Tuesday, October 31, 2006

TV Newsy Bits - October 31, 2006

Boo! It's Halloween! If you haven't checked it out, take a peek at the previous entry for some of graphic artist Zoetawny's scary work. After sharing my train ride home with the folks heading into Manhattan for the big costume parade in the village, I'm inside comfy and cozy watching Law and Order: Criminal Intent. Huh. Liza Minelli is the guest star. It's a take-off on the JonBenet Ramsey case.

In other television news, news sources indicate that Studio 60 may or may not be canceled. Yep, it's a ball of confusion. With last night's episode pre-empted, news on the Internet indicated cancellation. Yet, the latest news coming from the Los Angeles Times, says that more scripts have been ordered.

In articles I read last night, it was said that the show was being canceled mainly due to low ratings and a high overhead due to the salaries the stars commanded. Now, in the latest, NBC is saying that FOX started the rumors. I don't know. I'm just reporting what I read. Maybe their people will call my people and clear it all up or something. But, I thought show fans might appreciate the better news that's out there today.

And, for fans of the show - John Goodman Guest Stars Next Week on Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip

Monday, October 30, 2006

Scary TV Newsy Bits - October 30, 2006


Bwahahahaha! Graphic artist Zoetawny made me a cool, yet scary, Halloween tag for the blog!

Let's see... what else is scary? Oh, I know! I was channel-flipping yesterday and came upon the Stephen King movie The Shining, the one with Jack Nicholson. I've seen it before, but never in Spanish! I watched the "Here's Johnny!" scene and the kid in his "redrum" mode which really doesn't translate well into Spanish. Now, that was scary!

Sunday, October 29, 2006

'The Amazing Race 10' - Ep. 7 -or- "The Six Pack Hangs Back"

Six teams remain. Who will be eliminated next?

The operative word "next" is indeed the operative word this time. But, you can't depend on that being the case. It used to be that there were huge hints whether a leg was a non-elimination or not. Instead of "next," we'd hear "tonight." In the last clue before the Pit Stop, instead of "may be eliminated," we'd get "will be eliminated." It's a gentler and kinder world, but the non-elimination legs don't always come at the right time for the right team of racers. Unless, of course, they hail from Kentucky in The Amazing Race 10.

Now, remember, thanks to the Cho Brothers and the Fast Forward, David and Mary were the first arrive in the last Pit Stop in Kuwait. David and Mary had to arrive first as they were marked for elimination and would have to wait out a 30 minute penalty if they didn't come in first at the Pit Stop. Why was that? Well, it's because they arrived last in the leg before and lucked out with it being a non-Philimination leg.

So, David and Mary were the first to depart the Pit Stop with a good three-hour lead over the next team. Will they be able to maintain their standing or will they fall back with the pack?

As it happens, their lead only led them to a bunching point. Common, a bit too common, that's when all the teams end up together due to circumstances. This particular circumstance was an airport flight to Mauritius. Despite the Beauty Queens (Dustin and Kandice) thinking that the travel agents were clueless and turning down more than a few tickets for the flight; despite a thorny snit betwixt the Boy Ex-Addict Models (Tyler and James) and the Alabama Moms (Lyn and Karlyn)... all the teams ended up on the same flight. At least the snit was entertaining as the Boy Toys mocked the Surly Moms.Model Boys Mocking Alabama

A worthwhile quote from the snit - Either Lyn or Karlyn to the Boys: "Live with that on your conscious!" Um. Okay. As long as it's not on my conscience.

The alliance between the ChoBros (Erwin and Godwin), Kentucky (David and Mary), and Alabama (Lyn and Karlyn) continues to strengthen. They've dubbed themselves (or have been dubbed by the other teams) as the Six Pack. I've never seen major alliances work or even be attempted on this show in the past. I guess we'll see how this one pans out.

Of the alliance, the strongest team is the Chos. I hope the two weaker teams, probably the weakest competitively in the race, won't bring them down. I really enjoy David and Mary, but they're making it by the skin of their teeth each leg. Lyn and Karlyn are placing okay, but both are very out of shape for any physical doings. Tyler and James think that the Chos want to bring weaker teams to the Final Three so they can win. Meanwhile, the Chos claim that, as an alliance, they can be stronger than those who fend for themselves.

From that point, the teams were told their next clue would be in their vehicles. It was a model boat. It didn't take any of the teams too long to figure out that the model must have a real-life counterpart somewhere on the island. Lyn and Karlyn didn't wait for Kentucky like the ChoBros did. They didn't think it made any sense for all the teams in the Six Pack to be behind. Ah, so they're in an alliance when it suits themselves, eh? I got it!

Once the teams found the real-life schooner in the bay, they had to swim out to it, retrieve a clue, then swim back to shore. That bodes well if you can swim, of course. Neither David or Mary are strong swimmers. Apparently, from what they said, even though David was thrown in a lake to learn how to swim when he was a child, they're both a bit leery of swimming. The Boy Toys, even after getting very lost (again) turned out to be very strong swimmers and this was their chance to get a leg up on the leg. I snickered when I saw Kimberly swims better than Rob.

That clue directed them to find the post office at Case Noyale, so the teams were happy for dry land. Of course, we had the usual teams getting lost, Tyler and James are constants in that regard. "We didn't go the wrong way. We just took a wrong turn." "That's going the wrong way!" Rob and Kimberly had a blow-up brouhaha of two as Rob couldn't get it in gear. His car, that is. But, the kicker this time was that Kandice and Dustin really crunched their car right into the vehicle ahead of them. I'm surprised nothing was said at the Pit Stop later on about the crash. It was entirely their fault.

No sense crying over spilt salt The clue at the post office was a Detour, a choice between two tasks tied in with the region's economy. Both team members take part in a Detour. They could choose from Salt or Sea. In Salt, the teams had to find a salt shaker with a clue in huge piles of salt. A play on the old "needle in a haystack," most teams initially went for this task. They kept finding salt shakers, but they were filled with salt or pepper, nary a clue to be found.


All the teams ended up heading to the second task, Sea, which was Dustin and Kandice's original choice. In Sea, teams sailed to an island, followed a map to find sails and a mast, installed them on a boat, then sailed back. David and Mary were the last to give up on Salt, but their Six Pack saved them shouting when they found the masts. The map wasn't clear at all. Needless to say, Tyler and James got very lost.
It Looks Easy!
From the Detour, it was immediately to the Pit Stop with no Roadblock this week. I found that a bit odd. I'm not sure what filled up the hour. While the scenery in Mauritius was stunning, the show left me a bit bewildered tonight. It seemed to be missing something and that was the adrenalin rush which accompanies the Roadblock. And, I suppose, the hour was filled up with the Six Pack alliance and reactions to it. Give me action, guys. If I want alliances, I'll rewatch Survivor.

The arrival order of the teams at the Pit Stop at the Château de Bel Ombre:
  1. Dustin and Kandice - Each won a motor scooter. Phil said they could take a rider or a date, but was speechless when one asked him for a date. "Um..."
  2. Tyler and James - How can they get so lost so much and still place so well? If they had a sense of direction, they'd be three days ahead of the rest.
  3. Rob and Kimberly - They placed well, but they are not getting along well. I predict implosion soon.
  4. Erwin and Godwin - My favorites, but they really have to start concentrating on their own race.
  5. Lyn and Karlyn - I'm admiring how hard they're working and I bet their children are thrilled, but I think they're the least nice of the Six Pack. I swear that they'd push the ChoBros out of the way if things got close enough to do so. I know they like them, but these women have a nasty edge to them.
  6. David and Mary - Last, but saved by a non-Philimination leg once again - the second in a period of three weeks. I like them. I'm getting a kick out of them. I know the non-elimination legs are pre-determined, but I find it hard to believe two such legs are so close together and the same team saved both times. Once again, they're marked for elimination and must come in first on the next leg or face a 30 minute penalty. As much as I enjoy watching them, I hope the ChoBros don't put their own race in jeopardy to save them again.

This wasn't my favorite episode. I want my adrenalin pumping and tonight's episode just didn't do that for me.

'The Amazing Race 10' East Coast Update - Arrival Order And...

They did it again.

The arrival at the Pit Stop went down like this:
1. Dustin/Kandice - Each won a motor scooter
2. Tyler/James
3. Rob/Kimberly
4. Erwin/Godwin
5. Lyn/Karlyn
6. David/Mary

It was a non-Philimination leg and once again David and Mary are marked for elimination. If they don't come in first on the next leg, they must endure a 30 minute penalty at the Pit Stop.

A full review/recap will be posted later tonight, stop on back!

Tonight's 'Amazing Race' Blogging

The show just started here in the NYC area. Football, of course. I'll post the Philimination around 9:20 PM ET in an East Coast update. Later, a full recap/review will be posted. Stop on back!

Saturday, October 28, 2006

TV Newsy Bits - Saturday, October 28, 2006

It's rainy and windy here in the Northeast, so it's a perfect day to rent movies, stay inside and quaff hot chocolate! And, of course, remember to set the clocks back an hour tonight. Spring forward and fall back, y'know.

What kind of TV related newsy bits have I found peeking around this morning on the Internet? Well, here ya go:

Friday, October 27, 2006

Sneak Peek: TBS New Series '10 Items or Less'

'10 Items or Less' CastTurner Broadcasting's cable station TBS has undergone programming changes since its incarnation back in 1976, going from the "The SuperStation" to the "Very Funny" station. Or, perhaps it's the Very Funny SuperStation.

Ah, but the question is...

How funny is it?

The station airs a stock group of syndicated sitcom series which have a track record for being Very Funny. And, come November, they'll be offering a new original series airing late-nights, geared for the adult market and, promising to be Very Funny.

I was lucky enough to secure a sneak peek at the first two episodes of 10 Items or Less, set to premiere November 27 at 11 PM ET/PT.

This series is the brainchild of creators and executive producers Nancy Hower, Robert Hickey, and John Lehr (who also stars in the show). It's not quite the typical sitcom as they're using a "loosely-scripted" format and depending on the cast for improvisation to make it Very Funny.

Does it work? Let me just go into the premise a bit before I answer that question...

Leslie Pool, played by John Lehr, is a rather unsuccessful businessman in New York City who takes it upon himself to run his deceased father's grocery store (dubbed Greens & Grains) back in his hometown in Ohio. Greens & Grains is a small independent grocery with a handful of quirky employees and a very competitive super grocery chain store right across the street - the Super Value Mart. The show is actually filmed in a real supermarket with real customers coming and going. And, it's "loosely-scripted" which means that while they have a detailed outline for each show, the actors don't work by script. They're given a general idea of where the episode wants to go and they're encouraged to improvise.

So, a lot of this show's success will depend on the comedic quick thinking of the cast. Does it work with the cast at hand? I think it does on the whole. These grocery employees are indeed "out there" but I myself have worked in stores over the years. Dang, some of these character-types do exist. I swear they do. Yeah, they may be exaggerated to a point, but they're out there. They really are. And, the actors in the series seem to be into character and thinking on their feet for the most part.

My personal favorite character interaction in the two episodes I saw was that between Christopher Liam Moore as Richard and Greg Davis Jr., as Buck. Buck's a bagger who, when offered a move up the ladder to cashier, sees the dollar signs and the big bucks in the esteemed cashier role. Richard is the current cashier, a very particular and rather persnickety individual. He feels threatened by Buck's aspiration to be a cashier, yet strangely drawn to following Buck's lead at times. Together, I find these two characters to be a hoot. (Yes, Very Funny.)

Overall, I think this series probably isn't going to take over the world, but it will attract an audience, especially in the 11 PM time slot when much of the programming is on the serious side. I had a few chortles and at least one guffaw while watching it - and I like to guffaw. I don't do it often enough.

One thing I think took a bit away from the show was the shakiness of the camera during rather still-focused shots. I'm a reality TV buff and I'm used to that sort of camera work, albeit I'm obviously a bit ignorant about the correct technical jargon for it. But, darn it, stop wiggling so much when focused on one character for a few moments! It detracts from the scene on hand.

The series will air Monday nights at 11 PM ET/PT on TBS starting November 27th. The cast includes John Lehr, Jennifer Elise Cox, Robert Clendenin, Greg Davis Jr., Chris Payne Gilbert, Kirsten Gronfield, Christopher Liam Moore, and Roberta Valderrama.

Thursday, October 26, 2006

Tonight's 'Survivor 13: Cook Islands' - 10/26

Tonight's show isn't a real episode. It's that mid-season recap with some new material thrown in. It's likely I won't blog about the show itself unless there's some fantastically amazing new material we haven't previously seen.

Of course, if you want to comment about the show's happenings here, go for it. I'll be listening and probably comment a bit myself. But I doubt an actual entry, per se. There will be no East Coast Updates as there won't really be any action.

Enjoy the show!

Wednesday, October 25, 2006

'Lost' - "Every Man For Himself"

Jackie's TV Blog, Lost
Graphic artist Zoetawny made me another new tag! Cool. Now I can rotate them! (She rocks, y'know.)

I swear I'm getting just a tad more lost each week watching Lost, aren't you? Perhaps I was doing better when I knew a bit less, the days of pushing the button, a strange French woman, and mysterious hatches. I really can't figure the Others out at all. They keep claiming they're not evil and the show has shown us evil in the "good" people stranded on the island.

I can't help but think of Benjamin Limus (whom I used to think of as Henry Gale) as being almost the persona of evil. Michael Emerson, who plays the role, is perfect for the part and he can creep me out with a single glance. How can he be on the side of Good? I just don't see it. Benjamin - Evil, I say!

Tonight's episode had no polar bears running amok and didn't really answer any of our past questions, per se. Did it bring up a few new questions? Well, of course. It's Lost, after all.

The show opened up on the camp where Desmond's character is getting even a bit more quirky. He told Claire that she should move the baby down the beach as he needed to fix her shelter roof. Charlie, jealous and jumpy dude that he is, balked and Desmond seemed to give up on the idea. But, he didn't give up.

Instead, he asked the still-not-officially-introduced character Paulo for a golf club. He rigged it to a wooden pole and thus, he saved the world as easy as pushing a button. Okay, it actually acted as a lightning rod and took a blow that supposedly would haveDesmond struck Claire's shelter. How did he know a storm would hit so suddenly? And, more importantly, how did he know lightning would strike right there? I haven't a clue. I said he's growing more quirky.

The majority of the show focused on the captives - Jack, Sawyer, and Kate. In flashback sequences this week, Sawyer's past was expanded upon. Again, the flashback sequences were interspersed with the "now" and they both tied in together in theme. I'm separating them here so I don't get dizzy jumping back and forth from past to present.

Sawyer in Flashbacks
The flashbacks focused on Sawyer's prison days. He was a tough guy (of course) and had problems with the prison warden. Or, so he claimed to a new prisoner who seemed to be abused by the inmates and receiving special privileges from the warden. That guy stole ten million dollars, yet said he didn't do it. The warden and other prisoners were sure he did it and hid the money.

In one sequence, both Sawyer and the other prisoner (Munson?) were visited by women. Munson's woman was blackmailing him and Sawyer's woman was the girlfriend whom he swindled and the reason he was in jail. She showed him a baby picture and claimed it was his daughter, Clementine. That explains why he's sung the song before. He denied being the father.

He grew closer with Munson after the visit and, dang, the con man conned the other con man. Munson told him where the ten million dollars was hidden and asked him to relocate it for him.

It turns out it was all a Get Out of Jail Free Card played by Sawyer. He was working for the Feds and the prison warden in a deal to get a hefty commission and leave a free man. He asked that his take, er... commission be put in a fund for Clementine with no way she could find out who gave her the money.
Sawyer
The "Now" on the Island
They've occupied Jack with cartoons, but that just isn't doing the trick. The Others continue to keep Jack separate in the dolphin cage while Sawyer and Kate are in the bear cages, as well as working together on the chain gang. Jack tried to stir up a problem with Juliet by accusing her of being Benjamin's pawn. She denied that Benjamin was the leader.

It was all interrupted by Benjamin himself bursting in. He needed Juliet to attend to Danny's girl (as Sawyer called her), Coleen -- the one who was shot by Sun in the episode before last. Juliet is their only doctor. Meanwhile, Sawyer and Kate see Cole being carried on the stretcher. Sawyer chalks it up to a point for their side and says it's a ticket out of there. I don't really understand his reasoning, but that's okay. I'm lost, of course.

Sawyer came up with a plan to use the food/water/music button in his cage to create a puddle of water and electrocute the next Other who came to the cage. Well, that happened to be Benjamin who beat Sawyer's butt. Sawyer previously said none of the men really knew how to fight. But tonight he found that Benjamin can wipe the floor with him without raising a sweat.

For his attempt against Ben, Sawyer was taken by the others and awakened strapped to a table, then knocked out with a huge needle of something. When he awakened after his surgery of some sort, Ben went bananas shaking a rabbit in a cage until it supposedly died. He told Sawyer that he had implanted pacemakers in both the rabbit and him. If the heart beat goes over a certain rate, the pacemaker would explode and kill him as it did the rabbit. EEK! He gave Sawyer a watch-like heart monitor. As his allowed excited rate is 140 beats per minute, a warning alarm triggers at 125 and he'd need to rest. It was to keep him from attacking others or escaping and he wasn't to tell Kate. Okay.

Meanwhile, Juliet, against the wishes of her Other buddies, wanted Jack to try to save the gunshot victim. They set off alarms to cover any voices, put a hood over his head, and led him by the cages with Kate and Sawyer. They called him, they knew it was him. But he couldn't hear them over the alarms.

He also couldn't save Coleen. She died despite his efforts. So, Danny the Other, went out and beat Sawyer to a pulp just because. All the time he was beating him, Sawyer couldn't fight back because he didn't want the pacemaker to blow up. Also, Danny kept shouting to Kate, "Do you love him? Do you love him?" Finally, when she said she did, he stopped.

But, you must remember, they say they're the Good Guys.
Kate
Sawyer, with his macho man image, claimed that Danny "hit like a girl." Kate realized she could fit through the bars at the top of her bear cage and wanted to escape. It worked. She got out and was stunned when Sawyer refused to go with her. He told her that it's "every man for himself" and that she should leave him behind. We know it's the pacemaker-bomb bit, but Kate didn't have a clue. She climbed back in her cage probably figuring she now knows how to get out.

But, she won't escape because that Evil Benjamin was at his bank of monitors watching every moment of it!

Then I got more lost with the next events. Benjamin and his henchment took Sawyer for a long walk up a hill which triggered his monitor. Sawyer thought they were trying to kill him, so did I. Then Ben showed him that the dead rabbit is still alive, said it was only sedated, and that neither Sawyer nor the rabbit had pacemakers. Conning the con man. Of course, that ties in with the flashback sequences. Benjamin says he's a better con man. I say he's just evil personafied.

Then they walked to a cliff which overlooked where the Oceanic 815 crash victims were. I just can't get the significance of that scene at all. To me, all it showed was that there are two separate islands in close proximity in an otherwise wide open sea. Did I miss something?

Back at the Others, Jack had noticed an x-ray of a man's spine as he attended to the gunshot victim. He grilled Juliet about it saying that a tumor on the spine is obvious and that person was in danger. That spine is Benjamin's.

Just one real question for me this week. Why was the rabbit labeled with an 8? It's one of the Lost recurring numbers, but...!

Oh, I'm still Lost. Will I ever be Found?

Monday, October 23, 2006

TV Newsy Bits - Monday, October 23, 2006

Tonight was Heroes night for me once again. I'm hooked. I'm not quite sure how long the premise will be able to be dragged out, though. If they save the world from the one NYC blast, is it over? Or will they "see" more problems and keep saving the world? Now that the ones with the powers are starting to meet up, I'm enjoying the show even more.

And, of course, my favorite character on the show is Hiro, played by Masi Oka. I found an interesting interview with him at Q&A with Masi Oka - if you enjoy the show, check out the interview!

In other stuff:

What did you watch tonight?

Sunday, October 22, 2006

'The Amazing Race 10' - Ep. 6 -or- "Dumped in Kuwait"

Seven teams remain. Who will be eliminated next?

Yes, there are still seven teams, at least for the start of the show. Last week's non-elimination leg saved David and Mary, the last team to arrive at the Pit Stop. In a new twist this season, they kept their money and possessions, but were marked for elimination. If they didn't arrive at the Pit Stop first in the next leg (tonight's show), they would have to wait out a 30-minute penalty. That could very well cost them the race.

So, how did it all play out? I'm pleased with tonight's show.

The teams left Chennai (India), the location of their last Pit Stop, headed to Kuwait City. They were given a product placement video clue from Phil Keoghan instructing them to buy airline tickets at a travel agent, then fly to Kuwait where they would drive to the mystery location pictured on their screens.

At the travel agent, we saw not one, but two, "cards" played. Peter lied and said Sarah had a medical emergency with her leg that was dire. While she has the problem with the hydraulic fluid, there's no way they can fix it on the race. I noticed she didn't say one word about her leg. (Dump him, Sarah! He's using you and creeping me out!) The other card was the "We're Beauty Queens" card, used by Dustin and Kandice.

A lot of good the cards did -- all of the teams, including David and Mary, were on the same flight out of Mumbai. Ha! All of the teams also thought to check on the Internet at the travel agency or ask about the mystery location image. So, they all knew they were looking for the Kuwait Towers, too.
Kuwait Tower
Even though the teams bunched up and all took the same flight, they once again bunched up at the Kuwait Towers as they didn't open until 11:00. Each team had to take a number, then search for the next clue when the doors opened. When they opened the clue, included was a Fast Forward - the first of two in this season's race. If a team successfully completes the Fast Forward task, they can go directly to the Pit Stop. Now, who needs the FF the most?

Well, David and Mary! The Cho brothers, Erwin and Godwin, bluffed other teams and indicated that they themselves were going to take the Fast Forward. Actually, they were anticipating David and Mary taking it so they would surely stay in the race. David/Mary, the ChoBros, and Lyn/Karlyn have a tight alliance going on. Even though they both are afraid of heights and it was apparent that the task at the Towers would be height-related, Erwin and Godwin wanted David and Mary to take a chance for first place with the Fast Forward. They rock!

That is where the line for the promo for this week's show took place. Nothing had really happened to the Cho brothers; David and Mary just didn't want them eliminated because they secured the FF for them.

Sure enough, the clue at the Towers was a Roadblock, a task only one member of the team can complete. And, yes, it had to do with heights. The team member had to climb the circular ladder (pictured above) up the side of one of the towers, 610 feet high. Once at the top, the racer had to retrieve a bag with puzzle parts, return to the ground, get more puzzle parts from a trunk, and complete a puzzle which contained a message in Arabic (their next clue).
Erwin
Of course, Peter immediately said Sarah would climb - "I think you climb here, Sarah." He is so horrible to her and hasn't done not a one physical task. Peter, she has one leg, you creep! You climb! Again, editing may play a part, but they showed him relaxing as she struggled. She did better than Erwin Cho, though. It was evident that he was terrified almost to the point of choking on the task, but he made it. He knew how bad he was with heights and knew he could have easily gone for the Fast Forward.

Meanwhile, Team Kentucky (David and Mary) were off to the Fast Forward. This was an exciting one for them. They had to find a certain oil field and retrieve the clue leading them to the Pit Stop amidst a simulated (yet very real) oil fire. David what thrilled, he had a childhood dream of being a fireman. Both donned protective gear and went for the clue box using shields.
Fire surrounds cluebox
Back at the Towers, the teams all had their puzzles translated by locals and were off to a bead market, then to the Al Sadiq Water Towers where they faced a Detour, a task both members of the team must complete. Detours always are a choice between two tasks, each one having something to do with the region or its culture. This Detour was Manual (old-fashioned) or Automatic (new-fangled). In Manual, it was actually manual labor as teams had to fill several bags of camel feed, seal them, then lug and stack them. In Automatic, there were really neat little robotic jockeys they had to attach to the back of camels, then complete a race.

Some of the teams wanted to do the camel race, but couldn't find it so they went to Manual. It seems the teams who got very lost found the camel racing. Tyler and James drove aimlessly and hopelessly through the streets of Kuwait City, but not as aimlessly and hopelessly as did Peter and Sarah. The Pretty Boys took it well under the circumstances, not blamiming each other for being lost, but very disappointed. In contrast, Peter blamed Sarah, snapped at her and insulted her. Finally, the Boy Toys found the camel racing and made quick work of the task. Peter and Sarah were still searching for the Manual task in the dark.

The arrival oreger at the Pit Stop was as follows:
  1. David and Mary - Came in long ahead of the others thanks to the ChoBros and the Fast Forward. They also won a trip for two to Jamaica for placing first.
  2. Dustin/Kandice
  3. Rob/Kimberly
  4. Lyn/Karlyn
  5. Erwin/Godwin
  6. Tyler/James
  7. Sarah/Peter - eliminated from the race.

The Good

  • Sarah dumped Peter at the Pit Stop confessional. She said he wasn't the kind, compassionate, caring sort of amny she desires. You go, girl!
  • The ChoBros are fantastic. I bet their parents are proud of them. They even got a local police officer to lead them at one point.

The Bad

  • Lyn and Karlyn were very nasty to the Beauty Queens and I thought they treated the locals very abruptly in doing so. They wanted the locals to not give the other team directions and practically yanked at them. Sheesh!
  • Peter in general.

The Ugly (American)

  • The notable Kimberly/Rob exchange of the week when instructed to go by a certain mosque: Kimberly: "We have to go by the grand mass." Rob: "Mosque. Grande Mosque. It's not a street name." Kim: "Whatever."

I want Rob and Kimberly out next.

'The Amazing Race 10' East Coast Update 10/22 - Pit Stop Arrival and Philimination

The arrival at the Pit Stop:
1. Mary and David used the FF - Won a trip for two to Jamaica
2. Dustin and Kandice
3. Rob and Kimberly
4. Lyn and Karlyn
5. Erwin and Godwin
6. Tyler and James
7. Peter and Sarah - Philiminated.

And, more important... Sarah dumped him! You go, girl!

A full review/recap will be posted later tonight.

'The Amazing Race 10' East Coast Update 10/22 - FF Used

Thanks to the ChoBros, David and Mary used the Fast Forward, snagged 1st place and are now redeemed.

'The Amazing Race 10' Blogging Schedule Tonight 10/22

TAR is starting about ten minutes late here in the NYC area. Football, of course, is the blame for the late start. I will post an East Coast Update on the Finish Line order and the Philimination at about 9:10 ET for those in other time zones. Late tonight, I'll post the show review/recap.

'The Amazing Race' Goes All Stars Next Season

They've done it for other reality shows and its coming has been rumored for some time. Now it seems to be inevitable. According to the TVgasm website, the filming of The Amazing Race 11 is to start next month. And, not only that, we're in store for watching a season of teams who have previously raced the race. Big Brother did the same, as did Survivor even earlier. Apparently the "all star" format is successful, but it's not always this fan's favorite.

So far, two teams from TAR5 are listed as participants in the new season. I fear neither team was too popular in their season, at least not according to the Internet buzz at the time.

Christie and Colin © CBS Bickering and sometimes "Ugly Americans on Exhibit" Colin Guinn and Christie Woods are one of the teams revealed. Colin, of course, is most remembered for his infamous line, "My ox is broken!" That happened when an ox just didn't want to steer the way he wanted it to go. The couple argued their way to near the finish line only to be beat out by the Force for Good, Kim and Chip. Their motivation for undertaking the race at the time, other than the million dollars, was to test their relationship and possibly marry. Whether they're married or not these days is unsure. But, it's sure they'll fuss and fight through the All Stars season.

Charla and Mirna © CBS The other team linked to the All Stars version is cousins Charla Faddoul and Mirna Hindoyan. This is a team that many fans so wanted to cheer on, but they made it hard for the fans to do so. Mirna fretted, made her cousin handle all the tougher tasks, and obsessed about looking pretty for Phil Keoghan at the finish mat each leg. She also did her best to perpetuate stereotypes of little people with the way she treated Charla. At least, that's this show fan's perception. On the other hand, there's Charla, a little person. She can do a lot, but needs a better partner. Fans called them out for using the "Dwarf Card" to get ahead. Charla and Mirna were most recently seen on last years Battle of the Reality Stars (BRAVO). Their relationship didn't seem to change much over time.

Amazing Race ALL STARS or Amazing Race Villains? It could be worse. We could be in for another season of watching Jonathan and Victoria Baker. It would be better if these shows polled the viewers about what teams they'd like to see return if they feel they have to have all "all star" season. Better yet, I'd rather not see an "all star" season at all.

Saturday, October 21, 2006

TV Newsy Bits - Saturday, October 21, 2006

Oh, my. Yesterday was a double whammy day here for me and I couldn't post to the blog. First, strong wind gusts brought down a tree practically in front of my apartment building. It actually fell on one parked car and one car which was driving by - a huge tree uprooted. Yikes! No one was hurt, though two vehicles will go to car heaven. But, my power was out through the evening hours.

Then, when the power returned, I tried to post and Blogger's servers were down. As I said, a double whammy. But I'm here now and here are the TV Newsy bits from the past few days:

I received some promotional goodies from TBS (the SuperStation). I'll hopefully have time to investigate them thoroughly over the weekend and give you the lowdown on two new shows set to debut next month - My Boys and 10 Items or Less.

And, but of course, we have The Amazing Race tomorrow night. The promos make me think a team I enjoy may be in trouble. Eek!

Thursday, October 19, 2006

'Survivor 13: Cook Islands' - Ep. 6 -or- "When Good Voodoo Goes Bad"


Fourteen are left. Who will be voted off tonight?

Now, this was one rockin' and rollin', get down and get dirty, episode! All they would need is some jello (or mud) and it could have been held ringside for the big bucks.

The show opened with Raro on Night 14. Tension, hurt feelings, and verbal jousting were the order of the night. Understandably, Cristina's feelings were hurt because Adam called her out as "annoying" at Tribal Council. So, they argued. Brad thought it was insensitive of Adam, yet let them orally duke it out without his interference. Cristina cried. Adam didn't cry.
Jeff Probst and his dimples
Then it was Day 15 and we were plopped into Aitu territory where Ozzy once again was being Poseidon Man, fishing for the troops. Despite his vow a few weeks back, he continues to supply his tribe with food he catches or climbs to get. Jonathan remarked about Ozzy's talents, but noted that Ozzy isn't anyone to be against after the merge. He's right. But, then again, Jonathan himself isn't one to be against after the merge.

The tree mail they received promised a feast to the winning team and talked about a well-balanced team being needed. The mail was in the shape of a mast. It didn't say whether the challenge would be Reward only or Immunity, but since it didn't mention bringing the Idol, it appeared to be Reward only to most of the tribe members.
Dirty fighting

Except for the Lone Cao Boi, that is. He wants to drag the Idol to everything as a "spiritual" thing, pride, a fellow member of the tribe, and a host of other reasons. Jonathan told him he was against bringing it because it would come across as gloating over their wins. Cao Boi got very abrupt. Fine, just fine. It stayed at camp.

Ah, it was time for the down and dirty at the Reward Challenge. I have no clue what the producers are doing. This one almost begged for injuries and it's lucky no one got hurt besides bruises, scrapes, and scratches. Cao Boi sat out as the odd man over. Then each tribe chose three members to cling onto a pole which was secured to the ground. Two members from the opposing tribe then had to remove them from the poles and drag them across the sand for quite a ways to the finish line.
Don't ask, don't tell

Cristina fought dirty as they JessFlicka fought her. Chokeholds, hair-pulling, attempts at disrobing were the off-color moves during that battle. When it came time for the guys to move Ozzy, they just snagged him from the pole and carried him by the pants for a ways. He struggled, but couldn't beat them for long.

Oh? The prize? Well, the winners got a feast. But there's a hitch. Jeff told them that both tribes would each vote out a member tonight. The winning tribe would go to Tribal Council first, then feast and sit in the jury box during the losing tribe's Tribal Council. The feast was lamb shanks, bread, and apple cider. He also said there would be one more surprise. Every tribe member of each tribe gave the challenge their all, but in the end it was another win for Aitu.

Yul
Back at the Aitu camp, they were proud of their win, but worried about Tribal Council. Cao Boi came up with Plan Voodoo, an attempt to bring the hidden Immunity Idol into play and vote out one of the original Caucasion tribe members. He fears that, after the merge, the ex-Caucasian tribe will be a huge alliance and wants their numbers decimated. He also thought Jonathan had the Idol when it's actually Yul (the one to whom he was telling his plan) who has it.

Jonathan, meanwhile, wants Cao Boi out as the wild card. He has his points, too. Cao Boi has proved a bit bizarre and, though interesting, he can be annoying and problematic. The women seemed to be leaning a bit more towards voting out Jonathan, even Becky who's in the Becky/Candice/Yul/Jonathan alliance. Ozzy seemed a bit iffy about it all. I think he may have just been happy to be off the radar at the moment -- the ex-Latino tribe members have been dropping like flies. Only Ozzy and Cristina remain from that tribe.
Jonathan

Over at Raro, Nathan decided they didn't need lamb and he caught a nice-sized octopus for their own little feast. With tensions they way they are, Cristina was the largest target. She knew it, campaigned, and only had a decent response from Nathan.

Cao Boi, of course, brought the Immunity Idol to Aitu's Tribal Council. When Jeff Probst questioned him about it, he decided it could be another tribe member sitting there. He also told Jeff that people either love or hate him. That got a snicker from his tribemates. He rambled on about his voting choice being a chess game scenario looking down the robe. Deep, man, deep. Or not. He admitted that his plan was to expose the hidden Immunity Idol, something which may have been better left unsaid at Tribal Council, but that's Cao Boi for you.

In the end, it was bad voodoo for the Zen Master. Cao Boi was voted off with the only votes not for him being his own (Candice) and JessFlicka (Jonathan), his Zen Buddy Grasshopper.

Then it was time for Aitu to sit in the jury box and feast and Raro to hold their Tribal Council. The "Cristina annoying" bit was all rehashed; Jeff mentioned how many challenges they've lost (most of them). Then he announced a new twist right before Raro was ready to vote. Aitu would kidnap one of Raro's tribe members. That member wouldn't vote in the Tribal Council, but would also be safe from the vote. He also would quickly feast for a few minutes, then return with Aitu to their camp through the next Reward Challenge. They chose Nate.

Aitu, including the kidnapped Nathan, left before the votes were cast for Raro. Even Nate's vote couldn't have saved her. Cristina was voted out by all but two votes. She voted for Jenny, as did Brad.

A few random thoughts...
  • Ozzy is the sole Survivor of the original Latino tribe.
  • I didn't know Cao Boi had the sneakiness in him to come up with Plan Voodoo. Had Yul not had the Idol, it probably would have played out. But both Becky and Yul knew Jonathan didn't have it.
  • While Cao Boi wanted to break up the original Caucasion tribe, he neglected to include his buddy JessFlicka in there.
  • I know some might think it as racist on Cao Boi's part, but the Caucasian tribe is the only one that is still intact. I'd target them, too.
  • My personal favorite remains Yul, though I'm also liking Jonathan more each week, too. Ozzy is a tremendous player, but he's so dang moody when things don't go his way. To me, he's a bit of a wild card in his own right. He's actually playing the people end of things much better the past few weeks.

'Survivor 13: Cook Islands' - East Coast Update 10/19 - Raro Tribal Council

Cristina was voted out.

A full recap/review will be posted late this evening. Stop back! :-)

'Survivor 13: Cook Islands' - East Coast Update 10/19 - New Twist

Nate was kidnapped by Aitu in new twist. He's immune from Raro TC and eats with them. He will be returned to his tribe at the next Reward Challenge.

'Survivor 13: Cook Islands' - East Coast Update 10/19 - Aitu Tribal Council

Cao Boi voted out.

'Survivor 13: Cook Islands' - East Coast Update 10/19 - Reward

Aitu won Reward. They will get a feast.

But... it's going to be at Tribal Council. Jeff announced that both tribes will vote someone off. The winning tribe (Aitu) goes to TC first, then feasts in the jury box while observing Raro's Tribal Council.

Jeff also said there would be one more surprise tonight.

Tonight's 'Survivor 13: Cook Islands' Blogging Schedule

As per the usual, I'll be watching the show (you knew that) here on the East Coast. As important events air, I'll post East Coast Updates here. They generally include Reward, Immunity, and the boot. Later on tonight, I'll post a full recap/review of the episode.

In order to view the newest posts to the blog, you may have to refresh the main blog page. Sometimes it also works even better to hit the Archive link for October (located in the right sidebar of the main page).

Survivors ready?

Wednesday, October 18, 2006

'Lost' - "Further Instructions"

Jackie's TV Blog, Lost

Sometimes the dead come back. And, sometimes they're still good-looking, too.

Oh, but I'm ahead of myself here. Tonight was the third episode of the anticipated six or so episodes before the show goes back on hiatus. Supposedly, we'll have 23 new episodes this season, but we're only getting a handful for the fall.

The spoilers had it right, yet had it wrong, too. Yes, this show was focused on John Locke, that's true. But another happening just didn't happen. Even according to the TV Guide, Claire was supposed to discover the two newcomers, Paulo and Nikki, in Jack's tent. It didn't happen. At the end of the show I noticed them in the crowd, but no tent incident and not even an introduction at all. Was it a foiler instead of a spoiler? One that even hit the big time? If the scene was cut, I certainly have to wonder how they're going to introduce these two new characters. Did they just fall out of the sky? Well, it's Lost. It could have happened.

Onto the show...
This week, it was more of Locke's backstory shown. We found out nothing further about the captives (Sawyer, Kate, and Jack). But I've always maintained that Locke is the key to the island, so it was all good for me. As its usual way, the show was set between present island happenings and flashbacks. Oh, and one odd dream-like mystical sequence, too.
John Locke, Hunter
The show's opening included Locke's previous statement "Each one of us was brought here for a reason." They briefly recapped Locke's decision to stop pushing the button - "You killed us all!" "No, I saved you all." And, then his admission that he was wrong as the hatch imploded.

Cut to the new -- Desmond was seen running naked through the woods and John Locke was laying wounded in the grass. Charlie discovers him and Locke asked for his help. Well, he lost his voice somehow, so he wrote it. He wrote to Charlie that he needed to "speak to the island." He wanted Charlie to guard him as he built some sort of meditation hut.

Now, since the show jumps back between flashbacks and the "now," it's hard to make it all make sense when writing about it. (That is, if Lost makes sense at all!) So, I'm going to segregate the flashbacks and the "now" and you'll see some connections betwixt the two.

Locke's Tale in Flashbacks
An unshaven Locke was driving a pick-up truck through a rural area and picked up a young hitchhiker named Eddie. Within minutes of picking him up, local police stopped the truck. When the cop asked Locke what was in the back of the truck, he replied, "Groceries and guns." Yep, there sure were guns of all types. Locke told the cop to look in a red book and he'd find all the proper records. Apparently all was legal and Locke (with the hitchiker) went on his way.

Locke took Eddie to what seemed to be a commune, one which had taken in Locke after his problems with his father. It was a place where he felt he was part of the family once again, a "real family." They talked about how some folks are farmers and others are hunters. All seemed hunky-dory. And, it was, on the surface.

Ah, but this wasn't just a commune. Eddie saw mysterious happenings by a greenhouse which seemed to be guarded and off limits. John just sort of hushed him and told him they had orchard duty.

Eddie told Locke that he wanted to be in on whatever they were going to blow up as he figured from the gun delivery, fertilizer, and mysteriously guarded greenhouse that was what the group was all about. John Locke laughed almost to a guffaw and told him he'd talk to Jan and Mike (the commune leaders).

But it was Jan and Mike who wanted to talk to Locke first. They had found that Eddie was a newly-hired cop, gone undercover to bust them. Bust them for bombs or terrorist activities? Nope, it was a major marijuana growing operation. John, who often lectured Charlie about drugs, was involved in heavy pot trade.

After they told him how he screwed up the whole operation, he told them he'd fix it. He went to the woods with Eddie on the premise of a hunting trip. John confronted him asking if the cops had picked him to target and Eddie finally admitted it. John had given Eddie an unloaded gun and was planning to shoot him. Eddie told him that he was a farmer, not a hunter. John told him he was wrong -- "I am a hunter." He took aim, then couldn't pull the trigger. End of the flashbacks.

The "Now" On The Island
Now, where did I leave off? No, I'm not Lost. Well, maybe. Oh, yeah... Locke was building his "magic hut" as Charlie dubbed it. He warned Charlie not to come in and his voice was still gone missing. When it was completed, he stepped inside.

Boone looks good for a dead man Fire, potions, mystery, and meditation were the name of the game inside the hut. Boone (played by Ian Somerhalder) appeared, looking darn good for a dead guy. "I was the sacrifice the island demanded. I'm here to help you find your way."

He took Locke on a fantasy dream sequence to the airport, the one where the passengers boarded Oceanic Flight 815. It was the same, but different. The people were the same, but Hurley was a ticket agent; Desmond was on the escalater; Claire and Charlie were a couple with a baby; Henry was the security man.

Locke still couldn't talk, but Boone told him he'd talk when he had something to say. The ongoing theme to the "dream" was that he had to clean up his own mess. It was apparent that Locke had to save someone, but everyone they went by Boone pretty much declared as safe or not in trouble.

"You have to clean up your own mess. They've got him. You don't have much time."

A bear's face briefly flashed the screen, then John burst from the hut with a knife in his hand declaring that he had to save Mr. Eko's life. Charlie followed him although John asked him not to. "Bad things happen to people who hang around me." They found signs that Eko had been dragged by a large polar bear. (Woohoo! The polar bear is back!)

As they tracked through the woods, they came upon the site of what was once the hatch, now just a huge crater in the ground. Then John found an "active kill" - a dead animal of some sort - and decided the bear must be nearby. A noise in the woods! Run! John Locke throws his knife... right into Hurley's canteen. The timeframe is such that Hurley is on his way back to the camp after being released by the Others.

Charlie looks worried Hurley told John and Charlie about the Others taking Jack, Sawyer, and Kate captive. They told him that John wanted to save Eko and that the bear was nearby. "What bear?" Well, dang it, what other bear, dude? Sheesh! Hurley headed to the beach campsite and Charlie and John continued on their mission at hand.

They came across what appeared to be the bear's lair. Okay, bear's den? A cave and John insisted he enter alone, leaving Charlie to look worried outside. With a lighted torch in hand, John stumbled over what seemed to me to be a computer part of some kind, perhaps it was some metal casing from something else.

He found a skull. And, he found Eko. And, even better yet, Eko was not the skull! He also found the bear. Eep. He fought it off with the torch while dragging Eko from the cave. Eko was in very rough shape.

Meanwhile, Hurley came across the still naked Desmond in the woods. He gave Desmond his tie-dyed shirt from his pack and they talked about the "fail-safe" key Desmond had used when the button wasn't pushed to save the world. (If you watch the show, you know what I mean.) Hurley told Desmond that the sky turned purple and everything vibrated. Desmond seemed to know that the Others took captives and that "Locke's going after them. He said so in a speech." Hurley told him no; Locke's going to save Eko and kill bears.

Back to Locke and Eko, John told Eko he saw Boone and that if he hadn't have stopped pushing the button, he wouldn't have had to save him (Eko). Cleaning up his mess, eh? John apologized. He also said he could have saved them -- Sawyer, Kate, and Jack.

Eko came to for long enough to tell Locke that it wasn't too late. He could still protect and save them. "You will find them. You are a hunter, John." He then closed his eyes. Charlie and John carried him back to the beach camp where there are two new people lurking about in the crowd not introduced and that was that for the episode. Locke said he will find their friends and bring them home.

Okay, the new issues this week:
  • In the cave, that didn't look like the giant polar bear to me.
  • Why was Locke messed up with a militant pot operation? How did he go from there to working in a box factory?
  • Didn't Mike (commune) make a showing as an Other before? He looks familiar.
  • How come Desmond lost all of his clothes in the explosion of the hatch, yet doesn't seem to be hurt at all?
  • How does Desmond know things which happened or will happen? Has he become suddenly psychic?

No answers this week, just new questions.

Oh, heck. I'm Lost.

Monday, October 16, 2006

TV Newsy Bits - Monday, October 16, 2006

It's Monday! That means I watched How I Met Your Mother and Heroes. Yes, I watched The Class, but I'm writing that one off a bit. Well, maybe not. I don't know. The jury is still out on that one for me. (And I also got a summons to do actual jury duty today. Hopefully it's a television show jury! Yeah, right.) I tried once again with Studio 60 and it's just not keeping my interest. I ended up turning to the earlier news and plan to hit the sack a bit early. After all, Letterman is a rerun tonight.

In Blog TV News, don't forget there are show discussion posts for people following AOL GoldRush, Grey's Anatomy, Desperate Housewives, and the odd bedfellows of Nip/Tuck and The Bachelor. If you're following the AOL contest and want to talk clues, or if you're a fan of any of those shows - drop on in! There are some great folks talking about 'em! The links are also located in the right sidebar of my main blog page.

In other TV news, here's the Link o' Interest I've found:
  • Janelle and Will from Big Brother 7: All Stars will be doing a Jokers Update chat next Thursday, Oct. 26.
  • In-depth info on next week's Amazing Race episode. Minor spoilers, beware.
  • What? You haven't had enough of Boston Rob (Survivor, TAR, etc.)? Check out his latest TV adventure.

Sunday, October 15, 2006

'The Amazing Race 10' - Ep. 5 -or- "Is that a homeless cow?"

Seven teams remain. Who will be eliminated next?

Finally, the teams go to another country. While I found Vietnam a wonderfully exotic and interesting place, this is supposed to be a race around the world. More than one leg in one country feels sort of like they're stagnating. At least, it does to me.

Unlike last week's rather close departure times from the Pit Stop, I noticed there was a three-hour gap between first and last place. That would be Rob/Kimberly and Dustin/Kandice, respectively. Will it matter or will the teams encounter another infamous TAR bunching point waiting for something to open or a flight or somesuch? Only time will tell.

It's off to Chennai, India! For some reason, Vietnam doesn't allow the sale of tickets at airlines and all plane tickets must be purchased from travel agents. It doesn't seem to be a show rule, but a restriction placed by the government. That's odd.
Sarah told us more about her feelings for Peter in a confessional segment. She doesn't put him on the pedestal she once did. Yes, Sarah! Dump him. He's a pompous so-and-so who treats you poorly. He's using you and he really seems like he's not a nice guy, not at all.

Tyler and James saw an addict shooting up drugs near the railroad tracks, so we heard another "so happy to be recovered" bit. The ChoBros have really hooked up with Lyn and KarlynTyler and James to develop an alliance which seems to help Lyn and Karlyn more than themselves. Peter seems to be getting creepier in each leg of the race. In addition to treating Sarah poorly and being a pompous you-know-what, he's taken to spying on the other teams to get a step ahead and mocking other teams.

So, what do the ChoBros do? They borrow a cellphone and make a totally fake phone call to make reservations so he could eavesdrop and freak out. And, that he did. Ultimately, it didn't really help the brothers out much, but it was worth it to make a fool of Peter. Even the Barbies (Dustin/Kandice), Peter's supposed allies, were turned off by his spying and no longer trust him.

The teams ended up split between three flights to Chennai. Some had to buy tickets for a connection and poor David and Mary were alone on a later flight. Again, it really didn't make a huge difference in the overall race.

Once in Chennai, the teams had to take a bus to Mallapuram. While David and Marry and the ChoBros tend to look at everything as wondrous and exciting, Rob mumbled, "From one polluted city to another." And, his lovely Kimberly declared she wanted to go to Europe. Tyler and James got lost with a lost cab driver, but most of the teams made it to the arts and crafts store where they received their next clue -- a Detour.

David and Mary The Detour, a choice between two tasks which are relevant to the region or its culture, was between Wild Things or Wild Rice. In Wild Things, the teams had go tie a crocodile's snout shut, tie the crocodile to a stretcher, then transport it to a man who would give them their next clue. In Wild Rice, teams had to take colored rice powder to make designs according to speculation. Believe it or not, the crocodile choice seemed to be the easier of the two tasks. Most of the teams picked Wild Things, but David/Mary and James/Tyler struggled through Rice.

In personal bits, Mary declared she would not fight a crocodile no way, no how. Sarah told Peter she's Crocodile transportingnot having fun when he told her he has to either win or just not care and that she should just have fun. She's tired of him giving up or pushing her so hard. All she really wants is a middle road and he's not giving her one. (Dump him, Sarah!) Peter and Sarah passed by their "allies" Dustin and Kandice who were stuck with a flat tire. And, tonight's Dumb Line of the Week came from Kimberly. Now, they're in India. Anyone who knows anything about India knows that the folks there often think the cow is a sacred being. They wander the streets, no one bothers them. So, Kimberly sees one and says, "Oh. Is that a homeless cow?" Even Rob thunked his head over that one. Duh.

Next up was a Roadblock -- a task which can only be completed by one member of each team. This one was a hoot! They had to go to the Karthik Driving School, take a lesson, do a road test and receive a driver's license in India. Of course, if this were happening in the USA, it would take the whole season, but we're talking India. Hand signals and a Harpo Marx horn to honk at children and animals (and only children and animals, please) were the rules of the road. Other than those, the only rule was to make it out of there alive without hitting anything, it Learn to drive in Indiaseemed. All on the left side of the road, as per their laws.

License in hand and driving school car on the road, it was off to the Pit Stop. Here was the order of arrival:
1. Peter/Sarah - Each won a home gym for placing first in the leg.
2. Dustin/Kandice
3. Rob/Kimberly
4. Erwin/Godwin
5. Lyn/Karlyn
6. Tyler/James
7. David/Mary

This was the first of probably three non-elimination legs this season. Unlike the last few years which had the money and possessions stripped from the teams in last place, Phil Keoghan (the Philiminator) told David and Mary that they're "marked for elimination." In the next leg, they must arrive in first place or suffer a 30-minute penalty. That time penalty could very well knock them out, so first or the closest they can get to it is a must. Next week should be interesting. They're not the fastest or strongest team, but I'd like to see them hang in there.

The ChoBrosRob and Kimberly weren't as annoying with bickering this week, but I still wouldn't miss them if they were out of the running. I like Peter less each time I see him. The ChoBros, Erwin and Godwin, are still my favorites for the win. Of course, I'm horrible at picking the winning team so that might be bad luck for them. This week they wore LOST shirts with a picture of Phil on them and a lookout notice for a missing Kiwi. Phil is from New Zealand, thus the Kiwi. He laughed at the shirts when they got to the Pit Stop. I think Phil likes these guys, too!

'The Amazing Race 10' Pit Stop Arrival East Coast Update

Arrival order -

1. Sarah/Peter - Each won a home gym
2. Dustin/Kandice
3. Rob/Kimberly
4. Erwin/Godwin
5. Lyn/Karlyn
6. Tyler/James
7. David/Mary

This was a non-elimination leg. David and Mary are still in the race. The rules have changed - they keep their money and possessions. But, if they don't come in first at the Pit Stop in the next leg, they will receive a 30 minute penalty as they're "marked for elimination."

A full report will be posted later tonight.

Tonight's 'The Amazing Race 10' Blogging Schedule


Tonight's TAR is running about 20-25 minutes behind schedule here in the NYC area due to football. (Sigh.)

Once the show finally airs here, I'll post an East Coast Update with the Pit Stop arrival order and the Philimination or non-Philimination if it's time for one of those.

Late tonight, I'll post a recap/review of the show.

In the meantime, I watched a show about hot dogs on WNET, Channel 13, public television. They didn't even mention Jimmy Buff's (local cool Newark-style dogs with potatoes!) or Hot Dog Charlie's (my early childhood hot dogs). Sheesh!

Um. I'm kind of hungry now.

Friday, October 13, 2006

'The Bachelor' and 'Nip/Tuck' - Blog Meet Up Discussion Post


You asked for it, you got it!

Here's a place for you to talk about The Bachelor and Nip/Tuck with friends. Share links to websites, share this post link with friends, discuss the latest episode!

The link to this entry will be posted on the sidebar of the main page along with other discussion posts. Please feel free to have fun.

:-)


The official websites for these shows are at:
The Bachelor
Nip/Tuck



I don't watch the shows, but who knows? After reading your discussions, I just might have to check them out!

Thursday, October 12, 2006

'Survivor 13: Cook Islands' - Ep. 5 -or- "Ankle Octopi, the Newest Fad"


16 are left. Who will be voted out tonight?

After the inevitable recap of last week, the show opened with the Raro Dudes hustling. Since JP was voted off last week, they're worried the women will come gunning for them. They're outnumbered and they're worried. And, more importantly, they're working. While they want to show how much they can actually do, the women are just taking it all in.

Over on Aitu, the gender war sort of continues. At least Cao Boi is irked about the women on his tribe doing less than the manly men. With the way he irks others, he may not be in a position to cast stones.

Treemail with its hints of challenges to come sent the castaways to meet up with Jeff. This was a rather new one for a change, not a recycled past challenge with new casting. Each tribe had to pick three pairs from their ranks. The pairs had to stand tied together as the remaining folks placed weights on the pairs of their choosing in five pound increments.
Ebony and Ivory
When I saw Adam and Nathan were a pair, I figured them for both the target of others and for the win. Sure enough, they were loaded up with the most weight and struggled to hold each other in the competition. The idea of wine kept Nathan going and they persevered. Since JessFlicka decided to taunt others, I chortled when she and her partner, Ozzy, went down. As Nathan would say, "Karma is a bizzle."

So, Raro won Reward - a bottle of wine, spices, and more fishing gear. They also won the opportunity to choose someone from Aitu to go to Exile Island. Now, we know it's a waste, but only Becky and Yul know for sure that the hidden Immunity Idol has already been found (by Yul). They chose to send Jonathan. He will return before the Immunity Challenge and will not be safe from Tribal Council voting should Aitu lose immunity.

After the challenge, back at the Raro camp, the guys are still hustling. Adam hustled so mightily that he somehow caught an octopus who must have thought he was a constricting snake. The octopus wrapped itself right around Adam's ankle. I can see it being the next utilitarian fashion trend -- ankle weights and, after exercise, it's dinner!

You would think that since they won something, they'd be happier. Nuh-uh! Jenny complained that Cristina is the "new JP." And, Cristina didn't help matters any when she accidentally spilled the pot of octopus (yes, ankle-octopus), then tried to blame Jenny. Actually, she just claimed that she thought Jenny was watching it, but blame enough. The girls want Cristina to be the next out.

Over at the Aitu camp, Yul wants to try to catch a chicken and the tribe is lamenting about the lack of resources there. Some want to row to a nearby island to see if they can collect coconuts and other needed supplies. Cao Boi, Ozzy, and Jessica tried to convince Sundra to join them in their quest, but she turned them down, preferring to stay behind with Yul, Becky, and Candice.
Who's invading our camp?
With most of the Alliance of Four (who wants to be of five), and just Jonathan missing on Exile Island, Yul tried to sway Sundra to join them. Sundra seemed a bit reluctant to commit, but said she feels more comfortable with them than with Ozzy and Cao Boi. Yul told her he didn't trust Ozzy.

Oh... the island that decided to explore? Well, it was none other than the Raro camp island! Oy! That did not go over well at all with Raro, and Adam, in particular was not a happy neighbor. Cao Boi went into a bizarre Cao Boi long tale of rats, snakes, and other animals being friends, being feared, and on and on. And, on and on some more. Perhaps it was his attempt to hypnotize the tribe to steal their spices. I don't know. He did have the nerve to ask them for just a bit and the answer was laughter, followed by an empatic no.

On Exile Island, Jonathan dug a huge trench following the clues. He decided the hidden Idol has already been found or that he's the biggest moron in the world. You're not a moron, Jonathan.
Keeping balance for Immunity
Not only did we have a fresh new Reward Challenge, the Immunity Challenge was also new fodder! The tribes had to put together three "stepping poles" each, two tribe members had to use the poles to cross to a platform with the other tribemates supporting them and moving them forward. Then, they all had to swim to a tiered platform and all had to gather at the top of a small platform.

Aitu kept up their mini-streak and was declared the winner. Raro almost won it, but every single tribe member fell off their platform, so they had to all get up there again.
Immunity Challenge overviewSo, it's the "who are we voting for" routine as Raro returned to their camp. Remember, earlier they wanted to vote Cristina off because she's bossy. It was all going that way once again until -- almost like last week -- Stephannie said something a bit dumb, this time to Nathan. They were talking about the plan to vote Cristina off when Stephannie said, "I wouldn't mind eating some mashed pototoes tonight."

That was all Nathan needed even though she's his Hiki-hood Love. He went to Adam and Brad, told them that he felt her spirit was broken and she wanted to go home. It spread. Parvati asked Stephannie and she denied she wanted to go home. She also said she wouldn't beg to stay.

Perhaps she should have begged.

At Tribal Council, the vote was unanimous with the exception of her own vote for Cristina. Stephannie is history. The other rather interesting event other than the vote was that Nathan spoke up and said how bossy Cristina was to others. That may come back to bite him or it could warn her. I guess we'll see.

At the end of the show, in the promos for next week, it appears we'll get the double-castoff I predicted due to too many on the show. Jeff said something about one from each tribe would be evicted. Of course, that doesn't leave much incentive to win Immunity, does it? Unless they don't know -- it's certainly too early to break down for individual immunity.