Big Brother 11 Live Feeds Into Sunday Morning 7/12

The screen caps included here are ones I took late last night as the hamsters are all sleeping as I get this written up. Before I get into the report itself, I'm going to drone on about other things ... kind of like Jessie. No, I take that back. Jessie drones on mostly about himself. I want to talk hamsters. I'm having trouble warming up to this group. Not only that, but this is a very confusing bunch!

The relationships
1. Jessie and Russell are Body Buddies. They have clicked in their clique. Natalie is in with him, but I can't say for sure whether she's using them and might dump 'em at the drop of a hat. She seems to realize that with them, she's part of a formidable block of power.

2. Jeff and Lydia were initially tight. Not so much now.

3. Lydia and Jordan have hit if off.

4. The majority of the house is leery of Jessie (and, thus Russell). They're friendly to him, but not going out of the way to be buddy-buddy with the Body Buddies. Nor are the fans -- Hamsterwatch noticed something I find hilarious. On the CBS website, Jessie has NO fans!

5. Other than the athlete bunch, I'm really not seeing many close bonds at all. People will like someone one day, not be speaking the next. Casey, Kevin, Jordan, Michele, Braden, Laura, and even Jeff (although he was the center of a brouhaha over both dropping in the HOH comp and throwing the POV) are almost obscured with all the attention the feeds show of Jessie.

6. I really want to see something other than The Jessie Show on the feeds. I didn't like him before, I don't like him now. And, make him put a shirt on. It's either cool in CA or this bunch actually wears clothes. I prefer he wear clothes. He looks like a toy Hulk doll. All he needs is some green paint.


Kevin isn't quite as out there on the feeds as shown in the Diary Room segments on the one episode we've seen. He's actually more quiet, a bit more thoughtful (at least from the bits I see of him). The clothes are still interesting and loud, but when he's not putting on a show for the show, it seems he's a different person.


Heh. Surfer dude Braden and Michele get all gussied up for a night of pool-playing in the backyard. Not showing in this screen cap are her stiletto heels.

Here's what went down in that Little Hamster House of Horrors during the late night hours before they headed to bed:

• Jeff wants to throw the HOH comp so that a member of the athlete clique can be put on the block.
• Ronnie is upset that he told Lydia that he didn't trust Russell and she ran to tell Russell.
• Jordan is also worried that Lydia has crossed to the Dark Side (trusting Jessie and Russell).
• Jeff thinks that Lydia has become a sell-out buddying up with the Body Buddies.
• Braden says he's not gay. Um. Okay. Whatever. I don't care. Now, if he claimed he was intelligent, I'd have to argue about that. Pretty is fleeting while dumb is forever.
• Russell and Jessie still plan to backdoor Braden at this time.
• Russell thinks that Chima wants all the guys out. He doesn't trust her.
• Ronnie may or may not be playing Russell big time. He told Russell that he's a debate champ and can read people. He also told Russell that Braden thinks he's safe this week.
• I forgot to mention this before and just thought of it. Ronnie says he's a ballet dancer. It doesn't fit in right here, but I wanted to mention it.
• The Body Buddies now don't trust Laura. They think she's confiding in Casey since being a bit alienated from them.
• Casey goes to bed earlier than the rest and really doesn't stand out as much as I thought he would.
  
• Jessie told Chima she needn't worry about going home this week (although that WAS the original plan with the nominations!).
• Lydia thinks that Chima told her rape story for sympathy.
• Lydia told Jordan that Russell will use the veto to save Chima. Now, she knows that's not the plan. Russell should be saving her (Lydia) with the veto and Jessie will put Braden on the block for the backdoor.
• Russell told Casey he's taking Lydia off the block.
• Casey told Chima he needs a guarantee of four weeks safety to get his vote (or actually, non-vote).
• Jessie says that Jeff hasn't spoken to him for more than five minutes in the house. Of course, like last season, that's DISRESPECTFUL!
• Ronnie told Chima he trusts her more than anyone. I think Ronnie is playing everyone, but he hasn't quite perfected it.
• Natalie says she doesn't really talk to anyone but Jessie. Yes, she does talk with others, but it is superficial. I saw her tell the others that she will vote with the house vote no matter what her particular clique says. She said she doesn't want to be a target for the way she votes.
• Jessie and crew tried to turn Jordan against Jeff.
• Chima told Ronnie and Natalie about the four-week safety deal from Casey.
• Jeff confronted the bunch talking smack about him -- he says he didn't realize Lydia was going on the block, Lydia thinks that he told her not to talk to them, Jessie thinks he's not a part of the group ... and so on.
• No violence, no particular resolution either.
• Apparently Natalie and Lydia made peace, though. Natalie kept fearing that Lydia was going to come after and now she doesn't. Okay.
• Michele apologized to Casey for talking about him. She said that she thought he was like the detective of the house and it was bugging her.
• Jeff thinks his team can't be repaired. He's right. I blame Jessie. If it were just Russell, Jeff, and Natalie we'd be getting an entirely different vibe.
  

Big Brother 11: Live Feeds Report Into Saturday Evening 7/11

So, what's been happening in that Big Brother house of Misfit Hamsters? Here's the lowdown:

• Natalie wants Jeff on the block if none of the Three Stooges win HOH this week. Now, I don't think she's a stooge, per se. But you're known by the company you keep. I realize the "Athletes" is her clique, but she's liking the Body Bodies a bit too much for my liking.
• Natalie still thinks that Lydia might go after her if she stays in the house.
• Jordan told Casey she's not sure whom she can trust. My advice is to trust no one. She should know that.
• Jeff and Natalie had a blow-up about him not taking part in their "team." He said he wants off the team. (I knew I liked him.)
• Russell thinks Jeff is jealous of him and how he flirts with Jordan.
• Kevin told Russell he promised Lydia he won't vote out any member of the clique. In other words, if Lydia remains on the block, he won't vote her out.
• Chima is playing along with the Go After Jeff campaign. She told Russell that Jeff took his problems with him (Russell) out on Natalie.
• Casey gets along with both Russell and Jeff. He doesn't want to take sides.
• Kevin thinks someone in the house is a doctor.
  
• No one's really sure what to make of Ronnie. Kevin called him Captain LurksALot.
• The latest plan is that Russell will use the PoV, Braden gets backdoored.
• Braden caught wind of the plan.
• Now it's a brouhaha (sans violence) over how Braden found out.

And that's all she wrote ... for now.

Big Brother Live Feeds - Into the Morn Saturday 7/11

Can you believe it? It's almost 6:00 AM their time and Russell, Jessie, and Natalie are still up talking.

The skinny as of late:

• The MuscleBound and Gal are so against Jeff right now.
• Russell doesn't want to change the noms.
• Jessie and Russell want Lydia to stay while Natalie would like Chima to stay.
• They say everyone is mad at Jeff because he played them -- "he threw the POV for a girl he'll never sleep with."
• The three would also like to backdoor Braden because he causes drama.

All in all, we're off to a relatively quiet start in the house. Since there are rumblings, I expect excitement eventually. Body Boys and Natalie are way too cocky.

Big Brother 11 Live Feeds Late Friday Night 7/10

• Well, the PoV is done and over with -- Russell won. So, I'm sure he'll do his Body Buddy's bidding.
• Laura, Russell, Natalie, and Jessie all think Jeff threw the comp.
• Earlier tonight, Jeff was saying he would like to win it but didn't want the responsibility. They could be right.
• The comp had something to do with spelling.
• The hamsters said Russell saw all of their um ... spelling, yet everyone else was so worried about doing well that they didn't look at the others.
• Well, that's what they said!
• Jordan claimed she used to play Scramble. Even Jessie knew it was Scrabble. @@
• In the comp they had to gather letters and build a large word at the end.
• Now it's mainly chit chat.
• Chima just told the bunch that she was raped by a serial killer (who's now dead) in her sorority house when she was 22. She claims you can Google and find it. You know people will.
• Okay, I did. The "Bathtub Killer" was indeed executed in Texas this past February for a series of murders and rapes dating back to 1996.
• I can't believe they all still think Natalie is 18. She talked to Jessie about her real age but it's not common knowledge.
  

Big Brother 11 Live Feeds Report into Friday Evening 7/10

Jeff has a friend. Is it a showmance?

Well, as I watch the feeds, it's apparent that the "sore loser" Allison Grodner and Julie Chen alluded to in interviews must be Chima. While the nominations went down before the feeds came on, there's been a lot of talk about her reaction to being nominated.

What's been happening in that Big Brother House of Dim (energy-saving!) Bulbs?

• Natalie admitted her age. She told Jessie she worked at Home Depot for five years, and recently started with Blockbuster. Her boss is "cool" and let her take the time to be on the show.
• Jessie is friendly with Lydia and feels bad about nominating her. He told her she should have come to him before the nominations. (Is my memory correct in thinking that same sort of scenario happened during his season and it became drama?)
• For some reason, Lydia and Casey were surprised Jessie didn't nominate Michele for eviction.
• Chima seems to turn a lot of the folks off. She's a braggart. Um ... can we all say "Jessie" at the same time so it can be heard around the world?
• They picked players for the veto comp. Lydia picked Jeff while Chima picked Natalie. Jessie is with the Neck ... love Russell, whatever.
• They were given a dictionary to study.
• I learned from Braden (who can't put a sentence together properly) that there are 300 species of turtles.
  
• Ronnie threw Lydia under that proverbial reality TV bus with Chima -- telling Chima everything Lydia's ever said about her.
• Chima mad.
• Ronnie and Natalie told Chima that Lydia is a snake in the grass. (Not to be confused with a turtle on the turf.)
• Ronnie thinks that if someone uses POV to save Chima, Jordan should be put up as that would mean Lydia would be voted out.
• Jessie is upset that Chima chose Natalie for POV. He wants her (Chima) out this week and considers Natalie a strong competitor.
• The Muscle Boys have become a single brick wall.
• Nothing major going on as I get this posted. I expect the POV will be played later tonight.
  

Big Brother 11 Live Feeds Report - Into Friday Morn 7/10

It's nearly 6 AM here on the East Coast and Natalie and Jessie are talking about everyone. Somehow, Natalie talks like a guy. Jessie is still full of himself. They're talking the order for the keys in Jessie's nominations. Here's the skinny from the overnight:

• Chima and Lydia are on the block.
• Lydia and Jordan were given slinky nightgowns and had a girly-girly time of it. No, no sex. Or "boogering" as Jordan would say.
• Before the feeds were live last night, they had already had the "have/have not" competition which takes the place of the food comp this year.
• Brains were out quick in that one. They call it the neon competition.
• Ronnie says they lost because they (the brains) over-think everything.
• Jeff and Lydia talked about the upcoming veto comp. Jeff doesn't think it should be used if won. Lydia would save herself if she wins -- Jeff agrees with that thought.
• Lydia seems to fit in better with the others than Chima if the noms remain the same.
• Lydia thinks Jessie is attractive. Eww. My opinion of her sunk tremendously just now.
• Jessie and Lydia pinky-sweared they wouldn't nominate each other. Of course, Jessie has ALREADY nominated Lydia.
• They confirmed that the HOH will be on Twitter. So much for no outside contact, eh?
• As Lydia gets close to Jessie, she also gets close to Jeff. She might be one to watch this season.
• Lydia cried. Shades of Amber?
• Natalie says that Braden is a loose cannon and that Jordan has him wrapped around her finger.

All in all, they're not an earth-shaking group so far. I'm sick of listening to Jessie. He just told Natalie that his parents make 40K a year combined. I'm sure they want that out there on the Internets, eh? He's bragging about his own income and how he doesn't want to be like them.

Also ... my show review post is up at TV Squad.

BB11: Feed Me, Feed Me!

At 12:03 AM ET, this is still what we see on the feeds (accompanied by the horrid theme music). They lie! How can they be right back when they haven't been here yet? I'll update this post when they come on.

Okay, they're on.




Lydia and Chima are nominated for eviction. This, of course, happened before tonight's show and the live feeds.



I'll be gathering fodder for the early morning feeds report. If you're watching the feeds, feel free to talk about them here ... until I get enough for a real report.

Bulletin: So You Think You Can Dance 7/09 Results Bulletin

Caitlyn is going home.
Phillip Chbeeb is out.

Nigel announced that both Phillip and Caitlyn will be on the tour.

Big Brother 11 Season Premiere Party ... er, Post

It's here! The show has started here on the East Coast. This entry will be updated as events air. However, the big party will be in the comments and you're all invited!

They're a bed short so two of the girls are doubling up to give Jeff a bed with them in the pool room. They've introduced themselves to each other. The gals really are taken with Jeff.

A bit of cattiness in their Diary Room comments to us about others. I wonder how the 13th person will fit if they're already short a bed. Hmmm ...

Cliques assigned, it's HOH time. The entire clique is safe if one wins HOH.
HOH comp is The Wedgie -- giant granny pants, hanging onto toilet seats. If last member loses it, the whole clique is out. But the winner won't win HOH. There are four un-named previous HG apparently also assigned to cliques. Whichever clique wins, that person will be HOH. I fear Jessie.

The four ex possibles are Cowboy BB5, Jessica BB9, Brian BB10, and Jessie BB10.

Brains out first, no Brian. Off-Beat out second, no Cowboy. It's between Jessica and Jessie to return. Two of each clique still wedgie-ing.

Athletes win ... Jessie will be the new HOH. Sigh.

Tonight, Tonight ... it's a Big Brother Night

While the Plainfield (NJ) Police Department seems to be more interested in Sanford and Son ... we're going to be here for the Big Brother 11 premiere tonight!

I'd like to welcome back those folks returning to the blog, welcome the new folks, and give a thank you to those who hang around all year long.

If you're new here, here's how we do what we do --

On show nights, I open up a live-blogging post in which I post the major show happenings as they air East Coast time. During the show, everyone is invited to share their thoughts in comments and we have a grand old party there. So, tonight ... expect the first show post of the season to be up at 8:00 PM ET.

Later tonight, I'll write up my actual show review for TV Squad. I'll generally zap a post up with a link after it's live.

Then there are the live feeds
TV Squad decided not to have me cover the live feeds there, so all content will be here on this blog. Since I do also have to work for a living, my feed reports don't post on every breath taken by the hamsters. I have more of a Reader's Digest condensed approach in which I tell what I deem to be the most important or things which really caught my attention on the feeds for some reason or another.

I usually post feed reports three times a day (all based on East Coast time) -- late evening, early morning, and early evening. If it's not a workday for me or if a comp is being held or something just HAS to be reported, there may be more posts in a day.

I take screencaps and post them here (once the feeds are up). This season the feeds have a flashback feature which is way nifty keen. I can check out what I missed. I might occasionally post some video. However, any video of the feeds I post will probably be short and sweet, kept to the 30 second fair use limit as YouTube and Real Networks are said to be clamping way down on the live feeds video. We'll see how that goes.

So, everyone get on your party hats, bring your snacks and beverages ... the show post will be up at 8:00 PM ET! See you there!

If You Missed Julie Chen on Craig Ferguson Last Night ...

... don't worry about it. As I expected, very little talk about Big Brother and absolutely no insight to anything behind the scenes that we didn't already know. Her big announcement was that her baby will be a boy.

That's all good and well, but it's not Big Brother!



In other news, Allison Grodner Twittered that three days in and they have a real sore loser. I guess someone pouts or has a tantrum, eh?

More Big Brother 11 Bloggy Bits

Somebunny is getting anxious for his Big Brother! Off topic image: I'm beginning to think rabbits will be New Jersey's next Canada geese. They're all over my neighborhood while the feral cats have all but disappeared.

Okay ... let's talk BB11 stuff:

• For those of you on dial-up, I plan to be linking all new entries on Twitter. By following links from Twitter, only one post at a time will come up. That may help downloading time. Yes, I'm talking to you AlbGlinka (and welcome back)! My Twitter page is right here.
• Julie Chen will be on Craig Ferguson tonight. Um, that just sounds odd, doesn't it? Supposedly she's going to share some big BB11 surprise with us. I'll let you know. And, I'll believe it when I see it.
• My latest scoop on BB11 is up over on TV Squad. It's mostly my take on the clique bit. There is a fun poll, though.
  
• A fun poll is never to be confused with a fun pool. This is the latest from Jackie's TV Blog Pool Monitor Margo:

********POOL REMINDER*********

Swimming Suits are NOT optional
No running
No Roughhousing
No Horseplay
No Name Calling
No Swearing
No Glass containers

We are only here to have fun so everyone please PLAY NICE.

Which ever team wins the Pool gets bragging rites until the next season starts.

The teams as of 3 pm CT are:

Braden – KarenCA, Monty924, DonnaAL
Casey – PDX Granny, Jackie, Patti in kzoo
Chima – Brent McKee, Delee, DonnaFL
Jeff – sizzie, dla, Margo
Jordan – Becky, meb, Lynn1
Kevin – Tessa, NanaNW, Laurie
Laura – nomad, SueGee, Sasha
Lydia – Witt, RBennie, Gaylos
Michele – Sydney, ORKmommy, Susan FL
Natalie – Caroline, Jennasmom, Plaidchick
Ronnie – Sally, Catonine
Russell – TerryCA, Zoetawny
??? – Lars Eller, Feral Cat, Petals

I will fill in the ??? when it is available. If it is more than 1 person I'm gonna have to shuffle some peeps around. I'll keep you posted.

Margo aka Pool Monitor

Big Brother 11: A Closer Look at Russell and Ronnie

Ah, finally ... I'm down to the last two hamsters! You can find all of my "closer look" posts as well as a cast cheat sheet by clicking on the "BB11 cast" tag on the bottom of the post.

Well, Russell ... what can I say? His last name is kind of fun. According to his CBS bio, his friends call him "Russell the love muscle." Um, I'm already getting the idea that Russell and I don't run in the same social circles. Oh, how I'd love to see him fall flat and be the first one out of the house after I read this on the bio -- "Loud and brash, Russell holds nothing back and is always ready for a fight. In fact, his brash personality is probably his biggest asset outside the house, where he is a mixed martial arts fighter. He claims nothing scares him and that includes the game of BIG BROTHER."

On second thought, he might be interesting to watch. Let me amend my previous thoughts. I'd like to see Natalie (the girl martial arts champ) whip his butt while Michele (the neuroscientist) humiliates his probably weak "brain muscle."

Diane Henry's non-embeddable video interview with Russell is at this link. The Reality Wanted interview is below. He apparently does have a strategy. I don't care. His neck is as big as some folks' waists. He scares me. Plus he's wearing a Dustin-esque v-neck.





It's onto Ronnie ... kind of a polar opposite of Russell. I think my biases are showing as I look at this cast. I'm definitely gravitating more towards the non-physical bunch although I think Natalie is going to be a strong contender in the game. But I LIKE the non-physical bunch better. I think Ronnie might have a strong game going.

According to his CBS bio, Ronnie is a gamer, debate champion, and a huge BB fan. All in all, the bio doesn't give us a ton of information about him. Diane Henry's interview tells us more.

Big Brother 11: A Closer Look at Natalie and Michele

BULLETIN: According to various sources, the HG entered the house last night and had their first HOH comp. The mystery hamster is supposed to be a male from Season 10 who will create drama in the house. Most of the guesses are Brian. I personally (with no insider information) fear it might be Jesse. He was the drama that season!

Continuing on with my slightly more in-depth looks at the new hamsters --

She's tiny; she's feisty. Not only is she a martial arts champion, according to her CBS bio, she's a poker player. Let's see ... tough, strategic game ... she better not be a Wahmber!

Diane Henry (season um ... five? - Drew's buddy) now covers reality television for the CBS affiliate in Los Angeles and interviewed Natalie. It's not embeddable or you know I'd embed it. I'm an embedder. It's better than being an enabler, right?

Poking about the web, we have a similar case to Jeff Schroeder Hamster isn't Jeff Schroeder Smashing Pumpkin. Natalie is NOT the actress who comes up immediately upon Googling her name.




Onto Michele! I know I have someone else in the blog pool, but I'm going to be cheering the local gal on. No, I don't live in CA and haven't since I was six years old. She's born and raised in Iselin (NJ), about a town and a half away from me. Okay, maybe six miles. And she's a neuroscientist. I so want her to do well.

According to her CBS bio, she's one of the three married hamsters. Casey and Ronnie are the other two. Her strategy is to be a bit under the radar, but consistent with winning comps without dominating them. Her interview with Diane Henry is interesting -- she answered a Craiglist ad looking for people with interesting jobs to audition for a reality show. She's a fan of the show. Alas, she thinks she's like a female Eric (BB9) and says she's doofy like him.

Off Topic: Roofus the Cat

Summer isn't the time to find Roofus the Cat up on his roof. Between the rain and then hot weather, Roofus tends to seek out shade (or dry) this time of year. Other than one sighting a week or so ago when I didn't have my memory card in the camera, I haven't seen Roofus.

But, I have spies. Local Plainfield blogger Bernice peeked into the "abandoned" ex-Budget Rental Car building and there's Roofus! He's hanging out with the big grey cat who's hiding in back of him in this shot.

Somehow they can get in and out of the building and the last time I peeked in closely, there was a fresh litter pan, food, and water. Although the place is definitely abandoned, cat food keeps mysteriously appearing.

I return you to your regularly scheduled blog now. And thanks go out to Bernice!

Big Brother 11: A Closer Look at Lydia, Laura, and Kevin

Continuing on with my slightly more in-depth pre-season takes on the Big Brother 11 hamsters, I give you Lydia, Laura, and Kevin. You can find all of my cast related posts by using the BB11cast tag at the bottom of this post. By the way ... have you noticed that CBS has dropped the season number from the website and show references? They're listing it as plain old Big Brother. What's up with that?


Ah, tattooed gal Lydia. In the initial Early Show cast introduction, she's the one who touted her bisexuality. She's attractive, but sports more tattoos than a Hell's Angel member. Looking at her CBS bio, she seems to be a rather excitable girl -- one who will definitely speak her mind. She appears to be a contrast of contradictions -- daughter of a cop, close to family, yet "eccentric" and heavily tattooed. I think she'll probably be interesting to watch. I hope she doesn't have obscene or offensive tattoos like James in season nine. We'd have to see a heck of a lot of Band-Aids.

Insider.com has taken over some of the dearth with the loss of Housecalls. He strays way off topic of the show and I find him annoying, but Ross Mathews has this interview with the women of the BB11 house online --



Diane Henry has a non-embeddable video interview with Lydia online. Now, there's a good video! I actually like Lydia ... I think. Hmmm ... she cries about spiders. I guess she shouldn't go into the backyard at night, eh?

Laura is a bikini model. I'm seriously going to have to overcome my bias against folks who are bikini models. After all, it could just be jealousy, right? They can't all be shallow obnoxious folks, can they? According to Reality Wanted, she's a huge fan of the show with her favorite season being BB8 and her favorite players being Evel Dick and Daniele (although she would have offed 'em early had she been on the show).

According to her bio on the CBS website, she's going to "live in her bikini." Oh joy. Just what I wanted to watch 24 hours a day -- a flashing tramp stamp. Sure, the guys will like it, but ...! I just don't share her values, I guess. Bikinis and suntans aren't my way of life. But she just might have some gameplay.


Then there's Kevin, the out gay guy representative of the season. In his CBS bio,"He describes himself as ghetto, fabulous and inappropriate, and warns his fellow Houseguests that, although he doesn't have a temper, he can get bitchy. He knows how to find the slightest flaw in a person and magnify it for all to see." In other interviews, he says he doesn't want to implode like many of the past gay men in the house.

He's estranged from his family and I just keep getting the drama queen vibe from him. I hope I'm wrong. He does know the show. Does he have a chance?

Big Brother 11: A Closer Look at Jordan, Jeff, and Chima

Continuing my slightly in-depth pre-season scuttlebutt on the Big Brother 11 houseguests ...

Hmm ... Jordan Lloyd, according to her CBS website bio, is a naive small town kind of gal. Although pretty, she says she won't be having sex in the house because her "grandpa will be watching." It's too bad a few others didn't realize that in the past. Nothing says "easy" more than being a showmance gone wild on live feed cameras.

I'm not finding much on Jordan. She's young, lives at home, and is a waitress. In the non-embeddable CBS video of the hamsters, she's the one who tells us she got her boobs done three weeks ago. Um. Perhaps she plans to use them as flotation devices in the hot tub. I don't think her grandpa needed to know about the boob job, do you?



Like Jordan, Jeff is kind of a mystery hamster -- there's not all that much about him on the Internet. When I searched for his name, most of the results pointed out a Smashing Pumpkins band member with the same name. Unless he's really cleverly disguised, that ain't him.

In his CBS bio, he sounds like a decent and normal kind of guy. I'm not sure how well that will all work out for him in the house or for entertainment value on the live feeds. He might end up being a bit boring. Why would a possibly normal person want to go on the show? Now, that's the real mystery!

I found an interview with him online --




Then there's Chima. She's probably the best-known hamster in the house. She's a journalist for Hollyscoop.com, does various BET red carpet events, and more.



How is she going to do in the house? Maybe since she's into hip-hop, she could get together with DJ Mingle Mixx and start some new house traditions.

Happy Independence Day!

The sun is shining and the local parade will be starting soon here in Plainfield, NJ. We've had so much rain this year that I think it just might be a miracle that the weather is cooperating with the holiday.

I hope everyone enjoys the holiday and can take some time with friends and family. Parades, cook-outs, fireworks ... yay! Enjoy!

I'll return a bit later checking out more BB11 hamsters. And, of course, the graphic above was made by Zoetawny.

Here are a few shots I took of the parade as it went by my apartment ...

Big Brother 11 - A Closer Look at Casey and Braden

This summary is not available. Please click here to view the post.

'So You Think You Can Dance' 7/02 Results

From the East Coast airing --

Karla is going home.
Vitolio is going home.

Aww ...

Big Brother 11 Bloggy Bits

First, the esteemed Zoetawny has created another new BB season logo for the blog. She rocks, y'know. Thank you, Zoetawny!

Second ... blog community lifeguard Margo is running the blog pool this season. The way it works is that we're assigned a houseguest to cheer on. There isn't any wagering (although virtual wagering would be okay, I guess -- you know, like a dozen virtual chocolate chip cupcakes or something). It's all just in fun. Here's the latest on the pool from what I can gather:

Braden – KarenCA, Monty924, DonnaAL
Casey – PDX Granny, Jackie, Patti in kzoo
Chima – Brent McKee, Delee, DonnaFL
Jeff – sizzie, dla, Margo
Jordan – Becky, meb, Lynn1
Kevin – Tessa, NanaNW, Laurie
Laura – nomad, SueGee, Sasha
Lydia – Witt, RBennie, Gaylos
Michele – Sydney, ORKmommy, Susan in FL
Natalie – Caroline, Jennasmom
Ronnie – Sally, Catonine
Russell – TerryCA, Zoetawny
??? – Lars Eller, Feral Cat

Margo will assign a name to the mystery houseguest once we know who it is. I'd like to thank her and possibly get a virtual round of applause from everyone for her efforts!

Some BB11 News

Look! It's Chris (Gunther?) from The Late, Late Show with Craig Ferguson! He was one of the twelve media people who did a week in a day in the Big Brother 11 house last week. Yikes, he got himself evicted, but not before he got a shout-out in to Craig. The videos aren't embeddable, but you can find them on the CBS BB11 website. Jen Johnson from BB8 was the host for the bunch. If you recall, I wasn't invited.

If you're not familiar with Chris, this video I previously posted may jolt your memory --



Due to Chris being in on the Press Day in the house, I guess we'll be seeing the hamsters and Julie each week on Ferguson once again. Also on the CBS website, there is a (non-embeddable) video of the houseguests telling us how great they are. One mentions her boob job. @@

Regarding Live Feeds

I always have mine as I use the Rhapsody credit monthly. I don't know how to go about offering the feeds to customers. But, if you're looking to sign up for them, it would be great if you did it through That Dingo's Hamsterwatch website. She runs one of those sites I keep an eye on all season and she works hard for her money. Of course, they can also be purchased at real.com.

Regarding my show episode reviews and live feeds coverage

TV Squad is paring down the coverage of Big Brother. I'll be reviewing all the episodes, but the reviews will be much shorter. I was also informed they will not be doing live feeds reports this season even though they brought in a lot of traffic. That decision may change, I don't know. It hits me in the financial arena as I was expecting the income.

Not to fear, though. I'll just do all the live feed reports here and not run myself ragged doing separate content for TVS and here. As always, there will be live blog show posts for discussion of the episodes as they air here on the East Coast. You know you're all invited!

New this season

I succumbed to cyber peer pressure. I'm now on Twitter. While I won't be going wacky tweeting all the time, I'm definitely planning on using it for some reporting in addition to this blog.

I'll be starting the more in-depth look at the houseguests tomorrow. In poking around, I already found two words for Braden -- "soft porn."

Sneak Peek: 'Leverage' Season Premiere

When I met up with blog buddies RBennie and Becky recently, the timing was perfect. I know that Becky is a big fan of TNT's Leverage and I just received the screener copy of the season premiere. How could I not? I'm including a video bit about the show and Becky's review. Once the season starts, I'll create a blog discussion post for the show.



From Becky, Guest Reviewer and Leverage fan:
The "Beantown Bailout Job": Thrills, cons and the pursuit of justice are back as TNT's fast-paced drama series LEVERAGE returns on July 15 with the Grifter, the Hitter, the Hacker, the Thief and the Brains returning for another season.

In case you missed last season, Timothy Hutton stars as Nate Ford, a former insurance investigator determined to bring down the kind of corrupt bigwigs whose neglect led to the death of his son. His highly skilled team includes Sophie Deveareaux (Gina Bellman), a grifter who uses her acting skills to corner her marks; Eliot Spencer (Christian Kane), a "retrieval specialist" with bone-crunching fighting skills; Alec Hardison (Aldis Hodge), a gadget and technology wizard who keeps the team connected and informed; and Parker (Beth Riesgraft), a slightly off center thief adept at rappelling off buildings or squeezing into tight places.

During the first season, the team members put their energy, quick minds and keen intellects toward securing justice for society's underdogs. The five loners learn how to work as a team and to rely on each person's unique skills. They also developed a strong emotional bond.

After the destruction of their headquarters and the decision to go their separate ways at the end of the first season, the team now finds itself together again when Nate witnesses and attempted murder of a bank whistle-blower. Nate's new digs soon become the operational headquarters from which the team will conduct their activities.

When the group meets at a Sound of Music play starring Sophie, the not-so-good singer, they all profess that they enjoyed their six months away from each other. They then confess that Nate has "ruined" them for a life of selfish crime by making them one of the good guys. He has to be convinced to do "this one last job" to find justice for the bank employee. Some of their plans to vindicate the employee do not go as they thought they would, but they still overcome the obstacles for a delightful season opener.

Tonight's 'So You Think You Can Dance' and 'America's Got Talent' ... plus Julie's BB11 House Tour

Yikes. I've been posting so much today! Eep.



But I wanted to give folks a place to comment on So You Think You Can Dance and America's Got Talent. I'm watching the first one and recording the second.

And here's another BB11 bonus -- Julie Chen's tour of the BB11 house:

The Big Brother 11 Cast Cheat Sheet

I'll be taking a closer look at the hamsters in posts down the line. However, I edited these images with their names, current location (well, real current location is either sequester or in the house!), ages, and occupations. I figure I can look back at this entry in the beginning when I can't keep track who is who. Or, is that who is whom? Only three are married -- Ronnie, Michele, and Casey.

BB11 Twist Revealed

All kinds of news today -- I'm still working on my intro posts for the hamsters.

Meanwhile, from a CBS Press Release:

07.01.2009

CBS INTRODUCES 12 NEW HOUSEGUESTS AND REVEALS A SURPRISE TWIST THAT EVERYONE CAN RELATE TO WHEN "BIG BROTHER" PREMIERES THURSDAY, JULY 9, ON THE CBS TELEVISION NETWORK

The Houseguests Will Be Going Back to High School as They Are Divided into Memorable High School Cliques - Popular, Athletes, Brainiacs and Off-Beats

A Mystery 13th Houseguest Will Also Join the Game

House Guests To Compete in House That Has Been Transformed into Green, Eco-Friendly Living Machine

What group did you fit into in high school? That is the question 12 strangers will face on the season premiere of BIG BROTHER, Thursday, July 9 (8:00-9:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network.

12 strangers will move into the Big Brother house and learn that they will be ‘kickin it old school' this summer, high school to be exact. The House Guests will be shocked to learn that they will be playing the game in one of four familiar high school cliques - popular, athletes, brainiacs and off beats. They will compete for food, safety from eviction and luxury prizes as part of their clique.

They will also be surprised to discover that a mystery 13th Houseguest is coming to the BIG BROTHER house, to join the game and give an advantage to one of the cliques.

"You may have graduated, but the truth is we never leave high school and this summer we are going to prove it," says Allison Grodner, Executive Producer of BIG BROTHER. "From the brains to the jocks to the off-beat, everyone will be able to identify to one of these cliques, giving the viewers a group to root for and against from the very beginning. The division will cause instant drama."

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High school? Now I'm going to have nightmares! Your thoughts?

Big Brother 11 Cast on The Early Show Video

I'll be posting more later, but here's the video of the cast reveal on today's The Early Show --

Big Brother 11 Bulletin!

I just saw a blurb that the Big Brother 11 cast will be introduced this morning on The Early Show. I expect the website will be updated later today. It's my day off, so I will catch The Early Show and update here later!

UPDATE: Gack. The oldest hamster is 41. There is a gamer who can name all of the houseguests all of the seasons in order. He also led debate teams. My money would be on him for the win if I had to name a winner now. Lots of pretty (young) faces, a gay guy and a bi-sexual gal.

Once the video of the segment goes live either on YouTube or CBS, I'll post it here. Later on today, hopefully they'll update the website. I'm not so thrilled with the new hamsters. However, watching them implode as the season goes along should be fun!

UPDATE on the UPDATE: The hamsters are now on the official CBS website. I'll be analyzing them, snagging images, and sharing thoughts in my next post.