he sings. (I believe she means along the lines of "make it your own" and add something to the song.) Simon said it wasn't very original and he was slightly disappointed. He said there was no "wow factor." Wow, he got that right. I don't think Jared is a shoe-in to make the cut.

Brandon Rogers was next up. His secret is that he plays classical piano. Cool, I say. Now, maybe I'm biased, but I enjoy this guy. He sang Rare Earth's "I Just Want to Celebrate." I don't think it was an earth-shattering performance, but he did it well. Randy thought it was good, Paula said it was solid. Simon said he needed more memorable songs. I hope Brandon makes the cut. I don't think this was his best performance.

Phil Stacey, looking much better in a hat, explained he used to have long hair. He then had to cut it short for a group he was in, then decided to shave his head. I think he should grow his hair back, but that could just be me. He sang LeAnn Rimes' "I Need You." I thought the start was horrible. He redeemed himself some through the song, but I didn't care for it.

Randy said it was an interesting song choice and his lower notes are "weird." Paula said it had a "chancy start" and was an odd choice. Simon didn't get it at all. Now that I think of it, neither did I.

Chris Sligh's secret was about the opposite of Phil's. He used to always have very short hair and decided to grow it to see what it did. It curled. He's never had a perm and it's all natural.

Chris sang D.C. Talk's "Wanna Be Loved." I still think his voice is one of the best amongst the guys. I'm not familiar with the song, but enjoyed the performance. I personally thought it to be the best vocal of the night. Randy agreed with me. Paula thought he should take more risks and Simon said he'll make it through to the finals. I surely hope so.

So, who's going home on Thursday? I definitely want Sanjaya out of there, but I think he'll have votes. I think Blake, Chris R. and Chris S. are going to be in the Top 6 guys. That leaves Phil, Jared, Sundance, and Brandon on the possibly may go list. Of those, I'd like to see Brandon stay... I'm ambivalent about the rest.

Your thoughts?

'Heroes' - "Parasite" - A BulletPoint Report

This Heroes report is dedicated to the memory of Sara Emiliano, a real life hero herself although she may not have thought herself one. Fighting Crohn's Disease, she died violently over the weekend. She was good people, funky boots and all. Forever 21, she'll be missed. Rest in peace, Sara.

Sigh... onto the show. Yet another action-packed episode...

• Isaac blames Peter for Simone's death even though he pulled the trigger.
• Hiro is in Las Vegas trying to meet Linderman so he can get his Kensei sword.
• Mr. Bennet, whose memory was wiped by the Haitian last week, wants his daughter back. His boss reminds him that Claire was an "assignment." Matt Parkman (Mind Reading Ex-Cop) listened and affirmed that Bennet doesn't know where Claire is. The boss had made a deal to let him go for "eavesdropping," but left him there.
• The Haitian told Claire that she must leave the country because what they (Papertech) would do to her, not even she could recover from.
• Nathan is working with the FBI to set up Linderman. Peter was invisible and eavesdropping as he met with the agents. Peter told Nathan that Simone is dead and he feels responsible. Nathan told him to call Suresh.
• Mr. Bennet came home from the hospital. All of a sudden, his wife knows all that's going on? She told him he told her all about Claire, his job and more in the shower. Something's up, I say.
• The woman from Primatech (can't recall her name) arrived at the Bennet's home to take Bennet away as there was a "paper emergency."

• Sylar, still posing as Zane Taylor, is working with Suresh. He volunteers to call Isaac Mendez, but said the line was busy. "Who else from the list should I call?" "No one. I already have you, Mr. Sylar." Yep, Mohinder finally caught on and figured Sylar out. He put curare in his tea to render his powers useless.
• Nathan and Hiro bump into each other in Vegas. Nathan knows Hiro wants the sword and helps him through to the museum curator.
• Claire's new identity is Vivian Lewis from Canada. But when she and the Haitian go through boarding at the airport, Claire stole his papers so he couldn't board. But she already blew it - she told him she wanted to go see Peter Petrelli.
• Bennet's Primatech Woman (ack, name... I need her name) and Bennet showed up at Isaac's in NYC. She morphed into Simone when the NYPD knocked on his door investigating gunshots and bearing a Simone photo.
• Mohinder has decided Sylar is a parasite feeding off the powers of others. He wants to kill him for killing his father. Sylar told him that his father told him everything about his sister, how he didn't want to work with Mohinder because he was too delicate, etc. Mohinder said Sylar was called Patient Zero by his father and he needed spinal fluid before killing him.
• Back in Vegas, Hiro delivered the ripped Isaac painting to the curator, then tried to steal the sword when he left for a moment. The curator caught him and called security. The security guard turned out to be Ando, who had been following Hiro. Hiro got the sword and his powers back. He teleports himself and Ando to escape the other Linderman guards.
• Oh, no. They teleport into the future, landing on the Deveaux Building roof which is wrecked, as is the city around them. Hiro thinks he failed to save the world.
• Back in vegas again, Jessica killed the FBI agents working with Nathan. But then Nikki showed up to tip off Nathan. She told him that he can't kill him, he must make a deal with him. She told him that Linderman knows he turned on him.
• Meanwhile, Sylar was able to stop his IV as Mohinder said he needed four genes. He asked Mohinder for salvation. When Mohinder had what he needed, Sylar stopped the bullet shot at him and escaped his bonds. He told Mohinder he wasn't begging for his own life, he was offering him his.
• Back at the Bennet's home, it turns out that Bennet's wife is actually morphed Primatech Girl and the boss turns up. "He is going to be a problem." Uh-oh.
• Isaac took drugs to paint more.
• Claire went to Peter's apartment where her grandmother (remember, she doesn't know Nathan is her father) answered the door. Oops, the Haitian is there and she's in cahoots with it all, too.
• Nathan went to kill Linderman, an unlikely evil older man in a restaurant kitchen cooking. Linderman gave him a speech about how you can have a life of happiness or a life of meaning, but you can't have them both. If you choose a life with meaning, you'll wallow in the past and worry about the future. He told Nathan he can win the election and be near the White House in just two years - a life of meaning.
• Nathan didn't shoot him.
• Peter arrived looking for Mohinder. Mohinder had been stuck on the ceiling (I'd say velcro!) by Sylar. Sylar started to cut Peter's head with his super-finger to steal his brain. The last shot was that silly lock of hair falling on the floor with blood drops.

Heroes goes on hiatus returning April 23rd. They say they've saved the cheerleader, when they return it'll be time to save the world. I'll have to go through Heroes withdrawal, how about you?

Whatever Will I Watch Tonight? - Monday, March 5, 2007

Some shows are new tonight while others are repeats.

In the 8 PM ET/PT hour, CBS has a repeat of How I Met Your Mother followed by a new episode (and season finale) of The Class. NBC is airing a new Deal or No Deal while FOX has a new Prison Break on. ABC has a repeat episode of Wife Swap and CW has repeats of Everybody Hates Chris and All of Us.

At 9 PM ET/PT, I'll be glued to my set for the new episode of Heroes on NBC. CBS has a repeat of Two and One Half Men followed by a new episode of Rules of Engagement. FOX has a new 24 in the slot while CW has repeat episodes of Girlfriends and The Game. ABC has a new episode of Supernanny.

The 10 PM ET/PT hour brings a repeat episode of C.S.I.: Miami on CBS, a new episode of The Black Donnellys on NBC (which will be my viewing choice), and a new What About Brian on ABC.

Letterman's a repeat tonight. But since it's a Jack Hanna one with a two-headed lizard, I'll probably watch at least through that segment once again.

What will you be watching tonight?

'The Apprentice: L.A.' - Ep. 7 - East Coast Update

I'm not going to be writing up a full review/recap on the show due to its new later hour and the fact it's not making me love it much this season.

But here's a quick lowdown:

• Jennifer was named Project Manager for Kinetic
• The task was to promote a new Lexus
• Arrow won
• The reward was to write a song with Snoop Dogg
• Randal sat in for Ivanka in the Boardroom. He kept interrupting Trump and got snapped at.
• Derek got fired in the main Boardroom for calling himself "white trash." Trump took issue with the phrase and fired him on the spot. For once I agree with Trump.
• Jennifer got fired
  

'The Amazing Race 11: All Stars' - Ep. 3 -or- "Fish Whisperers and Mirna Drama"

Ah, now it's beginning to feel like The Amazing Race! Even though they didn't cover a ton of territory, the challenges were more adventurous and my edge-of-my-seat adrenalin rush came back towards the end of the episode.

Yeah, I know it's purely editing which made the ending so intense, but it could have been either team racing for that Pit Stop eliminated. For all I know, they could have been an hour apart. But that's the magic of TV, right?

"Nine teams remain. Who will be eliminated tonight?" I noted that Phil said "tonight," not "next." To me, that indicated it wasn't quite time for a non-elimination leg. Next week we'll have to see how he phrases it.

The teams left the Valley of the Dead (the last Pit Stop) in the order in which they had arrived. Rob and Amber, the first in last week's leg, left at 11:39pm. David and Mary, the last in the leg, left at 12:55am. So, the lead time has been cut some, but it's still rather substantial. They had to drive four miles to San Pedro, then board flights for Puerto Montt, a port town in Chile.

Once again, we had the inevitable all-too-familiar airport scramble for tickets segment. Didn't I just say last week that these are getting way too tired? I think I did. A few things to note about this segment, though -- Rob and Amber thought to go online to secure tickets for the earliest flight before the counter opened. While David and Mary declared "no more friends" after being burnt by Mirna and Shmirna... er, Charla, Teri and Ian and the Beauty Queens (Dustin and Kandice) decided they'd work together. Other teams also worked together, manning the empty counters and planning to buy tickets for others.

At the airport, Charla eavesdropped on other teams finding out they were on an earlier flight. She pulled the "I can't see over the counter, excuuuuse me" bit and tried to horn in on Teri and Ian's counter transaction. Teri bristled and I loved it! "Do not talk to my person!" Mirna called Ian "the King of Rude" and said she learned her rudeness from him when he called her on her behavior. Aha, a brouhaha!

The teams were soon on their way, with Rob and Amber in the lead. Rob took an unexpected turn which brought out a good Team Guido line (one of a couple tonight) -- "Rob is not Jesus." Well, he may as well be for the purpose of this race. Is Romber unbeatable? It turned out they took a wrong turn, but soon corrected and were back on track unlike so many who roam so lost for so long.

The Roadblock had one member of each team collecting flounder from a pool and loading them into a holding tank. Danielle freaked out, as did Mirna when she later arrived. Amber, on the other hand, didn't hesitate much although she wasn't a happy fisher. Rob brought up a good point about the "encouragement" Eric was giving Danielle. I found it insulting, too. Yay for Rob for noticing and commenting on it!

Uchenna worked like a machine loading the fish, putting his team out of there first. When David and Mary arrived, David was first very timid, then put Uchenna's work to shame. But the best to watch (although not best team at the task) was Team Guido. Joe was in the pool and he became The Fish Whisperer. "Meditate them into submission."

From there, the scenery in Chile was gorgeous as the teams drove on to their next clue, a Detour. They had a choice between two adventures found in the local area. The first choice was Vertical Limit -- both team members had to rock climb a 40-foot mountain-face, retrieve the clue, then descend. In River Wild, teams had to whitewater raft a 2½-mile route down the river. Not one team chose Vertical Limit. There was a pretty large split between the groups of teams with some really trailing behind.

Teaming up with Team Guido not realizing Guido didn't read the whole clue at the fish Detour, were Mirna and Charla. Once they realized that Guido had missed the town name, Petrohue, they almost kicked themselves for helping them. They were amongst the trailing teams as were David and Mary.

Worse than Rob's wrong turn, Dustin and Kandice totally missed the clue which told them of the Detour. They saw the cars from other teams parked, joined them and automatically headed to do the whitewater rafting. Supposedly the rafting was in Class 3 and 4 level waters, but it didn't look it to me. That's something I loved to do back in the day and it looked a 3 tops.

There was more Mirna/Charla drama. Can't they just go away? Please, I beg of you! But, in the end, the finish order was:

1. Rob and Amber - Each won a home gym (remember, they're married)
2. Uchenna and Joyce
3. Eric and Danielle
4. Dustin and Kandice (sent back because they missed the Detour clue, yet they placed the same upon their return)
5. Oswald and Danny
6. Teri and Ian
7. Joe and Bill
8. Charla and Mirna (argh)
9. David and Mary - Philiminated

I didn't think that David and Mary would last long in this race, but I wish that Charla and Mirna were out instead of them this week. I am so sick of Mirna's drama! At least David and Mary threw themselves into the challenges and don't get nasty with others.

And, hey... what about Romber coming in first three times in a row? Not bad, Boston Rob, not bad at all. What did you think of the show?

'The Amazing Race 11: All Stars' - East Coast Update 03/04 - Pit Stop Arrival Order and Philimination

The arrival at the Pit Stop was:

1. Rob and Amber - each won a home gym
2. Uchenna and Joyce
3. Eric and Danielle
4. Dustin and Kandice (Twice at number 4, I'll explain later)
5. Oswald and Danny
6. Teri and Ian
7. Joe and Bill
8. Charla and Mirna
9. David and Mary - Philiminated

A full review/recap will be posted late tonight. Please stop back!

Whatever Will I Watch Tonight? - Sunday, March 4, 2007

Since the big ratings month is over, a lot of the networks have turned to repeats later this week although tonight's programming is all new episodes.

In the 8 PM ET/PT hour, it should go without saying that I'll be watching The Amazing Race 11: All Stars. I'll be posting the finish order at the Pit Stop and eliminated team (if any - I'd say either this week or next week, we're due for a non-elimination leg) in an East Coast Update when the show nears its end at 9 PM ET.

Of course, that's all contingent on the show actually starting on time here. I'll let you know. Late tonight, a full review/recap of the show will be posted. Oh - in regard to some of the comments - I saw Kevin and Drew on The Early Show last week, but it was a fluke that I was home. I don't know if any of the booted have been on besides them.

Also in the 8 PM ET/PT hour, FOX has a new Simpsons followed by a new The Winner. NBC has a new Grease: You're the One That I Want while ABC is airing a new episode of Extreme Makeover: Home Edition. CW is running a repeat America's Next Top Model from 8 to 10 PM.

Come 9 PM ET/PT, CBS has a new episode of Cold Case, FOX has new episodes of Family Guy and The Winner, NBC has a new Deal or No Deal (I still don't understand that show's appeal), and ABC has a new Desperate Housewives.

At 10 PM, The Apprentice: L.A. is at its new time slot with a new episode. I'll post an East Coast Update around 10 PM with the fired information. I'm considering dropping coverage of the show on the blog. Although I'm watching, it's my least favorite season so far and now with the late time slot on the same night as TAR, covering it has to wait until Monday after I get home from work... or not at all. I'll see how I feel about tonight's episode. I don't believe I've ever dropped review/recap coverage of a show mid-season, but maybe it's time.

Also new in that time slot this week are: Without a Trace on CBS and Brothers & Sisters on ABC.

Oh, No! It's Previous Pants - This Week on 'The Late Show with David Letterman' - Mar. 5-9, 2007

Last night was the lunar eclipse (which was way cool, I must say) and we're into the first week out of the February Sweeps period.

What does that mean? Well, in regard to my buddy Dave Letterman, it means a week of repeats. Here's the line-up for this week:

• Monday, Mar. 5: Jack Hanna (always worth the second watching), Katherine Heigl (Grey's Anatomy), music guest Patty Griffin.
• Tuesday, Mar. 6: Tina Fey (30 Rock), Teri and Bindi Irwin. This was a good one. If you've never seen little Bindi Irwin in action, she'll amaze you.
• Wednesday, Mar. 7: Dr. Phil and music guest Fall Out Boy. Again, Dr. Phil and Dave are always entertaining to watch as they mock-battle each other.
• Thursday, Mar. 8: Jim Carrey (The Number 23) and Daytona 500 Winner Kevin Harvick. Eh, an okay show. Carrey was quasi-entertaining.
• Friday, Mar. 9: Ricky Gervais (Extras), Forest Whitaker (The Last King of Scotland) and music guests The Shins. Another "eh" for me. I have no real desire to watch this one again, but if you didn't see it, it's okay.

Again, I'll make my usual fuss about Dave's reruns. They're much too recent. Some of these were just shown a few weeks back. Please, please, hear my plea, the CBS Powers That Be... go back more. Get some shows we didn't just see. It doesn't matter if they're dated. Dated is better than redundant, it surely is.

TV Newsy Bits - Friday, March 2, 2007

Big bits, little bits, it's time for those TV Newsy Bits!

Every time I channel surf by CNN it's coverage of the Anna Nicole Smith funeral. Why? I'm scared that it may be the 24/7 news for the entire weekend. Gee, I guess nothing really newsworthy must be happening, eh?

But, this is TV Newsy Bits. I don't claim to be a news source for world news or politics. Here are the bits I found out and about on the Interet today:

• Anna Nicole Smith was finally buried in the Bahamas. I wasn't invited.
• Liliana Gomez, the latest Survivor 14: Fiji cast-off, was interviewed by both Buddy TV and Reality News Online. I still think I would have preferred a Lisi leave scenario.
• Celebrity Spider has the links to the preview clips for this week's 24 epsiode.
• Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader has been extended on Thursday evenings into April. Since I decided I am indeed smarter than a 5th grader, I probably won't be watching.
• A preview clip of this week's The Black Donnellys is now available on the official NBC website.
• So easy a caveman can do it? Those wacky Geico cavemen are getting their own ABC sitcom. Variety has the skinny on the project in progress. And, if you haven't toured the caveman's apartment that I mentioned some time back, maybe it's time to take a look-see at the crib.

'Survivor 14: Fiji' - Ep. 4 -or- "Pretty in Pink"

Is Ravu going to ever win anything? Ever?

Sixteen are left. Who will be voted out tonight?

After the inevitable recap, the show opened with Ravu returning from the last Tribal Council after voting out Sylvia. James/Boston/Rocky was being a drama queen about it all (especially in light of what happened later in the show). He wanted to straighten everyone out, darn it all!

Most of his venom was taken out on Anthony who seems to have some issues of his own and doesn't need the Wrath of Rocky upon him. Apparently Rocky thinks that Anthony whines too much and irritates him. Anthony, in a confessional, started crying while saying he was always picked on in school and has low self-esteem issues. Oh, geez. At least he's determined not to give up.

The Moto tribe, even though they're living the life of luxury and have won every challenge so far, has its own issues. Gary is getting increasingly more ill as time goes on. Although she had a point, Lisi was unduly harsh in confessionals, saying she didn't want to babysit him -- if he's sick, he should leave. Cassandra was more worried about his health than how his sickness would affect the tribe.

The Reward Challenge had the tribes each line up on balance beams over water. One by one from the far end, the tribe members had to cross the beam to the other side going around their tribemates. The traveling member could only touch one tribemate at a time, no using two to balance. They could change their order by jumping in. They were playing for rice, lots of fish, spices, pillows, blankets, and a king-sized bed. The winning tribe would also choose to send a losing tribe member to Exile Island.

Once again, Moto won. They sent Yau-Man off to Exile Island where he found the latest clue to one of the two hidden Immunity Idols we're to see this season. With the first three clues and the latest, he determined that the idol is hidden right at the entrance to the cave at the camp. He feels he really needs it, but is worried about how to be there alone to dig for it.

Moto loves their new bed, filled their already full tummies, and declared the world "Motolicious!"

Oh, but over at Ravu, it was a totally different scene. Rocky was throwing a temper tantrum which would put a 2-year-old child to shame, throwing things, fussing and cussing. Again, he blamed Anthony. Earl spoke with Anthony telling him not to worry -- while Rocky was quick to lay the blame, he doesn't do much of anything around the camp but fuss. Anthony decided he'd ignore Rocky and it would end up Rocky being the one who looked bad.

Then the Gary situation grew to crisis at the Moto camp. He ended up being flown away and dropping out of the show. I'm not really surprised. He's older than most and wasn't in good shape at all. His tribemates really seem to like him, but at least now Lisi won't have to worry about babysitting him. The more I see her, the more catty she comes across to me.

As the tree mail telling of the upcoming Immunity Challenge arrives, James decided to try a different approach... a naked one. Oh, geez. (I think I'll say that every time I get annoyed by James/Rocky/Boston/Whatever.) He's way too skinny to even think he looked anything but pitiful! He then dons a pink bikini top which belonged to one of the girls and put coconuts in it for a full figure. (Can you hear me rolling my eyes?) He claims he wants to get people fired-up to win. Yeah, right.

The Immunity Challenge was indeed challenging... and no puzzles! Oh, there were boats. lily pads, tribe members in locked cages, and more. They had to retrieve keys, release each tribe member from the cages jumping or slithering across lily pads, get back to shore, make a human pyramid, and release the last member of the tribe. Woohoo! Before it all started, Jeff held up a sealed bottle and said the winning tribe would read the letter within after the competition.

Although they fell behind early, Ravu made an astonishing comeback, almost catching up to Moto. Is this it? Is this their time to actually win something for the first time this season? Nope. Moto pulled it off and won.

Ah, but did they really win? Within the bottle was a new twist to the game. They had the choice to keep Immunity, but move to the Ravu camp. (Ravu got perky over that one!) If they want to remain in the luxury camp, they have to give Ravu Immunity and vote one of their own off at Tribal Council. They just couldn't bear to give up their camp, so thought they'd lose a second member (remember, Gary went) rather than their beloved home. So, Ravu finally got Immunity, but didn't break their losing streak.

The claws came out at Moto upon their return to camp. Dreamz brazenly announced that everyone should agree either Cassandra or Lisi should go home as they're the weakest members of the tribe. Cassandra was shocked; Lisi was ticked. Dreamz said, "I'm not pointing fingers, but it obvious that Cassandra or Lisi should go." Say what? He said that in front of them, too.

The other members talked sans Dreamz and most thought it should be either Cassandra or Liliana. Now, Liliana is the strongest woman there. I don't think that makes much sense. I personally thought if they wanted to vote off a physically strong member, go for Dreamz. He rubs a lot of folks the wrong way.

At Tribal Council, Lisi spoke up against Dreamz's power play at camp. Cassandra told Liliana how strong she is and how much she loved her. Liliana said she thought highly of Cassandra, too... then became the sole vote to oust Cassandra. Cassandra voted for Lisi to leave (yes!), but all of the rest voted out Liliana.

"Liliana, the tribe has spoken."

In a bit of a sidenote -- my photo turned out fuzzy and unusable, but wasn't the snake creepy? I'm assuming it couldn't giving birth to a new snake in that manner. Maybe it was regurgitating a snake. It definitely wasn't just shedding its skin, not with eyes and jaws on the old skin. I guess I'm going to have to research snakes now.

'Survivor 14: Fiji' - East Coast Update 03/01 - Voted Off

Liliana was voted off. A full review/recap of Survivor will be posted late tonight.

If you're looking for the American Idol voted off update, it's here.

'Survivor 14: Fiji' - East Coast Update 03/01 - Immunity

Moto won Immunity. But now Ravu has it.

In a new twist Moto could stay comfortable in their digs and lose Immunity and vote someone out. Or, they could switch to the poor Ravu camp and keep Immunity. They gave it to Ravu, will stay in the rich digs and vote someone out tonight. Gary is already gone due to medical issues.

For the American Idol voted off East Coast Update, this post is being updated as they get the boot.

'Survivor 14: Fiji' - East Coast Update 03/01 - Reward

Moto won reward, Yau-Man sent to Exile Island. Watch for more East Coast Updates and a full report will be posted late this evening.

The American Idol 6 East Coast Update post on the ones voted off is here.

'American Idol 6' - East Coast Update - Booted 3/01

This post will be updated as they go, so check back.

First voted off, Nick Pedro.
Alaina Alexander gone.
A.J. Tabaldo is now gone.
Bye, bye Leslie Hunt.

Then there were 16.

'Lost' - "Tricia Tanaka is Dead"

And, she certainly is... dead, that is.

While I enjoyed watching this episode, I'd have to label it as "fluff." Fun fluff, but fluff nonetheless. It didn't answer any questions, but at least it didn't bring up any new major mysteries.

The episode was Hurley-centric, something we really haven't seen in a while. It was a bit shmaltzy and contrived, I thought.

In Flashback:

A young and cute Hurley likes to work on cars. One won't start and he insisted to his father that it needed a new carburetor. His father, played once again by Cheech Marin (of Cheech and Chong fame), relied on hope to start it. "Having hope is never stupid. You make your own luck." Then he vanished from his family for seventeen years.

The flashbacks fast-forwarded to after Hurley won the lottery as the show went on, going more into how he felt cursed and folks died around him. He bought a Mr. Cluck Chicken Shack and became the boss of his ex-boss. While a television news reporter, Tricia Tanaka, was doing a news story about the grand opening, a meteor crashed through the restaurant killing her and burning Mr. Cluck to the ground. So, yes. She is dead.

His father returned after his extended absence as Hurley was packing to go to Australia. Since he believes the lottery numbers (4, 8, 15, 16, 23, 42) are cursed and he got them there while in rehab, he feels he must return. It turns out his mother had called his father and the "dad" was supposedly worried about him. He took Hurley to a gypsy who admitted for $10,000 that the father had set up the whole "get rid of the curse" act at the request of his father. His father told him he should give away the money (to him, I think he hopes). And, once again, he told Hurley that you make your own luck. Oh, and Hurley actually still had the car featured in the first flashback.

On the Island:
Hurley told Libby's grave the story of the big kidnapping. He thinks he can only talk to her and misses her. Charlie told Hurley that Desmond told him he was going to die (had actually died twice, but was saved). Hurley, but of course, is sure it's all his fault as he's cursed.

Vincent (the dog) came up to them with an almost mummified human arm, hand intact, in his mouth. Dangling from the wrist of the arm was a lucky rabbit's foot and a key on a chain. Hurley, who we now know is a car fanatic, recognized the key as a car key and got all excited, wanting to find the car on the island.

At the camp, Sun told Jin that she was only going to speak to him in English apparently trying to increase his skills in the language. Jin was the only one willing to go with Hurley to find the car.

There it was, overturned in the woods, with a skeleton (whose arm was gone missing) behind the wheel. The skeleton had a DHARMA uniform with "Roger Work Man" embroidered on its chest. So, Hurley decided his name must be Roger Workman. The vehicle itself was a late 60s VW Microbus with a DHARMA insignia in place of the VW one on its front. As they tried to remove Roger so they could get the vehicle upright, his head fell off and rolled to the floor.

Roger apparently had been on a beer run as the van had several cases of DHARMA beer within.

As they worked on the van, Kate and Sawyer returned to the camp and a happy reunion was had by all. Well, that was until Sawyer saw his belongings had all went missing... including his expensive Scotch. Charlie and Desmond 'fessed up and implicated Hurley. Sawyer went to confront him so he could yell at him, too. Charlie tried to get Desmond to tell him when he'd die, but Desmond told him it doesn't work that way.

Instead, he got a bear hug and Hurley told him he could have the beer from the microbus. Of course, as Sawyer reached in, he came across the skull of Roger first. Sawyer told Hurley that Roger had to be a janitor as it was "Work Man" and not "Workman" on the uniform. They righted the van and Sawyer imbibed beers with his new bud, Roger. He also gave Jin English lessons telling him the only things he needs to talk to a woman:

1. I was wrong.
2. I'm sorry.
3. No, that doesn't make you look fat.

Hurley convinced Charlie, Sawyer, and Jin to push the microbus hoping he could pop the clutch to jump-start it as the battery was shot. They pushed it to the edge of a very steep valley which had huge boulders, trees, and stuff about midway down. Sawyer told him it was too dangerous, but Hurley decided "you make your own luck" and there was no curse. Charlie jumped in for the ride.

Sure enough, just before a certain death by boulder, Hurley popped the clutch and it started up. When the engine started up, the radio was blaring "Shambala" by Three Dog Night (also playing in the first flashback scene of the show). All four went for a joy-ride with some beer-imbibing happening, too.

Heading back to camp with a case or two of beer, Sawyer took a moment to note that everyone had a sort of a partner (or more) except himself. Aw, that's what he gets for being surly most of the time.

Meanwhile, Kate decided that she had to save Jack despite her promise to him. She sought out out the French woman, but instead ran into Sayid and Locke who were tracking her. They wanted to help her, but... bang! A shot rang out! The maid screamed! Wait, there's no maid. It was Rousseau, the French woman. Kate told her that her daughter Alex is with them and she needed her help.

Lost [clunk]

So, that's that. It didn't really move the story forward much, as I mentioned. Now, mind you, I thought it was an enjoyable enough episode, but...!

Tonight's Blogging Schedule - Thursday, March 1, 2007

My review/recap of last night's Lost episode will be posted before the primetime block.

Stay tuned here for East Coast Updates on both American Idol boots and Survivor major events and boot come primetime. As they happen here in the East, I'll get them up on the blog.

Late tonight a full review/recap of Survivor 14: Fiji will be posted. Due to the time conflict with the shows and the time element, I don't do a full recap of American Idol's Thursday night show, although I cover Tuesday and Wednesday. But, I will post the news on who gets voted off in this time zone!