Before getting into the show -- a winner has been drawn for the book giveaway. I'm waiting on email confirmation to make the announcement. Thanks to all who entered!
And then there's tonight's episode. Yikes. No, Omarosa wasn't as bad as graphic artist Zoetawny's depiction here tonight. Perhaps she had an off day, but she was human.
I don't know what to say. Gene Simmons went aboard the womens' team to act as project manager at Trump's bidding. Now, I think that so far this season, Gene's been the shining star.
Well, tonight the skies went dark with storm clouds and snuffed out the stars, shining and otherwise.
I understood the task -- Kodak wasn't wanting so much to promote themselves as a company. What they wanted to promote was their new printer and the fact that the ink for it is half what it is for other printers. I know exactly where Kodak is coming from. I've been disgusted that new printers sometimes cost very little while the ink cartridges are sky high.
Gene made a few errors. By not going to the meeting with the executives, he didn't realize how much they wanted to push the ink savings, not the company itself. So, he didn't go to the meeting, he had the concept of the promotion wrong, and then he topped it off by standing by his "creative vision" and bringing the wrong people (Omarosa and Jenny) to the boardroom when Trump was giving him Nely on a silver platter for the firing.
Oh, Gene, how could you do it?
Yes, I did think the "It's a Kodak World" slogan is perfect ... if they wanted to promote the company. Yes, the presentation looked so much better than the guys ... but he didn't think ink! ACK. (Of course, had I been the PM, I'd obviously go with a "When you think Kodak, THINK INK" slogan, but I ain't no celebrity.)
Oh, Gene. Oh, Gene. Trump did make the only choice he could as much as he annoys me. And, while it was fun watching Gene Simmons put Trump on the spot, losing Gene on the show just outright stinks.
But he did it to himself.
Sigh. Silly KISSer.
Another night of auditions, this time it's Dallas -- where they found Kelly Clarkson. As the show airs here, I'll post on some of the stuff (or auditions) I find interesting and you're invited to post your thoughts in the comments!
Jessica Brown is up first. She's not rocking my socks, but she can indeed sing. She got her golden ticket.
Paul Stafford is ready to audition. Um. He better
stick to cleaning off the bases at the park. For me he's coming across as a smarter Tom Cullen (THE STAND). M-O-O-N spells "no."
Beth Maddox is going to sing a Kelly Clarkson song. Well, yeah. She could be compared to Kelly Clarkson if Kelly got hooked on helium. No go to Hollywood for her. How do some of these folks sing in public and think they actually can sing?
An hour of bad auditions ahead for the judges. And they're much worse than Beth.
Alaina Whitaker, a Carrie Underwood comparable, can sing. Nothing I'd buy, but she's got potential for Hollywood methinks. And she makes it. Not that I'm in complete agreement with Princess Leia from last night, but I wonder how many perky blondes can fit on one Hollywood stage?
A sweet young man who has a rather lofty view of love and has never kissed a girl, Bruce Dickson, sings "Ain't No Sunshine." Hmmm ... interesting. Nice looking guy. He doesn't make it
Pia (ZPIA) is up. She has a black blonde Annie Lennox thing going on. It's onto Hollywood for her.
Brandon Green, who collects fingernail peelings, is up. His hobby creeps me out. He also dresses a bit odd. Thankfully, though he's not horrible, I don't think he's all that thrilling. Paula likes him, as does Randy. Simon said no, but he's going to Hollywood. I hope he doesn't bring out his collection too often.
Kayla Hatfield, mother of two, has a tragic car accident sob story which did a job on the left side of her face. She's perky. Oh, my. She does Janis Joplin, not too horribly either. It all seems a bit incongruous, though. Simon says yes, Paula says no. Simon is rooting for her. Randy likes her and sends her through.
Erick Mauldin is odd. We're in for a run of bad audition snippets.
Kady Malloy does impersonations of singers. Her Britney is spot on. Ohhh ... she's good. She's another cute blonde, but I won't hold that against her. Onto Hollywood she goes. Simon thinks she's the best so far this year.
Eleven made it through to Hollywood on the first day and it's onto the second ... after the commercial break, that is.
Douglas Davidson is worried about his vocal chords. He's slightly strange. He goes for "Livin' On a Prayer." He's no john Bon Jovi. Yikes. He also has odd arm movements. Not sure what's going on with him, but he's so not good. Security escorts him out.
Angela (Reilly?) is accompanied by her husband Chad. She has lots of energy and a loving husband who's easy on the eyes. But she doesn't have a ticket to Hollywood.
A Governor of Oklahoma wannabe, Kyle Ensley, is up. Not the worst, but I'm shocked that Simon passes him onto Hollywood. Randy says no. It's up to Paula. Onto Hollywood!
Tammy Tuzinski, who reminds me of a female comedian Steven Wright when she talks, sings in an odd sing-song kind of voice. Just an odd duck, I guess.
Colton Swon can sing. Not necessarily my favorite, but he should make it. He does.
Yikes. Trannies, grannies and guys in bad drag.
Now a farmer with a sexy tractor. Drew Poppelreiter is a throwback to another time and place. But he's better looking than the young cowboy we saw last year or the year before. He can sing, definitely country. Simon says no. Randy says yes. Paula has no wow factor from him, but says yes.
Kyle Reinnick thinks he all that with is guyliner, even. Startling. Simon said it
was slightly disturbing and demonic. No, he won't go to Hollywood.
Another run of bad audition snippets. They aren't spending as much time expanding on the naughty bits in much detail this season. Just snippets.
Nina Shaw is from the same town as Kelly Clarkson. She sings a Whitney song and Simon thinks she oversings. Paula thinks she's pageanty. Randy likes her jazz style. Simon said no, Paula yes. She's through. She looks pageanty coming out of the door with her ticket, I think.
I'm not sure what to make of the last audition. Dressed like a pimp of some sort, Reynaldo Lupez (sp?) is 44. Why bother? Niow, that wasn't worth any sort of build-up. I'd rather see the wicked witch from the bad snippets expanded upon.
Okay. It made me laugh when Paula, Randy, and Ryan joined him. Paula was a hoot!
24 made it through to Hollywood. Next week heads to San Diego.
Yeah, it's a gritty photo I took along the NJ Transit train line I frequent. I enjoy grit at times. I actually loved it back when the NYC subway trains were graffiti covered. These days, the subway car exteriors are graffiti-less and the scratched into the plexiglass windows "art" just isn't the same for me. On the other hand, the city and subway system are much safer than they were back in the old days. Oh, I miss the tokens, too. I think I still have a few around somewhere. MetroCards just aren't as memory worthy for the saving. Clicking on the photo above will enlarge it.
On another front, our huge snowstorm forecast for Monday morning never came. You would think with all the technology today, the weather forecasters wouldn't be so entirely off base. It rained a very little bit and that was it. Last night we had some flurries. We're supposed to have another cold blast starting Sunday and they're probably right about that. With my knee the way it is, I'd just as soon not deal with any snow and ice. The ski areas seem to be getting snow, that's fine by me. It can stay away here this season.
At my workplace, everyone seems to be sick with either a horrible cold or the norovirus (stomach flu). I have neither (knock on wood). I'm in my usual winter state of sneezing and congestion. I don't think it's an illness as I go through it for the entire winter every winter. I think it's due to dry heat. One of these days I'll buy a humidifier.
Enough about me. To start off today's TV Newsy Bits, I want to mention some commercials I've been seeing lately --
- I'm not sure if ShopRite is a national chain supermarket or not. But, if you're familiar with them -- it's the time of year for their can-can sale. They sell lots of brand-brands in everything can-cans. Every year when the sale is on, I get the song stuck in my head. It's almost enough to make me want to dance. I found a clip on YouTube if you're not familiar with the commercials. That's an old ad -- the song remains the same, but the prices surely have changed. After it's stuck in your head too, you might want to put a hex on me or something.
- What is going through the minds of the Dominoes Pizza folks with their latest ad campaign? You cannot tell me they don't know the Internet meaning behind the acronym they're using on the commercials. They're advertising the BFD. On the Internet for years and years, that's short for Big [f-bleeping] Deal. They're calling it Big Fantastic Deal. But I know otherwise and so does anyone who has visited message boards anywhere.
- Did you see Sarah Reinertsen from Amazing Race 10 on the Lincoln car commercial? When I first noticed the commercial, I recognized her artificial leg before I realized it was her. I said to myself, "I know that prosthesis!" Hopefully she left that dolt Peter and it would be great if she did do well in a marathon. I have nothing but respect for her but he was horrible.
In other TV Newsy Bits --
- I watched two hours of Greatest TV Reality Moments on VH1 the other day. I do miss the days when both MTV and VH1 focused on music videos almost entirely, but I think I'm getting hooked on some of the shows of this ilk on VH1 now. Included in this show was Charla in her armor falling over on Amazing Race, but not Evel Dick dumping iced tea on Jen's head. If it repeats when you're not watching anything else, go for it.
- I haven't watched Leno since his return without writers, but I have caught some of Conan O'Brien sans writers. Actually, I think I like Conan's show better without the writers. It forces him to be creative and he's good at sight gags, self-deprecation, and general silliness. I'm still not thrilled with the local weatherman who reminds me of Conan, but I've giggled and chuckled at the bits I've seen of the show since its return. Good work, Conan!
- Although the commercials for the upcoming Big Brother 9 hint at "dirty little secrets," there isn't all that much concrete news out there yet -- mainly speculation. I found this article interesting, but I fear they don't have any more actual insight than many of the show's huge fans.
Today's musical non-sequitur:
Rich relations give you a
Crust of bread and such
You can help yourself
But don't take too much
-- "God Bless the Child" as sung by Billie Holiday
It's here! As the show airs here on the East Coast, I'll be commenting on some of the auditions and other tomfoolery. After the fact, I'll probably add some images to this post.
So, sit on down in your comfy chair and make yourself comfortable -- and feel free to comment, too!
It's opening to "Time Has Come Today" by The Chambers Brothers. We're off to Philadelphia, a city I personally enjoy.
Joey Catalano, first up, has lost 204 pounds. He has a boy band voice if you ask me. He made it to Hollywood, but Simon seems a bit hesitant about his looks.
Okay, Ryan is talking with an Egyptian guy who loves America and uses the BeeGees as a sample of American bands he loves. Um. Well, he seems nice enough, but can he sing? "Uka" they call him. "How Deep is Your Love" isn't quite cutting it.
A Taylor Hicks back-up singer, Melanie Nyema. Hmmm ... not my cuppa for sure. But she made it to Hollywood? I predict she'll not make it to the final group.
Tour guide James Lewis first totally bad singer of the night -- I'm not quite sure what he's doing, but it's not singing. Maybe he's impersonating a foghorn? Calling ships at night?
A quick run of good and bad. They have some talent, but I'm not loving anyone yet.
Ryan's talking to a female football player named Sybil but called Temptress. She has a sob story. Uh-oh. She isn't making it -- not a laughable try, but not really ready for this show, for sure. She was such a sweet kid that Simon was even nice. Hell must be frozen over, eh?
Mark Hayes from Folsom, NJ may be able to make neat cricket noises, but he sings with absolutely no emotion. So, he goes for the crickets.
Another bad singer who thinks he's good. I never get this. I know I can't sing. He should know he can't.
Ah, what would AI be without a run of comical bad audition snippets? Done to "I
Love Rock and Roll."
Alexis Cohen, her mom, and two cats live in a studio apartment in Allentown, PA. It's a Billy Joel song, not Bon Jovi, Alexis. She likes attention and sparkly things. She will be odd. Simon thinks she's possessed. "Simon didn't like me, but he's a big fat bad word." Oh, then she got nastier.
Angela Martin from Chicago, with an ill daughter is being bio'd now. I think she might be able to sing. We'll see. A truly tragic illness for the daughter -- Angela wants to use the money to provide health care and research. She works as a singer, so ... oh, she IS good.
Alyse W. oh my. She's frightening me. This run of bad auditions is making me cringe. Some older guy wants to sing a song called "No Sex Allowed" for the judges. Milo Turk, a social worker. Um. I think the pressure of his job may have cracked him.
Kristy Lee Cook came all the way from Oregon. She does cage fighting and loves horses. She's pretty. She sold a horse to get to the audition. She sings "Amazing Grace" just fine.
A man in a cloak is just what we need. He should leave the cloak on. They're going to let him wax his chest hair and come back. Ew.
More bad audition runs. I'm going to have nightmares tonight.
Yikes -- a guy is singing a stalker song he wrote for Paula. He's creepy. I recommend a restraining order.
Nice segue to a girl named Beth Stalker, though. Ah, nice jazzy voice. Simon voted no, Randy and Paula yes. I liked her voice. So there, Simon.
Cloak man Ben Haar is back hairless. Worse. His act is as bad as his look.
Chris Watson, with good looks and dreads, sings well and makes it through to Hollywood.
The reject doorway shots are always so uplifting, aren't they?
Christina, a Princess Leia wannabee who wants to leave Enfield, CT, promises a huge flop. It's American Idol or become a corrections officer for her. I say she
would shine in prison. I'd give her 10 to 15 years to start.
Last audition of the night is Brooke White, a nanny. She could definitely be successful with a singing career. It's an interesting voice. Onto Hollywood.
29 made it through to Hollywood in the two days at Philly. Princess Leia is still fussing about the looks of the contestants. Tomorrow night is Dallas.
Are you ready for the madness that is American Idol? Yep, it's that time of the year once again. The auditions run from 8 PM to 10 PM ET/PT on FOX tonight. I'll be posting about it all without a doubt later tonight. Please feel free to join me in comments as I live blog the season premiere! I'll get that post up and running about 8 PM ET.
There's a new Law and Order: SVU that I'll be watching after Idol ends.
And, then there's the season premiere of 10 Items or Less on TBS at 11 PM ET/PT. I've watched the first two episodes via a screener copy sent to me by TBS along with a nifty big tote bag. Cool.
If you haven't seen the show before, it's a comedy set in a supermarket (Greens and Grains). The episodes are based on a loose script and utilize improvisation to round everything out. There's a rival supermarket, rival supermarket workers, a clueless boss, and more quirky characters.
Can an armed robbery be seriously funny? Well, yeah, under certain circumstances.
John Lehr (pictured on left -- the one without the stocking mask), who plays clueless boss Leslie Pool, has a lot of comedic and improvisational work in his background. But what I find very interesting is that he's one of the GEICO cavemen in the insurance commercials. He's the caveman at the therapist's office. "He doesn't say anything because he's a doll." You know, that caveman.
If you're looking for something a tad less serious than the 11 PM news, check 10 Items or Less out -- it makes me smile.
Oh, no. I don't know if I can handle this. The show is starting on time here in the NYC viewing area. Yikes.
As it airs, I'll post updates in real East Coast time including the elimination -- and we know we can expect one tonight. Late tonight my full episode review can be found over on TV Squad. But, for now ... commentary is always welcome here!
In Taipei Ron and Christina have a slight lead. TK/Rachel, Donald/Nicolas, and Jennifer/Nathan are bunched together at the airport, so TK and Rachel have overcome the 3 hour gap. They haven't done any tasks yet, so no Speed Bump yet.
Speed Bump completed. Ron and Christina still ahead. Donald/Nicolas and Jennifer/Nathan awaiting 8 PM train, TK and Rachel on their way to the train station.
At this time, on the way to the Detour, Jennifer and Nathan are last and bickering. Ronald and Christina are on their way to the Pit Stop and likely will be first. The other team standings are all fairly close.
Ronald and Christina came in first, won a trip.
2. TK and Rachel (yay!)
3. Donald and Nicolas!!!
My thanks go out to all of the readers who declared Nathan and Jennifer the fan favorite team last week. Due to our hard work and telepathy, they were Philiminated and won't be in the finale.
A young skateboarder rides the bench at the Bridgewater, NJ Train Station. He was going to stop when I arrived, but I told him he could keep skating as long as I could take some photos. His friend's camera equipment made my little digital camera look like a play toy. In this shot, I used layers to make the background black and white while keeping the skateboarder and bench color. I showed him the shots I took. "Rad," he said. Skateboarders are like that, yes they are.
You notice it's January and there is no snow. We've had a heat wave this past week with temperatures ranging up to nearly 70 F on a couple of days. We even had thunderstorms, rare for January, yesterday. It's more common to have thundersnow this time of year -- snowstorms with lightning and thunder. That's all supposed to change tomorrow night as the area is expecting 4-7 inches of snow for the Monday commute.
I saw Roofus the cat briefly today as he leaped from one roof to another, then out of sight. Alas, he moved too quickly for me to capture him with the camera.
In TV Newsy Bits:
- I watched three episodes of Orangutan Island (Animal Planet) last night which mark my introduction to the series. My verdict? I approve. I enjoy Meerkat Manor and this is sort of similar yet not as life and death (although I hear one orangutan named Oyoy died in a previous episode). What's next? Taco Bell Rats?
- In a message posted a few days after Christmas on her MySpace page, casting director of Big Brother 9 Robyn Kass announced that all the finalists were selected for the show. I know I'm reporting on it a bit late. So, if you applied and haven't heard anything ... you didn't make it. I didn't hear anything, but then again ... no way would I ever apply!
- Meanwhile, Sophia Loren thinks we're wasting our time watching Big Brother. Do we honestly care what Sophia Loren thinks of us? Poppycock!
- TV Funspot has an article on the upcoming Survivor Micronesia which includes a map of both tribe camps, the tribal council area, and the Exile Island. Yes, it appears that aspect will return this season.
Today's musical non-sequitur:
Hey now you're an All Star get your game on, go play
Hey now you're a Rock Star get the show on, get paid
And all that glitters is gold
Only shooting stars break the mold
-- "All Star" by Smash Mouth
Oh. And how did the kid get on the bench ...?
Its finest days long gone, this was apparently once a fine furniture store in Plainfield, NJ. Now its only letters left in the cool old sign on the front of the building are F-U-------RE. The sign atop the building is even worse off. It hasn't been a furniture store since I've been in the area (almost fifteen years). For several years a gay/lesbian multimedia company occupied the building and always had cool cardboard cut-out figures of Star Wars characters, Alfred E. Neuman (MAD's "What me worry?" mascot), Edvard Munch's "The Scream" figure, and more. They're gone now as is one of the two large stone lions at the entrance. Now, those lions have to weigh 400 pounds or so. How does one go missing? Are lives in danger with a stone lion roaming the streets? You can click on the photo for a larger image.
In other quasi-local news ... what was going through the minds of those two elderly men who wheeled their dead friend in an office chair to a check cashing store to cash a Social Security check which arrived after he died? I think a few too many brain cells are gone from the guys, don't you?
In Bloggy Bits -- the response for the signed book giveaway is great! Remember, the deadline is Wednesday, January 16 at midnight ET.
In TV Newsy Bits:
- I know a lot of the blog readers really enjoy Grey's Anatomy and its star Patrick Dempsey. I received an email and it said in part -- "Patrick's mother, Amanda, is a two-time ovarian cancer survivor. She was first diagnosed in 1996 and is now cancer-free. During her battle with cancer, Patrick was actively involved in caring for his mother. One of his concerns was keeping his mother mentally and physically active during treatment. To help with this, he purchased a farm so his mother could stay active with gardening, renovating a new home and enjoying the outdoors."
"Because of his family's experience, Patrick was motivated to join the Breakaway from Cancer™ initiative, which helps increase awareness of the variety of professional and educational resources available to patients, caregivers and survivors, including those provided by the Breakaway from Cancer non-profit partners, The Wellness Community and the National Coalition for Cancer Survivorship." If you want to find out more, check it out! - Starting on February 14, a new late late show will start a thirteen week run, mostly on ABC after Jimmy Kimmel, but it will be on My9 here in the NYC area. Jake Sasseville sounds like a wild and crazy 22-year old. The show is called The Edge with Jake. I tend to fade by that hour, but I might have to check him out.
- Blog reader Loren shared a link with me which says that this season's impromptu Big Brother 9 will again have the After Dark show on ShoToo for folks with that cable channel. I, of course, will have the feeds. I sort of already have them but they're not there. I still have my SuperPass, that is. That reminds me -- I have to put in for my music credit for the month! Thanks, Loren!
Today's musical non-sequitur:
She has robes and she has monkeys, Lazy diamond-studded flunkies
-- "Love Street" by The Doors
Again, I'm not sure if I'll be covering the show each week. But since graphic arteest Zoetawny made me some nifty graphics for it and I did indeed watch it ... here I am!
If you haven't seen the show and plan to do so, be advised there will be spoilers in this entry. Please read it with your eyes shut if you don't want to know who was fired tonight. Thank you.
I'm still a bit iffy on exactly who some of these celebrities are. Who's the big blond guy who fussed about running his own company tonight? Other than Lennox Lewis, I'm not so knowledgeable about fighter types.
And, Nely? What's her claim to fame?
Being the animal lover I am, tonight's charity and project struck a note with me. The only drawback was that it was all about dogs and not cats. There are just as many loving cats in need of homes, perhaps more! On the other hand, Pedigree (the company) is doing a fine thing donating to shelters.
As much as I enjoy Gene Simmons and don't care for Ivanka Trump, I do think he was beyond rude in his dismissal of her when she was checking on the task. I also thought he was way out of line when he implied she would give information to the women's team. Yikes.
And, even though they were successful in winning the task, I didn't care for the way Simmons and Baldwin shut out the rest of their team. I don't blame the team members for getting a bit ticked. It's their project, too.
That said, I liked their commercial the best and they won. Of course, Omarosa even helped their win by laughing at the sight of Lennox with that dog. It was cute, but wouldn't that laugh be almost akin to sleeping with the enemy?
I thought the women's commercial was very good -- it tugged at the heartstrings. But the men's was just better. The women did some things very right such as meeting with the company to see what they wanted. The men just decided they knew. Yeah, it worked for them ... this time. But that's not always the best approach.
I thought Nely and Marilu worked extremely hard and even though both could have been held responsible for their team's loss, the right choice was made with Nadia going home tonight. I loved watching her in the Olympics so many years back, but she doesn't have the spark nor the edge of viciousness needed in a cut-throat corporate world. Omarosa was smart to stay in the background and make no effort to do anything except her assigned task. She's still the odd man out on the women's team. She doesn't fit in at all, but there was no plausible reason to bring her into the boardroom tonight.
The promos for next week have Trump saying, "You're a champion. You're fired." Now, that could be Lennox, but I doubt it.
Yes! It's a contest! With a prize even!
Author Becky Anderson, whose new reality television based first novel is out on the market, sent me two autographed copies of IN STEREO WHERE AVAILABLE.
While one copy is specifically for me, the other will go to one of the blog readers here. I've just started reading the novel and I plan to talk about my impressions after I finish. But an author who has never missed an episode of Survivor and found this blog is already a hit with me.
How can you win? I've decided to list five questions based on reality television shows. I ask that you do NOT answer them in comments, but in an email addressed to jackiestvblog at gmail dot com. (The contact email is also in my sidebar. Make sure you do the @ and the . to make it work -- I'd rather not get more spam for having it in the right format in this entry.) Please give the email a topic of Blog Contest Entry to make sure I don't overlook it.
Because the timing of the Internet isn't the most fair to all, I won't be taking the first entry with the correct answers. Instead, I'm putting a deadline for entries of midnight (ET) on Wednesday, January 16, 2008. I will put all of the correctly answered entries in a hat (or more likely a kitchen bowl, to be honest) and pick one with my eyes shut. How more fair can I get, huh?
I will contact the winner at that time and ask for information to ship the autographed novel to them. There is no need to give me your personal names or addresses in your submissions -- I'll contact the winner via email and, trust me, I won't share that information with anyone. I do ask that a screenname, or commenter name, be available for announcing the winner although I won't post any email addresses or real full names of the winner or any entries.
Are you ready? The answers to these questions can be easily found by using a search engine or you might even know some by memory. Copy and paste these questions with your answers into an email and let's go!
1. Who was the first person ever booted on Survivor?
2. RealNetworks has provided the live feeds for Big Brother since the second season. What company supplied the live feeds for the first season?
3. Which American Idol past contestant is slated to start a run in Broadway's Monty Python's Spamalot beginning January 18th?
4. What Amazing Race 5 contestant yelled that his ox was broken, thus giving the title for My OX IS BROKEN, the book?
5. What is the name and real-life occupation of the Survivor contestant who, during the first season of the show, voted others off in alphabetical order?
Remember -- do NOT answer these questions in the comments, any answers in the comments area will be deleted. Email them to me at the address above with a subject header of Blog Contest Entry. The deadline is midnight (ET) on Wednesday, January 16.
I'll be writing introductory posts for the fans as the week goes on, but thought I should mention the official show website is up and running. I don't think I'll be writing introductory posts for the returning castaways even though a few are certainly dubious in their "fan favorite" distinction.
Although I most likely won't be watching the show, I recall a few people were asking for a discussion post to talk about it amongst friends here on the blog. So, here you go!
The show airs Mondays at 8 PM ET/PT in most viewing areas. The official website for the show is here.
Andy Rooney is on 60 Minutes as I start this, so the show we really want to see (sorry Andy) will be starting soon.
As it airs, I'll update this post with the major events including Philimination. Late tonight my full review of the episode will be up on TV Squad.
Please feel free to jump in with your thoughts in the comments!
TK and Rachel are WAY behind.
Ron and Christina came in first each winning an electric vehicle.
Nathan and Jennifer second. (Grr)
Nicolas and Donald number three.
YAY! The last non-elim! Nearly three hours behind the other teams, TK and Rachel survive. They'll face a Speed Bump next leg.
Phew.
A New York City subway train, rather subdued and uncrowded. I'll get into the TV Newsy Bits in a moment, but I must tell a tale of urban apartment living first.
Y'see, I live in a fairly large multi-story (but not high-rise) apartment building in urban (as opposed to suburban) New Jersey. I have neighbors on top of me, below me, on both sides, and across the hall. The building itself is an elevator building with about 40 apartments, an intercom system for a supposedly secure building, and a laundry room in the basement. The neighborhood is quiet with apartment buildings, senior citizen housing, some large older houses cut up into apartments, and churches. My biggest complaint about the neighborhood itself are adults on bicycles on the sidewalks, as well as the senior citizen gang with flags atop their motorized scooters who terrorize the sidewalks making me step into yards.
But this isn't about the neighborhood. It's about last night. Well, actually it started before that. The apartment abutting my dining room turned computer/library/home office and kitchen has been vacant for some time. That apartment was traditionally the super's apartment, but the last family man super left months ago. The new super is single and has a studio apartment on the first floor.
I know they renovated the apartment long ago, but heard noises in there this past Wednesday. It sounded like maintenance workers and I heard no more from the apartment until last night when I got home around 8 PM. There was a stereo going ... a very loud one.
Sigh. New neighbors throwing their first party? At one point my intercom buzzed. When I used the talk button, no one answered. No way was I going to buzz anyone into the building when I wasn't expecting any company. And the beat went on next door. It had to be blaring in there because I never ever even heard the first superintendent, the second one there had a surround-sound system and, while that was annoying, it paled in comparison to the music last night.
Then there was a flurry of activity in the hallway and banging on the door over there. I peeked out my window and saw several police cars at the back of the building (which is very odd as they would come in the front for most things). It turns out NO ONE still lives there! A bunch of people commandeered the vacant apartment for a party!
How did they find the apartment? How did they get into the building and then the apartment? The cops said about 30 people were in there! How did they have electricity in there? The apartments come with heat, hot water, and cooking gas, but the power has to be turned on for each individual tenant.
How did I not really hear any unusual hall traffic, no voices from the apartment and just the music blaring? Apparently some of the party-goers were roaming the hallways and smoking cigarettes in the elevator. One of the tenants on the first floor called the police about the strangers in the hallway. But here, the apartment was right next to me and I didn't hear anything in the hallways. I believe they had to be coming in through the back door of the building away from me.
In the end, I'm relieved I don't have new partying neighbors there. I didn't call the police because it wasn't all that late at night and I didn't want my first introduction to neighbors being a call to the police before 10 PM on a Saturday night. My other neighbors have parties and make noise occasionally but we all get along and know we can say something if it gets too much. No one takes advantage although I know when the guy downstairs is having a football game party or the folks upstairs have a small party. They say I'm very quiet, but I've been known to crank my stereo on occasion. Living in an apartment building takes some tolerance of others, but I guess I was a bit too tolerant last night, eh?
Onto today's TV Newsy Bits:
- Ohh ... lots of news about the upcoming Survivor Micronesia -- fan and firefighter Joel Anderson has a write-up as does fan motivational speaker Alexis Jones and the returning Ami Cusack. I didn't care for her in Vanuatu. As a matter of fact, Vanuatu was my least favorite season on the show. I'm so not looking forward to Jonny Fairplay, either. Yeah, I understand that they want a villain, but he just creeps me out. But the concept of the season itself sounds fresh. I'm looking forward to seeing the fans kick Ami and Jonny's butts while Yau-Man makes me smile!
- Our friends over at Buddy TV say the finalists are in place to be cast for Big Brother 9 and that there are rumors it will be a shorter season than the typical three month run we see in the summertime. And, yes ... before I get asked again ... it seems the show will have another new season come July.
- The latest in the ongoing Britney Spears saga is that Dr. Phil "rescued" her from the hospital. I'm sure he'll turn it into ratings for himself. I think it's just a sad situation and it's very scary to think of K-Fed as a level-headed parent. Those poor kids.
- Matthew Fox spilled the Lost beans as he knows them for EW.com. Verrry interesting.
- Tonight we'll have another episode of The Amazing Race. I'm thinking it must be the finale next week as we're at the final four now. The finale always pits the last three teams in the final leg. I'll put up an east coast spoilers post when it starts here. It's very likely there will be a football delay. I haven't looked at the schedule, just guessing.
Today's musical non-sequitur:
Chickity China the Chinese chicken
You have a drumstick and your brain stops tickin'
Watchin' X-Files with no lights on
We're dans la maison
I hope the Smoking Man's in this one
-- "One Week" - Barenaked Ladies
Brr ... cold enough out there for you? Here's a hint about what I had to face this morning in 15 degree temperatures and high winds. Although that article has few comments, I know what the commenter from a previous post was talking about with the nasty comments left on that site. Scary stuff.
I'll talk about The Celebrity Apprentice towards the end of this entry. I'll be mentioning the fired person at the end of the post, so beware if you haven't watched the show yet. Although the show caught my interest enough tonight, I doubt I'll be watching it come mid-February. So I'm not going to get into blogging about it full-force.
A few other things first:
- I was pleased with the return of Letterman last night, but that beard has to go. Soon. And far away. It frightened me.
- I think I'm going to like the new cast changes on Law and Order. It's about time McCoy got a promotion, eh? I like Jesse Martin fine, but Dennis Farina partnering with him didn't do anything for me. The new dude shows some promise. I was a bit disappointed that it was two separate one-hour episodes. I think it could have made a splash debut with an involved two-hour story.
- I watched Wife Swap last night. Is it just me or is that show getting even cheesier each season? What the heck was up with that "sparkle" bit? I kept feeling I was watching a commercial of whatever that gum is that cleans "dirty mouths." Why do people go on these shows knowing that they'll look like idiots?
- The cast list is up for Survivor -- thanks, ORKMommy! Jonny Fairplay indeed. I thought they said fan favorites?!?
Onto Celebrity Apprentice ...
The pros:
- I actually enjoyed Gene Simmons from Kiss and, on the whole, how the men got along.
- They're in NYC where the show belongs. Good.
- The "celebrity" bit enhances the tasks -- they can call on their contacts, etc.
- The proceeds go to charity.
The cons:- Donald Trump, the Trumpette, and the Trumpling.
- Piers Morgan is rude. There, I said it.
- I hate the Baldwin's eyes. He always looks stoned.
- Who are half of these celebrities? If I saw most of them on the street, I wouldn't even notice.
- Trump is partial to Omarosa and tonight's show showed it.
- Omarosa is still a B Word.
The odd:
- Not even going to his hair, but Trump's tan/coloring is all screwy. It looks like he's been in a tanning booth wearing sunglasses. Ew.
- The winning team got to watch the main boardroom session of the losing team prior to the firing. I'm of mixed feelings about that. They can see the weak links of the other team too much.
SPOILER COMING
The Fired:
- It should have been Omarosa because she's the one who decided (and enforced) they shouldn't use their celebrity to sell hot dogs. But, instead, it was Tiffany the Playboy Bunny who didn't call Hugh Hefner for a donation. (After Omarosa didn't want them to do that, mind you.)
Nah, not an exciting photo, I'll admit. It's raindrops on a berry-bearing tree. We certainly won't see raindrops here tonight as the temperatures dip down into the teens. But we've been lucky so far this season here in the NYC area. I know folks in the Midwest, further up the Northeast coast and even just a few hundred miles north of here have had tremendous snowstorms. Since my knee won't allow me to ski, I'd just as soon as little snow as necessary here, thank you.
In today's TV Newsy Bits:
- In NYC News news, I was thrilled to see meteorologist Jeff Berardelli on and off the past few weeks on WCBS2. I got all excited thinking he was back for good, but he isn't. He was just helping them out as he visited his family for the holidays. Soon (if not already), he'll be back in Miami and we'll have to deal with Conan O'Brien's doppelganger Lonnie Quinn doing the weather. Blech. John Bolaris is off of CBS2 and into Philly. I'd like to put in a request for a real meteorologist and not a soaps actor, please.
- Law and Order returns tonight for a special two-hour season premiere beginning at 9 PM. I'm so there. I didn't care so much for Dennis Farina the last season or two. It looks like the cop cast has been revamped and I've always liked the stories.
- I'll also be watching David Letterman's return (with writers) tonight. His guest is Robin Williams. I'm not as keen on Williams as I was a few decades back, but I wouldn't miss the show's return tonight for anything! Leno won't be able to do a monologue and has one of the Presidential candidates on for his return tonight.
- Ohhh ... gossip! Claire and Peter from Heroes are a true-life couple these days? Yikes! He's 30, she's 18. She denied they were dating all through that odd haircut he used to sport.
- Tonight also brings us season premieres of Wife Swap and SuperNanny. A new Deal or No Deal is on as well. Power of Ten, too. Oh, my. Television has returned. I'm not so much into any of them, but I might watch Wife Swap before Law and Order. That can be amusing at times.
Today's musical non-sequitur:
But then they sent me away to teach me how to be sensible,Logical, responsible, practical.And they showed me a world where I could be so dependable,Clinical, intellectual, cynical.
-- "The Logical Song" by Supertramp
Well, well, well. It's 2008. I hope everyone had a good time last night whether it was staying at home or going out with the crowds.
Me? Um, well. I fell asleep early. I had planned to at least watch the ball drop on television, but missed it all. I had to work yesterday and had been up since before 5 AM. I thought I was merely taking a nap around 9 PM, setting my alarm to get me up at 10 PM. Uh-oh. I awoke at about 4:30 in the morning. That's just the way it goes sometimes.
Thinking back over the past year I've certainly had some successes, lots of so-so stuff, one major personal blow.
In the success arena:
- This blog has to be at the top of the list. A community has developed here and it opened the doors to a paying writing gig -- something I've wanted for years although my original intention was more along the lines of the Great American Novel. I thank everyone who's been reading regularly and even more of a nod to those who have made it a community.
- Of course, the paying writing gig for TV Squad is a huge success for me in 2007. No, I can't live on the pay I receive, but it sure helps out a lot and getting paid to write is a very personally fulfilling kind of thing. It's something I dreamed of when I received my first typewriter as a Christmas gift at the age of nine.
- My 401K at my day job did very well this year. I can actually see some sort of life after retirement (which, alas, is several years away) between that, my company retirement benefits, and Social Security. It no longer looks like I'll have to go live in a van down by the river.
- I bought a new computer which I will be able to claim on my taxes due to the writing income.
- I bought seasons 1-4 of The Wire and will watch them over and over again. Storytelling done right in the TV medium. Unfortunately, I can't claim the DVDs on my taxes.
To the so-so arena:
- September marked 30 years since I started with my day job employer (which will remain nameless in this blog). I left them for about five years in the 80s, so I don't have 30 straight years with them. It feels like I have 50, though. 1977. I was surely a child.
- I got addicted to Trader Joe's Espresso Coffee Soda only to see it discontinued. I guess I didn't need the calories, but I definitely love that stuff.
- Despite the reputation of the NJ town in which I live, people say hello on the sidewalk, I see diversity everywhere I go, and I have made friends in town as well as new train friends I enjoy this past year.
The 2007 bad stuff:
- The absolute worst thing is the loss of my cat Teaser. I miss him every day. I found out that my brother (the one who left a comment here) lost his cat of about the same age three weeks prior to the death of Teaser.
- My left knee is crumbling more all the time. I fear I'll have to have the knee replacement before long. I'm not all that worried about the operation itself, nor the recovery. I just don't want to be in a hospital or rehab place for more than a few days.
- I fear my day job is successfully sucking just a bit more of my soul out of me day by day.
Stuff I want to do in 2008:
- I want to keep this blog going at the levels previous to this past month. December was a rather boring TV month, plus I was busy at work, and dealing with the loss of my cat companion of fifteen years.
- I want to continue writing for TV Squad. My contract renews in July (at least it should). I already know I'll be covering BB9 live feeds and the upcoming Survivor season for them.
- I have to get my knee fixed. (Waaah.)
- Knee fixed, more photo stomping. Yay!
- I want to take up real painting. I've been having urges to paint (art stuff, not walls or houses) for a few months now. I used to draw and sketch a lot when I was younger but I never got into painting. I plan to buy an easel, some paints, and some brushes (and other stuff I might need), and see what comes of it. I have to decide between oils, acrylics, or watercolors. But I will do it. Also, it's something I could do in knee replacement recovery time.
How was your 2007?
(Graphic by rockin' Zoetawny)
Don't ask because I don't have any answers. I came across this stuffed figure quasi-dummy in a wicker chair on the sidewalk in front of a Latino clothing store in Plainfield, NJ today. The cigarette in his mouth was actually burning and that's an empty pint bottle in his lap. He may have one hand. If he does, it's in his pocket supporting his travel duffel. What the pink frill on his sleeve is, I don't know. I didn't ask, he didn't tell. He must be a stranger in town. But at least he dressed for the weather, eh?
In today's TV Newsy Bits:
- Yes, the world will be watching the ball drop at midnight in Times Square. I might be watching, but I'll do it from my living room. I've done the Times Square thing twice in my life and vowed 20 years ago never again. I hope everyone has a great time, but please be safe.
- A blog reader has a list of the New Year's TV marathons up on his blog if you don't like football. I know I need some Law and Order!
- The late night talk shows return on January 2nd. Yay, Letterman! Since David Letterman's own show and the one following it hosted by Craig Ferguson are owned by his own production company, he made his own deal to return with the writers. Leno and Conan will be winging it without the writers. I may have to watch Leno once just to see how bad he is when left to his own devices. I actually enjoy Letterman's goofiness, so I personally think he'd be better without writers than Leno, but that's the way it goes. I can't help but wonder if guests might be more willing to go on Letterman who has the approval of the WGA than on Leno where they might be perceived as crossing picket lines. It should be interesting.
Today's musical non-sequitur:
Give my regards to Broadway Remember me to Herald SquareTell all the gang at 42nd StreetThat I will soon be there.
-- George M. Cohan - "Give My Regards to Broadway"
Nah, I didn't forget to get a post up and running. The late post is due to yet another football delay here on the east coast. As I type this at approximately 8:20 PM ET, 60 Minutes is still on. I'm not quite sure when it started, but once the real show (TAR!) starts, I'll update this entry with major events including the Pit Stop order.
Late tonight my full review of the show will be posted over on TV Squad.
UPDATE 8:37 PM ET -- Finally, 60 Minutes has ended. (Grr)
Kynt and Vyxsin made up the Speed Bump time and just U-Turned Nathan and Jennifer DON AND NICOLAS (who are ahead of them),ARGH.
TK and Rachel arrived at the Pit Stop first -- won a trip to St. MArtin.
Second place goes to Nicolas and Donald.
Third -- Ronald and Christina
WAH -- Nathan and Jennifer took fourth place, Kynt and Vyxsin Philiminated. ARGH -- why didn't Kynt U-Turn Jennifer and Nathan?!?!?!?!
To everyone out there who celebrates Christmas, I hope you have a day filled with love and good food. (Can't forget the good food, of course!)
Graphic artist Zoetawny created this image for the holidays and you know she rocks!
Although I've been a bit scarce as of late, we'll have new shows coming on soon. My best wishes go out to everyone!
