TV Newsy Bits - Tuesday, October 2, 2007

Well, this is interesting as I'm both a Law and Order: SVU watcher as well as a Lost fan ...

I just finished watching tonight's new SVU and the guest star creepy dude was played by actor Keven Tighe. Now, Kevin Tighe also played John Locke's father in Lost. Guess what? Both characters on both shows used the name Cooper and it wasn't the real name of the character in both instances. Weird, I say!

I think I might watch too much television. I thought of Amber from Big Brother 8 yesterday. Scary. Here's what happened ... I got off my train and took the elevator up to the ground level from the tunnel. I shared the elevator with both a black man and a Latino man. When we got up to the ground level, there was a group of Orthodox Jewish men with flowers and candles. They let the black and Latino men pass by, then stopped me.

"Are you Jewish?" they asked.

Huh? I immediately thought of Amber -- my nose! My name! I wondered why they didn't stop the black man to ask him! Although I wondered if I would get a free candle or flower if I said I was, I told them no. Then I saw the Sukkah-Mobile in the parking lot. It had the canvas walls, but the times they are a'changing. It was kind of cool, though. I've seen sukkot on streets, but never one built on the back of a pick-up truck. Happy Sukkot!

In television viewing, I watched Cavemen tonight. Never again. I actually enjoyed the show following it -- Carpooling. But I don't think it's worth sitting through Cavemen to get there. I'll stick with Bones, thank you.

An article I wrote yesterday for TV Squad was published today. It's about bizarre reality television shows including Celebrity Shark Bait out of the UK.

'Heroes' - "Lizards"

Yes! I'm so glad this show is back on! I need me my Heroes fix each week! The only bad thing about the show is that there's so much going on during each episode and so many intertwining storylines that it's hard to keep up with every bit.

HIRO

My favorite hero, Hiro, once again had the most giggles from me tonight. He's still in 1671 Japan trying to make the legend of Takezo Kensei come true.

When the "real" impostor of a hero swordsman got too drunk, Hiro donned his armor and used his powers to fight off the attackers and to save the fair maiden -- the swordsmith's beautiful daughter.

In the end, he returned to Kensei and apparently taught him the error of his ways as he could have said fair maiden. Hiro tried to secure the promise that he wouldn't drink anymore, but Kensei wouldn't quite go that far. But when Kensei decided to do right, he ended up getting shot by arrows ... and miraculously recovered. Hmmm...

MAYA AND ALEJANDRO

These new characters are still trying to get to America and we saw more of Maya's powers.

They stopped over at a home where a woman named Nidia was going to send others with them to make it from Guatemala to Mexico. While there, the woman saw something "black" and evil inside of Maya and called her the devil.

As they went through a tunnel, Maya panicked when separated from Alejandro. Her eyes began dripping blood and she seemingly killed the woman who was escorting her. Yikes! But then we found out that Alejandro can make it stop and also seems to be able to reverse the effect if he gets there soon enough. The "dead" woman recovered, called Maya the devil and ran away. Um, okay.

THE BENNETS (BUTLERS) IN CALIFORNIA

Claire is still having trouble assimilating in school. Her class is studying lizards and regeneration which perks her interest. She asks a few too many questions making her teacher think she's just a very interested student, but definitely catching the attention of West -- a fellow student with special powers.

When her car gets stolen, she stops by the Copy Kingdom, her father's new workplace. While there, she kept pushing him because she wants to know her limits. "Perhaps I can help people with my powers!" Noah told her that the folks after them would push her limits until she had no limits left and they must keep it all a secret.

Meanwhile, Mrs. Bennet insists they have no secrets. So, Noah shows her Isaac's work that he has. He told her that Isaac painted the future and that it was a set of eight -- he needed seven more.

By the end of the episode, she cuts off her toe to see if it will regenerate. And, it does. Oh, but who's peeking in the window at her? West! She ran outside with Mr. Muggles who kept looking and jumping up -- West must be hovering overhead, I think.

MOHINDER SURESH, THE NEW JOB, AND THE HAITIAN IS BACK

Mohinder's new boss at the Hartsdale (NY) office (hey, I used to work in Hartsdale, NY!) sent him to Haiti to cure a "special" person who seemed to have caught the virus. Mohinder's own blood seems to be the only cure.

Once there, the patient turned out to be the Haitian. I always liked the Haitian. Although he resisted at first, he took the cure. Now, the boss thinks that the Haitian, once cured, used his powers to eliminate Mohinder's memory and escaped. In reality, the Haitian showed up at Copy Kingdom to join Noah Bennet and Mohinder knows all about it.

THE DEVEAUX BUILDING ROOF, DET. PARKMAN, MRS. PETRELLI, AND THE INVESTIGATION INTO HIRO'S FATHER'S DEATH

Hiro's father (Lt. Sulu - er - George Takei) did indeed die in the fall from the roof with his assailant. But the assailant's body vanished.

Ando identified Mrs. Petrelli as having a fight with Kito before the assailant arrived. So, good ol' new Detective Parkman and his partner pulled her in for questioning. He eavesdropped her thoughts, but she caught him -- "Get out of my mind!"

When left alone in the interrogation room, she freaked out. They busted in to save her, finding her cowering against the wall. Upon seeing the picture she had, they asked the symbol. She said it was her husband's law firm logo. Ando said the symbol meant "great ability, godsend."

She asked for Nathan, making Parkman think that they weren't estranged. Nathan told him that he was the only one she could ask for help now. They all think Peter is dead.

PETER PETRELLI

... is alive and kind of sort of well in Cork, Ireland. The thugs still think he stole the shipment of iPods and try to beat him for information.

The sister of the chief thug, Kaitlyn, tried to help attend to his wounds only to find they healed perfectly as if they had never happened. So we know he retains his Sylar spark throw people power, as well as Claire's powers of healing.

He has no memory of anything prior to being found in the trailer, though. At least he no longer has that silly haircut. When Kaitlyn asked him about the necklace with the symbol, he didn't know what it was.

The iPod theft was supposed to go to someone named McSorley. Well, his brother tried to assault Kaitlyn and Peter used his powers to save her. That didn't make her brother forgive him, though. He taunted Peter with a box which he said was everything he had with him when they found him, but only let Peter know his first name. If Peter wants the box, he has to make up the theft by working with them on a new caper.

Oh, I have so many questions! What's in the box? Mr. Muggles knows West is up high, why doesn't Claire yell at him? How did Kensei live after the arrow attack? How will Hiro get back to his own time? Exactly what company is Mohinder working for -- could it be the same one who employed Bennet?

Bloggy Stuff! - Sunday, Sept. 30

It's New Jersey, what can I say? I encountered this rat on my walk to the train station Friday morning. I'll probably encounter him again tomorrow. I should carry a big stick, eh? (It's actually some kind of union protest at a construction site.)

I'd like to wish a belated happy birthday to blog readers Sharon and Gayle (as well as the other September birthdays in the crowd). I always kind of wonder about the plethora of September birthdays. Hmmm... was it really cold nine months before or what?

But the weather is gorgeous here this weekend! I heard the local weatherman say it's like San Diego. He has a point. I've spent some time there and it's the cool evenings, highs in the mid-seventies in the daytime. Perfect!

In the television-watching department, I just haven't been too thrilled over the weekend. I watched the hour-long COPS 20th anniversary show last night. (It's a guilty pleasure, remember.) I tried to watch the repeat of Cane, a show I missed when it premiered earlier this week. Nuh-uh, just didn't do anything for me. Sorry, Jimmy Smits or not, it's not my thing. I watched the 48 Hours Mystery after Cane and found that interesting as it's a local crime case. No one in my social circles, mind you.

Today I ran through my recorded The Wire (third season from BET) which I hadn't really watched the past few weeks as I was writing my Survivor review while it aired. Omar and Brother Mouzone killed Stringer Bell?!?! Yikes! That's the final straw, ya Baltimore and imported NYC thugs! I went and ordered seasons two and three to go with my season one boxed set. And I pre-ordered season four (release date early December). I just can't get enough of the show and BET's commercials go beyond the point of annoying. I'm glad they aired the series so far and got me hooked, but it's the DVD sets for me on this show, much like I did for Homicide: Life on the Street.

And, as I ramble on here, I should mention that I've met and chatted with the series creator of both Homicide and The Wire -- I have the books The Corner and Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets signed by him. I found David Simon to be a very personable fellow who, if you didn't know who he was, you would never guess he could ever portray the gritty tales of Baltimore so well.

But that leads me to another tangent -- where I met Simon, and where I even got to talk one-on-one for a while with Stephen King (my all-time favorite novelist) no longer exists. For over twenty years I faithfully attended the New York is Book Country street fair in Manhattan. It was there I got meet authors whose works have been such a part of my life. It was there I bought signed first editions and even antiquarian books. It was there I collected the festival's yearly posters.

They stopped having the book fair. I don't know why -- it was certainly a well-attended and enjoyable event. It was usually mid-September and ended up being downtown and first weekend of October the last time they had it two years back. Then it vanished from the city. The end of a literary event although I see they still have their literary tea. But paying over $100 to attend a tea isn't the same as spending $100 on books while being able to actually talk to the authors.

Sigh.

I'm biding my time until Cold Case. How was your weekend?

'Survivor 15: China' - Spoilers Post Link!

I have a post up on TV Squad with major show spoilers for Survivor 15: China. ONLY go there if you want to know

I also ask that the spoilers aren't brought up in the comments on any of the show posts I may make here because I realize a lot of people don't want to know!

'Survivor 15 China' - Ashley Hits the Interview Rounds

The most recent Survivor castaway hit the interview circuit ... well, online, anyway. They're no longer on Letterman, not even standing over in the Hello Deli. Of course, if you've ever seen the Hello Deli, you might not want to stand inside there, either!

Reality News Online (RNO) has an interview titled They Were Scared Sheep Out There - An Interview with Survivor: China's Ashley Massaro.

In that one, i thought it most interesting how much she talked about how the tribe made a mistake in eliminating Chicken. She seems to take her own ouster as the logical decision for the tribe while Chicken's she can't rationalize at all.

In the Buddy TV Exclusive Interview with Ashley Massaro, I picked up a few more intriguing bits. Hmmm ... she thought Jonny Fairplay was a "funny character." If memory serves, wasn't he a wrestler, too? She once again went on about how Chicken shouldn't have flown the coop -- er, got booted from the coop, that is.

The Reality TV World interview with her finally asked a few different questions. They asked how she got cast on the show and got a rather roundabout answer -- "It was basically a joint decision because I work for WWE. I needed to do some arm-wrenching to go because that meant I was going to be off the air with them for a long time. But it all worked out great and they let me go." Huh? Joint decision between whom? Was she recruited? Did she apply? That's certainly confusing, isn't it? It didn't answer the question "how did you end up being casted on the show" for me.

When asked if she thought she was on the weaker tribe, she defended Zhan Hu saying that she liked the tribe. But she also would have liked to have James on it (probably instead of Dave, I bet). She also said that Jaime told her and Sherea about the clue (existing, not the clue itself) for the hidden Immunity Idol. She says she has a feeling that Fei Long's Todd Herzog is going to do well on the show.

Tonight's 'Survivor 15: China' Review Up!

My review of the show tonight is up and running over at TV Squad! I hope you enjoy it!

'Survivor 15: China' - East Coast Update Post - 9/27

Keep returning here - I'll update this post as important events happen.

Reward challenge -- for fishing gear and a trip on a fishing boat. Fei Long wins.

Twist -- Fei Long kidnaps one member of the Zhan Hu tribe, they go for Jaime. Jaime received a note to read in private once she's at their camp.

The note contained a clue to the location of the hidden immunity idol -- Jaime isn't privy to its contents, but gets to choose who on Fei Long she wants to give it to. She chose Leslie because Leslie didn't seem to be in with the others on the tribe and might be more secretive (and appreciative).

Fei Long wins Immunity! At one point Zhan Hu was leading, but the puzzle threw them off.

Asley is voted out. Dave received one vote from Ashley, all the rest voted for her to leave.

TV Newsy Bits and Bloggy Stuff

The link to my TV Squad review of last night's Kid Nation is right here -- it hadn't posted yet when I mentioned it in my last entry.

As for tonight's Survivor 15: China blogging -- I'll be doing East Coast Updates on important events in the show (immunity and the boot), then my review will be posted over on TV Squad later in the evening. If you wish to discuss the show while it's airing, of course you can feel free to jump in the comments of the East Coast updates! I'll be listening ... er ... reading.

Don't forget, fans of Grey's Anatomy, there is a discussion post for you to talk about tonight's episode with your friends right here.

Someone asked in comments if I'll be deleting the build-up of comments in the DWTS discussion post. I don't like to delete comments because once gone, they can't be retrieved, plus some folks get upset when I do. Plus, it's very time-consuming on this end for me to delete tons of comments one by one. We'll see how things go. If it looks like things are getting unwieldy, I might post a new discussion post weekly or something.

Now to the real TV Newsy Bits!

I'm sure there are some folks out there who watch the NBC Thursday primetime block -- My Name is Earl, The Office, and E.R., right? If you're a fan of those shows, NBC has some big doings going on tonight online for them.

For My Name is Earl, after the special one hour episode 8-9 ET, there will be a 30 minute live blog chat with executive producer Greg Garcia. For The Office, after the special one hour episode 9-10 ET, there will be a 30 minute live blog chat with executive producer Greg Daniels starting at 10 PM ET.

ER airs from 10-11 ET, then is followed by a 30 minute live blog chat with star Parminder Nagra and writer/co-executive producer Dr. Joe Sachs starting at 11 PM ET.

Bloggy Stuff - September 26

Oh, my ... after my writing binge on Monday night (Heroes, setting up new discussion posts), I didn't write not a thing yesterday. Nope, not for here or TV Squad. Although I had to work my day job, I think that's the first day off from writing I've taken in about eight months.

I better not do it often or I'll forget how to type!

Although it looks like I haven't written anything today, I have a review of the latest Kid Nation awaiting publishing on TV Squad.

And, uh ... other than that, there's this! :-)

I think I'm still recovering from BB live feeds, but I'll get over it. I'm glad you're enjoying the show discussion posts -- I've been reading the comments!

'Grey's Anatomy' - Fall 2007 - Blog Meet-Up Discussion Post

Are you a fan of Grey's Anatomy? Do you want to talk about the show or its characters with blog friends?

Well, here's the spot!

The show's official website is located at ABC.com Grey's Anatomy and your show talk can certainly be located right here.

'Heroes' - "Four Months Later' - 2007 Season Premiere

Yes! It's here! The new season of Heroes! Will it live up to my expectations from watching last season? Well, it's off to a good start, I think.

In Hiro's storyline, he traveled back in time to 1671 and landed outside of Kyoto, Japan. Several mounted soldiers were about to run him through with their swords and arrows when another rider appeared. So, they wanted to get both Hiro and the newcomer. Instead, an eclipse of the sun occurred, so they shot the arrows at the sun.

Ah, but the laws of gravity dictate that what goes up must come down. Thanks to Hiro's powers, he stopped the arrows just before they hit him, then teleported the stranger away from danger.

The stranger turned out to be the Hiro's Kensei idol, but not all was what it appeared to be.
The man is a sham! He's a Brit who's pillaging villages and more of a villain than any sort of hero! Tekezo Kensei is nothing but a fraud, and a nasty man to boot.


All of the legends are either untrue or Hiro must change them into a reality for history to run the course he's known all of his life. According to legend, Kensei married the swordsmith's beautiful daughter. Yeah, she's beautiful. But he burned her home. She slapped him and took his sword. Poor Hiro, we last saw him on the field after being punched, a goat licking his face.

The Bennets have assumed the identity of the Butlers. The family has moved to Coste Verde where the children attend a new school and Noah Bennet has a new job in a copy shop. Mr. Muggles, much to the dismay of Mrs. Bennet/Butler must lead a life of obscurity and not take part in any dog shows. Poor Mr. Muggles.

After being told not to raise any suspicions and not do anything extraordinary, Claire still attracted the attentions of a new young man -- West. She first walked in front of his moving car. In class he asked her if she was a robot or an alien, claiming everybody is one or the other. She asked the difference. A robot does everything he's told while an alien does what he feels like doing.


By the end of the episode, we see that West (or is he Weston?) is one of them. The last scene shows him hovering in the air while looking through the window at Claire's house, then he flies away.

Mr. Bennet/Butler has his own issues. His boss is a young punk jerk bloated with the power of being a retail manager. Oh, that doesn't suit Noah too well. He eventually just flipped the dude by the fingers and told him to get off his case. Now, if anyone knows the paper business, it would be Bennet. Copy Kingdom ain't got nuthin' on PrimaTech, right?

Two new characters, Alejandro and Maya, who claim to be brother and sister (but do we really know that) were introduced. They're running to America through the woods, paying some hustlers to give them a ride towards the border. At one point, as they hid from the cops, we saw a wanted poster for them. The charges? Homicide, of course.

The Latino "Deliverance" type guys who picked them up dumped Alejandro and apparently wanted their way with Maya. Well, she's the killer, not Alejandro. He caught up to her -- all of her captors were dead with blood dripping down their faces. Oh, my!

They continued on in the truck of the dead men, heading to see "the doctor in New York."

And, that doctor in New York? Mohinder was approached after giving a lecture about a virus or plague which could possibly kill off those with special powers. The man who approached him offered him a job -- said that his company tried to get those with powers to use their powers for good, some must be eliminated, though.

When Mohinder told him it would cost too much money, the man turned a spoon to gold. So, he has his own power -- the Midas touch, even! The man knew about Molly and Parkman, as well as Sylar. Mohinder said Sylar was dead. After seeing his golden touch, Mohninder accepeted the job, but quickly called Bennet to let him know he's "in." Bennet says they'll bring the whole company down. The plot thickens.

Meanwhile, Parkman is raising Molly, the girl who can find people. He recovered from his bullet wounds and managed to get himself on the police force. But Molly is having dreams -- she's drawing pictures of eyes at school, along with the symbol we've seen on the sword and tattoos. She had a bad dream -- and it zapped Parkman as he tried to awaken her and used his power to read minds. Why, it zapped him and what we heard sounds like ... Sylar!

Ando is with Hiro's father when the father finds a ripped photo of himself with the mysterious symbol scrawled across it in red. "I will be dead in 24 hours." They go atop the Deveaux Building. Hiro's father (who i want to call Sulu for some bizarre reason) decided he should fight his foe for Hiro's honor. Ando goes off to get him a sword.

But then a man with a hoodie sweatshirt arrives. Ando got back just in time to
see both go off the roof to their deaths (yeah, right).

Oh, but then there's the Petrellis! Nathan has grown a beard and drinks a lot now. He no longer looks Presidential. Mrs. Petrelli blames him for Peter's death. He thinks Peter is alive.

It turns out that she also has found a ripped picture of herself with the symbol scrawled across it in red. And, guess what? The picture is the other half of Hiro's fathers ripped photo!

While Ando was gone and the Hoodie Man hadn't arrived as of yet, she met Hiro's father on the roof. He told her he was going back to Japan and she should vanish, too. "All of them dead, now there are nine." He said he sought redemption by trying to help Hiro, how did she help her son?

Claire knows how to get ahold of Nathan despite the fact he doesn't want to talk to her.

But is Peter dead? Of course not! Over in Cork, Ireland, some burglars were after a shipment of iPods in a trailer. No iPods, but there's Peter chained in the corner. He seems very dazed, says he doesn't know his name ... but knocks one of the thieves across the room with a Sylar kind of touch.

Oh ... I'm hooked all over again!

'The Bachelor' - Fall 2007 - Blog Discussion Post

Since I don't watch the show, here's your own forum in which to discuss the new fall 2007 The Bachelor! The official ABC site for the show is located here.

Dancing With the Stars New Season! - Blog Discussion Post

UPDATE 11/01 -- A new discussion post for this show can be found right here (due to requests because of the amount of comments).


The new season has started and, although I still only watch the show now and then, I figured I'd get a new discussion post up for those who want to talk about it!

The official show website is here.

I realize a few have started discussing the show in the older post -- it sneaked up on me. I'll copy those replies here for you since I don't have the time to remove each old comment one by one and some folks don't want them removed.

The original blog discussion post is located here.
AOL's feature page for Dancing With the Stars is right here.
The TV Squad reviews for the show can be found here.
The SirLinksAlot page for the show is here (lots of great links).

Today, Tonight...!

Heroes returns at 9 PM ET tonight! Yay! Although I certainly can't live-blog it because I'd miss too much, I will surely be posting about it afterwards!

Well before then, a post I wrote for TV Squad should be published. As I post this, I'm expecting that one up before noon ET. I'm hoping it sparks some interesting discussion and will remain mum about the topic right now.

But, go read it! :-)

TV Newsy Bits - 'Survivor' Interviews Online

I hope everyone had a great weekend! I'm looking forward to watching a new Cold Case tonight after roughly goofing off all day. I always give a sigh of relief, although I also miss 'em, when the live feeds for Big Brother end.

Today, I watched some of the rerun recently completed So You Think You Can Dance episodes on cable -- I still adore Hok! And, I watched the finish of the entire first season of The Wire on DVD. It makes me want to get out my Homicide: Life on the Street DVD set and go through that, too. Too bad there just aren't more hours in a day off, eh?

Oh, thinking of work, I completed the work project I had been putting off. Woowoo, I made a DVD. I'm not overly thrilled with it, but it's done and no longer a monkey on my back.

I did a bit of digging around online today and found some interesting Survivor interviews to share with you.

The first one is from Jokers with Yau-Man, perhaps my favorite castaway ever. No, scratch that. He IS my favorite castaway ever, no perhaps about it! While the whole article is worth reading, here are some key points:

• Yau-Man was recruited for the show. He said they were looking for older Asians because they have so few applying.
• The castaways are given a very brief safety course on what they can eat or not on the island (or other locales, too, I would think). I always wondered how Sue Hawk knew about tapioca!
• He hasn't talked to Dreamz since the NYC reunion show. He doesn't want the decision about the truck to ruin his life.
• He says Jeff Probst is only about his height -- he looks taller on the show.
• He said the pre-jury booted were kept in "Losers Lodge" - tents on the island until the last one came in, then they received a vacation.
• The jurors had to stay in Losers Lodge as they had to go back every three days for tribal council. The only entertainment they had were books.
• They can't talk about the show at Losers Lodge.

I also found some Chicken interviews (the first boot on China) --

• Fans of Reality TV
• Reality TV World

The most interesting thing in those for me was the fact that Jaime, Sherea, and Peih-Gee had approached him to set up an alliance, then called it off fifteen minutes before the tribal council saying it was too early for alliances. They didn't show that on the show. Hmmm... he also says Ashley (the wrestler) was not only sick, but she's a physically weak person despite her profession. Hmmm...

TV Squad Article - Amber's Defense

I wrote an article over on TV Squad about Amber's interview with Buddy TV and my thoughts on her answers.

Check it out!

What a delusional gal she is ...

Whatever Will I Watch Tonight? - Friday, Sept. 21, 2007

Now that the Big Brother feeds are over, it's time to get back to normal on the blog! Well, as normal as I get, anyway.

While it's relaxing not to have Big Brother constantly taking over my blog, it does put me in a quandary as to what I should watch tonight. Unless I want to watch repeated live feeds, I have no live feeds! Yeah, I know I could read -- I have plenty of novels in my To Read pile. And, I really should spend some time on a work project I've been putting off.

But I wanna watch my TV! Here are some of the slim pickings at hand this evening:

• CBS has an entire block of reruns for its primetime hours -- Ghost Whisperer, The Unit, and Numb3rs. Bleh.
• NBC has a rerun block, too -- 1 vs. 100, Las Vegas, Law and Order: SVU. Feh. The only show I watch out of those is the L&O one and that episode's much too recent for me to watch again. Feh.
• FOX actually has a new Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader on at 8 PM ET/PT, but I just don't like that show. I know I'm smarter than when I was in fifth grade and that's all that matters. At 9 PM ET/PT, they have a new Nashville on. Never saw it, don't want to. Meh.
• ABC has a repeat America's Funniest Home Videos on at 8 PM ET/PT, then two new back-to-back 20/20 episodes to fill out the evening. Eh.

The cable listings aren't much better (in my opinion) with the only thing catching my interest being a new Meerkat Manor on at 8:30 PM ET/PT on Animal Planet. I don't have premium channels, so I couldn't tell you what's on HBO or Showtime.

So, with Letterman in repeats, I have a whole half-hour of TV I want to watch tonight.

Or, do I?

My birthday was recently and, amongst other things, my brother gave me a gift certificate for Amazon. com. My order arrived today. And, guess what? It's TV on DVD! Yay!

Since I don't have HBO yet got hooked on The Wire (after missing the first episode) on BET, I wanted the real thing without all the horrible BET ads -- so, I bought the first season of The Wire. Woohoo!

The other thing I bought is something I want to see whether it lives up to my childhood memories or not. Y'see, I was a rather strange young child and my parents really didn't monitor my television watching habits (nor my reading ones, nor my movie-watching) much at all. When I was five, my favorite show was The Twilight Zone even though it gave me nightmares. By the time I was nine, I was hooked on The Fugitive -- the original with David Janssen. I had watched it on and off since I was eight or so, often from the top of the stairs as my parents watched and I was supposed to be in bed. The Twilight Zone has been rerun for decades, but I've never seen the original The Fugitive in reruns anywhere. Now I have the first season of the show on DVD! Super YAY!

So, it's a good thing there isn't anything on TV which interests me tonight. I think I have to start a search for a one-armed man.

The TV Squad 'Survivor 15: China' Post is Up

My TV Squad review of the show is up! I haven't read all of the comments yet, but wanted to mention one I saw -- I never did actually live-blog Survivor. I would do East Coast updates, then around this time of night there would be a review posted. I will continue to do the East Coast updates. I only did one on the boot tonight because I figured we didn't really know the tribes yet. Next week, I'll add Immunity and such.

Looks like NO ONE likes Courtney! Her eyerolls in the temple were as bad as Leslie leaving the ceremony! @@!

'Survivor 15: China' East Coast Update - Booted

Chicken is the first voted out.

Tonight's Survivor China Blogging

I have a spoilers post on the show up over on TV Squad -- beware of boot spoilers for this week and next! Please don't discuss the spoilers in the comments here.

For the season premiere tonight, I'll do an East Coast update on the boot, so check back for that post if you want to know or to talk about it. That should be up around 9 PM ET.

I'm reviewing the show for TV Squad, so my review won't be here. I'll zap a link to you once it's up.

Survivors ready?

More TV Squad Stuff!

Gee, I almost posted that title as TV Squid -- that would surely be a new take on things, huh?

My Kid Nation review is up over there. TVS isn't sure if they want it covered all season, but I'm hoping the traffic and response to the reviews will keep it going. I found the show almost on the refreshing side despite the obvious adult involvement in setting up things.

I also posted commentary on TV Tattler interviews with Dick and Daniele as well as Jeff Probst.

Please check them out and I'd love to hear your thoughts there! If you have problems posting comments on TV Squad, check the email address you're using -- one little typo and you won't get the confirmation mail. When you do get the confirmation mail, make sure you go to the link to activate the comment.

If you're having problems, let me know.

'Big Brother 8' - Thinking Back Over the Season

Thinking back over the recently completed season, I find it hard to call it the worst one ever. After all, I was entertained for the most part, weren't you? Technically, that's all we can really ask, I guess.

Since the overall season ratings were very good, I think we can probably expect the show to be renewed.

I want to share some of my thoughts on the season and wonder what's on your mind, too!

Okay, the first thing -- Allison Grodner's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland theme for the show and house. It never really came to fruition, did it? Yeah, the house was in a bizarre decor and there was one comp related to the theme. But I think it fell apart in the long run and have to ask what's up with that? They knew they were going to use the theme, why didn't they develop it more thoroughly? I give the theme an F this season.

The twists ... with the exception of Dick and Daniele, the other two "rivals" fell apart on short order. Unlike the X-Factor season, this just didn't last too well. And, of the rivals, I can't help but think if Joe hadn't ranted on about the STD he claims Dustin passed onto him, would Joe have been more amusing to watch in the long run?

The casting ... I keep going back and forth on this. Although I never condoned a lot of Dick's behavior, his presence kept the show atop the Neilsons perhaps more than in past seasons. I don't think this cast really hit me on a "I like these people" basis all season. In the past, I enjoyed watching folks like Will, Nakomis, even Roddy. I really think a better mix of ages and walks of life is needed for them to bring back my passion for the houseguests. Although I ended up wanting Dick to win this year, had there been a smart player who treated others not as crassly I would have supported them.

The lack of things for the houseguests to do ... what the hell is up with that? This season gave the houseguests almost absolutely nothing to do. In other years there were fun comps with decorating gnomes, something, anything! It's a wonder this group didn't just jump the wall and escape out of sheer boredom.

Your thoughts?

TV Squad STUFF

I have two new posts over on TV Squad --

One includes a nod to one of the commenters here (and there, too, but mainly here).
The other is my season introductory post to Survivor: China.

Head on over -- be loud, be proud ... be a Donato!
Er, wait ... let me take that back. Please don't be a Donato over there!

'Survivor 15: China' - My First Impressions on the Cast - Part Five

Welcome to the last installment of my Survivor 15: China cast introduction and my take on the new castaways! I've had to split this into several parts due to length. You can find the rest of the castaways in Part One, Part Two, Part Three, and Part Four. These will remain listed in my sidebar here for easy reference throughout the season. While I'll be doing the show episode reviews themselves over at TV Squad this season, I'll be talking about the show here, too. And, of course, I always welcome your comments both at TVS and here!

Continuing my alphabetical order by first name, it's Peih-Gee next to the plate. I was pretty impressed with her in her video on the CBS site although she seems to be being portrayed as a bit of a wild card in the promos for the show.

Looking at her CBS bio, I can't help but mention she has one of the longest, if not the longest, bios of anyone on the show this season. She has an extensive dancing background appearing in videos from many popular stars and MTV doings. She's well-traveled, too. Plus, she has a roughing it in foreign lands for extended periods of time experience. Not only that, but her educational background is impressive, too. Oh, my.

She says she's free-spirited, witty, spunky, assertive, optimistic, open-minded, outspoken, strong-willed and she thinks like a guy. She thinks her biggest strengths are having a good attitude, seeing the brighter side of things, and having the ability to focus all of attention to the task at hand. Oh, my.

It's off to her favorites! She lists Survivor amongst her favorite shows, good. WHAT? She lists NO cereal. She left the cereal section blank. I don't know what to make of that. This is a first. How can I judge her psychological game without knowing her cereal?

Her chances? I think she just could be the strongest all around player for the women. If she isn't too assertive and doesn't alienate the others, I can see her hanging in towards the end. Plus, she has two cats. I think I like her!

I see this season's show is back down to only a few persons of color. I kind of liked the more diversity in casting, but we'll see how this season goes down.

Sherea focused on her people-skills and herself on a whole in her video. She does seem to be a nice person and her background as a teacher will probably help her cope with the various personalities in the game. Her plan is to get along with everyone and keep focused throughout. She will play thinking of her mother who's a breast cancer survivor.

Her bio is only about half as long as Peih-Gee's. She looks very normal, perhaps too normal to be on a reality show! Her educational background includes a Masters degree. She claims to be sassy, outspoken, and caring. I didn't think she seemed either sassy or outspoken in her video. She just came across as nice to me. What do I know, eh? She also considers herself to be competitive, outgoing, and a leader.

Going to her favorites, I see she lists Big Brother on her shows, but not Survivor! Ack, two very different shows! For cereals, she likes Cinnamon Toast Crunch and Lucky Charms. That tells me that, not only does she have a fun-loving side, she's seeking the luck of the Irish to be on her side throughout the season! (Trust me, I've studied Cereal Psychology for years.)

Her chances? I think I'm going to like her as a person on the show, but I'm not so sure how well she'll do swimming with the sharks. If she indeed befriends people, works those people skills ... she might do well. I'd like to be wrong, but I don't see her making it to the final four.

Todd has the dubious honor of being the last castaway on my list. In his video, he was a bit ... off ... or something. At one point he stopped for an extended period of time looking confused, then repeated himself. He thinks he will do well and everyone will like him. Um, okay.

In his bio on the CBS site, he starts off with the fact that he's an openly gay Mormon. Holy Osmonds, Batman! He's allergic to cats, rabbits, and shrimp. He describes himself as fantastic, amazing, awesome, and super-original.

Give me a break, kid. Keep this up and I'll want you not only booted but forced to jump from the Great Wall head first.

He goes on to say he'll do well because he's very positive, great at social skills and strategizing, and will gather wood and er, stuff. He thinks the Spice Girls are the most significant historical event of the past 100 years.

Is this guy a joke? Onto his favorites ... he does list Survivor in his favorite shows, but that's no surprise. For cereals he lists granola and Peanut Butter Cap'n Crunch. Aha, he's living a contradictory kind of life! He doesn't know if he wants to go the healthy route or eat the least popular Cap'n Crunch in a childlike fantasy land! Very telling, indeed.

His chances? I think an early boot, but he might hang in for a while because I don't think the others will see him as a threat. I know if he pulls the "I make everyone happy" bit at the wrong time, he could certainly alienate the others.

'Big Brother 8' - Season Finale - Live-Blogged from the East Coast

I screen-capped this image from the blocked feeds and kind of took it over! I received a note from Zoetawny (posting from an Internet cafe) -- she's sorry to miss the end of the season.

Here on the East Coast, the show is starting. As it airs, I'll constantly (well, very frequently) be updating this entry. Please feel free to comment and have a good time! Please forgive any typos as I'm watching the show, too!

We're into a brief season recap now. Dick just re-won the final HOH. And the show should really begin soon.

Look! The blocked feeds are on the plasma screen!

Zach arrives at sequester after Dustin least wants to see Zach. Jen wants to see Dick walk through the door ... and it's ZACH! Eric tells him he would have won six to one.

America's Player -- Who should Eric campaign and vote for to win? Dick. Eric thinks we chose wisely. The jury doesn't seem to like Eric's idea. He goes into car salesman mode, talking up Dick and down Daniele. Amber looks like she's going to cry. Jen is very against Dick, but all of a sudden Amber is defending Dick and telling Jen whe flipflopped.

They start looking at the game the two played. Zach brings up the competition winning. Eric brings up Dick's victories. Amber says Dick played for two people. She said Dick played "awesome." Jessica is pro-Dick win, too. Daniele is the pimp, E.D. is the ho according to Jameka. Evel or Evel Spawn will win comes from Dustin.

The jury questioning -- help me in comments if I don't type fast enough, guys.

Dustin -- Dick, knowing that your daughter said I'll carry my daad with me because he's a terrible person and I'll win. Dick is hppy, strongest team.

Amber for Daniele -- Why give the vote, you're a pathetic person for doing what you did to your BF with Nick. D -- I don't want your vvote if based on personal life.

Jessica -- Who other than Daniele to sit with (to Dick) -- Pnly Daniele. Tough decision.

Eric -- Dick -> each jury member deserve to be in the final two? Dustin, Jen, Amber.. do not deserve, mentions Amber and good people. Jessica didn't bloody hands, Eric played best, Jameka was given chance, Zach almost made it.

Zach - What have you learned from each jury member -- Daniele will take Eric's humor, Amber heart and Mom of the house. Dick learned from Dustin to be careful with power, says Jen has a real person down in there, Jameka best hearted person, Zach run for the money don't underestimate will and heart.

Jameka - Not using your father to advance in the game, biggest move. Eric thing, backdooring Jen

Jen -- Hello, it's me, don't respect you as people. Dick did you build relationship with Daniele? Dick shocked w/question beginning to build normalcy, ends with if you don't know you're an idiot. Daniele thinks they made a lot out of it and there's no one esle she wants to sit next to. Dick played the game hard, strategy to work with Jessica and Eric. He feels the worse about turning on Jessica and Eric. He did a lot of the dirty work. We won.

Speech session over, D&D alone -- she accuses him of campaigning against her.

Jury coming in. Amber looks HORRIBLE! Jessica and Jen look nice. Eric looks Eric-y, Jameka very pretty. Zach looks Zach-like. He should have worn a bunny suit.

D&D are in the house, Julie is out with the crowd and the jury. Daniele says it was nice to spend time with her Dad and she's happy. Time for the jury to cast their votes.

Jurors put each key in the box, one statement.

Eric -- 1 - Clearcut choice good luck
Jameka - 2 - Vote for one whose game she respects
Dustin - 3 - Based on strategic action, not just words
Jen - 4 - I'd rather not, but must
Zach - 5 - Longest, blah-blah
Amber -6 - Congrats, close to both, based on game strategic purpose, whoops
Jessica - 7 - Voting for the person I enjoyed more in the house, may the best Donato win

The first five evicted will be coming in next.

Julie is with Dick's Mom and his son Vincent -- Daniele's grandmother who raised her and her brother. Charlotte is happy that they made strides in rebuilding the relationship. Vincent says he's always like that but it got him where he is in the game.

Nick's hair has grown in. He gets to talk to Daniele. Awkward says Daniele in a high voice.

Carol is asked about Jessica -- kind of proud, but there were some personal words. Joe said he liked watching Dustin fall apart, but congrats ... you got far. Dustin doesn't reply. Mike was rooting for Zach. Kail not surprised that Dick made it that far.

Time to reveal the big twist -- America's Player. Tells jury and Donatos. "One of you has a secret, one has not played alone, one is not who you appear to be."

This is HILARIOUS! I couldn't type through it.

Jessica is speechless. Not mad at him.

Dick benefited from the AP -- Julie talks to Dick. He thought he made a great power play and it was all Eric. Awesome, wow!

Daniele -- Knew mustard and votes, hilarious.

Dustin -- Eric can sell anything, enjoyed paradise. Jameka says it makes sense to her, she never could trust him. Jen now understands America mustarded her shirt. Eric tells Dustin and Amber he's sorry. Eric tells Jessica that he wanted to tell her for so long, but everything he said to her about them was true.

Julie tells them Eric cast the vote for America tonight.

The reveal of the votes...

1. AmERICa -Dick
2. Jameka - Daniele
3. Dustin - Dick
4. Jen - Daniele
5. Zach - Dick
6. Amber - Dick

Dick wins BB8!!!

Last vote not read yet as only four needed to win. Daniele taking it well.

Last vote was Jessica voting for Dick to win. Dick's going on a trip. Daniele is in the WE WON mode and is ecstatic.

Nick looks fat for Nick. Daniele asksed Julie if she'll be at the wrap party. I think she's starstruck ... over Julie Chen? Puh-leeze!

Y'all happy with this outcome? I think this was actually one of the better season finales. The America's Player reveal was better than the twist itself.

'Big Brother 8' - Live Feeds ... or lack thereof

The live feeds have been blocked all day since I posted my TV Squad update. Since we're about an hour before showtime, I don't expect them to unblock.

At about 9 PM ET I'll put up the start of a live-blogging post which I'll update throughout the finale as it airs here in the NYC area.

The weather is clear but a bit cool ... please bring a sweater or light jacket to the comments party.

And snacks, don't forget snacks!

May the best Donato win! And, I hope to see you there ... at the post, that is.

BB8 Live Feeds Screen Cap - TV Squad Stuff

Although both Daniele and Dick are now asleep as I post this -- the screen cap is from a few hours ago as Dick packed some more of his things.

I have the latest Big Brother 8 update with the overnight happenings up over on TV Squad.

I also have a post about Amazing Race season two winner Alex Boylan and his latest television/world travel adventure up over on TVS.

'Big Brother 8' - Live Feeds - The Last Evening in the House

Believe it or not, Daniele and Dick have actually made me smile on and off as they spend their last night in the house together. The BB voice has even been funny at times.

Here's what's been happening in the Big Brother House of No Longer Dueling Donatos:

• Daniele misses seeing animals. Apparently she regularly goes to a pet store to see animals and has missed them while in the BB house.
• She also misses her cellphone.
• Daniele dyed Dick's hair -- nothing new, just fixed the red dye in it.
• They talked about the competitions they enjoyed the most. Daniele liked the pasta one while Dick liked Slop Pong. Dick didn't like Butter Me Up because he was mad at what Jen said to him and got stuck on the pump.
• Daniele liked the JanelleOVision comp, Dick liked the fact that Janelle was there.
  
• They talked about the other houseguests ... again.
• They mentioned how cold it's gotten and how recently they had the heat wave there.
• BB stocked the storeroom for them so they could eat well.
• Daniele's first words when she was a baby were "Hi Dad." Vincent had said it and she repeated it.
• They wondered what made the air and what didn't.
• They said the Hide and Seek Veto probably sounded better on paper than it worked out. It took the over six hours and it was hot.
• They played cards, had ice cream and cake.
• And, they actually enjoyed each other's company. Dick must be tickled pink. Daniele doesn't want him to go to bed -- wants him to stay up with her.
  

'Survivor 15: China' - My First Impressions on the Cast - Part Four

Welcome to Part Four of my take on the new castaways! I've created a separate section for these on my sidebar (over there ---->) and you can get to all of my Survivor 15: China content by hitting the hyperlinked label at the bottom of any post about the season.

Keeping with my first name alphabetical order for these, it's James. He has one almost typical Survivor applicant job while his other job is something he really digs. You got it -- he's a bartender/security at nightclubs and weddings ... and a gravedigger! (Why can't I think of that profession and not think of the Dave Matthews song?)

The interesting part is, according to his video on the CBS site, he loves gravedigging. He started when he was ten years old working for his father, socialized very little while growing up. Being in the clubs has made him more social.

His bio itself is brief and to the point. In the bio, he mentions being athletically gifted, socially adaptive, and physically attractive. Hmmm ... with the exception of mentioning how strong he is ("Gravedigger, when you dig my grave...") in the video, he didn't mention anything about his looks. He thinks he'll adapt well.

Onto his favorites -- Ah, good. He lists Survivor amongst his favorite television shows. That always makes me feel better about a castaway. His outdoor activities include football, cooking, and drinking ... interesting, no? For cereal, he lists grits. I may be mistaken, but I don't think grits are a staple food in China.

My thoughts? Well, gee ... I don't know. He thinks he'll stay on well in the beginning because he's strong and they'll want him to win challenges. I think he's right. But, if he's that strong and does that well in challenges, that will put a huge target on his back going into the merge. I think I want to like him, but I don't think the others would let him get to the end.

Next up is Jean-Robert. Here's a guy with an interesting approach to the game. In his video he said he plans to approach it like a poker tournament (he's a professional poker player). He'll spend some time in the start analyzing his competition -- strongest, weakest, etc. Then he'll ally, but be ready to change his table.

He admits he's overweight and out of shape, but he thinks that the game is just as much, maybe more, of a mental game as it is a physical one.

In his bio, he certainly does seem to be a pro poker player as that's the majority of the bio. He thinks he's charismatic, fun, and loud. I found him a bit charismatic in his video, but hopefully he can control the loud aspect. If he's constantly loud at camp, they will get ticked off at him. He doesn't really list any qualities which would help him survive in wooded areas.

To his favorites -- Hmmm... no Survivor listed. His choices of cereal are Honeycomb and Corn Pops. That tells me he doesn't take things too seriously and enjoys life. (Remember, I have a degree in Psychological Cereal Indicators.)

His possibilities on the show? For some reason, he's reminding me a bit of Richard Hatch, but a smoother player. I actually like his approach and I'm sure we'll see his poker face and some bluffing along the way. I think he could make final four as long as he isn't too physically inept. He said he's overweight, but he doesn't look all that out of shape for me. He just might be my early favorite for the win. That may change down the line, but I'm gonna call it now.

Leslie has tried to get on the show for eleven seasons. I can't help but wonder why she didn't make it ten times and they took her on for this season.

In her video, I believe she mentioned she's a Christian at least eight times. That's not a really good sign for me. Although she said she's human and makes mistakes, she thinks it will give her an edge to have faith. Maybe, maybe not. She also thinks of herself as a professional interviewer which should help her get to know and get along with her fellow castaways.

Heading to her bio page, I see that she's probably very physically fit. She teaches fitness classes three times a week in addition to her radio host job. She thinks she energetic, passionate, and overwhelming. Overwhelming? That doesn't sound like a good quality to make it to the end when you're deserted with a bunch of strangers!

Over to her favorites -- Survivor is listed first and in caps, no surprise there! She enjoys camping, that's a good thing. Her cereal? Raisin Nut Bran. That tells me she likes to be regular. She might miss that being on the show.

I'm not getting Sole Survivor screaming at me about Leslie. I could be horribly wrong, but I don't see her making it to the merge. I predict an early goodbye to her, but at least she can boast she finally got on the show.

'Big Brother 8' - Live Feeds - Current QuadCam Screen Cap

I'd say we're watching grass grow, but I think it's fake grass. Actually, Daniele had been sunning, Dick is asleep still.

'Big Brother 8' - Live Feeds Report Into Monday Morning 9/17

Well, well, well ... look who's talking again! Of course one thing they mentioned (just before feeds were blocked) is that the show should have scheduled two cameramen in case they don't stay in the same room. True? I dunno.

They finally started talking again when Dick consoled a crying Daniele who wanted to go home. In a way, I can understand her feeling that way. I've thought in previous years that this stretch of several days with just the final two in the house and not knowing which will will is way too long.

I'm crying here, too. I want them to go home! The show should have had the finale last night instead of torturing me here for another two days!

Okay, I lie. I'm not crying. But this final two bit could definitely be shortened to two days without losing a thing.

Here are the happenings since last evening in that Big Brother House of Familial Affection and Devotion:

• Dick said Eric's jury question was about why each person here deserves to be in the final two. He said Amber doesn't deserve to be here, Dustin doesn't deserve to be here, Jen doesn't deserve to be here ... feeds blocked.
• Dick said Jessica's question was stupid and she said she didn't believe him. He said he doesn't care if she believed him or not.
• Amber told Daniele she was pathetic when she questioned her. (Um ... of the two, I'd say in levels of pathetic-ness, Amber has Daniele beat hands down. In my observations, Daniele's main problem is immaturity and she's spoiled. As time goes on, those might change. Amber's got serious issues which need more than time to heal.)
• Dick said that Amber was probably told the question and she most likely doesn't know the meaning of the word pathetic. Daniele doubts she (Amber) could spell pathetic.
• Their talk was interrupted when there was a fire in the oven -- the BB voice called for a fire extinguisher. There were no fatalities other than the taco shells.
  
• When the BB voice asked if all was okay and told them that their safety was their main concern, Daniele called out, "Liar!" The feeds blocked.
• Although they're talking, Daniele is still upset that Dick told the jury that he did all the dirty work. (Well, he did!)
• Apparently Eric asked Daniele to tell three reasons she shouldn't win. She only came up with one -- that wasn't going to attack him, wasn't going to campaign.
• Jen's question was "Why should I vote for you to win?"
  
• Dick once again told Daniele he didn't campaign against her and he's sorry she took it that way.
• Daniele said that because of him she had to play two games in the house. Doing the dirty work was HIS strategy and she had to cope with others about it doing damage control.
• Daniele told Amber she didn't want her vote -- it didn't matter.
• Dick was taken aback by Jen's question about why the jurors shouldn't be in the final two.
  
• Both Daniele and Dick think that Jessica was nasty in the questioning and her own strategy was to hang onto Eric.
• Dick said that Jessica's strategy had Eric gotten evicted before her would probably be to sleep all day.
• In the jury questioning, Jen said she didn't respect either of them as human beings. (Perhaps she respects them as some sort of marsupials? A plant form?)
• Jen said she didn't want to vote for either of them, but she has to vote for one.
• Dick thought that for the ShoToo time, they should sit around and trash their ex-housemates.
• Daniele baked cookies ... again. I swear that's the only thing she knows how to make!
• They trashtalked the others and, as a result, grew more of a bond as father and daughter. ;-)

There ya go ... they've now gone to bed for the day, er ... night.

'Big Brother 8' - 9/16 Show Live-Blogged from the East Coast

The show is about to start here in the NYC area after a football delay. Remember, tonight's show is NOT the finale and we won't be seeing the jury questions. It's the season recap show and I heard there will be a focus on Dick and Daniele.

As it airs here, I'll frequently update this entry. Since I'm typing it looking at the television instead of my monitor and keyboard, there may be typos. I do that to prove I'm not a JackieBot.

Everyone is welcome to join in with comments.

Ah, the recap of the HOH part one comp.

Tonight the final two will take a look back at the most volatile, humerous moments of the summer.

Dick gives credit to Zach for turning his game on. Daniele made a more snarky comment. Now we see Donato celebrating again. Who woulda thunk it? Dick thinks he already won because he's improved the relationship with Daniele.

Daniele tells us it was worth it although she's hit the bottom many times. They have their feast and champagne. Dick is still stunned. Daniele thinks she's had the hardest time in the house emotionally over anybody. They show the start of the season when Dick came down the stairs all over again.

Into a montage of their bickering. Golly gee, I didn't like seeing this the first time around! The show then turned to a brief focus of them getting closer after the HOH comp part one.

In discussing who will win, they think each other will. Now it's into a montage of Evel Dick being evil to Jen. Jameka and Dustin are just ignoring it. He's waking Dustin up, then Amber ... all in his act to make them hate him and vote him out instead of Daniele.

A montage of good people and praying now. Jen walks through Jameka's prayer looking for a white belt for her bunny suit. Note Jameka is parying on Howie's "Jack Shack." Amber is praying, God bless you, God.

The Dick and Jameka shout fest with the clapping about the magical ping pong ball (POV choice) where she calls Zach a nobody. Zach looks down in his bunny suit. Yo mama!

Recapping Nick and Daniele, then onto the Eric and Jessica showmance ... er, romance. The move to Kansas recap conversation was kind of cute, but now it's to the smooching. Again.

In a promo, they mention they're looking for applicants for BB9. Who's game?

Jen is crying over her Memory Wall picture. Ah, the memories...!

The iced tea incident. I now realize that Daniele's voice in this reminds me of the Olsen twins on that old show.

Jen re-destroys Dick's cigarettes. The infamouse burn fight.

Tha Amber crying montage. The "hot mom" -- Jameka tells her she will be in a magazine. (Jameka doesn't mention it's probably MAD Magazine.) Now Amber is sure she has model potential. Now she's about to flip out on Eric... duck, Eric! Zach looks strangely incongruous wearing his bunny suit through this.

It's onto the fun things -- Zach streaking, Eric prancing in Jessica's dress. Jen and Eric wrestling. Onto the mysteries of the house. The mustard and hinky votes. They think Eric or Nick for the mustard, added Dustin in for the votes.

Talking about their plans for the the money, Daniele is coming across as positive (though she shows a different face on the feeds). Dick is happy.

Seaon finale Tuesday, America's Player revealed, jury questioning and the winner of BB8!

'Big Brother 8' Delayed on East Coast

60 Minutes started a few minutes ago here in the NYC area. Everything is delayed due to football this time.

When Big Brother 8 starts, I'll start live-blogging the show as it airs. Keep in mind that tonight's show is the season recap episode, so we can't expect anything new and exciting -- old and exciting, perhaps.

I have a feeds report from earlier in the day over on TV Squad - it sat a while, but it's different from what I posted here. They're live-blogging the Emmys there tonight. Thankfully, it's not me doing it!

As for the feeds, there really isn't much to report. Daniele and Dick seemed to take shifts sleeping and avoided each other all day.

TV Squad: Kid Nation

My first post about Kid Nation is up over on TV Squad. Will you be watching?