Michael Skupin - What is Wrong With People?

I feel let down. If I feel let down, the producers and those whose livelihoods depend on Survivor must feel horrified. The news that Michael Skupin, a two-time castaway on the show, has been arrested on ELEVEN felony charges. It's bad and crooked enough that it all started with him running a Ponzi pyramid scheme. Anyone in his right mind would know that those things come crashing down no matter how much money is made at the start.

But, allegedly I might add, when the police investigated his computers during the pyramid scam, they found child pornography. I don't know what to say. We've seen numerous reality television people arrested for drugs, DWI and other things over the years. But, to me, this is horrific.

Skupin claimed that he earns a living motivational speaking and even has a self-help book out on the market. He has seven children. I can't imagine what his family is going through. I don't know what's wrong with some people. Apparently, there's a lot going wrong with Skupin.

I'm incredibly disappointed.

A few links to news articles about the arrest:
From people.com
From WDIV Detroit
From TMZ.com

If you do a search, there are several articles online about his arrest. Horrible press as the new season is set to start. However, I certainly don't blame the show or its staff. I blame Skupin. What a jerk.

TV Tidbits and Stuff

My season premiere review of The Big Bang Theory is up over on CliqueClack TV. Sheldon had a date with Blossom ... er, Amy (played by Mayim Bialik). After the horrible skit on last night's The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson, it's good to see they weren't tainted. I was so happy when Jim Parsons won the Emmy for his role. Although I do think it comes easy -- he seems quite Sheldon-ish himself.


If Tim Curry is going to have nasty funky teeth, he should just be Pennywise the Dancing Clown (from Stephen King's It). Last night's Criminal Minds finished off the storyline we left off with at the beginning of the summer. Curry, although a very twisted "unsub" who became "knownsub," was creepy ... but nowhere near the performance as Pennywise.

I loved the flashbacks in time with the mother and son (Curry) as a child, all playing Leonard Cohen tunes. The music just so fit into it all. Cohen's poetry and songs have intrigued me for decades. The best video for "Dance Me to the End of Love" (one of the songs featured in Criminal Minds) is this one. Trust me, it's very beautiful and touching.

In other show talk, I fear the new show The Defenders didn't keep my attention. I was looking forward to it as I've always liked Jerry O'Connell. But it just didn't do it for me. Sigh. Perhaps if they brought back the original The Defenders from the early 1960s with the Brady Bunch father Robert Reed and E.G. Marshall, I might watch.

Tomorrow night, besides getting the rest of The Amazing Race teams up, I plan on watching CSI:NY and Blue Bloods. I'll admit being a bit partial to NYC-based shows as it's cool to see places I've actually seen! I'm a cop show buff, so I do have high hopes for Blue Bloods. We'll see.

Don't forget ... only two nights left of dancing animals on The Late Show with David Letterman!

We all float down here ...

This Week's TV Briefs and Bits o' Life

Waiting to board the Hot Tamale Train on So You Think You Can Fly.

Television has been a bit stagnant for me this week. But here's a few things which made an impression on me one way or another:

• Although I was a bit irked that The Late Show with David Letterman is in repeats again this week, one show made it all worth while. Y'see, Jack Hanna is my all time favorite Letterman guest. Back on May 14, the day I was having my surgery, he was scheduled on the show. I forgot to tape it and was in no shape to watch anything that night in the hospital. Lo and behold, Monday's show was a repeat of that show! Woohoo! I found it very interesting that Jack Hanna had mentioned surgery on his knee and a blood clot. I feel akin to the guy.
• America's Got Talent - Eh, another week. Once I'm a bit more in action I'm going to have to film some of the street acts in Manhattan for uploading on YouTube.
• The First 48 - Since I don't have to rise early for work these days, I'm loving how A&E schedules the episodes late into the night for repeats after their primetime debut. I've definitely gotten myself hooked on the show and find myself watching consecutive hours almost into the dawn as long as I haven't previously seen the episodes.
• So You Think You Can Dance - Yes! About time Comfort got the boot! And, of the three guys in the bottom three it had to be Thayne's time to go. I really think if he didn't have that huge smile on his face so much I would have liked him more. But Will is easily the most talented dancer on the show and, well, Twitch is Twitch. I loved his solo, but as I have said before -- he's my sentimental favorite on the show. It'll be interesting when they switch the partners up.
  
• I'm still digging (heh) Mad About You when I find it on TV Land at all kinds of odd hours. Thankfully the baby hasn't arrived yet in any of the episodes I've caught.
• America's Greatest Dog - Cute mindless fluff of a show. I like the dogs, but some of those owners are whacked. My cat liked swatting the dogs on the TV screen.
• Hopkins - This reminds me of the ER Trauma shows on the Discovery Health channel. Hey, maybe they'll show a knee replacement!
  

In Bits o' Life

On Thursday I actually walked to the train station, accompanied by my cane of course. It's about a six block walk, perhaps a bit short of a half-mile. I stopped in at the shops I used to frequent on my work commute, saw friends I haven't seen in a while, and enjoyed the gorgeous summer day. It was in the high 80s, sunny, but no humidity at all and breezes galore.

Once at the train station I didn't see Roofus, but he might have other cat things to do. I looked for him, though.

I did all of this because I was en route to have my blood drawn (for my INR levels for the Coumadin) at LabCorp in the next town over. I've been using the county para-transit, but they were so undependable the week before that I decided to give the walk a try. It was a very pleasant time indeed. Well, except for the needle part, of course. Sigh ... I'm actually getting used to needles. That can't be a good thing.

After the blood draw I hopped the train further east one stop, getting out in Westfield where I could catch the NYC/Dunellen bus which would let me off directly across the street from my apartment. Ah, but I had time to stop in Starbucks for an icy beverage between the train and the bus! Thanks to a blog reader, I have a Starbucks card and it hit the spot.

As for my health -- the knee itself seems to be doing fine. Unfortunately, I've developed a severe pain in my calf where the blood clot is/was. According to the doctor's office, the clot won't move but it's adhered itself on the wall of the vein and the pain I'm feeling could very well happen on and off the rest of my life. Here I thought it dissolved, but it's only resolved -- a big difference. As long as my Coumadin levels are monitored and my INR is in line, I shouldn't develop any new clots. On a side note, that woman who died in the waiting room at a psychiatric hospital in the city died from blood clots. Scary stuff. But mine is under control and I just have pain and tired issues remaining at this time.

Today is the big "free" Bon Jovi concert in Central Park. No, I'm not going. But in honor of New Jersey's native son, I'm playing my Slippery When Wet CD as I write this. It's the only Bon Jovi I own.

Whoops! The bird will never catch the Hot Tamale Train on this track!

Today's musical non-sequitur:
You're a loaded gun
There's nowhere to run
No one can save me
The damage is done

Shot through the heart
and you're to blame
You give love a bad name
I play my part and you play your game
You give love a bad name.
-- "You Give Love a Bad Name" - Bon Jovi

The Holiday Weekend, TV Briefs and Da Knee

Every year I have a front row seat to the 4th of July parade which passes by my apartment. Sure, the street is closed off for hours, cars parked overnight start getting towed at 5 AM, no one can enter or leave my block by car from about 10 AM until noon. But, hey ... it's a parade. This year it didn't feature the marching band from Washington, DC which has been a part of the parade for more than a few years, but the local high school marching band, several floats, clowns, stepping groups, all of the local youth sport groups, rap groups, salsa, fire companies, reggae groups, police departments, Ronald McDonald and his NYMetro Ronald McDonald showmobile, church groups, scouts, and more joined in. My personal favorite each year is the black cowboys on dancing horses.

My knee wasn't quite up to standing through the entire parade this year and due to the elevator being out of commission because of an electrical storm the night before, I couldn't manage getting a chair down to the front lawn. I watched most of the parade from my recliner chair looking out the window. But I did go down long enough to snap some shots of the black cowboys and a clown or two. I live in a rather rough town in NJ, but this annual parade is always a celebration of family, children, and the diversity of folks who live here. To me, that's a big part of what being an American is all about.

TV Briefly

• Groomer Has It - I actually missed having this show on my Saturday night schedule last night. When it was down to the final two last week (Jonathan and Artist), I was rooting for an Artist win even though I think Jonathan is technically a better dog groomer. I didn't think Artist had any chance to win but I adore his personality and how he seriously worked to improve each week. He has a good heart and sometimes chose the hard route intead of the easy win. On the other hand, I found Jonathan a bit too smug and arrogant. I was thrilled for Artist when he won the big prize. Yay!
• America's Got Talent - So far, i'm not overly thrilled with the talent. Sure, the sword swallowing guy was cool -- you don't see that every day anymore. I think my favorite so far was the guy who sang "Walking in Memphis" last week or the week before. One thing I enjoy about this show is seeing Jerry Springer out of his typical element. I don't watch his show, but I have to give the man kudos -- he's a very intelligent guy, ex-mayor of Cincinnati (I believe that was his city), and has turned trash TV into a personal fortune.
• A rerun of Crossing Jordan - On Thursdays I have to go for my blood draw for my weekly dosage levels of my warfarin (Coumadin). I've found that Crossing Jordan is on A&E at 8 AM weekdays and tend to watch it as I missed many of the episodes when they aired. This past Thursday, they had a mysterious case. Uh-oh, the guy was poisoned by (as they said it on the show), "Warfarin, rat poison!" Eep, I needed that reminder on my blood draw day, right?
• So You Think You Can Dance - I haven't been surprised by the people who have left each week, not yet anyway. I still favor Twitch as my sentimental favorite, but I'm enjoying Joshua more and more each week even though I think he's a bit chunky for a dancer. I find Thayne's smile increasingly annoying and wish he'd stop it. Gev's solo this week was amazing! As for the girls, I think Katee is my favorite. I'm not sure how Comfort slides by each week -- I don't think she put much effort in her solo at all this week.
• The Late Show with David Letterman - Grr, reruns all this week. Grr.
• Mad About You on TV Land - Argh, just when I discovered they show it, it seems the scheduling has been cut. It's now on in the middle of the night. Maybe the fact that I'm haunted by insomnia is a good thing. I had forgotten how much I enjoyed this show before they ruined it by bringing in a baby.
• Third Watch - I never watched the show faithfully, but I have found it at 7 AM on A&E. I'm now remembering why I wasn't faithful. Oh my gosh, this show is just way too busy! I recall some years ago I was in Little Italy (Manhattan) and watched them filming the show. To this date, I've never seen that episode and still wonder if I might be in the background of some of the shots.

Da Knee and Da Health
I still have eight visits left of my physical therapy to complete the twenty visits allowed by my insurance company. That translates to four weeks as I'm now going twice a week. I'm going to try to appeal for more but I'm not too optimistic about them allowing it. The extension (leg out straight) is perfect and that's actually more of an obstacle than the bend in this surgery. Many folks have problems with straightening the leg and that results in a limp. I have no problems with that.

My bend unaided is usually still around 115 with 120 being the goal and more bend possible. Technically, anything 90 degrees or more is considered successful. But the more bend, the more you can do. Despite the horrible condition before the surgery, my bend (range of motion) was good. So, it's expected that I should achieve higher than 120 degrees. That Baker's Cyst on the back of the knee seems to be what's holding back the bend -- I get to a certain point and it's agony. On the other hand, I'm doing well with the exercise bike and my strength is improving.

Although I'm walking most of the time unaided, I still bring along either one crutch or a cane when I expect to be on my feet a lot. When I walk, the knee isn't painful, per se. It's a bit unstable, wobbly, stiff, and weird. It's after I do a lot on it that it's painful. It's still bigger than my other knee, but it's not all that swollen anymore. I still have odd pains coming out of nowhere at times and the huge numb spot on the lateral side of the knee, The scar itself loves to change colors -- in the morning it's white and really looking good, by evening (or after exercise), it's reddish-purple and angry-looking.

Then there's the blood clot and rat poison er, ... Coumadin/warfarin issues. I still have pain in my left calf (the knee replacement is on the left, too) from the clot. They tell me that might last for my lifetime. I've had some adverse reactions to my dosage of warfarin and they're still jockeying it about each week. Although my return to work isn't expected anytime soon, I will have to be cleared by the vascular surgeon as well as the orthopedic surgeon. In the meantime, all I can do is watch the dietary restrictions, have my blood drawn weekly, follow the dosage, carry my medical alert card, try to avoid cuts, and let the doctor's office know if I exhibit odd symptoms. This is just about as much fun as a knee replacement!

So, there you go. I hope everyone had a good holiday weekend! The weather has been stormy here, but it held off for the parade on Friday.

Latest BB9 Feeds and Tonight's Blogging

My latest Big Brother 9 live feeds report can be found over on TV Squad.

I'll be putting up an East Coast Update post for Survivor when it starts here. While my full review of the show will be on TV Squad, the post here will have the major news and discussion in the comments section.

My upstairs neighbors are playing doo-wop songs ... loudly.

I'll be taping Lost for viewing probably on Sunday. As I write up my Survivor review for TVS, I'll have an East Coast Updates post for Celebrity Apprentice and, of course, comments are welcome.

I'm going to try to catch the boot for American Idol (if you watch, tell me in comments on the Survivor post) and I'll try to get that news out to the masses, too.

TV Newsy Bits - Sunday, February 17, 2008

Now, what the heck is that, you ask? Is it a phone? Is it a Supertramp album? Neither. It's a bin which holds bags of salt at the Bound Brook NJ Transit Train Station. The Supertramp graffiti stencil caught my eye. Unless there's a new movement for the band, I'd imagine it's been there for well over a decade, perhaps two.

I've noticed that since I found out exactly how bad my knee is, it seems to hurt more. Ow. It's back to work tomorrow after a week off. Wah. But I have a lot to do to prepare before the surgery -- quad-strengthening exercises, save money towards insurance deductibles, stockpile canned goods and other necessities for a long confinement, etc. I already know the supermarkets in the area who deliver, plus the good folks at the local corner store have volunteered to bring over anything I might need. Then I'll have to get my apartment totally set up for the maximum use with minimum movement.

I'll take another vacation week (I have five) before going under the knife (or saw ...eek!) mainly to get the apartment set up. I don't want to spend time in a rehab facility but understand it's going to be very rough for at least the first few weeks. But it will all be worth it. If I take a vacation next year at this time, I'll be able to photo-stomp Chinatown for the Lunar New Year, something I had hoped to feel up to this year but couldn't.

In the Lost news department -- I screwed up recording the show and somehow recorded the wrong channel. Ack. I tried to watch it online at ABC, but something is screwy with their video versus my computer. I get the audio fine, but only a white box in lieu of the video. I'll have to rerecord it this week when it repeats on Thursday. Grr.

I'll be posting a feeds update a bit later over on TV Squad. I'm having some trouble not making it all sound like porn.

Enough of this ... it's onto today's TV newsy bits:

• We all know by now, the WGA strike is OVER! Yay, the writers got a decent package! TV Squad has about all the strike news you need to know right here. That includes articles on when shows we love (or hate) can be expected back.
• An extremely odd note -- I'm not finding an interviews with Mary, Survivor's boot from last week. The sites which usually have exclusive interviews with the castaways have nada with her. Very odd.
• American Idol will feature songs of the '60s next week, like that's never been done before. Now, I have to admit that I enjoy that era but I always wonder what the teens who are so hung up on the show think about it. Aren't there good songs from the new generation out there?
• Speaking of American Idol, there's a brouhaha brewing over Carly Smithson who had a professional record deal under a different last name a few years back. Should she be allowed to compete? Of course, I just like to use the phrase "brouhaha brewing" and don't have any real stake in things whether she's in it or not.
• According to The Hollywood Reporter, the recent episode of Lost had its worst ratings of the season. I feel it's my fault. I'm sorry. I swear I'll watch the repeat next week!
• So You Think You Can Dance (about the only dancing show I get into) will return on May 22. Fine, I'll be out of commission for a few weeks around that time, but I'll surely manage to watch the show ... even in the hospital room.

Today's musical non-sequitur:
Could we have kippers for breakfast
Mummy dear, Mummy dear
They got to have 'em in Texas
'Cuz everyone's a millionaire
--"Breakfast in America" by Supertramp

TV Newsy Bits - Monday, February 11, 2008

Just hanging around waiting for Big Brother 9 to start! Or ... this is what happens when I'm left to my own devices alone in an examination room at the orthopedic surgeon's office. I guess I should be happy that he's not a brain surgeon. This guy looks like Sylar got to him.

On that front -- my knee problems aren't in my head. They're definitely in my knee ... or what's left of it. The visit held no surprises for me. I knew I was bone on bone without the x-rays. He said although I'm a bit young for the surgery (good to know I'm young for some things!), my knee is beyond ready for it. All I need to do is plan the time frame (after BB9, but at least a few weeks before BB10) and give him six weeks warning. On a weird note, the knee replacement will most likely be done at the same hospital where serial killer nurse Charles Cullen did the last of his evil deeds. I'm making a note now to beware of evil nurses.

In today's TV Newsy Bits:

• Did you catch the Grammy Awards last night? How about Tina Turner? Wow, she still has it! Alas, the same can't be said for Jerry Lee Lewis. He was a friend of my mother decades ago and I was shocked at how he's aged. Yes, his voice is still the same, but he barely moved. Sigh. I haven't seen him in person since the '70s. But he's a very sweet and modest man despite his wild persona of days gone by. I also actually liked Amy Winehouse's performance, something I didn't expect. I like the tone of her voice but I wouldn't give her troubles to a monkey on a rock as Letterman says.
• 14 table settings, 14 picture frames on the Memory Wall of the Big Brother 9 house. 16 houseguests. Obviously two don't stay for the first dinner. They might be the lucky ones to escape!
• EW.com has a new thing going this year with Survivor Talk video bits. The newest video has Jonny Fairplay defending his quit ... er, voting off from Survivor. He thinks he's a "cerebral assassin." Yeah, right.
• The Big Brother 9 Gossip blog has the probable pairings for the houseguests in their "Til Death Do You Part" adventures. I mentioned previously that James had broken off an engagement with an older women (or she broke it off, not sure), so it's not surprising me that they set him up with Sheila, the only older woman in the house.

Today's musical non-sequitur:
Jeremiah was a bullfrog
Was a good friend of mine
I never understood a single word he said
But I helped him to drink his wine
And he always had some mighty fine wine
-- "Joy to the World" by Three Dog Night

TV Newsy Bits - Monday, February 4, 2008

A dilapidated shack near the Netherwood (NJ) Train Station. They lie. There's no riding academy and indoor track ever coming!

In today's TV Newsy Bits --

• I wrote an article with BB9 news for TV Squad yesterday but it was just posted today. Apparently, according to Jokers, the new promos for the show are saying 16 houseguests instead of the 14 previously said. I haven't personally seen the new commercial yet.
• I think I forgot to mention an article I wrote about TV judges there for the end of last week. And, tomorrow morning there should be an Animal Planet article I wrote published. (Yes, I get around the dial, eh?)
• There's some new programming on tonight -- FOX has a new Prison Break followed by a new Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles; the new series Welcome to the Captain makes its debut at 8:30 PM ET/PT on CBS and new episode of The New Adventures of Old Christine returns at 9:30 ET/PT; NBC has new episodes of American Gladiator and Deal or No Deal taking up the entire primetime block; ABC's primetime is all new -- Dance Wars, Notes from the Underbelly, and October Road.
• Jeff Probst spills a few beans in an article about the new Survivor: Micronesia over on Reality News Online.
• Piers Morgan wrote an article for a UK outlet about working with Lennox Lewis on The Celebrity Apprentice.

Today's musical non-sequitur:
But February made me shiver
With every paper I’d deliver.
Bad news on the doorstep;
I couldn’t take one more step.
-- "American Pie" by Don McLean
* February 3, 1959 is the date the music died -- Buddy Holly, The Big Bopper, and Ritchie Valens killed in a plane crash. No, I don't personally remember it, though I do know the music.

TV Newsy Bits - Saturday, February 2, 2008

Meow. No, I didn't do the dirty deed. I just took the photo. Meow.

Happy Groundhog Day! Yes, that "famous" groundhog in Pennsylvania saw his shadow, ducked back in the hole and thusly predicted another six weeks of winter. I think that since I'm close to Staten Island (a borough of NYC, but so not Manhattan), I'll go with Staten Island Chuck's prediction. He declared winter over. While we haven't had much of a winter. I personally don't mind a pass on this winter. Thanks, Chuck!

Now, I hear rumors that there's a groundhog in Trenton in on the forecasting gig, but I don't know what he did. But I was thinking ... what if there was a groundhog in New Jersey around where I live? I can see it now, he emerges from his hole and ...

1. Says, "How ya doin'" (No, it's not a question. It's a greeting.)
   
2. Flashes his gang signs while wearing colors.
3. Asks for a ride to the mall.
4. Wants to go down the shore.
5. And can't give an accurate weather forecast because the voices in his head are confusing him.

Here are today's TV newsy bits:

• For those of you who aren't watching the Super Bowl tomorrow, there's the The Closer marathon on TNT, Animal Planet has the Puppy Bowl (with Kitty Halftime) slated, Comedy Central has a Scrubs marathon, VH1 has the Celebrity Rehab thing going on, and Bravo has a Law and Order: Criminal Intent marathon.
• Go Giants! Let it be 18 wins and one giant loss for the Patriots, please. But I can't watch a football game all the way through -- I'll peek at the score now and then.
• David Letterman had Paris Hilton on the show last night. Unlike the last time when he really went too far with the jokes about jail (you could see she was getting upset), all is hunky-dory between the two once again. Paris also seems to have left a lot of the wildness behind. Hopefully she won't ever be in the position to be behind bars again.
• Reality TV Calendar (whose pop-up ads are SO annoying) has an article with rumors about Big Brother 9. I expect the cast will be revealed early this week.
• TV Squad will be embedding and running commentary on the Super Bowl commercials tomorrow night. (No, it won't be me -- remember ... although I want the Giants to win, I'm not into football. I like the commercials, though.)
  
• Richard Hatch's appeal of his tax evasion conviction was denied.

Today's musical non-sequitur:
I've been through the desert on a horse with no name
It felt good to be out of the rain
In the desert you can remember your name
'Cause there ain't no one for to give you no pain
-- "Horse With No Name" by America

TV Newsy Bits - Wednesday, January 30, 2008

I think it's enough to keep me out. Well, maybe the tall fence topped with barbwire does it for me, too. This sign is near the Bridgewater (NJ) Train Station surrounding an abandoned parking lot. But it looks radioactive, doesn't it?

Today was rainy then blustery here with high wind warnings, but so far we've escaped much of the bad winter weather to date this season. My bad knee is thankful. On the knee topic, I have an orthopedic surgeon appointment set up for the day before the start of Big Brother 9. Not to worry, though. Rather severe surgery may be ahead, but since it's not an emergency I'll be covering the feeds reports and schedule things for between seasons. Of course, if the doctor has a miracle up his sleeve, I'll go for that rather than scary surgery and a hospital stay.

In today's TV Newsy Bits:

• I'll be putting up a live blogging post of tonight's Miami American Idol auditions if the scheduled outage for Blogger ends as expected. I'm not sure if the outage for maintenance will affect viewing the blog, but as long as it's out I can't post. It should end before the show starts, but I'd rather mention it now just in case it goes kerflooey. Plus it gives me a chance to use the word kerflooey in a sentence.
• If you're not a fan of football (I'm not), TNT is having a The Closer marathon all day for Super Bowl Sunday. While I don't watch football, I say "win it, Big Blue" for the sake of territorial fanship.
• The Celebrity Apprentice has been renewed for a second season. I personally don't think the plain old show needs to ever air again, but I'm finding the celeb version entertaining enough. Yeah, I wrote the linked article for TV Squad, but I'm totally not understanding the one commenter. Odd.

Today's random observation:
While crows fly from point A to point B in a straight line (as the crow flies), geese circle about incessantly honking and acting like crazed tourists in Manhattan.

Today's musical non-sequitur:
When it's late
And it's hot
And a date with the Late Show is all that you've got
Don't give out
Don't give up
One of these nights
You might find someone to love
-- "Someone to Love" by Fountains of Wayne

TV Newsy Bits - Tuesday, January 29, 2008

A store window in Westfield, NJ. While they also do fortune telling at the shop, what I want is the flying monkeys sign. At times my own personal squad of flying monkeys could come in handy. But with my luck, they'd go out on strike for better wages and benefits.

In today's TV Newsy Bits:

• I'll be getting a post up to live blog the American Idol audition show as it airs here in the northeast. Or am I mid-Atlantic? It depends to whom you're speaking, I guess. Anyway, the post will be up around 8 PM if you want to share your comments on the show.
• Lots of new programming on the cable stations tonight -- truTV (which should have stayed Court TV) has two episodes of The Real Hustle on at 10 PM ET/PT, Discovery has a new Dirty Jobs on at 9 PM ET/PT followed by Some Assembly Required at 10, TLC has a new Bussey Bunch on at 9 PM ET/PT and a new LA Ink on at 10 PM ET/PT, A&E has an hour of new Parking Wars (two episodes in a row) starting at 10 PM ET/PT.
• Celebrity Spider is reporting that CBS has ordered two more seasons of Survivor. (Yay!)
• Wild Bluff Media has an article which outlines the time frame leading into the new season of Big Brother.
• Don't forget! Lost returns on Thursday night with a two-hour show! Of course, that will throw Celebrity Apprentice to the wayside (most likely) -- I'm not sure how I'll deal with both of them and then Survivor arriving on the 7th of February. Something has to give. I'll have to fire Donald, I guess.

Today's random pondering:
Why don't men wear fedoras more often?

Today's musical non-sequitur:
City lights, the pretty lights
They can warm the coldest nights
All the people going places
Smiling with the electric faces
-- "Neon Rainbow" by The Boxtops

TV Newsy Bits - Sunday, January 27, 2008

I haven't seen Roofus the Cat lately, but I'm sure he's street-savvy enough to be taking shelter from the weather. I told you about the defunct Budget Car Rental place and the elderly gentleman who feeds the feral cats adjacent to Roofus' rooftop territory. If you click on this photo, it will enlarge. That's a cat on the counter looking out the door and cat food in a dish on the sidewalk. From what I can see inside without going up and peeking in the windows (and having the man yell), he has industrial size bags of dry cat food and cases of canned food in there as well as cats who seem to come and go somehow. Since Roofus wouldn't even have to cross a street to get here, I'm sure he takes advantage.

In TV Newsy Bits:

• The SAG Awards, unlike the Golden Globes, will actually take place tonight. From a press release I received -- As a build-up to the 14th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards presentation, TNT and TBS will present a special live webcast of the red carpet at tnt.tv and tbs.com, as well as through the TBS and TNT domains within the Kaneva virtual world. The webcast, which will open with SAG president Alan Rosenberg and SAG Awards nominee Ben Foster (3:10 to Yuma) announcing the recipients of this year’s new Stunt Ensemble honors, will be hosted by Entertainment Weekly’s Dave Karger and comedian Jamie Kaler, co-star of TBS’s acclaimed comedy series My Boys. Karger and Kaler will cover the red carpet arrivals of this year’s nominees, past winners and other attendees. Following the Red Carpet Pre-Show, the webcast will shift backstage to the press and photo rooms, where this year’s SAG Awards honorees will answer questions from reporters and pose for pictures with their Actor® statuettes.
• I wrote a bit about a few of the reality shows on A&E for a TV Squad article.
• This Reality Wanted interview with Erika Landin (BB4 and All-Stars) is a few days old, but gives a bit of insight to casting on the show.
• Speaking of Big Brother casting, there have still been no announcements and I don't expect anything until the first week of February. What we do know is that there will be 14 in the house (rather large group, expect some double eviction weeks as this season may not run as long as the usual summer season) and the theme is "my dirty little secret." Okay, that could be ax murderers for all we know!

Today's musical non-sequitur:
I don't give a damn about a greenback dollar
Spend it as fast as I can
For a wailin' song and a good guitar
Are the only things I understand.
-- "Greenback Dollar" by Hoyt Axton

TV Newsy Bits - Wednesday, January 23, 2008

A nod to diversity -- this is one of the front windows of a Texas Wieners restaurant in Plainfield, NJ. I have no idea what the line in Arabic says, but I think it may be touting grits (also on the menu, along with chitlins). You gotta love it, eh?

In today's TV Newsy Bits --

• I'll be posting another live blog American Idol post for tonight's South Carolina auditions show around 8 PM ET. Of course, you're all invited!
• Two of my articles hit the TV Squad screen today -- one is on Survivor 16 Micronesia spoilers and the other is a list of five things I've learned from television. If you don't want to see the spoilers, yet want to view the image gallery I created for the Survivor entry (no spoilers in the images although they're from the first episode), this is the link for the gallery.
• Julie Chen is a guest on tonight's Late Show with David Letterman. I'll report back if she lets anything good slip about the upcoming Big Brother season.
• The single dad in last night's American Idol auditions from San Diego, Perrie Cataldo, has an arrest record according to TMZ.com.

Today's musical non-sequitur:
And I swear
That I don't have a gun
No, I don't have a gun
No, I don't have a gun
-- "Come As You Are" by Nirvana

TV Newsy Bits (and schtuff) - Tuesday, January 22, 2008

NJ Transit, it's the way to go. Now, if people didn't sleep in public places with no expectations of privacy, people like me wouldn't take photos of them. Commuting on the NJ train lines is, for the most part, something I enjoy. I've made train friends that I see off the train, there are other regulars I don't care for so much. My train friends tend to be going back and forth from work, as am I.

The train is its own microcosm of society. There are the laborers, the office folks, the methadone clinic travelers, the conductors and ticket takers, the tourists, the teens heading into the city to be cool, and the sports fans -- right now it's the NJ Devils hockey fans takeover of the evening trains which is most notable. My train friend Donald gets nervous when I scoff the really hyped-up Devils fans.

During tonight's ride home, we had a singer. That happens a lot on the subways because they expect people to pay them. But NJ Transit has a conductor (or assistant or ticket taker) in every car and no one bums money. This singer tonight was about four seats in back of me and sang with a soulful ON KEY voice. I was amazed how well he sang, but I didn't want to turn around and look. He went from "This Train is Bound for Glory" to "Brother, Can You Spare a Dime" with a few other songs in between. He knew all the lyrics and it was actually sort of neat. Normally I'm not one for noise on the train, but he could sing. The conductor smiled and told me he'd stop him, but he was so good he just couldn't bear to do it.

He got off at my stop. Huh. Here I pictured a rotund black guy behind the voice and it was instead a very tall skinny older white guy with a ZZ Topp kind of beard and scraggly long white hair. As he walked through the station, he let loose with a much louder voice as if he had been holding back ... "Breakin' up big rocks on the chain gang, breakin' rocks and servin' my time. Breakin' up big rocks on the chain gang, oh lord I've been committed of a crime ..." I've never seen him before today, but I wouldn't mind if he became a regular. It was a joy to hear him sing.

In today's TV Newsy Bits:

• Actor Heath Ledger, age 28, was found dead in the Broome Street apartment owned by Mary Kate Olsen (SoHo -- Manhattan) this afternoon. Sources are saying it looks like it might be a drug overdose. What a shame ...
• Tonight will be the San Diego auditions for American Idol. I'll be setting up an East Coast Update post on it approximately 8 PM ET. As always, your comments are welcome. I bet the train singer was better than any we'll see tonight, but I fear he's probably about 40 years too old.
• People asked how many entries I got for the book giveaway. Well, I went back and counted them -- 58. If I receive anything of interest, I could very well do this again. Hmmm ... maybe a few of my screeners I've received from networks?
• There's a plethora of Amazing Race interviews, some audio out and about. Buddy TV has an audio interview with Ronald and Christina while Reality TV World has a non-audio interview with them. TK and Rachel were interviewed here, and here, and here. There are more even. Yikes.

Today's musical not really non-sequitur:
This train don't carry no rustlers, this train
This train don't carry no rustlers, this train
This train don't carry no rustlers,
Sidestreet walkers, two bit hustlers,
This train is bound for glory, this train
-- "This Train is Bound for Glory" by Woody Guthrie

TV Newsy Bits and Bloggy Bits, Too - Sunday, January 20, 2008

Again, I used layers to show the construction dude in color while the rest in black and white. I took the shot in a subway station (NYC) if it isn't obvious. Clicking on the photo will bring up a larger image.

In Bloggy Newsy Bits -- I'm still awaiting an email from the winner of IN STEREO WHERE AVAILABLE signed by the author. I sent out a second email and if I don't hear back within the week, I'll draw another name. I'm just about finished reading my own copy of the novel and should be posting on it by the end of the week.

In TV Newsy Bits --

• I'll be putting up an East Coast Update post for the finale of The Amazing Race when it starts here in the NYC area. I know CBS in this area isn't showing the BIG game (NY Giants against Green Bay Packers), but I just turned on the station and they're talking football instead of the news which should be on. Hopefully TAR will start on time.
• Oh, wait. I guess they're talking another big game -- Patriots win. But if you're in this area, the only game hyped forever has been the Giants.
• Suzanne Pleshette has died at the age of 70. For some reason, I thought she would be so much older than that. When I was a teenager and she was Bob Newhart's wife, she seemed so adult. I didn't realize she was less than 20 years older than I am. I always enjoyed watching her on television and in movies.

Today's musical non-sequitur:
I walk a lonely road
The only one that I have ever known
Don't know where it goes
But it's home to me and I walk alone
-- "Boulevard of Broken Dreams" by Green Day

TV Newsy Bits - Wednesday, January 16, 2008

Yeah, it's a gritty photo I took along the NJ Transit train line I frequent. I enjoy grit at times. I actually loved it back when the NYC subway trains were graffiti covered. These days, the subway car exteriors are graffiti-less and the scratched into the plexiglass windows "art" just isn't the same for me. On the other hand, the city and subway system are much safer than they were back in the old days. Oh, I miss the tokens, too. I think I still have a few around somewhere. MetroCards just aren't as memory worthy for the saving. Clicking on the photo above will enlarge it.

On another front, our huge snowstorm forecast for Monday morning never came. You would think with all the technology today, the weather forecasters wouldn't be so entirely off base. It rained a very little bit and that was it. Last night we had some flurries. We're supposed to have another cold blast starting Sunday and they're probably right about that. With my knee the way it is, I'd just as soon not deal with any snow and ice. The ski areas seem to be getting snow, that's fine by me. It can stay away here this season.

At my workplace, everyone seems to be sick with either a horrible cold or the norovirus (stomach flu). I have neither (knock on wood). I'm in my usual winter state of sneezing and congestion. I don't think it's an illness as I go through it for the entire winter every winter. I think it's due to dry heat. One of these days I'll buy a humidifier.

Enough about me. To start off today's TV Newsy Bits, I want to mention some commercials I've been seeing lately --

• I'm not sure if ShopRite is a national chain supermarket or not. But, if you're familiar with them -- it's the time of year for their can-can sale. They sell lots of brand-brands in everything can-cans. Every year when the sale is on, I get the song stuck in my head. It's almost enough to make me want to dance. I found a clip on YouTube if you're not familiar with the commercials. That's an old ad -- the song remains the same, but the prices surely have changed. After it's stuck in your head too, you might want to put a hex on me or something.
• What is going through the minds of the Dominoes Pizza folks with their latest ad campaign? You cannot tell me they don't know the Internet meaning behind the acronym they're using on the commercials. They're advertising the BFD. On the Internet for years and years, that's short for Big [f-bleeping] Deal. They're calling it Big Fantastic Deal. But I know otherwise and so does anyone who has visited message boards anywhere.
• Did you see Sarah Reinertsen from Amazing Race 10 on the Lincoln car commercial? When I first noticed the commercial, I recognized her artificial leg before I realized it was her. I said to myself, "I know that prosthesis!" Hopefully she left that dolt Peter and it would be great if she did do well in a marathon. I have nothing but respect for her but he was horrible.

In other TV Newsy Bits --

• I watched two hours of Greatest TV Reality Moments on VH1 the other day. I do miss the days when both MTV and VH1 focused on music videos almost entirely, but I think I'm getting hooked on some of the shows of this ilk on VH1 now. Included in this show was Charla in her armor falling over on Amazing Race, but not Evel Dick dumping iced tea on Jen's head. If it repeats when you're not watching anything else, go for it.
  
• I haven't watched Leno since his return without writers, but I have caught some of Conan O'Brien sans writers. Actually, I think I like Conan's show better without the writers. It forces him to be creative and he's good at sight gags, self-deprecation, and general silliness. I'm still not thrilled with the local weatherman who reminds me of Conan, but I've giggled and chuckled at the bits I've seen of the show since its return. Good work, Conan!
• Although the commercials for the upcoming Big Brother 9 hint at "dirty little secrets," there isn't all that much concrete news out there yet -- mainly speculation. I found this article interesting, but I fear they don't have any more actual insight than many of the show's huge fans.

Today's musical non-sequitur:
Rich relations give you a
Crust of bread and such
You can help yourself
But don't take too much
-- "God Bless the Child" as sung by Billie Holiday

TV Newsy Bits and Bloggy Bits, Too! - Saturday, January 12, 2008

A young skateboarder rides the bench at the Bridgewater, NJ Train Station. He was going to stop when I arrived, but I told him he could keep skating as long as I could take some photos. His friend's camera equipment made my little digital camera look like a play toy. In this shot, I used layers to make the background black and white while keeping the skateboarder and bench color. I showed him the shots I took. "Rad," he said. Skateboarders are like that, yes they are.

You notice it's January and there is no snow. We've had a heat wave this past week with temperatures ranging up to nearly 70 F on a couple of days. We even had thunderstorms, rare for January, yesterday. It's more common to have thundersnow this time of year -- snowstorms with lightning and thunder. That's all supposed to change tomorrow night as the area is expecting 4-7 inches of snow for the Monday commute.

I saw Roofus the cat briefly today as he leaped from one roof to another, then out of sight. Alas, he moved too quickly for me to capture him with the camera.

In TV Newsy Bits:

• I watched three episodes of Orangutan Island (Animal Planet) last night which mark my introduction to the series. My verdict? I approve. I enjoy Meerkat Manor and this is sort of similar yet not as life and death (although I hear one orangutan named Oyoy died in a previous episode). What's next? Taco Bell Rats?
• In a message posted a few days after Christmas on her MySpace page, casting director of Big Brother 9 Robyn Kass announced that all the finalists were selected for the show. I know I'm reporting on it a bit late. So, if you applied and haven't heard anything ... you didn't make it. I didn't hear anything, but then again ... no way would I ever apply!
• Meanwhile, Sophia Loren thinks we're wasting our time watching Big Brother. Do we honestly care what Sophia Loren thinks of us? Poppycock!
• TV Funspot has an article on the upcoming Survivor Micronesia which includes a map of both tribe camps, the tribal council area, and the Exile Island. Yes, it appears that aspect will return this season.

Today's musical non-sequitur:
Hey now you're an All Star get your game on, go play
Hey now you're a Rock Star get the show on, get paid
And all that glitters is gold
Only shooting stars break the mold
-- "All Star" by Smash Mouth

Oh. And how did the kid get on the bench ...?

TV Newsy Bits and Bloggy Bits, Too! - Thursday, January 10, 2008

Its finest days long gone, this was apparently once a fine furniture store in Plainfield, NJ. Now its only letters left in the cool old sign on the front of the building are F-U-------RE. The sign atop the building is even worse off. It hasn't been a furniture store since I've been in the area (almost fifteen years). For several years a gay/lesbian multimedia company occupied the building and always had cool cardboard cut-out figures of Star Wars characters, Alfred E. Neuman (MAD's "What me worry?" mascot), Edvard Munch's "The Scream" figure, and more. They're gone now as is one of the two large stone lions at the entrance. Now, those lions have to weigh 400 pounds or so. How does one go missing? Are lives in danger with a stone lion roaming the streets? You can click on the photo for a larger image.

In other quasi-local news ... what was going through the minds of those two elderly men who wheeled their dead friend in an office chair to a check cashing store to cash a Social Security check which arrived after he died? I think a few too many brain cells are gone from the guys, don't you?

In Bloggy Bits -- the response for the signed book giveaway is great! Remember, the deadline is Wednesday, January 16 at midnight ET.

In TV Newsy Bits:

• I know a lot of the blog readers really enjoy Grey's Anatomy and its star Patrick Dempsey. I received an email and it said in part -- "Patrick's mother, Amanda, is a two-time ovarian cancer survivor. She was first diagnosed in 1996 and is now cancer-free. During her battle with cancer, Patrick was actively involved in caring for his mother. One of his concerns was keeping his mother mentally and physically active during treatment. To help with this, he purchased a farm so his mother could stay active with gardening, renovating a new home and enjoying the outdoors."
  
  "Because of his family's experience, Patrick was motivated to join the Breakaway from Cancer™ initiative, which helps increase awareness of the variety of professional and educational resources available to patients, caregivers and survivors, including those provided by the Breakaway from Cancer non-profit partners, The Wellness Community and the National Coalition for Cancer Survivorship." If you want to find out more, check it out!
• Starting on February 14, a new late late show will start a thirteen week run, mostly on ABC after Jimmy Kimmel, but it will be on My9 here in the NYC area. Jake Sasseville sounds like a wild and crazy 22-year old. The show is called The Edge with Jake. I tend to fade by that hour, but I might have to check him out.
  
• Blog reader Loren shared a link with me which says that this season's impromptu Big Brother 9 will again have the After Dark show on ShoToo for folks with that cable channel. I, of course, will have the feeds. I sort of already have them but they're not there. I still have my SuperPass, that is. That reminds me -- I have to put in for my music credit for the month! Thanks, Loren!

Today's musical non-sequitur:
She has robes and she has monkeys,
Lazy diamond-studded flunkies
-- "Love Street" by The Doors

TV Newsy Bits (and Schtuff) - Sunday, January 6, 2008

A New York City subway train, rather subdued and uncrowded. I'll get into the TV Newsy Bits in a moment, but I must tell a tale of urban apartment living first.

Y'see, I live in a fairly large multi-story (but not high-rise) apartment building in urban (as opposed to suburban) New Jersey. I have neighbors on top of me, below me, on both sides, and across the hall. The building itself is an elevator building with about 40 apartments, an intercom system for a supposedly secure building, and a laundry room in the basement. The neighborhood is quiet with apartment buildings, senior citizen housing, some large older houses cut up into apartments, and churches. My biggest complaint about the neighborhood itself are adults on bicycles on the sidewalks, as well as the senior citizen gang with flags atop their motorized scooters who terrorize the sidewalks making me step into yards.

But this isn't about the neighborhood. It's about last night. Well, actually it started before that. The apartment abutting my dining room turned computer/library/home office and kitchen has been vacant for some time. That apartment was traditionally the super's apartment, but the last family man super left months ago. The new super is single and has a studio apartment on the first floor.

I know they renovated the apartment long ago, but heard noises in there this past Wednesday. It sounded like maintenance workers and I heard no more from the apartment until last night when I got home around 8 PM. There was a stereo going ... a very loud one.

Sigh. New neighbors throwing their first party? At one point my intercom buzzed. When I used the talk button, no one answered. No way was I going to buzz anyone into the building when I wasn't expecting any company. And the beat went on next door. It had to be blaring in there because I never ever even heard the first superintendent, the second one there had a surround-sound system and, while that was annoying, it paled in comparison to the music last night.

Then there was a flurry of activity in the hallway and banging on the door over there. I peeked out my window and saw several police cars at the back of the building (which is very odd as they would come in the front for most things). It turns out NO ONE still lives there! A bunch of people commandeered the vacant apartment for a party!

How did they find the apartment? How did they get into the building and then the apartment? The cops said about 30 people were in there! How did they have electricity in there? The apartments come with heat, hot water, and cooking gas, but the power has to be turned on for each individual tenant.

How did I not really hear any unusual hall traffic, no voices from the apartment and just the music blaring? Apparently some of the party-goers were roaming the hallways and smoking cigarettes in the elevator. One of the tenants on the first floor called the police about the strangers in the hallway. But here, the apartment was right next to me and I didn't hear anything in the hallways. I believe they had to be coming in through the back door of the building away from me.

In the end, I'm relieved I don't have new partying neighbors there. I didn't call the police because it wasn't all that late at night and I didn't want my first introduction to neighbors being a call to the police before 10 PM on a Saturday night. My other neighbors have parties and make noise occasionally but we all get along and know we can say something if it gets too much. No one takes advantage although I know when the guy downstairs is having a football game party or the folks upstairs have a small party. They say I'm very quiet, but I've been known to crank my stereo on occasion. Living in an apartment building takes some tolerance of others, but I guess I was a bit too tolerant last night, eh?

Onto today's TV Newsy Bits:

• Ohh ... lots of news about the upcoming Survivor Micronesia -- fan and firefighter Joel Anderson has a write-up as does fan motivational speaker Alexis Jones and the returning Ami Cusack. I didn't care for her in Vanuatu. As a matter of fact, Vanuatu was my least favorite season on the show. I'm so not looking forward to Jonny Fairplay, either. Yeah, I understand that they want a villain, but he just creeps me out. But the concept of the season itself sounds fresh. I'm looking forward to seeing the fans kick Ami and Jonny's butts while Yau-Man makes me smile!
• Our friends over at Buddy TV say the finalists are in place to be cast for Big Brother 9 and that there are rumors it will be a shorter season than the typical three month run we see in the summertime. And, yes ... before I get asked again ... it seems the show will have another new season come July.
• The latest in the ongoing Britney Spears saga is that Dr. Phil "rescued" her from the hospital. I'm sure he'll turn it into ratings for himself. I think it's just a sad situation and it's very scary to think of K-Fed as a level-headed parent. Those poor kids.
• Matthew Fox spilled the Lost beans as he knows them for EW.com. Verrry interesting.
  
• Tonight we'll have another episode of The Amazing Race. I'm thinking it must be the finale next week as we're at the final four now. The finale always pits the last three teams in the final leg. I'll put up an east coast spoilers post when it starts here. It's very likely there will be a football delay. I haven't looked at the schedule, just guessing.

Today's musical non-sequitur:
Chickity China the Chinese chicken
You have a drumstick and your brain stops tickin'
Watchin' X-Files with no lights on
We're dans la maison
I hope the Smoking Man's in this one
-- "One Week" - Barenaked Ladies

'Celebrity Apprentice' and Schtuff

Brr ... cold enough out there for you? Here's a hint about what I had to face this morning in 15 degree temperatures and high winds. Although that article has few comments, I know what the commenter from a previous post was talking about with the nasty comments left on that site. Scary stuff.

I'll talk about The Celebrity Apprentice towards the end of this entry. I'll be mentioning the fired person at the end of the post, so beware if you haven't watched the show yet. Although the show caught my interest enough tonight, I doubt I'll be watching it come mid-February. So I'm not going to get into blogging about it full-force.

A few other things first:

• I was pleased with the return of Letterman last night, but that beard has to go. Soon. And far away. It frightened me.
• I think I'm going to like the new cast changes on Law and Order. It's about time McCoy got a promotion, eh? I like Jesse Martin fine, but Dennis Farina partnering with him didn't do anything for me. The new dude shows some promise. I was a bit disappointed that it was two separate one-hour episodes. I think it could have made a splash debut with an involved two-hour story.
• I watched Wife Swap last night. Is it just me or is that show getting even cheesier each season? What the heck was up with that "sparkle" bit? I kept feeling I was watching a commercial of whatever that gum is that cleans "dirty mouths." Why do people go on these shows knowing that they'll look like idiots?
• The cast list is up for Survivor -- thanks, ORKMommy! Jonny Fairplay indeed. I thought they said fan favorites?!?
  

Onto Celebrity Apprentice ...

The pros:

• I actually enjoyed Gene Simmons from Kiss and, on the whole, how the men got along.
• They're in NYC where the show belongs. Good.
• The "celebrity" bit enhances the tasks -- they can call on their contacts, etc.
• The proceeds go to charity.
  

The cons:

• Donald Trump, the Trumpette, and the Trumpling.
• Piers Morgan is rude. There, I said it.
• I hate the Baldwin's eyes. He always looks stoned.
• Who are half of these celebrities? If I saw most of them on the street, I wouldn't even notice.
• Trump is partial to Omarosa and tonight's show showed it.
• Omarosa is still a B Word.

The odd:

• Not even going to his hair, but Trump's tan/coloring is all screwy. It looks like he's been in a tanning booth wearing sunglasses. Ew.
• The winning team got to watch the main boardroom session of the losing team prior to the firing. I'm of mixed feelings about that. They can see the weak links of the other team too much.

SPOILER COMING

The Fired:

• It should have been Omarosa because she's the one who decided (and enforced) they shouldn't use their celebrity to sell hot dogs. But, instead, it was Tiffany the Playboy Bunny who didn't call Hugh Hefner for a donation. (After Omarosa didn't want them to do that, mind you.)