Big Brother 17: Live Feeds Friday night into Saturday, 6/26-27

Jeff shouldn't get too comfortable

Oh, geez. We already have the start of a Nerd Herd house divided thing goin' on in the house. Here's the latest from inside that Big Brother House of Misfit Toys:

• We have the first named alliance in the house -- The High Rollers -- made up of James, Jason, Audrey, Da'Vonne, Jeff, Jackie, Meg.
• We'll see how long that lasts.
• My first impression of Audrey from the Jeff interview is coming true -- she is way too cocky (then into too paranoid) and she's pushy. At least she doesn't chew gum all the time in the house.
• On the other side Liz, Austin and Jace are drawing in Shelli and Clay. They want more. They think they're the "Cool Kids."
• @@
• Becky, John, Vanessa and Steve are just floating around the fringes.
• Steve thinks (and told us) that if he had to declare a winner now, he'd say Audrey.
• Apparently the camera people think so, too. Either that or they were told to focus on her. They're getting a lot of Audrey shots -- often so many that I can't tell who she's with in a room of people because they rarely take the camera off of her.
• Stop that, BB.
• Austin knows Da'Vonne is not a teacher, but is a poker dealer/player. Not sure how he found out.
• People shouldn't lie about their jobs unless named Derrick and lying is your job.
• BB gave them alcohol. Not a whole lot of it.
• They were also allowed back in the yard.
• Woot woot
• Da'Vonne and John might be working up a bond/relationship/dare I say alliance on the side. They spent a lot of time talking over strategies and studying the Memory Wall.
• Audrey's paranoid meltdown has calmed.
• The target SEEMS to be a backdoor Jace move when Steve (surely) saves himself with the veto.
• But I don't think it's the sure thing they think. Jackie just might end up going.
• Steve discussed the difference between weight, mass and volume. Um. That's different. 
• Another person besides Austin was saved in the Have Not comp -- Vanessa had saved Austin from nomination/eviction. Well, now it turns out that Liz had been saved by Da'Vonne. Both Da'Vonne and Vanessa are Have Nots. I'm not sure how that all worked.
• Sigh. My pool pick (Becky) admits to never watching the show. 
• Meanwhile, it turns out that Jeff likes BB and never watched TAR.
• And the beat goes on ...
• Yawnsers.

Hammock summit

If you come to BB, wear flowers in your hair

Austin, you're letting me down!

Storage room strategies

Liz ... or is it?

Big Brother 17: Live Feeds Daytime 6/26, Power of Veto Winner

Someone's throwing me under the bus

Good evening! Since I last reported, a lot has happened in the house. The Power of Veto comp went down. The house is already becoming divided. And, I still at times have trouble telling the blonde gals apart unless I see them full face. Here's the latest from inside that Big Brother House of Rabid Rodents:

• I found out that Austin is safe from nomination/eviction. I still don't know how Vanessa saved him.
• Jace, Austin and Liz remain a team, if not a real alliance. They have no name.
• "I rode through Big Brother on an alliance with no name, felt good to be out of the rain."
• Ahem. My apologies.
• They don't trust Audrey and think she's playing everyone.
• Jace mentioned the distrust to James who promptly told Da'Vonne and Jason.
• Jace is definitely not the sharpest tool in the shed.
• But he is indeed a tool.
• Jace thinks the plan is to backdoor Jason.
• No, the plan is to backdoor you, Jace!
• Steve is supposedly just a pawn. But we know he knows that pawns sometimes go home!
• Audrey is suspicious of Jackie and Vanessa as they seem so close.
• I say, "Trust no one!"
• Clay thinks he knows the game and he can just get rid of others easily.
• Remember, he never heard of the show until four months ago.
• Even Audrey told Steve that he was safe -- she told him that anyone who won the PoV would take him off.
• Obviously, she doesn't know that the James contingent would take Jackie off.
• Doesn't matter. He's safe.
• He (Steve) won the Power of Veto!
• Meanwhile, Audrey knows someone is telling others what she says. She thinks it has to be either Liz or Da'Vonne.
• She starts to question everybody, including James. When she asked if she was going to be backdoored, James told her that nobody's safe.
• Well, except for Austin, James and (most likely) Steve.
• I'm feeling let down by Austin. He's already decided that his group is the "cool" people. @@
• I expected more from him. 
• James thinks that Jace backdoored is 100%. I'm definitely not seeing this house voting as a whole this season.
• Good.
• I like drama.
• Jason thinks he should make a fake final two deal with Steve.
• Poor Steve.
• Jace and Austin made it sound like Jeff was behind the rumors of a backdoor Jason plan.
• The HoH bunch told Jeff about that.
• Sheesh ... if this is all going on now, I can't imagine what the summer will be like. I can only hope the numbers on each side stay a bit similar so it's not boring.
• The PoV comp was a spelling one. They're shocked that the "genius Steve" could spell "trombonist."
• I'm not surprised. He's into music and he has a brain.
• I think the PoV ceremony will be on Sunday. I'm sure Steve knows to save himself.

This season's whisperer

The kid must be a genius!

A thrill a minute

Too many blondes

Boy genius?

How did he spell that?

Big Brother 17: Live Feeds The Beginning - 6/26 into the wee hours

He's in the HoH room, but he's not

The madness begins. Well, for us, anyway. The hamsters have been in the Habitrail for at least a week now. Nominations on both HoH sides were made, the Battle of the Block has already gone down, there's now a single HoH and only two nominations for eviction remain. Oh ... and the Have Nots have already moved into the Have Not room. We have a lot of catching up to do! So, here goes:

• One constant in the house remains despite its makeover this year -- the ants have already moved into the kitchen.
• James is the sole HoH even though Jason keeps hanging out in the HoH room trying his gay glue mojo.
• Steve and Jackie are on the block. (No, not ME Jackie. I'm in a chair.)
• Jace, even though Austin seems to have taken to him, is wearing thin on the rest of the house.
• The current plan is that, if anyone other than Steve wins Veto, James will take Jackie down and put Jace up.
• Steve's plan to be the goofy kid seems to be going awry. He's coming off more as awkward and lost a bit.
• Steve told Jace the ants were "nefarious." Um. Okay. I would have gone more for "prevalent" or even a "constant." But I'm no Steve!
• Audrey told Meg that she thinks Liz and Jace should have a showmance. I don't know if she realizes how much Liz wants a showmance with just about anyone, but is smitten with Clay's looks.
• The Have Nots (not sure how it happened) seem to be Vanessa, Liz, Austin and Da'Vonne. But John keeps hanging out in the dentist sleeping chairs in there consoling an upset Vanessa. He might be one, too. It's all so confusing!
• Somehow (again, not sure how) Vanessa saved Austin. If he is indeed a Have Not, she didn't save him from that. More on that when I hear more!
• It's hard to get a grip on all of what's happened that we've missed. It will be easier when the feeds have been on for a while. But we definitely miss a chunk with that first week gone!
• I'm not thrilled that Austin seems to be aligning with Jace and Liz. I find the both of them annoying while I had high hopes for Austin's game.
• The fish tank is a table this year.
• I'm sure fish will still die.
• James is more entertaining than I thought he'd be.
• I haven't seen John a lot, but give him kudos for talking to the upset Vanessa.
• They picked for PoV players already. But I'm not sure who other than Jason (HG Choice picked by Steve) and John (not sure who picked his chip) is playing besides those on the block and James.
• Wait! Did I mention they're on an indoor lockdown?
• No?
• Oops.
• They are, most likely for the PoV comp set-up.
• They had a huge nail salon party with the guys getting their nails painted by the women.
• Even Austin.
• According to James, "I don't care what anyone says. I have the prettiest toes in the house!"
• James also loves the dentist chair beds in the Have Not Room. "They must be Sertas!" 
• They're just his size while Austin's feet hang off.
• Some talked about Jace acting up since the feeds went live "just like he did the first few days." Apparently he had a streak of not annoying people.
• Austin! Get away from Jace right now! Poison! Poison!

That's about all I have for you right now. I'll be posting another report this evening.

Nails party for the boys and girls

The guys got into it and had fun. No alcohol, even!

Audrey seems to get along with all

Jace is the nemesis of Jason

He seems to be in with Austin, though.

John consoles Vanessa in Have Not

Fitting for John, at least, the Have Not room has dentist chairs for beds.

Jackie is on the block, surprised?

James remains HoH after BoB

Don't you love it when I talk in letters?

Big Brother 17: As We Wait for Live Feeds

I got an email from Nick Uhas. Sure, he's promoting something he's doing. But, since he's the first house hamster (BB15) to ever bother contacting me after all these years (although I was in touch with one of the producers some years back), I will post his YouTube bit. Plus, he's a cutie-patootie, but I'm no GinaMarie!

Here's his video --

I'd be interested in his take on the latest ... how about you?

Big Brother 17: Season Premiere Part Two Blog Party

First, before we get into the show -- ORKMommy has updated the blog pool to reflect a few additional folks. No one already in the pool has changed hamsters, just more people added in. We still don't know what's happening with the 14 hamsters and 16 of everything else. Here's the update:

Audrey - David, Chase, Orkmommy, Nicole K

Austin - Petals, Tammy, marthalight, Dr_Celine

Becky - Glenn, Jackie, Indiana Jane, Brian

Clay - FairieGoddess0714, QuixoticElf, DonnaNY, JonMD1267

Da'Vonne - jessica UNderwood, SueGee, Ed in Ohio, Nickelpeed

Jace - Becky in TX, CherylinNC, JOKATS, CaelaXO

James - uncartie, Marlo, Jackie~juju, ML

Jason - Witt, Sharon, WolfpackRed

John - Sasha, lynn1, clover

Liz - Skyriverblue, jo Chapman, monty924

Meg - Sharon S, Merrilee, MikesGirl

Shelli - Delee, Sharon N, chrob

Steve - KelseyNY, Carrie, K

Vanessa - Chacha, Heather Reyes, T-Town Chick

Another thing: The live feeds don't start until midnight tonight ET. My first live feeds report probably won't be up until early morning ET. 

Okay, let's get on with the party! As always, I'll be updating this entry with the major happenings -- refresh the page to get the latest news. But, where's the blog party? It's in the comments! I hope to see you there!

First we need to review what happened last night with Julie. Ohh ... we get to meet the second group of hamsters. How exciting. Heh.

After the intro, Julie tells them others are already in the house and the return of the Battle of the Block. Then she tells of the BB Takeover. They enter in two groups -- Liz, Becky and Steve first. They didn't even pick out their beds when Jason, John and Vanessa enter. At least Jason knew to go claim a sleeping spot. Jace already proved himself a fool by referring to Colorado as 'rado. Da'Vonne is sure John is lying about being a dentist.

James doesn't get the concept of BoB -- he thinks he'll share the HoH room with a hot chick HoH.

BBTakeover about to happen. Phil Keoghan shows up. Since BB gave TAR some players, he's giving BB a couple. As rumors were leaked, Jeff and Jackie from last season's TAR are coming into the house. They're the two extra places. The takeover loop plays and Phil tells the hamsters that the TAR folks are coming to play with them.

Time for the HOH comp for the second group. One has to sit out -- No one jumps at it, but Vanessa sat out and they agree not to nominate her. Their comp is different -- a farm scenario. It's still UFOh No. These seven are "in the film." UFOs will try to suck them up to the mothership. They have to hang onto a pole. Not fair that the first group gets to watch. The aliens are splashing them with green glue.

Steve is out first and he didn't want to be. Jeff is out. John is out next. Becky out. Liz is out. Jason is still at the bottom of his pole. He tells Jackie (almost gone) that she's safe.  Jason wins the second HOH!

Into commercial just after Julie tells us the BB Takeover isn't over and Phil will have another surprise.

The BoB will be televised on Sunday. Next Thursday is the first live eviction.

Takeover loop. Phil tells the hamsters -- Da'Vonne and Vanessa sat out the HoH comps, a risky move, sometimes risk comes with reward. And that's the only thing he told them. I'm thinking MAYBE they can't be nominated, but I could be totally wrong.

Big Brother 17: Season Premiere Blog Party

Well, here we are. Are you ready to rock? What? I can't hear you ... ARE YOU READY TO ROCK?!?!

First, just so they can be easily found right in this blog party post until we get used to who's whom in the house, here's the random blog pool match-ups from that Awesome ORKMommy:

Audrey - David, Chase, Orkmommy, Nicole K

Austin - Petals, Tammy, marthalight, Dr_Celine

Becky - Glenn, Jackie, Indiana Jane, Brian

Clay - FairieGoddess0714, QuixoticElf, DonnaNY, JonMD1267

Da'Vonne - jessica UNderwood, SueGee, Ed in Ohio

Jace - Becky in TX, CherylinNC, JOKATS

James - uncartie, Marlo, Jackie~juju

Jason - Witt, Sharon, WolfpackRed

John - Sasha, lynn1, clover

Liz - Skyriverblue, jo Chapman, monty924

Meg - Sharon S, Merrilee, MikesGirl

Shelli - Delee, Sharon N, chrob

Steve - KelseyNY, Carrie, K

Vanessa - Chacha, Heather Reyes, T-Town Chick

As the show airs here on the East Coast, I'll update this entry with the major happenings. Refresh the page to get the latest news! As always, the real party is in the comments area -- I hope to see you there! (Just a reminder -- the live feeds don't kick in until after tomorrow's West Coast show ends.)

Not sure I'm liking Julie's hair. A new twist, the BB Takeover will be introduced, but they need to intro the hamsters first. They only introduced eight of them. Da'Vonne, Shelli, Clay, Austin go in the house first. Then Audrey, Meg, Jace and James go in. Where are the rest? BTW - 98 days, the longest ever, is ahead of us. They're popping champagne corks, exploring, and getting to know each other.

Audrey announced that she's the first transgendered person on the show. They all cheer. The reaction with the crowd is happy and accepting.

Onto a commercial break. Julie teases us that a "fan favorite twist" will be coming up. We'll be the judge of that, I say.

Audrey is already working on getting the girls together. They seem to be pretty receptive. The Day One Gals Alliance has begun.

Sigh. Now Audrey is being asked about what she's gone through which includes some sad stuff, but her family is accepting her now. Da'Vonne tells us that Audrey is coming through like a female Ian.

Julie calls them to the living room.

Two twists, a fan favorite: Battle of the Block, not necessarily THIS fan's favorite. It will work just like last year -- 2 HoH, four noms, BoB, one HoH.

Onto the first HoH comp. One must sit out the comp and they must choose. Da'Vonne offers if they promise not to vote her out.

Commercial -- the teaser is that Julie will tell us of the BB Takeover Twist and a third twist only for our ears. Um. Okay. I just want to know where the other six (plus two?) are ...

The comp -- Red carpet, Hollywood movie, Kevin Frazier, BB film UFO Oh No, They have goggles on. Standing on platforms. Film has received horrible reviews. The comp is called Flying Tomatoes, the first to catch 10 and put them in their tube wins. Fall off, you're out. The platforms are moving up and down.

Meg, Clay and Austin out, fell. James is in the lead. Now, Audrey, Jace and James are tied at five. James back in the lead. Whoa! All four fell at once! Onto the replay to see who hit the ground last. Onto commercial for us.

James wins the first HoH!

Julie calls them again. She announces a new twist each and every week. The BB Takeover.  There's a music loop which says "Get Ready for a Takeover" and, when it plays, they have to report to the living room.

To commercial. This teaser is that Julie will introduce us to the next group of houseguests and tell us our "secret" twist that "will have everyone seeing double." I'm not sure I want to see double. That could give me a headache, methinks.

The Twin Twist. One hamster has an identical twin, both will switch in and out. Well, gee. We've seen that before. If they survive five evictions, both can play.

Now, the intro of the remaining six. Julie promises the first surprise guest and BB Takeover start.

Big Brother 17: The Blog Pool Match-Ups!

If you didn't make the cut-off to join in on the blog pool, feel free to just jump on the bandwagon for your favorite new BB17 captive critter!

Here's the random matchings that ORKMommy made along with a bit on how she did it:

Audrey - David, Chase, Orkmommy, Nicole K

Austin - Petals, Tammy, marthalight, Dr_Celine

Becky - Glenn, Jackie, Indiana Jane, Brian

Clay - FairieGoddess0714, QuixoticElf, DonnaNY, JonMD1267

Da'Vonne - jessica UNderwood, SueGee, Ed in Ohio

Jace - Becky in TX, CherylinNC, JOKATS

James - uncartie, Marlo, Jackie~juju

Jason - Witt, Sharon, WolfpackRed

John - Sasha, lynn1, clover

Liz - Skyriverblue, jo Chapman, monty924

Meg - Sharon S, Merrilee, MikesGirl

Shelli - Delee, Sharon N, chrob

Steve - KelseyNY, Carrie, K

Vanessa - Chacha, Heather Reyes, T-Town Chick

From ORKMommy: "All names were recorded in the order they entered the pool, then I put them through the Random.org list generator 3 times to randomize them.  I then went down the list and started assigning house guests, who are in alphabetical order.  1 in the random list went to Audrey, 2 in the list went to Austin, 3 went to Becky, and so on.  Once I got through Vanessa I started at the top and kept going until I ran out of names."

Remember ... the season premiere is 8pm ET tonight! The blog party will be AWN (as Monica Bailey BB2 would say)!

Big Brother 17: Get Yer Gossip on the Hamsters!

Before getting started here, I want to remind you if you wish to be in the blog pool, you need to sign up on this linked post. The cut-off is Tuesday at noon.

Okay, let's get to it!

The hamster whose Jeff interview wasn't showing, dentist John McGuire, actually did have the interview and, for some reason, it was only available if you went in through the live feeds link itself. So, I did. He's loud. I'm not sure how well he's going to get along with the others. He's another big fan of the show and not like Clay's discovering the show four months ago! But, more surprising, he does this:



Now, that I like! But, of course, he won't be allowed a guitar in the house.

Then come the mugshots ...

We know that BB17 thoroughly investigates the backgrounds of the hamsters, at least ever since BB2 Justin held the knife to Krista's neck. So, they know when incoming hamsters have arrests in their pasts. We've discovered that, even with no arrests in the past, some hamsters just go whacked in the house. 

First, let's talk Audrey Middleton. She's the new hamster with the big transgender news. My first impression of her was bad because she was chewing gum in the interview and seemed too confident. Now, had she been smoking pot prior to the interview, she might have been a bit more mellow.

Audrey - busted for pot

Then there's good ol' country hillbilly Asian dude, James. He had some contempt of court family court issues. Oy.

James' mugshot. Eek!

Lastly (as far as I know), we have Jace picked up on a disorderly conduct charge.

Chin up, Jace!

Back to good news ...

Remember I liked Austin much more than I thought I would? I like his dedication to the show even more since watching this long video from a few years back. He was the guest on this YouTube show discussing events in the BB15 house.




Your thoughts?

Off Topic: That Was the Week It Was - June 21, 2015

Good morning! It's Sunday, the first day of summer and Father's Day all wrapped in one! Happy Father's Day to all the dads out there! I'd say Happy Summer, but it's not my favorite season of the year -- I'm more into less extreme weather. Give me spring or autumn weather all year 'round and I'd be thrilled. Since it's also Sunday, it's time for my weekly off television topic reflection on the week gone by in both words and photographs I've taken along the way.

If you're looking for Big Brother television show content, check out this link right here for the latest. If you want to sign up to be in the blog pool for the show, you need to sign up only on this linked post. (Otherwise we might miss your request!) Later on today, I plan to post some hot gossip on some of the new house hamsters. Yikes. I said "hot gossip." I feel like a tabloid.

I really don't have much to report on from this past week. Here are some random bits and pieces:

• I managed to catch one of the illnesses going around my workplace this week -- yet another monster cold combined with allergies I've already been suffering. Wah. 
• The weather this past week has been hot, humid and rainy. I don't like that. Make it stop.
• The new guy next door, even when his adult children (maybe in their forties) came with a child about seven carrying a big ball ... hasn't moved my floorboards with thumping, nor can I hear much at all from over there. I still haven't met him. The couple was bearing groceries and I'd guess the child is a grandchild. Oh, and I should add, the boy was CARRYING the ball in the hallway, not bouncing it. 
• We're under a flood watch today. I'm staying in. But it can still stop, please.
• I'm shocked and saddened by the Charleston, SC, massacre this past week. Those folks took him in to pray with them. It speaks volumes about the goodness in their hearts and the hate in his. This world is so messed up. 

Anyway ... onto the photos. Clicking on an image will bring up a larger version.

Mug shot profile

Have you seen this bird? Heh. This is one of the adolescent pigeons born this spring at the Bridgewater Train Station. Similar to how one of the parent pigeons posed for me one day with curiosity about the camera, as did this one and its sibling this past week.

Peapod in da 'hood

I spotted the bright green Peapod grocery delivery truck down the street from me one day. Grocery delivery is really catching on. For the longest time I thought I was the only one around here getting Peapod. Nowadays, at least two other people in my building use the service in addition to this stop down the street and the times I've seen the truck pull in at apartments across the street.

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

Big Brother 17: The Blog Pool is OPEN!

Yep, the blog pool for BB17 is now open, thanks to that rockin' ORKMommy who will randomly match us up with house hamsters!

How it works:

• You need to sign up on THIS post and not in any other place on the blog! It's not that we're being cruel or picky ... it's just that if you sign up elsewhere, we might miss the request!
• The deadline for signing up is Tuesday (June 23) at NOON ET. Be there or be square. Or something like that.
• The pool match-ups will be posted prior to the season premiere on June 24.

What do you have to do?

• All you need to do is cheer on your blog pool pick (even if they could very well be someone you really don't enjoy).

What do you win?

• Because we're just such a large budget operation here, you win ... BRAGGING RIGHTS! Yes, you heard me. From now until the zombie apocalypse, you can brag about winning this pool. This will surely be a life-changing experience!

Please sign up in the comments section and let's have a fun season here on the blog!

Big Brother 17: House Tour, 16 Place Settings and Weekly Twists

Now things seem to be getting a bit complicated. Fourteen new hamsters have been introduced, yet there are 16 settings at the table. Check out the house tour video below ...

I actually kind of prefer this year's design over last year. But then there's the pesky count of seats at the kitchen table ...

And now we have a bit of an announcement regarding the expected, er ... expect the unexpected, twist(s) for the season. Hmm. From the announcement: "Each week a surprise guest will appear on the show to announce a new and different twist into the game." Um. Okay. It doesn't explain the extra two place settings.

What do you think it's all about?

Big Brother 17 New Hamsters: Part Three

This is my third and final(?) installment looking at the new cast we're going to live with all summer. Why the question mark? Well, there's only 14 houseguests listed on the CBS website yet 16 places at the table. I expect we'll have a few more coming in the house -- my guess would be previous hamsters. I just hope it's not Frankie. My other hope would be that it's two people over 40 years old or of color. This cast is very young (33 is the oldest) and quite milquetoast bland.

My previous two posts on the cast are Part One and Part Two. ALL of my Big Brother posts can be found at this link right here. Check 'em out!

Jace Agolli

My first impressions from the Jeff Schroeder interview: Skater Boi. Personal trainer. Thinks he's super-personable. Claims to be a big fan of the show. It's all about the gameplay more than the money. Fast talker for a guy originally from the south and now living in California. Adrenalin junkie. Very confident, but not all that off-putting. He could very well have game.

Jace is 23, I assume single, originally from Dunwoody, Georgia, now residing in Venice Beach, California. His bio doesn't offer up much more than I saw in the video. I guess we'll just have to wait and see. He might be a smaller version of Frank without Boogie.

*************************************

Da'vonne Rogers

My first impressions from the Jeff Schroeder interview: Finally, a woman of color -- the only one in this bland cast! Her name is pronounced DAY-vonne. Ha! A professional poker dealer who's not going to reveal her job! Maybe she'll recognize what's-her-name, the pro-poker player! Another "huge fan" of the show from the start. Although she's older than some, I'm still having problems thinking children are sitting around watching the show. She would have been 12 during season one. She does seem to know the show, though. She wants to win it to give her daughter a better life than she has had. I worry a bit because she's outspoken and that can make for enemies in the house. She definitely has the right attitude going in.

Da'Vonne is a 27 year old single mom originally from Inglewood, California, now residing in Los Angeles, California. Well, this is interesting -- she watched the show all the time with her grandmother, the one who convinced her to apply. She loved and hated Rachel -- loved her in comps, hated the emo agenda. (I can understand that although, for me, the emo bit was over the top and diminished the super comp competitor side.) She's the rebel from a family deep into religion. She should be interesting to watch!

*********************************

Shelli Poole

My first impressions from the Jeff Schroeder interview: Oh, geez ... another perky blonde gal. She plans on laying low in the beginning and observe. Her strategy is to continuously adapt as you never know what's coming. Even she thinks she's "older" at 33 and has an edge in playing the game.

Shelli is 33 (the OLDEST member of the cast, sigh), single, an interior designer originally from Marietta, Georgia and now living in Atlanta. She has an etsy.com site for selling her custom designed jewelry. She got married when she was 28 and divorced a year later. I don't know. She's very perky and blonde. I'm not sure I can take all this perkiness.

**********************************

John McGuire

This guy is still the hold-out on the Jeff Schroeder interviews at cbs.com. That's why the funky photo of him. I had to take it from his online show bio.

John is a 27 year old dentist originally from Scranton, Pennsylvania who now lives in Jefferson Township, Pennsylvania. He doesn't like the "nerdy know-it-alls" on past seasons (like Ian, Derrick, Nicole) because they let their knowledge of the game turn into hero worship. He says he's loud, obnoxious and energetic.

Hmm ... maybe he said something evil to Jeff? I don't know why no interview. I'm probably not going to like him, but I'll hold my judgment ... for now.

Big Brother 17 New Hamsters: Part Two

You can find my first post on five new houseguests at this link here. Here goes the second group of five --

Meg Maley

My first impressions from the Jeff Schroeder interview: Another "people person." Oy. Another "big fan" of the show. "Goofy girl" -- okay, the second one of them! Similar to Steve, she wants to play innocent until she backstabs. This one just might be the voice which makes me cringe on the live feeds.

Meg is 25, seems to be single, originally hails from the rather mellow South Jersey town of Collingswood (known for its farm markets and such), currently resides in NYC where she works as a server. How typical is that casting? At least she's not a mixologist. I don't know. Perky tends to turn me off a bit. I'll have to see with her. Uh-oh. In her bio, she says Frankie Grande was her favorite. Can she be first out, please?

**********************************

James Huling

My first impressions from the Jeff Schroeder interview: Oh, my. I didn't expect such a strong Southern accent from him! Another "people person." He has a daughter and an adopted son. Aw. Downright country boy? He thinks he's in for a great experience. He wants to play the game with integrity. We all know how well that works. But he really would like to win the money for his family. He mentioned that he's the first "hillbilly Asian" ever in the house.

James is one of the "old" guys on the show -- he's 31! He's a retail associate originally from Sumter, South Carolina and currently living in Wichita Falls, Texas. He lived in a boys home after his mother died and his father couldn't care for him. He was adopted by a Caucasian family whom he thinks the world of. He served six years in the military. He seems like a really good guy. That integrity bit might just trip him up, though.

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Liz Nolan

My first impressions from the Jeff Schroeder interview: Is there a reason she came all exposed to the interview? That dress is cut almost down to the navel with no bra. I think I'll have to refer to her as "Sex Kitten" for the summer. That's apparently the image she wants to have. She talked of her heels, bikinis and rocking her body. Ew. She's single and wants a flirtmance. I'm sorry. Call me a prude. But I can't get behind someone who introduces herself to the world with her boobs hanging out. She claims to have been into the live feeds. That doesn't make me like her. Although sitting, she seems to dwarf Jeff.

Liz is 23, a marketing coordinator from Miami. One of her worries about being in the house is that she has to remember not to walk around naked. @@ Yes, I'm rolling my eyes. I don't want or need to see that. I think she forgot to wear clothes for the interview! She likes Jeff and Jordan ... and Frankie. She's a mainstay on the Miami nightclub circuit. Why am I not surprised? NEXT.

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Jason Roy

 

My first impressions from the Jeff Schroeder interview: Superfan, live feeds fan. He talks about missing his girls but my gaydar is going off. I could be wrong. It doesn't really matter. He says he will probably losing his job stocking groceries. Ah, okay ... now he's talking about being the "gay glue" and working with a girls alliance on the show. I wasn't wrong. He's also a fan of all the English speaking international BB shows. I can see where this guy might be fun to hang out with, but could be annoying living with him day in and day out.

Jason is 25, lives at home with his parents in Fall River, Massachusetts. He seems to have a lot of girls for a supermarket overnight stocker. His fandom level seems just a bit shy of writing blogs and monitoring AOL message boards since season one. (Now, who's THAT crazy?)

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Clay Honeycutt

My first impressions from the Jeff Schroeder interview: Well, hello, good-looking young man! Here's my eye candy for the season! One point against him -- in the first minute of the interview, he used the phrase "at the end of the day." I'm so tired of that bunch o' words! He just discovered the show four months ago. Hmm. Sigh. He's a repeat user of "at the end of the day." Like we needed another one of those! He says he's a Momma's boy and also loves his Dad and siblings. If he wins, his first use of the money will be paying for grad school. He seems like a nice guy, but being nice and not really knowing how nasty things can get, he just might be out of his element. Third "at the end of the day." He needs to stop that.

Clay is 23, from Dickinson, Texas. He currently resides in College Station, Texas and is a graduate student at Texas A&M. He's single. What I find the coolest (besides the eye candy factor) is that his mother keeps exotic animals and is a wildlife rehabilitator.

That's all for now! I'll be posting Part Three tomorrow morning. Right now one Jeff interview isn't up on the site. Hopefully it will be remedied by morning.

Big Brother 17 New Hamsters - Part One

Okay, the cast has been revealed and the Jeff Schroeder interviews are up for CBS All Access subscribers! This is the first installment of five hamsters for the blog here. Unfortunately, I had to work all day at my real job and now I'm playing catch up.

Before getting into the individual houseguests, I need to say --

• Where is the diversity? 
• All young.
• Mostly white.
• At least one lesbian and one transgender so far, so LBGT gets some representation.
• Is there a law against having anyone over 40? 
• Gah. Very typical Allison Grodner/Robyn Kass kind of casting.
• Sigh.

Audrey Middleton

My first impressions from the Jeff interview on CBS.com -- Wiggly, chewed gum, not anyone I'd really want to hang out with, extremely confident ... maybe too confident; should tone it down a bit in the house. I did like that she compared her expected gameplay to Dexter Morgan without being a sociopath.

She's 25 years old, single, from Villa Rica, Georgia. While her job sounds fancy, it's basically responding to FB posts for a company. She says she's a super fan of the show and never missed an episode. So, I assume she started watching at age 10? Has she followed the live feeds, the websites? She didn't say. TMZ is reporting Audrey as the first transgender houseguest.

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Austin Matelson as Judas

First impressions from Jeff interview: I think I like the dude. I didn't think I would. His pro-wrestling name is "Judas." He said that Austin is good guy, but when the top hat goes on, out comes Judas. Under all that hair, he kind of reminds me of Christopher Meloni (Stabler from Law and Order: SVU) in looks. Rather surprising guy. Beside the Austin/Judas bit, if he wins he plans to give some money to an anti-bullying charity. He was bullied himself as a child and in wrestling circles.

Austin is 30 years old, a professional wrestler from Woodland Hills, California. He didn't mention single or married. In his bio, it's mentioned that his parents let him stop attending school in eighth grade. He now has a masters in medieval history. Huh. He says he's been a fan since the first season. I think he's going to be interesting to watch gameplay-wise and for entertainment value.

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Becky Burgess

First impressions from Jeff interview: She says she's optimistic, positive and thinks because her job is a retail manager, she'll have an edge -- she's used to dealing with high school kids (heehee). She thinks she's loud, sill and a bit goofy. I think I like that better than Audrey's (above) qualities. She smiles a bit too much and goes for perky. A long time fan of the show, she says that she knows she'll have to lie at some time in the game. I think that she might just be a bit too "nice" for this show. We'll see.

Becky is 26, single and hails from Denver, Colorado. She's on the athletic side and thinks she's a people person. She thinks she get along well with both the men and the women in the house. Hmm ...

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Vanessa Rousso

First impressions from Jeff interview: She's hoping to use skills learned in her poker career such as reading people and strategy. She also studied game theory and hopes that might help her, too. She says she's a big fan of the show. She's very worried that someone will recognize her as a professional poker player and wants to stress her DJ work. (I wouldn't recognize ANY pro poker players, nor would I care. One was on Survivor a few seasons back and he certainly didn't win!)

Vanessa is 32, from Las Vegas and has a longtime girlfriend. She likes Dan Gheesling as a player in the house. Uh-oh. She's scared of flying insects and being publicly humiliated. Does she know what she's getting into?

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Steve Moses

First impressions from Jeff interview: Gee, looks like they're trying for Ian II, doesn't it? Aha, a real superfan into the live feeds and all! We gotta like him! He seems like he might have a decent likable, excitable boy strategy, yet he thinks he can be ruthless as well. While he's reminiscent of Ian, I doubt he'll isolate himself as much as Ian did.

Steve is a 22 year old college student from Gouverneur, New York. His favorite player on the show is Danielle Reyes, always a good choice. She would have won her season had they not shown the hamsters the diary room sessions. That stopped that practice! I'm not sure how his innocent yet gregarious strategy is going to work and it's probably not a good thing that he looks a bit like Ian (as far as the other hamsters go, not the show fans). I'd like to see him do well.

Off Topic: That Was the Week It Was - June 14, 2015

Good morning! Since it's indeed a Sunday morning, it's time for my weekly off television topic reflection on the week gone by in both words and photographs I've taken along the way. If you're interested in Big Brother 17 television show news, I have posts at this link and will be posting on the new cast reveal this coming Tuesday evening.

I really don't have much for you this week. It was either raining or hot and humid all week. That's so not my favorite kind of weather. I prefer highs in the low 70s! Here are some random thoughts on the week and stuff:

• Two different bugs seem to be going around at work -- a stomach bug and a coughing bug. I don't want either one. People need to stop breathing on me.
• For the most part, I can't even tell I have a neighbor where the noisy screaming thumping family lived. Good. Hopefully he feels the same about me.
• I filled out the latest NJ Transit customer service survey. I complained about all the riff-raff hanging out, drinking and such at the Plainfield Train Station as well as the horrid condition of the tunnel and elevators. I'm sure they'll listen to me. Right?
• I don't like to sweat. Wah.
• I think I need a nap.

Onto the photos for the week -- clicking on an image will bring it up larger in a gallery of all the photos on the post.

Berries

I didn't realize my camera was in a bizarre mode when I shot these berries at the Plainfield Train Station. But I kind of like how it turned out.

A posing pigeon

This is an adolescent pigeon who was a roly-poly fluff ball just a few weeks ago at the Bridgewater Train Station.

Canned goods

These were atop the mail boxes in my apartment building one day, apparently for anyone wanted to take them. The only brand name I've seen before is the Del Monte. I have my own canned goods and would be more likely to do this than to take them. But, I'm sure someone can use them, off brands or not.

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

Big Brother 17 -- Timeline for stuff!

Yesterday, there was a Derrick VIP live chat on the live feeds. On Monday, Frankie will have his own VIP live chat. Both of these chats had/have to do with questions directed at themselves or advice for those who want to be BB houseguests. No information on the new cast will be revealed. The Big Brother Access site has posted a transcript of Derrick's chat here at this link.

But ... then ... on Tuesday (June 16), the big live feeds cast reveal goes down! I'll be posting that evening on the live feeds interviews. Websites who get to do cast interviews probably won't be able to post until the next day. Remember, the live feeds this year are via CBS All Access and, while the cost is a negligible $5.99 a month, the first week is free! (Plus you can watch tons of other things, including full seasons of BB and Survivor from the start!)

The season premiere of BB17 is a two night event -- June 24 and 25, starting at 8pm ET/PT both nights. Starting Sunday, June 27, the regular schedule will be Sunday and Wednesday nights at 8pm ET/PT with the live eviction shows airing at 9pm ET/PT on Thursdays.

Once again, I plan on posting daily live feeds updates at least twice daily -- morning and evening, most likely three times daily with a late night post as well. Of course, I'm here East Coast time, so my late night isn't necessarily the late night of the hamsters! I do a work a full time real job, so I can't be posting all happenings live as they happen.

The season finale date is already set for 90 minutes on Wednesday, September 23. How much do you want to bet that it will follow the Survivor season debut?

Get your Habitrails ready for some hamster-watching!

Off Topic: That Was the Week It Was - June 7, 2015

Good Sunday morning, folks! Since it is Sunday morning, it's time for my weekly off television topic review of the week gone by in both words and photographs I've taken along the way. For television fans -- I don't expect any concrete news about the upcoming Big Brother season until after this upcoming week. I have written some about the show which you can find at this link.

We had a lot of rain this past week. True, we needed it. But I'd personally prefer it to rain when I'm sleeping. Sleeping or even just lazing about goes so much better with the rain than trying to commute to work in it. Yesterday, after a rainy start, the weather turned perfect. That's in my own opinion, of course. Partly cloudy, highs somewhere in the mid-seventies with a slight breeze. I could do that year 'round.

On the home front, all is well. Vincent is fine. My new neighbor, a retired gentleman who already lived in one of the landlord's buildings, remains extremely quiet. He moved here because he has problems with his knees and will be getting a knee replacement. We have an elevator; his building didn't and he lived on the third floor there. I've heard kitchen sounds such as putting away dishes in the cabinets. One evening I heard the sound of a faint television. I can sometimes slightly hear movement or walking, but my floorboards aren't moving and nothing is even irking. If I have my television or music on (which I don't play loud), I hear absolutely nothing from that apartment. Blissful!

Meanwhile, down on the first floor, the screaming child can be heard all the way to the front of the building. That means prospective and existing tenants, along with the super, can hear him upon entering or leaving the building. I can't think they're going to be long for the place. I doubt their lease will be renewed. And, rental leases in New Jersey automatically renew unless there are critical problems with rent payments or violations of said lease. But, for the health of the apartment building, I can't see them staying. I feel sorry for the kid. I think he screams for attention and he gets none.

On the work front ... hmm ... forget it. I don't want to talk about the work front. I'm not a happy camper these days. I seriously have to figure out how to swing things financially so I can retire in a few years. It's a toxic place and I fear I'm getting too old for such stress in my life. I'm still having headaches from my injury last fall and I feel the tension is making things worse.

That's about all I have for you this week. Onto the photos -- if you click on an image, it will show larger in a gallery type display. I hope everyone has a nice Sunday!

A rose by any other name ...

... would smell just as sweet. These were growing in front of a home on East Second Street in Plainfield.

Pretty in pink

They've redone the planters near my workplace.

An elegant dove

A dove on a wire in the waning sunlight near the Bridgewater Train Station.

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

20 Things We Can Expect on Big Brother 17

1. There will be the requisite black male and/or black female. However, never more than two folks of color.
2. Someone will try to set up an alliance on the first night.
3. The old person will be slightly over 40. Hey, maybe a real old one at 45. We can dream.
4. There will be at least one woman with a shrill loud voice that will disturb the neighbors in my apartment building as I watch the live feeds late at night.
5. There will be a gay guy. But never two gay guys. If there were, they'd probably not like each other.
6. We'll have a new array of tattoos to see ... some will have to be covered with Band-Aids.
7. A bunch of the hamsters, convinced that the show is Big Brother: The Musical, spontaneously burst into song periodically during the season. Thus, the live feeds will go into fish (or, old-style FOTH) every time they sing.

8. There will be several model wannabes, both male and female. They will hang around in bathing suits and live for comps akin to wet t-shirt contests.
9. At least three hamsters will think that stardom comes after the wrap party at the end of the season. They would be wrong.
10. There will be "twists" we don't like or want.
11. Fish will die. Yes, the fish in the HoH fish tank die all season. No, they don't show that on television.
12. Ants will invade the kitchen. They always do.
13. BB will dole out a paltry amount of alcohol and the hamsters will act like it's a keg party at a frat house.
14. The hamsters will rush around cleaning up the house on live show days not caring that they're SLOBS daily on the Internet.
15. More than one person will have to dress up in a silly costume as a punishment.

16. Most of the competitions will require the hamsters to make fools of themselves.
17. The women will think of forming a women's alliance, but it won't work out.
18. Both men and women will pop pimples in the mirror. Ew.

19. BB will give them dollar store toys and arts and crafts when the doldrums get too dull.
20. There will be at least one person who cries a lot. It would be nice if she were named Amber so we could call her WAH-mber as we've done in the past.