TV Newsy Bits - Monday, May 7, 2007

Another season of The Amazing Race has ended, Survivor 14: Fiji is down to one show and then the big finale and reunion night (Sunday, May 13 starting at 8 PM). But we're getting closer to Big Brother 8! That should be starting the first week of July.

Dancing With the Stars and The Bachelor: An Officer and a Gentleman are still going strong, as is American Idol. And, but of course, tonight is How I Met Your Mother and Heroes night for me!

Here are the TV Newsy Bits for today:

• If you're in the New York City area and, especially if you were around in the 1970s, tonight's 11 PM WCBS2 news (Channel 2) has an interview with Son of Sam killer David Berkowitz thirty years after the killing spree. I know it's a macabre thought, but I won't be able to not watch it. That was such a horrendous and plain old odd case.
• BuddyTV has their interview with Eric and Danielle, winners of The Amazing Race 11: All Stars, online for your perusal.
• Celebrity Spider has mild promotional spoilers (nothing big) for this week's Survivor 14: Fiji episode.
• Heh. Celebrity Spider also reports that the host of Pimp My Ride has lost his license to drive. Hmmm... could he get a new show called Pimp My City Bus?
• After sources said a few days ago that Lost will end after two more seasons, new sources are now saying three seasons.
• TVGuide.com has an interview with Missy Peregrym, the actress who plays Candace (the "illusionist" Primatech Paper morphing woman) on Heroes.
• This article casts doubt on the return of Jericho or The Class next fall, but I haven't seen any official announcements.

An added note: Some of the regular blog readers want to get a real-life meet-up arranged sometime over the summer. Most likely it would be in either New York City or perhaps Philadelphia. If you're a regular commenter here and want to get involved in the planning, send me an email (the contact info is in the sidebar). I'm putting together a mailing list to work on the details. Since this blog doesn't show email addresses, we're doing this off blog. If you want to get involved, yet don't want to use your regular email, send me an email telling me who you are in comments and I'll send you a free gmail invite.

'The Amazing Race 11: All Stars' - Season Finale

Well, the season is over and I have mixed feelings. I've never been too keen on "all star" seasons of reality shows and this season of The Amazing Race did nothing to change my opinion.

When the team announcements were originally released, I was a bit disappointed -- too many teams from the most recent season, one team which wasn't a team at all. After all, Danielle and Eric were originally on competing teams during their season. Oh, I know why they included them -- a TAR love story or whatnot. But there were enough other teams I enjoyed and, as always, I love the concept of the show.

I thought this season was a bit tamed-down in the challenges, too. There didn't seem to be as many risky challenges, although they certainly had more than the Family Edition (Season 8) year. Nonetheless, it was a great glimpse into countries I may never see and into other cultures. I can't call the season time wasted, not at all.

Tonight's finale was only an hour long which always seems too short for a big show event. And, tonight it also seemed they whipped through a couple of challenges, then it was time for the last Pit Stop. I found it to be a bit of a letdown in one of the more lackluster seasons of the show. Mind you, I enjoyed it overall. It's only lackluster when compared to the excitement and thrills of past seasons. Your mileage may vary.

Here's what happened on the finale leg:

The teams left from Guam with the Beauty Queens, Dustin and Kandice, starting at 11:53, Eric and Danielle leaving at 12:55, and Charla and Mirna last to leave at 1:29. It didn't really matter who left when, though, not in the long run.

They had to take a flight to Honolulu where they'd take a helicopter from Kamaka Air to Lanai to get their next clue. All three teams tried for the same flight, but Charla and Mirna found an earlier connecting flight putting them ahead of the other teams by about forty minutes.

The helicopters each could carry one team, first come first served. They left ten minutes apart. So, once again, lead time was narrowed down so no team was at a huge advantage. Once they received their clues, they drove to a harbor where they got the clue to the Detour.

Teams could go Under or Over. In Under, they would have to dive into an underwater cave fighting the currents to get a clue tied to a rock. In Over, they had to "surf" on a paddleboard out to a buoy to get the next clue. Smartly, Charla and Mirna chose Over. This is the short of challenge where Charla's lower center of gravity is a huge bonus. Oh, not such a great challenge for Mirna, though. Eric/Danielle and Dustin/Kandice chose Under, with the girls having a rough time with it and falling behind.

From there, teams had to hike a mile to Shipwreck Beach to find their next clue. Eric and Danielle arrived there first and Charla and Mirna were last even though they originally were in the lead. Running across rocks, unlike the paddleboarding, isn't easy for Charla. After they made it to the beach, each team had to take an inflatable kayak and row (against currents) out to a shipwreck. Nearby the shipwreck was a buoy which contained their next clue.

None of the teams are ever going to be Olympic-class rowers. But Eric and Danielle did the best, followed by Dustin and Kandice and then Charla and Mirna. All finally made it through, even though the Beauty Queens had a brief spat, then made up.

And, once again, all teams ended up on the same flight... this one to the final destination, San Francisco, California. Charla used her heelies in the airport once again -- too bad they don't work over rocks and on beaches!

Then it was a slow cab race to the final clue leading them to the Old Mint. Now, I found the challenge faced there interesting and different, even though it wasn't daring and exciting. One member of each team had to answer questions about the previous teams while in a vault. They would enter the answers and ended up with a code. Then the other team member would come in and try to figure the answers their partner gave. When the answers matched, the code given would open a safe which contained the location of the finish line. It seems that Uchenna and Joyce seem to have attracted the most friends. Danielle, after several attempts, lined up the same answers as Eric. But Charla and Kandice (or was it Dustin?) both took the time limit and ended up being given the clue as they couldn't make all the matches.

The finish line was at the Botanical Gardens, with Phil and all of the previous teams, as we have grown to expect. Eric and Danielle made it there first, with the Beauty Queens not all that far behind. Then came Charla and Mirna.

Oh, well. I'm ready for a real show next season with all new teams for us to cheer on or boo! What did you think of this season? I don't think anyone I've seen commenting ever named Eric and Danielle as a favored team from the start, but maybe someone out there wanted them to win it all along. I only recently began to admire their determination after the two Yields. Although I don't care for Eric's personality, they seemed to work more like an actual team from that point on once the pressure really hit.

'The Amazing Race 11: All Stars' - Season Finale East Coast Update

Eric and Danielle won.
Second place is Dustin/Kandice.

A full review/recap will be posted later tonight.

Tonight's 'Amazing Race' Finale

The show will start on time here in the NYC viewing area (yay!). By 9 PM EDT (6 PM Pacific Time), I'll have the finish order and winning team posted in an East Coast update post. Later tonight, I'll post a full review/recap of the finale. May the best team (take your pick out of the remaining three) win!

TV Newsy Bits - Tuesday, May 1, 2007

Phew, rainy April is behind us and hopefully May will indeed bring flowers instead of showers!

But, no matter the weather, there's always something to watch on television. I think back to the days when I had four networks to choose from and wonder what I did with my time. Oh, I read a lot and there was no such thing as time spent online. The times have changed, though. I still read a lot... I think I exchanged sleep time. Uh-oh!

Here are the TV Newsy Bits I found while perusing that Big Bad Internet, as well as some personal TV Newsy Bits observations and thoughts:

• Tonight is Bon Jovi night on American Idol. I'm psyched! Hey, I live in Jersey, what can I say? I'll be posting about tonight's show late this evening and would love to read your thoughts about how the contestants perform.
• I'm still hooked on BET's showing of The Wire, now into season two. But, and it's a big BUT... they cut it down to an hour an episode. Now, when they aired the episodes at 90 minutes, they got in the content of the hour-long HBO shows which air without commercials. Yeah, there was a commercial overload with the BET first season, but now we're missing content. I've been going to the HBO The Wire website reading up on each episode in their recaps to see what I've missed. Grr. What's worse is that I've been reading ahead, too. Shame on me!
• BuddyTV has an exclusive interview with Danny and Oswald, the most recently Philiminated team from The Amazing Race 11: All Stars. Oh, my... could Eric be gay? They seem to think so! Yikes! Not only is there a transcript, but there's also an MP3 file of the interview.
• In ex-American Idol news, Constantine Maroulis has joined the cast of the soap The Bold and the Beautiful. (Which is he? Bold or beautiful?) And, as you may have heard already, Jessica Sierra has been arrested for assault and drug charges. Hmmm... isn't it about time for Corey Clarke to be in another publicity brouhaha?
• Newsday (out of New York) has a thought-provoking article on race and the possible finalist scenario for American Idol 6. Will talent win out no matter the race of the contestant? After all, it is a singing contest. Right?
• Inside Pulse has an interview with castoff Edgardo Rivera from Survivor 14: Fiji. Ah, Edgardo... we hardly got a chance to know you. Edgardo thought if he could get in the final three with Alex and either Mookie or Dreamz, he'd win hands-down. He also wants to apologize for some of the things he said about Cassandra. It's too bad that Edgardo didn't align with that group instead of the Four Horsemen. He would have made it a lot further in the game.

'The Amazing Race 11: All Stars' - Ep. 12 -or- "The Teletubbies Go To War"

Well, the spoilers I linked to some time back called it right. I was so hoping they would be foilers deliberately posted to lead us astray. As we head into next week's finale, I noticed Phil Keoghan's intro was decidedly different tonight.

"Which of the four remaining teams will be eliminated tonight?"

We last left the teams in Macau, China. The Beauty Queens, Dustin and Kandice, were in first place while Oswald and Danny, Team ChaCha, were marked for elimination due to their last place status. If they don't arrive in first place during this leg, they stand to suffer a thirty-minute penalty.

From the Pit Stop, teams had to fly to Guam where they would then head to Andersen Air Force Base. They would then have to select a military escort and climb the control tower on the base to receive their next clue.

Oh, but we know, getting through the airport and getting the best flight is often more trying than the actual destination's challenges! Sure enough, the Beauty Queens faced down Eric and Danielle as one said, "You look buff in your white shirt." Eric just glowered. There's no love lost there even though he seems to be on the ChaCha Warpath at this time.

While in the taxi, Mirna turned on the odd fake accent once again. She then smugly declared, "The right accent makes all the difference in the world." I'm sorry. Maybe I'm just not the globe-trotter she is. Maybe it's because my high school French teacher told me I had a bad American accent. I just don't get it. After all, if the driver can speak and understand English, why? Why?

Charla and Mirna, Eric and Danielle, and the Beauty Queens all ended up on the first flight to Guam, set to connect in Tokyo. Oswald and Danny made a different flight, but with the same connection in Tokyo if they could make it in 45 minutes. Much to the chagrin of Eric, they made it.

The teams would have bunched up at the Visitors Center anyway as it didn't open until 7 AM. Once they climbed the tower (Charla wanted to know where the elevator was... I would, too), the clue led them to a Detour. Both tasks had to do with the United States Air Force. The first one was Care Package -- teams would have to load a 500-pound care package of food and supplies, then go in a cargo plane to the air drop, then return. The other task was Engine Care -- teams would have to scrub a huge B-52 and only receive the next clue after it passed scrutiny from the Sergeant.

I was stunned that only Charla and Mirna chose the Care Package! If I were there, I would have gone for the humanitarian deed. It sounded like a lot more fun and probably easier than scrubbing a whole plane.

Dustin and Kandice found out there's "no charming the sergeant." No-sirree-Bob, that guy was all business. I'm surprised the teams ever got his approval. Meanwhile, Charla and Mirna sort of irked their Air Force guy by tossing the goods into the box. "Don't just throw things like they're garbage!"

Once they loaded the box and got aboard the cargo plane, the fun began. "I feel like we're Top Gun!" They got to see the package dropped at its destination and experienced zero gravity as the cargo plane nose-dived.

I'm not sure how thrilled the airmen were when Mirna asked them to please go faster as they're in a race. I don't think I'd be pushing them too much, but then again... I don't think I'm as pushy as Mirna. That, of course, is probably a good thing. They ended up landing after the last team (Team ChaCha) had finished the plane, but it didn't seem like there was a big time gap there.

The clue at the completion of the Detour directed them to drive 21 miles to the US Naval Base. Again, they had to have an escort. Dustin and Kandice complimented their female sailor on her cute uniform and nails.

The Roadblock, Search Far and Wide, was kind of cool, I thought. One member of each team had to locate a hidden officer using a handheld GPS unit. Dustin did best of the girls as Mirna and Danielle seemed hopelessly lost for ages. Charla kept touching the face of the GPS and Danielle kept hitting the side buttons. Once Oswald got going, he seemed to really know what he was doing. Was there hope? Would there be hope?

Nope. If he hadn't walked right by his hidden soldier a dozen times, maybe he would have made it, maybe not. You couldn't really tell how edited the timing was at that point.

Dustin completed the task, then Danielle. Charla squeaked by Oswald in radioing, tossing her smoke grenade, then getting her helicopter ride back to from whence they came. Oswald saw her running in her camouflage gear and said, "Oh, no. The Teletubbies go to war!" It didn't look like anything short of all the other teams getting totally lost and driving into the ocean would save the ChaChas as Charla landed before Oswald.

The Pit Stop at Fort Soledad would be the telling moment... and it was sure to tell what I'd rather not hear. Here's the order of arrival:

1. Dustin and Kandice - Each won an all-terrain vehicle.
2. Eric and Danielle
3. Charla and Mirna
4. Danny and Oswald... Philiminated. (Sigh)

So, my favorite team is out of the running. They took it well and said they hope Mirna and Charla win. As much as I like the guys, the team I'd like to see win out of the remaining three would be Dustin and Kandice. No all -female team has won the race before and only one all-female team has ever made it in the Final Three. And this year we have two teams. If Mirna wasn't as grating on me with her rudeness, fake accents, condescending ways, poor treatment of Charla... I could cheer them on. But Mirna just turns me totally off. Eric and Danielle were never originally a team and Eric's sexist ways irk me. At least Dustin and Kandice don't whine and they're generally a strong team.

As for Guam, it was an interesting destination for the leg. It brought back memories for me as a friend of mine was stationed there at the Naval Base after his tour in Vietnam. He told me when he first got there, he'd see lights and hear noises coming from somewhere in the distance. When he asked, he was told, "That's just Gorco." So, he pictured a monster dinosaur in his mind. It was actually GORCO - Guam Oil Refining Company. No, not as exciting as a monster dinosaur, but Gorco made a good name for a cat years later.

'The Amazing Race 11: All Stars' - The Final 3 - East Coast Update

The arrival at the Pit Stop:

1. Dustin and Kandice - each won an all-terrain vehicle
2. Eric and Danielle
3. Charla and Mirna

4... and Philiminated... Team ChaCha -- Oswald and Danny

A full review/recap will be posted later tonight.

Tonight's 'Amazing Race' Blogging

The show is starting on time here in the Northeast. Expect the finish order at the Pit Stop and elimination posted in an East Coast Update entry as it airs here. The show ends at 9 PM EDT (6 PM PDT). A full review/recap will also be posted later this evening.

'The Amazing Race 11: All Stars' - Ep. 11 -or- "My karma ran over your dogma."

Sigh. Sometimes even my favorite teams make some incredibly stupid moves on the show. Now, I know I couldn't do any better; I might even do worse. But it's still frustrating for a viewer. I may have to go drown my sorrows and disappointment in chocolate ice cream or something.

Four teams remain. Who will be eliminated next?

The teams left in the order of arrival from the last Pit Stop, the Hong Kong Jockey Club. That was the tenth Pit Stop of the race and time is dwindling down. The season finale is set for Sunday, May 6th. Of course, that gave me a bit of a clue about tonight's finish before it even aired. Can anyone tell me how many teams go into the season finale night? Heh.

Oswald and Danny, Team ChaCha, left first while the last team, Danielle and Eric, left last while having the thought that they were marked for elimination hanging over their heads. Since they were saved in the non-Philimination leg last week, they have to come in first place on this leg or suffer a thirty-minute penalty.

Oswald and Danny had their own problems, though. In the previous leg, they spent almost every last penny they had. The show gave each of the teams $73 for this leg of the race. That money may not cover the cost of the leg as the producers might expect teams to have some money saved up by this late in the race.

Teams had to take the TurboJet Ferry to Macau, China. That costs money. From there, they had to figure out what the tallest structure in Macau is and take a taxi to that location. Taxis cost money. Just getting from there to anywhere... costs money. Oh, and caution -- there's a Yield ahead. This is the last Yield in the race and Danielle/Eric are still mighty miffed about the Beauty Queens, Dustin and Kandice, using the Yield on them.

Uh-oh.

Desperate for money, Oswald and Danny sold their souls. Well, perhaps not their souls themselves, but they sold their Yield rights to the Beauty Queens. Yipes. They told them that they would Yield the team of their choice for money. Ack! Team ChaCha was in first place at the time, and Dustin/Kandice had caught up with them. The latter can't use the Yield for a second time.

But do the girls use it the way I would like them to for their Oswald/Danny Yield Buy-Out? Do they use it on Charla and Mirna? (It would be interesting to see how the ChaChas would have reacted to that choice.) Nope, the BQs wanted Danielle and Eric Yielded again!

I don't want Danielle and Eric to win the race and don't think all that highly of them as a team, but that's kind of nasty to Yield them again when they're already marked for elimination. Oh, well. It's the love of money that's the root of all evil, not the money itself.

Teams found out easily that the highest structure in Macau is the Macau Tower. Once Mirna and Charla caught up to the ChaChas, Charla offered them money. But it was too late. Oswald and Danny told them what they had done. Mirna, right for once, said they made a deal with the Devil.

It looks like we don't have many fear-of-heights teams left. The Roadblock teams encountered at the Macau Tower had them walking the perimeter of the top, then doing a sky jump guided by cables. It actually didn't look too tough, but would have been horrible for someone who suffers acrophobia.

When Danielle and Eric arrived at the Yield, Eric made obscene gestures, talked in bleeped expressions, and were definitely displeased with the ChaChas. I don't think it crossed their minds that any sort of deal was made and they took it as a personal affront from Oswald and Danny. Meanwhile, Oswald in particular, seems to be very unsettled about their decision to sell the Yield rights. A bit late now, ChaCha Boy.

From the Roadblock, teams had to take a taxi to the Lou Lim Ioc Gardens where they would receive their next clue. It's too bad it was pouring as they arrived -- the gardens looked stunning even in the rain. Once there, the clue led to a Detour. They could Noodle or Dragon.

In Noodle, teams had to make two bundles of noodles to be approved by Official Noodle Dudes. In Dragon, teams had to pick up a dragon head (not a real one) and drum, then carry it less than a mile to fit the head to a specific boat. The ChaChas were first to the task and for odd sentimental reasons, chose the Dragon task. In their season there was a neat dragon head task, but this certainly didn't compare. Dustin and Kandice immediately went for Noodles, as did Charla and Mirna when they arrived.

While Oswald and Danny's driver took them to the end of their destination (where the boats were) instead of where they needed to go first to pick up the head, the noodle-making was going on and very bizarre. I don't think I'll ever eat any noodles made in Macau. Charla was climbing all over the food, the girls were doing a teeter-totter odd horizontal pole dance move. I don't know. It all frightened me. I may now have noodle-phobia.

The Beauty Queens finished first and were off to find their mini-moto cars, retrieve the clue from the windshields, then drive off to the Pit Stop. Back at Noodle, Charla and Mirna were struggling. Danielle and Eric finished their Yield time, did the Roadblock and then chose Noodle. Mirna told them that Dustin and Kandice offered the ChaChas money to Yield them. That was a bit away from the real story, but it doesn't really matter. Danielle and Eric are mad at both teams. But their anger made quick work of Noodle and they finished before the girls.

But where were the ChaChas? Still wandering around lost! Argh! Maybe there is something to the karma thing. They thought about good karma when they were nice to another team, perhaps they should have thought of the bad karma their latest actions may bring.

The show tried to make it look like it was close between Charla and Mirna and the ChaChas, but it wasn't. Although Mirna was a hoot with not being able to drive the cheap car, they were minutes ahead of the ChaChas.

At the Pit Stop in Taipa, this was the arrival order:
1. Dustin and Kandice - each won a Waverunner
2. Originally Eric and Danielle, but in waiting out their 30-minute penalty, Charla and Mirna took their place.
3. Danielle and Eric
4. Oswald and Danny

Oswald and Danny were saved by the non-elimination leg, but they're now marked for elimination and will suffer a 30-minute penalty if they don't arrive in first place next week. Since it's always been three teams heading into the finale, non-Philimination won't save any team from now on. The race is on!

I think Eric and Danielle made incredible time this week even though I don't care for them as a team. I think my favorite team, Oswald and Danny, made some really bad decisions this week ranging from the choice to sell their Yield to Dustin and Kandice to not verifying directions. While the Beauty Queens are playing a bit evil, they're running the race well. Once again, we saw a toned-down Mirna and Charla stepped up to the plate for tasks.

I still want the ChaChas to win. Of course, I might not get what I want.

'The Amazing Race 11: All Stars' - East Coast Update 4/22 - Pit Stop Arrival Order

The arrival order of the teams at the Pit Stop:

1. Dustin and Kandice - Each won a Waverunner
2. Originally Eric and Danielle, but they had a 30 minute penalty due to being saved in a non-elim. leg
2. Mirna and Charla took over 2nd place.
3. Danielle and Eric
4. Oswald and Danny

This was the last non-elimination leg, so all teams still in the running. A full review/recap will be posted later tonight, as well as an East Coast Update on the winner of The Apprentice: L.A.

Stop on back!

Tonight's 'The Amazing Race 11: All Stars' Blogging

The show is starting on time here in the NYC area... yay! So, I'll be posting an East Coast Update with the finish order and elimination by 9 PM EDT. Later on this evening, I'll post a full review/recap.

'The Amazing Race 11: All Stars' - Ep. 10 -or- "Everybody was Kung Fu Fighting"

Well, well... I found tonight's Hong Kong leg very entertaining. I'm still not too thrilled with a few of the remaining teams (cough:::Mirna/Charla:::cough:::Eric/Danielle)... but I thought tonight's challenges were a lot of fun and Hong Kong has always fascinated me.

Four teams remain. Who will be eliminated next?

The teams departed from the House on the Hill in Kuala Lumpur in the order they had arrived. There was less than a two-hour gap between first and last place this time. The first team to leave was the Beauty Queens (Dustin and Kandice) at 12:28 AM while the last team was Oswald and Danny at 2:19 AM.

They had to get flights to Hong Kong, then travel 22 miles to a laundry where they were to receive their next clue. The two-hour gap was meaningless as no flights were available until morning anyway. Of course we had to endure airport drama.

Eric and Danielle tried to stare down Dustin and Kandice as they Yielded them last week. Internet attempts to obtain tickets didn't seem to work this time although I thought it interesting that the Burger King had Internet at the airport. In the end, Oswald and Danny seemed to find the best plan -- going downstairs to await the arrival of the ticket clerk rather than waiting at the closed counter. Alas, they decided they'd work with/help Mirna and Charla.

They said they did it for the karma just as others were saying that karma would get Dustin and Kandice for the Yield. Actually, D/K are right. The Yield is a part of the race. All the teams are supposedly in it to win. But it seems indeed the good karma worked for Danny and Oswald and the bad karma really didn't harm the Beauty Queens.

Danny and Oswald got the first flight out thus sending them directly to first place from last. (Yay!) Most of the airport stuff was the same old sniping between teams. Mirna told the Beauty Queens, "Take your padded bras elsewhere!" And so on... and on. I found it interesting (and not totally safe) that Charla had heelies on in the airport. It did speed them along as Mirna dragged her. Why haven't they used them before? They had to be heelies, right? Eric and Danielle once again ended up on the last flight leaving.

Since the ChaChas, Danny and Oswald, arrived in Hong Kong before any of the other teams, they were the first to find the Fast Forward at the laundry. Well, of course they took it! The clue directed them to the old International Airport where they would take part in a high-speed movie stunt. Now we're talking!

These are the kinds of things I like to see on The Amazing Race! They weren't told exactly what they would be going through before experiencing it, but both took it all in stride. They knew from the gear they had to don that it would be something exciting and probably a tad dangerous. And, it was.

Once geared-up and strapped in, a stunt driver took them through a course which not only was high-speed, it was a roll-over! Woohoo! They both seemed to love it and took their clue which would send them directly to the Pit Stop skipping both the Detour and Roadblock the other teams would face. Oh, and they had to take a Travelocity gnome with them.

But the Detour was kind of cool, too. Well, at least the choice all of the teams made. One of the choices sounded a bit boring, but even Charla and Mirna went for the more physical task. Teams could Kung Fu Fight or be Lost in Translation. The latter was the boring task -- they had to study a sign in Chinese characters, then find it. Yawn! But, hey, when everybody's Kung Fu fighting, you know it's as fast as lightning! Oh, go ahead... click on that Kung Fu fighting link. You know you want to do it.

Dustin and Kandice arrived at the Detour first. Thinking that Charla and Mirna would go for the non-physical task, they went for Kung Fu Fighting. Actually, Charla and Mirna originally went for the Lost in Translation, but changed their minds. Once at the Detour, the teams had to climb up eight flights of scaffolding while being "attacked" by Kung Fu ninja-types.

Dustin and Kandice got through it first, then Charla and Mirna. Danielle and Eric seemed to be lagging way behind due to their later flight, but did the task in great time. I only wish that Danielle wouldn't wear low-cut sports halters in every country. I know some men probably disagree with me on that one. Heck, even the Beauty Queens cover up with t-shirts and such.

From there, teams had to take the Star Ferry to Hong Kong Island to find the next clue at the Old Police Headquarters. While Charla and Mirna took the wrong ferry, they remained ahead of Eric and Danielle.

The clue there was a Roadblock and, while not so exciting, dangerous, or even hard, it was sort of fun. It seems the show capitalized on the film industry in Hong Kong, mainly the adventure/crime/martial arts genres. One member from each team had to go through the old headquarters knocking down doors to find a clue in a room. Charla and Eric (not at the same time obviously) really got a kick out of it. (Heh.)

From the Roadblock, teams headed to Victoria Park where there were gnomes on junks floating in the lake. They had to gently pull their chosen gnome to shore without drowning the gnome.

No one drowned the gnomes, but Eric and Danielle seemed to be far behind even though editing attempts of the race to the Pit Stop tried to tie them in with Mirna and Charla. I personally don't think it was as close as they tried to make it seem.

The Pit Stop was at the Hong Kong Jockey Club. Danny and Oswald arrived there well before the other other teams due to the Fast Forward. Here's the order of arrival:

1. Oswald and Danny - They also won the most expensive trip of the race, a trip back to Hong Kong for the Chinese New Year. Wow, I'd love that!
2. Dustin and Kandice (don't see that bad karma doing much there)
3. Charla and Mirna
4. Eric and Danielle, saved by a non-elimination leg. They will be marked for elimination next week and must come in first place or suffer a 30-minute penalty.

Okay, what's with the gnomes? They usually have a gnome-challenge each year, but the gnomes are marked to win prizes. Phil didn't ask to see the gnomes although all the teams brought them as directed. Did I miss something? It seemed the ChaCha's trip was a regular non-gnome related first place winning one.

Will Eric realize that he should sometimes listen to Danielle? Is Mirna being suspiciously edited as being nicer to Charla?

So many questions... I guess I'll just have to wait until next week!

'The Amazing Race 11: All Stars' - April 15 - East Coast Update

Pit Stop Arrival Order:

1. Oswald and Danny (used Fast Forward) - won the most expensive trip on the show so far -- Hong Kong for Chinese New Year.
2. Dustin and Kandice
3. Charla and Mirna
4. Danielle and Eric

It was a non-elimination leg, so all teams still in it.

A full review/recap will be posted later tonight.

Tonight's 'The Amazing Race 11: All Stars' Blogging

The show will be starting on time here in the NYC area, so I'll be posting an East Coast Update with the arrival order and Philimination (if any) at about 9 PM EDT. A full review/recap will be posted late tonight.

TV Newsy Bits - Monday, April 9, 2007

I hope everyone had a pleasant holiday weekend although it certainly feels more like a winter holiday in many areas! It was cold and snow squalls here, but the snow just came down fast and furious without sticking to the ground.

Here are today's TV Newsy Bits:

• Buddy TV has an interview with Uchenna and Joyce, the latest team eliminated from The Amazing Race 11: All Stars. What I found interesting is that they did have to do the Detour and Roadblock -- it just wasn't shown. They ended up 10 hours behind the last team and spoke highly of Dustin and Kandice.
• Finale dates have been announced for The Amazing Race 11: All Stars (Sunday, May 6) - an hour-long show and Survivor 14: Fiji (Sunday, May 13) - a two-hour finale followed by the reunion show. Crunching the numbers, it looks like Survivor will go for three finalists once again this season.
• The current ratings for American Idol are down 10%, Could it be the Sanjaya Universe?
• It seems that The Black Donnellys has been canceled. There are still five or six (dependent on what articles you read) un-aired episodes and rumors have it that they may end up being available on the NBC website. According to the article I linked here, other shows in danger include: Jericho and Friday Night Lights. The article provides addresses to write to in support of those shows. Men in Trees, Ugly Betty, and Brothers & Sisters have been renewed for another season.

'The Amazing Race 11: All Stars' - Ep. 9 -or- "Those dirty, dirty hookers..."

Although some interesting events happened during this leg of the race, I found my attention wandering a bit. Perhaps it's because there were no thrilling challenges. Perhaps it's because I so want Mirna gone.

Oh, yeah, Charla can stay, but Mirna has to go. I'll admit that it looked like Mirna either behaved better or was edited to seem like she wasn't as rude this week.

Five teams remain. Who will be eliminated next?

The teams were still in Krakow, Poland, where we last left them. That's probably a good thing. After all, we don't want them sneaking off to Tahiti when we're not looking, right? Because of the Fast Forward intermingled with the Intersection, Oswald/Danny and Joyce/Uchenna shared the first place early start time of 9:48 PM. The last team, Danielle and Eric, left at 3:22 AM. So we no longer have the sixteen-hour gap between first and last.

The lead time didn't make a huge difference as the teams had to arrange for a flight to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. There were no flights until morning, so the teams tried different approaches to obtaining tickets from online to at the airport. Mirna and Charla hogged the two computers at the hotel thus irking Danielle and Eric. Oh, well.

Uchenna and Joyce took a huge chance on the flight which would arrive the earliest if (and it's a big if) they could make a tight connection in Frankfurt, Germany. Charla and Mirna managed to get tickets on a flight before that one while the other three teams ended up on a flight which stopped in Paris.

Well, Uchenna and Joyce's flight was indeed delayed and they missed their connection in Frankfort. Then we didn't see them again until near the end of the show. So, it became a race of four teams for the most part of the show, two teams I especially don't care much for -- Charla/Mirna and Eric/Danielle. I don't like the former mainly due to Mirna and the fake accents both go into when talking to folks from other countries. As for Eric and Danielle, I think he's a jerk and treats her very poorly. He's a misogynist, too. Blech.

At least I have Oswald and Danny and the Beauty Queens (Dustin and Kandice) whom I'm finding more tolerable this season. Thankfully, they haven't crashed a car and saddled another team with it.

Once in Malaysia, the teams had to take a combination of buses and trains to get to the Batu Caves. The hitch was that they had to figure the best and quickest combination of the specified transport to get there. Yawn. However, once there, the Batu Caves were really an interesting place. I only wish they had gone up inside of them instead of just up the stairs to one.

The clue at the caves had teams taking a taxi to the Kampung Baru Jamek Mosque where they faced a Detour. They could choose between Artistic Expression or Cookie Confessional. In Artistic Expression, teams would have to use hand-iron sized stamps to stamp designs on a long banner of cloth, then dye it to match specifications. In Cookie Confessional, somewhere within 600 boxes of cookies, there was a cookie with a black licorice filled center. The key was finding it.

The clue for the Detour also contained a Yield, one of two this season. While Charla and Mirna chose not to use it, the second team through -- Dustin and Kandice -- did. They tossed around the idea of Yielding Danny and Oswald, but decided to Yield Eric and Danielle. Uh-oh... how to make friends and influence people, eh?

Charla and Mirna were leading the race when they decided to do the cookies. Not a good choice, I must say. It cost them time as Dustin and Kandice chose to do the Artistic Expression, not an easy task but those needle-in-a-haystack challenges have sunk many a team during the history of the show. (Who was it with the actual hay in rolls some seasons ago way past dark?)

Oswald and Danny chose to eat the cookies, then chose not to eat the cookies, then ate more cookies, then went off to be Artistic. And they had a spat, too. But their tempers were tame compared to when Eric and Danielle saw they had been Yielded!

"Those dirty, dirty hookers!," said Eric pre-commercial and repeated post-commercial for effect.

The Artistic Expression challenge was tricky. Charla couldn't reach high enough to do the stamping. Oswald and Danny didn't get the number of stamped prints right and they had to do it all over again.

Meanwhile, Eric and Danielle waited out their 30-minute Yield time like sand through the hourglass. They fussed, they vowed revenge on the Evil Beauty Queens. Actually, I think that it may have been a wiser choice to Yield Oswald and Danny although I'm glad they went for Eric and Danielle instead.

Once freed from the hourglass, Eric and Danielle chose the cookie task. Of course, with all the boxes that Charla/Mirna and the ChaChas had gone through, there weren't 600 boxes left. But it was still a formidable task. Danielle actually found the cookie! Now, that was sheer luck and it kept them in the game.

Oh, but it was pretty obvious that all four teams were still in the game because the fifth team had gone missing long ago and would remain missing through the next clue -- the Roadblock.

This Roadblock was as un-thrilling as a Roadblock could ever get. What happened to skydiving? Bungee-jumping? Wrasslin' alligators? One member of each team had to ride a bicycle with an attached platform to collect a stack of newspapers from the nearby neighborhood. The stack had to be eight hands high. (Stifle those yawns.) About the only interesting bits during this challenge were that Mirna actually had to do a challenge and Danielle pointed out that Eric's a woman. She did, too! She said it because she always ends up with the physical tasks.

The arrival order at the Pit Stop was:

1. Dustin and Kandice - Each won a retro-scooter (moped).
   
2. Charla and Mirna
3. Eric and Danielle, despite the Yield.
4. Oswald and Danny.

Hey, weren't there five teams at the start of the show? Why, yes, there were five teams. Uchenna and Joyce arrived late into the night. They followed the clue to the Batu Caves. But then, instead of the clue the others followed, their clue directed them right to the Pit Stop. Once there, they got the bad news from Phil.

Their elimination will make a lot of Rob/Amber fans happy. But there are folks like me out here, too. While I didn't care much for Rob or Amber on Survivor, I enjoyed them as a team on The Amazing Race. And, I liked Uchenna and Joyce, as well.

Mirna and Schmirna must go away!

'The Amazing Race 11: All Stars' East Coast Update 4/08 - Pit Stop and Philimination

The Pit Stop arrival order:

1. Dustin and Kandice - Each won a retro-scooter
2. Charla and Mirna
3. Eric and Danielle (although Yielded by Dustin and Kandice)
4. Oswald and Danny
5. Uchenna and Joyce - Philiminated

A full review/recap will be posted later. Stop on back!

'The Amazing Race 11: All Stars' About to Start

The show is about to start here in the NYC area. By 9 PM EDT, I'll have an East Coast Update with the Pit Stop arrival order and philimination. Later this evening, I'll post a full review/recap.

TV Newsy Bits - Monday, April 2, 2007

Just a reminder - if you wish to talk about Dancing With the Stars with a cordial group of folks, there is a blog discussion entry for the show.


In other TV News Bits:

• Buddy TV has an exclusive interview with Joe and Bill, Team Guido, eliminated on last night's The Amazing Race 11: All Stars.
• Reality News Online has an interview with America's Next Top Model's Diana.
• TVGuide.com has an interesting interview with ousted American Idol finalist, Chris Sligh.

'The Amazing Race 11: All Stars' - Legs 7 and 8 -or- "One Really Long Show"

Now, this should be Episode 7, but I think it's both Episode 7 and 8. Yes, it was two, two, two episodes in one. It wasn't a to-be-continued bit; it was actually two separate legs of the race. If memory serves, it was the first time I've seen them do this with the exception of season premieres or finales.

We last left the teams in Zanzibar with a sixteen-hour difference between the first place (Charla and Mirna) and last place team (Joe and Bill).

For their own probably nefarious reasons, Charla and Mirna waited for Danny and Oswald, then shared a cab with them. Poor Danny and Oswald, eh? The teams had to fly to Warsaw, Poland. This time, so unlike the last leg, the show had back-up flight tickets set for the teams although they could buy other tickets if they found earlier flights.

The teams had plenty of time to try to get tickets through a travel agent and we once again saw how rude and off-putting Charla and Mirna can be under stress. I have no clue why, but Danny and Oswald just let them speak for them. Yikes! The travel agent looked very offended and it certainly didn't help them win friends and influence people. Mirna went as far as saying she was having a heart attack. And, of course, this was with the silly fake accents all along! Argh!

Dustin and Kandice (Beauty Queens) got on the first flight out while Uchenna and Joyce lucked out on a second flight. Charla/Mirna and the ChaChas were on a flight together. Eric and Danielle and Team Guido were together and missed their connection, so the last got further behind. Danielle fussed she wanted to quit and go home and a Guido exploded in fury. Oh, not at Danielle -- at watching the flight they just missed leave the tarmac. Eric thinks that Joe and Bill are just Nervous Nellies. There's an expression I haven't heard in years!

Once in Warsaw, teams had to find the Czapski Palace where a musician would be playing Chopin on a grand piano. The clue received there led to a Detour -- Perfect Pitch or Perfect Angle. (No, not Perfect Angel as Joyce called it.) In Perfect Pitch, a nod to Frederic Chopin, teams had to tune an off-key string on a grand piano to the satisfaction of a pianist. In Perfect Angle, a nod to Marie Curie, teams had to select a mannequin, lug it to an x-ray lab place, then find a clue within it by placing it at the "perfect angle." Most of the teams went for Perfect Pitch and it seemed that Uchenna and Joyce may have been the best at the task.

The best part of this part of the Poland leg for me was the fact that, for some reason, no locals would talk to or help Mirna and Charla! Yes, they were obnoxious. I know that. But it was as if the folks on the street were psychic or something! Their fake accents and desperate actions must have turned them off, I guess. Seeing as the locals were willing to speak to other teams, it had to be their behavior. Heh. I loved it! At one point it looked like Mirna was giving up. Oh, I so wish she did. But, alas.

The clue after the Detour directed teams to the Pit Stop where the last team may be eliminated. Teams were still arriving to the country as the lead teams arrived at the Pit Stop and embarked on the next leg. Here's the order of arrival at the first Pit Stop on tonight's show:

1. Dustin and Kandice - Won a trip to Puerto Rico
2. Danny and Oswald
3. Uchenna and Joyce
4. Charla and Mirna
5. Eric and Danielle
6. Joe and Bill - Non-elimination leg, but they are "marked for elimination." If they don't arrive in first place on the next leg, they will have a 30-minute penalty.

The next leg jumped right into motion as teams took charter buses set by arrival times to the Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial and Museum. As I watched the reactions of the teams passing through, my own eyes welled up with tears. It put things in perspective.

I saw each team relate to the horror of mans' inhumanity to man each in their own way. Both of the gay men teams were thankful they live in a time when they can be themselves. Oswald, born in communist Cuba, is grateful to be where he can be free. Uchenna and Joyce drew parallels to slavery. Mirna thought of the slaughter of Armenians by the Turks. Heck, even Eric and Danielle were somber. I thought this was one of the most touching moments I've ever seen on the show.

Ah, but there was still a race to be run. Teams had to take a taxi to the Slowacki Theater in Krakow. And, what was there? Why, it's an Intersection! I forgot they were introduced last season and wasn't expecting one. In an Intersection, two teams have to team up together to go for the next clue.

The first two teams at the Intersection were Uchenna and Joyce and the ChaChas. They really lucked out. Not only did they team up together first -- no one seemed to want to be with Charla and Mirna although I think the ChaChas would have endured them -- but they had the chance to go for the Fast Forward. If they completed the Fast Forward, they could skip the remaining clues and head directly to the Pit Stop. So, they did.

The FF had them climbing two separate towers, counting stairs as they went. They decided since they knew the Beauty Queens were stuck for hours at the Intersection awaiting the lagging teams, they'd do the whole thing together instead of splitting up and sharing results. They did just fine and the teams shared first place.

Back at the Intersection, Dustin and Kandice had wanted to team up with Joe and Bill, but it was Mirna and Charla who arrived first. They hid from them for a while, but decided they had to get on with the race and teamed up with them. That left Joe/Bill and Eric/Danielle teaming up.

Those teams had to be together for the Detour -- Eat It Up or Roll It Out. In Eat It Up, teams had to make a 3-inch sausage link, then each eat a 2-foot kielbasa sausage. An odd note about that is that I had kielbasa, cabbage, and onions tonight prior to the show. No, I didn't have two feet of kielbasa, though! In Roll It Up, teams had to make 20 bagels and deliver them.

The girls automatically headed to Eat It Up with Charla hesitating. She didn't think she could do it. The other group actually went for the Roll It Out, but got incredibly lost and finally went for the kielbasa after the girls were well into the task. Although I don't care for sickening food challenges, it was a hoot when Eric said, "May I introduce Miss California?" right as Dustin vomited.

Once the Detour was done, the teams were on their own once again. And, next up was a Roadblock. "Who wants to be a knight in shining armor?" One member of each team had to don a full suit of armor and lead a horse for a distance. Oh, poor Charla! She looked very unusual in her armor, kept going in circles with her horse, kept falling over...! It was funny, but it was sort of sad, too.

In the end at the second Pit Stop in Poland, here was the order of arrival:

1. Uchenna/Joyce and Oswald/Danny - Only one trip for two to St. Lucia was given and the ChaChas insisted Uchenna and Joyce get it.
2. No second place due to the first place FF Intersection tie.
3. Dustin and Kandice
4. Charla and Mirna
5. Joe and Bill, but their 30-minute penalty allowed Eric and Danielle to arrive and take 5th.
6. Joe and Bill -- Philiminated.

All in all, I really liked this episode. Although they were actually in Poland for two legs, a lot went on. I'm still cheering on my boys Oswald and Danny. Of the teams remaining, Uchenna/Joyce or Dustin/Kandice would be my second or third choices. My least favorite is still Mirna and Charla. I'm glad folks were rude to them. I know. I'm mean, aren't I? But, they could team up with Sanjaya on American Idol and Rocky on Survivor 14: Fiji in my book.