Big Brother 15: Live Feeds Into Friday Afternoon 6/28

Yard time today

If you're reading this, entry for the blog pool is closed. This season has the biggest pool ever! Woohoo! ORKMommy will be making the random picks and I'll announce the match-ups before the Sunday episode.

What's been happening inside that Big Brother House of Many Mean Girls and Their Mimbos since I last posted? Read on ...

• Andy told Judd that he's worried if they get rid of Elissa this week, Jeremy might target them (Andy, Judd) next.
• Of course, technically, Elissa isn't on the block.
• McCrae nominated Candice and Jessie. Elissa (although denying it to most of the house) was voted MVP and nominated David. McCrae won Veto. He told Elissa he was going to put her up, but said she's not the target.
• The original plan was to backdoor Elissa all along.
• Who knows? These are silly hamster games!
• Helen doesn't really drink, but claims she will drink in the house.
• I probably would, too.
• Andy is getting emotional. Didn't he say he wouldn't?
• Jeremy thinks if David stays, he'd target Amanda or Candice.
• Amanda has latched onto Pizza Boy McCrae.
• Would that happen in real life? Ha.
• Aaryn and Elissa kissed (not literally) and made up after their fight from last night. It was all over Elissa rumored (true!) to be the MVP who nominated Aaryn's shiny showmance boy David.
• Jeremy went around talking how he'd "go off" if he got nominated.
• I want him to be nominated now! Don't you?
• Helen is quite the social player. She seems to know what to say to each hamster to make them feel better. Hmm.
• David is worried that he might get evicted and tried to get McCrae to tell him.
• McCrae honestly told him he didn't really know. He doesn't plan on taking him off the block, but doesn't think he's a real target right now.
• McCrae wants Elissa to go. He thinks that she's likely to be too popular with "America" and would keep winning MVP.
• McCrae plans on taking Candice down, putting up Elissa. We'll see.
• They finally got outside today after being on indoor lockdown for more than two days.
• There's a photo booth now! You know the kind ... a strip of four pictures. An announcer's countdown voice and all.
• At least it's something for them to do!
• I'm not sure when the PoV meeting will be held, but when I find out, you'll find out!

Spencer

Pretty, I'm so pretty ...

Big Brother 15: Live Feeds Report Thursday Into the Night 6/28 -PoV

She does look too much like her sister!

If she didn't look SO much like Rachel, Elissa might have a chance in the house. She doesn't come across as abrasive and, obviously, there isn't the tension of a Brendon in the house for her. She did light into Jeremy for calling her out about the MVP thing, then accused him of being a woman abuser. I don't know. They BOTH came off as jerks in that one.

Anyway ... here's the latest from inside that Big Brother House of Happy Shiny Hamsters:

• McCrae, David, Candice, Jessie, Elissa and Howard were the veto players. GinaMarie was the host.
• The comp, blocked to the live feeds, seemed to be some sort of spelling bee with honey. McCrae, true to his life's work, spelled out "delivery."
• Elissa came up with "pot roast" but quickly found out that it's two words, not one.
• D'oh!
• McCrae came up the winner of this one.
• So, we still have David (MVP nominee) and Candice/Jessie on the block ... for now.
• Kaitlin was all over Jeremy.
• Jeremy is definitely a player. Amanda warned Jessie (another of Jeremy's playtoys) about it.
• Jessie says she knows.
• I feel like I'm back in high school with this bunch.
• Maybe junior high!
• Some of the girls took a bubble bath in the HoH tub to coincide with the BBAD show.
• Although they mention the feeds, it doesn't seem to have sunk in that it's not all about BBAD!
• Elissa told Helen that McCrae plans to use the veto and she (Elissa) will be put up in the place of a nominee. He didn't say who would come down.
• McCrae has Elissa believing she's not the target.
• He's of the mind that it's what the house wants -- if they all vote out Elissa as they wanted, fine. If they want out someone else (David?), also fine. 
• He thinks whatever the outcome, he comes out clean.
• We'll see.

With the new season on, I'm not sure when the PoV meeting will be held. But it does seem McCrae will stick to the initial plan of at least setting up for the backdoor exit of Elissa.

I personally wouldn't mind David going home, either. The Aaryn/David coupling is way too much too soon. She actually irks me more than he does. I think she's a pretty girl, but she's a know-it-all who really doesn't know as much as she thinks. One thing she's right about, though -- her coupling with David has put a target on both of them!

For those folks wanting to get into the pool, you need to add your name in comments at the SIGN-UP POST. The cut-off for joining is 6pm ET TODAY (Friday).

Already others don't really trust him

Cowgirl at heart

The pretty people

Even dressed alike!

Big Brother 15: Live Feeds Brief - Not PoV Yet, MVP Nom instead

Stuck in the middle with you ...

Okay, the feeds returned to a quasi-brouhaha. Apparently they had the PoV players picked (Elissa is playing) and some kind of issues about the seating arrangement for the meeting. @@

Elissa is mad at McCrae because he told her he told Amanda that she was MVP. Elissa is mad at Amanda because she knows she is MVP.
Elissa denies being MVP to all.
All suspect or know she is.

The mysterious MVP (cough::Elissa::cough) nominated Dave.  So, currently on the block -- Jessie, Candice and Dave.

They're still on indoor lockdown with the PoV being built in the backyard.

Big Brother 15: Live Feeds Quickie Report - MVP

Have Not beds

Sigh, silly America voted for Elissa to be MVP! Gah. She told McCrae, but no one else that I caught. The other girls are freaking out, but they were freaking out well before she actually got word about it. Of course, this might throw a wrench into the plan to backdoor the wench, er ... Elissa. My apologies. It just came out!

They want her out mostly because she's Rachel's sister. I haven't really seen enough of her on the feeds to judge her on her own merits yet.

Right now the feeds are blocked with trivia playing -- either for the PoV or the MVP, don't know which.

Although they haven't made it clear:

• It seems the MVP can be nominated as it's (supposedly) a secret.
• The PoV probably works the same for the MVP as anyone else -- they can take themselves off if nominated, another off if they wish.
• The MVP has no real power to stay in the game. They can be voted out like anyone else other than the HoH and PoV winners.

That said, McCrae is in a sticky spot. He knows she has it and, it would come off as really evil to backdoor her if she doesn't win PoV.

Laters, hamster watchers!

Big Brother 15: Live Feeds First Night

Yes, it's Big Brother in all its live feeds glory! Before I get into the happenings, I want to mention a bit about the feeds themselves. In previous years, except for the first season, they've been hosted by real.com. Now they're hosted on the CBS website. I see pros. I see cons.

The player itself is better for me. However, there are glitches galore. When starting the feeds up for the first time, it was hard to get anything other than a black screen. Digging around the Internet, I found the fix -- going into the flashback calendar, then going live. Who woulda thunk it? Then there's been an ongoing problem with only one set of mics going for all four screens. Sure, they do the two cams on one room bit. But then I should be able to hear what they're saying in each room! At one point my feeds stopped and a replay button came up. Hitting it would get two seconds of feeds. I had to exit and start again.

I also checked out Big Brother After Dark for the first time as I have TVGN, but never had Showtime. I ended up turning it off because it was on a slight delay and conflicted with my feeds. Yes, the language seems censored on it. However, the feeds themselves are in line with previous seasons. Well, except for the glitches.

They've been in the house for six days already (blocked to us), so they've already had nominations and the Have/Have Not comp. Here's what's been going on:

• The house is already a pig sty.
• Jessie and Candice are on the block.
• Supposedly as pawns because McCrae told them he plans on backdooring Elissa.
• The Have Nots sleep in airplane chairs in the Airplane Room. They think the words on the wall might have to do with how to recline the chairs.
• Have Nots are: Andy, Helen, Howard, Elissa and Judd.
• They decided to put on a "fashion show" or pageant thing for the first night of BBAD and the feeds.
• Um. Okay.
• Helen won it. Woo.
• That pageant is what most of the wacky screencaps on here are from.
• The girls are all catty already!
• Jealousy abounds. That's what you get with all the kids in the house.
• Aaryn is unduly worried about being nominated and evicted when the MVP comes into action.
• If she keeps it up, she should be worried. She's very annoying about it.
• I'm actually liking GinaMarie a bit more than I thought I would.
• Maybe because so many of the other girls are acting like high school kids.
• Aaryn also made a big fuss because so many in the house don't understand how PoV works.
• While she has a point, it's definitely not a good move to keep harping about it.
• Aaryn is also sure that Elissa will be MVP due to Rachel's fan base.
• I think she's wrong.
• Candice and Jessie (nominees) had a slight misunderstanding, but made up and are still friends. BFFs, even.
• Apparently, before the feeds went live, Elissa got into two fights with people.
• I can't really say as I haven't seen a lot of her on the feeds tonight and what I've seen has actually been better than the catty jealous little girls.
• Mind you, I do NOT want to like Elissa.
• McCrae isn't all that much in favor with his nominees. They think he's weak and couldn't even look them in the eyes during the nominations.
• Aaryn also complained that one of the women had a fishy smell and needed something for it. You can take that one from there. I'd rather not go there.
• Andy and McCrae are tight, but not in a gay kind of way.
• Jessie and Candice think Amanda is super stuck-up.
• They're on an indoor lockdown, apparently for the second night in a row.
• The PoV is supposed to be tomorrow, er ... today. Thursday.
• They took the airplane out of McCrae's HoH room, supposedly because he played with it.
• The plan seems pretty solid to backdoor Elissa.
• Of course, they should know that you can never depend on plans in the house!
• Several are still up as I get this posted. 

Big Brother 15: Season Premiere Blog Party

Everybody ready for the summer? The show is about to start here on the East Coast. As it airs, I'll update this post with the major happenings. If you want to join the pool, the cut-off for jumping in is FRIDAY, 6pm ET. The post to join in is located at this link -- please sign up there as your request might get lost in the excitement here. The random pool match-ups will be announced on Sunday before the show starts.

Well, there just better be excitement, I say!  We're counting on these hamsters to keep us entertained for a very long time. They need to WORK IT!

If you haven't followed the blog before, you might want to check out what it's all about during the Big Brother season right here in this post. The Big Brother After Dark show is on TVGN tonight (and every night) for two hours starting at midnight, ET. The live feeds themselves kick in after the West Coast airing, again midnight ET. My first live feeds report of the season probably won't be until extremely early morning here on the East Coast.

Now, let's settle in with our tasty snacks and cold beverages and watch some silly hamster hijinks! Remember, these hamsters have already been in the house probably since Friday or so. So, we've already missed a lot!

As always, the real party is in the comments ... come join us!

Howard, Spencer and Jeremy already formed a secret alliance. A bunch of the girls want a pretty girl alliance -- that was Elissa's idea. Now, Jeremy, Jessie and David are in an alliance. Silly hamsters.

Julie tells them there will be three nominees every week. HoH will still nominate two. She won't tell them yet where the third comes from.

The first HoH comp is Popsicle Factory. They each climb on a huge popsicle and hang on, last one remaining up wins. Down: Judd, Howard, Candice. Then stuff is squirted on them by a giant tongue. Candace figured out Elissa is Rachel's sister and mentioned it to Judd. Down: Amanda, Spencer. Now flavoring is being squirted on them. David is upset about his hair. Another girl went down, then Jessie down, then Elissa, GinaMarie. Andy out. Caitlin down. Last girl up Aaryn is down.

Julie offers a Never Have Not Pass (good all season) in one of two pails to the first two to drop. David drops first and will have choice of pail. He did NOT get the pass. Jeremy goes for the pass. Nick deals with McCrae and drops.

McCrae is the first HoH!

Julie gathers all in the living room. The third nomination will be made by someone in this room -- she tells them America will vote MVP and that person makes the third nomination. The MVP is all secret stuff, the others won't know.

Sunday is the Have Not and noms. Tuesday is PoV. Wednesday is live eviction. 

Big Brother 15: How We Do What We Do

Anybody excited about the season starting tonight? Yep, it's our guilty summer obsession, for sure. If you're checking in on the blog for the first time, I'd like to explain a bit of what we do here. I realize that I'm an "I" and not a "we." But, while I do the writing and posting here, it's the "we" part who makes this place great!

What I do:

• Two or three times a day, I'll be posting live feeds reports from the activity inside the house. These are often SPOILERS, so beware. Spoilers are a big part of what this blog will be about all summer.  These reports won't be on every breath the houseguests take as I'm only one person. I try to snag the important happenings or events which catch my fancy.
• Screencaps from the live feeds events will be posted in each report.
• On show nights, I host blog parties posted at the start of the show East Coast time. These are posts updated with the major show events in real time as the episodes air on the East Coast. The party is in the comments!
• Unless life circumstance or blacked-out feeds dictate otherwise, I provide live coverage updates and screencaps of endurance competitions which generally don't air until the next aired television episode.
• If I post something as a rumor, it's just that -- a rumor. If I verify that something happened, you can bet your bippy that it's the truth!

What WE do:

• We have a blog pool! The esteemed ORKMommy is the lifeguard for this particular pool. Right now, we're a bit delayed and the pool is STILL OPEN for those who want to come aboard. Until Friday, 6pm ET, you can sign up at the pool blog post. Please sign up there rather than here on this post as we don't want to miss anyone. We'll be announcing the random match-ups before the Sunday episode.
• We have the BEST community aboard in the comments area! Things I might miss on the live feeds (as I do work a full-time job on top of this obsession) are discussed by community members with the live feeds, the blog parties rock, the cyberdrinks flow. What more could you ask for?
• Lively discussion, good friends and fantastic show fans. Be there or be square.

There are a few ground rules:

• For the most part, dissing the hamsters is fair game. They chose to be on the show and (often) humiliate themselves in front of the world.
• That said, there are a few lines which, if crossed, might get comments deleted -- the really nasty comments about weight, looks, racial stuff, slurs, etc. It's better the comments focus on what the hamsters DO in the house, how they interact with others and such.
• I'm not too personally keen on nicknames for the hamsters. Sometimes it's hard to know whom you're talking about when you call someone outside of their name. They're often confusing enough, especially right in the beginning!
• Your fellow commenters in the community are NOT the topic of the blog! Folks are allowed to like or dislike any house hamster without being harassed about their choices! If you disagree with another about a hamster, state your case for (or against) the hamster without resorting to insulting the other commenter.
• Not to be done example: "You're an idiot if you like Julie Chen! How stupid can you be?" Instead, a comment saying why YOU don't like Julie would stay aboard, not one being nasty to the other commenter.
• Any trolling posts, especially from those who don't like reality shows and really have no business wasting their time here, will be removed. It's a show WE like and WE follow. It's OUR home.
• Any spam will either not post to begin with or will be removed. I will be checking out any links posted and, if they're not related to the show or are suspicious, they will be removed.
• I do ask folks to be leery about clicking on links not posted by me as sometimes it might be a few hours before I can check them out. I want everyone to be aware that viruses are out there!
• If you want to be a part of the community here and you're posting as "anonymous," please come up with a sign-off name at the end of your comments. Otherwise, you'll be lost in a sea of anonymous posters and we won't "know" you by your comments.

Wow. That seems like a lot of rules, doesn't it? But, folks who have been aboard for years here will definitely understand why I'm posting them. We have a basically friendly and welcoming community here -- nasty to others in the community isn't a welcome thing. There are other sites to troll if that's your goal!

Hamster watchers ready?

Big Brother 15: Blog Pool Sign Up is ON!

Due to pool cleaning after the recent storms, we're a bit late in getting the blog pool sign-up going. Well, to be honest, things just kind of sneaked up on me ... my profuse apologies!

As a result of my lackadaisical ways (yikes!), the sign-ups begin NOW. The cut-off for signing up to be in the pool will be Friday evening, June 28, 6PM ET. The pool match-ups will be announced here on the blog Sunday evening, June 30, before the show.

The rockin' ORKMommy once again will be your lifeguard for the season. She'll randomly match up pool participants with house hamsters. You get to cheer on your blog pool hamster throughout the season until evicted, sequestered or sole Survivor ... hamster in the house. If your hamster wins it all, you get bragging rights until the next season! It's all in fun, no wagering, please!  I have no desire to take part in anyone's gambling addiction problems!

If you're posting as "anonymous," please sign off your comments with a name, some name, any name each time you post. You need to at least have a sign off name to be a part of the pool. Better yet, sign in with your Google account or Blogger account!

Hamster watchers ready? Dive in the pool NOW!

Off Topic: That Was the Week It Was - June 23, 2013

Good Sunday morning to you! Me? I overslept today. It felt good, so I'm not too upset about it. However, it makes this post a bit later than usual. What's this post? Well, it's my weekly off television topic reflection on the week gone by in both words and photographs I've taken along the way.

For the television fans -- make sure you check out my hamster introduction post. I plan on checking out the videos today and will probably post more on the upcoming Big Brother 15.

I spent the early part of the week getting caught in downpours on my way home from work. Yes, just as I was leaving, we'd get thunderstorms and torrential rain. Grr. One day, one of my co-workers was kind enough to tell me -- "Oh, they've put up a tornado watch. There's rotation in the cloud." Thanks, like I needed that news as I was heading out into it! No, there was no tornado. I just got soaked despite my umbrella.

Thankfully, by midweek, we actually got in some days with no rain whatsoever. That's been very rare the last month or so. I just know that come August we'll be worried about drought and the lack of rain! That's how things seem to go. I'll put up with it as long as I don't have to deal with another storm like Sandy again. I just ask that the timing be a tad better -- for four days in a row, it started to storm right as I was leaving work. Y'know, Mother Nature, overnight rain would work out much better for me. Thank you in advance!

There isn't much else to report on this week. I worked. I ate. I slept some. I got stuck under a cat for long periods of time. So, we may as well go onto the photos for the week ...

Tiger Lily

Last week I saw these had bloomed just a half-mile away from my 'hood, but hadn't come to life here yet. This week, they're going wild and I love it! Berckman Street, Plainfield.

Weed or nature being creative?

Even in its most common efforts, I find nature so intricate and stunning!

**CLICK THE 'READ MORE' LINK TO SEE THE REST OF THE PHOTOS**

Big Brother 15: New Hamsters Revealed

Perhaps just speaking for myself for a moment here, I'm a bit disappointed with the lack of diversity in this cast. One 37-year old, one 31, one 32 ... the rest in their 20s. Two of the women are married, the rest of the cast is single. Gah! Not only is there a lack of age diversity, but it's a mighty white cast as well. Of course, that doesn't mean I won't watch. However, I'd really like to see a better mix of real people on the show, not star or starlet wannabes. But it is what it is and here's a brief look at the upcoming hamsters; the link on their first names leads you to their bios on the CBS website --

Aaryn Gries

Aaryn: 22, college student, single, originally from San Angelo, TX, now living in San Marco, TX. I think she might be a bit naive for this game. According to her, she's afraid of "People with evil or absent minds that hurt or deceive others." Um. What show is she competing on again? Oh, yeah. Big Brother.

Amanda Zuckerman

Amanda: 28, real estate agent, single, originally from Long Island, NY, currently living in Boynton Beach, FL. She thinks Britney is hilarious and didn't like Jen (BB8), so that's in her favor for me. She's afraid of sharks. Well, that's just common sense. BB has a lot of landsharks, though! I think she's more apt for the show than Aaryn.

Andy Herren

Andy: 26, professor, single, originally from Aurora, IL, currently lives in Chicago, IL. Dang, his bio on the CBS site is extremely loquacious. He seems to have a plan for the win. But if he talks as much as he writes, he'll drive 'em all crazy. He claims to be afraid of "I am slightly afraid of heights, but it is not crippling or anything. I am terrified of bees, though. And people who enjoy Tyler Perry movies." So we have a clown in the house.

Candice Stewart

Candice: 29, pediatric speech therapist, single, originally from New Orleans, now living in Houston, TX. She really liked Ian, really dislikes Boogie. So far, I'm feelin' the vibe. In addition to drop roller coasters, bugs and rodents, she says "I guess I am more afraid of more serious life issues like health and the well-being of my family." Hmm. I believe I like this one!

David Girton

David: 25, lifeguard, single, from San Diego, CA. Oh my. He has quasi-Hayden hair! He hopes his good looks will take him to the end. Sigh. He likes Jeff because he's a "cool cat" and got a great "babe." So, blog buddies ... is he going to be the hook-up king of the house? And, can you say "shallow?" Yep, I thought you could.

Elissa Slater

Elissa: Rachel Reilly's sister (SIGH, knock that off, Alison Grodner!), 27, nutritionist, married, originally from Concord, NC, currently living in Kannapolis, NC. Her favorite previous hamster was Rachel (of course), least favorite, Monet. She's afraid of heights and planes. I'm afraid of her sister reappearing on the show. NEXT ...

GinaMarie Zimmerman

GinaMarie: 32, pageant coordinator, single, originally from Brooklyn, NY, now living in Staten Island, NY. So far, this would be my local hamster. Let's see if I approve of her. (After all, it's all about ME!) Uh-oh, not thrilled, I say! When it came to the "afraid of" question, she said, "I would be afraid of aliens, if they ever exist, and if I ever see one I would probably s**t my pants. Those movies scare me." That's just weird. Way too into pageants for my taste, too!

Helen Kim

Helen: The OLD hamster at 37, political consultant, married, originally from Falls Church, WV, now living in Chicago, IL. She has a strategy in which she'll throw HoH, then let the stronger players get the boot first. (Yeah, that always works SO well!) She likes Jeff and calls Rachel a "drama queen." Y'think? She's afraid of blood and bugs. That's fine; she's not on Survivor, after all. I think I just might like this one, too.   

Howard Overby

Howard: 31, youth counselor, single, from Hattiesburg, MS. He's a longtime watcher -- he names Jason of BB2 as a like, Lisa of BB3 as a dislike. He's afraid of "spiders and big birds." He loves loves loves board games. (Have I mentioned how much I hate the chess game being in the house?)  He seems intelligent, seems to know his strategy. But I'm wondering if, since he mentions being intelligent often in his bio, he might be a bit off-putting. We'll see.

Jeremy McGuire

Jeremy: 23, boat shop associate, single, from Katy, TX. He's going to miss his Mom. As a matter of fact, she's the one who told him to try out for the show -- she's the BB fan; he's never watched it. He's afraid of "poisonous animals." I guess it's good that he's never watched and doesn't know what Elissa being Rachel's sister means! Will Momma's boy have a chance? 

Jessie Kowalski

Jessie: Thankfully, not THAT Jessie, phew! 25, unemployed, single, originally from Beaumont, TX, now living in San Antonio, TX. Well, the stipend vs. being unemployed will make her feel like a rich woman. She has a dog she loves. She liked Danielle (not Daniele) and didn't like Evel Dick. That's kind of understandable. She's afraid of flying and overpasses. I don't know. She seems a bit perky.

Judd Daughtery

Judd: 26, property appraiser, single, originally from Englewood, TN, now lives in Etowah, TN. He frog gigs. Yessirree, Bob, we gots a country boy here! He plans a very social and strategic game. He might find that his plan to find an older person to align with near impossible, though. He likes many previous hamsters, dislikes Cowboy and Ronnie. Afraid of heights and spiders. He gigs frogs, but is skeered of spiders?!? Sheesh!

Kaitlin Barnaby

Kaitlin: 23, bartender, single, originally from Vadnais Heights, MN, currently residing in Minneapolis, MN. What? She's not a mixologist? She's afraid of spiders, the dark and dying alone. Um. Well, hopefully she won't have to worry about the latter for decades. She's a kid! She claims to be a "very closed-off person" and that she'll keep to herself. Yeah, right. If she's the first bimbo in bed, I'm going to call her on that!

McCrae Olson

McCrae: 23, pizza delivery boy, single, from Oak Grove, MN. Huh. I wonder why his photo is the only one that's not an outright head shot? An ambitious lad, for sure, he likes "typical boy stuff." Why do I get the feeling that, if he doesn't win the show, his parents are going to have him at home until he's well into his 30s? He likes Will Kirby. That's good. He's afraid of "Mice and ventriloquist dummies." He might be okay. My personal jury is out on him.

Nick Uhas

Nick: 28, an entrepreneur, single, originally from Hilliard, NY, now lives in NYC, NY. An entrepreneur, eh? Is that a synonym for "unemployed?" He does have a strategy to be in an alliance through thick and thin. That's a good plan. He claims to have no fears because of his mind control abilities, brags about his grades at Yale and touts his physical excellence in various sports. He likes Boogie. Oh my.

Spencer Clawson

Spencer: 31, railroad conductor, single, from Conway, AR. Little diversity, but two red-headed dudes! He says he's polarizing -- people either really like him or they don't. He also says he's opinionated and "chill." I would think that's a bit of an oxymoron, wouldn't you? He then says people are drawn to him. He likes James (Rhine) and Enzo the best, Chima the least. I guess I'll either like him or not. I might be drawn to him like a moth to a flame. I don't know.



So, that's our summer hamsters. Do you have any early favorites?

Big Brother 15 - New Twists Revealed

Most valuable player, eh? Julie Chen goes into the twist more here, but here are a few excerpts --

• The first twist is a series’ first: instead of two Houseguests being nominated each week for eviction, as in past seasons, contestants will nominate three in this summer’s edition.
• The second twist will allow BIG BROTHER viewers to play a crucial role in the game by casting votes for the Houseguest they feel is playing the best game.  The Houseguest who receives the most votes will be anointed that week’s, “Big Brother MVP.”  The full scope of the MVP’s secret power will be revealed during the season premiere.
• “The Big Brother MVP will force the houseguests to rethink their strategies.  With America rewarding good game play, it doesn't pay to be a floater this summer,” said Allison Grodner and Rich Meehan, Executive Producers of BIG BROTHER. 

Hmm. Not sure how it will all work out. But I'm thinking I'm liking it a bit more than some of the other twists we've seen over the years. At least it doesn't look like the hamsters will be family (except the maybe Rachel sister) or know each other!

The cast reveal should be tomorrow ... probably while I'm at work. But I'll post on it as soon as I can!

BB15 Tour with Julie and a few hints

Okay, we have 16 hamsters expected. One is supposed to be a familiar face, but "not what you're expecting" -- rumors have it that the familiar one is Rachel's sister. I don't know. Plus, America somehow has a hand in nominations with the new twist. I'm wondering since they replaced the nomination chairs with a couch ... could it be they nominate two, we nominate a third? I'm just throwing that guess out there. What do you think?


BB15 Tour with Julie by DreamersVids

Off Topic: That Was the Week It Was - June 16, 2013

Good Sunday morning to everyone! I hope all the fathers out there have a great Fathers Day. My own father died young, so please cherish your dads while you still have them in your life. A good father is priceless.

As it is Sunday, it's time for my weekly off television topic reflection on the week gone by in both words and photographs I've taken along the way. On television topic for a moment -- there should be news tomorrow on the new Big Brother house and, by the end of the week, on the new cast of hamsters. You can still get the Early Bird Special on the live feeds at cbs.com. If you're having trouble signing up for the live feeds, my only advice would be to clear your cache or reboot your computer. It might be easier to sign into the CBS site with your Facebook account if you have one.

Onto the week ... it rained. And then it rained some more. On Wednesday, my day off, it actually did NOT rain! Woohoo! I took a trip into nearby Westfield to visit Mindowaskin Park for a photo stomp of flowers, water fowl, bugs and the cicada "invasion." Here's a video I shot at the park with the cicadas singing their mating song as the background ...

Once I hit Trader Joe's, I was thrilled to find out they're expanding and taking over the whole building at their location. It's now twice the size! YAY! Although everything is still under construction, I already found new items I've never seen before. Trader Joe's is my favorite grocery store and the Westfield location was so tiny. I'm overjoyed for sure!

On the home front, the new landlords sent me the notice of a lease quit/renewal and rent increase. I had been worried as, even though I'm paying above market rate due to past mismanagement, they've been doing a lot of improvements to the building. My lease isn't up until September 1st, but I usually get this notice this time of the year. Okay, they raised my rent $5 more a month. I can deal with that. About the only thing better would have been no increase or a decrease. I can't see that happening!

One thing the new landlords should do, however, is learn their math. The state legal form was led off with an apology for the way it was worded (these notices required by the state always sound like you're getting the boot), how they understand how tough the economy is and blah-blah-blah. Then they said my rent increase is so tiny that it ends up being less than 75 cents a day! Um. Do the math. I believe it's more in line with 15 cents a day.

I found six dollars on the ground at the Bridgewater Train Station last night. I'll put that towards my rent increase! Onto this week's photos ... due to the never-ending rain for most of the week, the majority of these were taken on my Wednesday in nearby Westfield. 

Is it an ALIEN?

Nah, it's just a Magicicada. More on these in a bit.

Hey! Paparazzi! Stop shooting my butt!

My, what a big mouth he has! I guess he wanted to let me know he wasn't just a sitting duck.

Morning glory!

These are lining the chain link fence at the back of my apartment building.

Whatchoo lookin' at?

You know, it's rude to honk with food in your mouth, Goosey Lucy.

**CLICK THE 'READ MORE' LINK TO SEE THE REST OF THE PHOTOS**

Falling Skies: Chicken Little Ain't Got Nothin' on the Overlords!

I'm sure I'm dating myself here a bit. But, one of the things I love about Falling Skies are the special effects. Y'see, I grew up in the days when black and white television went color. I grew up suspending my disbelief at poorly depicted aliens and their turfs in The Outer Limits, Star Trek: The Original Series, The Twilight Zone (original) and Lost in Space. The stories in those series had me compelled to watch and I forgave the somewhat ludicrous and fake-looking monsters and aliens akin to the way I forgave them in early Japanese Godzilla movies. At least I wasn't dealing with subtitles!

Fast forward to today's summer TV fare from TNT -- Falling Skies. It's Steven Spielbrg, for goodness' sakes. It's Robert Rodan, the writer of Saving Private Ryan. It's computer effects so realistic that one might think skitters, mechs and overlords really could exist somewhere in our nightmares of an apocalyptic world.

Tonight, the third season of the show kicks off with the high action, the superb effects and a decent, albeit perhaps a bit derivative, tale to tell. A few new characters are introduced; we bid adieu to a few other folks we've gotten to know over the past season or two. After all, unless your name is Mason on the show, you're probably expendable. Heck, I'd say even a Mason might not protect them from the latest onslaught.

My own personal favorite character on the show is Ben Mason. If this were real life (what? it's not?), he'd be the guy I want in my corner -- harnessed by the aliens, saved by the humans kind of sort of only to become a liaison between rebel skitters and the humans while, in actuality, he has traits of both species. Not only that, but he's easy on the eyes to watch, especially if I were decades younger!

Thanks to the kind folks at TNT, some weeks back I received the first five episodes of the new season. They don't tell me I have to like them. They don't even tell me I have to post about the show. If I do post, I can be as critical as I want with no repercussions from the network. They pay me nothing to promote the series.

But, this is one summer series I don't want to miss.

I'm posting this before tonight's series premiere airs, so I won't give you any real spoilers, per se. I will go as far as to say there's a new overlord on the scene and it's a bit of a shocker. And, then there's a Chuckie kind of thing going on. That's all.

Will you be watching? Or, if you're reading this after the show ... what did you think? Favorite characters? Comments on the special effects? Talk to me, 2nd Mass followers! 

Off Topic: That Was the Week It Was - June 9, 2013

Good Sunday morning to all y'all out there! Yes, I know I don't have the proper Southern accent for that. However, writing is cool. You can have any kind of accent you want when you write. Since it is indeed Sunday morning, that means it's time for my weekly off television topic reflection on the week gone by in both words and photographs I've taken.

I posted a bit on Big Brother live feeds earlier this week. If you're a fan of the show, check it out! On a totally different television note, Falling Skies has its season premiere this evening. I've already seen (thanks, TNT) the two hour two episode premiere and plan to post on that. I don't think I'll be doing that throughout the series as it's on the same night as Big Brother and BB is why a lot of folks come by.

After a pleasant week's staycation, this past week started off very rough. As many of the folks reading this aren't on Facebook, here's a rather long FB post I made Monday evening:

Wah. After spending my entire staycation waking up early enough to go to work, I overslept today. Then it rained on me as I walked to the train station. Then my office was typical office upon return from vacation (stuff moved around, stuff not done, etc.) and I had a new person to train in there. Then I stayed late because I came late. Then I got rained on again heading to the train station. (Yes, I had my umbrella, but still ...!)

Then I got home, hit the elevator button because it's NEVER on the floor I want, got my mail out of the mailbox, made it back to the elevator in time for the door to open. As I stepped onto the elevator, I was fumbling with my keys to get my apartment door key ready. I accidentally dropped my keys ... DOWN THE CRACK FOR THE ELEVATOR SHAFT! Wah! Wah! Woe is me! I went down to the basement and tried putting my umbrella in the shaft. No go. It didn't even touch bottom. I almost lost my umbrella down the elevator shaft.

Where is my 24 hour number for the super? Is it in my cell phone? No, of course not. I have it on my refrigerator. Thankfully, there are some good neighbors I know well enough to ask for help. Cletus from the first floor called Mario, the super. He got me into my apartment with his copies. He's going to make copies and leave them for me tomorrow. And, he's going to have the landlord call the elevator people because they're the only ones who can get down in that below basement level elevator shaft. I told him any money they find down there is mine. Any small children or rodents they find are NOT mine.

It all ended nicely, though. The super fished out my keys himself using a string and hook with a flashlight to see them. I don't know how long it took him. But I bet it wasn't on the first try. I had planned to do the same once I got copies of the keys and could secure my apartment as I fished in the basement. I gave him a decent tip as he didn't have to do that for me.

Meanwhile, the old landlord for my apartment building was sentenced to nine years in federal prison for his multimillion dollar Ponzi scheme. Karma, baby.  The new landlords have been making building improvements, keep the elevator running (although it steals keys!), have a super who is bilingual, intelligent, trustworthy and a nice guy, too. The supers under the ex-landlord usually didn't speak English, didn't know how to fix stuff, weren't anyone you'd trust alone in your apartment and two even got evicted!

The week did improve for me, but the weather did not. It rained for about two days straight with the remnants of Andrea. Had we had the rains from this "post tropical cyclone" mixed with the winds of the last one (Sandy), we'd be in dire straits right now. Right now the reservoirs are full and we've had more rainfall than average for the year. I'm sure by August we'll be crying drought.

Onto the photos I took this week ...   

My chauffeur arrives

Although it was cloudy when the train picked me up Saturday morning for work, Andrea's constant rain was gone.

Starling on a wire

Perhaps not the prettiest bird, but the array of songs, chirps and such are beyond cool.

**CLICK THE 'READ MORE' LINK TO SEE THE REST OF THE PHOTOS**

Big Brother 15: Live Feeds Information and Stuff

They recently released the information regarding the new live feeds via CBS.com for this season. As I previously mentioned, Real Networks is no longer partnering on the live feeds.

I have signed up (of course) and suggest anyone here wanting the live feeds, do it before the early bird cut-off of June 25th. You can sign up directly at the CBS website or various websites dedicated to the show. Since I know Hamsterwatch is a one woman effort, if you check out her site and sign up via the link she has there, she earns money. Alas, I don't have such a set-up for this blog. (If I did, I'd be asking you to sign up here!)

As in previous seasons, once the live feeds start, I'll be posting condensed versions (or stuff I really found interesting) of the live feeds two to three times a day, screen caps, coverage of endurance comps, blog parties on show nights and such as I have in the past. Supposedly, some content -- although not the live feeds per se -- will start on the feeds on June 11th. That should probably be the media day coverage during which various web writers do a mock-up of an eviction in the actual new house.

The season premiere is June 26. The cast won't be announced for a while yet. They're usually in the house four or five days before the premiere to give the producers film fodder for said premiere. They're usually in sequester for about a week before they go into the house. So, I'm thinking cast reveals should be around the 15th, give or take a day or two.

Off Topic: That Was the Week It Was - June 2, 2013

Good morning, afternoon, evening ... whatever it is whenever it is that you're reading this! Since, for ME, it's Sunday morning, that can only mean one thing. Yep! It's time for my weekly off television topic reflection on the week gone by in both words and photographs I've taken along the way.

I was on a staycation this past week. I still am, for that matter. It's over when I go to work tomorrow morning. I really didn't do a heck of a lot of anything other than relax. In the beginning of my week, the weather kept me in. Then there was a nice day, then more rain. Then we went into a heat wave.

Now, if I were a "normal" New Jersey person, off for a week during a heat wave, I would have headed down the shore. But I'm far from normal. I do love beaches and the ocean. I really do. I just don't like them crowded with people when the water is still too cold to go in. I'm not a lay on the beach blanket all greased up to tan (burn) type of person. I'm pale. I prefer to stay pale. The only alternative to pale for me is red. Plus, I'm not good at getting up from the floor with the knee replacements. I can get up, but it's very awkward. I don't need strangers pointing and laughing at my exploits when I don't even have much clothing to hide me. "Hey! Look at the chunky old chick trying to get up!"

Nope, not for me, thankyouverymuch. My perfect beach day is anytime that it's not summer. Stormy winter weather on the beach? Gorgeous! Sunrise off season? I'm so there! But during heat waves, my best friends are my air conditioner and some good books. Oh. And a cat. Can't forget the cat.

Same random observations on the week (or on life, too):

• I didn't travel far during my week off. The farthest I went was to the farmers market in Scotch Plains, an adjacent town. I saw not a one cicada. So much for the 17-year invasion around here.
• My upstairs neighbor, still a stranger to me, seemed to have a child up there last weekend. Thankfully, it went away.
• The rowdy new people in the front of the building who arrived in March are already gone. 
• The elevator of my building smelled like Braunschweiger yesterday. That's not good. I prefer it smell like fresh laundry from the basement, please.
• I visited Park Liquors in Scotch Plains on my outing yesterday, buying some Brooklyn Lager and some Samuel Adams Summer Ale. The liquor stores around here in Plainfield tend to Budweiser and various Central/South American beers. I'm not a big beer drinker, but I do like to have one now and again on summer days. I like to experiment around trying different kinds. I can't recall the last time I had a Budweiser.
• Yes, yes, I can. It was in the 1980s. That was also the last time I had a kamikaze. Do you know they glow in black light?
• I don't like to sweat unless I'm doing something physical. Standing still in the shade is NOT physical. It's too early for heat waves.
• Vincent was supremely spoiled all week, more so than usual.
• I'm tired of television commercials for the Jersey Shore singing "we're stronger than the storm." Enough already.
• There was a shooting last night at Kennedy Fried Chicken on Park Avenue in Plainfield. I heard it on my scanner. The police were already dispatched to a fight when the Shot Spotter doohickey indicated shots fired. A man was shot in the shoulder. The police stopped a car driving away with no lights on. Voila! A gun. Good work, Plainfield PD!
• Of course, I wouldn't be there at 2 in the morning. 

Here in Plainfield, the primary is coming up this Tuesday. As it always seems to be, it's a heated Democratic brouhaha between the incumbent and others. Although it really doesn't mean much except to the local folks in town, I endorse (with this mighty blog) Adrian Mapp for mayor. We really need change. The current mayor isn't doing the job for me. How 'bout you?

Onto the photos I took this past week ...

Allium ball

I took this shot on Berckman Street in Plainfield. It's odd -- directly across the street, the allium flowers have passed. It's like they're in two different climate zones or something. Did you know that the generic "allium" is the Latin word for garlic?

She went and CLOSED the window!

Yes. In the second day of the heat wave (three days at 90 degrees or more), I closed the window and put on the air conditioning. Sorry, Vincent.

So pretty!

Typical me, I have no clue what this flower is. I can tell you it's growing on Berckman Street in Plainfield, though! I wouldn't know what allium is except for someone telling me. Maybe someone will tell me what this one is and I might even actually remember. Maybe.

Deadly nightshade

Ohhh! Ohhh! (Doing my best Horshack impression.) I do know this one! It's deadly, but very cool.

**CLICK THE 'READ MORE' LINK TO SEE THE REST OF THE PHOTOS**